Ch.200Age of Turbulence (7)

# The Emperor’s Death

“Listen here, Kanji. Have you finally gone mad? You’re saying His Majesty the Emperor should personally fight those Chinese bastards?”

Tojo Hideki berated Ishiwara Kanji harshly.

The Emperor’s personal command of troops.

This title alone should be enough. What nonsense is this about His Majesty personally fighting those people?

“His mere presence on the battlefield would be sufficient. Throughout history, haven’t all great rulers personally led their armies into battle? Even Emperor Yangdi and Emperor Taizong personally led campaigns against Goguryeo, and European conquerors did the same. In our time, the Empress of Moscow does this, and the Emperor of Ethiopia, who receives her support, personally patrols the highlands hunting down communists.”

“Hmm. Would His Majesty approve such a thing?”

The final decision rested with the Emperor.

In the end, they needed the Emperor’s approval, but would Ishiwara Kanji’s proposal really work?

“We must at least present the request to His Majesty.”

Imperial Headquarters didn’t particularly oppose Ishiwara Kanji’s suggestion.

After all, the very existence of the Imperial Way Faction was about putting the Emperor at the forefront of Japan, and the same would apply to war.

Above all, they believed the Emperor, as monarch, wouldn’t take unnecessary risks.

Unfortunately, in this world where the Imperial Way Faction had triumphed and Japan was heavily influenced by Russia, Hirohito was quite different from his counterpart in the original timeline.

Wasn’t Anastasia, the Russian Empress who was the same age as Hirohito, directly fighting communists?

Even recently, the Emperor of those African natives was personally stopping Italy’s red army. How could the foremost Emperor of the East back down?

Shouldn’t he personally confront these Chinese people tainted by communism (at least nominally)?

Gripped by unnecessary inferiority, Hirohito decided to grant Ishiwara Kanji’s earnest request.

“Very well. I shall personally take the field. Ishiwara Kanji, you will assist me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty! I will serve Your Majesty with my life!”

The problem was that harboring such vain aspirations was the worst mistake of Hirohito’s life—something that should never have happened.

Unlike the tanghulu-coated princess, he was of an unbroken imperial lineage, claiming to be a living god but without tanghulu protection. Unlike Haile Selassie, who had to sacrifice himself against Italian invaders, Hirohito was himself the invader.

And so, the complacent Hirohito personally headed to the Henan front.

“His Majesty the Emperor is watching over you! Fight those Chinese! Show His Majesty the Yamato spirit!”

“Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empire of Japan!”

The China Expeditionary First Army’s morale soared at the Emperor’s appearance, with soldiers shouting enthusiastically.

Hirohito himself was secretly pleased with his imperial subjects’ loyalty, waving his hand and encouraging the soldiers.

And just then, battle broke out.

He would shine gloriously like Empress Anastasia.

“His Majesty, of the unbroken imperial lineage, is immortal!”

Hirohito personally encouraged the soldiers, hoping to win the battle and capture Henan province.

If the soldiers conquered Henan in this battle, the glory would belong entirely to Hirohito himself.

At the very least, he had to show himself superior to his subject, Renya Mutaguchi, didn’t he?

He couldn’t allow the Emperor’s authority to be overshadowed by a mere army general who was already being called a heaven-sent military genius within Japan.

Indeed, the battle initially turned in Japan’s favor with the Emperor’s participation.

The Japanese forces, their fighting spirit multiplied a hundredfold, refused to yield and slaughtered Chinese troops, even breaking through defensive lines.

Meanwhile, on the Chinese side, Tang Shengzhi—who in the original timeline had failed to defend Nanjing—was holding back the Japanese forces. When the defensive line began to break, he decided to pull back.

And right at that moment…

The reason for the Japanese army’s sudden surge in morale reached the ears of Tang Shengzhi, who had been pulling his hair out as even human wave tactics were failing.

The fundamental reason those damned Japanese suddenly started fighting so fiercely: the Emperor’s arrival had been revealed to Tang Shengzhi.

“What? Their leader is right there? I don’t care how many casualties we take! Rain artillery fire on that Emperor!”

The defense of Henan province was already failing.

There were clear limits to overwhelming the enemy with sheer numbers. So at the very least, shouldn’t they take something away from this?

Tang Shengzhi’s choice was to direct all firepower at the Emperor’s likely location. Every last bit of strength, down to the dregs, was poured into this effort.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Tang Shengzhi’s artillery fired with all their might toward the Emperor.

“These stupid Chinese, how’s their accuracy? Can’t they even aim properly? Wait—”

The Japanese army hadn’t realized the Chinese would target the Emperor first.

No matter how poor the accuracy, when various artillery pieces, old and new, were all aimed at a single person, at least one effective hit was bound to occur.

And so, one of the shells that had been turning Japanese soldiers into meat chunks scored a direct hit on the Emperor.

SPLAT!

Before Hirohito even realized he was dying, he was scattered in all directions as charred meat pieces, barely recognizable as “what used to be the Emperor.”

“Your Majesty!”

“Emperor!”

The South China Expeditionary First Army succeeded in capturing Henan province but lost their Emperor.

However, the First Army, whose objective was to advance southward beyond Henan, had to retreat when Chiang Kai-shek’s forces struck during the confusion following the Emperor’s death.

This incident of the Emperor’s explosive death was received as the greatest humiliation in Japanese history, and now one side had to die.

“These inferior Chinese dare!”

“We need no prisoners! Kill every Chinese, down to the children!”

“All Chinese are communists! Use poison gas!”

Following the Emperor’s death, Japanese forces began to rampage across the continent.

The Sino-Japanese War descended into uncontrollable chaos.

* * *

As the Sino-Japanese War intensified, I remained on high alert.

I couldn’t let it affect the war in Europe.

Naturally, I was monitoring the situations in Germany and China when…

“What kind of world am I living in?”

The Japanese army had the South China Expeditionary First Army attack Henan province of the Republic of China before beginning their full-scale southern advance.

First Army Commander Hata Shunroku fought against Tang Shengzhi, who was defending Henan. The funny thing was, the Chinese army tried to hold them off with human wave tactics to buy time.

They even launched counterattacks. It was the Chinese version of the “Ura” charge—the “Wansui” charge.

As the Japanese forces faltered under this attack, Hirohito personally encouraged them, and the Japanese army launched “Banzai” charges with tank division and aircraft support.

Though not a general offensive, the Japanese forces, empowered by Hirohito’s presence, managed to capture Henan province. But the problem was…

Hirohito was blown to pieces.

In other words, the Japanese army captured Henan province at the cost of the Emperor’s life.

Tang Shengzhi, who had failed to defend Nanjing in the original timeline, also failed to defend Henan, but achieved the great feat of killing the Emperor.

How much time had passed since I heard that 2 million troops had been defeated by General Mo Zhenqu? How could such an implausible event occur?

No matter how many times I rubbed my eyes and read the documents sent by the Okhrana, they still said Hirohito was truly dead. The Beijing intelligence source was reliable.

After multiple verifications and cross-checks, Hirohito’s death was confirmed.

Wait, is this right? I was planning to tear him apart at the war crimes tribunal! Did this bastard get off easy?

Well, they haven’t expanded the front to start the Pacific War yet, but still. Compared to the original timeline…

Not bad? At least better than desperately trying to survive like in the original history.

Imperial Headquarters is trying to keep it quiet, but apparently the Emperor was instantly killed and turned into charred steak cubes.

Hmm. What happens to the Sino-Japanese War now? With the Emperor dead, the war is over—probably not.

If it were just a general, perhaps. But when a monarch dies, retreating would look like cowardice.

That’s out of the question.

If they withdraw now, the Japanese army’s honor would be unsalvageable.

Japan will try to crush China by any means. Though war might be difficult for a while as they need to select a new Emperor.

Their rampage is as predictable as sunrise.

The good news for China is they’ve gained some time. But that’s about it. They’ll have to deal with greater consequences later.

Until now, the Imperial Way Faction’s goals and Ishiwara Kanji’s influence were factors, but now Ishiwara Kanji will likely be purged.

Indeed, far from protecting the Emperor, he contributed to turning him into steak cubes. It’s almost laughable that he’s not dead yet.

Anyway, Japan will now seriously try to wipe out China. Can Chiang Kai-shek withstand them?

He’s allied with Communist Germany, so perhaps things will be different.

But even Communist Germany won’t be able to focus on China once war breaks out.

“Who takes the throne now?”

Perhaps his young son will ascend.

I believe his name is Akihito.

“Given the wartime urgency, it seems Yasuhito will become the new Emperor.”

“Yasuhito, huh.”

What a name. Wasn’t Yasuhito originally a candidate for the next Emperor?

U.S. Secretary of War Henry Stimson considered putting Yasuhito on the throne after the war to try him as a war criminal.

Well, fine. Japan’s attack on China has two justifications:

Determining the true Son of Heaven in East Asia, and eradicating communists in China. But there’s a problem.

The Emperor who was supposed to determine the true ruler has died, which undermines Japan’s war justification from the start.

So they’ll move to avenge the Emperor. In the end, isn’t that just rampaging?

With America in its current state and only Communist Germany helping Chiang Kai-shek, Japan might have a chance.

It’s strange that the Republic of China is still using “Wansui” charges.

“The Japanese army has requested various biochemical weapons.”

“Why from us?”

I was still dazed by the news of Hirohito’s death when they told me about the biochemical weapons request. How dare they ask such a thing from the country of the Holy Maiden?

Despite appearances, this is a sacred nation.

Perhaps a weak country that can’t afford to be picky might consider it, but from Russia’s perspective, biochemical weapons aren’t necessary.

“They seem to have learned about the Zyklon B we sent to Austria. They claim China is already so red that there’s no way to save it—”

What nonsense. They just need to avenge the Emperor somehow.

Asking for Zyklon B means they want to kill people on an even greater scale than the Nanjing Massacre.

The Nanjing Massacre occurred because Japanese forces had suffered significant casualties in previous battles against China, fueling their rage, and Asaka-no-miya Yasuhiko effectively condoned the massacre.

There haven’t been such battles here, but the Emperor’s death must have been a tremendous shock.

“Well, it wasn’t originally intended to kill people.”

That’s just semantics—it was ultimately used to kill.

I didn’t expect Hitler to use it so quickly, or I wouldn’t have been implicated as being behind it.

These Japanese bastards completely misunderstood.

But is it acceptable to kill people with poison gas?

Wasn’t there a convention or treaty prohibiting that—but with Europe and America in chaos, Japan seems to think it can do whatever it wants.

Yes, with the Emperor dead, Japanese forces can’t help but go berserk. Moreover, there’s no nation to restrain them.

The conclusion will only come after World War II breaks out.

“Your Majesty, the Japanese ambassador has officially requested insecticide from Russia for the stabilization and hygiene of their puppet state of Qing China.”

Insecticide for the stabilization and hygiene of Qing China.

Japan’s determination to exterminate all rats in Qing China—well, that’s not it. They clearly intend to use it as an insecticide for humans.

They won’t use it in Qing China but inevitably target the National Government of the Republic of China.

“Hmm.”

They’ve phrased it in a way that makes it awkward to refuse.

They must really want to crush China.

“You’re a holy maiden, so you can’t ignore this!” That’s how they’re trying to get it.

After all, Zyklon B was created as an insecticide.

It’s even used as rat poison, so from Japan’s perspective, killing rats to properly maintain their puppet Qing state might seem natural.

“What does the Duma think? It seems obvious Japan will use it as a human insecticide.”

I should pass this to the Duma. After all, I’ve decided to harm China.

Using Japan’s hand for mutual benefit might be a good approach.

“If they pay a fair price, providing it could be an option.”

“I’m not sure if it’s acceptable from a humanitarian perspective.”

“Humanitarian perspective, huh.”

That’s right. It seems suspicious to send Zyklon B.

Especially with Hitler’s precedent. Though Hitler vehemently denied it.

He claimed the deaths of communists were purely coincidental. That Zyklon B was used in stables.

As Chancellor, he had the power to cover it up. What will happen with Japan?

“Simply put, killing happens in various ways around the world. During our civil war, for instance, Bolsheviks without weapons sometimes attacked with farming tools. Who would think of farming tools as murder weapons?”

Boris Savinkov offered a terrifying yet somewhat rational explanation.

Is that how it works? Right. Who would think of farming tools as murder weapons?

Japan has declared they want to kill rats for the hygiene of Qing China.

The catch is that these “rats” are the people of the Republic of China. Anyway, it can’t hurt.

“What about just sending it? At worst, they’ll only use it on prisoners, like Chancellor Hitler did with communists.”

True. They might only use it on prisoners. I don’t need to interfere that far.

“Neighboring countries might think, ‘Surely Japan wouldn’t kill people just because their Emperor died.’ Besides, we’re only speculating.”

Right. If we send it, the Japanese army might genuinely try to kill rats.

“I suppose so?”

Yes. Even if they use it out of anger, they’ll only use it on prisoners—that’s what we’ll choose to believe.