Chapter 3611
If we look at data related to war potential such as economic base and population size, the Tokugawa shogunate undoubtedly has an absolute advantage in the civil war, but this is only a theoretical judgment. When it comes to the actual combat stage, uncontrollable and unpredictable variables will There are simply too many, not to mention that there are external forces like Haihan interfering that can influence the development of the situation.
The rebel Kyushu vassals also understood the key to this. Whether they could persist in fighting did not depend on the immediate victory or defeat on the battlefield, but on Haihan's attitude towards the war.
As long as Haihan believed that the Kyushu Allied Forces were still capable of fighting, no matter how great the shogunate's advantage on the battlefield was, it would be impossible to achieve an overwhelming victory.
But if Haihan believes that the Kyushu Allied Forces have no chance of victory and is unwilling to support the vassals to continue fighting, then no matter how strong their willingness to fight is, it will be difficult to sustain the shogunate's offensive for too long.
Fortunately, the intelligence information provided by Shi Chengxin fully demonstrated that Haihan's attitude had not been shaken by the stalemate during this period, and he still tended to support Kyushu, which made them relieved.
Kuroda Mitsuyuki immediately proposed a new military aid plan to Shi Diwen on behalf of the Kyushu Allied Forces.
The various fleets of the Kyushu Allied Forces have suffered serious losses in the battles over the past six months, and have reached the point where they must be replenished immediately, otherwise they will lose the ability to compete for control of the Kanmon Strait.
The Kyushu Alliance hopes that Haihan can provide at least fifty exploration-class and twenty expedition-class warships as soon as possible. It would certainly be better if there are two to four majestic-class warships.
In addition, the defensive positions on the Kyushu side of the Kanmon Strait also need to be supplemented with artillery, guns and ammunition. The estimated number is 3,000 flintlock muskets, 20 artillery pieces each of two-inch, three-inch and four-inch calibers, and a certain amount of guns and ammunition.
In addition, the Kyushu Allied Forces also hope to obtain some unique weapons and equipment from the Haihan Army, such as grenades, landmines, mortars, sniper rifles, etc., and even proposed to let the Haihan Army provide manned hot air balloons for aerial reconnaissance of the enemy.
This military aid plan can be said to be a big deal. Regardless of whether Haihan will give it or not, he must first ask for it.
As for the related expenses, Kuroda Mitsuyuki hopes to continue the previous method, using land to apply for a special loan from Haihan, and obtain these arms in installments.
Of course, most of the more economically valuable land in Kyushu has become a mortgage before, so Kuroda Mitsuyuki hopes to include the land on Honshu Island in the scope of mortgage this time.
Anyway, as long as the Kyushu Allied Forces can finally defeat the Shogunate Army, then the Japanese archipelago will become the spoils of the Kyushu Allied Forces. By then, there will be no need to worry that Haihan will not be able to recover his investment. This seems to be barely reasonable.
After hearing this appeal, Shi Diwen just sneered repeatedly and did not express his position immediately.
He knew that the big names in Kyushu had great ambitions, otherwise they would not be able to instigate troops to rebel. However, judging from the military aid plan they proposed, it seemed that they had underestimated these guys before.
Shi Chengxin observed the words and knew that his father should be very dissatisfied with this, so he spoke on his behalf: "Sir Kuroda, even our country's allies have never received this level of assistance, not to mention that many of the weapons and equipment are currently Categories that prohibit exports. I think there are too many unrealistic aspects in the plan you proposed, and I cannot agree with it. "What Shi Chengxin means is that the relationship between your Kyushu United Army and my country is not even an ally. There are so many unreasonable requirements for qualifications.
In particular, those weapons that use advanced military technology are not only expensive to manufacture, but also require special training for the personnel who use them. Even the Haihan Army has strict restrictions on the conditions of use, so they cannot be easily transferred to the hands of foreign armies.
What's more, as a "foreign army", the Haihan Executive Committee has been obsessed with eradicating it for many years.
The Executive Committee regarded Japan as a long-term threat and wanted to eliminate it quickly, so it supported Shi Diwen in planning this civil war. How could it hand over its most advanced weapons to the Japanese and teach them how to use them.
If it were not concerned about the high cost of launching a war against Japan, I am afraid that the Executive Committee would have rolled up its sleeves and gone into battle on its own, and it would not be the turn of the clowns from Kyushu to perform on stage.
The reaction of the Shi family father and son was within the expectations of the famous names in Kyushu. They discussed such a military aid plan, and they didn't expect Haihan to accept it in full.
Ordering arms from Haihan through normal channels is not only expensive, but also has an extremely long delivery period, making it difficult to meet wartime needs. The Kyushu vassals wanted to get more equipment in the short term, but were unwilling to drain their wealth for it, so they thought of using this method to get a batch of equipment from Haihan.
Moreover, the Kyushu vassals knew that Haihan's arms were actually sold at both ends. As long as the shogunate could afford the high price, they could also buy weapons and equipment from Haihan. After all, arms production capacity is limited. If you can get more, Haihanneng may be able to sell less equipment to the shogunate.
I have to say that these people's calculations are pretty good, but they are facing Shi Diwen, the real instigator of this war. There is no point in playing these low-level word games. Controlling the supply of weapons to influence the direction of the Japanese Civil War was originally Shi Diwen's strategy. How could the chess pieces on the chessboard be given the illusion that they could make the decision themselves?
After defeating the shogunate, dividing the territory under its jurisdiction was originally a pie drawn by Shi Diwen for the Kyushu vassals. Now the Kyushu vassals actually want to use this pie as collateral to exchange for the military aid provided by Haihan. This is undoubtedly It's a bit contrary to Tiangang.
Kuroda Mitsuyuki sensed the displeasure in Shi Chengxin's words and quickly made concessions, willing to obey Haihan's arrangements and get whatever military aid he could get.
Shi Diwen saw that he had taken the initiative to surrender, and then he expressed his attitude: "Let's make a statistics of the equipment losses of each family so far, and submit a detailed number. We will consider making up for the lost part first as appropriate. As for the majesty level, including Advanced equipment, including battleships, requires long-term training before they can be used proficiently. The current situation of the Kyushu Alliance is not suitable, so don’t be too ambitious.”
"In addition, I want to remind you not to think that there is still a way out at this stage. Even if you want to cease the war, the shogunate will never let you go. If you lose the war, your territory, your families, subordinates, and property will be , everything will become the spoils of the shogunate. Defeating the shogunate and seizing the world is your only way out!"
Shi Diwen paused and continued in an amplified tone: "Remember, our country is not giving you such huge support just to see this war end with Kyushu's failure!"
Everyone present fell silent immediately, bowing their heads in agreement, not daring to argue.