On the eve of the fall of Liaodong, he led his troops in a remonstrance against the young marshal.

Bhikkhu Kingdom, the main base.

The Imperial Conference Room.

There was no charcoal fire in the room, and it was as cold as an ice cellar.

The sunlight outside the window was completely blocked by thick clouds, with only a few pale gray rays of light shining on the huge Rising Sun flag on the wall.

The twelve ministers stood on either side, hands at their sides.

Army Minister Jiro Minami stood at the head of the left side, and Navy Minister Osami Nagano stood at the head of the right side, with a distance of three meters between them and an invisible ice wall.

Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka stood to the left of Jiro Minami, clutching a telegram in his hand, his knuckles turning white.

Kenji Doihara, the head of the Special Higher Police, stood at the very end, his forehead covered in a fine layer of sweat.

In the cold room, sweat dripped down his temples, soaking the collar of his military uniform.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the ground, as if they were studying the patterns on the tatami mats.

The sliding door was pulled open, and the king stormed in angrily.

Everyone bowed deeply.

The king did not go to sit on the throne.

He stood before the throne, his back to everyone, looking up at the Rising Sun Flag on the wall, and remained silent for a long time.

That silence was more terrifying than any roar.

"Doihara."

Kenji Doihara shuddered and practically tumbled out of line, kneeling on the floor with his forehead pressed against the cold floor.

"Your subject is here."

"Tell me."

The king slowly turned around. "Who killed Ambassador Nakamura Kotaro of Tojo?"

Tu Feiyuan's back was soaked with cold sweat, his military uniform was wet and clung to his spine, outlining his trembling figure.

"I...I am guilty."

"I'm asking you questions, not to hear you confess to a crime!"

The king suddenly erupted.

He grabbed a stack of documents from the imperial desk and hurled them at Doihara.

The papers scattered in the air, like a flock of startled white birds, fluttering down onto Doihara.

"The 65 million indemnity was about to be received, but the ambassador was killed, and the treaty was completely ruined."

The king turned around abruptly, staring at Doihara with his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

"Where is your Special Higher Police? Where is your intelligence network?"

"Why didn't you protect Nakamura? Nakamura has been dead for so many days, what were you doing?"

"Speak, answer me!"

Doihara's forehead thumped against the floor, and each time he raised his head, a new bruise appeared on his forehead.

"Your Majesty, please calm down! Your Majesty, please calm down! Your Majesty... Your Majesty's intelligence network has indeed reported that the assassination of Ambassador Nakamura on the night of his death was carried out with extremely professional methods."

"It is highly likely that this was done by Zhang Xueming's men! I am currently investigating..."

"Investigate? How long will the investigation continue?"

Prince Gongzai stepped out from the queue.

This prince, the king's younger brother, held real power in the military and was known for his composure, but at this moment his face was also filled with anger.

"The ambassador was murdered, the empire's dignity was trampled underfoot in front of the whole world, and you're still investigating?"

He walked up to Doihara and looked down at the intelligence chief who was prostrate on the ground.

"Tell me, just how long is Zhang Xueming's arm?"

"He beheaded imperial citizens in Lushun, crushed two imperial Class A divisions in Fengcheng, and now he's extended his reach to Hucheng, assassinating the imperial ambassador in the imperial concession. What's his next move?"

"Is he going to lead his Northeast Army to attack Xiao'er City?"

Foreign Minister Matsuoka Hiroshi's face was extremely grim.

"Your Majesty, gentlemen."

Matsuoka spoke, and the conference room fell silent instantly.

Because everyone knows that although this Foreign Minister is usually taciturn, once he speaks, it is always a conclusion he has thought through carefully.

"The destruction of the Kwantung Army, coupled with Zhang Xueming's assassination of Ambassador Shigemitsu Mamoru, extended his reach to Tojo. What does this signify?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the faces of each minister.

"This means that Zhang Xueming has become the empire's greatest threat on the Chinese mainland, without exception."

"His threat has surpassed that of Zhang Xueliang, and that of any other warlord in China."

"Zhang Xueliang only wanted to survive, but Zhang Xueming... he wanted the empire to die."

"What worries me more now is not Zhang Xueming himself, but that he put Zhang Xueliang in the position of Premier of the Executive Yuan."

These words shocked everyone present.

"Gentlemen, think about this."

Matsuoka's voice was chilling. "Zhang Xueming has already established a firm foothold in Northeast China."

"He has 300,000 Northeast Army soldiers, the strongest air force in China, and strategic depth across two peninsulas."

"Now he has put Zhang Xueliang on the throne of Premier of the Executive Yuan. What does this mean? It means that the power of the Northeast Army will extend from Manchuria to Jiangnan."

"What kind of place is Hucheng? It is the location of the Empire's concession, the Empire's largest stronghold in East China, and the economic lifeline of the Empire in the Yangtze River Basin."

"If Zhang Xueliang arrives in Jiangnan and establishes himself right under the empire's nose, then the empire's power will be completely squeezed out of the country."

"Zhang Xueming has already occupied Northeast China and the Three Hans, and now he has put a knife to the throat of East China."

Matsuoka took a deep breath and said, word by word:

"We must not allow Zhang Xueliang to gain a foothold in Hucheng. We must remove him from power and bring the Chairman back."

Silence fell over the meeting room.

The king stood before his throne, his face pale.

"So, how do we get Zhang Xueliang out of power?"

Nanjiro stepped forward.

"I have a plan."

Everyone turned their heads at the same time, their eyes fixed on Nanjiro.

"Speak," the king uttered a single word.

Nanjiro walked to the wall and unfurled a huge map of East Asia.

On the map, he had circled the four northeastern provinces in red, and also drew a red circle around the Korean Peninsula.

His finger slid down the coastline and stopped at Hucheng, the location of the Yangtze River estuary.

"Your Majesty, please look, we are currently in a period of transition in Chinese rule."

"The Chairman has stepped down, and Zhang Xueliang has just been elected in Lushun. His special train is still on its way, and he has not yet arrived in Nanjing."

"According to the laws of the Republic of China, the Premier of the Executive Yuan must be in office before he can exercise his powers."

"So now, no one can make decisions in Jinling, and the garrison in Hucheng is leaderless."

He tapped the spot on the roof heavily with his finger.

"If at this time, the Imperial East China Garrison suddenly launches an attack, bombarding Hucheng and the concessions are in danger, Nanjing will be in chaos without a leader."

"Zhang Xueliang had just been elected and had not yet taken office when the war broke out. Those in the parliament who did not support him would immediately shift the blame onto him, saying that he was incompetent and that he had brought about the war."

"At that point, under pressure, Parliament will have no choice but to ask the Chairman to step in and salvage the situation again."

He turned around, looked at the king, and his eyes flashed with a cold light.

"Once the Chairman comes to power, we can propose conditions during the armistice negotiations, demanding that they hand over Zhang Xueliang to the Empire for disposal, and at the same time, the Empire will permanently occupy Hucheng."

"Given the Chairman's personality, he would never confront us head-on; he will most likely continue to compromise."

"As long as we get Zhang Xueliang, we can use him to threaten Zhang Xueming and regain control of Northeast China."

The air in the conference room seemed to freeze.

"Brilliant plan."

Prince Gongzai nodded slowly, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes. "Before he takes office, let's overturn the table."

"A Premier without any real power base and a sudden war—these two things combined were enough to force Zhang Xueliang to step down before he even took office."

Navy Minister Osami Nagano stood up:

"For this attack on Hucheng, the navy can form a mixed fleet."

"There is no need for the combined fleet to be deployed."

Nanjiro interrupted him, "The East China garrison has marines, and Toshiro is a port city. Although our battleships stationed there year-round are not large, they are more than enough to suppress the coastal defenses."

"Add the Army Air Force bombers, and that's enough to deal with a city that has no air defenses."

The king stood before the map, his gaze fixed intently on the location of Hucheng.

"Matsui Iwane."

The king read out the name and sent a telegram to Matsui Iwane, commander of the North China garrison.

"Order him! Initiate the Hucheng Operation Plan immediately! Take Hucheng before Zhang Xueliang arrives in Nanjing."

He turned his head and looked coldly at Nanjiro and Doihara.

"If we fail again this time..."

He didn't finish his sentence. But everyone understood.

Nanjiro and Doihara bent over at the same time, their foreheads almost touching their knees.

"Your subject will repay the empire with his life."