Translator Notes:
The Niagara base’s name is based off of the real world Niagara Falls. The Niagara Falls is the collective name for three waterfalls that straddle the international border between Canada and the United States; more specifically, between the province of Ontario and the state of New York. Japanese tourists are well known to want to visit the site, when they tour that region of North America.
Scuba reads a famous haiku from Kobayashi Issa (小林一茶) who was a Japanese poet and Buddhist priest of the Jōdo Shinshū sect known for his haiku poems and journals. One small thing to note, when Scuba reads Issa's haiku, he uses the word Kokoniari rather than Koreniari in the haiku which is originally how it was written. Kokoniari is perhaps a more modern way of saying it although we’re not 100% sure why the change was made.
When Bighorn is back at the base, he makes a mistake with one of his lines as it appears that he wants to say "put one's tail between one's legs and withdraw" but the right word didn't come up so he said chew instead of which he realizes after he said it, it was a mistake.
During the final confrontation with the copies of the Cybertrons, Apache makes reference to Haisuinojin (背水の陣) meaning Position with one's back to the water.
This is an old saying originally referenced from China’s story about the Battle of Jingxing (井陘之戰) which also known as the Battle of Tao River (洮水之戰).This battle was fought in 205 BC between the army of Han, commanded by Han Xin and a Zhao army. The Zhao were led by Princess Zhao Xie (趙歇) of Zhao and Chen Yu (陳餘), who is also known as the Lord of Cheng An (成安君) and serving as Zhao Xie's prime minister.
Having conquered the State of Wei, the general Han Xin was ordered by Liu Bang, the King of Han (漢王), to attack the lands of Zhao and Dai (代), with the assistance of Zhang Er (張耳), the Prince of Changshan (常山王, essentially the former Prince of Zhao). Han Xin quickly annihilated the forces commanded by the Dai prime minister Xia Yue (夏說) and marched across the Taihang Mountains into Zhao.
Before the battle, Chen Yu was counseled by Li Zuoju (李左車), the Lord of Guangwu (廣武君) to block off the important routes across the Taihang Mountains, especially Jingxing Pass. He analyzed to Chen Yu that he could win easily by blocking routes and exploiting Han Xin's inevitable logistics problems. However, Chen Yu, who was a Confucian scholar and prided himself as being the commander of an army with righteousness, responded that he had 200,000 men and need not fear Han Xin's small army. Not many people held Han Xin in high esteem at the time, which cost his opponents dearly in this battle and in the later Battle of Wei River.
The forces of Han Xin as they emerged from Jingxing pass faced the forces of Zhao across the Tao River. Han Xin had his troops eat a simple breakfast before the battle, stating that they will feast upon destroying the Zhao army. Not even his officers believed him, although they did at least follow his orders.
In preparation for the battle the previous evening, Han Xin dispatched a small force of 2,000 mounted men near the Zhao camp, each carrying a red battle flag of the Han army, and told them that they are to overrun the Zhao camp as soon as the entire Zhao army moved out to press the attack. He also had 10,000 men cross the Tao River (at the time also known as the Ye River, 冶河) and dug ditches, and generally fortified the defenses of his bridgehead. Operating out of the small bridgehead with his back to the river would however mean that he would easily be in a position of a fight without retreat in case of defeat. Chen Yu and the other Zhao commanders laughed at the foolhardy move. The strategy gave rise to the saying "Fighting a battle with one's back facing a river" (背水一戰), and the Japanese saying "Position with one's back to the water" (背水の陣).
14 окт 2024