"Hissergeant, Commander-in-Chief." Kuroda Shigeddon said first.

"Kuroda, look at your face, is there any bad news about the 25th Army?" Teruchi Sho waved his hand and asked pretending to be calm.

"Hayi, I can't hide anything from the commander-in-chief." Kuroda Shigeto paused again and said, "I just received an urgent telegram from the 25th Army. The 1st Guard Division had just suffered a severe blow in Guse. The main force of the 1st Guard Brigade who crossed the river was broken, and the main force of the division left on the west bank of the Sidang River was also severely damaged."

"Nani?" Teraunuchi changed his face, "The 1st Brigade of the Konoha was broken together?"

"Hayi!" Kuroda Shigeto paused his head again and said, "At present, among the four divisions of the 25th Army, the 8th Division and the 18th Division are tired of soldiers, and the remaining 2nd Division of the Guards are still alone, so Ishihara Jun asked the General Command to send more reinforcements urgently, otherwise the battle situation will be even more difficult when the reinforcements in China arrive."

"Baga!" Teraunuchi said angrily, "Ishihara's 25th Army is not only the most powerful among the five Southern Army troops, but also the most well-equipped. It is not only equipped with two independent tank corps, but also an entire aviation division to cooperate with them in combat, but it still turns out to be like this. I still have the nerve to say what kind of military expert he is?"

Kuroda Shigeto said in a low voice: "Grandmaster-in-chief, although the 25th Army has the most troops and the best equipment, the enemies they face are also the strongest. The Chinese Expeditionary Force led by Zhong Yi is much better than the US, Philippine, British, Australian, or British and Burmese on other battlefields."

"I know this." Teraunuchi Shou snorted, "You don't have to defend Ishihara Kanji."

"Hayi!" Kuroda Shigeto said with a heavy blow, "Please also ask the Commander-in-Chief to seriously consider Ishihara's request."

Teraunuchi frowned and said, "But the problem is that the overall strength of our southern army is very nervous now. The offensive against Australia has just begun. The 26th Army in Hawaii is far away and it is difficult to quench its thirst in the near future. The 14th Army in the Philippines originally had only three divisions of troops. The 16th Army in East India is too scattered and it is difficult to assemble again in a short period of time. What should I do?"

"This..." Kuroda Shigeto was speechless when he heard this. He was still the same, and the Southern Army was not rich enough.

Teraunuchi Suichi continued, "What's more, even if we draw one or two divisions from the other troops to Myanmar, will Ishihara Kan'er definitely reverse the situation?"

"This..." Kuroda Shigetoko was speechless again.

I'm afraid no one dares to fight if I can definitely reverse the situation.

At least he, Shigetoku Kuroda, dared not guarantee the guarantee for Ishihara Kanir, although they had a good personal relationship.

Teraunuchi said in a deep voice: "So, you have to ask the base camp and the army headquarters for this matter. It is best to make a decision by His Majesty the Emperor himself."

"Hayi."

...

In Tokyo, the Imperial House.

Hirohito summoned Hideki Tojo, who was already the prime minister of the empire.

In recent times, Hirohito has been spending time in worry.

Before entering the wartime system, Hirohito always felt that the cabinet was a constraint on the empire, and the cabinet's caution formed a resistance to the empire's expansion.

But when Japan really entered the wartime system in full swing, Hirohito began to be scared again.

Because after Japan's war machine was fully launched, Hirohito suddenly realized that Japan's comprehensive national strength was not as strong as he expected!

Let’s not talk about anything else, just talk about human resources.

After Japan fully entered the wartime system, Japan's military power was rapidly expanded, especially the army, which quickly expanded from the previous one to more than 2.4 million in less than half a year! The navy's military strength was more than doubled than before.

The expansion of military strength has led to a rapid expansion of military expenditure.

This is not what Hirohito is most worried about. What Hirohito is most worried about is that many factories and workshops in China have lost a large amount of labor force in their prime, resulting in a decline in production capacity!

According to the latest statistics, Japan's industrial output has begun to decline.

This is not a good thing for Japan, which is expanding rapidly.

Because industrial output declines, it means that the economy is actually going down.

An economic downturn will cause a series of consequences, and the ultimate consequence is economic collapse!

It’s hard to get rid of the tiger, and Hirohito finally understands the true meaning of this Chinese idiom.

So Hirohito found Hideki Tojo and wanted to ask in person if there was any problem?

"Tojo-kun, tell me the truth today." Hirohito asked in a deep voice, "How long can the wartime economy last? Ten years, eight years? Or five years?"

"Why did your Majesty suddenly ask about this?"

"Tōjokun, don't interrupt me, answer me."

"Okay." Hideki Tojo nodded and replied, "I guess it will be between ten and eight years. But your Majesty is relieved. In less than five years, Asia will completely become the sphere of influence of the empire. At that time, the external environment of the empire will be greatly alleviated, and there is no need to maintain the wartime economy and can switch back to normal state form."

"During ten to eight years?" Hirohito asked with a frown, "Is it really enough?"

"It's definitely enough time." Hideki Tojo said decisively, "Five years are enough."

"Five years?" Hirohito smiled bitterly, thinking that he was afraid that even China would not be able to solve it for five years, let alone the United States?

However, Hirohito didn't say this after all, because saying this would only vent the morale of his subordinates. As the emperor of the Empire, he must pay special attention to his words.

While the king and his subject were talking, a servant walked in with a telegram.

After reading the content of the telegram, Hirohito's brows became more and more tight.

"Tojo-kun, look at this." Hirohito sighed and said, "The 25th Army is in trouble."

"25th Army? I have long said that Ishihara Kanir is not worthy of great use." Before Hideki Tojo could read the telegram, he commented on Ishihara Kanir.

After reading the telegram, Hideki Tojo even went to the point of insult, saying, "Your Majesty, let me talk, right? Ishihara Kaner is indeed an embroidered pillow that can only talk big. He said that no one can match it, but once he starts, he will be exposed. At most, this person is just the chief of staff, and he can't let him lead the army alone."

Hirohito said: "Tojo-kun, don't say such sarcastic words anymore. It's urgent to make an idea quickly, should you continue to increase troops to Myanmar, or simply give up Myanmar? After all, most of Southeast Asia has fallen into the empire's pocket, and various strategic resources are already extremely rich, so there is no need to be in a hurry."
Chapter completed!