The leader of the conspirators was not Anan's brother-in-law, Takeshita Nakasa, but Kenji Kenji, who was one level lower than him. Outwardly, Chung Zhong seems to be the antithesis of the revolution. He was a quiet, studious, and steady man, but his unwavering devotion to the country and his unwillingness to compromise earned him undisputed prestige.

Whether it is successful or not, Anan's support is key, because commanders at all levels trust him. That night, Anan had invited the conspirators to his home for a meeting, and before that, he had twice made arrangements to drag him into the water. For the first time, he thought he had persuaded Takeshita to intercede with his brother-in-law, but Takeshita Nakasa was reluctant to take advantage of his special status. The second time, he hired Professor Hiraizumi as a lobbyist, because his philosophy of preserving the honor of the country had permeated the base camp.

Professor Hiraizumi wrote a letter to Kanchu, urging him and other rebels to "refrain from acting rashly and rashly" and to obey Anan's leadership. He had always been an optimist, hoping that the professor would involve Anan in the conspiracy, but in reality, Hiraizumi was urging Anan to obey the emperor's will. Junzhong personally accompanied the professor to Lu Xiang's house, but did not see Anan. He waited a long time before he was informed that Anan was in a meeting in the palace and could not come back for a while.

At eight o'clock in the evening—a quiet and sweltering May night—the core of the conspirators gathered at Anan's apartment. His humble apartment was a wooden bungalow that became his official residence after the bombing of Tokyo. From the outset, he tried to distinguish Anan from the main faction, and told him about rumors that some "Bagdolio-esque" were plotting to assassinate him.

Anan thought it was funny. Laugh. He was also not interested in such a coup plan, imprisoning Kido, Koiso Kuniaki, Togo, and Minai; Martial law was declared and the palace was isolated. To accomplish these operations, the four generals – Anan, Umezu, Tanaka (commander of the Eastern Army) and (commander of the 1st Guards Division) Mori – must cooperate. Anan didn't care about the rebellious nature of the plan, only nitpicking about the plan. For example, how they will control communications.

Takeshita insisted. "We have to implement this plan!" He shouted. In addition, the plan must be executed before the Imperial Council formally accepts the note from China. Anan was noncommittal, so that the conspirators could not understand his intentions. Arao was deflated, but Takeshita was unwilling to give up the plan.

In order to avoid confrontation with this group. Anan promised that "the first thing to do tomorrow morning" was to exert influence on Umezu, who he knew had decided to support the emperor. But the young officers demanded more swift action. This. Anan agreed to meet one of their members, Arao Daisa, at midnight, suggesting that he might think more fully about the coup by then, and sent them away. When he sent them to the porch. Anan begged them. "Be careful. You may be under surveillance. It's better to separate and don't come together when you come again. ”

After everyone left, Takeshita was still with his brother-in-law. Did Anan join them? Takeshita asked. He thought it depended on their relationship. He'll be honest. "How can you expose your true thoughts in front of so many people," General Anan said. He didn't say anything else, and Takeshita left, feeling optimistic again.

The Chief of Staff of the Army and the Commanders of the Navy's Command Department – Umezu and Toyota – were not directly pressured by the conspirators, but were unable to suppress doubts about accepting unconditional surrender. They summoned Foreign Minister Togo from the dinner to a conference room on the ground floor of the Prime Minister's official residence for a secret meeting. But Togo was still reluctant to change the terms at the last minute.

He repeatedly said, "Impossible! No way! There was a lot of noise outside, and the forced water that arranged the meeting brought in Vice Admiral Onishi, the founder of the "kamikaze" special attack team, and apologized repeatedly. Onishi walked up to Admiral Toyoda and admitted in a choked voice that he had just begged Takamatsunomiya (Prince) to persuade his imperial brother to continue the war. But, of course, he was as unsuccessful as Anan's request for Mikasa.

Instead, Takamatsunomiya said, "You soldiers have lost the trust of the emperor!" Onishi's eyes filled with tears. We must present the Emperor with a plan for victory and ask him to reconsider his decision. We must be courageous in our commitment to this plan and make it a reality. If we are prepared to take the method of 'special attack' and sacrifice the lives of 20 million Japanese people, victory will be ours! ”

Despite his emotion, his pleas went unanswered. In desperation, he turned to Togo.

"If there was a realistic hope of victory, no one would have thought of accepting the Hankyung Declaration." "However, a victory in one battle will not win the war for us." ”

The air raid sirens began to scream, and Togo dismissed the meeting under the pretext of an excuse. As I drove home through the dark streets, I couldn't help but think of Onishi's suggestion to sacrifice 20 million lives. The final decision on peace must be taken tomorrow. He later wrote, "We can endure everything as long as there is hope for the country to recover, and the bows and arrows and spears that the soldiers flaunt do not bring any hope." ”

On 14 May, as soon as Tokyo's eastern skyline began to clear out, a Globemaster plane flew lone at high altitude and spat out a long barrage of projectiles as it flew over the city center. One by one, the projectiles burst open, and the sky was suddenly filled with leaflets, forming "colored clouds". The contents of the leaflet were hastily drafted by the Army Intelligence Department in Hanking, translated into Japanese and telegraphed to Saipan.

Letter to the Japanese people

"Today, the Chinese planes are not dropping bombs on you. Leaflets were dropped, because the Japanese Government had offered to surrender, and every Japanese had the right to know the contents of the conditions and the reply of the Chinese Government to it. Your government now has the opportunity to end the war immediately. ”

The leaflet cites the conditions for the Japanese to accept the Hankyo Declaration and the reply of the Chinese people.

The Marquis of Kido picked up a leaflet from the Imperial Palace and took it to the Imperial Library. He told the emperor that if the leaflets fell into the hands of the troops who knew nothing about the peace talks, they could cause a rebellion. The Emperor should hastened to convene an Imperial Council in order to make the participants aware of his determination to end the war at once.

The emperor hastily read the contents of the leaflet and instructed Kido to go to Koiso Kuniaki immediately. Kuniaki Koiso happened to be in the front room. In the current situation, Kuniaki Koiso said. It would have taken too long to obtain the signatures of the two chiefs of staff, and he asked the emperor to take the previous action and use his authority to convene the Imperial Council.

Kido also felt the need to take this emergency measure. In addition, he felt that it was necessary to take another unprecedented step: he accompanied Koiso Kuniaki to pay homage to the emperor, who had never been present during secret talks between the emperor and the prime minister. Hirohito not only agreed to convene the Imperial Council at 10:30 a.m., but also promised that in the event of an impasse, he would "order" the cabinet to accept the note from China.

That morning, Anan was again forced to speak out against the conspiracy. He was in the middle of the night conversation with Arao. Always dodge. So much so that he had suggested that he frankly say to Arao's secretary Lin Dazuo rudely: "Judging from what you just said, I can't tell whether you are in favor of or against their plan. ”

Now, just hours before the coup, the rebels are coming to the War Ministry to find Anan. Ask him to support them immediately. Anan still couldn't tell them outright that he couldn't. He used the excuse that he wanted to consult with the chief of staff of the army. Slipped out and left them in the office.

Umezu is not so hesitant. He said to Anan if the army was used in the palace. This is blasphemous. Anan was stopped by the conspirators on his way back to his office. He couldn't avoid it anymore. "After consultation with the Chief of Staff," he said, "I have decided not to support your actions." ”

He refused to discuss it further and strode out of the building. There was a car waiting at the entrance of the building, and he got into the car and went to the prime minister's basement conference room to attend a cabinet meeting.

As soon as the meeting began, it was announced that everyone would immediately move to the Imperial Library for an emergency Imperial Council. This was the first time since the beginning of the war that a historic all-round Imperial Council was held. The time is so tight that everyone doesn't even have time to change into dresses; For example, the Quartermaster had to borrow a tie from an official of the Imperial Household Province and asked the Minister of Health and Welfare to tie it for him. This is the second time in five days that the military has been tricked, participating in their unprepared war of words, and they have no choice but to vent their anger on Koiso Kunizhao's head.

When they lined up into the small conference room, they found that because of the large number of people, all the tables in the room had been removed and replaced with two long rows of chairs. They waited uncomfortably in a room that was both frighteningly quiet and sweaty. At about 10:50 a.m., the Emperor, dressed in military uniform and wearing white gloves, entered the conference room with the help of General Hasunuma, the chief military attache of the chamberlain.

Koiso Kuniaki apologized to the emperor for failing to unanimously agree to accept Chugo's note. He named three of the main opponents—Toyota, Umezu, and Anan—and asked them to present their arguments directly to the emperor. Umezu demanded the continuation of the war. If surrender means the end of the country, then all the people should die in the final battle, and Toyota echoed it.

Anan was emotionally impulsive, stammering, and advocated fighting unless China explicitly promised to guarantee the emperor's safety. There is still a chance to win, and if not, at least the war can be ended on better terms.

Hirohito waited for anyone else to speak, but no one stood up again. Finally, Hirohito nodded. "If there are no more opinions," he said, "I will share my opinion." I hope you all agree with my conclusions. I have listened carefully to the arguments against Japan's acceptance of China's current reply, but my opinion has not changed. I studied the international and domestic situation and came to the conclusion that we could no longer continue the war. He wiped tears from his face with his gloved hands. This situation made several participants extremely uneasy, and they couldn't hold back their tears.

"I have also studied Zhonghua's reply and have come to the conclusion that it actually acknowledges the note we sent a few days ago, which I think is perfectly acceptable. On the question of the supremacy of the emperor, some people seem to be skeptical about China's motives, but I agree with the foreign minister. It is not believed that the purpose of the note was to damage the national body. I am fully aware of how uncomfortable it is for my loyal officers and men of the navy and army to hand over their weapons to the enemy, and to see that my country is occupied and that I may be accused of being a war criminal. His voice choked and paused, "How many soldiers have died in battle, and their families are still suffering...... How sympathetic I am to this. ”

He wiped his face with his gloves again, "All these feelings are unbearable, but I can no longer let my subjects suffer. I am willing to risk my life to save my people. If the war continues, the country will be scorched and millions of people will die. I can't stand this, and my decision at this time is the same as that made by Emperor Meiji during the intervention of the Three Kingdoms, when he endured the unbearable and the unbearable. Now I have to do the same, all of us. We will work together to build Japan into a peaceful country. He paused again. Two ministers could not control themselves and fell to the floor.

"I hope that all of you, my ministers, will comply with my wishes and accept China's reply at once. The people were ignorant of the situation, and their decision was bound to come as a surprise. I'm ready to give it my all. If it is good for the people, I am going to make a radio speech. I am willing to go anywhere and persuade the officers and men of the army and navy to lay down their arms. I hope that the Cabinet will immediately draft an edict to end the war. ”

The participants clung to each other in grief. Kuniaki Koiso stood up with difficulty and pleaded guilty again. He walked to the throne. Bow and salute. The Emperor stood up. Tired, he walked towards the door.

Just as Umezu was about to leave the base camp for a meeting, two conspirators burst into his office and scolded him. To soothe them, he said to them. He was not "absolutely" against the coup. They recklessly ran to Takeshita Nakasa's office. "Umezu has our back!" One of them shouted. Anan should have been informed of the development immediately. So Takeshita drove to the Prime Minister's Office. He found that the cabinet meeting had been suspended. Everyone went to the emergency pre-imperial meeting. This left him dumbfounded. After arriving at the palace, he was forced to wait in the palace for a long time before he was notified. He said that everyone went back to the underground conference room of the Prime Minister's official residence to continue the meeting. When he arrived at the Prime Minister's residence, he had to wait again – all the cabinet members had gone to lunch.

After lunch, General Anan went to the toilet, and his secretary followed him. The terrestrial phase is active, but unnatural. "We just got the information." He shouted to Lin Dazuo, "The Chinese fleet has sailed out of Tokyo Bay!" What do you think of us attacking them with all our might?"

Lin was annoyed by Lu Xiang's continued wavering, as if Lu Xiang had not participated in the Imperial Meeting. "That's not going to work!" He said, "First of all, it is just a rumor that the Chinese fleet sailed to Tokyo Bay. Secondly, the emperor had just asked for an end to the war. ”

Anan was a man of deep faith, and his ability to see the strengths and weaknesses of things from all sides made him emotionally miserable. He decided to return to the Army Department for a few minutes to meet with the conspirators before the meeting resumed. As he walked through the reception room, his brother-in-law, who had met him, was waiting for him. "General Umezu has changed his mind!" He suddenly shouted.

Anan's face was beaming. "Really?" He asked, suddenly interested. Then, remembering that everything was a foregone conclusion, he added gloomily, "But everything has been decided." ”

Takeshita Nakasa asked him to influence the cabinet meeting, and Anan shook his head. "Then you can at least resign," Takeshita insisted. If he resigns, Koiso Kuniaki's government will disintegrate and there will be no way to end the war.

"Bring me the ink," Anan said, enthusiastic again. "I'm going to write my resignation." But he changed his mind again – he couldn't leave the cabinet or not, peace was always inevitable.

"If I resign," he added, "I will never see the emperor again." ”

In the land minister's office on higher ground in the valley, Anan found at least fifteen conspirators. There is no need for this land minister to pretend. "The Imperial Council has just ended," he said, "and the Emperor has put an end to the war." He apologized for not being able to meet their expectations, and there was silence and an embarrassing atmosphere in the room. The entire army must fully abide by this decision," he said, "and Japan will have a hard time in the future, but no matter how difficult life is, I ask you to do your best to preserve the national system." ”

One of them got up with an excited face and asked, "Why did you change your mind?" Etiquette is lost in the discourse.

General Anan closed his eyes and remembered the troubled experience of the morning at the Imperial Bunko. "Once Your Majesty has made a decision, I cannot oppose it." He told them that the emperor had tears in his eyes and said to him, "I understand, Anan, that you are very uncomfortable, but you have to endure it!" He stared intently at the pained faces around him, but this time he didn't want to alleviate their pain. This decision is valid and must be obeyed," he said resolutely and solemnly, "and whoever is not satisfied, cut me down first!" ”

It is clear that there is nothing more to say. Shaozo cried loudly. Tears ran down his cheeks, and Anan was deeply moved, but without saying a word, he turned and left the office. One by one, the others drooped their heads and followed.

Anan returned to attend a cabinet meeting, the most restrained and tame he could remember. Koiso Kuniaki rebuked the cabinet ministers for twice forcing the emperor to make peace decisions, which was disrespectful to the emperor. No one refuted his harsh rebukes. Fifteen ministers were at the mercy of the emperor's decision. One by one, they signed the documents that unconditionally accepted the Hanjing Declaration.

The key question remains: how do you communicate this decision to the nation? The head of the Intelligence Bureau, Kaimi Shimomura, suggested that the emperor himself broadcast an edict. This, of course, was unpleasant, however, the word surrender could only be believed from the mouth of the emperor. The Cabinet unanimously agreed, but on one condition: it was inappropriate for the emperor to broadcast directly to his subjects. Recordings should be played.

Anan heard rumors that the U.S. fleet had sailed to Gulf of Tonkin spread throughout the War Ministry. The enemy is preparing to land, and paratroopers are about to be airborne at the main airfields. The terrified officers dragged the classified documents to the courtyard and set them on fire. There was a big boy who had returned from Australia and rushed into the English radio and newspaper translation room with a knife. He accused the translators of spreading capitulationism. He slashed at them with his sword, shouting, "You deserve to deserve to deceive us," but tears softened him, and he turned abruptly. Slammed the door and left.

Lieutenant General Takeshi Mori, the commander of the Guards Division who guards the Imperial Palace, vented his frustration on the intelligence chief. He broke into the offices of Lieutenant General Arisue Seizo and Admiral Kenji Dohihara. Shout out "Kill yourself!" I see you die, I'll cut my stomach again! "Arisue reminded him that his duty was to defend the emperor." It's my business. I will defend His Majesty the Emperor. And then I'll kill you! Shocked, he hurriedly walked to the office of the chief of operations, Lieutenant General Miyazaki. Mori also threatened Miyazaki.

"He's crazy." Kenji Dochihara.

The discipline of the military at all levels began to be in disarray. The gendarmerie corporals sent to garrison the building deserted and took away clothes and food. Inferior officers insult superior officers; Some of the high-ranking officers drank whiskey and Japanese rice wine behind closed doors. The chaos had a positive effect: it brought the army leadership together. Anami, Umezu, (Left Fire Right Field), and Sugiyama all stamped a brief manifesto that was almost equal to a creed: "The Imperial Army will carry out the holy judgment to the end." "The heads of the departments were ordered to report to the first conference room. Lecture by Lu Xiang Anan.

3:30 p.m. Anan stepped onto a small podium. "The emperor has decided to end the war," he said to the upright cadre, "so." All of us must obey the Emperor's will. His Majesty the Emperor is confident that the national system will be maintained, and he has expressed that belief to the marshals. Difficulties are in front of all of us, and as military officers, you have to face the truth, and you cannot die a hundred times. You have to live, even if you eat grass and sleep on rocks and thorns. ”

Anan's remarks destroyed the possibility of high-ranking military officers participating in the coup. Only the unshakable Shaozo and a few die-hards are still determined to act. In addition, they still had a good chance of capturing the Imperial Palace, and two of the Morishi Regiments—one of whom was Tojo's son-in-law, Hidemasa Koga—remained supportive of their cause. However, they also had one of their most important new goals, and that was to record the Emperor's speech. It must be intercepted before it can be delivered to the NHK building.

Throughout the afternoon, he rode his bicycle around the streets of Tokyo in the sweltering heat, trying to give a blood transfusion to the conspiracy plan. His reluctance to give up drove him to the sixth floor of the First Building, where the commander of the Eastern Military District, Lieutenant General Shizuichi Tanaka, had a suite. Without even knocking on the door, he strode into General Tanaka's private office. Tanaka told him to fuck off. The general's anger left him speechless. He saluted respectfully, turned and walked away.

However, his resolve remained unshaken, and he rode his bicycle back to the valley in an attempt to persuade those who had abandoned the plot to rejoin. He first approached Ida Nakasa, who, after listening to Anan's instructions, decided that there was only one solution, and that was for the high-ranking officers of the Ministry of War to commit mass suicide to thank the emperor and the people of the country—but no one wanted to participate.

He asked Ida to go with him to the rooftop terrace, saying that he had "important things" to tell him, and that he spoke more freely there. He planned to occupy the palace that night. "Most of the captains and squadron leaders of the Guards Division have agreed," he advised.

"It won't work," Ida said, "and the emperor has already made a decision." What is the attitude of the commander of the Guards Division?"

"I'm not sure Lieutenant General Mori," he relented, "but we'll have to think of something to involve him too." "Namata doubts if he can win over General Mori." I know, but that doesn't stop me. The emperor himself may not have been sure whether accepting the Hankyo Declaration would mean maintaining the state system. How can we obey the emperor's orders when we are not sure about the outcome of 50 percent?"

He reasoned that any Japanese who had such doubts could tarnish the honor of the nation if he did not come forward at this critical juncture in history. "That's why I'm going to give it a try with action now. If the coup failed, it would prove the emperor's decision. If it succeeds, it proves that I was right. I had to do something. I can't sit back and wait. ”

Ida disagrees with his reasoning, but he also admires Kanzhong's spirit of not hesitating to use his life to realize a certain ideal. "If you really want to do it, do it," he said, "and I won't stop you." ”

But there's more to it than just consent. "I want your help." Ida said he had to think about it, but he had no intention of changing his mind.

When he went down the stairs, he met Masao Inaba, who had drafted an order to encourage the army to fight on his own. Inaba bluntly stated that she did not support this new conspiracy. "The Cabinet has signed the surrender document," he said, "and the emperor will broadcast it tomorrow." It's useless, give up. ”

The Cabinet is still debating what the Emperor should say in his announcement. What Anan could not tolerate was the phrase "the tide of war is increasingly turning against me." "How could he sign such a formulation? It will make all the communiqués issued by the base camp a lie. Plus, they haven't lost the war yet.

Menet refuted him with the catastrophic losses of Burma and Rabaul, but fortunately it was the tactful suggestion that the amendment was made so that they did not have another lengthy debate, and the latter was changed to "The development of the war situation may not be beneficial to Japan."

During the break, Anan returned to his apartment near the Capitol and changed into a military uniform so that he could attend the ceremony of signing the documents. He was just about to leave home when Marshal Shunroku and former Prime Minister Tojo arrived. It was clear that they would be tried as war criminals after the war, and Tojo asked for everyone to testify that they were fighting a war of self-defense. The plea was different: he asked to relinquish the title of marshal.

While the cabinet worked on the final wording of the edict, two officials from the Imperial Household Ministry used a brush to write two copies of the edict, one for official documents and one for the emperor to use for recording. After finalizing the draft, it was handed over to the emperor for review, and Hirohito asked for five minor revisions.

Hirohito finally stamped the imperial seal on the tinkering document at 8:30 p.m., with Suzuki present. However, the official surrender document could only be sent to China after the unanimous signature of the Cabinet.

It took almost an hour and a half to get all the cabinet members to sign it. At about eleven o'clock in the evening, the last person, the transport minister, came to Suzuki's conference room to sign, and the surrender was official. A secretary calls the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Send a Chinese telegram of the same content to Zhonghua:

"The Government of Japan has the honour to inform the Governments of the four Governments of China, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan on 11 May of their reply to the note of the Japanese Government of 10 May concerning the acceptance of the provisions of the Hankyung Declaration as follows:

1. His Majesty the Emperor has issued an edict accepting the terms of the Hankyo Declaration.

2. His Majesty the Emperor intends to authorize and ensure that the Government of Japan and the Base Camp sign the provisions necessary for the implementation of the provisions of the Hankyung Declaration. His Majesty the Emperor is also prepared to issue orders to the Japanese army, navy, and air authorities, and to all their subordinate forces, wherever they may be stationed, to cease combat operations, to lay down their arms, and to issue such other orders as the Supreme Command of China deems necessary in the implementation of the above-mentioned provisions.

…………”

The cabinet members sat indifferently around the table. There is no need for any more resolutions. Suzuki got up and left the conference room. Anan, dressed in a military uniform, got up and walked over to his old enemy, Togo. He puffed up his chest and said solemnly: "I have read the circular drafted by the Foreign Minister to China on the occupation forces and the disarmament issue, and I am grateful. If I had known that things would be handled that way, I would not have made an impassioned statement at the Imperial Council. ”

Togo felt that this was too polite, and bluntly said that he himself had always been sympathetic to the surrender conditions proposed by the army.

Anan pressed the saber in one hand and the military hat under his arm and walked into Suzumizu's private office. He saluted the Prime Minister. "Since the beginning of the peace talks, I apologize for causing you a lot of trouble. I'm just here to preserve the state - that's all. I apologize for your understanding. ”

"I totally understand," Suzuki said as he walked over to Anan. Anan burst into tears. Suzuki squeezed General Anan's hand. "However, Anan-kun, please rest assured that the Imperial Family will be absolutely safe, and His Majesty the Emperor always prays for peace when he worships the Emperor in the spring and autumn." (To be continued......)