1890 King of Southeast Asia

Asakuchi Yamada, the captain of the second squadron of the second battalion of the first regiment of the first division of the Japanese Imperial Guard, which is also the Imperial Guard of the Emperor.

The first regiment can be said to be the oldest unit of the Japanese army, with the longest history, the most wars, and brilliant achievements, and also has the name of the Imperial Guard Regiment.

Asakuchi Yamada, born in a lower-level samurai family, participated in the Russo-Japanese War and the Second Japan-Ao War, and climbed from the bottom of the soldiers to the position of captain and squadron leader.

"Muta-kun, Asakuchi came uninvited, please forgive me." Asakuchi Yamada carried a piece of meat, about three taels, and knocked on the door of a shabby house.

"Muta Shinnosuke, Asakuchi is here, such a valuable gift..." Muta Shinnosuke, a squadron leader of the second division, was born a civilian.

"It's just a little pork. I see that Mieko and Mrs. Xian are thin, so let Mrs. Keiko cook it for them." Asakuchi bowed respectfully and said.

Although lower-ranking samurai did not have much more wealth than civilians, especially since the Asaguchi family had fallen into decline, their status levels were different.

This resulted in Muta Shinnosuke being very talented, having served in the army for a long time, and having participated in many wars before he climbed to the position of squadron leader.

His former subordinate, Asaguchi Yamada, had also climbed to the same position, and was still the squadron leader of the Imperial Guard Division.

Asaguchi Yamada admired Muta Shinnosuke very much. Whether in combat skills or tactics and strategy, Asaguchi Yamada believed that Muta Shinnosuke was much better than his regiment commander.

Unfortunately, his civilian origin restricted him, and he did not have the opportunity to be favored by big men, resulting in his years being wasted in vain.

Entering the house, the old facilities and the walls with obvious signs of repair all revealed the owner's financial difficulties.

However, this is already good in Japan today. At least they have a place to shelter from the wind and rain, and the two children are only malnourished, not skinny.

After three rounds of drinking, Muta Shinnosuke began to ask Asaguchi Yamada why he came. After all, three taels of pork seemed very precious in this time of blockade for more than a year.

"Asaguchi-kun, you and I have worked together for many years. If you have any purpose, just tell me directly." Muta asked Qizi to take the children out of the room and said to Asaguchi Yamada alone.

"Muta-kun is still quick-witted and decisive in his military style!" Asaguchi Yamada sat up straight and bowed his head very seriously, which was equivalent to bowing.

Seeing this, Muta felt a little flustered. Could it be that he let the soldiers collude privately and was exposed?

No, if it was exposed, it would not be Asaguchi Yamada who came with meat, but the military police with rifles.

"Muta-kun, Mr. Muta Shinnosuke! You must feel bad that the empire has become like this? Kenta and Mieko haven't eaten enough for a long time, right?" Asaguchi Yamada lowered his voice and stared into Muta's eyes.

Mutian was stunned, and then looked at Asaguchi Yamada in surprise. Could it be...

"Muttian-kun, there is no need to deny that Mieko is very sensible, but Kenta is still young. His actions during the meal just now have explained everything."

Asaguchi Yamada thought of Mutian's youngest son, Mutian Kenta, who was frantically grabbing food at the table, and said very confidently.

"Hai, it's my incompetence as a father." Speaking of this, Mutian drank a sip of wine diluted with an unknown amount of water.

Although he is a captain and a squadron leader, his salary is not enough to support his family at present. In addition, the entire empire is in a great depression, and his wife has no temporary job.

The price of rice is getting higher and higher. The Mutian family has not been able to eat enough for a long time. Fortunately, it is now the turn of spring and summer, and there are many wild vegetables. Even if there are many people picking wild vegetables, Mrs. Mutian can pick some to make a living.

"Muttian-kun, join us!" Asaguchi Yamada saw this and felt that it was settled.

"Join you? Who are you?" Mutian asked softly.

"I and the 1,300 patriots of the First Division are committed to changing the current situation of the Empire, and many patriots of the Second Division have joined us." Asaguchi Yamada slammed the table and said.

"Change? How to change? In the final analysis, the plight of the Empire is..." Muta asked curiously, but only asked half of the question.

"It was caused by that group of parasites and traitors. The landlords and merchants still have a lot of rice in their warehouses, but they are exempt from conscription, while the farmers don't even have food to survive."

"Do you know about the fire in Tokyo?" Asaguchi asked excitedly.

"You know, we have been stationed in Kyoto since the war started, separating you and the Fourth Division. I have heard about the cruelty of the fire." Muta nodded.

"No! Muta-kun, you don't know. If it weren't for this fire, I believe no one would know that Tokyo has stockpiled such a large amount of supplies."

"Do you know that my squadron rescued a warehouse in the fire? It was only a 50-square-meter warehouse, and it was full of medicines, including 500,000 doses of anti-inflammatory drugs, which is more than the total reserves of the First Division."

One square meter is equal to 3.31 square meters.

"Many special divisions have no anti-inflammatory drugs at all, especially on the front line. Because of the lack of medicine, many soldiers can only wait to die."

"After the fire, we found a lot of burnt food. Any of the warehouses storing food is enough for the First Division to eat for a month."

"The empire is not short of food at all! It's just that the food has been concentrated in the hands of those who are interested. We must change this situation."

Asakuchi Yamada spit excitedly, and Muta Shinnosuke endured it quietly.

"How are you going to change it?" Muta Shinnosuke was furious, but still sat on the mountain.

Muta Shinnosuke has seen the separation of life and death. If these people can't give him a satisfactory answer, he will not participate, and of course he will not stop it, just like he treats his subordinates.

"Clear the emperor's side!" Asaguchi Yamada held the revolver with his left hand under the table, and the hammer was already in the firing position.

"Asaguchi, have you got anyone's support?" Muta's eyes lit up.

"The confidant of the Minister of the Army told us personally that they are waiting for changes." Asaguchi's eyes also lit up, but his finger was still on the trigger.

"The support of the Minister of the Army? Great!" Muta stood up with his eyes shining.

"One hundred and eighty-seven people in my squadron, join! Fight against the traitors."

Muta certainly has his own ideas, and he is indeed a smart man, but his civilian background does limit his horizons.

After hearing that the Minister of the Army has joined, his last trace of doubt disappeared.

If it were normal times, he wouldn't do this, but Japan has been blockaded for more than a year. An island country that cannot be self-sufficient has been blockaded for more than a year and has to keep preparing for war. The situation can be imagined.

"Okay! Muta-kun, 1,300 volunteers of the First Division have decided to launch a campaign to purge the court when the defense forces rotate on the afternoon of April 28th! With the addition of Muta-kun, we are more confident that we can change the current situation."

"When the time comes, please attack the castle town as soon as possible, seize the arsenal there, and then set up positions on the spot to defend the Fourth Division!"

"Okay! I hope Asaguchi-kun, military luck will prosper!"

"Military luck will prosper!"

...

"Sir, the First Division has almost been unconcealed and carried out large-scale activities. It's very troublesome to help these idiots clean up and finish them off." Jiro complained very tiredly.

Asaguchi Yamada and others certainly contacted more than just Muta Shinnosuke. They sent people to contact the First Division, the Second Division, and the surrounding garrisons.

At first, they talked slowly. I don't know if they "won over" too many people, which gave them confidence and made their activities more unscrupulous.

If it weren't for Terauchi's pressure, these people would have been arrested long ago.

However, it was precisely this silent connivance that made Asakuchi and his group more arrogant and unscrupulous.

"Soon, they will start to act in three days. How is the railway control?" Terauchi was also a little tired.

These days, more than one person reported to the government, and dealing with people from various military departments and the crown prince every day has exhausted his energy.

"Don't worry, sir, the railway has been replaced by Ichiro's local troops, but..." Jiro hesitated.

"Just say what you want to say." Terauchi frowned irritably.

"Sir, I observed Ichiro's army. Many of them don't even have decent weapons. With these people alone, can we defeat tens of thousands of elite soldiers of the first and second divisions?"

Jiro's worries are reasonable. Ichiro reorganized only some second-line or even third-line troops, as well as peasants whose armed forces are similar to guerrillas.

This kind of army can't fight the regular army head-on, let alone conduct offensive and defensive battles. Even if they control the railway, how long can they control it?

"Don't worry, I have my own considerations." Terauchi paused after speaking.

"I plan to train the Fourth Division and wait for the chaos in Kyoto. The Fourth Division will be our friend. No one will stop the Fourth Division from entering Kyoto, and the Fourth Division will not stop us."

"Fourth Division?" Jiro was stunned.

"Yes, the Fourth Division is from Kansai, and most of the soldiers come from merchant families. They have a good relationship with the navy, are not liked by the army, and are not so... loyal." Terauchi said in a heavy and dry tone.

Except for the last one, Jiro also knows it. After all, Jiro is also from the army faction and doesn't like the Fourth Division.

The Fourth Division is Kansai, and the First Division is Kanto. The two have been soft shields in history.

In modern times, the emperor moved to Edo and renamed it Tokyo. The First Division was also established in Tokyo, which overwhelmed Kansai. In addition, the people of Osaka had provided loans to the shogun for a long time, so the Fourth Division was certainly not welcomed.

Compared with other divisions, the soldiers of the Fourth Division have more independent thinking, so they are not so cruel, but they are not good people. They will kill people when they should, but they are calmer.

Calmness gives them stronger combat effectiveness, because their tactics are not so rigid, and they pay more attention to firepower, which is out of tune with the Japanese army.

At the same time, calm thinking also makes them less fanatical and likes to make money. This is the origin of the so-called Fourth Division's good at doing business. They do allow business, even if it is the enemy, but it is unknown whether it is as exaggerated as the legend.

"The soldiers of the Fourth Division are calmer. They should know how to be more beneficial to Osaka..." Terauchi was silent for a while and explained...