The real situation was far more serious than what ordinary people could see. In order to ensure that the agreement could be reached smoothly, the Meiji government even ordered the army to withdraw from Tokyo. Yamagata Aritomo’s homeland defense plan had not even begun before it was quietly aborted in advance. They knew their own problems well enough. Despite being the brightest era Japan had seen in a thousand years, the Meiji government was by no means naive. Everyone understood that there were unstable elements in the country. The army’s involvement in the Russian embassy incident was far too obvious, so they could not be allowed to remain in Tokyo and cause further trouble. The excuse was ready-made. Since relations with Russia had broken down and the border situation was tense, troops had to be redeployed to reinforce the frontier. Anyone could invoke righteousness to justify their actions, and the politicians’ methods were far beyond what the young radicals in the army could match. “As soldiers, you refuse to defend the nation and still dare to call yourselves patriots?” This was still the Meiji era, when Japan had not yet descended into madness akin to the Showa era. Military orders were absolute. No matter how heated the public unrest became, the army could only pack their bags and head to the front line. In fact, the more influence the radical faction had within a unit, the sooner that unit was put on a ship and sent away. Ironically, it was the more “stable” units, such as the Fourth Division, that remained in Tokyo until the very end. Although later generations often joked about the Fourth Division, it was this division that proved reliable when it mattered most. During the Satsuma Rebellion, the Fourth Division achieved outstanding battle performance and received a commendation personally awarded by the Meiji Emperor. It was also the only unit in the Japanese Army ever to receive such an honor. What truly made the Fourth Division favored by the government was not only its formidable combat capability, but more importantly, its disciplined and steady nature. Perhaps it was due to cultural tradition, but this unit from Osaka had been different from the rest of the Japanese Army from the moment it was formed. The Imperial Army was heavily influenced by bushido and militarist ideology, and most commanders believed that soldiers needed to possess a willingness to die. A typical example was Nogi Maresuke. Based on his performance in the Russo-Japanese War in the original timeline, any other country would have sent him to a military tribunal, yet in Japan he was revered as a “war god.” Within such a social environment, the Fourth Division, which disliked blind sacrifices and preferred using its head in battle, naturally appeared rather unconventional. Being unconventional already made them targets of discrimination, and if such an unconventional unit enjoyed favor from the leadership, the resentment from other units only grew stronger. Nicknames such as “merchant division” and “coward division” were therefore unavoidable. These were small matters. In any case, the Fourth Division was kept at home to handle the aftermath, maintain domestic stability alongside the naval landing forces, the military police, and the police, and supervise the embarkation of friendly units. This was clearly not an enviable assignment, but there was no helping it. Only the outlier Fourth Division was capable of carrying out such an unpopular and delicate task. Radicalism was far too rampant in the army. Aside from the relatively rational Fourth Division, the rest of the units were increasingly fanatical. There was no way to entrust this mission to the naval landing forces. If the navy were allowed to supervise the army, the entire land forces would probably suffer a collective breakdown. Even insults had limits, and this would have crossed every line. … Walking down the street, Colonel Saito could clearly feel the strange looks directed at him. The feeling was deeply unpleasant, as if they had committed some unforgivable crime. A young officer stepped forward to report and said, “Colonel, these are the troublemakers we just arrested.” Saito glanced over the unlucky group and frowned. Without exception, most of the ones caught were students. Each of them held their heads high, full of arrogance, as if they had accomplished something remarkable, like proud gamecocks who thought they had just won a grand fight. There was no need to guess. It was obviously another batch of hot-blooded youths misled into foolishness. Any normal person, once arrested, would be terrified and desperately trying to clear their name, even if they did not shout their innocence. There was no place for such arrogance. “Well done, Uemura-kun. Take them away and look after them properly. Leave the rest of the matters to the government to handle!” Situations like this have become far too common recently. Colonel Saito no longer had any interest in arguing with them. There was simply no way to reason with a group of naive young men who had never been beaten down by society. In a sense, the public fanaticism was a bitter fruit planted by the Japanese government itself. The tradition of defying authority did not appear out of thin air. The root cause behind all of this lay in the side effects of Westernization. They copied everything from the West without distinction, whether it was good or bad, suitable or unsuitable. “Leaving Asia and entering Europe” had never been just a slogan, it had been implemented in practice. The army became the most fanatical because, when forming the new forces, they first modeled themselves after France. Unlike the worldly French, the Japanese had not experienced the storms of ideological upheaval and were inevitably led astray. Taking shortcuts is human nature, and a nation made up of people naturally falls under the same influence. Under the guiding belief that one must learn only from the most advanced, the Japanese Army encountered the kind of “militarist ideology” in Paris that promised a rapid improvement in combat effectiveness, and later found a practical model in Prussia. There was nothing more to say. They copied it. Perhaps feeling that simple militarism was not enough, the Japanese Army added the uniquely Japanese spirit of Bushido into its modernization process. The Fourth Division was affected far less because most of its soldiers came from Osaka, a city with a strong commercial atmosphere. Their broader horizons allowed them to see matters with more nuance. The same logic applied to the navy. The more one knew, the less likely one was to view issues from a single angle. This was evident in the current incident involving the foreign envoys. The radical faction within the army even shouted slogans like “fight at all costs,” while those with broader experience simply wanted to settle the issue as quickly as possible. Colonel Saito was clearly on the conservative side. Regarding the behavior of the hot-headed youths, his comment was that “the ignorant are fearless.” It was easy to talk about fighting at all costs. But if a war truly broke out, did Japan actually have the strength to fight? Colonel Saito was not belittling his own country. The gap in strength was simply too great.
After participating in the Philippine War and witnessing firsthand the combat effectiveness of French mercenaries, he gained a deep appreciation for the distance between the Japanese Army and the world’s top land forces. If the army could not compare, the navy lagged even farther behind. Spain had not employed mercenaries in the naval war. According to the intelligence gathered, the Spanish Navy was already thoroughly rotten. Its tactics were outdated, morale was low, and officers and soldiers alike were afraid to die. Yet this seemingly decayed Spanish fleet demonstrated to everyone in Japan what a “century-old navy” truly meant. There was no helping it. The British would never pass down the most essential knowledge. The small, intricate details could only be accumulated through time. After enough defeats and enough painful lessons, experience naturally followed. In the evening, after finishing a long day of work, Colonel Saito was now writing his daily report. Yesterday or today, in any country, the same rule applied: once someone was arrested, a report had to be written. Only by clearly explaining all causes and details could the judicial personnel who handled the case later proceed properly. “Ring, ring, ring…” The telephone on the desk began ringing. Colonel Saito put down his pen helplessly, took a few seconds to adjust his mood, and answered politely, “This is Saito Junichiro speaking. May I know who is calling?” “This is the joint investigation team for the Russian embassy incident. Your unit is ordered to deliver all detainees to the east gate tomorrow morning.” Compared to Colonel Saito’s politeness, the reply on the other end was far more arrogant. There was no introduction, no courtesy, only the tone of someone issuing commands. There was no helping it. Under the roof of others, one had to bow their head. Europeans of this era behaved as if they were born superior wherever they went. After being deceived by the Japanese government during the embassy incident, they were already full of anger, so naturally they had no intention of being civil. Even high-ranking Japanese officials could not receive proper respect from the investigation team, let alone a mid-level officer like him. Although the other man’s tone was unpleasant, Colonel Saito could not afford to show displeasure. He hurriedly explained, “Sir, the people we arrested are only ordinary rioters. They have nothing to do with the Russian embassy case…” Whether they were related or not, they absolutely had to be unrelated. Saito might not care for these hot-headed youths, but that did not mean he could watch these so-called patriots walk to their deaths. There was no choice. Ordinary people might still have a chance of returning after an investigation, but the moment a hot-blooded student was handed over, he would certainly never come back. The ignorant were fearless. With just a little incitement or emotional pressure, these youngsters would willingly shoulder responsibility they should never take. Not every matter was one they could bear. The Russian embassy incident had already blown up to this scale. Now it did not matter how many people were involved. As long as someone dared to confess, the investigators dared to kill. These young fools might seem useless now, but they were indeed the future of Japan. People change. Being reckless now did not mean they would remain reckless forever. To protect them, Colonel Saito had been handing over street thugs and low-level troublemakers for the past several days. In his eyes, those people were parasites on society anyway. Better to put them to use and let the foreign envoys vent their anger on them. Indeed, in the eyes of many Japanese, the forceful pressure from the foreign missions recently was nothing more than an attempt to “vent their anger” and humiliate the Japanese Empire. As for actually finding the culprit? As the local power, the Japanese government had already exhausted every means but still failed to identify the mastermind. How could a group of foreign envoys who had just arrived hope to succeed? Since the real culprit could not be found, the authorities could only arrest the organizers and participants of the demonstration that took place that day. “Colonel Saito, you need to understand how serious this matter is. Whether there are connections or whether someone is the culprit will be decided by the investigation team. You do not need to overstep your authority.” The forceful tone not only extinguished Colonel Saito’s enthusiasm but also revealed the speaker’s identity. Realizing that communication had failed, Colonel Saito replied coldly, “Okada, do not forget your identity. Those who work for foreigners and harm their own people will eventually face retribution.” There has never been a shortage of traitors in this world, and Japan is no exception. The government was eager to leave Asia and join Europe, and many ordinary people were even more eager to become foreigners. If someone simply wanted to adopt a foreign identity, that was a personal choice and hardly a serious issue. It could not be considered treason. What made these people so detestable was their habit of “eating from one bowl and then turning around to betray their own.” To investigate the Russian embassy incident, the envoys clearly did not have enough manpower. At this moment, they needed local collaborators familiar with Japan to step in. The chance to impress their foreign patrons was rare, and this Russian embassy case was clearly the perfect stage for them. The envoys had already drawn a grand picture for them. As long as the investigation was handled well, the embassies of various countries would recruit a group of enthusiastic individuals familiar with Japanese society from among those who performed well. For many people, this was a chance to rise in a single step. They could not only obtain foreign citizenship but also secure an official position within the diplomatic system. Do not underestimate this seemingly ordinary staff position. The benefits hidden behind it were far greater than anyone would imagine, which was why these collaborators chased it so desperately. Not only did this make it easier to work as a comprador and middleman, it also allowed a person to rise in social status and enter Japan’s upper class in one leap. Okada was one of the best among them. Relying on his sharp eye and natural talent for uncovering information, he played an important role in the investigation of the Russian embassy case. Although he did not catch any major figures, he managed to round up a basketful of minor ones and quickly earned the favor of the envoys. Talented people are hard to find, and several countries have already extended offers to him. He had not made a decision yet because he was waiting for an even better opportunity. Indeed, ordinary European countries no longer satisfied him. What he wanted was to join Britain or the Holy Roman Empire. Britain held the largest share of the Japanese market, and working under the British promised substantial financial rewards. The Holy Roman Empire, though a rising power with a smaller presence in Japan, had tremendous future potential. There was another important reason. The chances of becoming a “daimyo” or noble in the Holy Roman Empire were much higher. Britain also had noble titles, but they were mostly ceremonial. Although the embassies of the two countries had not yet formally invited him, Okada was confident. The investigation into the Russian embassy case had only just begun, yet he had already stood out from his competitors and received praise from the envoys. Feeling superior, Okada’s mood turned sour after his identity was exposed. “Colonel Saito, you do not need to worry about my affairs. You should focus on your own duties. With such a strong reaction, could it be that you were also involved in the Russian embassy case?” The speaker might not have meant anything by it, but the listener certainly took it seriously. Colonel Saito was frightened, having seen firsthand how easily Okada could pin a label on someone. At this stage, anyone even slightly connected to the case was doomed. Up to now, several high-ranking officials in Japan’s military and government had already suffered for the foolish actions of their children or even grandchildren. Europe did not practice collective punishment, but the Japanese government still had to make a gesture. Harakiri was unnecessary, yet early retirement was unavoidable. Those who were merely implicated suffered misfortune, and those directly involved had even worse prospects. If the investigation found nothing, that was fine. But if evidence surfaced, they would be waiting for an international tribunal. “Okada, you can say whatever you want when eating, but your words in a situation like this must be careful. Do not make such jokes. If people start thinking that your investigations are built on fabricated charges and scapegoats, that will be a problem.” Colonel Saito decided to stand his ground. After all, he had nothing to do with the Russian embassy case, so he was not afraid of being investigated. As a mid-level officer in the Japanese Army, even if someone wanted to frame him, the military would not allow it. If trouble arose, both sides would suffer. What the envoys needed was a dog that helped them investigate, not one that stirred up unnecessary trouble. If Okada ever lost the trust and protection of the envoys, a collaborator like him could easily end up floating in Tokyo Bay within minutes.
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