allonlinenovel Chapter 1078 A Historic Correction
Chapter 1078 A Historic Correction
The aristocratic class exerted significant influence through its control of or through large conglomerates such as Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, and Yasuda. These conglomerates themselves had intricate connections with the Chinese, and many of their founding families were either granted Chinese titles or had intermarried with Chinese families.
Furthermore, the mines, factories, shipping companies, and financial institutions scattered throughout the country controlled the production, allocation, and financial flow of the vast majority of strategic materials needed to operate the Japanese war machine.
From the food that feeds soldiers and the clothing that keeps them warm, to the special steel needed for guns and cannons, the fuel that fighter jets and warships rely on, the precision instruments, and even the financial financing that supports the army's huge expenditures on supplies and equipment, everything is deeply tied to these "aristocratic capitals".
A meticulously planned, silent "economic strangulation war" has quietly begun.
The military received a series of frustrating reports.
Several large steel, chemical, and machinery companies, among other military-related enterprises, have used seemingly plausible reasons such as "equipment urgently needs maintenance and upgrades," "obstruction of key raw material imports," and "unstable power supply" to imply that the delivery of important military supplies may be forced to be delayed.
Major banks, especially those closely associated with conglomerates, suddenly became unusually cumbersome and slow in their approval processes for the military's new large-scale procurement loans and special budget appropriations, and their risk control assessments became exceptionally "rigorous."
Even some military transport plans that have always been given priority have encountered unexpected "technical obstacles" and "shortage of cargo space" in the scheduling of state-owned railway departments and major shipping companies.
Even worse, the supply of some daily necessities for soldiers on the front lines, such as canned food, medicine, and tobacco, has begun to experience undue shortages and high prices due to poor quality.
These "accidents" were not coincidences, but rather part of a carefully woven web.
Behind every "stuck" link, there may be a prominent Chinese figure or his agent with a clear stance.
They don't need to bang on the table and shout in meetings; a mere hint or tacit approval is enough to make the military's war machine feel the pain deeply.
This method of retaliation profoundly reflects the essence and characteristics of traditional Japanese aristocratic politics.
They prefer to exert influence by leveraging their socio-economic base rather than resorting to direct military confrontation or public political declarations.
This is similar to how noble groups like the Takasaki family manipulated the samurai class by controlling public opinion and the economic lifeline in Japanese history, and it is also similar to the complex relationship between the court nobles and the samurai class during the reign of Emperor Go-Daigo, where the court nobles relied on the samurai class while also attempting to control them.
All of this points to a cold, hard truth.
If the military fails to recognize the times and insists on its own way, they will soon face the desperate situation of having "no rice to cook".
Guns and cannons on the front lines can conquer land, but cutting off supplies to the rear can kill the entire war.
The unprecedented toughness displayed by the aristocracy is deeply rooted in the evolution of the power structure over the past half-century. In essence, it is a "historic correction" to the misguided political investments of the past few decades.
It was a desperate gamble, a last-ditch effort, after sending a large number of elite noble descendants to other countries to serve as a backup plan.
The clock of history needs to be turned back to the Meiji Restoration period.
In 1868, with the success of the "restoration of imperial rule" and the anti-shogunate movement, the Tokugawa shogunate system, which had lasted for 265 years, collapsed.
However, what replaced the rule of the shogunate was not a full revival of the traditional court nobles and court ladies, but a reformist bureaucratic group centered on lower-ranking samurai from powerful southwestern domains.
In 1871, the abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures completely stripped the daimyo of their rule over the land and people, replacing them with governors appointed by the central government.
In 1876, the "Salary Disposition" redeemed the hereditary stipends of the Han Chinese and aristocratic families, which had been transformed from the former nobles and daimyo, in the form of gold stipend bonds, thus severing the feudal dependency relationship economically.
The Kazoku Ordinance promulgated in 1884 ostensibly established a modern aristocratic system consisting of five ranks of nobility: duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron. It included former court nobles, daimyo, and meritorious officials of the Meiji Restoration, attempting to construct a new aristocratic ruling class centered on the Emperor.
However, the lower-ranking samurai from the "Chōshū clique" and "Satsuma clique," represented by figures such as Ito Hirobumi, Yamagata Aritomo, and Ōkubo Toshimichi, had already seized real power through the Meiji government.
These reformers, who came from humble backgrounds but possessed exceptional abilities, held in contempt many of the old nobles who had attained high positions solely through lineage but whose thinking remained stuck in the Heian period.
An old count of noble birth once wrote bitterly in his diary: "The council chamber of the court is filled with newly rich people speaking Satsuma and Choshu dialects."
They talked about railways, fleets, and constitutions, while we, from families that recited Tang poetry, were skilled in waka, and knowledgeable in historical facts, were the ones who needed to be 'enlightened.'
The nobles were horrified to discover that in the new Meiji state apparatus, their pride in their lineage, elegance, and traditional authority was rapidly devalued in the face of the pragmatic wave of enriching the country, strengthening its military, and promoting industry.
In order to regain power, the nobles began a strategic adjustment that lasted for decades. They adopted a two-pronged approach of "infiltration" and "investment".
On the one hand, they systematically sent their children to emerging elite training institutions such as the Army Officer School, the Naval Academy, and Tokyo Imperial University.
This is not a simple pursuit of education, but a "long march" aimed at seizing key national positions.
The Takasaki family is a prime example. Although they have few direct descendants, their collateral branches have flourished in the military, political, and academic circles.
Other Chinese families followed suit, and for a time, aristocratic sons filled diplomatic circles and the court.
The former daimyo families, such as the Shimazu and Nabeshima clans, strengthened their traditional ties with the navy.
They hope to integrate into the "new system" through "blood ties" and rebuild a network of influence within the military and bureaucracy.
On the other hand, and more decisively, it was by using its remaining enormous wealth and intricate kinship ties to "bet capital" on the strategic direction of the entire country.
No longer content with profiting from the old estate rents, they invested huge sums of money in emerging fields such as banking, mining, shipbuilding, and trade, forming conglomerates such as Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, and Yasuda, which were deeply intertwined with the Chinese.
These conglomerates are not only economic giants, but also core tools for the aristocratic class to influence national policies and realize their strategic visions.
Given Japan's island geography and its deep yearning for the "maritime empire" model of the then-world hegemon, Britain, most nobles, especially those from the Satsuma Domain who had closer trade ties with the West and were among the first to embrace modern ideas, firmly placed their bets on the navy.