Cash-Loaded Fleet

NAVY MINISTRY WAR ECONOMICS RESEARCH GROUP | Chapter 46

Personnel Changes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Regarding the results of a series of battles around Oahu, Binta Satsutaba soon became aware of them. He had previously asked Admiral Kōichi Shiozawa, the Navy Minister, to inform him of the details. Minister Shiozawa was also well aware of the power of the paper bombs made by Binta and willingly took charge of them.

Binta, who had previously held no official position, is now a member of the newly formed "Navy Ministry War Economics Research Group." The team was established with the purpose of studying total war from an economic perspective. Therefore, it is no surprise that Binta is a part of it. However, this is just a cover for their real work: advancing efforts for the end of the war. That is the reason for the existence of the Navy Ministry War Economics Research Group.

Captain Sōkichi Takagi served as the team leader. Takagi is highly trusted by Vice Admiral Shigeyoshi Inoue, the Vice-Minister of the Navy, and he also has strong connections in the political and business world. Binta's role is to support him financially. Covert operations require a significant amount of money, and if conducted secretly, the expenses are even higher. In addition, depending on the situation, Vice Admiral Inoue provides support. An active-duty high-ranking naval officer, and the Vice-Minister of the Navy, no less, can greatly impress upon the other side the seriousness of the Navy's commitment to ending the war.

Furthermore, though not on the public stage, there are significant figures behind them. Minister Shiozawa, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, and even retired Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai, who still wields significant influence within the Navy, are all individuals who understand the true nature of the Navy Ministry War Economics Research Group and support the team's activities from behind the scenes.

"Regarding the personnel changes scheduled for April, it seems like we can proceed as planned, right?"

In response to Binta's question, which had an unusual choice of words for a military officer, Captain Takagi nodded emphatically.

"The victory in the Battle of Oahu is said to rival, or perhaps even surpass, the Battle of the Marshall Islands, which was considered greater than the Battle of Tsushima. In addition, we have taken into account His Highness's wishes, so there should be no one who can voice objections, even if they wanted to."

Using respectful language with a subordinate officer like Binta might seem unusual to an outsider. However, when the person in question is Binta, the situation is different. Even a Captain, and even an Admiral, use respectful language when addressing him. Such is the significance of Binta's presence, which has become indispensable to the Imperial Japanese Navy.

In a series of battles known as the Battle of Oahu, the Combined Fleet sank 4 aircraft carriers, 8 battleships, 14 cruisers, and 48 destroyers. Furthermore, they annihilated the Oahu's base air force and turned Pearl Harbor into a sea of fire. With a string of victories since the beginning of the war, the Imperial Navy's stock has skyrocketed.

Amidst these developments, the Imperial Navy initiated significant personnel changes. First, Admiral Osami Nagano, the Chief of the Naval General Staff, retired from active duty due to health reasons. In his place, Admiral Gengo Hyakutake, a military advisor and a well-known pro-American admiral, was appointed. This appointment is seen as a message of peace to the United States.

There is also a change in the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet. Admiral Shigetarō Shimada, who currently serves as the Commander of the Maritime Escort Force, will take over as Admiral Yamamoto's successor. This decision was made in response to the request of Marshal Admiral Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu. Since the start of the war, the spotlight has been on the Combined Fleet, and the Maritime Escort Force led by Admiral Shimada has become a forgotten entity to the civilian population due to the nature of its mission. Naturally, Admiral Shimada is not in the limelight. To address this, Prince Fushimi has requested that he be given a more prominent position.

Minister Shiozawa, responsible for naval personnel matters, cannot disregard the request of Prince Fushimi, the highest authority in the Imperial Navy. Therefore, Minister Shiozawa decided to play a little trick with Admiral Yamamoto and Binta. Minister Shiozawa proposed to Prince Fushimi that he would allow Admiral Hyakutake to become the Chief of the Naval General Staff in exchange for convincing Admiral Yamamoto to vacate his seat as the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet for Admiral Shimada, who is a contemporary of Minister Shiozawa, to assume the role. With some sense of guilt towards Admiral Yamamoto, Prince Fushimi accepted Minister Shiozawa's request. When weighing the favored Admiral Shimada against Admiral Yamamoto, who did not receive such favor, the choice was quite clear.

On the other hand, Admiral Yamamoto lost his position as the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet. However, it can be said that he made quite a profitable move. Admiral Yamamoto transitioned from being the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet to a military advisor. This change granted him a significant degree of resources, primarily in terms of time, which he couldn't have enjoyed during his tenure as the Commander-in-Chief. Additionally, Admiral Koshirō Oikawa is slated to take over the position left vacant by Admiral Shimada as the Commander of the Maritime Escort Force.

"Navy Minister Shiozawa, and the Chief of the Naval General Staff, Admiral Hyakutake, are working on the public stage, while in the shadows, Admiral Yamamoto and Admiral Yonai are each working towards the end of the war. For now, the Imperial Navy is on board with this, and the next step is to deal with the Army and the politicians."

Just the Imperial Navy alone working towards ending the war won't make a significant impact. They must collaborate with the much larger Army, especially the pro-peace factions within it, to have any hope of halting the course of the war. That's why they rely on the four generals, Vice Admiral Inoue, and Captain Takagi's connections.

"Please leave that to me and my subordinates. It's often said in the public that the Navy and the Army have a poor relationship, but that's just an organizational issue. Also, while the Army does tend to have a pro-German bias, there are still individuals who are pro-American or knowledgeable in their ranks. The politicians are similar. Among those individuals, we have already made a list of those who seem particularly trustworthy."

Binta felt a surge of confidence in Captain Takagi's words. One person alone cannot do everything. Roles must be divided, with Binta providing the funds, and Captain Takagi's team effectively using those resources to achieve their goals. The first step is to identify like-minded individuals and recruit those who fit the bill.

However, simply increasing the number of allies won't achieve the goal of ending the war. Any obstacles must be thoroughly eliminated in advance. The die-hard factions in the Army and Navy, as well as the arrogant bureaucrats who talk about a new order in Asia. Newspapers that incite the public and increase their circulation for profit. From Binta's perspective, they are all jerks, and he has no intention of showing mercy to such opponents.

'If necessary, resorting to assassination as a last resort may be a possibility. But will Captain Takagi have the courage for it when the time comes?'

Binta harbored concerns about this, but it turned out to be an unfounded fear. Captain Takagi was a person who had enough courage that, when push came to shove, he wouldn't hesitate to assassinate even a prime minister.