The success of Pearl Harbor has created a special atmosphere throughout Japan, where they hope that all their opponents, like the United States, will be able to honestly wait there to be beaten.

This is complete wishful thinking, and anyone with a modicum of brains knows that Pearl Harbor was an exception, the product of a combination of contingencies, and that it is impossible to repeat it. After the whole world was involved in the war, the protection of ports and other places in various countries was multiplied, and there was almost no possibility of a sneak attack, but Japan still stubbornly wanted to replicate the Pearl Harbor attack.

This time, they set their sights on the Ryukyus, home to China's East China Sea Fleet, stockpiling the best of the Chinese navy and posing a major threat to the Japanese mainland. Moreover, this is also the eastern gate of China, and if you want to attack the Chinese mainland, you must first take the Ryukyus, which is a battleground for soldiers. The first leg of Japan's expansion was the Ryukyus, followed by Korea and Taiwan, but Japan lost the Ryukyus after its last defeat to China.

This time, Japan did not hesitate to set its sights on the Ryukyus, and Yamamoto's battle plan was similar to the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, that is, to concentrate all the existing aircraft carriers in Japan and adopt a surprise attack on the Chinese fleet in the Ryukyus, so as to knock out the nail in one fell swoop.

Hirohito has a soft spot for this plan, and the reason is very simple, that is, from the bottom of his heart, he does not see the possibility of defeating China in a head-on fight, so he can only hope for a sneak attack, not to mention that the Japanese soldiers are very particular about the spirit of bushido, but their upper echelons are very respectful of strategy and use of intrigue and trickery.

At the same time as Hirohito was thinking about this plan, the life of Japan's last patriarch, Saionji Gongwang, also came to an end, and Japanese politics is a typical gerontocracy, often some people have to be blamed by all sides when they are prime ministers, and they have to bear all kinds of responsibilities and pressures, which are typical gas bags and dirty buckets. There is also the danger of being assassinated. But once retired. Life is very comfortable. Not only can they dictate anything, but they also don't have to bear any responsibility, and the prime minister standing on the stage has to humbly listen to their advice, even scolding.

As the last patriarch of Japan. Ito Hirobumi's student, Saionji Gongwang has unimaginable influence, especially after the death of Aritomo in Yamaguchi, the era of Saionji Gongwang calling for wind and rain has come. It's just that the old guy is smarter, deliberately keeps himself out of the matter, and rarely expresses his opinion publicly, creating a false impression of weakness.

In fact, there are countless ways to embarrass Hirohito, but the old guys have given up, as the saying goes, the tiger doesn't bite when it's old, that's the truth. Saionji Gongwang didn't want to make trouble for his descendants, he was already old and didn't have much time to live, so why should he offend the young emperor.

But after the outbreak of World War II. Japan threw itself into the war, and everything got out of control. The power of the military department is expanding wildly, Prime Minister Hideki Tojo is obedient to Hirohito, and Hirohito is constantly destroying the political landscape of Japan, and the emperor is directly interfering in more and more affairs.

As a veteran politician, Xiyuan Temple Gongwang is the most disgusted by this kind of behavior that destroys the political landscape, and if a regime wants to be stable, it must achieve a balance of forces among all parties. The emperor of Japan is only a national symbol and does not participate in specific decision-making, and specific affairs are left to the prime minister. This arrangement is not only a restriction on the power of the emperor, but also a protection of the emperor's sacredness, and only by not doing things can he not make mistakes.

If we do not make mistakes, we can always maintain the sanctity of the emperor, and all Japanese people can willingly prostrate at the feet of the imperial power and fight for the Japanese Empire, while the prime minister can become a scapegoat at any time, be ousted from power, and alleviate the people's grievances.

Hirohito obviously did not see through the mystery, especially after he lost to China, he became more and more obsessed with power, constantly strengthened his power, participated in more and more affairs, and even directly contacted military generals around the prime minister to formulate a war strategy, which made Xionji Gongwang feel a trace of fear.

It's just that the public hope of Xiyuan Temple has reached its last years, and the old guy no longer has the strength to change anything.

"Patriarch, it's time for you to take your medicine!"

A very delicate Japanese girl gently lifted up the Xiyuan Temple, the old guy's face was full of age spots, his eyes had already become cloudy, his body was like a piece of rotten wood, without any vitality, let the girl be delicate and lovely, the old guy was too lazy to take a look, and he didn't even want to say a word.

He reluctantly swallowed the pill, took a few more sips of water, and then stared straight at the door, as if waiting for something.

At this time, there was a sound of footsteps outside the house, and soon two Japanese in kimonos came to the house of Saionji Gongwang one after the other, these two people were not ordinary people, led by Okamura Ninji, who commanded the campaign to attack the Philippines and beat MacArthur to the ground, and was praised by the Japanese Army as a new generation of famous generals.

Behind Okamura Ninji was Ishihara Waner, who participated in the formulation of the Nanyang strategy and was considered the best staff officer in Japan, and these two people came to the room of Saionji Gongwang one after the other, and when they saw that the former powerful patriarch was staring blankly at the door, both of them hurriedly walked a few steps, and then knelt in front of Saionji Gongwang.

"Elder, we're late, please forgive us!"

Gongwang of Xiyuan Temple finally regained his senses, and nodded stiffly, "You are all useful talents of the empire, if you want to fight for the future of the empire, only I am a waste waiting for death!" ”

"Don't say that, veteran, the future of Japan depends on you, and it is unimaginable what the empire will become without you."

What else did Okamura Ninji say, Saionji Gongwang shook his hand and sighed: "Don't say it, that's what you think, in the eyes of others, I have long been a useless old man." There is a saying among the people of China that old age and not dying is a thief, and in the eyes of others, I am probably like this. ”

There was a strong sense of desolation in the words of Xiyuan Temple Gongwang, and Okamura Ningji was also very emotional in his heart, Xiyuan Temple Gongwang was originally a very detached patriarch, but since the end of World War I, after Qiao Yu reached a cooperation policy on joining forces to interfere in the Soviet Union, Xiyuan Temple Gongwang was named a weak faction.

Especially after the Sino-Japanese War, it was the peace agreement signed by Xiyuan Temple Gongwang, and in the end, it was not a human being, not only spit out a large number of colonies, but also seriously lost the assets of the chaebol in China.

Since then, the patriarch has been living in seclusion in a suburban villa in Tokyo, living in seclusion, easily not saying a word, and he has not even come forward for such a major event as Japan's participation in World War II.

However, in the eyes of Okamura Ninji and Ishihara Wan'er, the status of Saionji Gongwang is not just an outdated patriarch, Xiyuan Temple is still their leader, their mentor, and the leader of the Gongrong Department, and it is the secret protection of Saionji Gongwang that allows them to be like a fish in water.

In fact, Saionji Gongwang also has a double identity, that is, the head of the Gongei Department, which has always been the most mysterious organization in Japan, and the founder is Ito Hirobumi. The goal of the Ministry of Co-Prosperity is very clear, that is, to do everything possible to help Japan completely occupy China.

Moreover, this occupation was not just conquest, but also complete integration, and in Ito's view, both the Mongols and the Manchus had successfully conquered the Central Plains, and Japan had this opportunity as well. Moreover, if Japan wants to become strong, it is indeed inseparable from the vast expanse of China.

In order to be able to enter the Central Plains, Ito Hirobumi formulated a detailed plan of aggression, which was not only to invade territory on the surface, but also to support pro-Japanese forces, carry out cultural propaganda, attack China's national self-confidence, and divide all strata of Chinese society.

First buy the upper classes, then use economic means to control the lower classes, and finally use the army to eliminate the notorious warlords, and then Japan will occupy China on a large scale under the banner of saving China.

This plan was a whole system, and it was extremely large, and after Ito Hirobumi formulated this strategy, he received the support of Emperor Meiji, and then established the Gongei Department to implement this plan.

After the establishment of the Ministry of Gongrong, Japan's all-round propaganda for China has been launched, and their work has been very effective, the most typical example is the First Sino-Japanese War, China suffered a crushing defeat, the Beiyang Naval Division was wiped out, tens of thousands of people in Lushunkou were slaughtered, and China compensated 230 million taels of silver and ceded the island of Taiwan.

This can be said to be an unforgettable hatred, but what is strange is that after the First Sino-Japanese War, China did not develop a strong anti-Japanese tendency, on the contrary, a strong pro-Japanese force actually appeared in China.

A large number of international students went to Japan to study, officers went to Japan to study at the Japanese non-commissioned officer school, and economically intervened with Japan in the Tohoku, and Japanese goods appeared all over the country. Chinese politicians, and even the nobles of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, vied with each other to establish relations and friendships with the Japanese, and Chinese literati continued to praise Japan and advocate learning from it.

The reason for this kind of unreasonable thing is because of the existence of the Ministry of Gongrong, who bought the elites of Chinese society, influenced Chinese students, and cultivated a large number of pro-Japanese bureaucrats and scholars. Assisting Japan in weakening China from different angles, they have unknowingly become good helpers for Japan's invasion of China, and some people still can't see the situation clearly and think that they are saving the country and the people.

Ito Hirobumi insisted that if he wanted to annex a behemoth like China, he should use gentle means as much as possible and avoid the direct use of force, which would only provoke the dissatisfaction of the Chinese.

To be able to make this kind of planning, Ito Hirobumi has to be said to be a political genius, after his death, the Ministry of Co-prosperity fell into the hands of the Saionji Gongwang, and he also loyally carried out the legacy of Ito Hirobumi, but the rise of Qiao Yu completely disrupted the hard work of the Japanese Ministry of Co-Prosperity, Japan was established to see that China was divided, so it was able to divide China through the Huairou policy, but after Qiao Yu unified China, Japan lost this premise, and the value of the Ministry of Co-Prosperity plummeted.

The old man of Xiyuan Temple looked at the old man with dim eyes, "I am ashamed of Ito's predecessors, I did not realize his plan, and the future of the empire depends on you young people!" (To be continued.) )