On January 15, 1935, at dusk in the cold winter season, the sky over Tokyo was covered with clouds and snowflakes.

Under the lead-gray sky, Tokyo, the capital of the Japanese Empire, dressed in silver, seems to have both Western colors and oriental charm.

Just over 100 meters away from the Imperial Palace, a traditional Japanese-style building, is the Miyauchi Provincial Building, which is made of reinforced concrete. Outside the ancient stone walls and moats that surround the Imperial Palace, the entire city is also a combination of east and west: a long row of new buildings such as the Imperial Theater and the First Life Building, completely Western-style high-rises, and just a few blocks away, there are narrow cobblestone streets, rows of geisha houses, sushi shops, kimono shops and ramen restaurants, and various small old shops that look like they are crumbling, and most of their doors are hung with warm curtains fluttering in the wind and colorful lanterns, even on such a gloomy snowy day. It also shows a faint joyful atmosphere.

Although the wind and snow have severely hampered travel and transportation, those who can afford to have fun still wander the streets and alleys that have gradually become darker, looking for a pastime that suits their preferences. Ginza, Tokyo's busiest city, is already bustling with crowds – a romantic symbol of Western shijie for the Japanese youth of this era, a convivial wonderland of neon signs, jewelry stores, fashion stores, nightclubs, cafes, American and European movie screenings, and Western-style ballrooms, concert halls, and restaurants.

And in the quaint Akasaka district, countless Japanese men and women wearing traditional kimonos are also looking forward to a joyous evening. Those are thickly greased and powdered on the face. Geisha dressed in colorful kimonos resemble uninvited guests from ancient times, sitting on a rickshaw that clangs. Winding streets lined with willow trees weave back and forth like fluttering butterflies. The dark and narrow streets, the aroma of sake, the smiling of women, and the traditional Japanese red lanterns create a beautiful ukiyo-e that is full of Edo style. The melodious sound of the shamisen wafts around, and the town is always immersed in a Japanese atmosphere that is indescribably mournful or quiet.

Yet, beyond this modern, fashionable, glamorous, drunken, and elegant paradise of pleasure, there is a sad purgatory of cold, poverty, and hunger – since the Meiji Restoration. The Japanese Empire, which shouted the slogan of "breaking away from Asia and joining Europe," made great strides forward, and indeed threw off many feudal and backward things and became the most advanced, powerful, and westernized country in the whole of Asia. But it has also suffered from all the ills of modern Western countries...... The economic crisis that swept through the entire capitalist shijie, or the Great Depression, also did not spare the Japanese Empire.

During the Great Depression, Japan's small and medium-sized banks collapsed. 20% reduction in rail freight traffic. Japan's traditional export commodity, raw silk, is unsalable, the countryside is completely bankrupt, and 10% of the merchant ships berthing at the wharf have no cargo to carry. Small and medium-sized enterprises have closed down in large numbers...... In the midst of this catastrophe, only financiers, speculators, and corrupt officials have made their own money, and the class contradictions in the whole society have become unprecedentedly intensified.

At this very moment, the peasants of this island nation are suffering from extreme poverty and even starvation due to heavy taxes and plummeting agricultural prices. Bankrupt farmers are forced to sell their daughters and sisters to brothels – in a village in Yamagata Prefecture in the Tohoku region, according to a survey by the Japan Agricultural Bulletin. Of the 467 women between the ages of 15 and 24, 110 (23%) were sold, and the average price was only 10 yen. Another 150 women of this age group went out to work as maids or barmaids - rice grabbing and anti-tax riots were everywhere; Millions of urban workers have lost their jobs and have been forced to sleep on the streets. Some people stayed at the door of the Tokyo Employment Agency all night to get a head of the line the next day. Some people walk hundreds of miles to find a job, just because they can't afford to travel. What is even worse is that in the face of a serious economic crisis, the Japanese Government has not tried to alleviate the suffering of the people, but has continued to extort and extort money to pass on the crisis to the people...... As a result, the per capita income of the whole country fell from 700 yen to 130 yen, two-thirds of the peasants went bankrupt and lost their land, and famine occurred in many places, resulting in the death of a large number of poor people.

The streets of the slums of the capital, Tokyo, are crowded with tenants who can't afford to pay their rents almost every day. I don't know how many penniless, cold and hungry unemployed, as well as bankrupt petty traders and small yeoman farmers, all hesitated in despair on the cold streets of Tokyo, looking at the spoiled, profligate chaebol tycoons with fire-breathing resentment...... And in the barracks of the Guards Division and the 1st Division, there were also angry roars from time to time.

In this powder keg-like social environment, all kinds of far-left and far-right organizations have emerged. After an all-round contest, the frightened rulers felt that the lesser of two evils was adoption, and the militarists, who advocated external expansion to divert contradictions, gradually came to the fore, and thus the "September 18 Incident", "128 Incident", "North China Incident", and the birth of Manchukuo ......

Regrettably, however, the Japanese Empire was the worst of the capitalist powers of the time in terms of the integrity of its bureaucracy and the relief of low-income earners. Since the time of Emperor Meiji, Japanese officialdom has been very corrupt, and exploitation has been so heavy that it has been sucking the marrow out of the bones. When the Meiji regime was not yet constitutional, there was a case of selling Hokkaido's official property at a low price, regardless of the fact that a large number of employees were killed and retained after the official property was dismissed. In addition, in the early days, Japan was very fond of sending people to study in the West, and although these students learned the skills, they also brought back the Western gentleman's style - no matter how bad the domestic economy was, no matter whether the common people had rice soup to drink or not, their own red wine steak was absolutely indispensable.

In this way, even if they won a great victory on the battlefield in China, almost all the war dividends were devoured by the chaebols and capitalists, and the Japanese people at the bottom were still hungry and cold and living in hardship after shedding blood and sweat.

As a result, with the temporary subsidence of the Sino-Japanese war, the domestic contradictions in Japan, which had been covered by war and victory, once again fermented and intensified. Especially in the Army, the vast majority of soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and junior officers are basically from rural areas. There is a painful feeling for the tragic situation in the countryside. Because of the family's predicament, it is almost out of control. Many young officers began to form secret societies and openly preach extreme ideas hostile to the chaebols and bureaucrats. The "Showa Restoration" campaign was launched to bring down the domestic chaebols and politicians -- they were very "naïve" in their belief that everything would be better if all the important ministers and financial dignitaries were killed and the emperor would be "pro-government." In fact, in the name of this, a military junta with monopoly power was organized.

In order to achieve this goal, the "Tenju", "Rencho", and "Restoration Warriors" who ran rampant in Kyoto during the turmoil at the end of the Edo period. This time, the stage was changed in Tokyo. The Metropolitan Police Department has repeatedly cracked down on various terrorist organizations that are preparing to assassinate senior cabinet ministers, but under the pressure of incredible public opinion and the backstage bosses of terrorist organizations, they do not dare to seriously try them. The prisoners could only be summarily released on the grounds that "the participants in the conspiracy were all motivated by patriotic motives".

Faced with such a terrible situation, the ruling class of the Japanese Empire was naturally very worried, and wanted to further expand its aggression against China in order to seize more war dividends. And take the opportunity to divert internal contradictions...... As for carrying out domestic reforms. The "self-harm" practice of relinquishing part of the vested interests of the top ruling class to resolve social contradictions was not in their consideration from the beginning.

However, although Japan had been looking forward to war for a long time, its hegemonic practice of swallowing the three northeastern provinces and brazenly provoking war in Shanghai had already met with the unanimous hostility of the United States, Britain, and other countries, and if it wanted to further expand its aggression. No one knows what kind of international repercussions will be caused, and if they don't get it right, they will invite a joint siege by many countries -- those who read the history books of later generations. Of course, they knew that the United States and Britain and other countries trapped in the Great Depression would only adopt a policy of appeasement in the face of fascist aggression and sacrifice the interests of weak countries to raise tigers, but Japanese politicians at this time did not know what the United States, Britain and other countries would take.

-- After all, after the First Sino-Japanese War, there was a precedent of "three countries intervening to return Liao." At the time of the "128" incident, Britain, France, and the United States also increased their troops in Shanghai on a large scale, and put on a posture of not hesitating to fight Japan, so that the Japanese side could not hesitate again and again before making a decision.

There's no way, any paper tiger with no surface looks quite bluffing until someone stabs its true face.

Therefore, with the domestic contradictions on the verge of exploding on the one hand, and the stern warnings of the United States and the British powers on the other, the Japanese rulers suddenly felt a deep dilemma on the issue of aggression against China...... As for the resistance of the "Chinese people", because of the experience of easily occupying Manchuria, they were gorgeously ignored.

However, the red flag that was suddenly planted on Shanghai seemed to have sent an opportunity to break free from the chains and break the deadlock for the Japanese Empire......

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At this time, on a hill next to the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, stands the unfinished National Assembly Building, which is mainly made of stones quarried from Okinawa and has a roof that resembles the Egyptian pyramids. Behind this imposing edifice is a spacious official residence belonging to the head of the Imperial Government of Japan. One of the largest and most imposing houses is, of course, the Prime Minister's Residence, which consists of two buildings, with a traditional Japanese wooden roof, tatami mats and paper sliding doors for the living and a lavish Western-style building for the office.

In this "East-meets-West" mansion of the Japanese Prime Minister's Residence, a cabinet meeting is being held to decide Japan's fate.

“…… Ahem, I think you all know a lot about what happened in Shanghai. As for the secret telegram sent by the minister to China (a previous bug was found here, the top diplomats stationed in China at that time were all ministers, not ambassadors, indicating that the nostrils of the great powers did not regard old China as a "modern country" at all) from Nanjing, you have all read it just now, now tell me what you think! ”

After handing over a telegram to the public, the Japanese Prime Minister, Reserve Admiral Keisuke Okada, who presided over the meeting, spoke first.

On both sides of the conference table, the old ministers had different expressions, some were happy, and some were frowning.

-- Because, in this telegram, the Japanese Legation in China reported a great piece of good news: the Chinese authorities took the initiative to invite Japanese troops to station!

In view of the extremely turbulent and chaotic situation in the whole country after the fall of Shanghai, Wang Jingwei, the head of the pro-Japanese faction of the Nanjing Nationalist Government and the premier of the Executive Yuan, successfully connected with a large number of military and political dignitaries of the national government, and then secretly contacted the Japanese embassy. It is ready to formally put forward a request to the Japanese side to "borrow troops to suppress the red...... This is tantamount to giving the Japanese army a license to "operate freely" in China, and giving up the original US-British Shili range in the southeast!

Of course, in the midst of this deal. Wang Jingwei thinks that he will not suffer. His real plan was to use the power of the Japanese army to intimidate the Central Army controlled by Chiang Kai-shek, so as to launch a new round of "overthrow Chiang" movement within the Nationalist Government, so as to ascend to the throne of China's supreme ruler.

As for the extermination of the Red Bandits entrenched in Shanghai, it was a matter that would not be considered until he had defeated Chiang Kai-shek and seized the supreme power of the Nationalist Government.

-- I have to say that Wang Jingwei's coup d'état seized power. It's very, very naïve. At the end of the Revolution, he was in control of the Wuhan Nationalist Government and hundreds of thousands of troops, but he could not fight Chiang Kai-shek, who was on his own in Nanjing. Now he's just an executive chief. There is also a lack of connections in the army, and even if he is lucky enough to get the position with the help of Japan, I am afraid that most of them will only become a puppet like the puppet Emperor Puyi of Manchukuo......

However, regardless of whether Wang Jingwei's seizure of power is reliable or not, it is good news for the Japanese. Keisuke Okada hasn't had time to make up his mind yet. The Japanese Army General Staff Headquarters, which was in a hurry, had already drawn up a combat plan. And handed it to his desk.

“…… At the invitation of the Chinese government, Jihua of the General Staff Headquarters mobilized two to three divisions to land in Lianyungang in northern Jiangsu, and then moved south along the railway to control the entire territory of Jiangsu, and then cooperated with the fleet to coerce Nanjing, assisting Wang Zhaoming in completing the reorganization of the Nanjing government, and at the same time blocking the possible counterattack launched by the Chiang regime from the direction of Nanchang...... Meanwhile. Guangdong's Chen Jitang and Guangxi's Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi will also help Wang Zhaoming with tactical feints. Containing Chiang's forces - In fact, Chiang Kai-shek had completely lost control of a considerable part of his army due to the total collapse of the Chinese finances. The possibility that our Imperial Japanese Army will encounter large-scale resistance on the territory of China is very small......"

War Minister Hayashi Mijuro waved a small wooden stick, pointed to a map, and said, "...... The Imperial Army's Tianjin Army in North China (the Japanese garrison stationed in the Beijing-Tianjin region under the Treaty of Xincho) and the Kwantung Army in Manchukuo will once again launch a simultaneous campaign to use military deterrence and diplomatic strategy (persuasion) to hold down Song Zheyuan in Beiping and Han Fuqu in Shandong...... After the central government of China in Nanjing was controlled by our friendly people, these local warlords who directly faced the front of our imperial army naturally lost the courage to resist. At that time, from Liaodong to Jiangnan, half of China's coastal areas will be bathed in China's imperial prestige under the sun, and the great cause of the empire's domination of East Asia will be completed! ”

“…… Jihua of the Army...... It looks really grand, and if it succeeds, it will be able to take most of it into your pocket......"

Japanese Foreign Minister Hirota Hiroki touched his chin and said, but in his tone he did not seem to agree so much -- as a relatively strategically minded "pacifist person" who believes that aggression against China should be temporarily stopped in Manchukuo and must not risk expanding the war until Manchuria is thoroughly digested, he has an instinctive cringe at any war, "...... But the problem is that the people of China may not have done the main thing themselves...... Isn't it too risky to only get Wang Zhaoming's support and Chen Jitang's tacit approval, but not to consider the attitude of the United States and Britain? ”

“…… A certain degree of risk naturally exists, but since the imperial kingdom wants to expand its territory, how can there be a good thing that does not have to take risks at all? ”

Hayashi retorted, "...... Your Excellency Hirota, isn't this the best strategic opportunity for the Imperial State since the Russo-Japanese War? In view of the great provocation of the communist army in southern China, the countries of Europe and the United States, even if they were not happy to see the imperial expansion shili, could only acquiesce to the actions of the imperial army for the time being. As long as we help them retake Shanghai and recognize their special interests in the Yangtze River valley, then in exchange, let a pro-Japanese central government appear in China and expand the scope of the imperial state from the Great Wall to the north bank of the Yangtze River, a price that the European and American countries should be able to bear! ”

Hirota Hiroki nodded a little reluctantly, although he did not like the army's reckless strategy very much, and always felt that these "red deer" were "greedy and chewing too much," but at the same time he had to admit that the army had indeed chosen an excellent opportunity to comprehensively expand its aggression against China at this time -- under the current circumstances, the United States and Britain were bound to be most tolerant of the expansion of the Imperial Japanese Army in China's territory.

-- The communist army in the south of China brazenly invaded Shanghai, forcibly occupied the concessions, and smashed the financial institutions of the great powers in China, which not only greatly damaged the interests of the United States and Britain in China, but also slapped them in the face in front of the entire Shijie people. If these veteran imperialist robbers can't take revenge and get back to the field as soon as possible, then the wealth lost in Shanghai is still a trivial matter, and then I am afraid that even their own backyard will be on fire!

There is no way, for a colonialist empire like Britain, which has a global territory, the success of any colonial or semi-colonial rebellion will set off a chain reaction in the other colonies and semi-colonies, and the repressive forces of the British Empire will be exhausted. In the same way, if the United States suffers heavy losses on any battlefield, or if it is beaten and does not dare to fight back, then its South American backyard will also be unstable.

Therefore, the Japanese army was invited to enter the hinterland of China to exterminate the communist army, not only to open up the territory of the imperial state itself, but also to fight for the peace of the entire capitalist colonial order. In the face of such a major issue of right and wrong, the United States and Britain should not be so short-sighted. (To be continued......)