"No, Prime Minister, we must not be scared by the Germany people. It would be such a pity if we just gave up those territories!" Army Minister Okashi no Suke looked indignant.
"If the Germany people send a navy to attack, what should we do?" Okuma Shigenobu is a little worried, so he doesn't want to offend the Germany people.
"Prime Minister, German navy are powerful, but no matter how powerful their navy is, can they still go ashore? As long as the army holds its position, the Germany people can't do anything to us! If time drags on, what will happen to Germany people are also very disadvantageous. Therefore, it is very likely that it will be settled in the end. Although it will cost Empire a lot, as long as it can obtain those territories, no matter how high the price is, it is acceptable!" Oka Ichinosuke insisted.
"What if German Navy bombards Empire coastal areas? The most prosperous places in the Empire are all along the coast! And these places are almost all within the range of German Navy's Naval Gun!" Yashiro Rokuro said.
"Coward! Are the navy's shore defenses just decorations?" Oka Ichinosuke cursed.
"Horse manure! That's like striking an egg against a rock!" Yashiro Rokuro refused to give in.
Seeing that the two of them were quarreling again, Okuma Shigenobu had no choice but to announce the adjournment of the meeting to avoid any further physical conflict between the two.
"Okay, that's it for today's meeting!" Okuma Shigenobu said.
"Prime Minister, we don't have much time, we must make a decision early!" said Foreign Minister Kato Takaaki.
"I have no choice but to go see Elder Statesmen later. It is better for Elder Statesmen to decide on such a major matter concerning the destiny of the country!" Okuma Shigenobu said. However, his tone was full of helplessness.
Although, Okuma Shigenobu is the elder Island Nation, the actual head of government. However, he is the only one who has no choice but to realize that he is actually nothing more than a puppet. The current power is in the hands of those Elder Statesmen. If you are not satisfied with those Elder Statesmen, you can change it to a Prime Minister at any time.
As soon as they heard that Okuma Shigenobu was going to see the elders, the other Cabinet Ministers immediately stopped arguing. Because they know that since it is up to the elders to decide, nothing will happen to them. It would be meaningless for them to argue over each other. Once Elder Statesmen reaches an agreement, they only need to follow Elder Statesmen's orders.
Elders are semi-retired politicians in Island Nation. They have great influence in Island Nation, and can even be called the de facto supreme leaders of the Island Nation government. Almost all major events are decided by these elders. Not even Prime Minister or even Emperor could object to what they decided.
Now there are only 5 veterans of Island Nation left, namely Yamagata Aritomo, Matsukata Masayoshi, Inoue Kaoru, Oyama Iwao and Saionji Kinmochi. It can be seen from these people that Island Nation's Army has a great advantage. Among the five veterans, two are from the army, namely Yamagata Aritomo and Oyama Iwao. There is no one in the Navy. After the death of Saigo Tsugumichi, who was born in the Navy, there is no longer a veteran in the Navy. This puts the navy at a disadvantage in its struggle with the army.
Island Nation Navy has always wanted to push Yamamoto Gonnohyōe and Tōgō Heihachirō to the throne of elders. However, it has never been successful.
That afternoon, Okuma Shigenobu arrived at Yamagata Aritomo's residence. Yamagata Aritomo is the most senior among the five elders, so elder meetings are usually held in his mansion. At the meeting of elders, Okuma Shigenobu, who is Prime Minister, only has the right to speak, but has no decision-making power. Only Elder Statesmen has the power to decide.
"Everyone, everyone is here, let's start the meeting!" Yamagata Aritomo said.
Although Yamagata Aritomo is seventy-seven years old, he is still full of energy and is in very good physical and mental condition. Among the other elders, the layman Matsukata Masayoshi is the oldest, already eighty years old, but his spirit is not bad. Only Inoue Kaoru, although he is seventy-nine, is not in good spirits. In another time and space, he would only have a few months to live. The younger ones, Oyama Iwao and Saionji Kinmochi, are seventy-three and sixty-six years old respectively.
It can be seen that Island Nation is actually the ********, and the actual power of the country is in the hands of these old men.
"Prime Minister, is there anything difficult for Cabinet to decide this time?" Yamagata Aritomo asked.
"Your Excellency, Sir, in this world war, because the Empire was an ally of the British Empire, it declared war on Germany at the beginning of the war. It also took the opportunity to seize Germany's colonies in the Pacific. But it is a pity that Germany performed very bravely on the European battlefield and has now successively defeated France and Italy. The Kingdom of Italy, and Russia, which had withdrawn from the war before, was the only one still struggling to support itself. Judging from the strength comparison between the two sides, it was only a matter of time before the British were defeated. The cabinet was worried that the Germans would immediately attack the empire after ending the war in Europe. The cabinet now has two views. One is to give up. Return those colonies to Germany, seek forgiveness from the Germans, and restore relations between the two countries. The other is to continue to occupy those territories and prepare to fight the Germans in the Far East. If the empire wins, then those colonies will belong to the empire forever, and the empire will even gain more. , If the empire loses, the consequences will probably be unbearable. All the achievements made by the empire since the Meiji Restoration are very likely to be completely lost in the war!" Okuma Shigenobu explained clearly the causes and consequences and the differences in the cabinet, and then he shut his mouth tightly and waited for the elders' decision.
Elder Statesmen After listening to Okuma Shigenobu's statement, everyone frowned. Their experienced experience tells them that this time the problem is indeed very difficult.
Germany is too powerful. What Island Nation did this time was to seize food from the tiger's mouth. No country can tolerate such behavior as Island Nation. Therefore, it is very likely that Germany will take action against Island Nation after ending the war with European theater in the future.
"If Germany attacks us, will the navy have the ability to repeat Battle of Tsushima's victory?" Yamagata Aritomo asked.
Among Battle of Tsushima, Island Nation Navy was waiting for work and had a duel with the navy Russia who came from afar. In the end, Island Nation Navy won, which allowed them to win completely among Russo-Japanese War.