Japan, Tokyo, Kasumigaseki, Prime Minister's Office.

Prime Minister Saionji Konobu convened an emergency cabinet meeting, which was attended not only by the five cabinet ministers, but also by Minister of Internal Affairs, Hara Keikazu, on behalf of the emperor. In addition, the three commanders of the army have all arrived. Everyone's face was filled with a smile of excitement. They seem to see that a great victory is on the horizon for Japan.

"Ahem! Ladies and gentlemen, everyone should be well aware of the current international situation. We, the Great Japanese Empire, what should we do next? Xiyuan Temple Gongwang asked. As the prime minister of Japan and the boss of the Constitutional Political Friendship Association, he himself is very disgusted with the use of force to solve problems. However, after his teacher Hirobumi Ito was assassinated in North Korea, this made him also full of hatred for China.

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, this is a golden opportunity, a good opportunity for us to defeat the Northern Army and reoccupy the Northeast, and we absolutely cannot let it go. After occupying the Northeast, we can use the Northeast as a base to further invade the whole of China. As long as we have mastered the Empire of Japan and relied on the manpower and material resources of the Empire, we will be able to make the Great Japanese Empire the top power in the world, and it is not impossible to even unify the whole world. Lu Xiangji said first.

The other ministers also nodded their heads one after another, as early as the Toyotomi Hideyoshi era, Japan had already made plans to invade the mainland. These Japanese knew that they were on a small island with volcanoes, earthquakes, and poor resources, and that it was almost impossible for them to do anything big. It is only through the conquest of the East Asian continent that they have a chance to rise. Therefore, successive generations of Japanese elites have already formulated plans to conquer East Asia and dominate the world. These people in later generations are merely refining these plans.

"If we're going to fight this war, how many troops do we need to commit? How much military spending? Xiyuan Temple Gongwang asked. Although the Army was keen to fight this war, it also needed to take into account Japan's national strength.

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister. If we are to completely defeat the Chinese people, we need to invest at least 20 divisions, that is, 450,000 troops. The cost of military spending is almost a billion yen! Chief of Staff Marshal Oyama Iwa said.

"Four hundred and fifty thousand? One billion yen? The cabinet ministers exclaimed. At present, Japan's finances are just showing signs of improvement, and they simply cannot afford to spend so much on military spending.

"Your Excellency. Will we be able to come up with so much military spending? Saionji looked at the Tibetan Prime Minister Yoshiro Sakatani.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, the Ministry of Finance can come up with a maximum of 100 million yen, and this is already our own savings. If there are more, the Ministry of Finance will be powerless. Yoshiro Sakatani shook his head. As Minister of Finance, he is undoubtedly the most stressed of the five ministers in the cabinet. Faced with Japan's current financial situation, he had to find ways to save every penny. However, the army and navy guys opened their mouths every time, which made Japan's finances unable to hold on at all.

"100 million yen? How can this work? Masaki Nakurichi, Chief of Staff Marshal Oyama Iwa, and Director of Education Katsura Taro all exclaimed. They demanded a billion yen in military spending. The Ministry of Finance can only provide a tenth of it, which is too much for them.

"The Ministry of Finance is also under a lot of pressure right now, and providing 100 million yen is already our limit. For other military spending, we can only think of another way. Yoshiro Sakatani said expressionlessly.

"We can borrow from our allies. Russia was an ally of Britain and France, and they went to war with the Chinans, which was not in the interests of the Entente as a whole. If we can send troops to help Russia, it will undoubtedly be beneficial to the Entente. England and France. You should be able to lend us money, right? Lu Xiangji said. They are also aware of the situation in the Ministry of Finance. I also know that Yoshiro Sakatani did his best.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs can negotiate with Britain and France, but it's uncertain whether they will lend us money." Foreign Minister Lin Dong said. Although, the guys in the army seem to have everything envisioned. But he always felt that the situation would not develop as smoothly as they thought. This war is already full of uncertainties.

"That's fine. As long as Britain and France are willing to lend us money. We will be able to have enough military money to fight the Chinese people. Once the people of China are defeated, we will reoccupy the entire northeast. When the time comes, the time will come for the Great Japanese Empire to take off. Lu Xiangji said excitedly. Most of the other cabinet ministers also had a flash of joy on their faces. If during their tenure, Japan can achieve tremendous growth. They will undoubtedly go down in history.

"Ladies and gentlemen, now that we have decided to go to war. So, what about the timing of the war? Do you join the war when it breaks out, or wait until the Russians and the Chinese are exhausted? Xiyuan Temple Gongwang said.

"The Army wants to wait until the Chinese and the Russians are both defeated before entering the war. In this way, we can effectively reduce our casualties, so that we can win the war with the least cost. Chief of Staff Marshal Oyama Iwa said. In the last war, the Japanese army suffered a crushing defeat, which made him still have lingering palpitations. His reputation was almost ruined in that war. Originally, he thought that he could be promoted to the rank of Japanese veteran by virtue of the victory in the war. As a result, there is no shadow yet.

"Yes, the combat effectiveness of the Northern Army of China is stronger than that of the regular army of China. Their forces are so powerful that if we had joined the war in the first place, we would have suffered heavy losses. Lu Xiangji Masaki nodded. In the Russo-Japanese War, Japan was victorious, but it was a crushing victory. Their casualties were far greater than those of the Russians. The rank and file officers of the Japanese Army lost almost half of their ranks. This greatly affected the combat effectiveness of the Japanese Army, so that in the war with the Northern Army, it lost completely. If there is another brutal war, it will definitely cost the Japanese Army even more.

It was undoubtedly more advantageous for Japan to join in the later stages of the war. This allows them to get the most out of the battle at the minimum cost. In addition, the Japanese Army can also preserve its strength to deal with the next crisis.

However, other cabinet ministers raised objections.

"Gentlemen, joining in the late stages of the war will cost us less. But again, there are a lot of downsides. After all, the Russians are one of the great powers of the world, and they will not watch us snatch the fruits of their victory. This time, neither the British nor the French will be on our side to help us. Relations between the Americans and us have also deteriorated. At that time, we will be able to contend with the Russians in our own strength. So, I think it's better for us to work with the Russians and flank the Chinans. In this case, it may cost more, but it will ensure our benefits. Foreign Minister Lin Dong said.

"Your Excellency the Foreign Minister's opinion is worth pondering, what do you think?" Saionji Gongwang asked.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, I think Your Excellency the Foreign Minister is right. European and American ghost animals are not easy to get along with, and we must be extremely careful when dealing with them. The last Russo-Japanese War was fought because the British wanted to weaken the Russians with us, so they fully supported us in this war. But now, the international situation is different. The British and the Russians have become allies, how can they help us fight the Russians? I'm afraid that not only will it not, but it will put pressure on us. Minoru Saito, the prime minister of the sea, also said. This battle had nothing to do with the Japanese Navy. The Northern Navy did not even have a single warship, except for one fortress in Arthur. The Japanese Navy did not even have a chance to make a sortie. So they can act as spectators. Of course, if the army wins, it will also be very beneficial to the Japanese navy. Because there is no iron ore from Tohoku, the construction plan of the Japanese Navy's two 'Satsuma-class' battleships has been greatly affected. The price of steel imported from abroad was too expensive, which made the cost of battleships continue to rise, which has seriously affected the shipbuilding plan of the Japanese Navy.

"The army doesn't think so, after all, the Northern Army of China has a strong fighting capacity, and if the Russians want to defeat them, I'm afraid they will have to pay a huge price. By then, they would have also suffered heavy losses. Even if they had the heart to stop the Great Japanese Empire, they would be powerless. Lu Xiangji retorted.

"However, Russia has a population of 140 million, and if they have the support of Britain and France, they can mobilize millions of troops into the war. And we will directly collapse financially because we do not have the support of Britain and France. At that time, the Great Japanese Empire would once again usher in a crushing defeat. Foreign Minister Lin Dong said.

Next, the two sides engaged in a heated argument on this issue, and neither could convince anyone. However, one thing is certain, and that is that they have agreed and are ready to intervene in this war. From this point, it can be seen that both the so-called pro-war faction and the democratic faction have just put on a coat. For the sake of Japan's rise, they also support the use of force against China.

Eventually, Saionji expressed his stance and asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to negotiate with the Russians first, and if the Russians agreed, they could join forces to flank the Northern Army. If the Russians don't agree, find another way. (To be continued......)

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