Tyranny of Steel
chapter-840

General Shiba Kiyohiko sat in a Japanese-style palace in the city of Seoul. After her conquests, Itami had chosen this city as the capital of the southern half of Korea, which currently existed under the occupation of Japan. For roughly a year and a half, the young general had been stationed here fighting wars against an insurgent force.

New weapons had entered the field in large numbers, and with the increase in firepower, the Japanese Army was now making progress against the South Korean guerillas. Germany had withdrawn 4950 of the Jagdkommandos it had initially sent to Korea, and was currently training them in airborne operations along with the Jaeger Regiment.

This meant that a small amount of German operators were supporting the Joseon Dynasty in the North, as well as the guerillas in the south. Currently Shiba was meeting with a high-ranking member of the Kempeitai who was reporting to him about the purges that were taking place against the Japanese old guard, who were resisting Itami's rule in various ways.

"Another minister has been arrested and convicted of treason. It appears that the minister of trade was the man who leaked the information about the Invasion of Busan to the Joseon. By now, Itami-sama has begun to expunge the conservative elders of our government, and is replacing them with young blood like the two of us. It won't be long before our society is completely overhauled to match the ideals of the War Goddess."

Shiba had poured two cups of sake while he listened to the Officer of the Secret Police inform him of the ongoing efforts to purge the conservative elements of Japanese Society. He handed one off to the Officer and proposed a toast before taking a sip of his own.

"kanpai!"

It was only after he had drunken the alcoholic beverage did Shiba reveal his thoughts on the matter.

"It was only a matter of time before those old fogeys caused trouble. Many of them have their heads stuck in the era of the sword and spear. I don't blame them. Their world came crashing down around them far too quickly for their aging minds to adjust to.

Their expertise has served its purpose in raising a new generation of ministers and bureaucrats. However, they have outlived their usefulness, and need to be discarded if Itami-sama is to fully industrialize our nation.

We are going to need such a thing if we are to fight this so-called German Empire in the west. Luckily, Itami-sama had the wisdom to invade the Joseon Kingdom. The iron and coal which the mines supply to the homeland will be more than enough to fuel our army.

However, what concerns me is the rate at which our beloved Empress is expanding. I fear she is biting off more than she can chew, so to speak. Tell me, Mogami-san, how fares the conquests of the Ryukyu Kingdom, and the Ainu on the island of Hokkaido?"

The Kempeitai officer, whose name was Mogami Yukihira, nodded his head in agreement with most of what Shiba had said, at least until the end of the statement where he was quick to inform the man of what had transpired across the sea.

"With that old treacherous bastard Kono Masakuni out of the way, our Empress has been able to annex Hokkaido and the Ryukyu Kingdom without a shot even being fired. It just goes to show that the ongoing purges of the conservative element are of the utmost importance. Unfortunately, a few of the bastards have been able to escape our grasp. We believe they have fled to the Ming Dynasty, but their emperor denies it.

It doesn't matter though, even if they are alive, they are no longer in a position to leak our plans to the enemy. Thus, the Empress's ploy to invade what she refers to as the Philippines will proceed as planned. I just hope the Germans don't interfere this time around, or else we may be looking at another Joseon situation. Speaking of which, how goes the war effort?"

Shiba could only sigh in defeat as he poured another round of sake for himself and his guest. He was quick to bitch about his problems, knowing that no matter what he said, as long as he did not defame the war goddess, this man would keep his words a secret.

"It's hell, I literally can not think of a more fitting word to describe it. It is as if I am trapped in the underworld and Izanami is personally inflicting pain and suffering on those around me. Though the armistice has been declared with the North, this has not stopped those Joseon bastards from supplying the southern guerillas with arms, munitions, and grenades.

The morale of our soldiers is low, despite the newest equipment, which gives them a significant advantage over the enemy. They have no will to fight. I don't blame them, Itami-sama has practically tied one hand behind our backs. I know her intentions are good, but it is incredibly difficult to fight an enemy that hides among the people when you can't take reprisals against those same people who harbor them.

Seoul and Busan are practically the only safe places left in this hellhole. Luckily, we have been able to establish a railway between them, as well as up to the mines. Because of that, we are able to rapidly transport the goods down to the harbor, where we can safely send them back to the homeland for production.

However, we have had our fair share of derailments. Constant supervision needs to be maintained over the railways, or else the guerillas will attack and sabotage our trains. Because of this, I have reported our needs to the Empress, and she has promised to deliver an armored train that will be resistant to the enemy's firepower. But you didn't come all this way just to ask about the war effort. Why are you really here, in Seoul, Mogami-san?"

A cruel smirk appeared on Mogami's lips as he informed the Japanese General on the reason he had sailed to the Korean Peninsula.

"I have intelligence that suggests there is a traitor among your ranks. You ask why I am here? My answer is simple: I have come to find this little rat and eliminate him. Won't you help me, Shiba-san?"

Shiba pondered about this for some time. His soldiers were dispirited, sure, but there was no reason to suspect there was a traitor within his army. He was curious about how this was the case and quickly investigated the claim.

"You say there is a traitor among my troops? Prove it! There is no reason that comes to mind that I should suspect the brave men who fight for the glory of their Empress!"

Despite Shiba's outrage over the suggestion that his men were disloyal, Mogami's cruel smirk did not disappear. Instead, the man reached into his coat pocket and pulled out several black and white photos. This surprised Shiba, as he was not aware of what photography was, or how an image in time could be captured. He gazed at the realistic pictures and quickly inquired about them.

"Who painted these? They look so lifelike!"

In response to this, the Kempeitai officer scoffed before educating the ignorant man about his findings.

"These aren't paintings, but some form of German technology. You have conscripted many of the Joseon to fight in your army, have you not? We have sent many of these men to Hokkaido and the Ryukyu Kingdom where they conspired with the conservatives in our ranks, and took these. Tell me, what do you see in these photos, Shiba-san?"

The answer to this question was so obvious, Shiba did not know why the officer was even asking it. However, he decided to play the game and thus answered the question.

"Casualties of war. What of it?"

Mogami sighed heavily before placing the photos on the table and clicking his tongue thrice.

"tsk. tsk. tsk... Not casualties of war, Shiba-san, casualties of the occupation. As I said earlier, we took Hokkaido and Okinawa without needing to fire a shot. However, when we demanded that every young man aged sixteen and to twenty be conscripted, the locals rioted. What you see here is the aftermath of these riots. Documented by the Joseon conscripts, and conservative traitors among our army's ranks.

Now we caught one of these bastards in Okinawa, and after a particularly gruesome interrogation, he ratted out his comrades. Saying that they were on their way to Seoul to meet up with the rest. There is a den of rats among your soldiers, and I want to find them before these pictures end up in the wrong hands!"

This news shocked Shiba, who carefully looked at the pictures, and saw that these mass graves consisted of Men, women, and children. It was highly likely that the troops in Okinawa simply resorted to firing on the natives when they showed the first sign of disobedience.

However, he could not prove this. Either way, the Empress would not have given the order for such a fierce retaliation. Thus, Shiba could only believe that there were officers among the ranks of the Imperial Japanese Army, who were not following the Empress's laws that prohibited so called "war crimes".

The very fact that the man in front of him knew that these crimes existed, and did not report them directly to the Empress herself, was simple proof that the Kempeitai were not as loyal to Itami as they claimed. Regardless of Mogami's loyalties, the fact remained that there were still traitors among the ranks of the army in Korea, and thus, Shiba sighed heavily before agreeing to the man's request.

"I will help you look for these traitors, but when we capture them, they are to be tried in a military court, under my jurisdiction. Do you understand?"

There was a fierce glint in Shiba's dark eyes as he emphasized this point, causing the officer of the secret police to shiver in fright. As if he were a mere hare, gazing upon a ravenous tiger. He nodded his head in silence. Where Shiba then sent him away.

"Good, now if you don't mind, I am busy fighting an insurrection. You can speak to my Executive Officer about your hunt for these rats."

Mogami nodded his head and saluted the General before departing. After he was gone, Shiba poured himself another cup of sake and downed its contents before muttering his thoughts under his breath.

"Oh my sweet Itami, why have you gone and made so many enemies? Could you not have been satisfied as a mere Shogun after avenging your father? I fear for your safety when we are so far apart..."

With that said, Shiba had no choice but to report this incident to Itami. Even if she could not rely on her secret police, he would be there for her.