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The Chrysanthemum and the Sword
Topic Started: Jun 3 2014, 10:33 AM (181 Views)
Whal
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"Life is too short to be wasted on bad scotch"
 *  *  *  *  *  *
Hanoi, 1945...

Shimizu bowed his head in shame. A few feet away the small military issued radio played a transmission from the Japanese mainland. The Emperor's words stung his heart deeper than any bayonet could. Shimizu had never heard his sovereign's voice - no average Japanese had - and now that voice was telling him and his people to "endure the unendurable." He could feel tears well up in his eyes as he gripped the sword at his hip.

"Surrender is unthinkable!" He screamed to the other officers standing bewildered around the radio. "Japan will not surrender as long as brave soldiers stand to defend her!"

A resounding and confident "Hai!" echoed throughout the officer's quarters in agreement with Shimizu's outburst.

"This is the Emperor's wishes!" blurted another officer, tears in his eyes. "It is dishonorable to disobey! Japan has surrendered!"

"That is cowardice! Only a frightened girl would bow to the Americans!" countered another.

"The Emperor has been forced to say this! We have been betrayed by cowards in the Imperial Council!"

"I say we keep fighting the Americans, the Soviets, and any one else who would dare fight Japan! Tenno Heike Banzai!"

Most of the officers in the room joined, with raised hands, in the chant. Many others by contrast refused to partake. After years of brutal war even the most disciplined soldiers the world had ever seen were sickened and tired of combat. To those who had been wishing for an excuse to return home honorably, the Emperor's words appeared as sweet as honey, while to others, years of indoctrination under Bushido code had left the idea unthinkable, even when it came from the Emperor himself. One of then greatest internal conflicts in history would be played out inside the minds of Japanese soldiers everywhere, yet inside occupied French Indochina, the results would be much different..

"I am going to surrender," a young lieutenant mumbled after the Banzai chant.

Shimizu unsheathed his sword and raised it over his head.

"NO!" he commanded. "We are all honorable soldiers of Japan! We will do our duty to our country and to our Emperor. You are not going anywhere!"

The young lieutenant's brow wrinkled in anger. Slowly he reached for the hilt of his sword. One could cut the tension inside the room with a knife, as soldiers on both sides of the spectrum tightened their grip on their weapons. A bead of sweat rolled down the lieutenant's face as he pulled on his sword...

"Is this how you honor the Emperor's heavenly address?" a quiet, but firm voice echoed across the room.

Both men sheathed their swords without any further issue and bowed in the direction of the voice. In an instant, all the tension and fear in the room dissipated as the other officers awaited their command. In the doorway stood a short, stocky man dressed in the uniform of an imperial general. Multiple medals adorned his chest and a sword engraved with the imperial chrysanthemum hung on his hip.

"Prince Takahiko, please forgive my insolence," Shimizu replied red faced. "I was only trying to uphold the Emperor's honor. Surrender is not His wish."

"Oh? And you would claim this even as such a command leaves His Imperial Majesty's lips?" The Prince stated flatly, but with a smile.

Shimizu closed his eyes and more tears rolled down his rosy cheeks. "I am sorry, Prince. I will take any punishment with hono-"

"Enough, General Shimizu!" Prince Takahiko commanded, his soft voice now booming. "You shall not be punished. Japan needs men like yourself."

Shimizu bowed lower and then returned to a standing posture. The other officers followed suit, but everyone continued to avert their gazes as a sign of humility and respect. Prince Takahiko strolled into the room slowly and approached a map of the Pacific hung on an easel. The red colored territory which represented the Japanese Empire had shrunk significantly, yet Indochina remained firmly in crimson.

"His Imperial Majesty has been misled by His war council to believe that the war is lost," the Prince stated confidently, despite the fact that said council had, in actuality, begged the Emperor to reconsider. "Japan may have surrendered all her territories to the Allies, but Indochina will be the exception. We will show the Emperor and the men who dishonor him with lies that the Japanese soldier is resilient and determined to hold out no matter the odds. Our determination and sacrifice will be His strength. We will show the world that Japan is undefeatable as long as brave soldiers such as yourselves give their dying breaths to defend her. As Indochina as our base, we will continue the war. TENNO HEIKE BANZAI!!"

"BANZAI!" all the officers repeated in fervent support and unison. There was no going back, Indochina would continue the war...


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Whal
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"Life is too short to be wasted on bad scotch"
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Hanoi, 2014...

Kobe Shimizu sat in quiet contemplation inside the comfort of his limousine. Vietnam's rainy season had hit more ferociously and unexpectedly sooner than anyone had originally imagined and the slight pitter-patter of the falling rain drops created a soothing atmosphere ripe for the aging politician's introspective thoughts. As he listened to the rain's methodic and repeating drips, Shimizu's mind began focusing on earlier times - more opportune times for the region's ethnic Japanese of whom his family had been a part since before the Second World War.

As the eldest son of a stringent and patriotic Japanese General, Kobe Shimizu had been brought up to uphold all the norms and traditions of his ancestors and countrymen back in his family's native Japan. As a young child, Shimizu had been reluctant to follow his father to a far away land, but the beautiful Vietnamese countryside soon captured the boy's heart. Shimizu had possessed an honor not frequently bestowed upon the families of the Empire's soldiers, a chance to travel with their enlisted loved ones to their posts - in Shimizu's case, the bustling city of Hanoi. Vietnam, indeed the whole of French Indochina, had been captured fairly early on by the Japanese Imperial Army as a part of its ambitious and infamous territorial advance during the onset of the Second World War's pacific theatre. The region's French garrison, having lost its historic homeland in Europe to the Nazis, put up a half-hearted and expectedly brief resistance before falling to the Japanese who then set up a competent outpost in the region.

The Japanese forces, of whom Shimizu's father was an integral part, treated Indochina much like any other captured territory. First and foremost, any and all resources within the region would be consolidated and prepared for shipment back to the Japanese home islands. Not soon after, the indigenous population would face the feared fanatical and often-times barbaric nature of their Japanese occupiers. Believed to be inferior and naturally subservient to their Japanese betters, the Vietnamese, ethnic Chinese, Khmer, and Laotian population of Indochina faced severe social changes and life-threatening acts of violence and moral indecency. Many times those seen as troublemakers or those whom the Japanese believed had "stepped out of line" were often separated and executed by the Imperial soldiers or ended up in the clutches of the Empire's feared secret military police - the Kempeitai. From the initial occupation to the end of World War II over 450,000 Indochinese would die under the Empire of the Rising Sun. Groups such as Vietnamese guerilla leader Ho Chi Mihn's Viet Cong and the Cambodian nationalist Khmer People's Army fought Japanese forces throughout the occupation, but were unsuccessful in dislodging the Empire completely.

Contrary to popular opinion at the time, Tokyo's surrender following the second atomic blast in the Japanese city of Nagasaki did not put an end to the Pacific War. While some Japanese units held out years after the formal surrender in tiny isolated islands, the entirety of the Indochinese garrison continued to soldier on with the notion that the Emperor was coerced or mislead into singing the surrender. "War weariness" was so widespread amongst the Allied Powers following the 6 year war that a separate peace with Indo-Japanese forces was signed in Manila, Phillipines on June 15, 1945; officially ending the Second World War. While subsequent years managed to push Japanese forces farther and farther away from majority control, the old Japanese occupying authority survived into the 21st Century in the form of the Ruihoko Republic based in the old Vietnamese city of Ha Tien where it currently survives to this very day.

Shimizu had remembered hearing the triumphant tales of Japanese victories from his father when he was a young child. While he was much too young to understand fully his Japanese privilege then, the older Shimizu could fully appreciate his status as the son of one of the Republic's founders. Despite the power and prestige of being the Republic's Prime Minister, Shimizu yearned for the glory days of his youth; when Japanese authority rained supreme over the multitudes of indigenous savages who now controlled much of the region.

The 57 year old Prime Minister frowned when his thoughts turned to the Protectorate of Indochina. The most dominant force inside the region was the personal "play thing" of a spoiled Vietnamese drug lord who now bowed to a Chinese emperor who claimed no divine authority according to Shimizu and any other faithful practitioners of Shinto. A change would need to be implemented in Indochina and quickly before the current Generalissimo gained too much power.

The Ruihoko Republic didn't posses the manpower to take on the Protectorate or the Eastern Empire directly, but what it lacked in muscle the Republic made up for it in patriotism and skilled leadership. There was only one way to return the lands of Indochina back into the hands of the Indo-Japanese and that would take cunning.

Suddenly, the Prime Minister's thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the passengers side door.

"Aikawarazu[1], this weather is dreadful," a man in a military trench coat muttered as he entered the vehicle.

The man was Takahiko Yoshida, a descendent of the old Japanese aristocracy and the Republic's Minister of War. Yoshida's father, much like Shimizu's, was one of the Republic's founders and as such, Yoshida's life was a privileged one.

"Hai," Shimizu said quietly, perturbed that his thoughts were interrupted. "We will never be able to tame the weather here no matter how hard we try."

"It will be a much more impressive feat to tame the Generalissimo. The weather here is at least predictable, but I've heard that Pham Chi Sung is quite the wily and crafty individual," Yoshida said, lighting a cigarette.

Shimizu retorted quickly, "We are crafty and cunning individuals. I have no doubt that we will secure a fruitful and lasting deal with the barbarians - one which will put them off guard. Soon enough we shall once again be furthering the glory of our ancestors and of our country. It has been too long since the rising sun flew over Hanoi."

"Always the dreamer," Yoshida chuckled. "You sound as if you aim to conquer the whole of Asia, my old friend."

"All in good time, Yoshida-san" Shimizu replied sternly. "All in good time."

The engine to the limousine revved just as the Prime Minister finished speaking. As the car pulled away and drove in the direction of the Generalissmo's private residence, both men looked out their respective windows with confidence.


[1] - Aikawarazu - "Same as usual", a common idiomatic Japanese expression.
Edited by Whal, Aug 27 2014, 01:18 PM.
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Whal
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"Life is too short to be wasted on bad scotch"
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Generalissimo's Residence, Hanoi...

"Gentlemen, I do not see a pleasant outcome from this alliance," the famously selfish and insanely rich Generalissimo, Pham Chi Sung, stated blankly to the two delegates from the Ruihoko Republic.

Both the Republic's Prime Minister Kobe Shimizu and Minister of War Takahiko Yoshida looked at the man seated upon the golden throne before them with contempt, however they continued to put on their best fake smiles in an effort to placate the hated yet still powerful Indochinese leader.

"The Republic has not the money nor the manpower to replace the Eastern Empire as Indochina's principle ally. I must thoroughly reject your offer," the Generalissimo continued. "If you still desire a partnership of sorts, I will allow the Republic a seat upon the provincial council as an observer if that suits you both."

Kobe Shimizu's brow stiffened then he spoke, "With all due respect Generalissimo, we both know how effective that body is. You might as well just have given us a simple parting gift. The Republic has an experienced military, expert leadership, and the dedication to improve the situation in Indochina."

"But you don't have the power to oppose the Eastern Empire!" the Generalissmo cut in, smacking his armrest. "An entity who will surely oppose the expansive civil and military programs you have outlined here. You are expecting me to abandon the friendship of a tiger for a field mouse!"

Now it was Yoshida who interjected, "This is true, however there may be a way to integrate our plans without garnering too much suspicion from Beijing. Allow the Republic to join the Protectorate as a semi-autonomous province and we shall pledge our military and industry to you. Then we can inconspicuously begin directly under their nose."

The Generalissimo opened his mouth to speak, but instead remained silent and leaned deeply in his throne. In contemplation, he hummed loudly and scratched his balding head. Only after he had remained in this state for several seconds did the Generalissimo speak again.

"Gentlemen, I grant you the honor of joining my Indochina as per your suggestion," Pham Chi Sung replied smiling. "The Ruihoko Republic will merge with the Protectorate and your military and industry will become one with ours, however I shall grant you both independent jurisdiction over all matters of provincial government. I expect that construction will begin immediately on the civil programs you've outlined, however the military reforms will have to be halted at this time."

Both of the Japanese men nodded in gratitude, but continued to listen intently. The urge to jump out at the Generalissimo, slap him in the face, and tell him how he'd just signed away his rule, but there was still the measure of implementing the "reforms" they had suggested. In reality, such measures were truly the planning of seizing power through a military coup; however, the unknowing cooperation of the Generalissimo was still needed at this point.

"Such things will have to wait. There will be a meeting with Beijing shortly," The Generalissimo continued on. "I would like to send the both you along with some of my personal delegates. Parlay with the Eastern Empire and report back to me their plans."
Edited by Whal, Oct 5 2014, 12:25 PM.
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