Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 1126

1126. Middle East War (4)

Imperial and Ming officers within the military advisory group dispatched to Iran were increasingly concerned about the movements of the Japanese officers.

“A war between nations and a territorial war between lords are fundamentally different… They don’t seem to understand that.”

“Whether they don’t know or are ignoring it despite knowing… it’s truly worrying.”

Imperial and Ming officers, observing the Japanese officers’ actions, continued to voice their concerns whenever they had the chance.

“The power balance is already precarious, and they keep adding fuel to the fire…”

“I agree. They’re ignoring the possibility of a prolonged war.”

Currently, the military strength ratio between the Ottomans and Iran was 5:4. It wasn’t a situation where the Ottomans had a clear advantage, nor was Iran clearly at a disadvantage. It was an ambiguous situation, ripe for war.

“That… we need to step on it before it gets any bigger, right?”

This was the thought held by the dominant side.

“If we delay any longer, we might not get another chance. It’s a gamble, but we might get unexpected results if we act now.”

This was the thought held by the weaker side. Therefore, the Imperial and Ming officers acknowledged that war was unavoidable. In some ways, it was due to the similar military strength, but also due to religious tensions.

The problem was the disagreement over the strategy Iran should adopt when the war broke out. The Empire and Ming wanted to preserve Iran’s strength as much as possible while forcing the Ottomans to bleed, focusing on defense.

The judgment was that this would minimize damage and lead the situation favorably in subsequent negotiations. On the other hand, Japan had a different opinion.

They wanted to concentrate all available forces to inflict maximum damage on the Ottomans and then gain an advantage in negotiations.

“The problem is that even the Iranian ruler and prime minister are swayed by Japan’s opinion.”

“That’s our limitation.”

This was the biggest problem.

-Whether to wage war or not.

-If war is waged, whether to go on the offensive or focus on defense.

The one with the power to choose in this most important issue was the King of Iran.

The Imperial, Ming, and Japanese officers were merely advisors. However, the problem was that the Iranian leadership was gradually listening to Japan’s words.

“What on earth is Japan thinking…”

“It’s not Japan that’s the problem, but the hardliners among the officers Japan sent. Their voices are too loud. No, it’s not just that their voices are loud, they’re exuding murderous intent, so the sane ones can’t speak up.”

“There were sane ones?”

At the Ming officer’s question, the Imperial officer smiled bitterly and replied.

“I heard there are some if you look hard enough.”

“Hoo~.”
The Ming officer, sighing deeply at the Imperial officer’s answer, offered a solution.

“I heard that the most aggressive of the loud Japanese officers is a Mr. Ishiwara. How about persuading him?”

“Ishiwara? Ah! Are you talking about Ishiwara Kanji?”

“That’s right.”

At the Ming officer’s words, the Imperial officer shook his head.

“It would be easier to convert a Catholic to Islam than to persuade that guy.”

“Huh…”

* * *

Ishiwara Kanji was the leader of the military advisory group dispatched from Japan and the head of the hardliners.

“I will become Japan’s Zhuge Liang in the future!” [Zhuge Liang was a famous strategist of the Three Kingdoms period in China]

He was a man who changed his name to ‘Ryo (亮),’ taking the ‘Liang’ from Zhuge Liang, with this determination. It was this Ishiwara who was at the forefront of advocating for an offensive.

“I admit the inferiority in military strength! But it is not right to focus only on defense!”

“But isn’t that the standard approach?”

Whenever such rebuttals came up, Ishiwara raised his voice even more harshly.

“Now is not the time for the standard approach! The standard approach is for the long term! But looking at the current situation between Iran and the Ottomans, Iran is doomed to fail if it goes long term!”

“Can’t we get support from the Empire, Ming, and Japan?”

“We’ll have plenty of weapons, but we’ll be short of people! People are the problem, people!”

Ishiwara stamped his feet and raised his voice.

“The best move in dealing with the Ottomans is a single decisive battle! Winning in a single match is the best! There’s nothing good for Iran in dragging it out! Then, a surprise tactic is more suitable than the standard approach!”

“But the Empire and Ming won’t like it very much.”

Ishiwara snorted strongly and pointed to the floor with his finger, continuing to speak.

“The owner of this land is not the Empire or Ming, but Iran! Why should we be mindful of the Empire and Ming? The ones we need to persuade and make our allies are the Iranians!”

“But we also need to consider the situation in our home country…”

“Do you know how long it takes for letters to travel between here and our home country! Even with the fastest ship, it’s half a year, half a year! Have you forgotten that it’s faster to send a question from here, have it discussed by the Army General Staff in our home country, and receive the answer back in half a year!”

Ishiwara, pointing out the realistic problem, looked around at the Japanese officers gathered there.

“Why did His Majesty send us here! It is to secure Japan’s national interests as much as possible here! This is the order we received! Then, the rest is up to us on the ground! Us on the ground!”

Ishiwara, emphasizing the last words while pounding his chest, changed his expression and voice and continued to speak.

“Gentlemen. Think about the future of our Japan. Why is our Japan trying to advance to the South, and why have you come all the way here to Iran?”

Ishiwara, posing a question to the officers, moved to the map. Standing in front of the map, Ishiwara tapped the locations of the Empire, Ming, and Japan with his palm, continuing to speak.

“It is for our Japan to become a dignified member of the three Eastern powers! When our Japan properly establishes itself, it will control the peace of the world!”

Ishiwara’s subsequent logic was as follows.

-Looking at the current situation of the Empire and Ming, they are evenly matched.

-The Empire and Ming are trying their best to prevent a war between them.

However, eternal peace is impossible.

-If a war breaks out between the Empire and Ming, Japan cannot avoid it.

-In that situation, if Japan is still not established, it will be forced to take sides, which will devastate Japan regardless of victory or defeat.

-But if Japan takes a dignified place, Japan will become the mediator to maintain the peace of the three Eastern powers.

-The reason why our Japan is heading to the South is the same.

-Liberate the European colonies in the South and make the natives of the liberated colonies Japan’s allies.

-And through these Southern allies, Japan will grow even stronger.

“…Ultimately, in this way, our Japan will become the mediator of the world!”

Even after Ishiwara finished speaking, the conference room was silent. The Japanese officers present stared at Ishiwara with half-dazed expressions.

‘He’s a visionary! A visionary!’

‘What kind of crazy bastard is this?’

‘Wait… but there are some things worth considering.’

Although filled with various thoughts, all the Japanese officers present agreed on one thing.

-A dignified Japan.

-The mediator of the world.

Perhaps sensing the officers’ feelings, Ishiwara added.

“Why did the saying ‘Datsu-A Nyu-O’ [Leaving Asia and Joining Europe] come about? Wasn’t it a criticism of the situation at the time when people couldn’t think outside of Japan like a frog in a well? Wasn’t it because they made the mistake of using the word ‘world’ only with Japan’s land in mind! Now that we have broken away and learned about the world, it is the perfect opportunity! It is an opportunity for our Japan to rise to a position where it can move the world!”

The Japanese officers began to waver at Ishiwara’s words, filled with fervent enthusiasm.

However, there were officers who tried to stop him until the very end.

“But the Army General Staff has ordered us to move cautiously.”

“Didn’t I say it before! It takes too long for the Army General Staff to know the situation on the ground, and we must not forget that war could break out as early as tomorrow! And what is the most important order we should consider? It is the royal command! The order His Majesty gave when we came here to Iran! What is it!”

At Ishiwara’s question, the Japanese officers answered almost simultaneously.

“Enhance Japan’s reputation in Iran and secure national interests.”

“That’s right! Do you gentlemen consider the Army General Staff’s military order to take precedence over the royal command?”

“No!”

“Then, what is our job! It is improvisation! Even if it is improvisation, doing our best to achieve the royal command is the duty of us Japanese officers!”

In the end, the Japanese officers were all dyed in Ishiwara’s colors.

And it became a source of concern for the military advisory groups dispatched from the Empire and Ming. After a while, Hyang, who received and read a report related to this, had a strange expression.

“Ishiwara? Surely, not from that Ishiwara Kanji’s family? But there’s a strangely similar smell… Hmm…”

After pondering for a moment, Hyang looked at the map and muttered strangely.

“Hmm~. Is that family originally like that? Or is it a coincidence that the international situation is similar?”

Hyang, muttering to himself while examining the map, shook his head lightly.

“Japan is uneasy no matter what. It’s a troublesome country.”

* * *

The concerns of the officers dispatched from the Empire and Ming were not only the Japanese officers.

The leaders of Iran were also a serious concern.

In order to gain practical experience for the newly trained Iranian army and to eliminate concerns behind them, Iran conquered the Uzbek tribes in the northeastern region. As the conquest was successfully completed, Ismail, the king of Iran, began to gain confidence.

However, anxiety also played a part in Ismail’s gradual inclination towards Japan’s claims.

One of the things that made him uneasy was the power difference between the Ottomans and Iran, as mentioned earlier.

“It’s 5:4 now, but it’s certain that this difference will widen over time.”

This was agreed upon not only by Ismail but also by his ministers, including the prime minister, and finally by the military advisory groups of the three Eastern powers. And this brought another source of anxiety.

It was the problem of the Iranian people.

Although many had converted, there were still many Sunni Muslims among the people. If anything goes wrong here, the people’s rebellion will erupt. Military success against the Ottomans was necessary to prevent such rebellion.

And quite a successful one.

“Wouldn’t an offensive give a stronger impression than defense for such success?”

The prime minister nodded at Ismail’s question.

Ismail had experienced war in the process of founding the Safavid dynasty. Therefore, he knew well that the defense-oriented strategy proposed by the Empire and Ming was the standard approach. But war was war, and politics was politics.

No, war without politics was unthinkable.