Canteen System Assistance Notes

One day, two days, three days. Finally, after four days, when the first reinforcements gradually approached the three towns of Hankou, the Japanese soldiers who had not slept well the entire time cheered and cried with dark circles under their eyes: Finally! Finally... huhuhuhuhuhu...

After their tense nerves finally relaxed, many Japanese soldiers fell asleep on the city wall. The "culprits" who had caused them such a miserable state had disappeared long ago.

As the Japanese reinforcements, which had fled like dead dogs, finally arrived in Hankou, the "Autumn Counter-Offensive of the 31st Year" that lasted for nearly a month finally came to an end.

The Japanese troops on the Jingzhou front were held back by American artillery and Nationalist troops outside Yichang. Suddenly, they were attacked from the rear and forced to withdraw for reinforcements, ending their offensive. Ultimately, after attempting to retaliate against the New Fourth Army but failing to gain any advantage, and instead being defeated by a defensive counterattack near Wushengguan, the Japanese retreated in disgrace, abandoning their campaign.

According to subsequent statistics, on the Yichang-Jingzhou front (including the Qianjiang battle), the Japanese army suffered about 3200 casualties in the three stages of Yichang defense, Jingzhou counterattack, and second attack on Yichang, respectively, causing about 2000, 1000, and 500 casualties to the National Army. Unfortunately, in the last stage when the Japanese army's rear was on fire and they retreated in a hurry, the National Army did not seize the opportunity to pursue the Japanese army, and only caused a certain number of casualties to the Japanese army through the hunting operations of the U.S. Air Force.

On the Xinyang-Suizhou front, the New Fourth Army surrounded and annihilated the 215th Regiment of the Japanese 33rd Division, liberating Xinyang and defeating the 214th Regiment, opening up Dawu County. Subsequently, the New Fourth Army, in conjunction with Li Jiayu's 47th Army, which had been deployed, annihilated the 213th Regiment of the 33rd Division and two battalions of reinforcements from the 3rd Division, virtually wiping out the entire 33rd Division. Subsequently, in subsequent offensives, the New Fourth Army fought continuously, recaptured Xiaocheng, and vigorously cleared strongholds and attacked and disrupted raids around the three towns of Hankou.

Although the Japanese reinforcements finally arrived and the Kuomintang and the Communist Party had to retreat to Dawu, Guangyuan and Suizhou to switch to defense, at this time this rare "KMT-Communist coalition had already completed the record of annihilating about 1600 enemies, and achieved a hard result in the name of a small division" - and as a price, the Kuomintang army paid about 18000 casualties, while the four field divisions and cavalry regiments of the New Fourth Army participating in the battle suffered about 3400 casualties.

Together with the diversionary battles around Hongcheng, Yueyang, Zhejiang Province and Jiangsu Province, in this grand battle in central China, the Chinese army paid the price of about 6350 casualties and 30.0 missing, killed or wounded about 250.0 Japanese soldiers, and successfully recovered Yichang, Xinyang and Suizhou.

Despite the heavy casualties, this ultimately enabled the Nationalist Army to successfully recapture the eastern gateway to the Sichuan Basin, ensuring the security of the rear area during the War of Resistance. It also proved that the Nationalist Army, with effective artillery support, could defeat the seemingly invincible Japanese army through a war of attrition. It also gave the New Fourth Army a bridgehead and a launching point for its assault on the Jianghan Plain, allowing communication between the previously separated anti-Japanese bases in central China, greatly weakening the Japanese blockade along the transportation lines, effectively promoting the exchange of personnel and materials between the bases, and accelerating the growth of the New Fourth Army...

In any case, this can indeed be regarded as a hard-won victory in the War of Resistance.

Chapter 709 Pot_ver_Huazhong

(Update)

General Hata Shunroku, commander of the Chinese Front, sat at his desk, his hands on his forehead, his face twisted, as if he'd been constipated for five days, or perhaps he'd been in the middle of a shit when the emergency call for assembly had forced him to abort his work. In short, he was miserable.

This sense of woe and embarrassment naturally stemmed from the presence of Lieutenant General Ieta Ko, commander of the 11th Army, and the "crushing defeat" the 11th Army had just suffered in August. In that battle, the once invincible Imperial Army in central China suffered a loss of territory and territory, not only losing Yichang but also being defeated by the Chinese. Furthermore, without Yichang as a fulcrum, the Imperial Army could no longer maintain a sustained presence in the surrounding area and could only deploy defenses along the Han River after retaking Jingmen.

Of course, the most crucial thing is that losing to the Communist Army would be one thing - the North China Army had already lost several times, so it wouldn't be shameful for the Central China Army to lose once - but this time they lost to the National Army!

General Hata Shunroku recalled his official trip to North China a few months ago: on that occasion, with a smile on his face, he and Lieutenant General Iimura Mamoru, who was temporarily acting as commander of the North China Army, went to meet with General Okamura Yasuji, who had asked to be "cautious", and informed him of the "upgrade" of the North China Army and the good news of his promotion to commander-in-chief of the army.

Everyone knew that this "upgrade" represented not a reward, but a way to shift the blame - the North China Army had been beaten so badly by the Eighth Route Army that the entire North China had become a huge fire pit that no one wanted to jump into.

At that time, I must have been somewhat gloating... But the retribution came so soon? Hata Shunroku rubbed his brows hard. He looked at Lieutenant General Tsukada Isao, the new commander of the 11th Army who had been in office for less than two months, and immediately felt a little better.

Compared to me, this guy seems to be even more unlucky. He seems to have only been assigned to the 11th Army in July of 1949...

"Tsukada-kun, please sit down. Why are you standing? Let's sit down and discuss this." "Hi, Mr. Hata."

After the North China Army became independent as the "General Army", the Central Military Commission was left with only two field-level units in Central China. As the main participant in this battle, the 11th Army suffered heavy losses in this battle.

Lieutenant General Tsukada Osamu's Chief of Staff, Major General Kinoshita Isamu, presented two battle reports. The first was the "public figures" version, showing approximately 220 casualties; the second was the "actual figures" version, which was used to show General Hata Shunroku. According to this report, the total number of Japanese casualties in this battle was 29724, almost as many as the combat personnel of two divisions.

I already know the situation of the 33rd Division. The military flag bestowed upon them by the Emperor was seized by the Communists. This is truly a disgrace to the military... But Tsukada-kun, you've only been here a short time. The situation here is different from that of the Southern Army. We should pay more attention to the heroic fighting of the 214th Regiment's Flag Guard Squadron."

Hata Shunroku tapped a section of the report and gave some pointers. This section recorded the only division that was basically annihilated in this operation.

—Related information about the 33rd Division.

During the battles in Xinyang and Suizhou areas, the 215th Regiment of the 33rd Division was surrounded and killed by the Communist Army in Xinyang, and burned its flag at the last moment; the 213th Regiment was jointly attacked by the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in Suizhou, and the Communist Army's attack from behind caught the troops off guard, resulting in the capture of the regiment flag; and the 214th Regiment not only did not burn the military flag during the retreat, but the flag-guarding regiment that escaped in disguise also brought out the broken flagpole and fragments of the flag, which was one of the few bright spots in the battle.

"Hi." Lieutenant General Tsukada nodded to show that he had learned his lesson. Now he was the commander of a front army, and the situation was indeed different from when he was the chief of staff of the Southern Army.

"Why were there so many casualties during the counterattack? Although the Shancheng Army is numerous, our army previously resisted their hundreds of thousands of troops in Yichang with only a little over 3,000 casualties. Why were there such heavy casualties in the subsequent counterattack?" "The casualties here were mainly caused by the US military."

Lieutenant General Tsukada gave a look, and his Chief of Staff, Major General Kinoshita Isami, stepped forward and explained on behalf of the 11th Army to Commander General Hata: "Your Excellency, our casualties here are primarily due to the US artillery units occupying the mountains outside Yichang and bombarding us with long-range heavy field artillery. Our artillery had to engage high ground, and was bombarded all day by US aircraft, making it difficult to perform. Despite the bravery of our soldiers, flesh cannot withstand steel, and ultimately...

"Okay, I get it," Hata Shunroku put the hand on his forehead behind his head, slumped back in the chair, and covered his eyes with his other hand, looking up and asking, "Isn't there an Army Aviation Corps departing from Hankou?"

Hata Shunroku already knew the answer the moment he asked the question. He had read the summary report and knew that in the final stages of the battle, American aircraft had begun strafing their own troop transports along the Yangtze River, severely hindering the retreat of follow-up troops. If the Army Air Force fighters dispatched from Hankou, Nanjing, and Shanghai had been able to successfully drive off the enemy aircraft, this problem would probably not have occurred.

"Well, go back and write a request in the name of the front army." Hata Shunroku didn't wait for Kinoshita's response, but gave a direct answer. "Say that the Yamashiro Army has received cooperation from the US Air Force, and that the Type 97 and Type 1 fighters are no longer sufficient. The general army needs to provide more advanced fighters."

"Hi."

"Finally, what's with the over 3,000 deaths reported by this military hospital?"

If the two questions above prove that the National Army of Yamashiro, with the support of American aircraft and artillery, was able to inflict a "narrow defeat" on the Imperial Army through its numerical advantage, then the more than 3000 "deaths" reported at the end of the report by several military stations and hospitals of the 11th Army and "patient Han Songteng" seemed very strange.

"Unnatural deaths" in Japanese military jargon refers to all kinds of abnormal deaths, from falling to suicide. 3000 casualties in a battle is not abnormal, but 3000 "unnatural deaths" seems particularly strange.

According to the report, all these casualties occurred in the final stage of the battle, when the troops were disengaging from the Nationalist Army and marching from Jingzhou back to Hankou. There was no engagement with either the Communist Army or the US Army. How did these nearly four battalions of combat personnel suffer casualties?

The battle briefing didn't mention these matters, and General Hata Shunroku was preoccupied with the accusation that "the failure of this operation was due to the Chinese and 11th Armies, intimidated by the enemy's bluffing, becoming cowardly and losing their bearings." He certainly hadn't opened the report to carefully examine it. Fortunately, with both of the people present at the scene, Hata Shunroku raised the issue directly.

Upon hearing this question, Tsukada Isao and Kinoshita Isamu exchanged glances. At the Lieutenant General's signal, Chief of Staff Isamu Kinoshita glanced at the humming fan in the room and reported, "Commander Hata, aside from some other minor illnesses, these casualties are primarily caused by heat stroke."

"Heat stroke?" Hata Shunroku turned his head back from the back of the chair and asked for confirmation. "Heat stroke?"

"Hey, it's 'heatstroke'."

Kinoshita Isamu bowed slightly and continued, "This battle took place along the Hankou-Jingzhou line. It was August, and the area was humid, with direct sunlight and high temperatures. In the final stages of the battle, the troops needed to quickly maneuver from Jingzhou back to Hankou. The soldiers raced selflessly, and many suffered heat stroke, ultimately dying heroically."

His tone was heavy, his voice trembling slightly, and it carried an indisputable sense of nobility and regret. He could not hear the 11th Army Command's words when the Communist Army was at the gates of the city.

When he was about to launch a large-scale attack, he almost pressed the send button of the radio and was so embarrassed that he was on fire.

"Aren't our troops equipped with salt pills and water bottles? The troops are marching along the Yangtze River and there's no way they're short of water. How could heat stroke happen?"

Kengo Noda, standing nearby, spoke up. He was the deputy chief of staff of the Chinese military and quite experienced in the field. "Even if heat stroke existed, how could such a large number of people be killed?" "Mr. Noda, the humidity in the Hankou area exceeded 80% those days, and the daily high reached 38 degrees Celsius. It was extremely hot and humid, so it's not surprising that this happened."

"Why didn't the Communist and Sancheng troops fighting here suffer widespread heat stroke? Why didn't our army suffer large-scale casualties during the advance phase, yet it did during the transition phase? This must be a case of negligence..." "Our army primarily arrived by boat during the advance phase, and on foot during the transition phase, so the conditions were naturally different. So what does the heat stroke incidents among the Communist and Sancheng troops tell us?"

While several high-ranking Japanese military officers were performing their flying pancake stunts to each other to make up for the large number of casualties from heatstroke and war diseases, several New Fourth Army soldiers were riding bicycles in the gradually darkening sunset, carrying submachine guns on their backs.

Although the Japanese had reoccupied Xiaocheng, almost all of their strongholds, fortifications, and support points from our starting position in Dawu and Guangshui to the Hankou line had been completely demolished. This meant that even if the 3rd Division took over the defense of this area, the Japanese defense line would still be riddled with holes, making it very easy for our troops to infiltrate and reconnaissance.

These soldiers weren't wearing the dark green summer uniforms common among the northern Eighth Route Army. Instead, they wore comfortable, breathable short shirts and chest slings carrying ammunition, giving them a strange "scent." The bicycles, designed to allow for more efficient power output, had sturdy aluminum alloy crossbars, to which were strapped ammunition, slingshot, and explosives, demonstrating a capacity far exceeding what a person could carry on their backs or shoulders.

One soldier bit the rubber tube that extended from his back to his mouth and took a puff.

Hmm, sweet and sour taste, he thought.

The bike won't go fast when it gets dark, so we should ride a little further while there's still light!

Chapter 710: Five Ministers' Meeting

This was the situation in Showa Japan.

Besides the fact that all relatively important matters must be reported to His Majesty the Emperor for approval in advance, when matters are of major importance, a "three-ministerial conference" will be held, attended by the Prime Minister, the Minister of the Navy or the Minister of War, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. When matters are of greater importance but not of major importance, a "three-ministerial conference" will be held, attended by the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister of Finance. If the matter is of major importance and involves many parties, the "three-ministerial conference" will be upgraded to a "four-ministerial conference", with the Prime Minister, the Minister of the Navy and the Minister of War, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs attending in addition to the Minister of Finance.

Of course, when matters are big, important, and involve many parties, Japan's Prime Minister, Navy Minister, Army Minister, Foreign Minister, and Finance Minister will all be present to represent the country's actual rulers, discuss key measures, and make decisions that can be called "national policy."

And today, on a certain day in early September of the 17th year of the Showa era, the "Five Ministers' Conference" of Showa Japan was held at the Prime Minister's Office in Nagatacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.

There are four main members attending the meeting today: Kuniaki Koiso, who replaced Hideki Tojo as Prime Minister and Minister of War; Shigetaro Shimada, Minister of the Navy, who successfully retained his position in the cabinet because of his successful break with the government; Mamoru Shigemitsu, who served as Minister of Greater East Asia and Foreign Minister at the same time; and Jutaro Ishiwatari, Minister of Finance, who was in charge of money and represented the zaibatsu and should have been very powerful but actually had a relatively low status.

There are four of the Five Heavenly Kings, which doesn't seem right...

Considering the need to "enhance the necessary numbers"—in reality, to better manage the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" and strengthen fascist Japan's war potential—the meeting also included the newly established Minister of Munitions, Minister of Munitions Fujiwara no Ginjirō. Koiso Kuniaki merged the Planning Agency with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to form the current Ministry of Munitions in order to achieve this goal when he formed his cabinet.

In addition, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuo Miura, who was in charge of taking notes, attended the closed-door meeting, bringing the total number of attendees to six. Because the Prime Minister's Office, which was damaged by a firebomb in December of the previous year and collapsed, has been repaired, the meeting could be held in the private Japanese-style room of the Prime Minister's Office.

Congratulations, congratulations.

.....Your Excellency, please."

The senior maid in charge of tea ceremony knelt down and gestured, placed the brewed tea in front of the adults, and then knelt down and moved out of the small tea room.

Then, the thin paper door was pulled up and the heavy curtain was lowered - several adults

It's time for us to talk.

"Gentlemen..."

Kuniaki Koiso, who had just taken office, took a sip of light green tea, picked up a bunch of meatballs with three fingers, took a bite, and started the conversation in the most relaxed tone possible.

"In the current battle situation, the Imperial Country has a clear advantage. The Americans, the British, and the rest of us have been forced to retreat in panic before the Imperial Army." He set the tone. "However, fortune and misfortune are unpredictable, and life hangs by a thread. The victor still needs to tighten the straps of the iron hat. We who protect the Imperial Country must set our sights further ahead.

"However, at this moment, although all citizens work tirelessly, day and night, selflessly dedicating themselves to the public good, the Empire still desperately needs individuals throughout its territory who are willing to sacrifice their lives for the nation and dedicate their lives to it... I would like to consider administrative measures regarding this matter. What are your suggestions?"

The issue of human resources was the theme of the meeting as Prime Minister and Minister of War Kuniaki Koiso finished speaking.

According to the rules of Japanese political ventriloquism, at a time when the navy is clearly dominant, the fact that this Prime Minister, who is from the army, is willing to be the first to raise the issue of manpower at such a meeting means that he will say in front of His Majesty the Emperor that "the Imperial Country does not have enough people at present, and we need to add more people" and is willing to be the "pioneer."

Since he is willing to take the lead, the other people with related interests need to choose to support or express opposition according to their own interests. So, is the Empire short of people now?

The army was naturally short of manpower. The Nanyang strategy, launched just over half a year ago, had yielded fruitful results, but there was no place in the vast Nanyang region that didn't require manpower to develop, invest, and harvest. Furthermore, the army had just lost so many troops on the Chinese battlefield, so recruiting troops was a top priority.

"The Army needs six additional divisions in North China and Mainland China this year." Since he'd taken the lead, he naturally had to take the lead. Kuniaki Koiso quickly put on the mask of Army Minister and said, "The conquest of Papua New Guinea and the South Pacific Islands also requires personnel. "Maintenance of the 'Seven Stars' (referring to the chain of airfields in the Solomon Islands) will also require battalions. Preliminary estimates suggest a total of ten divisions will be needed."

"Does this include the Kwantung Army's plan to replace the border garrison with the '5th Division'?"

To increase the troops, of course, costs money, Finance Minister Ishiwatari F. Taro immediately questioned. Maintaining troops is expensive. Even if the military pay can be offset by savings or other means, men, horses, and food still cost money. "That's what General Tada proposed three months ago."

"Not included. Well... but... the Kwantung Army can handle most of its manpower issues on its own, so it doesn't require the Ministry of Finance to issue much additional rations." Koiso Kuniaki pondered for a moment, then said obliquely, "In short, that part won't increase military spending significantly."

"Well, since Your Excellency has promised..." "The navy also needs manpower."

Shimada Shigetaro quickly followed up with a sentence, but it was obvious that he did not have much confidence in saying this. Instead, it was more like "others have said it, so I have to say it too" because "new air defense ships, new armored aircraft carriers, and new marines all need fresh blood, and the construction of military ports and airports also requires labor.

"Oh, and we need to reserve enough construction workers for the new ships, too. Recently, the factory director in Yokosuka told me that even the welding technicians there have received draft postcards!" Navy Minister Shimada got into the mood, his tone tinged with indignation. "How can this be? How can this be?"

During this time, the Japanese Army suffered repeated setbacks on the mainland, significantly altering the funding struggle between the Japanese Army and Navy starting in 1938. The Army, facing continued setbacks, paid significant special war funds to the Navy, but this objectively drained even more of the Imperial Army's military budget. This feeling of being "complicit" forced the Navy to adjust the fleet within the 14th Fiscal Year Ship Enhancement Plan (Maru 4), eliminating some particularly costly heavy cruiser projects in order to preserve more critical large vessels.

This change even affected the Marukyu plan in 1940-1941, forcing the IJN's shipbuilding plan to be slightly more "pragmatic".

In the Maru 5 plan of 1942, because intelligence personnel in the United States reported back vague information that "the United States is vigorously building fleet aircraft carriers", it is necessary to increase the number of aircraft carriers in a timely manner to maintain "70% of the United States". Intercepting the US's shore-based aircraft and smuggling fleet requires powerful anti-air and anti-sea artillery capabilities, or small and medium-sized ships with strong torpedo performance... The navy, which was under great pressure from the Mongolian warships, finally began to pay attention to its own human resources.

"Then, could the Navy please tell us which talents are within the Navy's 'fixed quota' so that the recruitment department can avoid them.

"Furthermore, the Army is willing to facilitate the Navy's recruitment of additional personnel in... Luzon, and all local Army agencies will cooperate." Koiso Kuniaki was silent for a moment, his eyes evasive as he spoke. "However, we also ask that the Navy provide some assistance in recruiting manpower for the Army on the Peninsula, Frog Island, and Indochina."

With the mention of conscripting these "non-citizens," everyone's attention shifted to Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuo Miura and Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu. According to Japan's political structure, the Chief Cabinet Secretary oversees "mainland affairs," while the Foreign Minister oversees colonial affairs—there was no way around them.

"When we mobilise the people's manpower in these places, we shouldn't encounter the situation of conscription." Shigemitsu Aoki said.

In the original historical line, Japan plundered and kidnapped at least 700 million young and middle-aged laborers from China during the entire Anti-Japanese War, and used them to settle, mine, and do hard labor in (pseudo) Manchuria and the mainland in order to achieve the goal of fighting to support the war.

However, in this time and space, since 138 AD, the total amount of population plundered by Japan in North China began to decline sharply, and after 1940 it almost became zero; and in Central China, this situation also began to decrease significantly after 1941.

The reasons for this are self-evident. Currently, the Japanese army in this time and space has only plundered about 100 million Chinese laborers, a significant decrease compared to history.

"Leaving aside ZN for now, if we talk about other friendly nations within the Co-Prosperity Sphere, Peninsula and Frog Island are actually quite excellent. While the people of these two places are exceptionally brave but lack character, capable of attack but deficient in defense, and lacking in education for national awakening, this is not unchangeable."

"exactly."

Miura Kazuo followed up Shigemitsu's words, saying, "At this moment, the only way to contribute loyally to the Great Japanese Empire is to quickly implement the Constitution of Japan in both regions, promote national education, and awaken the spirit of the people."

Hearing Miura's reciting speech, everyone except Koiso Kuniaki sat up straight. This was a big deal! They felt as if their buttocks were on fire and their backs were whipped. They trembled with excitement, but they held back, not daring to move. They sat upright and recited in unison: "This matter is of great importance! The implementation of the constitution is a matter of great importance to the country. We must respectfully invite Your Majesty to convene an imperial meeting and implore Your Majesty's wise decision."

As if waiting for this moment, Koiso Kuniaki immediately responded: "Your Majesty has already instructed that Korea and Taiwan have long been united and are now both citizens of the Empire." "Huh..."

As these words, like a reassurance, were swallowed, everyone in the room relaxed as if they had completed some kind of ritual and entered sage time, and each of them sat back in their most comfortable position.

"Oh, besides the army and navy, the factories and roads in the country also need some labor." Fujiwara Ginjiro, who had been silent until then, suddenly spoke up. He was obviously not speaking in his capacity as "Minister of Munitions" - this man came from the Mitsui Group and was not just a simple Minister of Munitions, but also the spokesperson for the entire Japanese financial group.

Thus, he had enough power to tear off a piece of these cakes. "When the Empire needs something, the Army will be responsible."

Soon, Kuniaki Koiso nodded in agreement.

Finally, after several rounds of tea and several plates of meatballs, this "major, important, and multi-party-involved" meeting, which was planning the subsequent course of war against fascist Japan, finally concluded. "Thank you all, I will personally meet with Your Majesty soon and respectfully seek your approval on this matter."

Koiso Kuniaki accepted the meeting minutes, now a memorial document documenting the Empire's proactive policy of mobilizing manpower for the East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere, bowed slightly to the attendees, and left the conference room. As the underlying rules of Japanese politics dictated, this matter had already been negotiated behind the scenes between the truly powerful and the Emperor. Prime Minister Koiso's "respectful request for approval" was merely a report to the Emperor that the matter had been completed and that there had been no deviation.

So, he, who was supposed to report to the Imperial Palace, turned around and walked into a small compartment in the Prime Minister's Office, picked up the golden phone on the table, and called the Imperial Household Agency.

"Moshimoshi, this is the Matsushiro Imperial Library..."

Oh! His Majesty is still in Nagano… Koiso Kuniaki remembered that ever since the tragic incident at the Eno Islands, His Majesty had been in hiding… at the Imperial Palace in Matsushiro, Nagano. He turned and looked out the window, at the Marine cadets standing every ten meters on the street. To "maintain Imperial secrets," the Emperor in Nagano had ordered a new dedicated telephone line from Tokyo to Nagano, with cadets stationed ten meters apart, day and night, rain or shine, as if this would protect the secrets and reassure His Majesty.

They have been standing there for over a month, right? I wonder how long these unlucky guys will have to stand there like this...

Update *book* group QQ 49643*1898

Chapter 711 Side Story (1) Cross-linking the Web

It’s cloudy in Ikh Ju League in August.

A rough layer of clouds stretched across the grasslands, dense stratus clouds rolling and swirling, obscuring the blazing sun. Under the fierce wind that swept across the grassland, the strong grass nearly half a man's height was blown flat, like a green vine drifting downstream in a turquoise torrent, stirring up deep green waves.

Today was overcast and quite windy. The weather vane in the weather station creaked and twisted, like a tearful fish swimming upstream, struggling to stay in place despite its best efforts. The aluminum cup on the wind speed rod spun rapidly, and the ratchet mechanism recording the number of revolutions creaked, as if escaping an impossible nightmare.

On such a grassland, a steed breaks through the torrent of wind, tramples the waves of grass, and gallops along like a flash of red lightning. The rider, holding the horse tightly, rises and falls with the surging grassland, firmly controlling the horse's gallop.

"Gee, gee!"

She was Sudiya, the once-excellent weatherman and "little prophet of the family." From 1940 until now, the pony she often rode has grown into a sturdy steed. The slightly immature girl, still in high school, has also grown considerably, becoming a young and beautiful young woman of 18 years old. Only the long, thin box gun tied with a cloth on her back, still gleaming with a shiny, hot sheen, seems to have remained unchanged.

“Ouch!”