On May 5, 1946, a US Marine Corps with a size of nearly 3,000 people landed on landing ships in Davao Bay in southern Mindanao, Philippines. What awaited them was not Japanese artillery bullets, but soldiers of the Philippine Rebel Alliance and ecstatic local people.

After winning the Battle of the Philippines, the US Navy took advantage of the situation to launch a blockade on the routes around the Philippines, and at the same time carried out a cleanup of Japanese strongholds on the eastern and southern coasts with carrier-based aircraft. After half a month of repeated competition, the Japanese air force was basically expelled from the southern part of the Philippines. In the absence of air superiority and sea superiority, the Japanese army withdrew the last batch of garrison troops from Mindanao and Sulu Islands in the southern part of the Philippines. On April 30, the Philippine Resistance Alliance announced the restoration of the Mindanao area and contacted the US military to send marine troops to assist in defense.

On the day when US military forces landed on Mindanao, US President Truman delivered a radio speech saying that liberating the Philippines would be a turning point for the United States to retake the international order in the Pacific region and a landmark event for the United States to return to the role of a world-class power. The Filipinos pursue freedom and independence, and the national will of peace and openness are irreversible. Therefore, he urged the Japanese government to withdraw troops from the Philippines in a full range. Based on this premise, the United States is willing to discuss a ceasefire with Japan and re-establish normal diplomatic relations.

There is no doubt that the victory of the main American fleet in the battle of the Philippines Sea, defeating the Japanese Joint Fleet, which wiped out the concerns of most Americans about the prospects of the war. Before the United States declared war on Japan, many Americans firmly opposed the government's involvement in the war again, and some even threatened to assassinate Truman to prevent this war that could completely drag down the United States. However, most Americans, especially the middle and upper classes, believed that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. After the end of World War II, there was no room for expansion in the Atlantic and European directions.

In the meantime, direct or indirect control of as many resources as possible in the Pacific region is regarded as the only way for the United States to restore and maintain its status as a world-class power. Because the Japanese army and its puppet regime successfully blocked the expansion of Western allies in South Asia, limiting their influence to the southwest corner of the Asia-Pacific region. As long as it defeats Japan, the United States will be able to use the Philippine Islands as a pedal to expand its influence to Southeast Asia, where natural resources are very rich, thus gaining an advantage in direct competition with Japan.

After the Marine Corps successfully landed on Mindanao, the US military pressed a special assembly line to start the switch, and hundreds of ocean-going cargo ships requisitioned by the military set off from the east and west coasts of the United States and the Hawaiian ports. They organized an escort fleet under the organization of the US Navy and transported various mechanized equipment, engineering materials and combat materials to Mindanao. Military airports after military aircraft spring up like mushrooms after rain. In less than three weeks, 16 fighter wings and 8 bombers belonging to the 1st Air Force Air Force's 16 air force air force's 16 fighter wings and 8 bombers

The Wing's aircraft, accessories, supplies and personnel were all transported in place. During the same period, the Japanese army's additional aviation troops sent to the Philippines were less than one-quarter of the Americans. The main reason for such a huge difference was neither that the Japanese top leaders were indifferent to the deterioration of the situation in the Philippines nor that the Japanese generals sent to the army to be self-respecting, but that the Japanese Navy and Air Force were not good for the escort of transport ships. From the end of April to mid-May, the loss rate of Japanese ships transporting personnel and materials to the Philippines exceeded 30%. As the back and forth, the Japanese army's maritime capacity in Southeast Asia dropped sharply!

The "Imperial Palace" cabinet meeting in Japan, Kyoto Imperial Garden is in progress.

As the saying goes, the country cannot be without a king for a day. With the confirmation that Emperor Hirohito and the royal members who were in the top ranking in the succession have all died, the "Prince of the State" Sun-in is planning the ascension of the throne in a hurry. Although Japan has been hitting a lot in diplomatic and military situations in recent times, the young man's eyes are full of longing.

As for the Navy Marshal Nagao, who was ordered to take charge of the cabinet in the face of danger, was troubled by various internal and external affairs during this period and exhausted, and seemed to have aged ten years old. What made him feel even more helpless was that even though he tried his best to coordinate, the Japanese Navy and the Army did not buy each other, and the problems of the various forces taking their own actions remained the same.

At the beginning of the meeting, as usual, the army and the navy reported their military situation and the next combat plan. In this process, it naturally entered the stage of mutual accusation and criticism. Navy Minister Kantar Suzuki, this longtime general who became famous for leading a torpedo boat into the Weihaiwei anchorage to sink the iron armored ship "Dingyuan" during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, unceremoniously refuted that the army's combat plan to launch a full-scale counterattack in the Philippines was a "delusion":

"At the beginning of the war, the navy had sufficient capacity, so the army was unable to quickly assemble reinforcements, and it was a great situation. Now the southern fleet and the joint fleet were defeated one after another, and it would take several months to restore the damaged ships. Even if the navy ensured that 100,000 troops arrived in the Philippines, it would not be able to provide the supplies needed for their operations. The Philippine guerrillas have obtained a large amount of weapons and ammunition from the Americans and received direct support from US fighter jets and naval ships. Therefore, we firmly believe that the Army's full-strength counterattack plan does not have the elements to be successful. Forced implementation will not only cause losses to the generals, but will also drag down the navy in turn!"

The veteran of the Japanese army, Hata Shunrok, who escaped the Tokyo explosion because he commanded his troops to station in North China to prevent the Soviet Union and Russian troops, responded with a contemptuous expression: "When fighting for military funds, the navy is a top-notch player. He wants an aircraft carrier to build an aircraft carrier and an aircraft to build an aircraft. What's the end? If you didn't take it lightly and have poor command, how could you lose to your former defeated general?"

Seeing that a resultless quarrel was about to heat up, Nagano quickly smoothed out and said, "It's time for this, you should not blame each other for your mistakes, but work together to overcome the difficulties. At this time, in order to avoid greater losses from the empire, you should take the courage to cut off your armies, endure for ten years, prepare for war, and then seek hegemony!"

As soon as this statement was made, the generals present were all glaring and ready to use fierce words to refute this compromised suggestion. Nagano frowned and glanced at everyone with a firm look: "I think that only by rejoining the League of Nations and accepting international treaty supervision can foreign quarrels against Japan be eliminated and foreign countries start wars and avoid being attacked by white countries in turn."

Suzuki Kantaro, who was also a naval family, said in a slightly gentle tone: "I have always been worried that the white countries will attack the imperial kingdom in turn, with the purpose of abolishing the colonial territory we have exchanged for the blood of countless soldiers over the past 50 years. If they take the opportunity to ask us to withdraw from all occupied areas, wouldn't we put ourselves in a position where we cannot advance or retreat?"

"Germany occupies tens of millions of square kilometers of colonies in Europe and Africa. Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and other countries also separate territory outside Europe. Even the small Ireland occupies Bahrain, which is rich in oil resources. Why do we accuse us of dispatching troops across Asia? It is nothing more than to seize the so-called humanitarian issue of our excessively strict control of the colonial people. As long as the governments of these countries obey us, relaxing the control will not prevent us from continuing to obtain various resources from these countries!" Nagano replied slowly.

Suzuki Kantaro held his hands in front of his chest: "But, Prime Minister, don't forget that the internal parts of the Wuhan Wang government in China and the Delhi Luowu government in Indochina are as scattered, and the Chiang regime that fled to the northwest and the Maine regime that hid in Iran are as difficult to eradicate like rats in the sewer. Once we withdraw troops from China and Indochina, how long can the Wang government and Luowu government who are loyal to the emperor stand up independently?"

"Actually, I have made detailed considerations on this issue. In China, the Wang government of Wuhan won over many veterans and controlled millions of well-equipped troops. The Chiang regime nominally controlled a large area of ​​territory in the northwest, with a population of less than 10 million, and only 200,000 to 300,000 soldiers available. If it were not for Baiyi's support, this regime would have become history. In Indochina, the Luowu government basically controlled the entire territory. As long as the border passages are closed and the border defense line is held, it can prevent the infiltration of the Menay regime. As long as we provide stable funds and weapons assistance, unless Baiyi directly sends troops to interfere, there will be no risk of regime subversion."

Seeing that Suzuki Kantaro nodded slightly, as if he was compromising and compromised, Shinji Hata sneered: "In this way, the Navy is ready to give up the Philippines, give up the glorious record of the Imperial Army's victory in every battle since the Meiji Restoration, and accept an unbeaten defeat?"

"This is a bad statement!" Nagano turned his head and defended, "The Philippine Islands are located at the main sea throat. They are a strategic hub connecting East Asia and South Asia. If they lose this place, the navy is more heartbroken than the army. However, the Philippines has been a US colony for a long time and is deeply influenced by American liberalism. It is regarded as the most difficult group among the occupied countries of the imperial state to domesticate and discipline. The imperial army fought in the Philippines, not only had to confront the US military, but also had to deal with those tiny ants but could not be ignored. Instead of falling into the quagmire and struggling, why not abandon the car to protect the commander and retain its strength. His Royal Highness, my suggestion is to send diplomatic envoys to Berlin to win the support of the German emperor and the chief relative to our return to the League of Nations, and ask Germany to mediate the Japanese-US truce armistice."

Prince Xuanren, who was in the upper throne, expressed his opinion: "This is exactly what I want!"

As soon as these words were spoken, even if the generals of the army and the navy were reluctant, they had to remain silent for the time being.

Nagano continued: "Ireland, among the European countries, the most powerful aid to China is Ireland. So far, we have captured 400 Irish volunteers, including 79 pilots, 67 military instructors and more than 200 non-combatants in China. These prisoners of war have received preferential treatment from us. We might as well use this as a bargaining factor to negotiate with the Irish government and ask them to stop military aid to China, and their so-called humanitarian assistance can continue."

Hata Shunroku still had his meaningful smile on his face: "As far as I say, it is better to accept the request of the Scottish head and provide them with sufficient weapons and ammunition, so that they can provoke territorial disputes from neighboring countries and confine the Irish attention to the British Isles. This is probably more effective than taking a few hundred hostages to exchange with them!"
Chapter completed!