The East Asia-Pacific region is small and cannot accommodate two powerful countries. Whether it is the Chinese Empire or Japan, if it wants to rise, it must step on the corpse of the other party and climb up. The Japanese were well aware of this, so since the Meiji Restoration, Japan has been aiming to conquer China. After decades of hard work, China was finally defeated in one fell swoop in the First Sino-Japanese War.

It's a pity that more than a decade later, Japan failed again. As a result, Japan's rise to prominence has been cut off. However, Japan is not willing to accept defeat and is bent on regrouping, which is why it continues to provoke China. The last war ended in Japan's defeat. Japan, which lost the war, not only lost all its overseas colonies, but also paid huge war reparations, and made Japan almost collapse.

Even so, Japan's dream of hegemony has not been shattered. They did not hesitate to become lackeys of Britain and the United States, and willingly acted as their pawns to contain the development of the Chinese Empire, in order to defeat China. Finally, I have accumulated a large number of belongings again. It's a pity that even so, they still failed to gain the upper hand in this provocation, but were instead taken advantage of by the Chinese Navy to destroy several capital ships, which further widened the gap between the two sides' naval strength.

However, at this moment, Japan has not bowed its head and admitted defeat, and they have not lost all the chips in their hands. The six advanced battleships under their command became their last capital. If it's all or nothing, there may be a chance of winning. It is precisely because of this that the Japanese Navy wants to give it a go and make a final struggle.

Of course, the Japanese are doing this completely by betting on the country's fortune. If they lose, then they will probably never be able to turn over. Although, the risk is high. But the Japanese believe that the chances of their victory are not small. If it can be successful. Then they will be able to recover the disadvantage in one fell swoop, and even win a big victory.

After the Japanese cabinet has reached a unanimous decision, it needs to get the nods of the elders and the emperor. Emperor Taisho, as his successor, is similar to a puppet, and there is no need to consult him at all. However, the opinions of the senators are also very important. It's even about whether the plan can be implemented.

After the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Masatsuki Terauchi brought Foreign Minister Yasuya Uchida, Tibetan Minister Tatsuo Yamamoto, Land Minister Shiroku Ishimoto, and Umi Minister Yashiro Rokuro to the palace to meet Emperor Taisho. Yama Prefecture has Tomo, Masayoshi Matsukata, Inoue Shin, Oyama Iwa, and Togo Heihachiro. Gonbei Yamamoto and Konobu Saionji and other elders also accompanied the cabinet to meet Emperor Taisho. As for the other patriarch, Katsura Taro, he passed away on October 10 last year.

In the main hall of the Imperial Palace, Emperor Taisho sat on the throne with a serious face. However, the expressionless face looked like a statue. In fact, Emperor Taisho is just a puppet at the mercy of the elders at the moment.

"Your Majesty. Today, the fate of the Great Japanese Empire is in jeopardy. The people of China are aggressive. Threaten the survival of the Empire. At this time, the cabinet had reached an agreement and was ready to fight to the death with the Chinese people. Only by defeating the people of China and inflicting heavy damage on the navy of China could the Great Japanese Empire continue to exist. Otherwise, the fall of the Great Japanese Empire. Right in front of you. I implore His Majesty the Emperor to approve the Admiralty's battle plan to launch a thunderous attack on the Shina Navy. Prime Minister Terauchi Masatsu knelt on the ground and pleaded with Emperor Taisho with a determined expression.

"Elders, what is your attitude?" Emperor Taisho was still expressionless, and a few words came out of his mouth.

"Your Majesty. The current Great Japanese Empire has reached the most critical moment. Only by defeating the people of China can we keep the country and continue to rise. The minister believes that the cabinet's plan is completely correct, and it is time to give it a go with the Chinese people. Shan County Youpeng said. As the most senior person among the Japanese veterans, he has always been regarded as the general backstage of the Japanese Army. He is also a hardliner on China.

"Please think twice, Your Majesty! The war will inevitably cause the destruction of human beings. The Great Japanese Empire has now been left behind by the Shina people, and it is difficult to win if they risk starting a war. Xiyuan Temple Gongwang jumped out to stop him.

"Xiyuan Temple-kun, have you been scared by the people of Zhina? China is indeed very strong now. However, the Great Japanese Empire was not weak either. What's more, with the spirit of bushido and the blessing of Amaterasu, we will definitely be able to defeat the people of China. Oyama retorted.

Subsequently, the veterans belonging to the army and navy jumped out one after another to refute the public hope of Xiyuan Temple. They are all military factions, and they all believe that although the current situation in Japan is critical, if they give it a go and use the operation of the country as a bet, they may not be able to defeat China and reverse the situation.

"Gentlemen, can you convince the Americans to join us in action?" Inoue said.

"Well, Americans are cowardly. Unless the Empire wins a decisive victory, they will not say it right away. It is simply a national sorrow that the Americans have the most powerful industry and abundant financial resources in the world, but they cannot obtain the international status that matches it. If the Japanese Empire had had possessed the industrial and financial strength of the United States, we would have been the hegemon of the world long ago. Gonbei Yamamoto said.

The United States' strong industrial strength and financial resources are the envy of Japan. The Japanese often fantasize that if Japan had such strong industrial and financial strength, it would not necessarily fail in its struggle to conquer China, let alone conquer China.

"The U.S. Navy continues to send capital ships to the West Coast. However, they are more defensive than offensive. It can be seen that the Americans are also afraid of the Chinese people. Heihachiro Togo said.

"Togo-kun, you are the god of the navy. So, what are the chances of the Navy winning this battle? Matsukata asked.

For these veterans, it is not uncommon to bet on the fortunes of the country. As long as you can win, even if you bet on the national fortune a few more times, what does it matter? After all, the bigger the stakes, the more you win. However, if the odds of winning are not great, betting on the fortune of the country is no different from sending him to death.

"Matsukata-kun, although the Japanese Navy has just suffered a defeat. However, we are still relatively strong. Our 'Ise-class' battleships and 'Fuso-class' battleships are far more powerful than their counterparts in the Shina Navy. Even the 'Zhonghua-class' battleships of the China Navy are far from being able to compare with our battleships. In addition, this time the navy will still use surprise attacks to start a war. The odds are still high. As long as the Chinese navy is disabled, the long coastline of China will no longer be able to stop the imperial navy. The people of China were only able to submit to the empire and agree to a series of conditions of the empire. Heihachiro Togo said.

This is actually the expectation of the Japanese Cabinet as well. Completely defeating China, or even conquering China, the Japanese did not dare to think of it. At least at this stage, it is unthinkable. After all, China has not only a powerful navy, but also a powerful army. If Japan wants to defeat China, it will have to send an army to land. However, the Japanese Army has not been developed in these years, and military spending is quite small. If you want to rely on the Japanese Army to defeat the Chinese Army, it is simply impossible. At least at this stage, it is impossible.

The Japanese cabinet hoped to defeat the Chinese navy in this battle and then force China to sue for peace. In doing so, they would be able to extort enough wealth from China to ease Japan's financial pressures and develop a more powerful armament. Didn't Japan tighten its belt and fight a Sino-Japanese War, and then received a large amount of war reparations, which made Japan develop rapidly?

Although the public hope of Xiyuan Temple is against adventure, among the many patriarchs, he is difficult to support alone. With the other patriarchs agreeing, he could only remain silent.

Soon, the patriarchs agreed. Emperor Taisho is requested to approve it.

Subsequently, Emperor Taisho issued an edict agreeing to the cabinet's resolution. At the same time, Emperor Taisho called on the officers and men of the navy to fight bravely and strive to defeat the Chinese navy.

After receiving the emperor's edict, the Japanese navy had no worries. The last main force of the Japanese Navy began to assemble at the Sasebo Naval Base in batches. The Japanese Naval Operations Department has also begun to draw up a battle plan and is preparing for a decisive battle with the Chinese Navy.

At the same time, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also instructed the ambassador to the United States to contact the US Government in the hope of pulling the Americans into the water. If the United States were to join Japan in launching an attack on the Chinese Empire, their chances of victory would undoubtedly be much greater. However, it is a pity that the United States is not interested in the proposal of the Japanese.

Although, the United States also regards China as a great enemy and is always wary of China's expansion in the Pacific direction. However, the U.S. government did not want to get involved in the war at this time. The outbreak of the Great War in Europe gave the Americans an opportunity to make a lot of war money. If there is a war with China at this time, then they can only watch the opportunity to make a fortune slip away.

However, the United States is still happy to see Japan used to weaken China's strength. Even if Japan fails, China will certainly not come out unscathed. As long as China can pay a significant price, China will pose far less threat to the United States. In order to make the Japanese desperate with the Chinese, the US government generously provided Japan with a low-cost loan of $20 million. At the same time, he assured Japan that in the event of Japan's defeat, the United States would intervene as soon as possible to mediate and preserve Japan's strength.

The Americans hope that Japan's chess piece will play a role for a long time and will not destroy the Chinese empire in one go.

After receiving the support and assurances of the Americans, the Japanese could not help but have great confidence and prepared for war against the Chinese Empire even more unscrupulously. (To be continued.) )

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