Anti-Japanese War: When I get promoted, the system will explode with soldiers

Chapter 1097 A Tragic Celebration

While high-ranking Japanese military officials were grieving, the Japanese military and government held a grand entry ceremony to celebrate their victory at the Battle of Huangpu. However, reporters noticed that the generals, led by General Matsui, seemed to never smile. Even when posing for photos, their smiles were extremely stiff—a first among Japanese generals.

A journalist from Japan, upon seeing such a vast city fall into the hands of the Japanese army, became so excited that he sang and danced. He was clearly a fanatic, though he hadn't seen much of the world.

He thought the soldiers around him would be inspired to celebrate as well, but to his surprise, their eyes were filled with indifference.

This guy attributed this scene to battlefield syndrome; the soldiers had just come down from the battlefield and had lost their sense of humor. But only the soldiers around him understood. It wasn't that we lacked a sense of humor, but rather that we understood the extent of this war and the price we paid to take this land. If we had a choice, we'd rather have never been here.

From the very first day of the war, the entire Japanese army suffered unprecedented blows. Every day they lived under the combined attack of Stukas and heavy artillery. For every inch of land they captured, countless soldiers fell. Those who were still able to stand up were like winners of the lottery. Recalling every moment on the Huangpu River and looking at the so-called victory before them, these soldiers could neither cry nor laugh. In their hearts, there was only a trace of fear.

"Your Excellency General, congratulations on leading your troops to such a victory. On behalf of the government..."

Japanese Vice Minister Anami led a delegation of over 100 people from Japan to congratulate General Matsui at a celebratory banquet. However, nearly half a minute passed after Vice Minister Anami finished speaking before General Matsui came to his senses. His distraction at such an important occasion drew criticism from many. They felt he showed utter disrespect for the government delegation; even if he is now a hero of Japan, this action was excessive.

However, none of the Japanese military commanders were on duty at that moment, including the naval officers stationed in Huangpu. They certainly knew why Admiral Matsui had been distracted; rather, seeing this scene reminded them of the soldiers who had died for the Empire.

If their corpses were laid end to end, they would stretch all the way to the sea. Even General Matsui doubted whether the war had truly been won. If this was the way victory was to be achieved, our future was almost predictable. It would be impossible to occupy the entirety of China; even just the coastal areas would be enough to cripple us. Such a victory was better off not being achieved.

"Thank you for your kind consideration."

Vice Minister Anan had been speaking for quite some time, and it was expected that General Matsui would deliver a passionate speech, which was originally planned. However, General Matsui unilaterally removed this segment without consulting anyone.

According to Admiral Matsui's later explanation, I was simply incapable of giving a passionate speech. If I had been on that platform, my emotions might have affected the entire East China Expeditionary Army, including some people in Japan. They might not have been happy at all, so it was better to remove that segment.

The organizers thought this was a celebratory banquet, and if it turned into something inexplicably tragic, they wouldn't be able to explain it back home. Anyone with a modicum of common sense could calculate just how many Imperial troops had been wiped out in the Battle of Pujiang. This victory banquet was, frankly, just a forced attempt to glorify themselves.

General Matsui and all the frontline commanders were very averse to the banquet because they had been involved in the entire battle from beginning to end.

From the beginning until now, no one has said that this is a victory.

Just as General Matsui finished speaking, an adjutant behind him received another message. He glanced at the deputy prime minister with a somewhat unfriendly expression, and then whispered an important message in General Matsui's ear.

For some reason, when General Matsui heard the news, he felt a pang of pity for the Deputy Prime Minister before him, but also a sense of relief. His happiness had been built on the suffering of others; now, his happiness was gone, and he probably couldn't even deliver a passionate speech.

"Your Excellency, I regret to inform you of something. Your nephew, Colonel Ōkawamoto, stepped on a landmine in the southern part of Pujiang during the battlefield cleanup operation this morning, and died along with six of his brave men..."

When General Matsui said this, his face showed great sorrow, but inside he felt like jumping for joy. This group of men had only arrived a few days ago; they were all sons of Japanese nobles who had never fought in the most arduous battles. They came hoping to scavenge some credit and return home, representing that they too had participated in this most brutal war.

However, General Matsui had already instructed his secretary to tell them that even though the gunfire in the Huangpu River had stopped, the anti-Japanese elements hiding in various places were still very dangerous, especially the various dangers near the battlefield. If they really wanted to gain credit, it would be best to postpone it for a few days. They should stay in the barracks for the next few days and not go outside, as it was very dangerous outside.

Unfortunately, they ignored the secretary's words. After disembarking from the warship, they rested for less than five hours before a dozen imperial noble officers led their men out to sweep through the battlefield, fearing that there would be no resistance left. They also brought a lot of cameras, hoping to take pictures of their own achievements.

This includes Deputy Prime Minister Anan's nephew, who is also his only nephew.

My brother-in-law died in the previous war, leaving only his nephew to support the family. As the Deputy Prime Minister of Japan, he wanted to preserve his brother-in-law's only bloodline while also reaping the benefits of the war. This was indeed a very easy thing to do. However, he never expected that his nephew would make a mistake in what he thought was an easy task. This time, he may only be able to take an urn of ashes back to Japan.

The reporters below noticed the Deputy Prime Minister's expression change drastically. Had something else happened on the battlefield? However, all the surrounding Nationalist troops had already withdrawn, including the 72nd Army, and no one had spotted them. What could have caused the Deputy Prime Minister to be so surprised?