Iron Cross

ps: There is another update today.

The Japanese Imperial Council was held in a very paradoxical atmosphere. According to the rules, since it was the emperor's inquiry, Prime Minister Hideki Tojo should be the first to report and speak. However, unexpectedly, Hirohito was the first to fire: "Prime Minister, the Navy is maneuvering during the Battle of Midway. What’s going on with the four aircraft carriers in the fleet? When will they be able to continue dispatching?”

"They suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Midway. One ship was sunk, two were seriously damaged, and one was severely damaged. I'm afraid they won't be able to count on it in the short term." This was the battle report given by the Navy to Hideki Tojo. He didn't I understand why Hirohito suddenly asked about this and told the truth.

"You still dare to deceive me now?" Hirohito stood up angrily. He was in his forties when he was most angry. He cursed angrily, "The Germans came to our door and claimed that we had completely failed in the Battle of Midway. It failed, none of the four aircraft carriers survived, and more than 300 aircraft and more than 100 elite pilots were lost - and yet you are still announcing a victory parade! I don’t know what to say.”

"Your Majesty must not easily listen to outsiders' slander... We..." Tojo didn't know how deep the pit was, so he plunged into it.

"That's enough..." Interior Minister Kido Koichi scolded, "I have sent people to inspect several naval hospitals. They are full of naval officers and soldiers who are not injured or sick. Do you think you can still hide this from His Majesty? ?”

Tojo Hideki was speechless and could not utter a single sentence. He could only cast his deep suspicion on Navy Minister Shitaro Shimada - he followed Tojo Hideki very closely in the cabinet and completely abandoned the relationship between the army and navy. He was ridiculed by the navy as "Tojo's adjutant" due to his stern appearance. His body was like chaff, muttering to himself and unable to pull himself out. Tojo Hideki's heart tightened. Could it be that everyone in the naval fleet was hiding this from Shimada? Was this Admiral Yamamoto’s idea or whose idea it was?

Before he could figure it out, Hirohito's second shot came again: "Have you found the reason for the failure of the Battle of Midway?"

"It has been concluded that the balance between the enemy's and our forces is unbalanced. The enemy is strong, our army is insufficient and..."

"Don't talk to me about these useless things. From the beginning to the end of the Battle of Midway, the Americans only had three old aircraft carriers, and the pilots on them were not as heroic and skillful as the imperial pilots." Hirohito never thought that the Navy Minister was so hateful. , he said loudly in his drake voice, "The reason for the failure is very simple - our military codes were exposed, and the Americans had all the information. Didn't you say that the desalination equipment on Midway Island was damaged? That is a scam. The Americans deliberately released it to lure us into taking the bait! Do you still need me to verify it?"

Admiral Nagano Shushen, the commander-in-chief of the Military Command who was present at the meeting, trembled all over after hearing this, because he had clearly received the telegram, and now that Hirohito's old story was brought up again, he realized it in an instant. Looking at Nagano Shushen's appearance, Hirohito basically understood it, but he still wanted to confirm it one last time: "Chief of Military Command, am I right? Has there ever been such a telegram?"

"Your Majesty, this is true. I never expected it..."

"Hai Xiang, you disappoint me so much!"

"My lord, I am sincerely afraid that I have failed your majesty's great trust!" Shitaro Shimada was trembling with fear. He originally wanted to explain a few more sentences, but Hirohito blocked the rest of his words directly.

"Forget it, I believe the Prime Minister doesn't know about this situation. Although you can't be entirely blamed for this situation, someone must be responsible for problems in the navy." He paused and said, "Resign!"

As soon as these words came out, the whole audience was stunned: Although the emperor would often express his opinions on cabinet members, and would also use overt or covert means to signal his subordinates to resign, this was the first time that he said it outright like today. It seems true. Was pissed off. Especially since the news actually came from the Germans, His Majesty may feel even more embarrassed.

Hideki Tojo gritted his teeth and said nothing. He knew through other channels that the navy had suffered huge losses and had made the worst possible plan. He did not expect that the consequences would be more serious than he expected.

"In addition, there is one more thing..." Hirohito said to Nagano Shushen, "On August 7 this year, when I was summering at the Sunlight Palace, I received news that the US military had landed on Guadalcanal Island. I thought it was At the beginning of the US military counterattack, you tried your best to say it was not the case, and even used the name of the base camp to persuade me to continue to spend the summer in the Sunlight Palace. What did you say at the beginning..."

Nagano was speechless.

Minister Kiduchi added expressionlessly: "The main points reported by the Commander-in-Chief of the Military Command on behalf of the base camp were three: first, Guadalcanal is just an unknown island in the South Pacific, and the US military landing was only a reconnaissance landing; second, Second, the navy will quickly repel the enemy; third, if we are slow to act, the United States will increase its military strength, so the base camp immediately held a meeting to deploy responses. Your Majesty does not need to worry, you can just spend the summer in the Sunlight Palace..."

"Why did I remind you in the first place?" Hirohito was furious, slapping the table and yelling, "I personally wrote the words 'Don't be careless' in the memorial. Now two months have passed, is it still an unknown island? Where is it?" Now it is clearly the focus of competition between Japan and the United States! Who can tell me what the situation is like on the front line?"

Everyone was speechless. Tojo Hideki did not dare to say anything more, because he knew clearly that the situation on the Guadalcanal front had deteriorated greatly recently.

"Your request to Germany to support 1 million tons of steel and 500,000 tons of ships has been clearly rejected." Hirohito continued, "The Germans refused very politely. It's not that they can't produce these materials. The problem is How to transport them halfway around the world and then let the Americans sink them at sea?"

The cabinet members looked at each other in confusion. This was a note formally submitted by Hiroshi Oshima at the end of August. We have not yet received a formal reply from the Germans through diplomatic channels. Does His Majesty the Emperor already know about it?

"You can tell from the lack of ships that the situation on the front line is not good. It is five thousand kilometers away from the mainland to Guadalcanal. You even used naval destroyers to ensure transportation." Hirohito said in a mocking tone, "The Americans gave them It’s named ‘Tokyo Express’, and it looks a bit modern. What does the army and navy call it? ‘Rat Transport’, which refers to a sneaky business. Admiral Nagano, am I using the right word?”

Even knowing such a secret thing, both Tojo Hideki and Nagano Osamu were shocked and speechless - needless to say, this must also be said by the Germans.

"Will the battle on Guadalcanal continue? Rather than struggling to support the front and exhausting our elite army and navy under the encirclement and suppression of the enemy's superior forces, it is better to retreat and consider the long term." Hirohito ignored what he was thinking next, "With Americans have many opportunities to fight and do not need to be obsessed with gains and losses at one time or another.”

"I will study the deployment immediately after the meeting is over."

Hirohito nodded: "I hope you will have a good discussion and come up with a reliable plan. In addition, in addition to reporting the situation, the Germans also proposed to establish a regular contact and exchange mechanism with us. I have agreed. You want Germany It is unrealistic to send large quantities of supplies, but it is feasible to exchange small quantities of supplies, just like the navy sent submarines for transport and reverse transport; the air channels for special envoys to come must also be maintained to ensure safety. "

"I obey the order."

Foreign Minister Gu Zhengzhi said: "Yesterday the Germans proposed the first batch of materials and technology exchange lists. Germany is willing to export to us physical objects or drawings of equipment including electrical detection, new engines, tanks and other equipment. It has been made clear that all can be bartered. Provide it to us, but our country must also give corresponding rewards, for example..."

He couldn't think of a name for a while and got stuck. He quickly flipped through the words written on the note and added: "For example, information about acid torpedoes."

Upon hearing the name, Hirohito asked in confusion: "Chief of Military Command, this name sounds very strange. Does the empire have such a weapon?"

Nagano broke into a cold sweat, and in the end he could only say: "Yes! This is the empire's most precious and secret weapon. It is a torpedo that uses oxygen as the source of propulsion power. It is powerful and highly concealable. It's just the Germans..."

"You want to ask the Germans where they learned about it?" Gu Zhengzhi explained, "The Germans raided the British and American code-breaking institutions and got a lot of US military intelligence. It must have come from there."

Tojo thought angrily that this German envoy didn't understand the rules so much. Why didn't he communicate with him first and then took everything to His Majesty, thus creating such an embarrassing situation now? He glared at Foreign Minister Gu Zhengzhi, but the other party turned a blind eye and said instead: "The special envoy also brought a random anti-tank weapon. The Germans called it the Iron Fist. It has amazing effects, low cost, and very high technical requirements. It is low and very suitable for the empire to use. He is willing to demonstrate it on the spot; in addition, the Germans also came up with a blueprint of a man-controlled rocket, which is so powerful that one can sink a warship - it is said that this is the latest secret weapon invented by Germany , just because they cannot recruit enough volunteers who are willing to transfer this weapon to us... The German envoy also said..."

Except for Hirohito and Ko Masagi, everyone else now felt that the special envoy of the head of state had said too much. They had concealed a lot of information from the emperor. They had formed a tacit understanding with each other, but unexpectedly, it was easily revealed by an outsider. Everyone felt a little uncomfortable.

"You will study the specific matters carefully. You must not lower the dignity of the empire or affect the overall situation."

"I will do my best to live up to His Majesty's trust." Several important ministers raised their heads tremblingly. Before they had time to wipe the cold sweat from their foreheads, they found that Hirohito had already left the table.

Everyone knows that after a major earthquake like today, a cabinet reshuffle is probably inevitable...