NIS Agents Tearing Up the Japanese Empire - Chapter 275



Only Noblemtl

NIS Agent Tears the Japanese Empire Episode 275

Black Thursday (8)

Just because the Great Prince of Daegal shook Yasuhito’s heart, it was not the case that the country’s major affairs would change overnight.

Even though he was Yasuhito, he could not decide all of this on his own, so he gathered the important cabinet members and held a State Council meeting.

Oh, of course, the host of this meeting was Prime Minister Takaaki Kato.

Even though the regent had great power, his direct intervention in the political arena could have been viewed unfavorably by those around him, so on the surface, he put Prime Minister Kato first.

“His Majesty the Regent enters.”

Well, that’s just on the surface.

Prince Yasuhito attended the meeting every time under the pretext of observing the State Council.

Naturally, his seat is right behind the Prime Minister.

He took a seat in a prime position overlooking the other ministers of the cabinet and exerted silent pressure on each minister of the Japanese Empire.

And among them was the Prime Minister.

“… … Then may we begin the meeting, Your Majesty?”

“Do so.”

Prime Minister Kato Takaaki of the Empire of Japan glanced at Prince Yasuhito’s expression and then looked around at his ministers.

“I am sure all of you are well aware that our country’s economic situation is not good at the moment.”

“Hmm.”

“hmm…….”

As the topic of economics came up, each minister coughed and averted their gaze.

Among them, the voice of the Minister of Finance was the loudest.

“I have arranged this forum not to blame or criticize others for this situation, but to recall the economic crisis that the Japanese Empire is currently facing and to discuss ways to resolve it… … .”

Prime Minister Kato turned his head again and glanced at Prince Yasuhito.

Yasuhito nodded while looking at Kato.

“Huh… … . Yes, we’ve gathered here to discuss a solution to this.”

“… … .”

When the Prime Minister said this, the ministers also roughly understood the situation and nodded their heads in agreement.

“First of all, I think it would be good to take a look at the current economic situation of the empire again… … Well, since nothing has remained properly since the last great earthquake, it is difficult to gather accurate figures.”

Prime Minister Kato said so and looked at the Finance Minister.

“Please briefly explain the current situation.”

“… … .”

The finance minister looked taken aback by the prime minister’s sudden request.

If it were normal, I would have grumbled at least once, asking what the hell he was talking about, but I couldn’t do that because there was someone watching the Finance Minister from behind the Prime Minister.

So what?

“Ahem.”

The finance minister stood up awkwardly from his seat and parroted the words that the finance officer sitting behind him was saying.

“Since the unprecedented catastrophe that occurred in the 11th… no, 12th year of the last Taisho era, our empire’s economy has been on a downward spiral, but fortunately, after years of tireless efforts, we have managed to avoid the worst.”

At that time, Yasuhito, who was sitting behind the Prime Minister, raised his hand and asked the Finance Minister a question.

“Can you elaborate a little bit on that part where you said the worst was avoided?”

“Oh, yes. That’s… … .”

The Minister of Finance was flustered by Yasuhito’s sudden question, but somehow managed to answer appropriately as he was told from behind.

“After the worst disaster of the past… … . The Empire’s stock market hit rock bottom, and a large number of people rushed to the banks, causing a bank run, but His Majesty Hirohito’s Depositor Protection Order, which prioritized the assets of depositors, dampened the momentum, and fortunately, the worst-case scenario of many banks failing one after another was avoided. And… … .”

“and?”

“And then, after the earthquake, we will drastically cut the military budget, which has been excessively increased, to secure disaster recovery funds, and the base interest rate as well… … .”

Every time the finance minister opened his mouth, sweat ran down his face.

He was sweating so much that soon his face and even his back were soaked with sweat.

Thanks to that, I was a little nervous, but I was still able to finish speaking in front of Yasuhito.

“… … That’s all.”

“The point is that our empire has indeed avoided the worst, and as recovery efforts progress, there is a chance that our economy will recover.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I heard you well.”

“Phew… … .”

The finance minister sighed in relief and sat down quietly.

As he sat down, Yasuhito stood up from his seat and walked to the middle of the conference room.

His actions drew the attention of the cabinet ministers and their assistants to Yasuhito.

‘What on earth are you trying to do… … .’

‘Ha, His Majesty Hirohito just quietly did his job, but why is his younger brother… ? ‘

‘Why on earth does the child of the Imperial family like to act like that?’

Yasuhito jumped into the center of the incident, paying no attention to the worried looks around him.

And I expressed my thoughts among ministers who were as old as my grandfather and working-level officials who were as old as my father.

“Our empire is currently in grave danger. Not only has the earthquake in the Kanto region caused major damage to the nation’s core facilities, but the military’s actions have also caused catastrophic damage to the capital, Tokyo, and its surrounding areas.”

“… … .”

“Ahem.”

Yasuhito’s somewhat explicit words and actions made the faces of the Army Minister and the Navy Minister turn red like adolescent children swaying in the spring breeze.

Of course, it wasn’t because I was excited.

“Thanks to this, our empire’s economy was on the verge of collapse. In this situation, the Western powers whose economies have been revived are extending their claws into the Chinese market, which is our front yard… … .”

Yasuhito’s speech was long-winded and lacked a solid point.

It just sounded like he was listing the current state of the Japanese Empire, pointing out problems, and criticizing some ministers.

Thanks to this, the faces of the ministers who were listening to this turned as red as a traffic light that had just turned red, and the staff members became restless at the sight of the ministers.

“… … So, if I think about it quietly.”

As Yasuhito’s long speech was gradually ripening.

At that time, when the ministers reached the state of liberation and all of them emitted sarira from their entire bodies.

“I would like to lift the ban on gold exports that was frozen during the last war. What do you think? If you have any opinions, I will keep my ears open and listen.”

At Yasuhito’s words, the attention of the ministers and working-level officials in the conference room naturally turned to the Minister of Finance.

Others said it was beyond their authority, so in this situation, only the Minister of Finance could speak.

“… … No objection.”

What can the Minister of Finance do in this situation?

I just nodded and agreed with Yasuhito’s words.

“Really?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Yasuhito asked the Minister of Finance several times, perhaps to gain confirmation of his words.

“Are you really sure there are no objections?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“What if there are problems in the future?”

“That, that would be fine too.”

“Why?”

“Well… … Well… … Right now, local banks are practically closed, and even major banks in Tokyo are virtually unable to pay bills, so… … .”

The Minister of Finance thought it was a joke, but the reaction of the other ministers and staff who heard it was cold.

No, to be exact, everyone was so shocked that they couldn’t say anything.

“Even the major banks in Tokyo are unable to pay their bills… …?”

“Th, what is that… … .”

“Then what about my money in the bank right now… … ?”

The finance minister belatedly realized his slip of the tongue and tried to correct it by waving both his hands.

“Oh, no, that’s not what I meant… … . Ah! The bank is fine! There’s still some money in it, so the payment of promissory notes won’t be interrupted for the time being.”

“for now……?”

“Not yet… … ?”

Oh, of course, if he had been good at speaking, this wouldn’t have been the case.

* * *

[Shock! Finance Minister Says Major Japanese Banks Cannot Pay Promissory Notes!]

[Is your money safe?]

[A red light has been sent down on the Japanese economy.]

[Dark clouds hanging over the Empire of Japan.]

The finance minister’s slip of the tongue was soon reported in newspapers and spread nationwide.

Thanks to this, the anxiety that had been temporarily subsiding was rekindled, and people flocked to banks throughout the Japanese Empire.

“Give me my money!”

“My money! My money!”

“Now the bank is going to fail! When it fails, even if it fails, it will fail with my money!”

All of Japan was thrown into chaos.

Local banks, suddenly hit by a storm, were forced to pay out the money of customers who had flocked to them, and one after another they were on the verge of bankruptcy.

Naturally, upon hearing this news, the central bank provided emergency financial support to rescue local banks, while at the same time Prime Minister Kato declared martial law in the capital and surrounding Kanto areas to prevent citizens from moving around freely.

But in a situation where you could lose all your wealth in an instant, who would stay still if someone were to stand in your way?

Citizens of Tokyo and its surrounding areas flocked to the bank.

The police and military, which were set up to deal with such situations, were useless in the face of such a huge crowd.

“Everyone, calm down and disperse!”

A company of police and a company of army troops guarded the bank like an iron wall, but before them stood a crowd of tens of thousands of people.

There were tens of thousands of people in sight.

To exaggerate a little, they had more people than bullets.

“What kind of dissolution is this dissolution!”

“Give me my money!”

“Give me the money!”

“My money!!! My money is like blood!!!”

As citizens poured in, the police and the military could do nothing.

Whether you threaten them by shooting into the air or blocking them with your body, they will all just crumble in front of the giant wave.

“Push!”

“Eww!”

“Kwaaah!”

The barricade set up by the police and military was quickly broken down, and soon the iron bars on the bank walls and doors were also broken down in an instant.

In the midst of all this, there were people who fell, fell to the floor, and were trampled.

After the storm passed, Japanese banks began to fail one after another.

Within a day of the Finance Minister’s slip of the tongue, more than 30 banks had already filed for bankruptcy, and hundreds more were struggling with a lack of funds.

A situation where it is clear to anyone that something really big has happened.

At that moment, the world was starting to talk about whether the Japanese Empire was really going to collapse.

[By Viscount Yoon Deok-yeong, In a time of crisis, the duty of the people is to trust the government.]

[By Viscount Yoon Deok-yeong, The duty of the people is to trust the government.]

[Count Yoon Deok-yeong, the money you didn’t receive from the bank, come to me. Stepping up to help the victims!]

A man named Viscount Yun Deok-yeong, who came over from Joseon, suddenly offered to compensate all the bank victims for their losses.

Everyone laughed at the idea of ​​an individual guaranteeing a country’s bank, but when his profile was published in the newspapers, everyone had no choice but to change their minds.

[The greatest miner in the Japanese Empire! Viscount Yun Deok-yeong.]

[Asia’s best miner, the president of the world’s 4th largest mining company, Viscount Yoon Deok-young!]

[#1 in assets held in Asia, a true tycoon of this era who also interacts with many wealthy people in the United States and Europe.]

[The last conscience of the Japanese Empire.]

All kinds of newspapers, especially the Chosun Ilbo, shed light on Yoon Deok-yeong’s past and praise him, so people began to have some degree of trust in him.

In this situation, the government and the central bank also stepped forward to guarantee the banks’ money, so the confusion subsided to some extent.

And then all this shit dies down.

“Whew… … If it weren’t for you, I would have been in big trouble.”

“Haha, what would I have done? It’s all thanks to the efforts of government officials.”

Lord Daegal climbed up to a position where he could speak alone with Yasuhito.