At the junction of the sea and the sky in the west, a cloud enveloped the fiery red sun, which was slowly sinking below the sea level. The navigation lights on the Kaga were lit up one after another. Yamabe Tsukahara was really angry and asked cautiously: "Your Excellency , report to Commander Yamamoto immediately."
Tsukahara let out a long sigh and said: "Commander, you originally went into the battle with confidence that we would win, and we had an overwhelming advantage in terms of sea and air combat power alone. However, Yamabe-kun, thank you for your hard work. Go back." Eat and rest, I will report this to the commander."
When Tsukahara saw Yamamoto, the latter was having a meal with Koizumi. Tsukahara was afraid that it would affect their appetite, so he originally wanted to talk about it later, but because a staff officer happened to have sent Ishii Tomikawa's victory report, he felt that it was inappropriate. What he said while taking the opportunity was suspected of deception, so he had to say it in an extremely calm tone.
Just after receiving the report that Ishii had captured Changjiang City, the next moment he heard that the Hongcun regiment was defeated by more than twenty Chinese people. Perhaps his emotions changed too quickly between joy and anger. The chopsticks in Yamamoto's hand fell on the table, and his mouth He opened his mouth and looked like he was listening to the scriptures. Because Koizumi knew more about the Osaka Division than they did, although he felt a little incredible, he accepted it much faster than them. He gave Yamamoto a gentle push. Remind in a low voice: "Your Excellency."
"Pa." Yamamoto suddenly stood up and slapped the table so hard that the dishes rattled. The next moment, he roared unwillingly: "Sakagaki made a mistake on me, Sakagaki made a mistake on me." Then he spat out a mouthful of hot blood with a "pop" sound, and the hot blood sprayed on the table with a shocking bright red color. Tsukahara and Koizumi were immediately frightened. They quickly stepped forward to help him and said in unison: "Your Excellency, please take care of yourself." Yamamoto's adjutant next to him turned pale with fright, then ran to the door and shouted for the military doctor.
After breaking away from the two people's support, Yamamoto turned around and walked to the port window. There were warships on the left and right of the Kaga. They all had navigation lights at this time. In a brightly lit area, some soldiers were busy cleaning the warships or carrying supplies. , the pain in his heart was severe and his head was dizzy. Yamamoto held on to the bulkhead to stabilize his body, and pushed away Koizumi's supporting hand again. He said: "When did the imperial army become so vulnerable? This is really the empire. The army?"
He seemed to be talking to himself or asking a few people around him. Tsukahara and Koizumi looked at each other, and the latter gritted his teeth and said: "Sir, you don't have to worry so much. The Osaka Division is the only one in the world. We are just one family, and the Osaka Division will be called 'the most useless division in the world'. This is not a rumor that came out of thin air."
"'The best useless division in the world'." This was the first time Tsukahara heard this statement. He muttered it softly, and suddenly realized that this title was too appropriate. He said to Yamamoto: "Your Excellency, although I feel very It's disgusting, but this 'title' is really tailor-made for the Osaka Division. Your Excellency, if this Hainan attack fails, our navy is not to blame. Well, this is both a bad thing and a good thing. After we return, it seems that we We really need to put in the effort to build a marine force that is unique to us, and I think it would be more appropriate to leave this matter to Mr. Koizumi."
Yamamoto let out a long sigh and said: "Let's not think about the future now. What should we do now? Our Marine Corps has only three regiments left. It is difficult for them to penetrate deep into Hainan alone. I originally thought that half We can take Hainan in a month, but now it seems that even if the Xuebing Army has limited troops in Hainan, it will take us a month to do it. What about supplies? The infantry is insufficient and we can only rely on your aviation force. But According to the current consumption rate, the fuel carried is only enough to last about ten days..."
Yamamoto is the commander-in-chief of the Hainan Campaign. He needs to consider far more issues than Tsukahara, who is only responsible for a certain part of the combat mission. If the Hainan Strategy ultimately wants to reap results, it is necessary to maintain the existence of sufficient ground troops. According to the pre-war assumptions, The infantry of the two divisions is sufficient, but now because of the situation in the Osaka Division, he does not think that the current Marine strength alone can achieve the pre-war vision.
"Your Excellency, the Hainan strategy must not be given up halfway. If we cannot win it this time, the Chinese people will be alert and it will be more difficult to fight in the future. I think we can ask the Taiwanese squadron to send a batch of supplies first for emergency response, and at the same time take a long-term approach. Saki dispatched supply ships to deliver supplies." Seeing Yamamoto actually showing intention to retreat, Koizumi said hurriedly,
Yamamoto glanced at him, then looked at Tsukahara and asked, "Tsubakahara-kun, what do you think?"
Tsukahara stood at attention, stood respectfully, lowered his head and said: "I feel that if the problem of the Osaka Division cannot be solved, there will be no point in continuing this battle. Koizumi-kun, your point of view is not wrong, but you have forgotten One point, our budget is running low. If the Hainan War costs too much, it will affect the ongoing aircraft carrier reconstruction work, is it worth it?" Like Koizumi, Tsukahara is also a fanatical aircraft carrier victory theory. After he finished speaking, the struggle on Yamamoto's face obviously became more intense.
Koizumi said: "Your Excellency Tsukahara believes that there is no need to continue this war from a cost perspective. I don't think this view is valid." He looked at Yamamoto and said: "Sir, as I told you, Hainan not only has the Shilu Iron Mine This is a source of high-quality iron ore, as well as rich oil and gas resources. In addition, given time, this place can also become the empire's rubber production base. As long as we can win Hainan, I think no matter how big the effort is, it will be worth it."
Yamamoto clasped his hands tightly and paced back and forth in front of Tsukahara and Koizumi. After a few minutes, he stood still and looked at the two people and said: "Although the Empire's China strategy currently encounters obstacles, I have always believed that the Empire wants to dominate Asia. Even the world, the biggest enemy is not China but the United States. Apart from the rich mineral resources, Hainan's strategic location is also extremely important. Only by occupying Hainan can we launch the Southeast Asian offensive by sea without any worries." Here he paused, and then said forcefully: "I have decided, continue, Tsukahara."
"Your Mightiness."
"Come with me to the Toyama Maru later. I want to have a good talk with Lieutenant General Sawada."
"Hai."
"Koizumi."
"exist."
"You are solely responsible for mobilizing supplies. If you don't understand anything about the data, you can ask Colonel Sanada, Sanada."
Sanada was the adjutant who had been standing aside with his hands down. He immediately responded: "Your Excellency, please rest assured, I will fully cooperate with Mr. Koizumi."