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In December, Tokyo Bay is covered in snow, and the regular passenger ferries arriving here from Shanghai have disappeared. Because the two merchant ships had to stop at Sasebo and Kagoshima to refuel coal, Kato Takaaki tossed around for a week before he saw the familiar Uraga waterway.

The cold caused many parts of the bay to freeze. The vast Yokosuka Naval Base is visible from the Uraga Waterway, but to everyone's disappointment, the once busy harbor is becoming dead, and except for a few sailors on deck who maintain the warships, there is no longer a sight of the high-spirited training at sea that it once was. The construction of the last two ships of the King Kong-class slowed down, the two Fuso-class battleships that had just laid their keels were in danger of running out of steel, and a large number of lightning strike ships that should have been upgraded were also suspended. In front of the real financial pressure, even the navy, which has always been accustomed to largesse, gritted its teeth to save military spending.

The farther the merchant ship went, the more it felt the chill coming from the depths of the bay over Tokyo. When the port of Yokohama, once known as Japan's largest commercial port and the most important industrial city, appeared in front of him, even Takaaki Kato, who had been here countless times, sighed deeply. The old smoky scene seemed to have disappeared overnight, and the chimneys were still numerous, but only a few were still smoking, and even the roar of the important Yokohama Naval Shipyard was much quieter.

Ten years ago, the Russo-Japanese War had exhausted the vast wealth acquired by the First Sino-Japanese War, and all the people tried their best to save money while repaying huge loans and pulling out their savings from between their teeth, but the strength they had gathered was completely exhausted in this war! 50,000 deaths! 20,000 captured! 10,000 injured! 150,000 rifles, 512 cannons, 9 warships, 11 merchant ships! Together with all the concession property discarded in humiliation, the entire billion yuan disappeared and evaporated in an instant! And this is not over, there are still nearly 60,000 casualties in front of Japan, as well as 20,000 soldiers who need a high ransom to bring back, and the loss of the machine caused by the inability to start work after losing resources! There is also the rapid depreciation of the currency, and the domestic situation that has become restless due to humiliation and indignation.

How can I heal the wound as quickly as possible? How can you climb out of the trough? It's not just a $100 million loan forgiveness, and it's not something that a few overseas islands can make up for it. Worse. Due to the lack of resources, Japan's own hematopoietic capacity was almost exhausted, although the Chinese promised to supply Japan with essential raw materials at market prices. But the market price is not open at the time of the European war. The Chinese offered four times the price of coking coal for steelmaking alone. Or the worst quality! But even with such a sky-high price, Japan must grit its teeth and agree, and it must be paid for in gold! Because Britain and the United States no longer sell any steel-making machinery and resources at all, North Korea has abundant coal resources, but there are no high-quality coal mines capable of coking.

The whistle whimpered. Swirling over the bay.

Even many expatriates who have just returned to China feel this gloom. The employees of the port were laid off a lot, and there were beggars and peddlers in ragged clothes everywhere. Only cinders remained at the raw coal wharf, food supply was difficult, and all kinds of cars that could still be seen in the past were extinct. The former empire, which had just suffered a terrible defeat, also stepped into the ice cellar with the arrival of winter. The indissolent snow has exacerbated the suffering of the people. The prosperity of Emperor Taisho when he ascended the throne a few years ago has almost disappeared. The dream of becoming a powerful country was sinking, and cheap steel became a luxury, and in order to scrape together enough materials, the government even began to call on citizens to donate pig iron products for steelmaking.

Thinking of this, Kato Takaaki hated the War Department that dragged Japan into the war, if it were not for their recklessness and impulsiveness, or for the ugly habits of the following people. How could the empire be waged at war before it had come out of the shadow of Japan and Russia? What's even more stupid is that they actually didn't know anything about the strength of their opponents before the battle! It's time to oust the rotten feudal lords. More enlightened democrats should be brought to power, so that the next cherry blossom can be seen as soon as possible.

Evacuates from Shanghai began to walk down the ramps with their flat baggage, and many stood on the pier with blank eyes because they didn't know where to go. It was too late for the layoffs in the domestic factories to admit them, the land was in the hands of the feudal lords and families, and they did not know how to start a new life after losing all their property. As there were fewer and fewer people on the deck, Kato Takaaki slowly walked towards the gangway, but he didn't see the guard who greeted the car stopping him: "Your Excellency, there are rumors in the country that someone is going to be unfavorable to you, I hope you can wait for the car to come and get off the ship." ”

Kato's hand clenched his cane suddenly.

In fact, he also thought that some people would be dissatisfied with himself who signed the Eight Armistice Contracts, especially the military department, which was very dissatisfied, otherwise, in his capacity as foreign minister, why would he not even want to send a cruiser for his own use? That's why he chose to disembark in Yokohama, far from the center of the storm, but the guard's words still made his heart tighten, and he nodded and waited for the late car.

Seeing him stop, Hua Gu behind the lens was so angry that he stomped his feet: "Baga! You see, the thief didn't get off the ship. ”

"Is it true? Let me see. ”

"This national thief who is covered in copper smell, have you noticed it?"

In a private house not far from the wharf, the young non-commissioned officers and students of Lu Shi, who had just returned from Lushun, had red eyes and gritted their teeth. Although the War Department did not immediately withdraw the defeated troops to the country, as future officers of the Army, they were given preferential treatment to be the first to withdraw on warships. However, how could the young people who had just witnessed a fiasco be reconciled, and the armistice that they considered humiliating their country would pierce every heart like a needle prick and devour their souls like a poisonous snake day and night.

Traitor. It is necessary to eradicate those traitors who have easily ceded the interests of the mainland and Manchuria! Eradicate the cowardly rats around His Majesty the Emperor!

With such a decisive heart, Hanaya is inquiring with his partners to sign a contract to lose power and humiliate the country, and the number one national thief who will humiliate and compromise and withdraw from the China continent when the empire still has the strength to fight a war and turn defeat into victory.

"I see!"

Squatting in the corner and smoking violently, Chen Haohui, who had red eyes for the future of the empire, gritted his teeth. "National thief"! has a deep chaebol background, who will he destroy if he doesn't destroy him? If the son-in-law of the Mitsui chaebol was killed in the street, it would be strange that the chaebol and the feudal lord were not opposed! With Kawashima Sulang and Tang Jiyao's group all killed in the Piziwo, almost all the people who knew his details were secretly eliminated, and only the old guy Toushan Man remained. But with his status, these young non-commissioned officers are still out of reach, so his details are safe for the time being. So he jumped up and lifted a bag of Japanese grenades as ugly as an iron lump from his feet: "He didn't go to Tokyo but chose to get off the ship in Yokohama." I must be trying to avoid the sight! This cunning guy must be waiting for a car sent by those traitorous accomplices. I want to use the speed of a car to evade the national crusade! He said excitedly. Raised the grenade and bowed to everyone: "Hanaya-kun, Ota-kun!" Gentlemen, my sister Fangzi will ask everyone to take care of me, for the sake of the empire, I will blow up this traitor! ”

He was emotional. But the pace is very slow, as if waiting for something.

Sure enough. Hanaya easily snatched a bag of grenades: "No! Kawashima-kun, you still have a young Yoshiko sister to take care of, let me do it! ”

"Nope. Let me do it anyway. ”

Chen Haohui's face was furious and he wanted to snatch back the grenade. In fact, he was relieved in his heart. Fortunately, for more than a year, he has always taken Yoshiko Kawashima with him, deliberately making people like the innocent Yoshiko with Hanaya Masa, and now the sympathy card trick has finally worked.

"Look, Kawashima-kun guessed right! There really is a car to pick up the thieves. ”

While everyone is arguing with each other about who will be the hero, an American-made Ford sedan slowly pulls into the docks. Takaaki Kato, who was on the deck, also began to walk down the gangway, and a frenzied fire suddenly rose in Hanaya's eyes. Even Chen Haohui was startled by this flame, only to see him suddenly kneel on the ground and roar in a deliberately suppressed voice. Like a terrible beast: "Gentlemen! If our dream can come true, please bury me in Kudanzaka! After he finished speaking, he gritted his teeth and rushed to the dock to kill the "national thief" without waiting for his partner to stop him.

Looking at his back, Chen Haohui's scalp was also numb! What kind of people are these! Fanatical, restless, terrible and paranoid! For the sake of land that does not belong to one's own country, it would be terrible to assassinate the foreign minister of the cabinet who saved the fate of the country, and if this nation is not controlled! He secretly sighed that Hanaya had already blended in with the coolies waiting outside the docks, and when the car carrying Kato Takaaki drove out of the iron gate, he suddenly pulled a grenade and pounced on the car.

"Heaven punishes the thief!" Amid the hysterical shouts, a violent explosion rose from the dock gate, and the Ford sedan turned into a flame like a rag doll thrown into flames.

*******

Tokyo. Next to the famous Sensoji Temple, the residence of the patriarch of Saionji is here.

In the snow, Saionji Gongwang, dressed in a home kimono, looked anxious, he had lived in seclusion since he was ousted by Aritomo Yama, but as the only democratic patriarch in the Senate who could stand up to the faction of the Choshu clan in Fangun, he was deeply worried by recent events.

Takahashi Kiyoshi, who came to visit him, also had a bad face. The purpose of his coming today was very simple, because he knew that only by persuading this Izuyama could he hope to truly stabilize the domestic situation, so he said very hurriedly: "Old Nishienkaku, a volcano is becoming more and more active, and Prime Minister Okuma has made up his mind again, and he is ready to submit his resignation to His Majesty the Emperor after all the troops are withdrawn and the captured soldiers are redeemed." Now the empire needs you to get out of the mountains and take control! Now only you can fight them and keep them from taking risks! ”

As a veteran Anglo-American politician and one of the few remaining democratic veterans in Japan, Saionji Gongwang didn't know that Japan is a terrible volcano now! Even Yamasan-san-you-pong may not be able to suppress it, so he will ask the military department not to withdraw troops to the mainland, but to send them there under the pretext of protecting North Korea. It's not that he doesn't want to go out of the mountains, and although he and Yamachiyama have irreconcilable ideological contradictions, in the final analysis, neither of them wants to see Japan plunge into endless political turmoil. But after an embarrassing overthrow of the cabinet, he has become much more cautious.

It's okay to get out of the mountain, but where is the key? If we do not have a swift and effective economic countermeasure, we will not be able to stabilize the domestic situation as soon as possible, and we will not be able to keep the people fed and clothed. So after thinking about it, he turned his head to look at Takahashi Shiqing: "Takahashi-kun, tell me what you think, I need a suitable Tibetan minister to help the empire survive the harsh winter." Takahashi Shiqing was excited when he heard this, and the Xiyuan Temple was about to go out of the mountain! This news will undoubtedly greatly boost the strength of the democratic faction headed by the Constitutional Council. With his status, coupled with the good relationship with the naval Satsuma clan led by Gonbei Yamamoto, and the combination of Kato Takaaki and the chaebol forces, even the Yama Prefecture faction had to give in temporarily! In this way, the volcano that is about to erupt will be suppressed.

Equally. Saionji Gongwang is not a person who makes promises at will, only he knows what a great person Takahashi is. In particular, his good relations with British and American bankers are the key to unlocking the current domestic economic problems. If there is anyone in Japan who can solve the current predicament? Only he can do it! So he needs a good stimulus and recovery plan. If you don't have this, then it's useless to go out of the mountain.

Takahashi is worthy of being Japan's top and most far-sighted economic expert, and he only thought for a moment before saying: "Please forgive me, the empire's own hematopoietic mechanism has collapsed at present!" With a lack of raw materials, we simply can't get so many factories up and running. ”

The pessimistic words made Xiyuan Temple Gongwang frown, could it be that Takahashi couldn't help it? Just when the heart began to sink. Takahashi raised his voice: "But we have encountered a very bad but good era!" "He didn't sell it, and he had to do everything he could. He continued: "The bad is because the European war has caused the prices of raw materials and commodities around the world to skyrocket. Relying on the Empire's own strength, simply procuring raw materials to keep the factory running would deplete every copper plate. But war is also a good time! Europe has eroded, millions of workers and young people are being armed, and there is no end in sight to the war. Europe's powerful manufacturing capacity will be weakened in the face of war for years to come. That's when they need foreign help! The people of China ate and placed some orders, but their industrial base was not as good as that of the empire, and although there was the United States, the United States was also unable to meet the needs of such a huge market.

So I assert! At most, early next year, all factories in the United States will be crowded, and there will be too many orders to be manufactured! We should seize this opportunity. Reach out to the U.S. to help them with processing. Although the maximum profit has nothing to do with the empire, it can only earn some OEM fees. But it can stabilize millions of workers in the country from losing their jobs! As long as workers can get to work, then the pressure on the people will be reduced to a minimum.

In addition, I assert! As the scale of the war gradually escalates, the workers of Britain and France will be sent to the front, and their number of workers will be seriously insufficient. Crafting more supplies and weapons will not only earn a huge amount of dispatch fees, but also allow us to hone our technical skills, so that even if the equipment can't keep up, our workers' skills will be trained! And it will also heal the rift between the Empire and its allies, letting them know that we are still important and indispensable allies, and that when we help them win, they will need more plunder to make up for the war when they return to the Far East! Exhausted, they needed to arm a stronger Empire of Japan to help them in their colonization and plundering work! ”

Takahashi is a deep and terrifying vision, and his economic recovery plan is not only realistic, but once implemented, it is indeed very likely that Japan will be saved in an instant!

Saionji Gongwang is also a veteran politician who has been in Britain and the United States for many years, although he is not like Takahashi Shiqing in terms of economic leadership, even if he listens so much, he may not be able to come up with a comprehensive plan, but this does not prevent him from hearing that this is an excellent economic recovery plan. The worries between his eyebrows seemed to be much less, and he hurriedly said: "Takahashi-kun is really a treasure of my great Japanese empire!" Come up with all the plans as soon as possible, and I'll go and visit the elder of the Shan County Pavilion, though. ”

When Gongwang of Xiyuan Temple was about to say that he would reach an agreement with Youpeng in Shan County to suppress the big volcano in the country together, his guards suddenly rushed into the small courtyard, and crawled over and fell to the ground. He looked apprehensive: "Lord Earl! I just got the news that Foreign Minister Kato was assassinated in the port of Yokohama and gave his life for the country! ”

"What!"

Gongwang of Xiyuan Temple suddenly felt that his heart was hit by something, and even his hands trembled a little: "How is it possible?" Who did it? Who did this to you! Listening to his roar, not to mention the guards who came to report the news, even Takahashi is Kiyoshi suddenly looked dark.

The dignified Imperial Foreign Minister was assassinated at the docks! Anamesu, is the volcano already erupting? Is that guy ready to take a gamble, or is it those fanatical idiots of the War Department? Thinking of this, he didn't dare to stay any longer, and immediately saluted to the Gongwang of Xiyuan Temple: "Elder Ge, I need to go back immediately to tell everyone, please be sure to contact him as soon as possible to stop it!" Otherwise the magma will melt Kyushu! ”

After he finished speaking, he hurried out the door without waiting for an answer, and the only thought in his mind was to tell the other members of the Constitutional Council the news as soon as possible, so that everyone could be prepared for contingencies. But just as he walked towards the car, which had been covered with a thin layer of snow at the top, a vague figure quickly passed by.

Bang bang bang.

The continuous gunfire broke the thousand-year-old tranquility of Sensoji Temple, and just now he had planned an economic strategy that would be enough to save Japan, and it is likely that the most outstanding Japanese economic and diplomatic heroes who would complete Japan's recovery and reversal within five years fell in a pool of blood!

Blood gushed out of his chest and melted into the snow.

In the panicked crowd, a man dressed in the dark blue coat, the most common among Japanese workers, curled the corners of his mouth slightly, and quickly disappeared into the intricacies of the city......!!!