freenovelworld Chapter 1093 I understand him less and less
Chapter 1093 I understand him less and less
As the aroma of tea cooled, a subtle tranquility filled the room.
The topic of the treasures was seemingly lightly brushed aside by the Emperor's warning of "this will not happen again" and the grace of "returning the dowry," but in reality, it had already drawn an invisible line between the emperor and his subject.
However, the Emperor did not seem to intend to end the conversation before the Emperor. He picked up the glass of gyokuro, which had long since gone cold, but did not drink it. Instead, he felt the slight coolness on his fingertips with the glass and looked at the last few wisps of steam that had dissipated, as if he had fallen into some deeper contemplation.
After a moment, he turned his gaze back to the two people in front of him.
This time, his expression was more complex. The teasing and feigned severity he had displayed when talking about the stolen treasure had faded away, replaced by a purer expression that mixed inquiry, confusion, and a hint of barely perceptible worry.
He set down his teacup, his fingers unconsciously tracing slow circles on his brocade-covered knees—a habitual gesture he made whenever he was lost in deep thought, trying to unravel complex clues.
"Motonori, Fumimaro," the Emperor's voice broke the silence, carrying a strange rhythm, as if he were talking to himself, or perhaps seeking confirmation: "Regarding that child Takuto... these days, the more I see what he has done, the more I hear reports about him..."
The thought kept rising in my mind was that I, or perhaps all of you, were becoming less and less able to understand him.
His temper, or rather, his way of doing things, always made me feel... there were some inexplicable contradictions, a strange quality about him.
"Oh? What makes Your Majesty say that?" Jinwei Wen said at the right moment, leaning forward slightly to show appropriate concern and doubt.
As prime minister, he must accurately grasp the emperor's true opinion of this young, strong, and often unpredictable "rising star of the empire."
Given the current level of support the nobles have for Takasaki Takuto, this is already a matter of future political balance, and even his own governing strategy.
The Emperor did not answer immediately; he seemed to be carefully considering his words, trying to piece together the fragmented and contradictory information in his mind into a logical picture.
He gazed at a point in the void, and slowly spoke, his voice deep and clear:
"You see, according to reports from the Kwantung Army, the North China Area Army, the 'Sakura Group,' and even some of my own channels, Takuto's attitude towards ordinary Chinese people under his rule, especially those so-called 'commoners,' is... clear-cut, and can even be described as extremely hostile."
It was an almost undisguised, bone-deep contempt and coldness.
He paused, then began to list, as if consulting an invisible archive: "It started in Harbin."
After he took over the local gendarmerie affairs, within a few months, all sorts of exorbitant taxes, fines, and numerous "special taxes," "security maintenance fees," and "good citizen certificate processing fees" targeting Chinese people appeared in abundance.
That's fine, but accumulating wealth, though dishonorable, is commonplace.
The key point is that he acted extremely cruelly under the guise of "suppressing anti-Manchu and anti-Japanese elements" and "rectifying public order".
They would arrest people on vague charges such as "suspicious behavior," "insolent attitude," and "violation of curfew" without proper interrogation, and send them directly to "pioneer groups" or factories run by imperial merchants to do hard labor, euphemistically called "labor reform," but in reality, it was just exploiting those Chinese and extracting their wages.
It is said that wherever the military police under Tuo Ren's command passed, the people fell silent in fear, and even children dared not cry at night.
When Takasaki Motonori heard this, he touched his nose, looking somewhat embarrassed, but he did not deny it. He just muttered, "This kid has had this bad temper since he was a child."
If something doesn't suit your taste, you have to use the most ruthless methods to get rid of it.
He can't tolerate any imperfections, nor can he stand others not following the rules he sets.
However, Your Majesty, to be honest, in that place, you really can't keep the situation in check without being ruthless.
"Fearing power without appreciating virtue"—the words of our ancestors sometimes hold true.
The Emperor glanced at him indifferently, his eyes seeming to say, "I know what you're thinking," but he didn't reply, simply continuing along his own train of thought:
"Later, when they arrived in Tianjin, they became even more outrageous."
The “Regulations for Strengthening Public Security,” “Detailed Rules for the Control of Supplies,” and “Code of Conduct” that he personally drafted and promulgated were so strict and detailed that even the Japanese residents in Tianjin, and some of the garrison officers and soldiers, complained that there were too many restrictions and the rules were too harsh.
For Chinese people, it was almost impossible to move an inch. The way one walked on the street, the volume of one's voice when talking, whether one greeted others promptly, and even whether one's eyes were "proper" could all become reasons for the military police to cause trouble.
The consequences range from fines to detention and being sent to factories for "ideological correction," with wages to be handed over to offset the fines.
The Emperor stopped drawing circles with his finger and gently tapped his knee: "Interestingly, it seems that he is not only targeting the Chinese."
According to the report, his military police showed even less leniency towards Japanese merchants, ronin, and even imperial soldiers with lax military discipline who violated the rules he set. They arrested those who should be arrested, punished those who should be punished, and even dealt with them more severely as a warning to others.
This suggests that his almost obsessive strictness and his strong fascination with "order" and "control" did not stem solely from racial discrimination against the Chinese or a conqueror mentality, although that certainly existed; it was more likely a deeply ingrained part of his character.
He believed in his own self-imposed, unquestionable "rules," and in his eyes, most Chinese, and perhaps many Japanese who were not "well-behaved," were people who needed to be strictly controlled or even "cleaned out."
Deep down, he despised those Chinese people whom he considered "inferior," "ignorant," and "disorganized"—this is probably true.
The author nodded silently as he approached the end of the article.
The Emperor's analysis hit the nail on the head. What Takasaki Takuto displayed was a complex mentality that mixed racial superiority, social Darwinism, and an extreme superstition about the "laws" he had set for himself.
This mentality is not uncommon among the imperial elite, especially among young officers, but few carry it out as thoroughly, so ruthlessly, and even somewhat "equally" as Takasaki Takuto.
“However,” the Emperor’s tone suddenly shifted, his confusion and inquiry intensifying. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sweeping over Takasaki Gentoku before returning to the void, as if examining the contradictory reports: “The contradiction lies precisely here.”
Based on scattered information reported by the "Sakura Group" and occasional inexplicable snippets captured by the General Staff's intelligence department, I have discovered that while Takuto maintains a high-pressure, even cruel, stance towards the Chinese on the surface, he seems to be secretly maintaining a lingering, ambiguous connection with some... Chinese individuals whose identities are extremely subtle, even suspicious.
He paused for a moment, seemingly recalling the details of the intelligence, his brows furrowing slightly, forming a clear "川" (river) shape.