"As long as the chaos is eliminated and Japan is ruled by His Majesty the Emperor personally, all problems can be solved!" Okawa Shumei loudly incited the young military officers and right-wing elements participating in the meeting. "Once the Emperor orders personal rule, all problems will be resolved!"

In Japan, no one dared to oppose the Emperor. After so many years of continuous blows to Japan, anyone who considered themselves a "person of insight" believed that a strong leader was needed to lead Japan out of its predicament. Okawa Shumei undoubtedly considered himself one of these people of insight. He also knew that his own ability and prestige were limited, and he could not lead Japan himself. Therefore, creating a result that Okawa Shumei hoped for, and then having the Emperor, this "living god," confirm that the status quo created by people like Okawa Shumei was the "Imperial Way Paradise" that the Emperor believed in, was the best method Okawa Shumei could come up with.

No matter how much Okawa Shumei paid lip service to the Emperor, his actions, from the perspective of so-called "Imperial rule," were undoubtedly deceiving the sovereign. Imperial rule meant that whatever the Emperor said went; whatever the likes of Okawa Shumei said counted for nothing. But Okawa Shumei seemed completely unaware of this, and the group participating in Okawa Shumei's clique seemed equally unaware of this problem.

"The failure of the assassination of Takahashi Korekiyo last time proves that a force of a dozen people is not enough to change the political situation, unless it is an organized military force," Okawa Shumei said seriously. "I heard that the First Division is going to be transferred to Sakhalin. This is a good opportunity."

The First Division was the base camp of the Imperial Way Faction, and its officers were basically all Imperial Way Faction personnel. Therefore, the Control Faction had always cared about this group of people, and they tried to eliminate the influence of the Imperial Way Faction by transferring the First Division to Sakhalin in the north. In that cold and remote place, the First Division could not play any tricks at all.

"As long as we can incite the First Division to send troops, the military strength will be sufficient," Okawa Shumei said confidently. "We must persuade the First Division!"

The First Division was indeed as emotional as Okawa Shumei thought. The officers, dominated by the Imperial Way Faction, were filled with righteous indignation, believing that the Control Faction was about to make a move against the Imperial Way Faction. However, Lieutenant Colonel Ando Teruzo, who could be counted as the most popular man in the division, remained silent throughout. All Imperial Way Faction soldiers knew that Lieutenant Colonel Ando Teruzo was extremely popular in his regiment. In the Taiwan campaign, Lieutenant Colonel Ando had managed to break through the minefield with great difficulty, saving the southbound troops from death. Those subordinates trusted Lieutenant Colonel Ando implicitly. When the Imperial Way Faction tried to persuade the soldiers of the Ando Regiment, the soldiers did not oppose the uprising, but they all said, "If Mr. Ando is willing to do it, we will follow him."

"If we don't act now, we won't have a chance once the Control Faction takes control of personnel rights!" The officers of the Imperial Way Faction all had such a consensus. Therefore, Ando's silence made the young soldiers of the Imperial Way Faction as anxious as ants on a hot pan. Without Ando's participation, the total troop strength that the Imperial Way Faction could mobilize was less than 300. If Lieutenant Colonel Ando joined, the troops that could be mobilized would be at least 3,000.

Ando was a person who valued his subordinates very much. He was very clear about the attitude of the young soldiers in the First Division. Seeing Okawa Shumei and the others jumping up and down, and the young officers becoming more and more impetuous, Lieutenant Colonel Ando Teruzo could only turn to Kita Ikki for help.

Kita Ikki gathered more than thirty core members of the Imperial Way Faction in the First Division together. He asked bluntly right off the bat, "The state is a tool of class rule! I assume you gentlemen still remember these words!"

This was the concept that Kita Ikki had been emphasizing in his propaganda within the Imperial Way Faction over these years. It wasn't that Kita Ikki didn't want to launch a revolution, but Kita Ikki himself hoped to eradicate Japan's current ruling class, including the Emperor.

"Everyone must have heard people say that the Emperor definitely does not want the common people to suffer so much, and that it is the privileged faction around him who are hiding the suffering of the citizens and the true state of the nation from him. But I ask you a question now: as officers, do you know more or less than the soldiers? The higher up one is, the more they actually know. Their so-called ignorance is because they don't want to take any responsibility." Kita Ikki actually really wanted to say that the Emperor was the biggest boss of the Japanese ruling class, and if they really wanted to rebel, it would be best to get rid of the Emperor as well. But saying this to the Imperial Way Faction was really not in line with a realistic attitude.

"Those higher-ups are unwilling to tell the truth to the Emperor. They know everything themselves, but they refuse to tell the truth to the Emperor because they simply don't want to say it," the young soldiers shouted indignantly.

Young people are very cute, because many times they are indescribably muddled. Kita Ikki looked at the faces of these young people full of loyalty and enthusiasm, and he knew he had to speak more clearly. "The Emperor hates the military's arbitrary actions. The Navy took it upon itself to launch a strategy to build a maritime encirclement of China, running wild privately! Later, people from the Army participated in several incidents of assassinating ministers. Do you know what the Emperor said after someone tried to assassinate Takahashi Korekiyo the year before last and killed Inukai Tsuyoshi? The Emperor said very angrily, 'The Army is simply strangling My neck!' This is the Emperor's attitude!"

After Takahashi Korekiyo escaped the assassination last time, he had told Kita Ikki about the Emperor's reaction to the assassination incident. Kita Ikki had not spread these words, but at this point, he could not help but tell the truth. Otherwise, God knows what stupid things this group of hot-blooded youths before him would do. "As the head of state, what the Emperor needs is the stability and order of the country. If you make a direct disturbance like this, do you really think you can get the Emperor's commendation? Don't listen to what some people are talking nonsense to you about someone hoodwinking the Emperor. Let's talk about the matter on its merits. If you start a great killing spree now, will Japan be decided by the Emperor, or by you? Are you preparing to establish a Shogunate?!"

Back then, the Meiji Restoration was launched under the banner of "Overthrow the Shogunate, Return Power to the Emperor." In 1936, the Shogunate was not a good image. Criticized so thoroughly by Kita Ikki, the radical Imperial Way Faction members fell silent for the time being.

Among these young officers, some had been in contact with Kita Ikki for a relatively long time. For example, Takahashi Taro, although not a core figure in Kita Ikki's organization, had listened to Kita Ikki's lessons for a long time. He finally broke the silence and asked, "Mr. Kita, are you trying to say that everything in Japan now is permitted by the Emperor?"

Kita Ikki said impassionedly, "Whether the Emperor permits it or not, I have not had an audience with the Emperor, nor have I discussed this matter with him. So I don't know. However, if the Emperor were to point out who is a national traitor now and ask the people to rise up and get rid of someone, do you think that person could live to the second day? If the Emperor gave such an order, I would personally go with everyone to get rid of that national traitor! But after so many years, has there been such an order? The national traitors everyone talks about are the national traitors everyone *thinks* are national traitors. Since everyone hasn't seen the Emperor, how does everyone know what the Emperor is actually thinking? I have said many times that we must seek truth from facts. You all admit that what I say is right, so how come when it comes to doing specific things, you completely forget it?"

"Then... then we want to see His Majesty the Emperor!" Takahashi Taro shouted loudly.

The surrounding young officers never expected Takahashi Taro to shout this sentence. In the deathly silence, every soldier felt their heart beating much faster. If they could personally point out the country's problems to the Emperor and receive the Emperor's approval...

"Right! We want to see His Majesty the Emperor! As long as we see His Majesty the Emperor and tell him the real situation, His Majesty will definitely be able to judge good and evil clearly and clarify the universe!"

"That's right! It's those people who prevent us from seeing His Majesty the Emperor, preventing His Majesty the Emperor from knowing the suffering of the people!"

"We want to see His Majesty the Emperor!"

...

The chaotic narration quickly turned into a consensus: as long as they saw His Majesty the Emperor, all problems would definitely be solved.

Kita Ikki didn't believe this at all in his heart, but as a Japanese person, the thought of being able to see the Emperor was exciting just thinking about it. Since the attitude of these young soldiers had been unified, Kita Ikki didn't want to say anything more. He said loudly, "Gentlemen, the Emperor is the Emperor of the Japanese common people, and should not be an Emperor monopolized and hoodwinked by those powerful and noble people. Since everyone thinks that the Emperor is currently isolated from the outside world by those people, then we common people must break through this isolation so that the common people can see the Emperor!"

"Correct! The Emperor is the Emperor of all our Japanese common people, not the Emperor of a small group of people! We want to see the Emperor!" Many young officers shouted at the top of their lungs.

Kita Ikki first quieted these young people down temporarily. He said loudly, "Gentlemen, those high officials and dignitaries will definitely not let us see the Emperor. If we just go simply, we will only be arrested by those people. We must contact comrades in various places and go together to demand to see the Emperor. Without sufficient support, it will absolutely be impossible to be effective! Please listen to my arrangements and work hard to accomplish this matter!"

Looking at the young military men who were excited because they saw a "feasible path," Kita Ikki shouted in a soaring voice, "We must unite the Japanese common people and take back the Japanese common people's Emperor!"

This meeting seemed to be highly effective. The young soldiers of the First Division clarified their thoughts and unified their opinions. After the meeting had gone on for several hours, almost all the participants left in high spirits.

Lieutenant Colonel Ando Teruzo was not that excited. When he was alone with Kita Ikki, Lieutenant Colonel Ando asked, "Mr. Kita, is this really useful?"

Kita Ikki was not so worried. He said calmly, "If we can unite the Japanese people and overthrow the existing system, then it is useful. As for whether it will be an Emperor dictatorship or a People's Soviet system in the future, what Japan lacks now is the manifestation of the people's power. In the struggle between the Japanese people and the power holders, the Japanese people have never succeeded once. Even if the Emperor himself is completely unreliable, it doesn't matter. As long as the people can rise up and defeat the current rulers, and finally realize the political goals expected by the people, this is true success, true victory."

*Even if the Emperor himself is completely unreliable, it doesn't matter...* Hearing such straightforward words from Kita Ikki, Lieutenant Colonel Ando Teruzo didn't even know what kind of mood to use to respond to this huge shock. Kita Ikki shouted "The Emperor of all Japanese common people," looking sincere and earnest, but in the blink of an eye, it became "Even if the Emperor himself is completely unreliable, it doesn't matter." The contrast between the two was really impossible to accept easily.

Looking at Lieutenant Colonel Ando Teruzo's expression, Kita Ikki smiled, "Ando, if this revolution can succeed, I would suggest you go to China to have a look. The Chinese revolutionaries have already walked at the forefront of the times! They have already begun to try to build a truly scientific and democratic new world. They believe that history is written by the people. Without those emperors, generals, ministers, and high officials, the people can still live well; however, without the people, those so-called upper classes are nothing! Japan is too far behind that country."