Time travel! Regrets will never happen again!

Chapter 198 Surrender 3

"Commander! We cannot carry out such an order! If we do so, more than 100,000 civilians in the city will die without a burial place!"

The chief of staff complained helplessly to Okamura Yasuji who had been dismissed from his post.

"Yes! Commander Hata Shunroku has gone crazy! We can't expect a madman to lead us into battle and face the current dangerous situation!"

"Sir! We are only following your footsteps! I hope you will not abandon us poor people!"

The senior military officers below stood up and said that they didn't want to go crazy with this madman Hata Shunroku anymore, and they wanted Okamura Yasuji to come back to their side.

Although the military has now removed him from his post as commander, we don't care at all. We only recognize Commander Okamura and ignore everyone else.

As he watched more and more people in the conference room bow to him, many of them even shed tears of excitement. They hoped that he could continue to lead them along this road whose outcome was unknown.

"Sir! Those guys in the military simply want us to die! On the surface, they ignored our suggestions, but secretly dismissed you!"

"They actually let that brainless guy, Hata Shunroku, be the commander-in-chief of the North China Expeditionary Army. Isn't it obvious that they want us to fight the Chinese to the death? It would be best if we all died in the battle, so they don't have to worry about us anymore!"

The commander of the 19th Division, Shimizu, shouted loudly with an angry look on his face.

"Sir, please don't abandon us!"

Everyone looked at Okamura Neiji with pleading eyes.

"Alas! These are troubled times! My personal honor and disgrace are of no importance. If it weren't for the safety of more than 100,000 North China Expeditionary Force troops, their families, and expatriates, you would be pushing me into the fire by doing this!"

Although Okamura Neiji said this, he was actually very pleased in his heart because his previous strategy seemed to have produced certain results.

Those stubborn guys have basically been eliminated or captured by the Chinese, and now only a very small number of people are still trying to continue to resist.

Others, whether for personal reasons or for the future of the empire as they had advertised, were prepared to surrender to the Chinese from the bottom of their hearts.

Originally, Okamura Neiji was still hesitant. After all, as a general who surrendered to the enemy, it was indeed not a good reputation.

However, that night, Hata Shunroku teamed up with some diehards to launch an operation to eliminate traitors.

The operation was intended to eliminate those who might affect the image and morale of the Japanese army, but in fact it caused greater chaos.

Fortunately, however, before they launched the operation, two junior officers risked their lives to pass on the news.

Despite this, several senior officers were executed by them for treason. This incident detonated the North China Expeditionary Army and made everyone shocked and indignant at the actions of Hata Shunroku and others.

Shimizu, the commander of the 19th Division who escaped the disaster, was extremely angry at the actions of these people.

He decided to take action against this injustice and mobilized his divisions to launch a military operation.

He began to arrange his subordinates to spread rumors in the army, and at the same time incited the soldiers who had already been shrouded in fear and panic.

Shimizu took advantage of this opportunity to incite the soldiers' emotions and told them that Hata Shunroku wanted to block everyone's way to survival.

He claimed that Hata Shunroku's actions were not out of justice, but to satisfy personal desires. More importantly, he also claimed that there was a deeper conspiracy behind Hata Shunroku's orders, even involving the emperor himself.

They took advantage of the fact that His Majesty Tian Huang was seriously ill and unable to govern the country to undermine the imperial power, causing His Majesty to watch his people die powerlessly.

We must get rid of those conspirators, keep those who are useful back to the country, and eliminate the treacherous people to protect His Majesty Tianhuang.

Now we have to endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens, even if it means surrendering to the Chinese. Today we must be patient and grit our teeth and persevere no matter how much humiliation we suffer.

If we don't do this, we will be sinners of the empire. Knowing clearly that His Majesty Tianhuang is controlled by some conspirators, we only consider our own reputation and honor and ignore His Majesty's safety and choose to die. This is not true loyalty and patriotism.

Shimizu told the soldiers that Hata Shunroku's actions were a betrayal of the emperor, and that true loyalty should be to defend the interests of the country and the people.

He stressed that the current emperor has been controlled by some conspirators and no longer represents the true will of the country. Therefore, they must stand up to resist this injustice and protect the lives and safety of themselves and their families.

Shimizu's remarks resonated with many soldiers, who began to doubt Hata's motives and became concerned about the emperor's situation.

Inspired by Shimizu, the soldiers expressed their willingness to support his actions and fight against Hata Shunroku and his supporters. So Shimizu began to organize a force to prepare for a fierce struggle with Hata Shunroku.

When Okamura Neiji and others appeared, Shimizu Kiju had already solved all their problems.

At this moment, everyone's face was filled with strange anger, and they shouted that they wanted to return to the country to purge the emperor and save his majesty from danger.

However, who can really understand their innermost thoughts? Perhaps some people have ulterior motives, but on the surface they pretend to be indignant and for the country and the people, as if they are only concerned about the safety of His Majesty the Emperor.

In any case, the current situation is exactly what everyone expected. Around some soldiers, there are many Japanese expatriates gathered, and they are also screaming wildly.

"Your Excellency! Please lead us again! His Majesty is in a very critical situation now. Now that we have learned of such a serious situation, we must rush back to the country as soon as possible to remove the emperor's entourage and save His Majesty from the dire situation!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shimizu Kijuu knelt down in front of Okamura Neiji with a "thump" without hesitation, and then a series of "thump" sounds came one after another.

An expression of anger and dissatisfaction appeared on Okamura Neiji's face, but in fact he deeply admired Shimizu Nori's behavior.

This approach not only allowed them to end the conflict with China early under the pretext of returning to their country to save the emperor, but even surrender became acceptable.

Maybe this can even win them a reputation similar to that of Gou Jian, the ancient Chinese King of Yue, who slept on firewood and tasted gall, and endured humiliation.

Looking at Hata Shunroku and others who were beaten into a hornet's nest by the angry soldiers, Okamura Neiji couldn't help but complain in his heart, why are you doing this?

He blocked everyone's way to survival, and in the end he was accused of being a conspirator after his death.