You were tasked with guarding the Sihang Warehouse, and you brought out a Tiger tank?

"Bang!"

Army Minister Sugiyama Genichi slammed his hand on the low table in front of him, causing the tea in his teacup to splash out.

This is a high-class Japanese-style izakaya near Kasumigaseki. In the spacious, traditional Japanese interior, several high-ranking Japanese army and navy officers dressed in general uniforms sit facing each other on tatami mats.

Since the emergence of that young general named Lin Feng, such meetings between high-ranking officers of the army and navy have become increasingly frequent.

Moreover, there's basically no good news at each meeting.

This time, they've made an even bigger mess.

The 61st transport fleet was completely annihilated in the Bohai Sea.

Nearly 10,000 tons of military supplies, 5,000 new recruits, and a valuable transport ship of more than 20,000 tons were all lost.

Someone has to take the blame for such a huge mistake.

"The Navy must give the Army an explanation!"

Sugiyama Gen, panting heavily, leaned forward slightly, staring aggressively at Navy Minister Yonai Mitsumasa opposite him.

"Five thousand imperial warriors were fed to the turtles of Bohai without even seeing the enemy's face."

What's even more hateful is that batch of weapons that were urgently allocated to the North China Front Army.

Hundreds of new anti-tank guns and anti-aircraft guns!

General Terauchi is currently racking his brains over how to deal with Lin Feng's tanks and bombers; this batch of weapons is meant to save his life.

The results of it?

They all sank to the bottom of the sea.

There was even a cargo ship fully loaded with weapons and supplies that was captured by Lin Feng's warship.

What is this if not aiding the enemy?! It's utterly outrageous!

Faced with Sugiyama Gen's relentless attacks, Yonai Mitsumasa simply sneered.

He picked up the teacup, slowly blew on the floating tea leaves, took a sip, and then put it down heavily.

"Lord Sugiyama, the Navy also deeply regrets what happened."

But please watch your volume, and don't put all the blame on the Navy.

"Regret? Can a single word of regret undo the empire's losses?"

Sugiyama Gen refused to back down and continued his attack:

"Every year, the Empire allocates so much military funding to your navy from its already strained national treasury."

They built so many huge warships.

As a result, for such a huge transport fleet, your province only sent one old Autumn Wind ship to escort it!

This is a premeditated murder of the Army by the Navy!

Sugiyama Gen took a deep breath and revealed the army's long-planned scheme:

"Since the navy can't even guarantee control of the near seas."

I propose that the Navy's shipbuilding budget be cut immediately next year.

"Transfer the saved steel and funds to the army to produce more aircraft and armored vehicles!"

Faced with "budget cuts?"

Mitsumasa Yonai's face darkened, his tone filled with undisguised sarcasm:

"Lord Sugiyama, please face reality."

If it weren't for your army's incompetence, handing over the entire Jiaodong Peninsula to Lin Feng...

How did Qingcheng Port become the enemy's "unsinkable aircraft carrier"?

Mitsumasa Yonai leaned back, his arms crossed over his chest:

"Our transport ships were sunk by bombers and torpedo planes that took off from the land."

The army's defeat on land has now jeopardized the empire's control of the seas.

How dare you criticize the Navy? Isn't that just sophistry?

Mitsumasa Yonai's words struck at the heart of the army generals like a knife.

"Baka! You're insulting our army!"

Sugiyama Genki's face turned ashen with anger.

In fact, the high-ranking officers of the Japanese navy all had a clear understanding of the situation.

In this war of aggression against Great Xia, the navy itself gained very little.

The coal, iron ore, grain and other resources of Daxia were mainly plundered by the army.

The few industrial facilities that Great Xia possessed, as well as its precious metals, foreign exchange, and other wealth, mostly ended up in the pockets of domestic conglomerates and high-ranking military officials.

Aside from firing a few shots along the coast, the navy gains no real benefits.

Every year, so many outstanding talents graduate from the Etajima Naval Academy, all waiting for promotions and raises.

Without military merit and benefits, who would fight a war?

Is it really for the Emperor?

Those words were just empty talk to fool the Showa-era beasts below.

At this point, even Mitsumasa Yonai and Isoroku Yamamoto, who advocated for appeasement towards White Eagle and John, were well aware of the situation.

The calls from the younger generation within the navy to "go south" and seize Southeast Asia's various resources, wealth, and most importantly, oil, are becoming increasingly loud.

Now we still have to fight that madman Lin Feng to the death.

The planes in Lin Feng's hands, capable of both dive bombing and carrying torpedoes, posed a great threat to the fleet. The navy's carrier-based aircraft were no match for the enemy's fighters.

Sending valuable capital ships into the narrow Bohai Bay would be like making them easy targets for Lin Feng.

"I want to make my position clear here."

Mitsumasa Yonai's tone was resolute, extinguishing any remaining hope for the army:

"The main force of the Combined Fleet is intended to deal with the Pacific Fleet of the White Eagle Nation and the Far East Fleet of the John Nation."

It is absolutely impossible for us to send our precious aircraft carriers and main battleships into the Bohai Bay to serve as "nannies" for your army's troop transport ships.

For future transport missions, the army should ideally find its own solutions for escort and air cover.

"you!"

Sugiyama Genji's face turned ashen with anger, and he was about to explode.

Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu, the Chief of the Naval General Staff who had been sitting silently to the side, raised his hand to stop the argument.

"Stop arguing."

Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu's voice carried a deep sense of worry:

"The losses to the transport fleet were certainly severe."

But now, a more serious problem lies before us.

He took a top-secret report from his briefcase and threw it on the low table.

"This is a summary of the last telegrams sent by the cargo ship Keio Maru before it sank."

Compared to the Army's losses, the Navy's intelligence services are now in a state of extreme panic.

Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu looked around at the assembled generals:

"According to intelligence reports..."

The Great Xia army not only possesses advanced fighter jets.

They even possessed a modern destroyer with a top speed of 35 knots and extremely fierce firepower.

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the Japanese-style room instantly plummeted to freezing point.

"How is this possible?"

Sugiyama Gen frowned, his face full of disbelief:

"The industrial base of Daxia is so small that it can't even produce a qualified seamless steel pipe."

How could they possibly build a modern warship of this caliber?

"Of course they can't build it."

Mitsumasa Yonai picked up the conversation, his expression grave:

"The naval technical department analyzed the shape of the warship described in the telegram overnight."

The conclusion reached is chilling.

The design concept of this warship is extremely advanced, with a distinct Western power style.

Mitsumasa Yonai paused for a moment, then presented the conclusions of the naval intelligence department:

"We have reason to doubt."

This is the White Eagle Kingdom, the John Kingdom, or even the Hans Kingdom.

The newly commissioned warship was secretly transferred to Lin Feng.

It's even possible that the sailors and commanders on the warships were mercenaries employed by the Western powers.