In January, Tokyo has a warm current from the Pacific Ocean, so it is still relatively warm. But for high-ranking Japanese officials, the temperature in Tokyo today is extremely cold, colder than Hokkaido, colder than Siberia.

The goal of nearly 20 years of hard work was about to be a big success, but he was slapped away. It's hard to accept anyone else, so who can understand the coolness in my heart.

At the newly convened Imperial Council because of the defeat in the naval battle, in front of Emperor Meiji, the Japanese high-level officials even threw the blame at each other, pointing at each other and blaming each other.

"Although our navy is responsible for the defeat in this naval battle, it is also caused by various reasons."

As the direct leader of the defeat in this naval battle, the Minister of the Navy, Saigo, took the lead in shaking off the blame. I saw that he didn't give others a chance to speak, and just continued to speak.

"First of all, this naval battle took place in a hasty situation and simply did not meet the requirements for naval operations that we had previously formulated. Among them, the army's failure to capture Weihaiwei was the biggest incentive for the failure of the naval battle. ”

"Smack, Yaga!"

Saigo's obvious attempt to dump the pot on the army immediately attracted the rebuke of the Minister of War, Takashima Tonosuke. "Your navy is so shameless in passing the buck to others. If you lose on the battlefield, you should recognize your mistakes and correct them, instead of running to complain about this and that, just like a complaining woman. Moreover, our army has already worked very hard in the battle of Weihaiwei, and the lack of sufficient heavy firepower is the reason why we have not been able to capture the entire Weihaiwei, if your navy had accepted our army's request at that time, Weihaiwei would have been taken long ago. ”

It is obvious that Takashima Tonosuke is also far-sighted, and he opens his mouth to take out the responsibility of the army first. It's all because the navy is unwilling to cooperate, otherwise Weihaiwei would have been defeated a long time ago.

"According to what you say, the failure to capture Weihaiwei is still the fault of our navy?"

"This is the case, of course, as long as you can suppress the shore defense battery, our navy will be able to conquer Weihaiwei."

Saigo, who was disgusted by Lu Xiang's shamelessness, said angrily. "Bastard, do you know that two 260mm Krupp shore defense guns are installed in the main battery of Weihaiwei, and you let us use precious warships to attack the opponent's shore guns?"

"But you, who kept all the warships, have not been able to fight the Italian fleet. If I knew that this would be the case, it would be better to fight for one or two damaged warships to conquer Weihaiwei first, at least so that your navy would not be so embarrassed. ”

"Chaos, I'm going to duel with you!"

Saigo, who was scarred, became angry and wanted to duel with the land minister Takashima Tonosuke in the way of the sword.

"Come on, let me see how much skill Your Excellency has in kendo."

Before the others could react, Takashima Tonosuke was not to be outdone and fought back.

"Smack!"

Seeing that this imperial meeting was about to turn into a kendo dueling arena, Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito, who had a gloomy face, slammed the table in front of him.

"Both of them are swordsmanship, since the two of them want to learn one or two so much, let's set up a ring for the two of them in Tokyo. Just to let the people of Tokyo see the demeanor of our Minister of Land and Sea. ”

After all, Ito Hirobumi still has prestige, and he is even more different from the puppet prime minister who was later controlled by the Japanese Navy and Army, so the two no longer spoke.

After controlling the scene, Ito Hirobumi looked around the crowd.

"Today is not to convene everyone to hold accountable, this war has not yet reached the moment of admitting defeat, you are so prevaricating responsibility, let the people outside who are fighting for the empire think of us."

Ito's words touched the high-ranking officials at the venue somewhat, whether they were impressed by patriotic enthusiasm or by not holding them accountable now, but they were able to continue to operate the imperial center.

Seeing that the atmosphere was gradually improving, Ito continued. "The defeat in this naval battle is not the end of the world, and we need to continue to work hard for the Empire. Lord Saigo, tell me how much time the Navy will need to recover. ”

True, Hirobumi Ito also knew the importance of the Navy in this war.

"At present, the combined fleet has suffered heavy losses, every warship has been damaged, and there is currently insufficient domestic repair shipyards, and it will take at least three months to completely repair it."

Saigo's words made the others present frown slightly, the United Fleet was absent from the battlefield for three months, which had too much impact on the battle situation. There is a world of difference between having ships and not having ships, even if Japan has the protection of coastal defense fortifications, but Japan is so big how can it do everything.

Not to mention the strength of the Italian fleet, the only coastal defense fortifications in Japan that could be defended without the assistance of warships could be carried out in Tokyo Bay.

So the cabinet members have opinions about the absence of the Navy for three months.

"The Navy can't move for three months, what if the enemy warships are coming?"

It was Minister of the Interior Kiichi Ichikawa who spoke, and as the department in charge of Japan's economic development, Ichikawa certainly did not forget the distribution map of Japan's economic development. It is safe to say that most of Japan's economic development is located in the coastal areas, which is why it is extremely nervous.

In fact, what did he say to other people's hearts, without the protection of the navy, what should I do if the enemy ships attack?

Shore defense batteries, but at present, except for Tokyo Bay, which can make the enemy fearful, the coastal defense in other places cannot prevent enemy ships from attacking.

Facing the inquiring eyes of the Minister of the Interior, or everyone, Saigo couldn't stand it, so he hurriedly said. "Although our navy has suffered a lot of losses, the enemy ships will not be too comfortable. In addition, considering that enemy ships also have tasks that need to be completed, according to our estimates, it will take at least a month for enemy ships to be repaired before they can return to normal maritime combat capability. And we can take advantage of this time to urgently purchase a number of warships, preferably large battleships or torpedo boats and shore defense ships for coastal defense. Or we can ask the British if there are any large warships on the verge of being scrapped. ”

"In addition, our navy is working with the Italian fleet,"

Although Saigo's words are not urgent, it is also the best way to deal with Japan at the moment. Warships are not cabbages, you can buy them if you want to, and even if you sell them, it is very difficult to buy a finished warship that can be used immediately. Not to mention that selling warships to Japan would have to risk offending Italy, and those who could ignore Italy's pressure and still be willing to sell warships would have to think twice except for the British Empire.

Therefore, only by asking for the help of the British Empire can the Great Japanese Empire survive the difficulties.

"Foreign Minister Mutsu, ask about the attitude of Britain, inform us of our difficulties, and ask the British Empire for help, and we will be very grateful."

As Prime Minister, Ito Hirobumi still very much agrees with the approach of the Minister of the Navy, after all, the naval battle has been lost, and the result cannot be changed, and the only way to remedy it first is what a qualified politician should do.

Of course, speaking of the defeat in the naval battle, Ito asked again. "What do you Admiralty think about the defeat in this naval battle?"

It is obvious that Prime Minister Ito has a lot of grievances about this naval battle, and naturally has some complaints about the defeated navy.

"Prime Minister, we, the Admiralty, have made a very deep study of this naval defeat, and we believe that strategically we are not prepared for the intervention of the Great Powers and have failed to take precautions against Italy's involvement in this war. Tactically, the defeat in the naval battle was more due to strength, the officers and men of the Combined Fleet had already worked very hard, and tactically we had a slight advantage in anticipating the enemy. But in the face of the absolute strength of the enemy, these small advantages of ours simply cannot be transformed into victory. The enemy, with its powerful battleship formation, easily broke our plan, so our Navy believed that the lack of battleships in the Combined Fleet was the most important factor in the defeat of this naval battle. The Empire needed battleships, battleships that could compete with the Turin class. ”

Saigo detoured for a long time, and turned the navy's review of the defeat into an act of asking for battleships. It's shameless to see other people stunned too.

However, Ito Hirobumi did not stop him from speaking, but instead added to the burden of Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu. "Mutsu-kun, when I met with the British, I informed us of our request, if the British are not willing to sell now, we are willing to order at least a battleship that can compete with the Turin class after the war."

After listening to Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito's request, Mutsu Munemitsu wiped the sweat from his forehead, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I'll try it." ”

Ito Hirobumi saw very clearly that if Japan wants to have a way out, it must find a way from the neighbor of the Great Qing Dynasty next door, and although there is an unexpected factor in Italy this time, Japan will always have a way as long as it strengthens its own armament. After all, what kind of quality the Qing army was, they had already seen it clearly in the war.

And as long as Britain chooses Japan as an ally to fend off Russian infiltration into the Far East, then everything is easy to say. Isn't it just borrowing money, as long as you borrow more, the more the British will help themselves.

Next, the Imperial Council discussed how to deal with the Italian attack, such as taking advantage of the current maintenance of the two navies, to hurry up and send a batch of supplies to the front line, after all, the official road in North Korea, which has been in disrepair for a long time, is too laborious for transporting supplies, and can only be regarded as better than nothing. In addition, all localities are required to strengthen their vigilance and strive to discover the incoming Italian warships as soon as possible.

However, these methods are actually avoiding a question, that is, why not take advantage of the current advantage to propose negotiations to the Qing State?

I believe that none of these important ministers present here cannot see that the form of war has reversed after the defeat in the naval battle, and Japan is already rapidly sliding in the direction of defeat.

Why no one asked this question, because they didn't dare to ask it. The Japanese government has used nationalism to agitate the populace, and the populace has reached the peak of fanaticism under the news of previous victories. There have already been shouts about occupying the northeastern and northern parts of Korea and the Qing Kingdom, turning the Yellow Sea into an inland sea for Japan. This shows how irrational his fanaticism is.

At this time, any behavior and news that pours cold water will not be accepted by the people. If you tell him now that Japan lost a crucial naval battle, so you must accept a defeat, and if you don't come to your house that day to punish the national thief, he will be counted as eating fasting and reciting Buddha.

True, the Japanese government is being kidnapped by an enthusiastic population, and no good results will come out of anyone who proposes negotiations. Who wants to stand up, and even if they do, it is useless, and the strength of the individual cannot stop the fanatical popular will, even if it is extremely dangerous.

So these politicians can only try to save, and they are not without opportunities. The opportunity lies in the Qing State's regulations on the employment of Italian countries.

An Italian soldier killed in battle needs to be given at least 800 taels of silver, and the disabled soldier is 600 taels of silver per person, and the arms and warships used need to be paid. When Qing Guo couldn't stand it himself, then he was naturally willing to sit down and talk.

That's right, this is the only way for them to consume the Qing country's finances with the lives of Japanese soldiers.

Compared with the Japanese Liangmao to recruit a soldier, the Italian soldiers invited by the Qing State were too expensive. War is also a war of attrition, and it depends on who can't bear it first.