Twentieth Century Chronicle

Page 177

Because their ideas were quite different, Ichiki Kiko's efforts to establish a women's publication made little progress. However, after her breakup, Hiratsuka Akiko's demands for literature began to give way to the need to speak up for women. Thus, the two finally had a common goal, and under Hiratsuka's persuasion, many educated women joined the establishment of this women's publication.

The Meiji era was still a male-dominated era, and the social status of women was even lower than that of the Edo era. After all, women in the Edo era were also able to take charge of their households. However, in the Meiji era, in order to establish a national order centered on the Emperor, obedience was elevated to the top priority of social morality.

The obedience of subjects to the Emperor, subordinates to superiors, commoners to officials, family members to heads of households, wives to husbands, and women to men—this was the social order of the imperial state that the Meiji government attempted to establish. Therefore, participating in social affairs, especially publishing, was a risky endeavor for upper-class women, as it violated the Meiji government's standard of women being virtuous wives and mothers.

As a confidante of Empress Shōken, Shimoda Utako was even able to act as a spokesperson for the court and deal with politicians like Ito Hirobumi. She went to London to study educational philosophies and returned to open a practical girls' school and a girls' craft school. However, she regarded being a good wife and mother as the core concept of women's education. This was clearly the court's wish, rather than the advanced educational philosophy she learned in London.

Because the demands placed on women during the Meiji era were so severe, upper-class women led extremely stifling lives, often focusing their energy on literary pursuits. However, this did not mean they did not yearn to step outside their homes and participate in social activities. Shimoda Utako, who taught women to aspire to be virtuous wives and mothers, was herself a woman highly involved in social and political activities. Judging from her experiences, she had little to do with being a virtuous wife and mother.

However, the numerous moral and legal barriers imposed on women during the Meiji era made it difficult for them to leave their homes and participate in social activities. Work was considered the domain of women in the lower classes, and families with even a little wealth and status would not allow their wives and daughters to work in public. Of course, there were very few respectable jobs available to women in the Meiji era. Apart from serving the imperial family and working in education, other professions were hardly respectable, almost all related to manual labor and the sex industry.

Now that the Toyo Culture and Arts Foundation had cleared away the social barriers to publishing a magazine for women, and Akiko Hiratsuka had gained the trust of upper-class women, the weekly magazine, called "New Woman," was quickly established. Of course, in order to handle the company's external affairs, Shin-Yi Hayashi transferred a reporter from the Toyo Keizai Shimbun to serve as a director, responsible for liaison with the printing plant, government departments, and other external affairs.

After its launch, New Women's magazine became a popular publication among women in Tokyo in less than a month. This was because, following the advice of Hayashi Shin-yi, New Women's magazine not only featured literary content but also introduced a large number of fashion products and began experimenting with mail-order products in the Tokyo area.

In 1872, American merchants began mailing catalogs to rural consumers. With the completion of the American railroad network and the enactment of free rural mailing laws, mail-order commerce in the United States had become a fairly mature industry. However, in Asia, mail-order commerce was virtually non-existent because the underdeveloped industrialization in Asia resulted in extremely poor infrastructure, making mailing very inconvenient.

However, while Tokyo had a sufficiently large consumer market by the 20th century, its retail sector still relied heavily on traditional specialty stores and general stores. The first department store, Mitsukoshi, didn't open until 1904. In contrast, China had its first department store, Sincere Department Store, in Hong Kong in 1900. Later, the establishment of supply and marketing cooperatives in Wuhan to develop industry and agriculture facilitated the flow of goods between urban and rural areas, further accelerating the development of China's retail industry.

From the perspective of commercial development, Japanese commerce, which retained many traditions from the Edo period, was not as adept at absorbing new commercial culture as the freely developing Chinese commerce. However, Japanese commerce surpassed Chinese commerce in terms of social stability and investment in infrastructure. This allowed Japanese commerce to maintain a steady pace of progress, rather than fluctuating with changes in the political situation as Chinese commerce did.

Now, Hsin-Yi Hayashi is driving a revolution in Japan's retail industry through the New Women's Weekly. He first gained popularity among housewives. Even Mitsukoshi Department Store still uses a one-on-one sales model, where customers have virtually no choice and can only rely on the recommendations of the staff. However, with mail-order catalogs, women can freely choose, even if the pictures don't look as good as the actual products. The freedom to choose and the convenient ordering method greatly stimulates these housewives' desire to buy.

As a result, the New Women's Weekly quickly spread from upper-class women to women from middle-class families. Compared to the literary content in the weekly, the shopping culture it represented, which allowed for the free selection of goods, was more attractive to women who were constrained at home by various formalities. This situation was quite unexpected for new women like Hiratsuka.

Conversely, the rapid expansion of the New Women's Weekly's influence through its mail-order business enabled it to gain financial independence, thereby expanding its support for female authors. Originally a subsidiary of the Toyo Keizai Shimbun group, it gradually gained the qualifications to publish independently.

Because of the popularity of the New Women's Weekly, Lin Xinyi often comes to pick up Mu Zi from get off work when he's not on duty in Shinagawa. Before the Great Ginza Fire of 1872, this area was actually a haven for small merchants and artists. After the fire, the Meiji government attempted to rebuild Ginza as a model district for the construction of New Tokyo, so they commissioned foreigners to design the Akarenwa Street. However, after its completion, the high rents caused widespread complaints from small merchants, and the Meiji government realized that it had undertaken a thankless task.

In this era, landlords generally wouldn't sell commercially valuable neighborhoods; instead, they would lease the land to merchants to build houses. As a result, the cost of expensive brick houses had to be borne by the tenants. If the tenants couldn't afford it, the landlords could take back the land without compensation. Those small merchants who couldn't afford the cost of building brick houses naturally harbored resentment.

As small business owners were forced to leave Ginza, it gradually became a hub for high-end shops. Since the northwestern Iwate district, where the upper class lived, was closer to Ginza, it surpassed Nihonbashi and Asakusa to the east, becoming Tokyo's new commercial center. Furthermore, the prestigious private Keio University, located in Mita, brought considerable foot traffic to Ginza, leading many news agencies to relocate there as well.

The 4-chome district had the Asano Shimbun; the 2-chome district had the Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun; and the 1-chome district had the Yomiuri Shimbun. Now, there were also branch offices of the Toyo Keizai Shimbun newspaper group and the editorial department of the Shin Joshin Weekly. By 1908, Ginza had completely shaken off the economic depression brought about by the Great Fire of 1872 and had become a high-end commercial district recognized by Tokyoites, no longer the small market it once was.

The editorial office of the new women's weekly magazine was located in Ginza, rather than Kyobashi, precisely for the convenience of the women who joined the editorial team, since they all lived in the northwestern Iwate Ward. Furthermore, as an upscale commercial district, Ginza naturally enjoys better security than other areas, which also provides a sense of security for these women.

Lin Xinyi hadn't anticipated that someone would still come to cause trouble for New Women's Weekly. Fortunately, he had arranged for some people to be there, and they managed to keep the group out of the editorial office. However, what surprised him was that his men only blocked the entrance and didn't drive away the people causing trouble in front of it.

He stepped down from the carriage and went to the gate, where he called over the security guard and asked him what had happened. However, the guard was not very clear either, only that he had received orders from Director Naito to block the gate but not to fight with the other party.

Soon after, Naito Konan, covered in sweat, rushed over. He had previously been a columnist for the Mancho-ho newspaper, but was persecuted for supporting the Seven Doctors during the Seven Doctors Incident and was forced into seclusion until Japan officially went to war with Russia, at which point he became active again. However, Japan did not gain a foothold in Manchuria during this war, so as a scholar of Chinese history, he did not get much opportunity to make his mark. After the Mancho-ho newspaper was reorganized, he joined the cultural studies department.

Hayashi Shin-yi chose him to serve as the managing director of the New Women's Weekly for two reasons. First, Naito was politically restless and did not want him to remain in the Toyo Keizai Shimbun as a destabilizing factor. Second, Naito Konan himself wanted to develop from a columnist to a researcher of Chinese history. He needed someone influential to open doors for him to universities, so he agreed to let Hayashi Shin-yi host the weekly for a period of time while waiting for Hayashi to help him get a position as a lecturer at the Imperial University.

Naito Konan was well aware of what Hayashi Shinichi was worried about, so his first sentence put Hayashi at ease. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he said earnestly, "It's not about the publication. It's about Count Yanagihara sending someone to take my sister back, but Miss Hiratsuka objected, which is why this incident happened."

Lin Xinyi breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that the issue wasn't directed at the publication. What he was worried about was that the New Women's Weekly would provoke discontent among moralists, because newspapers were considered the domain of intellectuals, and women wanting to enter that field were as unbearable as women wanting to become government officials. Of course, in this era, it wasn't difficult for journalists to become officials; after all, Ito Hirobumi had once managed to get a group of journalists into government positions in order to divide public opinion.

However, he continued to press Naito, asking, "Since it's Miss Yanagihara's brother who wants to take his sister back, why is Miss Akiko objecting?"

Naito gave a wry smile and shook his head, saying, "I don't know the details either. Why don't you go upstairs and ask Miss Hiratsuka?"

Lin Xinyi glanced at the crowd of passersby gathered at the entrance, shook his head, and said, "Have you notified the police? Go and try to persuade them to go home. They're disrupting the newspaper's operations; we can call the police. I'll go upstairs and ask, then I'll come back down..."

Lin Xinyi went around to the back door and entered the courtyard. After going upstairs, Mu Zi was already waiting at the top of the stairs. Seeing her worried look, Lin Xinyi gently patted her arm and whispered to comfort her, "It's okay, it's okay. What's going on with this Earl Liuyuan?"

Mu Zi sighed and said, "Count Yanagihara wants to marry his sister to Ito Den'emon, but Miss Yanagihara is unwilling, so she hasn't returned home for the past two days. Today, Count Yanagihara came to our door, and Akiko said that she couldn't let Count Yanagihara sell Miss Yanagihara for money, so she refused to let Count Yanagihara's servants take Miss Yanagihara away..."

Lin Xinyi was listening to Miss Mu Zi explain the reason when he suddenly heard an indignant voice from the front, "Ito Den'emon is 48 years old and still a rude nouveau riche. It's really too much for Count Yanagihara to marry his sister to such a person."

Lin Xinyi looked up and saw that several women, including Hiratsuka Akiko and Yanagihara Yoko, were standing in the corridor. Akiko was full of anger, while Yoko was full of uneasy tension. The others were either angry or worried, but they all focused their attention on him, as if they had waited for someone who could make a decision.

After a moment's thought, Lin Xinyi calmly said, "From an outsider's perspective, Earl Liuyuan did not violate the law, because he has the right to decide his sister's marriage."

Mingzi immediately raised her eyebrows and glared at Lin Xinyi, drawing out her voice, "I never expected that you, Mr. Lin, would support Earl Liuyuan. Were all your previous statements about supporting women's independence and self-reliance lies?"

Lin Xinyi quickly waved his hand and said, "What I mean is that Earl Liuyuan's actions are legal, but I don't support such laws. I think we should calmly sit down and talk about how to solve this problem, instead of venting our emotions, which won't solve anything."

Ichiro Kiko also sided with Lin Xinyi, persuading Akiko and the others. Akiko finally calmed down and invited Lin Xinyi into the conference room to talk. After they were seated, Lin Xinyi turned his gaze to Yanagihara Yoko and asked, "Ms. Yanagihara, you are the person involved. Why don't you first tell us your views on this marriage and your brother's actions? Then we can know how to support your choice."

Ye Zi lowered her head and remained silent for a long time before clenching her fists and saying gently, "I hope that this time I can choose my own marriage. I don't want to say anything about my brother's actions."

Lin Xinyi glanced at the expressions of the others, pondered for a moment, and then said, "As the protector of New Women's Weekly, I respect the free will of everyone present. Since Ms. Liuyuan has already stated her position, I can first resolve the disturbance downstairs."

However, if we can't dissuade Count Yanagihara from his decision, this turmoil will affect the entire editorial department. I can withstand the pressure from Count Yanagihara for you, but it's Miss Yanagihara's job to figure out how to change his mind.”

Hiratsuka Akiko did not raise any further objections. She and the others turned their attention to Yanagihara Yoko. Yoko hesitated for a long time before bowing her head to Lin Xinyi and thanking him, saying, "I will do it. Thank you for your help, Mr. Lin."

Lin Xinyi accepted Miss Liuyuan's thanks and then got up to go downstairs. Ichiro Muko immediately followed him. As the two were walking up the stairs, Muko asked with some concern, "Won't you let Count Liuyuan vent his anger on you when you go out?"

Lin Xinyi glanced back at her, then smiled and replied, "Earl Liuyuan probably wouldn't even be able to find me if he wanted to vent his anger on me. I was just worried about dampening your morale and ruining the new women's weekly magazine that we've worked so hard to get started. Otherwise, Earl Liuyuan would have had a taste of what my wrath is like..."

The servants of Count Yanagihara's household, though determined to take their mistress home, found that the newspaper office disregarded their status, the onlookers kept pointing and whispering, and even when the police arrived, they refused to side with them, only urging both sides to sit down and talk things over. Gradually, the servants lost the will to take their mistress home.

When Lin Xinyi stepped forward and stated that he had taken responsibility for the consequences, the servants readily withdrew. Previously, they had refused to leave because no one at the newspaper was willing to take responsibility, and while the women wanted to take responsibility, they denied it. Lin Xinyi's intervention provided them with an explanation, and they stopped blocking the gate demanding the servants' return.

When the servants returned home, Count Yanagihara was entertaining Ito Den'emon. He had called his sister back so that the two could formally meet before proceeding with the marriage proposal. The reason he was in such a hurry to betroth his sister to Ito Den'emon was that he needed the latter's financial support to run for a seat in the House of Peers.

Upon hearing the servant's report, Count Yanagihara was naturally furious. He immediately roared, "A mere naval lieutenant commander telling me to be cautious? Has he lost his mind?"

However, Ito Den'emon, who was standing to the side, asked seriously, "That naval lieutenant commander claimed to be Hayashi Shin'ichi from the Cultural Section of the Naval General Staff?"

The servant honestly replied, "Yes, that's what he said. However, he wasn't wearing a military uniform, but the police in Ginza treated him very respectfully and called him Lieutenant Colonel Hayashi, so we don't think he's a fraud."

After listening, Ito Den'emon turned to Count Yanagihara and said, "Let's put this marriage on hold for now. Let me meet with Lieutenant Colonel Hayashi first, and then we'll talk about it."

Seeing Ito's serious expression, Count Yanagihara waved for his servants to leave, then asked, "Who is this Lieutenant Colonel Hayashi Nobuyoshi? Who is he related to?"

Ito Den'emon remained silent for a long while before carefully saying, "You're not an outsider, so I'll be frank. It's said he almost became the adopted son of Marquis Saigo, and now he's a favorite of Elder Ito and Commander-in-Chief Kawahara, someone even Minister Yamamoto can't touch. The reason I came to Tokyo this time is precisely to get to know him. We coal traders are doomed without the navy's support..."

Count Yanagihara looked at Ito, momentarily speechless. In terms of connections to the Navy, Ito Den'emon was naturally far superior; the Satsuma clique had influence in almost every aspect of Kyushu's coal trade. If even Ito couldn't handle that lieutenant colonel, then he was even more helpless. The once lively banquet suddenly turned cold.

Chapter 604

Compared to the lower and middle ranks of the navy, businessmen like Ito Den'emon, who have close ties with the navy, are more likely to notice changes in power within the navy, since such changes often pose unpredictable risks to their businesses.

For example, during the late Edo period, it was not uncommon for merchants employed by the shogunate to provide loans to the anti-shogunate coalition. By hedging their bets, these merchants successfully weathered the crisis of the shogunate's collapse. As for those merchants who were not flexible enough or had too close ties with the shogunate, they were unable to make a comeback in the new era.

Therefore, coal mine owners and shipyard shareholders, who had close ties with the navy, were most sensitive to any developments within the navy. They weren't just now aware that Lin Xinyi had almost become the adopted son of the Marquis of Saigo; it was simply a matter of almost succeeding, and without becoming a candidate for shogun, one was not the master of the shogunate, so naturally no one paid attention to this unfortunate but fortunate individual.

However, after the meeting at Oiso, the rumor that he almost became Saigo Takamichi's adopted son was no longer a mockery of Hayashi Shin'ichi, but an acknowledgment of his extraordinary status. It was almost as if this was the man Saigo was destined to become a great figure, which was why Saigo Hou took a liking to him.

The change in these people's opinion of Hayashi Shin'ichi stemmed from Yamamoto's rather crushing defeat at the Ōiso meeting. Ever since Yamamoto Gonnohyōe became Saigō Tsugumichi's chosen successor, Yamamoto Gonnohyōe had been practically the only sun in the navy. Saigō Tsugumichi almost always listened to him and never refuted Yamamoto's suggestions, even on issues like personnel reforms that offended many of the Satsuma elders.

After Saigo Tsugumichi's death, Yamamoto Gonnohyōe's prestige within the Navy reached new heights. Had Ito Sukeyuki not directly left the Navy to become Prime Minister, he truly wouldn't have been able to counter the personnel connections Yamamoto Gonnohyōe had cultivated within the Navy over decades. Kawahara Yoichi merely avoided the issue, moving the Naval General Staff away from the Ministry of the Navy, thus distancing himself from the pressure Yamamoto Gonnohyōe exerted on the General Staff. Ultimately, Yamamoto Gonnohyōe held the reins in internal naval affairs.

In the personnel appointment of Togo Heihachiro to replace Hidaka Sonojo as Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, Yamamoto Gonnohyōe's domineering nature was on full display. Hidaka Sonojo, who was also a pillar of Satsuma, could only accept the transfer order in disappointment and go to Maizuru Naval Base to retire. This was also a major reason why the naval base commanders at the generals' meeting sided with the Naval General Staff. The naval base had almost become a place of exile for Yamamoto Gonnohyōe to marginalize the naval powerhouses. How could they possibly have any goodwill towards the Ministry of the Navy?

Therefore, before the Ōiso Conference, although Kawahara Yoichi's prestige in the navy was gradually rising, the merchants who depended on the navy still believed that Yamamoto Kai's control over the navy was unshakable. After all, Kawahara was older than Yamamoto Gonnohyōe, and it was impossible for him to wait for Yamamoto Kai to retire and take over the position of Minister of the Navy.

However, after the Ōiso Conference, this view was reversed. It became a fact that Yamamoto Kai had lost control of the navy, and the next Minister of the Navy was no longer affiliated with the Yamamoto-Saito faction. The merchants who were originally on Yamamoto-Saito's ships now had to consider how to establish a relationship with Commander-in-Chief Kawahara.

The merchants' concerns were not unfounded. The social survey conducted by the Naval General Staff's Cultural Affairs Division on the Navy's own factories and partner companies showed no signs of ending; on the contrary, the survey was becoming increasingly detailed. The Ministry of the Navy had largely ignored this operation and had not responded to the complaints from some merchants.

The businessmen filed a complaint because these social investigation teams had expanded their investigations from production and operations to the living and working conditions of workers. This provoked a strong reaction from the workers, who felt that the teams were disrupting the factories rather than conducting research. Their complaint to the Ministry of the Navy was a plea for the Ministry to intervene and restrain the Naval General Staff's actions, preventing further trouble for them.

This reaction from the Navy Ministry further amplified the merchants' anxieties about power shifts within the Navy. Itō Den'emon's desire to marry a noblewoman as a second wife to enhance his prestige was similar to that of a wealthy upstart who liked to build a grand mansion. Miss Yanagihara was not only from a noble family but also a renowned beauty, which fueled Itō Den'emon's desire to form a marriage alliance with the Yanagihara family.

However, this doesn't mean he's lost his mind and would go against a prominent figure in the navy for a woman. Besides, Lin Xinyi is different from veterans like Kawahara and Yamamoto; he could truly continue serving in the navy for decades to come. Naturally, he wouldn't want to create another enemy for no reason, and he even tried to persuade Count Yanagihara not to make a big fuss to avoid being dragged into the conflict.

After leaving Yanagihara's residence, Ito Den'emon went to see his fellow townsman, Nakano Tokujiro. The real tycoon of Kyushu's coal mines was Yasukawa Keiichiro. Almost all the other coal mine owners had received support from Yasukawa. Newspapers praised Ito Den'emon as the coal king of Kyushu, but in reality, he was just a member of Meiji Mining, which was established by the Yasukawa zaibatsu.

Keiichiro Yasukawa has gradually withdrawn from the day-to-day operations of the company, and Tokujiro Nakano is now in charge of Meiji Mining. Meiji Mining is naturally very concerned about the change of power within the Navy and the Navy's heavy industry development plan. This means that when the Navy welcomes a new power core, it remains to be seen whether they can still thrive along with the Navy.

Nakano Tokujiro praised Ito Den'emon for calming down Count Yanagihara immediately, saying, "You did the right thing. This matter must not be blown out of proportion. For young people, it's just a romantic affair. Hayashi Shin'ichi won't even get a scratch, but he will remember you. His methods are not much different from those of Yamamoto when he was young."

Ito Den'emon immediately became interested and asked, "What did he do in the navy?"

Nakano Tokujiro sighed and said, "A few days ago, the Naval General Staff and the various naval ministries organized a seminar for ministers and section chiefs to make a phased summary of the war review. Then the Naval General Staff pointed out that the work of the Management Department and the Education Headquarters was not valued in peacetime, which was the root cause of many problems in the war. The Russians were defeated in this war not because the navy performed well, but because the Russians made more mistakes than the navy. Therefore, there is no need to be complacent about the victory in this war. The navy should consider whether, if they were to encounter naval powers such as Britain, the United States, and Germany, they would continue to make mistakes like the Russians and hand over the victory to the Empire."

Vice Admiral Saito, who was in charge of the navy's daily operations, was essentially publicly criticized. It's said that several cups were smashed in his office afterward, casting doubt on his future prospects.

Itō Den'emon understood why Nakano sighed. They had all been betting on Saitō, as everyone previously believed Saitō Minoru was a shoo-in for Yamamoto as Minister of the Navy, naturally wanting to cultivate a good relationship with the next Minister. However, the public criticism from the heads and section chiefs of the Navy's central ministries meant that no one was optimistic about Saitō becoming Minister of the Navy; their previous investment had been wasted.

Even knowing that Lin Xinyi would surely rise to prominence in the navy, Ito couldn't help but feel indignant for Saito Minoru, saying, "Don't these people have any sense of hierarchy? Vice Admiral Saito has been in charge of the navy's daily operations for so long. He has worked hard, even if he hasn't made any great contributions. Besides, we won this war, so are they trying to kick us while we're down?"

Nakano Tokujiro could only shake his head and say, "It's not necessarily true that they'll dismantle the bridge after crossing the river, but it's a fact that the personnel changes that Yamamoto and Saito made in the Navy were unpopular. Before, there was a threat of war, so everyone could only silently endure it. Now that the war is over, there will definitely be infighting within the Navy. However, Yamamoto and Saito have lost far too much."

Ito nodded repeatedly. Before the Ōiso Conference, who could have imagined that Yamamoto, the Minister of the Navy who led the navy to victory against the Russians, would be no match for Commander-in-Chief Kawahara? It was truly astonishing. Logically speaking, after winning this war, Yamamoto's prestige should have been at its peak. With the victorious return of Togo, it seemed that Commander-in-Chief Kawahara had no chance of winning.

According to Chinese folklore, this is a classic story where the Yang family generals defeated the Liao Dynasty on the front lines, only to be punished by Pan Renmei in the rear—a classic tale of a treacherous minister triumphing over a loyal one. It's truly unimaginable that such a thing could happen in the Meiji era.

However, too many unimaginable things had happened on Edo, so everyone quickly accepted reality. Nakano Tokujiro returned to the topic, saying, "The Navy is expected to undergo another large-scale personnel reshuffle. It's not a good thing to clash with the Naval General Staff at this time. It's good that you've been patient."

It was only then that Ito Den'emon realized he hadn't underestimated Hayashi Nobuyoshi's position in the Navy. In fact, in Nakano's eyes, it wasn't just about Hayashi's future in the Navy, but that he was already quite troublesome right now. Yasukawa Keiichiro had deep ties with the Satsuma clique and even close relations with the Saigo family. Nakano, representing Yasukawa, shouldn't have needed to be so wary of a mere lieutenant commander in the Navy. However, in the face of power struggles within the Navy, relationships became irrelevant.

While feeling fortunate, Ito Den'emon still asked curiously, "So, does that mean the next Minister of the Navy will inevitably fall into the hands of Commander-in-Chief Kawahara? Then, will the Navy-led heavy industry plan also depend on the whims of the Naval General Staff?"

Nakano scratched his head and said dejectedly, "Chief of Staff Kawahara has a greater than 50% chance of becoming the next Minister of the Navy. As for the heavy industry plan led by the Navy, it seems that it will be led by the Naval General Staff. The Ministry of the Navy can't even produce a draft of the plan, so it is obviously impossible for them to lead the heavy industry plan."

The heavy industry plan was what Ito Den'emon was really concerned about. Hearing Nakano's words, he asked nervously, "We've been cooperating with the Navy for so many years, and we've never neglected our daily obligations. Whether it's the Ministry of the Navy or the Naval General Staff leading a project, they shouldn't leave us out, right?"

However, Nakano's answer still disappointed him: "Yes, our cooperation with the Navy began long before the Taiwan Expedition, so the Navy certainly cannot turn us away."

However, this heavy industry plan is simply too large in scale; no one can undertake it alone. The first phase of the plan alone requires the issuance of 5 million yuan in national bonds, equivalent to one-third of the expenditure for launching this war. Therefore, the navy must involve all parties involved; otherwise, it cannot be completed.

A construction budget of 5 million yen is indeed an astonishing amount. Ito Den'emon immediately thought of the ten-year defense and industrial development budget passed in 1895, which was as high as 4.31 million yen, of which 2.95 million yen was for naval construction. In 1899, the total budget was increased to 5.16 million yen. In other words, this is another ten-year plan budget, and this time it will be entirely focused on industry. This is naturally a huge pie.

Ito swallowed hard and said, "Can the military really agree to spend 5 million yen on industry over the next ten years without increasing the military budget? What about national defense then?"

After a moment of silence, Nakano said, "The Navy's intention is that the first phase of construction will take five years, and may be brought forward if possible. The Navy's position is that East Asia will be peaceful for the next ten years, and that the Navy has the capability to protect that peace. As for the Army, there has been no formal objection to the Navy's plan yet, but the government currently supports the Navy's position."

After thinking for a moment, Ito Den'emon said, "Then we should contact the Naval General Staff as soon as possible. Even if we can't take over the entire plan, we should at least control the coal supply. Whether it's steelmaking or power generation, we always need coal. Does Japan have any better and cheaper coal than Kyushu coal?"

Nakano nodded in agreement, but he quickly added with a worried expression, "It's just that Mitsui and Mitsubishi want to exclude others from the project, and on the Navy's side, if we want to contact the Naval General Staff, we have to abandon Vice Minister Saito. This is truly a difficult choice."

Ito was somewhat angry upon hearing that Mitsui and Mitsubishi planned to monopolize heavy industry. However, he did admit that if the two conglomerates joined forces, it was indeed possible to monopolize the plan. After all, Japan's economy was no longer in the dire straits it was in before the First Sino-Japanese War. Although the First Sino-Japanese War and this war had cost a lot of money to fight, not all of these funds had flowed out of the country. Much of the money had flowed into the hands of capitalists like them who invested in industry.

In 1895, when the First Sino-Japanese War ended, the total capital of banks in Japan was 2.32 million yen. By 1903, the total capital of banks had increased to 8.89 million yen, and the volume of foreign trade during the same period also rose from 6000 million yen to 6 million yen. Mitsui and Mitsubishi together accounted for nearly half of the bank capital and nearly half of the foreign trade volume.

If these two conglomerates truly join forces to monopolize this heavy industry project, then they can indeed prevent others from joining. Therefore, Ito somewhat recklessly said, "Why are we still concerned about Vice Minister Saito's feelings? Of course, we have to think of ourselves first. Have we wronged him with the wealth we've contributed in the past? Ultimately, this time it's his own bad luck, not that we abandoned him. We can't all die together, can we?"

Although Ito's words were somewhat rude, Nakano didn't refute them. These people had made their fortunes in the Kyushu coal mining business with rudeness and brutality; otherwise, how could the miners obey their orders? In truth, he already knew the answer in his heart, but he didn't want to reveal it. After all, Saito had only lost power, not completely collapsed. If Saito were to rise again one day, he worried about being handed over to appease Saito's anger at being abandoned.