Two Realms Shuttle Gate: Don't Call Me a Demon!-Chapter 327 - 231: Japan’s Decision (2nd update)
Chapter 327: Chapter 231: Japan’s Decision (2nd update)
Japan!
In the capital Tokyo, merely a few meters from the National Congress Hall, lies the Prime Minister’s Residence.
Tsunoshima Shouichi flipped through the documents and said to the Secretary-General beside him, “Is the crowd still causing a stir at the Tokyo Electric Power Company in the Chiyoda District?”
The Secretary-General nodded, replying, “Yes, Tokyo Electric Power Company plans to hold a press conference today. As long as they bow and admit their mistake, the matter will mostly blow over.”
“Let Tokyo Electric Power Company quiet down for a while. Give them a call and tell them to promise at the press conference to temporarily suspend the fifth ocean discharge until the heat dies down, then resume.”
Tsunoshima Shouichi adjusted his glasses and gave new orders calmly.
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The Secretary-General was about to go out and relay the message when he opened the door to see someone running towards him in a hasty and disheveled state, hair all tousled.
He was about to scold the person but paused in surprise as soon as he recognized the visitor.
Because the person who had come running was none other than Inoue Fumihiro, the Defense Minister of Japan’s National Defense Department.
The Defense Minister was in charge of national defense affairs across the country, responsible for proposing defense-related bills and budget plans. He also oversaw the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chiefs of Staff of the Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defense Forces, supervising the troops and agencies of the Japan Self Defense Force. He had the authority to mobilize any division of Japan’s Intelligence Headquarters. His power was immense, and with the Emperor’s power practically nonexistent today, his status was second only to the Prime Minister.
Such an influential military official was seldom seen except during important meetings, and it was unclear why he had rushed to the Prime Minister’s Residence in such a hurry today.
The Defense Minister Inoue Fumihiro didn’t even glance at the Secretary-General and barged straight into the Prime Minister’s office.
Hearing the commotion, Prime Minister Tsunoshima Shouichi was puzzled and asked, “Inoue, what brings you here so early in the morning? Is there some issue?”
Then, seeing the frosty expression on Inoue Fumihiro’s face, he immediately sensed that something was amiss, that there must be some emergency.
Inoue Fumihiro, gasping for breath and with a heavy heart, said, “Prime Minister, at dawn today, Jieke Group used the pretext of an exercise to secretly mobilize an air strike team and Super Soldiers, launching wars on Chan Country and our forces in Japan.
“They attacked Wuhe Military Camp, Xavier Airport, and Putuo Airport in succession, causing extremely heavy casualties. The entire fleet of the Aviation Mixed Group has been destroyed, and 519 pilots, ground crew, and maintenance technicians died or were injured, with 220 missing.
“As for the Self-Defense Team stationed at Wuhe Military Camp, we’re still tallying the dead and injured, but we’ve already confirmed 1,322 deaths and around a thousand injuries. Many armored units have been destroyed, and several high-ranking officers have been captured.
“At the same time, Chan Country has suffered equally grievous losses. The aircraft stationed at Xavier Airport and Putuo Airport were largely destroyed as units, and now Chan Country has less than ten operational fighter jets. We have lost air superiority over Chan Country’s skies in the immediate future.”
Upon hearing this dire news, Tsunoshima Shouichi’s hand, clutching a pen, trembled, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
“What did you say? Repeat that to me.”
“Prime Minister, this is the detailed battle report just sent over from Chan Country’s command center.”
Inoue Fumihiro, with a pained expression, understood the Prime Minister’s state of mind; he had felt as if struck by lightning when he first heard the bad news.
Tsunoshima Shouichi’s hand stiffened as he took the battle report and read through it thoroughly, his complexion darkening and his eyes filled with rage and frustration.
When he finally set down the report, Tsunoshima Shouichi could no longer contain his fury and stood up, knocking over a tea cup with a slap of his hand.
“Damn it all, a bunch of incompetents, how could you manage to fight such a disgraceful battle? Is this how you repay the expectations of the Emperor and over a hundred million nationals?”
Tsunoshima Shouichi had every reason to be angry. They had sent Self-Defense Force soldiers to Chan Country hoping to fight a splendid battle, not to be routed disgracefully.
This war had barely begun, and of the eight thousand soldiers sent to Chan Country, all aircraft were destroyed, with nearly two thousand dead and countless more injured.
It could be said that the Aviation Mixed Group and the 13th Brigade were basically annihilated, leaving only the 1st Airborne Regiment intact. The situation was nothing short of a disaster!
“We did not anticipate that Jieke Group would truly declare war. They completed troop mobilizations under the guise of an exercise. Combined with the nighttime operations, the helicopter assault team made a low-altitude breakthrough and initiated the attack at dawn, catching our soldiers completely off guard—most were still in their dreams when they were hit unexpectedly,” said Inoue Fumihiro dryly, pointing to the report and slowly explaining, “As for Putuo Airport, we suspect the enemy used tunnels to transport, bringing in some kind of super heavy artillery to bomb the airport, resulting in the destruction of key facilities such as hangars, fuel depots, and ammunition depots.”
“I don’t care about the reasons. In this war, I’m only asking about the balance of power. Don’t we, Japan and Chan Country combined, have the upper hand? Even if the enemy caught us by surprise, the battle shouldn’t have gone this badly. How do I explain this to all the nationals?” Tsunoshima Shouichi demanded fiercely. Although he was not very knowledgeable about military matters, he knew that on Chan Country soil, his side had an absolute advantage. How could he accept such an outcome on the very first day of the war?
“Tell me, is our annual domestic military budget not hefty enough? Last year we spent 51 billion US dollars on military expenses to support hundreds of thousands of soldiers across the navy, army, and air force. In Asia, aside from that large Eastern Country, who else spends more on their military than us?
“And yet the soldiers we have fostered with so much military spending have been beaten into disarray by a small-time warlord from Chan Country. How can I believe that your Self-Defense Army isn’t derelict in duty, isn’t wasting the tax money of all taxpayers?”
Spittle sprayed onto Inoue Fumihiro’s face as Tsunoshima Shouichi became apoplectic with rage.
“We were supposed to strike a blow that showcased the might of Japan, but instead, at the very start, we’ve crumbled to this extent. Forget about demonstrating our military prowess, others will only see the Japan Self Defense Force as a “noodle army” – going limp as soon as it’s hit.”
“Hey, I’m really sorry!”
Inoue Fumihiro had nothing to say, and could only hang his head in shame.
Although he wanted to explain that the enemy wasn’t just some small-time warlord, but a tough character who had once defeated his own masters and even commanded Super Soldiers that the Beautiful Country didn’t possess – a force beyond ordinary comprehension.
But a defeat was a defeat, and no amount of explanation could erase Tsunoshima Shouichi’s anger; he simply had to accept the scolding in silence.
Tsunoshima Shouichi ranted at Inoue Fumihiro for a full ten minutes, only stopping when he himself was out of breath.
“Prime Minister, please calm down.”
The Secretary-General hurriedly administered some blood pressure medicine to the Prime Minister and patted his back to help him catch his breath.
“What’s the current situation on Chan Country’s side?”
Tsunoshima Shouichi had had his fill of yelling and finally began to discuss serious matters.
“After confirming that the Jieke Group had declared war on us, the Chan Country Government immediately heightened military alertness and called up more troops to Jibang Jinlao Mountain, deciding to launch an offensive against the Jieke Group tomorrow morning.”
Inoue Fumihiro quickly relayed the information, highlighting his own predicament and embarrassment: “Prime Minister, the Chan Country Government is urgently requesting our assistance for combat.
According to the mutual defense pact we signed with Chan Country previously, we are indeed obligated to send troops. But the current situation is that our local forces have been severely hit, our aircraft entirely destroyed; we can’t assist them at all.
Now we have only two choices: either withdraw our troops and no longer participate in this military conflict, or send reinforcements from within our country to aid Chan Country.”
“Withdraw the troops? No, that’s not an option. If we withdraw now, our losses will indeed be real, and the promises made by the Beautiful Country would likely be indefinitely postponed.”
Without a second thought, Tsunoshima Shouichi immediately dismissed the suggestion.
The reason Japan was so actively involved in Chan Country’s affairs was because the Beautiful Country made promises prior to the conflict.
If the Jieke Group was defeated, they would ease the pressure on the Japan Self Defense Force, allow changes to the security laws, and break through the ultimate bottom line, allowing Japan to become a regular country again and upgrade the Japan Self Defense Force to a “Self-defense Army.”
Although it was still uncertain whether these were empty promises by the Beautiful Country, Japan had already committed itself to the situation in Chan Country, suffering a lot of loss both materially and in pride.
If they were to withdraw now in disgrace, the Beautiful Country’s promises would certainly be void, and Japan would become a global laughingstock.
Japan itself is a nation prone to taking gambles, particularly fond of staking its national destiny in the past century. The country gambled correctly twice before, but on the third occasion, it lost, forfeiting not only what it had previously won but also the principal investment.
But Japan never thought it was because of their own shortcomings; facing the gamble once again, they succumbed to the old gambler’s mentality.
At this moment, Japan was like a gambler.
There’s a term called “sunk cost fallacy,” the more they lost in Chan Country, the more they wanted to push more chips onto the table.
Because only by persevering and ultimately winning the war could they win everything back at once.
“So, are we going to reinforce our troops?”
Inoue Fumihiro felt a glimmer of surprise; of course, he did not want to pull the Chan Country garrison back home with his tail between his legs.
If he did that, after suffering such a significant defeat, his position as Defense Minister would be all but over, surely followed by dismissal.
Only by continuing to send reinforcements to Chan Country did he have a chance to turn the tables, win the war, and secure his position.
“Redraft a proposal for sending additional reinforcements; I need it to discuss terms with the Beautiful Country.”
Tsunoshima Shouichi fell silent for half a minute, then eventually opted for reinforcement, his expression stone-faced as he stared at Inoue Fumihiro and said coldly, “This time, if you lose again, prepare to be dismissed.”
“Prime Minister, we will win, please trust me, trust the 350,000 brave and fearless soldiers of the Self Defense Force,” Inoue Fumihiro quickly assured, ready to commit wholeheartedly to defeating the Jieke Group, even if only for his own sake.
