Tanegashima is 115 kilometers south of Kyushu Island. This distance is quite close. As long as China occupies this place, it can easily pose a threat to the Japanese mainland. In particular, Tanegashima can also be used as a naval base to occupy Ryukyu.
The archipelago is equivalent to taking over the gate of Japan, and Tanegashima is the door of Japan. If these two gates are taken down, then Japan will be completely exposed to China, without any resistance.
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Therefore, Japan attaches great importance to Tanegashima and cannot afford to lose anything. However, the problem is that Japan's military strength is currently stretched. Most of the army is contained in North Korea and the Far East. In addition, with the disappearance of sea control, homeland defense has to be put on Japan's agenda.
process, and this is still the top priority.
For two thousand years, the Central Plains dynasties had little interest in barren lands like North Korea and Japan, so they were allowed to survive. The only Mongols who wanted to attack Japan encountered a divine wind, so Japan could exist.
came down, and now Japan's mainland is once again under a powerful threat from the Central Plains Dynasty, and the impact is simply immeasurable.
When a huge fleet of Chinese aircraft flew over Tanegashima and began to drop bombs wantonly, the mentality of some Japanese politicians quietly underwent important changes. At this time, US President Coolidge and British Prime Minister Baldwin once again jointly issued a peace negotiation initiative
, requiring China and Japan to achieve a ceasefire first, and then engage in peace talks to end the disputes in East Asia.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs agreed with this. However, as the party with a firm advantage, China naturally has to make some demands. For example, China and Japan must cease fire in the area currently under actual control, and Japan must bear war responsibilities and compensate China for its losses, etc.
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These conditions are basically what the winner deserves, and the United States and Britain do not have many objections. After all, this is how they have always played. This has become the rule of their peers. The loser must cede territory and pay compensation. There is no other discussion.
But whether Tokyo can accept it or not is still a matter of debate. The new emperor Hirohito was actually very high-spirited at the beginning of the war. He did not think that China could withstand Japan's attack. It would probably be like the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894.
Japan could once again extend its tentacles into the Asian continent and realize Emperor Meiji's grand hegemony.
Hirohito was not unaware of China's growing military power, but Hirohito still firmly believed that Japan could win. After all, the Sino-Japanese War of 1898 and the Japanese-Russian War were both in which the weak defeated the strong. And this time, Japan's maritime power also occupies a huge advantage.
The loyal and brave Japanese Imperial Army will surely win the final victory.
However, after the war actually started, Hirohito was shocked. Whether on land or at sea, he was passively beaten everywhere, defeated one after another, and the navy's giant ships sank to the bottom of the sea one after another.
In particular, the loss of Ryukyu was the biggest blow to Hirohito. It was a land that was taken away during the Meiji era, but now it was taken back by the Chinese. Isn’t he a prodigal son?
What made Hirohito even more frightened was the suicide attack on Wu Port. Twenty planes penetrated deeply into the Japanese mainland and sank the last two aircraft carriers. There is no doubt that this means that the mainland is no longer safe!
Wu Port was attacked! Tokyo will also be attacked!!
The warship could be sunk, whether the emperor's safety was also threatened, and whether Japan's homeland air defense was a joke. These terrible thoughts lingered in Hirohito's mind. He could not forget it for a long time.
Hirohito would even wake up from nightmares every night. As long as there was any movement in the palace, Hirohito would be frightened and wake up. Has a Chinese plane arrived?
During this torture, Hirohito gradually became thinner and his eyes were red. It was obvious that he had reached a limit. The news of China's air raid on Tanegashima was the last straw that broke the camel's back. Hirohito summoned all the civil and military officials together overnight, and Prime Minister Wakatsuki
Reijiro, the representative figure of the army Tanaka Giichi, the most powerful naval officer Yamamoto Gonbei, the elder Saionji Konobo and other important ministers gathered in the palace.
Hirohito barely controlled his emotions and asked in a calm voice: "My lords, the war between the Empire and China has reached this point. Who has a solution to the current predicament? What is China's bottom line? What do the great powers think?
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Everyone present knew that Japan was in a bad situation, but no one was willing to say anything more. Talking too much at this juncture meant taking responsibility. Finally, Prime Minister Reijiro Wakatsuki had no choice but to speak.
"Your Majesty, China has made a request for peace talks. We must admit defeat, compensate for losses, and at the same time hand over Taiwan, Okinawa, Sakhalin and other territories to China. We must also recognize the founding of North Korea as a buffer zone between China and Japan;
The great powers have sent several telegrams asking the empire to accept any terms, and the United States has also sent secret messages privately, hoping that the empire will choose peace talks, and the United States promises to maintain the empire's sphere of influence as much as possible!"
Hirohito heard this and asked again: "Does the Prime Minister think the empire should accept peace talks?"
After asking this question, Wakatsuki Reijiro suddenly didn't know what to say. According to the current situation, it is a blessing to negotiate as soon as possible to save the Far East and southern Korea. However, Japan would be willing to use these years of hard work to save the Far East and southern Korea.
Did you spit out most of the land you got?
Will those fanatical middle- and lower-level military officers and ordinary people agree? Prime Minister Hara Kei is a lesson learned from the past and must be guarded against. Of course, what is even more confusing is Hirohito's attitude. If the emperor agrees to the peace talks, it will be better. If he does not agree, he is a traitor.
With the hat off, who can bear it?
However, as the Prime Minister, you cannot say that you have no attitude, as that would be even more contemptible, so Reijiro Wakatsuki said cautiously: "Your Majesty, whether you agree to peace talks or not, the interests of the empire should be your primary consideration. If the army can still fight,
We should persist, and if we can’t, it’s better to end it as soon as possible.”
Wakatsuki Reijiro kicked the ball to the feet of the army. The two big guys, Tanaka Giichi and Yamamoto Gonbei, had to speak. Yamamoto Gonbei was the first to bow and salute, and then said: "Your Majesty, I don't think the empire should accept peace talks easily.
, the empire is not going well on the battlefield. Once peace talks begin, they will face blackmail from the Chinese. They not only have to hand over the land, but also pay compensation. The empire and China have been in conflict for a long time, and the Chinese will definitely push for more and be greedy.
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Hirohito nodded. In fact, this was what he had been worried about. During the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894, Japan severely slaughtered China. Now that the positions of the two sides have been reversed, wouldn't Japan be afraid? Moreover, the tendency of China's top leaders to hate Japan is very serious. Can they give up?
Is there an opportunity to deal harsh blows to Japan? Moreover, China is not a rich country, so it will definitely open its mouth.
"Yamamoto Aiki, since you are opposed to peace talks, you must have a way to deal with the Chinese people. Speak out and listen!"
Yamamoto hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, this time the Chinese navy attacked Tanegashima. This is the last barrier of the empire and must not be lost. Therefore, I suggest that the main force of the imperial navy be invested in it to save Tanegashima and take the opportunity to sink it.
China’s fleet!”
When Hirohito heard this, there was a trace of doubt on his face, and he hurriedly asked: "Yamamoto Aiki, the Imperial Navy has lost the help of the aviation force. Can it still deal with the Chinese?"
After Hirohito finished asking, Tanaka Giichi spoke hurriedly: "Your Majesty, the Army Air Force still has some cutting-edge pilots who can provide escort for the navy. As long as the battleship can approach the China Fleet, it can sink the opponent's aircraft carrier!"
Tanegashima is only more than a hundred kilometers away from Japan. The land-based aircraft taking off from Japan's Kyushu Island are enough to cover here, so this method is very good. However, Japan's navy and army have been at odds before, and Japan has
There is no du li air force, only naval aviation and army aviation, which belong to the navy and army respectively.
According to Japan's consistent virtue, the two armies are enemies. The Army will never provide aviation to escort the Navy, but now is a life and death situation, and both sides have to work together and prepare to rely on their local advantages to severely damage China's aircraft carrier fleet.
After careful consultation, Japan finally approved this combat plan. To this end, Japan transferred the last batch of pilots to Kyushu Island and assembled more than 170 aircraft. It can be said that this is Japan's last battle.
With the exception of a small part of the air force guarding Tokyo that cannot be used, all the family assets have been used.
However, as Tanaka Yiichi described, these pilots are indeed cutting-edge pilots. The best of them have not flown for more than 120 hours. Many of them can only take off simply and do not understand combat at all. If you want to rely on this
It is still too difficult for the pilots to pose a threat to the Chinese aircraft carrier, but the Japanese are learning and selling them now, and they have also built a batch of suicide aircraft to prepare for a kamikaze attack on China.
Of course, Japan's preparation time cannot last too long. The poor domestic situation no longer allows Japan to make detailed plans. After China occupied Ryukyu, Japan's southern maritime trade routes were completely cut off, and submarine warfare even made Japan
It is extremely miserable. The Japanese cargo ships sunk by China have accounted for more than 60% of the total tonnage before the war. The remaining ships are no longer enough to sustain the needs of an island country.
The most terrible thing is the lack of food. In order to meet the needs of the battlefield, Japan's government has deprived the farmers of the last grain of food. It can be said that Japan's government has been sitting on a powder keg. On a larger scale,
The rice explosion is brewing, and the destructive power is bound to be even more shocking.
In fact, Japan has no way out. The Battle of Tanegashima must be won, otherwise Japan's people will collapse first. After intense preparations, all the remaining battleships of Japan's combined fleet, with Nagato as the core, quietly left Seto.
In the Inland Sea, heading towards Kyushu Island.
China is also aware of Japan's changes. Chinese reconnaissance aircraft also frequently visit Kyushu Island. In order to deploy aircraft, Japan has to build many airports. These cannot be completely unnoticed, and China's intelligence system There are also quite a lot of forces in Japan, especially Qiao Yu who once funded two Japanese people, Shimoda Takao and Mizumura Masaru.
They are all leaders of the Misao Movement, and they still have a group of followers in Japan. Especially after receiving funding from China, their power has developed rapidly. A large net has been spread in Japan, although the high-level officials are still unable to reach it. However, a large number of Japanese warships were dispatched and Wu Port was empty. They were still aware of it, and the information was quickly transmitted to the Chinese Navy.
Chen Shaokuan, Tang Xiangming, Shen Honglie and others were all looking at the battle map carefully in the command room on the starting point. Tang Xiangming said with a smile: "This time, Japan will probably have to make its final death struggle, and we will also have to fight. Set the course!"
