Chapter 136 The Burden of War

While forming a special forces team, Zhou Charter ordered Wu Pengnian and Qiu Pengjia to form a special operation team and secretly sneaked into Dalinfu to investigate the deployment of the Japanese army. Wu Pengnian and Qiu Pengjia are both locals in Taiwan. They are very familiar with the terrain and folk customs around Dalinfu. The people of Dalinfu are extremely hostile to the Japanese. The special operation team quickly figured out the deployment of the Guards with the help of local resistance.

The division department of the Guards Division is located in Zilian'an. This is a small mountain bag, with three plains and backed by hills. The surrounding terrain is not complicated, but the forest is dense, like a maze. Even during the day, the forest is like night. When people and animals walk into it, it is easy to get lost.

The direct troops of the Guards Division are deployed within one kilometer around Zilian'an, which can be said to be heavily guarded. However, there is only one squadron of Japanese troops stationed in Zilian'an.

Wu Pengnian's team found a hidden path in the forest with the help of local villagers. Before the operation of the special forces team began, Wu Pengnian led a small team to secretly reach the intersection, hide and prepare to welcome the special forces.

At 12 p.m. on September 20, Zhou Charter led a special forces team to come to the intersection at night. Under the reception of Wu Pengnian, he sneaked into the forest along the path and avoided the Japanese sentry, and unconsciously touched Zilian'an. The sharp knife squad of the special forces cut off the sentry's throat and rushed into Zilian'an without firing a shot.

The members of the special forces are all good, with good shooting skills and high tactical level. Moreover, Zhou Charter absorbed the tactics of the Seven Star Team. Five people were formed into a group, and 40 battle groups were formed. These battle groups formed a joint force. The combat effectiveness of each group is equivalent to a platoon of the Japanese army. Once they start , clean and neat, fast forward and backward,

The sleeping Japanese guard force did not expect that a divine soldier would fall from the sky, and many people would rise to the sky in their sleep. Less than ten minutes, the Japanese army of a squadron stationed in Zilian'an was wiped out.

The special forces immediately surrounded the Zilian'an Hall, killed Prince Chuanengjiu of the Northern White House, set off a fire, and burned the stubborn Japanese army in the hall to ashes.

The beheading target was completed, and the special forces quickly withdrew along the original path of the forest. Wu Pengnian's team had already responded outside. In less than ten minutes, the special forces withdrew from the battle and quickly left Dalinfu and turned to the Alishan area.

I thought that attacking the headquarters of the Guards Division must be a fierce battle, and the special forces were psychologically prepared to die. Even Zhou Charter himself did not expect that the fight would be so smooth. Less than 20 minutes, more than 300 Japanese soldiers were killed, while the special forces team only three were killed and 12 injured.

However, the people of Dalinfu have suffered annihilation for this.

Prince Chuanengjiu of the North White House was killed. The Japanese army did not capture a Zhangjun soldier, not even a corpse. Zhangjun's special forces took away the dead companions. The Japanese army vented their anger on the unarmed people of Dalinfu. They washed Dalinfu with blood. More than 2,000 unarmed local residents, regardless of men, women and children, were driven to the ruins of Zilian'an by the Japanese army and all were shot! All the houses in Dalinfu were burned.

This town known as the richest man in Chiayi has become a rubble with phosphorus fire.

......

September 25, Hiroshima, the Japanese wartime base camp.

The wartime base camp was originally a temporary agency set up for the First Sino-Japanese War to coordinate the command, mobilization and transportation of materials for the Qing Dynasty War. After the end of the First Sino-Japanese War, as the highest military command of foreign wars, the base camp should be abolished and the emperor should return to the Kyoto Imperial Palace. The Second World War in Taiwan was a civil war to suppress rebels. Legally speaking, it should not be commanded by the wartime base camp.

However, with the development of the war in Taiwan, the base camp has not been withdrawn, but has become busier. The reason is that Zhang Jun intervened in the Second War.

It is an army that cannot determine its nationality. The Japanese once defined Zhang Jun as an invader sent by the Qing Dynasty. If according to this definition, then the Second Sino-Japanese War should be a continuation of the First Sino-Japanese War. Japan and the Qing Dynasty should be hostile to the war. However, the Qing Dynasty did not admit the existence of such an army at all, so Japan clearly knew that Zhang Jun was supported by the Qing Dynasty, but it could not declare war on the Qing Dynasty.

But Japan cannot regard Zhang Jun as a local rebel in Taiwan. Obviously, Zhang Jun is a visiting army. They come across the sea and are not composed of local Taiwanese, but all from mainland China. Therefore, they should be invaders.

Legally speaking, Taiwan is already the territory of Japan, Zhang Jun is the guest army, and the Japanese army is the main army defending the enemy; however, from the actual combat situation, Zhang Jun is the main army, and the Japanese army is the guest army!

What makes the Japanese army feel extremely embarrassed is that the Japanese army, which claims to defend the territory and resist the enemy, is not as familiar with Taiwan as Zhang Jun who came across the sea!

The Taiwanese refused to cooperate with the Japanese army, but Zhang Jun, who came from afar, was widely supported by the Taiwanese people! They turned against the guests!

The Japanese army is facing a strong enemy that they have never met before! In view of the severity of the war in Taiwan, the wartime base camp in Hiroshima was difficult to withdraw, and the emperor continued to stay in the base camp. Today, the situation facing Japan is even more severe than when the First Sino-Japanese War broke out!

And this severe situation has become more and more dangerous with a shocking news!

Prince Kitashirakawa is loyal to the country! He was killed in his own headquarters by Zhang Jun.

The Japanese government concealed the news from its citizens, who claimed that Prince Kitashirakawa was suffering from malaria and died of death.

However, the news has quietly spread inside the base camp. For several days, the base camp was shrouded in a suffocating atmosphere - His Majesty the Emperor has not appeared for five consecutive days! He refused to meet the ministers. Even Prime Minister Hirofumi Ito was closed.

The death of Prince Nohisa of Kitashirakawa Palace shamed the emperor! Let the government humiliate and make the whole Japan become a laughing stock in the world pattern of the law of the jungle at the end of the 19th century!

Japan, which has just gained the status of a powerful country in the war, will plummet as a result!

The senior cabinet officials found that the attitude of the ministers of the Western powers in Japan had undergone a subtle change. There was a kind of contempt in their eyes. This kind of contempt seemed to be familiar with each other. Fifty years ago, when Japan was just bombarded by American ships and cannons, the eyes of those arrogant Westerners!

The emperor refused to appear, and the ministers had no master.

This morning, the chamberlain suddenly announced that His Majesty would summon the ministers in the conference room to agree on the national policy. Cabinet ministers, the Admiralty, the Army Department and the General Staff Headquarters waited in the conference room early in the morning, waiting for the arrival of the emperor.

The meeting will be held at 9 o'clock, but the time has reached 9:30, and Emperor Meiji still did not appear.

In the conference room, there was a suffocating silence. All the senior officials were sitting in danger, silent and nervous. No one dared to break this breathless silence.

When the time came to ten o'clock, there was finally a sound of footsteps at the door. All the ministers stood up and their eyes fixed at the door.

Emperor Meiji, dressed in a marshal's uniform, slowly walked into the conference room, came to his seat, glanced at the ministers, and slowly sat down.

With the approval of the emperor, all people could only straighten their bodies and stand stiffly.

Three minutes later, Emperor Meiji said slowly, "Even if it is a moment of silence for Prince Nohisa of Kitashirakawa Palace!"

Everyone's faces were full of frustration, standing still and motionless.

Emperor Meiji's eyes glanced at the ministers from Hirofumi Ito's face. Wherever they passed, the ministers lowered their heads one after another.

Just a year ago, when the emperor entered the base camp, he also glanced at everyone here like this, and everyone held their heads high. They assured the emperor with one voice that the battle between Japan and the Qing Dynasty was inevitable! It will be the first battle for the rise of the Japanese Empire! In less than three months, Japan will definitely defeat the Qing Dynasty. At that time, Japan will become the hegemon of Asia and stand in the east of the world as a world power!

And now, the war has been fought from North Korea to Liaodong, from Liaodong to Shandong, and from Shandong to Taiwan. The war has been fought for more than a year, but there is no sign of ending, and Japan's only achievement, Taiwan is also teetering!

The people did not get any benefits from this war. On the contrary, with the protracted war, the living standards of the people plummeted! The newly emerging education system for all is in danger of collapse due to lack of funds. The industrial system has all been transferred to wartime and production efficiency has soared. However, it cannot produce the necessary daily necessities for the people. Almost all factories are working overtime to make weapons! As a maritime country, the people can't eat seafood, because almost all ships are requisitioned by the government for war!

The people are extremely tired! At the beginning of the war, the scene of enthusiastic donations to support the war disappeared, and was replaced by complaints and rumors in the streets and alleys, as well as the dying poor people all over the slums! The Japanese government once assured them that this war could lift them out of poverty and the rich resources of the Qing Dynasty could make every Japanese citizen live a rich life! Under the temptation of this beautiful blueprint, the people unreservedly handed over their last savings to the Japanese army. They were already poor. However, the one-year war not only did not allow them to gain wealth, but also their last rations would be swallowed up by this war!

Japan's newly emerging modern industrial base is even more unable to bear the burden of this war. Japan, which is barren, has not obtained any war resources from mainland China. On the contrary, domestic resources are gradually withering.

Emperor Meiji felt that he was dragged into a black whirlpool and couldn't extricate himself! And the whole Japan seems to be sinking with him!

The achievements of the 30 years of Meiji Restoration are about to be swallowed up by this war!