NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 96



Only Krnovel

Kyungsung Blues (4)

The ground shook.

That too shook quite violently.

In Japan, ground shaking was as common as Koreans putting kimchi on their rice, so people didn’t feel particularly threatened.

But that day was a little different than usual.

The ground shook and shook, windows shattered, buildings collapsed, and the streets were filled with the screams of children looking for their parents and the terror of people in fear.

“Oh my! Oh my gosh!!!”

“Everyone, hold on tight!”

“Hey, hide under the table! Quickly!”

Earthquakes were a common occurrence in Japan, so everyone knew at least some of the ways to evacuate when one occurred.

But even if you hide under a table, you will be buried when the building collapses, and even if you take refuge in a wide open space, the debris from the collapsing building will fly in all directions and hit people.

This earthquake was not a short earthquake that lasted just 1 to 2 minutes, but rather a fairly long earthquake that lasted 4 to 10 minutes.

It was around lunchtime, so people were either heading to restaurants to get a bite to eat or were cooking in the kitchen.

In that situation, an earthquake occurred, buildings collapsed, and flames burst out everywhere.

The area where the earthquake passed was filled with people who had collapsed, similar to the rubble of a collapsed building.

Flames raged throughout the Kanto region, including Tokyo, and as a typhoon made landfall in the southern part of the Japanese archipelago, strong winds blew, causing the flames to grow from a small snake to a dragon.

At the appearance of the red dragon that decorated the sky, people were speechless and just stared blankly at the ascending dragon.

“It’s pretty… … .”

The children on the street were captivated by the red dragon that beautifully decorated the sky.

But the dragon wasn’t such a nice guy.

He was a vicious man who gave himself over to the wind blowing from the south and set fire to various places in Tokyo.

Wherever the dragon struggled, flames rose up, roasting alive those trapped under the rubble of buildings.

The smell of burning permeated everywhere, and Tokyo was engulfed in flames.

* * *

“Ugh… … . My head.”

“It looks like this earthquake was a bit big.”

Meanwhile, Army Vice Minister Ugaki and Chief of Staff Hideki Tojo, who were discussing future plans at the Army Ministry, were fortunately able to escape this danger.

The Army Ministry building was made of stone, unlike other buildings in Tokyo that were made of wood. It was also a sturdy building that contained the wisdom of its predecessors to be used as a fortress in times of emergency, so the unfortunate event of the building completely collapsing in this earthquake did not occur.

“It looks like the west wall has collapsed a little, but it doesn’t seem like there’s much damage.”

“Umm… … What about the Navy guys?”

“I don’t know the situation on your side yet.”

“Send some relief troops and check out the situation there. We need to keep an eye on them to see if they’re planning something using this situation.”

“I will do so.”

Even though the country was turned upside down by the earthquake, Ugaki’s mind was still focused on the navy.

Of course, that doesn’t mean he focused all his attention on the Navy.

“Hmm… … . Judging from the state of the streets, the damage seems to be severe. I’ll check the situation of the units in Tokyo and its vicinity in detail and report back.”

“There is no need to investigate.”

“what?”

Dojo pressed a handkerchief to his slightly torn hair that had just crashed into the wall.

“Have you forgotten that we sent the 1st Division, the 13th Division, and the 14th Division to Tokyo to subdue the Military Police Headquarters and eliminate the Choshu faction?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Since the outside is like that, they must have suffered a lot of damage. In addition, the city’s telegraph network has probably been completely destroyed by the earthquake, so it will be difficult to properly grasp the situation because telegraphs cannot be sent.”

“Then, wouldn’t it be okay to just send someone?”

Dojo shook his head.

“Buildings are collapsing, flames are raging everywhere, the streets are chaotic, and people are in a state of turmoil. If we let people out in this situation, it is certain that we will be caught up in the chaos in the streets.”

“Hmm… … Then what do you want to do?”

“First, let’s arm the remaining guards and standby personnel in the Army Ministry who can walk well and go to the Imperial Palace.”

When Tojo suddenly suggested that they go to the Imperial Palace, Ugaki was startled and asked Tojo.

“Hwanggeo? Why there?”

“Of course, it is to secure the personal guard of His Majesty the Emperor, the Sun of the Empire of Japan, and to ensure his safety.”

“So why would we do that? There will be guards there anyway.”

At Ugaki’s words, Dojo smiled broadly and sighed lightly.

“Haa… … Vice Minister Ugaki, why are you so blind to the future?”

“What, what?!”

“Right now, there is chaos all over Tokyo and we can’t really control the situation. Isn’t that right?”

“Umm… … . Right.”

“But in a national disaster like this, isn’t it natural for strange rumors to circulate from time to time?”

“Rumor?”

Ugaki was about to get a little angry at Dojo’s slightly rude behavior, but before he knew it, he started listening to him again.

“For example, imagine that rumors were spreading that Koreans were poisoning wells, killing people indiscriminately, and raping women.”

Ugaki shook his head in disbelief at Dojo’s words.

“No matter how uneducated and stupid the worms are, would you believe such a ridiculous rumor?”

“If it were normal, you wouldn’t believe it. But now the ground is shaking and the world is turning upside down. So many people have lost their homes, families, and property, so don’t you wonder why this happened?”

Dojo’s thoughts were like this.

“So we spread the rumor that the sea was being crushed by the excessive weight of the new ships the Navy was building, causing the earth to twist on its axis and shake.”

“what?”

“Contact the Chosun Ilbo, located far across the ocean, and ask them to publish a special edition, and if possible, have them mention this rumor.”

“What is that… … .”

“No one believes what a few people say, but wouldn’t it be a little more credible if it was published in a foreign country across the ocean?”

Tojo planned to spread men on the streets and embezzle money into the Chosun Ilbo to blame the Navy for this incident, while at the same time sending troops to the Imperial Palace to cut off relations between the Navy and the Emperor, and then cook up a good stew to drive out the Navy ships anchored in Tokyo Bay.

In that case, the Navy Ministry would have no choice but to withdraw without doing anything, so the Army Ministry would declare martial law in Tokyo, control the chaotic civilian government, and handle the post-earthquake chaos, leaving the Army in a firm grip on the political situation thereafter.

If things went according to plan, the next prime minister would be from the army.

Then, the Navy will suddenly find its influence greatly diminished while sucking its thumb.

“It is no different from cutting down an enemy with a single blow.”

“What are we going to do by blaming the Navy for this incident? Do you think they’ll just sit there and take it?”

“Of course they will struggle too. But we can’t be affected by it, right?”

“We’re being hit? What does that mean?”

Tojo thrust a copy of the Chosun Ilbo that had been published a few days ago into Ugaki.

“This is an article that we attached to the Chosun Ilbo and published a few days ago through the Chosun Garrison Command in Gyeongseong.”

It contained articles that secretly supported the Army’s actions while disparaging the Navy.

“What is the reason for showing this?”

“The phrase below is important.”

“Stationery?”

Where Dojo’s finger was pointing, the word “heavenly punishment” was written.

And next to it was written the name of the editorial’s author, Kyuichi Kuroda.

“What’s the problem with this? Isn’t this just another one of those typical journalistic bluffs?”

“Yes, it’s a common bluff and exaggeration. But what is the situation in Tokyo right now?”

“How is it? Well… … . Ah!”

Tokyo was turned upside down by an earthquake.

“Interestingly enough, this article was published in Tokyo the day before the earthquake.”

“… … .”

“People are dying in the streets, and they are still dying. In this case, everyone is a victim, but our Shinto people will want to find someone responsible for this incident. There is no reason or rationality in this kind of thing. If they are our allies, they will be saved, and if they are enemies, they will be killed.”

Ugaki turned his chair around, turned his back on Dojo, and looked out the window.

There you can see Tokyo, which has been devastated by the earthquake.

“What do you want to say?”

“If we stay still, we will be the ones to suffer. We must rush in and stop it before it happens.”

Ugaki sighed.

“Are we going to repeat the mistakes of our predecessors?”

“War is ridiculous. I just wish the Navy, which uses battleships with big cannons as hotels, would know their place.”

Tojo was very dissatisfied with the Navy, which kept nagging the government and taking all the military equipment it had while constantly finding fault with the army’s efforts to increase its power.

Although the Washington Naval Treaty reduced the Navy’s ever-increasing budget, it was the Navy that had been trying to realize the ridiculous and crazy idea of ​​the 88 Fleet.

While the army was only increasing the number of standing divisions by a few, the navy was a bunch of people who were going crazy and saying they would have a dozen or so battleships.

It was only a few years ago that the army was constantly left out because they were sucking up so much military equipment.

“It is not right to give the Navy a chance to raise its voice. It is the rooster that should be crowing on the rooster, not the hen.”

“hmm.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. Just make way for the troops around you to move. Then I’ll take care of the rest as I always do.”

Ugaki’s eyes shook slightly.

At least it shook less than the Tokyo ground that is now starting to shake again.

“Even if we just sit still, if the Navy guys get in there first, it’s all over.”

“hmm.”

“We must defeat them before they attack us. That way, our invincible imperial army will survive.”

“Euuuuum… … .”

“Vice Minister Ugaki, make a decision quickly!”

In the shaking Army Ministry building, the worries of Vice Minister of the Army Ugaki, the real power behind the invincible Imperial Army of the Empire of Japan, only deepened.

* * *

The Army Department’s ominous movements were reported to the Admiralty through Navy spies hidden within the Army.

When he heard the news that the army troops scattered throughout various places were gradually gathering around the Army Ministry, and that the scattered officers were also returning to their original positions and even breaking open the door to the armory, Keisuke Okada, Vice Minister of the Navy of the Navy, lightly clicked his tongue.

“Tsk tsk… It looks like those idiots are up to something again.”

Although it wasn’t clear exactly what they were up to, it wasn’t hard to see that it wasn’t going to be beneficial for the Navy.

“Isn’t Takeshita the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet right now?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Is Takeshita far from Tokyo now?”

“I understand that Commander Takeshita has now gone to the scene to assess the situation of the 1st Fleet waiting in Tokyo Bay!”

“It’s just the perfect situation.”

The situation is not normal right now.

Okada thought it was necessary to check the army, and immediately gave orders to the Combined Fleet.

“At the same time as requesting cooperation from the Naval Command, send someone to Takeshita and tell him to prepare the 1st Fleet waiting in Tokyo Bay for combat as soon as possible.”

“All right!”

On Okada’s orders, the 16-inch main gun of the 1st Fleet flagship Nagato, which had been waiting in Tokyo Bay, turned toward Tokyo.

Following this, the main guns of Mutsu, Ise, and Hyuga also returned to the Japanese army garrison stationed in Tokyo.

In addition, the Navy Ministry declared its own martial law, armed the Navy Ground Forces on standby in Tokyo, and gathered them at the Navy Ministry, and unexpected war clouds gathered over Tokyo.

In a city where everything had been destroyed and collapsed by earthquakes, typhoons, and unprecedented fires, the armies of one country were pointing their guns at each other.

Even though the people who suffered from the earthquake were groaning in pain and in despair at the loss of hope, the soldiers turned their guns on their own forces, claiming that they would seize even a tiny bit of power.

Hideki Tojo said this in front of soldiers gathered at the Army Ministry.

“The invincible Imperial Army, as a patriotic army, will rescue the people in dire straits, help His Majesty the Emperor, who is in mourning, to set this country right, and prove that justice lives in this land!”

“Wow!”

“We will go to the Imperial Palace! There, we will wash away the past years of corruption and shame, eliminate the traitors who confuse His Majesty the Emperor’s eyes and ears, and set the Empire of Japan straight!”

At the same time, at the Ministry of the Navy, Vice Minister of the Navy Keisuke Okada was standing in front of the soldiers of the Navy Ground Forces and giving a long speech.

“At this time, when the country is in trouble and in trouble, the Army Department across from Tokyo is raising an army to overthrow the country. As proud soldiers of the Empire of Japan, we have a duty to make sure that we do not disgrace the uniform we wear.”

Although what they both said was a little different, what they both wanted was similar.

“Defeat the rebels who are disturbing the country… … .”

“… … We must set the country straight again!”

“If you focus on what you are given, you will get good results.”

“I trust you, gentlemen.”

“Divide the unit and have some head to the Imperial Palace and the rest to the Navy Ministry!”

“You go straight to the Imperial Palace, and the rest of you stay here and guard the Navy Department. If any danger arises, immediately request support, and our strong ladies in Tokyo Bay will assist you.”

The die has been cast.

From now on, a strange coup d’état has begun in which the loser becomes the rebel.

NIS Agent Tears the Japanese Empire Episode 97