Sasebo Port is located on the northwest coast of Kyushu Island in Japan, and belongs to Nagasaki Prefecture. Sasebo was originally a deserted village. It was established as a military base at the beginning of the Meiji era. In 6 years, the navy town guard office was established, and later developed into a military port. Surrounded by mountains, and the Goto Islands act as a barrier to the west of the entrance channel, it is a natural harbor. It is bordered by Sasebo City to the north and is surrounded by the Nishibiki Peninsula and Needleo Island on the island of Kyushu, and is in an irregular "Y" shape. The only inlet channel in the port area (water depth 2-54 meters) is located in the southwest, the south side of the channel is the quarantine anchorage (water depth 5-5 meters), the port boundary of the import is the connection between Takagosaki and Yosenesaki, and the inner harbor is at the northwest end.

The Usebo Naval Base is not only one of Japan's traditional shipbuilding bases, but also one of the military ports of the Japanese Navy, where the Combined Fleet was born during the Sino-Japanese War in '94. This is because the base is located on the eastern side of the southern tip of the Korean Strait (Tsushima Strait), and its geographical location is very important, and the good geographical conditions of the Sasebo base and the resulting role of the Sasebo base are a decisive factor that cannot be ignored as a reason why Japan was able to achieve a brilliant victory in the Battle of the Yellow Sea. The base has a water area of more than 40 million square meters, can berth more than 90 ships, has a shipyard and a dock, and can repair and build large ships.

Under the guidance of the lighthouse, the "Chiyoda" and "Yoshino" entered the military port smoothly. On the docks, many naval soldiers had already spotted the return of warships and rushed to the docks, hoping for news of victory. However, when the battleship entered the port, the smiles on everyone's faces disappeared. Because when I came back, there were only "Chiyoda" and "Yoshino". The "Yoshino", on the other hand, apparently escaped after a hard battle and suffered heavy losses.

"Could it be that the Combined Fleet was really defeated?" Almost everyone thinks so. However, there is still a trace of unwillingness in their hearts, hoping that a miracle can appear. It is hoped that "Chiyoda" and "Yoshino" will only be the vanguard of the return, and behind them there will be the main forces of the combined fleet.

"Your Excellency Chief of Staff, what about the main force of the Combined Fleet?" A soldier asked.

"The fleet encountered the main force of the Kawanishi Navy! It is estimated that there is already a lot of bad luck! Heihachiro Togo said with a gloomy face.

"Ahh How is this possible? How could the invincible combined fleet fail? Could it be that the news of those Chinese walking is true? Is it true that the Combined Fleet has been destroyed? "Japanese Navy soldiers. There was an uproar. Some people even cried loudly, and they had great hopes for this combined fleet expedition, hoping that the combined fleet would be able to defeat the western Sichuan navy as lightly as it defeated the Beiyang Naval Division. Laying the foundation for Japan's rise. But I didn't think of it. What I was waiting for was bad news. This was unacceptable to many Japanese naval soldiers, and some radical people even cut their stomachs on the spot. The navy has failed, and what face do they have to go to the emperor?

"Your Excellency Chief of Staff. The Combined Fleet is gone, so how did you come back? Could it be that you can't become deserters? Some of the Navy soldiers asked angrily. Since the combined fleet has been shattered, why was the "Chiyoda" able to come back unscathed? This made these naval soldiers very dissatisfied. If you lose the battle, you should apologize with death. Survive in secret. It's a shame for them.

"Presumptuous! Your Excellency the Chief of Staff has come back on the orders of His Excellency the Commander to state the reasons why the Combined Fleet failed! We failed once, do you want us to lose again? Faced with the crisis, the captain of the "Chiyoda", Masatoshi Uchida, scolded. Then, he showed the order of the commander of the Combined Fleet, Yuhiro Ito, and the angry naval soldiers, so that they did not continue to be hostile to them. The Japanese army, although highly hierarchical, often mutinied. The following grams are even more common. Now that the combined fleet has been annihilated, the sailors of the Navy are excited, and the slightest carelessness will cause a mutiny.

"It's all scattered. We're going to send a report to Tokyo! The captain of the "Chiyoda", Masatoshi Uchida, scolded. The navy soldiers who gathered around made way for the passage. Heihachiro Togo and others immediately went to the telegraph room of the military port and reported to the Admiralty what had happened in the first half of the naval battle and what might have happened. And then. They will have to wait for orders from the Admiralty.

Although it was already night, half an hour later. Heihachiro Togo received an order from the Minister of the Navy, Saigo Tomichi, to rush to Tokyo immediately to report the naval battle to the cabinet and even to the emperor. Heihachiro Togo didn't dare to slack off and immediately rushed to Tokyo.

At 9 p.m., the bustling streets of Tokyo have slowly quieted down. Because of the victory in the war last year, the people of Japan are still immersed in joy, and even though they are still facing war, the final victory still belongs to the Japanese Empire. Therefore, the masses of the people are still very happy. Even when the news of the defeat and annihilation of the Japanese Combined Fleet came from China, they still scoffed at it. They simply would not have believed that the invincible combined fleet would be defeated.

"Dada, dada!" The crisp sound of horses' hooves sounded in the streets, and the carriage coming out of the Admiralty, escorted by a line of guards, hurried towards the Prime Minister's Office. Inside the carriage, the Japanese Admiralty Minister Saigo's face was so gloomy that he was almost dripping water. When Taro Kawaguchi, the minister stationed in China today, sent back the news that the Japanese Combined Fleet had been annihilated by the Kawanishi Navy, he had an ominous premonition in his heart. Unexpectedly, it really turned out to be like this in the end. Although Togo Heihachiro returned, although he did not experience the final stage of the naval battle, Saigo believed that if it were not for the fact that the commander of the Combined Fleet, Ito Yuhiro, was not sure of victory and made up his mind to die, Togo Heihachiro would not have been allowed to return. He could almost conclude that the Japanese Combined Fleet had really failed this time, and that it was still a fiasco. It is likely that all the battleships, with the exception of the "Chiyoda", which withdrew from the battle early, and the "Yoshino", which suffered heavy losses, were sunk, as Kawanishi advertised.

"Your Excellency, the Prime Minister's Office has arrived!" Outside the carriage, the captain of the guard reported.

Saigo came back to his senses, tidied up his clothes a little, and walked quickly into the prime minister's mansion. Japanese Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito already knew the news of Saigo's visit and was waiting for him in the meeting room.

"Your Excellency Saigo Congdao, is there anything important? Is there news from the Combined Fleet? Approaching Saigo from the road, Ito Hirobumi hurriedly asked. The news of the defeat of the Combined Fleet from China already frightened him greatly. You know, Japan has gambled all its national fortunes. If the navy could not win, then Japan would lose the war. And once Japan loses the war, I am afraid that there will be no hope of rising again.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, Rear Admiral Heihachiro Togo, Chief of Staff of the Combined Fleet, has returned to Sasebo Naval Base. However, he brought back bad news. After encountering the main fleet of the Kawanishi Navy, the 1st Guerrilla Group of the Combined Fleet suffered heavy losses in the blows of several cruisers of the Kawanishi Navy. The strength of the Kawanishi Navy far exceeded our previous expectations. Therefore, the commander of the Combined Fleet, Yuhiro Ito, ordered Heihachiro Togo to return and report the situation to us. Another purpose is to preserve the seeds of revival for the Navy! Saigo said with a heavy face.

Hirobumi Ito's face suddenly turned pale. Although Saigo said so much, he only listened to one sentence, and reserved the seeds of revival for the Japanese Navy, doesn't that mean that the Combined Fleet has really suffered a miserable blow this time? Could it be that what the Kawanishi Navy said is true, and the Combined Fleet has really been annihilated?

Rao was accustomed to seeing strong winds and waves, and Ito Hirobumi, who could hardly bear the blow, finally recovered, and asked, "Your Excellency Saigo Norido, with you, is the report of Kawanishi true?" ”

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, come now, the report of West Sichuan should be true." Saigo replied. Although he didn't want to admit it, he had to admit that it was the truth.

"It's over, the navy is over, and we won't be able to resist the Sichuanxi people next. The next step is to launch an attack on our homeland, right? Could it be that Amaterasu really doesn't bless his people anymore? Where should the Japanese Empire go from here? Hirobumi Ito muttered to himself. As one of Japan's elders and the first Japanese prime minister, he has worked hard over the years to revitalize Japan. And now, Japan's national fortunes seem to have been cut off. Could it be that 40 million Japanese citizens can really only be trapped on these barren islands?

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, it is time for us to think about how to deal with this difficult situation. The Navy is defeated, and this war is already inevitable. We must do our best to reduce the losses for the Japanese Empire! Saigo said sadly. If the navy is defeated, someone will inevitably come out to take responsibility, and this person is none other than him. Even though he is a nobleman of the House of Nobles and the president of the National Association, this time it is also inevitable. Even if you can apologize without cutting your stomach, I'm afraid you'll have to take off your military uniform.

Ito Hirobumi nodded and shouted outside the door, "Someone, invite the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Finance, and the Minister of War!" ”

"Yes, Your Excellency, Prime Minister!" The guards outside immediately went to deliver the order.

Now that there is an emergency, Hirobumi Ito is preparing to hold a five-phase meeting. There are too many cabinet members, and it is more troublesome to notify them one by one, and the five-phase meeting composed of the five most important ministers in the cabinet can also form a resolution. However, even Ito Hirobumi himself has no idea what to do next about Japan's future.

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