Chapter 266: The Navy Is a Technical Force! How Could It Be Forced to Do Menial Labor

Shimada's face flushed: "The Navy is a technical force! How can it be made to do menial labor!"

"Is the Army's life not a life? Is the Army's dignity not dignity?" Wutuo stood up, taller than Shimada by a head, exuding pressure. "I'm telling you, Shimada, I'm the first to oppose this plan! The Army will never agree to send its soldiers to Europe as cannon fodder, no way!"

"What good does your opposition do?" Shimada also stood, short but not lacking in aura. "Prime Minister Xiyuan Si is already talking with Chen Feng! This is a national decision, not something a single Major General can sway! Does the Army still have the right to bargain? In the East Sea battle, what were your Army doing? Watching the spectacle from the shore! If the Army had helped back then, if they could have sent forces from Korea…"

"Enough!" Wutuo roared. "The East Sea is the Navy's responsibility! You buried the Combined Fleet! Now you want to shift the blame onto the Army? Dream on!"

The two glared at each other like fighting roosters. The room was thick with the smell of gunpowder.

At that moment, the door was pushed open. In walked Foreign Ministry official Xiaocun Xinyi, his face awkward. "Generals, please... keep it down. They can hear outside."

Shimada inhaled deeply and sat back down. Wutuo also sat heavily, turning his head toward the window.

Xiaocun entered, closed the door: "I just came from the Prime Minister. His talk with Chen Feng... has reached a conclusion."

The two looked at him simultaneously.

"The Prime Minister's stance is..." Xiaocun chose his words carefully, "leaning toward accepting the plan. But he needs both the Army and the Navy to publicly support it."

"I oppose it!" Wutuo said immediately, "Firmly oppose!"

Shimada replied, "The Navy supports it. This is the only way to alleviate the nation's crisis."

Xiaocun glanced at the two and gave a wry smile, "General Wutuo, I understand how you feel. But consider the reality— the national treasury is empty, food supplies are gone, society is on the brink of chaos. If we don't quickly obtain foreign exchange and import food, how many will starve to death next spring? One hundred thousand? Two hundred thousand? Then it won't be soldiers mutinying, but a nationwide uprising!"

He stepped in front of Wutuo, his tone sincere, "The Army is the Empire's pillar, we all know that. But a pillar must first keep the Empire from collapsing, right? If the Empire falls, what meaning does the Army have? To become bandits? To become warlords?"

Wutuo fell silent. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.

"Moreover," Xiaocun lowered his voice, "this plan may not be entirely bad for the Army."

Wutuo looked up at him.

"If they stay at home, the Army faces cuts, reduced pay, and the resentment of hundreds of thousands of unemployed soldiers," Xiaocun analyzed, "Sending them to Europe, though dangerous, at least offers generous pay, equipment supplied by Deguo, and even… training. European tactics, equipment, battlefield experience are valuable assets. If the Sakura Nation later needs to rebuild its army, how much would that experience be worth?"

He paused, "More importantly, if they fight well, the Sakura Nation's Army could regain international respect. Using performance on the European front to wash away the shame of the East Sea defeat— isn't that exactly what the Army wants?"

The remark was clever, giving Wutuo a way out while striking at the Army's deep yearning—to restore dignity.

Wutuo's expression softened. He looked at Shimada, "Is the Navy really supportive?"

"Fully supportive," Shimada said immediately, "and the Navy can handle transport—though we have few ships, we can organize a merchant fleet. Lanfang also agreed to provide vessels, but we need our own transport force and can't rely entirely on them."

"What about the soldiers' equipment and supplies…"

"Deguo will provide part of it, we will raise part ourselves. Anything lacking… can be purchased from Lanfang," Shimada said, "Chen Feng promised a discounted price."

Wutuo closed his eyes. He quickly calculated in his mind: four divisions, 100,000 men. Monthly pay plus Deguo's hired‑force subsidy, at least 30 yen per person per month; for 100,000 that's three million, a year thirty‑six million. This doesn't yet include pensions, equipment purchases, transport profit…

Indeed it was a huge sum. Enough to let the Sakura Nation catch its breath, enough to import food, enough to stabilize society.

But the price… of 100,000 young soldiers, perhaps half won't return.

"I need to consult the Army high command in Tokyo," Wutuo finally said.

"Time is short," Shimada reminded, "Deguo is in a hurry. Prime Minister Xiyuan Si said a reply is required within three days."

"I understand," Wutuo stood, "I'll go send the telegram right now."

He walked to the doorway, halted, without turning back, "Shimada, if this plan succeeds, the Navy must guarantee transport safety. If our soldiers die at sea, the Army won't forgive the Navy."

"Rest assured," Shimada said solemnly, "the Navy will transport the Army's soldiers as if they were its own children."

Wutuo nodded, pushed the door and left.

The room was left with only Shimada and Xiaocun.

"Will he really agree?" Xiaocun asked.

"He will agree," Shimada said, walking to the window, looking at the gloomy sky, "because he has no choice. The Army has no choice either."

Xiaocun hesitated a moment, then asked, "General Shimada, the Navy is pushing this plan so aggressively— is it truly just for the nation? Or… is it really, as Wutuo said, to see the Army also suffer in Europe?"

Shimada didn't answer immediately. He stared out the window; in the distance, the cruiser Tone appeared especially bleak on the gray sea.

"Xiaocun," he said slowly, "the Navy lost in the East Sea, lost its assets, lost its honor. Now the Navy has only one thought—to survive, rebuild, and wait for the future."

He turned, a complex glint flashing in his eyes, "If the Army goes to Europe and can win, make money, bring back experience, that's also beneficial to the Navy— the nation will have funds, and the Navy can rebuild. If they lose, many will die… at least the Army, like the Navy, will taste defeat."

He paused, his voice dropping further, "This nation cannot have only the Navy bear the shame of failure. If it must be borne, everyone bears it together. Only then, when rebuilding, will there be no mutual blame and true unity."

Xiaocun listened, silent for a long while. He suddenly felt that this war changed not only the nation's fate but also people's hearts. Once‑proud Imperial soldiers now had to reckon with these dark realities.

Outside, rain began to fall. Fine droplets struck the glass, blurring the view.

Shimada concluded, "Go prepare. Whatever the Army finally decides, we must be ready for transport. This is the only thing the Navy can do now."

That night, at a Deguo‑run inn in Keelung Harbor, Chen Feng met secretly with Major General Mueller, Consul General of Deguo in Lanfang.

The room was small but tastefully decorated; on the wall hung a portrait of Wilhelm II and an Iron Cross. Mueller was already waiting there, a bottle of red wine and a cigar on the table—a typical Deguo hospitality.