Chapter 49: Blessings for the Japanese (First Update—Please Add It to Your Library)

"Is this the effect after it is sprayed? Have you conducted tests on tropical rainforests?"

Looking at the photographs in his hands, General Holcomb asked one question after another.

"This is merely the effect of early-stage testing. At present, my company is conducting further research and improvements on it. I believe we will achieve corresponding results very soon. Of course, conducting large-scale trials still requires the approval of the military."

Why come to Washington?

It was precisely to secure the backing of the military. Compared to the lavishly funded First-Class Army and Second-Class Navy, the Third-Class Marines were Li Yi'an's best choice. Because these Marines had just spent months fighting the Japanese on Guadalcanal, no one hated the Japanese more than the Marines, and by extension, they held an equal hatred for the tropical rainforests that provided cover for the Japanese.

Had it been the Army or the Navy, their attitude toward tropical rainforests would have been largely indifferent.

Although the Marines were third-class, they were a third-class force boasting millions of troops!

Seeing General Holcomb staring in silence at the photographs, Li Yi'an emphasized once again,

"General, this is the weapon that will allow us to defeat the Japanese devils and win this war. Not only can it destroy tropical rainforests, reducing them to fields of dead stumps, but it can also be applied in other theaters of war."

Putting down the photos, General Holcomb asked with curiosity,

"Oh? In other theaters?"

"Yes. Just as it can make leaves fall and turn trees into dead stumps, it can equally be used to attack the Japanese mainland—for instance, targeting their agriculture."

"Targeting agriculture?"

General Holcomb's interest was immediately piqued. As a military man, victory was the only thing that ever mattered in his eyes; everything else was secondary.

"Tell me, why target their agriculture?"

"General, Japan is a nation built on the creed of Bushido. Everyone in Japan is willing to die willingly for the Emperor—I am sure you must know this from the frontline dispatches. But that is just the front lines. Within Japan itself, the people are even more frantic, including women and children. They will even use themselves as bait, sacrificing their own lives to kill the enemy."

One could never praise the Japanese "spirit of sacrifice" too much; indeed, the higher it was praised, the better. The more it was hyped, the harder the American Empire would strike.

When dealing with the little Japanese, the American Empire could not afford to soften its heart. To prevent the American Empire from growing soft, one naturally had to heap praise upon the little Japanese.

Don't say I'm giving the little Japanese undue praise. Even if such praise is lavished upon them, what of it? It would merely result in a few more dead little Japanese.

"Indeed, they are like a group of maniacs. On Guadalcanal, those Japanese devils would recklessly scream 'Banzai' as they charged our positions. Sometimes, their flesh and blood actually managed to break through our defense lines; our boys were genuinely terrified by their fanaticism..."

General Holcomb nodded in deep agreement.

"Though human flesh cannot stop bullets, the sheer madness of the Japanese devils is truly appalling!"

"Yes, General. The Allied forces will eventually have to fight their way to the Japanese mainland, all the way to Tokyo. And what we will face then is seventy million fanatical Japanese—men, women, old folks, and children alike will be our enemies. They will offer fanatical resistance, which will lead to massive Allied casualties..."

In another world, wasn't it precisely to avoid casualties numbering in the millions that the United States privately permitted Japan to accept a conditional surrender?

How could the little Japanese be let off so easily this time?

"Compared to bullets, the most devastating weapon is hunger. Japan is an island nation, and its own resources are scarce. Almost all supplies, including food, must be shipped in from outside the islands. I believe the Allied forces have long recognized this and are bound to strike at their maritime supply lines..."

This was no secret. After all, one frequently read in the newspapers about American submarine fleets sinking Japanese merchant ships—was that not striking at supply lines?

"But that treats the symptoms, not the root cause. After all, they still have farmland on their home islands. If we spray this into Japan's agricultural fields when we conduct bombings in the future, it can cause massive crop failures. It would only take tens of millions of liters to cut Japan's rice production in half. Combined with a maritime blockade, I believe the entirety of Japan will plunge into starvation."

More than just hunger—people would undoubtedly starve to death.

How many would starve?

At the very least, tens of millions would be the baseline.

Starving tens of millions of little Japanese would simply be collecting a bit of interest.

Such a blessing would at least make those little Japanese grateful for half a century.

"Yi-an Li."

General Holcomb murmured his name.

"You are indeed Chinese."

Li Yi'an nodded. Of course he knew why the other man said that. Anyone who could utter these words with such composure, offer these suggestions, and bear no psychological burden whatsoever had to harbor a deep, irreconcilable hatred for the Japanese.

Who hated the Japanese the most? Naturally, it was the Chinese!

"Yes."

"I am an American, and we share a common goal: sending those Japanese devils straight to hell!"

Looking at the young man before him, General Holcomb closed the file and asked,

"What do you need me to do?"

It worked!

A wave of excitement surged within Li Yi'an's heart. The source of his excitement was not the military's future procurement of thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of tons, but rather the prospect of finally letting the little Japanese live a really "good life"!

Anyone in his position would be popping champagne right now!

Pop open the Lafite and drink it by the crate!

Taking a deep breath, Li Yi'an said,

"General, first of all, we need the military to officially sponsor this project. You know, if the company's technical personnel are drafted into military service, it will inevitably disrupt the entire research and development program."

In wartime, only scientific projects sponsored by the military enjoyed draft exemptions. Historically, Arthur Galston was drafted into the military just a few months after the military suspended the rubber project; scientists... had to join the military and fight wars just like everyone else.

Nodding, General Holcomb said,

"That is only fair. What else?"

"Furthermore, we need some aircraft and suitable test sites to conduct trials. The test site should preferably be a tropical rainforest so that we can evaluate its actual effectiveness. Of course, we also need to establish rice plantations to carry out further rice crop trials."

Li Yi'an laid out his requests one by one. General Holcomb expressed complete agreement with all of them, and finally, looking at Li Yi'an, he said,

"I will have Colonel Harry assigned to follow up on this matter. You will receive a reply very soon. But when can we expect to see results?"