Emperor Tamamu sat there, still frowning. The two countermeasures proposed by Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info Uesugi Adachi just now are, in fact, in his opinion, just expedient measures that treat the symptoms rather than the root cause. Adding new battleships to the Navy and cobbling together some equipment for the Army -- something that Japan has been doing since his father's generation decades ago.

But in his generation, he can still only do this kind of thing, and he is more passive, and the crisis he faces is even more panicked. He wanted to stand up and tell Uesugi Anda, and all the ministers here, that Japan could no longer be forced to follow the path of an arms race by the Ming Dynasty, but he did not have the courage or determination to do so.

Like all emperors since independence, he was frugal and worked hard to make the country prosperous, so that the Japanese Empire could one day defeat the Ming Dynasty and achieve a real rise. If he gave up the arms race, then the hope of the Japanese empire rising again would be completely shattered.

However, Uesugi Anda's next words made Emperor Tammu even more intrigued, and he sat up straight, turned his face to look at his prime minister, and then showed a relieved expression. At this moment, he felt that Prime Minister Uesugi understood him and loved the whole of Japan.

Because Uesugi raised a question there that was very much in line with Emperor Tamtake's thoughts, I only heard Prime Minister Uesugi say slowly: "This is just a temporary plan to deal with the Ming Dynasty, I think our Great Japanese Empire should also carry out an innovation, use science and technology to lead the system change of war, and surpass the new tactics that the Ming Empire has just formed!" ”

He clenched his fist with one hand, put it on the table, and continued with a firm mouth: "It's just that it's exhausting in terms of numbers, the cost is large, and it's caught in the thankless cycle of competing with the Ming Empire for national strength!" This is very unwise! If we develop secret weapons, we will be able to break the national strength advantage of the Ming Empire with less cost, and take the victory or defeat of the war into our own hands! ”

"But if we design a new weapon, we also need steel and resources, and that's an extra burden for us, isn't it?" This time, Emperor Tamamu finally spoke, and he asked Uesugi a question, asking the question he wanted to hear answered.

Hearing Emperor Tamatake speak, Uesugi Anda knew that he had the emperor's support for speaking this time. He breathed a sigh of relief, and then continued to speak his thoughts, his tone and speed were completely different from just now, and he sounded more confident and brisk: "We can develop a more powerful flying force!" ”

"Oh? Tell us what you think. His Majesty the Emperor sensed that this was a new statement, so he asked Uesugi to continue. With the emperor opening his mouth, neither the Minister of the Navy nor the Minister of War had a chance to speak, and could only listen to Prime Minister Uesugi finish his words.

"First of all, the Ming Empire has developed a new weapon called 'chariot' in the army system, and we have no way to surpass it - because after all, this is a very steel-consuming project." Uesugi Adachi rejected the Army's demand for larger and heavier tanks, also in order to use limited resources in better places.

Then he continued: "Not with airplanes! All countries are still in the stage of exploration and exploration, and no one has directly found the direction of the development of future aircraft, and there are not many steel and other metals used in this aircraft! ”

Compared to a tank that weighs more than 20 tons at every turn, an airplane weighs only a few hundred kilograms, and if you include wood and other materials that Japan does not lack, the consumption of metal is relatively much less. If the development of aircraft can change the system of warfare, it will be very exciting news for Japan.

"I just got the news that the British have produced an advanced aero engine with 900 horsepower, and we can buy this engine, develop supporting equipment, and produce more powerful fighters!" Uesugi Adachi remembered the future of Japan's defeat of the Ming Empire in the sky: "As long as we rule the sky, wouldn't bombers carrying more bombs be able to blow up and sink all enemy warships close to the Japanese mainland?" ”

"Wonderful! No fighter can have the range to fly over the strait...... As long as we develop larger bombers and carry more bombs, won't the 'chariots' on the ground or the warships on the sea dare not approach the Japanese mainland? When Emperor Tammu heard Uesugi Anda say this, he immediately clapped his hands and praised him.

Compared with the fact that a battleship of the Navy has to use up tens of thousands of tons of steel at every turn, and the Army's 300 tanks have to use thousands of tons of high-quality steel, even if the Air Force builds hundreds of aircraft, it is nothing more than hundreds of tons of metal materials. A comparison of the costs of the two sides is simply incomparable.

If the technological superiority can be used to establish the superiority of the air force, then the expensive ground tank troops formed by the Ming Empire will not become piles of scrap copper and rotten iron? The money he invested was less than that of the Ming Empire, only a fraction of it. Thinking like this, Emperor Yuwu's heart couldn't help but feel refreshed.

Of course, as an emperor, he was not yet an idiot to the point of deciding things at the slightest thought, and after a moment of darkness, he calmed himself down, after all, this was just a possibility, and it was impossible to pin the fate of the entire empire on such a plan with an unknown future.

"Ahem! This one...... Although the prospect sounds very tempting, at the moment, we have not done everything you say. After Emperor Tamamu coughed twice, he opened his mouth and said to Uesugi Adachi: "After all, the development of aircraft does not have the possibility of large-scale ground fighting******** in fact, the aircraft used in Japan is also based on the British Queen's 1 fighter." This kind of small thing, which weighs only a few hundred pounds, is very reluctant to carry a machine gun, let alone hang a bomb to carry out a ground-to-sea attack mission.

Recently, Japan has also been developing new naval patrol aircraft, using two more powerful engines and a biplane design that barely allows the aircraft to carry more fuel and patrol more places. Now the sudden proposal to use aircraft to attack warships and tanks is really a bit unbelievable.

"But! Experiments can go on! Subsequently, Emperor Tamatake said a way to satisfy Uesugi Anda: "The investment should also be appropriately increased!" We have to explore different paths, like the Ming Empire! We may fail and suffer setbacks in our quest, but once we succeed, we can also enjoy a victory like the Ming Empire is today! ”

"I believe that the Great Japanese Empire will eventually become a great power in Asia and the world! I firmly believe that we can defeat the Ming Empire and trample their land under our feet! Gentlemen...... Work with me to fulfill the dream of the Japanese Empire to dominate the world! Emperor Tamamu said as he stood up, brandished his fist and shouted, "Long live the Great Japanese Empire!" ”

"Long live His Majesty the Emperor!" Everyone then stood up, bent down, bowed in the direction of the Emperor, and shouted, "Long live the Great Japanese Empire!" ”

Watching Emperor Tamatake leave the conference room of the base camp, Navy Minister Takehiro Oda turned his head sideways and asked Takashi Togo in a deep voice that could only be heard by him and the other party: "Do you think that Prime Minister Uesugi's plan for a new aircraft can really deal a devastating blow to a battleship of this class as a battleship?" ”

"Sir, I don't know what the plane will look like, so I can't comment on it......" Takaichi Togo lowered his voice and replied to his commander in a disdainful tone: "But I know the navy, we attacked each other using 356 mm caliber shells, one of which weighed hundreds of kilograms...... What does it take to develop an airplane to carry a 300-kilogram bomb? ”

"I knew that it was the old fox Uesugi Anda who was fooling us and His Majesty the Emperor." Navy Minister Oda Takehiro nodded, and said to Takaichi Togo in a cold tone: "He only cares about the economy of the empire, and he doesn't understand war at all...... You're right, planes that can sink battleships will never be produced in twenty years! ”

On the other side of the office conference table, War Minister Fumi Sato was also discussing the matter of aircraft with his henchman Mitsui Takanomiya, and it was obvious that the War Minister also had little hope for Uesugi Adachi's so-called air force victory: "Do you think this incident can be an opportunity for us to balance those 'chariots' of the Ming Dynasty?" ”

Takanomiya Mitsui was a front-line commander who knew about military affairs, and he was not like Sato Bun, who did not have such a novelty as airplanes in the era when he led troops in his youth. Mitsui Takanomiya had seen the bombs dropped by planes with his own eyes, so he had more say in the matter.

However, the army general still didn't have a good impression of the plane, and shook his head in denial: "This is impossible...... Even if our best planes were ten times more advanced, they would not be able to accurately drop bombs on artillery positions with anti-aircraft interference. ”

After a pause, he continued to attack his superiors, and the results he said made those who listened to it very frustrated: "What's more, attacking the enemy's moving 'tanks' with planes is a smaller target than an artillery position, and it is still moving...... I can barely believe that I happened to hit a few cars, but when it comes to large-scale destruction, I prefer to trust the artillery in my hands more. Don't you think artillery is more practical than airplane bombing? ”

"It's a pity that I don't have many cannons to fight for...... I hope that your successor, General Miyamoto Yuhito, will be able to create a miracle for the Great Japanese Army on the Korean Peninsula. Sato Wen sighed and said stupidly. (To be continued.) )