Chapter 676: The Battle of Tokyo Bay – The Future of the Empire

Although the pig is brave, it is a pity that the role is limited. The rubble area greatly slowed down the speed of the Japanese pigs, and without speed, the Japanese army could only be pigs, and there was no way to break through. The Manchurian Army's endless wanton and indiscriminate bombing killed and injured a large number of the Japanese army's vital forces, making it impossible to display the superiority of the human sea. After all, people are not wild boars, and the brave warriors cannot stop their own charges in the face of the roar of steel. Saigo Takamori and Tokugawa Yoshiki were also on the verge of a will-breaking breakdown and had to stop the pointless charge.

In fact, the Manchurian Army was not much better, with potholes and uneven rubble to rely on, the Manchurian Army could still rely on its firepower superiority to snort, once they entered a relatively flat area, they would not be effective. The Japanese army's pig burst left a deep psychological shadow on the front-line troops, and they did not dare to try to penetrate into the inner city streets where the Japanese army was entrenched. Even if the attack could not be stopped, they could only assault in the form of squads, step by step from courtyard to courtyard, and they would no longer dare to make a large-scale leap.

Moreover, there were some problems with the firepower system of the Manchurian Army, and the service life of large-caliber artillery was not particularly long, generally between 1,000 and 1,500 rounds, and any more shots would blow up. Now, in order to suppress the Japanese army with all their might, whether it is army artillery or naval artillery, they are all doing it to their limits, and if they fight again, they will endanger themselves. The army artillery is still easy to do, the supply fleet sends new guns, and then pulls the old guns back to the furnace. However, the naval guns were not so easy, they had to return to the shipyard for overhaul, and all the gun emplacements had to be dismantled and reloaded.

The ships of the fleet began to return to the factory one after another, and the firepower of the ship's guns suddenly decreased, and the only large-scale heavy firepower that the soldiers could rely on was the airship. Airships don't have to be as troublesome as artillery, they are porters, the procedures are simple, and the wear and tear is very small. But airships also have the problem of airships, and these babies can only carry out large-scale bombing, and the accuracy is very poor. It's okay to use them to bombard behind enemy lines, but if you directly attack the border area between the two armies, I'm afraid that your own people won't be able to escape their clutches. Moreover, airships are greatly affected by the weather, and Tokyo is particularly fond of snow in the middle of winter, and as soon as the wind and snow come, the airship has to go.

Because both sides had to take a breath and adjust, the offensive and defensive battles in Tokyo City came to a standstill after half of the rubble mountain turned red. The occasional sound of gunfire and shouts of killing came from the city, which was just some embellishment in the lonely winter, and the large-scale offensive and defensive battles had to be stopped. Gokoko-a was drinking wine outside the city and scolding the idle streets, Saigo Takamori and Tokugawa Yoshinori were all over the city, and even Emperor Meiji, who had been talking nonsense, had recently stopped, and he felt another kind of pressure.

After the failure of the seven-nation mediation single-handedly facilitated, the British did not stop, and as a world-class-stirring stick, they will not be willing to be lonely. After summing up the lessons and lessons of the failed mediation of the seven countries, the British gave up the trouble of going to Goxinga again, and they had already given face, and it was better to nagging the Japanese who were weak and easy to intensify the contradictions. After all, in case of a falling out, the Manchurians are not easy to deal with, and the Japanese are nothing more than reservoir dogs. Therefore, Ali Guo returned to Japan, where he had been absent for a long time, and took full responsibility for the negotiations with Japan. Alikoku also knew the true thoughts of Iwakura Gushi and others, so this time I came to Tokyo Alikoku to get straight to the point, and I directly found Emperor Meiji, who had a brain.

At first, Iwakura Gushi and others wanted to block it, after all, Japan was also deeply influenced by Confucianism, and no one wanted their Son of Heaven to have ministers who did not kneel. However, as the artillery fire of the Manchurian Army got closer and closer, Minoru Sanjo, Iwakura Gushi and others changed their faces, and they were very active in introducing His Majesty the Emperor to the country every day, just like the guys who pimped in the customs street. However, they were the only ones who were positive, and the Meiji Emperor and some old-fashioned ministers were still disgusted with the British, and their idea was still to wait for the Manchurians to retreat, and then end the war in a relatively decent way.

However, Meiji's persistence was not destined to last long, and after the collapse of the coastal defense line, although he shouted that all the general jade was broken, he still inevitably began to fear in his heart. This fear was very subtle, but it was very telling that he had suddenly and frequently met with Alikook, and if he had been in his heart, he would not have met this foreigner who persuaded him to surrender every day! And the two chatted very unhappily, there was simply no common language, if it weren't for Japan's national strength, it wouldn't work, and Emperor Meiji would have the heart to let Ali Kingdom seppuku.

The difference between the two is still a matter of lining and face, Xianfeng has also faced this problem, but Xianfeng does not have a person in front of him who is willing to help him find a way. Although Emperor Meiji had the kingdom of Are, he was not prepared to accept the advice of the kingdom because it would shake his rule. Meiji still comprehensively reformed the country, and he didn't care about the problem of the ceremony that Xianfeng was tangled in, but the problem he faced was much more complicated than Xianfeng, and he didn't have as much confidence as Xianfeng.

The pragmatic Arei Kingdom clearly did not understand Emperor Meiji's plight. In his opinion, Japan has been completely defeated, and now it is a question of how to survive the country, and everything else is useless ozone layer. Emperor Meiji also agreed that Japan had reached a life-and-death stake, but he had to consider how to survive his own legal system in addition to how to survive the country. In order to ensure his legitimacy, Meiji, as the emperor, could not surrender under any circumstances, but Saigo Takamori and other big people were there? If he loses this man, what will he do as the emperor of Japan in the future? Therefore, the survival of the Japanese Empire is for Meiji, and he also wants the face of the emperor's supreme, and if he wants to face him, this matter is not easy to handle, because Guo Xinga is not ready to leave him any face.

"Your Majesty, the matter has reached a point where it is impossible to delay any longer, the Manchurian army has already invaded the city, and it is only a matter of time before Tokyo and even your residence falls. We must restart peace talks again before the Manchurian army enters here, and use the world's great powers to uphold justice and force the Manchurians back to the negotiating table. Ali and Meiji had been grinding their teeth for a few days, and they had long lost any patience, but for the sake of the British Empire, he could only persuade him bitterly again.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Minister, for all that you have done for Japan, but the conditions of the Manchurians are simply too harsh. As the ruler of Japan, I really can't go out in person, which is an insult to the entire empire. The current situation is already difficult, and in order to express my gratitude to the nations for upholding justice, I agree to send the prince of the clan to surrender! This is already the limit that the royal family can accept, and I hope that Mr. Minister can do this! "Emperor Meiji played his own little ninety-nine again, Tokugawa Ieshige's rival is now the nominal prime minister of Japan, and letting him surrender can be regarded as having a face, the key is that Emperor Meiji's dignity will not be damaged.

"Your Majesty the Emperor, I'm afraid this is very difficult to do, General Guo Xing'a is very persistent in asking for surrender from you, we have tried several times, but there is still no way to move him!" The black line at the end of Ali Guo, they tried this kind of small method, and Guo Xing's head was like a rattle every time, and he refused to agree to anything. On such a major matter as the survival of Japan, Guoxing Adu has already retreated, and the great powers really can't force Guoxinga to make concessions again, and if they force Guoxinga again, they will turn their faces, and everyone will not be able to step down at that time.

"Then we have to find another way! Fortunately, the defenders of Tokyo were very loyal, they had already blocked the Manchurian offensive, and the battle situation was not very bad! "After the Pig Sudden Tactical Achievement, Emperor Meiji was somewhat more confident.

"Your Majesty the Emperor, I'm afraid things are not as good as you expected! Although the Manchurian army is not attacking as fiercely as before, they are advancing step by step after adjusting their tactics, and if they give them a few more months, they will definitely be able to advance the trenches to the door of your palace. "Ali Guo feels that things are going in a bad direction, and Emperor Meiji's inexplicable self-confidence has recovered a lot, and he must let this man with a fever in his head calm down.

"And I have to tell you bad news! The Manchurian Army fighting in your country today is not the main force of the Manchurian Army, and most of them are newly established units that have just completed their organization, and their combat effectiveness is not at the top level in the Manchurian Army. The five main army groups of the most elite of the Manchurian Army are currently either defending against the Russians in the north or fighting for the Qing court in the northwest, and are not engaged in the war against your country. But the war in northwestern China is coming to an end, and the incomparably formidable cavalry of the Manchurians will appear on your soil in a few months. The long border between Manchuria and Russia has also entered the coldest winter, and the Russians have no possibility of fighting them. Relying on Manchuria's powerful railway transportation network, Goxinga could send one or two ace main army groups to Japan at any time, and then send them back after a month or two, and with their combat effectiveness, one or two months would be enough to destroy Japan. The winter in Japan is not as long as in Siberia, the main forces of the Manchurian Army are away for a month or two, and the Russian army cannot threaten them in winter. "The basic intelligence of the British is still good, especially after the war in the Far East, they have been closely staring at the so-called five main forces that defeated the Russian army. The British are also calculating what the main forces of the Manchurian Army can be invested in case of another fight with Guoxinga one day.

"How is that possible?" Emperor Meiji was dumbfounded, he always thought that the Manchurian army that beat him was the most elite army in Manchuria, and he thought that people were just second-line troops, and they were pulled out to practice with him.

"I don't want to admit it, but that's the reality, and I hope you can make the right decisions for the sake of the future of the Japanese Empire. The time has come when this war has to end, and you have to accept defeat! "He was very sympathetic to Japan, because Britain was also facing such a threat for many years, and if France or Germany were to rise up like North Manchuria, the British would not survive.