Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 1129 - 143, The Situation Further Deteriorates

Chapter 1129 -143, The Situation Further Deteriorates

The British Far East Fleet was in utter misery, and as the losers of the Malacca Naval Battle, the days for the Japanese Navy were naturally hard as well.

After 30 years of building up since the Meiji Restoration, the naval family fortune had been squandered in a single morning. The number one naval power in East Asia had become a laughingstock overnight.

For the newly risen Japanese nationalism, the defeat at the Malacca Naval Battle was clearly unacceptable.

With the news of the defeat spreading, the slogan “Punish the National Traitors” resonated throughout the Japanese Archipelago.

The once-praised “Naval Hope of the Nation” turned into the despised national sinners overnight, perfectly exemplifying the extremism of the island country.

In the Imperial Palace, ever since the news of the defeat at Malacca reached home, Emperor Meiji had been convening imperial conferences nonstop.

...

It was a tense situation that couldn’t be ignored, as the failed gamble demanded a price to pay. The defeat at the Malacca Naval Battle had placed Japan in a precarious position.

Prime Minister Katsura Taro, “The search and rescue ships are gradually returning, and due to encounters with the Spanish Navy, we’ve also lost two rescue ships. I’m afraid the remaining warships won’t be able to make it back.

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Considering the battle reports published by Austria, it can be basically confirmed that General Ito Yohiro has died honorably.

Based on information from Cam Ranh Bay, the British Far Eastern Fleet also suffered heavy losses, and there are no signs of principal ships over ten thousand tons in the harbors.

The situation in the Far Eastern region has completely festered, and for a considerably long time into the future, we will be facing the maritime threat of our enemies.”

Whether or not Ito Yohiro died in battle, he must be presented as having died honorably, otherwise there would simply be no way to explain to the domestic populace.

The common folk do not care about the reasons for the defeat; a defeat on the battlefield means incompetence, uselessness, treason.

Only a death on the battlefield can slightly mitigate some of the public’s resentment, though the label of ‘useless’ is still inevitable.

Relatively speaking, whether Ito Yohiro is dead or not is but a minor issue. The biggest problem at hand is the deterioration of the situation in the Far East.

As an island nation, losing control of the seas is undoubtedly a fatal blow, especially with the Russo-Japanese War raging intensely.

Once the Shinra Navy advances eastward, not only is the frontline Japanese Army doomed, but the Japanese Archipelago itself is also in danger.

Ito Hirobumi, “The outcome of the Malacca Naval Battle has proven the gap in strength between us and the top powers.

To bridge these gaps, it will take decades of effort, which is exactly what we lack right now.

The European situation is likewise tense, with the Holy Roman Empire striking on all fronts, leaving the British exhausted.

The Royal Navy isn’t omnipotent, and in the short term, the British probably won’t be able to dispatch sufficient naval support to the Far East.

As for other allies within our alliance, we all know all too well that only the United States possesses some strength, while the rest are not even as capable as we are.

The Washington Government is also deploying troops, but their control over the states is very limited, and right now, the western states are anti-war.

Relying on them for reinforcements is not realistic in the short term, so at the moment we can only rely on ourselves.

The Imperial Navy has been severely weakened, and the enemy could blockade the Sea of Japan at any time. Militarily, we’re not in a position to fight; our only option is to seek a breakthrough in diplomacy.”

Ito Hirobumi wasn’t cowering; it was simply impossible to fight under the circumstances. If the Navy can’t hold, Japan would become an isolated island.

Once maritime transport is cut off, the frontline Japanese Army will quickly face defeat due to the loss of logistical support, and then the Shinra Navy would only need to send the Russian Army in the Far East onto the island.

The only hope we have now is that the Shinra Navy is also critically weakened by the Malacca Naval Battle and will not be able to advance eastward in the short term.

But the likelihood of that is too small, and according to the intelligence received, the enemy didn’t even engage them head-on but merely toyed with them, letting the air forces take the lead in assaults.

Foreign Minister Kaoru Inoue, “Ito-kun, seeking a breakthrough in diplomacy is also extremely difficult, to the point of being practically impossible.

The relationship between the Empire and the Vienna Government has never been great.

Despite our continuous efforts to mend ties, Emperor Franz’s prejudice against the Empire is too strong. No matter how hard we try, it’s futile.

Over the past years, the Austrians have caused trouble for the Empire more than once. Had we not handled it well, conflict might have already broken out.

Besides that, our animosities with Spain and Russia also pose significant obstacles.

They are major member states of the Continental Alliance, and now, far from helping us out of a tight spot, it is simply impossible for them to let us slip away unscathed.”

The ability to be flexible has been a key factor in Japan’s rise, but it is ineffective against the politics of power.

No matter how much we grovel and show goodwill, Franz just pretends not to see it. Whenever there’s a chance, he creates difficulties for Japan.

In a sense, the direct descent of the Japanese Navy southward was also forced.

With a bunch of enemies in the Continental Alliance, if we don’t mingle with the British, whom should the Japanese associate with?

Unfortunately, Britain’s decline came too swiftly, and before Japan could really rise, it was already on the wane.

Under the influence of the narrow-minded ideologies of the volcanic island nation, the Japanese are particularly prone to extremism, and even the government elite is not immune.

A single defeat in the Malacca Naval Battle has caused the Japanese Government to lose faith in the Oceanic Alliance’s ability to win the war.

It must be noted that none of the many members of the Oceanic Alliance are so pessimistic. To the other member states, even if the Oceanic Alliance can’t win the war, ending it with dignity is still not difficult.

No one is foolish enough to continue playing along with the British if they are bound to lose 100 percent.

Politics is the most realistic of matters, and politicians consider self-interest first. Once they realize something is impossible, treaties become just a piece of paper.

After sighing, Ito Hirobumi continued slowly, “It’s not that severe. The first thing the Vienna Government considers is self-interest.

No matter how allied Russia and Austria seem now, if the Holy Roman Empire wins the war, the situation will undergo a fundamental change.

With no more common enemies, all that will remain between Russia and Austria are their interests and conflicts.

As the world leader and the second in command, they naturally have inherent strategic differences, especially with a long border between them, the hidden conflicts are even more abundant.

With the Tsarist Government’s greed, they never give up any opportunity for expansion. Personally, I speculate that after the war India will become the focal point of conflicts between Russia and Austria.

If the Russians take half of India, can the Holy Roman Empire tolerate them taking over the Far East as well?

They would either have to enter the fray themselves or support a proxy. As long as the Vienna Government is concerned about appearances, it is impossible for them to just defeat the British and then turn on their own allies.

The Far Eastern Empire is useless; it simply cannot be propped up. Against this backdrop, the Empire is their only choice.

”

“Of course, unlike the British, the Holy Roman Empire was itself the world’s strongest army, and therefore did not require as much from the Empire. Our expectations need to be set a bit lower.”

It was evident that Ito Hirobumi was also uncertain. All speculation is just that – speculation. East and West think differently; no one knew what the Vienna Government was planning.

Acting as a hired gun isn’t difficult; it’s foolish not to make use of one that comes knocking at your door. The problem is that there are two kinds of hired guns: one that is kept on a long-term basis and another that is disposable cannon fodder.

Japan needed to become the former, to receive long-term support, not the latter, to be used and then discarded.

…

Following the thunderous blast, a raging fire broke out below, with flames unleashing boundless zeal that warmed the frigid winter.

However, for the Londoners below, they would have preferred to forgo this special kind of warmth. Even if this winter was especially cold.

After multiple days of fighting, the British Air Force had deciphered the true intentions of the Shinra Air Force and stopped scrambling blindly to intercept.

To preserve their operational forces, the British Air Force took the initiative to strategically relocate, retreating to the Scotland region beyond the reach of the Shinra Air Force.

Without the protection of the Air Force, London’s skies were completely dominated by the Shinra Air Force, and the mode of bombing began to change.

The “napalm bomb,” which could create a layer of flames that splattered in all directions, produce temperatures around 1000°C, and stick to other objects to burn for an extended time, quickly became a favorite of the Shinra Air Force among the various bombs.

Especially in a place like London with severe smog, the flames from the “napalm bombs” also served to guide targets.

The only regret was that the smoke from burning buildings was so thick it also affected the pilots’ visibility.

But these were minor issues. There was no need to bother about places with smoke; just bomb where there was no smoke, which amounted to an alternative form of carpet bombing.

In the original timeline, the “napalm bomb” did not shine in World War I mainly because of insufficient raw materials, which required a significant amount of natural rubber.

However, as a strategic resource, the production capacity of natural rubber was limited, and it was not something that could be increased in a short period.

With inadequate production capacity and many places needing it, it naturally wasn’t possible to spare too much natural rubber for bomb making.

Now things were different. Driven by the butterfly effect, the automotive and electric power industries exploded in advance, and the market for natural rubber had been cracked wide open.

Just the Holy Roman Empire alone consumed millions of tons of natural rubber annually. Where there was demand, there was production, and the capacity for natural rubber surged too.

After the outbreak of war and the economy switching to wartime mode, squeezing out a few tens of thousands of tons of natural rubber for bomb production was not a problem for the Holy Roman Empire.

And thus, there were now the raging fires. Different from the earlier bombardments that ended with a single blast, the visual impact of the current blaze was much greater.

An increasing number of British people were growing resentful of the war. Even Emperor Edward VII’s personal radio addresses, calling on everyone to take up arms to defend their homes and country, could not stop the rising calls for peace.

Especially after the Air Force abandoned their defense, they faced harsh criticism from all sectors of society, and it seemed for a time that the Campbell Cabinet had become Britain’s national sinners.

Campbell, after all, was not Churchill. His personal integrity was much higher and he could not ignore public opinion.

After taking a puff of his cigar, Prime Minister Campbell asked, “When can the Air Force take to the skies again?”

“I’m sorry, Your Excellency the Prime Minister. In the previous engagements, the Air Force has been seriously wounded. We are not capable of engaging in combat again in the short term.”

It was clear that Prime Minister Campbell’s expectations had already decreased significantly. He no longer demanded that the Air Force be able to defeat the enemy but simply asked for it to “engage in battle.”

Unfortunately, reality is cruel, and these modest requests were rebuffed by Air Force Minister Attilio.

There was no choice, combat was indeed not an option. In the past month, the British Air Force had lost over a thousand warplanes, and over eight hundred pilots had been killed in action.

Although Britannia’s aviation industry was second only to that of the Holy Roman Empire, replenishing a thousand aircraft within a month was still an impossible task.

Especially since the domestic factories had been the target of concentrated enemy bombardment, which further delayed progress.

If the replenishment of aircraft was not timely, the training of new pilots was even slower. They couldn’t possibly send pilots to the battlefield after just ten to fifteen days of training, could they?

Interior Minister Azevedo said, “The political pressure is tremendous, the public is extremely resentful of the Air Force’s inaction, and if we don’t do something soon…”

“Sir, we have already taken action. Half a month ago, we launched an air raid on Paris; last week, we bombed Madrid; and just yesterday, we even struck Norden.

The Imperial Air Force has counterattacked the enemy with its greatest strength, yet this still cannot change the disparity in power between both sides.

We need more pilots, more advanced warplanes, and all these require time. Until these issues are resolved, it’s not appropriate for the Air Force to engage in a decisive battle with the enemy.

No one can guarantee that the enemy won’t forcefully attempt a landing; the Air Force must retain a certain strength to deal a fatal blow to the enemy at the critical moment.”

Despite their reluctance to accept it, everyone had to concede that Attilio was making sense, as the Royal Navy could no longer ensure the security of the English Channel.

The Battle of Malacca had proven that within coastal waters, the Air Force could massacre the Navy.

Should there be no adequate air power, Britannia would be incapable of intercepting a forceful enemy landing.

If the enemy succeeded in landing, there needn’t be any discussion; the subsequent battles would be undefendable. Relying on the Lobster Soldiers to defend The British Isles was hardly reassuring.

Foreign Minister Adam said, “Don’t worry too much about the pilots. The Foreign Office has reached agreements with our allies.

Over the next half a year, we will be introducing a thousand pilots from various countries, with three hundred arriving next week.

Additionally, the two hundred fighter planes we purchased from America will arrive next week as well.

If their performance meets the requirements, we can continue to have a steady supply of warplanes transported from America.

Although these will not completely resolve the Air Force’s predicament, they will alleviate the pressure somewhat.”

Finally, a piece of good news prompted a slight easing of the furrows on everyone’s brows. However, the expression on Chancellor of the Exchequer Asquith’s face remained as grim as ever.

“It’s not that simple. I wonder if anyone has noticed that recently, the prices of industrial raw materials have risen again.

The factories that have taken orders have sent representatives to the logistics department demanding a renegotiation of prices, and reports have already reached the Treasury.

Having looked into this, there has been a general rise in the cost of goods in the country since the outbreak of the war.

Particularly, the prices of industrial raw materials related to strategic materials have soared tremendously, and some materials have even run out of stock.

Due to the war, the Far Eastern shipping routes have been completely cut off; the Indian Ocean routes have been extended by more than ten thousand nautical miles; and although routes to America are not as seriously affected, the frequency of merchant ship incidents has noticeably increased.

This is just the beginning; the challenges we are set to face will only grow in number. The Royal Navy will need to escort merchant ships…”