Tyranny of Steel

While the war in Borneo waged for all the world to see, a much more clandestine conflict was occurring on the Japanese mainland. It had been some time since the German Empire had infiltrated Japan with their field agents, many of which were Japanese defectors recruited into the ranks of German Imperial Intelligence for just this purpose.

Linde had plotted long ago to begin counterfeiting Japanese banknotes, and now was the time to implement this plan. A native Japanese man by the name of Yoshida Akihira was currently in a discussion with a group of criminals within the domain of the Shimazu clan while posing as a rogue agent of the Japanese Treasury Department.

In her rush to build a Japanese Empire capable of contending with the Germans across the sea, Itami had neglected many of the things necessary to create a solid, centralized state. As a result, the old samurai clans, especially those who were once Daimyos, held a significant amount of authority over administrative regions and the military. One of these belonged to the Shimazu clan.

Yoshida Akihira held a money printing plate in his hand and a stack of counterfeit bills in the other, as he tempted a local gang leader with ideas of wealth and prosperity.

"I'm sure by now you are aware of the fact that the Treasury Department has stopped minting silver coins, and has instead begun the production of paper banknotes. As I informed your subordinate when I first came to him with this offer, my name is Ayanokouji Moriyori and I am an agent of her majesty's treasury department.

I know your gang has been battling with your rivals for turf in this domain. However, wars are expensive, and I am sure, as you well know, that a substantial supply of currency is needed if you wish to buy the tools that you need to be successful in your ambitions.

What I'm about to offer you is an opportunity that you alone will be given. As you can see here, this is what is called a printing plate. It is a tool that is used by the treasury department to print new banknotes. I just so happened to be lucky enough to snatch one of these from my place of work.

With this, you will be able to create completely undetectable counterfeit banknotes. That can be spent anywhere in the entire Empire. You will have so much money that you will even be able to bribe armorers to give you military weapons. No more swords and spears. Your crew will be armed with pistols and submachine guns. You will be able to completely sweep away any and all competition! How does that sound?"

The leader of the gang, who was a middle-aged man, with a goatee, long unkempt hair, and severe scarring on his face, smirked, and, in doing so, revealed his missing teeth. When a subordinate of his had informed him of this opportunity, he did not honestly believe what he had been told.

However, looking at the printing plate, along with the fat stacks of counterfeited cash that Yoshida Akihara had displayed as proof of the plate's abilities, the gang leader could not help but become interested. Still, he had his doubts about all of this, and he was quick to interrogate the man posing as a federal agent.

"Tell me this, if these so-called printing plates of yours are capable of achieving everything you have claimed, then why come to me with them? Why not print your own stacks of cash to buy whatever it is that you need? I'm curious. Why would you ever bother selling such a valuable object?"

Naturally Yoshida had a response for this prepared in advance, and he feigned exhaust as if he was a perfect actor before explaining his supposed woes.

"Well, to be honest, I currently find myself in a bit of a dire situation. As you may already be aware, when her Majesty becomes particularly agitated, she has a tendency to purge those who she deems inadequate or disloyal that are among her ranks.

My performance has not been exactly up to par as of late, and I fear as this war continues to amass losses, that she will perhaps turn her sight onto me. After all, the economy is not doing too well if I'm being honest, especially after all the sanctions placed against our Empire. I truly believe that it is only a matter of time before she starts lopping off heads at the treasury, and I fear I will be first among them.

Judging by the fact that you are part of the underworld, I'm assuming you know that the Ming smugglers do not accept Japanese banknotes as a valid currency, and as a result, I am in a desperate need of silver to smuggle myself, and my family out of Japan. The only valuable thing I possess is this printing plate, and thus, I decided to sell it to you."

The gang leader thought carefully about Yoshida's response. He strictly examined the story to see if there were any plot holes, or any risks to himself for accepting this trade. Naturally, as the leader of one of the most prominent gangs in the Shimazu domain, he knew fully well that the Ming smugglers only accepted silver as their currency of trade. So he had no doubts about this aspect of Yoshida's story.

He was also aware of the many political purges that had occurred in recent years, and how far down the ladder they affected employees of the government. So this aspect of Yoshida's tale was also believable. What the gang leader had a problem with was just how Yoshida had acquired this invaluable device, and whether the treasury department would notice its disappearance. Thus, he was quick to ask about this.

"Alright, say I believe your story. There's just two things I am curious about. How exactly did you nick such a valuable object, and will the treasury department notice it is gone? Because if they do, they can easily trace it back to me once I have begun counterfeiting banknotes!"

Contrary to what the gang leader was expecting, Yoshida wore a confident smirk on his face as he leaned back in his chair as if such a question were awfully silly. He shook his head before responding with the most assured tone he could manage.

"You don't need to worry about such a thing. The treasury department has a policy where, after a certain amount of bills are printed, they dispose of these plates. However, despite the fact that they have been marked for recycling, these printing plates are still more than capable of producing a few million more bills that are adequate enough for circulation.

I simply skimmed one of these out of the waste bin. I assure you nobody noticed what I have done, and this plate is still extremely serviceable. Even after your counterfeit bills enter circulation, they will be entirely undetectable. So the treasury department will have quite a hard time tracing them back to you and your gang.

So if you are interested then my price is a reasonable one thousand taels of silver. If you can give me that, then the printing plate is yours!"

The gang leader thought about this price for several moments while scratching his goatee. In the end, he smiled and nodded his head before accepting the trade.

"Deal!"

A wide smile emerged on Yoshida's face, not because of the meagre amount of silver he had gained, but because he knew all across the Japanese Mainland, printing plates likes these were being handed over to criminal gangs who would begin producing a massive sum of counterfeit banknotes which would cause inflation to rise rapidly, thus tanking the Japanese economy in the days to come.

After making the trade, Yoshida returned to the safe house, where he reported back to his superiors about the success of his mission.