Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

Chapter 1081 Discussion Forbidden

Faced with the formidable barrier jointly constructed by the Emperor, the Cabinet, and the House of Peers, the Japanese military, seemingly invincible, was no match for them.

The initial plan was to use those arrogant young men to verbally humiliate Takasaki Takuto and demonstrate to the outside world that the military wasn't afraid of the Takasaki family. In reality, those army leaders didn't really intend to do anything; they didn't have the courage to actually harm a descendant of a top noble family.

But to my utter surprise, even with just this intention, I experienced for the first time what it means to be "powerless within the system."

This sense of powerlessness does not stem from defeat on the battlefield, but from the counterforce of the very power structure upon which they depend for survival.

The day after the Imperial Palace meeting concluded, the secret conference room of the Army Ministry was filled with smoke, resembling a battlefield.

The core members of the control faction sat around a long table, each with a face so gloomy it could be wrung out.

Army Minister Sugiyama Gen sat in the main seat, feeling extremely uneasy, his hawk-like eyes swirling with suppressed anger.

Three documents were laid out in front of him.

One was an ultimatum-like "recommendation" delivered by the House of Lords through informal channels, its wording respectful yet uncompromising.

One document is a "Strategic Material Supply Risk Assessment" compiled by the Cabinet Office, which uses cold data to depict the disastrous consequences that would result if the aristocratic-controlled financial clique system were to "passively cooperate."

There was also an informal "reminder" from the Imperial Palace Attendants and Military Officers' Office, which subtly conveyed the Emperor's intention that "this matter must be resolved as soon as possible to maintain the stability of the army."

"This is blackmail! Blatant blackmail!" Major General Muto Akira, the Director of the Military Affairs Bureau, slammed his fist on the table, making the teacup rattle. "When did the Imperial Army fall to the point where it has to be beholden to those nobles and aristocrats? What do they know about war?"

What do you know about the glory of Imperial soldiers?

"Glory?" Colonel Masazumi Inada, the chief of the operations section of the General Staff Headquarters, sneered, his voice full of sarcasm: "Mr. Muto, soldiers on the front lines can fight with glory and bayonets, but tanks need fuel, artillery needs shells, and soldiers need food and medicine."

If Mitsui & Co. delays the delivery of special steel by a month, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries "coincidentally" lacks key components during warship repairs, and Sumitomo Chemical's explosives production "for some reason" drops by 30%, tell me, how are the Imperial Army in Central China, North China, and even Manchuria supposed to fight with "glory"?

The meeting room fell into a deathly silence; everyone understood that Daotian was speaking of a cold, hard reality.

Since the "September 18 Incident," the military has been able to gradually hijack national policy, not only because of its own military strength, but also largely because once the war machine is set in motion, it is like a giant beast that needs to constantly devour resources, and the aristocratic and financial system holds the key to feeding this beast.

Previously, the users of this key and the riders of the behemoths had essentially the same goal: to expand and plunder resources. Therefore, cooperation outweighed friction.

But now, the military wants to use the behemoth to attack targets that the nobles consider unprofitable or even dangerous, and also wants to punish the "new rider" Takasaki Takuto, whom the nobles have their eye on. Naturally, the nobles have reason to tighten their grip on the reins.

"What's the Navy doing?" Hideki Tojo, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse.

Colonel Shibuya Kei, a staff member of the Army Ministry's Military Affairs Bureau responsible for coordinating with the Navy, reported in a low voice: "The people from the Navy's Military Affairs Bureau... their attitude is subtle."

Privately, some junior officers even jokingly said, "The army's idiots have really messed up this time."

While high-ranking officials in the Navy Ministry have not publicly expressed their opinions, reliable sources indicate they welcome the move. General Osami Nagano even hinted at an informal cabinet meeting that the Army indeed needs to "rectify its internal discipline."

"These deer!" Muto Akira gritted his teeth.

The navy's gloating was to be expected; the deep-seated contradictions between the army and navy made the navy eager for the army to embarrass itself.

But this act of kicking someone when they're down only made the army generals present feel even more humiliated.

What troubled them even more was the internal rift within the army.

Lieutenant General Kyoji Tominaga, the Chief of Operations of the General Staff Headquarters, who is a distant relative of the Takasaki family by marriage, remained silent throughout the meeting.

Some officers who did not come from the Changzhou clique, or who were dissatisfied with the control faction's monopoly on promotion channels, may not have said it, but their eyes may have revealed a sense of satisfaction at the control faction's setback.

The military has never been a monolithic entity; internal divisions were merely temporarily masked by the goal of external expansion.

Now, the Takasaki incident has acted as a wedge, driving this crack in.

Sitting upright to one side, the real high-ranking military leaders all closed their eyes as if in deep meditation.

Countless images flashed through their minds: soldiers on the front lines suffering from hunger and cold due to shortages of supplies; reports of the Kwantung Army being unable to move due to insufficient fuel; alarms from domestic munitions factories shutting down due to "raw material allocation problems."

Even more frightening is the possibility that His Majesty the Emperor might truly lose patience with the army, that the cabinet might seize the opportunity to push for a return to civilian control, and that the nobility might completely side with the navy...

"Enough." Prince Kan'in opened his eyes, his voice weary and cold: "Issue an order to establish a joint investigation team for the incidents involving the Central China Expeditionary Army, with personnel from the Ministry of the Army, the General Staff Headquarters... and the Military Police Headquarters participating."

The investigation... must be "cautious, comprehensive, and objective." He emphasized the last few words.

Everyone present was completely dumbfounded.

Who is now in charge of the local military police command?

Nitaro Kurai no longer manages the affairs of the Military Police Headquarters.

The Kyoto Military Police Headquarters is currently being overseen by personnel appointed by the Emperor.

Meanwhile, the military police in China were all under the jurisdiction of Takasaki Takuto!

Make yourself investigate?

The so-called "joint investigation" is nothing more than a fig leaf to delay and cool things down.

"Cautious, comprehensive, and objective"—the subtext is that it will be indefinitely shelved and left unresolved.

Muto Akira still wanted to argue: "Your Highness! This..."

"This is an order!" Prince Zai Ren interrupted sharply, a cold glint in his eyes: "Mr. Mutō, don't forget, our greatest enemy is China. Internal matters must be subordinate to this overall situation! Everything else can wait until after the Holy War is won!"

"Let's talk about it after the jihad is won," became a bitter pill for the army's high command to swallow.

Once the compromise becomes a foregone conclusion, how to package this humiliating bowing as a "wise decision that takes the overall situation into account" becomes a task that military bureaucrats must complete.

This was a carefully orchestrated, hypocritical performance.

First, all detailed reports on the internal conflicts within the Central China Expeditionary Army and Takasaki Takuto's insubordination were stamped "Top Secret, Permanent" and sealed in a safe numbered "A-7-Te-003" at the deepest part of the General Staff Headquarters' underground archives.

Those in the know were given a stern warning and strictly forbidden from discussing the matter, just like the "February 26 Incident" last time!