cicada

Chapter 1526 Military Advice
Tokyo, the Suzuki family residence.

Lin Fuyilang knelt quietly on the floor. A few meters away from him, Suzuki Kantarō was bending over to tend to the flowers and plants, creating an incredibly warm atmosphere in the room.

After a moment, Lin Fu broke the silence first: "Grandfather, there have been unusual movements in the army a few days ago. I suspect that the younger generation may be plotting against you."

As the Vice Minister of Finance, he naturally had a group of spies gathering information, and the military was a key target of his surveillance.

Although the spies were unable to enter the underground command room during the meeting of the younger generation, they heard the singing of "The Song of Young Japan," which was definitely not a good sign.

After the February 26 Incident, everything related to it became taboo. If the young officers of the military were to sing this song at this time, it certainly wouldn't be for a summer festival.

Of course, the so-called secret agents were just for show. Lin Fuyilang's real source of intelligence was the Military Intelligence Bureau. The news that someone was going to take action against the Japanese elder statesmen came from "Fat Tiger's" warning.

The other party also assigned a series of tasks that concerned the postwar political situation in Japan, as well as the future of the Lin Fu family and the Suzuki family. He did not want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Suzuki Kantarō put down the pruning shears, turned around and smiled at Hayashi Fuichirō. The old man was extremely satisfied with his grandson-in-law, who came from a prestigious family and acted with impeccable manners.

Seeing that the other party was worried about him, Suzuki said kindly, "Don't worry, I have already submitted my resignation to His Majesty, and the military will not make things difficult for me."

Lin Fuyilang was dumbfounded. Suzuki's departure was certainly convenient, but what about him? The Military Intelligence Bureau still had many plans to implement, and without Suzuki's support, those plans would be impossible to achieve.

Fortunately, Suzuki Kantarō added, "Don't worry, before you successfully resign, I will nominate you to be the first Minister of Finance after the war."

"Oh, that's alright then," Lin Fuyilang said with delight, bowing deeply in gratitude. "Thank you, Grandfather."

He understood that becoming the Minister of Finance was only the first step. With the dual support of the Lin Fu family and the Suzuki family, plus the secret assistance of the Military Intelligence Bureau, his future was bright.

At this moment, a servant started boiling tea. The kettle made a bubbling sound under the heat of the fire. Suzuki Kantarō took the opportunity to teach Lin Fu the ways of being an official and a subject.

After the conversation, Suzuki looked out the window and murmured, "Today is August 13th. The Great Japanese Empire will soon undergo a dramatic change. I wonder if this change will be good or bad."

Lin Fuyilang's ears twitched. It seemed that the higher-ups' attitude of seeking peace would not change. He kept this in mind and continued to probe verbally.

"Grandfather, will the Allies agree to the Empire's four conditions? And what should we do if the Americans demand the Empire's unconditional surrender?"

Kantarō Suzuki laughed, pointed at him and shook his head: "Ichirō, you must learn to look at problems from a strategic perspective. Today, the greatest enemy of the Americans is no longer the empire."

"The Red Russians are advancing rapidly in Asia. Once the Red Russians occupy the Republic of China, Korea, and even the Empire, American power will have to withdraw completely from Asia, which is an unacceptable consequence for Washington."

"Therefore, the Americans' first priority is to deal with Red Russia. Under this premise, the other side is very likely to agree to the four conditions proposed by the Empire, or at least some of them, such as guaranteeing the safety of the royal family."

Despite his naval background, Suzuki acts and thinks more like a diplomat and politician, with a broader perspective than the average Japanese official, and he is accustomed to observing things from a holistic viewpoint.

Lin Fuyilang feigned sudden realization and prostrated himself again, saying, "Thank you for your teachings, Grandfather."

Suzuki Kantarō, who loved to give advice, laughed heartily. The two then chatted for a while longer, as the sky outside the window gradually darkened, and the moment of dramatic change drew ever closer.

At 7 p.m., Lin Fuyilang got up to say goodbye. As he and his wife walked to the front door, the maid in the living room suddenly called out from the phone.

"Mr. Lin Fu, I'm looking for your phone number."

Lin Fuyilang was stunned for a moment, took the phone and put it to his ear. He didn't know what was said on the other end of the phone, but his expression became serious.

After hanging up the phone, Lin Fu quickly ran to Suzuki Kantarō, grabbed him, and pulled him outside, anxiously explaining.

“My men told me that the army around Tokyo is making moves, and several small units are advancing into the city. Grandfather, we must go.”

Suzuki Kantarō opened his mouth in surprise, his thoughts instantly returning to a few years ago, and the two scars on his body throbbed faintly.

The rebels shot him three times that year. One shot hit his abdomen, one grazed his heart, and the other missed. If he hadn't been rescued in time, he would have died in that rebellion.

Therefore, upon hearing of the unusual movements of the army, even the usually composed Suzuki Kantarō couldn't help but feel a sense of surprise.

While he was distracted, Lin Fuyilang decisively ordered the butler to evacuate the Suzuki family members, and at the same time sent his personal attendants to the Lin Fu family to warn them, whispering an address in his ear.

"Tell Father to bring Mother to meet him at this address. It's a secret safe house I built, and no one knows about it except me."

Ten minutes later, led by Hayashi Fuichiro, members of the Suzuki family fled in panic in several cars. Just as the taillights disappeared into the night, a group of soldiers rushed into the Suzuki mansion.

The leading officer grabbed the servant and demanded, "Baka! Where is the Prime Minister?"

"I'm sorry, Your Excellency the Prime Minister has just left," the servant stammered.

Upon hearing this, the officer shoved the man to the ground and ordered his men to search the house. However, after searching for a long time, they found neither Suzuki Kantarō nor any of his relatives. This result clearly did not satisfy the officer; his expression shifted between anger and uncertainty. After a moment's thought, he beckoned to his soldiers: "Proceed to the next target."

At this time, the entire Tokyo Metropolitan Area was thrown into chaos, with a large number of army soldiers occupying key institutions such as police stations and the Ministry of the Army.

Having learned from the February 26 Incident, these soldiers acted with extreme decisiveness, firing without mercy whenever they encountered resistance, and gunfire echoed throughout Tokyo.

Under the rebels' frenzied attack, several pro-peace elders were killed, and naval commanders seeking a "peaceful end to the war" suffered heavy casualties.

The most intense confrontation occurred near the Imperial Palace. Major Kenji Tanaka, who was the first to respond to Tojo, led his team to control the gates of the Imperial Palace. Faced with the resistance of the guards, he loudly read out the "order" of Army Minister Korechika Anami.

"To prevent saboteurs from disturbing His Majesty, His Excellency Anan has ordered us to take over the defense of the Imperial Palace. This is the order."

Kenji Tanaka handed the document to his colleagues in the Imperial Guard Division, but the guards refused to carry it out because the troop mobilization order required the signatures of the Minister of the Army, the Chief of the General Staff, the regional commander, and the commander of the Imperial Guard Division.

The order only bore the official seal of the Ministry of the Army, which immediately raised suspicions. The guards weren't fools; of course, they wouldn't hand over the defense duties.

"Baka! At this critical moment for the survival of the empire, how can you be so indecisive!"

Enraged, Tanaka Kenji tried to persuade the guard, but the guard was unmoved and ignored him no matter what he said, continuing to aim his gun at the rebels.

Tanaka turned away dejectedly, looking as if he had given up. Just as the guard relaxed his guard, he suddenly drew his gun and fired.

"bang bang bang"

This time, the Nanbu pistol did not disappoint its designer, Nanbu Kirijiro. The bullet accurately hit the guard in charge in the chest, and the man fell to the ground without uttering a sound.

The well-prepared rebels immediately opened fire, following Tanaka's lead. The guards were caught off guard and suffered heavy casualties, with many killed or wounded. The gate was immediately breached.

Upon hearing the gunfire, the rebels at other entrances also began their attack, and soon news spread that the Imperial Palace had fallen into the hands of the rebels.

Tanaka Kenji put away his pistol and ordered his subordinates: "Seal off the palace, cut off the telephone lines, destroy the radio station, and find the record that records His Majesty's voice. Remember, you must not disturb His Majesty."

The soldiers responded with a roar and swarmed into the imperial palace, killing or surrendering the guards along the way.

Since it wasn't the Americans who invaded the mainland, many of the guards who were dissatisfied with the surrender chose to remain neutral, and some even secretly hoped that the rebels would win and a decisive battle would take place on the mainland.

At 10 p.m., it was learned that the rebellious locust was hiding deep inside the Imperial Palace, continuing his research on marine invertebrates and had not shown himself. Similarly, the rebels had not found the recording discs, and the two sides were at a stalemate.

Logically, the Imperial Palace should have been immediately quelled by the Imperial Guard Division after its fall. However, the rebels' actions disrupted the Japanese command system, and the indecisiveness of some generals exacerbated the situation.

Ironically, the pro-war faction did not respond to the rebels in time, and the bigwigs who clamored for the death of 100 million at the Imperial Conference all started to act like cowards.

For example, when the Minister of the Army, Anami Korechika, received a call from the rebels requesting instructions, he simply hung up, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, as if this would prevent him from being purged in the future.

Then there's Tojo, who incited young officers and soldiers to remonstrate, while he himself hid in a safe house on the outskirts of Tokyo.

On this day, the Japanese high command was completely torn apart, and the morale of the rebels gradually wavered. They did not know who their enemy was, nor did they know where their reinforcements were.

At 11 p.m., Mori Takeshi, commander of the 1st Imperial Guard Division, appeared at the gate of the Imperial Palace. He ordered Tanaka and the others to surrender, or he would attack. Tanaka's answer was a few bullets.

Blood stained the palace gates. The rebel soldiers knew that now that an army lieutenant general had died, they had no choice but to go down a dead-end road.

Tanaka Kenji glanced at Mori Takeshi, whose eyes were wide open in death, and then ordered his adjutant, "I'm going to the broadcasting association to broadcast the order for the final battle. You continue searching the records. No one is allowed to leave the Imperial Palace without my order."

According to the plan, if they could not destroy the recording of Tianhuang announcing his surrender, the rebels would impersonate the headquarters and call on the people to commit suicide.

When Tanaka drove to the Broadcasting Association, the rebels responsible for occupying the area came forward to report: "Major, the Broadcasting Association staff refuse to cooperate."

Broadcasting is a complex technical task, and without the help of professionals, the rebels could not possibly transmit false orders.

"Baka!" Tanaka Kenji roared, "Anyone who refuses to obey orders is a non-citizen! Kill them all!"

Seeing that the rebels were really going to kill people, under the threat of gunfire, the association staff began preparing for the broadcast.

After a flurry of activity, the technicians, wiping away cold sweat, said, "Major, the equipment has been sabotaged, and we cannot pinpoint the location of the malfunction in a short time."

Kenji Tanaka, who was reciting his speech, suddenly stood up, making a loud noise as his chair hit the floor. The association staff trembled in fear, and Tanaka became increasingly anxious.

The clock on top of the Broadcasting Association building shows that it is now the early morning of August 14, 1945, the longest day in Japanese history.