Chapter 1099: Dropping Down

  Chapter 1078: Dropping Down
In the evening, the rowdy Embassy Street fell silent, and the marching public, realizing that things were big, had long since dispersed as birds and beasts.

The gendarmerie, which arrived on the news, has blocked off the scene. At this moment, the embassy district is already “five steps a guard, ten steps a sentry”.

The smell of smoke still in the air, and the broken walls of the Russian buildings, is still a silent accusation of what happened during the day.

All entertainment venues are closed for business, even the people who like to watch the fun are also closed for fear of getting into trouble.

On the contrary, the embassies of the countries that were closed before were active. They were all very weak in the face of the rebels, but after the change to the Japanese government, everyone’s guts have grown again.

The prestige of the gendarmerie could scare the Japanese people, but not the diplomats of various countries. Influenced by traditional culture, the European world was particularly strong in the idea of the rabbit dying.

We are all resident diplomats, if we don’t stand up and speak out at this time. What happened to Russian diplomats today may be replicated in themselves tomorrow.

The embassies are cleanly boycotting this bad rule behavior that happened during the day, including Japan’s ally, Britain.

It’s a bitter experience for the gendarmes in charge of cordoning off the scene when they meet a group of legation lords who can’t be spoken to, scolded or touched.

Certain temperamental masters, against the blockade of the gendarmes, directly came up to punch and kick. At this moment, there are already many people who have been beaten up and swollen.

I have to admire the resilience of the Japanese. Even after being beaten up, they still greeted each other with smiles. Anyway, there are many of them, the mission is only so many people, a wave of beatings, and then a wave to continue.

Relying on the “scolding not to return the favor, hit not to return the hand” style, hard to make the ministers of various countries have no temper, successfully for the cleanup of the scene to buy time.

……

In the Imperial Palace, Emperor Meiji has been furious straight stomping feet, in the past days of calm, monarch of the majesty, long ago do not know where to go.

There was no way around it, what happened today was just too exciting, directly tossing out the biggest diplomatic crisis Japan had ever seen.

Originally storming the Russian Embassy was already troublesome enough, but it also ended up clicking all the Russian Embassy staff. To this group of troublemakers, Emperor Meiji felt despair.

No matter how many objective reasons there were, the Japanese government could not be blamed for what happened.

Especially since the tragedy happened under the eyes of diplomats from various countries. If it was not handled well, Japan might even meet its doom.

Unable to suppress his anger, Emperor Meiji almost roared, “Which idiot planned today’s incident, have you uncovered the person yet?”

Not angry can not, pit people have not seen such a pit. Protest demonstration is just, Emperor Meiji also happy to put pressure on the Russians.

But the massacre of the Russian embassy was totally unexpected. Anyone with any political savvy should know what that means.

The daylight tragedy provoked not only the Russians, but also challenged the European-dominated international order.

That is, the specific casualties have not come to light, otherwise the news received now would not be a collective protest by the ministers of various countries, but embassies moving and running away.

With a little thought, Emperor Meiji knew that the Japanese government would be in big trouble. With the Russians to make a grudge is nothing, the most critical is from the international community’s sanctions.

Until these were dealt with, Japan would have no allies. Even the British government was unlikely to support them at the risk of universal condemnation.

“The demonstration was organized by several student groups, including the Anti-Russian Communist Association and the Iron Blood Revenge Society, with the main purpose of protesting against the Russians’ infringement on the rights and interests of the empire.

Storming the Russian Embassy was not part of the organizers’ plan. The situation at the scene got out of hand, mainly because a bullet, which flew from nowhere, hit one of the protesting students at the scene.

Someone then chanted that the Russians were killing people, sparking the anger of the people at the scene, which then erupted into the tragedy that followed.

Judging from the situation at the scene, we have hundreds of people killed and nearly a thousand injured in the clashes during the day ……”

Without waiting for Kodama Gentaro to finish his sentence, Emperor Meiji impatiently reprimanded, “I’m only asking you who planned this, I don’t want to hear you defend them.

Regardless of the justification, when something of this magnitude happens, someone has to come forward to take responsibility and give the international community an explanation.

Do you think that the countries of the world will give up on storming the Russian embassy just because of civilian casualties?
Let’s not forget that dozens of staff members, including the Russian minister, all died.

In the eyes of the world, those who participated in the demonstration are no longer ordinary civilians, but a bunch of uninformed mobs.”

If explanations worked, there would be no wars in this world. Regardless of how the conflict was started, the staff in the Russian Embassy were always killed by the Japanese people participating in the demonstrations anyway.

It is enough to have that one. Killing people for their lives is a must, or else diplomats from all countries in Japan will not be able to sleep in the future.

“Hey!”

Kodama Gentaro was also helpless, not that he wanted to defend the students, but there were really too many people involved. If they were to go all the way, there was no telling how many of them would be out of luck.

What’s more, most of the participants in the demonstration were patriotic students, and the reason why what happened during the day was a conspiracy. If not for the guidance of some people, under normal circumstances, this tragedy would not have happened.

It is just that now that it has happened, someone has to be held responsible. The group that planned the march must have borne the brunt of it.

After a pause, Kodama Gentaro added, “We’ve already sent people to investigate the person behind the scene, it’s just that the scene was so chaotic that we couldn’t determine where the bullets flew from.

The Military Police have cordoned off the scene, and our experts have intervened and are staging the scene.

According to the plan, we will disguise the scene as an accidental fire that killed the Russian Embassy staff, and the marching public rushed in for ……”

Not waiting for Kodama Gentaro to finish his sentence, Ito Hirobumi couldn’t help himself first. He was completely desperate for the military’s brain circuitry.

“Kodama-kun, are you sure you’re not joking?”

It wasn’t a joke, per se. Unless the Russian embassy staff were all dead, they would have run out long ago if there was a fire.

Even if there was no guarantee that everyone ran out, at least the guards guarding the gates shouldn’t have been killed. Such an explanation is not even a perfunctory one.

Storming the embassy to “put out the fire” is even more ridiculous. There were many eyewitnesses at the scene, and the Japanese Government could not afford to have the staff of several embassies in the vicinity tell lies with their eyes open.

It’s not a bad idea to treat the rest of the world like idiots and play the helpless, if Japan was as strong as the Americans in the latter part of the world, they could have done that.

Unfortunately, this year’s Japan is a little brother, at best, can only be barely touched the threshold of the Great Powers, the doorstep is still not crossed.

Strength is not good, and the countries as a fool to play, it is clear that has not experienced the social beatings, want to come out to find excitement.

There is no way, the East and West do not think alike. The earliest contact with the West’s civil officials can only barely keep up, the thinking of the military generals is still stuck in the traditional mode of thinking.

In the military’s view, what happened at the Russian Embassy was only a problem between Japan and Russia and had nothing to do with other countries.

Playing favorites was fine, and anyway, with Japanese-Russian relations the way they were, it couldn’t get any worse.

However, the reality was very cruel. The European governments, on the other hand, love nothing more than to be involved in such international affairs without any risk and purely fishing for prestige.

Japan is in the wrong, so it’s only right to catch the Japanese government in the act.

If a big country is willing to take the lead in imposing sanctions, we don’t mind joining in the fun and giving full play to our “international influence”.

Misty Kodama Gentaro, soon under the criticism of the crowd, realized his own mistakes, and decisively chose to admit defeat, without the Japanese Army’s spirit of dying rather than giving in.

……

Foreign Minister Inoue Xin: “As of now, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received diplomatic notes from eleven countries, including Britain and Shinra, requesting us to explain what happened at the Russian Embassy during the day and to open the scene for them to send people to inspect.

We have already sent someone to contact the British Minister, and the results have been very unsatisfactory, with the British likewise demanding a reasonable explanation.

That is to say, the results have not yet been announced to the public, and I am afraid that the British would not support us if they knew that all the staff of the Russian Embassy had been killed.

Judging from the current situation, if we fail to give a reasonable explanation to the international community, the Empire is likely to be sanctioned.

The situation is very unfavorable for us now, and if the Russians take the opportunity to turn on us, the international community will likely support them.”

Only problems, no countermeasures, is the true picture of the Japanese government now. It’s not that the Foreign Ministry is not trying, it’s really that the matter is so big and so badly justified that there is no room for maneuver.

International politics also has rules of the game, breaking the rules in the context of the strength is not good, then you have to be punished by the rules.

Prime Minister Okuma Shigenobu: “Things have already happened, hiding is not something that can’t be avoided, it’s certain that the empire will have to pay the price.

What we can do now is to find a way to minimize the impact of the incident, and at the same time minimize the losses of the empire as well.

It would be best if we can find out who was behind starting the incident, if we can point to other countries, our responsibility will be much lighter.

Based on the analysis of the scene, do the gendarmerie have any clues? Even if we can’t identify the real culprit, a suspect will do.”

Even though he knew that the chances of finding out the black hand were very low, Okuma Shigenobu had no choice but to beat a dead horse. To not find a back to share the pressure, the Japanese government is really back not ah!

Kodama Gentaro directly shook his head, “Difficult! There are too many objects of suspicion, we have no evidence in hand, there is no way to testify.

Even if we catch the murderer, I’m afraid it’s difficult to determine who is the real black hand, the mastermind can be completely disguised as a personal grudge vendetta.

If it can’t be proved to be a political assassination, then all the responsibility will still have to be borne by us.”

Analyzed purely from the point of view of interests, the masters who wanted to provoke the Russo-Japanese war could all be suspects in the planning of this incident.

At this point, there is no way to check down the line. The most suspected were the Japanese military, Britain, and Shinra, followed closely by Spain, the United States, and the Far East Empire.

No matter who the black hand was, it certainly couldn’t be the first three. Even if the suspicion was great and there was more evidence, it had to be must not be.

The second echelon can indeed dump the blame, that also has to come up with evidence first. Who would believe it if it was said in empty words?
Maybe the pot did not dump out, and give themselves an enemy to, that would be the end of the game.

Lu Xiang Yamagata Aratomo: “Prime Minister, do you think the Russians will believe us if we give a behind-the-scenes story?

Things have come to this point, there is no possibility of détente between us and the Russians.

Even if the Czarist government is able to hold back from having an attack, once the Siberian Railroad opens, the Russians will still have to move eastward, and a war will still be inevitable.

Instead of waiting for the Russians to come and respond passively to the war, it is better to start making preparations now, before the opening of the Siberian Railway.

As for the international impact, it has come to this point, is nothing more than to apologize, compensation for the families of the deceased pension, to make guarantees to countries to prohibit similar situations.

If we can talk about it, we can talk about it; if we can’t, we can accept the sanctions. As long as the empire lowers its attitude, European countries will not send troops.

You may rest assured that such sanctions cannot last. As soon as our war with the Russians breaks out, the British will find a way to help us lift the blockade, and I’m sure Shinra won’t stop it either.

Even with the blockade, we can still smuggle. Unless countries send fleets to our doorsteps to arrest smuggling, the blockade is in name only, and capitalists have ways of getting around it.

It’s still food and other bulk commodities that are truly affected, and as long as we are united as one, this period of hard times will soon be over.”

Politics is complex and volatile, and analyzing the problem from different perspectives leads to different conclusions.

Diplomatic reproach, which was regarded as a flooding beast by the civil officials, turned into an opportunity in the eyes of the main war faction.

The Japanese government at this moment is like being forced up a mountain and can no longer get down.

Along with the last layer of windowpaper being pierced, all the illusions of the peace faction were shattered. Everyone realized that the Russo-Japanese war was unavoidable, and the difference was only a matter of time.

The atmosphere in the room became even more oppressive, involving the fate of the country, no one dared to make a decision easily.

After a long time, Ito Hirobumi took the lead to break the silence: “The Russo-Japanese war is indeed unavoidable, but now is not the time.

The Russians need to wait for the railroad to be opened, why wouldn’t the Empire need time to prepare? In its current state, the Empire is simply not capable of a major war.

Not to mention the fact that there is an ambitious person behind this who is stirring up trouble, which is even more defensible.

If we don’t pull this guy out, who knows what else will be tossed around, the Empire can’t afford to be tossed around by them.”

As he spoke, Ito Hirobumi also cast his gaze at the military representatives, as if warning them not to play with fire.

It was not only Ito Hirobumi who had suspicions, including Emperor Meiji’s eyes that looked at the military generals changed, as if searching for something.

No one likes to be suspected, except that the military generals are also having a hard time defending themselves right now. Not to mention the civilian officials were suspecting, even they themselves were suspecting each other.

This style of doing things was just too much like the Army’s operations. Especially since the radical group that planned this march was also inextricably linked to the military.

Even if the shooting at the detonation site wasn’t planned by them, the violent storming of the Russian embassy, which resulted in the annihilation of a regiment of Russian diplomats in Tokyo, was always linked to them.

We are all smart people, and naturally know that if no one is in charge of the scene, even if there is a shooting incident, the scene will not immediately get out of control.

Not to mention the fact that the direction of the bullets had to be determined, right?

It’s too much of a coincidence that the police were deployed at the time of the incident when they rushed to the Russian Embassy without thinking about anything and shouting slogans.

When too many coincidences are added together, it’s no longer a coincidence. Especially in the context of the fact that the murderer was not caught, everyone thought of more.

Maybe other international forces, too, are capable of orchestrating shootings, but to say that controlling the marching public is bullshit.

Knowing that the rabid national radicals are extreme patriots, trying to buy them off is not an easy task.

To be able to accurately grasp the time and place for an ambush, and to say that there was no preparation beforehand, no one would believe it.

It is not an ordinary person who can receive information in advance and withdraw quickly after the shooting without leaving any traces.

Whether the international forces could do it or not, we were not sure, but the Japanese military could certainly do it anyway. Deep down, the people’s scorn for the military had risen by more than one notch.

Emperor Meiji: ”Ito-kun is right, the mastermind behind this must be uncovered, or else the empire will never have peace.

The Military Police will immediately apprehend the organizers who planned this demonstration, severely investigate the masterminds behind it, and order the schools to tighten control and outlaw these illegal organizations.

In addition, strengthen the police staffing in the embassy district and prohibit any demonstrations from approaching the embassy district.”

Even though it was not explicitly stated, everyone was able to tell from the look in Emperor Meiji’s eyes that he was suspicious of the military.

Explanation is impossible to explain, the Japanese military within the same mountain, all kinds of messy groups a whole lot, the military themselves are not necessarily able to figure out.

Occasionally a few brain-dead guys appear, that is completely normal. Think back to when Nicholas visited Japan and was assassinated by guards arranged by the Japanese government.

The problem of the prevalence of extremism in the military was actually a huge headache for the military hierarchy. They have been trying to find ways to solve the problem, but in the end, they have achieved very little.

Packing the bags for these guys is definitely a sign that they are tired of living. Who knows what kind of strange things these extremists can do.

As a matter of fact, at first there was a proposal from the military to send a few dead soldiers to the embassy area to commit hara-kiri to make amends and give an explanation to the international community. There were even people in the Army who had signed up, ready to sacrifice their lives for the great cause of the Empire.

Fortunately, Yamagata Arimoto had been exposed to Western culture and stopped it in time. Otherwise that wouldn’t be going to sacrifice, but adding fuel to the fire.

(End of chapter)