Did he trick the young marshal into becoming sworn brothers and then go south to Huangpu Military Ac

"My two worthy brothers, you've finally returned."

Lin Qi put down his teacup, immediately stood up, and quickly went to greet them with sincerity and concern on his face. He even personally poured two cups of hot tea and handed them to the two of them.

"I heard from Yue Sheng's men that you guys went out to have fun on your own?"

Lin Qi frowned slightly, his tone carrying a hint of reproach and worry, like that of an elder brother who is like a father: "The fighting between Jiangsu and Zhejiang is fierce right now. Lu Yongxiang's defeated troops are running amok everywhere, and there's chaos outside the concessions. You are all of noble birth; if anything were to happen to you, how would I explain it to your families? From now on, when you go out, be sure to take the brothers that Yue Sheng arranged with you, understand?"

These words, filled with deep brotherly affection and a heartfelt concern for their safety, struck Fujiwara no Heiji hard in the heart!

An unprecedented sense of guilt and remorse instantly overwhelmed the two Japanese soldiers.

They secretly ran away, hiding it from their close friends; yet, not only did the other person not suspect anything, they were also worried about their safety!

This magnanimity, which made them so clear about who was superior, made them feel like utterly despicable people!

"Lin Jun..."

Fujiwara held a cup of hot tea, his eyes red-rimmed, his voice choked with emotion.

Ping took a deep breath; he knew he couldn't keep it a secret any longer.

Faced with such an upright and honest gentleman, any lie would be a desecration of friendship.

Ping cautiously walked to the door, suddenly pulled it open, looked into the corridor, and after confirming that there were no unauthorized people, locked the suite's wooden door tightly from the inside.

He walked up to Lin Qi, his expression more solemn than ever before, his voice extremely low, as if every word carried the weight of a thousand pounds.

"Mr. Lin, to be honest, we didn't go out to have fun today, but... to meet someone."

Lin Qi chuckled casually, sat back down on the sofa, and crossed his legs: "Oh? Who is it, making such a fuss, even my two brothers are acting like this?"

Fujiwara and Heiji exchanged a glance. Fujiwara stepped forward, standing ramrod straight, as if proclaiming some sacred ritual, and uttered four words, one by one:

"Your Highness Hirohito."

"..."

Lin Qi's hand, which was holding the teacup, suddenly froze in mid-air.

"Who?"

His pupils contracted sharply in an instant, and he almost instinctively asked a question in return.

"He is the current Crown Prince of the Great Japanese Empire, and the one destined to rule the empire in the future... His Highness Hirohito."

Mr. Ping solemnly gave an affirmative answer.

"Deep within Lin Qi's heart, it was as if a thunderous roar suddenly exploded, making his eardrums buzz and stirring up a stormy sea!"

Hirohito!

It was Hirohito!!!

As a time traveler who has traversed a century of history, how could Lin Qi possibly be unfamiliar with this name?

In the memories of all Chinese people, this name does not represent any noble imperial power, but rather endless bloodshed, slaughter, humiliation, and national and familial hatred!

In later, embellished or whitewashed Japanese histories, this emperor was often portrayed as a "mascot" sidelined by the military, or a harmless scholar who enjoyed studying marine life.

But Lin Qitai knew the truth!

That's all bullshit!

The Showa Emperor, who would officially ascend the throne two years later, was a dictator who truly held supreme command of the Japanese imperialist army!

Having been indoctrinated with fanatical militarism since childhood, he is a warmonger with a crazy streak.

From the September 18 Incident to the July 7 Incident at Lugou Bridge, from the horrific Nanjing Massacre to the inhumane Unit 731, every bloody and escalating operational plan of the Japanese military was personally approved by him, or even directly ordered by him!

Logically speaking, after the Japanese were defeated in 1945, this old Japanese soldier should have been sent to the gallows of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East to atone for the tens of millions of Chinese soldiers and civilians who died!

However, MacArthur, the Japanese war criminal known as the "Emperor Emeritus of the Far East," in order to balance the political situation in postwar Japan and to turn Japan into a Cold War bridgehead against the Soviet Union, managed to protect this number one war criminal through a series of dirty political deals, allowing him to continue to enjoy his old age in the Imperial Palace!

Thinking of this.

Lin Qi's originally deep eyes suddenly erupted with an uncontrollable, chilling, and pure killing intent!

Kill him!

In an instant, only one thought occupied Lin Qi's mind.

Take advantage of his illness and kill him!

It is 1924, and this is the French Concession in Shanghai, not the heavily guarded Imperial Palace in Tokyo!

In Shanghai today, if he makes up his mind, there are at least dozens of ways to turn this future war criminal with blood on his hands into a cold corpse that will be sunk to the bottom of the Huangpu River overnight!

Bombs, poison, sniping, or even the Jiangzhe War—any one of these methods could wipe out Hirohito without leaving a trace!

Lin Qi tightened his grip on the teacup, as if it would shatter into pieces at any moment.

however.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

A full five seconds passed.

The murderous intent that was almost tangible in Lin Qi's eyes was forcibly suppressed by a powerful and abnormal rationality!

"Calm down, Lin Qi, you can't kill him."

Lin Qi roared madly at himself in his heart, his rationality beginning to snap back into action at an overclocked speed, deducing the perilous situation of the world.

Killing Hirohito is simple, but would it have made any difference?

It's not very useful, and it might even cause an irreparable disaster!

Although Hirohito was a warmonger, he was not the only embodiment of Japanese militarism.

The Japanese militarists, zaibatsu, and the entire national system, which had been subjected to insane brainwashing, were the engines that drove that runaway war machine.

Hirohito is dead. He had three younger brothers!

Yongren, Xuanren, and Chongren—none of them are easy to deal with!

If any one person were to take power, Japan's policy of aggression and expansion would not change in the slightest. In fact, the humiliation of the assassination of the Crown Prince in China might lead to an even more frantic and hysterical nationwide retaliation!

What's even more critical is the current time!

It is autumn of 1924. What is the current situation of China?

Warlord conflicts have led to the region's fragmentation!

Zhang Zuolin and Wu Peifu were still fighting tooth and nail for territory.

The Guangzhou headquarters in the south didn't even have a party army that truly belonged to them. The Whampoa Military Academy had just started, and they hadn't even been issued all their rifles yet!

At this critical juncture when they are at their weakest and least able to resist, if Hirohito dies in Shanghai, the Japanese will surely use this as an excuse to launch a full-scale invasion of China ahead of schedule!

By then, without a unified government and a mechanized defense industry, what would we use to stop the Japanese planes and cannons?!

"We mustn't kill him. We absolutely mustn't kill him."

Lin Qi took a deep breath, loosened his grip on the teacup, his palms were covered in cold sweat.

In just a few seconds, his mind had completed a crazy game that would determine the fate of two countries.

Not only must we not kill them, we must also maintain a superficial friendship!

Since God has delivered this future number one war criminal to us, we can't let him waste this opportunity.

"I have a strategic vision a hundred years ahead of yours. Since you're going to pursue militaristic expansion, then I'll use the ultimate deception to completely brainwash you! I'll create a powerful, even irredeemable, hypothetical enemy for you!"

"Shifting the blame eastward!"

The moment he made up his mind, the muscles on Lin Qi's face naturally twitched, instantly switching to an expression of shock, flattery, and even ecstasy.