Chapter 220: Those Navy Idiots Are Getting More and More Impressive

Tokyo, Army Ministry Building, 5 p. m.

Unlike the Navy Ministry's oppressive despair, the Army Ministry building is suffused with a strange atmosphere—mixing anger, contempt, and a hint of… schadenfreude.

In the conference room, Army Minister Gang Shi Zhi Zhu, Chief of Staff Chang Gu Chuan Hao Dao, and several senior generals are holding a meeting.

"Wu Port was attacked again?" Chang Gu Chuan Hao Dao heard the report, and instead of worry he laughed, "Three light cruisers? Sunk in our own harbor? Ha ha, the Navy's bunch of idiots are really getting more and more… impressive!"

"Lord Chang Gu Chuan Hao Dao, this is still an imperial loss…" a more cautious general whispered.

"The loss is the Navy's, not the Army's!" Gang Shi Zhi Zhu said coldly, "Besides, those old light cruisers, once sunk, are sunk; keeping them is just a waste of resources."

He walked to the map on the wall and tapped Japan mainland with his finger: "The most important thing now is homeland defense. The Navy is finished; from now on we Army must take over."

"But Minister," the Deputy Chief of Staff asked, "if Lanfang does not land and only uses battleships to blockade and bombard, what can our Army do?"

"Then let them land!" Chang Gu Chuan Hao Dao roared, "Don't they have four giant ships? Bring them! As long as they dare set foot on Japanese soil, I'll show them what a real Army is!"

His voice was full of malice: "During the Russo‑Japanese War we blocked Russian artillery at Port Arthur and in Fengtian with flesh and blood. It's the same now! Five hundred thousand standing troops, one million reserves— even if we pile human lives, we can crush them!"

"But Lord Chang Gu Chuan Hao Dao," another general said anxiously, "the times have changed. Lanfang's artillery is far more intense than the Russians', and they also have technology that can hit accurately at great distances…"

"Technology? Hmph!" Gang Shi Zhi Zhu sneered, "In the end war still depends on people! On soldiers' courage and will! The Navy relies too much on technology, on those iron clunks, and that's why it lost so badly! Our Army is different; we have plenty of men who fear death not."

In the conference room, the war‑hawks held absolute sway. Only a few generals remained silent, and no one dared to voice open opposition.

"Gentlemen," Gang Shi Zhi Zhu surveyed the room, "now is the time for our Army to step forward. The Navy lost, but we have not. We must prove to the people, and to Your Majesty Tian Huang, that the Empire's true pillar is the Army, not the Navy!"

"Well said!" Chang Gu Chuan Hao Dao slammed the table, "I propose we draft an immediate homeland decisive‑battle plan. In Tokyo Bay, Osaka Bay, and the Kyushu coastline we will build three lines of defense. Each line will field five corps, staged defense, depth deployment. Even if Lanfang's forces land, they will pay a heavy price for every step forward!"

"Agreed!"

"That's how it should be!"

A chorus of assent rang out.

Gang Shi Zhi Zhu nodded with satisfaction, "Good, that's settled. The General Staff will draft a detailed plan immediately; I want the first draft in three days."

He paused, then added, "Also, notify each corps to begin covert mobilization. Stockpile ammunition and food, reinforce fortifications, and prepare… for a long‑term war."

"A long‑term war?" someone asked, puzzled, "Minister, you mean …"

"What I mean," Gang Shi Zhi Zhu's gaze turned cold, "is this war will not end quickly. The Navy lost the sea battle, but the war itself… has only just begun."

The generals exchanged glances, but no one raised an objection.

After the meeting, Gang Shi Zhi Zhu and Chang Gu Chuan Hao Dao remained in the conference room.

"Shan Ben Quan Bing Wei is back on the scene," Gang Shi Zhi Zhu lit a cigarette and said slowly, "That old fox is hard to deal with."

"Just an outdated old man," Chang Gu Chuan Hao Dao dismissed, "The Navy now is a dead dog; whoever becomes minister is the same."

"Don't underestimate him," Gang Shi Zhi Zhu exhaled a smoke ring, "Shan Ben Quan Bing Wei commands great respect in the Navy and is formidable. I fear he'll try to preserve the Navy's core, even… make secret contact with Lanfang for a private truce."

"He dares!" Chang Gu Chuan Hao Dao's eyes widened, "Without Your Majesty Tian Huang and the Cabinet's approval, he dares to negotiate privately?"

"What if it's a secret contact? What if it's through certain channels, a prior understanding?" Gang Shi Zhi Zhu sneered, "Politics is beyond you. An old politician like Shan Ben Quan Bing Wei can employ any means."

He stubbed out the cigarette, "So we must keep a close eye on the Navy, especially their diplomatic moves. Also… find a way to push a bill in the Diet to formally cut the Navy's budget. While they are at their weakest, we'll root out the Navy's foundation completely."

"That way the Navy will truly be finished," Chang Gu Chuan Hao Dao said, his tone lacking regret, only triumph.

"They should have been finished long ago," Gang Shi Zhi Zhu stood, walked to the window, and watched the sky darken, "A service that cannot protect the nation's seas has no use left; it's just a waste of resources."

Outside, Tokyo's lights came on one after another. The city's residents still did not know what upheaval their nation was undergoing, nor what storm was brewing between the Army and the Navy.

Far to the south, on the sea off Wu Port, the wrecks of three battleships still burned like three towering torches, illuminating the Empire Navy's final twilight.

The Navy's era has ended.

The Army's era… has only just begun.

Or rather, a darker age has only just begun.

East Sea, bridge of the battleship Chang Jiang, 6 a. m.

Morning mist over the sea had not fully cleared, a thin veil draping four steel giants. The Bismarck formation sailed in single file, led by Chang Jiang, heading 285°, speed 18 knots. Distance to the west coast of Kyushu Island, Japan, was already under 100 nautical miles.

Zhang Zhen stood at the bridge's observation window, a cup of long‑cooled strong tea in his hand. Bloodshot eyes showed he had again spent a sleepless night.

"Sir, heading 285°, speed 18 knots, Distance to Kagoshima about 95 nautical miles," the Chief Navigator reported, breaking the bridge's silence, "We expect to reach the designated patrol area west of Kyushu around 10 a. m. today."

Zhang Zhen nodded without turning. His gaze pierced the thin mist toward the northwest. There, at the horizon's edge, lay the outline of the Japanese archipelago.

"Weather?"

"Today clear, wind force three, wave height no more than one meter. Visibility good," the Weather Officer replied, "The next three days will be fine, suitable for… bombardment observation."

The last four words were spoken lightly, yet everyone on the bridge heard them.

Zhang Zhen turned, placing the tea cup on the chart table. Spread out was a detailed map of Kyushu's west coast, marked with a dozen red circles—Japan's major ports and military sites on Kyushu: Nagasaki, Sasebo, Kumamoto, Kagoshima…

"Give me the bombardment plan the General Staff drafted," he said.

The Operations Staff immediately handed over a folder. Zhang Zhen opened it to find over a dozen pages of detailed plans: target priority, firing parameters, ammunition ratios, expected damage effects…

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

"Yes, sir," the staff explained, "Nagasaki is a major commercial port and the site of Mitsubishi Shipyards. Sasebo is a naval base; although most vessels have withdrawn, the port facilities and dry docks remain. Both targets have high military and economic value, but comparatively… civilian density is higher."