While Carlo was patrolling the navy and army, Japan in the Far East was also holding a secret meeting.
"At present, the Ministry of Finance has allocated 710,000 yen to France for the third phase of the purchase of the Sankei ship, 1.87 million yen for the second phase of the purchase of the Yoshino and Subami ships to the United Kingdom, and has also allocated 1.87 million yen for the artillery unit of the newly established Sixth Division of the Army.
The artillery payment is 680,000 yen, and the current balance of the special account is 470,000 yen. In addition, the Ministry of Finance needs to allocate the first batch of 2.01 million yen for the Fuji and Yashima ships next month."
As the chief steward of Japan's finances, Minister of Finance Watanabe Kunitake was reporting the expenditure situation to a group of senior Japanese officials at the imperial meeting. The meaning of his words was very clear.
When he told the balance of the special account, everyone at the scene immediately frowned, and the thought of having no money flashed across his mind. Especially when he talked about the remaining expenses, many people couldn't help but pat their heads.
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Yes, although Japan has undergone modernization reforms and its income has increased significantly, its expenses are also not cheap.
Of course, with the help of some caring people, Japan's spending is now much higher than in history.
Of course, the inertia of history is very strong, and the famous Sanjing ship still exists. (This ship is aimed at the second calm ship)
However, the Sanjing ship is still a wonder in the history of shipbuilding. The more than 4,000-ton warship carries a 320mm giant gun, which is simply a model of a small boat carrying a big gun. And if you pay attention, you will find that the Sanjing ship is divided into two types
, the main gun is front-mounted and the main gun is rear-mounted. Itsukushima and Tatehashi have front-mounted main guns, while Matsushima has a rear-mounted main gun.
If Itsukushima and Matsushima are grouped together, will there be a battleship with two 320mm guns? The Japanese Navy really came up with a good idea due to lack of funds.
Originally there was supposed to be a Sankei ship to form two formations. But unfortunately, the Japanese later ran out of money and the fourth ship was cancelled.
Of course, this is why, after the Japanese came to their senses, they ordered two more first-class battleships, Fuji and Yashima. Of course, the construction of these two battleships had just begun. It would not take three or four years to complete them, so it was simply impossible.
In addition, history is also different. As for Japan's current purchase of two Yoshino Hayami cruise ships from the British, the cost is much higher than in history.
Compared with the 3,000-4,000-ton cruisers in history, the two cruisers currently purchased by Japan from the British have nothing in common with them except that their names are the same as in history.
Its tonnage reaches more than 8,000 tons, has up to 16,000 horsepower, and has a maximum speed of 19 knots. It is equipped with 4 twin 256 mm main guns, 6 152-barrel retractable guns, 8 120 mm barrel retractable guns, and 20 additional
47mm small
caliber gun, which can completely suppress the Beiyang Zhijing II ship in terms of speed and firepower, and can even compete with the Venetian class currently equipped by the Italian Navy. Of course, the cost is also very high. The cost of the two ships is 1.31 million pounds, which is not discounted.
This price is very difficult for Japan at present. Haven’t you seen that even the emperor only eats one meal a day?
After listening to the words of the Prime Minister, Oyama Iwa, as the Minister of War, immediately said, "I ran out of money so quickly. I didn't just borrow 10 million yen."
There is a reason why Dashanyan asked this. The Army's original plan was to prepare eight divisions before the war to fight against the Qing troops. However, the Army has just formed the Sixth Division, and there is no money. The next two
How to form a division?
Although the government has been borrowing money, it is best to let the government implement the borrowing now just in case.
The words of the Minister of War immediately attracted the echo of the Minister of the Navy Saigo Yumichi. "Yes, the next period will be a critical period for the army and navy, so there cannot be a shortage of money."
Although everyone is aware of the relationship between Japan's army and navy, it is still difficult to cooperate when it comes to money.
Besides, funding is more important to the navy. How many warships, how many cannons, and how big the caliber is, all require money. When a big ship fights a small ship, the threat of large caliber is greater than that of small caliber, but it will not change with the change of personnel.
Faced with the statements of the army and navy, Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi said, "Otani-kun and Saigo-kun, please be patient. The government is already negotiating with the British for a new loan. When the money comes down, the funding issue will
I will solve it for you."
As if to strengthen the confidence of the two ministers of the Army and Navy, Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu then took over the topic and continued. "Currently, our country is negotiating with the British for a large loan of 5,000 yen. We are almost done talking about it, and it should be discussed next.
It will be settled within a few months."
Yes, the Japanese government was indeed negotiating with the British Bank for a loan of 5,000 yen, but it was not as easy as he said. The British asked for a higher price for this loan and required the Japanese government to use mineral taxes as collateral.
As we all know, Japan is a country with a lot of gold and silver mines. In addition to exclusive mining of these gold and silver mines, the Japanese government also sets a very high mineral tax, which can reach more than 7 million yen in tax revenue every year. And the British Bank is willing to lend
The premise of paying this money is to focus on this money.
Of course, for Japan, almost all of its tax revenue that can be mortgaged has been mortgaged. Tariffs, field taxes, etc. have long been mortgaged. The most valuable thing in its hands at the moment is the mineral tax.
Now, in order to expand the military and prepare for war, this most valuable tax also needs to be mortgaged on the counter.
Now that he is going to be rich again, naturally the two ministers of land and sea have nothing to say.
But at this time, the Minister of Finance, Kunitake Watanabe, stood up again. "Everyone, let me say one more thing. According to the estimates of the Ministry of Finance, if the current expenditure continues, Japan's finances can support it for up to two years. So it is still
I hope the navy and army will be ready as soon as possible, please."
The Tibetan Prime Minister's words immediately lowered the atmosphere that had just been restored.
However, there is no other way. Japan is too small and has only so much fiscal revenue. It has already tried its best to reorganize its military and prepare for war. If it is delayed for a long time, Japan is destined to go bankrupt.
When facing Watanabe Kunitake, the two navy and army ministers immediately replied, "Please rest assured, Mr. Watanabe, we will complete preparations for war as soon as possible."
As Prime Minister, Ito Hirobumi certainly knew that the government was about to be unable to survive. For this reason, he had already ordered the ambassador to North Korea not to worry about the attitudes of North Korea and the Qing people.
Yes, Japan now needs to find ways to stir up trouble.
While Japan was trying every means to expand its armaments, Li Zhongtang, the first governor of the Qing Dynasty, was also reading a submission in the Zhili Governor's Mansion in Tianjin.
This submission was jointly submitted by Beiyang Navy Admiral Ding Ruchang and Beiyang General Counsel Rear Admiral Antonio, requesting that the Beiyang Fleet warships be replaced with rapid-fire cannons. Since it is a replacement of cannons, it will cost money, although the admiral's claims about rapid-fire cannons are very fancy.
, but the cost of replacing the gun still made Li Zhongtang hesitant.
The reason is simple, because it costs 730,000 taels of silver to replace the cannon. It is normal for Li Zhongtang to be hesitant about this expense.
Although in the report, the general counsel from Italy said that the Japanese navy next door was becoming Beiyang's inner enemy, Li Zhongtang was well-informed and how could he not know that this was a way to get money, and it was all left by him.
Japan is a small country with few people, and it is our opponent to the great Qing Dynasty. If it were not to avoid unnecessary complications, we would not have given it an easy time in Taiwan.
Of course, if it were just these, Li Zhongtang would not be able to give it to him because of his hard work and merit. But Mr. Zhongtang is also in a dilemma. In recent years, it has become more and more difficult for him to get money from the court. Although there are still two hundred
Six hundred thousand taels of silver are stored in the bank, but this money is not that easy to use.
In addition, Li Zhongtang also needs to repay the Queen Mother's garden repairs. There are more than 100,000 soldiers in Beiyang, and they are all related to him. The family fortune is huge, and it is difficult for him.
However, after thinking about it again and again, Li Zhongtang sighed and wrote the word "OK" on the submission.
Finally, the Beiyang Fleet has also begun to replace its rapid-fire guns. Although I don't know how much this will improve, it has finally changed.
Of course, Major General Antonio, as the general adviser, played a role to some extent.
