My Italy

The Battle of Sirte did not only affect Ottoman's judgment. In fact, when Germany talked with it, the British, as its main opponent, did not lag behind. They are also courting a country.

At this time in Tokyo, Japan, a cabinet meeting was being held.

At this time, Japan was governed by Okuma Shigenobu's cabinet. This was the second time Okuma Shigenobu formed a cabinet. Unlike the first time he was supported by Ito Hirobumi, this time the cabinet formation was supported by Yamagata Aritomo. Some people even say that if the cabinet does not have friends in Shan County, it will achieve nothing.

"Gentlemen, this is a new condition proposed by the British. They agree to our request for the German Philippines and Italian Borneo."

Shigenobu Okuma, the Foreign Minister and Prime Minister, enlivened the atmosphere in the venue as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Great, the British finally agreed."

"Now, our army can finally occupy the rich German and Italian colonies."

There is a reason why Japanese ministers are so informal, because it is too difficult.

Yes, it's just too difficult.

The two places are very rich. The German Philippines is famous for its copper, gold, and rice, and the Italian Borneo is famous for its spices, rubber, and oil. These are what Japan urgently needs.

The supplies purchased from these two places alone amount to hundreds of millions of yen every year. Therefore, after the war broke out, Japan's condition for joining the Allies was to return the Philippines and Italian Borneo to it.

But it is a pity that although Britain and France were looking forward to Japan's joining the Allied Powers, they themselves also coveted the Philippines and Italian Borneo that they requested, and refused immediately.

London is very wary of its East Asian allies. You must know that since the Russo-Japanese War, the British have become wary of Japan, which has risen.

In addition to finding a potential American enemy for it, it is also wary of its forces entering Southeast Asia. Even if they were at war with the Allied Powers camp before, they had to strictly guard against the entry of Japanese forces.

As for why we agreed now, it is very simple. On the one hand, it is the need for war, and on the other hand, it is difficult to fight the German and Italian colonies in Southeast Asia.

Before the war broke out, Germany deployed 12,000 German troops and 30,000 colonial troops in the Philippines. In Borneo, Italy also has an army of 5,000 people and a colonial army of 45,000 people.

Moreover, the colonial armies of Germany and Italy are different from the British. Their equipment and training are no different from the local armies, so they have very strong combat effectiveness.

In the exploratory attack by Britain and France on Borneo in December, 20,000 people defeated the 30,000 British and French colonial troops. Were it not for the absolute superiority of its navy, it would still be a question of whether these probing offensive armies could be withdrawn.

Based on this battle, Britain and France estimated that they would need at least 200,000 troops to capture the colonies of Germany and Italy.

On the other hand, Britain and France are currently in urgent need of additional naval forces.

Although the losses in the previous naval battle of Sirte were recovered by moving here and there, Britain and France actually knew very well what the quality was. And Japan, which currently has a strong navy, has become a worthy target.

At this time, Jiang Muyi, who was the cabinet secretary, asked cautiously. "Your Excellency Prime Minister, the British must have high demands, right?"

Obviously this person thought that if he could make the British relax, the asking price might not be low.

"Yes, Mr. Eki. In addition to asking us to be the main force in seizing the German and Italian colonies, the British also asked us to deploy the Kongo, Hiei, Kawachi, Settsu, and Fuso to support their Mediterranean fleet. In addition, The empire is also required to send an army of no less than 100,000 men to cooperate with its operations."

"There is no way I can agree to this condition."

"It's too harsh. The British are talking like a lion."

"Do they still think this is the shogunate era?"

At this time, when they heard Prime Minister Okuma Shigenobu mention the British conditions, the ministers who had previously praised the British and French for relenting immediately changed their tune.

"Prime Minister, do the British have any other conditions?"

At this time, Tibetan Prime Minister Reijiro Watsuki asked.

"Yes, the British have promised to provide an interest-free loan of 20 million pounds and an additional 10 million pounds in financial aid if we accept."

Okay, now the venue was quiet, and some people even swallowed. This is more than 300 million yen, who can test its power.

Don't blame these Japanese ministers for being impatient, because Japan today is much worse than Japan in history. Affected by a certain butterfly, Japan's national strength is 30% less than in history, and its foreign debt is 40% higher. And because Italy started the dreadnought craze earlier, Japan invested money earlier to follow up, so this also caused Japan to be stronger at this time than at the same time in history.

If the outbreak of the war had not given Japan a breath of relief, even the Japanese people who are civilized by tolerance would not be able to bear it. Since 1905, various riots in Japan have increased day by day, with the highest number being 847 in 1912.

Some people may ask, since the public sentiment in Japan is so bad, they are still expanding their military strength. Isn't it good to use it to improve people's livelihood?

Sorry, you don't understand what militarism is. The worse the situation becomes, the more military strength needs to be expanded. Not to mention the high foreign debt Japan has to bear, how long will it take to repay it without quick money?

As for why Japan was chosen as the Allied Powers, there are two reasons. On the one hand, influenced by the Anglo-Japanese alliance, the pro-British faction in Japan was strong.

On the other hand, Japan believes that Britain's victory in this war in Europe is a high probability. Although the Entente seems to be at a disadvantage now, its hundreds of years of heritage cannot be competed by the emerging Germany, Italy and Austria. As for the Ottomans joining the alliance, anyone in the Sick Man of the Near East can beat them.

"In fact, we can still discuss this condition, such as the sales of Chinese products south of the Yangtze River."

The person who spoke was the Tibetan Prime Minister Wakatsuki Reijiro. For the sake of Japan's economy, this Tibetan Prime Minister also worked hard for Japan's finances.

"In addition, we have sent warships and troops to Europe, so should they be responsible for the supply of weapons, equipment and materials?"

"besides……"

At this time, the cabinet ministers put forward different conditions one by one. Okuma Shigenobu, who also served as Foreign Minister, ordered people to write down these conditions one by one.

After everyone had finished talking, Okuma Shigenobu spoke. "Eighth Prime Minister of the Sea, please make a plan to build ten large warships within three years."

"Okay Prime Minister, our navy will come up with the plan soon."

Okuma Shigenobu's words made Navy Minister Yashiro Rokuro overjoyed. He did not expect such a surprise. The Navy's coveted Eighth-Eight Fleet is finally here.

Prime Minister Okuma's words made Rikuo Oka Ichinosuke look unhappy. It was obvious that the navy had taken more, and the army would take less.

"Prime Minister Lu, I have discussed this matter with Mr. Yamagata. Although we are all optimistic that the British side will win, the German side may also win. To avoid this situation, the empire needs a powerful enough navy."

Well, although the Japanese Prime Minister relied on the army to come to power, he still has basic political abilities.

In order to prevent possible failure, Japan must have a powerful navy. The Russo-Japanese War has fully demonstrated this point. As long as the Japanese navy is strong enough, even if you get on the wrong bus, you will be punished by three cups and get off.

Who can mobilize an army to travel thousands of miles to fight against themselves in the Far East? The cost will definitely make them think twice.

Prime Minister Okuma soon started talking to the British in person with the conditions of various departments. After a lot of war of words, he finally came up with a result that satisfied both parties.

First of all, Japan will not change its deployment of five warships. It will go to Alexandria to join the Mediterranean fleet within one month after the declaration of war. As for the army, it needs to organize 200,000 troops to fight with Britain and France within half a year.

As a greater price for Japan to send troops, the United Kingdom provided 20 million pounds in economic aid and 20 million pounds in 15-year interest-free loans. (Six million pounds of it will be used as special funds for the Army to appease the Army's emotions.). On the economic front, Britain must not block Japan's economic activities in the Yangtze River Basin. In addition, the troops sent by Japan, except for rifles, other weapons and equipment are provided by the United Kingdom and must not be lower than the standards of the Australian, New Zealand and Canadian armies.

On February 3, 1914, Japan officially declared war on Germany, Italy and Austria, and the scale of this war became larger and larger.

I had a lot of things to do yesterday and I was very tired when I went home at night. I really didn’t finish writing. I’m sorry to keep you all waiting for so long.