Warlords: Rising from the Northwest Border and Sweeping Across the Powers

Chapter 930: Desperate Situation and No Help

In the Prime Minister's Office of Fuso, an emergency meeting was being held in a tense and solemn atmosphere. Prime Minister Tojo Takehide sat at the head of the conference table, his face gloomy, his eyes revealing an indescribable anxiety.

Beside him, the heads of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Military, and various major departments sat around a table, each of them with a serious and nervous look on their face.

"Watanabe Motoyasu, tell me, how is the reserve force going?" Tojo Takehide asked first. His voice was low and powerful, as if every word contained a tremendous amount of power.

Watanabe Motoyasu, the military official in charge of calling up the reserve, stood up immediately upon hearing this, with a trace of embarrassment and helplessness on his face. "Mr. Prime Minister, since Kyushu and Shikoku have already fallen, we can only call up reserve soldiers from Honshu and Kanto. However, the situation is not ideal. So far, we have been in three days, but have only called up about 40,000 troops."

Hearing this, Tojo Yuei's face instantly turned pale. He slammed the table and angrily said, "Forty thousand? Only forty thousand? Watanabe Motoyasu, how do you do things? Don't you know how critical our situation is now?"

Watanabe Motoyasu was frightened by Tojo Takehido's anger and quickly explained, "Your Excellency Prime Minister, I... I have tried my best. But the situation is too bad now. Even Osaka, which is only a stone's throw away from Kyoto, was attacked by air raids. The people are all pessimistic about this war. Most people do not respond to the call for reserve forces. They are afraid of going to the battlefield and afraid of losing their lives. In some areas, people even fled."

Upon hearing this, Tojo Takehida glared at Watanabe Motoyasu angrily.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down, but the anxiety and anger in his heart were like a blazing fire that was difficult to extinguish.

"Watanabe Motoyasu, remember this," Tojo Takehiko's voice was deep and powerful, "We, the Fuso Empire, have never been a nation that gives up easily. No matter how great the difficulties we encounter, we must persevere. Find a way right now. No matter what, you must gather more reserve soldiers. We must make a final effort for this war."

Upon hearing this, Watanabe Motoyasu quickly nodded in response.

He understood that Tojo Yuei had said so much and he had no way out. He could only bite the bullet and find a way to complete this seemingly impossible task.

"Watanabe Motoyasu, we must give the highest honors to those reserve soldiers who are willing to step forward and serve the country. They are the backbone of the country and the hope of the nation. But we cannot be soft-hearted to those who evade responsibility and avoid the battlefield. We must adopt the method of direct execution to serve as a warning to others. With coercion and inducement, I believe we can quickly speed up the assembly of reserve forces." There was a cold light flashing in Tojo Takehide's eyes.

Watanabe Motoyasu heard this, and a hint of helplessness and bitterness flashed across his face. Although such a decision was cruel, it might be the most effective measure in the current situation. He nodded silently to show his agreement.

The atmosphere of the meeting became more depressing, and Tojo Takehide turned his attention to Foreign Minister Seto Tsubaki.

There was a kind of expectation in his eyes, as if he hoped to find a glimmer of hope at the diplomatic level.

"Seto Tsubaki, at the current diplomatic level, is there any country willing to lend a helping hand to Fuso?"

Seto Tsubaki shook his head helplessly, his face full of disappointment and helplessness. "Mr. Prime Minister, the situation is far worse than we imagined. Most of the hostile countries have directly cut off contact with Fuso. Not only did they refuse to provide assistance, they even condemned us in international public opinion. Even our allies, the Bird Empire and Italy, did not give any clear response or answer. They seem to be waiting and watching, waiting for the fate of our country to come to an end."

Hearing this, Tojo Yuei's face instantly turned livid. He clenched his fists, as if he wanted to vent all his anger and resentment. "The so-called allies are simply unreliable! When we needed help the most, they chose to remain silent and escape. When Fuso gets through this difficult time, we must let them know the consequences of betraying our allies!"

Seto Tsubaki took a deep breath. He understood Tojo Yuei's anger and disappointment. However, he knew that reality was often more cruel than ideals. "Mr. Prime Minister, there is even worse news. The planes we ordered from the British Empire are now refused to be delivered on the grounds that the war zone is too dangerous. At the same time, they do not intend to return our deposit."

Hearing this, Tojo Yuei was furious. He slammed the table, causing the documents and teacups on the table to shake. "These greedy capitalists! Despicable people who only know how to pursue profits and change their minds according to the wind! Our Fuso Empire was once so glorious and powerful, but now it has fallen to such a state! This is not only a military failure, but also a diplomatic humiliation!"

Tojo's eyes swept over every official present, as if to pass on his anger and shame to everyone. "We must remember this shame, remember this failure. It will become our driving force and the flame of our revenge. One day, we will make those who betrayed us, laughed at us, and despised us pay the price they deserve!"

Seto Tsubaki frowned, his voice trembling a little, "Mr. Prime Minister, not only that, but many of our overseas businesses, especially in Europe, have also been severely embezzled and treated unfairly recently. Those factories, mines, and merchant ships that originally belonged to us are now in the hands of others. Our overseas assets are rapidly being lost, and the losses are incalculable."

The atmosphere in the conference room became heavier, and everyone's face was filled with worry and uneasiness.

When Tojo Takehiro heard this, a cold light flashed in his eyes.

"These greedy jackals are trying to annex our property while our country is in crisis. We must not let them succeed! We must take measures to protect our overseas assets and make those greedy people pay the price!"

Finance Minister Chiba Chuan also spoke at this time.

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, I must report to you a more serious fact. Our treasury is almost empty. If we continue to fight like this, we simply have no funds to sustain ourselves. The supply of the army, the purchase of weapons, and the treatment of the wounded all require a large amount of funds to support us. If we cannot find a new source of funds as soon as possible, our war machine will soon come to a standstill."

Qianyechuan's words were like a heavy hammer. War is not only a battle between soldiers, but also a contest of national economy. If the treasury is empty, then even the most powerful army will find it difficult to sustain a long-term battle.

The once powerful Fuso Empire seemed to be standing on the edge of a cliff, and could be destroyed at any time.