Chapter 1032: Sounding the South and Striking the North
Chapter 1012: Sounding the South and Striking the North
The British government panicked, and the Japanese government as the protagonist panicked even more. Unlike in the past, this is now a real moment of life and death.
Who did not expect, the European countries actually so no sense of propriety, pulling partiality are pulled to the point of personally down the field.
Lightly sentence “economic sanctions”, can be half of the life of the Japanese Empire.
If you really according to the content of the implementation of the note instrument, the European Union eighteen countries of the sphere of influence are their forbidden area, then the Japanese government does not need to develop international trade, it would be better to directly closed the country forget it.
A look at the world map shows that the sphere of influence of the European Union already covers half of the globe. With the domineering style of the powers in this era, cross-border law enforcement is a common occurrence.
In this context, the Japanese merchant ships are completely out of bounds when they go out to sea.
At the same time the loss of the international market and maritime transportation capacity, Japan was reduced to the meat on the plate, can only be slaughtered.
This is still a civilized approach, if a little too much, the European Union directly sent troops to the Japanese Navy to destroy, and then again “black ship incident” is not impossible.
The consequences of refusal are serious, and the consequences of compromise are equally serious. The Japanese government has already done its best in the war so far, and everything will be lost if it compromises at this time.
Whether it is the heavy casualties or the huge military expenses, the Japanese government has been forced into a corner.
A step back would no longer be a step backward, but a step backward into the abyss. For this war, the Japanese people have been starving for a long time, and suddenly received the bad news of a defeat, “God will kill the national traitors” is necessary.
The Imperial Council had already begun, but this time no one spoke up first. There was no way, things happened too suddenly, not even leave time to prepare for everyone.
Forced by the Emperor’s almost murderous gaze, Ito Hirobumi spoke with a stiff upper lip: “I think everyone must have prepared for this scene in their hearts.
From the start of the initiation of the Philippine War, we discussed the issue of intervention by the Great Powers, we just didn’t expect this day to come so quickly, and even more so, we didn’t think that the European countries would actually be able to unite and act together.
There’s no hiding from it, and now that the worst has come to pass, then let’s just prepare for the aftermath.
Everyone doesn’t need to worry too much, right now Europe is in the midst of an economic crisis, countries won’t easily start a war, especially a war that won’t see a return.”
Comforting words, Ito Hirobumi just couldn’t make them up. The international intervention expected in advance, just Spain pulled a few countries with good relations to intervene, never thought that actually the whole eighteen countries joint intervention.
How can this still play?
Took the script of “eighteen vassals against Dong”, the problem is that they are not Dong Zhuo, do not have a formidable “Xiliang Iron Horsemen”.
Do not need the eighteen countries from the domestic organization of the coalition army, light people in the South China Sea military force, it will not take a month to be able to kill Tokyo.
“Resistance”, this is a false proposition. Light Spain and the south fleet and a half a catty, if you add the Netherlands and the fleet of the two families of God Luo, the south fleet absolutely to kneel.
The navy was finished, and the army, which was still fighting hard in the Philippine Islands, was only a matter of time before it was overthrown.
The army and navy are gone, what to resist?
The “100 Million Jade Shatters” was a crazy plan only in World War II. Nowadays, there are only about 40 million people in Japan, and the government is known for its “rationality” in the Meiji era.
Originally, Ito Hirobumi also wanted to mention the British allies, but see the crowd face disdain expression, finally chose to swallow the words back.
Those who are able to enter here are all people who understand, “British-Japanese alliance” in the end what is going on, everyone is the most clear.
In normal times, there is no relationship between the tiger’s skin, but at this critical time, counting on the British to help, it would be better to worship Amaterasu Omikami, requesting the kamikaze to help destroy the enemy.
Kuroda Kiyotaka: “It is precisely because Europe is in the midst of an economic crisis that we are in greater danger. The European powers have always enjoyed waging wars abroad to divert the economic crisis at home.
Especially in recent decades, almost every outbreak of economic crisis has been followed by a climax of foreign expansion by European countries. Including the Ottoman Empire, which once dominated the Mediterranean, all fell under the pace of Shinra’s foreign expansion to divert the crisis.
With this kind of forewarning in place, right now we have to be on guard. In the unlikely event that carelessness leads to the situation getting out of control, we will become the sinner of the empire.”
As a rare rationalist in the Japanese government, Kuroda Kiyotaka had always been against military adventures. It was even more abhorrent to the practice of betting on the fate of the nation in the event of a move.
Only the arm can’t argue with the thigh, can’t stop the country’s desire to expand. Now the southward strategy is frustrated, in Kuroda Kiyotaka’s view is the right time to step on the brakes.
Anyway, it is not a shame to give in under the pressure of the European Union. A different country wouldn’t have fared much better than they did.
“No!”
“We can’t back down now, the people’s morale has been galvanized, making compromises to the European Union at this time, there’s no way to explain to the nation.”
It is not that Yamagata Arimoto has an iron head, it is really that the Japanese government has been forced into an awkward situation. Neither the military nor the people could tolerate defeat.
If they really chose to compromise, there was no chance that a revolution would break out in the country. Do not look at the European continent economic crisis ravaged, in fact, Japan’s domestic situation, more serious than the European countries.
Unlike the European countries, people’s economic crisis is even more serious, even if the government is poor, will find ways to send relief food. Although the food is not good, but can save their lives.
The Japanese government can’t, all the money was spent on the war, the pocket has long been empty. Also without money, European countries could get food on credit from Shinra, but the Japanese government had no place to go on credit.
In order to stabilize the situation, the Japanese government had already suppressed many riots. Japan was now a powder keg, held together by a single breath of spirit, and it would be fatal if the breath were to dissipate.
If the civil society is the powder keg, the military is the dynamite bag. With the outbreak of the war, the radical wing of the army had begun to emerge, and was very influential among the middle and lower classes.
Once these people made a scene, the destructive power could be much greater than that of an ordinary people’s rebellion. As a general who had just returned from the front lines, Yamagata Arimoto knew very well how fragile the military was now.
And Ito Hirobumi looked at a glance, some understanding of Saionji Gongwang slowly said: “Now the key to the problem, not whether we want to back down, but whether we can resist the pressure of the European Union.
Not only political and economic pressure, but also military pressure. If the European Union carries out an armed intervention, does the military have the ability to defend the enemy from outside the country.
This is a matter of life and death for the empire, I hope you can answer rationally. Your judgment will directly affect the continuation of the Empire.
Please!”
While saying this, Saionji Gongwang also bowed to the military representatives.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the room was instantly tense. Saigo from Michi, Oyama Iwa, and Yamagata Arimoto, who were the military representatives, instantly felt the pressure.
Now is not the time for political struggles, one wrong step is not only the end of oneself, even the Japanese Empire may be buried with them.
“The gap between the strength of the two sides is too great, not to mention the joint intervention of the European Union, even if the Dutchman’s Southern Fleet and the Spanish Navy join forces, the Imperial Navy can’t do anything to protect the enemy outside the country.”
After saying this, Saigo Congdao seemed to be relieved, and the whole person was relaxed. Although this answer was a bit hurtful to his own morale, it was the most responsible answer to the Japanese Empire.
Right after the outbreak of the Battle of the Philippines, the Dutch government increased the deployment of troops in the Southern Ocean area. Although the increase in warships is not much, and there is no on the 10,000 tons of former dreadnoughts, but act as the last straw that crushed the balance is still enough.
“Are all of your navies a waste? Every year spend so much military expenditure, now actually ……”
Not waiting for Oyama Rock to finish his sentence, the Navy’s Minister of Military Orders, Birasan Shiki, directly disliked: “Oyama-kun needs to be responsible for his words, how much does the Navy really spend on military expenses every year?
Do you know that Spain, which is at war with us, has averaged twice as much naval military spending as we have over the past ten years?
The Empire’s annual naval military expenditure is at most comparable to Portugal’s, not even the Dutch.
As for the real naval powers, Britain and the Holy Roman Empire that’s not to mention the fact that they can build two imperial navies with their yearly naval budget.
Being able to use limited funds to create a modernized navy and make a match with the Spanish navy, the navy up and down is worthy of the empire!”
The ass determines the head, despite the fact that Birasan Shiki was initially from the Army, but having taken the position of Minister of Naval Orders, he had to defend the interests of the Navy. He even had to do it a bit more thoroughly in order to convince the people below.
Neglecting the price level, strategic needs, simply look at the annual military expenditure, the Japanese Navy is considered to save money.
If the above factors are taken into account, the Japanese Navy and “save money” has nothing to do with it. The high cost of purchasing warships is inevitable, the key is the Japanese Navy to learn from the Royal Navy, many places have reached the point of insanity.
Not only is the method of warfare training, operating instructions emulate the British, even warship decoration, soldier food also copied the Royal Navy. There were no domestic imports, and everything was aligned with the Royal Navy anyway.
Whether there was waste, no one knows the answer. After all, the European and American navies are so play, eat steak, drink red wine is the standard, far from the Army bitter can be compared.
In the era of severe lack of confidence and the most serious foreign admiration, the navy up and down the full-scale emulation of the British, naturally, is beyond reproach.
But these reasons to fool ordinary people can, want to fool the arch-rival army is a little inadequate. Don’t think that the army top brass don’t understand the navy, in fact their daily time to study the navy is not necessarily shorter than some of the navy top brass.
Oyama Rock sneered: ”Less talk about these useless, the Imperial Navy can just nestle in the harbor and train every day, other people’s navies have to run all over the world.
Even the annual military expenses are earned back by other people’s navies from outside themselves. If you guys are capable of earning back the military expenses by yourselves, I have no problem even if you spend more money.”
No problem, the colonial empire’s navy’s military expenses were indeed earned back by themselves. Whether it was plundering wealth from the colonies or maintaining overseas trade, these were all closely related to the navy.
This was the reason why the more colonies and the richer the country, the larger the navy. Even if they lost money on the surface, it was because the money was put into their personal pockets. If they were to lose money all the time, with the shit nature of European governments these days, they would probably have stopped playing long ago.
Specific reference can be made to Alaska, the Russians threw this piece of money-losing hot potato to Austria. Before the gold development, the Vienna government in the middle of the call to give up is also endless.
It is only in the last few years that the winds have changed in the Vienna government. More and more people recognized the value of the territory before it went to the other extreme – planting the flag when they came across unclaimed land.
Of course, this “extreme” had little impact. After all, it’s just a passing flag, not an actual occupation. The Vienna Government was not short of money for a few chess pieces.
Birasan Shiki rolled his eyes, his disdain overflowing. To go out and grab a colony when a single Spain hasn’t even been taken care of, that’s definitely a sign of a brain in the head.
Seeing that the topic had gone off the rails, Emperor Meiji glared at Oyama Iwami in dissatisfaction and sternly scolded, “This is not the time to listen to your quarrels, the empire is at stake, can’t you save yourselves some heartache?”
Undoubtedly, Emperor Meiji was very dissatisfied with the Army’s practice of changing the subject.
No means no, this is something everyone knows, is it so hard to admit that you are not strong enough?
The answer is: very, very hard.
The army is different from the navy, not so rational. Navy look at the warships will be able to roughly know the gap between the two sides of the strength, and then how to head iron in the face of dozens of times, or even dozens of times the strength of the gap, want to be hard ah!
The most critical thing is that the European naval forces are close at hand, if the dead hold on, people will directly hit over. Bragging is going to wear help immediately, want to not recognize can not.
The army is different, smart people can see at a glance, although the power of the European Union, but it is not possible to send hundreds of thousands of troops over to attack Japan, that will lose blood money.
Since we don’t need to fight with the Continental Union, there’s no harm in shutting the door and bragging about it. Of course, the enemy outside the country, even if it is not, this guarantee or do not have to fight good.
In case the commander of the other side of the brain, really come to attack Tokyo, then it will be over. With the Army’s record in the Philippine Islands, it really doesn’t provide enough confidence.
Can not brag, but also not willing to admit their own strength is not good to take responsibility, then we can only find ways to muddle through. It’s better than telling the truth and being called a “traitor” by the radicals.
Everyone present knew that the Japanese government had no choice from the moment the diplomatic note from the European Union was sent.
It was impossible to fight, and if the European Union was really angered, it was not impossible to turn Japan into a colony.
Although it would cost money, each of the eighteen countries would not lose much if they were to share the cost together.
It is even possible that not only eighteen countries, it is not unlikely that their good allies will follow suit to ensure that their position in the Far East is not shaken. Britain has done this kind of thing many times and doesn’t care if it happens one more time.
Seeing that the main responsibility for the forced concessions was thrown to the Navy, Oyama Rock knew that they couldn’t continue to play dumb, if they weren’t willing to take the blame at all, they were going to become public enemies.
“Your Majesty, judging from the current situation, it is indeed not wise to confront the European Union. But by directly abandoning the Philippine Islands, we have no way to explain to our citizens.
If we want to overstay our welcome, there is no better way than to pinch a different soft target.
Internally, we can use the pretext of attacking the north to appease the people in the country; externally, if we sell the European Union a face, they will not be able to continue to be aggressive.
The European Union intervened in the Philippine War, essentially because the situation on the European continent is unstable, fearing that the defeat of Spain led to the domestic situation out of control.
Northward there is no such risk, even if we fight to the heavens, the situation in Europe will not have much impact.
At the cost of giving up the Philippine Islands, even if we can’t get the countries to support us going north, there’s still no problem exchanging them for neutrality.”
(End of chapter)