Iron Cross

After accompanying Cole to complete the audience, Gu Zhengzhi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said to him with lingering fear: "Mr. Cole, your words today are really shocking. Your Majesty has actually been trying not to get angry. I believe he must It’s going to be investigated. If it’s not true, it’s okay, but if it’s true, a lot of people will be in trouble.”

Cole said coldly: "How can it not be true? If it is not true, wouldn't it mean that I would become a villain who hinders the diplomatic relations between the two countries?"

Gu Zhengzhi smiled coquettishly: "That's not true. You are the most distinguished guest of our country." The two of them sighed as they walked. Before they even got in the car, news came from the palace: A meeting of the five ministers will be held tomorrow, and His Majesty will personally attend the meeting. Attend to listen and inquire about recent operations and the situation at home and abroad.

"Look..." Gu Zhengzhi said with a bitter smile, "Your Majesty can't wait any longer."

"You have to seize the opportunity." Cole smiled meaningfully, "There are still many places where I will ask for your care in the future."

"Easy to say, easy to say." Gu Zhengzhi laughed while laughing, but his heart was also excited about the subsequent development of the situation.

After returning to Akasaka Rikyu's hotel, Cole, who had been laughing and joking just now, suddenly changed to a serious expression. He calmly thought about what to do next after the first shot was fired. As he thought about it, he couldn't help but think about it. What Hoffman told him before leaving:

"Cole, you are my most trusted personal staff. Now I have something to ask you to do, which is related to the fundamental interests of the empire." If Chief Adjutant Dargos was present, he would definitely think of Rank's words to him before his departure. The words given to Cole now are very similar to those before.

Of course, Cole chose to comply with Hoffman's request unconditionally. Ever since the Führer promoted him from the boring position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the hot and respected second adjutant, he was determined to perform. . Publicly, he must make achievements in his new position to convince the public, and then he can hope to gain a foundation for further advancement; privately, he must repay the trust and importance of the head of state, and use practical actions to prove that the head of state has indeed seen the right person.

"Your mission is to go to Japan, tell them important information about Japan, and use various means to make Japan cooperate with our global strategy on the Pacific battlefield. Considering the short-sightedness and stupidity of the existing Japanese leadership, if possible If so, you need..." Hoffman considered for a long time and squeezed out two words through his teeth, "Overthrow the cabinet!"

"Overthrow the cabinet?" Cole thought he had heard wrongly. The head of state, who was more than 10,000 kilometers away from Japan, actually wanted to interfere in Japan's political situation - not ordinary interference but to overthrow the cabinet. Although the Japanese cabinet has always been unstable, But it is not something that can be overthrown by just anyone. Based on his understanding of Japan's political situation, even in the 1920s when the government was the most unstable and the prime ministers were changing rapidly, he had never heard of any foreigner talking about "overthrowing the cabinet". Target, he stammered: "My Führer, is this it?..."

"This is even more difficult to accomplish than the task shouldered by Rank, but..." Hoffman patted him on the shoulder, "It's not so difficult that it's unattainable, and even if it fails, there won't be much risk. In the end, At least the Japanese won’t do anything to you.”

Cole then thought about it: The task is a bit more difficult, but the greatest guarantee is that there is no danger to his life. He nodded and said confidently: "I understand, and I will use all my strength and wisdom to fulfill your request."

"The Japanese regime has nothing in common with Germany, and it is also different from Italy, which seems to implement a constitutional monarchy. Regardless of whether they are a constitutional country or not, their government leadership is not strictly a political leader - such a leader is There is only one in Japan, and he is usually hidden behind the scenes.”

"You mean...the Emperor?"

"After the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Midway, the Japanese cabinet was actually in a precarious position. The reason it seems to be stable now is because the leader has not spoken yet. He either did not know or failed to do a good job for other reasons. Prepare, the ruling and opposition factions in Japan believe that there is no consensus, this is our opportunity to take action," Hoffman said seriously, "We are not extending our hands to the Pacific for fun or to show our existence, but to let Japan use it. Use greater strength, effective policies, and smarter strategies to deal with the Americans.”

"What do you think of Prime Minister Tojo?" Hoffman paused and changed the topic.

Cole thought for a while and replied hesitantly: "He has a rather paranoid and radical personality, strong executive ability, and is vigorous and resolute in doing things... he can barely adapt to the requirements of efficient decision-making during wartime."

"Where is former Prime Minister Konoe Fumimaro?"

"This is a veteran politician, more mature and skillful than Prime Minister Tojo. His problem is that he is a civilian and may not be able to control the Japanese army." Cole's thinking opened up, "In Japan, if a prime minister cannot control Army, he will lose his position sooner or later because of the wavering of the military."

Hoffman shook his head: "What you said is not comprehensive. I do not deny the merits of Prime Minister Tojo. If he is a school-level officer, he should be a good officer based on his strong execution ability. But the problem is What position is he in? He is the Prime Minister of Japan, and is also said to be the Minister of War. His position in Japan is the same as mine, but do you think he is in charge of anything other than taking power? Besides, do you really think he is in charge of this? He couldn't control the army? Why did he choose to resign before the war with the United States last year? - It was not that he was opposed to the war, but that he had no confidence in the war and was afraid of taking responsibility in the future. Everyone chose Tojo, a stupid boy, to take responsibility..."

At this time, Cole suddenly remembered that he occasionally mentioned his evaluation of foreign leaders when chatting with his chief adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Darger. He originally thought that the head of state had a low evaluation of the Italian leader, but he did not expect that the chief adjutant told him mysteriously: " Although the Italian leader is unreliable in one way or another, and is usually treated as a joke by us, the head of state still recognizes his political ability. The head of state has a low evaluation of Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo - he thinks this is a fake. The Japanese Prime Minister with the rank of Army Lieutenant General can only serve as a major in charge of the warehouse. He will take care of all the materials in an orderly manner, but he has no idea what politics and strategy are. "

"But, if the Japanese Prime Minister is not an army general, he will not be particularly close to our country, right?" In Cole's thinking, the Japanese Army is pro-Germany, and the Japanese Navy is pro-British and American. If the person is changed, Japan will be What should we do if the US war route also changes? Wouldn't that mean that all the pressure from the Americans is being poured into Europe?

"It doesn't actually matter whether the Japanese Prime Minister is particularly close to our country. If Japan and the United States are fighting for this reason, unless one side falls, they will not easily make peace. Therefore, the first priority of the Japanese Prime Minister is to have strategic thinking. You must be able to clearly understand Japan's strengths and weaknesses; secondly, you must be able to control subordinates who are ready to act - especially those mindless generals in the army who only know how to commit suicide attacks; thirdly..." Hoffman said with a headache. , "We need to wake up the Japanese navy. They are still dreaming about the unrealistic dream of finishing the battle in one battle and decisively defeating the United States. This is a common problem among soldiers. Just like my generals always thought that capturing Moscow would force Stalin to surrender. Again, that is impossible. Japan's best strategy should be to counterattack steadily, use the small islands in the Pacific to push back the front line by resisting step by step, and then concentrate all its mobile power to take a bite after the US power is dispersed. Instead of gambling all your money now and letting the Americans take whatever they want after losing it.”

Kohl nodded to express his understanding and asked the Führer's preferred candidate for prime minister.

Hoffman shook his head: "No, don't say that I don't have a favorite candidate. What if I do? In the final analysis, I can only influence but not control Japan's political situation, but there are two people you must pay attention to. One is Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Commander of the Japanese Navy; the second is retired Army Lieutenant General Kanji Ishihara - if there are still strategists in Japan, he can be counted as one.”

Cole knew the reputation of General Yamamoto Isoroku, but he thought about the name Ishihara Wanji for a long time before he recalled this Japanese general who had visited Germany for a long time. He tentatively said: "I have heard this character's name before. He seems to be a little famous, but his relationship with his colleagues seems to be very bad. It is said that he was ordered to retire and be placed under residential surveillance because he opposed the war between Japan and the United States."

"Do you know what the common characteristics of the two of them I just mentioned?"

Cole thought for a while. He actually wanted to show his analytical skills in front of the head of state, and the target was the Japanese political situation that he was familiar with. However, after thinking about it for a long time, he could not think of any intersection between the two army and navy generals.

"Their common characteristic is that they have studied and communicated abroad for a long time. General Yamamoto was the military attache stationed in the United States, and Lieutenant General Ishihara visited our country. This experience gave them a deep understanding of global strategies and the conditions of various countries, unlike those who grew up Officers who grew up in military camps and military academies—they are a group of arrogant delusional patients who have never had in-depth contact with the international community. "Do you think Ishihara is an anti-war faction when he opposes the war between Japan and the United States?" They are also opposed to a war between Japan and the United States. If I were the Prime Minister of Japan, I would also be opposed to a war between Japan and the United States. They all know that the gap in military strength between Japan and the United States is too large and there is no hope of victory. But now that the direction of the war against the United States is determined, They will put their ingenuity and wisdom into how to win this war. If we remind them that the war will be long-term and cannot be completed in one battle, they will be more sympathetic to our global strategy."

Cole knew that the head of state was speaking so much to remind himself. He took a deep breath and replied: "I understand, and I will do my best to implement your instructions."