Beiyang reactionaries

But the military is different.

They don't give in at all.If this were not the case, how could the negotiations between China and Japan on the southern Sakhalin Island and the Taiwan issue be terminated.Konoe Fumimaro looked at Hideki Tojo's attitude and knew that the army already had its own ideas.Although he was born noble and had a glorious family history, he was far inferior to Yoshiichi Tanaka in controlling the army.When Yoshiichi Tanaka was around, even though the army was making noise, who dared to mock the cabinet prime minister face to face.Tanaka Yoshiichi has a very strong control over the army.

But now the situation is completely different.

A junior in the army like Hideki Tojo, who got into the position of Minister of War within half a year, has already dared to accuse Fumimaro Konoe to his face.How could Konoe Fumimaro be happy in his heart.But he has nothing to do with these army generals.

"here."

"Lu Xiang!"

Seeing where Hideki Tojo was pointing at, Konoe Fumiro stood up "teng".

Because Hideki Tojo is referring to Pearl Harbor.

This is where the US Pacific Fleet is located.No matter how stupid Konoe Fumimaro was, he knew what Hideki Tojo meant.In fact, within the Japanese army, the plan to attack Pearl Harbor is not new.As early as when Tanaka Yoshiichi was there, during the Japanese secret meeting, Tanaka Yoshiichi proposed a strategy in this regard.At that time, the young general Yamamoto 56 on the navy side even made a combat plan for attacking Pearl Harbor based on Yoshiichi Tanaka's conception.However, Yoshiichi Tanaka only asked people to study such a possibility, but he never said that such a strategy should be really implemented.

Admiral Yamamoto 56, who made a plan to attack Pearl Harbor, himself also opposed going to war with the United States.

So although there are often such sayings in the army, Konoe Fumimaro doesn't take it too seriously.It is one thing to fall out with the United States, and another to go to war with the United States.But since Tojo Hideki said so, he really has such an idea.

Because Hideki Tojo is currently the representative of the radical faction of the Japanese army, many of Hideki Tojo's ideas represent the attitude of the army, and even the attitude of the military.

"When Prime Minister Tanaka was here, he analyzed how to expel the forces of Britain and the United States in Asia and how to resist the counterattack of Britain and the United States. At that time, Prime Minister Tanaka pointed out four places that must be controlled. Malacca, Myanmar, Australia, and the Pacific Islands headed by Pearl Harbor. As long as we control Pearl Harbor and Australia, then the United States has nothing to do, and the initiative on the battlefield is in our hands. In addition, we blocked the British and Indian troops in Burma and controlled Malacca, then the entire Southeast Asia, as well as Australia It’s all about the empire. That’s what the empire should be aiming for.”

"Lu Xiang, you are playing with fire. I hope you can think carefully about it."

Konoe Fumimaro lowered his stance.

It is really because Tojo Hideki's ideas are too radical.

Konoe Fumimaro's attitude is already very good, but Tojo Hideki is dismissive.He still said very strongly: "Prime Minister, the Burma Campaign is a plan that the General Staff Headquarters has prepared for several months. Now large troops have begun to station at designated locations, and logistical materials are also being transported to the front line continuously. The outbreak of the Burma Campaign is imperative. , the empire is also bound to win Burma. The Burma campaign will start in a month, and the cabinet must fully support it. At present, the military lacks transport ships, and there is still a big gap in the weapons, ammunition and logistical materials needed by the frontline troops. The cabinet must Solve it as soon as possible."

Hideki Tojo completely forced Konoe Fumimaro.

Tell Konoe Fumimaro that your prime minister cannot stop what the army is going to do.

Konoe Fumimaro's face became very ugly.Looking at the other cabinet members, none of those people wanted to participate in the debate between the two.Konoe Fumimaro was very angry, so he waved his hands and said, "This is the end of today's meeting."

Soon everyone left, only Koichi Kido, the Minister of Internal Affairs, stayed.Kido Koichi and Konoe Fumimaro have been friends for many years, and Kido Koichi is the Minister of Internal Affairs after all, and needs to report the contents of the cabinet meeting to the emperor.So he stayed.

"Mr. Kido, it seems that I, the prime minister, can't go on."

"Mr. Jinwei..."

"Mr. Kido, you have seen the attitude of Hideki Tojo just now. This is the attitude of the military. Now that they have made a decision, they will implement their plan regardless of whether I, the cabinet chief, agree or not. Their courage It is getting bigger and bigger, and it is really planning to go to war with the United States, not just on paper. In this case, what is the use of me as the prime minister of the cabinet. I have already decided to resign as prime minister. Kido Sir, I would like to recommend King Tokyuimiya Toshihiko as the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, what do you think?"

Fumimaro Konoe has only been the prime minister of the cabinet for less than half a year, and he already understands that he cannot continue to be the prime minister.Hideki Tojo and the others didn't take themselves seriously as the prime minister at all, and they did their own thing completely.Konoe Fumimaro came from a big family, how could he endure such shame, so he made up his mind to resign.

"I don't approve."

Kido Koichi shook his head.

"Oh?"

"I will recommend Hideki Tojo as Prime Minister to the Emperor."

"What? You also agree with his approach?"

Konoe Fumimaro was very surprised.

My good friend has always disliked Hideki Tojo, thinking that Hideki Tojo is too arrogant.But how could he recommend Hideki Tojo as the Prime Minister of the cabinet.

"No, I don't agree with Hideki Tojo's idea, and I don't like Hideki Tojo either. But in the current situation, I can only recommend Hideki Tojo to His Majesty the Emperor. You just heard Hideki Tojo If there is an opportunity. The staff headquarters is already ready to go, and the war is about to break out, and the war will not be stopped due to any other factors. At this time, no one who is the prime minister of the cabinet can stop the army from moving. In this case, I can only be Recommend a prime minister who can fully support the army, but not a prime minister who may hinder the army. Since war is unavoidable, the empire should go all out, and there must be no internal disputes that affect the war. So now , Hideki Tojo is the most suitable."

After listening to Kido Koichi's explanation, Konoe Fumimaro understood what he meant.But he was still dissatisfied with Hideki Tojo, so he said: "If someone from the military is chosen as Prime Minister, Chief of Staff General Moto Sugiyama is also a good candidate."

"General Sugiyama Moto, with great ambition and lack of talent, his ability does not match his ambition. Such a person is not qualified to be the prime minister of the cabinet."

"Hideki Tojo, Hideki Tojo. Kido-kun, Hideki Tojo may ruin the empire."

"Yes."

Kido Yuki nodded.But he still said: "Hideki Tojo is likely to ruin the future of the empire, but it is also possible to create a better future for the empire. Now that we can't stop the army's thoughts and actions, the only thing we can do is to support them."

648

On April 1940, 4, the Prime Minister of the Japanese Cabinet Konoe Fumimaro submitted his resignation letter, and Emperor Showa refuted Konoe Fummaro's resignation letter on the same day. On April 23, Konoe Fumimaro submitted his resignation again, and Emperor Showa talked with Konoe Fummaro in person.The two talked for more than an hour. After the talk, Emperor Showa accepted Konoe Fumimaro's resignation letter.

Since Tanaka Yoshiichi was injured, first there was the temporary cabinet of Hirota Koki for about a month, and then the Konoe Fumimaro cabinet for five months.Whether it is the interim prime minister Hirota Koki, or Konoe Fumimaro who came from a big family, they are all short-lived prime ministers.

Of course, this is in line with the normal situation of Japanese politics.

The Japanese cabinet has always fallen very quickly, and because of the resistance of some people, the cabinet can only be disbanded.Because of Japan's special political ecology, the frequency of changing prime ministers is very high.Yoshiichi Tanaka is definitely an outlier in the Japanese political arena after the Meiji Restoration, and he was able to work in the Japanese political arena for more than ten years as the cabinet prime minister.After Konoe Fumimaro resigned, the Emperor asked the Minister of Internal Affairs Koichi Kido about the candidate for the cabinet prime minister, and Koichi Kido recommended Hideki Tojo.The emperor was also very concerned about Hideki Tojo, a fanatical army general, and he didn't like it very much.But Koichi Kido convinced Emperor Showa.The emperor finally adopted Kido Koichi's suggestion and appointed Hideki Tojo as the new prime minister.

On April 1940, 4, Hideki Tojo became the new Prime Minister of Japan.

Hideki Tojo was like making a rocket during this time.

In 1936, Hideki Tojo was still the commander of the gendarmerie among the Japanese Nanyang Dispatch Army, and his status was neither high nor low.Because of his outstanding performance in the Nanyang Dispatch Army, he was appointed as the Deputy Army Minister two years later in 1938.It's a pity that he had just taken office as the Deputy Army Minister, and he shouted that he would go to war against Britain, the United States and France at the same time, showing his radical ideas.Tanaka Yoshiichi couldn't tolerate such a situation, so he kicked him into the Nanyang Dispatch Army again and let him toss there.

Unexpectedly, Tanaka Yoshiichi was injured a year later, and Tanaka's cabinet ended.As a result, the military moderate faction supported by Tanaka Yoshiichi quickly lost power, and the radical faction suppressed by Tanaka Yoshiichi came to power.In the army, the radicals were originally more powerful, but it was Tanaka Yoshiichi who suppressed those radicals before and reused a large number of moderates.Without the suppression of Yoshiichi Tanaka, those radicals immediately took control of the power of the army.After the radicals took control of the army, Hideki Tojo, a representative of the radicals, was greatly valued and transferred to the base camp.Just one month later, the Konoe Fumimaro Cabinet was established, and Hideki Tojo served as the Minister of the Army as the representative of the Army.Five months later, the Konoe cabinet ended, and Hideki Tojo became the new prime minister.

When Hideki Tojo came to power, everyone who followed Japanese politics was taken aback.

It's really because Hideki Tojo is a lunatic.

Especially the US side.

Hideki Tojo was the first among the Japanese military, including the Japanese political leaders, to publicly express their intention to go to war with the United Kingdom, the United States and France at the same time, and the first to express their desire to use force to expel the forces of the United Kingdom, the United States and France in Asia.Those radicals in Japan, even if they really have such an idea, they will not express it openly like Hideki Tojo.

So the United States is of course concerned about changes in Japan's political arena.

"How is the situation now?"

The United States is paying attention to the situation in Japan, and so is China.

When a radical figure like Hideki Tojo becomes the Prime Minister of Japan, it will directly affect Japan's diplomacy.China and Japan are currently two powerful countries in Asia. As the saying goes, one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers, and Japan has always been the biggest threat to China.Therefore, China will pay attention to any changes in Japan's political arena.

"The Japanese Nanyang Dispatch Army formed the Myanmar Front Army, and Terauchi Shouichi served as the commander of the Myanmar Front Army. After Hideki Tojo became the prime minister of the cabinet, he began to requisition a large number of transport ships and began to transport materials to the French Indochina area. These materials passed through French Indochina, Large quantities entered Siam (Thailand). In order to transport these materials, the Japanese army collected cattle, mules and horses in the Nanyang area."

"Does that mean there's a war going on?"

"Yes."

Xu Yongchang nodded.

Pointing to the map, he said: "In order to support the war in Myanmar, Hideki Tojo even requisitioned the transport ships that transported materials from Nanyang to the mainland. The expansion of Japan's war has made them have a very large demand for transport ships. Minister Han (Han Linchun) ) report, Japan has recently placed more and more orders for transport ships. Even some small civil shipyards in our country have received orders from Japan. Many ship repair yards in our country are also preparing to change into shipyards to build small ships .”