Chapter 574: Yielding
"Hmph, your navy only benefits from a bigger budget. Our army soldiers are treated like beasts of burden—at best, they get coarse grains to eat. You people just sit around enjoying yourselves. If naval equipment were on par with the army's, even just the food, we wouldn't be so critical of you!"
Though that's what was said, the real dispute between the army and navy stemmed from a struggle for governmental power. The army's origins lay in the Satsuma Domain, while the navy's came from the Chōshū Domain. In ancient Japan, much like in the Warring States period, feudal domains constantly fought each other. Satsuma and Chōshū were major driving forces behind the Meiji Restoration, and though they united to overthrow the stronger Tokugawa Shogunate, their rivalry persisted even after the new government was established.
Moreover, the Japanese Emperor preferred his subordinates to remain divided. Japan had fertile ground for revolution, and if things followed the French path with the monarch sent to the guillotine, the Imperial House would be finished. So, as supreme ruler, the Emperor actually encouraged division among his underlings—ideally, to the point of open conflict.
The dispute between Japan's army and navy also reflected the broader ideological contest between German and British models of governance. Naturally, Japan's army adopted the German approach. Like pre-unification Germany, Japan had been fragmented and late to industrialize. The story of Germany's rise and its victory over France was deeply inspirational to the Japanese.
As for the navy, it modeled itself slavishly after the world's number one maritime power—Britain. This included everything down to the minutest details. For example, the bricks used to build the Etajima Naval Academy were imported from the UK. Ernst could think of three possible reasons for this absurdity:
First, a near-fanatical reverence for the British Navy, right down to obsessively copying every detail.
Second, an excuse for corrupt officials to line their pockets—Japan was efficient, but corruption was tolerated, especially among the Imperial family and the kazoku (nobility).
Third, as a diplomatic gesture to curry favor with the British—learning from Britain meant paying tribute of some kind, after all, and Britain wasn't Japan's parent.
This third point was particularly plausible. In this era, connections were everything. The East African Navy's success in building up its forces owed much to its ties with Austria, especially through the efforts of Archduke Ferdinand, former commander of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. Thanks to him, the Austro-Hungarian Navy trained the East Africans without holding anything back.
Japan, on the other hand, lacked such connections. Its reliance on the British for naval development made it vulnerable to exploitation. Treated like an ATM, Japan was swindled out of substantial sums—hence its later decision to cooperate with Germany instead.
Unlike the Far Eastern Empire, which kept a proud distance, Japan groveled before the British like an obedient dog. But that dog would eventually turn on its master—in Ernst's previous life, Japan gave Britain a harsh lesson in Southeast Asia.
So it was no surprise that Japan imported bricks for its naval academy from Britain. In return, Japan achieved its dream of maritime supremacy in the Western Pacific and completed its so-called Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. But its enemies were too powerful, and the "sphere" existed only briefly.
In the previous timeline, the Japanese Navy achieved dazzling success. But in this timeline, it was far from certain. The rise of East Africa had significantly altered history. For instance, the East African Navy had recently seized the overseas province of Lanfang (northwest Borneo) and the Southern Ryukyu Islands in the Western Pacific—particularly the latter, which served as a strategic nail in the region.
Japan could still pursue its southward expansion like before, but the presence of the Southern Ryukyu Islands now made the risks much greater. The only way to mitigate that risk was to invade Taiwan. Yet thanks to East African interference, capturing Taiwan would not be as easy as it had been in the previous timeline.
This brought up a critical issue—economics. Though Japan in this timeline was also developing rapidly, its economy lagged far behind that of Ernst's past life. Japan's financial situation was even tighter now, making its navy weaker than East Africa's expeditionary fleet.
In the past, the Japanese Navy at this stage would never have been so weak—only a quarter of East Africa's naval strength. But now it was strapped for cash. Japan's two most profitable industries—agriculture and raw silk—had both been undercut by East Africa. Even sweat-earned money was harder to come by.
Japan's navy, desperate for funds, practically tore yen bills in half to spend them. Though better off than the army, the navy paled in comparison to other countries' forces. From their perspective, the army had no idea how hard things were. So when the army started hurling accusations, the navy had no intention of taking it quietly.
"Tsuruo Ichirō," a naval officer retorted, "the navy is inherently a money-burning force. Training happens entirely at sea, constantly battling motion sickness and unpredictable weather during long voyages. It's not like you army 'fools' who just sit comfortably on land. That's why we need proper nutrition. Our warships cost a fortune to build, and we haven't ordered any new ones in ages. Of course our strength is far behind other nations. And now that Japan's enemies all come from overseas, our burden is already far heavier than the army's. Yet you still want to cut our funding? You have no idea what you're talking about."
Tsuruo Ichirō snapped back, "Japan's security doesn't necessarily need to depend on the navy. We're perfectly capable of repelling enemies ourselves."
"Heh. Are you going to hack enemy ironclads with your sword? Or scare off those giant warships with rifles and cannons?"
"Hmph. Our army can build our own ships too. We can operate independently. What's the difference if the battlefield is land or sea? The enemy's still flesh and blood. If we're willing to fight to the death, there's nothing to fear!"
The idea of the Japanese army building warships wasn't entirely absurd—especially during wartime. But for now, Japan's government was still rational, and the tensions between army and navy hadn't reached that breaking point.
Everyone just laughed off Tsuruo Ichirō's comment as a joke. Only a madman would take it seriously.
"All right, we're not here today to listen to your squabbles," someone interrupted. "This meeting is about the Sakishima Islands!"
"There's nothing to discuss. At this point, we can only endure. Unless we go to war with East Africa, which would be disastrous either way."
"East Africa's position is extremely firm. They sent their fleet all the way to the Far East for just a few remote islands. That clearly shows they won't give them up easily. Even their diplomats make veiled threats—Minister Karte practically spoke in riddles. Our chances of forcing their hand are slim to none."
"In the end, it's because our national power isn't strong enough. When our navy becomes stronger in the future, we'll take the Sakishima Islands back!"
In short, the Japanese government had chosen to yield to East Africa. Their threats and posturing had no effect. War was out of the question, as Japan couldn't bear the consequences—so compromise was the only option.
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