"Did Nagata Qing really say that? Is he so sure he can save Japan? ”

After the meeting between Konoe Fumiro and Nagata Tetsuyama and Shigetaro Shimada, he hurried into the palace to report to Emperor Hirohito. ，

Hearing that Nagata Tetsuyama objected to the Emperor's tour of New Japan at the time of the decisive battle in Korea, a hint of gloom slipped over Hirohito's face.

Fumiro Konoe understood Hirohito's thoughts, and he was a relative of Emperor Hirohito. The Fujiwara family and the Imperial family, to which he belonged, were still "family friends" for more than a thousand years, and the two families had been married close relatives for generations. So unlike his predecessors, he is the prime minister who is truly trusted by Emperor Hirohito, and he absolutely defends the emperor's interests. In view of the current situation, the army and navy may think more about a military way out, and some elected politicians may look at the interests of the Japanese people, while Fumiro Konoe will think first about the future of Emperor Hirohito.

Now Japan's national policy is to delay

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Extend the war with China in order to wait for Germany to defeat the United States, and then obtain more favorable armistice terms through German mediation. If the German-American war was limited to a stalemate and the Japanese army was defeated in Korea, it would be necessary to consider ceding East Australia, the Japanese East Indies, and the Japanese Philippines to China for peace in order to preserve the homeland. But the question is, will China be willing to agree to Japan's peace sue after Korea's victory? I'm afraid that only Luo Yaoguo can answer this question. In the event that China took advantage of the victory and landed on the Japanese mainland, where would Emperor Hirohito have a way out?

Therefore, what Emperor Hirohito really cares about now is not how to preserve Japan, but how to preserve him, the emperor of Japan! He didn't want to be like Stalin, who killed himself without knowing anything!

Fumiro Konoe sighed softly and raised his head to look at Hirohito: "Your Majesty, General Nagata believes that only in North Korea will hit China hard. Only then can Japan have the capital to negotiate peace with China......"

"What does it mean to be traumatized?" Hirohito asked.

"It is to inflict heavy casualties on China, even if it loses North Korea in the end, as long as it can kill and injure 1 million, or even more Chinese, let them know that landing in Japan will pay more heavy losses, Japan will have a chance to end the war with dignity." Speaking of this, Konoe Fumiro paused and added: "Of course, this refers to the fact that if Germany can destroy the United States in the event that Germany cannot defeat the United States......

Hirohito waved his hand impatiently. interrupted Konoe Fumi's comforting words, he didn't know how many times he had heard this set of remarks, and his ears were about to become calloused. However, Germany has only just set foot on Puerto Rico, which is more than 1,000 kilometers away from the US mainland, and has encountered stubborn resistance from the US military. If Germany were to destroy the United States at such a speed, I am afraid that Emperor Hirohito would not have survived the day when the United States would be destroyed!

Moreover, trying to bluff China with casualties does not sound very reliable. If you don't count the Koreans, Japan's population is at most one-ninth of China's, and it is a miracle that the exchange ratio between Japan and China on the Korean battlefield is now 3 to 1. Of course, three Japanese for one Chinese! At present, there are only more than 10 million young and middle-aged men in Japan, and at most 3 million Chinese will be eliminated, and for a nation of 650 million people, the loss of 3 million people is really insignificant. But if Japan loses 10 million young men. I'm afraid it's not the destruction of the country, but the extinction of the people!

Hirohito stood up from his throne, walked to the large military map of the Korean region hanging on the wall, looked at it blankly for a while, and then sighed lowly: "It is good that the decisive battle of North Korea can be won, but we must also be prepared for the eventuality. ”

Konoe Fumi's heart was slightly cold. The emperor, as the supreme leader of Japan, had this idea.

I am afraid that there is little hope of victory in this war.

"Your Majesty, it is a fact that there is a huge disparity between the strength of the enemy and us at present, however, the war potential of the empire has not yet been fully realized, and by the first quarter of next year, the army will be able to complete the expansion plan of 6 million troops, and by the end of next year, it will be able to complete the training of 8 million reservists! With an army of 14 million, Japan will not be destroyed by China! "Speaking of which. The guard suddenly lowered his voice and said in a low voice, "As for ...... Plan in case. Now it can only be done in secret, and it must not be made public. ”

Hirohito nodded in agreement. After the meeting, he asked, "Does the cabinet have any plans that are secretly going on?" Also, can I secretly go to New Japan? ”

Konoe Fumiro was stunned when he heard this, he didn't expect Hirohito to want to go to Australia so much, even if he couldn't go publicly, he had to go secretly. Hirohito did not wait for him to say anything, and then said to himself: "The territory under my control is the largest in the history of Japan, including the Japanese archipelago, the Korean Peninsula, the island of Katajima, the Ryukyu Islands, the Philippine Islands, most of Indonesia, the Hawaiian Islands, as well as many islands in Eastern Australia and the South Pacific...... The total area is nearly 5 million square kilometers! Speaking of this, he smiled bitterly, "5 million square kilometers!" I am afraid that the previous emperors never thought of it, but I really did it! But I don't have the ability to protect such a large area of land...... Let me see the vastness of the Japanese Empire with my own eyes before I lose these lands! ”

He stood up suddenly, bowed slightly to Konoe Wenji, and pleaded with tears in his eyes: "Konoe-kun, please!" ”

……

Just when the so-called "Asakanomiya Soto" caused waves at the highest levels of the Japanese Empire. Ishihara Waner, chief of staff of the Japanese Korean Army and who had just been restored to the rank of lieutenant general, hurried to the door of the Japanese Army General Staff Headquarters building in Miyakesaka.

I don't know when two machine gun fortifications have been erected in front of the gate of the staff headquarters, two anti-aircraft machine guns are aiming at the blue-gray sky with the muzzles of black holes, and several soldiers who look a little older are clumsily operating these two machine guns for training under the loud scolding of a military officer.

"Ishihara Monarch has been reinstated, congratulations!"

A familiar voice came from behind. As soon as Ishihara turned around, he saw Major General Suesei, the second department in charge of intelligence, standing behind him with a smile on his face.

"It's all the support of Admiral Nagata and Admiral Okamura." Ishihara smiled faintly, pointed to the anti-aircraft machine gun at the door and asked, "What's going on?" Why set up a machine gun? ”

Major General Yusue sneered: "Since the Chinese plane came once, Prince Zaihito of the Xianyuan Palace ordered a comprehensive strengthening of air defense, and two anti-aircraft machine guns were erected here, and there were three more on the roof. There is also a gate to the Ministry of War next door. Even the palace is now equipped with anti-aircraft machine guns. ”

"What's the use?" Ishihara shook his head and said, "Doesn't Your Excellency the Marshal know what the flight altitude of the Chinese long-range bombers is?" How can you shoot down with an anti-aircraft machine gun? ”

"So what can be done?" Arisue Seizo said with a bitter smile: "Japan does not have so many large-caliber anti-aircraft guns, and the Chinese planes refuse to fly lower, so they have to set up a few machine guns to strengthen their courage." ”

"What? No anti-aircraft guns? Ishihara Waner was a little surprised, and Yusue Seizo nodded: "Let's go, go with me to meet His Royal Highness the Prince first, he is still very concerned about the war situation in North Korea, and he will try his best to meet the requests of the Korean army." ”

With his heels, Seizo could guess that Ishihara was calling for help, although the squadron had not yet launched a fierce attack on the Yalu River defense line. But everyone knows that it is only a matter of time, and the Chinese are waiting for the temperature to drop and the river to freeze. Without this trench, the entire defense line would not have been able to stop the squadron's attack at all, except for a few key areas. Therefore, the telegrams of the North Korean army asking for help generally flew towards Miyakesaka, but the Minister of War and the Chief of Staff could not afford to cook without rice.

When Prince Zaihito heard that Ishihara had returned from Korea, he immediately invited him to his office. In his office, there were also Lieutenant General Toshiro Obata and Lieutenant General Kenji Dohihara, the head of the first department, both of whom were much older than Ishihara. Because of the competition with Nagata Tetsuyama for the leadership of the ruling faction, it was suppressed, and now it has not been promoted to general, but now it has been reused by Prince Zaihito of the Kanin Palace. He became one of the actual leaders of the General Staff Headquarters.

Ishihara Wan'er saluted them one by one according to the etiquette of the army, Prince Zaihito of the Idle Yuan Palace smiled and nodded, and Obata and Tohi returned the military salute.

"Ishihara-kun, please take a seat." Prince Zairen of the Idle Palace beckoned Ishihara to sit down and asked directly, "How is the situation in North Korea?" Is Okamura-kun sure? ”

Prince Zaihito of the Idle Yuan Palace is very good-looking, and this honor is very rare in the inbred Japanese imperial family, but this elderly prince is relatively easy-going. And there isn't much assertiveness either. It is very easy to be swayed by the opinions of subordinates, so there is a nickname for the prince's herald, such as this "national migration" This time was promoted by Lieutenant General Toshiro Obata behind the scenes.

"Your Excellency, it's too obvious that the enemy is strong and I am weak." Ishihara shook his head with a wry smile: "Our North Korean army has no certainty of victory, only the determination to become a god!" ”

"Determination to become a god?" Toshiro Obata took over the topic and said coldly: "What about when all the Korean troops become gods?" Isn't it Japan's turn to sink the land? ”

"According to the special No. 1 operation plan, in the event of a defeat in the Korean war, the empire will ...... Implement the final plan for a decisive battle on the mainland, and at the same time actively seek a diplomatic solution. Ishihara said in a deep voice: "At present, the decisive battle in Korea is about to be completed. The squadron has already assembled heavy troops north of the Yalu River, and the number of Chinese troops has been identified as 1 million. There were no less than 300,000 colonial troops, and the Bac Ninh Railway and the Eastern Railway were still transporting troops day and night. In addition, a large number of Korean rebels have been conscripted into the so-called Republic of Korea Defense Forces, estimated at 200,000 to 300,000 people!

At present, the DPRK army has only about 1 million troops, and if it is calculated in terms of numbers alone, it can fight with the Chinese army, but it is absolutely inferior in terms of the quality and quantity of weapons and equipment, especially tanks and aircraft. ”

Ishihara paused for a moment, and then said: "The North Korean military command estimates that if you want to successfully defend the defense line of the Yalu River, you need to replenish at least 1,000 howitzers of more than 100mm, 1,000 anti-aircraft guns of more than 75mm, 800 anti-aircraft guns of 40mm to 20mm, 500 Zero fighters, and 500,000 troops. ”

As soon as Ishihara's request was raised, the three high-ranking military officials present all looked embarrassed. 1,000 howitzers over 100mm are good to say, the base camp still has a lot of inventory, and the arsenal is also stepping up the production of low-cost Meiji 38-style 150mm howitzers, although it is a bit like an antique, but it is also a 150mm caliber cannon. Of course, there is no problem with 500,000 troops, and the recruitment of new recruits in the current 6 million expansion plan has already been completed. If it's a big deal, send out recruits who haven't finished training to make up the numbers. But the 1,800 anti-aircraft guns and 500 Zero fighters were not so easy to get together, and now the Chinese Air Force has begun to bomb the Japanese mainland, and their bombing is currently focused on Kyushu and western Honshu, where hundreds of medium and heavy bombers come to drop bombs every night in major cities! The anti-aircraft guns and fighter jets in the hands of the military headquarters have all been deployed there, and even Tokyo, which has been subjected to harassing air raids, does not have enough anti-aircraft guns and fighters for air defense.

"Your Excellency, Marshal." Ishihara pondered for a moment, and then continued: "General Okamura and Shimono also know that the cities of western Japan are being attacked by Chinese bombers, and they urgently need anti-aircraft guns and fighters, but North Korea is the top priority in defending against Chinese air raids. Once North Korea is occupied by China, they will be able to deploy their bombers directly to Busan. By that time, the combat radius of the Chinese FW-190 fighters and A-4 Thunderhawk dive bombers will cover the entire western Japan, which will mean that the entire western Japan will be destroyed from the air by the Chinese bombers! ”

There was a dead silence in the room, and several Japanese generals all had gloomy faces and did not say a word, and the atmosphere was so low that people could not breathe. Everyone knows that Ishihara's words are not an exaggeration, if the Korean Peninsula really falls into Chinese hands, it will mean that the Chinese have deployed bombers directly to Japan's doorstep! From the south of the Korean Peninsula to western Japan is only a distance of more than a hundred kilometers to several hundred kilometers, the Chinese FW-190 can fully escort the bombers throughout the journey, which will mean that the Chinese can carry out air strikes on Japan during the day with better visibility! And the shortened distance also means that the aircraft can carry less fuel, and the remaining load can be used to carry bombs, in addition. The time required for each air raid will also be greatly reduced...... In short, as long as Korea is controlled by China, China can destroy Japan's war potential even if it does not land and only air strikes!

After a long time, Prince Zairen of Xianyuan Palace asked calmly: "But the North Korean army has obtained these weapons and equipment. Can you defeat the Chinese army? ”

"This ......" Ishihara didn't know how to answer this question, and as soon as he hesitated, Toshiro Obata took over the topic and said: "The empire can increase its troops to Korea, but can't China increase its troops?" At present, China's industrial strength is 10 times that of the empire, and its population is 7 times that of the empire...... Therefore, it was impossible for the imperial army to achieve quantitative and qualitative superiority in Korea. It was only a matter of time before the defeat and loss of North Korea. ”

"And even if you can keep North Korea for the time being, it's useless." At this time, Kenji Dohihara suddenly interjected: "According to the information that the intelligence officers of the empire have just gotten, the Chinese have already built the first uranium bomb in May 1939, and they have also conducted a test explosion in September, and it has been successful!"

In addition, the German side also provided intelligence that China has developed a large long-range bomber, which uses four high-horsepower star engines with technology provided by the United States, and the bomb load, combat radius and speed will be very amazing! We doubt ...... It is quite possible that such a large bomber was used to drop uranium bombs on Tokyo! ”

"Drop uranium bombs on Tokyo!?" Ishihara frowned and looked up at Tohihara. He'd heard some rumors about the bomb. Some rumors also say that the power of this bomb is amazing, saying that a single bomb can destroy a city! However, Ishihara was skeptical.

"You don't have to think about the uranium bomb just yet. It's all rumors that don't have a score. Prince Zaihito stood up and walked to Ishihara's side and patted him on the shoulder: "Ishihara-kun." I've heard that you have some strategic opinions, so I'd like to hear your views on the relocation of the whole of Japan to New Japan, is it possible? Speaking of this, he added in an emphatic tone: "Of course, the relocation of the whole country is only a last resort, and the military department will not reduce its support for the North Korean army because of this." ”

This question made Ishihara very difficult, after all, Nagata Tetsuyama was resolutely opposed to the relocation of the whole country, but Ishihara himself thought that the relocation of the whole country was also a solution. Moreover, if Japan were to carry out its plan to relocate the whole country, it would inevitably reduce its support for the Korean army, and Ishihara, as chief of staff of the Korean army, would also have to oppose it.

Ishihara was silent for a moment, and finally nodded slightly, and replied: "Xiaguan thinks that the relocation of the whole country has a certain feasibility, at least it can be used as a last resort. But ......" At this point, Ishihara's eyebrows gradually twisted, and a hesitant look appeared in his eyes.

"But what?" Prince Zairen of the Idle Courtyard asked.

"However, once the national relocation plan is implemented after the fall of Korea, it will inevitably cause a great shake in the morale of the army and the people, and it will be extremely unfavorable to the persistence of the empire itself in the war of resistance, so please think twice."

Prince Zaihito of the Imperial Palace pondered for a moment, and finally shook his head: "If Japan's industrial base is completely destroyed by bombing, the fleet is completely destroyed, and all foreign aid is interrupted...... Relying on the last resistance of the people may not be successful, and it is better to move the whole country so that at least some vitality can be preserved. ”