Chapter 81, Summer in the Equatorial Ocean (Part 1)
When the Allied prisoners of war in Melbourne, Australia, were trudging towards distant prisoner of war camps one by one in the cold winter rain, thousands of kilometers away on Guadalcanal Island, those Japanese who had just stepped off the cruise ship The immigrants were curiously looking at the novel tropical island scenery around them.
——Guadalcanal, often referred to as Guadalcanal, is located near the equator in the South Pacific and at the southeastern tip of the Solomon Islands. It is the largest and most important volcanic island in the Solomon Islands, covering an area of 5,300 square kilometers, with many ridges in the middle. Sharp mountain ranges, with the highest peak, Mount Makalakangbu, reaching an altitude of 2,450 meters. Most of the land on Guadalcanal is covered by tropical rainforest, and many fast rivers flow from the densely forested mountains to the seaside. Some areas along the coast are mangrove swamps. There are some relatively broad plains along the northern coast, while on the southern coast there are steep cliffs approaching the seaside.
To put it simply, this is an island about the same size as the municipality of Shanghai, and it is also the main island of the Solomon Islands.
In the history of World War II in another time and space, the U.S. and Japanese armies fought fiercely on Guadalcanal for more than half a year, and finally ended with the Japanese army's defeat. Starting from the Battle of Guadalcanal, the US military completely reversed the decline in the early stages of the war and officially launched the clarion call for a strategic counterattack against Japan.
However, in this time and space that was violently interfered by the warship girls, the US military was defeated in the early stages of the Pacific War and failed to gain a foothold in the Solomon Islands. Instead, it retreated all the way to Samoa, thousands of kilometers away to the east. The islands barely managed to stabilize their position.
In the next few years, the U.S. and Japanese armies also repeatedly saw each other on the Fiji-New Caledonia-New Zealand front line, and no one could easily make a breakthrough. In general, the Japanese army had the upper hand - in several major naval battles before and after, the Japanese army achieved great victories similar to the Battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese War, annihilating the U.S. Pacific Fleet twice. Although the United States can quickly build new warships with its world's largest industrial strength, it cannot instantly restore the courage of sailors who have been repeatedly defeated, let alone make rookie sailors who know nothing about the sea transform in the blink of an eye. For the old sea dog...Basically, by the end of the war, due to too many newcomers, the quality of the U.S. Navy had dropped to the sad level where warships were prone to self-destruction.
As a result, Guadalcanal, which had become the focus of contention between the two sides in another world, was thrown behind the Japanese navy's battle line in this time and space, getting further and further away from the battlefield, and eventually became a safer rear base and a resettlement point for domestic immigrants. ——An island like Guadalcanal with such a large area, fertile soil, and relatively abundant fresh water and other resources is rare in the South Pacific where there are many tiny islands and reefs.
Therefore, before heading to Australia as its final destination, the ocean liner "Rukawa Maru", an immigrant ship heading south, first made a detour after crossing the equator and visited Guadalcanal Island in the Solomon Islands, where it unloaded Some immigrants, mainly family members of military personnel, were given a certain degree of preferential treatment: compared to the devastated, arid and barren Australia, the islands in the South Pacific seemed to be regarded by the Japanese as a more ideal place to immigrate.
——Before World War II, the entire Solomon Islands, including Guadalcanal, although it had the good name of Solomon, the wise king in the Bible, was actually a sparsely populated wilderness. The few indigenous people are ignorant and backward, and even have bad habits of headhunting and cannibalism. The British colonists have nominally managed this land for hundreds of years, but apart from putting it on the map, they have only opened up a few plantations.
The later Republic of the Solomon Islands relied entirely on the large number of military facilities built by the US and Japanese forces on the island during the bloody battle on Guadalcanal to obtain the first pot of gold that allowed it to truly modernize. Its capital, Honiara, developed from the frontline base left by the US military on Guadalcanal during the war.
But in this time and space before the bloody battle of Guadalcanal, all civilized facilities on this island can only rely on the hard work of Japanese immigrants. Naturally, there will no longer be Honiara, the capital of the archipelago, but in the same place. Based on its geographical location, a "Guadalcanal City" full of Japanese town-style was built - after all, the natural geographical conditions of the entire island have not changed, and the most suitable location for building cities and ports is such a place.
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At this moment, the twenty-two-year-old widow Suzune Higurashi was holding her infant baby in her arms, standing at a loss on the pier of the capital of Guadalcanal - about half an hour ago, an old-fashioned ship with black smoke was sailing. The motorboat brought her and dozens of other military family members to the shore, and threw her to the pier without saying anything. Then the ocean liner "Rukawa Maru" they had been on also blew its whistle, lifted anchor and drove away, leaving Higurashi Suzune I felt a little confused for a while.
Looking around, you can see a white sandy beach, dark green palm trees and a calm bay like sapphire, forming a rather poetic picture. The only town within sight is located to the west of a headland. The streets and alleys are filled with green trees, lush green grass and colorful flowers. It is quiet and fresh, and looks particularly charming. Although there are no high-rise buildings, the two- and three-story wooden houses are very neat and exquisite. Each house is surrounded by a small garden or private vegetable garden. Green trees are everywhere, and smoke is curling up. It makes people feel warm at first sight, and there is a sense of warmth. Feeling like home.
At any other time, Higurashi Suzune might have enjoyed admiring the wonderful scenery of this island. However, the heat of the weather at this moment was really unbearable for her. The sun above her head seemed to be burning herself up, spreading light and heat without hesitation, burning the unobstructed cement pier, making her feel unbearable. The ground was hot enough to fry an egg... She didn't hold on for long, but she felt as if she was about to suffer from heat stroke.
Fortunately, just when everyone on the dock started to complain, a shirtless, dark-skinned old man finally came forward.
"...Oh! You are the newcomers from the mainland, right? Welcome! But why are you here now?"
The old man said breathlessly, his face turned red, "...It's just past noon now, and the time of entry stated on the telegram is in the evening... Everyone is preparing for a bonfire banquet to welcome you! No matter what, first of all, Come and have a drink and have a rest!”
Therefore, a group of Japanese women and children who were still confused had no choice but to follow the old man ignorantly and walked into the streets of Guadalcanal City. Then they discovered that although this was just a town of tens of thousands of people, it was very luxurious to install Turn off the street lights! There are many dried fish and dried fruits hanging under the eaves of every house, and occasionally you can see a few cars parked under the shade of trees on the street corners. By the standards of Japanese society during World War II, this place was definitely considered wealthy.
However, compared with the affluent living conditions, the local residents' clothing can only be described as immoral: perhaps because the weather is too hot and humid, the children on the streets are all running around naked, even if they are almost reaching the age of development. The young girl wearing only a straw hat Walking around naked; adults generally just wear a pair of shorts around the waist and crotch, and women wrap an extra piece of cloth around their chests, or string them with shells and glass beads and hang them around their necks. Covering her shame on her chest... Higurashi Suzune walked all the way, but she didn't see any man wearing a shirt.
——Thinking that she might have to do as the locals do in the future, the little widow Higurashi Suzune couldn't help but feel a little shy.
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Since Guadalcanal City is only a newly built residential area a few years ago, the area of the town is not large. The newcomers soon arrived at the end of the road, a small square paved with white sand. At the end of the square is a small shrine made of wooden planks. A banner is hung on the torii gate in front of the shrine with the words "Welcome local compatriots to receive the wind banquet." A row of temporary stoves and sheds were set up next to it. Countless women and children were walking back and forth in the square with baskets filled with ingredients and tableware, and some people set up big drums and firewood piles, as if they wanted to Have a good time.
Because the new immigrants who were preparing to welcome the new immigrants with a banquet in the evening arrived so early, everyone present was a little confused and at a loss. However, they soon greeted the newlyweds enthusiastically, gave them water and coconuts, and exchanged greetings with each other.
A young man enthusiastically took out a white melon fruit as big as his head, cut it on a stone slab, and asked the little widow Higurashi Suzune to taste it, "...the food is not ready yet, let's eat a melon to quench our thirst first." We’re here on Guadalcanal! How can we not eat some melon? This is something we grow at home, it’s so sweet!”
Overwhelmed by the hospitality, Higurashi Suzune took the white melon and a wooden spoon, dug into it and ate it, feeling that the flesh of the melon had a wonderful sweet aroma. At the same time, the seemingly chatty young man was still chattering, "...except that the weather is a little hotter and there are a little more bugs, life on this island is quite good. There is delicious food all year round. Fruits are everywhere, and the sea is full of big fish that you can’t find in Japan, and lobsters and crabs are also easy to find. Oh, by the way, there are also hot springs on this island! We just built a hot spring bath last month... …”
The shirtless young man turned around and pointed to the volcano that was more than thirty kilometers away in the distance, surrounded by clouds and mist all day long. He grinned and enthusiastically recommended, "...No, it's halfway up the mountain over there. You are free." Why not take your kids to enjoy it? What’s a Japanese without a hot spring bath? ”
While eating the melon, Higurashi Suzune smiled and said yes repeatedly. After taking a breather, relying on the instinct of a housewife, she offered to help in the kitchen... Then, she saw all kinds of colorful people saying no. The named tropical fruits, all of which have never been seen or eaten in Japan, are piled up into a hill next to the sink where fruits and vegetables are washed. There are also huge pieces of tuna that have just been fished out of the sea and are extremely fresh. They are being cut up in public in the square. After being cut into small pieces, they are given to the women to cook into dishes with different flavors.
The little widow Higurashi Suzune, who stepped in to help, also took a piece of plump fish meat and prepared to make a sashimi that she is good at. The color of the fish skin was fresh and attractive, and the fish meat on the cross section showed a tender texture. , in Japan right now, not many people can afford it. Even in the relatively prosperous years before the war, middle-class families in the city could only use it as a toothpaste during festivals.
However, according to the locals, they eat such big fish every day here, and they are not surprised at all...
As a result, these new immigrants, who had just arrived and were still a little doubtful about the unfamiliar new environment, quickly felt relieved after eating and drinking. I feel that I have indeed been lucky enough to have successfully escaped from my war-torn homeland and moved to a good place with a prosperous life...
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PS: Taiwan has passed the illegal liquidation of party assets. Party assets starting from the surrender of Japan will be deprived of it. Unless there is a military rebellion, the Kuomintang will be doomed. However, even if they want to carry out a military coup, they are unable to do anything because a large number of senior officials of the blue camp have already openly collaborated with the enemy and are only waiting to be replaced by greenskins after the group is disbanded.
In the process of promoting the clean-up of party assets, former Legislative Yuan Wang Jinping openly took advantage of the party and ruined the party, completely siding with the green camp.
Alas, this century-old party is really funny in life and useless in death. It was a mess when it was born, and it was like a shrunken egg when it fell. I wonder what mainland fruit fans think of this? What’s strange is that at this critical moment for the Kuomintang, why doesn’t anyone stand up and shout a few words of encouragement? Since they have praised the Republic of China to the sky, it is enough that they are not willing to go bankrupt to save the Blue Camp. Why don't they even have the energy to scold the Green Camp?