Great time travel

Chapter No.16, the story of three principals
"...you and I are like cherry blossoms at the same time, blooming in the courtyard of the same military academy.

I have long had the consciousness of thanking you at the opening, for the sake of the motherland, let's scatter calmly! "

In the Etajima Naval Academy in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, normal teaching has been completely stopped these days.

Students of all grades, senior graduates who escaped from various places in ships, and some professors and ordinary sailors gathered on the playground all day long, conducting various speeches and debates, or just While drinking soju, he sang "Sakura of the Same Period". The singing was miserable and weak, which made people frown.After getting drunk, some people even hugged a tree randomly with both hands, slammed their heads against the tree trunk frantically, or stared blankly at the sky covered with rain clouds, and beat the moss on the concrete floor with their fists in grief.

Listening to the singing of "Sakura in the Same Period" from time to time on the playground outside the window, as well as various drunken curses and roars, the principal of the Etajima Naval Academy, Admiral Takeo Kurita, was sitting behind his desk, wearing presbyopic glasses, holding A cup of cold strong tea only feels a slight pain in the brain.

what else can we do?It's all over.The war is hopeless.The sad navy, the sad empire, the sad Japan... the achievements of more than 70 years since the Meiji Restoration may all be in vain.The Japanese archipelago will also linger under the enslavement of the US military, and there will never be a day of recovery.

Well, forget it, it’s still a good thing to have the energy to sing, at least it’s slightly better than committing seppuku or living like a walking dead, right?

As a senior bureaucrat, General Kurita Takeo has never been a very courageous guy, just like Nagumo Tadaichi, the commander of Wugang Town Guard House not far away, he belongs to the old man in the officialdom whose edges and corners have been smoothed by the years.Because the combat level was really mediocre, they performed poorly in the previous series of naval battles, and even shrank their hands and feet, and missed the opportunity to fight. These two old men were kicked out of the front line and sent to the rear to take up relatively quiet idle positions.

To be honest, they have long been tired of the long and cruel war, and they are eager to withdraw from the stage of this turbulent era.

When they learned that Tokyo and the entire central government were razed to the ground by the atomic bomb, and there was no one above their heads to give them orders, the reaction of Kurita Takeo and Nagumo Tadaichi was that they were stunned and didn't know what to do. Just watch the radio every day to inquire about the news.A few days later, I heard that a provisional government of Japan had emerged in Kyoto, led by the former Prime Minister Fumma Konoe, and General Nagumo Tadashi, the commander of the Wugang Town Guard House, subconsciously obeyed without thinking much about it. The order instructing the naval fleet to stop resistance, seal up ships and weapons, and prepare to surrender to the U.S. military.

As for the principal Takeo Kurita of the Etajima Naval Academy, he actually had no idea of ​​jumping up to attack the "pseudo-government" in Kyoto at the time. He just felt that his current identity was an educator and he didn't have any military power, so as long as he didn't say anything That's fine, no need to talk too much.

Unexpectedly, although the two old men felt that it was okay to bid farewell to the war, the young people below had completely different ideas.The order to surrender to the U.S. Army immediately triggered a big riot at the Etajima Naval Academy, and then the army near Kure Port also broke out a mutiny. Run, and now I don't know where I went.A part of the ships in Wugang lifted anchor and went out to sea, ready to go to the main force of the combined fleet in Nanyang.The rest subconsciously gathered at their alma mater, wanting to discuss a countermeasure with teachers and classmates.

As a result, as the principal of the Etajima Naval Academy, Admiral Kurita Takeo was involuntarily elected as the interim leader of the Japanese naval force in the Hiroshima area before he could figure out what was going on.A few days later, more and more ships fled to Jiangtian Island from various places, and soon the Jiangtian Island Naval Academy was full.Just arranging board, lodging and medical treatment for so many people made Kurita Keno very busy.Next, the president of the Tokyo Naval University, Ozawa Jisaburo, brought his students who survived the nuclear explosion and the entire Yokosuka tutelary fleet to Eta Island.

After being given a slap in the face by Ozawa Jisaburo, Kurita Takeo finally understood what role he is currently playing: it is roughly equivalent to Enomoto who took the shogunate fleet and the Shinsengumi north to Ezo when the Tokugawa shogunate fell Admiral Wu Yang...even though he never moved from the nest.

However, in the face of this historical mission of great responsibility, instead of getting excited, Kurita Takeo only felt infinite fear.

"... Kurita-kun, the current situation is very obvious! The whole of Japan is looking at Etajima! Look at us, the men of the sea country!"

Principal Jisaburo Ozawa clenched his fists and tapped on the map of Japan nailed on the wall with a look of resentment, "...I went to Hiroshima yesterday to meet the people from the army, Yoshijiro Umezu and Okamura Neji is going to re-establish the wartime base camp in Hiroshima to lead the war against the United States on the mainland of the empire! It is also necessary for our navy to join in as soon as possible and make our voice heard in the new base camp! We cannot let the army monopolize power!"

"... Umezu Yoshijiro? He withdrew the Kwantung Army back to the mainland?" Kurita Takeo hesitated for a moment and asked in a low voice.

"...Yes, the Kwantung Army, the North China Front Army, the Korean Army, and the local army in the western region are all gathering for Hiroshima!"

"...What about Manchukuo? And Okamura's North China Defense Area? What about there?" Kurita Takeo asked again.

"...Japan is about to be lost, so how can we care about Manchuria?" Jisaburo Ozawa sighed, "...the army reached a secret agreement with the Soviet Union, that is, they unconditionally give up all occupied areas north of the Yalu River , even including Lushun and Dalian, and must not damage any infrastructure before withdrawing. The Soviet side tried to do the work of the Chinese Red Army to ensure that the retreat of the Kwantung Army and the North China Front Army was not hindered. Then, the immigrants of the Manchurian Pioneering Group also They will move to North Korea one after another...the results of the war against China over the years have to be given up!"

"...It is true that they have no choice but to give up, and they can't help but not give up: the Taiwan Army and the Fourth Division in Shanghai have already surrendered directly to the enemy!"

Kurita Takeo nodded, "...Uh, in this case, Umezu Yoshijiro can probably gather 20 to 30 troops in Hiroshima."

"...In fact, the Kwantung Army alone is enough to wipe out the domestic rebels, but if we want to fight against Halsey's US Pacific Fleet, we must rely on our navy! Kurita-kun! In order to save the motherland, let us work together Go!" Ozawa Jisaburo shouted, waving his fists.

However, Admiral Takeo Kurita, nicknamed "Kurita the Escape" in the Japanese naval circles and who was once famous for being chased all over the world by torpedo boats in his battleships, obviously did not have such ambitions. His first reaction was She shivered for a while, "...but, can we beat it?"

"...No matter what, let's fight a war! No matter what, we are still far from the end of the mountain!"

Jisaburo Ozawa raised his voice an octave again, "... Kurita-kun! Even if you don't count the Maizuru tutelary fort in the Sea of ​​Japan and the Sasebo tutelary fort in Kyushu, we still have more than 50 people in Kure Port and Eta Island alone. There are 16 tons of warships and at least 40 naval planes! The huge naval ammunition depots in the mountains of Shikoku Island contain 60 tons of shells and explosives! Tokuyama Bay in the Seto Inland Sea There are at least [-] tons of various types of fuel in more than [-] giant oil storage tanks, enough for us to fight for at least the first half of the year!"

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Although Principal Ozawa Jisaburo kept cheering him up, Principal Kurita Takeo still felt a little lacking in confidence:

On paper, the current Jiangtian Island Naval Academy, or Wugang Township Mansion (which can be regarded as the same place from the map), is indeed strong, not only has a complete shipyard and repair workshop, but also hoards Huge amount of ammunition and fuel, with sufficient naval talents (not graduated), and a quite powerful fleet and tens of thousands of aircraft have been assembled in these days, seemingly relying on the geographical advantages of local operations and the coastal defense fortress built over the years , should be able to compete with the Halsey fleet.But take a closer look, what kind of boats are mooring at Jiangtian Island right now?
First of all, there are four battleships Haruna, King Kong, Ise and Hyuga, four aircraft carriers Amagi, Katsuragi, Hosho, Ryuho, and a modified aircraft carrier Shenying in Sasebo. It is estimated that they should be able to be transferred during the war.But basically they are all outdated old ships that have been around for a long time, and their combat effectiveness is really not flattering.

Then there are cruisers Iwate, Izumo, Aoba, Tone, Yakumo, Kashima, Kitakami, and Oyodo, followed by 66 large and small destroyers, but half of them are old-style destroyers that need to be rebuilt before they can be used. There are three The 40-year-old ship even has the legacy of the Russo-Japanese War era.

Then there are 150 equally old-fashioned coastal defense ships, 100 submarines of various types, more than [-] torpedo boats, and more than [-] gunboats that can only be used as maritime police... Due to the collapse of the command system, many ships They all spontaneously parked in the shadows under the rocks on the seashore to avoid the bombing of American planes: Some old ships don’t even have anti-aircraft guns, not even anti-aircraft machine guns, how can they carry out air defense operations?

There is no way, the elite main force of the Japanese navy is now in Truk in Southeast Asia, and there is only a bunch of such messy rags on the mainland.

What's more terrible is that the command system of the Japanese navy has already been bombed into the sky by the atomic bomb. Only by relying on the two unscrupulous principals, Takeo Kurita and Jisaburo Ozawa, can really take all the strategic materials hoarded by the Imperial Navy. Get it all in your hands, and command the rabble from all directions?Not to mention anything else, just wanting to get fuel from the military supply department in Tokuyama Bay to fill up the fuel tanks of the ships gathered in the Kure Harbor waters, General Kurita Takeo has worn out his mouth. Abandoned the strength of the old nose.As for the shells, bullets, and firearms in the Shikoku Island Navy’s ammunition depot, as well as the canned food and rice in the food depot, Takeo Kurita really doubted whether he had to fight the person in charge of the warehouse before he could get them out.

——Nowadays, there are many greedy people, especially those in charge of the warehouse, who only think about how to embezzle the property of the public!

"...Mr. Ozawa, you are too optimistic. The ancient Greek philosopher said that a group of mobs is not equal to an army, just as a pile of building materials is not equal to a house. Similarly, a group of warships alone cannot be equal to a combat force Fleet. Without the authority and deterrence of the base camp, the Navy Ministry and the Military Command, without a complete staff team to command the operation of the fleet, without the local government to provide us with supplies and early warning, we only rely on these planes, warships and schools in Jiangtian Island These students who haven't graduated here can't fight a decent battle at all!" Kurita Takeo smiled wryly.

"...Wait! Kurita-kun! It's been so many days, don't tell me you haven't even set up a temporary headquarters and staff? There is no shortage of professionals here in Etajima!" This time it was Ozawa Jisaburo's turn to be surprised. "...What the hell have you been doing these days?"

"...to provide food and lodging for those who have escaped one after another, to fill up their ships with fuel and supplies, to provide treatment for the wounded and sick, to divide and arrange berths for ships... Fortunately, there is no need to replenish ammunition for the time being, basically no matter which one The ship didn't fire a few shots..." Kurita Takeo replied.

"...Are you treating them as earthquake victims and relocating them?" Ozawa Jisaburo was choked and almost out of breath, "...Kurita-kun! Do you realize that we are at war now! !!"

"...I know! So I sent students to take over the early warning radar, pulled the torpedo protection net at the port, and deployed anti-aircraft guns."

Admiral Kurita Takeo spread his hands, "...But so far, no American plane has visited here once, but because of the lack of good eyesight at the air lookout post, he almost shot down his own plane several times before and after."

"...In other words, there is no fleet headquarters in Eta Island now, only an air defense headquarters..."

Jisaburo Ozawa couldn't help but rolled his eyes, "...well, we still have a little time, we should have time to rebuild the fleet's command system..."

"...Well, it seems that it is indeed necessary to manage the fleet, and it can't always be so messy. But, we really must continue to fight? The navy used to fight to serve the emperor, but now why is it going to die? "Principal Takeo Kurita's attitude is still very hesitant.

"...If the US military is still overseas, I am of course willing to solve the problem through peace talks. But now that the US military has landed on the mainland of the islands, it is obviously a posture that wants to kill us all. There is no way for us not to fight! Unless We immediately scuttled the battleship and took off this uniform!"

Jisaburo Ozawa's expression was also extremely complicated, "...otherwise we should fight for this country! Even if we attack from the ocean, it is impossible to defend the enemy from outside the country. But to defend the Seto Inland Sea, at least don't let The boots of the U.S. Marine Corps step on Eta Island, this should be possible! The land under our feet is not a deserted island in the South China Sea, but the sacred homeland of the Japanese nation for generations Ah! Could it be that the imperial navy has degenerated to the embarrassment of the Shogunate era, allowing Western warships to come and go freely in the Seto Inland Sea?

Du Fu in the Tang Dynasty of China has a poem that says "the country is broken and the mountains and rivers are here", but we must not "the country is broken and the warships are here"!Back then, with the weakness of the Qing Dynasty and the stupidity of the Manchu court, the Beiyang Navy still had the courage to fight with the Chinese fleet to the last moment.If the United Fleet failed in the war, most of the warships were handed over to the enemy intact together with the military port without firing a single shot, even as if they were new, that would be the greatest shame for Japanese men! "

Although Jisaburo Ozawa said so impassionedly and righteously, he looked as if he was about to sacrifice his life for righteousness.But Takeo Kurita was still full of war weariness and didn't want to die at all.Not only did he not want to die, but he also didn’t want his subordinates and students to die—from the very beginning, he just wanted to protect the school so that as many subordinates and students as possible could survive the war that had come to an end. Going on... Seeing that Takeo Kurita couldn't be persuaded for a while, Ozawa Jisaburo shrugged his shoulders and asked about the main force of the Truk Atoll Combined Fleet.

"...Truk? After confirming the death of Admiral Yamamoto 56, there were still some communications intermittently, but there were not many valuable things. I only know that the main fleet is gathering to Truk and recommending The next person in charge after the death of the marshal..."

At this moment, the phone on Principal Keno Kurita's desk rang suddenly, interrupting his conversation.

So, Kurita Takeo made an apologetic gesture to Ozawa Jisaburo, and then picked up the phone... Then Kurita Takeo's expression became more and more weird, and finally put down the phone, and said to Ozawa Jisaburo in a subtle tone, " . . . a new acting commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet has been elected."

"...Who is it? Nobutake Kondo? Fubu Takeshi Toyoda? Mineichi Koga? Or Tikichi Hori who is in charge of Nanyang Heavy Industries?" Ozawa Jisaburo asked.

"...All guesses were wrong. It is the principal of the newly established Nanyang Truk Branch of the Imperial Naval Academy, Admiral Inoue Narumi... Alas, the entire Imperial Navy has a million-ton ship and a strength of more than 30. Our three principals are directing! Is this a joke?!"

And Jisaburo Ozawa's reaction was obviously even more intense, "... Narumi Inoue? Damn it! Why is this Zhao Kuo of the Japanese Navy, an often defeated scholar who only talks about war on paper? How did Truk's Combined Fleet Command choose Such a new chief?!"

"... Uh... I can't pretend that I didn't hear that! You two!"

—— Before Jisaburo Ozawa finished speaking, he was stunned to see General Narumi Inoue in a white military uniform pushing the door and walking in.

Kurita Takeo: "...???"

Jisaburo Ozawa: "...!!!"

Facing Narumi Inoue who appeared suddenly, the two principals first blinked in disbelief, then looked at each other, and finally turned their heads together, and asked the third principal who just came in with one voice: "... Inoue-san , how did you run over from Truk?"

Narumi Inoue blinked her eyes, and was about to say something to the two principals, when she suddenly heard a muffled sound of an engine coming from a distance above her head, followed by a sharp air raid siren, and her expression changed. "...No time for this! It's an air strike! Run!"

The next moment, bright and huge fireballs and deafening explosions almost instantly engulfed the campus of Jiangtian Island Naval Academy...