Great time travel

Chapter 25, Barrel Haza

Downtown Nagoya, Atsuta Shrine
According to legend, this shrine was first established in the third century AD, and it is dedicated to one of Japan's three major artifacts, the Amazono Cloud Sword.The famous Japanese Warring States overlord Oda Nobunaga was born as a hereditary priest of Atsuta Shrine.The entire building covers an area of ​​19 square meters, and the roof is covered with copper plates, which is luxurious and exquisite everywhere.

But at this moment, the flames of war have almost burned down the quaint buildings of Atsuta Shrine, and the courtyard has been plowed by large and small bomb craters.The trees were burned to the bare trunks, and even the roots were dug up by the shells, and they were scattered among the ruins with their teeth and claws.It turned out that the priests and maidens who served the gods in the shrine were either conscripted into the army and medical teams, or were evacuated to the countryside with magic weapons.

However, after the original headquarters was blown up by a "goblet" giant aerial bomb, Lieutenant General Sen Maoshu chose to transfer the headquarters here.In the courtyard of Atsuta Shrine, there is a large-scale underground air-raid shelter that can accommodate his entire headquarters team.

However, the defensive battle in Nagoya has reached this point, Lieutenant General Mori Moki actually has nothing to command: the entire urban area has been burned to a scorched earth, his 65th Division has been completely disbanded, contact various All the telephone lines in the stronghold were blown up and blown out, and they could only rely on intermittent radio to keep in touch with some of the peripheral guerrilla forces and obtain some intelligence and information sporadically.

The entire division headquarters has actually been unable to grasp the battle situation on the front line, and it is also difficult to effectively mobilize the various troops, so they can only fight on their own.

Although the soldiers in the tunnels are still resisting, and the guerrillas in the suburbs are still attacking the U.S. troops, this has nothing to do with the command of the headquarters.

Of course, unlike those Nanyang troops who were trapped on tiny isolated islands in the Pacific Ocean, once the Imperial Navy fleet retreated, they could only hit all the "jade pieces" in the indiscriminate bombing of the U.S. Army, the No.60 Fifth Division stationed in Nagoya The city is located in the mainland, and it can retreat when the battle situation is unfavorable.

And Lieutenant General Mori Moki does have a place to retreat right now: the Japanese Communist Party organization that has just established the "Echizen Soviet Republic" in Kanazawa City has sent envoys to infiltrate Nagoya City, persuading him to lead the remnants northward and join the Japanese Communist Party in the Hida Mountains. The Red Guards continue to organize local decisive battles.

However, Lieutenant General Sen Maoshu no longer wanted to leave.

As for the Nagoya battle he commanded, he thought that his fight was already very interesting, and the famous generals in ancient times were probably no more than that.

Just relying on a dissatisfied division and a large number of mobs hastily convened, in the absence of perfect fortifications and extremely inadequate preparations, they insisted on carrying the crazy onslaught of [-] U.S. troops for a week, even if the enemy There are planes like dark clouds, shells like a rainstorm...

Moreover, this battle was already his swan song: on the way to the Atsuta Jingu air-raid shelter, his car was overturned by a bomb dropped by an enemy plane. He broke his legs at the knee, and although he was not dead for a while, he became a disabled person.

Just at this moment when the situation was on the verge of desperation, Lieutenant General Sen Maoshu received news about the latest whereabouts of Marshal MacArthur.

"...MacArthur, the enemy chieftain, is actually in the barrel? Could this be...the so-called God's will in the dark?"

In the tunnel fortification five meters underground, under a flickering kerosene lamp, Lieutenant General Sen Maoshu, who was pale due to serious injuries and blood loss, smiled bitterly and said to Major General Tsuji Masanobu who came to report the matter, "...it's a pity , I can’t be Lord Nobunaga! Tsuji-kun, I leave the task of asking for the head of the enemy chieftain to you! The No.60 Fifth Division has been disbanded, and I don’t know how many people are left, Atsuta Shrine There are still the last [-] reserve teams here, but Lieutenant Matsuo, who led the team, was unfortunately killed by stray bullets. Now, Major General Tsuji, it is up to you to take them to Ozazama for the final counterattack!"

"...Yes, thank you Lieutenant General for your trust! However, in this way, the division headquarters will have no garrison troops, right?"

Major General Masanobu Tsuji bowed slightly, and at the same time looked around, he found that several low-level staff members and clerks were burning documents, smashing generators and cipher machines, and at the same time packing their bags and cages, "...Your Excellency Lieutenant General is planning to evacuate Nagoya , have you moved to Kanazawa or Hida Mountain?"

"...Well, yes, Nagoya will definitely not be able to hold on any longer, and our soldiers have fulfilled their obligations to the country. Before the U.S. forces surround this place, the rest of the headquarters will be scattered. To break through, as for the road ahead, it will be up to them to choose."

Lieutenant General Sen Maoshu nodded, but shook his head again, "...But, I don't plan to run away again."

After hearing this, Major General Tsuji Masanobu was stunned for a while, as if he didn't react.But the next moment, he saw two orderlies approaching one after another, holding a white cloth, a samurai sword, a towel, and a tin bucket full of clean water in their hands... He understood everything immediately.

"...Your Excellency, Lieutenant General...why are you doing this? In the Battle of Nagoya, you have done your best, and the whole country has seen it all, why do you still..."

"...no need to say any more! Major General Tsuji, I've made up my mind!" Lieutenant General Sen Maoshu stretched out his palm and waved it, "...I'm already disabled, even if I go to the Reds, I'm just dying .Rather than being under the fence and being looked down upon by others, it is better to face the fate of death upright like a samurai! As a soldier who swears allegiance to His Majesty the Emperor, I should die for the Emperor! Nagoya is my burial place!"

When Lieutenant General Sen Maoshu was speaking, two orderlies waited for him to take off his military uniform, simply scrubbed his body with a towel dipped in water, combed his hair, and then put on a clean robe.Another chair was brought, so that Lieutenant General Sen Maoshu, who had both legs broken, could sit up against it.

Next, the two orderlies and Major General Tsuji Masanobu worked together to lift Lieutenant General Mori Moki on the chair out of the tunnel to the ground full of bomb craters.

At this time, there was very little gunfire outside. Perhaps the American soldiers were tired from fighting and had to rest for half a day before talking.Maybe the enemy's strategic air force bombers are preparing to carry out a large-scale bombing, in order to avoid fratricide, let the forward troops on the ground disengage.Anyway, the Nagoya battlefield is temporarily quiet.

Although everyone knows that this kind of silence won't last long, but at the moment when the outcome is decided, everything doesn't matter.

According to the Lieutenant General's final order, all the remaining personnel of the No.60 Fifth Division Headquarters have assembled here, and there are still about 600 people in total.Not all soldiers, but also many volunteer citizens, and female high school students serving as military nurses: these are the only people who can come now.

In the midst of the gunpowder smoke and dust, Lieutenant General Sen Maoshu tried his best to straighten his chest on the chair, and gave his final instructions to his subordinates:

"... Gentlemen, in the past few days, you have fought very hard and are very honorable. Our battle in Nagoya is worthy of the name of the bravery of the Yamato nation. Now is the last moment. This is Major General Tsuji Masanobu, In the past few years, he has repeatedly made great achievements on the battlefields of Nanyang and Australia. You may have seen his achievements in the newspapers. In the next battle, he will lead you, continue to fight the American devils, and strive to win Ozazama repeats the record of Nobunaga's victory over Yoshihito Imakawa! And I can go to heaven to become a god with peace of mind, and I will be dismissed from office by the Emperor!"

After hearing this, the crowd was a little commotion, some shed tears, and some expressed that they wanted to die here together, but they were stopped by Sen Maoshu's stern voice: "...I am disabled and useless, but you still have to keep your useful body , continue to work hard for the country! Although the emperor and the government are gone, the Japanese nation is still there. As long as we show the spirit of the whole country and continue to fight, our country and nation still have hope!"

Next, Lieutenant General Sen Maoshu ordered the telegraph operator to issue a final order to the Japanese troops trapped in various isolated positions and wandering in the wilderness in the countryside before smashing the heavy radio station, although at this moment, Lieutenant General Sen Maoshu I don't know who else can receive his telegram:
"...Due to the courageous battle of the whole army for seven days, all the gentlemen have fulfilled their duties and lived up to the heroic name of Yamato... But at present, our saber is dead, the whole army is in danger, and the communication between the troops is basically cut off. Commander The Ministry is no longer able to command. Fortunately, the entire territory of the Japanese archipelago has not yet fallen, and there are still righteous soldiers who dare to fight. Now order the entire army to disband on the spot, and each seek a way out. "

Next, a lieutenant brought a bottle of sake and two saucer-shaped wine cups, filled them up, and handed them to Lieutenant General Mori Moki and Major General Tsuji Masanobu.Lieutenant General Mori Moki raised his wine cup and greeted Tsuji Masanobu slightly, "...Major General Tsuji, I will take a step here and wish you long luck in martial arts! I am in this state, and my hands are a little weak, and I will do seppuku later. It might make a fool of myself, I wonder if I can trouble you to be an intermediary?"

Although it was not the first time he encountered such a request, Tsuji Masanobu didn't know what to say, so he nodded silently.

Seeing this, Lieutenant General Sen Maoshu couldn't help but smiled with relief, drank the sake in a cup, and then sang "Dun Sheng" in a low voice.

——Although this song was originally composed in the earlier Genpei war era, it was Oda Nobunaga, the top overlord in the troubled times of the Warring States Period, who really made it a household name in Japan.On the eve of the fateful Battle of Ozazama, Oda Nobunaga embarked on the journey singing "Atsumori".

At that time, Oda Nobunaga galloped his horse and drew his bow to fight for the No. [-] name of Tōkaidō, Imagawa Yoshimoto. This is the Atsuta Shrine.

Although we can no longer see the success or failure of Major General Masanobu Tsuji's decisive assault, Lieutenant General Mori Shigeki still hopes that he can succeed in the first battle like Lord Nobunaga.

"...50 years in the world, Huatian うちを than ぶれば, dream の such as くなり. Once born を enjoy け, extinction せぬもののあるべきか. The second time..."

(Translation: 50 years in the human world, compared with the heaven and the earth, is nothing more than a small thing. Looking at the world, dreams are like water, let life go for a while. When you die, you will be present. This is the seed of Bodhi, and the feeling of annoyance is full of heart...)
After the song "Dun Sheng" was sung, Sen Maoshu wrapped the handle of the knife with a white cloth with the help of the orderly. Concentrating on luck, he stabbed the sharp blade into his stomach suddenly, and immediately a large stream of dirty blood flowed out. The painful feeling was like an electric current. spread throughout the body.His veiny hands began to tremble violently, and he felt big drops of sweat dripping down his face, but he couldn't continue stabbing, so he looked up at Masanobu Tsuji as if begging.

So, Major General Tsuji Masanobu sighed, pulled out the saber from his waist, and chopped off the head of Lieutenant General Morimoki...