Fuso, Nagata Town, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Prime Minister's Office. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

Since the implementation of the constitutional monarchy in Fuso, this two-story wooden building in the style of Taisi is, in fact, the supreme power center of Fuso. Although it bears the name of the Prime Minister's official residence, in fact, it is not the Prime Minister's private residence, but an office space. Cabinet meetings, including those that decide on major policies in Fuso, are also held here.

In the power structure of Fuso, the five most important people in the cabinet are collectively known as the five ministers, namely the prime minister, the foreign minister, the Tibetan minister, the sea minister, and the land minister. The joint meeting of the five ministers of the cabinet can be regarded as a dispute and compromise between the five bigwigs on a certain issue. When they are satisfied with each other, their decision can roughly represent the will of the cabinet.

Since the beginning of the Shandong Campaign, the meetings of the Prime Minister's Mansion have never stopped, from the initial division of merits, to the later distribution of profits, and then to the current division of achievements. The Great Fear Cabinet has experienced a rollercoaster of ups and downs.

Now, the three divisions and regiments of the army are on the verge of collapse, and no one can afford to take the responsibility of letting the three divisions and regiments of the imperial army be annihilated in Shandong. It is necessary to discuss a solution and rescue the trapped troops, which is also the consensus of several people present.

Although they have a common understanding, when it comes to the specific implementation, because of the essential differences in the interests represented by the camp to which they belong, everyone's opinions are at odds with each other, and even incompatible. But this is also the norm in the cabinet, and everyone is used to this kind of scene.

Looking at the fierce quarrel between Lu Xiang and Hai Xiang, it was hard to believe that the two were talking and laughing in the Art Gym, and they were talking about wine. That's integrity, everyone is an actor in a mask, they can play anyone, but they just can't play themselves. The prime minister was not interested in the quarrel between the two, and his thoughts had actually flown out of this official residence, far, far away.

Recently, Tokyo Bay has become a popular fishing destination, and not only can fishermen earn several times as much as they used to when they go out to fish, but even beginners can get a lot of money when they go fishing in Tokyo Bay. Many staff members of the Prime Minister's Office also go there on their days off to demonstrate their fishing skills. Some fishermen attribute this to the gift of Amaterasu, believing that the gods descend on the green for the benefit of the people.

However, there are also those who believe that this is a trick of evil spirits. Not only do the fish in the sea become more easily hooked, but the domestic fish also become restless. Da Da believed in the goldfish he raised, and kept jumping out of the water, and even fell to the floor. Put the goldfish back in the tank, and it will continue to jump, and I don't know why.

Is it the power of the gods, or the power of demons? In short, all this cannot be explained by natural phenomena. As Prime Minister, he knows more than the average person.

For example, on a certain freighter, a large number of green dragonflies flew in, followed by various birds. Most of these birds are unnamed by the boatmen, but whatever they are, they should be fearful. But these birds are not afraid of people, they do not fight each other, and they do not hunt dragonflies. Just obediently standing motionless on the mast, deck, and guardrail. Some crew members subconsciously sighed: This really looks like a refugee on a lifeboat, our ship, should be renamed Noah?

After all, the freighter is not Noah, and the crew is not God's chosen saints. They caught all the birds and sold them in Tokyo. According to the crew's boasting, when the birds were caught, the birds remained motionless and were allowed to be captured. If a companion is caught, the other birds will not escape, which is simply a mythological story.

Da Wei did not treat these as urban weird talks, on the contrary, he felt a trace of inexplicable panic from these incidents. As an old man over seventy, he has not felt this panic for many years. Something inside him told him that he had to do something, or something terrible might happen. But the truth is that he really has no skills.

Compared with the study of goldfish or birds, it is obvious that the war situation in Shandong is more important, and the face of the imperial state and the interests of the army need to be maintained by himself as the prime minister. At this time, any issue is not as important as the Shandong issue.

He started as a Tibetan minister, and his best field is economics, followed by law, and he is not good at military affairs. In particular, he was not interested in the struggle between the army and the navy, as well as the struggle between the two feudal domains behind the scenes. He himself, who was once in the same boat as the chief of the two lords, was disgusted by the entire military system.

However, from his tenure as the chairman of the Military Support Association to the second formation of the cabinet, the driving force behind it was the veteran of the political and military circles of Fuso, and also the backer of the army. He is also branded with a strong army brand. Although the defeat of Shandong had little to do with the navy, as the prime minister of the army, he must exonerate the army from responsibility, and take advantage of this incident to suppress the navy and ensure the status of the army.

The navy, which represented the interests of the Satsuma Domain, naturally would not succumb so easily. But now, the life of the Navy is not easy, and it is really impossible to attack the prime minister.

"The Siemens incident has caused great damage to the image of the soldiers of our imperial country, and the angry citizens almost rushed into the headquarters of the Navy Ministry in Xiaguan. If it weren't for the timely arrival of our army, the situation would have been almost out of control. The battle situation in Shandong was also due to the cowardice and fear of the navy, which led to the complete failure of the army's coordinated operation plan, and tens of thousands of generals fell into the siege of more than ten times the enemy. Although the army successfully killed more than three times as many enemies as the army, it is still under heavy siege by the enemy. In order to save the valiant Army, we must make a decision. ”

Shandong was newly defeated, and a top-secret document leaked from the Prussian Siemens company was suddenly published in the local newspapers of Fuso. It is said that a senior executive of Siemens Inc. secretly fled to Albion with documents, which were first made public by Albion and then reprinted by local newspapers in Fuso.

This document contains in detail the specific process and figures of the Fuso Navy Officer's receipt of the return when he commissioned the Prussian company to build a warship. Subsequently, the shipyard in Albiang also published similar data. Of the several naval officers involved, some earned 400,000 Fusang gold yuan at one time.

You know, now you can build a house in Tokyo for only a few thousand gold dollars. The large amount of 400,000 yuan naturally discredited the navy. Some people in the political arena of Fusang said: When you think of the navy, you think of the 88th fleet, and when you think of the 88th fleet, you think of replying......

As a result of this incident, not only did the Fuso Navy's plan to build 16 steam warships go bankrupt, but it also caused the navy's reputation to plummet, and it was completely suppressed by the land minister in the cabinet. These two incidents are definitely not a coincidence, and the owner of Satsuma believes that it must have been the Choshu valve who did something behind his back, using this document to divert attention and reduce the responsibility of the army.

It was a great opportunity to knock the army to hell, but it was taken advantage of by the opponent to turn against the army, and it is still being used to make a fuss. The face of the sea minister Hachidai Rokuro is naturally not good, but at the moment, when the navy is carrying its luck, not to mention that behind the army, there is still the big Buddha in Shanxian County.

Since Ito was stabbed to death, there are few people in Fuso politics who can have friends with Yamagu. Even the lord of Satsuma was nowhere near as powerful as him. Yes, no matter how bad the mood of Yashiro Rokuro is, he doesn't dare to turn his face and scold the army.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, given the current financial situation, it seems that there is too much pressure to expand the establishment of two more divisions. After all, we have invested huge sums of money in fighting for Shandong, and if the war continues, our losses will be even greater. I believe that the time has come to make a decision, and that a truce with Shandong can be achieved for the time being, taking advantage of the mediation of the Albians......"

Before Rokuro Yashiro finished speaking, he was savagely interrupted by War Minister Nosuke Okaichi. He is the spokesman of the cabinet of Yama Youpeng, so he naturally wants to safeguard the interests of the army. The expansion of the army was met with many obstacles in the cabinet, and the defeat in Shandong this time put the army on the cusp.

At this time, it cannot be refunded. Once you take a step back, the next step will be the target of everyone, and the army will have to carry the pot of defeat in the battle. The more this time, the tougher it is. Anyway, there is a big guy standing behind him, and if there is a problem, there will be a big guy who will come forward to take over, and it is Ioka City's nosuke who does not have the slightest guilt of defeat, as if the Fuso Army won the battle in Shandong.

"The Army will never allow any traitorous acts to take place. To make peace without permission when the battle is not won is to betray the country and betray His Majesty the Great Emperor! The temporary transfer of the army was due to the lack of troops, and if we wanted to save the tide of the war, we had to increase our troops. Our problem is that there are too few staff. Precious funds, injected into some useless areas, end up in the pockets of some black sheep. This is a crime, a crime against an entire nation, and it can never be forgiven! ”

When he mentioned the Siemens incident again, it was obvious that he was targeting the navy, and then he said even more blatantly: "I suggest that the funds for the new army divisions and regiments be allocated from the navy's funds." In a short time, there will be no large-scale battles in the Navy, and there is no point in leaving so much money for the Navy. Besides, the Qingdao fortress is progressing slowly, and the navy also bears the main responsibility. Since the navy can't take the fortress, it's up to our army to complete it. The navy, as long as lying on the deck, it is enough to watch how the army planted the military flag on the main peak of Qingdao Mountain. ”

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, the Navy will not agree with such a point of view!" When it comes to the issue of fundamental interests, not to mention Okashi, even if there are friends in Yama County, Yashiro Rokuro also has to fight. He hurriedly said:

"Now is the perfect time for the empire to grow. In the future world, sea power will replace land power and represent the strength and status of the country. The vast sea is the best pasture in the empire. The navy needs more warships and more soldiers, and this needs financial support. For the sake of the infantry of two divisions, the future of the entire empire will be sacrificed, and who of us can bear this responsibility? ”

Da Wei coughed lightly twice, stopped the quarrel between the two sides, and then considered the words: "Regarding the formation of army divisions, I think we should look at it from another angle. How should the Shandong problem be solved? Will the people approve of a lost war? In particular, the adversary is China. If Albion's suggestion were accepted at this time, I think the people would be angry, and we must think about the consequences. ”

His voice was not loud, but because of these words, the room became silent, and everyone only felt a slight tremor under their feet...... Isn't this the power of the people?

As the news of Shandong's defeat spread, the people's dissatisfaction with the Dawei cabinet grew, and if it ended in defeat, then the Dawei cabinet would have to put the general resignation on the agenda. As one of the five phases, several people present also had to resign, which was not what they wanted.

Da Wei said: "I don't understand military affairs, but I understand His Majesty's thoughts. We can accept Albion's mediation, but only if the Imperial Army achieves absolute military superiority. Only if we occupy the absolute initiative on the battlefield and negotiate will it be beneficial to us. I don't think the Navy can understand this without much explanation. If you want to achieve victory, you must have enough troops to push it up with overwhelming forces and completely break the will to fight of the Lu army. Therefore, I think the idea of increasing the strength of the army is feasible. ”

Foreign Minister Kato Mitsuki said: "Your Excellency Prime Minister, I must remind you that the attitude of the people of Albion is very resolute, and they can guarantee the safety of my trapped troops, and they can also guarantee that the Imperial Kingdom will gain benefits in Shandong." However, we must stop the offensive against the Lu army and retain the fighting units of the Lu army. In the next stage, the Lu army will be used as a mercenary army to carry out anti-riot operations in Tianzhu. If the damage to the Lu army is too great, Albiang's interests will be harmed, which is intolerable to the Albiang government. ”

"Not avenging the fallen heroes is also intolerable to the Army." Okaichi Nosuke said coldly: "The Shandong issue must end with the unconditional victory of the imperial army, which is the bottom line that cannot be changed. What Albiang needs is not a Lu army, just mercenaries. No matter who it is, as long as he can help him solve the Tianzhu problem, Albion can accept it. Therefore, after the army has expanded its two divisions, it can send one division to fight in Tianzhu, and Albiang has troops, so what reason is there to stop us from attacking Shandong. ”

Eight generations of Rokuro said: "A division? The army took out the mobile strength of a division? Let's not forget, we also need garrisons in Shandong to maintain deterrence. ”

"Of course, as long as there are two divisions and regiments, it is enough to add one more ad hoc division."

"What? Are you saying that what the Army is actually pursuing is to increase the number of divisions and regiments? This is just too much! ”

"No, what the Army actually wants is to increase the strength of four divisions, and it doesn't think it's excessive. In the future, on the battlefield of Taixi, there will also be the figure of the Imperial Army, and at the same time, the mainland must maintain enough mobile troops, and the establishment of four divisions is not much. ”

Okaichi Nosuke's gaze became scorching, "The staff officers have drawn up the plan for the second phase of the Shandong campaign, and this time they will definitely be able to completely solve the warlord Zhao and his troops." Whoever wants peace talks at this time is a national thief! I, a patriotic soldier, will definitely not tolerate it! And as long as I live, I will never agree to make any compromise with Shandong! ”

The Minister of War's hand slammed on the table, and several ministers felt that the vibration under their feet was greater than that of Fang Cai, and they were secretly surprised that this old man in his twilight years had such strength at some point. But the Minister of War was evidently more determined than that, and when his hand left the table, the tremor under his feet did not abate, but intensified.

As a Fuso person living in a country of calamity, he also understood at this time, and Okaichi sneered, "Is there another earthquake?" There are hundreds of earthquakes every year, and this is our capital. As long as China and even Asia are conquered as soon as possible, the people of Fuso will be able to move to a livable environment......"

Earthquakes in Fuso are frequent, but the magnitude is limited, and the Prime Minister's official residence is unusually strong, so there is no need to worry about earthquakes. However, this time the earthquake felt a little different, the tremor did not decrease with time, but became more and more intense, the wooden structure made a tooth-aching creaking sound, and the crystal chandelier above the head began to shake violently.

The attendant hurriedly opened the door and said to everyone: "The earthquake is extremely violent, please move with me." ”

Da Wei Shigeshin was assassinated in his early years, and both feet were lost, so he could only be carried by his attendants and walked out of the door. When the old man lying on the back of the attendant was about to leave the door, a thought suddenly occurred in his heart: those birds and fish may really want to take refuge. This earthquake is probably not a small fight in the past, but a catastrophe. (To be continued.) )