Chapter 27: The lively and noisy funny era
China, Ningbo Port
Under the blue sky, the turbid waves hit the freeboard of the ship, splashing and turning into white foam, and finally slowly fell back.
Accompanied by the neighing of seagulls and the whining of whistles, the star-spangled flags fluttering wildly were fluttering on the mast with the sea breeze.
Standing on the side of the ship in the harbor, looking up, there are dilapidated and simple shanties everywhere, mixed with a few slightly more impressive Western-style buildings, like isolated islands surrounded by garbage dumps. In addition, there are traces of various wars: there is an upturned ship lying in the shallow water, the crane and warehouse have turned into twisted wreckage, part of the trestle has also been burned, and only the blackened stumps are left... A breathtaking landscape.
As one of the first foreign trade ports opened in China, relying on the wealth brought by foreign trade, the city appearance of Ningbo Port would not have been so dilapidated. However, since the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, due to the blockade and shelling of the Japanese fleet, as well as the frequent bombings of Japanese aircraft, the port functions of Ningbo Port have been at a standstill for a long time. With the basic interruption of maritime trade, Ningbo's market has become extremely depressed, almost dead.
Fortunately, after the Japanese Empire was sent to heaven by two Yankee nuclear bombs, and after Chairman Chiang Kai-shek of Chongqing made a triumphal "triumph" to Nanjing (although Nanjing is now lost again), the long-dormant "dead port" of Ningbo finally came to the rescue. After many years, we once again welcomed a fleet from the other side of the ocean.
At this time, a forest of masts and chimneys stood in the Ningbo Port. Hundreds of "Liberty Ship" fleets flying the Stars and Stripes, escorted by the U.S. Pacific Fleet, finally got what they had been waiting for for many years. Now it has It was the Nationalist Government, which was waiting for food, and sent a large amount of US aid supplies.
——Since the "Hump Route" flying over the Himalayas was cut off three years ago, Chairman Chiang has not received any US aid for a long time, and this is one of the important reasons for his collapse in the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party: Chairman Chiang himself I think this is the only reason.
On the dilapidated wharf trestle, there was a crowd of people. Groups of labor coolies who had been forced to use bayonets, wearing old and dirty clothes, or simply shirtless, were rushing back and forth to carry various goods from the United States: flour, canned goods, Ammunition, guns, fuel, cars...
In Ningbo's market, people haven't seen so many foreign goods for a long, long time.
There were also some decently dressed idlers who gathered in the pavilions, tea sheds and teahouses near the port, vying to see the rare Western scenery in the port - huge steel battleships, majestic towering bridges, and terrifying giants. Cannons, brand-new twill paint... all of these are filled with shocking violent aesthetics, making everyone who witnesses it feel deeply shocked and rippled both physically and mentally.
This is the supreme force of the United States of America, and now it is once again blowing the war horn for Westerners to conquer the East.
On the water around the warship, there are many small wooden boats of different shapes. The boatmen were wearing shabby robes, holding baskets of fruits, eggs, vegetables, and miscellaneous knick-knacks. They were shouting and selling to the sailors on the warship from a distance, trying their best with a mocking smile on their faces. sell. The harsh and weird English mixed with the noise of Ningbo dialect made a chaotic mess in the harbor.
However, on the USS Enterprise, the flagship of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, the fleet's supreme commander, Admiral Halsey, had no interest in these water vendors shuttled in the harbor. He just held a bottle of Coca-Cola in his hand. , standing outside the door of a certain cabin, folding his arms and watching coldly as a group of North Koreans...or Koreans, anyway, it’s the same word in English, spitting and making noises in the cabin.
They were members of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea.
This is a very strange government, belonging to a strange country that has never really existed on earth for a day.
——As we all know, before the Korean Peninsula was annexed by the Japanese Empire, there were only two country names: the Kingdom of Korea and the Empire of Korea.
As for the so-called Republic of Korea, it has always existed only in the imagination of some overseas exiles of this nation.
Of course, the so-called Korean Empire is also an equally ridiculous country name. empire? Is this something that a small country like North Korea deserves?
Even the African emperor of Ethiopia at least had the martial arts ability to defeat the Italians to boast about, but what capital and achievements did the Koreans have in modern times? For a doormat sandwiched between Japan, China and Russia, the Korean Empire? Is it worthy?
At that time, it was almost losing its qualifications as an independent country. But the shameless last king of Korea completely ignored the reality that the country was about to become a colony and proclaimed himself emperor, as if he wanted to enjoy himself before he died.
After this ridiculous Korean Empire was completely wiped off the map by the Japanese, a group of more shameless Korean Christians escaped from their hometown and fled to China. Then they pretended to have overthrown the old dynasty and established a republic. Shanghai played the sign of the "Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea". In Halsey's view, the so-called Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea is probably similar to Norton I, the self-proclaimed emperor of the United States in history.
What is even more ridiculous is that the "Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea", which has neither subjects nor territory, has been caught in fierce factional struggles since its establishment. Eventually, the "Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea" split into two main factions. A missionary named Syngman Rhee took his supporters to the United States and begged for assistance from the White House. Another killer leader named Jin Jiu stayed in China and continued to plan his restoration of the country.
Admiral Halsey still has some impression of Syngman Rhee, because he was the leader of the Korean expatriates in the Hawaiian Islands. During the war, he occasionally had some dealings with the Pacific Fleet, such as helping to interrogate North Korean laborers captured on the front line. kind. The U.S. military's intelligence agency once included him in the scope of cooperation partners. Unfortunately, although the missionary Syngman Rhee claimed that he could represent the entire North Korea, in fact, he could not even find a single Korean warrior who was willing to sneak into the Japanese Empire to engage in espionage activities. When he failed to come out, the disappointed U.S. intelligence agency terminated cooperation with him in 1943.
The only thing that missionary Syngman Rhee did for his motherland during the Pacific War was to submit thirty petitions to President Roosevelt and President Truman, begging the United States to recognize the "Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea" and provide weapons. However, The attitude of the White House is very cold - even if the United States is willing to provide weapons, where are your troops? Moreover, the provisional government of the Republic of Korea, which was in exile in China, was also trapped in Chongqing at the time. After the Hump route was cut off, no US aid could be sent in. Missionary Syngman Rhee’s above-mentioned petition is nothing more than the ravings of a madman.
Therefore, it was not until after the collapse of the Japanese Empire that missionary Syngman Rhee boarded a special plane provided by the US military to join the Halsey fleet.
Another leader of the Koreans, Mr. Kim Koo, is a well-known assassination expert. He once assassinated the Emperor of Japan and killed Japanese General Shirakawa Yoshinori in Shanghai. It is a pity that no country in the world has ever truly relied on assassination to establish itself, so Mr. Jin Jiu's founding cause has always had a slim future. However, he has more than a hundred Korean expatriate armed forces in his hands, which is slightly stronger than Mr. Syngman Rhee who only has one mouth. Hey, I hope that the assassins raised by Mr. Jin Jiu can all be comparable to the elite assassins of Assassin in the Crusaders era, so that they can be of some use.
In short, in the eyes of General Halsey, neither Missionary Syngman Rhee nor Mr. Kim Koo are qualified political figures, but a bunch of purely self-centered dreamers. However, in order to create obstacles for the Soviets who invaded North Korea, we could only hold our noses and use them first.
Then, after rendezvous on the US aircraft carrier in Ningbo Port, this strange government composed of magicians and assassins immediately broke out into fierce conflicts over the distribution of power. They had an earth-shattering quarrel over the positions of several ministers, completely ignoring that they had not yet stepped into the water. The land of the Korean Peninsula... Looking at Secretary Hull, who was trying to mediate the dispute, standing in a dilemma among the Koreans, Halsey couldn't help but laugh with schadenfreude.
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After a while, Secretary Hull finally walked out of the conference room with a tired look on his face. He looked up at Halsey who was standing outside the door, sipping a Coke, and said with some inarticulate greetings, "...Ah, Halsey. Admiral, thank you very much for allowing us to borrow the Enterprise's conference room..."
"...It's nothing, it's a trivial matter." Halsey shrugged, "...but you really worked too hard to mediate just now. With all due respect, you don't have to be so polite when dealing with some yellow-skinned monkeys who don't know the world. Talking so arrogantly like you just did will only make them angry. Only by giving them a lesson can these arrogant North Koreans realize their true identity."
"...You are right, but it is not necessary for the time being, because the Soviet Red Army has already taught these Koreans a lesson on our behalf."
Secretary of State Hull raised a telegram in his hand and said, "...I just received the news that the Soviets fostered a North Korean puppet named Kim Il Sung in northeastern North Korea and established the Soviet regime in North Korea. March towards Pyongyang and Seoul. If the Koreans on the Enterprise continue to quarrel and wait until the Soviets plant red flags all over Korea, then there will be nothing left for them on the Korean Peninsula..."
"...In other words, the so-called Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea has finally settled their internal power distribution issues?"
Admiral Halsey curled his lips and said, "...This is good news. I thought they would continue to quarrel for a week!"
"...It can only be said to be temporarily put on hold, because they must arrive in North Korea as soon as possible with our support to compete with the Soviets for time."
"...But even if we send them to North Korea, what can we do with such a small group of 'long-distance revolutionaries' who left the Korean Peninsula more than 20 years ago? Can we still expect them to rely on Are you trying to persuade the Soviet armored forces to retreat?" Halsey complained.
"...General Halsey, the situation in North Korea is not as pessimistic as you think. And the provisional government of the Republic of Korea is not completely without supporters. The public ownership system promoted by the Soviets is obviously very unpopular with the middle class in both Manchuria and North Korea. The welcome has aroused great hostility among the local gentry and capitalists, and the Korean vassals abandoned by the Japanese are generally unable to accept the rule of a Soviet regime..."
Secretary Hull explained gently, “…Last month, when the Japanese army decided to abandon Manchukuo, a young North Korean officer named Park Chung-hee, who was serving in the Manchurian army, publicly announced his refusal to surrender to the Soviet Union and led a group of North Koreans The ethnic soldiers fled Manchuria armed with weapons and then crossed the Yalu River into Entered North Korea. Last week, he gathered thousands of Korean military and policemen in Seoul, launched a mutiny with the support of citizens and gentry, took advantage of the gap when the Japanese army retreated and the Soviet army had not yet entered, and took control of Seoul, the capital of North Korea, and established The military government and sent a telegram to the United States for help
At present, we have airdropped a batch of supplies and liaison officers to Mr. Park Chung-hee, who bravely resisted the Soviet Union. Next, your fleet will head there with the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea and more supplies in an effort to turn Seoul into a strong fortress against the Bolsheviks. ”
"...Really? That's good news. Even if these North Koreans will eventually be crushed by the Soviets, they should at least be able to delay the Soviet Red Army for a few months. If Mr. Park Chung-hee can do any miracles , like the Poles in 1920, that would be even better.”
Admiral Halsey whistled and commented, "...What about the situation of the Japanese army? How did they react to this?"
"...There was no response. They continued to retreat with all their might towards their home country, leaving the mess behind them to the Chinese and Soviets to deal with."
Secretary of State Hull replied, “...as the situation in the central region of the Korean Peninsula is completely out of control and railway transportation across the peninsula is paralyzed, the remaining troops of the Japanese Kwantung Army and the two million Japanese expatriates in Manchuria are now flocking to the Soviet Union. Port of Ladivostok, and Wonsan in eastern North Korea port, and then use the Soviet merchant fleet to return home by sea, or temporarily stay in refugee camps in the Far East of the Soviet Union. As for the Japanese troops originally stationed in North Korea, they have retreated to the Port of Busan in the southeast of the peninsula, and at the same time took away more than 100 people. Three hundred thousand Korean and Japanese residents.”
"...In other words, the Japanese troops originally scattered in Northeast Asia have clearly colluded with the Soviets. They are determined to give up the entire colonial empire in exchange for the opportunity to return to their hometown and continue fighting with us... This is really not good news!”
Admiral Halsey rubbed his chin and muttered, "...Before Japan surrenders completely, it would be best to let them all drown in the sea."
"...General Halsey, if you don't want to see these Japanese troops return to the Japanese islands, you can try to send ocean-going submarines to the Sea of Japan to break up the engagement, or send out aircraft to bomb the fleet, but it is best not to rashly The main fleet enters the Sea of Japan..."
Secretary Hull said seriously, "...Although the Japanese Empire has collapsed, the Japanese Navy still maintains considerable strength. Considering the Soviet Red Flag Pacific Fleet standing behind them, if your fleet rashly breaks into the Sea of Japan right now, , it is not a rational and good idea to start a decisive battle with them on such an extremely unfavorable battlefield. Moreover, neither Congress nor the White House has made up its mind to go to war with the Soviets."
At this point, he suddenly looked to the left and right, "...By the way, where are General Stilwell and General Chennault?"
"...They have disembarked and left. Mr. Secretary, you know, we just handed over two Canadian infantry regiments to Stilwell, and added twenty B-25 bombers to Chennault's Fourteenth Air Force. Now They are all gearing up to do something big in China!”
General Halsey replied, "...It is said that he is planning to go to Nanchang to lobby Chairman Chiang Kai-shek to let the bald man organize a counterattack on Nanjing as soon as possible and annihilate the Japanese Fourth Division entrenched there. But I think that as long as the bald man has The chairman acts as a pig teammate, and any efforts they make will turn into a joke.”
"...It doesn't matter, they can try it if they want to! Anyway, Chairman Chiang has made enough jokes. The Japanese Empire has been destroyed, and he will actually be captured by the remaining Japanese troops to capture his capital again! Right now , China’s capital Nanjing is still occupied by the remaining Japanese troops, and China’s most prosperous port, Shanghai, was actually stolen by a Chinese red guerrilla group (New Fourth Army). It’s really hard to know what to say!”
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Secretary of State Hull shrugged, "...and the Chairman of the Generalissimo also asked us to help recover Shanghai and return it to him intact..."
"...If he is willing, I can try to bomb Shanghai with Soman gas bombs and return an uninhabited city to him."
Admiral Halsey said disapprovingly, "...At least it can ensure that the main buildings in the city are intact! Anyway, I have killed five million yellow-skinned monkeys in Japan, and it doesn't matter if I kill another five million Chinese monkeys. . And the chairman also complained all day long that his country had too many people..."
"...General Halsey, do you think you don't have to spend money on poison gas bombs? The United States does not allow you to squander state-owned assets like this!"
Secretary Hull glared at him, "...besides, how can we help the bald Chairman solve his problems now? Are there not enough jokes on the Japanese battlefield? Mr. MacArthur is still being held in an iron cage by those Japanese devils. I’m walking around the streets!”
"...Well, yes, poor Douglas, and that damn Masanobu Tsuji..."
Admiral Halsey sighed and couldn't help but think of the color photo leaflet he had just received: MacArthur was wearing a dirty admiral's uniform and was unkempt in an iron cage, while Tsuji Masanobu was wearing an ancient Japanese samurai uniform. Standing next to the cage in bright red armor, holding a knife, with a proud smile on his face. There is also a canvas banner hanging on the top of the cage, which reads in Japanese: "Serve the country with iron blood, crush the White Ghost"...
Obviously, MacArthur's capture made every officer and soldier of the United States feel mixed emotions, let alone Halsey, his old friend. In fact, if MacArthur was really beheaded or tortured by the Japanese, and then displayed photos of his body everywhere, it might arouse the indignation of the Allied forces and their determination to avenge him. But the Japanese just put him in an iron cage and paraded him through the streets...
In this regard, Halsey really didn't know what to say. Was he glad that at least he didn't die? Or complaining that he endured humiliation and eked out a living?
What's more terrible is that MacArthur's capture further stimulated the vigorous development of anti-American forces in Japan, especially the various Soviet regimes. The US military's original plan to use the victory in the Battle of Nagoya to make the resistance forces across Japan lose their fighting spirit basically came to nothing. Moreover, after learning that MacArthur had been captured, the furious Anzacs launched a retaliatory massacre against Osaka citizens for the second time, making the hatred between the two sides intensify.
Of course, the rapid expansion of Bolshevik power in the Japanese archipelago also severely stimulated the old vested interests in Japanese society, such as the chaebols and landlords, causing them to completely abandon the last point in the face of such a big issue of right and wrong as class struggle. Son is loyal to the king, patriotic to the country and the people In short, in the current Japan, the number of anti-American forces and the leading party is expanding rapidly, and the living space of centrists and wallflowers is rapidly being compressed. For the US military, it's really hard to say whether it's a good thing or a bad thing.
In Halsey's view, only dead Japanese are good Japanese, and as long as they are killed all the way, everything will be over. In any case, it is better to leave an uninhabited island to God than to leave a complete industrialized country to the Bolsheviks.
However, Secretary Hull’s suggestion is that it is best not to be so simple and crude. You should learn to use your own strength to fight against the Japanese:
"...The most urgent problem we need to solve at the moment is to prevent the spread and expansion of Bolshevik power in East Asian countries, especially Japan, which is the most industrialized country. But on the other hand, the federal army cannot bear endless bloodshed and sacrifices..."< br>
Secretary of State Hull explained the White House's latest policy to Halsey, "...in order to reduce the number of casualties of our military, the White House is preparing to localize the war on the Japanese archipelago, that is, to rearm the Japanese provisional government and let the Japanese go on their own. The Bolshevik forces that suppressed their own nation..." - With the disintegration of the Japanese Empire, the war-torn East Asia not only did not calm down, but became more lively and noisy...