Chapter 37, The Age of Chaos When the Empire Collapses (Part 2)
As a classmate of the former Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, Isoroku Yamamoto, and the leading graduate of the Naval University at the same time, Admiral Horikichi stood on the Combined Fleet flagship Mikasa and participated in the Battle of Tsushima when he joined the army. His life can be said to be quite remarkable. What a hardship. Not only did he participate in the Battle of Tsushima and witness the destruction of the Russian Second Pacific Fleet, he also had a proud career as an observer on the French battlefield on the Western Front in World War I and as a naval representative of the League of Nations, but he also had a proud career in In the prime of his life, he was involved in political struggles. Because the trendy-minded Horikichi advocated the theory of aviation victory, called for the construction of more aircraft carriers, and opposed the construction of battleships, he was kicked out by the old-fashioned navy minister and forced to retire and go home to become the chairman of the board. Frustrated.
(In the early 1930s, in view of the world's turbulent situation, there were two completely different views on the naval arms treaty within the Japanese Navy. Some people believed that the treaty should not be abrogated and were called "treaty faction". The main members were Important officials of the Navy Ministry such as Horikichi, Sakon Sikyomi, and Terashima Takeru, in contrast, were the Fleet faction, who advocated the abolition of the treaty and the construction of battleships. After a power struggle, in 1934, Navy Minister Okaku Sumio became the leader. The leader's fleet party carried out a large-scale purge of senior officers of the treaty faction, and most of them were dismissed from the military and put into the reserve force. As a fringe figure of the treaty faction, Yamamoto Isoroku escaped under the cover of the bosses, and in December of the same year On March 29, Japan withdrew from the "Washington Naval Treaty" and the "London Naval Treaty". Unexpectedly, when Japan and the United States actually went to war, it was Isoroku Yamamoto who was the one who stole the show.)
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It was not until the outbreak of the Pacific War that Horikichi was able to make a comeback, relying on the support of his old classmate and friend Marshal Yamamoto Isoroku. But the problem is that his qualifications are too high and he can't find a suitable position in the Combined Fleet (if he hadn't been forced to retire, the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet when Japan and the United States started the war should have been Horikichi) . Therefore, in the end, Horikichi could only continue to be the chairman of the newly established "Nanyang Heavy Industries" using the resources of the occupied territories. In Japan, it is called "director president" and was responsible for the production of various military supplies for the Pacific front battlefield.
——The so-called "Nanyang Heavy Industry" is actually a series of automated factories built by the ship girl Sophie in New Guinea, Australia and the Western Pacific Islands by using the power of faith and Nanyang resources. Since everything from factories to machinery is made out of nothing, the labor force can be forcibly recruited from occupied areas or prisoners of war, and skilled workers can be directly drawn from the army. Mines are also spoils of war at no cost, and the army protects them, so they develop extremely rapidly. . In just a few years, a new giant chaebol was formed, as well as a close link between the navy and the army on the South Pacific front.
Although the navy and army of the Imperial Japanese Empire have never been able to urinate in the same pot, to put it bluntly, it is mainly because of the competition for military expenses that the troubles are like this. In fact, everyone likes money equally. Therefore, when the Combined Fleet put forward the suggestion of "getting rich together", a considerable part of the army on the Pacific front was also roped in. Then, after receiving certain benefits, the generals at the Tokyo base camp had to acquiesce to this.
In other words, from the perspective of the navy and army generals at the base camp during the war, this "Nanyang Heavy Industries" was actually the army's own small treasury. After the war, everyone became shareholders together according to their seniority and military exploits. Since most of the machinery and equipment are secretly provided by the Navy's shipgirls, and the transportation of materials between islands also requires the Navy's escort, this Nanyang Heavy Industry can only be led by the Navy, while allowing the Army to deploy some manpower and share dividends.
As for the leader of this economic group, Admiral Horikichi, who has deep qualifications and extensive connections in the navy, and has "somehow done business for a few years", is naturally the well-deserved first choice. The generals of the combined fleet were also happy to have one less great god competing for their seats.
Obviously, for the old chaebols such as Sumitomo, Mitsui, and Mitsubishi, who have long regarded the post-war dividends as their own, the army's approach of enclosing the frontier is tantamount to poaching them. However, at this time, Japan had entered a wartime system. Even the factories, mines and fleets of these chaebols must be subject to the control of the wartime headquarters, otherwise they would be "non-nationals" without legal protection. Even political party activities in Congress have been abolished, and all legal channels of opposition have been closed. Under the protection of the military, as long as the war does not end, they will have no way to deal with Nanyang Heavy Industries. Even many skilled workers and engineers from local factories were conscripted to Nanyang by the military, and then converted to engineering corps on the spot to join Nanyang Heavy Industry.
Therefore, relying on the crazy plundering and labor recruitment of the Japanese Navy and Army, the rich natural resources in the South Pacific region, and more importantly, the super power of Miss Sophie, the ship's wife, to conjure factories and ships out of thin air, the scale of Nanyang Heavy Industries expanded rapidly like a snowball. Soon it was no longer limited to heavy industry, but expanded into a super giant comprehensive consortium spanning various industries such as industry, agriculture, animal husbandry and fishery. However, this consortium is not finance-centered like the West. Instead, it implements a Soviet-style planned economic system. Workers wear uniforms like soldiers, live in dormitories, and eat rations. Products are uniformly deployed by the military logistics department, and only focus on output regardless of profits. ...But this is more in line with the military's preferences: this is how society should be during wartime!
As a result, by the time of the nuclear explosion in Tokyo in October 1945, Nanyang Heavy Industries had actually assumed government functions in most of the Japanese-occupied areas south of the equator and a considerable part of the occupied areas north of the equator, while Horikichi The chairman is also known as the "Nanyang Prime Minister" by the people... If it weren't for the fact that he hadn't fought in a war for more than ten years, everyone was a little worried about his command ability, otherwise he would be the new commander-in-chief of the combined fleet.
This large-scale march of the combined fleet to the north involves not only the military tasks of combat and evacuation, but also the complex political work of negotiation and alliance with various local resistance forces. Therefore, Admiral Horikichi, who was no longer responsible for actual combat command, also Came with the transport group.
At present, the domestic war situation in Japan is temporarily in a stalemate, but it is still not optimistic. Generally speaking, after the Battle of Nagoya, the Allied forces suffered heavy casualties and even their commander was unfortunately captured. They were forced to basically stop their offensive on the Japanese archipelago battlefield and instead began to consolidate the occupied areas and eliminate the guerrillas in the rear. At the same time, Continue to maintain high-intensity air raids and bombings in an attempt to "soften" the strength of various red base areas and die-hard war factions in Japan.
In addition, under the personal supervision of Secretary of State Hull, the Allied forces and the Japanese Provisional Government also strengthened their political efforts to induce surrender, and achieved many results: just like after the Russian October Revolution, the aristocratic officers of the old Tsarist Russia established the White Guards to rebel. As the over-expanded and civilianized old Japanese army quickly "turned to the left" after getting rid of the control of the government and the emperor, the rich and powerful children of the Japanese army also began to have dissatisfaction.
However, the current domestic situation in Japan is different from that in Russia after the October Revolution. It was not that the people at the bottom rose up in rebellion and overthrew the government and the royal family, but that the two atomic bombs of the US military lifted the entire capital into the sky. Therefore, instead of calling on the people to overthrow the government and the king, the Japanese Red Army could openly and openly shout the slogan "Avenge the Emperor." Next, the American troops who landed on Japanese soil killed at least seven million people in just a few months! If an officer from Japan's upper-class society still seeks refuge with the "Japanese Provisional Government" supported by the US military under such circumstances, then it would be tantamount to betraying the army, betraying the country, betraying the nation, betraying the king, betraying faith, betraying Bushido... The psychological barrier of such six levels of betrayal is at least equivalent to that of the Temple during the Crusades. The collective conversion of the Knights to Green Christians, or the European Jews defecting to Hitler, is definitely a hell-level difficulty: at this time, the Japanese, who are deeply educated in militarism and the ideology of respecting the emperor, are not the Chinese who are accustomed to the changing king's flag on the city wall. In fact, since the birth of Japanese civilization, there has never been any precedent of accepting foreign rule!
Therefore, even if they are dissatisfied with the Bolsheviks who have turned around, in the face of the great righteousness of "avenging the king" and "resisting the barbarians and saving the country", if those stubborn militarists still have a little sense of shame, even if they are not active Throw yourself into it and follow the trend of the times, and the most you can do is abandon your post, abscond, and leave with your crown: His Majesty the Emperor and almost the entire royal family died at the hands of the U.S. military. It’s just that I have no ability to avenge His Majesty. How can I still help the evildoers? To surrender to the Bolsheviks is to betray one's own class, but to surrender to the US military is simply not worthy of being a Japanese!
However, even so, after all, there are still many guys who have no sense of shame at all, or who no longer want to be Japanese, and rely on the instinct of obeying and following the strong to join the enemy. For example, just last time Last week, when the iron cage escorting Marshal MacArthur's "touring exhibition" was transported to Hiroshima for a parade to boost morale, a mutiny broke out in the headquarters of the Kwantung Army, which had just moved from the mainland. A few rebellious guys were beguiled by lobbyists sent by the provisional government. They first forged official documents to rescue MacArthur, and then attempted to kidnap Commander Yoshijiro Umezu and coerce the entire headquarters to surrender to the US military... Although this conspiracy ultimately failed. , but MacArthur took advantage of the chaos and was rescued.
At the same time, on the islands of Kyushu and Hokkaido, which were the rear areas of the Japanese resistance force, after various Soviet regimes were established one after another, various communist rebellions by local gentry wealthy families in collusion with the US military also emerged one after another. It is also difficult to distinguish the authenticity of the information in wireless telegrams - after the nuclear explosion in Tokyo, the establishment of the Japanese Provisional Government and surrender to the enemy, the Japanese Navy's telegram codes were no longer reliable and were full of all kinds of false news released by the US military intelligence agencies. It is even difficult for the main force of the combined fleet stationed in Okinawa to know exactly which ports in the country are under the control of its own people.
Faced with such a kaleidoscope of chaos, even though he knew there was no point in staying in Okinawa, Horikichi still did not dare to head north rashly.
——The essence of the entire combined fleet and most of Japan's maritime transport capacity are gathered here. Once something goes wrong, Japan will be hopeless.
Therefore, Horikichi needs a leader who is reliable and understands the actual situation in the country.
And this leader, or the real commander of the combined fleet, had already taken a plane from the Wugang garrison to join them.
"...Report! Commander Narumi Inoue's plane is about to arrive! Please order the runway to be cleared! Launch a flare!"
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——As a super giant ship with a displacement of 300,000 tons, the "Oasis of the Seas" is 420 meters long and 85 meters wide. The area of its top deck is approximately equivalent to four or five football fields, which is larger than the world's Any aircraft carrier on board is much larger.
If it were a luxury cruise ship, the designer's first reaction would probably be to build an open-air swimming pool or an offshore golf course. But as a military transport ship, the first reaction would be to build a hangar and a runway, even if it could only accommodate one or two reconnaissance aircraft. That's good: with the performance of most small and medium-sized propeller aircraft in this era, and the hull length of 420 meters, it is enough to safely take off and land on this ship even without the use of catapults and arresting cables.
In short, under the instructions of the signal flag and radio, the plane of Combined Fleet Commander Narumi Inoue landed steadily on the top deck of the "Oasis of the Seas". General Horikichi immediately came forward to greet him. He ignored the polite greetings and asked about the situation on the mainland.
"...The domestic situation...can only be said to be a mess. At present, our army has retreated westward to the Kobe line. All the famous ancient cities and capitals such as Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara have fallen, and Awaji Island and half of Shikoku Island have also fallen into the hands of the enemy. Even on the remaining territory of our army, civilian communications and transportation have almost collapsed. Most of the factories have either been bombed or because of Forced to shut down due to lack of power and raw materials, many cities could no longer sustain even the minimum food rations due to US bombings and looting by thugs. Thousands of citizens were starving to death or freezing to death every day. Fleeing to the countryside... Whether it's our side or the place occupied by the US military, it's all the same..."
Admiral Narumi Inoue found a pine bench next to the ship and sat down, and said with a sad look on his face, "...Have you heard about the Hiroshima Mutiny a few days ago? Alas, Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo were in ruins. , the rear has been unstable again, and now even the Seto Inland Sea is no longer safe! Kurita and I were crossing Etajima! After more than a month of waiting, the remaining local fleet was finally roughly organized. All large ships with tonnage of destroyers and above were moved north to the Sea of Japan to avoid bombing, and then relied on submarines, destroyers and torpedo boats to block the route and stop the enemy. Using Osaka Port for resupply was generally successful. , they sank more than 20 freewheelers of the US military, but the losses were not light, and the inventory of supplies was getting tighter and tighter, and it was almost impossible to even eat... Due to the sudden influx of hundreds of thousands of Kwantung troops, food supplies Consumption has increased dramatically, and the rations for Hiroshima citizens have been forced to be reduced to two and three per person per day. A spoonful of brown rice is equivalent to four taels and six dollars. This amount of brown rice is difficult for people to maintain a normal life. There are starving people everywhere in the city and outside the city, and the living people are also very thin. What will happen after the food reserves are exhausted..."
"...Is the food supply over there already so tight? Two to three spoons a day...this ration is really going to kill people!"
General Horikichi, who had just had a feast of lobster fried rice and fried fish steak, was suddenly surprised, and then he noticed that Inoue Narumi seemed to be much thinner, "...Inoue-kun, can't you come from the countryside or Does North Korea collect some food for emergency relief? ”
"...The countryside in the mainland has long been starved to death! Hori-kun! The most important grain-producing areas in the country, the Nobi Plain, the Kanto Plain and the Kinki Plain, have all fallen into the hands of the enemy. Currently, those in the Western Kingdom that our army can still control The place was originally a barren land, with mountains and mountains everywhere, and few could be found. There is no flat land for farming, and food has not been self-sufficient since ancient times. Then, during the years when the Pacific War broke out, young and middle-aged people in rural areas were drafted into the army or responded to the country’s call and immigrated to Southeast Asia and Australia. The local rural areas were extremely short of labor. This year’s The food harvest failed again..."
Inoue Narumi sighed, and took out dried wild vegetables, grasshoppers, cicadas, mouse meat and other items one by one from her briefcase and placed them on the table, "...even farmers in Western countries have to go to the mountains and fields to find these things. Urban residents have no choice but to go to the countryside to exchange valuable jewelry for food. One tael of gold can only be exchanged for a bag of radishes or twenty liters of rice! Fall again.
As for North Korea... although there is still some food in stock there, hundreds of thousands of expatriates, officials and troops are piled in the Port of Busan. It is a blessing to be able to do without our help. Fortunately, because the port of Vladivostok was frozen in winter, the two million "Manchuria Development Corps" expatriates who were evacuated as promised are still stranded in Soviet refugee camps eating Russian black bread. Otherwise, if they all arrived at once Come in and eat us up in no time!
But even so, with the existing food reserves, it can probably only sustain residents' rations for another two months, and it will not last until the summer. I wonder if you have brought more food from the south this time? Hori-kun! Etajima Naval Academy has even stopped supplying sugar! ”
"...In addition to supplies for the navy officers and soldiers, I also brought 20,000 tons of wheat and rice, plus some potato flour, sago, salted fish, dried coconut and canned whale meat...Obviously this amount is not enough Yes, I didn't expect the situation to be so bad!" Horikichi said with a frown.
"...There is even worse news!" Inoue Narumi said with a bitter smile, "...When I just rushed back to the mainland, the oil depots in Hiroshima and Kure Port were almost all bombed, and the oil storage in Sasebo and Nagasaki was only One hundred thousand tons. Some of it has been consumed recently for combat. The remaining heavy oil is probably not enough for the whole party. A combined fleet plus your transport fleet is filled up once... The naval arsenal in Wu Port was also blown to pieces, all the ammunition stored in it was blown up, and there was no power available, so work could only be stopped, so even the artillery shells and torpedoes cannot fully replenish the combined fleet..."
"...What a ghost! There is no food, no fuel, and the naval arsenal has stopped working. How should we fight this battle?"
"...Before we set off from Truk anchorage, didn't we already reach a conclusion at the meeting? The battlefield of the combined fleet is in Nanyang! There is no fuel, lack of metal and electricity in the country, and there is no raw material for military production, even food. Not enough to eat! There’s no way to keep fighting here!”
Inoue Narumi shrugged, "...Anyway, the successful return of the combined fleet will be a great encouragement to the morale of the people. As for the remaining things and troubles, we can only talk about it slowly. Anyway, Halsey did not intercept you. The plan was to withdraw the fleet into Tokyo Bay..." He said Explained, and then resolutely issued an order, "...There are no traces of the enemy in the East China Sea of China. Now, the combined fleet should go north! From the day the Americans landed, people throughout Japan want to know , where is their combined fleet?”