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Text Chapter 223 Japan¡¯s Choice

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    Soon, Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu, Minister of Finance Watanabe Kunitake and Army Minister Oyama Iwa rushed to the Prime Minister's Office.  However, none of their faces looked good. It was obvious that someone from the Prime Minister's Office had told them the details of the matter on the way here.  Regarding this war, the whole country of Japan is confident that it will win.  No one can predict what impact it will have once defeated.  But one thing is certain, these cabinet members will definitely be torn to pieces by the angry people.

    "What's going on? Didn't the United Fleet easily defeat the Beiyang Navy last year? Why is it that now it is defeated by the Western Sichuan Navy, which has just formed an army for less than two years? The empire has spent so much military expenditure. After all,  Where was it used?" As soon as the Minister of War, Oshanyan, entered the reception room of the Prime Minister's Office, he shouted at the top of his lungs.

    Xixiang Congdao's face was livid, and the anger in his eyes almost burned his whole body.  However, he had to suppress his anger.  This time, it was indeed the navy that failed, and it would lead to extremely serious consequences. He had nothing to say.  The navy accounts for more than 60% of the annual military expenditure and has the support of the entire Japanese public. But now it has been almost completely destroyed. This is really hard to explain to the people.

    "The Western Sichuan Navy is powerful. Their total tonnage and artillery are more than twice ours. The defeat of the combined fleet is excusable!" Xixiang Congdao argued.  The last time they defeated the Beiyang Navy, there was a lot of luck, and it also made the whole of Japan bursting with confidence.  However, this time, facing the much stronger Western Sichuan Navy, its true colors were immediately revealed.

    "Excuses, these are all excuses! The warriors of the Japanese Empire are supported by the spirit of Bushido. We are invincible. Even if the weak defeat the strong, it is not impossible!" Oyamayan yelled.  As Minister of War, he is now very angry.  Now almost all of the army's forces are concentrated on the Korean Peninsula and China's Liaodong region. The defeat of the navy not only means that the logistics supply line will be cut off, but also means that the army cannot withdraw into the country.  What would be the consequences if hundreds of thousands of troops lose their logistical support? This makes Dashanyan feel terrible just thinking about it, and the culprit of all this is the navy.  This made it impossible for him not to spread his anger on Xixiang Congdao.

    "Okay, Mr. Oyamayan, stop arguing. Now is not the time to quarrel. Now we have to figure out how to survive this crisis!" Ito Hirobumi said with a livid face.

    "What else can be done? Apart from defeat, is there any other way?" Dashanyan said bitterly.

    "You!" Ito Hirobumi was furious, intending to reprimand Oyama Iwa.  But he thought that now that the navy was defeated, Japan's only hope was the army, so he had to suppress his anger.

    "Your Excellency Saigo Congdou, this time the navy is defeated, the Navy Ministry must bear full responsibility!" Ito Hirobumi said.

    "Yes, Prime Minister, I will apply for resignation!" Xixiang Congdao said.  He felt a little bitter in his heart. He originally thought that the nationwide effort to develop the navy would surely make the Japanese navy a world-class navy.  But I didn't expect that I lost in the end.

    "Well! Put aside the resignation in advance. From the Navy's perspective, what should we do now?" Ito Hirobumi asked.

    "Your Excellency Prime Minister, according to the telegram sent back by the Chief of Staff of the Combined Fleet, Togo Heihachiro, the strength of the Western Sichuan Navy has exceeded our imagination. Now there is only one ship left in the navy, the Chiyoda, which can continue to fight, and the Yoshino was severely damaged.  , I'm afraid it will take several months of repairs before they can return to the army. In addition, there are only a few old-fashioned shallow-water gunboats left. With these forces, they simply cannot withstand the attack of the Western Sichuan Navy!" Saigo replied from the road.

    "Didn't we capture two ironclad ships of the Qing Dynasty's Beiyang Navy last year? Can they be repaired?" said Minister of Finance Watanabe Kunitake.

    "Both battleships are being repaired at the Kagoshima shipyard. However, because of the serious damage, it will take a long time. Even now, it will take one to two months to repair. However, the Western Kawanishi Navy does not  They will give us a chance. After the combined fleet is destroyed, they will definitely take it back immediately. Cut off the connection between the mainland and the Korean Peninsula. At the same time, they will launch attacks on our naval bases and shipyards to destroy our war potential!" Saigo said from  Dao replied.

    "Then what should we do? Can we withdraw the army?" Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu said.

    "In one to two days at most, the Western Sichuan Navy will appear in the Japanese waters. We don't have enough time to bring the army back!" Saigo said helplessly.

    "Hmph! Do you want to treat Army as an abandoned son?" Dashanyan said dissatisfied.

    &nbsp"There is no other way now. The army is strong and can support it in a short time. What we need to pay attention to now is the defense of the mainland. There is only one Guards Division left in the mainland. If Western Sichuan sends troops to land on the mainland,  How can we resist?" Xixiang Congdao said.

    Sure enough, as soon as he said these words, everyone suddenly turned pale.  There are only more than 12,000 Guards Divisions stationed in the Tokyo area.  In other areas, there are no soldiers at all and they rely on the police to maintain public order.  If the Western Sichuan Army really lands in Japan, the consequences will be disastrous and Japan will be in danger of destruction.

    "Your Excellency Prime Minister, I request that more than 20 divisions be immediately built in the mainland to defend the mainland. Although the Western Sichuan Army defeated the United Fleet, it will take some time for them to land on the mainland. We must use this time to organize  Just enough troops!" Dashanyan said immediately.  The navy was defeated, and their army must shoulder the heavy responsibility of defending the homeland.  This has nothing to do with the conflict between the army and the navy. They have to save Japan first.

    "Well! After petitioning the emperor, this plan can be implemented. The Ministry of Finance must fully support the army's expansion." Ito Hirobumi said.  Although they know that expanding twenty divisions will consume a lot of financial resources, and now Japan has no extra money, they have to continue to support it.  Once the Western Sichuan Army lands in Japan, Japan will be completely finished.

    Minister of Finance Watanabe Kuniwu moved his mouth, but in the end he said nothing more.

    "Your Excellency, Prime Minister, I don't think there is any need to expand the army too much!" Saigo Yumichi, the Navy Minister, said.

    "Your Excellency Xixiang Congdao, what do you mean by this? Do you want to watch the Japanese Empire perish?" Dashanyan roared.

    Xixiang Congdao ignored Oshanyan's anger and continued: "Ten divisions are enough. Moreover, I believe that the Western Sichuan Army will not land on our mainland. Although the mainland lacks troops, we still have 40 million citizens.  If they want to rely on this method to destroy Japan, they will pay a heavy price. Moreover, they have easier and more vicious ways to destroy us!"

    "What method?" Ito Hirobumi asked.

    "The Western Sichuan Navy can blockade the entire Japan and destroy all Japan's shipbuilding industry and heavy industry. It will destroy all our decades of efforts since the Meiji Restoration. Their navy is enough to completely blockade Japan. By then,  Our products cannot be transported out, and the raw materials and food we need cannot be transported back to the country. Even fishermen cannot go to sea to fish. By that time, Japan will be destroyed!" Saigo said.  This is not an alarmist statement, but rather Japan's weakness.  He also believed that the Western Sichuan Navy must have seen this.

    "How is this possible? How can this be possible?" Ito Hirobumi looked pale. From Saigo's description, he seemed to see the terrible scene of Japan's destruction.

    "What should we do now?" Ito Hirobumi said.

    "Your Excellency, Prime Minister, let's have peace talks with Nishi Sichuan! We have no hope of victory. It will be more beneficial to us to have peace talks with Nishi Sichuan and end the war as soon as possible!" said Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu.

    "But now that Western Sichuan has the upper hand, will they agree to peace talks with us?" Ito Hirobumi said.

    "We can contact the great powers and ask them to come forward. The great powers are not willing to see a strong China emerge!" Mutsu Munemitsu said.

    "However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will try its best to strive for a decent peace, but now that Western Sichuan is in a strong position, we may pay a heavy price!" Mutsu Munemitsu said with some worry.  After all, Japan is now in a weak position. If they want to surrender, they will definitely pay a high price.  With Western Sichuan's greed, he would never let go of such an opportunity.

    "Army, we still have hundreds of thousands of troops in China. If the Army can win once, then we may be able to achieve a decent peace. Your Excellency Oyamayan, is the Army confident of defeating the Western Sichuan Army?" Ito Hirobumi's eyes tightened  asked, staring at the big mountain rock.

    "Your Excellency Prime Minister, now that the logistics supply line is cut off, the army will not get any supplies. It will be difficult for us to defeat the Western Sichuan Army!" Dashanyan said.  Although there are 400,000 troops, if supplies are sufficient, he will certainly have the confidence to fight against Western Sichuan.  But now?  The possibility of defeating the Western Sichuan Army is very small.

    "The Western Sichuan Army is now desperately trying to occupy the territory of the Qing Dynasty, and there are not many troops that can be invested. Our previous reserves in Liaodong and North Korea are enough to support a war. As long as we can win, even a small victory, this  This will make us less vulnerable. Your Excellency Oyama Iwa, now the Army is the only hope for the Empire of Japan. I hope that the Army can defeat the enemy and protect the interests of the Empire of Japan.??!  "Ito Hirobumi said looking at the big mountain rock.

    "Prime Minister, please rest assured that the Japanese Army will try its best to win!" Oyamayan assured.  However, even he himself is not sure whether he can really win.

    PS: The second update is here!  (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to search Piaotian on Baidu and collect and recommend it. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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