1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll

After all, their whole family is like this. Who wasn't full of vigor and reckless when they were young?

You are already 20 years old, it’s time to “wake up”.

However, this guy seems to be smarter than I thought...

Thinking of this, Emperor Hirohito asked tentatively:

"You didn't promise Toyama Mitsuru, did you?"

Fujiwara no Kanezane was also a member of the royal family. If it were not for the reform of the "Imperial House Law" after the Meiji Restoration, he would actually be qualified to be conferred the title of prince.

(Before the reform, the Emperor and the Imperial Court lacked clear family rules. After the reform, it was clearly stipulated that only the Emperor's sons and daughters could be granted the titles of Prince and Princess Uchika - this was not actually followed.)

(Japanese stunt: "If I tell you what to do, you do it.".jpg)

If a person of such a noble status accepts the invitation of a gangster and works for him, it would be a complete disgrace to the royal family.

Fortunately, Fujiwara no Kanezane was not that stupid:

"No, I can't possibly get involved in the affairs of the Genyosha. That would be disgraceful to Your Majesty..."

"That's good."

Hirohito had just felt relieved and was about to end the meeting with his teacup when Fujiwara no Kanezane's next words nearly made him spit out his tea:

"Because I don't plan to use the Yakuza from Genyosha. I plan to rebuild my own underground force to compete with them."

“Puff…cough cough cough cough…”

His Majesty the Emperor was choked and coughed violently several times before asking in a sharp voice:

"What did you say!?"

"Your Majesty, please calm down and listen to my cunning... explanation."

Fujiwara Kanezane calmly began his deception:

"You have always been wary of Duke Saionji's power and want to eliminate his political influence, right?"

Hirohito himself was actually very annoyed by those politicians who were difficult to deal with and spoke in ambiguous ways, and wanted to deal with them so that he could achieve his own "monopoly of power."

Otherwise, how do you think the military rose to power? How did those Japanese fascist ideas spread so wildly?

"..."

Hirohito narrowed his eyes.

029 Fooling Old Man Hirohito 1

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"...to neutralize his political influence, right?"

"..."

Fujiwara no Kanezane's words were so clear that Hirohito had never expected them to be so. He narrowed his eyes and his brain stopped working for two seconds.

Because the impact of these words was so strong, he even ignored the fact that the other party did not answer his original question, and instead said in a more intimate tone:

"...Kaneshi, there are some things you can't just say casually."

"Your Majesty, I am a young man and a loyal subject to you. In front of you, there is absolutely no need for me to play those dirty tricks that only politicians play."

"..."

This statement was very comforting to Hirohito, who always hated the petty and mean-spirited behavior of politicians. Then he heard Fujiwara no Kanezane say something even more comforting:

"I have been reading history books over the years. A veteran like Duke Saionji is something that no ambitious monarch can tolerate, especially Your Majesty."

By learning history from his agent, Fujiwara no Kanezane knew that Hirohito was a guy who loved to flatter and was extremely stubborn, conceited, and selfish. Such words would certainly make him very happy.

As expected, Hirohito smiled broadly upon hearing this, but waved his hand hypocritically and "criticized":

"You can't say that, Your Excellency the Duke. He's a minister of state, and maintaining the empire's political stability is indispensable to him... for now."

The implication is that Saionji Kimmochi's only role is to maintain the political stability of the Empire;

And only “for now.”

Hirohito's meaning was so clear, so Fujiwara Kanezane naturally said:

"Yes, you are right. However, as long as Duke Saionji is around, he will curb many of your ideas, or simply use other methods to prevent you from doing what you want to do."

"..."

Hirohito's face suddenly became completely gloomy.

He, his father and his grandfather all felt this very clearly.

Saionji Kimmochi was born into the Tokudaiji family, one of the "Nine Qinghua clans". He was adopted by the childless Saionji family as an heir. Later, the Saionji family became the head of the "Nine Qinghua" under his leadership.

At the age of 4, he became a retainer of his great-grandfather, Emperor Komei. At the age of 18, he participated in government affairs with the support of the Emperor and led the subsequent "Imperial Restoration" and other movements.

As a favorite general of Emperor Komei, he was relatively "well-behaved" during that period. Although somewhat rebellious, he always worked hard to help the emperor regain power.

However, three years after Emperor Komei's death, he went to France to study democratic ideas, and ten years later, he returned to Japan and began to advocate for democracy and party politics in the country, rejecting traditional Japanese politics;

At this time, Emperor Meiji began to have a headache.

Facing this powerful and distinguished man, he sent several important officials to persuade him, but all failed. It was not until he personally wrote a letter of threat that Saionji Kimmochi reluctantly agreed to withdraw from the Freedom and Civil Rights Movement.

After returning to politics, Kimmochi Saionji did not behave much better and continued to act according to his own ways, leading to many conflicts with Emperor Meiji.

However, because Emperor Meiji himself was a supporter of the Meiji Restoration, and because many of Saionji Kimmochi's actions benefited him, the conflict between the two sides remained under the surface.

After the death of Emperor Meiji, how could Emperor Taisho, who had always been in poor health (actually mentally ill), control this aristocrat who was one of the "Nine Elders of Meiji"?

Finally, after the death of Aritomo Yamagata, Japan completely entered the "party cabinet era" that Kimmochi Saionji wanted, and Saionji himself became the "last elder."

During this period, whether in the palace, state affairs, or military affairs, Saionji Kimmochi could intervene behind the scenes and continued to have a profound influence on Japanese politics.

Anyone could see that the newly-appointed Emperor Hirohito had no chance of suppressing Saionji Kimmochi;

Perhaps it wouldn't have come to the point where he had to obey everything, but Hirohito couldn't do anything that Kimmochi Saionji didn't want to do.

Not to mention Saionji Kimmochi's political influence, the fact that Hirohito was younger than him and might have to call him "Great Grandfather" when he saw him was enough to make His Majesty the Emperor feel uneasy.

There's no way around it. According to the family tree, Saionji Kimmochi's seventh-generation ancestor was Emperor Higashiyama, who was in turn the eleventh-generation ancestor of Emperor Hirohito...

If it weren't for the fact that Saionji Kimmochi was too old and had little energy, such an eighty-year-old veteran of four dynasties would be enough to suppress Hirohito so much that he would be so respectful that he wouldn't even dare to fart!

There's nothing fishy about Fujiwara Kanezane's words...

But why did Kanezane say that?

The Saionji family and the Fujiwara Kita family have always had a good relationship...

Before Hirohito could even ask his question, Fujiwara Kanezane said:

"So, Your Majesty, I completely understand your desire to support the military and suppress Duke Saionji, but is the military a good thing?"

"..."

It can't be denied.

In the eyes of Japan's top leaders, the military is more dangerous than the veteran politicians in party politics, and Hirohito has always been highly vigilant against them.

Before the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese emperor was a plaything of the powerful feudal lords, who could be deposed, replaced, or even killed at will.

Even after the Meiji Restoration, the emperor was only able to gain some real power by relying on one faction of feudal clans to suppress another faction of feudal clans.

After finally carrying out a major reform, it triggered a rebellion (the Southwest War), which destroyed most of Kyushu.

To this day, the armed forces that truly belong to the royal family are still pitifully small, and a large number of troops are still controlled by various military leaders who have transformed themselves from feudal lords.

Although it is claimed to the outside world that "the Emperor has absolute rule", that is just a trick to fool the common people. Who among the top Japanese politicians doesn't know the inside story?

The essence of the emperor's job is to strike a balance among various factions.

If you play well, you can gain some power, but if you play badly, you will probably "die of illness".

However, Hirohito did not like "balance", what he wanted was "monopoly of power".

He doesn't want to be the "Emperor" of Japan, he wants to be the "Emperor" of China!

After being reminded by Fujiwara no Kanezane, Hirohito once again deeply realized the dangers of his previous series of policies - they could easily allow the military to become too powerful and out of control.

Thinking of this, Hirohito looked at his "brother" with disdain, but did not point out:

"what do you want to say in the end?"

"What I want to say is that you need to strengthen the power of the entire royal family, rather than relying on one or two people in the army alone."

"You mean..."

"Do you think Prince Kan'in can suppress Shinzaburo Mazaki and Sadao Araki? Or do you think Prince Fushimi can suppress Lord Togo and the treaty faction?"

Fujiwara Kanezane lowered his head and said with a half-smile:

"Your Majesty, the high and mighty royal family cannot truly control the military, whether it's the navy, the army, or even the police..."

"..."

Hirohito was also very clear about this.

Do you think you can control the violent military organization with just one or two personnel changes?

It's just a dream.

You probably can't even suppress the Metropolitan Police Department's sword-drawing team.

Especially in the Japanese army, which has always had the custom of "subjugation by the lower ranks".

So what if you replaced two senior generals?

I tricked a few low-ranking officers into killing them in a matter of minutes.

Whether it is the army, navy or police, their external struggles and internal factions are extremely complicated, and it is simply not something that senior military officers dare to, can or can easily manage.

Didn’t a few young officers try to launch a rebellion last October but were stopped?

Who knows what's behind them...

Alas?

Speaking of which, I heard that during the Chinese New Year this year, this kid Jianshi was beaten up, apparently because he was too close to these young and stupid officers.

As if he had read Hirohito's mind, Fujiwara Kanezane continued:

"...I felt this deeply after participating in the misdeeds of young officers twice last year..."

"Hashidou Sack? Twice? Not once?"

"Uh..."

Fujiwara no Kanezane pretended to be embarrassed and surprised and said:

"Yes, twice! Once in March and once in October..."

"...Oh...keep going."

His Majesty the Emperor's mood became even worse.

These bastards actually hid this matter from me collectively!

Do you still have the Emperor in your eyes?!

Saionji Temple!

Bastards in the military!

Bastards in the cabinet!!

(Note: The March Incident was not disclosed to the Japanese imperial family until the end of World War II. It is said that Hirohito was furious.)

After successfully defecating on the seeds of discontent in the Emperor's heart, Fujiwara no Kanezane concluded:

"...In short, I believe that if Your Majesty does not properly manage these soldiers and strengthen your own direct forces, one day you yourself will be in danger."

"So that's why you wanted to establish a club to replace Toyama Mitsuru and the Genyosha?"

"Yes!"

Finally getting to the point, Fujiwara no Kanezane said righteously: