novelaction Chapter 1215 Shouldn't be in such a sorry state
Chapter 1215 Shouldn't be in such a sorry state
Zhou Zhengqing nodded slightly and said calmly, "I would like to hear the details. I also want to know why Kita-kun was ostracized within the Japanese army and ended up in this situation."
After all, he was a major general in the empire, an official serving the empire; logically speaking, he shouldn't be in such a sorry state.
“Ultimately, it’s all about power.” Terauchi Hisaichi leaned back on the sofa, his posture slightly relaxed, but his eyes remained sharp, still carrying undisguised dissatisfaction and indifference: “Kita Seiichi came from a background in espionage and intelligence. He spent his whole life operating in the shadows, climbing up step by step by plotting, scheming, catching spies, and purging internal factions.”
Most of his achievements were shady, stained with blood and intrigue, unlike us generals who fought our way up on the battlefield, our achievements earned through real battles, with the blood of our soldiers and our own lives.
As he spoke, Terauchi Hisaichi said with a hint of disdain: "According to the tradition of the Imperial Army, it is already difficult for an officer like him, who has no outstanding military achievements and has never made any merits on the battlefield, and who has climbed up the ranks by resorting to intrigue and internal purging, to be promoted to general."
He was lucky to become a major general; he had climbed the ranks through seniority and opportunistic means, yet he was never satisfied. His ambition and appetite grew ever larger.
“He’s not satisfied.” Terauchi Hisaichi’s tone suddenly turned sharp, a cold rage flashing in his eyes: “He wants to go even further, he dreams of exchanging that Major General star for two Lieutenant General stars.”
He felt that he had single-handedly cultivated Wang Kemin's provisional government, established a spy network in North China, and controlled the security and intelligence power in Beiping. This achievement was enough to clear the obstacles to his promotion to lieutenant general and to grant him greater power and more benefits.
He had even been secretly lobbying the Army Ministry and the General Staff, seeking connections, relaying messages, and winning people over, hoping to use these methods to achieve his ambition of being promoted to lieutenant general.
“But he forgot, or he simply doesn’t care.” Terauchi Hisaichi’s tone grew increasingly stern, and the anger in his eyes intensified.
"In the army, how many generals have earned their current status by fighting on the battlefield with real swords and spears, by fighting bloody battles, and by sacrificing the blood of their soldiers and their own lives?"
From the Marco Polo Bridge Incident to the Battle of Taiyuan, from the Battle of Shanghai to the Battle of Nanjing, how many soldiers of the empire shed their blood on the battlefield, how many generals were seriously wounded, and even sacrificed their lives.
They risked their lives and fought valiantly for the glory of the empire, for the empire's holy war, to earn their current ranks and status.
He slammed his hand on the sofa armrest, his tone filled with undisguised anger and sarcasm: "Where is Seiichi Kita?"
From Lugou Bridge to Taiyuan, from Shanghai to Nanjing, which battlefield did he go to? In which battle did he serve as a staff officer? In which campaign did he command?
He, an intelligence chief hiding in the back, scheming and plotting, a petty person who only knows how to carry out assassinations, catch spies, and purge the internal ranks in the shadows, thought he could climb up so easily.
Wanting to be on equal footing with generals who risked their lives on the front lines, wanting the same status and glory as them—how could those generals who fought and bled on the battlefield possibly accept that?
Terauchi Hisaichi was somewhat agitated, his chest heaving slightly.
He was a veteran, and what he despised most was someone like Kita Seiichi, who hid in the rear, played tricks and schemes, had no military achievements, but was ambitious.
In his view, the glory of the empire was earned through real battles, not through conspiracies and tricks.
An officer's rank is earned through military achievements, not through opportunism.
Kita Seiichi's actions not only tarnished the honor of the Imperial Army, but also insulted the generals and soldiers who fought valiantly on the battlefield.
Zhou Zhengqing listened quietly without speaking, only lowering his head slightly, his fingers lightly tapping the edge of the coffee table, his expression calm, revealing nothing of his thoughts.
He had long anticipated that Kita Seiichi would be ostracized within the Japanese army, largely because his background and promotion methods offended the interests and dignity of those battlefield-affiliated generals.
Within the Japanese Army, battlefield faction generals have always held a dominant position. They look down on officers who came from intelligence backgrounds, believing that they lack real talent and only know how to scheme and plot, and are not worthy of being on equal footing with them.
After a long while, Zhou Zhengqing slowly raised his head, looked at Terauchi Hisaichi, and said calmly and knowingly, "So, everyone ostracized him without prior arrangement."
They made things difficult for him, both openly and secretly, by not cooperating with his work and deliberately making things hard for him, making it impossible for him to move forward.
Let him know that without military achievements and the support of battlefield faction generals, no matter how ambitious he is, no matter how much maneuvering he does, he will never achieve his goal of being promoted to lieutenant general, nor will he be able to gain a foothold within the Japanese army.
“Not bad.” Terauchi Hisaichi nodded affirmatively, his anger subsiding slightly, but his dissatisfaction remained undisguised.
"That's just one aspect."
Secondly, this person is autocratic and has an astonishingly large appetite, which has offended too many people.
His role in guiding the provisional government was highly lucrative, involving a large amount of profit distribution. Various factions were eyeing this lucrative opportunity, all wanting a piece of the pie.
But he, on the contrary, wanted to monopolize everything, to seize all the benefits for himself, completely disregarding the feelings of other forces and showing no regard for me, the commander of the army group.
Terauchi Hisaichi's tone carried a hint of sarcasm: "With the establishment of the puppet government imminent, there has long been debate within the North China Area Army about which department should specifically supervise the provisional government, guide its operation, and even allocate authority over related economic affairs. All parties are unwilling to yield to each other, all wanting to seize this power and all wanting to gain benefits from it."
Logically speaking, such a major event, which concerns the foundation of the empire's rule in North China and the balance of interests among various forces, should be planned and coordinated by the Army Headquarters, with all departments working together to ensure the smooth progress of all tasks.
But guess what Seiichi Kita did?
As Terauchi Hisaichi spoke, the sarcasm on his face grew stronger, and the anger in his eyes resurfaced: "He bypassed everyone else in the North China Area Army Headquarters, and even bypassed me, the area army commander!"
Using the pretext that espionage work requires a high degree of unity, to avoid conflicting policies, and to prevent intelligence leaks, he privately submitted a report to the General Staff and the Cabinet, requesting that all authority over supervising the puppet government, guiding its operations, and even related economic affairs be transferred to his intelligence agency!
He even went so far as to slander other departments in his report, saying that they were not capable enough to do the job.
Only his intelligence agency could do this job well, ensure the normal operation of the puppet government, and protect the empire's interests in North China.