In the early morning, it rains continuously in the Australian Imperial City. (《》)
Following the failure of two air battles, the bad news that the Japanese archipelago was hit by inexplicable missile attacks reached the new capital of the Japanese Empire. All officials who received the news were extremely shocked.
At eight o'clock in the morning, the Japanese cabinet and the base camp held an emergency joint meeting. Prime Minister Konoe Fumimaro led the cabinet members to attend the base camp combat meeting. Prime Minister Seishiro Itagaki personally introduced the war situation. However, before the meeting was officially held, the Minister of the Interior, Count Koichi Kido,
The call came - Hirohito was very concerned about the war situation and requested to convene an imperial meeting, a meeting of the cabinet and important ministers, and the participation of the Army Ministry, the Navy Ministry, and the main generals of the base camp.
Konoe Fumimaro secretly cried out that he was unlucky, thinking to himself that this was not the result of the emperor being instigated by those hot-headed guys?
When Kanji Ishihara served as Chief of Staff, no matter how many defeats he suffered, the main forces of the navy and army were basically preserved, and he was able to demolish the east wall to make up for the west wall. This was the great situation in Australia and the Americas.
But now Kanji Ishihara has resigned, and his successor has suffered successive defeats. Not only the navy and army have lost troops, but even the homeland has been attacked. Especially Tokyo and the three major military ports have suffered heavy losses in the attacks. Even if the government wants to, it can't cover it up.
The morale of the military and the people was in turmoil. People's petitions, telegrams and angry complaints came like a snowflake, and the government and the military encountered an unprecedented crisis of trust.
In order to shirk responsibility, I don’t know who the emperor will use as the scapegoat this time, and Konoe Fumimaro is deeply worried about this.
However, even if he was dissatisfied, Konoe Fumimaro did not dare to express it. On the one hand, Hirohito and him were playmates who grew up together and had a good relationship with each other. In order to maintain the honor of the royal family, he, the big brother, had to stand up at any time when necessary.
They came out to cover the emperor's mistakes. On the other hand, the emperor's eternal lineage, exaggerated by bushido and Shinto after the Meiji Restoration, had a sacred and inviolable status in the minds of the Japanese people. Whoever wants the emperor to take the blame is destined to have bad luck.
end.
An hour and a half later, Konoe Fumimaro led all the members of the cabinet and the main generals of the base camp into the palace, and held a meeting in a large tea room with beautiful scenery in the early summer of the southern hemisphere, surrounded by swaying green willows and green flowers.
Due to the relocation of the capital, Japan currently has a pattern in which military and political plans are made by the cabinet in the new capital and the army and navy headquarters with the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Navy as the themes, and are implemented by the General Staff Headquarters and the Military Command Department remaining on the Japanese archipelago. In the past, Kanji Ishihara was in charge of
At that time, you could still control the overall situation by relying on your personal abilities, but now that the situation is out of control, the shortcomings of this military and political system have become clear.
This imperial meeting was presided over by General Shun Tada, the military councilor.
Tada Shun stood in front of a large world map and introduced the current situation of each battlefield. He first talked about the continuous victories in the North and South American battlefields, as well as the defense of Sumatra and Kalimantan in Southeast Asia against the Anjia Army and the shrinking defense of various islands in the Indian Ocean.
, and the hugely consuming landing battle by the troops led by General Koichi Ishikawa in southeastern Australia.
Finally, Shun Tada spent more than an hour focusing on the evolution of the situation in East Asia, from the defeat of the Imperial Army in Manchuria, Mongolia, the Far East and the Northern Branch, to the tragic situation of almost annihilation of the entire army in two counterattacks, to the destruction of the Japanese archipelago.
The huge losses after the missile attack were analyzed one by one by the emperor and the cabinet. The latest chapter of the Holy Church
Tada Shun particularly emphasized that after yesterday's failed air strike on the East Asian continent, the Japanese archipelago will face the danger of counterattacks and mysterious missile attacks by the superior air force of the Anjia Army at any time, and called for the construction of a more complete air defense network.
After the explanation, while the civil and military officials were deep in thought, Tada Shun sat back next to his friend Seishiro Itagaki who looked admiring, his eyes full of worry.
Hirohito's face was pale, but his voice still had a soft and delicate "crane sound". The civil servants and military generals kneeling on both sides were all trembling and cautious.
At this time, Hirohito was also very depressed.
Seeing Ishihara Kanji's great retreat in the East Asian continent, Hirohito believed that the strategist Ishihara, known as the "Military God", was already too exhausted to be reused. Although the Japanese army subsequently won consecutive victories in the South American continent, especially the occupation of rich
Venezuela, with its oil resources, reversed the decline of the Japanese army and reaped huge benefits. However, Hirohito still had serious objections to the loss of Manchuria and Mongolia, which Japan had operated for many years.
It happened that Germany requested Japan to launch an offensive on the Eastern Front to draw the attention of the Anjia Army. Hitler even stated his attitude that he would use more than eight million troops to deal with South China. Germany and Japan gave priority to dealing with the Anjia Army before joining forces on the American continent. Hirohito was unavoidable.
The earth's heart moved.
At this time, Sugiyama Gen, Hata Shunroku, Tojo Hideki, Nanjiro and others from the main fighting faction were instigating behind the scenes, claiming that Nanhua was suffering from internal and external troubles and that once it took the initiative to launch a counterattack, it would surely win. The important ministers also agreed that the opportunity was rare and that Japan would
Ishihara Kanji firmly opposed taking chestnuts from the fire for the Germans, which angered Hirohito, who was full of self-confidence. Due to various factors, Ishihara Kanji was demoted to South America, and Tojo Hideki, who was known for his "loyalty and straightness", took charge of the staff headquarters.
However, loyalty does not mean ability. Since Tojo Hideki came to power, he has meticulously implemented the decisions of the headquarters and the meeting of ministers. A series of bad news has come one after another. Now, even the Japanese mainland has been attacked, leaving Hirohito in a hurry.
It was hard to accept the time, and it severely affected his self-confidence.
Hirohito angrily looked at former Army Minister Sugiyama Gen. who once threatened to "solve the China Incident in three months": "Sugiyama-san, why is this happening? What is the problem there? Is it a decision-making mistake or a poor execution by frontline soldiers? Why?
Some time ago, you veterans were preaching in my ears that as long as we counterattack effectively, we can regain Manchuria, Mongolia and North Korea in one fell swoop...Now that we have lost our troops and generals, what can you say?"
Gen Sugiyama attended the meeting as a member of the Council of Ministers. Faced with Hirohito's continuous questioning, he sweated on his forehead and bowed his head deeply: "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, this is entirely an error of judgment on the part of the minister. I will bear the responsibility."
Responsibility for mistakes in advice!”
Having said this, Sugiyama Gen raised his head with a painful look on his face and looked around the venue: "However, while the German army launched a war on the western front and attracted the attention of the Chinese army, we seized the lost ground on the eastern front. This is absolutely
It's a good strategy. As for why it turned out like this, I can't figure it out. The latest chapter of the Temple
"Also, these consecutive failures are closely related to the new weapons invested by the Chinese. The intelligence department should bear a certain responsibility. In the air raid during the day yesterday, the other party used an anti-air attack weapon. We attacked the Far East
Almost all of the fighter planes were shot down near the coastline. The few fighter pilots who escaped said that the opponent used a very fast and turning missile. It was very difficult for our fighter planes to avoid it!
"In yesterday afternoon's attack, the enemy used an unprecedented new weapon with an ultra-long range, which can be launched far away from our country and attack our targets at an extremely fast speed and with great precision.
Ground facilities are impossible to defend against. Even if we don't take the initiative to launch an attack, can we stop the Chinese atrocities?"
Seeing everyone's thoughtful expressions, Sugiyama Gen asked himself: "I don't think so... Possessing such a sharp weapon is equivalent to having all-round, all-weather strike means. If we don't have effective countermeasures, it will be very difficult."
The danger. Mr. Ishihara, the former chief of staff, may have known some inside information, otherwise he would not have insisted on His Majesty moving the capital to Australia, nor would he have repeatedly opposed His Majesty, not only showing weak resistance, but also having a negative attitude towards the counterattack... This time he
I suspect that he strangely requested to be the commander of the U.S. Army in South Africa because he wanted to stay away from this state of being constantly frightened! Compared with this, Tojo-kun who has the courage to take responsibility is hundreds of times better."
Upon hearing this, Itagaki Seishiro became furious, stood up quickly, bowed respectfully, and explained generously:
"Your Majesty, this is absolutely impossible! Missiles like the Chinese have been unheard of before. They must have been developed recently... For the development of such powerful weapons, who, including the empire, is not responsible for it?
Keeping top secrets secret? No matter how smart Ishihara-kun is, he would never have thought that such a thing exists in the world!
"The reason why Ishihara-kun did not blindly obey the decision of His Majesty and the important ministers lies in his overall view. Think about Ishihara-kun's strong opposition after the China Incident. Think about the disastrous defeat that the empire suffered in China in the 12th year of Showa. Ishihara-kun took charge
After the General Staff Headquarters decisively abandoned the Songhu battlefield and put the army into Lanyin, the immediate results were achieved. Think about the huge benefits gained by Ishihara-kun from going north to attack the Far East and Siberia in the 13th year of the Showa era. Also think about the Australian and American strategies, which are of great significance to the empire. If not
How can such a great talent and great strategy be possible?
"Ishihara-kun has talked with me many times throughout the night. He said that the reason why he voluntarily gave up the land in the Asian continent was that the Chinese people's manpower and material resources were far beyond the empire's. Instead of fighting against the Anjia army, which had superior strength, weapons and equipment, and wasted it,
It is better to put these troops into battlefields where they are more needed. Although the empire has gradually given up on places including Malaya, Burma, India, Manchuria and Mongolia in recent years, in fact, our strength has not weakened, but has been improved to a certain extent.
....If nothing else, if there were no rich bauxite in Australia, where would we get so many aluminum materials to make fighter planes? If there were no high-quality iron ore in Australia, would we have so many tanks, artillery and warships? If not
With machine tools and production lines seized on the North American continent, how could our industry improve so quickly?
"The reason why Ishihara-kun insists on the American strategy is that he wants to gain strategic rather than tactical initiative by constantly squeezing and forcing the U.S. government. The United States is the support point of the free world, but at the same time Americans are free and undisciplined and have a Western war situation.
The tradition of surrendering when the odds are against us is different from that of the Anjia Army who fought to the end even if they ran out of ammunition and food and never gave up their position. Even if we won a partial victory, it would be a tragic victory and the sacrifice would be far greater than that of the opponent.
"Comparing the two, it is self-evident who has the advantage of fighting! As long as the Americans take the initiative to sue for peace, the British will definitely not be able to persist. If Nanhua, who is alone and unable to support itself, wants to retain the territory it currently occupies, it can only seek peace with the empire. In this way, the empire can
Completely own the interests of the Pacific and America, replacing Britain as the largest maritime empire!
"Now Sugiyama Yuan-kun has put the responsibility on Ishihara-kun. I think it is a very irresponsible performance. Your Majesty, please think twice and don't chill the heart of a warrior who has worked hard for the empire!"
Hirohito was sitting on the throne, his voluminous gown was neat and tidy, his robe straps were neatly placed in front of his knees, his face was slightly moved.
After a while, Hirohito said: "Moto Sugiyama failed to live up to my expectations and sow discord between the imperial ministers and me. He has ulterior motives. From now on, he is ordered to withdraw from the ministerial conference and the army's active service, and will never be used again!"
Sugiyama Gen's face turned pale, he glanced at Itagaki Seishiro bitterly, bowed and said: "Thank you, Your Majesty for your kindness!" Then he stood up tremblingly and sadly left the tea room.
The atmosphere in the conference room was extremely depressing. Nanjiro, Shunroku Hata and others who had previously instigated the emperor to go to war remained silent for fear of being burned.
Hirohito did not want to suppress the main war faction too much. He looked around at the civil and military officials and asked in a feminine voice: "Facing the current situation, what is the cabinet's strategy?"
Konoe Fumimaro had already made a calculation in his mind and immediately replied: "I thought that I could send someone to contact the Nationalist Government and the Nanjing Government to explain that from now on, Asia will be the Asia of Asians. The empire has decided not to have any more designs on the mainland and hopes for peace in the future."
Get along with each other and seek the rise of Asia together!"
After speaking, Konoe Fumimaro peeked at Hirohito who was sitting on the throne, and when he saw that the emperor was not making any movement, he quickly buried his head.
Hirohito pondered for a long time and asked: "Will Chiang Kai-shek and An Yi accept the empire's kindness?"
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, although we have lost an aircraft carrier formation and a large number of fighter planes, the Imperial Navy is still the most powerful navy in the world. At the same time, the Empire has millions of land troops. The Chinese will not fail to give it more consideration. In addition, the Empire has millions of troops.
, Now South China is fighting the Germans in West Asia. If we lower our posture, South China will definitely not be willing to fight on two fronts and will consider our sincerity." Foreign Minister Matsuoka Yosuke replied respectfully.
"What if South China does not accept our good intentions and insists on using force against the empire? Does the base camp have any countermeasures for this?"
"Your Majesty, the base camp has formulated some countermeasures." Director of Education Shunroku Hata, Prime Minister Itagaki Seishiro, Marine Minister Kawako Shiro and others looked at each other, and finally Itagaki Seishiro replied:
"First, in view of the temporary invulnerability of missiles, in addition to strengthening the construction of radar base stations and anti-aircraft gun positions, we will use the military to help the government increase immigration and strive to move a large number of immigrants to Australia, which is vast and sparsely populated.
and the Americas, follow the example of the Chinese, rely on immigration to improve the population ratio in the occupied areas, truly achieve occupation as production, and solve the military needs of the Americas on the spot;
"Second, move a large number of factories and enterprises on the archipelago to safe areas to avoid damage from enemy missiles, and at the same time facilitate the use of rich resources in Australia and the Americas; third, form forty new divisions on the archipelago for defense purposes
The landing of the Chinese or the airdrop battle; fourth, it is recommended that all navy, army, and aviation schools be moved to Australia to avoid interference in the training of imperial military personnel; fifth, we need to obtain the missile information of the Chinese as soon as possible.
Carry out imitation, and when we also have this kind of weapon, we will no longer be afraid of attacks and blackmails from the other side! Sixth, we will make every effort to strive for the Chiang Kai-shek and An Yi governments to accept our conditions and achieve peace in Asia!"
After Itagaki Seishiro finished speaking, there was a silence in the tea room, and the "tick-tock" sound of the water on the eaves outside the window could be clearly heard.
After a long time, Hirohito asked: "Tojo Hideki has suffered consecutive defeats and is no longer suitable for the position of commander-in-chief. What suggestions do you have for the next commander-in-chief?"
Finally, the best scapegoat was found. Under Ishihara Wanji's exaggeration, Konoe Fumimaro, who had always looked down upon Tojo Hideki, said excitedly:
"Your Majesty, since we are now back on the strategic track formulated by Ishihara-kun, why not invite Ishihara-kun back and continue to lead the Imperial Army from one victory to another! I believe that Ishihara-kun will not disappoint His Majesty's expectations.
, can reverse the current unfavorable situation in time."
Hirohito shook his head: "Don't think about it, Ishihara. As the chief of staff, didn't he also lose India, Malaya, Burma, Manchuria, Mongolia, the Northern Branch and the Far East? He still has to bear the responsibility.
Come on, don't overdo it! In addition, this gentleman is capable, but he ignores the Holy Grace and always makes me angry. Besides, didn't he say that America is very important to the empire? Now that he has taken up the post of commander of the South American Army, it can be considered a reward.
As expected, I believe that as long as he is in South America, the empire will not have to consider the threat from the Americans! Find someone else!"
Konoe Fumimaro was very disappointed. Itagaki Seishiro knew Hirohito's thoughts and quickly suggested: "I think Tada-kun is more suitable. Tada-kun and Ishihara-kun agree on many strategies, and they have a good relationship with Ishihara-kun. Even if he has any thoughts,
If you have any questions, you can also contact Mr. Ishihara and ask. I think under the current circumstances, this is the best choice."
Hirohito's eyes lit up. He was deeply impressed by Tada Shun's explanation of the battle situation just now. He had unique insights into various battlefield situations. However, out of the majesty of the emperor, he did not express his position immediately. Instead, he stood up and said: "Wait for the decree.
, lunch time is here, I didn’t prepare lunch here, everyone will go back and solve it by themselves. The empire is currently facing difficulties, and I hope you will work together to overcome the difficulties!"
"Hi--"
All the civil and military officials bowed to the ground and respectfully sent Hirohito off.
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