Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

Chapter 1077 Iron Wall

When Zhou Zhengqing reached that delicate balance agreement with Terauchi Hisaichi and Prince Asaka Yasuhiko, the real eye of the storm was in the distant Japanese mainland, in that power labyrinth known as the "Headquarters."

As expected, the detailed report on the infighting within the Central China Expeditionary Army, the casualties of various divisions, and the disappearance of Matsui Iwane was like a barbed whip lashing the face of the military headquarters, especially the core figures of the control faction.

This is not a simple report on military misconduct, but a detailed record of the power shifts, bloody purges, and the final delicate balance reached within the Central China Expeditionary Army.

A sense of provoked rage permeated the offices of the Army Ministry and the General Staff Headquarters.

The young officers of the Control faction were furious, believing that Takasaki Takuto's actions were a complete subversion of the army's pyramid structure and an absolutely unforgivable act of "subordinates rebelling against their superiors." They argued that if he was not severely punished, others would follow suit in the future, and military discipline would be completely destroyed.

Before the words of retaliation could even leave the Army Ministry building, they crashed into an unprecedented, impenetrable wall of steel, composed of three layers of iron.

At the heart of this wall is Emperor Showa himself, flanked by the civilian government led by Prime Minister Fumio Chikao, and the entire entrenched aristocratic group centered around the House of Peers.

A top-level power struggle, concerning how to deal with Takasaki Takuto and in fact the future direction of the empire's power, quietly unfolded in Kyoto, far surpassing the intensity of the secret meeting in Tianjin.

Inside the Imperial Palace.

The atmosphere at the Imperial Conference had never been so heavy and suffocating.

In the council chamber deep within the palace, the air seemed frozen, and even the careful breathing of the attendants could be clearly heard.

Emperor Showa sat on his throne, his face, which was usually masked and concealed his emotions, now shrouded in an obvious gloom.

He did not fly into a rage as the radical officers in the army had hoped, but every word he uttered slowly carried immense weight, striking the hearts of every military leader present, especially Army Minister Sugiyama Gen and Prince Kan'in Kotohito.

"I have heard," the Emperor said, his voice not loud, but clearly echoing in the silent hall: "The situation in Central China is almost as intense as a civil war!"

Attacked a military police officer, placed a royal military police officer under house arrest, and defied the military police in the line of duty! Haha, Matsui Iwane is truly a good subject of mine!

"Shouldn't the military give me an explanation?"

His gaze, sharp as a knife, slowly swept over the bowed generals below: "The precious blood of the Empire's soldiers should be shed to punish the tyrannical forces and expand the battlefield across thousands of miles of waves. How can it be wasted on internal strife and mutual trampling?"

He paused slightly, allowing the rebuke in his words to fully penetrate: "What I need is an army that works together with one heart and mind, like an extension of its own arm, not a disorganized mob that is even self-destructive."

The military must thoroughly investigate this matter and provide a clear explanation to me and the people.

The Emperor's words were extremely harsh, directly questioning the military's management capabilities.

However, just when the military leaders thought the Emperor was about to lose his temper, the Emperor subtly changed the subject: "However, at this critical moment, the Imperial Holy War is at a crucial juncture."

The situation on the China battlefield is deadlocked, and the southern front also needs to respond with all its might.

All internal disagreements, regardless of their cause, must be addressed with the primary goal of stabilizing the overall situation. We must never allow the pursuit of blame for one person or one incident to cause the soldiers on the front lines to waver, disrupt the command system, or even give the enemy an opportunity to exploit the situation.

This concerns the very survival of the nation; I urge you all to consider it carefully.

These words clearly express an attitude of "cooling off".

It serves as a warning that the internal struggles within the military must be brought to a stop, and it also clearly expresses the Emperor's disapproval of holding Takasaki Takuto accountable. At a deeper level, it also contains the Emperor's deep dissatisfaction with the military's excessive expansion of power and its repeated "going it alone" in endangering the national system.

The Emperor's fury was not simply directed at Matsui Iwane's "insubordination" by placing the military police under house arrest, but rather at the signs of the entire imperial machinery spiraling out of control.

His mention of "attacking the military police staff officer" and "placing the military police under house arrest" precisely hit the nail on the head regarding the problems of the Central China Expeditionary Army and even the wider issue, leaving the military high command, who were only focused on maintaining their authority, speechless for a moment.

This fury, originating from the inner palace, was all the more powerful because of its restraint, like a silent thunderbolt hanging over the military.

Immediately afterwards, the Prime Minister, Duke Fumio Chikao, a noble politician from the "Five Regent Families" and of extremely high status, took over the conversation.

Instead of directly criticizing the military's incompetence or Takasaki's arrogance, he offered a political interpretation and support for the Emperor's decision from a broader "national policy" perspective.

"Your Majesty is wise." Jinwei Wen bowed slightly, his tone calm and composed: "The challenges facing the Empire today are unprecedented."

The resolution of the China Incident has entered a critical phase, and the situation requires proactive planning.

At this critical juncture concerning the nation's fate, any internal disagreements, regardless of their nature, must be subordinated to ensuring the efficient operation of the war machine and the unimpeded allocation of resources.

He cleverly elevated the Nanjing Civil War incident from a simple military disciplinary issue to the level of "national strategy".

"General Takasaki's actions in Central China may have some debatable aspects, as they were too radical. However, upon closer examination, his initial intention was to rectify the increasingly lax military discipline in the area and stabilize the rear order in the occupied territories."

This goal is not entirely contrary to His Majesty's consistent intention to strengthen military preparedness and governance of occupied territories.

He further pointed out the key point: "The urgent task is not to rush to investigate personal responsibility, stir up internal conflicts, cause panic and loss of command."

Instead, we should integrate the strengths of all parties, and especially ensure the smooth and unimpeded chain of logistics supply, military production, and strategic material allocation.

This is the lifeline supporting the holy war. If it is hindered by internal strife, it will shake not only a single city or region on the front line, but the very foundation of the nation! Konoe's speech was well-researched and logically sound, providing a politically plausible "justification" for protecting Takasaki Takuto, and blocking the military's attempt to escalate the matter to an extreme under the pretext of "violation of military discipline".

What truly sent chills down the military's spine was the full-scale exertion of power from the House of Nobles and the vast noble forces it represented.

This time, the Chinese community, which usually remained silent or only made verbal gestures during internal conflicts, demonstrated unprecedented toughness and unity.

The successor to Fumio Chikao as Speaker of the House of Peers, the Duke of Matsudaira Yorihisa of the Saijo Matsudaira family (a branch of the Tokugawa family in Kishu), and other heavyweight nobles all spoke out, either by submitting inquiries through formal channels or by using their extensive personal connections to send a clear signal to the Ministry of the Army and the General Staff.

If the military insists on severely punishing Takasaki Takuto, or even attempts to attack the Takasaki family and its related forces, then the aristocratic class will spare no effort to use all resources to retaliate.

The core of this countermeasure targets the military's Achilles' heel: war resources.