July 4th, 3 PM.
Inside the conference room on the top floor of the Tokyo Imperial Building, Japanese soldiers were busy at work.
One telegram after another, pleading for help and announcing tragic deaths, came back from the front lines, making the atmosphere in the conference room heavy and somber.
"Baka Yalu!!!"
Prime Minister Tojo Ume sat alone in the main seat, clutching the telegram sent by the defeated side, so enraged she almost tore it to shreds: "A bunch of idiots! A complete bunch of idiots!!"
"My mighty army of a million! How could it be defeated by a mere three or four hundred thousand troops from the China Democratic League?!"
By the end, Tojo had become so excited that he lost his composure.
"Damn it..."
Sitting next to him, Interior Minister Genki Abe couldn't help but sigh, "Your Excellency, the weapons and equipment of the Democratic Alliance Army are more advanced and powerful than we imagined. Their victory this time is by no means accidental."
"Abe-kun, can't you see the situation clearly?" Prime Minister Tojo sneered. "No matter how hard we try to resist and fight, we can only watch helplessly as we are ousted from power."
He pointed to the portrait hanging on the wall.
The portrait depicts a valiant general wearing a golden helmet and a yellow jacket; it is none other than himself.
"I have waited too long and sacrificed too much for this day."
Tojo's expression shifted unpredictably as he looked out the window, as if peering through the glass. "If it weren't for this day, I wouldn't have ended up like this."
"Report--!!!"
A communications officer rushed in, his face filled with anxiety: "Your Excellency the Prime Minister, Your Excellency the Minister of the Interior! More than half of the cities in the central region have been attacked by enemy forces!! Please make a decision immediately!!"
"What?!!"
Everyone stood up in shock.
Tojo Umetoku's head buzzed.
He had over 400,000 local troops stationed in the central region. He knew very well what it would mean if even that fell.
"Your Excellency the Prime Minister..."
"There's no time!"
"The enemy is everywhere now. They are burning, killing, and looting all over the cities, and they are wreaking havoc on our people, city garrison troops, and farmland!"
"If this continues, they'll take over the entire city of Tokyo in less than two weeks!"
Abe Genki gritted his teeth: "Damn it!!! It's too late to transfer troops from other war zones now. The Democratic League Navy has blockaded the strait, making it difficult for the Kwantung Army to get through. Our only hope is the Combined Fleet!"
Tojo Umeto remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh: "Can the entire empire be saved by a single combined fleet?"
Abe Genki was speechless.
Tojo Umetoku turned around, scanned the crowd, and said in a low voice, "We have no choice but to fight! Issue the order to implement a scorched earth strategy! All students, civilians, military police... all of you, hold the enemy at your posts! Also, order the Eastward Advance Corps to break through the enemy's positions at all costs!"
"Even if the enemy has superior weaponry and air support! As long as we charge through, we can win this war!!!"
"Hi!"
The meeting room erupted in excitement.
July 4th, evening.
As dawn broke, darkness enveloped the earth, and raging fires blazed in all directions.
Soldiers, civilians, business families, high-ranking officials, and wealthy merchants of the Sakura Kingdom, except for a few who stayed behind to resist the People's Alliance Army, vowed to protect their homeland to the death.
The vast majority were forced to leave their homes and move their families to the far north to escape the war.
This exodus did not last long. As the National League for Democracy's fighter and bomber formations drew ever closer, the retreaters from all directions abandoned their houses and homes.
Some cowards even abandoned their wives, children, and elderly parents, running away into the deep mountains and forests.
In this war-torn world, no one dared to stop, because everyone knew that if they slowed down even a little, they would be beaten to death.
"Da da da da da da—!"
"Da da da da da da—!!"
"Da da da da da da—!!!"
The gunfire was intense and sharp, accompanied by screams and roars, as countless severed limbs flew everywhere.
"Aaaaaah—!!"
"Mommy, save me—!!!"
Cries and screams mingled with the sounds of gunfire, echoing through the forest.
Rumble~
Explosions rang out one after another, flames shot into the sky, thick smoke billowed, and many buildings were reduced to ruins in an instant.
"Hurry, hurry, keep up!"
"We must hold on! Holding on until the Imperial fleet returns is our chance to turn the tide!"
"Kill all these beasts and send them all into the Sea of Japan! Let them sleep forever in this foreign land!"
Japanese soldiers and civilians, carrying guns, fled through the dense thickets.
"Bang!"
"Pfft!"
Bullets whizzed past, leaving trails of blood on the skin; but some were shot and fell to the ground, howling in pain.
"Oh my god, it hurts so much!"
"Help--!"
Some people were crying, some were screaming, and some were running away.
Fear was written on everyone's face, and their eyes stared blankly at the scene before them, filled with endless despair.
……………………
July 5, 1942, 4:37 AM.
Ryotsu Island, located in the Sea of Japan near the Chubu region.
A massive fleet appeared on the sea, vast and mighty, like a torrent of steel, heading towards Fukui Prefecture.
It was the long-awaited combined fleet of the Sakura Kingdom.
The Combined Fleet of the Sakura Kingdom:
Flagship battleship Yamato.
The 1st Fleet, commanded by Vice Admiral Shiro Takasu, comprised sixteen battlecruisers: Nagato, Mutsu, Ise, Hyuga, Fuso, Yamashiro, Kongo, Haruna, Kirishima, Hiei, Aoba, Kinugasa, Kako, Furutaka, Kitakami, and Oi; as well as the aircraft carriers Zuiho, Mikazuki, and Yuzuki, totaling over fifty ships of various types.
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