Age of Rebirth

The Headquarters of the Imperial Australian Front Army issued a letter to all officers and men, "His Majesty the Emperor and the base camp have fully considered the situation in the Australian battlefield and understand the situation of all the soldiers of the front army. supplies, and plans to withdraw troops from Australia."

"A few days ago, the base camp has dispatched a formation of troop carriers escorted by the Navy's joint fleet. They are fully loaded with military supplies and sailed from the mainland to Australia. They will arrive in two weeks. By then, not only the food, ammunition, and military supplies that are currently in short supply will be fully replenished. , The front army command will have a plan to evacuate the troops in batches, and eventually, all the soldiers of the Australian front army will return to the mainland safely!"

"But I, Ito Yansaburo, as the commander of the Imperial Australian Army, warn all the warriors of the Empire of Japan that although we are facing the siege of the independent division of China, we should not lose our courage to fight for His Majesty the Emperor and the Empire of Japan." Spirit and will, let alone fear and worry about the current battle situation!"

"The Chinese people are cruel, but they are also despicable. They will not take you as prisoners of war, but will slaughter you all. Warriors of the empire, hold the weapons in your hands tightly, for your own lives, and to be able to return to the mainland, Reunite with your loved ones, endure and overcome all the difficulties at hand, and fight bravely! I, Gensaburo Ito, also solemnly promise that I will lead you home!"

Regarding the cause and effect of this letter to all officers and men of the Australian Front Army.It was General Gensaburo Ito, Chief of Staff Akutagawa, and a group of senior staff who made the decision after a painful analysis of the current situation in the Australian battlefield.

As the encirclement of the independent division troops gradually tightened.The battlefield survival space of the Australian Front Army is getting smaller and smaller.Coupled with the fleet of the Air Force of the Independent Division, bombing and air strikes were carried out day and night.The soldiers were panicked, especially the consumption of food. Not only were the officers at all levels panicked, but the soldiers also saw the actual situation from the food they ate every day.

General Ito and officers at all levels are very worried that this will continue.There may be a mutiny in the Australian front army. If the independent division of China does not attack, the army will be in chaos, and it will collapse if there is no fight. That's why this notice to all soldiers was issued.

General Ito's intention was to stabilize the morale of the army and wait until the arrival of the local troop carrier formation, obviously.His goal was achieved. After the report to all soldiers was released, it really played a role in stabilizing the morale of the army and boosting morale. The minds of Japanese soldiers are very simple.Trust His Majesty the Emperor, Trust the Commander.

Therefore, soldiers have less and less food every day.There is not so much resentment anymore, for the independent division planes that are dropping bombs and strafing overhead all day long.There is no such fear, His Majesty the Emperor and Commander Ito.Draw a big pie for them.

After more than a week like this, General Ito breathed a sigh of relief with the stable morale of the army. However, after waking up this morning, Chief of Staff Akutagawa sent him an urgent telegram from the base camp. The content of the telegram made him feel like a bolt from the blue. , eyes blackened.

The newly formed combined naval fleet was ambushed by the China Independent Division Fleet in the waters of the Solomon Islands. His hopes were completely shattered, and he was truly alone.

It took a long time for General Ito to react numbly. Looking at Chief of Staff Akutagawa, who was also ashen-faced, he said in a hoarse voice: "Mr. Akutagawa, send a telegram to the base camp. Where is the Australian Army going?"

It was not until noon that the base camp replied with a telegram, giving two options. One is to continue to stand still and wait for help, and the other is to immediately organize the troops to break through the encirclement. to assist.

General Ito tore the telegram to pieces, and none of the two roads given by the base camp was a way to survive. If you stick to it, you will be waiting for death. The logistics supply will be cut off, and more than 100 million imperial soldiers will starve to death just by starvation. Didn't drink, why stick to it, waiting for help?Even if all the troops in the local area are pulled together, how many soldiers are available, and is there any reinforcements that can be sent to the base camp?

Breaking through the encirclement seems to be better than holding back and waiting for help, but the actual situation is not the case. Although the current Australian front army has more than 100 million troops, it is also facing the dilemma of lack of supplies. Many troops do not have enough ammunition to fight a small battle. For large-scale battles, there is still a promising way to use the vast area of ​​​​Australia to support wars, but will the independent divisions around you give such a chance?

The answer is obviously no. General Ito absolutely believes that as long as he orders his troops to break out, the final result must be eaten by the 80 to [-] troops of the China Independent Division. That China devil Tang Qiuli, Maybe he is opening his pockets at this moment, waiting for his order to split and break through?

Standing for help is waiting for death, splitting the way to break through is looking for death, and there are deaths on both sides. General Ito was desperate, and he was in the room like a trapped animal, circling back and forth. Chief of Staff Akutagawa looked at the commander full of worry.

A few hours later, as if it had been so long for years, General Ito finally made a decision that he would stand by and wait for help, "Mr. Akutagawa, this telegram from the base camp is only known to you and me, please send it immediately." The operators and translators who receive telegrams in the confidential room should be disposed of secretly!"

"In addition, send out troops to drive away all the local residents in the area where the imperial army is entrenched, so as to save food. Those who dare to disobey the order will be shot on the spot. You can start to do this right away. Also, you can send Part of the search force, mixed with the local residents, escaped from the encirclement, and lurked in the surrounding area, as a surprise soldier, waiting for the command of the headquarters!"

"Mr. Akutagawa, maybe the soldiers who absconded will be able to save us in the end. As long as we hold on for a few months, the headquarters will definitely try to rescue us. The empire cannot afford to lose, and they must rescue us!"

After speaking so many words in one breath, General Ito gasped violently, as if he had exhausted all his strength, and his face became paler and paler. He understood that he must not choose to break through the siege, but gritted his teeth and endured for several months. , will wait for the connecting flight.

Admiral Ito's deduction is also good. The base camp and even the Japanese Empire cannot afford to lose the Australian Front Army. After more than a thousand ships and a large amount of military supplies and food became the spoils of the independent division, Emperor Hirohito and the big bosses in the base camp painfully needed to make an immediate decision.

General Ito called back, to stand firm and wait for help. Emperor Hirohito and a group of civil and military ministers gathered around this topic and studied it together for several hours, but they did not come up with a feasible solution. The empire has always been a powerful country at sea, and it is not particularly difficult to recruit more than a thousand ships. It is not impossible to produce food and military supplies, and it is impossible for the people in the country to tighten their belts.

The biggest problem, and also the problem that cannot be solved, is the problem of the escort fleet. The current Imperial Japanese Navy cannot even produce more than [-] main battleships. As for the aircraft carrier, there is not even a single one, and there is no strong fleet escort How much food, ammunition and military supplies are all gifts for that China devil Tang Qiuli for nothing, and he still won't say thank you!

The imperial meeting to solve the crisis of life and death of the Australian army was held from night to early morning, and there was still nothing to do. In the end, Emperor Hirohito, whose face was so pale that there was no trace of blood, said a few words, "Don't limit your thinking to the local, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of War , may it be considered, to ask for help from the Italians and Germans, especially the Italians, with whom the Empire has good trade relations!"

"What's more, as members of the Axis powers, the Germans and Italians will not fail to lend a helping hand. Let's not have too much hope for the German head of state, Hitler. The point is to persuade Italian Prime Minister Mussolini to send The fleet is coming to the Pacific Ocean to escort the imperial troop carrier formation, once the Italians participate in the Australian war, that China devil Tang Qiuli will have an extra enemy!"

"The condition given to Mussolini is that the empire completely abandons the existing occupied areas in the North American continent and transfers them to Italy unconditionally. In addition, it is said that Mussolini is very interested in Eastern culture. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent personnel to Come to my inner palace, pick out a batch of cultural relics and antique jade wares, and say they are gifts from me to Mussolini!"

Emperor Hirohito got up and left, leaving a large group of civil and military ministers with staggering steps, heavy and thin back, and all the officials felt sorrow from it. The Great Japanese Empire has reached this point now, and His Majesty needs to show his own strength. , to please others.

But this is the only feasible way. After the meeting was adjourned, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of War began to act, forming two delegations to Germany and Italy respectively to lobby. The decision was communicated to Gensaburo Ito, who was trapped in Australia, by means of a secret telegram.

Regarding this, General Ito was neither sad nor happy, let alone grateful for His Majesty's doing this. All the measures taken by the base camp now, in his opinion, are dead horses as a living horse doctor. The only thing he can do is to bite Teeth boil down.

After dawn, within the encirclement on the east coast of Australia, the planes of the Independent Division appeared above the Japanese soldiers as usual. After a shrill siren, the Japanese soldiers who had already experienced air defense immediately went into the air-raid shelters and hiding places, their ears pierced. Get up, listen to the bursts of huge explosions, and prepare to bear the baptism of bombs and bullets again.

However, this time it was a surprise, until the plane of the Independent Division left, the roar disappeared into the distance, and no explosion was heard. The Japanese soldiers climbed out of the air-raid shelters and bunkers, all stunned, and leaflets were everywhere in the streets and alleys.

(to be continued) (to be continued...)