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

"Kenji Suzuki ordered the cannons to fire."

Hirata Yukihiro's tone remained calm. "The artillery fire killed about a hundred civilians."

"Then the people on the city wall chopped down the rest of them, including my wife's brother and his family of three."

After saying that, he shut his mouth, stopped looking at anyone, and gazed over Shinichi Kono's shoulder toward the distant horizon.

Shinichi Kono's Adam's apple bobbed several times, and a layer of cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

He knew things had gotten out of hand.

More than a thousand imperial citizens were massacred, and two elite regiments were wiped out. Not only did they fail to capture Fengtian City, but they were also routed by the Northeast Army.

This battle can no longer be called a defeat; it's a disaster.

Since the Russo-Japanese War, the Imperial Army had never suffered such heavy losses in a single day.

This matter must be reported to the Kwantung Army Headquarters immediately; not a second can be wasted.

"Signal Corps!"

Shinichi Kono turned around and roared at the troops behind him, "Set up a radio immediately and send a message to the Kwantung Army Headquarters in Port Arthur! Urgent!"

The signalman unloaded the portable radio from his horse, hurriedly set up the antenna, and pressed his finger on the transmit button.

Shinichi Kono squatted down next to the radio, his lips pressed into a thin line, and pondered for a full three minutes before dictating the telegram.

"To His Excellency Itagaki, Headquarters of the Kwantung Army: The 4th and 29th Regiments suffered devastating blows during the Battle of Mukden. The two regiments suffered a total of over 7,000 casualties, with fewer than 1,000 remaining and have lost their combat capability."

"More than 1,100 imperial citizens in Fengtian City were collectively executed by the Northeast Army, and none survived."

"My 2nd Cavalry Regiment is gathering the remnants of our troops and requests tactical guidance."

"That's it, Kono Shinichi."

After typing the last word on the telegraph key, the communications soldier looked up at Shinichi Kono, his eyes filled with undisguised fear.

Shinichi Kono waved his hand:

"Send it out."

...........

Lushun, the headquarters of the Kwantung Army.

Seishiro Itagaki was sitting at the mahogany table in the operations room, holding a pencil in his hand, and drawing a circle around the location of Fengtian City on the map.

His white shirt sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, and two buttons on the collar were undone, revealing a sweat-soaked undershirt underneath.

He hadn't slept for two days and two nights; his eyes were bloodshot, but he remained energetic.

He was waiting for news of victory in Fengtian. According to his plan, the 4th and 29th Regiments should capture Fengtian this morning, and then the main force of the 2nd Division would move north along the South Manchurian Railway and occupy the entire area north of Fengtian within three days.

He had even drafted the telegram he would send to headquarters after taking Fengtian, and he had it pressed under the ashtray on the table.

Ishihara Kanji was sitting at the other end of the table, peeling an apple with a knife.

He moved slowly, and the apple peels he cut were thin and long, forming spirals on the table.

He looked relaxed, and even hummed an unknown tune.

In his view, Fengtian City was already in his grasp. It would be strange if two elite detachments couldn't take down a city defended only by ragtag troops and police.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

Seishiro Itagaki frowned slightly, his pencil paused on the paper, leaving a dot of ink.

The door was pushed open, and a staff officer strode in, holding a telegram in both hands.

His face was as white as a sheet, his forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his hands were trembling violently.

He walked up to Itagaki Seishiro, stood at attention and saluted, his lips moved for a long time, but he couldn't utter a complete sentence.

"Read it." Itagaki Seishiro put down his pencil, his tone remaining calm.

The staff officer opened his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down several times, before finally managing to squeeze out a few words:

"Lord Itagaki... Fengtian... Fengtian siege forces..."

"Fengtian has been captured?" Itagaki Seishiro's lips curled up slightly.

"No...no..."

The staff officer's lips trembled violently. "The 4th Regiment and the 29th Regiment... were completely wiped out. The two regiments suffered a total of more than 7,000 casualties, with fewer than 1,000 survivors."

"More than 1,100 imperial residents in Fengtian City...were all executed."

"Colonel Kono of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment is gathering the remnants and requests tactical guidance."

The operations room was silent for a full five seconds.

"Baka yarou!"

Seishiro Itagaki suddenly jumped up from his chair and snatched the telegram from the staff officer's hand.

His eyes scanned the telegram from top to bottom, and the color drained from his face in an instant, only to return in a flash, turning a deep liver color.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

He roared and tore the telegram in two; the pieces of paper flew through the air and landed at Ishihara Kanji's feet.

He turned around and kicked over the chair behind him. The chair flew out and smashed against the wall, causing the battle map on the wall to tilt by half.

"Two regiments! Eight thousand men! Gone in a single day! In just one day?!"

"What are Suzuki Kenji good for?! What are Hirata Yukihiro good for?! They are both traitors to the Empire! Traitors!"

He braced his hands on the table, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for breath, the veins on his forehead bulging as if they were about to burst from under his skin.

Sweat dripped down his temples, staining the map and obscuring the location of Fengtian City.

Ishihara Kanji stood up from his chair, bent down to pick up the telegram that had been torn in two on the ground, pieced it back together, and read it from beginning to end.

His brows furrowed into a knot, and his lips were pressed into a thin line.

He placed the telegram on the table, weighed it down with the half-peeled apple, and then looked up at Itagaki Seishiro, who was still furious.

"Itagaki-kun".

His voice was low. "Now is not the time to lose your temper."

"We must report the actual situation to headquarters immediately."

"The complete annihilation of two regiments and the killing of more than a thousand civilians could not be concealed."

"If the headquarters gets the news from other sources first, we'll both have to commit seppuku."

Seishiro Itagaki's body stiffened abruptly.

He slowly straightened up, turned his head to look at Ishihara Kanji, and the rage on his face slowly faded, replaced by a paleness that was almost fearful.

Kanji Ishihara is right; the Mukden Incident itself was launched by him without authorization from the General Headquarters.

According to his plan, the Kwantung Army should have swiftly occupied Fengtian, Changchun, and Yingkou within three days, creating a fait accompli, and then forced the General Headquarters to recognize it.

To this end, he fabricated evidence of the bombing of the South Manchurian Railway, concocted lies about the Northeast Army's provocations, and even took advantage of the absence of General Honjo Shigeru, commander of the Kwantung Army, in Lushun to issue an unauthorized order for a full-scale operation.

The plans have now been completely disrupted.

Fengtian was not captured, two regiments were lost, and the overseas Chinese were killed.

All of this happened without authorization from headquarters.

If the General Headquarters investigates, he, as a senior staff officer of the Kwantung Army, will be the person primarily responsible.

Falsifying evidence, starting a war without authorization, concealing military intelligence, and causing heavy losses to the Imperial Army—any one of these four charges would be enough to put him in a military court.

Seishiro Itagaki took a deep breath, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, walked to the window, and stood facing the direction of Port Arthur for a full minute.

The Lushun Port outside the window shimmered with light, and wisps of black smoke billowed from the smokestacks of the warships. Everything seemed as calm as usual.

But beneath this calm, a storm powerful enough to shake the very foundations of the Imperial Army is brewing.

"Ishihara-kun."

His voice was incredibly deep. "Draft a telegram for me. Send it to Minister of the Army, Mr. Minami Jiro, to the General Staff, and to the Naval General Staff."

"No relevant department should be overlooked."

He turned around, his expression one of desperate determination, like a gambler who had already put all his chips on the table.

Knowing full well that he might lose everything, he still gritted his teeth and turned over the last card.

Ishihara Kanji picked up his pencil again, spread out a blank telegram sheet, and waited for him to speak.

Seishiro Itagaki closed his eyes, gathered his thoughts, and then began to dictate, word by word:

"I hereby declare to the General Headquarters: In order to protect the lives and property of the South Manchurian Railway and the Imperial nationals, the Kwantung Army has launched a legitimate defensive operation in accordance with its authority."

"However, the situation took an unexpected turn. The Northeast Army amassed far more troops in Fengtian than expected. After fierce fighting, my 4th Regiment and 29th Regiment suffered heavy losses, and the siege of Fengtian was not completely successful."

"More than 1,100 imperial citizens perished in the city."

"Currently, various units of the Northeast Army around Fengtian are gathering in Fengtian, and the situation in the three northeastern provinces is in danger of getting out of control."

"I earnestly request that the General Headquarters immediately dispatch the main force of the troops stationed in Korea and reinforcements from the mainland to cross the river and head north as quickly as possible, so as to join forces with the main force of the Kwantung Army to launch a new offensive."

"If reinforcements are delayed, the Empire's decades of efforts in Manchuria may be destroyed in an instant, and the Kwantung Army will also face the danger of being divided and surrounded."

"Your subject, Itagaki Seishiro, bows his head."

Ishihara Kanji's pencil flew across the paper, and as he wrote the last word, the pencil tip snapped off with a snap.

He picked up the telegram and read it through, his brow furrowing even more.

Seishiro Itagaki's choice of words was very clever.

They described their unauthorized initiation of war as "a legitimate defensive operation launched in accordance with their authority," their crushing defeat as "an unexpected change in the war situation," and shifted the blame for the massacre of overseas Chinese to the Northeast Army.

Then they made the situation sound extremely precarious, with the aim of forcing the headquarters to send reinforcements.

Once this telegram is sent, even if headquarters wants to investigate the matter, they'll have to finish the current battle first.

If we can win, all problems can be covered up with victory; if we can't win... then there's no need to say anything more.

Ishihara Kanji handed the telegram to Itagaki Seishiro, who glanced at it, picked up the seal from the table, and stamped the telegram with a bright red seal.

Then he handed it to the pale-faced staff officer standing at the door:

"Send it out immediately. Urgent. Also send a copy to Lieutenant General Tamon Jiro, Commander of the 2nd Division, and General Hayashi Senjuro, Commander of the Korean Army."

"yes!"

The staff officer took the telegram with both hands, turned around, and ran out.

"Itagaki-kun".

Ishihara Kanji said in a low voice, "What if Headquarters doesn't send troops?"

Itagaki Seishiro did not answer.

He remained silent for a long time, so long that Ishihara Kanji thought he wasn't going to answer, before finally squeezing out five words through gritted teeth:

"Then it's all over."

Outside the window, a layer of lead-gray clouds had gathered over Lushun Port, completely obscuring the sun.

The warships in the harbor sounded their horns, the sound deep and long, as if tolling a death knell for an era.