Okamura Yasuji's title of "China Hand" was no joke. Using his status as the Japanese military intelligence community's China expert as cover, he could read the People's Party's books without scruple. If other soldiers were caught reading People's Party books, they would face punishment. If Okamura Yasuji didn't read People's Party books, that would be a dereliction of duty. Okamura Yasuji was very much in agreement with Chen Ke's statement that "War is uncontrollable." Okamura Yasuji was also sick of the gambler's mentality in the Japanese military that refused to admit defeat and always thought about flipping the table.

Therefore, Okamura Yasuji greatly admired a few other sayings of Chen Ke: "Either do it, or don't do it. Do not just 'try'!" "The vast majority of failures occur because one chooses to pursue a result, rather than choosing to endure the hardships of completing the process. Having a goal and pursuing a result are two completely different things." "The ultimate victor is often the one who hasn't been eliminated in every round of the exam." "Failure is the most normal thing. After anyone truly completes a task, they will feel there are too many areas that need improvement. Only those who cannot complete the task will shout about the existence of perfect things."

In the final analysis, these words all meant one thing: to succeed, one must complete the mission and seek truth from facts. Okamura Yasuji himself was such a person—not vain, and with no hobby of gilding the lily. Looking at those bastards in the Japanese Army Ministry who lacked the ability to complete tasks yet insisted on using various excuses to whitewash their failures, Okamura Yasuji felt that wiping these guys out would absolutely be a contribution to Japan.

Since he had decided to change Japan's national policy, Okamura Yasuji began to plan future actions. This kind of action needed to be built upon the total failure of the Japanese Army Ministry and Navy Ministry. This was not difficult; the Army Ministry and Navy Ministry were currently walking on the road to failure. The only uncertainty was when they would face the finish line of failure.

Once the result of failure became reality, it would bound to be another dog-eat-dog struggle. At that time, what needed to be done was not merely to "cleanse the monarch's side," but a true cleansing of the monarch's side—that is to say, a large number of people had to be physically eliminated. Okamura Yasuji left this task to Nagata Tetsuzan to judge. He, on the other hand, took up another matter, which was to sound out the People's Party's attitude.

With Okamura Yasuji's help, Kita Ikki's envoy soon arrived in China and successfully made contact with Hei Dao Ren. Hei Dao Ren's eyes had turned green waiting for a revolution or the like to occur inside Japan; naturally, he would not let this opportunity pass. Soon, the Chinese side's attitude was conveyed to Japan. The Chinese terms were simple: Taiwan and its affiliated islands were not even up for discussion—they must return to China. Ryukyu must also restore its independent status. North Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, which China obtained from the Soviet Union, must also be returned to China. And as reparations, South Sakhalin must also be handed over to China. As a prerequisite for Sino-Japanese friendship, China agreed to form an industry alliance with Japan in the raw silk sector. At the same time, normal trade with Japan including raw materials, finance, and technology would be restored, and a portion of the job market would be opened.

These harsh conditions frightened Okamura Yasuji; this was tantamount to beating Japan back to its pre-1870 borders. However, upon careful analysis, Okamura Yasuji discovered the subtleties within. The raw silk market was the largest area of competition between China and Japan; if China and Japan reached an industry alliance in this regard, most cutthroat competition would be avoided. As for trade in raw materials, technology, and finance, these were what Japan needed most. After re-entering the Chinese market, Japan's trade pressure would be greatly reduced. As for opening a portion of the job market, that meant allowing Japanese people to work in China. This was an excellent method to alleviate Japan's employment pressure.

Of course, the initiative in these matters lay in China's hands; China could turn hostile and renege on the debt at any time. Okamura Yasuji, however, believed that such a thing was unlikely to happen. What China lacked most right now was allies. It would be good enough if Korea, such a vassal state, didn't cause trouble for China; one couldn't expect Korea to be of any help to China. Japan was different. Needless to say anything else, China and Japan had ample room for cooperation in shipbuilding alone. And Japan was very envious of China's powerful synthetic ammonia industry; with synthetic ammonia, Japan could solve a large part of its food problem.

Although these conditions were very perilous, Hei Dao Ren guaranteed that these were all of China's demands. Once these obstacles to Sino-Japanese peace were resolved, future Sino-Japanese relations could develop smoothly in the manner of an alliance.

Kita Ikki could accept China's conditions. Losing a few islands that produced little was a trade-off for a brand-new Sino-Japanese relationship. Kita Ikki believed this deal was completely doable. While Okamura Yasuji was hesitating, news of Japan's failure in Taiwan kept coming back.

First was that Southward Advance Plan. The Japanese army braved Chinese bombing and flank attacks to advance south with a death wish. The Japanese troops taking the sea route were blocked at the beachhead positions. Under continuous air raids and the continuous fire of automatic weapons equipped by the Chinese infantry, the Japanese charge turned into a suicide mission. After struggling for seven days at the beachhead positions in southern Taiwan, the Japanese army was forced to withdraw from combat. Of the more than 20,000 men who landed, less than 4,000 returned.

The Japanese troops taking the land route were even more miserable. Two divisions, 40,000 men, advanced south and were skillfully surrounded by the Chinese using the terrain. Of the 40,000 men, less than 15,000 returned. It was equivalent to losing half their troops.

The 60,000 men remaining in Taipei didn't have it easy either. On July 17th, the Chinese carried out a large-scale air raid on the areas occupied by the Japanese army. It was said that the Chinese used a type of heavy aircraft, each installed with 12 machine guns, to strafe the Japanese Army stations. In addition, China also used a large amount of incendiary bombs, burning the Japanese army stations into a sea of fire. The Japanese Army remaining in Taipei was caught off guard and also lost nearly 10,000 men.

Suffering such losses, the Japanese headquarters in Taiwan was also frantic with worry and officially proposed a request for total withdrawal for the first time.

The old fogeys in the Army Ministry were also driven mad. They held continuous meetings to discuss countermeasures. Finally, they actually came up with an idea to dispatch 300,000 army troops to Taiwan.

The Navy Ministry had no opportunity to mock the Army at all. The Combined Fleet had lost three Kongō-class ships; this was already a complete loss of face. In striking at China's transport lines crossing the Taiwan Strait, the Navy had suffered heavy losses. The great bombing of Taipei and other places by China had destroyed the Japanese fuel depots in Taiwan. meanwhile, the Chinese submarine force constantly struck at Japan's transport lines. The Japanese Navy was facing a situation of fuel shortage. If they continued to fight, either the naval warships would be unable to sortied due to lack of fuel, or they would have to withdraw to Japan to refuel before returning to Taiwan to fight. Neither outcome was what the Japanese Navy was willing to see, so while the Navy Ministry kept its mouth shut, in their hearts they also hoped to withdraw troops.

Okamura Yasuji was very clear about that little trick of the Japanese Army Ministry. They proposed dispatching 300,000 men to Taiwan not because they really intended to do so, but to force the current Prime Minister Takahashi Korekiyo to publicly veto it. Then the Army Ministry could push all the responsibility onto Takahashi Korekiyo's head. According to Kita Ikki, upon seeing the amount of pension for the tens of thousands of war dead, this old man Takahashi Korekiyo nearly passed out. This pension sum was enough to bankrupt Japan's finances.

Kita Ikki watched Okamura Yasuji and Nagata Tetsuzan silently fish out shriveled cigarette packs. He pulled out two cartons of cigarettes from under the tea table and handed them to the two men. This was part of the gifts Hei Dao Ren had brought to Kita Ikki—all white packaging, without any logos. This fully proved how meticulous Hei Dao Ren, this Garrison Military Region Political Commissar, was in his thinking.

While the three were smoking silently, another uninvited guest arrived. Obata Toshiro walked into Kita Ikki's smoke-filled living room. Since the split between the Imperial Way Faction and the Control Faction had become wider and wider, the Three Crows had also split. Obata Toshiro was of the Imperial Way Faction and had drifted apart from Nagata Tetsuzan and Okamura Yasuji of the Control Faction, instead moving closer and closer to Kita Ikki. Now, with Kita Ikki as the core, the members of the Baden-Baden Three Crows had gathered once again, which surprised all three of them.

Everyone was an adult, and more importantly, everyone was a smart person. There was no need for so much nonsense, so they went straight to the topic. Kita Ikki said: "Japan's national policy must change. Japan can no longer act as the British running dog but must unite with Asia. No matter how harsh the demands raised by China seem now, as long as Japan maintains a hostile posture towards China, China has the ability to achieve these goals through war. Take Sakhalin for example; after China finishes fighting for Taiwan, can they not take Sakhalin next? How wide is the strait between Sakhalin and China? Is it as wide as the Taiwan Strait? But the future China promises Japan is something the British cannot possibly give us. There is no need to consider which path to take anymore! Launching the Showa Restoration, overthrowing all of Japan's feudalists, restoring the correct path of the Meiji Restoration, and establishing a brand-new Japan is Japan's only way out!"

At this point, Kita Ikki revealed the dagger he had been hiding. He took out a few copies of the *Communist Manifesto* and handed them to the Baden-Baden Three Crows, beginning to recount the exposition on global changes within the *Communist Manifesto*. Japan had entered the industrial age after all; although the level of industrialization was not high, it was no longer an agricultural country. The earlier parts regarding the changes of industrialization triggering large-scale industry, globalization, and urbanization completely corresponded with Japan's current status. As for the subsequent analysis, Kita Ikki emphasized the third chapter, which was what Marx called "Reactionary Socialism," "Conservative or Bourgeois Socialism," and "Critical-Utopian Socialism and Communism." Combining the *Communist Manifesto* with Japan's status quo, Kita Ikki analyzed in detail Japan's entire situation, which was like a powder keg, as well as the common points in the demands of various stratums and parties including the Imperial Way Faction and the Control Faction. "Facing the chaotic and divided Japanese society, everyone is calling for a strong unified force to end such a painful era!"

"As long as everyone unites and stands on the standpoint of the laborers, eliminating the feudal system that draws prisons on the ground and exploits layer by layer, Japan's future will definitely take on an entirely new look! Whether it is the Emperor system or the parliamentary system, these are not the root. The root lies in who exactly is Japan's ruling class!" Kita Ikki spoke with impassioned generosity. "Gentlemen, perhaps you feel that your power and status come from the feudal system. What I want to say is, none of you gentlemen are from great noble families. With your talents, in a New Japan where laborers are the ruling class, could you not sit in the positions you hold today? If not for those noble factions who eat the bread of idleness, gentlemen should have obtained even higher status than now. Given Japan's current situation, we don't need to consider a communist system that eliminates private ownership; that is still very far away. But we can personally build a New Japan guided by science and democracy, which has eliminated the feudal system! At least a New Japan united under one political party!"

Obata Toshiro came from a minor noble background and completely supported Kita Ikki's views. On the contrary, Nagata Tetsuzan and Okamura Yasuji, who came from common backgrounds, were not so idealistic. They felt somewhat apprehensive about the future Kita Ikki described. That would be a brand-new system. Since Kita Ikki's revolutionary philosophy came from China, looking at China's model, this system indeed had its advantages. But China was a vast country; its arable land, resources, and population were far from what Japan could compare with. These two people did not believe that implementing this system would enable Japan to undergo such tremendous changes as China had. Although these two people indeed looked forward to Japan having such great changes.

Most importantly, how would China treat Japan after the revolution? If China did not truly intend to prop up a Japanese revolution but wanted to loot a burning house, then Nagata Tetsuzan and Okamura Yasuji would instantly turn from heroes saving Japan into sinners betraying Japan! This was an outcome the two would rather die than face.

Looking at the two hesitant men, Kita Ikki said loudly: "In the Manchu Qing era, the oppression of the Chinese people by the Manchu court was even worse than the oppression of the Chinese people by foreign aggressors. But after the People's Party rose up in revolution, the Chinese people not only overthrew the Manchu Qing but also drove away the foreign aggressors. Our Japan is also a country with thousands of years of history. We must have confidence in the Japanese people. Unless the New Japan you gentlemen want to build is a country that oppresses its own people more cruelly than foreigners, what do we have to fear? Are the Japanese people born traitors? If China wants to invade Japan, I, Kita Ikki, will be the first to shoulder a gun and fight the Chinese aggressors to the end!"

Perhaps Kita Ikki had hit upon the thoughts of Nagata Tetsuzan and Okamura Yasuji, or perhaps Nagata Tetsuzan and Okamura Yasuji had seen through the fact of the total collapse of Japan's current regime. In the end, the Baden-Baden Three Crows and the Japanese Anti-Feudal Alliance reached an agreement. Both sides would jointly promote the revolution. They would establish a New Japan through an armed uprising.

New Japan's policy would take allying with China as its core foreign policy. Internally, it would eliminate domestic feudal clans and implement land reform across all of Japan. It would also rebuild an industrial system with state-owned enterprises as the core.

At the same time, Japan could recognize the full autonomy of Ryukyu but resolutely opposed handing South Sakhalin over to China. Japan would hand over North Sakhalin, which it had seized from Tsarist Russia during WWI, and the Kuril Islands to China. However, China must open its market to Japan, adopt policies of economic inclination towards Japan, and ensure Japan's trade barriers. This was the maximum concession the Control Faction could make. If China could not agree, then the Control Faction could only refuse China.

China naturally could not disagree. Hei Dao Ren saw that the revolutionary situation in Japan was developing so fast; in order to promote the Japanese revolution as soon as possible and realize their ideals, the Japanese cadres of the People's Party had resolved to persuade the Central Committee no matter what.

As for Chen Ke, gaining the entire Sakhalin Island would naturally be best, but the interests of promoting a Japanese revolution were far more important than South Sakhalin. After forming a strategic alliance in the Far East, China could go south with full force. A spontaneous revolution in Japan could save China too much energy and cost. Given Japan's economic performance in the post-war era of history, Chen Ke had a certain degree of confidence in Japan. Having such a peaceful competitor would also be a great boost to China.

Therefore, Chen Ke personally made the decision to agree to the Japanese side's request.

The alliance of the Japanese Imperial Way Faction and Control Faction knew that no one could endorse this agreement between China and Japan. Fortunately, these core members were all astute, capable, meticulous, and bold fellows.

They quickly determined the direction of the rebellion: they must withdraw the troops who had suffered heavy losses in Taiwan back to Japan. The fury of these soldiers, who had suffered immense pain and were filled with feelings of being deceived and betrayed, would definitely be able to burn the old Japanese upper class to ashes! The Baden-Baden Three Crows had the greatest advantage in this regard. As trusted aides of the Showa Emperor, their influence on the Emperor was by no means comparable to that of ordinary people. Soon, these people lobbied Hirohito and began to question the unfavorable turn of events in the war.