Although Yanayev took fixed-wing aircraft courses when he was young and obtained a pilot's license, this does not mean that he can fly a Backfire bomber that looks powerful and is actually very powerful. In addition, in order to ensure the safety of the president, the Backfire did not carry the "Kitchen" or "Kingfish" air-to-ground missiles on this flight.
When it took off from Nakhodka, it was escorted by two Su-27s. After all, the top leader was on board, and if anything happened to him, the Air Force would be to blame. Perhaps some people would blame Yanaev for staging a political show that was both costly and dangerous, but for him, opportunities often come with danger.
Looking down from the side glass window, they were moving away from the land. The sunset on the left had not yet completely set. The golden light enveloped the fuselage of the Backfire, rendering it a brilliant golden color, like an angel accompanying God, spreading his white wings, punishing the evil and filthy enemies with bauhinia and spear.
It was already night when they flew to the Southern Kuril Islands. Through the glass window, Yanaev found that the sea was pitch black. Only the rising silver moon in the sky cast its gentle moonlight on the fuselages of the two Su-27 fighter jets beside him, making them shine brightly.
"Mr. President, we will soon reach the Southern Kuril Islands." The pilot turned and said to Yanaev. At this time, a trace of uneasiness appeared on his face, and he was vaguely worried that this flight would lead to some accidents.
Yanaev nodded at him and said, "Thank you for your hard work, boys." Then he continued to wait quietly for the Japanese to show up.
Although in the 1956 Soviet-Japanese Joint Declaration, the Soviet Union agreed to return the two islands of Habomai and Shikotan to Japan after the conclusion of the peace treaty, in exchange for a peace agreement with Japan. However, due to the obstruction of the United States and Japan's insistence on returning the four islands, the 1956 treaty was not implemented. Now, the Japanese still want to take back the four northern islands from the Soviet Union, and Yanayev is the first to disagree. And according to Soviet tradition, as long as there is a Japanese who dares to cross the border, whether he is a fisherman or a soldier, the Soviet Navy has the right to shoot directly, without any ambiguity. Anyway, I have not signed a peace agreement with you, and your crossing the border is equivalent to infringing on territorial rights in my eyes.
"Mr. President, why are these four islands so important to us? No matter how you look at it, they are in an unfavorable geographical location." One of the pilots asked puzzledly.
"Oh?" The pilot's words brought Yanaev back to reality from his contemplation. He thought about it and replied in a simple and easy-to-understand way, "The total area of these four islands is 4,996 square kilometers. Not only are they strategically important, but they are also rich in resources. The continental shelf gas reserves are about 1.6 billion tons, gold reserves are about 1,867 tons, silver reserves are 9,284 tons, iron reserves are 273 million tons, and sulfur reserves are 117 million tons. In addition, Etorofu Island is also rich in rhenium, which is more valuable than gold, with reserves of up to 36 tons. Although Habomai Island and Shikotan Island are small, the nearby continental shelf is rich in seafood, with an annual output of about 800,000 tons. According to statistics from Soviet experts, the total resource value of the four islands and the continental shelf is 45.8 billion US dollars."
"So, do you think we will give up such an important place?" Yanayev said, "Besides, Japan's wings cannot grow fully. These guys are parasites that can never be fed. Once they choose to compromise in some aspects, they will become more aggressive. So if the Japanese want to take back the four northern islands, they can tear up the armistice agreement with us if they have the guts."
"What if he really wants to do this?" asked pilot Vasily anxiously.
Yanayev stretched lazily and said nonchalantly, "If we really do this, every inch of land in South Korea and Japan will be planted with red flags symbolizing communism."
When the Backfire bomber approached Hokkaido's airspace, the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force, which responded from radar, urgently dispatched two F2 fighters to intercept it and reported the information to Defense Agency Director Gen Nakatani as quickly as possible. The Defense Agency Director, who was just finishing a state banquet and preparing to go home, was shocked when he received the news and immediately went to the Prime Minister to discuss countermeasures.
When he learned that the Prime Minister was discussing territorial issues with the Soviet Premier, Nakatani Gen could only ask others to pass the news to the Prime Minister because he did not want to witness the embarrassing scene.
The emergency in Hokkaido continued to ferment, but in fact, Japan did not dare to provoke the Soviet Union. The painful lessons of Nomonhan and the Kwantung Army made the ambitious Empire of the Rising Sun know that its northern neighbor was not an easy target to provoke. And it was thankful that the Soviet giant bear did not come to provoke Japan. Now the Prime Minister was facing the danger of the ceasefire agreement being torn up again because of the issue of the four northern islands.
The pilot of the Japanese F2 fighter jet said to the pilot of the Backfire bomber, "Unidentified aircraft, please identify yourself and leave this airspace. This is Japan's inherent territory. Unidentified aircraft, please leave the airspace. Repeat, unidentified aircraft, please leave the airspace, otherwise we will shoot it down. Repeat, otherwise we will shoot it down."
"Mr. President, what should we do? They have already issued a shootdown warning." Vasily said uneasily. The other pilots also looked at Yanaev, as if he was the supreme commander of the bomber.
Yanayev remained calm and composed as he sat in his seat, replying confidently, "Just tell him that this is the Soviet Union's Southern Kuril Islands, which belongs to Yuzhno-Kurilsk County of Sakhalin Oblast. If the other side dares to do anything that threatens Soviet aircraft, our escort aircraft Su-27 will never let it go. Oh, and finally, let me add one more sentence. The top Soviet leader is now on this Backfire bomber. If they dare to intercept it, it will be equivalent to unilaterally tearing up the ceasefire agreement with the Soviet Union."
The pilot replied to the Japanese pilot of the F2 fighter plane word for word. Because he was too nervous, he said the Soviet Union's South Kuril Islands were the Soviet Union's Japanese Islands. This harmless slip of the tongue frightened the Japanese pilot, who mistakenly thought it was a prelude to the other side's war.
Yanayev had already predicted Japan's reaction. Now the Soviet Union was fully armed and desperate. Japan's economy was booming, so it was destined not to dare to have any conflict with itself. Otherwise, not only would the economy be sent back to the early days after World War II, but it might also directly turn capitalist countries into socialist alliances.
During the awkward standoff between the two sides, Yanayev repeatedly reassured the pilots not to be nervous, saying that it would be a big problem if they pressed the wrong launch button, and that they should just think of it as a trip to Hokkaido.
Then an interesting scene appeared in the night sky. A Backfire bomber led two Su-27 fighters to fly recklessly in the sky close to Japanese territory, while two F2 fighters behind them followed helplessly behind them.
"What should we do, Director Gen Nakatani? If we really open fire on the other side, I'm afraid it will not just cause a diplomatic dispute." The head of the Air Self-Defense Force of the Defense Agency repeated the Soviet pilot's original words to Director Gen Nakatani, and then looked at him awkwardly.
Nakatani Yuan held the paper in his hand, and his mood was restless for a long time. He also knew the weight of Japan. The Soviet Union, which could defeat all European countries in a few weeks, faced Japan, which only had a few islands. It was a foregone conclusion who would win or lose. The only way now was to ask the United States for help, but as long as the Soviet Union did not really attack Japan, they would not care about such a matter that would make the Japanese government lose face.
The current situation is equivalent to letting the militarily weak Japan directly face the most powerful war empire. Everyone will watch it being humiliated by the Soviet Union with compassion, and then pretend not to see it, but will not lend a hand or issue a statement to condemn or support it. Perhaps after losing face, the United Nations will pretend to mediate, but by then it will be too late to suppress the anger of the domestic people.
Ask for help from the neighboring republic in the west? Forget it, they are flirting with the Soviet Union now, and the relationship is heating up rapidly. Maybe they will just get a cold shoulder and roll up their sleeves to watch the fun. At this moment, Zhong Guyuan realized how ridiculous it is for a country without strong military and political support to seek the position of a great power.
"It would be great if we could abolish the rule of civil and military officials and the unequal treaties that are tied around our necks." The not-so-old Nakatani Gen sighed, and for the first time he had the idea of abolishing these shackles.