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Text Chapter 316 Losing control

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.    Chapter 316 Losing control

    The hour hand seems to have returned to twenty years ago.

    At that time, Japan, which had just won the Sino-Japanese War and was looking forward to occupying the entire Manchuria and Mongolia, was finally threatened by Germany, Russia and France. The victorious army had to withdraw from Lushun and give up this pearl of the Far East.  At that time, Japan, which had been completely stunned by the sky-high compensation, only felt humiliated, but did not realize the lack of resources after losing Liaodong.  Later, when the army was expanded, it had to purchase steel, ore and raw materials at extremely high prices from various countries to barely complete it. By 1904, the national treasury was empty with only a few million national currencies left.

    That hurts!  Watching the money pouring into other people's pockets in exchange for raw materials whose prices have increased several times is unbearable for a country with few deep resources, especially a country known for being stingy and conservative.  So when Russia took advantage of the Gengzi Year incident to invade Port Arthur, the Japanese government seemed to be sitting on the top of Mount Fuji, swallowed up by flames and lava anytime and anywhere.  Four years later, the Japanese government, which had been put on fire, finally couldn't sit still. With the support of Britain and the United States, it launched a battle for national destiny with Russia. At that time, few people in the country thought they could defeat Lucia and the world's second fleet.

    Today, the Okuma Shigenobu government once again feels like it is sitting in the crater of a volcano. The complete interruption of Sino-Japanese trade and raw material input has brought this scarce country to a crossroads again.  This time there is no hesitation or timidity!  The military headquarters, whose self-confidence was soured by the Russo-Japanese War that it believed that the emperor and I were number one, directly intervened in Manchuria and Mongolia, which ultimately led to the current situation.

    The thin and tired-looking Prime Minister of the Cabinet sat in the National Assembly Hall, feeling uneasy and uneasy but also vaguely expecting.  He is not a fool. He understands what Japan will face after the resource chain is broken, but he deeply feels that it is not the right time to launch a full-scale war. Domestic food problems, constitutional protection movements, land reform and other conflicts and calls have already made him anxious.  As for the dispute between land and sea, he didn't even dare to care.  The military's pursuit of increasing armaments is at odds with financial difficulties. Serious debts and deficits are a heavy mountain.  Seeing that the European War is about to break out, it is a good time to rectify the internal situation and accelerate the transformation of industrial and commercial construction. However, Japan has been involved in the war in advance!  Moreover, the military is trying to expand it. Will this bring the country into a situation where the more it fights, the poorer it becomes, and the more it fights, the more it becomes poorer and eventually collapses?

    Okuma Shigenobu quietly glanced at Emperor Taisho, who was sitting in the center with his chin in one hand and flipping a book with the other. His Majesty the Emperor, who had a horn beard like Kaiser Wilhelm and was covered with Vaseline to keep it neat, obviously didn't like these miscellaneous things.  Well, maybe it's a blessing for Japan that he didn't roll up the edict and use it as a telescope like last time.

    Okaichi Nosuke stood up slightly tremblingly. Although the Prime Minister of China, who was pushed to the front by the Choshu clan faction, was already in his seventies, he was still strong. After bowing to the absent-minded Emperor Taisho, he said: "The outbreak of the European War has already begun.  It is certain that the interests of Britain, France, Germany, and Russia are all in Europe, and that is their center. For our country, this is the best opportunity for national reorganization. Sending troops to Shandong and North China can not only disperse the Chinese troops, but also disperse domestic conflicts and pressures  , boost national morale, and capture Qingdao to help allies solve troubles in Asia in exchange for their support for our country. Therefore, our army believes that not only should we send troops, but we should also have strong enough troops to gather 12 to 15 divisions and advance in one go.  Go to the Yellow River and completely defeat the Chinese people¡¯s war potential.¡±

    "One of the four divisions has already been lost. Doesn't it mean that at least three of the 12 divisions have been lost? Look what kind of battle you are fighting! Since you have brought back that useless kid, you should prepare for the enemy's revenge in advance! There is no plan  , there is no plan, and there is nothing we can do to face the enemy's attack. We can no longer see anything but chaos! War should be continuous, and we should use courage to attack the opponent wave after wave, and not let the enemy breathe.  But what about you now? You are fighting and fighting, following the enemy's strategy, and you are still revising the plan. Is this the Imperial Army or the Chinese clown in the North? You want to start a more complex and huge battle before you have gained the upper hand over Manchuria and Mongolia.  , This is not bravery but recklessness!" A strange argument sounded from the side, and everyone knew it was the Navy making trouble. After the Siemens incident, the conflict between the Navy and the Army has become irreconcilable. If the big bosses hadn't forcibly suppressed the  Fighting is possible.  Now that they had the opportunity, how could the Satsuma clan not humiliate the stupid samurai of the Choshu clan?

    As expected, Okaichi Nosuke was irritated. He blushed and retorted: "That's because a group of filthy moths appeared in the empire! That's why the domestic situation was turbulent and the ambition of the Chinese people was not discovered in advance."

    "Why don't you say that it was you who made your own decisions and relied on that useless kid to drag the empire into the current unfavorable situation?"

    The politics of the Taisho era were fairly open, at least all parties could express their opinions, but seeing that the land and sea families had gone beyond the scope of discussion and turned into a fight, Okuma Shigenobu??I could only get up bravely: "In front of the Emperor, everyone is so imprudent. Do you still have the demeanor of a minister? Today we are discussing how to deal with the current situation. I hope everyone can encourage each other in this troubled time."

    Although both the land and sea families couldn't stand Okuma Shigenobu, he was the Prime Minister of the Cabinet after all. After bowing and apologizing to Taisho, they temporarily kept their mouths shut.  Seeing this scene, Foreign Minister Kato Takaaki cleared his throat. He is a veteran diplomat from the Saionji Konobo family. His long-term ambassadorial experience in Britain and the United States made him more aware of the situation in Europe. He said: "The European war is unavoidable. If we  To send troops to expand the war must be based on the Japan-British alliance. Without the support of allies, it will be difficult for us to get help from world public opinion, and the people will feel that our troops are unknown. Although our Empire of Japan is famous, it is still inferior in terms of national strength.  As a European country, it is even more important to get the support of allies to prevent them from being dissatisfied when they come back and the Liaodong humiliation incident happens again! We should take the initiative to contact our allies and tell them that this time the empire will not rob their interests, let alone advance towards the Yangtze River  , On the contrary, it can help them attack Germany's minions in the Far East and help maintain sea rights in the Far East and the Pacific. Therefore, I think whether to send troops requires the consent of the allies, otherwise it will push the allies to the Chinese side, so even if the troops make sacrifices, they will not  It would have too big an effect and would actually cause them to worry.¡±

    Okaichi Nosuke snorted: "Now that our allies ask us more than we ask him, I think we can attack Jiaozhou first to seize the Qingdao and Jiaoji Railway. This will not only seize important seaports and supply channels, but also swear that I  The military power of the army gives the results of the battle to allies as gifts to resolve conflicts.¡±

    When the Tibetan Prime Minister heard how many people were fighting with open mouths, he sighed worriedly. He didn't even have much energy to speak: "I just want to know how many people you have to mobilize and how long it will take to fight. This year's finances are too difficult because of the war in China.  The investment has already lost more than 200 million yuan. In order to ensure the international credit of the bank, it had to invest 50 tons of gold and 300 tons of silver in the run on the Chinese! With this amount of gold and silver, the deficit this year is likely to exceed 150 million yuan.  Currency, our country" Before he could finish speaking, Hailu and Hailu shouted at the same time: "Run? Why exchange gold for the Chinese! How did you become the Tibetan Prime Minister? Didn't you just sacrifice a little bit of international money?  Credit!"

    Facing these two idiots who only ask for money, the Tibetan Prime Minister can only choose to keep his mouth shut. They also don¡¯t think about how much currency and bonds Japan has over-issued in China in order to stabilize the debt-ridden economy in recent years?  Many of them are in the hands of countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States. If the stoppage eventually leads to a run on them, I am afraid that the entire national treasury will not be able to satisfy it.

    Facing the noisy group of people, Okuma Shigenobu glanced at Emperor Taisho, who was dozing on the table like a clay Buddha, and finally sighed: "Everyone, think about it again. I'll take my leave first, the British and American envoys are still waiting.  My message." After saluting, he hurriedly left the National Assembly Hall and returned to the Prime Minister's Office.

    He was not lying. Bernard and Hangel were already impatient with waiting, especially the former who looked bad.  Europe may open up in the next second, but these Japanese dwarves are still pushing back and forth without giving any reply. It is impossible not to have some resentment in their hearts.  But after communicating with the country, he also knew that the current government still needs this watchdog to help control the Far East when the British Empire cannot escape, and it can also use this to deter China and prevent them from derailing.

    In addition, I came here hoping to rent the battlecruiser Kongo and the second sister ship that will be commissioned soon, so as to enhance the strength of the British navy and control the North Sea to keep Germany trapped in it forever, so I stood up immediately when I saw Okuma Shigenobu.  Follow-up question: "Dear Prime Minister, can you give me an answer now? Our government does not want the war to continue in the Far East, because this will push China to the enemy's side and seriously threaten the safety of Siberia, the Southeast Peninsula and the Indian Plains, so Russia and  France has sent a clear signal and hopes that I can bring you the news of an immediate cessation of all military operations to facilitate Russia's transfer of Far East troops back to Europe. There is also the matter of leasing the King Kong-class battlecruiser, which is related to the safety of our country's North Sea  I also hope to get a clear answer now. I can assure you that if the two warships are damaged, our country will help build two new ships or compensate according to the price."

    Although Bernard used the word "respect", there was no respect in his tone. Instead, he seemed aggressive.  Hangel naturally does not want to see Japan continue the war. If Yang Qiu wins, he may be able to maintain Sino-US relations and realize the open door policy that has just begun in the Far East.  But if Japan wins, their performance after the Russo-Japanese War will only squeeze the United States further, and they will also use China's huge resources to build more warships to threaten U.S. interests in the Pacific.

    Of course, it would not work if Japan was completely defeated. Weakening the Far East is a long-term policy that must be adhered to, so he stood up and left and said: "President Wilson also asked me to convey the opinions of the United States."?As long as your country is willing to stop the war, then we can persuade China to continue exporting raw materials to your country and make them return their previous losses.  As for whether we can keep Kanto State I think we will also make efforts.  "

    Okuma Shigenobu took a deep breath, and at the same time faced the British and American families, it was false to say that there was no pressure. This was the biggest factor in his hesitation to continue the war.  Said: "As for the King Kong-class battlecruisers, our navy is still discussing, but for now, our country needs them to help defend the German Far East Fleet."

    Bernard's face suddenly turned darker. Ever since intelligence learned that Germany had made rapid progress in 15-inch naval guns, and that the Bavaria-class was actually commissioned earlier than the Queen-class, the British Navy couldn't sit still. It has always hoped to lease two King Kong-class battleships.  Several Japanese battleships, including several, helped to overwhelm the caliber with numbers, but unexpectedly Japan refused directly!  Also used the German Far East Fleet as an excuse.  God knows, we can deal with those two armored cruisers by dispatching only one Kurama-class battlecruiser, so why need the latest King Kong-class.

    This is obviously not giving face!

    Bernard took a breath, tried to calm down and continued to ask: "We can wait for the lease matter. I hope your country can consider the traditional alliance between our two countries. Then the matter of stopping the Far East War  Can you tell me now?" Just as Okuma Shigenobu was about to speak, the secretary-general suddenly rushed in, glanced at the two tall foreigners, and stuffed an urgent telegram into the palm of his hand.  As soon as he picked up the telegram and glanced at it, his body shook violently!

    His strange expression surprised both Bernard and Hangel, but their assistants who rushed in almost at the same time brought bad news!  The Japanese Army's Ninth Brigadehas actually begun to land at Longkou!

    Bernard's face suddenly felt hot. In the past few days, he had been persuading Japan to give up the war so that Russia could concentrate on dealing with Germany. Unexpectedly, these little dwarfs bowed to him and expressed humility that they were considering it.  But quietly launched a new battle!  They actually started landing directly at Longkou, not far from Yantai, a British-controlled area!  "I think there is no need for me to stay here anymore!" Bernard threw down the telegram angrily and left the Prime Minister's Office with his assistant.  Hangel also shook his head and left without saying a word.  Now no one has any choice but to watch the situation in the Far East continue to slide to a point that no one can predict, and Nicholas II's idea of ??withdrawing 300,000 elite Far East garrison can only be in vain  , even Britain and France had to maintain garrison forces in the Far East to prevent the situation from getting completely out of control and endangering the security of the southeastern peninsula and the important Indian Plains.

    Okuma Shigenobu stared blankly at the two cars driving out of the Prime Minister's Office. He closed his eyes in pain and let the telegraph slip from his fingertips.  His mind is now blank. There is no second way to go at this moment. Either follow the footsteps of the military and continue the war, use victory to eliminate the armed forces of Yang Qiu and the Chinese Army, ensure the interests of the allies in the Far East, and bridge the gap between Britain and the United Kingdom.  The cracks that have appeared in the Japanese alliance, either give power to those warriors who only know how to fight!

    !#.

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