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Tokyo, upon receiving news that Austria had intervened in the affairs of the Philippines, Emperor Meiji convened an emergency imperial conference at night.
It couldn't be helped; this was the deterrent power of a top-tier power. Like most ordinary people of the era, Emperor Meiji also suffered from a fear of the "foreign."
Challenging Spain alone had made Emperor Meiji extremely anxious; the addition of Austria meant days truly hard to endure.
Despite the smooth progress of the southern strategy, with the Spaniards proving even more incompetent than expected, and the Japanese Army occupying almost half of the Philippines within a little over a month, the achievements were remarkable.
However, this was only superficial; the swift advance of the Japanese Army had simply caught Spain off guard. In essence, Spain's overall strength still exceeded Japan's.
