Chapter 10

Hirohito was an ambitious man. He started military work at the age of 7. He graduated from the Academy at the age of 14 in 1914. He attained the rank of lieutenant in the army and navy.

Hirohito's dream was to establish a Japanese hegemony in Asia. Stop the Russian invaders and take control of all the coasts and islands in the Pacific. Get rid of the Americans who exploit and humiliate the Japanese from Asia.

These were big goals for Hirohito, a Japanese nationalist. Hirohito's father was Taisho, who is often described as incompetent.

Taisho came to the throne after the death of his father, Meiji. Unlike his father Meiji, Taisho was not a talented man. Using this opportunity, traditionalists almost destroyed Taisho's reputation among the public.

This would leave Taisho with trust issues and mental illnesses that would lead him to cede the throne to his son, Hirohito, in the future.

The Imperial Japanese Army and the Imperial Japanese Navy had the right to veto the government cabinet. This has been the case since 1900.

While the Navy and Army were always arguing over the budget, there was a problem between the Traditionalist Japanese elder statesmen and the Progressive Japanese elder statesmen who had been secretly waiting for the Opportunity since Mejii's death.

During Meiji's time, Japan modernized in a seemingly impossible time and they integrated into Japan many things that traditionalists opposed.

Even though the army and navy gave endless support to the Imperial family, there were still Tory samurai and elder statesmen.

These were the things Hirohito hated. Sometimes he wished he had the power to change the whole of Japan with a single command, like his grandfather.

Hirohito wanted to control all of Japan under one person, under his own shadow. This was necessary for Japan's development and competition with the West.

One of the new problems for Hirohito was his father's newly appointed Regent. The man named Yoriichi was a mysterious man who was little known, even though he had rich clothes and a high-class appearance.

Hirohito asked his father who the new Regent named Yoriichi was, but as soon as his father heard just that question, his eyes flashed with fear.

This was something that made Hirohito angry. Being the Emperor's regent was not a simple thing. It meant having equal authority over the Imperial Navy and army as the Emperor.

According to Hirohito, the authority of the state should be under a single person. We should not give everyone a piece of the Empire's authority.

Hirohito had this idea until an incident occurred. To further worsen Taisho's already deteriorating reputation, the Conservatives incited the public through Yoriichi.

They could easily provoke the public with a little money and bribes to some people in Tokyo with the next valley.

This was a truth that everyone, including Hirohito, simply saw. In such cases, the Emperor would usually wait for the people to calm down and secretly execute or exile those who did so.

But this was different. Although this was a smear campaign against the Imperial family, the main target was on Yoriichi.

Because no matter how much Yoriichi was the Emperor's regent, it didn't mean that the Army and Navy would support Yoriichi unconditionally.

That's why Hirohito did not understand his father's decision. Why do you give enemies reason to target the imperial family?

After all, the man Yoriichi had no supporters, no friends in the government, or close friends in the military. Why did Taisho trust such a man enough to make him Emperor Regent?

The answer to this question appeared to Hirohito in a short time.

Residential areas on the poorer sides of Tokyo were often the best places to protest. people took to the streets to criticize the Emperor's decision.

In a short time, it increased from 100 people to 1000 people, then to 2000 thousand people. Even though this number seems small, it could spread all over Tokyo if enough time was given.

Yoriichi's first order was to prevent Hirohito's troops from passing and to gather them in a single point.

After a while, the leader of the protesters shouted at the soldiers who blocked them. "Do not stand in our way! We are seeking our rights!"

The soldiers' expressions did not change at all. But among the protesters, the hired protesters immediately supported the protest leader. "Yes! Open the way! We are only looking for justice!"

Hirohito's anger escalated as the crowd in front of them suddenly began aggressively pushing the soldiers again.

Seeing that the soldiers' statements were about to be taken, Hirohito immediately gave the order. "Don't move! Don't be fooled by the words of these protesters! Anyone who violates the order will have their status in the Army terminated!"

It was considered a shame for a soldier to be discharged from military service, especially in Japan at a time when nationalism was more prevalent. Fearing this, the soldiers immediately violently pushed the Protesters back.

As the situation got more and more heated, a young soldier looked at the man who came to him with concern. Instinctively, he pointed his gun at the man. "Stop! Otherwise I'll have to shoot!"

"Shut up! Clear the way!" The man's purpose was clear. He was trying to provoke the soldier into opening fire. The man grinned and aggressively walked towards the soldier. But what the man didn't know was that the soldier was inexperienced.

"I said open the way!" The man shouted and jumped on the soldier. The soldier immediately pulled the trigger with concern. The bullet hit the man in the head. The man's lifeless body fell to the ground.

The crowd went silent for a second. Hirohito could only swear. As the crowd was about to flee in fear, the Protesters' leader shouted again. "Duran! Don't go! They just killed a person unjustly! Justice will be provided! Give us the soldiers!"

The soldier who had just shot the civilian looked at his Lieutenant Hirohito with concern. Hirohito's eyes were complex.

But before Hirohito could say anything, Yoriichi's voice echoed in the still air. "I am proud that we have such patriotic and honorable soldiers."

The crowd fell silent once again. Before the leader of the protesters could say anything, Hirohito saw Yoriichi walk up to the soldier and pat him on the shoulder.

"Good job, kid. You just killed a traitor." Yoriichi's calm voice echoed in the environment. Before the protesting crowd realized what was happening, they were declared traitors.

Hirohito's eyes watched Yoriichi carefully. Frankly, he was amazed by Yoriichi's calm and dignified stance.

Yoriichi walked through the soldiers and walked in front of the protesting leader. The protest leader swallowed nervously. Before he could say anything, Yoriichi spoke. "Worm, you dare to disobey me? Why don't you obey like simple mindless sheep?"

"What are you saying-" Before the man could finish his sentence, Yoriichi lifted the man by the throat, under the surprised and frightened looks of many people. Yoriichi lifted the man into the air, then broke his neck and threw him. The man's lifeless body fell to the ground.

"Th-what monster is this?!" One of the soldiers whispered in fear. Hirohito's eyes widened in fear and surprise.

The crowd looked at Yoriichi nervously. Some had already begun to retreat. But Yoriichi had no intention of letting them go. "I'm sorry, but you're not getting out of here alive."

For a moment, before Hirohito and the others realized what was happening, the protesting crowd erupted in screams. Dismantle attacks coming randomly from the air targeted people's arms, heads and legs.

One minute later, the shattered corpses of 2000 thousand people were lying on the ground covered in blood. One of the soldiers behind shouted. "What is this! God, I'm scared!"

Even some seasoned soldiers vomited at the brutality. Even Hirohito could not escape this.

After vomiting for a while, the smell of blood spread around and turned the soldiers' faces green. Some weak-willed soldiers laid down their weapons and began to cry out of fear.

Hirohito looked at Yoriichi, who was standing among the severed corpses, smiling cleanly despite the bloody environment, unlike the others.

'Father... What kind of monster did you bring to our country?'

******

In a short time, people received news on their radios.

"The attempted coup against the Imperial family was thwarted by the new Imperial Regent Yoriichi-Sama. We strongly condemn this treacherous attack on our Great Emperor."

"Emperor Taisho swore that he would punish the traitors and those responsible for the coup against our beautiful country and provide justice to the Japanese people."

"By the order of the Emperor Regent, martial law has been declared throughout Japan from this day until further orders."