vrcanaries Chapter 897 Internal Quarrel
Chapter 897 Internal Quarrel
While Li Shaoyi was deciding on the strategy, a heated discussion was also taking place in the Japanese military.
"The navy must make some changes. Qingdao must be taken. If Qingdao is not taken, the armed forces here will change many outcomes. Whether it is Jincheng in the north or Pujiang in the south, Qingdao is in a middle position and can provide support to both places at any time, as well as our Goryeo."
Lieutenant General Anan, a senior staff officer of the Army Headquarters, marked two flight routes on the map. One could go north to support Tianjin, and the other could go south to support Pujiang. Within the hundreds of miles of sea area around Qingdao, the Japanese Navy had almost no living space.
Especially this time, the Japanese troops in Kaesong were bombed, which brought them a devastating disaster. More than half of the tens of thousands of soldiers were killed, and some were unable to participate in the war. These were the elite troops of the empire. Were they not even qualified to go to the battlefield?
Moreover, after this bombing, according to the information obtained by the imperial spies, Ma Leizi began to formulate more bombing plans, and even dreamed of opening an airport in Goryeo. If he really succeeded, some areas of mainland Japan would also be within his bombing range.
Lieutenant General Anan was not exaggerating. When he said this, he also showed some intelligence he had obtained. The person who obtained the intelligence was an elite agent of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who had been hiding in Qingdao for more than ten years. This guy would never take the initiative to collect intelligence unless it was absolutely necessary.
When they heard that the Japanese mainland might be bombed, everyone present could no longer sit still. You know, for hundreds of years, the Japanese mainland had not been invaded by foreign enemies. Even though Kublai Khan was so powerful back then, no one had landed on the Japanese archipelago. If a bomb were to fall now, we don't know what would happen to other people, but those who were in the meeting today would definitely commit suicide by disembowelment to thank the emperor.
Most of the Japanese army generals agreed to attack Qingdao first, because Qingdao posed too great a threat to them.
However, many personnel of the Japanese Navy did not express their opinions, saying that they were scared by Qingdao. That is possible. After all, the last time they went there with great momentum, even an aircraft carrier was sunk. Although a new aircraft carrier is about to be launched in the Imperial Shipyard, between aircraft carriers and aircraft combat, as long as the enemy's shore-based aircraft are numerous enough and well-trained, it will be very difficult for aircraft carriers to attack them.
"Generals, it's not that our navy doesn't want to take Qingdao, but some things aren't as simple as we think. The last time we attacked Qingdao, its defenses weren't as strong. Now, there are two more airports, and the entire peninsula has been taken by the 72nd Army. They have sufficient strategic depth. This isn't just about taking Qingdao. So, I don't think the time is right to attack Qingdao."
Vice Admiral Lu Dao, Deputy Minister of the Navy, stood up and said, "Each branch of the military must find a reason for its actions. Your army is nothing. Are we obligated to attack Qingdao if they ask us to? Open your eyes and see. Qingdao is unlike any other place. It's run by that fellow Ma Leizi. It's now a fortress. Even if the Japanese Navy mobilized all its forces, they might be able to take it. But what would the Japanese Navy have become by then?"
"When will it mature? Will it mature only after our heroic army is destroyed? If that's the case, then your navy has no reason to exist. Why not just give all the funding to our army and let us fight all the wars? You can sell all your warships and just buy transport ships."
Lieutenant General Anan's words caused the army general to laugh out loud.
The Kaesong bombing made the Japanese army lose face, but the loss was secondary. If the navy did not help them regain this face, this transportation channel might be cut off in the future.
Originally, they needed to have a proper discussion, but the conflict between the two armies was too great. As soon as the meeting started, the atmosphere was full of gunpowder, and both sides were extremely sarcastic.
"Relying on your army, you are kidding, right? Tianjin has been under attack for so long, and hundreds of thousands of imperial soldiers have been lost there. Is this the army our empire can rely on? If that's the case, I estimate you'll need another 200,000 imperial soldiers to march to Peking. Just in North China, you've lost 300,000 imperial soldiers. Do you think you can occupy the entire Dragon Kingdom and kill all of us?"
General Kashima has nothing to be afraid of. Speaking of embarrassing things, your army is much larger than ours. You were defeated in Tianjin. If the empire had not continuously supplied you with soldiers, could you have held on in Tianjin?
What we said at the beginning was that it would take only half a month at most to advance to Beijing. Now we haven't even advanced into the Xicheng District of Tianjin. Moreover, if the 72nd Army had not voluntarily given up some places, you wouldn't even be able to launch a decisive battle.
To put it nicely, it's called the strategy of advancing in parallel. To put it bluntly, they were scared by the enemy and didn't dare to take the initiative to attack. All the troops huddled together and moved forward bit by bit, advancing only a few hundred meters a day.
"Bagaya Road..."
The army generals were so embarrassed that they slammed the table and demanded war. The navy generals were also unwilling to accept it, and the two sides were about to engage in a melee. However, at this time, Prime Minister Ito knocked the hammer in his hand.
Normally, both the navy and the army don't think much of the prime minister, but at this moment he is representing the emperor to preside over this meeting, so the generals of the two armies who were about to fight have quieted down a little. If it weren't for the emperor's face, everyone would have staged a full-scale fight here today. Whoever is slow will leave with a black eye. This kind of thing has happened more than once or twice.
"I believe our patriotic bickering can now cease. Today, I am presiding over this meeting on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor. I hope you can reach a conclusion through discussion. Don't dwell on other matters on the battlefield. I want the outcome of one matter: Qingdao. Should we fight or not? If so, how should we fight? If not, when should we fight?"
Prime Minister Ito said expressionlessly.