The Battle of Sirte did not only affect the judgment of the Ottomans, but in fact the British did not lag behind the main opponents when the Germans were negotiating with them. They are also courting a country.

At this time, a cabinet meeting was being held in Tokyo, Japan.

At this time, Japan was governed by the Okuma Shigenobu Cabinet, which was the second time that Okuma Shigenobu formed a cabinet. Unlike the first time it was supported by Hirobumi Ito, this time the cabinet formation was supported by Aritomo Yamaguchi. So much so that some people say that the cabinet will not achieve anything if it does not have friends in Yangshan County.

"Gentlemen, this is a new condition put forward by the British, who agree to our claims to the German Philippines and Italian Borneo."

Shigenobu Okuma, who was carried by the Foreign Minister on his shoulder, livened up the atmosphere in the venue as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Great, the British finally agreed."

"Now, our army can finally occupy the rich German and Italian colonies."

There is also a reason why the important ministers of the Japanese cabinet are so informal, because it is too difficult.

That's right, it's just too hard.

The two places are very rich, the copper, gold and rice of the German Philippines, and the spices, rubber and oil of Italian Borneo are all famous existences. These are all things that Japan desperately needs.

Every year, hundreds of millions of yen are procured from the two places alone. Therefore, after the outbreak of the war, Japan proposed to join the Entente on the condition that the Philippines and Italian Borneo should be returned to him.

However, it is a pity that although Britain and France were looking forward to Japan's accession to the Entente, they also coveted their demands for the Philippines and Italian Borneo, and refused in one bite.

London is very wary of its East Asian allies. You must know that since the Russo-Japanese War, the British have become wary of Japan, which has risen.

In addition to finding a potential enemy of the United States, it is also wary of its influence entering Southeast Asia. Even if they were at war with the Allied camp before, they had to guard against the entry of Japanese forces.

As for why they agreed now, it is very simple, on the one hand, because of the needs of war, and on the other hand, the German-Italian colonies in Southeast Asia are not easy to fight.

Before the outbreak of the war, Germany had deployed 12,000 German troops in the Philippines, as well as 30,000 colonial troops. And in Borneo, Italy also had an army of 5,000 men, as well as a colonial army of 45,000 men.

Moreover, the colonial armies of Germany and Italy are different from those of the British, and their equipment and training are not similar to those of the native army, so their combat effectiveness is very strong.

In December, during the Anglo-French probing attack on Borneo, 20,000 men beat the 30,000-strong British and French colonial troops. If it weren't for the absolute superiority of its navy, it would still be questionable whether these forces that were trying to attack would have been able to withdraw.

Based on this battle, the British and French estimated that at least 200,000 troops would be needed to conquer the German and Italian colonies.

On the other hand, at present Britain and France are in dire need of naval replenishment.

The losses in the previous naval battle of Sirte, although they were transferred back to the west, but the quality was actually very clear in the hearts of Britain and France. And Japan, which is currently very strong in navy, has become a worthy target.

At this time, Jiang Muyi, who was the chief cabinet secretary, asked cautiously. "Your Excellency Prime Minister, the British must be asking for a lot of money, right?"

It was clear that the idea was that since he could relent, the asking price might not be low.

"Yes, Emu-kun, this time the British not only asked us to be the main force in seizing the German-Italian colonies, but also asked us to send the Kongo, Hiei, Hanoi, Settsu, and Fuso to support their Mediterranean fleet. In addition, the empire was required to send an army of no less than 100,000 men to cooperate with it. ”

"I can't agree to this condition at all."

"It's too harsh, the British, it's a lion's mouth."

"Do they think it's the shogunate era?"

At this time, when Prime Minister Shigenobu Okuma said the conditions of the British, the important ministers who had previously praised the British and French for their relaxation immediately changed their tunes.

"Prime Minister, do the British have other conditions?"

At this time, Rijiro Ozotsuki asked.

"Yes, the British promised to provide an interest-free loan of £20 million if we accepted it, and another £10 million in financial aid."

Well, now the venue was quiet, and some people even swallowed their saliva. That's more than 300 million yen, so who can test its power?

Don't blame these Japanese ministers for not being able to hold their breath, because the current Japan is much worse than the historical Japan. Under the influence of a certain butterfly, Japan's national strength is 30% less than in history, and its foreign debt is 40% more. And because of the dreadnought frenzy brought by Italy earlier, Japan invested money to follow up earlier, so this also caused Japan to be stronger at this time than in the same period in history.

If it weren't for the outbreak of the war that relieved Japan, even the Japanese people, who were civilized with patience, would not have been able to bear it. From 1905 onwards, riots continued to increase in Japan, peaking at 847 in 1912.

Some people may ask, since the Japanese people's conditions are so bad, is it not good to use it for the people's livelihood to expand the strength of the army on a large scale?

I'm sorry, but you don't understand what militarism is. The worse the situation, the more important it is to expand the strength of the army. Not to mention the high foreign debt that Japan is burdened with, and if it does not rely on quick money, it will have to be repaid in what year and month.

As for why Japan was chosen only as an Entente country, there were two reasons. On the one hand, under the influence of the Anglo-Japanese alliance, the pro-British faction in Japan was strong.

On the other hand, Japan believed that Britain would win the war in Europe with a high probability. Although the Entente looks a little inferior now, the heritage of the past hundred years is not something that the emerging Germany, Italy and Austria can contend with, and as for the Ottomans joining the alliance camp, anyone in the Near East can fight him.

"In fact, we can talk about this condition, such as the sales of China's goods south of the Yangtze River."

The one who spoke was Reijiro Wakazaki, the prime minister of the Great Treasure, who also worked hard for the sake of Japan's finances.

"In addition, if we send warships and troops to Europe, should it be responsible for the supply of weapons and equipment?"

"And ......"

At this time, the cabinet ministers, you and I put forward different conditions, and Shigenobu Okuma, who is also foreign minister, ordered them to be written down one by one.

It wasn't until everyone had talked about it that Okuma Shigenobu spoke. "Eight generations of sea ministers, please make a plan to build ten large warships in three years."

"Okay Prime Minister, our navy will come up with this plan soon."

Shigenobu Okuma's words made Admiral Minister Rokuro Yashiro overjoyed, he didn't expect such a surprise. The Navy's coveted 88th Fleet has finally landed.

And Prime Minister Okuma's words made the face of Ichinosuke Oka look unsightly, and it was obvious that the navy would take more, and the army would have to take less.

"Prime Minister Lu, I have talked to His Excellency Yama Prefecture about this matter, although we are both optimistic about the victory of the British side, but the German side also has the possibility of victory, and in order to avoid this situation, the empire needs a strong enough navy."

Well, although the Japanese prime minister came to power by relying on the army, he still has basic political ability.

In order to prevent possible defeat, Japan must have a strong navy. The Russo-Japanese War has fully demonstrated this point, and when the time comes, as long as the Japanese navy is strong enough, even if it gets on the wrong car, it can punish itself with three cups of getting off.

Who can mobilize a large army to come thousands of miles to the Far East to fight themselves, the cost of this will definitely make them think twice.

Soon, Prime Minister Okuma personally talked with the British, and after a war of words, he finally came up with a result that satisfied both sides.

First of all, on the Japanese side, its transfer of five warships will not change, and it will go to Alexandria within a month after the declaration of war to join the Mediterranean fleet, and on the land side, it needs to organize 200,000 troops to fight with Britain and France within half a year.

As a greater price for Japan's troops, Britain provided 20 million pounds in economic aid and 20 million in 15-year interest-free loans. (Of this amount, £6 million will be spent on special funds for the Army to appease the Army.) ）。 On the economic front, Britain must not block Japan's economic activities in the Yangtze River basin. In addition, the armed forces sent by Japan, except for rifles, are provided by Britain with other weapons and equipment, and must not be lower than the standards of the Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian armies.

On February 3, 1914, Japan officially declared war on Germany, Italy and Austria, and the scale of the war became larger and larger.

There were a lot of things yesterday, and I was very tired when I went back at night, so I really didn't finish writing, so I'm sorry for keeping you waiting.