The Rise Of A Billionaire 1943-Chapter 182 - 195: The First Step in Releasing the Demon

Chapter 182: Chapter 195: The First Step in Releasing the Demon

Major Jō Chūo is dead!

He died without ever understanding how it happened.

Even as he was blasted into the air by artillery, countless questions remained in his mind. He had fought the Chinese for four years—he thought he knew what they were like.

But here, the Chinese he faced were completely different.

If he had known the enemy’s firepower was this overwhelming, perhaps he wouldn’t have attempted a "Banzai charge." He might have chosen guerrilla warfare in the jungle—provided, of course, that the enemy didn’t use chemical agents to turn the rainforest into a wasteland, exposing them all in the open.

If only...

But there are no "if onlys" in this world.

At dawn, the Third Battalion had lost 21 men with 52 wounded, but the grassland and forest in front of their position had become a slaughterhouse—over 1,800 Japanese corpses lay scattered everywhere.

Before their lines, bodies were strewn across the land, and blood flowed like rivers!

Fewer than 300 survivors managed to escape into the jungle, continuing their desperate resistance. Some Japanese soldiers, especially those conscripted from the oil refinery’s Japanese staff, were so terrified by the carnage that they surrendered on the spot.

That same day, around 10 a.m., the 3rd Reinforced Brigade captured Tarakan Airfield without further bloodshed, and by the afternoon, they had taken the ruined oil refinery.

"Operation Oboe One" was declared a success!

Nearly 2,000 enemy troops were wiped out—a resounding victory. The only oddity was that there wasn’t a single prisoner taken.

Soon after, a battle report reached Allied Command:

"Our troops have suffered a chemical weapon attack!"

Yes, during the night assault, the Japanese used chemical weapons against the 3rd Reinforced Brigade!

Chemical shells were found at the destroyed Japanese mortar positions, and several of our soldiers died from poisoning.

Photographs and documents all confirmed this.

The report of Japanese chemical weapon use naturally caused a strong reaction among the Pacific Allies. Many officers clamored to retaliate with chemical weapons—after all, the fighting in Okinawa was brutal for them too!

If they could use chemical weapons, at least fewer of their own would die.

At this time, Pierre, who was already preparing for the return to Borneo, heard that MacArthur and other American commanders were still hesitating over whether to use chemical weapons. He just grinned and said,

"This is war—why hesitate? The Japanese have already used them, so what are you waiting for? Stop pretending to be so pure..."

The Japanese really did use chemical weapons. In China, they not only used chemical weapons but also biological ones—mainly because China was backward and had no means of retaliation. But in the Pacific, they didn’t dare, since America’s chemical industry was far more advanced.

On Tarakan Island, however, they had "used" chemical weapons.

Where did these chemical weapons come from?

Captured!

The dozen or so chemical shells had been seized during the counteroffensive back home—when the Japanese, in a desperate attempt to reverse their defeat, used chemical weapons on the battlefield, causing some difficulties but not altering the overall situation.

This, in turn, made it convenient for Pierre to carry out his plan here.

This wasn’t a frame-up!

After all, the Japanese really had used chemical weapons—maybe not on this battlefield, but certainly on others.

It’s all the Asian theater anyway!

Since the Japanese used chemical weapons, the Allies naturally had reason to retaliate in kind.

Now, Pierre felt he was doing a good deed—after all, he was giving the Allies a reason to remove their self-imposed shackles.

He believed that if the Allied soldiers knew of his "good deed," they’d probably set up a shrine for his eternal gratitude.

The only question was when those who wanted to play both sides—acting righteous while doing otherwise—would finally break free of their restraints.

Though he didn’t know exactly when they’d do it, Pierre was looking forward to that day—after all, the Americans had prepared plenty of "gifts" for the Japanese...

Of course, Pierre himself had also prepared some gifts for the Japanese.

For example, the sarin gas shells brought from Germany—his special present.

To use sarin gas shells openly, he had specifically requested some Japanese chemical shells from home, even changed the uniforms of a few wounded prisoners, and detonated several chemical shells nearby.

In the end, those men died from chemical weapon injuries!

Their bodies bore chemical burns, and the positions they defended showed clear signs of chemical shell explosions.

In short, the evidence was ironclad and indisputable.

With this experience of a chemical weapon attack, the Borneo garrison could now use chemical weapons openly on the battlefield.

In war, there’s no such thing as nobility. In Pierre’s view, the most important thing is to ensure the safety of your own side.

As for the "little Japs"—

Who cares? No one cares whether they live or die.

Not to mention the Japanese; even the fate of the Allied forces doesn’t concern Pierre in the slightest. The Allies requested that he launch an attack on Sandakan to rescue the Allied prisoners held there, but Pierre flatly refused—even though Sandakan was the capital of North Borneo.

Compared to Sandakan, what he cared about most right now was Balikpapan. Not just because of the oil, but more importantly, because that was Dutch territory!

"Only what’s in your mouth is truly yours!"

Sandakan could be "eaten" at any time and wouldn’t fall into anyone else’s hands, but Balikpapan was different. Legally, it belonged to the Dutch. If the Dutch got ahead of them, it would be much harder to seize it later. Right now, the most important thing was to take Balikpapan and establish actual control, so that negotiations with the Dutch would be on his terms.

Besides, the attack on Tarakan was just a stepping stone to Balikpapan.

As for the Allied prisoners in Sandakan... they would just have to suffer a bit longer.

There was no other way. For the sake of the Allied cause, some sacrifices were necessary.

Indeed, the Allied prisoners held in Sandakan suffered even more: the Sandakan branch of the Borneo POW camp began transferring 1,006 Allied prisoners to Ranau in batches. These malnourished and physically weak prisoners were given only a few days’ rations but had to march 260 kilometers without rest. Those who couldn’t keep up or fell behind were shot on the spot. This was the infamous Sandakan Death March in history.

Among those who died was Stanner’s husband.

Sometimes, all you can say is—life is full of unexpected tragedies!

But all of this was nothing more than the inevitable sacrifice of war...