CHAPTER 142: CHAPTER 123: THE FIRST VICTIM AFTER THE PEARL HARBOR SURPRISE ATTACK (3K)

The real-time map changes on Polestar Official Website, and some players have already recorded videos and uploaded them online.

Moreover, all the streams from the perspective of Pearl Harbor anchors have been uploaded.

The Polestar Official Website also uploaded new data CG [Pearl Harbor Surprise Attack] after the surprise attack time in the game ended, providing a complete situation video.

For a while.

The discussion about Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor dominated the hot searches.

The main topic of discussion was, what was Japan’s purpose in doing this?

Many Blue Star military experts couldn’t understand this move.

Some even suspected that Japan had deeper intentions, even though they were hesitant to express opinions for fear of being wrong, but the United States of America has already joined the Allies.

Many netizens had no intention of letting these military experts off the hook, and they provoked by pointing out that even the United States of America has become part of the Allies.

Now the world is seeing the collision of two forces, the Allies and the Axis Powers, yet still can’t analyze it?

No other choice.

Blue Star military experts, cornered, expressed conservative opinions based on past military chess simulations or military simulation experiences.

On this side.

Inside Xu Jie’s live streaming room.

The interface of the live stream has switched from the previous Pearl Harbor stream to Federation Headline; his analysis of the situation was half-baked.

But there are many discussions online, and some military experts have begun to analyze.

Xu Jie was under the topic [#Pearl Harbor Surprise Attack], searching for high-liked comments from Blue Star experts:

"This one has quite a few likes, let me see."

"This expert’s analysis is... Japan’s goal should be to occupy Pearl Harbor, using it as a springboard to attack the west coast of the United States of America."

"But Japan retreated right after the surprise attack."

"The expert’s given reason is, it might be due to technical limitations at the time, hence Japan’s aircraft had insufficient endurance, waiting to refuel."

"Would then dispatch a large military force to completely occupy Pearl Harbor, thereby threatening the United States of America."

Looking at the comments in the live stream, many found it reasonable, considering the considerable distance across the Pacific Ocean, and why else attack Pearl Harbor but to threaten the United States of America?

Xu Jie also felt the same way, and said:

"Indeed, this analysis is quite interesting."

"Since there was a surprise attack, it can’t be just to hit once."

"You have to gain something."

Saying this, Xu Jie continued scrolling through comments and soon found another high-liked comment from a Blue Star military expert:

"From a geographical standpoint, the United States of America’s isolation makes Japan’s surprise attack possibly aimed at threatening them to avoid war at home, potentially leading to compromise...."

"This feels a bit far-fetched, how does it have so many likes?"

"The United States of America’s influence is larger than Japan’s, why would they be threatened?"

"Next one."

"Hmm.... This expert listed data showing the damage level of the United States of America’s battleships at Pearl Harbor and the game’s industrial level, suggesting it would take the United States of America at least ten years to restore power."

"This seems a bit plausible, mainly because the data is comprehensive, with screenshots from the Polestar Official Website’s CG, showing Pearl Harbor indeed lost many warships and planes."

"The technology on ’Earth’ is still too backward; restoring power is really difficult."

Xu Jie watched the Blue Star military experts’ analysis for a while; somehow, they all seemed somewhat logical.

But it’s also uncertain, as they are merely analyses, and the specifics depend on the subsequent development in the game ’World War II: Empire’s Rise.’

Xu Jie reopened the real-time map on Polestar Official Website.

By now, Japan’s aircraft formations had just returned to their previous gathering bases, with forces still gathering for more actions.

But currently, it’s still unclear.

Meanwhile, in-game time gradually reached midnight, and Japan’s gathered forces started to make moves on the real-time map.

The live stream’s bullet comments floated past.

[Laughing, Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor led to the first victim; quickly search Far East Region!!!]

Seeing the floating comments, Xu Jie and the live viewers became interested.

Some impatiently exited the live stream to search, causing the number of viewers to drop sharply, Xu Jie hurriedly said:

"Guys, don’t leave!"

"Let me search now."

Saying this, he had opened Celestial Shark Live and searched for ’Far East.’

A dozen live streams from the Far East Region popped up.

The Far East Region was just recently opened, so the number of viewers wasn’t high; Xu Jie clicked into Fang Ming’s live stream, which had the highest popularity.

At that moment.

Inside Fang Ming’s live streaming room.

Fang Ming acknowledged the increasing popularity while thanking for the gifts and explaining to the live audience.

Fang Ming checked the real-time map on the Polestar Official Website, amazed:

"Who would’ve thought, Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor."

"The first victim is the Imperial."

Seeing many newcomers in the live chat, confused and typing question marks, Fang Ming adjusted the livestream view for viewers to see he was in a car.

He then switched back to explain to the stream:

"Didn’t Japan just surprise attack Pearl Harbor during the day?"

"At night, we received news that several nearby divisions have all been reassigned by Marshal Zhukov to the Battle of Moscow."

"You see, other live streams in the Far East Region are also in cars, they’ve all received deployment orders."

"I said it couldn’t be for no reason that they’re reopening in the Far East Region."

"Turns out this is what it’s about."

"The Soviet Union’s forces in the Far East are on guard against Japan, but with Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Marshal Zhukov, upon learning this, overnight ordered several divisions to head to Moscow."

"From June to October before, they deployed just over twenty thousand troops to support Moscow."

"But now, the troops mobilized overnight match the number from the previous four months."

"I estimate they’ll continue to draw troops from the Far East to Moscow."

"It’s really...."

"Who could have imagined the war in the Pacific Ocean would affect the European situation? No military expert could’ve guessed that."

Fang Ming clicked his tongue in wonder, it really is absurd.

Everyone is focused on the war in the Pacific, watching Pearl Harbor, monitoring the reaction of the United States of America and Japan’s next moves.

But who could have imagined the first to suffer would be the Empire?

Here, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor during the day, it’s unimaginable how the Soviet Union’s high ranks were feeling to mobilize Far Eastern troops overnight to support Moscow.

Fang Ming was explaining this in the live stream.

Watching the stream, Xu Jie was also stunned:

"What the hell?"

"Is that even possible?"

He returned to the live stream, brought up the Polestar Official Website’s real-time map, zoomed out to the smallest, looking at the globe-like ’Earth’, checking the positions of Pearl Harbor and Moscow:

"Isn’t this over half of ’Earth’ apart?"

"And yet it impacts such a vast distance?"

Indeed, war cannot be analyzed and deduced using ’normal logic’.

Xu Jie opened Federation Headline again, seeing numerous Blue Star military experts’ comments exploding, all speculating about Japan and the United States of America, but the first to be affected turned out to be the Empire.

These Blue Star military experts, seeing the Polestar Official Website’s real-time map and those Far East live streams, were silently lamenting.

This damn game has no logic.

Over such a vast distance, yet affecting the European Battlefield?

And the Soviet Union’s response was too swift?!

Here, bombing during the day, there, forces were mobilized overnight to support Moscow?

No chance for analysis.

At least wait for Japan’s next move before moving troops!

The military experts on Blue Star were dumbfounded, unbeknownst to them, there’s a saying on ’Earth’: "Speed is the essence of war...."

Xu Jie looked at the support from the Far East Region and smiled.

After all, Moscow’s situation during this time had been visibly deteriorating; young soldiers and middle-aged men were nearly depleted, now it’s starting with the elderly and women.

Finally, there’s support.

Xu Jie opened a statistics website, created voluntarily by players.

Using the Photon Quantum Computer to capture ’Battle of Moscow’ videos on the internet, they analyze and tally the numbers of those who died in the videos.

Currently, on the large central screen of the website:

"Soviet Union: 458,772 people"

"Empire: 178,277 people"

The numbers continue to rise; these are numbers from videos captured by the Photon Quantum Computer after excluding duplicates.

Soviet Union has over four hundred thousand casualties just from the videos, the Empire has one hundred seventy thousand casualties.

But this isn’t the complete picture; it’s just those captured in videos, where there are no videos, who knows how many have died.

The actual casualty numbers surely far exceed what’s currently tallied.

Xu Jie glanced, saying:

"Soviet Union has over ten thousand more casualties than when I checked yesterday."

"Hope the support arrives soon."

"These casualty numbers almost match my small city’s population."

"In Moscow alone, it’s like a whole city’s population wiped out...."

Xu Jie shook his head.

Then he started a new round of [Battle of Moscow], and upon entering the game, the scene was still full of elderly and women, but Xu Jie was mentally prepared.

After all, the Far East support has just departed, and it will take some time to arrive.

Xu Jie commanded the elderly and women to build defenses, not expecting to hold back the Empire for long—every second counts.

Fortunately, nothing happened overnight.

The Empire’s attack momentum was slowed by the cold weather.

After exiting the game,

Xu Jie opened the real-time map and found that a day had passed in-game, and Japan had made moves.

But looking at their attack route, Xu Jie felt it was odd.

Every military expert on Blue Star likely had their predictions shattered.... Boldly speculating the United States of America would compromise, Japan would seize Pearl Harbor, and attack US mainland.

None of this happened.

Instead, on the second day, the United States of America issued a declaration of war against Japan.

And Japan, rather than occupying Pearl Harbor,

turned to attack the British Commonwealth forces in Southeast Asia.