cicada

Chapter 1491 Golden Lily

On March 27, 1945, two days after Tokyo was hit by the second round of air raids, Hayashi Fuichiro sat in an underground bunker, smoking and writing rapidly.

On the table in front of him was a report with a line of Japanese text on the right: "[Wealth Transfer Countermeasures]".

The incandescent light bulb on the ceiling swayed intermittently. Lin Fuyilang had been sitting in this windowless office for an entire day.

Finally, he put down his pen, got up, walked out of the room, and knocked on the door of another office with the documents in his hand.

"Dong Dong Dong~"

"Please come in."

A deep, steady male voice came from inside the room. Lin Fuyilang pushed open the door and entered. The bronze plaque of the Minister of Finance beside the door gleamed under the light.

"Vice Minister Lin, is there something you need?"

Tsushima Hisaichi, who had just taken office as Minister of Finance less than a month ago, asked the question with a very amiable smile.

Unfortunately, Prime Minister Kuniaki Koiso is about to resign, and the person who will succeed him is none other than the Vice Minister's grandfather-in-law, Lord Kantarō Suzuki.

Whether Tsushima Hisaichi, a member of the Koiso cabinet, can continue to serve as Minister of Finance depends entirely on Suzuki's mood.

Although the possibility is slim, it's worth a try. Who can remain indifferent when faced with a cabinet position?

After asking his questions, Tsushima Hisaichi invited Hayashi Fuichiro to sit down on the sofa and even poured him a cup of hot tea, his attitude revealing a hint of ingratiation.

Lin Fuyilang, however, did not dare to be presumptuous. He respectfully stated his purpose and placed the documents on the coffee table.

"Your Excellency, the situation in the Pacific and Southeast Asia has been quite unfavorable recently, and Tokyo has also suffered devastating bombing. It is time for the Empire to consider its options."

Tsushima Juichi sighed inwardly; the battle situation was not just unfavorable, it was a one-sided defeat.

Just yesterday, Iwo Jima sent a farewell telegram, announcing the glorious demise of tens of thousands of Imperial warriors stationed on the island.

The armies of the empires in Burma, India, Malaya, Temasek, the Dutch East Indies, and the Philippines also collapsed completely and could only fight independently.

As of now, of the vast territories once occupied by the empire, only parts of the Republic of China, Taiwan, and Korea remain temporarily safe, and even Okinawa is in grave danger.

In particular, the loss of air and sea supremacy allowed the U.S. military to bomb the empire’s homeland with impunity.

Thinking of this, Tsushima Hisaichi suddenly felt a little listless and picked up the document to glance at it casually.

But soon, his expression turned serious. The only content of this "Wealth Transfer Strategy" was to immediately transfer the wealth of the empire's occupied territories before defeat.

Even if the empire is ultimately defeated, with these astonishing riches, Japan will be able to quickly rebuild and regain its status in Asia and even the world.

Similar actions had been carried out by the General Staff’s Special Finance Department for some time, but those were spontaneous actions by the Army and a small number of elites, lacking systematic organization.

Tsushima Juichi put down the documents, looked up at Hayashi Fuichiro, and asked him a question.

“Deputy Minister Lin Fu, your suggestion is excellent, but now the US military has taken control of the Pacific, and the Empire’s transportation capacity is only 10% of what it was in 1941. How can such a large amount of wealth be safely transported back to the homeland?”

To this, Lin Fuyilang only said two words: "Bury it."

To be more specific, they used Allied prisoners of war and indigenous people to dig treasure caves in the Philippines, Borneo, Thailand, Myanmar, and the Dutch East Indies to secretly hide the looted wealth.

They would wait for the right opportunity after the war to quietly transfer the treasure back to Japan, since the Americans could not blockade the Pacific forever.

As for the gold and cultural relics looted from the Republic of China era, that's simple; they can just be transported back directly, which Japan's current shipping capacity can easily accomplish.

Tsushima Hisaichi seemed to be deep in thought, then raised his hand and made a downward cutting gesture to probe, "After the treasure cave is excavated, should all those prisoners of war and natives be killed?"

"Hai, not only prisoners and natives, but even the imperial warriors who supervised the excavation were forced to commit suicide to keep the secret."

"Therefore, the selection of personnel is of utmost importance; soldiers who are loyal to His Majesty the Heavenly Locust must be chosen."

Lin Fuyilang put on a compassionate expression: "For the sake of the empire's great cause, we can only make the soldiers suffer."

Tsushima Juichi didn't take it seriously. He thought the army was just a bunch of idiots, worth at most a postcard. The Ministry of Finance could afford that.

The two then discussed the details of the operation, such as the selection of personnel and the specific steps to be taken.

A few hours later, a complete wealth transfer plan was unveiled, and the plan was codenamed Golden Lily.

In Japanese culture, lilies symbolize purity and the women of the Japanese imperial family, while gold represents power and secrecy. The combination of the two suggests that this enormous fortune is the imperial gold, the Emperor's treasure.

The entire plan was divided into two parts: looting and disposal of assets, with the former involving three methods.

First, the General Staff's Special Financial Department was responsible for robbing banks and wealthy merchants in the occupied territories.

Second, professional tomb raiding teams carried out tomb raiding.

Third, the cultural relics appraisal team screens the cultural relics.

Wealth acquired through these three means was buried on-site if it could not be transported, and all construction supervisors and implementers were either killed or committed suicide, leaving only a small number of those who knew about it to return to the country to report.

Goods that could be transported back to Japan were handed over to a certain company for transit, and finally distributed to the Imperial Family and museums. After the operation was completed, the transit company was dissolved, and its employees were also secretly executed to ensure that the operation would not affect the "reputation" of the Locust Army and to avoid any follow-up investigation by the Allied forces.

Of course, Hayashi Fuichiro and Tsushima Juichi were well aware that certain valuables would inevitably end up in the private collections of important figures.

But what are we all working so hard for? Isn't it all for profit? I'm sure His Majesty the Emperor will understand.

Hayashi Fuichiro and Tsushima Juichi exchanged a smile, everything understood without a word.

The following morning, the Golden Lily Project, submitted in the name of the Ministry of Finance, was delivered to the desks of Koiso Kuniaki and Amako, immediately piquing their interest.

Today, how to end the war in a dignified manner has become the primary issue for the Japanese leadership.

Japan must not be plundered and exploited by the victorious powers like Germany was in the last world war; it must do everything possible to preserve its national strength.

The cabinet and the royal family had been struggling with this problem, but now the Golden Lily Project has provided an answer.

"吆西!"

Koiso Kuniaki nodded in satisfaction, picked up the phone, and informed his secretary: "Please have the Minister of Finance and Vice Minister Hayashi Fu come to my office. I think it's necessary to hold a cabinet meeting."

When the meeting officially began, not only Koiso Kuniaki, but also Tenko took time out of his busy schedule to attend.

In the spacious underground conference room, Lin Fuyilang stood in front of a group of high-ranking Japanese officials and spoke eloquently about the details of the Golden Lily Project.

In the front row, an elder congratulated Suzuki Kantarō in a low voice: "Suzuki, you are really lucky to have found such an outstanding young talent as your grandson-in-law."

Suzuki Kantarō smiled, tilted his head slightly, and whispered, "I hope you will continue to support me in the future. I think Lin Fu will be here after the war."

His voice grew softer and softer, but the elder's eyes grew brighter and brighter. Two prime ministers from one family? That seemed like a good idea.

At this moment, Lin Fuyilang finished his report, and Tianhuang, who was at the head of the table, slowly spoke, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger.

“My Deputy Minister, please tell me about the secrecy measures. This is the key to the plan.”

Everyone present nodded in agreement. The Kuomintang secret agents were so rampant that countless pieces of important imperial intelligence had been leaked.

If the Military Intelligence Bureau were to learn of the Golden Lily Project, the plundered wealth would be in grave danger. It would be tantamount to stealing money from their wallets, and such a thing must never happen.

"Hay."

Lin Fuyilang felt a pang of anxiety, immediately bowed to show respect, and then offered a solution.

"Your Majesty, the formulation, implementation, supervision, and transportation of the Golden Lily Project can be carried out by different agencies, and each agency can only grasp a part of the project's content."

"For example, the General Staff's special financial department collects assets, and the transportation is handed over to the Navy, with non-military intelligence agencies responsible for supervision."

"The burial work can also be supervised by key cabinet officials to ensure the plan proceeds as quickly as possible."

Tianhuang and many high-ranking officials had their eyes lit up. This approach would not only help maintain secrecy but also ensure that the interests of all parties would not be harmed. It was indeed a good method.

With the army, navy, cabinet, and intelligence agencies all involved, it is even more effective in preventing anyone from stealing the wealth belonging to the royal family and the elite.

Suzuki Kantarō laughed even more heartily. His grandson-in-law was truly remarkable, worthy of being the most dazzling rising star in the imperial political arena.

Only those who know how to share benefits can go further; this saying will never be outdated.

Seeing the reaction of the higher-ups, Hayashi Fuichiro secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quietly retreated behind Tsushima Hisaichi. No matter how long the Minister of Finance could stay on the stage, he would leave the rest of the report to him.

Suzuki Kantarō witnessed this scene again, which gave him even more confidence in his plan. Supporting a smart person is always easier than supporting a fool.

Next, after discussions with cabinet members, Tianhuang determined the tasks to be undertaken by each party.

Among these tasks, the supervision of the migration of wealth during the Republic of China and the pseudo-mite eras fell to Hasegawa.

Skylocust had a good impression of the intelligence officer who first discovered that the US military was about to bomb Tokyo; the Golden Lily Project needed such a loyal and perceptive supervisor.

The proposal was unanimously agreed upon by everyone present; Hase-kun was indeed a very reliable business partner.

The navy assured them that they would send their most elite warships to escort the transport ships, such as the Xuefeng, which had participated in numerous battles without sustaining any damage.

In fact, the navy had no other choice.

After several major battles, the Combined Fleet was almost completely wiped out, with only a few ships left capable of carrying out escort missions.

Although the Xuefeng's reputation is hard to describe, it is still a battle-hardened elite ship; otherwise, it wouldn't have been escorted by the Yamato.

"Alright, it's decided then."

With the locusts' decisive blow, Project Golden Lily was officially implemented. With this wealth, it might be possible to persuade the US military leadership to let the royal family off the hook or even support them.

There's a saying from the Republic of China era: "To become an official, one must travel a thousand miles, all for the sake of wealth." Americans are no exception.

Lin Fuyilang looked at the confident Tianhuang, his eyes flickering twice. He thought to himself, "Shouldn't I have completed my mission by now?"