Spy Wars: Return of the Red Luan

Chapter 107: Debate with the Cabinet at the Navy Meeting (Part )
The three crows are really at a loss for words. They don't know whether to laugh or cry. You've cut off the source of the trouble. The Navy Ministry is already divided because of you (of course, the main reason is definitely not this), and you don't even know what's going on! A typical person who only cares about killing and not burying!

No matter what they say, Aoki Takashi is one of them after all, and they all rely on this golden goose to make a living, and they can't let him be bullied by the navy. Therefore, Okamura Yasuji and Obata Toshishiro decided to accompany Aoki Takashi to the cabinet to support him!
On the way, the two uncles briefly explained the current "battle situation". When the three of them arrived at the cabinet, the Prime Minister was in the meeting hall, and there was still a lot of heated debate inside. How about going in and listening? We just listened and didn't say anything.

You can go in, but you have to leave your sword behind.

The arrival of the three people did not attract the attention of the two sides who were arguing with each other. They were in the middle of the argument. Who are you? Wait a minute!
The three of them walked to the right after entering the door and stood in the semicircle of the large oval conference table to watch the show first.

"You came back at a good time. They just came back from England yesterday. The one speaking now is the Minister of the Navy, Admiral Biao of the Ministry of Finance, also known as the Minister of Finance, and one of the promoters of this treaty." Okamura Yasuji whispered in Aoki Qiao's ear.

"He means he supports reducing naval armaments in exchange for international coordination? Coordination of what?"

"Don't say anything. Just listen to them. The one speaking now is Admiral Kato Kanji, Chief of the Naval General Staff."

"The argument was quite fierce!" This wasn't the first time Aoki Qiao had attended a Japanese cabinet meeting. Cabinet arguments were very unique, but the Navy Ministry's arguments were even more unique, similar to the street fights between women in China. Aoki Qiao watched with great interest.

"The person speaking now is Baron Reijiro Wakatsuki, the former Prime Minister and a member of the House of Peers. He was the one who signed this treaty."

"I know this guy. My father-in-law introduced him to me at the wedding."

"This is Vice Chief of the Naval General Staff Nobumasa Suetsugu, Vice Admiral of the Navy."

"This is the current Prime Minister, Hamaguchi Oyuki."

“I know this one too.”

Kato Kanji and Suetsugu Nobumasa are on the same side, so they should be the "fleet faction". This fleet faction is a bit weak. Chen Jiehua listened and thought.

Based on several rounds of exchanges between the two sides, as well as Okamura's explanations along the way, Chen Jiehua understood a basic relationship. At this negotiation meeting, His Majesty the Emperor supported the agreement, but hoped that the proportion could be appropriately increased. This heavy responsibility was given to former Prime Minister Reijiro Wakatsuki of the civil service system.

The initial ratio that Britain and the United States had originally set for Japan was 60%, which was to maintain the previous ratio in the Washington Treaty. The total strength of the Japanese Navy could only be % of that of the United States. Wakatsuki finally negotiated it to %, and the Emperor and the Cabinet were basically satisfied, so Wakatsuki withstood the anger and pressure of the Navy representatives and signed the agreement.

Of course, the formal agreement must be brought back for the Emperor to sign in person, which means that in theory there is still a chance to go back on it, otherwise there would be no need for the Navy to struggle here.

At the negotiation meeting, the Navy Minister and the Treasury Secretary were rather soft-hearted. He was afraid of this and that. As one of the Navy representatives, he failed to play his due role, which disappointed the civil service system and the Navy even more.

Prime Minister Hamaguchi Oyuki did not attend the meeting, but he carried out the Emperor's will via telegram, remotely controlling the outcome. Currently, only members of the fleet faction, such as Kato Kanji and Suetsugu Nobumasa, disagree with the agreement. 70% is no different from 60%. There's room for maneuver here, but whose side should they take?

The treaty faction includes the emperor and the cabinet civil service system, and the fleet faction includes the chief and deputy chief officers of the Naval General Staff. The others have no say and their influence is unknown, but it seems that the fleet faction is too weak.

Stand on the side of the fleet? Try to tear up the treaty, expand the navy, and force Britain and the United States to besiege the Japanese navy. It seems that this path has never been taken!
On the surface, Prime Minister Hamaguchi Oyuki continued to argue with his opponent, "Now, due to the impact of the Great Depression, the cabinet's finances are tight. The navy continues to build warships, and the finances can no longer support it. The inevitable path is to cut unnecessary warship construction plans!"

"It's fine to cut back on warships, but why limit the total tonnage of the Empire's main warships to no more than 70% of that of England and America? Does the Prime Minister believe that the Empire's international status deserves only 70% of theirs?"

When Obata Toshishiro heard Aoki Takashi suddenly interrupt and confront him, he was so scared that he quickly took a step back. Okamura Neiji also retreated almost at the same time, the two of them were in perfect sync.

Damn it, you little brat! I told you to watch the show, so you should just watch it. Why did you end up going to the next stage yourself? And you chose to go directly against the Prime Minister. You think your death isn't fast enough? Don't take me with you!

The entire cabinet meeting was in a heated atmosphere. Except for Okamura and Obata who took a step back to show that "this person has nothing to do with me", no one else cared who said it. After all, it was the Prime Minister Takeyuki Hamaguchi who was in high spirits and responded directly.

"This is the opinion of England and the United States, based on the tonnage of existing main warships, with the goal of not building new warships."

"Okay, the Prime Minister just said that this is the opinion of England and America. So what is your cabinet's opinion? Based on the tonnage of existing main warships, do you know the actual tonnage of England's main warships? Their Prime Minister said it was a million tons, do you believe it? Have you requested an inspection?"

Chen Jiehua's response was a bit unreasonable, but after thinking about it, everyone realized that it made some sense. Isn't it true that they say how much? You can't check every ship!
"You! You! You!" Hamaguchi Takeyuki was stuck by this simple question.

"Stop it! They say I have a thousand battleships, but I actually only have seven hundred. That's what we agree on. Now that this treaty is signed, England and America can each build another three hundred, and the Imperial Navy will have no choice but to halt production and dismantle the old ones. Are you trying to ease financial pressure? You're being controlled by idiots!"

"Puchi~" Hamaguchi Takeyuki was so angry that he spat out a mouthful of blood, but he managed to hold on. The treaty supporters rushed forward to support the Prime Minister, while the fleet supporters on the opposite side watched with a smile and did not move. Only now did they notice that this person had angered the Prime Minister so much with just two words that he seemed to not recognize him!

Sensing the fleet's gaze, Chen Jiehua didn't move. Okamura Yasuji and Obata Toshishiro tacitly retreated a step, almost backing up to the wall. "Damn it, you're too aggressive, kid! You don't even need our support! Are we here to take the blame for you? Serious mistake!"
At this time, the seventy-year-old veteran Saito Minoru, who had been sitting there with his eyes fixed on his nose and his nose focused on his heart, looked up at the person who was speaking and said, "Aoki boy! This is not your place to talk!"

"General Saito, this isn't the place for Aoki to speak. So, where can Aoki speak? Imperial soldiers can't speak in the Cabinet? Do you want me to go talk to His Majesty the Emperor? Or should I go outside and set up a platform and talk to all the soldiers in the Empire?!"

This Saito Minoru is clearly a treaty supporter. Since we've already torn our relationship apart, I'll just go after you too! I've already sent the plaintext telegram, so I don't care about this extra thing!

(End of this chapter)