In September, the sky was thundering, and the lightning pierced the sky, dyeing the heavens and the earth in a miserable white color.

Crown Prince Regent Hirohito's face was pale, and the light of lightning was even paler, and bursts of thunder beat his heart like a heavenly might, kneeling on the side of his father, Emperor Taisho, and trembling in horror.

After the Great Kanto Earthquake, there was a lot of mourning in Tokyo, but even at this time, there were still gangsters and local ruffians who took the opportunity to loot property, and it was Hirohito who ordered the guards to go out to suppress it, and in order to divert domestic conflicts, he aimed the spearhead at the Koreans, and slaughtered thousands of Koreans in one fell swoop. Although he asked that the Chinese should not be touched at this time, the hatred accumulated by the Sino-Japanese war, especially Li Bufan's counterattack, was tantamount to shattering Japan's dream of dominating East Asia, and some people still found trouble with the Chinese, causing dozens of Chinese to be killed and injured. Despite his efforts to cover up the truth at all costs, the Chinese government in Nanjing knew about it.

China's Nanjing government is a provisional government, a transitional government controlled by military personnel, and it has also made it clear that the official president will be re-elected after the Sino-Japanese war, and Li Bufan is said to have told Anhui officials that he will not occupy the presidential throne, and it is very likely that Duan Qirui will take the throne. This is also the main reason why the great powers have not turned their faces with the Chinese government so far, because as long as Li Bufan, a hardliner is not in power, there is still a great possibility that the great powers will continue to maintain their interests in China without going through war, especially after the world war, when the Western world is generally war-weary, the great powers have no choice but to choose a policy of appeasement.

Originally, the war had basically ended and negotiations were already underway, but with the exposure of the repression, the extremely tough Li Bufan Nanjing Provisional Government actually announced the breakdown of negotiations and continued to attack the "unconvinced Japan". All because of the suppressive order issued by Hirohito, so that Li Bufan, who brazenly declared war with Japan because of the massacre of civilians, once again found an excuse for war, and it will also hit Japan hard again, and the road to Japan's recovery will be even more difficult.

"Do you know what's wrong?" Emperor Taisho's voice was ethereal.

"The son's lax management of the army led to extraneous branches, causing this catastrophe!" Hirohito replied tremblingly.

Emperor Taisho sighed deeply, still lying on the recliner like a zombie, only his mouth was moving: "You were born in the era of the rise of the empire, and when you were just sensible at the age of three or four, the empire defeated the old power Russia, and the momentum of the empire reached a peak. In such an environment, you have developed a high-minded and arrogant mentality, inheriting the spirit of a martial artist who will never give in, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. ”

"The son can't understand what his father means." Hirohito really didn't understand, and he wondered how this father with meningitis suddenly became so inscrutable.

Emperor Taisho sighed softly and said, "Your mentality, if the empire develops smoothly, then it will naturally make you more enterprising." However, once you encounter adversity, you will find it difficult to bear if you have not suffered setbacks, and you will become extreme, or even take risks. "If Wu Di, a traverser, is here, he will definitely be shocked by Emperor Taisho's evaluation of Hirohito. Because according to historical development, after Hirohito came to power, Japan soon gradually moved towards full-scale fascism, became aggressive, seized the Northeast, and then launched a full-scale invasion of China, and finally sent troops south in a frenzy when the confrontation could not be won.

"Do you know what it takes to really be a strong country?" Taisho didn't wait for Hirohito's answer, and continued, "Not only must you be able to fight, but you must also be able to be beaten." To do this, there must be two foundations: First, the territory is vast. If the territory is vast enough, it means that there is a vast strategic depth and can afford to lose. As long as the country's leaders are tough enough and don't surrender, they can keep fighting. Just like China and Russia, many powerful countries want to colonize China completely, but none of them have the courage to force China to rush it; For example, in the Russo-Japanese War, it was clear that the empire defeated Russia, but Russia refused all reparations, but the empire could only admit it, because as long as Russia did not surrender, the empire could not fight St. Petersburg, and it could not afford to spend it. Second, the population should be large enough. If there is a war, someone has to fight. Only with a sufficient population can there be enough troops, and even if the industry is backward, the war potential is unlimited. For example, before the Crimean War, Russia was known as the gendarme of Europe, but in fact Russia was still serfdom, and its industrial technology was far behind Britain and France, because there were many Russians, and its casualty bearing capacity far exceeded that of Britain and France. For example, the current Nanjing Provisional Government in China was originally arrogant and domineering, but why did Li Bufan clamore that they had a population of 500 million and that the maximum mobilization could reach hundreds of millions, and the great powers immediately died down? Because the great powers are afraid, they are indeed stronger than China, but their ability to bear casualties cannot be compared with China, which has a population of 500 million. ”

Hirohito listened blankly, and his heart set off a turbulent wave, and he suddenly realized that he didn't know his father at all.

Emperor Taisho sighed, "The empire has positioned itself wrong from the beginning. As an island country, its innate development is limited, and the empire should not follow the mainland policy, but should follow the path of Britain's maritime power, using the sea as a barrier, and developing an invincible fleet to protect the interests of the empire. The Russo-Japanese War had fully exposed the weakness of the empire, but it was a pity that everyone was confused by the victory, and everyone went crazy. I can't stop it, I can't change it, it's better to be quiet. A country that cannot even recognize its own strength is doomed to failure. You know for yourself. He told Hirohito to leave.

Hirohito was a little depressed, and Emperor Taisho's analysis subverted what he had heard and seen. The Japanese top brass blamed the Great Kanto Earthquake for the fiasco, and no one was reconciled, and he thought so. But now that he listened to Taisho's analysis, he suddenly thought of China's territory, which was dozens of times larger than Japan's, and had a population ten times larger, and his heart was instantly filled with a sense of powerlessness.

He suddenly understood the inner feelings of his father, Emperor Taisho, and felt that the impassioned remarks on mainland policy in the past were full of irony and seemed extremely ridiculous and pathetic.

But the Tokyo cabinet was filled with agitation and anger.

"The people of China are too deceitful, Xiyuan Temple-kun, your plan to lead the water to the west is generally right, but you forgot, and then make peace." Yama Prefecture has a friend who has been a military boss since the Meiji period, and he can't accept defeat, let alone China, which he has always looked down on, actually hitting Japan itself.

Heihachiro Togo said in a deep voice: "The landing of the Shina army on the mainland of the empire is an extremely heavy blow to the morale of the people of the empire, and the empire must counterattack and achieve a considerable victory to rebuild confidence. Otherwise, I am afraid that many juniors will find it difficult to develop fighting spirit when they see the people of China, and in the long run, it will be detrimental to the revival of the empire. ”

Saionji Gongwang glanced at Yasuya Uchida, who was sitting in the prime minister's position like a dead man, and sighed: "Yamasan-kun, is the army sure?" ”

Youpeng of Shan County said with a gloomy face: "Of course." In the mainland of China, it is difficult for the empire to transport troops, and China naturally has the advantage of troops and supplies, but now in the territory of the empire, the empire can easily mobilize enough men and strategic materials to fight a decisive battle with China, and resolutely defeat the arrogance of China. Of course, it would be best if the navy could make a move at this time, even if it would affect the transportation and supply of China a little. ”

Togo Heihachiro pondered for a long time, watched everyone look at him, and said with a wry smile: "Don't hide it from you." The battle sequence arrangement of the Imperial Navy is basically the inclusion of advanced warships in the combat fleet, while the local Rongwei fleet is all retired warships, whose purpose is to patrol, anti-smuggling and training naval recruits, these warships are almost no different from those old antiques in China, and both speed and firepower are quite limited. If you really fight with all your might, I'm afraid there will be little left. ”

Shan County Youpeng said in a deep voice: "Dongxiang-kun, now that the empire is at a critical juncture of life and death, does the navy still want to preserve its strength?" Since these warships are old, they will be dismantled and wasted in the future, so it is better to give it a go. As long as the Empire's shipbuilding industry is there, the Empire will be able to rebuild a new fleet in the future. ”

Heihachiro Togo smiled angrily: "Idiot, do you think that the navy is the same as the army, as long as there are people who can form combat effectiveness in a few months?" The Navy is a technical service, understand? Especially in the era of steam turbines, a small mistake will cause the ship to be destroyed and people to die, and a small oil pipe leakage may completely turn the entire warship into a sea of fire and detonate the ammunition depot, and the consequences will be even more unimaginable. ”

Youpeng in Shan County snorted coldly and said, "Joke." Isn't the fleet of China warships just out of the factory and put into combat? ”

Heihachiro Togo smiled bitterly: "Don't you understand? Li Bufan, the leader of China, subdued the old navy of China before the war, although they were backward and rotten, but they were all old navy and had rich experience; Secondly, I think that many officers and men of the Chinese Navy are involved in the whole process of manufacturing warships, which makes them unusually familiar with warships; Third, they are crazy and have to fight to the death. Because the leader of the China was not from the navy, the China Navy had to fight under his strict orders. ”

Youpeng in Shanxian gritted his teeth and said: "Dongxiang-kun, do you think that the empire has not yet reached the point of exhaustion?" China is once again looking for an excuse to go to war, and its sinister intentions to destroy the empire are clearly revealed, and the empire has no way out, and if it does not fight, it will die. Only by working hard can we create a future for the empire. ”

Heihachiro Togo took a long breath, closed his eyes and said, "Needless to say, the navy will attack." ”

"Your Excellency!" The top brass of the Navy was in a hurry.

Heihachiro Togo raised his hand to stop it, and said in a deep voice: "Strong and strong play, weak and weak." ”

"Yo Xi!" Shan Shan Youpeng nodded, he also knew that he couldn't be demanding, as long as the navy could be dispatched, the key to this war was a land duel

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