"Before the battle, gentlemen, you all know what kind of New Japan we are going to build! Our enemies are the traitors of Japan. These traitors are Japanese, they are like us, hoping for a better life, hoping to live with more wealth and dignity. However, the wealth of those enemies is bought at the cost of the painful lives of ten or even a hundred times as many Japanese people! This era is sick, and the hearts of the people in this era are also sick! We rise up today not for our own personal fame or gain, not for our own personal glory and wealth, but for a more equal and happy life for all Japanese people, including our own parents and relatives!"

Just one hour before Lieutenant Nakahashi Motoaki stormed the Military Affairs Bureau, Lieutenant Colonel Ando Teruzo was giving the final mobilization speech to the two regiments of the First Division and the Ninth Division. Banners reading "Revere the Emperor, Destroy the Traitors" and "Showa Restoration" flapped loudly in the spring wind that still carried a sense of purpose.

Lieutenant Colonel Ando Teruzo faced the more than five thousand soldiers willing to participate in the coup and shouted loudly, "If you gentlemen believe that according to Japan's current direction, Japan will have a bright future, you may leave the ranks now. We will not stop you. If you gentlemen feel that the powerful are invincible and the Restoration cannot succeed, you may also leave the ranks now. We will not stop you. If there are comrades who feel that today's Japan will perish without a Restoration, who feel that they bear the mission of saving Japan, then please move forward with us! The purpose of our joint uprising is to build a New Japan where laborers have food, clothing, and dignity! No other words are needed at this time! We depart in ten minutes. Those who do not wish to march, please withdraw on your own!"

There was silence in the ranks of thousands. The vast majority of officers and soldiers were very clear about what they were participating in. Likewise, the vast majority of officers and soldiers were actually not very clear about where this mutiny would lead Japan. Painful lives had accumulated anger, sorrow, and unwillingness in their chests, but when it really came to their turn to pick up weapons and rebel against the government that created Japan's painful status quo, everyone felt fear.

Just then, someone started singing, "In the Miluo Abyss the waves surge, beside Mount Wu the chaotic clouds fly; In this dim and turbid world I stand alone, righteous indignation burns and hot blood surges. The powerful only know how to boast of their lineage, truly there is a lack of people who worry about the country; The mighty clans only know how to brag of their accumulated wealth, when have their hearts ever thought of the state!"

This was the "Song of the Showa Restoration," the battle song of the Imperial Way Faction. Reflection after the fact is for after the pain has settled; when experiencing unbearable pain, what is needed is not sighing, but rising up in resistance.

"Order and chaos, rise and fall, are like a dream; worldly affairs are truly like a game of chess; Under the spring sky of the Showa Restoration, men unite for justice! Within our chests we have a million soldiers, dying and scattering like ten thousand cherry blossoms; Stepping over the rotten corpses, this body floats like a drifting cloud. Worrying for the country, we stand up and move forward; men sing aloud starting from now!"

Those hardcore members of the Imperial Way Faction began to sing along with solemn expressions. Some soldiers were pale and even started to tremble. Finally, someone stepped out of the formation, respectfully put down their rifle, or unbuckled the pistol from their waist and placed it in front of the formation, then lowered their head and trotted away from the team. Led by them, many officers and soldiers who did not have the courage to participate in the mutiny chose to withdraw one after another.

However, those officers and soldiers who were determined to participate in the mutiny turned a blind eye, allowing the wavering ones around them to leave one by one.

"The azure heaven rages and the earth shakes, rumbling and thundering with an extraordinary sound; The eternal sleepers cannot sleep, Japan awakens this very morning; Behold the clouds drooping over the fields of the nine heavens, hear the waves crashing in the four seas; The opportunity for reform has arrived, a storm rises in the night to sweep across Japan; A desolate person between heaven and earth, lost and knowing not where to go."

The singing did not stop. Everyone in this mutiny force was issued a white headband with the four characters "Revere the Emperor, Destroy the Traitors" written on it. The officers and soldiers who stayed behind tied the white cloth strips to their military caps one after another. This was the way for the soldiers to distinguish friend from foe.

Seeing that the withdrawing officers and soldiers were mostly gone, Ando Teruzo tied the white cloth to his own military cap and then shouted loudly: "That is all! Depart! The enemy is in Nagatacho, in the Imperial Palace, right beside the Emperor!"

The Japanese army was trained quite strictly. When the formation moved out, the empty spaces in the middle were quickly filled up automatically. Some officers and soldiers did not take a step; they did not have the courage to leave, nor did they have the courage to continue forward. The mutiny troops did not make things difficult for them, nor did they force them into the ranks. The crowd simply marched towards the Tokyo urban area. Leaving those people behind them, amidst the sound of military songs, the team marched resolutely towards their destination. The sparse soldiers on the square heard the singing left behind by the marching column.

"Those who once boasted of glory in this mortal world, whose tall buildings can still be seen? Fame is but a trace in a dream, only absolute sincerity never fades. In life we but feel the passing of spirit, who can judge success or failure again; After singing the song of Li Sao aloud, the tragic song of generosity ends today. We have sharp swords at our waists, clearing the seas within as pools of blood surge!"

How could the defense forces of Tokyo have imagined that an army would launch an organized mutiny in broad daylight? As soon as the troops entered the Tokyo urban area, they immediately split up and began to assault according to the original plan. At this time, the vanguard had already received the news: the rebellious officers and soldiers of the Imperial Guard Division had already conquered the Military Affairs Bureau and killed Nagata Tetsuzan, the ringleader of the Control Faction. The troops began to advance rapidly, lunging straight for the Emperor's Imperial Palace.

The populace did not expect so many soldiers to suddenly appear in broad daylight, and many began to watch. However, after gunshots began to ring out in Tokyo, the populace was first surprised, and the smarter ones started running back. Tokyo was so big that the mutiny troops had no power to blockade it completely; they could only quickly arrive and blockade Nagatacho. And send troops to arrest people at several key departments.

The troops guarding the Imperial Palace opposite had just received news of the shooting in Tokyo when they saw a large group of troops arriving at the Imperial Palace. On the outermost perimeter, there was a mixed force of military police preventing people from petitioning in Tokyo. The soldiers and police who came forward to inquire were immediately subdued, and that group of soldiers outside immediately surrounded the Imperial Palace. The troops guarding the Imperial Palace realized that something was wrong, and they immediately made defensive preparations.

Guarding the Imperial Palace were the elites of the Imperial Guard Division, but "elite" was just a saying. Ando Teruzo did not think these people could beat regular troops who had truly experienced bloody battlefields. In the temporary command post, Colonel Atobe admired Ando Teruzo's determination very much, "Is attacking the Imperial Palace feasible?"

"As long as we cannot support the Emperor, we can only be considered a group of rebels. Only if the Emperor speaks personally can we be considered to have a legal status, at least a legal status in the short term." Lieutenant Colonel Ando Teruzo answered. Most of his subordinates had thrown themselves into the battle out of loyalty to Ando Teruzo personally. Even if only to prevent these subordinates from falling into the position of traitors, Ando Teruzo could not have any hesitation.

"Report! The artillery unit has arrived!" A messenger rushed in and shouted loudly. Because the First Division had mobilized rather urgently, the artillery unit had not had time to make deployment arrangements for the time being. Now the artillery unit had brought light artillery and rushed over to join Ando Teruzo's main force.

Lieutenant Colonel Ando Teruzo hurriedly rushed out. Sure enough, the artillery unit, sweating profusely, had arrived in front of the Imperial Palace carrying mortars and dragging light field guns. On one hand, the number of people participating in the mutiny with the artillery unit was relatively small, so they could only transport the artillery to the front of the Imperial Palace. Second Lieutenant Nakajima Kanji of the Artillery School led the students of the Artillery School to integrate with the artillerymen, temporarily acting as the artillery unit.

Looking at those panicked defenders in front of the Imperial Palace, Lieutenant Colonel Ando Teruzo ordered loudly: "Commence shelling!"

The last time a battle involving cannons unfolded near the Imperial Palace was a matter of the Meiji Restoration era. Ando Teruzo did not have any sense of vicissitudes tracing back history in his heart; he was fighting for reality. Kita Ikki had analyzed it clearly long ago: the Emperor could not possibly support any actions of the Imperial Way Faction. The Showa warlords were a small clique of people like Nagata Tetsuzan who had surrounded Hirohito when he was still in the Crown Prince's residence. In Hirohito's view, the young soldiers from the populace were enemies incited by the old men of the Choshu Domain, attempting to control court politics. If this mutiny could not completely control Hirohito in their hands, as long as Hirohito spoke publicly saying that the mutineers were a chaotic party, then everyone participating in the mutiny would immediately fall into the status of national traitors.

Only after grasping Hirohito's life and death could the Showa Restoration possibly be pushed forward. Let alone shelling the Imperial Palace, even burning down the Imperial Palace was not any problem for Ando Teruzo.

Ando Teruzo's decision was subtly misinterpreted in the eyes of these soldiers following him in the uprising. They thought Mr. Ando had a well-thought-out plan. The battles so far had been completely within the plan, so the action of attacking the Imperial Palace and "rescuing the Emperor" presumably would not have any problems either.

Receiving the order to shell, Second Lieutenant Nakajima Kanji, who had already thrown off his military overcoat, now rolled up his sleeves and began to load shells. After simply measuring the distance, Second Lieutenant Nakajima Kanji fired the first shot with his own hands. The shell whistled out, heading straight for the bunker in front of the palace gate. As if divinely aided, the shell intended as a test shot directly hit the bunker, blowing the soldiers and machine guns inside into the sky.

The first shot was such a success that the artillery unit cheered. Other gun positions fired one after another, and the whistling shells plowed through the defensive position in front of the palace gate in a moment.

Seeing the firepower of the defending troops weakened, Captain Kono Hisashi led the team to charge towards the palace gate carrying a rifle. Because of repeated defeats in battles with China, the Japanese army attached great importance to learning the tactics of the Chinese Army. The Chinese army had already switched to automatic rifles, and armored forces were also being built rapidly. The Japanese army, firstly, was unclear about this, and secondly, simply did not have the industrial power to imitate it. In the Class A divisions, the troops fully imitated China's combat mode in the bolt-action rifle era. Bayonets, grenades, three-man combat teams, light machine guns, and mortars accompanying the attack.

The cost of such reorganization was huge. It was not just the materials needed for equipment; this combat mode required more well-trained squad and platoon-level commanders, especially excellent "sergeants." This was taking the old life of the Japanese army. Japan's military system was different from China's. The Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army implemented a policy of equality between officers and soldiers, and various combat summary meetings had to be held. After large numbers of specific problems were discussed through military democracy, collective wisdom was gathered, and there were many solutions. From these solutions, screening and gathering collective wisdom, finally, the infantry combat mode could be summarized.

Japan's strict hierarchical system encountered great problems in trying to engage in this kind of infantry combat mode. First of all, the class antagonism within the army led to the low status of soldiers. No matter how excellent a soldier was, it was impossible to get real respect. Soldiers did not get respect and had no opportunities for promotion. It was unrealistic to let the troops master a large number of military skills through forced training. No matter how well trained, one was just a cannon fodder grunt; grassroots soldiers simply did not have such enthusiasm.

Lieutenant Colonel Ando Teruzo had already tried his best to downplay the traditional oppression in the Japanese army within his own regiment. But no matter how hard Lieutenant Colonel Ando tried, the nature of the Japanese army did not change, and he could not approach the level of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army no matter what. Even so, Lieutenant Colonel Ando's subordinates were already willing to die for their commander, not caring even if they rebelled with Lieutenant Colonel Ando. Lieutenant Colonel Ando's regiment could be considered to have initially mastered certain combat methods of the Chinese army.

The enemies Ando Teruzo faced were still of the traditional Japanese model. This bunch of troops guarding the palace gate could not adapt to the new combat mode at all. they were still adopting the earlier Japanese army combat mode. Plus, the guard troops had the function of an honor guard in addition to fighting, so it was even less possible to promote and popularize the new combat methods. After being shelled, these guards guarding the palace gate immediately began to resist the attacks composed of countless three-man attack teams in squad units. As soon as the two sides exchanged fire, the guard troops immediately suffered a loss. A squad of the Imperial Palace guards fired in one direction, while a squad of the other side attacked from three directions. Even if the shooting level of both sides was comparable, the firepower utilization rate was worlds apart. After a moment of fighting, the troops at the very front had already reached the distance where they could engage the enemy with grenades. A volley of grenades was thrown into the Imperial Palace guards' positions, immediately disrupting the defensive system of several positions.

Seeing that the various positions on the front line quickly fell into chaos, the firepower points originally serving as the second line had to join the battle at this time, although they shot down some attacking soldiers. After the firepower points were exposed, Second Lieutenant Nakajima Kanji immediately ordered the artillery to fire violently at these firepower points.

The battle only lasted less than half an hour, and the mutiny soldiers killed their way to the bottom of the palace gate. While clearing out the remaining enemies, they used the original positions of the Imperial Palace guards to shoot at the troops on the Imperial Palace walls.

"Release smoke screens!" Lieutenant Colonel Ando Teruzo ordered. The dozen or so smoke grenades prepared long ago quickly began to spew thick yellow smoke. The Imperial Palace guards on the wall thought the mutineers were actually frenzied enough to carry out a poison gas attack. They first screamed and shouted, then hurriedly covered their mouths and noses tightly.

The engineer units responsible for blowing up the gate ran towards it under the cover of smoke, holding door planks covered with thin steel plates and sandbags. In the smoke, nothing could be seen clearly in Lieutenant Colonel Ando Teruzo's binoculars. In less than ten minutes, the front finally sent a signal to the rear, and the mutiny troops immediately took cover.

A moment later, with an earth-shattering loud noise, a huge shock wave made the vicinity of the Imperial Palace shake for a while, as if an earthquake had occurred. The air wave generated by the huge explosion instantly blew away the smoke, and the smoke from the explosion and the raised dust shrouded the explosion point like fog for the time being. After this huge explosion sound, the sound of guns and cannons paused temporarily. The defenders did not expect the attacking troops to dare to launch such a fierce attack on the Imperial Palace. To put it more bluntly, they did not expect this bunch of mutineers to be "playing for real." Since the Meiji Restoration, no one in Japan dared to openly challenge the authority of the Emperor. Engaging in power struggles was one thing, but such a ferocious attack was another matter entirely. Did the people outside really intend to come and kill the Emperor? The Imperial Palace guard troops were stunned.

The attacking troops seized the time to adjust their deployment, preparing for the next attack.

When the smoke cleared halfway, the palace gate was seen to still be standing upright under the explosion, but a section of the old-style city wall beside the archway had been blown down, and a 45-degree slope appeared on the towering city wall. Without needing to deliberately issue orders, Lieutenant Colonel Ando's subordinates had already reacted immediately. Light and heavy machine guns suppressed the formation, and infantrymen rushed there in groups of three. Treading on bricks and rubble, they began to try climbing up the city wall.

The defenders on the city wall began to implement fire suppression on this gap. Machine gunners directly shot and killed enemies who leaned out. Mortars and grenadiers implemented suppression on enemy firepower points hiding out of sight. Just as Lieutenant Colonel Ando had judged, after paying the price of more than twenty casualties, the vanguard troops finally climbed onto the city wall and established a defensive position. With cover, follow-up troops began to quickly storm the top of the wall. The road leading to the interior of the Imperial Palace was finally opened.

The troops guarding the Imperial Palace could not be said to be unskillful in battle, but after the organizational mode of war changed, personal bravery was simply insufficient to influence the progress of the war. Or rather, the new mode of war required everyone involved in the war to be even more brave and steadfast. Only a more advanced organizational mode could achieve this.

After the battle had been going on for an hour, the attacking troops had solved the defenders on the city wall. The outer palace gate was also opened, and the mutiny troops shouted as they rushed into the outer perimeter of the Imperial Palace, tightly surrounding the Imperial Palace.

Colonel Atobe finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had enough confidence in Lieutenant Colonel Ando, the Japanese Army had never had experience attacking the Imperial Palace. He was worried that they would not be able to conquer it for a long time, and equally worried that the attacking troops would have no restraint, allowing the flames of war to expand without limit. Controlling the Imperial Palace and controlling the Emperor was the purpose of this battle. If the Emperor was accidentally killed during the attack, even if the Imperial Palace was washed with blood in this battle, it would not change the fate of defeat.

Fighting was not only taking place at the Imperial Palace; the key units of the entire Tokyo were targets to be solved by the mutiny troops. The Imperial Way Faction actually knew some circumstances of this mutiny beforehand. After the First Division was transferred away, the Imperial Way Faction in the high levels knew that things were already wrong. Nagata Tetsuzan and others who occupied the advantage would not stop there. So when the lower-ranking officers of the Imperial Way Faction came to visit, the high-ranking generals of the Imperial Way Faction all said some ambiguous words, the gist being "No matter what you do, we don't know anything."

These words were a sentence rich in meaning in Japanese official circles; depending on the situation, they could express support, opposition, threats, or compromise. Since the Control Faction could not possibly let the Imperial Way Faction off, even if the Imperial Way Faction high officials were powerless to resist, they had no reason to inform the Control Faction of the mutiny. Not only that, but these high officials also took leave or feigned illness. In the mutiny that was extremely likely to break out in the future, if they were implicated for no reason, that would be the most foolish thing.

So when the mutineering soldiers rushed into the Army Ministry and the Navy Ministry, there were no Imperial Way Faction soldiers inside. General Watanabe Jotaro, the Inspector General of Military Education who was a thorn in the side of the Imperial Way Faction, picked up a pistol and began to return fire. As a result, this old general, who had "distinguished Masaki Jinzaburo's hidden coup plan and harbored evil intentions" at the Army conference, was turned into a sieve by a barrage of random gunfire.

The naval hero of the Russo-Japanese War, Grand Chamberlain to the Emperor Suzuki Kantaro, was a representative of those colluding with Britain and the United States. When attacking the Grand Chamberlain's official residence, they encountered strong resistance from the guards at the gate, and only rushed in after 5 minutes of exchanging fire. After the mutiny troops rushed in, Suzuki calmly asked everyone to be quiet and asked: "There must be a reason for you doing this. Tell me what the reason is."

Captain Isobe Asaichi, who led the team, immediately told Suzuki, "In the future, the Emperor will no longer be the Emperor of you high officials and dignitaries, but the Emperor of the Japanese people!"

After talking for ten minutes, the standpoints of the two sides were too different, and they could no longer continue the discussion. Suzuki said calmly: "Then you shoot."

"No, we have no idea of killing captives. You are already our captive now," Captain Isobe Asaichi answered. The mutiny troops actually did not care about Suzuki's life or death. Suzuki Kantaro's wife, Takako, was a famous contemporary educator and also the nanny of the Showa Emperor; she was a figure the Emperor regarded as closer than his own biological mother. If the Emperor was captured, she was still needed to communicate with the Emperor.

Aside from this, most of the dignitaries, including Saionji Kinmochi and Takahashi Korekiyo, were arrested. The commander of the Imperial Guard Division was killed because he resisted the mutiny.

By noon, the battle was basically over. The Navy Ministry, Army Ministry, General Staff Headquarters, and Metropolitan Police Department had all been temporarily suppressed. After Lieutenant Colonel Ando Teruzo determined that there was temporarily no military force in Tokyo capable of stopping the mutiny, he stared at the guards of the inner city of the Imperial Palace and ordered people to go forward to persuade them to surrender.