Consulate General of the Principality of Montenegro in Japan.
Lu Ming was having a secret conversation with Prime Minister Ashikaga, and they were the only two people in the reception room.
Prime Minister Ashikaga had a vague illusion that the queen's fiancé, who was said to be named Lu Jun and the younger brother of Prince of Kuroishanburg, was obviously the Prince of Kuroishanburg himself. Even the tone of his voice and so on, His Royal Highness did not hide anything.
However, it was clear that the Prince of Montenegro Castle had been touring Shengjing, the Montenegro Region and some capitals of the autonomous territories of the Principality of Montenegro these days, celebrating the New Year with the people.
These things cannot be asked or mentioned, so everyone just plays their own roles behind the scenes.
The day after tomorrow is the Queen’s wedding date.
The man in front of him, no matter who he really is, will officially become the regent of Japan. Now, he is proposing the powers and obligations of the regent.
Prime Minister Ashikaga just listened. According to the future regent, his authority was more symbolic.
But whether he becomes the commander-in-chief of the three armed forces of Japan, or has the final veto power over various cabinet matters, parliamentary proceedings, etc., if he really exercises power, he will be the real leader of the southern government of Japan.
"My first goal is to facilitate the establishment of a coalition government between the North and the South. Yamamoto still recognizes the Queen as the head of the Kingdom of Japan. I hope that he can also accept the legitimacy of my regent."
Prime Minister Ashikaga felt a little relieved. It would be difficult for Yamamoto Takeya to recognize the Regent as the supreme commander of his army and give him the final decision-making power on all state affairs, even in name only.
Moreover, from the perspective of radical organizations in the Kansai region, they believe that the Queen was forced to marry the younger brother of Prince Montenegro and that it is a great shame for all Japanese people. Recently, the Security Committee has uncovered several conspiracies to disrupt weddings and even assassinate the Regent. These were spontaneous actions of radical organizations, not planned by Yamamoto Yu.
Yamamoto Yu has remained silent on the matter and no one knows what big event he is planning.
"Old Prime Minister, I think what the Japanese people need nowadays is peaceful development. I hope we can all put aside our prejudices and face the future." Lu Ming said with a smile.
Prime Minister Ashikaga nodded: "Yes, but I'm afraid Yamamoto doesn't think so."
Lu Ming smiled and said, "You are right. He has been communicating with the Sonya people frequently via secret telegrams recently. He is probably looking for an opportunity to stab us in the back. So, we must also be prepared for war."
…
The teahouse in the All Saints' Palace is extremely quiet, with green pines and cypresses swaying outside and water dripping from bamboo tubes, which is full of Zen atmosphere.
Tomorrow is the wedding ceremony. Lu Ming is sipping tea and thinking about some things.
Today, the Sonyans are accelerating the armoring of their army. If their top leaders want to attack West Montenegro Fort, they must do so after achieving the goal of equipping more armored units.
The gendarmerie regiment he leads will also become one of the armored regiments in the Western Region.
Judging from the progress, it will take at least half a year of training for these armored units to truly develop mature combat capabilities.
During this period, Yamamoto Yu should not provoke any trouble, but once the Sonyans and the Principality of Montenegro go to war, he will definitely take the opportunity to cause trouble.
As the situation develops, Japan's strategy of balancing the north and the south also needs to be changed.
He hoped to achieve his goal within a few years by truly turning Japan into a vassal state so that, in the event of a world-class war, he could draw vassal troops from here to assist his own side in the battle.
Well, if Yamamoto Yu does not surrender, he must be completely defeated. During this period, it is urgent to develop and strengthen the pro-Monozan forces in Japan's political and military circles.
Of course, it would be best if Yamamoto agreed to form a coalition government and accept the reorganization of his army, but the hope is slim.
While pondering, Lu Ming looked at Yue Zhao who was kneeling quietly opposite the tea table. She was wearing a pink kimono, and her queen's solemnity and elegance were complemented by a hint of cuteness.
The ceremony will begin early tomorrow morning, so Lu Ming will stay here tonight.
"I plan to completely defeat the Yamamoto Yu Group. What do you think?" Lu Ming suddenly asked.
Yue Zhao nodded gently: "I don't understand military and national affairs, my husband will make the decision."
Lu Ming smiled and said, "It's still a long way from dark. I'm going out for a walk. Do you want to come?"
"Leave the palace?" Yuezhao was slightly startled and whispered, "Yuezhao has never left Wansheng Palace since he was a cradle."
Lu Ming nodded: "There will be a chance in the future, but today, well, you should take a rest. We are getting married tomorrow, and it is not good for us to appear in front of the public together today."
"Yes." Yuezhao agreed gently.
…
The future regent who was going to get married tomorrow suddenly appeared in teahouses, bathhouses, etc. near the All Saints Palace, which immediately caused a sensation.
The Regent was very approachable. Unlike the royal family which is usually mysterious and noble, the Regent was very close to the people. He asked about the sufferings of the people and promised to help them solve their problems.
When he was about to catch the bus, the Regent was already surrounded by enthusiastic citizens.
In the end, for the sake of the Regent's safety, the Regent's guards had to stop him from going on the bus ride.
The Regent gave a speech to the people and left. His fluent Japanese language aroused even warmer applause from the people.
In his speech, the Regent promised that in the future he would live like ordinary citizens, often go to the vegetable market, use public transportation and go to public places more often, so that he can understand what kind of life our citizens need. During his regency, he will work hard to improve the national economy and people's livelihood.
The citizens present cheered excitedly, one wave higher than the other.
The queen is of course a god, and it is good that she is high above others. But the regent will undoubtedly satisfy many of the people's emotional needs and become a link between gods and civilians. This future situation is exciting to think about.
…
In the evening, at a restaurant near the All Saints' Palace, guards were stationed every three steps and every five steps outside.
Lu Ming hosted a banquet for the commanders of various fronts of the southern government.
They are all here to attend the Queen's wedding ceremony tomorrow.
Although the future regent will officially become the commander-in-chief of the three armed forces after the ceremony tomorrow, the Japanese generals have already called the future regent "His Royal Highness the Regent" or "His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief." Of course, the title "His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief" is probably only limited to tonight. It is a way for several generals to express their support and acknowledge that His Royal Highness the Regent is their supreme commander from now on.
After the wedding tomorrow, there will be no need to use such strange names.
As the younger brother of the Prince of Montenegro and the second-in-command of the Principality of Montenegro, this identity is actually higher than that of the regent in terms of authority and power that can be controlled.
There are 28 territories in Japan, and the Southern Government currently occupies 14 of them. However, the three most important territories of Gyeonggi, Gyeongzuo, and Gyeongyou are under the control of the South. Therefore, the total population of the Southern Government has reached more than 60 million, accounting for two-thirds of the population of Japan.
The Yamamoto Yu group in the north occupied fourteen territories, but twelve of them belonged to the Kansai region, where the land was barren and the total population was about 30 million.
The military strength of both sides is similar. Yamamoto Yu's group has 15 divisions, with nearly 300,000 troops.
Although the Southern government had a population twice as high as that of the North and occupied most of the wealthy areas, it also had 15 divisions and a military force of about 300,000.
If things continue like this, the Kansai Group will probably run into financial difficulties soon. However, the people of Kansai are hardworking and are probably accustomed to a warlike lifestyle.
For the Queen's wedding, the commanders of the fifteen southern divisions were all invited, and fourteen of them came, and are now sitting in this restaurant.
On both sides of the long table, seven Japanese generals were kneeling.
The first person on the left is Lu Ming’s old friend Kawamoto Shigeyoshi, currently the commander of the 1st Division and also the lord of the Okuetsu Autonomous Territory.
The Principality of Montenegro and the Austrian people have a complicated relationship of grievance and resentment.
But if the Oyue Division had not received help from the Principality of Montenegro, it would have completely perished in a foreign country.
However, what His Royal Highness the Regent just said made all the generals present fall silent.
"Now, I'm not the commander-in-chief yet, I'm just your old friend. When I was the consul general here, I had interactions with all of you, so there is no taboo in our chat. What I say definitely does not represent my advice as the commander-in-chief, so I won't think too much about it. If I say something wrong, please forgive me." Lu Ming said with a smile.
Lu Ming was talking about the current ills in Japan. The dominions are all independent and this is also true for the military. Therefore, society has been in a state of division. Without a strong unified government, this will obviously not be suitable for social development in the new era.
"Local autonomy is the traditional political model of our empire, and it has also promoted freedom of thought and the development of science and technology. However, the fact that the army is affiliated with the local government has also led to the current division of the empire."
Looking at the generals' expressions, Lu Ming smiled and said, "Of course, don't worry, I have always been a supporter of local autonomy. Based on the Japanese tradition, I have no interest in completely abolishing local military forces and unifying the military sequence. I am not trying to completely reduce the military power in your hands."
His Royal Highness the Regent's words were very straightforward, but they also made the generals feel slightly relieved.
"However, I have also discussed with Prime Minister Ashikaga that in order to truly defeat Yamamoto, we still need to organize a central defense army. Based on the current two main divisions, we will expand them into five main divisions with about 100,000 troops. The Principality of Montenegro will appoint a military advisory group to join the central army."
Listening to Lu Ming's words, the generals had different expressions.
Kawamoto Shigeyoshi nodded, "Your Highness the Regent is indeed far-sighted. In fact, from our perspective, it seems that we are all commanders with our own private armed forces, but in fact, with the advancement of technology and the iteration of weapons, without a strong central army, none of us is safe. The cost of each civil war caused by a conflict will be very heavy. It is different from the past. In previous wars, we usually did not have the strength and determination to conquer the other side, but now it is different. Therefore, if we retain our own armed forces, we will be drinking poison to quench thirst, because the loss of a war is not something that can be solved by negotiation and paying a price as in the past, but may lead to the tragedy of genocide."
Kawamoto Shigeyoshi glanced at everyone, "So, I firmly support His Royal Highness the Regent's idea of expanding the Central Army. The elite of our army can be recruited by His Royal Highness into the Central Army for reorganization. After that, our division will be reduced to about 10,000 people. In fact, we only need to retain a few thousand people for security forces, but we will do everything slowly and step by step."
Lu Ming smiled and said nothing, but looked at the generals present.
With Kawamoto Shigeyoshi taking the lead and His Royal Highness the Regent apparently waiting for a statement, several other division commanders spoke up to express their support.
But the other seven or eight local division commanders remained silent. Moreover, many of these division commanders were not lords, but the lords' confidants and relatives. They could not make the decision on such a major event.
Lu Ming smiled and said, "Okay, that's what I think. Come on, let's drink. Tomorrow is an important event in my life. Let's not discuss such serious issues."
The atmosphere in the hall relaxed, and blessings continued to be heard. Gradually, laughter and joy filled the air, and the atmosphere became more and more lively.