When the document requesting the merger of the two headquarters from the Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army Commander arrived in Tokyo, the streets of Tokyo were already bustling. Even in wartime, the Japanese public was excited by the result of recapturing Pyongyang. The Tokyo government also felt it appropriate to organize a lantern procession to relieve the oppressive atmosphere.

Upon hearing the news, Tokyo citizens began busy preparations. The vast majority prepared outing clothes and lanterns, but some muddle-headed hooligans tried to locate where Chinese residents lived in Tokyo, organizing groups to storm them.

Fortunately, these hooligans were a minority. Those around them who weren't so muddled told these fellows, "The newspapers have already said that the government has rounded up all Chinese in Japan and sent them to Hokuriku for concentrated detention."

The hooligans, learning there were no Chinese in Tokyo to beat up, were quite disappointed. Someone suggested going to the place in Hokuriku where the Chinese were detained to express their patriotism by beating them.

This time, even those who had reminded the hooligans stayed silent. If these fellows wanted to go to Hokuriku to storm a concentration camp guarded by the army, let them go. At least after this lot was arrested, the streets would be much quieter.

Near dusk, the police chief of the district where Mitsuko's home was located personally visited. He politely expressed his view, "Mrs. Morita, if you have nothing to do tonight, please rest early."

Mrs. Morita hurriedly bowed and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Chief. We will absolutely not go out today."

The police chief had long heard that the Morita family was not arrogant and was quite harmonious with their neighbors. Having had more contact recently, he was certain Mrs. Morita was not someone who didn't know propriety. He stood up to take his leave. As they stood, Mitsuko handed the chief a small burlap sack.

In the alley, the chief opened it to look. Inside were two packs of Siping brand cigarettes and a box of matches. For the chief, such a gift wasn't of great value, but the attitude was what he was pleased to see. The Morita family had entered high society because of their acquaintance with He Rui, but now their protector was the war hero Major General Ishiwara Kanji himself.

Now Major General Ishiwara appeared more and more frequently in the newspapers, and the national evaluation of him was excellent. The chief already respected Major General Ishiwara, especially after reading in the news introducing the Major General that his father was a local police chief. This gave rise to a feeling of closeness.

Since Major General Ishiwara was protecting the Morita family, the police chief was also happy to occasionally come and look after them.

At night, Tokyo's streetlights were all lit. People carrying various lanterns walked the streets. The sound of wooden clogs on the pavement was like tiny drumbeats, converging into a thunderous drumming. Every Tokyo citizen participating in the lantern procession sincerely looked forward to the Japanese army's victory, whether to demonstrate Japanese power, to extract territory and reparations from China, or simply expecting life to get better after the war ended. The Tokyo citizens' expectations for victory were all the same.

There was no violence. Even the pickpockets chose not to work today. After all, after three months of general mobilization, everyone's pockets were empty. The people coming out for the lantern procession likely didn't even bring their wallets.

Inside the Army Building outside Sakurada Gate in Tokyo, field grade officers of the Imperial General Headquarters who weren't so busy stood at the windows, watching the lights that looked like stars fallen to earth. The hostility accumulated due to the war was gradually fading. The generals, who had actually stood together at the conference room windows to gaze at this beautiful street scene when the procession began, had now sat back in their seats. Amidst the fog of cigarette smoke, they discussed the issue of whether to merge the two headquarters.

General Yamanashi Hanzō, the Minister of War, was satisfied that the Army had fully taken control of the two expeditionary army headquarters. General Yamanashi did not want to create complications at this time. If the Japanese army reached the China-Korea border, a merger would certainly be necessary to unify the next phase of operations. Forcing a merger now would only affect the progress of the war.

However, Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Suzuki Sōroku had a slightly different view. He suggested to General Yamanashi, "Your Excellency, could we order the Second Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army Headquarters to temporarily assist the Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army Headquarters in operations?"

In Japanese, 'assist' had several meanings. At this moment, no one misunderstood Lieutenant General Suzuki's view. This assistance meant the Second Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army Headquarters would take orders from the Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army Headquarters.

Now, those in the Army who supported Lieutenant General Ugaki found this somewhat unacceptable. As for the Navy, they stood with Lieutenant General Ugaki. The Navy didn't care about Lieutenant General Ugaki; just now, the Second Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army Commander, Vice Admiral Suzuki (Navy), had just resigned and handed command to the Army, and now someone in the Army was causing trouble. If the Second Headquarters was abolished before recapturing Korea, wouldn't that wipe out the Navy's contribution?

Of course, the opponents had sufficient reasons. "The Second Headquarters' troops are operating on the flank and need the mobility to seize opportunities. If they are placed under the command of the Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army Headquarters, their advantages cannot be utilized."

General Yamanashi Hanzō did not reach his current position because of a simple and cute personality. After listening to these opposing reasons, General Yamanashi determined the attitudes of the various parties.

Lieutenant General Terauchi Hisaichi came from nobility and had many supporters. Lieutenant General Ugaki Kazushige was also a very active person. After graduating from the Army War College as a 'Sabre Group' member, he utilized the Satsuma-Chōshū rivalry to climb steadily. He had even created a 'Ugaki Faction'.

The reason Lieutenant Generals Terauchi Hisaichi and Ugaki Kazushige were appointed commanders of the two Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army Headquarters, rather than so many other division commanders, was due in no small part to the power of their respective supporters behind them.

General Yamanashi spoke. "Now, both headquarters must obey the orders of the Imperial General Headquarters to continue attacking the enemy and drive them out of Korea as soon as possible. After completing this mission, the two headquarters will merge."

This order was reasonable, and no one opposed it. Generals of different factions within the Army decided to convey hints of the current situation to the two commanders on the front line. Although the Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army Headquarters had the advantage, as long as Lieutenant General Ugaki established enough merit, he was not without a chance to become the future commander of the Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army.

At about the same time, the operational plan drafted by the Northeast Army's Korean Front General Command had been submitted to the General Headquarters and approved.

Front Line Commander Xu Chengfeng immediately issued an order: "Northeast Army Military Commission / Northeast Army Front Line General Command / 1923 Order No. 18 / Top Secret, circulate at corps-level command.

"The Japanese army continues to pursue our forces. The Front Line General Command judges that the Japanese army is under immense domestic pressure and must obtain results to answer to the Japanese public. Therefore, the Japanese army is compelled to engage our forces. Since the Japanese army can no longer plan its campaign strictly according to military science, this gives our forces the opportunity to counterattack."