[h3]Tokyo[/h3] [b]Imperial Palace 12:02 PM[/b] "Operation: [i]Karūseru[/i]" Nobuhito looked at the large map tacked on the wall of his study. The Emperor sat at the head of the table, five other men sitting and watching on while a sixth gave the presentation. His private secretary Kiddo was there, along with the military clique. War Minister Akoi and General Ueda sat together while Admiral Kubo stood, a pointer in his hand. Prince Takara and Count Togai were there as representatives of the Royal Family. Prime Minister Chiba sat at the opposite end of the table from Nobuhito, the sole representative of the government. "Carousel is the proposed invasion of the Philippines." The map of Southeast Asia showed a collection of six arrows moving from the Japanese mainland towards the Philippines. A seventh arrow went from Taiwan and encircled the island chain. Kubo tapped the arrows with his stick. "Each arrow represents a fleet. The six coming from Japan are troop transports. The seventh is Admiral Tanaka's Southern Expeditionary Fleet. The SEF will start the first phase by commencing with carrier-based bombings of strategic targets. After that, we'll start landing troops on Luzon and march on Milan. Once a beachhead is established, Carousel will shift into a general campaign of advancement until the current Filipino government can be replaced by a Japanese friendly one. Carousel ends when we have our preferred government in control. Questions?" "What's the timetable on this?" Prince Takara asked. "If His Majesty approves it today, we would look at a start date of November 1st." "Three months of mobilization?" asked the Emperor. "Is that enough time to prepare?" "Yes, Your Majesty," said Akoi. "We are already mobilizing, amassing ground troops and having them ready. Tanaka's fleet is already formed and patrolling the Philippine Sea in search of pirates." "How many men?" Togai rasped. "All told?" Kubo looked at Akoi and Ueda before answering. "Ten divisions for the landing force, maybe three hundred naval aviators, and the few thousand men that make up the SEF, maybe one hundred thousand." "How long do you envision the operation taking?" asked Takara. "Military intelligence is already at work in Manila, undermining the current government and laying the groundwork for the chosen successor government. Ideally, we would be shifting towards occupation by January of next year. The longest estimates at this moment are six months of fighting before the Filipino surrender." "What about the elephant in the room?" Nobuhito asked. "Or the elephant on the mainland. China, how do you expect them to react to this?" "China has its eyes towards Siberia," said Ueda. "Sources are saying they will be invading it soon. Even if they weren't involved in Russia, their navy is not strong enough to successfully intercede on the Philippines' behalf." "But what of Taiwan and Urajiosutoku?" the old count asked. "They may see our focus on the islands as an opportunity to claim those territories." "That is the risk we run," said Akoi. "We are gambling, but both areas, along with Korea, will still be fully garrisoned with guards in the case of invasion." "Prime Minister," the Emperor said. "You've been awfully silent. What do you and the Diet think of Carousel?" "The Diet loves it," Chiba said with a sigh. "Both houses, the House of Peers especially. I, for one, do not like it. I am worried about our soldiers getting trapped in an unwinnable situation, or potentially setting off a general war with China. But I have talked to people with more power than me, and I have come to the conclusion I cannot stop it and this is needed. The Empire must either expand or die." "If I may say something," said Togai. "I am the only one in this room that remembers the before times, before the Heavenly Soverign's great-grandfather led us out of the days of the samurai. When westerners came in with their gunboats and demanded we modernize, we did. We traded blades for guns, horses for tanks and airplanes. We have changed our ways, and we have thrived. But as clearly as I see the past, I also see the future. We run the risk of not being part of that future. Every day, the Chinese grow stronger and stronger. We thought we could dominate them and the mainland, but we were sorely mistaken. And now, twenty years hence, it is impossible for us to ever retake what we once had there." The count tottered towards the map, taking Kubo's pointer into his wrinkled hands. "But our future lies in the Pacific and Southeast Asia." He slapped the Philippines, the East Indies, Malaysia, Burma, and other Southeast Asian locations with the stick. "Oil, tin, rubber, natural gas. Resources for our military and civilian industries, nations with friendly governments, an encirclement around the Communists. A check on their growth. Let them take Russia, let them put down the Slavs like the dogs that they are. While they do that, we'll take Southeast Asia. A buffer between us and them when war comes. Not if. Remember, it is not hegemony if there are two powers. For those of you with doubts, ask yourself would they hesitate to do the same to us?" Togai handed the stick back to Kubo and calmly waddled back to his seat. A long silence fell on the group, all eyes shifting to the Emperor. Nobuhito shifted in his chair. On paper, he had the power to stop this if he so wished. The military clique, the Diet, and even the peerage all served as his pleasure. Nothing happened in Japan without his approval. He was the Heavenly Soverign, after all, a god walking among them. But mobilization had already begun, it had been going on for some time. His approval would just be a stamp, like it always was. He cleared his throat and rubbed his forehead. "Start preparations. I want updates as we draw closer to November 1st." --- [h3]Vietnam[/h3] [b]Hotel Saigon 2:44 PM[/b] "Rumors of my assassination were greatly exaggerated." Ngo Dhinh Diem smirked at Watanabe from across the table. The two men and their translators were the only ones in the large hotel conference room. Their conversation was stilted, passing through translators before arriving to the two men but they eventually found a rhythm. The self-proclaimed Emperor of Vietnam held a cigarette in his pudgy hand. By Watanabe's calculation, Diem's tailored suit cost what an average Vietnamese earned in a year. "The Emperor was pleased to hear it," said Watanabe. "We consider you the true sovereign of the people. The rest are colonizers and communists." Diem bowed slightly at the compliment. "I consider the Japanese Empire the leading light of Asian prosperity, an ideal for my own empire to aspire to. Your kinds words are greatly appreciated, Mr..." Diem flashed a wry smile. "I'm sorry, but what is your name today?" "Watanabe," he said. "Simply Watanabe will do for now." "Thank you, Watanabe-san. While they are appreciated, I feel that your opinions will not be valid if our situation does not approve. Between the French, communists in the north, and that bitch Trung, my grasp on the country is tenuous at best. I need men, materials, training, money." Watanabe resisted the urge to smile. He wondered to himself how much of the money that he so desperately needed would be for his government, and how much would go to remodeling his opulent home. These meeting had been going on for a month before Diem went into hiding after an assassination attempt on his life failed. They inevitably boiled down to two things: Diem's government was a friend to the Empire and was very open to their support, but he needed concrete proof of the Japanese's friendship before a deal could be worked out. The tailored suits fooled the people of Vietnam, but not Watanabe. Diem was the best dressed beggar in the world. "Today is your lucky day, your majesty. Answer for me, one simple question: what is the exchange rate, the Japanese yen to your piastre?" "Roughly two hundred is equal to one of your yen." Watanabe nodded before reaching under the table. He picked up the briefcase and placed it on the table. He popped it open and slid it towards Diem. The Vietnamese president's eyes widened at the sight of the currency stacked and filled neatly into the briefcase. "Correct my math if I am wrong, but that would be about two million of your piastre. This is a gift for the Diem government, our commitment to supporting you in this trying time. More money will follow, along with Japanese matériel and military advisors." Watanabe barely had time to blink before the case disappeared, down under the table and safely with Diem. "You are so kind, Watanabe-san. As is the Emperor, in his divine wisdom, to favor me over all the others." "Please see that at least half of that money goes towards your government," said Watanabe. "Officially, the ambassador will reach out to you with a formal friendship agreement and sole recognition of your government diplomatically." Watanabe stood, his translator following behind him. "As for the more sensitive diplomatic talks, I'll be in touch."