1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll

He's only 20, not even 21...

It seems that it is time to send my children to Manchukuo to make preparations in advance.

In this way, the imperial meeting continued until the evening, and came to the final topic:

"...Now, let's discuss next year's military budget. First, the Army..."

“!! !”

At this moment, Army Minister Araki Sadao, who had remained silent after his previous attempt to expand the Manchurian Incident was thwarted by the combined efforts of all his senior officials, suddenly raised his head, his eyes gleaming with a fierce light.

Takahashi, you old thief, I will kill you!

395 Army idiots, do you know how to fight?

Army Minister Sadao Araki was furious.

If, at this point, he still doesn't realize why the cabinet is taking the opportunity to bring next year's military budget to the Imperial Conference for discussion, then he's greatly underestimating his years of experience in the political world!

Haha, that old bastard Takahashi who deserves to be pounded with rice cakes (Japanese curse words are really...), he just wants to take advantage of this rare opportunity of "unanimity" to veto the army budget bill!

The military budget, a topic that causes a lot of controversy in Japan every year, is particularly special this year.

The reason is simple - last year's "918 Incident".

Although the people were celebrating the successful invasion of Manchuria, in fact, due to the "September 918th Incident", the political, diplomatic and internal environment of Bai Japan had deteriorated rapidly.

It would take some time to completely pacify Manchuria and bring benefits to Japan, but the corresponding investment could not be reduced in the slightest. This made large-scale military expenditure growth inevitable, thus squeezing out spending in other areas.

Before Fujiwara no Kanezane appeared, in the words of history, "Japan was rapidly moving in a dangerous direction towards the fast lane of war."

Under such circumstances, Finance Minister Takahashi Korekiyo, who had always insisted on the principle that "defense spending should not exceed national wealth and that we must live frugally," further believed that:

Budgeting issues are bound to correspond to national wealth. Fiscal credit is an intangible asset. Overdrawing on this asset to focus on national defense will lead to hyperinflation. Once this trust is destroyed, national defense will not be secure.

Therefore, he was extremely dissatisfied with the Army's insistence on expanding the war and increasing military spending, and repeatedly rejected the budget requests of Sadao Araki and the Navy.

(Don't think he's a good guy. He used the same approach on the issue of saving farmers and the navy. He refused to allocate funds, and his policies offended the agricultural reformists, the navy, the army, and the farmers.)

The desperate Army and Navy joined forces and did something in late September and early October of this year that completely intensified the conflict between the two sides and the Tenzang Province:

They bypassed the Ministry of Finance and directly submitted the military budget privately drafted by the Army Ministry to Hirohito, intending to use the power of His Majesty the Emperor to forcibly demand a new budget of 12 billion yen (last year's budget was only 3 million yen, but more than 4 million yen was actually spent).

After learning about this, Takahashi Korekiyo almost picked up a gun and fought with Araki Sadao.

Damn it, it's okay to overstep your authority, but how much did the navy, which has always been wasteful, spend last year?

You, a bunch of army elks who are only fit to eat grass, how can you ask for so much! As the saying goes, ask for a high price and pay a low price.

Under the mediation of Prime Minister Saito Makoto, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of the Army and Navy sat down for a talk and successfully negotiated the budget from the 12 billion requested by the Army to 14 billion.

In short, the talks completely fell apart.

In the past, everyone would have continued to discuss and eventually reached a compromise, but Takahashi Korekiyo, who had the implicit support of Emperor Guan and Fujiwara no Kanezane, acted extremely tough and refused to make concessions to the army.

As the situation in Manchuria became increasingly unfavorable for the army's expansion, they joined forces with senior naval "fleet faction" officers such as Osumi Tsuneo, and also refused to lower their military spending demands, and the stalemate continued until today's meeting.

As a result, not only were demands for expanding the situation in Manchuria and for the army to cross the Great Wall not met, but Takahashi Korekiyo actually dared to challenge the army at such a meeting!

故,经大藏省宙核,昭和8年(1933年)的全额军费预算应当控制在4.5亿日元左右,其中海军3亿，陆军1.5亿。“

Upon hearing this, Araki Sadao's blood pressure surged, and he jumped up, pointing at Takahashi Korekiyo and cursing:

"Takahashi, you bastard! Do you want to die?!"

It was even less than last year's 2 million, and surprisingly only half of the Navy's! This confirmed his suspicions:

Those navy idiots who had agreed to advance and retreat together turned out to be "rebels" again!

Finance Minister Takahashi Korekiyo remained silent, and as usual, the navy, which had betrayed the army, remained silent. However, Prime Minister Saito Makoto immediately frowned and rebuked him:

"Mr. Araki! This is a meeting in front of the emperor! Please pay attention to your appearance!" "Ugh!!!"

Sadao Araki suddenly felt like a chicken with a stuck throat, and his face turned pale in an instant.

Disrespect before the emperor.

—A word that is difficult to understand in later generations, but it is the worst of all crimes in Japan at that time.

Forget about him being a mere Army Minister. On January 5, 1933, Prime Minister Saito Minoru was nearly driven to suicide after being implicated in an "incestuous incident" at a New Year's banquet.

So who still calls Japan a "modern capitalist country"?

Seeing that Araki Sadao had indeed been angered and made mistakes as expected, and his arrogance was completely suppressed, Saito Minoru looked at the Minister of the Navy, Tenkaku Momono:

"Any comments from the Navy?"

"No, Prime Minister, the navy fully supports the country's decision." Osumi Tsuneo glanced at Fujiwara Kanezane and sighed in his heart.

In fact, as the leader of the "fleet faction" in the navy, he supported and worked with the army to put pressure on the cabinet and the Ministry of Finance to increase the military budget;

But Fujiwara no Kanezane found him, hoping that he would remain silent at the meeting, or at least not openly support the expansion of the military budget.

Now, Osumi Tsuneo could no longer support the army.

From a public perspective, Fujiwara no Kanezane had done the Navy a favor. Not to mention the benefits he had secured for the Navy in Manchuria, he had also easily let the Navy off during the previous "assassination attempt" and, relying on his prestige, had saved many Navy generals.

The technical data of the "Snow Wind" and other ships made the navy fascinated. The fleet faction and the treaty faction reached a rare consensus and made peace for a period of time.

Personally speaking, the fact that Osumi Tsuneo can still sit in the position of Minister of the Navy and continue to fight for the interests of the Navy and the Fleet Faction is all thanks to His Majesty Fujiwara not holding him accountable for his previous actions!

Otherwise, the position of the Minister of the Navy would have been replaced after Inukai Tsuyoshi's death! (Because the assassin of Inukai Tsuyoshi was a naval officer, Osumi Tsuyoshi was considered the first person responsible among the top leaders and should have been fired.)

reject?

Do you believe that if he dares to refuse, someone will come and make him the second Inukai Tsuyoshi?

You are a traitor to the country, a traitor to the country!

Therefore, Osumi Tsuneo decisively betrayed Araki Sadao, with whom he had been working closely, and supported Finance Minister Takahashi Korekiyo and Prime Minister Saito Makoto.

Anyway, the navy's military expenditure did not decrease much, because the fleet was preparing to re-equip and sold a batch of warships to Manchukuo, so the total amount was actually higher.

Besides, it's so fun to see the army get humiliated!

I can eat two more bowls of rice when I go home at night! (*^√^*) "Okay, since the navy has no objection, what about the army?" "...I..."

Araki Sadao gritted his teeth and uttered a voice in humiliation: "The Army... The Army has no objection."

He didn't dare to object.

The results of the Imperial Conference just now have proven that no one present will support the Army today.

The navy betrayed the army, and his own misbehavior in front of the emperor gave him a handle... Any opinions?

Is it difficult to catch him on the spot and then directly approve the military budget plan?

Maybe Sadao Araki will have to take the blame for "agreeing to the plan" and even "commit suicide" to apologize!

Damn it. After such a huge failure this time, the best outcome for Araki is probably to resign, otherwise the idiots in the army will not let him go.

Except for army generals such as Sadao Araki, everyone present was very happy, as if they had vented the resentment that had been pent up in their hearts since the "September 918th Incident", even those who had originally supported the army.

We told you not to attack the Northeast, but you insisted on doing so; we told you not to exaggerate, but you insisted on exaggerating;

It feels good to squeeze our interests and force us to join you, right? Hahahahahaha...

The army has been arrogant for too long, and everyone is happy to see them suffer a defeat.

Saito Makoto, the "Central Prime Minister," finally experienced the joy of being a prime minister. He suppressed the corners of his mouth that curved upwards and asked Fujiwara Kanezane for instructions:

"Your Highness, look..."

"it is good."

Fujiwara no Kanezane stood up and looked at Araki Sadao: "Your Excellency Araki, I have something to ask you." "...Your Highness... Please speak."

Araki Sadao vaguely guessed that the mastermind behind the plot was Fujiwara no Kanezane, but he did not dare to feel resentment and could only vent all his anger on the Navy, the Ministry of Finance and the Prime Minister.

"I want to ask, after this budget is passed, do you plan to start a riot in the army, kill the Minister of the Navy, the Minister of Tibet, the Prime Minister, or even myself? Or do you plan to provoke trouble, attack China or Russia, and thus expand the war?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the temperature at the scene seemed to drop ten degrees. The pen of the clerk who was taking minutes of the meeting fell to the ground, and everyone looked at Fujiwara Kanezane in astonishment.

Your Majesty...Your Majesty?

Do I need to be so blunt about this?

The so-called "lower forces overthrowing the upper forces" is actually "upper forces overthrowing the upper forces", or simply a dog-eat-dog fight.

The upper class deceives the lower class into killing the upper class they want to kill and doing what they want to do;

In the end, he put all the blame on the lower class and acted like a white lotus.

As for whether some people and things can be controlled during this process, that is another matter.

"Your Highness? Why...why do you say that..." Araki Sadao was shocked.

Because Fujiwara Kanezane was right!

Just now, he had indeed entertained the idea of ​​having his subordinates execute the "Heavenly Punishment of the National Traitors"! Takahashi Korekiyo and Saito Minoru would definitely be killed, and Osumi Tsuneoku would have to wait and see how the negotiations went.

Kanezane-sama... well, I hope such a tragic "accident" doesn't happen. But this is nothing, it's just basic operation;

"Expanding the war with China" is nothing;

I believe anyone who has been involved in high-level affairs in Japan can vaguely guess;

But "provoking a war with the Soviet Union" is something that most people can't guess! Everyone knows that the army's main target now is China!

"It seems you have both. You are really good."

Fujiwara Kanezane curled his lips and talked to himself. He did not pursue the question, nor did he get angry. Instead, he continued to ask:

"Mr. Araki, do you know what I think of our Imperial Japanese Navy and Army?"

"The navy is pretty good. Aside from insufficient resources and concerns about endurance, its technology and combat effectiveness are both commendable. It can't be said to be lagging behind in the current world..."

Fujiwara no Kanezane first commented on the navy, which made Osumi Motobuki and other naval commanders smile with joy. Then he said something that made Araki Sadao and others look pale:

"But, my assessment of our country's army is this: it's a bunch of rubbish! If your enemy wasn't a weak China, but any of Britain, France, or the United States, they would have been completely wiped out!"

“...Gudong...”

Some people at the scene couldn't help swallowing and even quietly moved their chairs back a little.

This young man is really young...

Araki Sadao was stunned for a few seconds, then stood up angrily: "Your Highness! Please take back what you said!"

This was not only an expression of Araki's anger and defense of the army's dignity, but also an attempt to save his own life.

If this word gets out, someone will definitely come out to assassinate Fujiwara no Kanezane! Then, even if Araki Sadao doesn't die, he will have to retire early!

"Take it back? No, I don't."

Fujiwara no Kanezane sneered and clapped his hands. Several attendants came in and began to set up some things. Taking this opportunity, he continued to comment:

"The entire Japanese Army, with the exception of a few units like the 4th Division that can be considered flexible and skilled in light infantry combat, is a bunch of useless idiots who can only charge headfirst! Useless idiots fighting even bigger useless idiots, even if they win, they're still useless!"

"Their tactical thinking is still stuck in... the days of the last World War, or even earlier. Their equipment is practically shabby, and they fight like women... And yet they still have the nerve to call themselves the Imperial Japanese Army?"

After scolding Araki Sadao and the others until their faces flushed and they were almost ready to kill each other, Fujiwara Kanezane waved his hand and said, "The equipment for playing the movie has been set up."

"Alright, let the facts speak for themselves. Read the exercise records of the Manchukuo army that I brought with me, and you'll understand."

Soon, a fairly clear "military exercise movie" began playing. The two opposing forces were a unit of the Japanese 4th Division, equipped with the same equipment as a typical Japanese Type A division, nothing much to say.

The other one is the "386th Brigade" that has recently become famous and has made many Japanese high-ranking officials vaguely afraid of it. Its equipment is obviously different from the former:

In addition to the regular riflemen, machine gunners and mortarmen, this unit, which has completely different uniforms, is also equipped with a large number of pistols (submachine guns).

This has already surprised Sadao Araki and others.

It's not that they don't know about submachine guns, but in their minds, submachine guns are a weapon that wastes limited resources and is useless;

It has a short range, low power, poor accuracy, and a complex structural design. Apart from its fast rate of fire, it can never compare to a long rifle.

Therefore, although the decision to develop a submachine gun was made as early as 1920, the first model was not produced until 1927, and then it was not considered feasible and no further progress was made;

It was not until the "Shanghai Incident" occurred and the Japanese army was beaten to a bloody pulp by various submachine guns in the hands of Chinese soldiers that they regained their interest in this thing and planned to send people to Europe and the United States to investigate.

I didn't expect that Manchukuo had already figured it out?

Araki Sadao forgot about his "grudges" for a moment and pointed at the "short-machine gun" on the white cloth that he had never seen before and asked:

"Your Highness, is this... a new invention from Manchukuo?"

"Oh, part of it is, but the other part isn't a pistol; it's an automatic rifle."