Chapter 73, Melbourne Winter Although it is located on the other side of the earth, Melbourne's climate is very similar to that of southern England, and both have a rainy temperate maritime climate.
Every autumn and winter, it rains for several days from time to time.
Under the dim sky, the damp cold air and fog permeated the dusty city all day long, penetrating into every wall and every ceiling.
Raindrops as big as bullets pattered against the windows, often lasting for several days.
The rivers and lakes swelled during the continuous rain, and soon the gardens and mountains were covered with mudflow.
However, the British who immigrated to Melbourne from all the way are very adaptable to this, because the weather in their hometown is like this.
Melbourne is located in southeastern Australia, on the north shore of Port Phillip Bay.
This is a city with a short history.
Before 1835, Melbourne was still an uninhabited wilderness.
It would be another fifteen years before Melbourne became a small town.
But in 1851, an unprecedented super-giant gold mine was suddenly discovered in Melbourne, and it was extremely easy to mine.
Thousands of gold prospectors immediately flocked in from all over the world, including a large number of Chinese workers.
During the crazy gold rush, Melbourne's population exploded, with the number of citizens quadrupling in three years.
Its gold reserves are so rich that it eclipses San Francisco in the United States, which is rich in gold.
Therefore, Melbourne is also called the New Gold Mountain by Chinese gold mining coolies.
Until modern times, there are many Chinese-run schools, shops, and companies in Melbourne.
Here, it bears the name "Xinjinshan".
Because of the amazing magic power of gold, by the 1880s, in just thirty years, Melbourne developed from a remote town into a highly developed large city.
It was once reported to be the richest city in the world at that time.
One of the most populous cities in the British Empire.
With their abundant financial resources, Melburnians who suddenly became wealthy began to spend money and build large-scale construction projects, making their city full of various luxurious buildings, especially various Victorian-style cathedrals, including the famous Wesley Hall, St.
Paul's Cathedral, the Church of Scotland, St.
Bartlett's Cathedral and St.
Michael's United Church are second only to London in number in the world, so they are known as the "City of Churches" in the Southern Hemisphere.
However, all this prosperity, splendor and wealth in Melbourne is now about to be destroyed.
The leader of the Australian Labor Party and the fourteenth Prime Minister of Australia, His Excellency John Cutting, was standing by the window of his Prime Minister's Office, looking melancholy at the streets of Melbourne shrouded in gloomy rain and fog.
In the past few days, it has started to rain every day before dawn.
When it is bright enough to see clearly, it will probably turn into a torrential downpour.
The water level of the Yarra River, which flows into Melbourne's urban area, has risen by a full five feet, and swollen, rotting corpses are washed down from the upstream every day.
Because the sewer system has long been clogged, water accumulates on the streets and even jeeps stall.
Just opposite the window of Prime Minister Cutting's office, a blue Southern Cross flag of the Commonwealth of Australia has absorbed the rainwater and looks wet and dirty.
It is tangled on the flagpole outside the window like a rag, but there seems to be no one there.
I thought enough to bring it down.
In the early days of the Australian Federation, Melbourne served as the capital for twenty-seven years.
It was not until 1927 that the Australian federal government moved to Canberra.
However, by the term of Prime Minister John Cutting, Australia's capital and central government were moved back to Melbourne.
But this does not mean any glory or dignity for Melbourne, but just because the legal capital Canberra was captured by the Japanese army.
When John Cutting first took office as Prime Minister of Australia with great ambition, he once had a land under his jurisdiction that was almost as big as the United States.
But just one year after the Japanese troops landed, white Australia was at its wits end, leaving only a corner of the country around Melbourne.
By now, even Melbourne, the last refuge, is already crumbling under gunfire and smoke.
Although the sky was as dark as night in the rain, there were almost no lights visible in the entire city because Melbourne's power and running water had long been cut off.
Every remaining house in the field of vision was riddled with holes by artillery fire and aerial bombs.
The walls were full of bullet holes with eerie mouths.
Even the roof of John Cutting's Prime Minister's Office was clearly visible.
Machine gun bullet holes.
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It was left behind by a 127mm machine gun bullet a week ago, which penetrated the ceiling two feet next to the Prime Minister's head and blew out a guard's head.
Plasma and brain matter splashed onto Prime Minister Katyn's face.
At this moment, the bullet hole was dripping with rainwater, falling into a ceramic spittoon that had been placed there in advance.
From time to time, some water splashed out and wet the expensive carpet underneath.
Nonetheless, Prime Minister Katyn still had to thank the rain.
It was because of the continuous rain in recent days, which obscured the view and turned the field airport on the frontline into a quagmire.
Using it, Melbourne was temporarily protected from indiscriminate bombing by Japanese planes.
Before the heavy rain started, Melbourne had to endure at least five or six bombings every day on average.
Those Japanese bombers flew so fast that they could almost rub the ends of people's hair.
The Australian soldiers and civilians in Melbourne had to persist in working and living amidst such deafening screams of terror, and at the same time, they had to beware of the Japanese throwing gas bombs.
After experiencing many consecutive poison gas feasts, all those who lacked anti-gas equipment and experience had died. .
Therefore, this continuous winter rain that made the city wet and muddy actually gave the exhausted Allied forces a rare respite, and also allowed Prime Minister John Cutting to briefly escape from the dark and depressing underground shelter. , come out to the ground to get some air.
However, although the continuous winter rain could hinder the bombing and release of poison gas by Japanese aircraft, it could not prevent the incoming of another advanced weapon.
Listening to the ominous scream mixed with the sound of rain, Prime Minister John Cutting temporarily retracted his thoughts and turned around to sit down.
Go back behind the desk and wait quietly.
Not long after, the vibration caused by the violent explosion came immediately, heavy and violent, making the coffee cup on the table buzz, and a wisp of dust fell from the roof, staining the documents on the table.
Then, A thunderous explosion reached the ears, making people's hearts tremble.
This is the Japanese using V1 cruise missiles imitated by Nazi Germany to conduct ground-to-ground bombardment of urban Melbourne from the nearest forward position to Melbourne, the town of Broadford, fifty kilometers to the north.
Although the Japanese army does not have any giant artillery that can shoot such a long range, for the V1 cruise missile with two small wings, a mere fifty kilometers is just a piece of cake.
According to the original design of Nazi Germany , the V1 cruise missile has a maximum range of 370 kilometers and can carry 700 kilograms of explosives.
Since there is no need for such a long range on the Australian battlefield, the improved version of the v1 missile used by the Japanese has been increased to an insane one ton.
Because it uses an incredibly fast jet engine, it is difficult to intercept it midway, whether it is an anti-aircraft gun or a propeller fighter.
Therefore, although the accuracy of the V1 cruise missile is very poor, once any ground target is hit, it is simply invincible.
The first V1 cruise missile fell into the campus of the University of Melbourne five days ago, blowing up an ammunition depot inside.
From the beginning, the Japanese launched a V1 cruise missile to Melbourne every hour, twenty-four every day , rain or shine, day or night, the intervals are as precise as clockwork, which not only makes the remaining soldiers and civilians in Melbourne full of fear and sleepless nights, but also seems like an invisible clock telling the time, announcing the change of the times in this land of Australia.
The old Australia belonging to the white race is about to disappear, while the new Australia belonging to the yellow race is rising in the dawn.
Prime Minister John Cutting certainly didn't want to see this happen, and he tried his best to fight it, but in the end it was to no avail.
In this unprecedented and cruel war, the white people in Australia have almost lost their blood, but they can still only watch everything they are familiar with gradually destroyed.
Perhaps, in Mexico four hundred years ago, the last emperor of the Aztec Empire and his subjects also had such a desperate and sad mood, watching their country, city and civilization being destroyed by invaders from across the ocean.
Let’s crush and destroy the strange alien invaders bit by bit.
After the shock caused by the explosion subsided for a while, Prime Minister John Cutting finally brought his thoughts back to reality with difficulty and signaled his personal servant to open the door.
Then, the dusty Australian Army Commander General Thomas Bremy walked in and gave a curt salute to the Prime Minister.
"Premier Katin, all the people who can come have arrived.
Please go to the underground hideout to attend the meeting as soon as possible."
During the long and cruel war, the Australian federal government, which moved to Melbourne, had already moved underground to avoid endless air raids.
Fifteen meters below the ground of Melbourne City Hall, the federal government carefully excavated and built a solid underground shelter.
It is completely reinforced with steel and concrete, equipped with its own power generation equipment, self-contained, does not rely on external sources, and is designed to withstand a direct hit from a one-ton bomb.
However, even though the defensive capabilities have reached a standard that is far superior to that of ancient castles, the living conditions of this kind of bunker still cannot be expected to be too high.
After all, this place is used for refuge and not for vacation.
In short, the underground shelter is The space was very narrow and not breathable at all, and the humidity brought by the rain made the air turbid.
It was like the worst private prison, or an ocean-going submarine that had been sailing for many days.
Everyone will feel bored after staying in the bunker for a long time, and they look forward to getting out for a breath of fresh air all day long, even if they risk their lives.
Having said that, only a place like this can give people a sense of security amid the Japanese Air Force's bombardment, which is like a rainstorm of fire.
So now this narrow bunker is filled with soldiers and staff.
Many minor departments can't even find a place to plug in and have to work in offices in the ground building without any protection.
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When Prime Minister Katyn walked to the meeting in the underground bunker When they were indoors, it was already packed with people including the cabinet team of the Australian Federation, liaison officers from the US military aiding Australia, staff officers from the British Royal Navy Liaison Office and special envoys from the New Zealand government.
On the map in the center of the conference table, several thick arrows and a bunch of models were used to vividly show the desperate situation of the Australian Allies at this time: The entire front was defeated, disintegrated, and morale was depleted. and there is no way to escape In the past two weeks, the Allied forces and the Japanese army fought the "Battle of Moimover" at the foot of the Australian Mountains east of Melbourne.
As a result, under the enemy's frenzied artillery bombardment and aircraft bombing, Australia was The 60,000 Allied troops that Army Commander General Thomas Bremy managed to cobble together lasted only one day before being defeated by 100,000 Japanese troops.
They had to rely on the release of nerve gas to block the battlefield and barely survive by cutting off their tails.
However, a total of 40,000 of the 60,000 Allied troops who went out to meet the enemy forces on the eastern front were defeated, and the entire defense line was cut to pieces by the advancing Japanese troops.
In addition, due to the rapid attack of the Japanese army, a considerable part of the Allied combat forces are now divided and surrounded on the Wilsons Point Peninsula and the eastern foothills of the Australian Mountains, and cannot be withdrawn at all.
Melbourne's city defense force was severely lacking.
However, the Japanese army approached the suburbs of Melbourne from the east, west and north.
No matter which direction the Japanese army moved from, they were only about fifty kilometers away from the city center.
Although the Allies had successively built strong fortifications in the suburbs around Melbourne during the previous long tug-of-war, the problem is that now the Allies simply cannot devote enough troops to replenish those fortresses and fortresses, and the original fixed settings Many artillery pieces on the defense line were dismantled and used to launch counterattacks to regain lost ground.
Then, when the counterattack finally failed, they were all abandoned hundreds of kilometers away.
Fortunately, a continuous heavy rain fell at this time, causing the streams to swell, flash floods to overflow, and mud everywhere, temporarily blocking the Japanese army's advance, and preventing these yellow-skinned dwarfs from chasing the defeated Allied forces into Melbourne.
Come to the city.
While the fighting was raging on land, Port Phillip Bay south of Melbourne was as calm as ever.
But the problem is that a powerful Japanese fleet is now waiting outside the harbor.
Those ships in Melbourne Port that were lucky enough not to be sunk by Japanese planes , can't get out at all.
To put it more vividly, Port Phillip Bay is a large bag that is 50 kilometers long from north to south and 40 kilometers wide from east to west, but has a very small opening.
The opening opened to the south connects to the outer sea, and Melbourne is located at the bottom of this bag.
Today, the entire coastal area around Port Phillip Bay is still under the control of the Allies for the time being, but the exit of the bags is firmly blocked by the Japanese naval fleet.
Melbourne's sea transportation is basically abolished.
During the Russo-Japanese War, the Russian Navy's Pacific Fleet was blocked in Port Arthur by the Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet.
What's worse is that with the existing Allied forces in Melbourne, it is impossible to defend such an exaggerated big pocket.
"With the control of the sea having changed hands, if we want to defend Melbourne, we must defend the entire Port Phillip Bay.
In this case, the entire defense line will be at least 250 kilometers long, which is equivalent to the Maginot in France.
Two thirds of the defense line” Australian Army Commander General Thomas Bremy pointed at the map with a long stick and said with a gloomy face, "Although we have many ready-made fortifications and fortresses that can be used on this new front, the French defenses on the Maginot Line Three million troops have been deployed on the battlefield, but now Melbourne can only muster 50,000 troops.
The remaining people are isolated behind enemy lines, and the inventory of ammunition and artillery is seriously insufficient."
"In other words, we are destined to be unable to defend Melbourne now, right General?"
Prime Minister John Cutting said, rubbing his forehead in pain.
Others at the venue couldn't help but sigh sadly.
"Yes, I suggest you abandon Melbourne as soon as possible, shorten the front line, and move to terrain that is easier to hold, just like General MacArthur abandoned Manila on the Philippine battlefield, Your Excellency Prime Minister."
Australian Army Commander General Thomas Bremy replied.
"Abandon Melbourne, but this is already the last big city in the hands of the Australian federal government."
Prime Minister John Cutting sighed, "If even Melbourne cannot be defended, only Tasmania will be left in the Federation.
Moreover, the Japanese fleet has blocked the sea routes, and the entire continent is occupied by the Japanese.
We will give up."
Melbourne, where can we retreat to next?”
"We can retreat to Shank Point on the south shore of Port Phillip Bay, shorten the front line to about ten kilometers, and then rely on fortifications to wait for reinforcements."
Australian Army Commander General Thomas Bremy pointed with a long stick at a headland on the map facing the open sea and guarding the exit of Port Phillip Bay.
"Just like when General MacArthur withdrew from Manila and retreated to the Bataan Peninsula, our army currently has five Although 10,000 troops cannot defend Melbourne, it is still enough to defend Shank Point, and there are strong coastal defense batteries that can be used to defeat the enemy."
"This" Prime Minister John Cutting still seemed hesitant, but Admiral Thomas Bremy was impatient.
"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, please make a decision as soon as possible.
We don't have much time left.
Once the weather improves and the Japanese army launches operations again.
Or if they brave heavy rain and attack forcefully, it will only take up to three days to surround us all." in town”
Admiral Bremy swung his long stick and poked at the map and growled, "At that point, even if you want to transfer, it will be impossible."
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"Okay, I understand, General, the worst time has come now.
We have to make a decision."
Prime Minister John Cutting took off his glasses and wiped them, "Now please take a vote.
Those who are in favor of moving to Shank Point please raise your hands."
After a short silence, everyone in the conference room of the underground shelter exchanged a few glances with each other, and then began to raise their hands one after another oshow7: