Chapter 123
The Collapse of Tokyo (3)
The fires that had been devouring Tokyo only subsided after three days and nights of desperate struggle.
But that didn’t mean everything was over.
The U.S. Embassy, unable to withstand the aftershocks of the earthquake, collapsed, and the embassy staff and refugees had to flee in a hurry to nearby hotels.
Amid this chaos, I had no choice but to devote all my strength to relief efforts and recovery.
And the situation was unfolding exactly as I already knew it would.
“Kill the Joseon bastards!!”
“We have to kill all those Joseon bastards poisoning the wells!!”
What a damn mess.
“Excuse me, Company Commander.”
“Y-Yes, General! Is there something troubling you?”
“Does the Empire of Japan intend to just leave those mobs alone?”
At my question, the company commander visibly broke into a cold sweat.
Hmm. I can practically see what he’s thinking. He probably wants to commit seppuku. After all, when a Joseon VIP standing right next to him asks, “So you want to kill me too?” what the hell is he supposed to say?
But I had slightly underestimated the dignity of the Japanese army.
“In the divine and eternal Empire of Japan, the only ones permitted to bear arms are those who belong to the Imperial Army personally protected by His Majesty the Emperor. If you give the order, we will immediately strike down those traitorous mobs.”
No, no—don’t escalate like that. That’s terrifying. You guys are seriously way too scary.
“Unfortunately, I am an officer of a foreign nation. I have no authority to command another country’s military.”
“That is not the case. The Martial Law Command has ordered me to respond to the disaster under General Kin’s command. A warrior recognizes another warrior, and there is a duty to uphold in this land.
They claim they are killing Koreans, but how do we know they are not merely bandits using that as a pretext? Give the order, and I will deliver swift judgment at once.”
Damn it. He wants me to give the order? Is he insane?
“That differs somewhat from what I’ve heard. I understood that your country was offering goodwill and would comply with my ‘requests’—”
“I have been given direct orders to follow General Kin’s command.”
“Perhaps there has been some misunderstanding in wording? After all, the Imperial Japanese Army is loyal to His Majesty the Emperor. How could someone like me, who has not sworn loyalty to the Emperor, dare to command the Imperial Army?”
“Th-that… that may be true.”
As expected, the Emperor really is a cure-all.
Say the wrong thing here, and it would be considered lèse-majesté—his mouth would be shut instantly.
Serves him right for trying to argue with me, Yujin Kim. Still, for a soldier, he tried his best. No need to torment this poor guy any further.
“I’m not asking you to kill them all. But wouldn’t it also be loyalty to calm the rioters right in front of us and send them back to their livelihoods?”
“Understood. Men, disarm those bastards!”
“Yes, sir!”
Bang! Bang!
After firing a few shots into the air, the Japanese soldiers began smashing the foreheads of the irreverent mob with rifle butts and clubs they had prepared in advance.
“You traitorous dogs! How dare you carry weapons in Tokyo!”
“You must be Reds! Plotting rebellion, are you?!”
“No! Please! Spare us!”
“We were just trying to catch Joseon—”
“Who do you think you are, daring to harm His Majesty’s subjects at your own discretion! Looks like you need more beating to understand!”
Amid the loud cracks of skulls being struck, several soldiers busily confiscated kitchen knives and bamboo spears from the mob.
“These men have firearms. What should we do?”
“Investigate their backers! If they’re armed with guns, there must be collaborators behind them!”
Now excited, the company commander threw himself into the interrogation with even greater zeal.
“Speak! Which socialist ordered you to acquire these weapons?!”
“Socialist?! N-no! We were carrying out security activities with police authorization!”
“Don’t spout nonsense!”
After thoroughly beating them on the spot, the soldiers returned, looking proud of themselves.
Well… impressive, I suppose. At least they let them live.
At that point, I hadn’t yet realized anything unusual—
That the seeds I had sown were already spreading their roots deep below.
Late that night, when I returned home, I was told that Terauchi was waiting for me.
“You must be busy—what brings you here?”
“Thanks to General Kin’s guidance, our Imperial Army has gained many insights. I came to express our gratitude.”
A chief of staff from the Imperial Guards Division wouldn’t come all this way just to say thanks.
In this state of emergency, any high-ranking officer would surely be drowning in endless work. And yet he came here anyway?
There’s something going on.
“If I could think of it, then you—pillars of Japan—must have as well. Is there something I can assist you with?”
“Yes. I believe it is something General Kin himself would wish for.”
Terauchi spoke confidently.
“As you anticipated, the rotten profiteers of the Empire are not humbly accepting this earthquake as divine punishment for their corruption. Instead, they are frantically searching for scapegoats to bear the people’s anger.”
“How unfortunate.”
“While the Imperial Army is pouring all its resources into aiding the innocent citizens, the politicians and their lackeys in the police are using this opportunity to eliminate their rivals! Can we, as samurai, turn a blind eye to such a tragedy?!”
“Indeed. With the military cherishing its people and acting as the shield of the Empire, I feel reassured that peace in Asia will endure for generations.”
We’ve flattered each other enough—time to get to the point.
In any case, if they want to use the massacre of Koreans as a pretext to wipe out their political enemies, I wholeheartedly welcome it. I’ll gladly ride the Army’s wave.
“General Kin is admired not only by Koreans but by many across this land. If you personally step forward and declare that Koreans are not inciting riots, it will put those opportunists in a very difficult position.”
“You want me… to do it myself?”
“Yes. Ideally, we wouldn’t involve a guest, but among those currently in the Empire, who else could confidently represent the Koreans besides you, General Kin?”
I get it. I understand your intentions.
It’s so trivial it almost makes me want to laugh. Trying to distribute risk, are you…?
“Very well. I will do it.”
Let’s see, then—just how capable the Imperial Japanese Army really is, the same army that rampaged at will for its own gain from the Manchurian Incident to the Sino-Japanese War.
***
[Secret Directive from the Home Ministry! Kill the Koreans!]
[Police Arm Thugs and Gangsters!]
[Mob Madness—Massacring Tohoku People for ‘Strange Accents’!]
“What the hell is this?! Where is the press control?!”
“The reporters aren’t listening. It seems someone else is moving behind the scenes.”
“In the face of this unprecedented disaster… what kind of disgraceful behavior is this?! You’re trying to change the regime now? Now?!”
The cabinet was thrown into complete chaos.
Things were unfolding in a way no one had expected.
What was the problem with thinning out a few Koreans?
Keeping an eye on “unruly Koreans” was only natural, and it was also true that a certain level of scapegoating was needed to vent the fear and anger of the people.
Hadn’t they already gathered right after the earthquake and agreed on that principle?
And yet, somehow, the ones now receiving the people’s fury were the cabinet members themselves.
In just one day.
“What is the Army doing? Tell them to crack down on those lunatics immediately!”
“I’m sorry to say this… but it seems the Army is moving.”
“That’s nonsense!”
The Army was moving now?
Since immediately after the earthquake, the Army had been pouring into Tokyo to handle the crisis, and their numbers were already approaching 80,000.
Eighty thousand.
If the Army decided to act recklessly, the Navy would normally interfere—it was as natural as thread following a needle. But with 80,000 armed troops filling Tokyo and the surrounding capital region, even the Navy had no real options.
Even deploying naval landing forces would be like tossing sugar cubes into a swimming pool—utterly meaningless. Unless they bombarded the already-burned-out Tokyo with naval artillery, there was no solution.
“This… this… they’re abandoning us?”
A single word circled in everyone’s minds, unspoken.
A coup.
No—this wasn’t a coup.
If it were a coup, they would have already marched in, arrested the cabinet members, and secured an imperial decree from His Majesty. And besides, staging a coup in a country already in ruins wouldn’t benefit them much.
If one had to define it—
“Are they throwing a tantrum? Like a child begging for food?!”
“Perhaps… they intend to strengthen their own position through this opportunity.”
“Insane bastards! Power-hungry lunatics!”
Only then did the Prime Minister, Yamamoto Gonnohyōe, fully grasp what was happening.
The Army simply couldn’t stand that a former admiral like him had become Prime Minister.
On top of that, during his previous tenure, he had abolished the system requiring active-duty officers to serve as military ministers.
Under that system, the Army and Navy ministers had to be active lieutenant generals or generals, allowing the military to blackmail the government: “If we don’t like your cabinet, we simply won’t provide a minister.”
In fact, not long ago, the Navy had blocked Kiyoura Keigo from becoming Prime Minister by refusing to nominate even a single naval minister candidate.
“Are they demanding the restoration of the active-duty minister system?”
“That seems to be the main point.”
“That’s unacceptable. That system was abolished due to public opposition. We cannot turn back.”
“But… those very people are now turning against us.”
The Prime Minister’s thoughts came to a halt.
That’s right.
Right now, the people’s greatest hatred was directed at the established politicians.
What if the soldiers had changed their thinking?
What if they believed they had lost their rights due to lack of public support—and now intended to seize that support for themselves?
“I can handle the Navy. I need to meet the Army… the Army must be confronted.”
“Sir, urgent news!”
“What is it?”
A secretary rushed into the residence, out of breath.
“General Kin—General Kin has held a press conference with the Army!”
“General Kin? Why on earth would he—”
“Last night, a mob attacked him, calling him a Joseon! It’s—it's chaos right now!”
The Prime Minister’s vision went dark.
***
“—and the rampage of the mob was suppressed thanks to the assistance of the brave soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army.”
I’ve always wanted to try this.
Feigning injury in front of a massive crowd of reporters—when would I ever get another chance?
“Though I was wounded by an assassination attempt from the rioters, I declare that my commitment to friendly relations between the United States and Japan is stronger than ever!”
“Waaaaaaah!!”
“General Kin! Please help Japan!”
“As long as I, Kim Yujin, remain in Tokyo, no Korean will harm you! This is my solemn pledge, and the Army has also guaranteed that there is no Korean conspiracy! Citizens of the Empire of Japan—you are safe! You are safe now! Your sons stand beside you!”
“Long live His Majesty the Emperor!!”
“Long live the Army!!!”
“Long live General Kin!!”
“The only thing you have to fear is fear itself. Do not abandon the civility you have built since the Restoration!”
The spark had been lit.
Honestly, I did more than what was originally requested—so I should be compensated generously, right?
“Thank you. That was a magnificent speech, one that stirs patriotic devotion.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. For an American, it is only natural to work in proportion to what one receives.”
“Heh heh. Don’t worry. The Japanese are a people who understand duty.”
Terauchi lowered his voice even further.
“As promised, not only the tank factories, but also the submachine gun you designed will be licensed and widely supplied to the Army.”
“As expected, Japan is impressive. Other countries are too busy stealing my precious patents.”
“Hahaha! Don’t worry. We’ll set the unit price generously. You won’t regret it.”
That’s right. Instead of being stingy with envelopes, you should’ve done this from the start.
Now… there’s too much money on the table to refuse.