Saved The Kaiser - Chapter 293
Only Ranovel
Episode 293: Washington Conference (3)
Tomosaburo Kato, the chief plenipotentiary member who was delegated full authority over the naval disarmament conference by Japanese Navy Minister and Prime Minister Takashi Hara, thought that this conference would not go smoothly even before crossing the Pacific.
Considering the international situation, it was obvious that Britain and the United States would use this opportunity to keep their rising competitor, Japan, in check.
Not to mention the United States, which is engaged in a naval competition in the Pacific, the alliance relationship with the United Kingdom has been teetering on the edge ever since Sanssouci.
And this conflict with Britain and the United States became more severe, not less, due to Japan’s unstoppable expansion, such as intervention in the Civil War of the Republic of China and demands for the 21 Articles.
That was natural.
Zina has long been an attractive pig at the banquet table of the Western powers, and the 21-point demand that Japan imposed on the Republic of China contained many elements that could offend the Western powers.
‘In fact, the 21-point request itself is nothing more than a request to give Japan the same level of benefits that it gave to Western powers in the past.’
However, this is a Japanese story.
From the British and American perspectives, they could not help but think that Japan’s intervention and demand for the 21 Articles were a serious infringement on their interests.
Moreover, in Tomosaburo Kato’s experience, the Western powers were not the type of people who would tolerate others tampering with their rice bowls even in the slightest.
Therefore, those who were familiar with the international situation in Japan, such as Tomosaburo Kato and Takashi Hara, vehemently opposed not only intervention in the civil war but also the imposition of the 21 Articles.
However, Shigenobu Okuma, who was Prime Minister at the time, and Takaaki Kato, Foreign Minister, sacrificed their positions and eventually succeeded in concluding the 21 Articles.
Kato could not help but feel that his chronic stomach disease was already rampant again.
We need to end this meeting well while minimizing damage as much as possible, but because of Gina, Yeongmi’s alertness was maxed out even before the meeting started, so she couldn’t help but feel sick to her stomach.
However, it is impossible to pick up spilled water again.
We must somehow succeed in this meeting and escape Japan from an arms race that will only lead to destruction in the end.
Even if it is for peace for everyone, not meaningless war.
Even though Tomosaburo Kato felt a stomachache, he repeated this to himself and continued to strengthen his resolve.
“great. “Then, as soon as this meeting ends, let’s stop building capital ships for the next 10 years.”
And so far, the meeting was proceeding smoothly despite the burning gaze of Secretary of State Coolidge, who represented the United States, saying, ‘I will never leave you alone.’
“And let’s scrap all the capital ships currently under construction as well as those planned to be built.”
Until now.
“Secretary Coolidge, may I ask you a question?”
“Of course, Mr. Gato. “What are you curious about?”
“You mentioned that it is a capital ship currently ‘under construction.’ Does this include our Japanese counterpart, Nagato?”
Coolidge smiled so brightly that it was annoying to hear Gato’s trembling voice.
And then he slowly opened his mouth as if he was sentencing Gato.
“of course. “Since the construction of Nagato is not yet complete, we in the United States believe that Nagato should be scrapped like other capital ships.”
Gato closed his eyes in silence as Coolidge spoke.
It was an added bonus that his stomach was churning once again.
* * *
“We, Japan, can never give up Nagato.”
Tomosaburo Kato’s declaration after a short silence shook the conference room.
It was the moment when the biggest juncture of the Washington Naval Disarmament Conference, which had already reached its halfway point, began.
Of course, I had already expected this.
That Japan is giving up Nagato?
And right before it was almost completed?
It was a story that even Tomosaburo Kato could never accept. It was a story that should not be accepted.
The resources used to build Nagato are resources, but the moment they are accepted, the entire Japanese Navy will lose its temper due to anger and begin to run wild.
And Kato, who has held the Japanese Navy’s leash so far, will not be able to stop this.
Rather, he will be pointed out as the culprit behind Nagato’s loss and will be told to cut his stomach open.
That was a situation that neither Prime Minister Takashi Hara nor Tomosaburo Kato, who was here on Hara’s behalf, would ever want, and that is why he protested with a louder voice than any voice he had made during the disarmament conference.
“Now Nagato is nearing completion. It’s one step closer to completion! However, to abolish this is an overly harsh request to Japan.”
“But isn’t it true that it hasn’t been completed? “We are also giving up the Colorado class, but it is not appropriate to leave Japan as an exception.”
“you’re right. “We in Britain also think that Japan should give up Nagato.”
Of course, this was none of the business of Coolidge and other Americans.
In addition, Britain’s Balfour also agreed with America’s opinion, saying it was right.
For Britain, which could not even dream of building a battleship equipped with 16-inch main guns due to lack of money, the scrapping of Nagato, which was inevitably seen as a threat to maritime security, was a gain, not a loss at all.
“But isn’t the survival of Bavaria (SMS Bayern), the German Empire’s new battleship, determined to survive?”
After the United States and even the United Kingdom agreed to scrap Nagato, Kato turned his gaze towards me this time.
But it was no use.
“That’s because Bayern has already finished construction and launched it. “The case is different with Nagato.”
“Yes, no matter what, you can’t tell us to destroy an already completed battleship.”
Gato presses his lips hard against the shameless face of Coolidge, who has already spoken to me a long time ago.
In fact, morally speaking, it was right to preserve Nagato, which was almost in its final stages.
If it were another country, they would have just looked at it smoothly and ended it.
But there was no one here, including me, who wanted to be moral toward Japan.
‘If you’re going to twist it, you should have made it sooner.’
However, we have no intention of pushing Kato over a cliff by insisting on scrapping Nagato like this.
I would like to do that, but if I do that, the meeting itself will be ruined.
‘It’s best to end with a moderate amount of profit.’
The main purpose of this meeting is to alleviate the arms race through naval disarmament, and screwing over Japan is only a bonus.
“Off… … .”
So now it is time to extend a helping hand to those in trouble.
* * *
“Yamamoto-kun, what is your country’s reaction?”
“That’s not even a word. “All naval generals from Admiral Heihachiro Togo on down are saying that they can never give up the Nagato class, even if it means committing seppuku.”
“It’s Nagato’s level.” “You’re telling me to protect not only Nagato, but also Mutsu.”
Tomosaburo Kato let out a heavy sigh at the words of Isoroku Yamamoto, who later became Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet and led the Japanese Navy during the Pacific War, and is currently serving as a defense attaché at the Japanese Embassy in the United States.
Unfortunately, things were going exactly as he had feared.
However, it was not that the admirals’ words were not understood.
It’s the era of big guns.
The Japanese Navy believed that in order to use Nagato in combat, one more ship of the same type was needed to form a squadron, and it was natural to want to keep Mutsu, which was under construction following Nagato, alive.
Of course, Gato was just about to vomit.
Nagato has not been launched and is in danger of being scrapped. Should we save Mutsu, who has a much lower justification than Nagato?
It would be easier to attack the United States by attacking Pearl Harbor.
Of course, I had no intention of doing something so crazy that it would be tantamount to angering a dragon with tremendous potential in the United States.
“Anyway, it’s a pain in the ass. “The home country is in chaos as it is, and the British and Americans show no signs of giving in to the British and American.”
This is why you can’t negotiate even if you want to.
Gato literally felt like shouting, ‘There is no plan!’
Knock-
“What’s going on?”
“Minister Hans von Zeoy of the German Empire has come to visit us.”
“Duke Sai?”
Kato Tomosaburo gulped nervously at the sudden appearance of Hans, who came knocking.
Because I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking when he came to me.
Of course, Duke Hans von Choy, who had recently given birth to his second son, was currently taking a step back from the power struggle between Britain, America and Japan surrounding Nagato.
As if Nagato had nothing to do with the German Empire.
‘But who knows the dark inside?’
There are many people in Japan who, despite being of a yellow race, are in awe of him, who is in fact a dark figure who holds Europe in his hands, and therefore think that he is friendly towards Japan, a country of the same yellow race (not to mention the fact that he is from Joseon), but in Kato’s opinion, this is Hans. It was said that von Choi did not know much about humans.
‘Hans von Zey is a kind and polite person on the outside, but on the inside, he is a cold-hearted machine who only pursues Germany’s national interests.’
That was his actions up until now and that was the result.
And in Tomosaburo Kato’s view, growing Japanese influence in the Far East was not in Germany’s interests.
This was a story that could be answered just by looking at the past intervention of the Three Kingdoms.
Germany also had colonies in China and the Pacific, including Kiauchou, and was in a position to feel threatened by Japan’s expansionist actions.
‘According to Prime Minister Hara’s words, Germany’s shadow was looming behind the army’s opposition during the last intervention.’
And the person who controlled the shadow was Hans von Zey, who was in charge of the empire’s diplomacy.
Therefore, although Gato was afraid of what kind of tricks he might come up with, he could not and had no reason to refuse his visit.
“Yamamoto-kun, you can just leave.”
“hot!”
Kato felt his stomach growling again and sent Isoroku Yamamoto out.
“Good morning (Guten Morgen), on behalf of Gato. Oh, since it’s America, should I say good morning?”
“Haha, either way is fine. Please sit down quickly.”
And Hans entered the office where Gato was left alone, with a diplomatic smile as always.
Gato also greeted Hans with a smile, but his mind was constantly spinning to figure out Hans’ intentions.
“Oh, by the way, the congratulations are late. “I heard she recently had a baby.”
“thank you. “For me, I just want to quickly return to my home country and see my son’s face.”
“Haha, I understand. “I miss my grandchildren so much that it’s driving me crazy.”
Tomosaburo Kato, who was famous for his love for his grandchildren, even said that he wanted to live with his grandchildren in a small house rather than living in his official residence when he was prime minister, and when he spoke with sincerity, Hans smiled.
“For both the Minister’s sake and mine, this meeting must end quickly.”
“Yes, but the Nagato issue continues to be an obstacle, and it’s really a pain in the ass.”
“I am also concerned that the meeting continues to take a turn for the worse. “This conference must succeed in order to get closer to world peace.”
“I agree. So, I would like to hear the wise minister’s opinion on what he thinks about this matter.”
To put it simply, the message was, ‘Don’t just sit still, but please step forward, whether it’s mediation or something else.’
“I think the first thing that matters is whether Japan can give up Nagato or not.”
“I have said this many times, but it is difficult for Japan to give up Nagato. “The backlash at home is also backlash, but it is simply unacceptable based on common sense to say that the enormous amount of goods and manpower that went into Nagato’s construction should be turned away for nothing without any compensation.”
“Yes, I also fully understand Japan’s position. But if things continue like this, Coolidge and Balfour will never accept Nagato’s survival.”
“Then what do you think Japan should do?”
To be precise, the question was, ‘What should I give them that will make them satisfied?’
“If Japan wants to guarantee Nagato’s survival, three conditions are necessary.”
Hans slowly opened his mouth, savoring the coffee that Gato’s secretary had brought.
With a smile like that of a conman.