I Will Stage A Coup D’état - Chapter 164



Only Noblemtl

EP.164 Conditions for Stable Diplomacy

As soon as I got back from the Middle East, I decided to catch up on some work.

‘The time is ripe to push for the abolition of the Japanese imperial family.’

Due to their constant work, the Japanese royal family had lost most of the public’s support.

The Japanese public frowns at the mention of the Japanese royal family due to the incidents, accidents, and outrageous events that occur almost every day.

Our work was so successful that even the common slogan of protecting the imperial family died down.

“Jungjeongdae. Sir, it’s time to start.”

“I will accept it.”

With the world’s attention focused on Italy, now is the perfect time to cook Japanese food.

We prepared a referendum asking for the abolition of the Tokugawa and Japanese imperial families.

The Japanese people who heard this reacted with shock, but we didn’t care at all.

On December 10, 1950, a national referendum was held that would decide the fate of Japan.

The fate of the Japanese royal family, which has been talking about a one-man show for eternity, is now hanging on a single piece of paper.

“Abolish the imperial family? What kind of nonsense is this! Stop talking nonsense!”

“Let’s protect the royal family and defeat these bastards!”

Royalists shouted and demanded that people support the monarchy.

These were mostly members of the fallen samurai class.

The reason these pseudo-warriors supported the royal family was simple.

“Tokugawa sold the country to Korea, and the lords are too weak to be the center of the country. The only thing we can trust is the Imperial Family of the Eternal Lineage.”

So it was the Japanese royal family.

Only the royal family could serve as their focal point.

“You just have to win this election! Don’t forget that your one vote can protect the spirit of the Imperial Family and the Yamato people of the Eternal Kingdom!”

If they held out until next year, the Residency-General would be abolished and Japan would be liberated from its protectorate, so it was reasonable for royal supporters to calculate that they only had to hold out this one time.

But, we weren’t the ones who couldn’t even calculate that much.

“You guys are just calculating things that won’t work. Why would we do something that has no chance of winning? We just keep pushing forward because we have a chance of winning.”

Although the royalists exerted their power in their own way, their opposition had no effect in a situation where Korea was exerting its power on the other side.

We suppressed the momentum of the royalist faction by a simple method: setting up fewer polling stations in places where the royalist faction was strong, and setting up more polling stations in places where the opposition faction was strong.

The results did not deviate significantly from expectations.

“With 58% in favor of abolishing the imperial family and 39.5% in favor of keeping it, I hereby declare the abolition of the Japanese imperial family as of today.”

When the results of the vote were announced, royalists were shocked.

“W, this can’t be happening. The imperial family. The imperial family of ten thousand years has been abolished!”

The Japanese royal family showed their strength by rallying supporters for the last time, but they were unable to overturn the established trend.

Royalists exploded with anger.

Many of the palace families also rose up and raised their voices.

“This is unbelievable! The Koreans rigged the vote!”

In fact, their suspicions were not without basis.

To be honest, I had prepared a rigged ballot box in case the vote was rigged, so I had nothing to say even if there were suspicions of rigging.

Japanese royal supporters refused to accept the results of the vote and staged large-scale riots.

Large-scale arson and looting occurred in major cities including Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Nagoya.

“Let’s defeat the Tokugawa and restore the imperial family!”

“Let’s defeat the bandits and drive out the peninsula bastards!”

In some areas, staunch supporters of the imperial family kidnapped members of the Tokugawa vassal family and staged a hostage crisis to demand the cancellation of the vote.

“We strongly demand. If this vote is not canceled, these people will not live. If you value these people’s lives, stop acting as traitors to the royal family.”

This process was even broadcast on TV.

‘If you act so extreme, no matter how much you shout about what you want, nobody will listen.’

The Japanese left in the original country fought in that way and was destroyed.

If my memory serves me right, the Japanese people turned their backs on them after a series of major accidents, including the Sanka Base Incident and the Asama Mountain Hut Incident.

There was no way to overturn the already decided result by running wild like that.

On December 21, 1950, the Imperial Household Ministry, which was responsible for the Japanese imperial family, was abolished.

All of the Emperor’s assets were also seized and transferred to the Republic.

All members of the Japanese imperial family were also demoted to the status of subjects (Note: This refers to the Japanese imperial family leaving their original status and being demoted to the status of subjects).

The Emperor and the Crown Prince were no exception.

All members of the royal family were given the surname Hwa.

With this, the Japanese imperial family is completely finished.

A few days after the abolition of the Imperial throne was formalized, I sent a telegram directly to Tokugawa.

“Your Excellency President Tokugawa. You have now become the true head of state. Congratulations.”

“Thank you, Prime Minister.”

Tokugawa did not seem particularly pleased with the congratulatory message.

Actually, it had to be that way.

Japan became a republic at the same time as the abolition of the imperial family.

We made the Republic of Japan an Allied Power as a first step toward dismantling it without incurring the opposition of the Japanese people.

This alliance was not a federal unitary state like the United States or the Soviet Union.

It was a union of independent sovereign states.

This was also where Tokugawa became dissatisfied with us.

If we were to name the country most similar to the Japanese Allied Powers that we created, we would have to choose the Commonwealth of Independent States, the remnants of the Soviet Union that emerged after its collapse.

The Commonwealth of Independent States was an alliance of nine former Soviet republics, led by Russia, and was treated more as a security organization than a union of states.

The Japanese Allied Powers led by Tokugawa were similar.

Tokugawa was merely a figurehead representing the entire Allied Powers, and in reality he held a position similar to that of Russia, which served as the head of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Tokugawa, at least, had neither the status nor the power of Russia within the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Russia had more than half the population of the Commonwealth of Independent States and more than that of the United States, but Tokugawa did not have that much power or influence.

There was no such tool of interference as the Russians planted in other countries.

It was literally a sham representative position.

If this continued for another 10 years, it was clear that Japan would be completely split into 68 independent countries.

Of course, when you think about things like Yamato nationalism, constant management was essential.

‘It was quite a long task.’

I decided to end the work of dividing Japan by establishing the Allied Powers.

The feeling of having spent so much time dismantling Japan was far from refreshing.

My first concern was the side effects this would bring.

As the Japanese market becomes more fragmented, exports will become problematic and trade management will become more complex than before.

As the political situation in Japan also became more unstable than before, the stability and merits of the market were bound to decrease.

‘The refugee problem is a concern.’

Until now, they could simply hand them over to Japan, but now they had to verify which country they were from before sending them back.

When I think about it, things become very annoying.

Given these problems, it would have been more beneficial for us if Japan had remained a single nation.

But the top priority of a nation during the Cold War was not the economy, but security.

In this world where we cannot see even an inch ahead, no value is more important than security.

‘So, it is right to split Japan.’

I had no intention of leaving my successor a country like the Republic of Korea in the distant past that was subject to checks and balances from its neighbors.

How frustrating it was for Korea, in the far east, to live with no room to maneuver, sandwiched between China and Japan on both sides, Russia above North Korea, and the United States in the Pacific.

I never wanted to see that sight again.

‘Unless there is a guarantee that my successor will be outstanding, the answer is to trample on all potential competitors.’

Even if there was only a one in a hundred million chance that Japan and China would defeat my successor, I was not willing to take that risk.

Why should I turn a blind eye to potential threats to my successor when I have to root them out?

I had no intention of bequeathing to my successor a nation that required such outstanding diplomatic skills as the famous German Chancellor Bismarck.

If we pass on a country that requires high capabilities to its successor, who may or may not be outstanding, it is very likely that we will end up like Germany.

What happened to Germany when they passed on a diplomacy of such difficulty that it was impossible for anyone other than someone with Bismarck’s level of ability to manage it?

Germany, which once looked to be the world’s most powerful country, not only collapsed on the threshold of hegemony due to diplomatic failures, but also ended up in a state of ruin.

So, we will not bequeath a security environment that requires acrobatic maneuvers like Bismarck’s.

He leaves behind a stable empire that even an unremarkable successor can manage.

This is the core of my East Asia strategy.

The prerequisite is the division of Japan and China.

That’s why I don’t regret splitting Japan.

Rather, it was just a shame that they couldn’t be divided into smaller pieces.

‘Next is China.’

China was not a small country like Japan.

The population was large, and the unity unique to Sinocentrism was incomparably stronger than that of Yamato nationalism.

Even though China appeared divided and fragmented at the moment, there was still room for it to come together and demonstrate its strength if given the chance.

It was not impossible, as the warlord chaos in the Yuan Dynasty was instantly resolved by the Communist Party.

So, Chinese friends also needed thorough management.

‘I don’t have much time left, can I completely tear China apart?’

I wasn’t sure about that either.

But I had to do it while I could.

If it doesn’t work out in 5 years, I’ll invest for 10 years, and if that doesn’t work out, I’ll invest for 15 years.

What if that doesn’t work?

Well then, we have to face reality.

I can’t pass on something that doesn’t work.

I sat down at my desk and began to formulate a strategy for dividing China.