Time travel! Regrets will never happen again!

Chapter 193 Fight or Surrender 1

"Sir! I think what General Hebian said makes some sense! The situation in the empire is very dangerous now!"

"I won't talk about the current situation on the Chinese battlefield! With the fall of Iwo Jima on the Pacific battlefield, the Americans have already stepped into the absolute defense circle set up by the Empire!"

"Your Majesty has just passed the critical period because of the continuous blows he has suffered. His Excellency Hideki Tojo has resigned as Prime Minister for this reason!"

"The military and the government are completely unable to reinforce us now. That bastard Umezu Mijiro is now like a cowardly old dog, just huddled outside the Great Wall. He doesn't even have the courage to enter the Great Wall!"

"What should we do? What can we do?"

"Of course, dying for the Empire is the easiest thing. We, the warriors of the Empire of Japan, are not afraid of death! But if we die, what will happen to the Empire?"

Everyone was silent, feeling heavy-hearted as if a lead cloud was pressing down on their heads. They knew very well that the empire was now in an unprecedented predicament.

The situation of the empire is like a crumbling building, and they are the guardians of this building.

However, faced with such a grim situation, they felt that their power was so small and insignificant.

They understood that it was not difficult to die fighting for the empire, but that would not solve the problem, and they needed to think of deeper solutions to protect the future of the empire.

In this silence, everyone was searching for answers deep in their hearts. They knew that time was running out and they had to act quickly, otherwise the empire would face a catastrophe.

After hearing the chief of staff's words, all the senior generals fell silent. Each of them showed a solemn and worried look on his face. They knew in their hearts that the chief of staff was telling the truth, but they could not accept such a fact.

Hata Shunroku sat there with his head down, saying nothing. His face was frighteningly gloomy, as if the end of the world was coming.

He was filled with anger and unwillingness, and felt deeply guilty and regretful for his failure.

The Chief of Staff's voice echoed in the conference room: "Gentlemen! We can no longer place our hopes on those politicians who are only concerned with vying for power and scheming against each other! They will only put us in deeper trouble!"

Everyone remained silent. They knew what the chief of staff said was true, but they were unwilling to admit this cruel reality.

The Chief of Staff continued, "Gentlemen! I know what I said is cruel, but we must face reality! The empire is about to be defeated, this is almost an inevitable outcome! If we continue to persist, what awaits us will be more sacrifices and greater losses!"

Everyone raised their heads and looked at the chief of staff, with complicated lights in their eyes. They began to think about the chief of staff's suggestion and realized that achieving a real ceasefire with the Chinese might be the only way out at the moment.

"Gentlemen, if the war continues and the Empire is eventually defeated, we will no longer be able to choose the conditions offered by the allies. Now, we still have the opportunity to take the initiative to negotiate with the Chinese and strive for more favorable conditions."

"Otherwise, after the empire is defeated, we will be left with nothing, not even the capital to turn things around!" The chief of staff's words struck heavily on everyone's heart.

Hata Shunroku finally couldn't help but speak: "But how can we believe that the Chinese will give us good conditions? They have always been hostile to us. We have caused them great harm. Won't they take the opportunity to retaliate?"

The chief of staff took a deep breath and said slowly: "General Hata Shunroku, we have no other choice. If we continue to fight, more soldiers will be sacrificed and the country will fall into a deeper crisis."

"Moreover, the Chinese will not necessarily take the opportunity to retaliate against us. They may be more concerned about post-war peace and stability. As long as we show sincerity and have sincere negotiations with them, there may still be a glimmer of hope."

Hata Shunroku was silent for a moment, then nodded helplessly, indicating that he agreed with the chief of staff's point of view.

He knew that at this critical moment, they needed to make difficult decisions. For the future of the empire, they had to let go of past hatreds and seek reconciliation with the Chinese.

The Chief of Staff stood up and looked at everyone with a firm gaze. He said loudly: "Gentlemen, now is the moment to decide the fate of the empire! We must face reality bravely, put aside our personal interests, and put the interests of the empire first! Only in this way can we gain a glimmer of hope for the future of the empire!"

Everyone nodded in support. They understood that they were shouldering a heavy responsibility at this moment and must be responsible for the future of the empire.

Hata Shunroku stood up, walked to the window, and stared quietly at the scenery outside the window. He made up his mind secretly.

"Now! We must give up the occupied Chinese territories, but only need to retain control of Goryeo, the Ryukyu Islands and Frog Island. Of course, it would be even better if we could keep Manchukuo!"

"We can negotiate the specific conditions with the Chinese. Minister Chen of the Chinese government will be here soon! He will be the representative for this secret negotiation! You should know that the Chinese are not monolithic. We can take advantage of the subtle relationship between them to gain more benefits for the empire!"

At this moment, what Okamura Yasuji said may not be an easy choice to accept for those who consider themselves loyal and brave to the empire.

However, after careful consideration, this may also be a way to save the country in a roundabout way while also saving their own lives.

At this time, several Japanese division commanders suddenly discovered a problem, that is, those front-line commanders who had always been extremely hostile to the Chinese and participated in the massacre had all disappeared from the North China Expeditionary Army Headquarters. This made them feel very surprised and confused.

If you think about it carefully, these officers are murderers who once committed crimes against the Chinese people. If they were released back to Japan now, they would definitely be spurned and criticized by the people.

As for Hata Shunroku, due to his high position, Commander Okamura might not easily take action against him.

Thinking of this, several division commanders immediately understood the deep meaning of it. They realized that Commander Okamura had already anticipated the development of today's situation and made countermeasures in advance. They couldn't help but admire Commander Okamura's wisdom and decisiveness.

Then they immediately made eye contact with each other, and each of them saw shock and relief in the other's eyes.

They understood that Commander Okamura not only possessed outstanding military talent, but also had keen insight and decisiveness. This foresight enabled them to carve out a way out in the complex and ever-changing war environment.