In March 1936, the day for the First Division's departure finally arrived. These soldiers boarded the train in low spirits. After the train's whistle blew, the train loaded with soldiers began to head north. When Okamura Yasuji learned that the First Division had finally set off, he had mixed feelings of joy and worry.

If the First Division had caused trouble in Tokyo, or even assassinated ministers, it would have effectively promoted the changes in Japan that the Control Faction expected. However, Kita Ikki effectively prevented the officers of the First Division from acting recklessly. Many of those most radical officers had participated in the petition outside the Imperial Palace to see the Emperor, and many had been arrested. From the perspective of personnel losses alone, the loss of grassroots personnel for the Imperial Way Faction was not small. The superiors of the First Division were severely reprimanded for the "reckless behavior" of their subordinates. On the surface, the Imperial Way Faction had suffered a heavy blow. In the country of Japan, no one would show mercy when it was time to beat a drowning dog. The leaders of the Imperial Way Faction were severely reprimanded, and the Imperial Way Faction soldiers were confined, dismissed, or demoted without any politeness.

Okamura Yasuji felt that on the surface, the Control Faction had achieved great success. However, what also made Okamura Yasuji uneasy was that the Control Faction had actually accepted this. After suffering what could be described as unfair treatment, the Control Faction did not continue to make trouble, but fell silent as if accepting the facts. This was abnormal.

But even if this matter was abnormal, Okamura Yasuji could only temporarily accept such a result. The shooting of petitioners in the February 26 Incident had a significant impact on the Army, to an extent beyond Nagata Tetsuzan's imagination. When formulating the plan for Japan's national "control," the Control Faction needed political and economic knowledge outside of the military. Therefore, the Control Faction staff had sought help from bureaucrats, the financial world, and scholars, and gradually established close contact with the upper echelons of the political and financial worlds.

The bloody suppression of February 26 shocked the bureaucrats, the financial world, and the academic world. Using "someone tried to plot against the Emperor" could not fool these upper echelons. The brutality and tyranny of the military made these people very alert. Originally, there was a group of people in the bureaucracy, the financial world, and the academic world who did not agree with the Control Faction taking power. Now they demanded that the Control Faction explain the bloody incident.

The Control Faction triumphantly struck at the Imperial Way Faction, fulfilling their wish, but inadvertently allowed the Imperial Way Faction to extricate themselves from the matter. No one suspected what the Imperial Way Faction had done in it, and the Imperial Way Faction had really not done anything. The Imperial Guards Division, which guarded the Imperial Palace and was already controlled by the Control Faction, was under tremendous pressure. Remarks that they had mishandled the situation were everywhere. Even the public, who originally supported the military, felt great disgust at the Army's performance in this matter.

So calculated in detail, it is hard to say whether the Imperial Way Faction suffered or gained in this incident. Overall, the Control Faction temporarily had no way to continue striking at the Imperial Way Faction. They could only watch the Imperial Way Faction head to Sakhalin in disgrace. This was already very harsh treatment. After all, the First Division had not been transferred out of Tokyo for 30 years, let alone thrown directly to Sakhalin. If the Control Faction attacked the Imperial Way Faction too ruthlessly, it would inevitably make other forces that needed to be temporarily appeased feel uneasy.

Sometimes things are just this troublesome. Since such a ruthless hand had already been laid on the First Division, theoretically, the First Division's ability to resist must be completely resolved. But out of the strategy of external appeasement, and because the First Division had consistently not shown any resistance, even if they knew things were not right, the Control Faction could only temporarily stop at the benefits already obtained.

So Okamura Yasuji was very happy that the First Division left Tokyo smoothly. Kita Ikki was not a soldier. If Kita Ikki could also be sent to Sakhalin together, Okamura Yasuji would be even happier.

Of course, for the Control Faction, the enemy was not just the Imperial Way Faction. The current Prime Minister, Takahashi Korekiyo, was a guy who had to be resolved no matter what. Takahashi Korekiyo's greatest "crime" was that he had never succumbed to the Japanese military. More accurately, the government personnel led by Takahashi Korekiyo used political means to play the military personnel like a fiddle. So in any case, the eighty-something Takahashi Korekiyo must step down after his term as Prime Minister expires.

The Control Faction made great efforts. They believed that in the next round of local elections, the Control Faction would be able to get a majority of local councilors. With the advantage in the local areas, and then seizing the majority of seats in the Diet, Japan could smoothly fall into the hands of the Control Faction. Even if no one carried out "Heaven's punishment on national traitors," Takahashi Korekiyo and the Seiyukai he led must step down.

Compared with Okamura Yasuji, who needed to consider many aspects and design in many places, Ando Teruzo only had to consider the execution of one thing. The First Division went north, and the Ninth Division from the Kanazawa area replaced the First Division. There were a large number of soldiers from the Aomori region in the Ninth Division, and Ando Teruzo had many acquaintances in Aomori. Even before the troops set off, Ando Teruzo had already contacted people in the Ninth Division.

The representatives of the Imperial Way Faction within the Ninth Division quickly sent people to contact Ando Teruzo. At the first stop after the train Ando Teruzo was on left Tokyo Station and went north, a soldier who did not belong to the First Division sneaked onto the train. The liaison officer from the Ninth Division was a lieutenant. Upon seeing Lieutenant Colonel Ando Teruzo, the lieutenant immediately saluted. The two went to a sleeping car specially prepared for officers before they began to talk.

"What the comrades of the Ninth Division want to know most is what happened in Tokyo!" the lieutenant asked in a low voice.

Ando Teruzo introduced the specific events that happened in Tokyo. Hearing that a large number of soldiers and civilians tried to see the Emperor, the liaison lieutenant was agitated. These young people who saw the darkness of society needed someone to point out the way to solve the problem and hoped to get strong help. His Majesty the Emperor, or His Majesty the Emperor in the imagination of these young soldiers, was undoubtedly the best person in Japan.

"Then what does Mr. Ando plan to do?" the lieutenant asked urgently.

"I must lead everyone to see His Majesty the Emperor!" Ando Teruzo's voice was not loud, but it was filled with a determination never to retreat.

Seeing such a firm attitude, the representative of the Ninth Division felt an inexplicable excitement. Being able to tell the Emperor explicitly about the true appearance of Japan would definitely be a deed of boundless merit. The lieutenant nodded hard, "Mr. Ando, we will definitely help you!"

The First Division had already left Tokyo. How could the First Division return to Tokyo? It was absolutely impossible without the cooperation of the middle and upper levels of the Ninth Division. Colonel Atobe, the regiment commander leading the Ninth Division's southward troops, was Ando Teruzo's old superior. After the intense work of the liaison personnel, the two finally met at the train station.

Lieutenant Colonel Ando got straight to the point and said to Colonel Atobe: "May I ask if Senior knows about the Mitsui and Mitsubishi Zaibatsu Repayment Society?"

Colonel Atobe's expression changed slightly. In 1933, after Dan Takuma died, Ikeda Seihin, the managing director who held the real power of Mitsui, invested 30 million yen to establish the Mitsui Repayment Society in the name of supporting social welfare undertakings. Mitsubishi donated 17.63 million yen to "society" in the four years from 1931 to 1935. This was something that most of the middle and upper levels of the Army had heard of, but he didn't know what Lieutenant Colonel Ando meant by specifically mentioning this matter.

Lieutenant Colonel Ando explained with a solemn expression: "The Imperial Way Faction represents the power of the grassroots people, the soldiers, and the people around the soldiers. Mr. Kita Ikki represents the power of the people. The military has already combined with monopoly capital. Plus, new bureaucrats and other supporters of the military in the ruling class are constantly appearing. The Control Faction has completely transformed into a political movement representing the interests of the ruling class."

Colonel Atobe's expression finally wavered. He stared closely at his junior and subordinate. The age difference between the two was fifteen or sixteen years, yet their ranks differed by only one level. Lieutenant Colonel Ando Teruzo did not have any special background and could not have met with the favor of any big shots. To achieve his current status could only mean that Lieutenant Colonel Ando's status was earned through bloody battles.

"You are still alarmist in saying this," Colonel Atobe finally spoke.

Lieutenant Colonel Ando continued: "If it is alarmist, why did the military's Control Faction order fire on the petitioning common people? Our First Division has a pretty good relationship with the Imperial Guards Division. My friend in the Imperial Guards Division told me that the Imperial Guards Division itself did not want to do this, but the unit led by the Control Faction officers was on duty, and such a slaughter of common people occurred."

Colonel Atobe snorted. Of the two divisions in Tokyo, one was the First Division, and the other was naturally the Imperial Guards Division. Although the origin of the Imperial Guards Division was generally stronger than that of the First Division, Japan was only so big. There were also plenty of people of ordinary origin in the Imperial Guards Division. Even if they retired from the Imperial Guards Division, there was no way to give these soldiers a chance to improve their status. So there were also many officers and soldiers in the Imperial Guards Division who supported the Imperial Way Faction.

"Then what use is that? Does Ando-kun still believe that His Majesty the Emperor stands with the common people?" Colonel Atobe asked in a mocking tone.

Lieutenant Colonel Ando replied: "The Emperor originally did not stand on the side of the common people. We know, but the common people do not know."

"What if the common people knew? It would only make them more disappointed," Colonel Atobe said.

Lieutenant Colonel Ando continued to answer: "No! The truth will not hurt anyone! What hurts the common people are those who believe the lie that the Emperor is on the side of the common people. Once they can see the facts clearly, these people will not be deceived by lies."

Seeing Lieutenant Colonel Ando speak with such certainty, Colonel Atobe couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Not being deceived by these lies isn't of much use either. Where is there any Imperial Way Paradise on this earth..."

"There has never been an Imperial Way Paradise on this earth, but there are countries that belong to the people," Lieutenant Colonel Ando replied seriously. Because he was too serious, it almost made Colonel Atobe think that Lieutenant Colonel Ando's expression was a joke. But a moment later, Colonel Atobe understood that Lieutenant Colonel Ando was talking about China and the Soviet Union.

"These two countries, without exception, have carried out comprehensive revolutions! We Japan must also do so," Lieutenant Colonel Ando could not directly say that both of these countries had gotten rid of their emperors. China's Manchu Qing was completely destroyed; the Bannermen didn't even dare to mention their Banner registration and all changed to Han surnames to pretend to be Han people. As for the Soviet Union... Lenin ordered the Tsar's whole family to be exterminated. Compared with the revolutions in these two countries, Japan's revolution simply could not talk about any intensity.

Colonel Atobe was also a member of the Imperial Way Faction, so he was very clear about the Emperor's role in Japan. He was quite surprised that Lieutenant Colonel Ando behaved so radically. He pondered for a moment before saying: "If I don't participate in this matter, what do you plan to do, Ando?"

Lieutenant Colonel Ando was not scared by the meaning revealed in these words. He replied calmly: "If Senior does not participate, then I can only take the troops and continue to Sakhalin. I am not interested in actions without a chance of winning. If we act, we must win, otherwise, I would be letting down the trust of my subordinates."

Colonel Atobe seemed to be choked. He stared at Lieutenant Colonel Ando for a long time before answering: "Hey, hey! Ando! You are too realistic!"

"Revolution itself is the most realistic thing," Lieutenant Colonel Ando replied.

Colonel Atobe stared at Lieutenant Colonel Ando for a while longer, and finally said: "Alright, tell me exactly what happened in Tokyo recently. I haven't seen Mr. Kita for a long time. In that place in Aomori, I don't know anything anymore!"

Ando Teruzo was not pretentious and immediately talked about Kita Ikki's recent summary research results on Japan.

The economic thoughts that were most influential during the Great Depression included the debate on Japanese capitalism by Marxist scholars represented by Noro Eitaro and Inomata Tsunao; the planned economy thought advocated by Kojima Seiichi, Arisawa Hiromi, and Fujita Keizo; the folk statist economic thought represented by Kita Ikki; the institutional "revision" thought advocated by the "New Bureaucrats" represented by Kishi Nobusuke and Yoshino Shinji; the thought of strengthening economic control in the political world represented by Yamamoto Jotaro and Nakano Seigo; the "self-innovation" thought of the financial world represented by Nakajima Kumakichi and Go Seinosuke; and the military control economic thought represented by Ishiwara Kanji, etc.

Kojima Seiichi wrote in the book *Theory of Japanese Planned Economy*: "In the past two or three years, capitalism has tasted suffering and has now fallen into a state of extreme weakness. The moment has arrived when we must abandon independent relief measures and try the new medicine of planned economy... Matters having reached this point, we no longer need to discuss the validity of planned economy. The urgent task is to take a few steps forward and systematically propose specific plans for a planned economy."

Nakajima Kumakichi wrote an article in a prominent position in the *Social Policy Times*, stating: "Forgive me for speaking bluntly, in the arena of domestic and foreign competition, in order to consolidate our country's economic status in the future, we must realize the economic nationalism that has been implemented so far. That is, the 'One Industry, One System' of the state must be realized. Moreover, this kind of single corporate alliance organ must obey the annual plan formulated according to the national standpoint and act under the guidance of its production and export policies."

Ministry of Commerce and Industry official Kishi Nobusuke said when evaluating the Soviet Union's five-year economic plan: "It did receive a certain shock. That is an economic system completely different from our country's current free economy. That method of setting goals first and then striving to achieve them is a huge threat." Kishi Nobusuke believed: "In view of the fact that our country's industrial world is currently in a state of extreme anarchy, the urgent task is to thoroughly implement corporate control. In order to realize control over important industries, as a temporary emergency measure, the urgent task is to enact laws regarding general industrial control."

In short, the success of China and the Soviet Union, as well as Germany's miraculous economic construction results, made Japan feel that it must adopt a more planned overall system. This common direction of the ideological, financial, and cultural worlds, combined with the "National Total War" thought of Nagata Tetsuzan, who was known as the smartest man in the Army, was the core theory of the current "Control Faction."

"The Control Faction has completed all preparations, just lacking the excuse to let them launch their own actions. After this action of petitioning the Emperor in Tokyo was suppressed, Mr. Kita tried his best to suppress it, so the Imperial Way Faction did not move chaotically. After such an effort, the people who had begun to get tired of the turmoil saw some real hope. Everyone believes that the upper echelons of Japan are all bad people now, but the Emperor must be a good person..." Lieutenant Colonel Ando introduced the situation seriously.

"His Majesty the Emperor is a good person... Haha! Hahahaha!" Colonel Atobe couldn't help laughing loudly. Because the person in front of him was the clever Lieutenant Colonel Ando, Colonel Atobe dared to really laugh out loud. One had to know that words of great disrespect to the Emperor were a capital offense.

Lieutenant Colonel Ando did not smile; he really couldn't smile. "What we want is to mobilize the people. Even if it is such a false fantasy, as long as the Japanese people defeat the enemy with their own strength and finally achieve their own goals, this itself is success. As for finding out that the Emperor is completely different from what was imagined after seeing him, what does that matter! After possessing the power to defeat the powerful, how to fight is not a problem. The power of the powerful largely comes from the Emperor; the power of the Japanese people never comes from the Emperor!"

"Then tell me about your specific tactics!" Colonel Atobe asked.

"This... I wonder what attitude Senior has towards my ideas," Lieutenant Colonel Ando asked.

"With a stupid junior like you, I wouldn't be at ease if I didn't participate," Colonel Atobe replied.

"Then many thanks to Senior!" After Lieutenant Colonel Ando understood Colonel Atobe's meaning, he thanked him repeatedly.

While Lieutenant Colonel Ando was discussing the direction of the revolution with his revolutionary comrades, Kita Ikki in Tokyo discovered something: the number of monitors around him had suddenly increased. There were originally people monitoring Kita Ikki openly and secretly; this was an open secret. But the number of new people made Kita Ikki understand that things had reached a new turning point.

Sure enough, after the troops in front of the First Division set off, secret agents suddenly came to knock on Kita Ikki's door. After Kita Ikki opened the door, the secret agents took Kita Ikki away on the grounds of "assisting in the investigation of someone intending to be detrimental to the Emperor."

Kita Ikki originally thought that his plan had been leaked. As a result, when he heard the interrogator start to fabricate charges, wanting to link Kita Ikki with the people who went to the front of the Imperial Palace to petition a while ago, Kita Ikki almost laughed out loud. These actions were indeed organized and participated in by Kita Ikki. And Kita Ikki was really detrimental to the Emperor. However, the stupid interrogator in front of Kita Ikki, although not a single sentence was on point, not a single sentence hit Kita Ikki's weak points. Instead, this eager-for-quick-success and overly obvious move made Kita Ikki see the essence of the matter clearly.

The Control Faction was preparing to close the net completely. They not only wanted to get rid of the Imperial Way Faction within the army but also wanted to get rid of the leftist factions among the people. This made Kita Ikki unable to help but reveal a smile.