World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

Tokyo, Army Ministry Building, 5 PM

Unlike the oppressive despair in the Navy Ministry, a strange atmosphere permeated the Army Ministry building—a mixture of anger, contempt, and a hint of... schadenfreude.

In the conference room, Army Minister Ichinosuke Oka, Chief of the General Staff Yoshimichi Hasegawa, and several senior generals were having a meeting.

"Kure Harbor attacked again?" Upon hearing the report, Hasegawa Yoshimichi showed no concern, but instead laughed. "Three light cruisers? Sunk in their own harbor? Haha, those idiots in the navy are getting more and more foolish!"

"Lord Hasegawa, this is, after all, a loss for the Empire..." a more cautious general said in a low voice.

"The loss is to the navy, not the army!" Okaichinosuke said coldly. "Besides, those old light cruisers, once they sink, they sink. Keeping them is just a waste of resources."

He walked to the map on the wall and tapped the Japanese mainland with his finger: "The most important thing now is the defense of the homeland. The navy is finished; now it's up to our army."

"But Your Excellency," the Deputy Chief of Staff questioned, "if Lanfang doesn't land, and only uses warships to blockade and bombard, what can our army do?"

"Then let them land!" Hasegawa Yoshimichi roared. "They have four giant ships, don't they? Let them come! If they dare set foot on Japanese soil, I'll show them what a real army is!"

His voice was filled with rage: "During the Russo-Japanese War, we used our flesh and blood to hold off the Russian cannons in Port Arthur and Fengtian. It's the same now! Five hundred thousand regular troops and one million reservists—we can overwhelm them with sheer numbers!"

"But Lord Hasegawa," another general said worriedly, "times have changed. Lanfang's artillery fire is far more powerful than the Russians', and they also possess the technology to hit targets accurately from a great distance..."

"Technology? Hmph!" Okaichi scoffed. "In the end, war still depends on people! On the courage and will of soldiers! The navy relied too much on technology, too much on those lumps of iron, which is why they lost so badly! Our army is different; we have plenty of people who aren't afraid to die!"

In the meeting room, the pro-war faction held a clear advantage. Only a few generals remained silent, but no one dared to openly oppose them.

"Gentlemen," Okaichinosuke said, surveying the crowd, "now is the time for our army to stand up. The navy may have lost, but we have not. We must prove to the people, and to His Majesty the Emperor, that the true pillar of the Empire is the army, not the navy!"

"That's right!" Hasegawa Yoshimichi slammed his fist on the table. "I propose that we immediately formulate a plan for a decisive battle on the mainland. Construct three lines of defense along Tokyo Bay, Osaka Bay, and the Kyushu coastline. Deploy five divisions along each line, in a tiered and deep defensive configuration. Even if the Lanfang people land, we must make them pay a heavy price for every step they take!"

"agree!"

"That's how it should be!"

A chorus of agreement erupted.

Okaichi nodded in satisfaction: "Okay, it's settled then. The General Staff will immediately formulate a detailed plan, and I need to see the first draft in three days."

He paused, then added, "Furthermore, notify all divisions to begin secret mobilization. Stockpile ammunition and food, reinforce fortifications, and prepare for... a protracted war."

"A protracted war?" someone asked, puzzled. "Your Excellency, do you mean...?"

"What I mean is," Okaichi's eyes turned cold, "this war won't end anytime soon. The navy lost the naval battle, but the war itself... has only just begun."

The generals looked at each other, but no one raised any objections.

After the meeting, Okaichinosuke and Hasegawa Yoshimichi remained in the conference room.

"Yamamoto Gonnohyōe has returned to the scene." Okaichinosuke lit a cigarette and said slowly, "That old fox is not easy to deal with."

"Just a washed-up old man," Hasegawa Yoshimichi said dismissively. "The Navy is a dead dog now; it doesn't matter who's the minister."

"Don't underestimate him." Okaichi exhaled a smoke ring. "Yamamoto has a high reputation in the Navy and is ruthless. I'm worried that he'll try to protect the Navy's core forces, or even... secretly contact Lanfang and make peace with her alone."

"He wouldn't dare!" Hasegawa Yoshimichi's eyes widened. "Without His Majesty the Emperor and the Cabinet's approval, he dares to negotiate on his own?"

"What if it's a secret contact? What if an understanding is reached through certain channels?" Okaichi sneered. "You don't understand politics. Old politicians like Yamamoto will use any means necessary."

He stubbed out his cigarette: "So we need to keep a close eye on the navy, especially their diplomatic moves. Also... try to push through a bill in Parliament to formally cut the navy's budget. Take advantage of their weakest moment and completely undermine the navy's foundation."

"In that case, the Navy is truly finished," Hasegawa Yoshimichi said, his tone devoid of regret, only filled with glee.

"They should have been finished long ago." Okaichi stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the darkening sky outside. "What's the use of a military branch that can't protect the country's seas? It's just a waste of resources."

Outside the window, the lights of Tokyo gradually illuminated the city. The city's inhabitants were unaware of the dramatic changes their country was undergoing, and the storm brewing between the army and navy.

Far to the south, on the sea off Kure, the wreckage of three warships still burned like three enormous torches, illuminating the final twilight of the Imperial Navy.

The era of the navy is over.

The era of the army... has only just begun.

Or rather, an even darker era has only just begun.

East China Sea, bridge of the battleship Yangtze, 6:00 AM

The morning mist on the sea had not yet completely dissipated, like a thin veil shrouding the four steel behemoths. The Bismarck formation sailed in single file, with the Yangtze River leading, heading at 285 degrees and a speed of 18 knots. They were less than 100 nautical miles from the west coast of Kyushu, Japan.

Zhang Zhen stood in front of the observation window on the bridge, holding a cup of strong tea that had long since gone cold. His eyes were bloodshot, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept all night again.

"Sir, heading 285, speed 18 knots, approximately 95 nautical miles from Kagoshima." The navigator's report broke the silence on the bridge. "We expect to reach the designated patrol area west of Kyushu around 10:00 AM today."

Zhang Zhen nodded without turning around. His gaze pierced through the thin mist, looking northwest. There, at the edge of his vision, lay the outline of the Japanese archipelago.

"what's the weather like?"

"Today is sunny with a level 3 wind and waves no more than one meter high. Visibility is good," the meteorologist replied. "The next three days will also be fine, suitable for... shelling observation."

The last four words were spoken very softly, but everyone on the bridge heard them.

Zhang Zhen turned around and placed the teacup on the nautical chart table. A detailed nautical chart of the west coast of Kyushu was spread out on the table, marked with more than a dozen red circles—marking Japan's major ports and military installations in Kyushu: Nagasaki, Sasebo, Kumamoto, Kagoshima…

"Show me the artillery plan devised by the General Staff," he said.

The operations staff immediately handed over a folder. Zhang Zhen opened it; inside were over a dozen pages of detailed plans: target priority, firing parameters, ammunition ratios, expected damage effects…

"You chose Nagasaki and Sasebo?" Zhang Zhen asked.

"Yes, sir," the staff officer explained. "Nagasaki is an important commercial port and the location of the Mitsubishi Shipyard. Sasebo is a naval base; although most of the ships have been evacuated, the port facilities and docks remain. Both locations have high military and economic value, but relatively speaking... they have a higher civilian density."