Great time travel

Chapter 645: Hearts of Iron: Empire of the Rising Sun

Chapter 5. Hearts of Iron: Empire of the Rising Sun

PS: To correct a small mistake, the nickname of the B-29 strategic bomber is "Super Sky Fortress", not "Sky Fortress", and two words are missing in front.

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In the Japanese archipelago at the end of September, the autumn colors are full of red, and the leaves are flowing.

——As the saying goes, "Crimson cherry blossoms in spring and red leaves in autumn", now is the season of red leaves all over the mountains. The red leaves are full of fire, the leaves are colorful, and the forests are full of dyes... All kinds of red leaves are competing in the famous Hibiya Park in Tokyo. Dou Yan, people are in it, you can experience the three artistic conceptions of looking at the red leaves: first, you can see the colorful red leaves, then you can see the red leaves in full swing, and third, you can see the red leaves when they fall.It is really gorgeous like haze, gorgeous but not strong, charming but not charming.

Of course, this kind of leisurely feeling of enjoying the red leaves is limited to a very small number of people who have money, leisure, and a carefree life. It is definitely not something that can be felt by those muddy legs who need to work all day long and have no knowledge of romance. One craving: How can I fill my belly?

——Japan’s war of aggression against China, which began in the 20s, once benefited a lot. Relying on the rich minerals and grains in Northeast China, as well as sugar and rice in Taiwan, the living standards of ordinary Japanese people reached their peak in 30.But then, as the war of aggression against China has fallen into a quagmire that cannot be resolved quickly, military expenditures have expanded viciously, and sanctions from the United States and Britain have been imposed, life in Japan has gradually become difficult.

When the Pacific War broke out, the living standards of ordinary people in Japan plummeted. In the eyes of the Japanese people, after experiencing illusory glory and short-term joy, what this war brought them was endless shortages of daily necessities, food Rationing, inflation, a flooded black market, and long hours.During these dark days, the Japanese people suffered even more than other warring nations.

As early as the first month of the outbreak of the Pacific War, food, charcoal, and even soy sauce were all rationed in Japanese cities, with only 330 grams of rice per person per day.Families purchased rice at designated rice stores based on the grain they purchased, and a ban on white rice was issued, requiring brown rice and polished rice to be mixed.Next, the rationing system was extended to cloth, candles, soap, and almost every other commodity of life.

What's even more frightening is that in order to meet the large demand for metal raw materials for weapon production, Japan began to dig three feet into the country.City dwellers were forced to make the ultimate sacrifice.The metal street lamp brackets, railroad tracks, metal traffic signs and various signs on the buildings in Tokyo were all dismantled, and even the copper gate of the Yasukuni Shrine was transported to the arsenal to be used as raw materials for the production of bullets.Shinto shrines donated copper shrines; Buddhist temples donated bells and gongs.The police were mobilized and went door-to-door to force housewives to turn in their household appliances. It was stipulated that each family could only keep one pot and one metal bucket.The next step is to force everyone to exchange the original aluminum one-yen coins for newly minted tin coins...

In Tokyo during the war, all the laughter and laughter seemed to be burned by the flames of war.Weary townspeople work like robots and suffer from chronic hunger.In my numb head, I only have how long I have to last to get off work today, or how much quota is left in the rice and charcoal ration book at home, whether I can find some good goods from the black market, or pawn a certain heirloom at a reasonable price ... On the buildings on both sides of the street, you can occasionally see a few flags congratulating the "Emperor's Great Victory", but they have long been covered with dust, just like people's mentality towards war.

Despite such sacrifices, they still failed to prevent the haze of war from getting closer and closer to them.The American bombs that fall from time to time every three days always remind them that war is around them.Although it was impossible to deploy a large-scale fleet and could only attack in small formations or even single planes, the high-altitude bombing of Japanese cities by B-29 strategic bombers was very lacking in accuracy, and most of the bombs were simply dropped.Moreover, the [-]-kilometer journey from Midway Island to Japan forced American pilots to greatly reduce the amount of ammunition loaded in order to install temporary auxiliary fuel tanks. The average daily casualties to Tokyo citizens may not be as good as the usual car accidents and production accidents. ...but this fear alone is enough to drive people crazy.To make matters worse, there are rumors that the US military is planning to retaliate by poison gas bombing Tokyo in the near future, given the use of poison gas by the Japanese army in the Australian battlefield...

Even if only one bomber visited Tokyo, the relevant authorities had to mobilize the entire city's reservists and civilians, ordering them to join the voluntary fire brigade and emergency rescue team and dig air-raid shelters in addition to exhausting labor.Once the U.S. plane hits late at night, people in Tokyo have to drag their tired bodies to get up and put on gas masks... What's more terrible is that Americans have become more and more fond of nighttime after discovering the above situation through some channels Bombing—even if nothing of value can be blown up, it can be regarded as a success if the Japanese in Tokyo can't sleep.

As a result, over the past few years, the rate of death from overwork in Japan's rear factories has been astonishingly high, and it has rapidly evolved from a "sweatshop" to a "death factory"...

At this moment, around Hibiya Park, many families with children who joined the army put up signs saying "Jizhong".The once bustling shopping street is full of new soil and broken bricks where air-raid shelters are being dug everywhere.The pavement had been cut, and there were gangplanks, through which now and then a loaded trolley was being pushed.Some stood on hastily erected scaffolding to paint brightly colored store buildings in ugly yellow and green camouflage.Some people pasted air-raid paper strips in the shape of "meter" on the glass windows.The neon lights have been removed, all the windows are empty, and a few shop assistants are busy tearing down the glass and nailing the wooden boards...

However, it is good to have work to keep busy at this time.The most unlucky ones are those poor people whose properties and houses were burned to the ground by the bombing of the US planes, and now they are homeless and can only live on the streets, especially those children and women who lack the ability to work.Now I can only set up bedding in Hibiya Park and sleep in the open for the time being.If it was in a peaceful age, I am afraid someone would have gone there to drive them away.But in this day and age, the police and military police have a rare sympathy, turning a blind eye to these "illegal land occupation" homeless people, and turning a blind eye to them.

More importantly, in Hibiya Park at this time, a group of "well-meaning naval officers and soldiers" are distributing relief to these homeless people, and the content is surprisingly rich: large pieces of white bread, hot seaweed soup , and a variety of nutritious seafood, such as dried salted fish, canned crab meat, canned herring, canned pollack, canned cod, etc., were pulled into the park by trucks and placed directly on the grass It has attracted countless salivating eyes - even in the peaceful era before the war, such delicacies were not often tasted by ordinary people.

However, the relief food of the Imperial Navy is not free. Anyone who wants to eat these good things must sign a "deed of sale" and sell the entire army to the Imperial Navy, and bid farewell to the homeland of the Japanese archipelago. , immigrated to the war-torn South Pacific or the Australian mainland thousands of miles away, and carried out "armed land reclamation"-this kind of request, which is similar to selling one's body into slavery, obviously makes many people feel suspicious.For example, women are very worried about whether they will be stuffed into a "comfort station" after they arrive in Nanyang... Helplessly, their growling stomachs can't resist the temptation. Soon they will be drafted into the army or called into some kind of "stand up team", and in the end most of them gritted their teeth and signed up.

All of a sudden, there were people squatting on the ground everywhere in the park, shaking their cheeks, gobbling up these delicate foods that they hadn't tasted for a long time.

Of course, so many precious foods also attracted many greedy eyes with malicious intentions.Although the navy uniforms worn by those in charge are enough to deter the ordinary hooligans, some people with all-hands-eyes actually called in the gendarmerie to confiscate the food on charges of "illegal gathering of crowds with ulterior motives" and the like. ...However, after some disputes, it was the gendarmerie that was defeated in despair, because a big boss of the navy happened to come here to support his own people: that is the commander of the combined fleet, Admiral Yamamoto 56 !

In the face of such a big man at the level of a military god, even the former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, the commander of the military police, would not dare to offend him. , is really too frightening.There are more than 50 American and British battleships and aircraft carriers sunk under his command alone. The combined total tonnage of the sunk ships is said to have exceeded 200 million tons.Even Togo Heihachiro, who wiped out the Russian fleet in the Tsushima Sea Battle in the past, would probably feel ashamed of Marshal Yamamoto's illustrious record.

In Japan, Marshal Yamamoto's reputation has surpassed that of the ancient military god Kusuki Masanari, and his photos and statues are placed in shrines to worship.And the model of his flagship Yamato is also the most sought-after toy among boys... In front of such a god-like figure, how dare a mere military police make a fool of himself?

Immediately afterwards, after the gendarmes who had come to find fault retreated obediently, Marshal Yamamoto 56 was immediately surrounded by young students who rushed up to ask for autographs, and several guards were sweating profusely.And many Tokyo citizens who can still barely make ends meet can't help but think of "going to Nanyang" when they see this situation-seeing that life in China is getting worse day by day, why not simply make up their minds and go overseas?The worst outcome is death!At least you can eat and drink for a while before you die, not to mention that even if you stay in Tokyo, don't you need to be bombarded by beautiful animals?

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Under a certain maple tree in a corner of Hibiya Park, two officers in army uniforms were drinking and chatting while watching the conflict scene not far away.Like other wealthy idlers who came out with red leaves, they also spread a layer of cloth on the grass under their buttocks, and placed sake bottles and some side dishes to go with the wine.

"...Tsuji-kun, the timing of your return home is unlucky. You can't see the cherry blossoms in spring, so let's make do with the red leaves in autumn!"

Takushiro Hattori, chief of the Operations Division of the Army Staff Headquarters, sipped the sake served in a saucer, and muttered sourly, "...Alas, Yamamoto 56 recruited people without authorization in Tokyo again, and bought people's hearts, which is really arrogant. I heard that he not only managed the naval fortress Truk Islands into an independent kingdom, but also encircled a large area in places such as New Guinea, Noumea, and New Britain in the South China Sea, and pulled up more than [-] marines. , and recruited hundreds of thousands to millions of armed immigrants. Now they want to build a branch of the Naval University in Truk, and they want to create another Japan overseas! According to this approach, Does he really want to occupy the land there and become the king and become the lord of the feudal clan?"

Sitting cross-legged opposite Takushiro Hattori, Masanobu Tsuji, who has just returned from the front line in Australia and is about to be promoted to major general, is sitting cross-legged. , with the merits of Marshal Yamamoto, isn’t he qualified to be a feudal lord overseas? Besides, this recruiting matter is actually carried out by our Australian Army and the United Fleet. It’s a pity that the Army is not as rich as the Navy, so it can’t be very good On the way back to my job report this time, I recruited [-] volunteers from Taiwan, [-] laborers from Vietnam, and finally tied up [-] coolies in Guangzhou, and now I am transporting them to Australia Woolen cloth!"

Speaking of this, Tsuji Masanobu could not help but carry a trace of resentment in his tone, "...Hey, on the front lines in Australia, on the South Sea islands, we are short of people everywhere, open mines, build roads, build airports, and take over Western White Animals The factories, farms, and pastures left behind, as well as the encirclement and suppression of stubborn enemies from all walks of life, to replenish the consumption of front-line soldiers, even the cat's claws can't wait to use them. I didn't expect to return to Tokyo to see that there are so many people with healthy limbs. There will be nothing to do and no livelihood because of unemployment! People want to sell their children everywhere at the station pier, and women selling sex because of unemployment will almost fill Ginza and Kabukicho! But it’s all done like this, and the base camp is still there They said that we need to ensure the number of domestic labor force, and returned our application for large-scale recruitment of armed immigrants! Even half-grown children are not willing to give it! Isn’t this forcing us to act recklessly?”

"...The domestic labor force situation is actually very tense. Young and middle-aged people have been recruited by the army. Several coal mines in Kitakyushu have already used North Korean and Chinese laborers to go down the mines. Under such circumstances, if the headquarters agrees with you People, Mitsui and other consortiums will have great opinions.”

Takushiro Hattori explained in this way, but Masanobu Tsuji became even more angry: "...huh! They still have the face to complain? Speaking of which, it is not the greedy Mitsui, Mitsubishi, and Sumitomo who have made the country into the current situation. The chaebols are poaching the wall? It is obvious that the national crisis is at the head of the country, and there are so many servants and maids serving at home. I heard that the total number of servants serving the rich and powerful in the country is as high as 200 million... and on the front line of Australia, We are already going to raise reinforcements from the Wang Jingwei government in China to fight against the guerrillas of the United States, Britain and white animals!"

"...Well, I know about this. At that time, the staff headquarters thought that the Australian Army Command was crazy, but it was really tight everywhere, and they couldn't squeeze out as many reinforcements as Australia needed, so they could only pinch their noses from the Nanjing Nationalist Government. Seconded troops... Are those people okay?" Hattori Takushiro replied.

"...To be honest, the combat effectiveness is really not very good. Many guys are simply young men temporarily captured by the Wang Jingwei government, but they can still be used as individuals. Even if they can't fight, they will be thrown behind the front line to farm in the army farm. It’s not bad to be a worker in a repair shop or a supervisor in a mine…”

Tsuji Masanobu raised his neck and took a sip of sake and said, "... At least he is much more diligent than those lazy Filipinos..."

"...Uh, that's not what I mean! I mean, in the General Staff Headquarters, many people were worried that they would join the enemy on a large scale in Australia..."

"...to join the enemy? Then you have to be willing to accept it! In the eyes of the white ghosts in Australia, we Japanese, Taiwanese, Koreans, Chinese, and even Vietnamese are all yellow monkeys that should be skinned. Really If it falls into the hands of the white animal on the opposite side, I'm afraid I won't even get the whole body!"

Tsuji Masanobu sneered, "...in China, they may not be very reliable, but in Australia, they just want to be unreliable. The most important thing is to kill the white animal guerrillas and let them see blood by the way, and then pick a few leaders Go to the comfort station and find a Caucasian woman to have sex, and basically there will be no problem.

However, in the long run, there are still hidden dangers in doing so.Only the army goes south to kill the white animals, if there is no pioneering group to keep up, the Australian strategy of the imperial army seems to be specially designed to help the Chinese and Koreans to immigrate south... Well, some Vietnamese are also involved Light. "

"...Your worries are unnecessary, Mr. Tsuji. Australia is not full of Mongolia, and it is too far away from Japan. The empire is not stable. At best, it is just a bargaining chip. Once peace talks are opened with European and American countries in the future , most likely still have to spit it out.”

Captain Takushiro Hattori replied disapprovingly, "...When the imperial army pats their buttocks and withdraws to go home, let those inferior ethnic groups stay in Australia and fight dogs with American, British and white people! Well, the imperial army can also leave them some more weapons and ammunition, okay Let them play more lively..."

"...Hey, I hope that's the case! Let's not talk about this. Today happens to be wine, try the gift I brought you from the southern hemisphere!"

Then, Takushiro Hattori took the rough tin can without any logo from Tsuji Masanobu's hand suspiciously, looked at it carefully, and found that there was nothing marked on the surface of the can except for a production date.Next, he took out his dagger and pried open the can, picked out a piece of meat from an unknown animal, frowned, stuffed it into his mouth, his expression changed drastically, and he spit out the meat directly, and looked at it with a stinky face. Masanobu Tsuji complained, "...what kind of meat is this! It smells so bad! It's like soaking in urine, and it's more choking than natto!"

"...This is a famous Australian product! Canned kangaroo meat! The purest battlefield flavor!"

Masanobu Tsuji put his fingers into the can with a grin, grabbed a piece of urea-rich kangaroo meat without hesitation, threw it into his mouth, and started to chew, "...When the frontline supply was the most difficult, we had almost half a year, completely relying on This thing and wild rabbit meat are used to survive, and occasionally some snake meat and crocodile meat are added for a change...Don’t mention it, there are so many rabbits in Australia that it’s a disaster!”

"...Then you can bring me some air-dried rabbit meat! Or a rabbit fur hat!" Hattori Takushiro rolled his eyes and scolded with a smile, "...Forget it, I will talk to the soldiers of the Australian Army today Let's share joys and sorrows together. Taste the flavor of Australian kangaroo meat..."