The Prince of Lanling, by Mishima Yukio
The last short story that Mishima wrote, about Shield Society combat training with the JSDF at the foot of Mount Fuji.
The Prince of Lanling
Mishima Yukio
On August 20, our Shield Society conducted platoon combat training as a sort of graduation exam for new recruits in the scorching heat of the plains below Mount Fuji. During the marches, assaults on enemy positions, and thrice repeated crawling advances and assaults, some students succumbed to the summer heat. When we had come to a small bridge suspended over a limpid stream in the wooded path during the morning march the platoon came to a brief halt because it was discovered that the scouts had gotten the way wrong. A student then poked me and pointed to a branch covered in green foliage sunk deeply into the mountain stream.