NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 122



Only Krnovel

Flash point (1)

Tokyo, where everything in sight has collapsed.

If I had to pick out the buildings that were relatively intact here, they would be the Army Ministry building in Ushigome-ku (present-day Shinjuku), the Navy Ministry in Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, located right next to the Imperial Palace, and the Imperial Palace located in between.

There may be other buildings that are in good condition if you look further, but when the citizens of Tokyo, who search the ground every day for food, straighten their backs and raise their heads, these are the only three buildings that can be seen.

“Now that I think about it, I guess I misjudged.”

“?”

Among the many Tokyo citizens was Kita Itki, who had recently met Crown Prince Hirohito.

“Teacher, what did you see wrong again?”

“Are you curious?”

“Yes, I’m curious.”

“Then give me 10 yen so I can buy a bowl of soba.”

“… … I’ve heard that prices in Tokyo have gone crazy lately, but I don’t think a bowl of soba will cost 10 yen.”

“You idiot. If you’re going to be running around the streets, you have to line the soldiers’ pockets.”

“That too.”

Kita Itki lay down on the veranda of the half-collapsed house, where the cold wind was blowing in, and picked up the Chosun Ilbo lying next to him.

“I wonder what kind of article these Joseon guys will write to amuse me today~”

“Master, you said you would tell me a little while ago what I was thinking wrong.”

“Oh, my mouth is as strong as the trust of the Imperial Japanese Army, and as heavy as the loyalty of the Imperial Japanese Navy, so it will not open as you wish.”

“… … If you want soba, I can have someone make it for you tonight.”

“Cold buckwheat noodles, please.”

“Yes, I will ask you to get me some ice as well.”

“What kind of soba is that with ice?”

“… … .”

Kita Itki, who had been teasing his disciple, sat down with a grin.

“Are you curious?”

“Yes, please tell me now.”

“It’s not that great.”

“So I’m curious.”

“Okay. Then I’ll tell you.”

Kita Itki glanced around, then quietly gestured for them to come closer.

And when the disciple put his face in, he grabbed his ear and said.

“I used to think that the owners of this huge farm called the Empire of Japan were the Emperor and his minions. But when I look at the way things are going these days, I realize that the Emperor and his minions are not the owners, but are just chickens sitting on the highest perch. What do you mean?”

“Huh? No, what the blasphemous… … .”

Before the disciple could finish speaking, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper that had wrapped up Kita Itki’s anger hit him in the head.

“Hey! Is Karaage funny?”

“… … ?”

“Isn’t it funny that a crazy chicken thinks he’s the owner of a great ranch?”

“Did I say that?”

“no.”

“… … ?”

“Oh~ I feel tired after moving around for the first time in a while.”

Kita Itki lay down on the ground and covered his face with the Chosun Ilbo newspaper, which had a large article about the fifth royal conference held to mediate the fight and its miserable failure.

Then he closed his eyes tightly and waved his hands.

“I have to go see Emperor Meiji, so you come call me for dinner later.”

“… … .”

Soon, someone’s snoring could be heard loudly in Kita Itki’s house.

* * *

When Crown Prince Hirohito, who had been watching the situation unfold while living in seclusion in the Imperial Palace, returned to the front lines, the gunfire in Tokyo fell silent.

As the crown prince and his wife appeared in the ruined streets, the army and navy, who had been pointing their guns at each other, put down their guns.

Perhaps if someone knew this, they would cry that Hirohito should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and shout “Long Live the Immortal Emperor of Shinto.”

No, there were actually people crying.

But what we must remember here is that this fight was not fought because foreign troops invaded Japan, but because the struggle for vested interests between the Army and Navy had grown considerably…

“Therefore, His Majesty the Emperor has sent me in his place to bring together the representatives of both sides and listen to each other’s thoughts and intentions.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

Hirohito personally went to the Ministry of the Army and the Ministry of the Navy and summoned to the Imperial Palace the old men who would not listen to him like some three-year-old son whom he hated.

In this way, the Imperial Council, which had not been held for a long time since the Meiji Emperor, was convened again.

If this were a fairy tale, it would have ended with the brave Crown Prince Hirohito resolving the division of Japan, ending all the hatred and conflict in the world, and everyone living happily ever after being praised as the Eternal Emperor.

But this was not a fairy tale, and Hirohito was not a prince riding a white horse like in fairy tales.

And these old men, glaring at each other with sullen expressions in front of him, seemed to be acting like animals, but they seemed a bit distant from those guys who sang about love, peace, and hope.

“The army is a group of traitors who took advantage of the Emperor’s absence and the national disaster of the great earthquake to seize power for themselves.”

“The Navy is a group of liars who use their cunning tongue to label us as a corrupt group and frame us for crimes that we don’t have. Should we just sit back and let that happen?”

“Huh, how much did you have to eat to be trembling over something like that and raising an army?”

“Then, fearing that their lie would be exposed, they brought their entire fleet to Tokyo Bay and completely destroyed Tokyo.”

Neither side was willing to give in to the other.

The Army and Navy were hurling malicious remarks at each other, to the point where even a passing mention of each other could be fatal to the other.

“It is no secret in Tokyo that the Army has some kind of connection with the Black Dragon Society, a secret society within the Japanese government.”

“Among the Navy’s security documents, there is one that happened during the Meiji era… … .”

“Oh, why are you bringing that up now?”

“Then, why is the Black Dragon Society suddenly appearing?”

Although it was the first royal meeting in a long time, the atmosphere in the conference room was truly a mess.

It was quite embarrassing to watch the Minister of the Army and the Minister of the Navy, who could be called the commanders of the Army and the Navy, spit at each other and even curse at each other.

“… … .”

That is why Hirohito also said nothing.

The royal conference held to mediate the two sides has failed to find any meaningful agreement each time, and today is the fifth time that it has been cancelled.

“It’s difficult… … . It’s hard… … .”

Having heard Kita Itki’s words, I had some idea that the path he was walking would be difficult and arduous.

However, like Alexander the Great who cut the Gordian knot with his sword, which was said to be unsolvable, Hirohito also believed that he could overcome this difficult situation head on.

No, I believed it.

‘Fucking old people.’

But the military, which was completely blocked up, sat down at the crown prince’s request, but that was all.

Although they outwardly appeared willing to negotiate and stop the fighting, they were still at war.

However, if there is a difference from before… … . This war will be different from before in that instead of bullets flying and people dying, there will be an exchange of saliva and fingers, wounding each other’s hearts.

‘What should I do about this… … .’

Hirohito had a duty to sort out this situation and calm the internal turmoil.

In the current situation where the Japanese government is unable to fulfill its role and has collapsed, it was right for the Emperor, the symbol and living god of the Empire of Japan, to take the lead.

However, his father, Emperor Taisho, the current emperor, was suffering from a chronic illness and injuries sustained in the earthquake and subsequent battles, so it was up to Hirohito, who was now twenty-two years old, to deal with all of this.

Internally, the Army and Navy were shooting at each other, creating a terrifying situation bordering on civil war, and before the post-war panic had even subsided, a great earthquake struck, causing the economy to collapse.

And outside, the Chinese warlords were slowly preparing for a war to unify the continent, while the Manchurians attacked Guandong Province and paralyzed it.

Even if experiencing just one of these would have been enough to make one sigh deeply, the sea spirit of Tokyo Bay presented all these trials to the honest Hirohito, placing a heavy burden on him that was too much for a young man of only twenty-two to bear.

‘What should I solve first… … .’

Now, to put it simply, this situation is like Hirohito trying to cut the Gordian knot like Alexander the Great.

But it was clear that the knot had been cut, but instead, the knot had become even more tangled.

‘The best way to regain control of Kwantung Province is to send troops directly… … .’

But when it came to sending troops, there were no suitable units to send from the mainland to Gwandong Province.

A considerable budget was needed to restore Tokyo, which was in chaos due to the earthquake and the fighting between the army and navy.

But, you’re sending troops all the way to Kwantung Province?

‘That won’t happen… … . That won’t happen.’

Something different was needed.

‘Then all that remains is to send the troops stationed abroad to Manchuria and order them to deal with the rebels.’

Finally, an idea came to Hirohito’s mind of a unit that would faithfully carry out his orders.

“Joseon had an army too.”

There were as many as two permanent army divisions.

Naturally, these were all Class A divisions and were the most powerful units in East Asia.

However, such a powerful army crossing the border at once could immediately cause international conflict and friction, so it was necessary to send people to Fengtian to properly oil the people there.

‘If I tell them that I will deal with the budget for the expedition later and have them deal with it as part of the budget of the Governor-General, I will be able to rest my worries for the time being.’

As his thoughts began to open, plans to overcome the current situation began to slowly emerge in Hirohito’s mind.

‘Our military will use the pretext created by defeating the rebel forces to suppress the army and navy, drastically reduce the size of the military that they have been recklessly expanding, restore Tokyo to its original state, and secure a budget to revive the economy.’

As he slowly organized his thoughts, the confidence that had been lost in Hirohito’s heart began to rise again.

My body was energized with the confidence that I could accomplish anything if I kept going like this.

“Hey! Is anyone here?”

After thinking about it, Hirohito immediately called someone.

The exuberance of youth made it impossible for him to sit still.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

At his call, the attendant came running in.

“Yes, I’m sending a telegram to Gyeongseong now… … .”

“We’re in big trouble!”

“… … ?”

I’ve been through this before.

The situation where the chief of the guard suddenly falls to the floor with an anxious expression on his face… … is like that.

Usually, these cases didn’t end well.

“Whew… … What’s going on now? Did the Army and Navy start shooting in Tokyo again?”

Hirohito sighed.

As expected, I can’t break my bad habits. They started fighting again, and I had a headache trying to stop them.

But his thoughts were pleasantly off track.

“No! The War Department and the Navy Department are faithfully carrying out His Majesty’s ceasefire order!”

“Then what’s going on? What’s going on that makes you feel so breathless?”

“This time, it’s not the inside, it’s the outside!”

“Out of town?”

The attendant had a sad look on his face.

“This is a report from the Governor-General’s Office that just came up… … .”

“What is it that… … .”

Hirohito accepted the report from the Chief of Police of the Government-General of Korea, handed over by the chief chamberlain.

Originally, such an item should not have been in his hands, but given the circumstances, no one was there to point it out.

Hirohito, who was reading the report carefully, took off his glasses for a moment, wiped the lenses thoroughly, and then read the report again.

“… … .”

“majesty…….”

“… … So you’re saying that the Imperial Japanese Army was in collusion with the Buddhist monks?”

“Your Majesty… … .”

Hirohito’s grip tightened, and he tore the rather thick report lengthwise.

The report was torn apart and the red-faced demon hiding behind it reappeared.

NIS Agent Tears the Japanese Empire Episode 123