Chapter 771
Beastly Acts, Unrestricted Fighting Tournament on the Streets of Tokyo!
Tokyo, Japan.
The autumn rains of 1949 seemed colder than in previous years.
In the upscale residential area of Minami-Heitai-cho in Shibuya Ward, the cold wind, carrying rain, relentlessly battered the Japanese-style mansion surrounded by high walls and deep courtyards.
Inside the study, the warm yellow light appeared somewhat dim and flickering.
Representative Koichi Tanaka was kneeling on the tatami mat, his calligraphy brush suspended in mid-air, the ink spreading into a dark stain on the rice paper, just like his despair at that moment.
He was one of the few "peaceful" leaders in parliament who dared to question the prospects of the "Greater East Asia Holy War" in formal settings and advocate for contacting the Allied forces for peace talks.
He recently felt the noose around his neck getting tighter and tighter.
The crushing defeat in North China was like a heavy hammer blow, shattering all of Tokyo's embellishments of "victory".
More and more people are pessimistic about the prospects of this war, and some even intend to strive for peace.
"Father, you should rest now."
Chiyoko, the daughter, pushed open the door and came in carrying freshly cut fruit, followed by her gentle wife, Keiko.
Looking at the worried faces of his wife and daughter, Tanaka Koichi's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly: "My current job is to save the Yamato people. The war will plunge our country into an abyss."
Just as he was about to say something more, a series of rapid and violent bangings came from outside the door.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
That was the sound of leather boots slamming into the wooden door, like a death knell in the silent, rainy night.
"Open the door! Military Police!"
Koichi Tanaka's calligraphy brush fell to the ground with a "thud".
His face was deathly pale. Looking at his terrified wife and daughters, he gave a bitter smile: "Finally, it's here. You all better hide..."
……
The door was violently forced open.
A group of soldiers in khaki uniforms and wearing "military police" armbands rushed in like wolves, their muddy boots leaving filthy footprints on the clean floor.
The leader was wearing a black raincoat, with rain dripping from the brim of his hat, obscuring most of his face except for a pair of sinister eyes like those of a venomous snake and two neatly trimmed mustaches.
He took off his white gloves, lightly flicked off the water droplets, and said in a high-pitched, cold voice, "Mr. Tanaka, I apologize for the late hour."
"Four Directions, Two".
Koichi Tanaka recognized the face: the commander of the Tokyo Military Police, the most vicious dog under Hideki Tojo, known as the "Military Police Monster".
Koichi Tanaka forced himself to remain calm and stood in front of his wife and daughter: "Mr. Yoshikazu, I am still a current member of parliament. I have the relevant immunity powers. You cannot arrest me!"
"Exemption?"
Ryoji Yoshikata, as if he had heard a hilarious joke, grinned dramatically: "That's something for peacetime. This is war, a war for the fate of the nation!"
"Any words that undermine morale or attempt to surrender are a betrayal of His Majesty the Heavenly Locust!"
He walked up to Koichi Tanaka, pulled out a Type 14 Nambu pistol from his pocket, and slammed it heavily on the table.
"His Excellency the Prime Minister is very kind. Considering your past achievements, he does not wish for you to suffer physical pain in the interrogation room."
Ryoji Shifang bent down and pressed hard on the sheet of Xuan paper, his eyes like knives: "Have some dignity. For the sake of your family, please die."
Koichi Tanaka trembled all over: "This is murder, a trampling of the law, and a violation of His Majesty the Heavenly Locust's will!"
"No, this is 'admonition'."
Ryoji Yoshikata gave a signal with his eyes, and two military policemen immediately stepped forward, roughly grabbed Keiko and Chiyoko by the hair, and dragged them to the next room.
"Oh, Father! Help!"
"Tanaka-kun!!"
The screams of his wife and daughter pierced the night sky, making Tanaka Takashi's eyes widen in fury.
"Ryoji Shifang!"
"You beast! Don't bring this upon your wife and children! You are the Imperial Japanese Army Military Police, not wild animals!"
He grabbed the inkstone from the table, ready to smash it.
Ryoji Shikata turned his head to avoid the attack, then slapped Koichi Tanaka to the ground. He slowly sat down and poured himself a cup of tea: "Tanaka-san, my subordinate is next door."
“They are all young people, and they are very angry recently because of the defeat in North China. They need a place to vent their anger.”
"Every minute you hesitate, your wife and daughters will have to endure 'care' for an extra minute."
"Of course, if you can end your own life within five minutes, I might consider leaving them with a complete corpse."
"Oh no, leave me a way out."
At that moment, the sound of tearing cloth and even more shrill cries came from next door, mixed with the lewd laughter of the military police.
"No! Please! Ah—!!"
Koichi Tanaka's psychological defenses completely collapsed.
He knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face, his hands trembling as he grabbed the pistol and pressed the muzzle against his temple.
"Let them go."
"I'll die, I'll die right now!"
Yoshikazu Ryoji glanced at his watch and nodded indifferently: "Go ahead."
"boom!"
A muffled gunshot echoed in the study on a rainy night.
Koichi Tanaka lay in a pool of blood, a bullet piercing his skull, his Nambu Type 14 pistol lying to the side.
The intense pain caused his body to convulse and spasm on the tatami mat, and his vision quickly blurred, turning the bright light into dark spots in his eyes.
But he did not die immediately; his consciousness was still struggling on the verge of death.
Ryoji Shikata did not leave.
Instead, he walked over with great interest, his military boots crunching through the blood, and squatted down in front of the dying Tanaka Koichi.
He looked into those eyes, their pupils dilating yet still filled with fear and pleading, and a vicious smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Mr. Tanaka, as a gentleman, I must share some basic medical knowledge with you."
Ryoji Yomotsu leaned close to Koichi Tanaka's ear, his voice as soft as a whisper to an old friend, yet carrying a chilling undertone:
"Medically, it has been confirmed that when a person dies, sight is the first thing to disappear, while hearing is the last thing to disappear."
"So, even though you can't see now, part of your brain is still alive, and you can still hear, right?"
Koichi Tanaka's throat emitted wheezing sounds like a broken bellows, his fingers weakly scratching at the pool of blood.
"Since we can still hear, let's not waste this 'gift from heaven'."
Ryoji Shikata stood up, a sickly pleasure on his face.
He strode to the sliding door of the next room and suddenly yanked it open completely!
"Splash!"
Without any obstruction, the hellish noise from next door instantly flooded into the study.
The sound of the bed shaking, the military police's beast-like panting, the wife's desperate cries, and the daughter's piercing screams.
These sounds blended together, becoming clearer and more piercing than before.
"Did you hear that, Tanaka-san?"
Ryoji Yoshikata lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and blew the smoke toward Koichi Tanaka's face, which was contorted with extreme pain: "Enjoy it."
"On this final journey to hell, use your last bit of hearing to listen to the 'farewell song' your wife and daughter play for you. This is what happens when you become a 'non-citizen'!"
Koichi Tanaka's body jerked violently, and a final tear of blood slid down his cheek.
Amidst the endless darkness and the torment of his loved ones' screams, and filled with boundless resentment, his consciousness finally plummeted into the abyss.
In the moment before he died, he suddenly realized that this nation seemed unworthy of any salvation!
……
The next morning.
The rain stopped, but the news spread like wildfire through Tokyo's underground tunnels.
Although official newspapers uniformly stated that Representative Tanaka died "due to worry about national affairs and a sudden serious illness," there are no secrets that stay hidden forever.
Ryoji Shikata's almost ostentatious cruelty enraged countless Japanese people who still had a conscience, and completely ignited the already turbulent hearts of the people caused by the disastrous defeat in North China.
"Have you heard? Representative Tanaka was driven to his death by the military police!"
"Those beasts, they don't even spare wives and daughters!"
"North China was defeated, hundreds of thousands died, and instead of going to fight the Chinese, they bullied their own people in Tokyo!"
Anger erupted in the hearts of the people who had been holding back for a long time.
The usually lifeless streets of Tokyo were unusually filled with people marching.
It started with a few mothers who had lost their sons, then it became students who were equally desperate about the war, and finally even some reserve soldiers who didn't want to die joined in.
"Severely punish the murderer!"
"Oppose war!"
"Give us back our husbands and sons!"
Crowds surged toward the Prime Minister's official residence and the Gendarmerie Headquarters. Although they were unarmed, their desperate cries instilled fear in the high-ranking officials for the first time.
The military police were mobilized, with Ryoji Shikata personally in command vehicle, his eyes filled with a bloodthirsty glint as he looked at the crowd before him.
"Mob! They're all mobs!"
"Beat them! Anyone who resists will be arrested for treason!" The batons fell, and blood splattered.
The streets of Tokyo were thrown into chaos.
……
Prime Minister's official residence.
Hideki Tojo looked out the window at the chaos, his face so dark it could drip water.
The red dedicated line phone on the table rang; it was a direct line from the Imperial Household Agency.
Hideki Tojo took a deep breath, answered the phone, and his tone instantly became extremely respectful: "Hai, hai, Your Majesty, I will go to the palace immediately."
"Yes Yes!"
After hanging up the phone, Hideki Tojo's face turned extremely ugly.
"That idiot Sifang!"
He gritted his teeth and cursed, "His Majesty already knows about this!"
"The Imperial Household Ministry reported that His Majesty was 'extremely furious' about the Tanaka incident, considering it an atrocity that 'damaged the dignity of the Locust Army and shook the foundations of the nation,' and demanded that the Cabinet give the people an explanation."
At that moment, Ryoji Shikata, reeking of gunpowder, pushed open the door and entered.
Just as he was about to report on the suppression, Hideki Tojo slapped him across the face.
"idiot!"
"Who told you to make such a big deal out of this?!"
Despite being beaten until his mouth bled, Yoshikazu Ryoji still stood ramrod straight: "Prime Minister, those peace advocates are the cancer of the Empire. Without removing them, the Holy War cannot continue!"
"As for those rioters, just suppress them!"
"Suppression?"
"Now His Majesty the Heavenly Locust is aware of this matter!"
Hideki Tojo paced back and forth in the room, his mind rapidly weighing the pros and cons.
Ryoji Shikata was his trusted henchman, who had done a lot of dirty work for him in Tokyo. He couldn't be killed easily, otherwise no one would dare to work for him in the future.
But the locusts' wrath must be quelled, and the people's resentment must be redirected.
"Shanghai."
Hideki Tojo abruptly stopped, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes: "To Shanghai!"
“That place was the rear area of the China Expeditionary Army, and also the place where all kinds of spies and resistance forces were most active.”
"The Shanghai Military Police are too weak now and can't keep order. The Nanjing side, especially that Military Intelligence agent called 'Seed,' has caused our country to lose face."
"Sifang, I'm transferring you to Shanghai to serve as the head of the Special Operations Division of the Shanghai Military Police, and concurrently as the chief advisor to the Special Higher Police!"
"You only have one task: bring out the ruthlessness you had in Tokyo!"
"Turn the Yangtze River Delta into an impregnable fortress!"
"We must dig out and crush all the underground Communist Party members and secret agents of the Chinese!"
"This is both punishment and a great opportunity!"
"Do you understand?!"
A hint of wild joy flashed in Yoshikazu Ryoji's eyes.
The Far East was an adventurer's paradise, and for him, it was heaven.
"Hai! Your subject will not fail in your mission and will turn the Yangtze River Delta into a hell for the Chinese!"
……
The Locust Residence, the Imperial Study.
The air here seemed to have frozen; it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Showa Emperor Hirohito, dressed in his Grand Marshal's uniform, sat upright behind his desk.
Behind his signature round glasses are a pair of eyes that appear gentle but are actually unfathomable.
Hideki Tojo knelt opposite him, his forehead beaded with cold sweat.
Hirohito's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority: "How are things going with the affairs of the four directions?"
"Your Majesty," Tojo Hideki kowtowed, "I have failed in my duty to manage my subordinates and deserve to die ten thousand times over."
"Ryoji Shifang's actions were brutal and seriously violated military discipline."
"I have dismissed him from his post and exiled him to the Yangtze River Delta region, the front line of the war, to atone for his crimes through meritorious service. If he fails to achieve any military merit, he shall not return to the country."
Hirohito nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied with the handling of the matter.
Or rather, he didn't really care about the life or death of a member of parliament; what he cared about was the face of the royal family and the stability of his rule.
"Tojo-kun."
Hirohito abruptly changed the subject, his gaze sharpening: "What is the situation in North China? According to the battle reports, the Chinese are almost at the Yangtze River."
Hideki Tojo's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly retorted, "Your Majesty! That's a rumor! It's an enemy propaganda campaign!"
"Although we have suffered setbacks in North China, Okamura Yasuji is shrinking our defenses, and we still have the powerful Kwantung Army in Manchuria!"
"Moreover, homeland defenses are being strengthened."
"Although the Chinese army has received American aid, it is riddled with internal factions and cannot be truly united. As long as we hold on, we can wait for the international situation to change."
"Hold on?"
Hirohito interrupted him, his voice tinged with a barely perceptible weariness and anxiety: "How can we persevere?"
"We've run out of oil, we've run out of steel, and now we don't even have enough rice."
"The navy is suffering defeat after defeat in the Pacific, and the main force of the Combined Fleet is almost wiped out."
"Tojo-kun, it's not that I don't understand military affairs."
Hirohito stood up, walked to the wall with the world map hanging on it, and said with his back to Hideki Tojo, "I've been thinking a lot lately, have we gone too far in this war?"
These words struck Hideki Tojo like a thunderbolt.
What does it mean?
Is His Majesty considering backing out?
Looking for a way out?
If even the locusts have such thoughts, then won't those military ministers who strongly advocate for war be purged in the future?
An unprecedented sense of fear enveloped Hideki Tojo.
He suddenly raised his head, his eyes revealing an almost manic determination.
He cannot let the locusts back down; even if it means binding them, he must bind the entire country to the war chariot until destruction!
"His Majesty!"
Hideki Tojo's voice was impassioned, even tinged with a sob: "At this moment, we must not waver in the slightest!"
"The fate of our nation rests on this!"
We still have 100 million citizens!
"We still have the Yamato spirit!"
"Headquarters is drafting a new operational plan—'Operation Shohoku' on the Homeland'!"
Hideki Tojo brandished his fists as if declaring war on an enemy in the air, spittle flying everywhere: "We will wage a 'decisive battle on our home soil'!"
"Regardless of age or gender, everyone is a soldier! Even if we use bamboo spears or kitchen knives, we will fight to the death against the landing American and British devils and the Chinese army!"
"One hundred million jade fragments!"
"Even if Japan is reduced to ashes, we will show the world the spirit of the Yamato people!"
"As long as we demonstrate this determination to die rather than surrender, the Americans will be afraid, and they will seek peace! We will surely be able to preserve our national dignity!"
Hirohito turned around and looked at the prime minister who seemed to have gone mad.
He saw fanaticism in Hideki Tojo's eyes, but also deep fear.
He understood that the situation was beyond repair.
The so-called "one hundred million jade shattering" was nothing more than these gamblers, blinded by greed, using the lives of the entire nation as their final bargaining chip.
"One hundred million jade fragments shattered?"
Hirohito muttered to himself, a complex light flashing in his eyes.
That was a fear of the future, and a calculation of one's own safety.
If it really comes to that, can the locust race still exist?
But now, he couldn't say it out loud, much less show weakness in front of this group of lunatics.
"I understand."
Hirohito waved his hand, signaling Tojo to step down: "Go and make the arrangements. For the sake of the country, I entrust this to you."
"Hai!"
Hideki Tojo kowtowed heavily and backed away from the Imperial Study.
As the heavy wooden door closed, Hirohito let out a long sigh.
He walked to the window, looked at the gloomy sky, and muttered to himself:
"Perhaps we should contact Konoe, or Yoshida."
"If this ship is to sink, I and the Locust Clan cannot go down with it." (End of Chapter)