German Chancellor Bonhardt. Feng. By the time Bülow announced that Germany would transfer all its colonies in the Pacific to the Chinese Empire for one mark, it was already 3 p.m. in Yenching time. Just half an hour later, the Reich's Prime Minister Yang Du announced that the Reich had purchased the original colonies in the Pacific from the German Empire. From now on, these colonies will belong to the Chinese Empire.

At the same time, Yang Du also declared that the overseas territories of the Chinese Empire were sacrosanct. Any country that dared to attack these colonies would be regarded as an enemy of the Chinese Empire. The Chinese Empire will fight back with the toughest posture, even at the cost of a fight.

The German Empire and the Chinese Empire sang and harmonized in this way, and directly completed the deal with the German colonies in the Pacific. The colonies that were originally coveted by the Entente countries suddenly belonged to the Chinese Empire, which undoubtedly made those who had already coveted it dumbfounded?

The navy of the Chinese Empire had already escorted the marines to receive these colonies. Most of the troops had already arrived in the German colonies. The German* troops stationed in these colonies immediately handed over the colonies to the Chinese* army after receiving orders from home. In less than two days, the German flag was lowered from these colonies in the Pacific Ocean and the flag of the Chinese Empire was raised.

The Chinese Empire took over these colonies with lightning speed, much to the dissatisfaction of the Allies and other countries that had long coveted them. In particular, Britain, Japan, and the United States, these three countries, have long been eyeing these colonies. Japan, in particular, has been in crisis because they have been pressed by the Chinese Empire. If they could get these colonies in the Pacific, they would have more room to maneuver.

as an ally of the United Kingdom. Japan has also been waiting for an opportunity. Immediately after the war between Britain and Germany, the Anglo-Japanese alliance was used as a pretext to go to war against Germany, and then seize these colonies. But now, their plan has failed, and the Chinese Empire has taken over the colonies first.

The capital of Japan. Tokyo, inside the Prime Minister's Office. Prime Minister Masaaki Terauchi convened a cabinet meeting with cabinet ministers. Cabinet ministers representing various factions expressed their views on this matter.

"The people of China are so deceitful that they are clearly in collusion with the Germans. The purchase of these German colonies in the Pacific Ocean for one mark was clearly a cover. I'm sure it's the Chinese who are targeting the Empire. This time, the empire could no longer afford to back down. Prime Minister Shinroku Ishimoto said.

Masaki Terauchi had a gloomy face and did not speak. Instead, he looked at the Minister of the Navy, Rokuro Yashiro. At present, Japan can be said to have devoted all its resources to the development of its navy. Although the army has 24 divisions, all of them are not fully staffed. It can be said that Japan is desperate and has placed all its hopes on the navy. If the navy can win, then Japan will be able to make a comeback.

"If the Chinese took over the German colonies in the Pacific, it would indeed pose a great threat to the Reich. The Chinese will complete the encirclement of the empire mainland from multiple directions. Plus the powerful navy of the Chinese people. We were almost powerless to fight back. Admiral Minister Rokuro Yashiro said. As Japan's Minister of Navy, although the Japanese Navy has developed considerably over the years. But. To defeat the old enemy of the Chinese navy, he still felt great pressure.

"Yachidai-kun, what are you talking about? Could it be that the heroic Imperial Japanese Navy could not defeat the Shina Navy? We now have six advanced battleships and four advanced battlecruisers. Shiroku Ishimoto said immediately. Although, the national policy set by several patriarchs was to concentrate on the development of the navy. So that the future can be shameful. However, the Japanese Army always had a thorn in its heart. The navy spends more than 80 percent of Japan's military spending. And that's not even counting the fact that the Japanese government has invested most of its foreign borrowings in the construction of its navy. And this, naturally, made the Japanese Army very dissatisfied. It's just that under the oppression of a few patriarchs. Japan's land-sea struggle has never been manifested. However, the contradiction has already been deeply buried.

"Yes, it is true that the Navy had six battleships and four battlecruisers. However, the China Navy had eight battleships and four battle cruisers, and this is not counting the two former dreadnoughts of the South Sea Fleet of the China Navy. There are still five more powerful 'Five Emperor-class' battleships under construction in the China Navy, and the Imperial Navy's 'Nagato-class' battleships have just begun to work. Rokuro Yashiro said. Although he didn't want to admit it, it was the truth. Even if Japan struggled to catch up, the gap between the Japanese and Chinese navies not only did not narrow, but showed signs of widening. This made Yashiro Rokuro feel a deep sense of powerlessness.

"Yashiro-kun, you say this, are we going to admit defeat to the people of China and give up revenge on the people of China? The finances of the empire were already on the verge of collapse. The two 'Nagato-class' battleships are already the only funds we can squeeze out. If the Navy wants to build more warships, it will no longer be possible. Minister of Finance Tatsuo Yamamoto also said. The Navy's shipbuilding expenses have long been unable for the Ministry of Finance to support it. If the Japanese Navy wants to continue this arms race, Japan's finances are in danger of collapsing.

Yashiro Rokuro's face suddenly became very ugly, after the last decisive battle with the Chinese Navy, the Japanese Navy was no longer as empty as it was at the beginning. They've become more cautious. The Combined Fleet has already been deduced, and with the existing strength of the Japanese Navy and the Chinese Navy, it will be very difficult for the Japanese Navy to defeat the Chinese Navy. Unless there is a real miracle happening. However, if it drags on, it will also be very disadvantageous to the Japanese Navy. The Chinese Navy's 'Five Emperor-class' battleships will definitely enter service before the Japanese Navy's 'Nagato-class' battleships. Moreover, the Chinese Navy has five 'Five Emperor-class' battleships. The Japanese Navy had only two 'Nagato-class' battleships. Even if the 'Nagato-class' battleships are equipped with 410-mm guns, it is still very difficult to say whether they can withstand the 'Five Emperor-class' battleships of the Chinese Navy. After all, the 410-mm main gun, from the current point of view, looks like a flash in the pan. It's hard to say whether it will be used or not.

"If the Imperial Navy launches a surprise attack, will it be able to defeat the Shina Navy in one fell swoop?" Masaki Terauchi asked. Since the Japanese Navy was already at a disadvantage, it had to think of other ways. As long as the Chinese navy can be defeated, then Japan has the possibility of rebirth from the ashes. Otherwise, if it continues like this for a long time, Japan will die slowly like a frog boiled in warm water.

"The people of China are already very vigilant. The China Navy was already in the highest state of combat readiness a month ago. The main force of their navy had already left the military port, and it was very difficult to surprise them. Rokuro Yashiro said.

"Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps we can enlist the support of our allies. The deal between the Germans and the Chinese undoubtedly played the whole Entente. Our British allies must have been furious long ago. Foreign Minister Yasuya Uchida said.

"The main focus of the British is now on the Germans, and as long as the Chinese do not attack India or the Straits Settlements, the British will not dare to take the initiative to provoke the Chinese." Yashiro Rokuro said.

Indeed, it was the Allies who were Britain's primary target. But that didn't mean Britain would do nothing and watch the Chinese occupy the German colonies in the Pacific. Even if they didn't dare to send a fleet to openly fight the China, it would always be feasible to provide us with some support. For example, intelligence and funding or technology. These are what we desperately need. In addition, the Americans must not want to see the expansion of the influence of the Shina people into the central part of the Pacific. This is undoubtedly a great threat to the Americans. We may be able to use this as an excuse to get more support from the Americans. For example, new loans. With more loans, we will be able to build more ships. Yasuya Uchida continued.

Yashiro Rokuro's eyes suddenly lit up, the Japanese Navy did have a lot of warship construction plans, but because of the lack of funds, these battleship design drawings could not be realized. For example, after the "Nagato-class" battleships, Japan also plans to build "Kaga-class" battleships, and after the "Kaga-class" battleships, there are also "Kii-class" battleships, which are all powerful battleships with a displacement of more than 40,000 tons and equipped with 410 mm guns. If two Nagato-class battleships were to enter service, the next two Kaga-class battleships and four Kii-class battleships would be built, with just eight battleships. The Japanese Navy will have the strength to suppress the Chinese Navy. It's just that each of these battleships costs a lot of money. Japan's own financial resources alone simply could not meet the construction of these warships. If more loans can be obtained from the United States, of course, that's another story.

"It's doable. In any case, China's expansion into the Pacific was a serious threat to the interests of the Japanese Empire, the British Empire, and the United States. If there is a conflict between the Empire and China, they will definitely provide support to the Empire. Rokuro Yashiro said.

Prime Minister Terauchi Masashi nodded: "Then, inform the imperial ambassadors to the United States and the United Kingdom and contact them." (To be continued.) )

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