Emperor's Armed Forces in the Warring States

Chapter 20 - Launching the Invasion of Mexico

This will be the beginning of Chapter 20.

- Yamaga

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20-1

A plot that would later have significant consequences was being plotted in New Orleans. The regular Japanese military had finally prepared for the invasion of Mexico.

"What a mess, even compensation issues regarding the requisition of civilian ships have become troublesome."

"There's no helping it. Originally, we were supposed to be fully prepared and ready to carry out the invasion. But the Spanish arrived and invaded first."

"But isn't it true that the Spanish haven't actually invaded?"

"Yes, mostly, it was a mistake made by our scouts and their reconnaissance units who got too close to our settlement. The local militia overreacted and engaged in combat, causing casualties among our civilians. Normally, Spain would apologize and settle with compensation. Otherwise, after that battle, Spain's main forces should have moved swiftly."

"But for us, it's the perfect justification to start a war. Moreover, the local settlers are already furious, and news of this situation has reached our homeland. We can't avoid going to war under these circumstances, can we?"

"Yes, that's the situation."

Generals Akitsura Betsugi and Yukitsuna Sanada exchanged conversation that seemed to be filled with resignation.

In any case, Japan had entered into a war with Spain at the end of February. However, Japan was not fully prepared for the war on various fronts. Japan (specifically, the hardliners in the military) planned for the warship Mutsuki, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Takeyoshi Murakami, to safely reach New Orleans Harbor. Once the contact was established, eleven other motorsailers from San Diego Harbor would be sent to New Orleans.

Furthermore, they requested the commencement of requisitioning civilian ships from the homeland and began the requisitioning process. By using these requisitioned civilian ships, preparations for transporting three out of four brigades stationed in California were completed. Additionally, twelve warships would be deployed at New Orleans, fully prepared to conduct commerce raiding in the Caribbean Sea. At that stage, Japan planned to declare war on Spain. From Japan's perspective (the hardliners), the full-scale war with Spain was expected to begin no earlier than May. To be more precise, within Japan, the moderates (pacifists) had considerable influence, and by early 1562, the current Emperor, Emperor Ōgimachi, had intentions that played a role in this.

Considering all this, it was the consensus on the ground that the war between Japan and Spain began a little earlier than expected at the end of February. Nevertheless, since the war had indeed started, they had no choice but to handle the situation on the ground accordingly.

As a result, a situation arose where the Japanese military, stationed on the North American West Coast, began requisitioning immigrant ships and merchant ships used for trade. Furthermore, since wireless communication was not yet practical and widespread, the captains and crew of these ships were caught off guard when they were informed that their ships would be requisitioned upon entering the ports of North America. Consequently, the captains and crew of each ship protested, claiming they had not been informed of such requisitioning. This led to a tumultuous situation.

Moreover, requisitioning merchant ships wasn't the end of the matter. In order to operate these ships, it was fundamentally necessary to requisition the crew as well. The sudden change in their circumstances prompted the crew to seek help through various channels and approach the Imperial Japanese All Labor Union (preparatory committee for formation) to voice their compensation grievances. Nobunaga Oda and others instructed the crew to form labor unions and launched a nationwide action in response to the situation.