At the end of October 1927.

The news that China is about to build two super battleships with the help of Germany has finally been confirmed by the Japanese military through various channels. These Japanese suddenly discovered that almost overnight, the great empire on the mainland, which had been pressing on Japan for thousands of years, had recovered from its almost extinction.

The reason why it is said to be finally is because in the eyes of the major Japanese newspapers in hindsight, the revival of a great empire like China, which has surpassed the East Asian countries for thousands of years, seems to be expected, and with China's thousands of years of heritage and accumulation, it is by no means surpass by Japan's efforts for decades.

"I beg your Excellency to come forward and call on the Imperial Majesty to purchase new battleships in the Daiban Navy to deal with the threat of the rise of China."

In the living room of a mansion somewhere in Tokyo, several Japanese admirals dressed in military uniforms knelt in front of an old man with a white beard and a loose Japanese kimono, and shouted loudly with all the dantian qi.

This lazy old man sitting on a tatami mat is the soul of the Japanese Navy, Marshal Count Heihachiro Togo. It was the same Heihachiro Togo who commanded the Japanese Combined Fleet in the Battle of Tsushima and almost completely annihilated the Russian Second Pacific Fleet with the weak defeating the strong, and Togo was nearly eighty years old at this time, and there was no doubt that he had entered his twilight years, and his whole body gave people a feeling of aging, except for the pair of eyes that still radiated a blazing gaze.

Lao Dongxiang twisted his eyebrows and swept the few people kneeling in front of him with a pair of still sharp eyes. They are Vice Admiral Keisuke Okada, former Minister of the Navy, Vice Admiral Kantaro Suzuki, Minister of Naval Command, and Admiral Kanji Kato, Commander of the Combined Fleet. The three men went to Heihachiro's house together early this morning, cried to him that the Japanese navy was about to be "threatened" by the Chinese navy, and asked him to come forward to the emperor and call for the navy to be equipped with the latest type of battleships.

"You're talking ...... The China Navy? I don't know if the old man is lonely or pretending to be confused, but after listening to the words of the three of them, he just frowned and shook his head: "The China Navy doesn't even have a regular cruiser at the moment, what threat can it pose to the empire?" ”

"But Your Excellency, according to reliable information, the shipyards under the Ministry of Armaments of the National Government of China have begun construction of four cruisers of 8,000 tons. And...... They are also working with the Germans to prepare for the construction of two first-class battleships, named Zhenyuan and Dingyuan."

Speaking of the three words Dingyuan, a look of pride and pride appeared on the face of Kantaro Suzuki, the head of the Navy Military Command. In the First Sino-Japanese War, the Dingyuan ironclad ship was secretly attacked and sunk by the torpedo boat under his command in the Battle of Weihaiwei

Heihachiro Togo snorted softly: "Have you forgotten that the soul of a warship is an officer, and without an officer, a sailor cannot give full play to his strengths; If the sailors can't play to their strengths, will the ship become a pile of scrap metal? Could it be that the current Imperial Navy has neglected its training and its officers have become rotten? Can you only rely on the so-called big ships and cannons to give yourself courage? I think that in the Sino-Qing War, the two ironclad ships of Dingyuan and Zhenyuan in China were larger than the largest warships of the empire, and the final battle was not a complete victory for the empire, so why? It is because the empire has the best naval officer schools and the best naval officers. At present, the Chinese Navy has been abandoned for decades, and even if they can grit their teeth and squeeze out the money to build battleships now, where will they find so many excellent naval officers and sailors? Without excellent naval officers and men, the new Dingyuan and Zhenyuan are just a pile of scrap metal."

was lectured by Dongxiang, and several naval leaders unconsciously lowered their heads, pretending to be ashamed. There was silence in the room, and the scene was a little awkward.

"Haha, don't pretend anymore, what can't you say in front of me? Anyway, I'm also a member of the Navy, so you won't treat me as an outsider, right? Heihachiro Togo suddenly laughed heartily.

The three generals, who were as humble as elementary school students, looked at each other for a moment before they straightened up. Kanji Kato smiled faintly and said what several people thought in their hearts:

"In fact, no one in the navy regards the battleships of China as the same thing, and these people of China have been a continental nation for thousands of years. No matter how much they cheer up now, at most their army can fight the Empire. To talk about the Navy...... I'm afraid that there are not many people in the whole country who really understand the navy, right? ”

Togo stroked his beard and nodded with a smile: "On the ocean, the real enemy of the Imperial Navy is only the United States. ”

"Your Excellency is right, only the United States is the adversary. It's just ......" Kanji Kato paused slightly, and his eyebrows gradually leaned together: "At present, the revival of the navy in China seems to be supported by Germany on the surface, but in fact, it should be the United States that supports them."

Togo furrowed his brows, looked at Kato, and just wanted to ask. The other party quickly and hurriedly continued: "The Kuomintang in power in China has always been pro-American, and it is known as the soul of the Kuomintang army (the Japanese always like this exaggerated nickname), Luo Yaoguo still retains American citizenship until now, and this time the United States also sold aircraft carriers to China despite the protests of the empire. So we have reason to suspect that the United States and China may have a secret pact against the Empire"

"No way, the United States is not such a country." Dongxiang shook his head slowly, but his face was a little pale.

Kato sighed and said, "Your Excellency is right, the United States may not sign a secret treaty with China. But...... Once Japan and the United States go to war, who will those two powerful battleships in Shina fight with? The history of China for thousands of years has already deeply implanted the principle of long-distance friendship and close attack in their bone marrow, and I am afraid that they would rather let the United States, which is far away on the other side of the ocean, rule the seas than let the Japanese Empire, which is also a yellow race, protect Asia. I don't think Your Excellency doubts this, right? ”

Togo lowered his eyes and nodded slightly. It's obvious that even Japan would make the same choice. It would rather let the United States rule than bow to China. What's more, at present, Japan and China can be said to have a deep blood feud, if China helps the United States defeat Japan, they will definitely be able to recover Taiwan and Kwantung Prefecture (the territory of the Kwantung Army), and they can also get back the 230 million taels of silver indemnity from the hands of the empire, right?

Kato sighed heavily: "The war between the empire and the United States has actually begun, and ...... The empire was at a disadvantage from the start"

As soon as Kato's words came out, the people in the room, including Togo, nodded in agreement. Kanji Kato's so-called "war against the United States has begun" refers to the Washington Naval Treaty. According to this treaty, the tonnage of Japan's capital ships could only be maintained at 60, that is, 300,000 tons, of the United States and Great Britain. And according to the calculations of Japanese naval strategist Tetsutaro Sato, Japan needs to have a naval strength equivalent to 70 percent of the United States to be able to win the war against the United States. This is the so-called "seventy-percent theory of the United States." Kanji Kato was the staunchest supporter of the "Theory of Seventy Percent on the United States", and one of the two great wishes of Heihachiro Togo in his later years was to abolish the Washington Naval Treaty. On December 22, 1934, after the Japanese government officially decided to abolish the Washington Treaty, Kanji Kato visited the grave of Admiral Heihachiro Togo, who had just died on May 30, at the Tama cemetery, and reported to him the good news of the abrogation of the Washington Naval Treaty.

"At present, the tonnage of Japan's capital ships is only 60 of the United States, that is, 300,000 tons to 500,000 tons, and the empire is already at a disadvantage, and according to the latest information, the displacement of the two battleships to be built in China is likely to be more than 40,000 tons, that is to say, China will have 80,000 tons of capital ship tonnage in a few years, or it is still manufactured with the latest German technology. If the 500,000-ton capital ships of the United States plus the 80,000-ton capital ships of China...... That's 300,000 tons versus 580,000 tons, how can the Imperial Navy win so many capital ships? ”

Having said that, Kanji Kato is almost in tears. It seems that he has seen the two new super battleships Zhenyuan and Dingyuan, flying the blue sky and white sun flag, fighting side by side with the American battleships, smashing and sinking the ten Japanese battleships one by one.

Kanji Kato was crying, and several other little Japanese old men were sighing. The current navy is still in the era of capital ships, so the victory or defeat of the war can be calculated on your fingers. The 300,000-ton capital ship will definitely not be able to defeat the 508,000-ton capital ship of the same era. So as soon as those two Chinese battleships were completed, Japan's hegemony in East Asia would be transferred to the United States. In the future, Japan will no longer have the right to speak on the East Asian issue, and with the support of the United States, it will naturally be a piece of cake for China to drive the Japanese out of Manchuria......

In fact, this kind of thinking is not far from the actual situation, otherwise how could the United States turn a blind eye to such a big incident as Sino-German cooperation? In their view, a stronger China could block the southward movement of GCISM and the ambitions of Japan. Moreover, allowing China to have a capital ship of about 100,000 tons can also offset Japan's maritime superiority, so that the United States can win hegemony in the Pacific without a fight.

"Then is it possible for the navy to destroy the two capital ships of China first, and then turn back to a decisive battle with the United States?" Dongxiang seemed to be a little unconfident in saying this, and the old man looked at the three admirals who were almost crying with expectant eyes.

The answer to this question was the former Admiral Keisuke Okada, who had not spoken, and only heard him sigh: "Do you think that our battleships, which are less than twenty-three knots, can catch up with the cutting-edge warships of the Shina people?" Moreover, China is now not only building battleships, but also spending huge sums of money to build coastal defense fortresses. Shanghai and Canton will be protected by layers of fortresses and cannons, and their battleships will only have to hide in the harbor and wait for the Americans. In addition, the army of the Nationalist Government of China is not the army of the Qing State, they have just defeated the Soviet Red Army......"

As soon as Okada's words were finished, Kanji Kato's crying voice rang out again: "Your Excellency, the navy is not only a navy that can play a role in wartime, but more as a deterrent in peacetime to seek the interests of the empire. If China has 80,000 tons of capital ships, and then allies with the United States, the living space of the empire will be completely blocked, and at that time, the empire will be defeated in war, and if it does not fight, it will be death."

It turns out that battleships are like the atomic bombs of later generations in this era, they don't have to be used, and they can be used by hanging them on the wall for people to look at. Especially for an island country like Japan, if China has 80,000 tons of capital ships and joins forces with the United States, it will be able to scare Japan without fighting.

Smack. Togo Heihachiro's slap hit the floor hard, and I saw the old guy blowing his beard and glaring, as if he was on fire: "No, the hegemony of the empire can't be wasted like this, I'm going to go into the palace to play His Majesty the Emperor, we must run a big navy, and we must not be stuck in the neck by China and the United States." ”

……

Kasumigaseki, Tokyo, the official residence of the Prime Minister of Japan.

The Minister of the Navy of the Hamaguchi Cabinet, Biao Caibe, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kishigero Bihara, hurried here early in the morning and then rushed headlong into the office of Prime Minister Yuyuki Hamaguchi.

"What is the opinion of His Excellency the Earl?"

The butt of the Ministry of Finance has not yet sat firmly, and Prime Minister Yuyuki Hamaguchi can't wait to ask questions.

Hamaguchi's "Lord Count" refers to another old immortal of the Japanese Navy, Admiral Count Yamaguchi Gonbei. This person is known as the "father of the Japanese navy", and when he was still Osa, he was called the Minister of Gonbei, and he actually commanded the Japanese navy, from the formulation of the Qing Dynasty's theory of naval control, the establishment of the combined fleet, the proposal of the 66th Fleet and the 88th Fleet, to the retirement of old officers, the implementation of the hammock, the victory of the two ships with rapid-fire guns, and the appointment of Ito Yuhiro and Togo Heihachiro as fleet commanders. And the current Minister of the Navy, Admiral Biao of the Ministry of Finance, is the son-in-law of Gonbei Yamaguchi, uh, the father and son generals of the Japanese Navy and Army, and Admiral Weng's son-in-law abound, and it looks like there must be something catty.

"The Count's opinion...... It was also believed that some cutting-edge battleships should be appropriately added or modified. The Ministry of Finance hung his head and sighed softly: "The revival of the navy has given those people the best excuse, if we don't react a little, I'm just afraid...... The government will be untenable. If those people are allowed to take control of the government, I am afraid they will go further than Your Excellency. ”

Hamaguchi nodded with some disappointment. He didn't expect to rely on Yamaguchi's old face to convince the current crowd of the navy. What's more, now the army is also following the blind coaxing, and also proposes to increase the army's budget, and wants to add an "armored division", and also says that without the armored division, there will be no way to conquer China in the future...... I don't know who agreed with them to conquer China?

"Bihara-kun." Hamaguchi Yuyuki shook his head and looked at the little fat man Bihara sitting next to the Ministry of Finance: "What do you say about the British and American sides?" ”

Kishigero Bihara also shook his head and sighed: "They ...... It's just that it is possible to consider allowing China to join the Washington Naval Treaty, which can give the equivalent of half of the capital ship tonnage of the empire......"

"What?" Hamaguchi Yuyuki glared at Bihara: "Half of the capitalship tonnage of the empire, that's 150,000 tons of them...... They...... It's really shameless, and the people of China only plan to build a capital ship of 70,000 to 80,000 tons at the moment...... Britain and the United States actually want to give them a quota of 150,000 tons"

The Ministry of Finance Biao smiled bitterly and interjected on the side: "At present, China's two battleships have not yet been built, and Britain and the United States no longer regard the empire in their eyes. If the battleships of Waitina really entered service...... The Empire's right to speak in East Asian affairs will probably be completely lost, right? Iegaku also hoped that the Imperial Navy would maintain its supremacy in the East. ”

"Is it to tear up the Washington Naval Treaty?" Hamaguchi asked rhetorically with a frown.

Cai Bu Biao shook his head slightly: "It's not to tear up the treaty, but to find a way to increase the strength of the imperial navy within the scope allowed by the treaty." For example, the original battleship was greatly modified. At present, the ten battleships of the Imperial Navy, except for the two ships Nagato and Mutsu, are not ideal. Either it was too slow or it was not well protected, and the Admiralty meant that it wanted to completely modernize these battleships...... so that it can be rejuvenated to cope with future wars. ”

"Is it just a makeover?" Hamaguchi Yuyuki hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "How much money is needed, has the Admiralty calculated it?" ”

The Ministry of Finance smiled bitterly and nodded slightly: "It is estimated that the eight battleships will be completely renovated, and each one will cost about 30 million, a total of 240 million."

"What?" Hamaguchi Yuyuki glared at the Ministry of Finance: "The Nagato number also cost more than 40 million, and you need 30 million to renovate?" Do you want to rebuild in the name of reconstruction? This is a violation of the treaty."

The Ministry of Finance smiled bitterly and lowered his head: "Now this is the only way to appease the raging army and navy...... Moreover, the eight battleships of the empire also had plans to be renovated, and now they are only expanding the original plan a little. Besides, although such a transformation is also a violation of the treaty, it is not obvious after all, and it should be possible to hide it, so don't our Nagato and Mutsu also violate the treaty? ”

Hamaguchi Yuyuki was about to open his mouth to refute, but the voice of the Ministry of Finance rang out again: "If we don't do this, I'm afraid that His Majesty the Emperor will also be dissatisfied with this." If your government falls, it will inevitably fall into the hands of those people, and then it will not be reformed, but will directly tear up the treaty, so please think twice. ”。

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