The Howling Heavens and Earth (3)
Even if the Japanese military was a place where pulling the right strings and playing politics was everything... without a baseline level of competence, neither connections nor politics could function.
Mutaguchi Renya didn't win his commander's seat in a game of Go-Stop. In the original history, he had the monumental achievement of transforming the Kwantung Army's administrative system—which had been little more than a warlord clique—into a massive bureaucratic machine. From his days as a junior officer, he had followed the career path of an outstanding administrative officer and a great bureaucrat.
The Japanese military threw such a genius civil servant onto the battlefield, which ultimately contributed to his monumental achievements for Korean independence.
At any rate...
"H-Huff... Gasp..."
"Sir?! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, bleeegh!"
Renya had just shown a storm of badassery, single-handedly cutting down high-flying officers with his katana. But the stamina of Mutaguchi Renya, a desk-bound bureaucrat, ended right there.
"If it's too hard, please leave me behind and go."
"At this rate, you'll bleed to death, cough, from blood loss. Pant, pant..."
Renya looked more exhausted than Kim Mi-ja, whose ankles had been mutilated and was gushing blood!
"Sir, where are we going?"
"I-I do not know..."
"Don't be like this. Let's go to the Austrian legation too."
"Austria?"
"Yes. In a situation like this... wouldn't it be best to rely on a foreign power?"
That was true. Having cut down his fellow officers, Renya could never return to the military. Under the circumstances, seeking asylum with a foreign nation might be the best option.
Great Britain was in an alliance with Japan, so they might hand Renya over to the Japanese military as a criminal. Furthermore, Renya couldn't speak English, so both Britain and America were out.
While the Japanese Navy was heavily influenced by Great Britain, the Japanese Army was deeply influenced by Germany. Many of the military academy manuals were in German, so Renya could speak a broken, halting German.
"Indeed, there is only Austria. I can speak German, and since Austria is at odds with Great Britain, it should not be a bad place."
"What is the situation in Japan right now?"
"We have completely lost contact with the Austrian legation!"
"Good grief... Did it collapse because of the earthquake?"
A living hell must have unfolded in Kanto, Japan, right now. The Austrian legation's last telegram read, 'Major earthquake occurred. Risk of coup.' After that, contact was completely severed. Perhaps the communications were paralyzed by the earthquake, or the coup forces intentionally cut them. Or both.
A risk of a coup... Who would stage a coup at this point?
Honestly, I didn't know the detailed history of the post-WWI era. Well, I had heard that the Imperial Way Faction or whatever would run amok sooner or later... but was the timing this early?
"Damn it... I should have known in advance and prepared."
"Vice Chairman, how could anyone predict an earthquake?"
"Sigh, still."
Knowing the future often came with a heavy sense of responsibility. Because of that responsibility, I had wiped out those who engaged in senseless massacres. Instead of shaking up other colonies like India, I had specifically chosen Joseon.
"Probably... the Japanese will slaughter every single Korean staying in Tokyo."
"Pardon? How do you know that?"
"It's obvious without even looking. Under an unprecedented disaster, even normal humans become cruel. A Yoshimoto who used to tighten nuts in a factory can turn into Russia's Roman von Ungern-Sternberg in an instant."
Still, on the other hand, this was an opportunity.
Great Britain had agreed to integrate Vietnam into the Prague Treaty Organization for now. After all, France was a defeated nation, and Austria was a victor. On what grounds could they stop us from taking a share of the colonial spoils?
However, Great Britain and Japan opposed incorporating Joseon into the Prague Treaty Organization with their eyes rolled back in fury. From the outside, the Treaty Organization was viewed as a sort of 'colony.' Just as Britain maintained colonies as 'protectorates' and France through 'direct rule,' they believed Austria, which lacked naval weight, was ruling the world through the guise of a 'Treaty Organization.'
But... just inserting someone else's colony directly into your own sphere? That was a reckless move that could lead to war.
"We must expose what is happening in Japan in detail. We will use that as a pretext to incorporate Joseon into the Treaty Organization."
"Yes, Vice Chairman!"
"But we can't just leave Japan alone either, so we must find some pretext to intervene."
Right now, there was no leverage to do anything about Japan. Humanitarian aid was good, but... the best pretext was, of course, a coup. Long ago, didn't the Khitans invade Goryeo using a coup that occurred in Goryeo as their pretext?
"First, it would be great to know who is instigating the coup... This is truly frustrating. Contact the Kingdom of Joseon and the Kingdom of Vietnam immediately. Tell them to be ready to stick a straw into Japan at any moment."
"Yes, sir! ...Vice Chairman! They say the telegram line has been connected! We have contact from Austria!"
I quickly checked the note handed to me by my aide.
As expected of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They were doing a splendid job on their own without instructions from the home country. Having finely tuned the Balkans right before they exploded and constantly clashing with great powers like Russia and the Ottoman Empire, Austria's diplomatic capabilities were quite formidable. The Treaty Organization would have been impossible without such diplomatic prowess.
"If it's far-right elements within the Army... I know what to do. First, please identify who the local collaborator is, and request a transmission regarding the key figures of the coup leaders!"
"Yes, sir!"
The communications officer tapped out Morse code for a while, and before long, several telegrams arrived.
Wow, they actually secured an insider of the coup forces as a local collaborator? For now, except for Kita Ikki, they were all unfamiliar names.
"So, who is the local collaborator?"
"His name is Mutaguchi Renya."
"W-What?"
Why on earth is that man there?
Ah... the legendary "dark independence activist." Even in this timeline, he is working hard in the shadows for Korean independence! Wait, is this okay? Surely he won't pull his "independence activism" on Austria too, right?
"This is perfect now. First... instruct them to gather military factions resisting the coup. Oh, and! Send a message that the following individuals are absolutely unacceptable."
"Which individuals, sir?"
"Tojo Hideki, and anyone close to him is absolutely banned. Ishii Shiro is also out... As for the rest, well, they can judge for themselves on the ground."
Whatever Renya's abilities were, he at least possessed a human conscience. But Tojo Hideki was a hard no. Even though I had accepted human butchers like Adolf Hitler...
Back then, Hitler was still young, wasn't he? It wasn't hard to reform a snot-nosed kid who wasn't even twenty yet. But a guy like Tojo Hideki was bound to be plotting insidious schemes already. He was probably already busy pulling strings in the military, learning how to ruin the world.
"Ah, and... send word to the German Navy as well."
"The German Navy?"
"Yes. Since I have connections with Admiral Franz Hipper and Erich Raeder."
"But why are you suddenly trying to contact the German Navy?"
"Well... to establish a link with the Japanese Navy."
The rivalry between the Japanese Army and Navy is legendary. The crazy bastards of the Japanese Army staged a rebellion? Then the Japanese Navy, with our Austrian support, will suppress them on their own.
The Japanese Navy was trustworthy. Unlike the brainless, blockheaded Japanese Army, the Japanese Navy was a gathering of the finest elites in the Empire of Japan. Still, the Japanese military was the Japanese military. Even if they were a group tightly bound by a chosen-people complex...
They were more normal and less extreme than the Japanese Army when it came to war crimes. Furthermore, because the Army was responsible for occupation and maintaining public order, it was inherently a more vulnerable organization to committing war crimes. Conversely, the Navy was inherently distant from war crimes. At most, what war crimes could you commit on the open sea? Abuse of prisoners?
Of course, due to the nature of the isolated sea, they might bicker and enforce absurd hazing among themselves, and they might even pull crazy stunts like Kamikaze.
...But what did I care?
"The Japanese Navy?"
"Yes. They are the only ones who can suppress the coup."
A ragtag bunch, the Imperial Way Faction's revolutionary army was worse than Chinese warlords, worse even than the Qing Dynasty. Yet, they were able to seize power easily in the midst of the disaster. Once they seized power and controlled Kanto, the very heart of Japan, everything proceeded smoothly.
"In this disaster, His Majesty the Emperor could be attacked by the Chosenjin! We shall protect His Majesty here. Bring His Majesty immediately!"
They massacred Koreans and distributed military rations to win support from the civilians. Taking advantage of the chaotic situation, the telegraph lines were cut, allowing the Imperial Way Faction to control all information. By forging the orders of the Martial Law Commander, they were also commanding the troops across the entire Kanto region.
"Your Majesty! The Martial Law Commander has requested that we escort Your Majesty."
"Will it be alright? If I abandon the Imperial Palace in such a situation, will it not cause public unrest?"
"If Your Majesty is captured by the Korean rioters, the situation will worsen drastically."
Thus, the Emperor meekly followed the Imperial Way Faction, only realizing he had been deceived when he saw the Martial Law Commander, handcuffed, doing nothing but signing documents all day. Soon, Taisho would suffer the same fate as the Martial Law Commander, turned into a signing machine.
Gendarmerie Commander Araki Sadao burst into roaring laughter.
"Hahahahaha! Now everything is perfect. With this, the Restoration is complete!"
"It is not over yet, Commander."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"You must not forget our great cause. Must we not correct the evils of the domain cliques and set Japan right?"
"Hehehe. I almost forgot. Thank you, Lord Kita Ikki."
One by one, they began to assassinate every major figure. The former Governor-General of Joseon, Terauchi of Choshu, executed! The elder of Satsuma, Matsukata, assassinated! Even as these giants fell one after another, the scene of madness did not end.
"I want to kill all those Choshu and Satsuma scum. Is there a good way, Lord Kita Ikki? If we order the killing of fellow Japanese, our pretext will be weakened."
"Let us not execute them ourselves. Leave it to the vigilante groups."
"And then?"
"How about we frame anyone speaking their dialect as Koreans disguised as Japanese, and have them killed?"
Once a human catches the scent of blood, their mind goes mad from that addictive aroma. The refugees, having killed almost all the Koreans, had lost their targets for venting anger. Now, they filled their dopamine levels by killing people from Satsuma and Choshu.
And...
"W-What on earth is happening in Tokyo?!"
"The Army, those Army bastards have lost their minds! Look at this. It's an official document issued by the Martial Law Commander!"
"...Those bastards. They must have kidnapped His Majesty the Emperor as well."
The Japanese Army and Navy were so disconnected they might as well have been foreign militaries. They even had to send spies just to gather information on each other, so it was only natural that the Navy had barely grasped the current situation.
"What about the British legation...?"
"We sent someone in haste, but the British know absolutely nothing either. The Army must be deliberately blocking Britain's information network."
"Good grief..."
The Imperial Way Faction was naturally certain that the Japanese Navy and Great Britain would make contact. Furthermore, weren't Britain and Japan allies? There was no telling when Britain might intervene in Japan. Therefore, they had to rush and settle everything while keeping Britain blind and deaf.
In this situation, with its communications with the home country severed and its intelligence network collapsed, there was very little Great Britain could do. This was precisely why the Austrian legation could move so swiftly. In such a tense situation, no one had anticipated that Austria, which had almost no stakes in Japan, would take action.
Just then...
"We have received word from the German naval attaché!"
"Hmm?"
"It's a coup, a coup! Far-right extremists, including Kita Ikki and Araki Sadao, have kidnapped the Martial Law Commander and are running rampant."
"...So it is the Army's doing?"
"No! They've completely lost their minds, and they're killing everyone regardless of whether they're Army or Navy!"
Navy Minister Takarabe Takeshi flashed a faint smile.
"So the Japanese Army has ruined itself by its own hand, eh?"
The main players of the Meiji Restoration, the Satsuma and Choshu clans. The Satsuma clan, held responsible for Saigo Takamori's rebellion, had taken the relatively less influential Navy. Ever since the Satsuma Rebellion, Satsuma had always been second-tier compared to Choshu. Since then, the rivalry between Choshu and Satsuma had carried over to the Army and Navy.
Now... it was time to put an end to this long-standing rivalry.
"What is the source of this information?"
"It seems the German attaché also obtained the information from the Austrian minister!"
"Very well. Contact Austria. Now that the Army's command has been seized by the rebels, this is our chance. The entire fleet will assemble in Tokyo. We shall thoroughly cleanse Tokyo, filled with rioters and traitors, with our naval guns."