The hour hand seems to have gone back to 20 years ago.

At that time, Japan, which had just won the First Sino-Japanese War and was looking forward to occupying the whole of Manchuria, finally under the coercion of Germany, Russia and France, had to withdraw from Lushun and give up this pearl of the Far East. At that time, Japan, which had been completely stunned by the sky-high indemnity, only felt humiliated, but did not realize the problem of lack of resources after the loss of Liaodong. As a result, when the army was expanded, it had to purchase sky-high steel, ore and raw materials from various countries, and by 1904 the treasury was empty, and only a few million national dollars remained.

That distressed! Watching the money in hand pour into other people's pockets in exchange for raw materials whose prices have skyrocketed several times is unbearable for a country that lacks depth and scarce resources, especially since this country is also known for being stingy and stingy. Therefore, when Russia invaded and occupied Lushun by virtue of the Gengzi Year incident, the Japanese government seemed to be sitting on the top of Mount Fuji, swallowing flames and molten lava anytime and anywhere. Four years later, the Japanese government, which had been roasted on fire, finally could not sit still, and with the support of Britain and the United States, it started a war of national fortunes with Russia, and few people in the country thought that they could defeat Lucia and defeat the world's Second Fleet.

Today, the Okuma Shigenobu government once again feels the feeling of sitting in the crater, and the total disruption of Sino-Japanese trade and raw material imports has brought this scarcity country to a crossroads again. This time there is no hesitation, no timidity! The self-confidence of the Russo-Japanese War, which was accustomed to thinking that it was the first king of heaven, directly intervened in Manchuria, which eventually led to the current situation.

The thin, tired-eyed Prime Minister sat in the National Assembly Hall, nervous, uneasy, and vaguely expectant. He is not a fool, he understands what Japan will face after the resource chain is broken, but he also deeply feels that it is too opportune to mobilize for all-out war at this time, and the domestic food problem, the constitutional protection movement, land reform, and other conflicts and calls have already made him anxious, and he does not dare to take care of the sea and land disputes. The military department's pursuit of increasing armaments is in opposition to financial difficulties, and serious debts and deficits are a heavy mountain. Seeing that the European war is about to break out, it is officially a good time to rectify the internal and accelerate the transformation of industrial and commercial construction, but Japan is involved in the war in advance! And the military department is also trying to expand it, will this lead the country into a situation where the more it fights, the poorer it gets, the poorer it gets, and the worse it falls?

Shigenobu Okuma quietly glanced at Emperor Taisho, who was sitting in the center with his chin in one hand and flipping through the scroll with the other, His Majesty the Emperor, who had a horned mustache in the style of Kaiser Wilhelm and was covered with Vaseline to keep it neat, obviously did not like these miscellaneous things, perhaps it was a blessing for Japan that he did not roll up the edict as a telescope like last time.

Okaichi Nosuke stood up with a slight tremble, although the land minister who was pushed to the front by the Choshu faction was already seventy or eighty, his waist was still quite strong, and he bowed to the absent-minded Taisho Emperor and said: "The outbreak of war in Europe is already certain, the interests of Britain, France, Germany and Russia are all in Europe, and there is their center. For our country, this is the best opportunity for a turning point in the fortunes of the country. Sending troops to Shandong and North China can not only disperse the forces of the Chinese people, disperse domestic contradictions and pressures, and boost the morale of the people, but also seize Qingdao to help the allies solve Asian troubles in exchange for their support for our country. Therefore, our army believes that not only should we send troops, but also that our troops should be strong enough, gather 12 to 15 divisions and regiments, and advance to the Yellow River in one go, so as to completely crush the war potential of the Chinese people. ”

"4 divisions have already lost one, and 12 don't you say that you will lose at least 3? Look what kind of battle you're fighting! Since you brought back that useless child, you should prepare for the enemy's revenge in advance! There is no plan, no plan, no way to face the enemy's attack, nothing can be seen except chaos! War should be continuous, and the enemy should not be allowed to breathe with courage wave after wave. But what about you now? Stop, stop, follow the enemy's strategy, and still revise the plan. Is this the Imperial Army or the Beiyang clown of the Chinese people? To want to start a more complex and huge campaign without having achieved the advantage of Manchuria, this is not heroic, but reckless! The yin and yang weird tone sounded from the side, as soon as you heard the voice, everyone knew that this was the navy picking on the thorns, and the contradictions between the navy and the army after the Siemens incident were irreconcilable. Now that he has the opportunity, how can the Satsuma Domain not humiliate the group of stupid samurai of the Choshu Domain.

Sure enough, Okaichi Nosuke was enraged, and his face was red and his lips sneered: "That's because the empire has produced a group of filthy moths!" It led to the turmoil in the domestic situation, and the ambitions of the people of China were not discovered in advance. ”

"Why don't you say that you are arrogant and want to rely on that useless little child to drag the empire into its current unfavorable situation?"

The politics of the Taisho era were quite enlightened, at least all parties could express their opinions, but seeing that the two families of sea and land had gone beyond the scope of discussion and turned into a fight, Okuma Shigenobu could only stand up hard: "In front of the emperor, everyone is so disproportionate, and do you still have the demeanor of a courtier?" We are discussing how to deal with the current situation today, and we hope that everyone can encourage each other in an eventful time. ”

Although both the sea and land are not used to seeing Okuma Shigenobu, after all, he is the prime minister, and after apologeting to Taisho, they all keep their mouths shut for the time being. Seeing this scene, Foreign Minister Takaaki Kato cleared his throat, he is a veteran diplomat of the Saionji Gongwang line, and his long-term experience as an ambassador to Britain and the United States has made him more aware of the situation in Europe, and said: "War in Europe is unavoidable, and if we want to send troops to expand the war at this time, we must build on the basis of the alliance between Japan and Britain. Although our Japanese empire is prestigious, it is still inferior to a European country in terms of national strength, so it is all the more necessary to get the support of allies so as not to cause them to be dissatisfied when they come back, and there will be another humiliating incident in Liaodong! We should take the initiative to contact our allies and tell them that this time the Reich will not rob them of their interests, let alone advance on the Yangtze River, but on the contrary, we can help them strike at Germany's minions in the Far East and help maintain sea power in the Far East and the Pacific. Therefore, I think that the consent of the allies is required to send troops, otherwise it will push the allies to the side of China, and even if the army sacrifices, it will not have much effect, but will cause them to worry. ”

Okaichi snorted coldly: "Now that the allies are begging us more than we are begging him, I think it is completely possible to attack Jiaozhou first and take Qingdao and Jiaoji Railway." In doing so, we can not only take important seaports and supply routes, but also swear the prestige of our army, and give the results of the battle to our allies as gifts to resolve conflicts. ”

When the Prime Minister heard how to fight when he opened his mouth, he sighed worriedly, and didn't even have much strength to speak: "I just want to know how many people you want to mobilize and how long it will take to fight." This year's finances are too difficult, because we have lost more than 200 million national dollars in our investment in China because of the war, and we had to put 50 tons of gold and 300 tons of silver into the run on the people of China in order to ensure the international credit of the bank! Combined with the fact that the deficit of this batch of gold and silver this year is likely to exceed 150 million national dollars, our country. Before he finished speaking, Hailu actually scolded at the same time this time: "Run? Why exchange gold for the people of China! How did you become a Tibetan minister? Isn't it just sacrificing a little bit of international credit? ”

In the face of these two idiots who can only stretch out their hands to ask for money, the prime minister can only choose to keep his mouth shut, and they don't want to think about how much currency and bonds Japan has overissued in China in order to stabilize the debt-ridden economy over the years. Many of them are in the hands of Britain and the United States, and if they end up running on them, I am afraid that the entire treasury will not be satisfied.

Facing a few people who were arguing, Okuma Shigenobu looked at Emperor Taisho who was dozing off on the table like a mud bodhisattva, and finally sighed: "Think again, everyone." I have taken my leave, and the British and American envoys are still waiting for news from me. After saluting, he hurried out of the National Assembly and returned to the Prime Minister's Office.

He didn't lie, Bernard and Hanger were already a little impatient, especially the former. Europe may be opened in the next second, but these Japanese dwarfs have not given any reply so far, and it is impossible not to have a little resentment in their hearts. But after communicating with China, he also knew that the current government still needed this watchdog to help control the Far East if the British Empire could not get out, and it could also be used to deter China and prevent them from going off the rails.

In addition, this time I also came to hope to lease the battlecruiser Kongo and the second sister ship that was about to be commissioned, so as to strengthen the British navy, control the North Sea, and press Germany in it and never get out, so when I saw Okuma Shigenobu, I immediately got up and asked: "Your Excellency, honorable Prime Minister, can you give me an answer now?" My Government does not wish any further war in the Far East, which would push China over to the side of the enemy and pose a serious threat to the security of Siberia, the South-Eastern Peninsula and the Indian Plains, so Russia and France have sent a clear signal that I will bring back you the news of the immediate cessation of all military operations in order to facilitate the redeployment of Russian troops in the Far East to Europe. There is also the matter of leasing Kongo-class battle cruisers, which has a bearing on the security of our country in the North Sea, and I hope to get a clear answer now. I can assure you that if two warships are damaged, we will help to build two new ships or compensate for the price. ”

Don't look at Bernard's use of the word "respect", but there is no hint of respect in his tone, but he seems aggressive. Naturally, Hanger did not want to see Japan continue the war, and if Yang Qiu won, he might be able to maintain Sino-US relations and realize the open door policy that had just begun in the Far East. But if Japan wins, their performance after the Russo-Japanese War will only crowd out the United States even more, and they will use China's vast resources to create more warships to threaten American interests in the Pacific.

Of course, Japan is not completely defeated, and weakening the Far East is a long-term policy that must be adhered to, so he also got up and said: "Your Excellency President Wilson also asked me to convey the opinion of the United States, as long as your country is willing to stop the war, then we can persuade China to continue to export raw materials to your country, and we will also let them return their previous losses." As for whether we can keep Kanto Prefecture, I think we will also make an effort. ”

Okuma Shigenobu took a deep breath, and at the same time faced the British and Americans and said that there was no pressure, which was the biggest factor in his hesitation to continue the war. said: "The matter of the Kongo-class battlecruisers is still being discussed by our navy, but for the time being, our country needs them to help defend against the German Far East Fleet. ”

Bernard's face darkened all of a sudden, since the intelligence learned that Germany had advanced by leaps and bounds in 15-inch naval guns, and the Bavaria-class was actually in service earlier than the Queen-class, the British Navy couldn't sit still, and had been hoping to lease several Japanese capital ships, including two Kongo-class battleships, to help overwhelm the caliber in numbers, but I didn't expect Japan to refuse directly! Also under the pretext of the German Far Eastern Fleet. God knows, against those two armored cruisers only need to dispatch a Kurama-class battlecruiser, why bother with the latest Kongo-class.

This is obviously not giving face!

Bernard took a breath, tried to calm himself down, and continued to ask: "We can wait a little longer for the matter of Lend-Lease, and I hope that your country can take into account the traditional alliance between our two countries." So can you tell me about the cessation of the war in the Far East now? Okuma was about to speak, when the secretary general suddenly rushed in, looked at the two tall foreigners, and shoved an urgent telegram into his palm. Picking up the telegram and looking at it, his body shook violently!

His strange look surprised both Bernard and Hangel, but the assistants of the two who rushed in almost at the same time brought bad news! The 9th Brigade of the Japanese Army has actually begun to land at Longkou!

Bernard's face suddenly felt hot, he had been persuading Japan to give up the war in the past few days, so that Russia could concentrate on dealing with Germany, but he didn't expect that these little dwarfs would quietly launch a new campaign while bowing to themselves and humbly expressing that they were considering! It actually started to land directly in Longkou, not far from the British-controlled area of Yantai! "I don't think I need to be here anymore!" Annoyed, Bernard threw down the telegram and left the prime minister's office with his assistant. And Hanger also shook his head and left without saying a word. Now no one has anything but to watch the situation in the Far East continue to slide to the point that no one can predict, and Nicholas II's idea of withdrawing back 300,000 elite Far East garrisons can only come to naught, and even Britain and France have to maintain the Far East garrisons in case the situation gets completely out of control and endangers the security of the Southeast Peninsula and the important Indian Great Plains.

Shigenobu Okuma watched the two cars drive out of the prime minister's office, closed his eyes in pain, and let the telegram slip from his fingertips. His mind was now blank, and there was no second way to go at this moment, either to follow in the footsteps of the military headquarters and continue the war, to solve the armament of Yang Qiu and the Chinese army with victory, to ensure the interests of the allies in the Far East to bridge the rift that had already appeared in the Anglo-Japanese alliance, or to hand over power to those warriors who only knew how to fight!