Tokyo, the capital of Japan, the Prime Minister's Office of Kasumigaseki, and the important ministers of the Japanese Cabinet are all gathered here at this moment. On the naval side, in addition to the Minister of the Navy, the Minister of Military Orders, Suio Shimamura, and the commander of the Combined Fleet, Gentaro Yamashita, also attended the meeting. It's just that the expressions of the three of them are a little depressed, and they are even a little ashamed when they face the other cabinet ministers.

It is no wonder that in order to seek revenge on the Chinese Empire, Japan can be said to have gathered the strength of the whole country to develop its navy. However, in this battle, the battle patrol formations of the Japanese Navy suffered heavy losses. Of the four formidable 'Kongo-class' battlecruisers, three were sunk and one was heavily damaged, and it is estimated that it will take several months to repair. Not to mention the fact that a number of light cruisers and destroyers were also sunk. Such a loss can be described as a traumatic loss for the Japanese Navy.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it seems that the people of China are determined to confront the Empire. They are even ready for battle. So, let's all talk about it, what do we do? Prime Minister Masatakeshi Terauchi asked.

All eyes were on the three naval chiefs. Everyone knows that if there is a war with China, the navy is their only hope. Even now, the Japanese Navy seems to be somewhat unreliable. However, they have no other option than that.

Over the years, Japan has been restricting the development of the army and devoting its limited military spending to the development of the navy. This enabled a large number of advanced warships of the Navy to enter service. Of the 24 divisions of the Japanese Army, except for the Guards Division, the rest of the divisions were dissatisfied. If the Japanese Navy is not an opponent of the Chinese Navy, and China lands and fights in Japan, it will be impossible for the Japanese Army to resist the attack of the Chinese Army.

"If war is unavoidable, we must keep the enemy out of the country. Otherwise. It would be a disaster for the Great Japanese Empire. War Minister Shinroku Ishimoto said. What he meant was very clear: the Japanese Army had not made any development at all in recent years. If there is to be a war, the Japanese Army cannot be counted on.

"If the people of China really dare to attack the Great Japanese Empire, the navy will fight to the death, even if it is all jade shattered. They will never let the Shina people set foot on the mainland of the Great Japanese Empire. Yashiro Rokuro said in a deep voice. As Japan's Minister of the Navy, he must have such a statement. Even if he was not sure, the Japanese Navy could really have such combat power.

"Yashiro-kun, you tell everyone honestly. If a full-scale war breaks out between the empire and China, do we have any chance of winning? Masaki Terauchi asked. He wasn't going to be fooled by a word from Rokuro Yashiro. After all, it is a matter of life and death for Japan.

"Your Excellency, the current situation, it is clear to everyone that there are only two 'Hanoi-class' battleships left in the Japanese Navy. Two 'Fuso-class' battleships and two 'Ise-class' battleships. As for the battlecruiser Hiei, it is estimated that it will take several months to be able to repair it, and in a short period of time, it is estimated that it will not be able to count on it. And our opponents, the Chinese have two 'Longteng-class' battlecruisers, two 'Longxing-class' battlecruisers and four 'Zhonghua-class' battlecruisers. In addition, of their four battle cruisers, at least three could continue the operation. Other words. We are almost twice as many enemies as we are. Rokuro Yashiro said.

Originally, there was a certain gap between the Japanese Navy and the Chinese Navy. They had planned to rely on a sneak attack. In one fell swoop, the battle cruisers of the Chinese Navy were eliminated, and thus took advantage. However, the end result was a big disappointment for them. The Japanese Navy's 'Kongo-class' battlecruisers were unexpectedly defeated.

"Six capital ships against eleven or even twelve capital ships of the Chinese people, how can this be possible to win?" Masaki muttered. Even though he was born as an army general, he didn't know much about the navy. But he also knows. How difficult it is to turn the tide and turn defeat into victory.

"Are the 'Kongo-class' battlecruisers that we spent a lot of money building so vulnerable? Have we been pitted by the British? Minister of Finance Tatsuo Yamamoto said a little speechlessly. You know, in the first place, they built four 'King Kong-class' battle cruisers. But it cost a full $100 million loan!

"We also summarized why the 'Kongo-class' battlecruisers failed. Although, our 'Kongo-class' battlecruisers have great firepower and speed. However, the defense is terrible. So much so that when facing the warships of the same class in the China Navy, they suffered a lot in the battle. Not to mention the battle cruisers of the China Navy, even the heavy cruisers of the China Navy are enough to make our 'Kongo-class' battle cruisers disgraced. Although the British claimed that the 'King Kong class' was the most powerful battle cruiser, in fact, it was difficult to live up to it. However, it is not the British who pit us, but all the British battlecruisers, it seems. Gentaro Yamashita said.

"That is, the battlecruiser is useless?" Masaki Terauchi frowned.

"It can't be said either, battlecruisers are still useful. It's just that the defense of British battlecruisers was too poor compared to German battlecruisers. When the two are playing against each other, it's hard to take advantage. I am afraid that in this naval duel between Britain and Germany, the British will probably suffer. Gentaro Yamashita continued.

"Shall we inform the British in advance?" Foreign Minister Yasuya Uchida said. After all, Britain is an ally of Japan anyway. If Britain is defeated by Germany, Japan will be unlucky.

"You don't have to tell the British, because if the British treat us like pawns, they don't really treat us seriously. Besides, Britain has a deep heritage, and even if it loses a few battle cruisers, it will not hurt. Masaki Terauchi said.

Since the British regard Japan as a pawn, and the Japanese are not good at stubble, they naturally want to put the British together in this regard.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your topic seems to be a bit off-topic. What we want to talk about is how to deal with the people of China. Could it be that we can only admit defeat and not defeat them? Lu Xiang Ishimoto Shinroku said.

"In the face of the Chinese Navy, we really don't have any good solutions. In addition to the six battleships, our 'Nagato-class' battleships and 'Kaga-class' battleships are still under construction, and the 'Nagato-class' battleships have already completed the construction of the hull part and are expected to be able to enter service in a year and a half to two years. The Kaga class takes longer. Before the commissioning of these two classes of battleships, we did not challenge the strength of the Chinese Navy. Rokuro Yashiro said.

At the time when the Chinese Navy was building the 'Five Emperor-class' battleships, the Japanese Navy, in order to gain an overwhelming advantage, began to build the 'Nagato-class' battleships and the 'Kaga-class' battleships equipped with 410 mm guns. After all, there were five 'Five Emperor-class' battleships, and in order to make up for the numerical inferiority, the Japanese Navy had to win with the caliber of the main guns. The 410 mm guns of the 'Nagato-class' and 'Kaga-class' are naturally much more powerful than the 381 mm guns of the 'Godi-class'. It's just that the difficulty of the 410 mm main gun is too great, and even if Japan has obtained a lot of technology from the British, there are still many technical problems to overcome. As a result, the construction period of these two types of battleships was much longer. I am afraid that after the Chinese Navy's 'Five Emperor-class' battleships are commissioned, none of the Japanese Navy's 'Nagato-class' battleships will be able to enter service, let alone the 'Kaga-class' battleships.

"It would be unrealistic to put your hopes on the 'Nagato-class' battleships and the 'Kaga-class' battleships. The people of China will not give us this chance. In addition, according to the information we have received, the 'Five Emperor-class' battleships of the China people will be commissioned at the end of next year at the most. Far ahead of our new battleships. In addition, the people of China are also working on the development of a 410-mm gun, and the progress made is not inferior to ours in any way. In other words, the people of China also had plans to build larger battleships. The financial resources of the Chinese are far superior to those of the Empire, and if they also build warships equipped with 410 mm guns, then we will have no advantage. Lu Xiang Shimoto Shinroku said mercilessly.

Suddenly, the Japanese cabinet ministers who were doing it were silent one by one. The gap between Japan and China is widening. This is not only the gap in military strength, but also in industrial and financial resources. In many ways, Japan has been left behind by China. Japan wants to challenge China, and it seems that it is so powerless.

"We can't just tie our hands and surrender directly to the Chinese people, right? Can't you fight to the death? Do you want to turn defeat into victory? The losses of the Imperial Japanese Navy were heavily damaged, but didn't we still have six battleships? If we can deal a heavy blow to the main force of the Chinese navy in one fell swoop, it may not be impossible to turn defeat into victory. Interior Minister Hara Kei said.

The three commanders of the Japanese Navy were silent, and after a long time, the sea minister Yashiro Rokuro said: "If we are desperate, we may not have no chance." For example, take a sneak attack. However, once such a plan is launched, then there is no way back. Fortunately, we can reverse the gap between the Chinese Navy and China. But if it loses, Japan will have no future at all. ”

Sneak attacks have always been a common tactic used by the Japanese. However, Japan now does not have much capital, so it can only gamble on it. If it fails, the consequences will be catastrophic.

The gambler mentality of the Japanese eventually prevailed, knowing that defeat would have disastrous consequences, but the Japanese cabinet approved a plan to launch a sneak attack on the Chinese navy. (To be continued.) )

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