Courtyard House: Home Alone

He Daqing vaguely knew that Lin Yifan was no longer the same as before. He rubbed his hands and sat up uncomfortably. He politely thanked Lin Yifan and then talked about Han Fengzhi's pregnancy. His tone was filled with joy but also a bit of panic. He had suffered a lot when he gave birth to Zhuzi, and he was really unsure about this pregnancy.

Seeing this, Lin Yifan spoke up to comfort him, first taking out a Japanese military water bottle that he had prepared in advance and giving it to He Daqing. He told him that this was a magical water that he had managed to obtain with great difficulty. Drinking it would strengthen his body. He only needed to add a little bit to Han Fengzhi's water. If he finished drinking it, he could come and get more.

In addition, he instructed He Daqing to take on more of the household chores in the future, to take on all the heavy and tiring work, and to make sure Han Fengzhi doesn't have to move around. He also instructed her to cook more blood-nourishing and energy-boosting soups and to ensure she gets eggs and milk every day.

Then, he was instructed to find a traditional Chinese medicine doctor to prescribe a gentle formula to nourish the fetus and stabilize the pregnancy. When the due date was approaching, he was to go to Peking Union Medical College Hospital in advance to find the best obstetrician and Western medicine doctor and be admitted to the hospital in advance to ensure the safety of both mother and child.

He Daqing was filled with gratitude after hearing this. He held Lin Yifan's hand and thanked him repeatedly, saying that if it weren't for Lin Yifan's reminder, he and his wife would never have known about these intricacies of pregnancy care. This was a debt of gratitude that saved two lives.

Lin Yifan quickly helped him up, smiling and saying that they were all neighbors and this was nothing. He then handed He Daqing two cans of milk powder and a bag of brown sugar that he had prepared in advance, telling Han Fengzhi to take care of herself.

Han Fengzhi accepted the gifts with red eyes, thanked them repeatedly, sat for a while, then got up to say goodbye, saying she wouldn't disturb Lin Yifan's rest. The couple went back together.

With Aunt Han settled in, I can finally put my mind at ease. Now that I have my own spring water and traditional Chinese medicine for preventing miscarriage, and with the help of going to Peking Union Medical College Hospital soon, I should be able to avoid the tragedy of Yushui growing up without a mother.

Time flies, and May arrived in the blink of an eye. Germany's Operation Barbarossa officially began. With the Tiger tank, which had appeared a year earlier, and the P-51 Mustang, the most advanced fighter plane of World War II, the German army advanced with unstoppable momentum.

They quickly broke through the Soviet border defenses. The Soviet army was initially unprepared and suffered heavy losses, retreating all the way, and the war quickly spread into the heart of the Soviet Union.

At first, the Soviet Union didn't take it too seriously, but when the fighting reached their heartland with the support of Tiger tanks and P-51s, they panicked.

Meanwhile, they learned through special channels that the blueprints for Germany's advanced weapons were provided by Lin Yifan. They immediately sent someone to secretly contact Lin Yifan, hoping to obtain even more advanced weapon blueprints and medicine from him to help hold off the German offensive.

Lin Yifan didn't hesitate and made an outrageous offer, selling the blueprints for the T34/85 tank to the Soviet Union, because their current T34/76 tanks couldn't penetrate the frontal armor of the Tiger tank.

The Tiger tank, on the other hand, could destroy a T-34 with just one shot.

While the fighting raged on the European battlefield, things gradually calmed down in Beiping. After the previous cleanup, most of the Yiguandao's influence had been eliminated, and the street bullies and thugs had also become much more subdued. The people were finally able to live a few days of peace.

Meanwhile, in the royal palace of the island nation, the fool, wearing glasses, sat...

Sitting in a large pearwood armchair, facing the telegram on the table, his face was gloomy. His fingers tapped the edge of the table repeatedly. The entire study was eerily quiet. The cabinet ministers standing below did not dare to breathe, each with their heads down, staring at the tips of their shoes.

After a long pause, Yu slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone, his voice filled with suppressed excitement: "Our allies are sweeping across Europe with thunderous force. Tell me, will the Empire advance south or north?"

The ministers below the stage looked at each other, none daring to speak first. Moving south would mean fighting Britain and the United States, while moving north would mean fighting the Soviet Union. Both sides had their advantages and disadvantages, as well as their own risks, and no one dared to make this decision rashly.

The Fool pounded the table faster and faster, his face growing increasingly grim. Finally, he slammed his hand on the table: "Speak! You're all a bunch of useless fools. You talk a good game all the time, but when it comes to making a decision, you all go silent?"

The Minister of War, standing at the forefront, gritted his teeth, stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I still maintain my previous judgment. We should immediately advance north to cooperate with Germany in attacking the Soviet Union from both sides, seize the resources of Siberia, and the Empire will be able to gain a foothold. Germany has already tied down the main Soviet forces in Europe. If we act now, we will achieve twice the result with half the effort."

The Minister of the Navy immediately stood up and retorted, "No, heading south is the right direction! Southeast Asia and the eastern Indies have huge amounts of rubber and oil. If we take over there, the Empire will not have to worry about being cut off from resources. Going to war with the Soviet Union will only get us permafrost, which is not as cost-effective as having readily available resources."

Moreover, Britain and the United States are currently focused on Europe and have no time to spare here, so we can take advantage of this opportunity to conquer the entire Southeast Asia.

The two sides immediately started arguing. The army argued that advancing north was of greater strategic significance, as it would completely open up the road connecting with Germany. The navy argued that advancing south was in the interest of the empire, as resources were the most scarce resource at the moment. The argument turned the study into a chaotic mess.

The fool leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes and listened to the argument below, his fingers still clicking. When the argument had subsided, he opened his eyes again and said, "That's enough, stop arguing."

"I hereby order the army to immediately prepare for a northward advance, and the navy to intensify preparations for a southward march. Germany is dragging down the Soviet Union in Europe; we cannot miss this opportunity. Prepare on both sides simultaneously, and once the situation there becomes clearer, we will take action immediately."

Upon hearing this, the ministers bowed in unison and obeyed. No one dared to object, and they all quietly withdrew. Finally, only the Fool remained in the study. He stared at the map of East Asia on the wall, a mad smile slowly creeping onto his lips, as if the whole world was already in his hands.

Soon, it was September, and the Soviets, with their indomitable will, withstood the German onslaught outside Moscow.

The fool in the palace held a battle report in his hand, his eyes fixed on the map of Eurasia. As he watched the German army advance, he repeatedly stroked the location of the Soviet Far East on the map with his finger, secretly deciding that now was the best time to advance north.

The Soviet Union's main Far Eastern forces had long been deployed to the European theater to resist the German army, leaving only second-rate garrison troops. As long as the imperial army pressed in, they could easily take over this vast land and its coal and iron mines. Then, whether they marched south to Southeast Asia or continued to penetrate deeper into the Asian heartland, they would have no more worries about resources.

He stroked the edge of the map and couldn't help but chuckle. He felt that this was a godsend for Japan. As long as they took over the Far East, the foundation of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere would be firmly established.

He immediately pressed the doorbell on the table, ordering the Minister of the Army and the Minister of the Navy to come to the palace at once. He needed to finalize the specific time and deployment for the northward advance, and he could not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.