When one's own country faces an invasion, and the other party is far stronger than one's own, and resistance is almost impossible to succeed, the attitudes of ordinary people, soldiers, officers, and dignitaries are obviously very different.
The situation that the Japanese are facing now is far more desperate than that of the Chinese at the same time in history, because they have no strategic depth at all. If they choose to resist, the war is doomed to fail from the beginning.
Even though this is hopeless, it doesn't mean that everyone will wisely choose to give up.
The First Division was organized in Tokyo, and its code name was "Jade", so it can also be called the Tokyo Division and the Jade Division. It has two brigades, the First and the Second.
The Third Regiment of the Second Brigade, stationed in the suburbs, led the mutiny, aiming to force the cabinet to change its attitude and resist firmly rather than surrender.
The number of officers and soldiers participating in the mutiny exceeded 900, and their original intentions varied.
Some people think that surrendering without resistance is an insult to their integrity as samurai and tarnishes the family's honor; some people think that only tenacious resistance can make Akito face up to the Yamato clan, so that he can get a better outcome in the future.
Soon, the Guards Division, which went to suppress the mutiny, engaged in a firefight.
The rebels of the Third Regiment chanted slogans and actually stopped the interception of the Guards Division, and some people even joined them.
The rebels, whose numbers were nearly doubled, successfully reached the Capitol and faced off against the 4th Guards Regiment defending the area.
Although soldiers in the latter continued to sneak away secretly, the formation was still there, and there were five Worsley armored vehicles holding the line at the same time.
The rebels, who lacked heavy weapons, knew they were outmatched, so they did not launch an attack. Instead, they set up several loudspeakers and continued to promote their claims.
The two sides reached a stalemate. Some other units of the Guards Division chose to disobey, and some chose to work slowly. A squadron of the Second Guards Regiment simply fired into the air.
In this chaotic situation, dozens of rebels disguised themselves as civilians and sneaked near the prime minister's official residence, and then collectively changed into military uniforms and took out weapons.
They quickly subdued the guards at the official residence and took control of Prime Minister Masatoshi Yamane, who had just undergone surgery and was still resting at home.
Yamane Masato coughed, waved his hand to ask his wife to step back, and then tried his best to speak: "What... do you want?"
Facing the old man and woman sitting on the tatami in front of him, the leader of the group bowed and said: "Your Excellency, Prime Minister, I'm sorry to bother you so presumptuously, but the situation has become so urgent that I have to do this."
"Do you want me to agree to defend myself until the end?"
"For the sake of Japan's future, we must not give up resistance easily. That will only make Akito despise us. We know that we cannot win in the end, but fighting hard will prove our bravery and bloodshed. At least they will not dare to treat us as slaves in the future..."
The emotional Major talked a lot, and was interrupted many times by the Prime Minister's coughs, but he was finally allowed to finish his statement.
There was a long silence in the room, and the shouts of the Second Guards Regiment came outside to relieve the siege. They demanded that the rebels who occupied the Prime Minister's Residence surrender immediately.
Finally, Masato Yamane let out a long sigh, looked up into the major's eyes, and said calmly: "Children, if you think it is right, then go for it. It's just that it cannot be released in an official name. The cabinet still has to express Compliance will at most acquiesce in your resistance behavior.”
Several other officers in the room became restless, which obviously failed to achieve their purpose.
But the major raised his hand to signal them not to be impatient, and then bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Your Excellency, we will do our best." After saying this, he turned around and walked out of the room with his saber in hand.
There was finally some movement in the gloomy sky, and there seemed to be light flickering in the dark gray clouds.
The sound of thunder was very slight, not much louder than the gunshots during the previous firefight, and soon, a light rain began to fall.
Six hours later, the mutiny riot finally subsided.
The Japanese court officially responded to the Ming Dynasty's ultimatum, stating that it would not resist the Ming army and welcomed Wang Shi to Japan. But at the same time, they also reminded that there are some volunteers who insist on resisting, which may cause some trouble for Wang Shi's takeover.
The Guards Division and the First Division received a joint order from the Cabinet, the War Ministry, and the General Staff Headquarters - all troops gave up any weapons except pistols and sabers, and collectively went to Ashikaga City to stand by, waiting for the Ming army to take over.
At the same time, they secretly demanded that all troops not punish and arrest deserters. The Metropolitan Police also has to acquiesce in the propaganda of "some people".
In two days, there were as many as 20,000 active-duty officers and soldiers, retired officers and soldiers, reservists, reservists, and civilians who volunteered to participate in the resistance, and the number was growing at a rate of several hundred per day.
Kano Kuigo resigned from the post of Minister of War, asked to be stripped of his military status, and then organized a resistance army in his own name - the Fengyong Defense Army.
The resistance army was organized into four detachments, each of which directly administered five infantry brigades and a mountain artillery battalion, as well as engineering squadrons, search squadrons, and communications squadrons, with a total of 6,000 people.
The detachments are also called by the surnames of their commanders, namely Matsumoto Detachment, Shimizu Detachment, Fujiwara Detachment, and Takahashi Detachment.
Since the Guards Division and the First Division laid down their weapons and went to Ashikaga City to wait in accordance with the order, these weapons and equipment were naturally brought by the resistance army, which allowed them to gather various weapons.
In fact, the bigger problem facing the Resistance Army now is the lack of sufficient reserve personnel. Although many people actively participated in the first two days, not many people were happy after that.
At least all the willing people in the Tokyo area have come. If you want to recruit volunteers, you have to go to other counties and cities, but there is not enough time - the Ming army fleet only needs two and a half days, or only three days if it is slower.
It can be said that the resistance army is racing against time. Because Tokyo has a public concession, the great powers do not allow the Japanese to build defense facilities around it. Coast defense forts, coast defense torpedo launchers, bunkers, permanent fortifications, etc. are all absent. within the allowed range.
Therefore, the resistance army must race against time to dig defense lines and build fortifications.
There are only a few "high-end" equipment such as bulldozers and excavators in the Guards Division and the First Division, which are simply not enough. Therefore, the resistance forces can only rely on manpower to work day and night.
Dig, keep digging, dig more dirt!
On the ninth day of March, the Kanto region has clear skies and gentle winds.
The A-107 special mission fleet temporarily organized to carry out this mission came to Uraga Suido, which is the only way to enter Tokyo Bay.
Unlike the army units that ride on cargo ships or landing ships, the Marine Corps, as the sons of the Navy, naturally have special treatment. They are directly carried by the battleships and aircraft carriers Eihei, Showa, and Amaichi Sagaki.
The Ming Navy's naming method for aircraft carriers should obviously be completely changed. At first, like other countries in the world, the Ming people did not realize that the naval battle model would usher in earth-shaking changes. They just regarded aircraft carriers as experimental new weapons, thinking that the number would not many.
Therefore, the name given to the aircraft carrier is also very lofty - it is directly named after the star wall, and the carrier-based fleet it carries is named after the stars under the star wall.
The Tianshiyuan class is the latest class, with a total of two ships. It is a medium-sized aircraft carrier with a double-layer hangar, a direct flight deck, three elevators, a standard displacement of 17,000 tons, six heavy oil boilers and two steam turbines. Dual-shaft propulsion, maximum output power of 62,000 horsepower, maximum speed of 29 knots.
This time, the Tianshi Zuoyuan was incorporated into the A-107 Special Mission Fleet. The fighter fleet she carried was code-named "Song", the torpedo fleet was code-named "Nanhai", and the dive bomber fleet was code-named "Yan" , the reconnaissance fleet was codenamed "East China Sea".
In Zhou Changfeng's view, this is obviously not enough. If there is a war in the Pacific in the future, things like aircraft carriers will have to drop dumplings. How can a few star wars be enough?
Although being named after Hoshigaki is quite cool, I'm afraid I have to change my thinking. For example, be named after Hoshiguan instead?
The huge fleet seemed to be in uninhabited territory. From time to time, foreign ships flying various national flags were encountered while crossing the Uraga waterway. Cruise ships flying the Stars and Stripes and cargo ships flying the Union Jack flag abounded.
"Dong dong dong——"
The sound of roaring cannons came from not far away. It was a French destroyer that was watching the excitement and was not too big a deal. It was firing a salute.
Along the way, the fleet officers and soldiers saw at least four or five foreign warships, including the light cruiser Dawn flying the Royal Navy flag, the gunboat Panay flying the U.S. Navy flag, and the Novi flying the Russian naval flag. Destroyer K.
Most of the officers and soldiers of the Ming army would not think of putting themselves in someone else's shoes, so they would naturally be indifferent. However, this situation deeply touched Zhou Changfeng.
This is the cruel nature of the era of imperialism - the weak will eat the strong, the weak will be divided up, and humiliation is inevitable.
After crossing the waterway, the sea area ahead suddenly became clear, which meant that the fleet had entered Tokyo Bay.
After sighing for a while, Zhou Changfeng returned to the cabin and summoned officers from various departments for a meeting.
Since it has been learned that a volunteer unit called the "Fenyong Defending Army" has suddenly appeared in the local area, it may resolutely resist the Ming army's landing.
To ensure thoroughness, the Second Army responded immediately, and Nie Quan ordered each division to disperse and land in accordance with the predetermined plan.
After confirming the combat arrangements again, everyone chatted for a while.
Fan Qijin, commander of the 3rd Battalion, lamented: "Knowing that defeat is inevitable and still choosing to resist, in terms of ethics and morality, it deserves respect."
"This is to show their bloodiness, so that they will not be treated as slaves who are called around in the future." Zhao Hanfeng shrugged with a normal expression, "To put it bluntly, this is using their lives to prove the value of their people."
Zhou Changfeng struck a match, lit a cigarette, took a deep breath and said: "When I was in Spain, the commander-in-chief said this, 'If the war is bound to be lost but you still fight to the end, it is to defend dignity and preserve A shred of will to fight, if it is given up without resistance, it means true death’.”
There was a brief silence in the cabin as everyone savored these words.
The leader of the reconnaissance team, Han Yi, broke the silence, "Although they are not of my race, their morality is commendable. Let's kill them all. In this case, the rest should just accept the situation and accept it."
"Hiss... I'm starting to worry after what you said," Zhu Lizhuo shook his head slightly and said with particular disgust, "I'm afraid I will be upset by these unwilling resistance forces."
"Expelling the Western forces is the key." Xie Wancheng said carelessly: "The Japanese Islands really can't be included in the pocket. Who will support the tens of millions of paupers? In my opinion, it is good to continue to separate the vassal towns like this. Resistance? Then then Use Japanese to control Japanese."
Half an hour later.
The fleet has penetrated deep into Tokyo Bay, with Funabashi City directly ahead and Kawasaki City on the left.
Four Type 37 carrier-based dive bombers took off from the Tianshi Zuoyuan to perform a reconnaissance mission to the landing area; the freighters and landing ships carrying the Fourth and Seventh Divisions began to leave the fleet, followed by some minesweepers and destroyers. Afterwards, the course was directed towards their respective landing points.
At 12:37 noon, the coastline was getting closer and closer, and the appearance of urban Tokyo could be clearly seen through the telescope. The Marine Corps had already eaten lunch in advance and was ready for battle.
Fighting breaks out inadvertently, and it is often a sudden accident that makes people realize that they are in the flames of war.
Although those old ships were strictly controlled and moored at Kawasaki Pier, some naval officers and soldiers who followed the brave defenders still managed to obtain a batch of mines, torpedoes, and speedboats.
From early yesterday morning to now, they used civilian ships and speedboats to lay more than 300 large and small mines on the main waterway in and out of Kawasaki, with the intention of delaying the Ming army's landing operations.
Because the weather was clear and the visibility was good, the destroyer Tongling at the front of the detachment noticed something strange on the sea - a ball floating shallowly on the sea with tentacles extended.
"Mine!!!"
"Both cars drive in reverse! Full left-hand drive!"
"Semaphore!"
The two four-blade propellers with a diameter of 3.2 meters that were originally rotating clockwise quickly slowed down, and then gradually began to rotate in the opposite direction, and the rudder also deflected to the maximum angle.
The Tongling's trajectory drew a beautiful arc on the sea, successfully avoiding the old British MkII type 2,000-pound mine in front.
However, things are unpredictable. After leaving the channel and avoiding at a large angle, the Tongling still hit a Japanese-made 12-year-old mine on the side.
One of the lead tentacles was bent and deformed by the collision, and the glass tube filled with electrolyte inside was shattered immediately. The electrolyte connected the carbon rod and the zinc rod. As a result, a current with a voltage of about one volt detonated the electric detonator.
"boom!"
Two hundred and fifty kilograms of TNT explosives were detonated instantly, and a white swell of more than 20 meters high burst out from the sea.
The extremely difficult compressibility of water caused the shock wave of an underwater explosion to be much stronger than in the air. The entire bow of the Tongling was blown off, like a beheaded person.
The bow of the ship sank rapidly as fast as the naked eye could see. The sailors at the gun emplacements on both sides were doused with cold water by the water splashed by the explosion. Some windows were also shattered, and everyone staggered due to the violent shock.
Haven't you already avoided the mines ahead? ! What's happening here? !
When they stabilized themselves and regained their senses, they suddenly discovered that the bow of the ship had disappeared, leaving only the waves. The twisted and deformed steel plates and pipelines at the fracture were showing their claws, and countless debris and debris were floating on the sea.
"Close the watertight door quickly!"
"Damage control team!"
(End of chapter)
