The sun never sets

"In rural areas and towns, there are still many mafia gangs. They run casinos, lend money at high interest rates, and exploit the people in various ways. The government and the party's work next year is to clean up those local parasites. Not only do we need to clean up the mafia gangs, but we also need to crack down on the backers behind the mafia gangs. Without backers, mafia gangs cannot survive. We must focus on investigating the public security, procuratorial and judicial departments. When public power is combined with mafia gangs..."

Chairman Lin said during the "rectification movement" that "no one should be killed and most people should not be arrested", but blood was still shed, people were arrested, and thousands of people were thrown into the Western Regions to support national construction. Even when he said it was calm and peaceful, many people lost their lives. Now he is talking about murderous intent. How many people will die?

Yang Du sat below listening to Chairman Lin’s report. What he heard in his ears was a loud voice, but what he saw before his eyes seemed to be a sea of blood.

But it's good that way. How can we establish a new era without cleaning up the filth left over from the previous dynasties? Yang Du learned the "dragon-slaying technique" and had a good understanding of the successes and failures of the policies of the past dynasties. Unfortunately, Chairman Lin was not an emperor, so most of the things he had learned before were useless.

Fortunately, he can continue to learn and make progress. Although the things he learned from his teacher are no longer used on the surface, they can still be used after a makeover. Dragon-slaying techniques are not only useful in the feudal era, but also in the new China. Chairman Lin once said, "Except for technological progress, there is nothing new under the sun."

Yang Du was distracted and didn't really listen to Chairman Lin's report. He had revised the manuscript and could recite it by heart, so why would he listen? As the leading theorist in the party, his status was very high, on par with the prime minister and the defense minister. Among the meritorious officials who followed the emperor, he was the one who was promoted the fastest and the highest, so much so that many comrades from the south couldn't help but say something sour behind his back.

After Chairman Lin finished his report, Premier Wang took the stage to speak. This time Yang Du was a little more serious.

In the cold winter, the year-end meeting of the People's Government was successfully concluded. A few people learned a lot from the meeting, and most people, especially those in the military, felt as if they had been pardoned after the announcement. They sat in the conference hall, drowsy after listening to the endless data, but they had to pretend to be serious.

If it was just one or two hours, it would be fine, but the conference lasted for three days. During the day, they had to sit upright and write study reports at night, which made the brigade commanders and regiment commanders scratch their heads. Many of them were literate, but they only knew how to read. They didn't understand things like "the development of capitalism in China" and "the self-proliferation of industrialization". They thought they were studying hard just by memorizing a few nouns.

There was no other way, so the rough men could only ask the pen holders for help. They dared not complain, because the Marshal was a fierce man who defeated the Eight-Nation Alliance and overturned the Russians. The generals and officers could only look up to him. Even if they really wanted to complain, they would only complain about the pen holders like Yang Du.

"Mr. Yang, you are so mean. It's ok for Lao Zhang to ask you to help, but not for our business? Could it be that their 112th Regiment belongs to the eldest son's family, and our 107th Regiment is raised by the stepmother... Marshal!"

The general who was mumbling suddenly stood at attention and saluted. Lin Yongchang returned the salute, glanced at the manuscript on the table, snorted, and said, "Li Yunlong, you are still dishonest! I asked you to write your learning experience, which is to let you continue to improve, but you actually asked someone to write for you!"

Li Yunlong was once a general of the Guanzhong Army, and was later incorporated by the People's Government. When he was first thrown between the Baishan and Heishui, Li Yunlong was still very unconvinced and often cursed. Later, he gradually stopped complaining. Fighting with the Russians is a matter of life and death. Even in guerrilla warfare, the People's Army suffered nearly 10,000 casualties a year.

When he arrived in Liaodong, he found that Sheng Yun's attack was just a piece of cake, and the Russians were really hard to deal with. But the Russians, who gave him a headache, were easily killed by the Marshal. After the war, Li Yunlong studied in the military academy with a group of generals. He once restored the map and was very confused. He had no idea how Marshal Lin dared to use the army like that. Many things were unreasonable!

Is it true that, as the legend goes, there are many of our people in the Russian army? So we can always get the news in advance?

It's unreasonable. Marshal Lin was fighting with the entire map open. Of course, Li Yunlong and his men couldn't understand it.

"No, I didn't... I came here to seek advice from Mr. Yang!"

"Alright, stop quibbling. Quibbling is admitting something! I think your political awareness is not enough. You need to strengthen your theoretical study!"

Li Yunlong suddenly reached out and grabbed the manuscript on the table and ran out, "Marshal, I suddenly remembered that I have something else to do..."

Seeing Li Yunlong fleeing, Lin Yongchang laughed from behind. You little brat, do you think you can get away with this?

Yang Du coughed and asked, "What's the matter with the president coming here?"

The smile on Lin Yongchang's face disappeared immediately. "The Mongols have established a country in Kulun."

Chapter 211: First courtesy, then force

From the perspective of China's thousands of years of historical development, the time that the Central Plains dynasties could effectively control the Mongolian Plateau was almost very short. Except for the Yuan Dynasty and the previous dynasty. Other dynasties almost never had effective control. The Yuan Dynasty could control it because it came from that place. The previous dynasty could control it because it was also a minority and had formed an alliance with Mongolia before entering the pass. Other dynasties almost never had it. To be precise, the Han people's control over this place was almost never long.

China's national civilization belongs to the river civilization. The most notable feature of all river civilizations is that they are dominated by agriculture, that is, land. Therefore, in the early days, our ruling area was generally the land that could be cultivated. The northernmost area was near the current Great Wall, because the land further north could not be cultivated, and the Han people had no great interest in it.

Even if they occupied the grassland, they would find that it was not cost-effective to station troops on the grassland. The Chinese army killed the grassland people many times, but eventually withdrew from the grassland because it was not cost-effective. Military problems often come down to economic issues. The victory or defeat of a battle depends on various factors such as morale, terrain, weapons, and training, but lack of money is the reason for most wars to fail.

When the Ming Dynasty fell and the Qing Dynasty was established, Mongolia was roughly divided into three parts: Southern Mongolia, Northern Mongolia, and Western Mongolia. The most representative of Western Mongolia was Galdan, because this guy rebelled in history and was pacified by Emperor Kangxi. The others were nothing special.

The former dynasty treated the Mongols better mainly in the southern Mongolians. Because of Galdan's rebellion, many people were massacred in the western Mongolians, and there were almost no people left. In general, the former dynasty was okay with the southern Mongolians, but it is hard to say about the northern Mongolians. Now the Mongols believe in Buddhism, but in fact they did not believe in Buddhism at first, or they were not as devout as they are now. The main reason for this was the court's policy towards Mongolia.

The imperial court required every Mongolian family to have one person become a monk, which would reduce the Mongolian labor force. In addition, these people could not get married, which would affect the reproduction of their offspring. At that time, there were 16 tribes in Mongolia. The imperial court had requirements for the larger tribes, called the "Limited Population Order", which meant that if a place had a population quota of only , anyone with more than that would be executed.

As a result, the entire Mongolian population declined rapidly. In the previous dynasty, it was only a few hundred thousand, and at most a million. And because of the league system, many people had to be incorporated into the army, which made the population even smaller. There were also Mongols like Zeng Gelinqin and Sheng Yun who worked hard for the court, but in general, the Mongols would not be grateful to the court, especially the Mongolians in the northern desert, because the court discriminated against the tribes of the northern desert.

So after the fall of the imperial court, they quickly became independent. On the one hand, the imperial court had not treated them well before, and on the other hand, this place had existed independently since ancient times, and they had this tradition. Even if the previous dynasty had effective control over the Mongolian grasslands, it was actually letting the Mongols manage the Mongols, and it was considered a vassal or garrison state, rather than direct rule.

The people's government has relaxed many restrictions on Mongolia, but the Mongolians in the northern desert will not be grateful, but will feel that the Central Plains is no longer good. Besides, no matter who comes to power to rule Mongolia, it will not be as good as their own independent country. From the perspective of the Mongolians, their independence is reasonable, rational, and legal. This is the pursuit of national independence and people's freedom, which is natural and just.

The situation in Mongolia is very similar to that in Tibet, but different from that in the northwest. The ethnic groups on the Mongolian grasslands and the Tibetan Plateau have been different from those in the Central Plains since ancient times, unlike the northwest, which was incorporated into China for a long time during the Han Dynasty, and many Han people once lived and cultivated there.

The living habits on the grasslands have always been nomadic, which is incompatible with the Central Plains. In addition to the harsh environment on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, there is also altitude sickness. Few Central Plains troops can survive there. Even in the 21st century, there are not many countries that can maintain a large army on the plateau. Ah San has tried various non-combat casualties, and this is when there is no fighting or strenuous exercise. If a fight really breaks out, I am afraid that the entire regiment will die because of lack of breath.

From the perspective of the people over there, their ancestors have never been from the Central Plains, so it is understandable that they want independence, right?

But from Lin Yongchang's perspective, Mongolia, Qinghai-Tibet, and the Northwest are all core regions of China and an inseparable part of China. Even if they are not under control at times, they are still nominally Chinese. Why should they establish an independent country?

The remote and poor border areas do not have much economic benefits, but they have great national security interests. If the northern desert is abandoned, the southern desert will have to face the military forces of other countries, and a lot of troops and funds will have to be invested in the southern desert. Moreover, the affairs of the northern desert are not only the affairs of the Mongols, but also related to Tsarist Russia.

Mobei

The military strength is not worth mentioning, but the Tsarist Russia behind it is a behemoth. If it weren't for the Tsarist Russia behind the scenes, Kulun would not have jumped out so quickly. In the eyes of China and other powers, the Battle of Liaoxi was won by China, but Tsarist Russia had another set of statements. They said that the Chinese sent 200,000 troops to attack the Russian army and were defeated. It was not the People's Army that won, but the Russians!

This statement is not without reason. Judging from the occupied territory, the area controlled by the Russians has not decreased at all. Even in the information age, there are still many people who do not know the truth, let alone now? Bato and other Mongolians in the northern desert believed the lies of the Tsarist Russia. After collecting some guns and rubles, they brazenly established the Great Mongol Empire in Kulun City and claimed all Mongolian territories, including the southern desert and the Central Plains that had been occupied by the Yuan Dynasty.

Lin Yongchang said to Yang Du: "It's the same as before. I told you to write in plain language, don't show off your knowledge, don't use allusions, and make sure everyone can understand. Write some more Mongolian history, tell the people the significance of Mongolia to China, and the threat of Tsarist Russia to China. Publish an article every now and then."

"Yes." Yang Du agreed, and then asked: "Isn't the President going to send troops to attack?"

"We have to attack, but Kulun is a thousand kilometers away, and the environment there is completely different from the inland areas. Taking Kulun won't completely solve the problem. Let's wait and see, and the army must also be prepared. Before the troops are dispatched, the government will send people to explain the righteousness of the cause."

"I'm afraid Kulun won't stop."

"Yes, that's for sure. Rebellion is not a game of house. How can you persuade them with just words? But we Chinese are reasonable. We should use courtesy first and then force. When talking doesn't work, it won't be too late to send troops."

Chapter 212: Following the Dragon

Lin Yongchang said that we should not rush to deal with the Great Mongolia, but he was thinking that we should rush. The Mongolian problem is not only a Mongolian problem, it is also a model for Qinghai-Tibet, Northwest China and Northeast China. Hui people, Uyghurs in the northwest, Tibetans on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and bannermen in the Northeast China all have a natural tendency towards separatism. If the Mongolian issue is delayed for a long time, won't people in other places follow suit?

If ethnic minorities can be independent, the Han people can also be divided up. Sichuanese, Hunanese, Guangdongese, Guangxiese, Hebeiese, Chinese people from all over the world have different living habits, different tastes, and even different accents. Can they also be divided up?

As soon as signs of growth appear, they must be nipped in the bud and not given space to develop.

Solving Mongolia militarily is not a problem. It is too advantageous to open the whole map to fight. After several major battles, Marshal Lin is full of confidence. If the Russians come to interfere, they will be beaten together. Fighting will definitely win. The problem is what to do after winning.

Before the railway was built to Kulun, it was very expensive to maintain an army in Mobei. So why not just extend the railway from Guihuacheng to Kulun? That would only cost more. The further north you go, the higher the technical difficulty of building the railway, and the higher the maintenance costs. Why not build the railways in Shaanxi, Henan and Shandong first if you have that money?

The population in the northern desert is sparse, while the inland areas are densely populated. After the railway was built, the effect was immediate, and the economic benefits were immediately improved. Moreover, the living environment in the northern desert is very different from that in the inland areas. What kind of system should be used to govern the grassland? The previous dynasty's "reducing the number of people" system is definitely not feasible, so how about transplanting the current system and laws of the People's Party there?

The lifestyle in the inland is completely different from that in the grasslands. Settled life is not the same as nomadic life. Can different lifestyles use the same system? Obviously, it is impossible. If it is forcibly transplanted, many problems will definitely arise.

Therefore, Lin Yongchang needs to wait, not only to wait for the army to be ready for dispatch, but also to discuss with the relevant government departments and some Mongolians what kind of system should be implemented on the grassland. If it is decided to implement the People’s Party’s system, what modifications need to be made. Night Raid Group: Lu Jiusi ⑨, San ⑥① San ⑤.

The Mongolian independence movement was not exposed at first, and the people's government did not take the Mongol Empire's affairs seriously. Even the Tsarist Russia behind the Mongol Empire was beaten, so naturally they thought that this was just a small matter. The newspaper just mentioned it casually, indicating that the government would take necessary actions.

The ones who really talked about this matter the most were German and British newspapers. In the concessions in Qingdao and Shanghai, German and British newspapers hyped up what happened in Kulun. Their intention was very obvious: they hoped that China and Tsarist Russia would continue to fight, and it would be best if both sides were exhausted.

The British needed to continue bleeding Tsarist Russia, lest this behemoth escape its cage. The Germans also hoped that Russia would focus all its attention on the Far East. The Franco-Russian alliance formed a two-pronged attack on Germany. Although the German army was capable of fighting, it was a little scared when it saw the two major powers in front and behind. It would be best if they could only fight one at a time. Even if that was not possible, it would be good to transfer half of the Russian army of one million in Europe.

However, the performance of the Chinese disappointed Britain and Germany. After the Liaoxi War, the People's Army returned to the guerrilla warfare mode, focusing only on recovering rural areas and towns, and seemed to have no interest in large cities such as Liaoyang and Shenyang. It seemed that the Chinese fought the war just to cheat loans from the Americans, and now that the loans were in hand, they became tepid again.

The British were good at sowing discord. Under the British hype, the northern government had not reacted, but public opinion had formed in the south, and many places were discussing Mongolian independence. The Nationalist government and the military government had just suffered a severe blow from the stock market crash, and they also hoped to make the people's government suffer a little, so that everyone could continue to maintain a balance of power and follow the British gentlemen to create public opinion.

Is Mongolian independence harmful? Of course it is. But the major forces in the south only make noises, but have not sent any troops or provided any aid. What is the use of just making noises?

To be honest, Lin Yongchang didn't want to fight so frequently. He should at least take a few years to recuperate. Fighting a war is really expensive. After a major war, more than 1 billion yuan was spent. This was when he was in charge personally. The combat efficiency was particularly high. In addition, he withdrew his troops immediately after the battle without any hesitation, which saved money.

But there was no way out. Since the Mongols in Mobei had jumped out, we had to fight even if we didn’t want to.

The British and Germans didn't have to jump like that. Lin Yongchang would never let the Great Mongol Empire go. In the days before and after the New Year, he was busy preparing to send troops to Mobei. Oh, and he also had to discuss what system to implement in Mobei.

Officials of the People's Government tended to transplant the existing system, even if some modifications were made. Mongolian princes like Orelhek wanted to maintain the existing system in Mongolia. They did not want to carry out the "dividing land and fighting landlords" on the grassland. They thought too much. Even if Chairman Lin carried out land reform on the grassland, it would only be "dividing cattle and sheep and fighting princes."

However, the Mongolian generals, officers and soldiers had different ideas from the princes and nobles. They were very interested in "dividing cattle and sheep" and "dividing pastures". The Mongolian princes and nobles lived well, but the lower-class herdsmen were very poor. The herdsmen of each banner were more like slaves. Not only did they have little property, but even their lives were controlled by the nobles of each banner.

Most of the Mongols who worked for Marshal Lin did not want to return to the grasslands. Here, they were respected warriors and protected by Marshal Lin. If they returned to the grasslands, they would become slaves again. Not only would their living standards be greatly reduced, but even their lives and deaths would be controlled by others. Even a fool would know what to choose.

Even if you retire due to injury, you can still find a decent job in the government or a state-owned enterprise. No matter how you look at it, it is more cost-effective than going back to the grassland.

Meng En* Borjigin was the second son of Orelhek. Logically, he should have the same position as his father, but in fact, it was not the case. Meng En had no right of inheritance. After fighting against the Eight-Nation Alliance and Mao Zedong, his horizons were broadened and he looked down on the cattle, sheep and pastures at home.

He gave Lin Yongchang an idea. Didn't the Mongols in the northern desert set up a great Mongolian state? Didn't Batuo call himself the emperor of the Mongols? Why didn't Marshal Lin become the emperor of the Mongols himself?

This idea did not come up suddenly, but had been there before. Wuyun Qiqige* Borjigin agreed with this proposal. The girl thought that the Mongols needed a tyrant who could whip them. If Marshal Lin became the emperor, she would be the queen!

Many girls have the dream of becoming a princess. Wuyun Qiqige went a step further and wanted to become a queen. But the people's government is a republic, and there is no emperor. So, as a second best option, wouldn't it be enough to become a Mongolian emperor? As for the fact that Marshal Lin is not a Mongolian? That doesn't matter. Mongolians value strength more than bloodline. With Marshal Lin's current martial arts, he can just defeat all opponents.

This suggestion was agreed by most of the [Mongolian Cavalry]. If Marshal Lin became the emperor, they would be his loyal followers and their tribes would be directly under the emperor. Not only they themselves, but also their descendants would be guaranteed!

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Chapter 213 Asking for Money

Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.

Emperor Meiji looked into the distance. The Nijubashi Bridge and the square were covered with snow, which made them look very simple and elegant. The People's Government had many meetings to hold before and after the Chinese New Year, and the Japanese government was similar. Japan's fortunes have not been very good in the past two years. First, it suffered heavy losses in northern China, and then it sent troops to Liaodong but gained nothing.

Because of these two incidents, the Meiji government was very dissatisfied with the people's government in northern China. The incident in Hebei was fine, but if Lin Tuzi had not withdrawn his troops during the attack on Liaodong, the army of the Empire of Japan would have definitely taken Liaoyang! If Liaoyang was taken, the Russian army would certainly not be able to defend Lushun and Shenyang, and Harbin, Qiqihar and other places could also be taken smoothly. It would not be a problem to drive the Russians back to the other side of the Heilongjiang River.

But the Chinese withdrew their troops! How could we repair it? Emperor Meiji was very angry about this.

The Japanese are used to pushing all the problems onto others, as if they were innocent. Before sending troops to Liaodong, the Meiji government did not give any notification to the Central People's Republic Government. After reaching the city of Liaoyang, in response to the telegram inquiries from the People's Government, the Japanese government adopted the strategy of "delaying" and wanted to occupy the entire Liaodong and make a decision after the fact.

Unfortunately, the Japanese army was not strong enough and failed to show the so-called "Bushido" spirit in the battle. In the hand-to-hand combat, the tall and strong Russian soldiers had many advantages.

At that time, the Japanese army's rifles and artillery were not dominant, and after several days of fierce fighting, they were unable to capture Liaoyang.

As the Russian army returned to Liaoyang from the Liaohe front, the Japanese army became more and more exhausted. If they wanted to add more chips, the Japanese army had not yet completed the replacement of weapons and equipment, and their weapons and equipment were still very poor. It was very expensive to buy weapons from abroad, and Japan did not have so much foreign exchange to buy weapons. If they produced them themselves, the steel production was not enough.

After three years of preparation and a lot of money, Yawata Iron Works started production in the middle of this year, but the trial production failed. The door of the iron smelting furnace could not be opened and the molten iron could not flow out. The members of the two houses of parliament and the ministers of the government who went to watch were all stunned.

Good luck seemed to have left Japan and no longer favored the Meiji government. The whole year was full of troubles. In November, the Shanghai stock market collapsed, causing Yamagata Aritomo to lose all his investment, which was the army's military expenditure! Because the military expenditure was wasted, Yamagata Aritomo had to hide in a singing girl's house to avoid the limelight until the Imperial Conference was held, and then he came out to see people.

Emperor Meiji thought about these unpleasant things, sighed deeply, then turned around and said to everyone in the room: "The current situation is more complicated than before. Where should the country go? My dear ministers, please speak freely!"

Northeast China is now like the Three Kingdoms, the Russians are still the strongest, China and Japan are like Shu Han and Dong Wu, if the two countries join forces, it is no problem to fight against Russia. But just like the relationship between Shu Han and Dong Wu in history, the People's Government and the Meiji Government need to cooperate, but it is impossible to cooperate sincerely because the two sides cannot reach a consensus.

The People's Government wants to revive China and claim all the old Chinese territories, including not only the Northeast, but also Korea, Vietnam and Taiwan. Japan, on the other hand, wants to swallow up not only Korea, but also the Northeast. Now the Japanese government's appetite is not that big, but it still wants the whole Liaodong. At least it should pay a large sum of money to the Meiji government, right?

The contradiction between the two sides is irreconcilable. Before the problem is solved, it is impossible to work together. It is good if the two sides do not fight. Lin Yongchang is very open-minded. Russia is an enemy and Japan is not a friend. Just do business and other things will be discussed later. North China is developing very fast now. The annual steel production has reached 500,000 tons. The speed of building railways is also very fast. When the railway is built to Jinzhou, we can push the Russians away by ourselves, and we don’t need the help of the Japanese who are not doing well.

In response to the People's Government's request to strengthen economic and trade cooperation, the Meiji Government proposed that the two sides first sign a treaty to recognize the Japanese government's sovereignty over Taiwan and its special interests in Korea. Foreign Minister Lu Zhengxiang was somewhat tempted by this proposal. Russia surrounded China from the west, north and east, which put too much pressure on the People's Government. If they could join forces with Japan to fight against Russia, the strategic situation would be much better.

But President Lin refused directly, which hurt the Japanese. They had already taken the initiative to show goodwill, but the Chinese were still so unreasonable. What was the purpose of not recognizing the sovereignty of the Empire of Japan over Taiwan and its special interests in Korea? Did they want another Korean War?

Seven years ago, the Japanese would have been happy to fight another battle and then extort a large ransom. But the Chinese were too brutal now. They wiped out the Eight-Nation Alliance and killed nearly 100,000 Russian troops. The Japanese thought the Russians were lame at first, so they sent troops across the Yalu River to take advantage, but were beaten up by the Russians.

The Japanese then realized that it was not the Russian army that was incompetent, but the Chinese that had become brutal.

At the Imperial Conference, Emperor Meiji discussed with elders such as Iwao Ōyama and Hirobumi Ito what to do. They never mentioned the fact that Aritomo Yamagata had misappropriated army funds. This made Aritomo Yamagata gradually relax and participate in the discussion.

"The army's equipment must be updated as soon as possible! We need more cannons and machine guns!"

This is the consensus of all the elders. The backwardness of the army makes everyone feel urgent. No matter what happens in the future, the empire's army can no longer suppress the Chinese, nor can it deal with the Russian army. If the army is not strengthened, Korea may not be able to be saved. If Korea is lost, the Japanese archipelago will be in danger.

This is the logic of the Japanese. In order to ensure the safety of the Japanese archipelago, they need to occupy Korea. For the safety of Korea, they need to occupy Northeast China. For the safety of Northeast China, they need to occupy North China... Anyway, it's the nesting doll. The British are also very good at this trick. Jordan openly declared to the People's Government that in order to ensure the safety of India, Tibet must be allowed to establish an independent country and become a buffer zone between China and Britain.

The imperialist powers can always find a set of arguments to justify their actions, just as the ruling class can always find a set of theories to justify their rule and exploitation.

Oyama Iwao and Yamagata Aritomo wanted to strengthen the army, and this proposal was approved by everyone. Then the navy also proposed their expansion plan, which was called the "Six-Six Fleet" by the Navy Department, that is, the new core of the Japanese Combined Fleet consisting of six battleships + six armored cruisers. The result of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 made Japan abandon the old battleships such as the protected cruisers and the Sankei that lacked armor protection, and turned to Europe to seek new battleships with larger tonnage, stronger armaments, and thicker armor.

The Chinese were rapidly expanding their army, the Russians were constantly building the Trans-Siberian Railway, and the war was getting closer. In order to prepare for the next war, the Japanese Navy needed

We need more powerful battleships.

"If we join forces with China, we can defeat Russia on the way. The navy doesn't need more warships!"

"But the People's Party has always refused to admit that Taiwan belongs to the Empire, and it is said that it secretly supports those rebellious people like Jian Dashi!"

"Then unite with the Russians and wipe out the People's Party!"

"So we need to strengthen our navy!"

The army needs to expand and add weapons and equipment; the navy also needs to expand and buy battleships from foreign countries, which all costs money. As we all know, Japan is a poor country. It is impossible to vigorously develop the army and the navy at the same time. The navy and the army must have a focus.

This was the theme of the Imperial Conference. The army wanted money, and the navy also wanted money. Matsukata Masayoshi, who was caught in the middle, said that the money was limited. If more money was given to the navy, then there would be less money for the army. The two sides could not agree, so they had to hold an Imperial Conference and gather everyone together to discuss a plan that everyone could accept.

Chapter 214: Hardship and Simplicity

The conflict between the Japanese army and navy was long-standing. Choshu and Satsuma controlled the army and navy respectively, so there was a natural conflict. The army had encountered many problems in the past period of time. It suffered a defeat in North China, was pushed back in the attack on Liaoyang, suffered heavy casualties, and coupled with the incident of Yamagata Aritomo, they lost to the navy in terms of momentum.

There were a lot of bad things in the navy, but at least they didn't get out, which was much better than the army. Even when the argument reached the Imperial Conference, the navy faction had the upper hand. Admiral Saigo Tsunemichi got what he wanted, the "Six-Six Fleet" plan was able to continue, and he also got an additional share of the expansion of auxiliary ships.

Saigo Tsumichi was a veteran militarist. After his brother Saigo Takamori died in the "Southwest War", he became the leader of Satsuma. He was originally from the army, and later became the Minister of the Navy. He knew nothing about the navy and did not intend to learn about it. Saigo Tsumichi had his own understanding of his position as the Minister of the Navy. In this position, it didn't matter whether he knew the navy or not, as long as he could help the navy get money.

Because he didn't know much about the navy, Saigo would often act as if he had suddenly realized something when he heard someone explain the situation to him: "So that's how it is." Those who thought they were sailors were very dissatisfied and looked down on him, and nicknamed Saigo "So that's how it is."

When Saigo was appointed as the Minister of the Navy for the third time, Yamamoto Gonbei, who would later become the father of the Navy, had already been the Chief of the Cabinet for a year. Saigo asked the Chief to get him a summary of the Navy's situation. Yamamoto gave him one and asked him a few days later if he had read it. Saigo replied that he had already read it.

The colonel in charge exploded: "Impossible! It took seven months to prepare this document. How could the minister finish reading it in five days? You didn't even read it."

Saigo Jōmichi smiled and said, "You are quite smart. I really didn't see it." Yamamoto was furious: "As a minister, how can you be so irresponsible? You are so dismissive of the hard work of your subordinates?"