On the eve of the fall of Liaodong, he led his troops in a remonstrance against the young marshal.

"You idiot! Do you think I'm stupid? Aircraft carriers can be replenished, but can pilots be replenished too?"

Gong Zai's eyes were bloodshot with rage; he wished he could devour those stupid navy bastards.

"Your Highness is wise, the loss of pilots is indeed... irreparable in the short term."

"Therefore, after careful assessment, the Naval Staff concluded that the Imperial Navy would be unable to provide effective air superiority protection and near-shore fire support for ground operations in Manchuria within the next six months."

Anbao Qingzhong straightened up and said in a strained tone:

"I suggest that the army's offensive in Manchuria be temporarily suspended to avoid unnecessary losses due to a lack of air cover."

The moment those words were spoken, the conference room erupted in chaos.

A series of snickers rose from the right-hand row of soldiers.

Nanjiro slammed his teacup down on the table, turned to stare at Anpo Kiyotane, a hint of undisguised sarcasm on his lips.

"Heh! Postponed?"

Nanjiro's cold laughter echoed in the conference room.

"Security officer, how dare you utter the word 'postponement'?"

"The 100,000-strong Kwantung Army 19th and 20th Divisions have crossed the Yalu River from Andong and are advancing towards Fengtian along the Anfeng Railway. Their vanguard has already passed Fengcheng."

"You're telling me to postpone it now? Do you expect us to halt our 100,000-strong army in the desolate mountains of Manchuria while your navy retrains all its pilots?"

"Security officer, do you think war is like playing chess, where you can pause it at any time?"

Anbao Qingzhong suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot and his jaw clenched.

His hands, gripping the seam of his trousers, clenched into fists, the knuckles cracking.

Two months ago, he would have flipped the table on the spot, pointed at Nanjiro's nose, and given that army idiot a good dressing down.

But today, he could only clench his fists tightly, unable to utter a single word.

Because he lost the battle.

The navy, having suffered a defeat, could not hold its head high in front of the army.

Seeing that Kiyotane Anpo remained silent, Nanjiro became even more emboldened.

He stood up from his chair, placed his hands on the table, leaned forward, and looked down at the row of naval officers opposite him.

"The Imperial Army is not like your navy, that bunch of idiots."

"We can fight wars without aircraft carriers or carrier-based aircraft."

"From the Meiji Restoration to the present, how many enemies have the Imperial Army's boots crushed?"

"Which war—the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War, the Battle of Qingdao, or the invasion of Siberia—was won by the navy?"

"The navy's role is at best to send the army to the beachhead. The real hard battles have always been fought by our army, one sword and one gun."

"You naval people always say the Combined Fleet is the pride of the Empire, then let me ask you..."

He pointed his finger at Anbo Kiyotane's nose, "Without the air cover of the Combined Fleet, does the Imperial Army not know how to fight?"

"Are you kidding? The Imperial Army is invincible! Even without air superiority, we can still defeat the Northeast Army and keep Manchuria firmly in our grasp!"

Anbo Qingzhong was so angry that he was trembling all over, and the muscles in his face were twitching.

His right hand unconsciously reached for his waist. There should have been a naval officer's sword hanging there, but it had been removed before he entered the conference room.

His hand grasped at empty air, clenching twice in vain, the veins on the back of his hand bulging like earthworms.

This is an utter disgrace.

Imperial Navy Minister Kiyotane was called a fool by Army Minister Minami Jiro in front of the prince, yet he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu, standing beside him, had a livid face; Takahashi Sankichi's jaw was clenched so tightly it was grinding; and Fujita Naonori's hands were clenched so tightly under the table that his knuckles turned white.

Yamamoto Isoroku remained silent throughout, but his eyes were slightly red.

But no one stood up to refute it.

Because they did indeed suffer a defeat, because three aircraft carriers did indeed sink in the Yellow Sea.

If you lose a battle, you have no right to refute it.

Prince Gongzai looked at Anbo Qingzhong's face, which was twisted with anger and humiliation, and coldly snorted without saying another word to him.

He turned his head and his gaze fell on Nanjiro.

"Nanjiro,"

Gong Zai's voice softened slightly, "You say the army is invincible, then let me ask you, how is the war progressing in Manchuria?"

Nanjiro's mocking expression vanished instantly, replaced by a respectful one.

He straightened up, his hands hanging down along the seams of his trousers, and bowed slightly to Gong Zai, looking smug.

"Your Highness, rest assured, the war in Manchuria is progressing smoothly."

Nanjiro walked to the huge map of the Manchurian campaign on the wall, picked up his pointer, and slapped it on Andong's spot.

"The 19th and 20th Divisions, along with the attached 39th and 42nd Brigades of the Korean Servants, totaling over 100,000 troops, have completed their assembly in Andong and are advancing at full speed northwest along the Anfeng Railway line."

"The vanguard has now approached Fengcheng and is launching an offensive towards the Jiguanshan line."

"According to the battle plan, the two divisions will form a pincer attack, with the left flank launching the main attack along the Anfeng Railway line and the right flank flanking from the direction of Kuandian."

"We expect to break through the Fengcheng defense line within three days, reach the city of Fengtian within five days, and completely capture Fengtian within seven days."

He forcefully drew his pointer across the map from Andong towards Fengtian, then slammed it down heavily on the location of Fengtian City, making a crisp snapping sound.

"besides,"

Nanjiro moved the pointer to the Lushunkou location at the bottom of the map. "The 2nd Division has completed its replenishment after landing at Lushunkou and is currently advancing towards Fengtian, forming a pincer movement with the 19th and 20th Divisions."

"Your Highness, please look. The 2nd Division is advancing north from Lushun, and the 19th and 20th Divisions are advancing east from Andong. The two armies are like an iron clamp, tightly clamping down on Fengtian from the east and south."

"The main force of the Northeast Army is now compressed into a small area of ​​less than 100 kilometers around Fengtian. The 2nd Division is watching us from the south, and our 100,000 troops are pressing in from the east."

"They are caught in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat, and unable to attend to both ends; they are already trapped like turtles in a jar."

He put down his pointer, turned around, and said decisively:

"In less than a week, Fengtian will be captured, and Zhang Xueliang's head will be displayed on the city wall."

"The rule of the Northeast Army in Manchuria will be completely ended by the Imperial Army!"

Gong Zai leaned back in his chair and nodded slightly.

The cloud of anger on his face finally cracked, revealing a hint of satisfaction.

He picked up the teacup in front of him, blew on the tea leaves floating on the surface, took a sip, and then gently placed the teacup back on the saucer.

"Yoshi, the Imperial Army's courage is commendable!"

Gong Zai's gaze lingered on Nanjiro's face for a moment. "But don't be careless."

"The fact that the Northeast Army was able to defeat the navy shows that they were no ordinary people."

"Yamamoto Isoroku is one of the most outstanding generals in our empire. Even he fell to Zhang Xueming. Although your army is strong, don't underestimate your opponent."

Nanjiro straightened his back, his face displaying an almost arrogant confidence, and the smile on his lips was impossible to suppress.

"Your Highness can rest assured."

Nanjiro placed his pointer on the table, put his hands behind his back, and said in a firm voice, "The supreme commander of this Manchurian operation is General Honjo Shigeru, Commander-in-Chief of the Kwantung Army."

"Mr. Honjo has been stationed in Manchuria for many years and knows the Northeast Army's troop deployment, generals' personalities, and combat habits very well."

"His understanding of the Northeast Army was even deeper than that of Zhang Xueliang himself."

He paused, glanced at the row of ashen-faced naval officers opposite him, and his smile deepened:

"Before setting off, Honjo-kun assured me that we would win this battle."

"He once said that the Rising Sun Flag of the Empire would fly over Fengtian City within seven days."

"Your Highness, Honjo Shigeru is not one to make promises lightly, but he never fails to deliver on what he says he will do."

"He fought from the Russo-Japanese War to Siberia, from the Jinan Incident to the Manchurian Incident. In his thirty years of military service, he never suffered a single defeat."

"With such a general commanding the front lines, what does Your Highness have to worry about?"

Gong Zai pondered for a moment.

He tapped his fingers on the armrest of the chair a few times, and his eyes scanned the map back and forth twice.

From Andong to Fengcheng, from Fengcheng to Fengtian, from Lushun to Fengtian, three red arrows drew three fierce wedges on the land of Manchuria.

The Kwantung Army's 2nd, 19th, and 20th Divisions, three Class A divisions, plus the Korean Servants, had a total strength of over 100,000.

According to intelligence, the main force of the Northeast Army, capable of mobile warfare, numbered no more than 50,000, and was scattered in multiple directions, including Fengtian, Jinzhou, and Jilin.

One hundred thousand against fifty thousand, and these were the empire's most elite Class A divisions against a local warlord's ragtag troops.

Even without naval air cover, even without air superiority, this battle is impossible to lose.

"Honjo Shige..."

Gong Zai nodded slowly. "This person is indeed reliable."

"He had been operating in Manchuria for many years and knew the situation in Northeast China better than anyone else."

"Since he's personally in charge, I won't worry about it anymore."

He stood up from his chair and straightened the collar of his military uniform.

Everyone in the conference room stood up at the same time, their leather boots clicking loudly on the marble floor, as if they had rehearsed it countless times.

Gong Zai's gaze swept over the faces of the row of naval men one last time, lingering on An Bao Qingzhong's face for a second before coldly shifting away.

"An Baojun,"

Gong Zai's tone was devoid of any emotion. "I will report the Navy's mistakes to Your Majesty in full."

"How Your Majesty decides to proceed is Your Majesty's sacred decision."

"But there's one thing I need to make clear to you beforehand: if the Imperial Navy can't rebuild its air power as soon as possible to avenge the humiliation of Lushunkou, then you'd better prepare your second for seppuku at next year's military budget meeting."

Anbo Qingzhong's face turned ashen white in an instant.

He bowed deeply, his upper body almost folded at a ninety-degree angle, his gray hair falling down to cover his face, and no one could see his expression at that moment.

"Hai!"

"The Navy...will obey Your Highness's instructions."

Gong Zai didn't look at him again, turned around and strode towards the door.

He paused at the door, glanced back at Nanjiro, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

"Minami Jiro, within seven days, I want to see a photo of the Rising Sun Flag being raised over Fengtian City on the front page of the Asahi Shimbun."

Nanjiro snapped to attention, his leather boot heels clicking together with a sharp crack.

"Your Highness, rest assured! Fengtian will surely fall within seven days!"

"The Rising Sun Flag of the Empire will surely fly over every inch of Manchuria!"

Gong Zai nodded in satisfaction and pushed open the door to leave.

The heavy oak door slammed shut behind him with a dull thud, causing the huge Rising Sun Flag on the wall to sway slightly.

There was a moment of silence in the conference room, then Nanjiro turned around and looked at Anbo Kiyotane with a mocking gaze.

He deliberately slowed down the pace of tidying up the documents on the table, neatly stacking each document and stuffing them into his leather briefcase.

He would weigh each document in his hand twice before putting it in, as if he wasn't tidying up, but rather enjoying the moment of victory.

Anbao Qingzhong stood motionless, his face ashen.

The row of naval officers behind him all bowed their heads and remained silent, the entire naval side shrouded in a silent humiliation.

Nanjiro snapped the clasp on his briefcase, walked up to Kiyotane, and stopped less than half a meter away from him.

He was half a head shorter than Anbo Qingzhong, but at this moment his eyes held a condescending arrogance, as if he were looking down at a prisoner of war kneeling on the ground.

"An Baojun,"

Nanjiro lowered his voice, "I should thank your navy for giving air superiority to the Northeast Army."

"Otherwise, how will our army secure a larger budget next year?"

"You think so? You piece of trash!"

Anbo Qingzhong's pupils contracted sharply, and the blood vessels in his eyes burst open in an instant.

Nanjiro didn't give him a chance to refute, patted him on the shoulder, then turned around and led a group of army generals out in single file.

Anbo Qingzhong stood there like a stone statue, his jaw clenched so tightly that it made a grinding sound, and his whole body trembling slightly.

Behind him, Takahashi Sankichi finally couldn't hold back any longer and slammed his fist on the conference table with a thud.

"Those army idiots!"

Takahashi Sankichi's voice echoed in the empty conference room, "They think they're invincible?"

"Without planes, they're just a bunch of targets."

"These brutes, these fools! They'll ruin the empire sooner or later!"

"Let's go."

Anbo Kiyotane's voice was weary, "We...have no right to argue with anyone right now."

The naval officers silently followed behind him, walking out of the conference room one by one.

The corridor was empty and dimly lit. Footsteps echoed along the long marble corridor, like a silent elegy.

Outside the window at the end of the corridor, the sky over Bhikkhu City was as gloomy as iron, with lead-gray clouds hanging low, as if a heavy snowfall could fall at any moment.

In the distance, the pine forest of Miyakezaka shivered in the cold wind, and the sound of the pine trees could be faintly heard, mixed with the wind, like someone crying in the distance.

Upon returning to the Ministry of the Army, Nanjiro immediately sent a telegram to the front lines, ordering them to expedite the capture of Fengtian within seven days, or face military law.