Chapter 144 – Late 1929 Status Report (3)”

The continental situation in Japan has settled in Zhang Zuolin’s favor, at least for the time being.
Because of that, the voices calling for a “single strike against China,” which existed among mid-ranking and younger officers of the Imperial Japanese Army, quieted down for the moment.

The general direction became to concentrate all efforts, for the time being, on carving out Manchuria and Mongolia.

In particular, after seeing the combat power of the Soviet army during last summer–autumn’s “Sino-Soviet conflict,” the argument strengthened within the Japanese Army that preparations and responses against the Soviets should be reinforced rather than actions on the continent, and that pushed the entire army toward concentrating on counter-Soviet measures.

By the way, the “single strike against China” theory means delivering a decisive blow to the Republic of China to pacify it and, if possible, place it under Japanese control, also called the “southward advance.”

By contrast, the “northward advance” means throwing full effort into Manchuria and strengthening preparations for war with the Soviets.
In the history of my previous life, after the Manchurian Incident this led to intensified conflict and the split between the Kokutai-faction and the Control-faction.

But at present, with the central part of the continent messy under Zhang Zuolin’s sway and effectively under Japan’s influence, the immediate policy is to focus on Manchurian/Mongolian operations and counter-Soviet measures.

“Understood in broad strokes. It’s fortunate the mid-ranking officers in the army haven’t split.”

That was my response after listening.

In my previous life’s history, this was about the time factional splits would begin.
If that happens, it only creates trouble, so I really don’t want it to occur.

But unlike me, who knows a different history, the lizard man in front of me shows little reaction.

“That is true. However, among the mid-ranking officers who lead the army, Nagata Tetsuzan has taken a step back, while Obata Toshirou has stepped half a head forward, so to speak.”

“Is that a problem?”

The words themselves were ordinary, but his tone felt off, so I asked. 

His eyes moved slightly.
That little gesture, again, reminded me of a reptile.

“I don’t believe it is a problem, but for the Ootori family, Nagata Tetsuzan, who is close to Ryuuya-sama, taking a step back is no small blow.”

“Because our orders will decrease?”

“Directly speaking, yes. Nagata Tetsuzan is enthusiastic about building the framework for a ‘highly advanced national defense state,’ whereas Obata is, well, a battle-obsessed fool.”

“So, the strategist type is more convenient for us. But next spring, my onii-sama, uncle Ryuuya, who’s also close to Nagata-san, will return, and his protégé Nishida Zei has influence among the Koudou faction, so maybe they’ll make a comeback?”

“Koudou faction? What is that? Action? Auditorium? Public road? Perhaps the Imperial Way?”

(Huh? So that name hasn’t come up yet? And that means Nagata and Obata haven’t fallen out yet either. If Obata, who manipulates Araki and Masaki from behind the scenes, hasn’t started moving clearly, maybe the whole thing hasn’t even taken proper shape? And on top of that, Nishida Zei is still an army officer, just my onii-sama;s underling, much calmer than in the history of my previous life.)

I had carelessly spoken about the future as it stands now, and he was staring at me intensely.
Tokita also looked like he wanted an explanation. 

The only one who didn’t seem concerned was Shizu, quietly waiting nearby.

“…Yes, the ‘Imperial Way’ is correct. It’s one of the possible futures, a word from the future. If that name ever comes up, be extremely cautious.”

“Extremely cautious, you say. Taken literally, it would mean the path of politics carried out by His Majesty. I surmise it refers to an attempt to establish a military government centered around the Emperor. No, such people would likely proclaim something lofty like ‘Imperial rule’ on the surface, while in truth, they would merely seek to manipulate things as they please. Scum, in short.
The central figures would be Nagata Tetsuzan or Obata Toshirou, or perhaps both. If either or both were to take the lead, it would result in the construction of a total war system that moves in a direction quite different from the current one. …This sounds rather complicated.”

Muttering to himself as he thought it over, the cunning nature of Commander Donrou was laid bare before my eyes.
He had practically deduced the correct future from just a few hints in our conversation.

“Well, you don’t have to think about that for now. So, what else?”

“Oh, my apologies. That would be next year’s budget compilation, I suppose.”

“Budget? Don’t tell me it’s austerity.”

I deliberately said it in a joking tone, though I didn’t actually believe that would happen as long as Takahashi Korekiyo was Finance Minister. From what I’d heard so far, that possibility was almost nonexistent. Which is why I could afford to make a joke about it.

The expression on Commander Donrou’s face confirmed my reading.

“On the contrary, the ministers, including the Finance Minister, have started clashing over whether they can increase the issuance of government bonds as a countermeasure to the recession.”

“Huh? Finance Minister Takahashi is against increasing government bonds?”

“It seems there’s no backing for the funding.”

A mercilessly realistic answer. Since over a year ago, Japan had lifted the gold embargo and even devalued the yen, so the outflow of gold should have slowed down. But perhaps the gold absorption by the United States was already starting to have an effect.

(Is this where we should use the spare money? Or should it wait until next year?)

“What will you do, Lady Reiko?”

Tokita, who had been quietly listening until now, calmly asked the question.
He had arrived at the same conclusion as I had. So I only needed to ask briefly in return.

“What do you think, Tokita?”

“With the information we currently have, it’s hard to say. At the very least, I think we should speak with either Lord Tanaka or Lord Takahashi once.”

“Up until now, Great-Grandfather was the one who handled that, right? So would Father be the one to do it next?”

As I spoke, an unpleasant feeling began to fill my mind.
So I could only keep talking, to search for an escape route.

“The current head of the family is a military man. And though he is the family head, he keeps a clear distance from the Ootori Group.”

“Then, would it be Great-Uncle Zenkichi?”

“The full representation of the Ootori Group is scheduled for this spring. And since Lord Zenkichi is not the eldest child of Ootori, he can only move the funds of Ootori Holdings.”

“Then I guess the only option is for Tokita to act as a proxy.”

“At present, I serve as the treasurer as well, but I cannot negotiate with prominent government figures. And doing so as a proxy or representative would be very disrespectful to the other party.”

Yes. Every retreat was blocked.
In other words, there is only one answer. But I couldn’t help thinking:

“So… I’m the one who has to move? Oh no no no, a child just shy of ten years old can’t act openly, right?”

“I had recognized that you have in fact been active since last year.”

My final protest was quietly overruled.
At this point, I could only raise both hands in surrender. 

“I give up. But Tokita is coming with me.”

“Of course, I will accompany you.”

Saying this, he stood up once, then gave a respectful bow.
Commander Donrou merely watched the whole sequence before him, half bewildered, half intrigued.

“Alright then, I’ll go give some money to the Japanese government.”

“…I knew and saw plenty of reports, but when faced with reality like this it’s beyond tragicomedy.”

“For me it’s a tragedy.”

“Indeed. I can’t quite fathom it, but I expect some good material from this.”

“…You say you expect material, even though there are more words you should be saying.”

When I glared back at him with a sulky face, Commander Donrou also stood up and gave me a bow, saying, 

“To have a master worth serving, I count myself truly fortunate.”

Obata Toshirou:
One of the central figures of the Koudou faction. After the February 26 Incident, he was ostracized from the Army.
Along with Okamura Yasujirou and Nagata Tetsuzan, his fellow graduates of the 16th class of the Army Academy, he was known as one of the “Three Crows of the Army.”

Koudou faction (皇道派):
A faction aiming for direct imperial rule by the Emperor, which can be considered a derivative of the Tousei faction.
It collapsed after the February 26 Incident, which was led by young officers of the faction, or rather, it was thoroughly crushed.
Figures like Kita Ikki and Nishida Mitsugi, who were not military men, were also involved.

Obata Toshirou was one of its behind-the-scenes leaders, while figures such as Araki and Masaki served as its public front.

Tousei faction (統制派):
Effectively disbanded after its central figure, Nagata Tetsuzan, was assassinated.
Initially, the Koudou faction was part of it, but after their split, the Tousei faction became devoted to building a total war system for times of emergency, aiming to construct a “Highly National Defense State.”