**Chapter 819: Empire's Survival (7)**

Zheng Silang and Zhong Yifu received notice at their respective theater headquarters that 80,000 Japanese troops in Australia would be converted to engineering troops and placed under the command of the engineering units of the Australian Theater Command.

When Zhong Yifu saw the news, a surge of gratitude welled up in his heart. At the end of the document, the Military Commission had directly transferred the 30-million-yen bonus for the Japanese troops into the Australian Theater's account, with the theater responsible for distributing it to the Japanese. Breathing a long sigh of relief, Zhong Yifu decided to personally inspect the construction site once the Japanese troops arrived.

At this time, these Japanese troops were scattered in company-sized units throughout the vast countryside between Darwin and the east coast of Australia. Their initial orders were to sweep the area within 100 kilometers on either side of the offensive route, eliminate armed resistance in the sparse Australian rural areas, take complete control of these villages, and prevent potential harassment of transport lines by Australian cavalry.

When the various Japanese units received their honorary titles, they truly hadn't expected the titles to be a prelude to becoming engineering troops. These units believed the honors were in recognition of their hard work in "mopping up" the Australian countryside. After all, sweeping the Australian rural areas was a truly arduous task.

Australia is vast and sparsely populated, with enormous farms in the interior, each large farm comparable in size to a Japanese village. A Japanese village has at least a thousand people, and if the natural conditions are good, the population might reach ten thousand.

In contrast, an Australian farm might have only a few families, or even just one large family plus a limited number of farmworkers. The total population would be around twenty or thirty, and even the largest wouldn't exceed a hundred. Consequently, these farms were equipped with a large number of weapons for defense against wild animals.

Besides numerous weapons, every farm had many sheepdogs. As soon as the Japanese approached these farms, they would be immediately discovered by the guard dogs. Subsequently, the men of the farm would immediately pick up their guns and fight the Japanese.

When Zhong Yifu initially issued the sweeping orders, he believed the Japanese would encounter only very limited resistance in the Australian villages. After taking out a few die-hard holdouts, he thought stationing a squad of troops in each village would be enough to control the area. To his surprise, the Japanese encountered extremely fierce resistance; even a platoon might not be enough to solve the problem.

After the new orders were issued, the Japanese units all believed their vigorous suppression had been praised, so they intensified their efforts.

A few days later, the bonuses reached the hands of the Japanese troops. This distribution had a distinctly Chinese character: the bonuses were given per person, rather than using the traditional Japanese hierarchical distribution model. The effect was excellent; an additional 100 yen per month greatly stimulated the combat will of the ordinary Japanese soldiers.

When the official document ordering two Japanese corps to return to the Darwin area reached the relevant units, many in the ranks felt they had to prove themselves worthy of such a reward.

The Military Police (Kempeitai) within the Japanese army believed they had to strictly supervise military discipline in the occupied areas and maintain the image of the Asian Allied Forces as a "civilized army." To achieve this goal, the entire Kempeitai went into action, using various vehicles to head into the countryside.

It was with this mindset that the Saotome Squad headed to a small town called "Luxembourg" for an inspection. The squad leader, Saotome Genma, was originally from the cavalry branch. In any army, the status of the cavalry is higher than that of the infantry. Even now, as cavalry was being replaced by armored units, Saotome Genma still placed great importance on his cavalry background and conducted riding training within his unit.

Australia didn't lack horses, and the Saotome Squad had fully transformed into a mounted Kempeitai unit. On the vast semi-wasteland, the small stature of the Japanese soldiers placed a very low burden on the horses, allowing for much greater travel distances. Riding on a tall European horse, Saotome Genma felt very pleased.

After a day's journey, the town of Luxembourg appeared in sight. Saotome was quite thirsty by now. Australia didn't lack water; one could see various puddles and ponds after traveling for a while, but these were either salt water or water bubbled up from underground with a strong smell of iron ore, making them completely undrinkable. Only sheep, with their naturally high blood salinity, could adapt to these water sources.

Since the town was before them, they could be certain there was enough drinking water. Saotome was in no hurry now; as the Kempeitai, they had to maintain their image at all times. Neatly pressed uniforms, polished boots, and the Kempeitai insignia were necessary to maximally display their special status and privileges.

"Stop and rest for a while first!" Saotome ordered his subordinates.

The unit stopped by a saltwater puddle, and the officers and soldiers began to tidy their appearance. Salt water couldn't be drunk, but it could at least be used to wipe their boots. The horses initially leaned over the puddle and touched the water's surface with their noses. After doing so, none of them drank; instead, they turned away to graze.

After tidying their gear, the men of the Saotome Squad also took the opportunity to drink some water and rest. Everyone began to chat. The requirements for Kempeitai members were relatively high; in education, height, looks, and personality, they far exceeded ordinary combat troops. However, human interest in gossip never changes because of education; at most, the content of the conversation is different.

A lieutenant from the military academy asked, "Captain Saotome, I heard a very strange rumor. It's said that Chairman He wants to introduce cheetahs to Australia. I wonder if it's credible?"

In recent years, Japan's view of China hadn't been so friendly, but the Japanese public were generally fans of He Rui. In Japanese eyes, He Rui was an extraordinary person cultivated by Japan, and one of his two wives was Japanese. This meant China's success was not only Japan's success but also that Japan's bloodline had been integrated into China's most noble family. Even though the entire Chinese nation had been rejuvenated, the Japanese felt Japan played a very important role in it.

Saotome Genma shared this view. Moreover, he happened to know that the talk of He Rui introducing cheetahs to Australia was not groundless. A friend of his was a Japanese official who had participated in the reception of He Rui's Japanese wife, He Guangko (Mitsuko). This matter was mentioned during a conversation between Lady Mitsuko and the Japanese President, Taira Toyomori.

Since he had this chance to show off, Saotome immediately gave a detailed account. The Australian region had suffered from invasive species, leading to a very poor local ecological environment. Feral cats, rabbits, rats, and wild dogs were rampant. Thus, when He Rui spoke of these things, he believed that since the old ecological environment had already been destroyed, they might as well introduce creatures at the top of the food chain.

Tigers, lions, and leopards were too ferocious and not suitable for introduction to Australia. The cheetah, a small feline, displayed its superiority.

The men of the Kempeitai were stunned to hear Saotome call the cheetah a "small feline." To these Japanese who had never seen a cheetah, they assumed that since it was called a "leopard," it must be very ferocious. They all raised this point.

When Saotome first heard his classmate talk about cheetahs, he also thought they were extremely ferocious creatures. Later, he specifically consulted a Chinese encyclopedia and gained an understanding of them. Seeing that he could fully show off, Saotome felt triumphant inside, though his face remained as solemn as possible. He began to introduce the cheetah in a serious tone.

Many would believe the cheetah originated in Africa, but the oldest fossils of North American cheetahs were found in the US states of Texas, Nevada, and Wyoming. Cheetahs were once common in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America until the end of the last Ice Age about 10,000 years ago, when massive climate change led to the disappearance of many mammals.

Cheetahs that migrated from North America to Africa survived the freezing period of the Younger Dryas. The word "hunt" (lie) is in the cheetah's Chinese name because they are very easy to domesticate, which is why Egyptian pharaohs took cheetahs hunting.

Although cheetahs run fast, their bodies are not large, and they primarily hunt small to medium-sized herbivores. Given the abundance of large rats, wild rabbits, wild dogs, and wild donkeys throughout Australia, cheetahs should take these animals as their primary prey. They could play a role in curbing the spread of these animals.

Listening to the captain's explanation, the squad members showed looks of admiration, and some were very interested in the possibility of taming cheetahs. Naturally, all the men wanted to see with their own eyes what a cheetah looked like and hoped to have close contact with one someday.

By now, Saotome had finished showing off all his knowledge about cheetahs. Seeing that everyone had finished resting, he immediately ordered with a stern face, "Gentlemen, our rest is over. Let's move out."

Upon the captain's order, the Kempeitai men immediately mounted their horses and continued toward Luxembourg. By now, the distance was short, and an hour later, the squad entered the town. Then, the members of the Kempeitai were all stunned.

They saw seven or eight white bodies hanging from trees on both sides of the street, both men and women. Looking at the stretched shape of their necks, it was clear they had been hanged to death, rather than being hung up after dying.

By now, the commander of the Japanese garrison in the town, Major Nishimura Toshiyuki, had received the news and led his men out to greet them. Saotome pointed at the hanged white people and asked, "Nishimura-kun, what happened to these people?"

Major Nishimura Toshiyuki looked indignant. "After our troops entered the town, these people launched a sneak attack from their houses, killing several of our soldiers. After we dragged them out, we executed them according to the method for dealing with guerrillas!"

Saotome Genma was shocked to hear this. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with executing guerrillas, but that the process of this execution was incorrect. If they had been killed directly in combat, then these local Australians would just be unlucky. Since these people had been captured, they should, according to regulations, have provided testimony to the military legal department, which would have ultimately conducted a trial. Direct execution did not comply with the regulations of the Asian Allied Forces.

But after all, the man before him was a Japanese comrade, so Saotome decided to ignore this for now. He entered the town with Nishimura Toshiyuki. There were dozens of buildings of various types in the town, which should have been quite lively, but not a single white colonist was to be seen. Those coming and going were all Japanese soldiers, and they all looked very relaxed, with no sense of concern at all.

Saotome Genma felt something was wrong and said as if casually, "Nishimura-kun, take us to see the prisoners."

Nishimura Toshiyuki's expression changed. After a moment of silent walking, he said in a somewhat muffled voice, "These colonists resisted extremely fiercely, so only a few children survived."

Saotome Genma was now certain that Nishimura Toshiyuki had conducted a massacre in Luxembourg. So he put on a look of regret. "I never expected the colonialism of the Australians to reach such a high pitch! Nishimura-kun, you've worked hard!"

Hearing this, Nishimura Toshiyuki seemed to have found a kindred spirit and spoke at length about the hardships of "bandit suppression." Australia was indeed the descendant of convicts, and combined with the Australian government's propaganda, the men and women on the farms believed that the "evil Chinese" would kill all Australian men. Among the women, the elderly would be taken by the Chinese for dissection and physiological research. Young women would first be defiled by the Chinese and then made into specimens for exhibition. Young girls would be taken to China and, when they grew up, assigned to Chinese men to bear children for them.

Since the Australian colonists had done precisely this to the local aborigines, this propaganda was especially effective. Under the drive of terror, Australian men fought with extreme bravery, the women all had experience with guns, and young women joined the fight as auxiliary troops. The elderly and children transported weapons and provided reconnaissance for the Australian combatants.

In order to completely eliminate hostile armed forces, the fighting was very brutal. Moreover, the Australians completely disregarded the laws of war; they would often surrender on the surface, but actually launch a sudden attack when the Japanese were relaxed. Those white men and women hanged at the entrance of the town were executed by hanging after being captured because of such actions.

"I see. Nishimura-kun, I completely understand your feelings!" Saotome praised.

After an inspection accompanied by Nishimura Toshiyuki, Saotome found that truly only a few white colonists remained in the town. Those who survived were basically four- or five-year-old children. Furthermore, the children were all on the verge of death from starvation; if they weren't given food quickly, they would surely starve.

Saotome was certain he had encountered an extremely serious war crime. On the surface, he continued to play along, but in his heart, he decided to leave immediately and report this to a higher-ranking Kempeitai officer.

After a circuit, Saotome declined Nishimura Toshiyuki's invitation for dinner and said seriously, "Right now, our Kempeitai has a lot of work. I still have to inspect three places in the next four days. Nishimura-kun, I really didn't expect Australia to be so large; even if we travel non-stop over the next four days, I'm afraid we won't finish all three places."

"Since it's so arduous, you should rest here for a bit," Nishimura Toshiyuki urged.

"No need. As soldiers, we must first complete our mission. Nishimura-kun, farewell." With that, Saotome Genma gave Nishimura Toshiyuki a military salute and was the first to mount his horse.

The Kempeitai held a high status in the army, and ordinary infantry could not block their actions. Seeing the Saotome Squad all mounted, Nishimura Toshiyuki bit his lip and suddenly drew his pistol. Most of the Japanese infantry members beside him also raised their rifles.

Saotome Genma immediately drew his pistol as well and shouted at Nishimura Toshiyuki, "Nishimura-kun, what are you doing!"

Nishimura knew that while He Rui showed no mercy in war and would judge colonists after the war—showing no forgiveness to those who committed crimes—He Rui also resolutely opposed massacres. The Nishimura Company's actions upon entering Luxembourg were still considered a normal combat mission, but the high casualties during the operation led the company to carry out a massacre in their rage. The Kempeitai squad leader before him, Saotome Genma, seemed to express great understanding but hadn't made a single suggestion to help Nishimura clear his name. Now that Saotome was about to leave, there was a very high probability he was going to report him.

Currently, the Japanese army was fighting under the command of the Asian Allied Forces, which had emphasized military discipline many times. For an army to carry out a massacre, even if they weren't executed, they would be sentenced and dishonorably discharged, becoming prisoners.

Hearing Saotome Genma's shout, Nishimura Toshiyuki lost his last hope for a way out. He gritted his teeth and said, "Saotome-kun, you were ambushed by the despicable Australians and all fell in battle. In order to avenge you, we annihilated those despicable Australian rebel guerrillas."

Before the words had even faded, Saotome Genma had already fired first. The bullet grazed Nishimura Toshiyuki's left cheek and struck the shoulder of a Japanese soldier behind him.

As a member of the Kempeitai, Saotome Genma had received strict training in suppressing his own army's soldiers. The current situation told him that Nishimura Toshiyuki and the others hadn't acted yet only because the pressure of the military system still held them back, making them fear taking the initiative to kill Kempeitai members. But this pressure couldn't last; before long, Nishimura Toshiyuki would still act. If any of Saotome's squad were to survive or break out to report, they had to strike first!

Seeing that he hadn't killed the company commander, Saotome immediately fired again. The Japanese troops were well-trained; although ambushed, they immediately performed evasive tactical maneuvers. While the members of the Saotome Squad also immediately followed Saotome in firing, they only killed or wounded fewer than ten men from the Nishimura Company. After the other men of the company dodged, they immediately returned fire.

Ignoring the constant sight of his squad members being wounded and falling from their horses, Saotome turned his horse around and shouted, "Retreat! Back to Darwin!"

It was a brutal pursuit. Even though most of the Nishimura Company participated in the chase, the Saotome Squad still lost more than half its members. Moreover, the Nishimura Company's cavalry followed closely behind, seemingly determined to kill Saotome and all the others.

The two groups of riders continued the chase for several hours, until all the horses of the Saotome Squad were foaming at the mouth. If it weren't for the fact that the squad had received good training, carried no luggage, and had paid great attention to preserving the horses' strength along the way, the horses would have collapsed long ago!

But seeing that the horses truly couldn't run anymore, Saotome Genma sadly realized that he might really be killed by "Australian rebel guerrillas"!

Just as he was at a loss, he saw several jeeps driving this way in the distance. The jeeps flew the flag of the Asian Allied Forces and the flag of the Chinese National Defense Force. Seeing the Chinese flag, Saotome Genma felt hope again. He firmly believed the Chinese National Defense Force would never participate in a massacre.

Raising his pistol, he fired several shots into the air until his magazine was empty. To his excitement, the Chinese NDF unit on the jeeps noticed them, and the jeeps slowed down. Previously, no one had been behind the machine gun positions on the jeeps; now, the Chinese NDF machine gunners immediately took their positions.

Just as Saotome's horse reached a distance of about 100 meters from the jeeps, its front legs gave way and it tumbled. Saotome's horsemanship was good; he pressed down on the saddle and rolled in the direction of the horse's fall. Although his body hit the ground with painful force, he didn't lose his ability to move.

Scrambling up from the ground, Saotome held his hands high and ran toward the Chinese NDF, shouting, "I'm from the Japanese Kempeitai! I'm from the Japanese Kempeitai!"

The Chinese NDF's reaction was very sharp. Two jeeps stayed in place, their machine guns aimed at the pursuing Japanese troops, ready to fire at any moment. The other two jeeps carefully circled around from both sides, forming an arc. If the Japanese troops made any move, they would immediately strike with machine gun fire.

Saotome Genma ran to the jeeps that stayed in place, feeling as if his lungs were on fire. His legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground, but he still tried his best to shout, "I... am... Saotome of the Japanese... Kempeitai... cough, cough."

Despite his physical agony, Saotome Genma's heart felt much more settled. With the protection of the Chinese National Defense Force, he was finally safe!