"If we don't make preparations, are we supposed to wait for the People's Party to do what Japan did during the Haiyuan Earthquake?" Tanaka Giichi asked.

At the end of 1920, after the Haiyuan Earthquake erupted in China, seismological stations around the world detected the seismic waves. On the day of the earthquake, the Central Government of China informed Duan Qirui's Northwest Local Government that the central authorities would be coming to provide disaster relief. The very next day, troops from the People's Party's Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army in the Henan, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, and Outer Mongolia military regions marched in large numbers into the Northwest territory, which was still under Duan Qirui's control.

Japan's reaction was sharp. They immediately increased their troops in Korea, and the navy stepped up its patrols in the China Seas. Japanese intelligence agencies in China confirmed that the earthquake was felt even as far south as Guangzhou. At that time, rumors were truly flying everywhere in China, and Japan had played a part in spreading quite a few rumors about how the People's Party's perverse acts had incurred the wrath of heaven.

The People's Party's Ministry of State Security arrested quite a few rumor-mongers for this. Furthermore, newspapers, radio broadcasts, and various organizational units all organized high-intensity dissemination of earthquake knowledge. It was only with great difficulty that order was restored.

During that earthquake, apart from causing trouble, Japan offered neither aid nor any positive gestures. With Japan's "gem of a precedent" before them, Tanaka Giichi worried about the People's Party's "rubble to follow."

"The Anglo-Japanese Alliance is the guarantee of Japan's basic strategy. The People's Party will absolutely not lightly test the bottom line of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance." Takahashi Korekiyo did not support Tanaka Giichi's attitude.

Mentioning the Anglo-Japanese Alliance filled Tanaka Giichi with anger. Those unenterprising fellows in the Navy Ministry always treated the Anglo-Japanese Alliance as a protective talisman. In Tanaka Giichi's view, the Anglo-Japanese Alliance was a shackle around Japan's neck. If not for the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, Japan could have long since taken free action against China. Tanaka Giichi was naturally well aware that the result of taking free military action against China would very likely be failure, but without a total war, many people in the Army Ministry felt "very unsatisfied."

Prime Minister Yamamoto Gonnohyoe didn't care at all about such disputes. He asked Takahashi Korekiyo, "How much aid can China provide?"

"That depends first on whether we make a request to China. Given the current Sino-Japanese relations, it is unlikely they will proactively offer any amount," Takahashi Korekiyo answered frankly.

"What if China links this issue with the Lüda issue?" Tanaka Giichi questioned loudly. Before the earthquake struck, Tanaka Giichi could naturally remain silent. But after the earthquake, Japan was the victim. At this moment, Tanaka Giichi completely changed his strategy.

"Then what is your view, Tanaka-kun?" Takahashi Korekiyo asked.

"We must make China declare that the Lüda issue will be shelved until Japan's disaster relief is concluded," Tanaka Giichi said calmly.

The faces of the cabinet members immediately turned ugly. The timing of this demand raised by Tanaka Giichi was truly too ingenious. Takahashi Korekiyo cursed inwardly, *Despicable villain!* Quite a few cabinet ministers from the naval faction pursed their lips and turned their faces away. If they didn't do so, they feared they would end up glaring angrily at Tanaka Giichi.

As if he didn't see the expressions of these cabinet members, Tanaka Giichi continued, "If we cannot achieve this point, the cabinet will have no way to answer to the Japanese public."

Hearing Tanaka Giichi's words, every cabinet member who supported party politics felt a deep sense of absurdity amidst their extreme anger. The big boss of the Army Ministry was actually considering the thoughts of the public; wasn't this the greatest absurdity?

Inukai Tsuyoshi, who had joined the Yamamoto Gonnohyoe cabinet on the condition of "implementing universal suffrage in Japan as soon as possible," was even more furious. Precisely because he advocated for Japanese universal suffrage politics, Inukai Tsuyoshi was even more aware of Tanaka Giichi's sinister intentions. At this critical moment, Inukai Tsuyoshi spoke extremely unceremoniously, "Does Tanaka-kun intend to use Japanese domestic laws to bind the Chinese government to compliance?"

Tanaka Giichi's face reddened slightly. Having his true colors exposed so directly was not a pleasant experience at such a high-level meeting.

Inukai Tsuyoshi had absolutely no intention of stopping. He had once launched the Movement to Protect Constitutional Government with Ozaki Yukio to overthrow the Katsura Taro cabinet, and was a figure known alongside Ozaki Yukio as the "God of Constitutional Government." Inukai Tsuyoshi had never had any tolerance for those who maliciously exploited public opinion. "Tanaka-kun, the Lüda issue is the Lüda issue, and the relief issue is the relief issue. By forcibly linking the two, do you want to demonstrate strength to China, or are you preparing to show weakness to China?"

This time it was Tanaka Giichi's turn for his face to become extremely ugly, but Inukai Tsuyoshi had no intention of ending his attack. He continued to question, "Tanaka-kun, or do you want to provoke a conflict between China and Japan and drag the British in? To expand Britain's voice in Japan by using the Anglo-Japanese Alliance?"

Tanaka Giichi hadn't expected Inukai Tsuyoshi to be unceremonious to this degree. Regarding whether to use the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, Tanaka Giichi actually hadn't considered that much. What benefit would bringing the British into Japanese affairs have for Japan? The entire Japanese Army Ministry only wanted to use Britain, not to sell their lives for Britain. For Tanaka Giichi, all he wanted to do was undermine the current cabinet and force it into an untenable position. On the actual Lüda issue, the high-level and even most mid-level officers of the Army Ministry understood very well that Japan could not withstand China's offensive. Moreover, in terms of grand strategy, China did not buy into Japanese threats. If China wanted to retake Lüda, then they could certainly retake Lüda.

Facing Inukai Tsuyoshi's aggressive attitude, Tanaka Giichi switched from defense to offense. He asked with a sneer, "Then what do you propose to do, Inukai-kun? Are we to just withdraw from Lüda like this?"

"If we have no choice but to withdraw from Lüda, then we withdraw from Lüda. I think everyone here is well aware of how large the annual expenditure to maintain Lüda actually is," Inukai Tsuyoshi answered seriously.

Tanaka Giichi sneered, "And after withdrawing from Lüda? Withdraw from Korea? Withdraw from Taiwan? The Chinese national strategy has long included plans to seize these two regions. It is not that we in Japan do not look forward to peace, but that China does not look forward to peace at all. Making any concessions now is futile. Russia ceded both Northern Sakhalin, which was in Japanese hands, and the Kuril Islands to China. After China seizes Korea and Taiwan, it will be the turn of these two regions. What will you do then, Inukai-kun?"

When Tanaka Giichi got serious, he wasn't just capable of playing shady tricks. Competition between nations was this cruel. Being dealt this blow by Tanaka Giichi, the members of the Yamamoto Gonnohyoe cabinet couldn't say anything.

Seeing that he had salvaged the situation, Tanaka Giichi pressed his advantage. "Is Chinese aid essential? I do not believe it is essential. Will war break out between China and Japan? I believe war will definitely break out. Then how should Japan's path proceed from here? trapped in the current situation waiting for death? Or rising up to counterattack and safeguard Japan's national rights and interests? I still insist we should fight to the end. Any compromise or concession will only fuel China's ambitions. On this point, we absolutely cannot waver just because Japan has suffered an earthquake."

The regions Tanaka Giichi mentioned had a total area more than half the size of Japan's current homeland. If they were all taken by China, Japan would be completely beaten back to its pre-Meiji Restoration state, and half a century of painstaking efforts would come to naught. Not only the people in the Army Ministry, but the people in the Navy Ministry also could not accept this. Inukai Tsuyoshi dared not and did not want to make such a political decision.

Looking at the silent crowd, Tanaka Giichi said loudly, "Taking a hardline attitude toward China now is to prove to China that we, Japan, have not been knocked down by this disaster. We have the ability to fight China; only this can temporarily dispel China's ambitions. And I can also explain to everyone now that it is not that I cannot accept giving up the Lüda region. But the Lüda region is now our frontline for resisting China. Only by resisting in Lüda can we attract China's attention. If we give up Lüda, what follows will be an unavoidable series of defeats. If Japan wants to maintain a balance of power with China, it can only take the offensive. Any retreat will lead to the subjugation of Japan."

Japan had once challenged China and won a series of victories. But after the rise of the People's Party, Japan had lost every battle. What Tanaka Giichi said completely revealed the current truth. China had merely halted its trend of decline; it was far from the period of rejuvenation. However, judging from the current trend, China had already embarked on the road to rejuvenation, and time was not on Japan's side at all. The Army was simply no match for China now. In the future, what would happen to the Japanese Navy, which occupied an almost comprehensive advantage? Would it face a powerful challenge from the Chinese Navy? When that time came, what power would Japan have left to resist China's offensive?

The content of the cabinet meeting had actually turned into a debate on Japan's future national strategy, which was truly far beyond Yamamoto Gonnohyoe's expectations. Future grand strategy was certainly important, but the immediate problem was the Great Japan Earthquake. All of Tokyo was still burning. If this problem couldn't be solved, the total collapse of the Yamamoto Gonnohyoe cabinet was not an unpredictable event.

Yamamoto Gonnohyoe forced himself to pull back from the mood that had been further depressed by Tanaka Giichi's dangerous predictions. "Let us discuss the matter of Japan's own disaster relief for now," he said helplessly.

The fires in Tokyo and Yokohama burned for three days before extinguishing. To describe it by smell, Tokyo was filled with the scent of roasting meat. It wasn't just those who were directly buried in the ruins and burned to death by the fire; victims who tried to hide in open spaces to avoid the flames were surrounded like dumplings by the raging fire. Several incidents occurred where tens of thousands of people were burned or suffocated to death together.

Yokohama was filled with the smell of boiled meat. Many Yokohama citizens fled into the parks, sitting in the water with only their heads exposed, attempting to escape the fire demon in this way. But when the great fire struck, sparks flew wildly over their heads, and many had their hair set on fire. More than 24,000 people who wanted to escape the fire in Yokohama Park were surrounded by the raging flames and burned alive. Even the lake water in the park was heated by the fire until it was steaming hot, and the people who jumped into the lake were boiled alive by the hot water.

Even the people on the beach could not save their lives. Thousands of Yokohama victims fled to the beach, jumping into the sea one after another, clinging to floating debris and the edges of boats. Water and fire are incompatible, so jumping into the seawater to avoid the fire seemed only natural. A few hours later, an oil depot near the beach exploded, pouring more than 100,000 tons of oil into Yokohama Bay. The fire ignited the oil on the water's surface, and Yokohama Bay became a veritable sea of fire. More than 3,000 people taking refuge in the seawater were boiled by the fire burning on the surface.

The hellish scene completely terrified the residents of the Kanto region. The Japanese are a so-called "Nation of Eight Million Gods," and they believe that everything has a spirit. Even without China instigating anything, all sorts of rumors had already begun to circulate in the Japanese disaster zone. The most common rumor was that the large number of Koreans working in Japan did not revere Japanese gods, and thus triggered this great earthquake.