As he walked out of the General Staff Headquarters, General Hitoshi Anami felt that his back was soaked with sweat. Though he had appeared supremely confident before General Prince Kan'in Kotohito, only he himself knew how difficult it would be to open up the situation in the South Seas.
But General Hitoshi Anami knew that he had no way back now. He could only keep walking down this road into the darkness. If he chose to give up and retreat now, he would have no future to speak of. If he gambled with all his strength and won, perhaps everything would be different. Unwilling to leave active service like this, General Hitoshi Anami chose to stake everything on one desperate gamble.
Of course, that also meant the Southern Army had to launch large-scale offensives in the time ahead. Only then could they possibly break open the situation. As for how great the losses in battle would be, that was no longer something General Hitoshi Anami cared about.
General Hitoshi Anami could also sense that General Prince Kan'in Kotohito was a man who cared only about the result, not the process. No matter how many died, as long as victory came in the end, they would be satisfied.
After leaving the General Staff Headquarters, General Hitoshi Anami did not immediately return to Manila. Instead, he went to visit Lieutenant General Hideki Tojo, Inspector General of Army Aviation, hoping that the Army Air Force could provide them with greater support in the coming operations.
Lieutenant General Hideki Tojo naturally agreed readily to General Hitoshi Anami's request. He too wanted to climb to a higher position, which meant he needed the support of more people. The backing of important generals in the military, especially, was absolutely necessary.
Afterward, General Hitoshi Anami also went