The British government panicked, and the Japanese government, as the protagonist, panicked even more. Unlike in the past, now is really the moment of life and death.
No one would have imagined that European countries would be so unscrupulous, and they would be pulled to the point where they would end up in person.
An understatement of "economic sanctions" can cost the Empire of Japan Half-Life.
If it is really implemented according to the contents of the note, the sphere of influence of the eighteen countries of the European Union is their restricted area, then the Japanese government does not need to develop international trade, it is better to close the country directly.
If you look at the world map, you will know that the sphere of influence of the European Union has covered more than half of the earth. With the domineering style of the powers in this era, cross-border law enforcement is also a common thing.
In this context, Japan's merchant ships go to sea with no return.
At the same time, losing the international market and maritime transportation capacity, Japan was reduced to meat on the chopping board and could only be slaughtered by others.
This is still a civilized approach. If it is too much, the European Union will directly send troops to destroy the Japanese navy, and it is not impossible to have another "black ship incident".
The consequences of rejection are serious, and the consequences of compromise are equally serious. The Japanese government has tried its best since the war has been going on, and at this time, all efforts to compromise are all for naught.
Whether it was heavy casualties or huge military expenditures, the Japanese government was pushed into a corner.
Taking a step back is no longer the vast sky, but the abyss. For the sake of this war, the Japanese people have been starving for a long time, and suddenly received the bad news of failure. "Tianzhuguozi" is a must.
The imperial meeting has already begun, but this time no one spoke first. There was no way, things happened so suddenly that there was no time for everyone to prepare.
Forced by the Emperor's murderous gaze, Ito Hirobumi said bravely, "For this scene, everyone must be prepared.
Since the start of the Philippine War, we have discussed the issue of the intervention of foreign powers, but we did not expect this day to come so quickly, let alone that European countries would actually be able to act together.
There is no way to hide, and now the worst situation has emerged, so we are ready to deal with the aftermath.
Don't worry too much. The economic crisis is breaking out in Europe now, and countries will not easily provoke wars, especially a war that sees no return. "
Soothing words, Ito Hirobumi really can't make it up. The international intervention expected in advance was only a matter of Spain pulling in several countries with good relations to intervene.
What's the fun in this
I took the script of "Eighteen Route Princes Begging Dong", the problem is that they are not Dong Zhuo, and they don't have a "Xiliang Iron Cavalry" that will shake the world.
There is no need for the eighteen countries to organize coalition forces from home, and the military strength of the other family in the Southeast Asia will be able to kill Tokyo in less than a month.
"Resistance" is a false proposition. Spain alone has a lot to do with the Southbound Fleet. If you add the Dutch and Shinra fleets, the Southbound fleet will definitely kneel.
The navy is finished, and the main force of the army, which is still fighting hard in the Philippine Islands, is only a matter of time.
The army and navy are gone, what can we do to resist
"One hundred million pieces of jade", that was a crazy plan in World War II. In Japan today, there are more than 40 million people in the whole country, and the government is even more famous for its "rationality" in the "Meiji Era".
Originally, Ito Bowen wanted to mention the British ally, but seeing the disdainful expressions on everyone's face, he finally chose to swallow the words.
Those who can enter here are all people who understand. What is going on in the "Britain-Japanese Alliance" is the most clear to everyone.
It doesn't matter if you talk about tiger skins in normal times. In this terrible time, it is better to rely on the British for help. It is better to worship Amaterasu and ask Kamikaze to help destroy the enemy.
Kiyotaka Kuroda: "It is precisely because of the economic crisis in Europe that we are more dangerous. European powers have always liked to start wars abroad and transfer economic crises domestically.
Especially in recent decades, almost every economic crisis has been the climax of European countries' foreign expansion. Including the Ottoman Empire, which once dominated the Mediterranean Sea, fell under the expansion of Shinra's foreign transfer crisis.
There is such a foreshadowing, and now we have to guard against it. Should the situation get out of control due to carelessness and carelessness, we become the sinners of the Empire. "
As a rare rationalist in the Japanese government, Kiyotaka Kuroda has always been against military adventures. The practice of gambling on the national fortune is even more disgusting.
It's just that the arm can't bend the thigh, and it can't stop the desire of the Chinese people to expand. Now that the strategy of going south has been frustrated, in Kuroda Kiyotaka's view, it is a good time to step on the brakes.
It's not ashamed to back down under pressure from the Continental Union anyway. In another country, it will be much better than their performance.
"no!"
"Now we can't back down. The morale of the people has been aroused. At this time, there is no way to make a compromise with the European Union. There is no way to explain it to the people."
It's not that there are friends in Shanxian County, but the Japanese government has been forced into an embarrassing situation. Neither the military nor the public can tolerate failure.
If he really chooses to compromise, there may be a revolution in the country. Despite the ravages of the European continent's economic crisis, the situation in Japan is actually more serious than that of European countries.
Unlike European countries, no matter how severe the economic crisis is, the government will find a way to distribute relief food even if it is poor. Although it is not good to eat, it can save lives.
The Japanese government will not be able to do it. The money has been spent on the war, and its pockets have long been empty. There is also no money. European countries can get food from Shinra on credit, but the Japanese government has nowhere to go on credit.
In order to stabilize the situation, the Japanese government has suppressed several riots. Today's Japan is a powder keg. It is all supported by a breath of spiritual energy. If the air dissipates, it will kill people.
If civilians are powder kegs, the military is explosive packs. With the outbreak of the war, the radical faction in the army has begun to emerge, and has a very large influence in the middle and lower ranks of officers and soldiers.
Once these people riot, their destructive power is much greater than that of ordinary people. As a general who just came back from the front line, Youpeng in Shanxian is very aware of how vulnerable the current military is.
Glancing at Ito Hirobumi, he said slowly with a sense of sympathy for Saiyuanji Gongwang: "The key to the question now is not whether we should back down, but whether we can resist the pressure of the European Continental Alliance.
Not only political and economic pressure, but also military pressure. If the European Continental Alliance conducts armed intervention, will the military have the ability to keep the enemy out of the country
It is about the life and death of the empire, I hope you can answer rationally. Your judgment will directly affect whether the Empire of Japan can continue.
please! "
While saying that, Xiyuan Temple Gongwang also bowed to the military representative.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense. As representatives of the military, Saigo Congdao, Dashanyan, Yamaxian Yuto and others felt the pressure instantly.
Now is not the time for political struggles. One wrong step will not only kill you, but even the Empire of Japan may be buried with you.
"The gap between the strengths of the two sides is too great, not to mention the joint intervention of the European Union. Even if the Dutch Nanyang Fleet and the Spanish Navy join forces, the Imperial Navy will not be able to defend the enemy from outside the country."
After speaking, Xixiang Congdao seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and the whole person relaxed. Although this answer hurts one's morale a bit, it is the most responsible answer to the Japanese Empire.
After the outbreak of the Philippine campaign, the Dutch government increased the deployment of troops in the South China Sea. Although there are not many warships added, and there are no 10,000-ton pre-dreadnought ships, it is still enough to be the last straw that breaks the balance.
"Are your navies all trash? You spend so much military spending every year, but now..."
Before Da Shanyan had finished speaking, Huashan Ziji, Minister of the Navy's Military Order, directly replied: "Dashan-kun needs to be responsible for his speech, how much is the Navy's annual military expenditure
Did you know that Spain, which is at war with us, has, on average, spent twice as much as us in the navy in the past ten years
The annual military expenditure of the Empire is comparable to that of Portugal at most, not even the Dutch.
As for the real naval powers, not to mention Britain and the Holy Roman Empire, they can build two imperial navies with their annual naval budget.
With limited funds, a modern navy can be built, and it is on par with the Spanish navy. The navy is worthy of the empire! "
The butt decides the head. Although Huashan Ziji was originally from the army, he had to protect the interests of the navy when he took the position of the commander of the navy. It has to be done even more thoroughly in order to convince the people below.
In the case of ignoring the price level and strategic needs, just looking at the annual military expenditure, the Japanese navy can be regarded as saving money.
If the above factors are considered comprehensively, the Japanese navy has nothing to do with "saving money". The high cost of outsourcing warships is inevitable. The key is that the Japanese Navy has fully learned from the Royal Navy, and many places have reached the point of madness.
Not only the tactical training and operational instructions imitated the British, but even the decoration of the warships and the meals of the soldiers were copied from the Royal Navy. There is no domestic import, anyway, everything is in line with the Royal Navy.
Whether there is waste, no one knows the answer. After all, the navies of Europe and the United States all play like this. Eating steak and drinking red wine is standard, far from the bitterness of the army.
In the era of serious lack of confidence and the most serious foreign fascination, it is naturally irreproachable for the navy to follow the British in an all-round way.
However, these reasons can fool ordinary people, but the army who wants to fool the enemy is not enough. Don't think that the senior army officers don't understand the navy. In fact, the time they spend studying the navy every day is not necessarily shorter than that of some senior navy officers.
Da Shanyan sneered: "Stop talking about these useless things, the Imperial Navy just needs to stay in the port for training every day, and their navy has to travel all over the world.
Even the annual military expenditures are earned by other people's navy from outside. If you have the ability to earn your own military expenses, I have no problem with spending more money. "
There's nothing wrong with the colonial empire's navy and military spending. Whether it's plundering wealth from colonies or maintaining overseas trade, these are all tied to the navy.
This is why the more colonized and richer the country, the larger the navy. Even if it is lost on the surface, it is because the money is put into personal pockets. If it really keeps losing money, with the shit and urine nature of European governments these days, it is estimated that they will not be playing for a long time.
For details, you can refer to Alaska. The Russians threw this money-losing hot potato to Austria. Before the development of gold, the voices of giving up within the Vienna government are also endless.
Only in recent years has the winds of the Vienna government changed. More and more people have realized the value of territory, and then they have gone to the other extreme-the flag is planted when they encounter a borderless land.
Of course, this "extreme" has little effect. After all, it is just to plant the flag along the way, not to actually send someone to occupy it. The Vienna government is still not short of money for a few chess pieces.
Huashan Ziji rolled his eyes, his disdain was beyond words. Not even a single Spain has been dealt with, and they have to go out to snatch the colony, which is definitely a performance of brain water.
Seeing that the topic went off the rails, Emperor Meiji glared at Da Shanyan in dissatisfaction, and sternly scolded: "This is not the time to listen to your quarrel, the empire is at stake, can't you save your heart?"
There is no doubt that Emperor Meiji was very dissatisfied with the army's practice of diverting the topic.
No, no, no, this is something everyone knows, is it so difficult to admit that you are not strong enough
The answer is: hard, very hard.
Unlike the Navy, the Army is not as rational. The Navy can roughly know the strength gap between the two sides by looking at the warships. No matter how the head iron faces the strength gap of ten times or even dozens of times, it is difficult to be rude!
The most important thing is that the European Army and Navy are within easy reach. If they hold on, they will call directly. Bragging is about to wear a gang, even if you don't want to admit it.
The army is different. Smart people can see it at a glance. Although the European Union is powerful, it is impossible to send hundreds of thousands of troops to attack Japan. It will lose money.
Since you don't need to fight with the Continental Alliance, it's okay to brag behind closed doors. Of course, even if the defense of the enemy is outside the country, this guarantee does not need to be played well.
If the commander of the family is out of his mind and really comes to attack Tokyo, then he will be finished. The army's achievements in the Philippine Islands alone cannot provide enough confidence.
If you can't brag, and you don't want to admit that you are not strong enough to take responsibility, you can only find a way to fool the past. It's better to be honest than to be called a "traitor" by the radicals.
Everyone present knew that the Japanese government had no choice since the European Union's diplomatic note was issued.
Hard bar is impossible, if it really angers the European Union, it is not impossible to turn Japan into a colony.
Although this will lose money, 18 countries will share it together, and each family will not lose much.
It is even possible that not only the Eighteen Nations, but also their good allies will follow suit to ensure that their position in the Far East will not be shaken. This kind of thing, Britain has done a lot, and doesn't care about one more time.
Seeing that the main responsibility for being forced to make concessions was thrown to the navy, Da Shanyan knew that he couldn't continue to pretend to be confused. If they were unwilling to take any responsibility, they would become public enemies.
"Your Majesty, judging from the current situation, it is indeed not a wise move to confront the European Union. However, if we give up the Philippine Islands directly, we have no way to explain to the people.
If you want to transition safely, the best way is to change a soft persimmon.
Internally, we can use the slapstick as an excuse to appease the people at home; externally, we have sold the European Union a face, and they are not good to continue to be aggressive.
The European Union's intervention in the Philippine War was essentially due to the unstable situation in the European continent and fears that the domestic situation would get out of control after Spain's defeat.
There are no such risks in the north, and even if we are turned upside down, it will not have much impact on the situation in Europe.
At the price of giving up the Philippine Islands, even if we cannot get the support of other countries to go north, there is no problem in exchange for their neutrality. "