The real situation was far more serious than ordinary people could see. To ensure the agreement was reached smoothly, the Meiji Government had even ordered the army redeployed.
Yamagata Aritomo's homeland defense plan had been snuffed out before it could even be put into action.
They knew their own affairs best. As the pinnacle of Japan's thousand-year history, the Meiji Government was no pushover.
Everyone understood perfectly well that there were destabilizing elements at home. The Imperial Japanese Army's involvement in the Russian Embassy Case had been far too obvious, so naturally they could not be allowed to stay in Tokyo and stir up trouble.
The excuse was ready-made: Russo-Japanese relations had broken down, the border situation was tense, and troops needed to be sent there as reinforcements.
Anyone could be held hostage by righteous causes. The politicians' tricks were far beyond what those immature young firebrands in the army could match.
"As soldiers, you refuse to defend your homes and country, yet you still dare call yourselves patriots?"
This was the Meiji Government. Japan as a whole had not yet gone mad, and the army naturally had none of the madness of the Showa Era.
Military orders were as immovable as mountains. No matter how furiously public opinion churned, the army could only pack its bags and head for the front.
The greater a unit's radical influence, the sooner it was sent aboard ship. By contrast, "steady" units like the Fourth Division were left until the very end.
Though later generations had no shortage of jokes about the Fourth Division, when the critical moment came, this was still a dependable force.
During the Seinan War, the Fourth Division had earned a commendation personally awarded by Emperor Meiji through its outstanding record, and it remained the only unit in the