readytorunbook Chapter 675 Yamaguchi's Countryside Holiday
Chapter 675 Yamaguchi's Countryside Holiday
Lin Tianxiang felt incredibly honored to be selected for this mission, which was destined to be recorded in history, and his heart was filled with the pride of serving his country.
But the slight chill in his fingertips and his faster-than-usual heartbeat honestly reflected his inner tension.
He tore open the wrapper, popped a newly issued piece of minty chewing gum into his mouth, and chewed it slowly.
This helps him keep his mouth moist and relieve stress.
"Navigation, double-check the weather data for the target area," Lin Tianxiang said calmly through the in-flight communication system.
"Received, Captain. Clear skies and excellent visibility are expected over the target area. Upper-altitude wind data has been updated," the navigator responded quickly.
“Bomber, it’s up to you once ‘Baby’ is up there.”
"Don't worry, boss. The optical sight is calibrated; my eyes are the ruler." The bombardier's voice carried the eagerness unique to young men.
While having his final conversations with the crew, Lin Tianxiang was also deep in thought.
He reviewed every step and every emergency plan of the next few hours of flight, formation flying, penetration, bombing, and evacuation, as clearly as if he were playing a film reel.
Finally, his consciousness lingered on the three sets of radio codes that had been repeatedly emphasized and required to be imprinted in his mind before he set off.
These coded messages will determine the final evaluation of their mission, and even... their own fate.
If the bombing is successful and the massive damage is confirmed, he will report back to "Eagle's Nest" upon returning to base:
"The plum blossoms are in full bloom in the garden."
If the mission fails for any reason, such as encountering strong interception or mechanical failure, but the bombs remain safely in the bomb bay and the mission is forced to return, he will report:
"There's not enough rainwater in the garden."
In the worst-case scenario, if the mission fails and the bomb is lost for any reason, such as the plane being shot down or jettisoned, then the survivor or wingman will report:
"The garden has been infested with pests."
The cold, coded language reveals the cruelty and ruthlessness of the mission.
Lin Tianxiang chewed his gum vigorously, silently repeating the code words once more.
He believed that he and his carefully selected crew would be able to successfully complete the mission.
We will never fail!
He took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress all the tension and uncertainty into his lungs.
At this moment, the ground crew signaled, "Inspection complete, ready to start the engine."
"Attention all crew, 'Red Lotus' is ready to depart." Lin Tianxiang's voice echoed through the throat microphone to every post in the cabin.
He reached out and steadily and powerfully pushed the four throttle levers forward slowly.
Boom—whoosh—
The propeller of the first engine on the right side began to spin from slow to fast, emitting a huge roar. Then came the second, third, and fourth engines... The entire massive B-29 began to tremble slightly but powerfully, as if a sleeping steel behemoth was awakening, about to spread its wings and fly to the unknown distance.
Lin Tianxiang gripped the control stick tightly, his gaze fixed firmly on the boundless darkness ahead of the runway.
The mission has begun.
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Meanwhile, in Japan...
The late summer breeze carries the fragrance of rice paddies, brushing past the simple yet tidy farmhouse.
The cicadas' chirping sounded weak and listless in the afternoon.
Far from the coastline, nestled among mountains, this place seems untouched by war.
However, Yamaguchi Tsutomu, who returned to his hometown in the countryside of Niigata Prefecture to recuperate from his injuries, could not feel any peace.
He lay on the tatami mat, covered with a thin blanket, his left side still wrapped in thick bandages, the stinging and itching from the burns tormenting his nerves constantly.
The deeper trauma lies within his heart. The two devastating flashes of light from Hiroshima and Nagasaki are like branding marks, deeply etched into the depths of his soul, causing him to wake up suddenly in the middle of the night, covered in cold sweat.
"Yamaguchi-kun, have some water." A slightly hoarse voice sounded beside him.
The speaker was Kenjiro, his childhood friend. Kenjiro was two years younger than Yamaguchi Tsutomu and had always been physically weak. A few years ago, he contracted tuberculosis and had a persistent cough and pale complexion.
This would be unfortunate in peacetime, but at the end of the war, it became his lucky charm in avoiding being drafted.
Now, he has become the only companion for Yamaguchi Tsutomu, who is bedridden, and his only means of communication with the outside world.
"Thank you, Kenjiro." Yamaguchi Tsutomu struggled to sit up a little and took a sip of water.
The coolness of the water temporarily relieved the thirst in my throat, but it couldn't dispel the gloom in my heart.
"Is there any new news outside?" Yamaguchi asked in a low voice.
Kenjiro, who was sitting cross-legged beside him, immediately perked up upon hearing this.
He usually enjoys listening to all sorts of gossip, and now he has someone to confide in.
"Oh dear, this is a mess." Kenjiro lowered his voice, as if afraid of being overheard. "Yamaguchi-kun, you don't know, after the first bombing of Hiroshima, all the big shots at headquarters and on the radio were desperately saying that it was fake."
The claims that the White Eagles are exaggerating are nonsense; there was no 'super bomb' at all, just a particularly powerful ordinary air raid.
A bitter smile tugged at the corner of Yamaguchi Tsutomu's mouth.
He recalled the suspicious look in his superior, Department Head Yamada's eyes, when he returned to the Nagasaki Shipyard to report.
The testimonies of those who experienced the events firsthand appear so pale and powerless in the face of the official lies.
“But then again,” Kenjiro changed the subject, speaking vividly, “once Nagasaki also got hit like that, they couldn’t keep up their act anymore. I heard that Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo are all in complete chaos.”
He leaned closer and said mysteriously:
“Some people, it seems, were those civil servants in suits and some old-fashioned nobles, who rushed to see His Majesty the Emperor in a panic, saying that they wanted to… wanted to ‘end the war’!”
He used rather euphemistic words, but the meaning was clear—surrender.
"But there's another group, mainly the young officers in the army." Kenjiro mimicked a fierce tone, "They're still shouting that the White Eagle only has two super bombs at most, and that there's absolutely no way there could be a third one of these terrifying things."
We must fight to the death, with 'one hundred million lives lost,' and engage them in a decisive battle on our home soil.
At this point, Kenjiro suddenly remembered an even more explosive piece of news, his eyes lighting up as if he were recounting a legendary tale:
"Oh, right! Yamaguchi-kun, do you remember General Fujii Yoji from the army? I heard he was a big shot who made many military achievements."
Yamaguchi Tsutomu shook his head blankly. As a draftsman at a shipyard, he knew very little about the army's high command.
"I heard that General Fujii, like you, Yamaguchi-kun, was also in Hiroshima at the time."
"I was lucky to be far enough away from the explosion's epicenter; I survived."