1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll

Well, since you all know me, let me ask you a few questions. Have the Fujiwara clan's rent and interest reductions been implemented? Have you benefited from them? Have your family's lives improved?" This time the answers were faster and more enthusiastic, and the soldiers seemed to be shouting at the top of their lungs:

"Your Highness!! Your Highness!! Your Highness!!"

"So, are you willing to go to Northeast China with me?" "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"..."

The commander of the 4th Division, Terauchi Juichi, was in a trance, as if he saw the Imperial Guards Division and the Hiroshima Division where he had served. Was this... the always "languishing" Osaka Division?

Something is wrong!

Just a few simple words boosted the troops' morale to this degree? His Highness's reputation in the Kansai region is truly terrifyingly high...

Comparable to...

While secretly feeling surprised and nervous, Terauchi Juichi also became excited.

It seems that as long as His Highness is in the Northeast, the morale and combat effectiveness of the soldiers of the Fourth Division will be fully guaranteed, and there is hope for success! Fujiwara no Kanezane nodded with satisfaction at the soldiers' reaction, pressed his hand for silence, and then asked loudly:

"Let me ask you, what are we going to do in Northeast China?"

"Uh..."

This question was a bit out of context. The soldiers in the audience hesitated for a long time before shouting out a chaotic answer: "To suppress the rebellion!"

"To expand the Empire's territory!" "To replace the incompetent Second Division!"..."

There are many answers, but they all involve "war".

This is also normal. After all, they are all soldiers! If soldiers don't fight, what else are they for?

But Fujiwara Kanezane yelled vulgarly: "You talk very well, but it's all bullshit!" "Ah? ???"

The officers and soldiers on and off the stage were all bewildered.

"Who told you that going to Northeast China means going to war?" "This..."

"I'm telling you, I'm taking you to Northeast China to do business! To make a fortune!"

Terauchi Juichi almost lost his poker face. Your Highness!

How did you become a businessman in Osaka?

Fujiwara no Kanezane didn't care what others thought and continued to shout what the people of Osaka loved to hear:

"War? What kind of war? What a bullshit war! Are you risking your lives for a few bucks?"

"You've lived to this age, just to casually throw your life away in a foreign country?"

"So, I'm taking you to Northeast China, not only to help you build your career, but also to help you make a fortune there!"

"I can't say for sure I'll make you a millionaire, but at least I can ensure you and your family live a prosperous life. That's my goal!"

Regardless of what the mid- and high-ranking military officers on the stage were thinking, the audience began to buzz. Anything else would have been fine, but the mention of "doing business" and "getting rich" instantly made everyone feel better. Hey, this prince really is one of us...

A sergeant who had once encountered Fujiwara no Kanezane on the road and had been invited by him for a drink cautiously raised his hand. After receiving his consent, he asked, "Your Highness, we are not afraid of war. However, I heard that Manchuria is in great chaos. If we go there, there will be no war, right?"

"Hahaha... You're right. It's impossible to avoid fighting altogether. I also believe that the brave and intelligent Osaka Division is not afraid of fighting! They will definitely win!"

Hearing this, the soldiers of the Osaka Division couldn't help but puff out their chests.

They had been blackmailed by the "bastards" in Kanto for too long, causing all of Japan to believe that the Osaka Division was incapable of fighting. When they heard that they were going to be transferred to the Northeast, many people mocked them openly or covertly.

Questions like, "How big is your business plan this time?", "Have you planned your escape route in case of war?", and "Would you like me to take care of your wife at home?" It seems only His Highness understands us! He knows we are warriors capable of winning battles!

"Is Manchuria in chaos? It is indeed chaotic because bandits are rampant there. Of course it is chaotic, but..." Fujiwara no Kanezane pointed at himself:

"I'm the new commander-in-chief of the Manchurian bandit suppression campaign! Don't you believe me?" "Of course I do, Your Highness!"

"That's all, isn't it? Your Majesty has given me one year to pacify Manchuria, and I'm sure I can do it! Then, it will be a great opportunity for you all to make a fortune with me!" "Therefore, I have decided to promulgate the following policies:"

"1. All soldiers of the Osaka Division who went to serve in Manchuria, China, whose families rented land from the Fujiwara clan, would only receive 10% of the rent. In times of disaster or when someone in the family was sick or in need of assistance,

Exemption from land rent for the current year and interest-free

loan!"

2. Immediately establish the Osaka Division Soldiers' Chamber of Commerce. I will personally invest 50 million and guarantee the chamber's normal operation in Manchuria in my name. All profits will be shared by all soldiers who participate in the investment! 3. For all soldiers injured or killed in Manchuria, their medical expenses and maintenance will be paid by the Soldiers' Chamber of Commerce. In addition, I will personally contribute an additional amount to ensure the livelihood of the injured and dead soldiers and their families! "..."

After understanding the meaning of these words, the soldiers of the 4th Division seemed to see Amaterasu and Ebisu flash before their eyes. Then, the images of these two gods gradually transformed into Fujiwara no Kanezane himself.

"てh→! てh分! てh力!"

But due to the accent of Osaka people, this word sounds a bit like "八l1力" at first glance.

220 The Martians of the Imperial Way and Control Factions

Honestly, it's really easy to boost the morale of the 4th Division.

Just tell them where it's safe, lucrative, and even where they can "achieve great things" (that's a bonus), and they'll absolutely rush in... to do it. They won't just rush forward foolishly.

If this were the Second Division, with Fujiwara no Kanezane's performance today, do you believe that he could immediately gain a bunch of absolutely loyal soldiers who would commit seppuku for him at any time? However, this is the Fourth Division, and he is lucky enough to make the soldiers obey the orders of Terauchi Hisaichi and others take lower priority than obeying his orders.

The cleaning work (referring to setting up a chamber of commerce, registering information, accepting investment, formulating rules, starting layout, etc.) is naturally left to the agent to handle;

Fujiwara no Kanezane wandered around with his new lover (whom outsiders viewed as a foreign woman), taking care of a number of chores. Soon, the day of departure arrived. "Aboard!"

A large number of soldiers boarded the ship near Tottori with their equipment, and then took a few hours to arrive in...Busan, North Korea.

Why here?

Because of the recent "unstable situation" in Korea and Northeast China (UMP40: "Hey, you calling me?"), and the surge of resistance under the Japanese army's suppression, the Korean Commander, Hayashi Senjuro, took the initiative to invite the 4th Division to pass through Korea to demonstrate the "supreme power of the Imperial Japanese Army" to the people of the peninsula.

Well, rather than saying it was for this purpose, it would be more accurate to say that this guy wanted to curry favor with Fujiwara no Kanezane, who he had never had the opportunity to meet before, and also wanted to try out the position of commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army. Because the Emperor's order was very ambiguous:

"Recall the 2nd Division and replace it with the 4th Division."

But he did not explain clearly (forgot) how to arrange for Nobuyoshi Mutō, the commander of the Kwantung Army who had been in office for less than three months.

As a classmate and good friend of Honjo Shigeru, the former commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army who had been blown to pieces, Hayashi Senjuro openly defied government orders after the "September 918th Incident" and sent troops across the border to support the Kwantung Army, which shows his ambition for Northeast China.

The commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, Muto, is qualified, but I am not? So...

“Your Highness!”

Can you imagine an old man in his late sixties with a graying mustache trotting onto the deck with a fawning smile, trying to personally support a young man no older than his son? Fujiwara no Kanezane shuddered, then calmly shook the other man's hand and said with a smile:

"General Lin, it's our first meeting. Thank you for coming from such a long way."

"No, no! It is my fault that I did not go to Osaka to welcome His Highness!"

Seeing Hayashi Senjuro's servile manner, Terauchi Juichi, who was accompanying Fujiwara no Kanezane, secretly rolled his eyes. He has no reserve at all, truly a country bumpkin who's never even been abroad (referring to studying in Germany). Only Your Highness is so kind as to be willing to speak to you. I wouldn't even bother to give you a friendly look.

After talking to Fujiwara no Kanezane for a few words, Hayashi Senjuro seemed to notice Terauchi Juichi and said with a forced smile: "Ah, it turns out to be Lord Terauchi. I'm sorry for not welcoming you, I'm sorry for not welcoming you..."

Terauchi Hisashi raised his chin slightly and looked at his senior with a hint of pride: "Hello, General Lin. I'm sorry to bother you for a while."

"Okay, okay..."

Yes, that's right, Terauchi Juichi and Hayashi Senjuro dislike each other.

One thinks that the other is just a lucky little loser who was born into a noble family; the other thinks that the other is just a lucky peasant who rose to prominence due to the opportunities of the times.

If we use a relatively wrong classification method of later generations, it is:

Terauchi Juichi belonged to the so-called "control faction" representing the middle and high-level aristocratic bureaucratic groups and the interests of large capital consortiums;

While touting "elite," "efficiency," "order," and "obedience," these individuals clamor for "holy war," "colonization," and the "East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere." They aim to establish a military-authoritarian government loyal to the emperor, the aristocracy, and the wealthy, thereby controlling the people and colonizing other countries. Hayashi Senjuro, on the other hand, belongs to the so-called "Imperial Way Faction," representing the interests of the middle and lower-level military officers and the petty bourgeoisie or proletariat.

These people have become poor because of their poor background or exploitation, and therefore have a deep hatred for the government, the big capitalists and their political and interest representatives; therefore, they are eager to overthrow all the current big capitalists and landlords, and have a very strong need to transform society.

Now, representatives of the so-called "control faction" and "imperial way faction," the ones that have been hotly debated online and nearly become clichés, are gathered around Fujiwara no Kanezane. Do you see the problem?

Since he was a member of the "Imperial Way" faction, why did Hayashi Senjuro still try to fawn over Fujiwara no Kanezane, who clearly represented the bourgeoisie and the landlord class and was definitely the elite among the elite?

The reason is that there is no such thing as the "Imperial Way Faction" or the "Control Faction" in Japan. Ultimately, they are just a group of people with vested interests and those who aspire to become vested interests. As long as it is beneficial to their personal interests, they can change their positions at any time.

for example.

The Lin Xianjuro in front of him is a true emperor's way faction. He has close ties with Araki Sadao, Mazaki Jinzaburo and others, and their interests are entangled.

Historically, he had a heated argument with Terauchi Juichi over his desire to appoint Itagaki Seishirō as Army Minister, nearly leading to a fight. However, Hayashi Senjuro later changed his stance after being implicated in a corruption case and rescued by Prince Kan'in.

Not only did he no longer take care of the so-called "Imperial Way Faction", but he also removed Shinzaburo Mazaki from his position as Director of Education and recommended Tetsuzan Nagata, a representative of the control faction, as Director of the Military Affairs Bureau. It is no exaggeration to say that this man's series of actions in later history greatly accelerated the occurrence of the "February 26 Incident".

However, according to the online classification, are you saying that this is a case of "representatives of the Imperial Way faction" suppressing the "Imperial Way faction"?

That's obviously unacceptable!

To give another example, after Inukai Tsuyoshi was assassinated, who was Saionji Kimmochi (considering) nominating? Saito Makoto.

Who is this person? The admiral of the navy.

What happened to this person later?

During the February 226th Incident, he was targeted by the Imperial Way faction and killed. So, Saionji Kimmochi, who supported Saito Makoto, was a member of the Navy faction and the Imperial Way faction? That's ridiculous!

How can politics be so simple?

The reason why Saionji nominated him was simply because the Constitutional Rights Association could not nominate a person who was capable and qualified to serve as prime minister and continue to promote party politics, so he was forced to "pick a general from a group of short people."

After all, the highly educated, relatively elegant, and calm navy idiots seem a bit more pleasing to the eye than the frantic army idiots (truly a bitch). For example, many of the ideals of Kita Ikki, the supposed "spirit of the Imperial Way faction" and the now-defunct Kita, were actually shared by Fujiwara no Kanezane and the rest of the lower-level officers: freedom of speech, human rights, public education, the abolition of the nobility, land reform, universal suffrage, restructuring the zaibatsu, limiting privatization, and reducing the influence of the imperial family...

Then, is Fujiwara no Kanezane a member of the "Imperial Way faction"?

He's just a mere figurehead who, under the banner of "protecting Hirohito," wants to become the chairman of the Far East Executive Committee of the World Revolutionary Party and the general secretary of the New Japan Communist Party. (Doghead) The rhetoric of "If the Imperial Way faction prevails, social reform will follow; if the Control faction prevails, external expansion will follow" is sheer nonsense.

Historically, the so-called "control faction" did achieve great victories, the "Imperial Way faction" military personnel were almost completely purged, and Japan did indeed expand madly; but who was behind the previous "subordinate rebellion" incidents?

Ishiwara Kanji once supported the "October Incident." Even earlier, Nagata Tetsuzan supported the "March Incident" orchestrated by the Sakura Society. Were they members of the Imperial Way faction?

Therefore, there has never been such a simple division in politics. Using the "Imperial Way Faction" and the "Control Faction" to distinguish factions in the Japanese army is fine for the purpose of playing with jokes or simplifying the issues to write novels, but it is absolutely not advisable; some people equate it with the "debate on whether the party commands the gun or the gun commands the party" or the rhetoric of "moderate socialism and radical conservatism" and "Trotskyism and Stalinism", which is even more ridiculous.

Fujiwara no Kanezane, like the author of a certain "Sake Song," never used diode thinking to look at things, so he treated Terauchi Juichi and Hayashi Senjuro and others as equals:

They are all damn insects anyway, so find a chance to kill them all together.

221 Assassination, Kindness and... Loyalty!

It was precisely because he treated all forces equally in his heart and because of his noble and detached status that Fujiwara no Kanezane was able to maneuver easily between the major forces in Japan and sow discord among them;

But then again, judging by the fiery attitudes of Terauchi Juichi and Hayashi Senjuro, the contradictions between Japan's middle and lower classes and the upper classes seem to be deepening, and the struggle for Northeast China is becoming increasingly fierce...

As a high-ranking ruler, Fujiwara no Kanezane certainly wouldn't get involved in the open and covert struggles between Terauchi Juichi and Hayashi Senjuro. He pretended not to notice the tension and asked with a smile, "Division Commander, General Lin, should we set off? According to the plan, we're going to inspect several schools in Daegu this afternoon, right?"

According to the pre-planned plan, the 4th Division will take a train or other means of transportation from Busan and cruise northwestwards, passing through Daegu, Seoul, Xijing (Pyongyang) and

etc., and finally arrived in Shenyang, China

阳;

During this process, in addition to demonstrating the "majesty of the Imperial Japanese Army" to suppress disobedience, Fujiwara no Kanezane will also participate in a series of "political activities" to demonstrate the "benevolence of the Imperial Japanese Family" as a representative of the royal family.

In short, the Japanese practice is to "be both competent and independent".

Seeing Fujiwara no Kanezane speak, the two high-ranking army officers had to stop their taunts and ridicule. "Okay, Your Highness, but do you really not need to rest?"

“No, just go ahead!”

"Yes, then please allow me to accompany you to Daegu for dinner..." At noon, Fujiwara Kanezane and his companions arrived in Daegu. There was no way around it; Korea was just that small.

That classic joke for later generations.

"South Korea weather forecast: Rain will occur across the country today;"

"No, this makes our South Korean territory look so small. We must change it!"

"Okay, then let's change it to Rain in Seoul, Rain in Cheongju, Rain in Andong, Rain in Gwangju..." and so on.

All in all, because the Korean Peninsula is so small, the entire trip to Korea, including the various activities, is expected to take only about a week. On July 1st, Fujiwara no Kanezane will officially assume his position as "Manchuria Bandit Suppression Commander-in-Chief." Then, good times will begin for the people of Northeast China and the Japanese troops there. "...We will definitely achieve the establishment of a new order in East Asia and the realization of Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Belt!!"

Fujiwara no Kanezane adjusted his manuscript, and there was another burst of warm applause from the audience. Even senior Japanese military officers such as Terauchi Hisaichi and Hayashi Senjuro looked at him in surprise.

There is no other reason. The idea of ​​establishing a new Greater East Asia order, promoting comprehensive mutual assistance and cooperation among East Asian countries in politics, economy, culture and other aspects, and forming a "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" is really to their liking.

In fact, similar scattered concepts have been mentioned before, but most of the content is vague and completely unsystematic. Now, someone has finally described it in a complete and comprehensive way! And the intention is so grand!

As expected of His Majesty Fujiwara!

(Historically, this wasn't proposed until around 1938-1940;)

(Of course, it's slightly different from the "Kenshi King version" which incorporates some "One Belt, One Road" content.)

Anyway, some people with high political sensitivity have realized that Fujiwara Kanezane's speech will definitely become a key historical node! The applause became more and more enthusiastic.