"The military's appetite is so big, even Hawaii wants to eat it." After Kayama Shiki and Togo Heihachiro left, Saionji Gongwang sighed and said. "They don't understand politics at all, they think that the army is the saber of the empire, but they don't know that it is the people who really decide to give the country, not the weapons in his hands, and the weapons are only a means to obtain benefits, not the purpose of action."

"Not only them, but I'm also a little reluctant to give up Hawaii. It's a shame that we tried so hard for so long, and in the end we couldn't eat it when it was most advantageous. Ito Hirofumi said unwillingly. Even though he had made up his mind about this matter, he was still very heartbroken every time he thought about it, the Japanese had been fighting Hawaii for more than ten years, but they had to give up when it seemed to be the most advantageous, which made him a little unwilling.

"Hehe, the most favorable time? You won't believe the words of those who are short-sighted, will you? Xiyuan Temple Gongwang sneered. Even Dashan Yan could see that the empire at this time was actually very dangerous. The Empire was too sharp, and after the Battle of Sulu, we gained their fear and hatred while winning on an almost equal footing with the other powers. The enemy can only have one at any one time. And if this matter is not handled well, we will also be attacked by the United States when we face Russia. ”

"We can't hold Hawaii thousands of miles away when we can no longer deal with Russia. This defeat is nothing for the United States as a country. On the contrary, this defeat will instead stimulate their military development. It's hard for me to imagine how Japan will respond if we take Hawaii and the United States and Russia are working at the same time. Xiyuan Temple Gongwang smiled bitterly.

"The British also think this way, although the so-called Anglo-Japanese alliance has a certain military significance, but the British will try to avoid getting caught up in this war, they are very cunning." Hirobumi Ito said.

It's not that the Japanese don't want Hawaii, but they really can't want it now! If it were simply a confrontation between the United States and Japan, it would still be possible for Japan to win the battle against the United States and then take advantage of the situation to include Hawaii in its sphere of influence in a short period of time. After all, after this naval battle, the hatred between the United States and Japan is almost impossible to dissolve, and since they have become mortal enemies, what else is there to say?

But this time with the intervention of Russia, the situation is different, two enemies who are not connected are far easier to deal with than two enemies who are linked, and Japan has taken such a sharp action, defeating two powers cleanly in one battle, which is also a threat to other powers, and other powers will unconsciously contain Japan.

On the other hand, the British, as the masters of Japan, were unwilling to take on too many obligations for Japan, and on the other hand, they would not offend several major powers for Japan, and even the Japanese thought that Britain might want to appear as a mediator. So the British would not support Japan's actions either, so if Japan showed even the slightest interest in Hawaii, then the hostility of the other powers towards Japan would increase.

Some people may say that hostility is hostility, as long as you don't do it. But is it possible? It is true that the US army is relatively weak now, but the United States is not lacking in the courage to expand, otherwise it would not have expanded from the 13 states on the East Coast to the Pacific Coast! Not to mention that after the Napoleonic Wars, they also made two moves with the British, and the defeat of the Americans was temporary, and even a small bump in the United States' move towards hegemony, neither Ito Hirobumi nor Saionji Konobo thought that the United States would lose the courage to enter Asia.

It doesn't matter if the Americans lose this time, they can eat a trench and grow wise, and it's okay to go back to the rioters, but what about Japan? The next few years are about to face the challenge of Russia! It is not clear whether they can resist Russia and the Japanese, but it is certain that even if Japan occupies Hawaii, once the Russo-Japanese War breaks out, it will be impossible to stop the offensive of the American army on Hawaii, and the British will not do anything. If you can't hold it, and you're wasting a lot of resources, what's the point of telling me?

So now the question arises, since Japan cannot occupy Hawaii and completely block the door of the United States into the Western Pacific, what should Japan do to prevent the United States from retaliating? Where is the outermost line of defense in Japan?

"We have to at least take Samoa into our hands! In this case, even if the Americans occupied Hawaii, they would lack a transit base if they wanted to enter the Far East! Their fleet had to sail thousands of nautical miles to the Far East without port support. The vastness of the ocean will be our best defense! Ito Hirobumi had already thought about this question, and he tapped Samoa heavily with his finger!

In contrast to Hawaii, which is still nominally independent, Samoa is a tripartite dispute between the United States, Britain and Germany. The three parties did not sign an agreement, and in this case, the occupation of the area controlled by the Americans would not have much repercussions, after all, now the United States and Japan are belligerents, and it is normal for one side to attack the other. And as a nail in the forefront of the United States in the Far East, only by controlling this place can the vast ocean become a truly insurmountable barrier for the Americans!

As mentioned above, it is very clear that the hatred between the United States and Japan is almost impossible to resolve, and Japan must always be ready to defend against the entry of US troops into the Far East, especially when it starts a war with Russia, how to avoid war with two countries at the same time is one of the most important issues for Japan!

Then the best way to avoid this is naturally to make the cost of war unaffordable for the Americans. Samoa is different from Hawaii, which is close to the United States and too far from Japan for Japan to control, while Samoa is relatively close to Japan and very far away from the United States, and the cost of an American attack is much greater than the cost of Japanese defense. So from a military or political point of view, the occupation of Samoa was the only choice for the Japanese! This will be the most important latch to block the entry of US troops into the Far East!

"Then let the navy attack Samoa after it is repaired? Will it cause an overreaction from the Germans? Xiyuan Temple Gongwang asked.

"The Germans now have no strength in the Far East, so in a short time, we don't have to worry, in fact, I always have a feeling that the Germans really want us to fight with Russia, whether we win or lose, it will be beneficial for Germany, after all, the Russians and the French are very close, and if the French allies are weakened, the situation in Germany is undoubtedly much better." Hirobumi Ito sneered.

"So, the Germans don't need to worry if they are weak and have a small calculation, as long as we don't do anything to the Germans, then they will be neutral. Let the Navy boldly do it! Hirobumi Ito finally made a decision. The deepest line of attack of the Japanese Navy in this war has been set!

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