Destroying Tokyo (1)

"Everything is ready. It's time to leak the information."

Shtal had kept the truth about Japan's current situation under wraps for as long as possible. Naturally, this was because of Great Britain. Frankly, Austria had absolutely no justification to intervene in Japanese affairs. If Mutaguchi Renya hadn't sought refuge at the legation, and if he hadn't brought a massive crowd of Koreans with him... Austria would have had no leg to stand on, even if Britain tried to play dirty behind the scenes. But now, even if Britain attempted to interfere, the situation had spiraled far beyond the control of either Austria or Britain. All that was left was to watch.

"We ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠heard news of a massive earthquake in Japan, but..."

"What on earth has been happening there over the past week?!"

The British government immediately summoned the Japanese minister, with whom they maintained an alliance, foaming at the mouth in rage. But what could they possibly get out of him? The Japanese minister to Great Britain was currently learning about the situation from the newspapers just like everyone else.

"The Japanese cabinet is already finished... Even with the earthquake, the complete lack of communication from Japan was highly unusual."

There was only one course of action left for Britain.

While rallying the international community to bombard the Japanese coup forces with diplomatic condemnations, Britain immediately dispatched its warships stationed in Hong Kong to Japan.

The grim reality of Japan's situation, which had first been exposed in Joseon, quickly spread across the Japanese mainland. Kyushu, in particular, was thrown into utter chaos, as it was home to many families ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the massacre victims. Local influential figures rushed to the military bases stationed in their respective regions. The military, finally grasping the gravity of the situation, dragged their heavy feet and mobilized their troops toward Tokyo.

"His Majesty the Emperor has been abducted?"

"...Damn it! No wonder the Imperial General Headquarters was so quiet."

"Most of the generals at Headquarters were assassinated or kidnapped? Then what were those official documents we've been receiving?"

"What else could they be? Fake documents forged by the traitors!"

"March on Tokyo immediately! We must reclaim the capital!"

Japan possessed a long-standing feudal tradition, and even under the Shogunate, regional power had often eclipsed that of the central government. Horrified by the atrocities committed in Tokyo, local power brokers began to unite one by one. Although Tokyo was the heart of Japan, it was now being slowly surrounded by forces from the surrounding provinces. Surrounded on all sides!

Yet, even in this desperate situation, the Imperial Way Faction still believed they held the upper hand.

"As long as His Majesty the Emperor is in our hands, they won't dare lay a finger on us, Master Kita Ikki."

"Then we must use His Majesty and our forces inside Tokyo to buy time and disrupt their coordination. We face the influential figures of our old rivals, the Satsuma and Choshu clans, along with civilian bureaucrats and foreign powers. But the odds are still in our favor!"

Though reduced to rubble by the great earthquake, the ruins of Tokyo had ironically transformed the city into a massive fortress. The Imperial Way Faction still maintained an overwhelming advantage within Tokyo and the Kanto region. Kita Ikki continued to outline his plans to the Kempeitai commander.

"There are countless people dissatisfied with the current regime. We must act faithfully in accordance with our ideology and continue to gather support. Ah, Commander Araki, is Tokyo secure?"

"There are no issues. They may have surrounded Tokyo, but they are forced to seek a swift resolution. Time is on our side."

Commander Araki's assessment was quite accurate. Consider the coup d'état of Chun Doo-hwan, one of the most notorious opportunists in Korean history. During his coup, Chun pulled entire divisions from the front lines facing North Korea and crammed them into Seoul. Whether the nation fell or not meant absolutely nothing to the conspirators. Conversely, the established forces defending against the coup were bound by their duty to protect the country. The anti-coup forces trying to stop Chun were constantly paralyzed by the fear of a North Korean invasion. The greatest strength of a small rebel faction is that they have nothing to lose.

On the other side, the civilian bureaucrats, regional power brokers, and provincial commanders were locked in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fierce debate over their next move.

"Surrounding Tokyo is the way to minimize casualties."

"But that will truly destroy Japan! We must end this with a swift, decisive battle."

"If we march our troops into Tokyo, our own army will be torn to shreds! Did you not see the urban warfare during the Great War?"

Commander Araki had accurately predicted this dilemma. He knew the anti-coup coalition was fragile and could not afford a prolonged conflict.

However, there was one crucial factor the Imperial Way Faction had failed to foresee.

"Even so... the actions of those rebels have crossed the line."

"In just two days, we have been flooded with an insane number of letters begging us to confirm the safety of family members who went to Tokyo!"

"Sigh... How has Japan fallen to such a state?"

"Joseon is also a massive problem! Because of those bastards, Joseon is on the verge of gaining independence!"

The Imperial Way Faction had indeed gone too far. The mass slaughter of Koreans was the catalyst. Right now, the entire Korean peninsula was ablaze, and the Government-General, completely cut off from the mainland, was leaving the rebellion entirely unchecked. But let's put Joseon aside for a moment. The real issue was that the rebels were slaughtering innocent civilians from Kyushu. Buying time in Tokyo to rally support? The Imperial Way Faction's plan was a delusion. Having already massacred their fellow Japanese citizens under the guise of hunting Koreans, there was absolutely no way the provinces would ever cooperate with them.

Indeed, the anti-coup forces were already prepared to make a decision that defied all imagination. Navy Minister Takarabe Takeshi slammed his fist on the desk and raised his voice.

"We have only one final option left! We must bombard Tokyo with our naval guns and reduce it to dust!"

In normal times, such an outrageous statement would have had him branded as a madman. But under the current circumstances—where they had to secure a swift victory, minimize military casualties, and rapidly crush the Imperial Way Faction—the anti-coup officers and bureaucrats began to seriously consider Takarabe's proposal.

"It sounds insane... but it actually makes sense."

"Since it has come to this, let's demolish Tokyo and move the capital to Osaka!"

"Indeed. Tokyo has already been ruined by the earthquake anyway. Since it's already destroyed, starting fresh might be the best path forward."

The idea of abandoning Tokyo's reconstruction was a concept that had been seriously discussed even during the recovery efforts in the original history. Now, with the coup rendering Tokyo completely non-functional, moving the capital seemed like a highly viable option. Furthermore, the majority of the figures gathered here had deeper ties to the provinces than to Tokyo.

'In that case... wouldn't it be great to move it to Kyoto, where we are based?'

'Of course it should be Osaka! What are you talking about?'

'Kyushu has historically suffered very little earthquake damage. I should push for that.'

'Moving the capital to Tohoku is a bit of a stretch... Maybe I should suggest dividing the political, economic, and diplomatic capitals.'

'Since we're going this far, why not Joseon?!'

The operation to destroy Tokyo was decided. However, there were still many hurdles to overcome. While the concept of leveling Tokyo with naval bombardment was appealing, turning it into reality presented several major difficulties.

"Even though the tsunami neutralized many of the mines, Tokyo's coastline remains one of the most heavily fortified areas in the world. How we will even approach it is the first problem."

"And that's not all. We can't simply wipe out all the civilians living there..."

"Civilians aside, what about His Majesty the Emperor? You aren't planning to bury His Majesty under the rubble, are you?"

Even if the minefields had been swept away by the tsunami, the coastal artillery batteries remained active—that was the first obstacle. Tragically, the kidnapping or assassination of other cabinet ministers and high-ranking generals was not a major concern. In fact, it opened up vacant positions, which was rather convenient! The second, far greater issue was that the Emperor was still held captive by the rebels. The third and final issue was that a reckless naval bombardment would cause massive civilian casualties, which would only amplify the chaos.

"We believe we can solve those problems for you...!"

"Y-You are...!"

"Park Yeol?!"

"What are you doing here?"

Naturally, the Navy was well aware that Austria was deeply involved in this crisis and sought to gain significant leverage regarding the Joseon issue. However, the regional power brokers were still completely in the dark. Therefore, to bridge the gap between the Austro-reformist alliance in Tokyo and the provincial factions, Park Yeol had to serve as the envoy. He was the best card to inform them of the situation inside Tokyo.

"You are all well aware that the primary victims of the Imperial Way Faction's massacre were Koreans," Park Yeol stated calmly.

"That may be true, but..."

"A massive number of Korean refugees have already taken shelter at the Austrian Legation. They have been minimally armed. Furthermore, the reformist officers of the Army have joined forces with us! From General Renya to Ishiwara Kanji."

Even so, how could they trust Park Yeol, a man accused of various acts of terrorism, who had instigated strikes across the country and was currently on the wanted list?

"Get out!"

"In such a critical situation, this is no place for a Korean to interfere!"

"How can we possibly trust you?"

Park Yeol had expected this reaction. Yet, his confident demeanor did not waver. Behind him, a Western man was standing hesitantly.

"And who is that Westerner?"

"Allow me to introduce him. He is a long-time friend of Vice Chairman Shtal, and the very man who expanded Austria's business ventures into the United States!"

"Uh... hello. I'm Walt Disney."

Walt Disney, who had traveled to Japan for a local survey of Nuclear Assassin, had been crying his eyes out on the streets when the Great Kanto Earthquake and the subsequent massacre erupted. He had barely managed to find the Austrian Legation and take refuge there.

Why was Walt Disney—a man who knew absolutely nothing about politics and whose only talent lay in drawing animation—present at this high-level meeting? Simply put, there was no other figure of sufficient weight available. The diplomats were far too busy, and sending junior officers like Renya would lack credibility. Thus, Walt Disney, who held an executive title at Wittgenstein Show & Movie but had absolutely no duties at the legation, was sent instead.

"I am... the Vice President of Wittgenstein..."

"Wittgenstein... what did you say?"

"Show and... mumble..."

"We can't hear you! Speak up!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Admitting he was an executive of a mere movie company felt incredibly undignified. As Walt mumbled his words, Park Yeol stepped in to answer for him.

"Surely you have heard of the Austrian conglomerate, Wittgenstein? This gentleman is the very person who generated the highest revenue in the United States last year! What do you think? This proves that Austria stands firmly behind us."

"Hmm... if that is the case..."

"Renya? And who else did you say? Sugiyama Hajime? Both are elites who graduated from the Army War College. They are certainly trustworthy."

With Walt Disney's presence lending weight to the delegation, the assembly was finally ready to listen to Park Yeol.

"So, what is your plan?"

"The rebels have a tight grip on Tokyo. The troops stationed in the capital are practically under their control. In fact, many of them still don't even realize the rebels have abducted the Emperor."

"And?"

"Under these circumstances, we are the only ones who can move freely within Tokyo! We will rescue the Emperor and neutralize the coastal artillery batteries."

They had no other choice. No one present wanted to send their own troops into the living hell that Tokyo had become.

At that moment, the Navy Minister questioned Park Yeol.

"What is it that you want?"

"To restructure Japan and Joseon into a system like Austria-Hungary!"

"...That is absurd!"

"Absurd? Do you honestly have the capacity to control Joseon right now?"

"B-But..."

"If you don't like it, then forget it."

When Park Yeol coldly turned around to leave the conference room, the regional leaders quickly held him back.

"We cannot make a decision regarding autonomy on the spot! However, we will certainly repay the debt we owe to Joseon!"

Naturally, it was a lie. It wouldn't be the first time the Japanese had lied about such matters. Nevertheless, Park Yeol turned back and nodded.

"Executive Walt Disney here will serve as our guarantor."

"...Very well, we understand. Let us discuss the details of the operation."

Park Yeol had never dreamed of anything less than the complete independence of Joseon. He knew all too well that when it came to the Korean issue, the Japanese were utterly uncompromising. Even with Japan's recent appeasement policies toward Joseon, those were merely measures designed to fully subjugate the peninsula. However, the introduction of a third-party power changed the dynamic. To save face in front of a global superpower, they would be forced to accept a realistic compromise.