Across the vast ocean, a massive fleet steamed forward in formation.
Inside the conference room, dense tobacco smoke hung thick in the air.
Watching Nimitz, who sat beside him planning to execute an island-hopping strategy and bypass Yizhou, Liu Ren's expression darkened instantly.
Stationed on that very island were the 9th Division and the 12th Division!
The atrocities committed by those two divisions could never be washed clean, even if every last drop of their blood were spilled.
"Liu, I know what you want to do. But this is a military order!" Nimitz sighed as he explained, his face lined with helplessness.
"Fuck that! It was us—we won the Pacific War! Not MacArthur! His tactics in Southeast Asia were an utter shambles; he isn't even half the soldier his late father was!" Liu Ren slammed his hand onto the table and roared at Nimitz.
He was determined to crush the 9th and 12th Divisions. No one would stop him from personally wiping out every single one of those bastards!
Hearing Liu Ren's outburst, Nimitz could only look on with an equally helpless expression.
He knew full well what MacArthur intended: to seize the Ryukyu Islands as quickly as possible and launch an assault on the Japanese home islands.
Yet a sharp conflict had now arisen between them—Liu Ren wanted to lead his troops into Yizhou.
Normally, this would merely be a routine difference in tactical perspective. The problem was that Liu Ren had struck right at the heart of the matter: MacArthur's campaigns had indeed been a disjointed mess. Under his command, the Army had literally been chased all across Southeast Asia by the Japanese!
It was impossible for Nimitz not to harbor grievances of his own. The public narrative credited MacArthur with leading their naval forces to victory in the Pacific.
Yet what was the reality? The Navy had fought the entire war from start to finish, yet when the victory laurels were handed out, MacArthur was the one made a five-star general last year!
Nimitz: *I supplied the troops, fought the battles, took the islands, and bled my men dry—so how the hell did you get promoted?*
Liu Ren: *His father was a lieutenant general back in the day. What was yours?*
If the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy clashed openly, the United States Army and Navy had engaged in underhanded friction ever since the end of World War II.
During the Korean campaign, the 1st Marine Division was clearly stationed in Incheon, yet the moment they saw the Chinese People's Volunteer Army advancing, rather than putting up resistance, they turned around, boarded their ships, and fled.
They had run away, showing zero regard for the Army units left behind with their hands in their pockets, helpless to strike back.
To say the 1st Marine Division had no institutional agenda in that was simply impossible.
"If we must attack Ryukyu, give me twenty days! Twenty days to annihilate the 9th Division and the 12th Division!" Liu Ren said, staring intently at Nimitz.
His meaning was unmistakable: even without American military support, he was going to take down those two Japanese divisions stationed on Yizhou.
"Liu, you're letting emotion cloud your judgment. War is no game. We have to consider the overall tactical..." Nimitz tried to persuade him. The Special Operations Brigade was the premier ace up the sleeve of the 1st Marine Division.
Setting aside Liu Ren's influential background, their weapons and firepower alone were fully comparable to an entire Marine division!
"Fifteen days! In fifteen days, I will slaughter both divisions to the last man!" Leaning forward with both hands pressed against the table, Liu Ren fixed his gaze on Nimitz.
Faced with such insistence, what else could Nimitz do? After all, Liu Ren was the Navy's largest supplier!
"The offensive begins in April. You don't have much time," Nimitz said with a resigned sigh.
"Thank you, Nimitz! Don't worry. Whether I survive this battle or not, I will personally recommend you on behalf of the Silver Rock Group to become Chief of Naval Operations and a five-star admiral!"
Nimitz shrugged helplessly. "Just come back alive!"
Two days later, when the fleet originally bound for Okinawa altered course and steamed toward Yizhou, the Japanese garrison on the island was completely dumbfounded.
Weren't the Americans employing an island-hopping strategy? Why would they launch an offensive against Yizhou?
Before Imperial General Headquarters could even process the move, Liu Ren was already poised to storm the beaches.
Landing in northern Yizhou, the first enemy Liu Ren had to face was the 12th Division!
Though stationed outside the Shanhai Pass back then, the atrocities this unit had committed in the Northeast had provoked universal fury.
What was more, the infamous 9th Division, responsible for the massacre in Jinling, was waiting for him down in Hsinchu!
*Splash! Splash!*
Amphibious landing craft splashed into the sea like dumplings dropped into boiling water, quickly stippling the ocean with black dots.
As the landing craft revved their engines and surged toward the shore, Lieutenant General Hitomi Shūzō of the 12th Division received the report and instantly bellowed, "All units to battle stations! Prepare to engage the enemy!"
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Shells rained down from the sky, detonating in the water and churning up towering waves.
Standing at the bow of an amphibious craft, Liu Ren let the seawater splash over him. His eyes remained ice-cold as he stared straight ahead. "Signal the warships in the rear for suppressive fire! Landing craft, return fire immediately!"
*Screeech! Boom!*
A barrage of piercing howls and deep concussions resounded as dozens of naval artillery shells slammed directly into the beachhead fortifications.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
As rolling waves of fire swept across the sky, the counterattack began.
"Fire! Keep firing! Fire!" Forrest shouted, directing the troops to return fire. Standing aboard the vessel, chewing on a cigar, his face flushed with excitement. This was real warfare, not like Iwo Jima, where everyone was playing hide-and-seek inside tunnels!
*Clang! Clatter!*
The heavy ramp of the amphibious landing craft slammed down, and soldiers burst forth, fanning out across the sand.
*Rat-tat-tat-tat!*
A hail of bullets poured down like a torrential storm, instantly tearing through the men in the lead.
Seeing his soldiers fall, Liu Ren grabbed a nearby bazooka, hoisted it to his shoulder, and pulled the trigger.
*Whoosh!*
The rocket streaked forward with a trail of smoke, slamming into the defensive position and detonating in a tremendous roar.
"Fight! Awesome! Waaagh!"
Bellowing with excitement, the Orc Lads charged forward, shouldering heavy Gatling guns.
As bullets struck their bodies, the Orc Lads grew even more ecstatic—the sting of pain brought them immense joy!
"Waaagh!"
Roaring toward the enemy trenches, the Orc Lads unleashed thunderous bellows.
Seeing their collective psychic field begin to manifest, Liu Ren cast all hesitation aside and roared, "Kill them all! Leave none alive!"
"Fight! Fight!"
They sprinted forward. When the towering Orc Lads appeared like walking targets, the Japanese soldiers were utterly stunned. Where on earth had these monsters come from, and how could they run so fast while carrying Gatling guns?
Before they could wrap their minds around it, the Orc Lads had already crashed into their lines.
As massive Gatling guns came swinging down like clubs, the Japanese soldiers quickly realized just how dire the consequences were when Orc Lads started having fun!
"Fightin' is great! Keep fightin', awesome!"
Holding down the triggers, the spinning Gatling guns instantly shredded the Japanese soldiers inside the trenches, spraying blood everywhere.
Stomping across the muddy, gore-slicked ground, the Orc Lads laughed merrily, like children who had just found brand-new toys.
"Those five freaks... aren't they products of your laboratory?" Howard asked, staring at Liu Ren in utter disbelief, his eyes wide with shock.
What in God's name had he just witnessed?
"They're just not the sharpest tools in the shed, but they're not stupid," Liu Ren muttered quietly in response.
In truth, he had no idea how to explain it either.
Chapter 70