Chapter 010: Destroying the Yasukuni Shrine

The lead pilot in the formation of two aircraft is Xu Feng, and the bombing mission was secretly assigned to him by Lin Yuan. When the two discussed where to bomb, Xu Feng suggested directly targeting the Emperor's stronghold—Tokyo Imperial Palace. However, Lin Yuan considered the situation more comprehensively; he thought that if they were to bomb the Emperor directly, it was likely that Ito Yuheng would become enraged and kill him, which would thwart his plans.

The raging fire at Yasukuni Shrine seems to be a tribute to the souls of the civilians who were brutally slaughtered by the Japanese military

Lin Yuan suddenly burst into laughter, and this laughter caused the movements of more than a dozen Japanese soldiers to come to a halt. Lin Yuan leisurely glanced at his watch, noting it was 8:25. He said, "It's about time; you should have received the telegram from the General Staff (the Japanese Navy's staff organization, equivalent to the General Staff Headquarters of the Japanese Army; as for why it is not called the General Staff Headquarters, that will be explained later)."

As he spoke, Ito Yuheng slowly lifted Shen Wanqing's hand, removed the ring from her finger, and examined it closely in his hand. He smiled and said, "This young lady seems to have undergone spy training; there must be a deadly poison hidden in the steel needle of this ring"

Ishido Yu, laughing heartily, said: "As the Commander of the Imperial Japanese Navy Combined Fleet, I cannot believe I have spoken for so long with a madman. I have lost interest in you all." With that, he waved his hand, and a dozen Japanese soldiers raised their guns and aimed at Lin Yuan.

This is precisely the reason why Lin Yuan dared to board the enemy ship alone; he aimed to have the aircraft bomb Tokyo, thereby forcing Ito Yuheng to surrender

The Japanese have always held a profound respect for the deceased, especially for soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country. If it were the 21st century, bombing the Yasukuni Shrine would be no different from bombing the Imperial Palace. However, Lin Yuan recalled that this was 1894, a time when most of those enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine were soldiers who died for the Emperor during the Boshin War and the Satsuma Rebellion. These two conflicts were civil wars in Japan, and the soldiers who perished in these wars died to suppress rebellions. The instigators of these rebellions had a certain level of popular support within Japan, particularly Saigo Takamori, the initiator of the Satsuma Rebellion, who was extremely well-known in Japan. The current Minister of the Navy, Saigo Tsugumichi, is also Saigo Takamori's younger brother. Therefore, bombing the Yasukuni Shrine would not drive Ito Yuheng to desperation.

In this era and with the advent of books, there is no need to consider the enemy's air defense radar, thus aircraft no longer need to focus on stealth capabilities. Consequently, the J-24's weapon bays and external hardpoints are fully loaded with precision-guided munitions. The aircraft also does not have to engage in the extremely dangerous low-altitude flying to evade air defense radars, allowing Xu Feng to pilot the aircraft boldly into Japanese airspace at an altitude of 3,000 meters.

Lin Yuan smiled nonchalantly and said, "If you dare to cut her, I will blow up the Emperor's lair!"

The weight of the aircraft increased, resulting in a shorter time to reach the destination. Therefore, Xu Feng arrived in Tokyo in a relatively short time. He circled above Tokyo, and since the modern Yasukuni Shrine and the Yasukuni Shrine of 1894 are located at the same site, the aircraft carrier's database contains its precise coordinates. Xu Feng quickly locked onto the target and, following Lin Yuan's orders before his departure, launched the first precision-guided munition at 7:30.

Let us talk again about Lin Yuan and Ito Yuheng on the Matsushima. Ito Yuheng could not believe that the explosion at Yasukuni Shrine was related to this Chinese man before him. Just as Ito Yuheng looked at Lin Yuan in confusion, Lin Yuan smiled and said: "Your Excellency, I know you do not believe that we bombed Yasukuni Shrine. Well then, I will give you a chance to verify. Name a place, and let us see if it is a wasteland in a few minutes!"

The bomb exploded ten meters in front of the main gate, and the shockwave generated by 500 kilograms of high explosives instantly blew the wooden main gate away. Behind the main gate stood a statue of Omura Masujiro, a military strategist and politician from the Meiji period, known as the Father of the Japanese Army. This massive bronze statue had just been erected for a year when it collapsed with a thunderous crash under the tremendous shockwave. The high temperatures produced by the explosion immediately ignited a fire, which spread through the shrine, fueled by the wind. Omura Masujiro was a military strategist and politician from the Meiji period, known as the Father of the Japanese Army. This massive bronze statue had just been erected for a year when it collapsed with a thunderous crash under the tremendous shockwave. The high temperatures produced by the explosion immediately ignited a fire, which spread through the shrine, fueled by the wind.

Yidong Youheng held a short knife, leaned close to Shen Wanqing's face, and sneered: "Captain, if you do not speak, I will make a cut on this beautiful face."

Thus, Lin Yuan thought of another place, Yasukuni Shrine. This shrine enshrines the soldiers and military personnel who died for the Japanese Empire since the Meiji Restoration, the vast majority of whom were casualties in aggressive wars, including 14 Class A war criminals and over 2,000 Class B and C war criminals from World War II.

At that moment, a messenger rushed in and handed a telegram to Ito Yuheng. Upon reading the telegram, Ito Yuheng's expression changed dramatically, as it clearly stated: "A violent explosion occurred at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo at 8:00 on September 17, suspected to be the work of Qing nationalists. The fleet is advised to remain vigilant"

Finally, two J-24 aircraft loaded with precision-guided bombs soared into the sky, forming a pair formation. Their navigation lights flickered in the star-filled sky, soon disappearing in the direction of Japan

One hour before Lin Yuan's departure, the deck's catapult was repaired. Half an hour before Lin Yuan's departure, a rescue helicopter, the Zhi-25, took off from the deck. In order to ensure the immediate rescue of the pilot in the event of a takeoff failure, it is mandatory to launch a Zhi-25 helicopter before any fighter aircraft can take off from the aircraft carrier. Subsequently, an A-2000 early warning aircraft took off from the deck under the thrust of several tons from the catapult, circling above the aircraft carrier. Due to its advanced technology, the "Beijing" aircraft carrier is not equipped with dedicated electronic warfare aircraft like those of the U.S. Navy; instead, electronic warfare tasks are handled by the electronic warfare module on the early warning aircraft.

Xu Feng piloted the aircraft, racing towards Tokyo through the vast night. In the 21st century, with the comprehensive coverage of the "Beidou" satellite navigation system, Xu Feng could easily fly to any location on Earth. However, without satellites now, the aircraft relied on map matching to determine its position. The aircraft's radar scanned the terrain and landforms, comparing them with the terrain and landform information in the aircraft's database to ascertain its location

Xu Feng adjusted his position and launched the second bomb. The bomb penetrated the roof of the main hall and exploded in the center of the grand hall, which is a place dedicated to the worship of the gods. The mirror and the sword are symbols of the divine, but in an instant, these two symbols were reduced to ashes in the high temperature and pressure of the explosion

Ito Yuheng smiled as he threw the ring into the jar and drew the short knife he carried. In the Japanese military, many officers still preserved the traditions of the samurai, one of which is the wearing of military swords. Samurai typically carried two swords, one long for combat and one short for seppuku.

The door of the conference room swung open with a whoosh, and a dozen Japanese soldiers rushed in, brandishing their bayoneted Murata Type 22 rifles aimed at Lin Yuan. Since the facade had been torn away, Ito Yuheng saw no need to maintain a friendly demeanor. He sneered and said, "Captain Lin, please tell me everything you know, or do not blame me for being impolite."