Chapter 1510 Knowledge Changes Destiny
Zhang Tuohai not only spent lavishly on the common people to amass wealth, he also set his sights on the imperial palace.
He took out all the gold, jewelry, and cultural relics that had been looted from the palace over the years and sent them to the mainland in exchange for various luxury goods for his own enjoyment.
The royal family's hundreds of years of accumulation were squandered by him in just a few months.
After emptying the imperial palace, he turned his attention to museums, libraries, exhibition halls and private collections across the country.
He simply plundered all the collectible items and took them to the mainland in exchange for various supplies to support his war to the east and south.
Zhang Tuohai's goal was to hollow out Japan, even if all that would be left after the war was a destitute Japan.
The million-strong conscription was soon over, and after a month of simple training, the new recruits were sent to Southeast Asia to maintain law and order. As for the veterans who had fought in Southeast Asia, they were sent to the battlefield in the United States.
At this time, the US industrial machine was fully operational.
Large numbers of artillery and tanks were produced.
Teams of new recruits drove tanks and pulled artillery to the front line.
There were also a large number of aircraft accompanying the team.
The mighty army formed a battle line stretching for thousands of miles, blocking the Japanese army on the west coast, unable to advance or retreat.
The Japanese Army wanted to attack, but as soon as they left the range of the naval guns, they would be covered by the US artillery.
Due to the lack of armor and artillery cover, it was difficult for them to break through the firepower network composed of artillery and tanks.
Every attack resulted in heavy losses.
However, because the US warships had not yet been built, the US was unable to break through the Japanese naval guns and drive the Japanese army away from the mainland.
The two sides were in a stalemate on the coast.
The angry Japanese army could only vent their anger on the coastal cities, destroying the cities on the west coast of the United States one after another and then burning them down.
The hatred between the two sides has become increasingly deep and can no longer be resolved.
When Zhang Tuohai found out, he was very happy and drank an extra bowl of wine at dinner to celebrate.
Zhang Tuohai was very happy, but the Minister of Army was very unhappy.
The Minister of War was very annoyed about the setback of the west coast offensive. He felt that he had betrayed His Majesty's trust and failed to complete the task assigned to him by His Majesty.
One million soldiers have been recruited, but they are still lingering on the shore of the west coast, unable to make any progress.
He could only survive within the range of the ship's guns, which made the Minister of the Navy laugh at him several times. He could not tolerate it.
He thought about where the problem lay, and after much deliberation, he felt that the power in his hands was not strong enough.
If the power in his hands is strong enough, with the bravery of his soldiers, he will be able to break through the American defenses and enter the inland.
After much deliberation, the Minister of War entered the palace late at night.
"Your Majesty, there is only one way to break through the defenses of the west coast, and that is to expand the army."
The Minister of War said with his head lowered.
Hearing what the Army Minister said, Zhang Tuohai almost laughed out loud.
He hadn't figured out how to continue his mischief when he didn't expect the Minister of the Army to come to him.
"How many soldiers do you want to recruit?"
Zhang Tuohai asked calmly.
"Fifty, no, three hundred thousand. Just give me three hundred thousand and I will be able to break through the barrier and enter the interior of the United States."
"Three hundred thousand?" Zhang Tuohai shook his head.
"It still doesn't work?" The Minister of War lowered his head in disappointment.
He also knew that three hundred thousand was a bit difficult to come by.
"You are too stingy. What can you do with 300,000? I will give you 3 million!"
Zhang Tuohai stretched out three fingers and said with a smile.
"What?" The Minister of War suspected that he had heard wrongly. "Three, three million?"
"That's right, three million. And this is just the number of soldiers recruited specifically for the war against the United States. For Australia, another three million will be added, and for India, another three million. A total of nine million, how about that? Is it enough?"
Zhang Tuohai waved his hand and spoke loudly.
"Nine, nine million!" The Minister of War was completely stunned.
There are only 100 million people in Japan now. Even if there are half men and half women, there are only 50 million men in total, including infants and the elderly.
Nine million, this almost draws out all the young and strong people in Japan.
However, what will happen to factory production if these people are transferred away?
Do we still need people to cultivate farmland?
Who will maintain public order?
The Minister of War's head was buzzing.
"This is simple. Let the women work in factories and farm, so the men can go to war."
"Now is a critical moment for the empire. Everyone must contribute their own strength to the empire."
"I've thought about it before. The main reason why the Empire is hesitant in the United States is the lack of senior military officers, which makes it difficult for orders from above to be conveyed to the people below."
"The reason for this situation is the lack of high-quality officers."
"So, I decided to recruit students from the University of East China to serve as officers."
Zhang Tuohai's words were powerful.
"Moreover, not only the University of Tokyo, but all universities must draw talents to join the army."
“Not only students, but teachers also have to go.”
"All citizens must contribute their strength to the empire."
"Those who disobey will be treated as prisoners of war and sent to prisoner-of-war camps."
Zhang Tuohai said in a cold voice.
"Hi." The Minister of War felt not joy but fear at this moment.
He was afraid that Zhang Tuohai would drag the entire empire into the abyss.
If Zhang Tuohai's words were really carried out, once the entire empire lost, there would probably be no chance of making a comeback.
However, he did not dare to disobey Zhang Tuohai's orders.
If he showed any hesitation, the military police would arrest him the next day and throw him into a prisoner-of-war camp.
Several ministers have already set an example for him, and his entire family has been sent to a prisoner-of-war camp. He will not be foolish enough to challenge Zhang Tuohai's authority again.
You can only grit your teeth and do it.
The conscription order was issued to the schools.
The principal looked at the cold military police and knew that nothing could be changed, so he quickly gave the order to conduct an emergency exam.
All those who fail the exam will be drafted into service.
The students at the University of Tokyo were all stunned. They had heard the saying that knowledge determines destiny, but they had never expected it to be realized in this way.
If you fail the test, you will go to the battlefield.
Everyone gave 120 percent of their effort.
I’m afraid the score isn’t enough.
The teachers also tried to make the test papers as simple as possible so that everyone could pass.
Because most people have exceeded the passing line, this results in insufficient number of people.
The military police took a look at the principal, and with a stroke of his pen, he directly drew the line from the back to the front according to the proportion. All those whose good grades were below the standard were issued conscription notices and had to report within three days, otherwise their entire family would be sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.
There was no other choice, so these Tokyo University students took the conscription notice and joined the army.
According to gossip, these students reported that Tokyo's red-light district was packed the day before.
