"You wish to have an audience with His Majesty the Emperor?" The captain of the Palace Guard looked suspiciously at the three men in front of him, who had white cloth strips with "Revere the Emperor, Destroy the Traitors" wrapped around their military caps.

Leading the three was a Second Lieutenant, followed by two ordinary soldiers. The Palace Guard had mobilized over thirty men, each aiming their guns at these three unarmed individuals. The three remained unmoved. The leading Second Lieutenant replied calmly, "Yes, please put down your weapons and surrender to our Restoration Army. Our goal is not to harm His Majesty, but to have an audience with him."

The Guard Captain was, after all, a Major General. If this were more than three hours ago, he wouldn't have even glanced at a mere Second Lieutenant and two grunts. However, the battle launched by the unit these three belonged to over two hours ago had truly terrified this Major General. He was a man of experience; he had served in the Northeast and witnessed the terrifying combat effectiveness of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army. The battle that started over two hours ago revived the memories of terror buried deep in his heart. It wasn't just a battle of fearless death, but a battle where everyone was filled with a true offensive spirit. Every soldier coordinated tacitly, displaying superb combat skills. The Major General knew very well that even if he were given another chance, he couldn't have fought any better.

Since he couldn't win, the best option now was to stall. The Major General shouted, "You rebels! Do you not know loyalty and patriotism? How dare you threaten His Majesty! Do you realize your crime?!"

If it were another argument, perhaps these soldiers implementing the "Showa Restoration" might have paused to think. But being accused of being "rebels" had no effect on them. On the contrary, these young soldiers felt a sense of pride. To be accused by the "villains around the Emperor" was a true compliment for the "Showa Restoration" advocates.

"So, gentlemen, you are unwilling to lay down your arms for us?" the leading Second Lieutenant asked.

The Major General hadn't expected negotiations to break down in just a few words. The shame of being spoken to as an equal by a lowly Second Lieutenant turned his embarrassment into anger. He shouted, "What do you think you can do?"

The Second Lieutenant didn't take the bait. Instead, he bowed slightly in respect. "In that case, we shall take our leave."

After speaking, the three turned to leave. The Major General was furious, but the Palace Guard had lost sixty percent of its strength. The remaining forty percent was just enough to hold the Inner Palace. Compared to the high walls and deep moats of the Outer Palace, the Inner Palace had only thin walls and very limited firing points. It wouldn't be impossible for him to kill the rebel representatives now to vent his anger, but what would happen after killing them? The rebels would immediately begin their attack. The defensive force would be destined for total annihilation, and perhaps even the Emperor would not be spared.

Thinking of this, the Major General swallowed his humiliation and shouted, "Please wait!"

The Second Lieutenant and his two men stopped and turned back. "Are you gentlemen willing to accept our request?"

"No, since you have gone to such lengths, you must have words you truly wish to state to His Majesty. Why don't you write down your requests? We will have a chamberlain present your requests to His Majesty shortly. What do you think?" The Major General was quite capable of handling affairs; otherwise, he wouldn't have become the head of the Palace Guard. To be honest, the Major General was overstepping his bounds; a mere Major General could not make such decisions. But seeing these rebels poised to stop at nothing until they achieved their goal, the Major General could only use this method to stall for time.

As expected, a look of uncontrollable joy appeared on the faces of the three soldiers, and their voices became much more cheerful. "We will go back and pass on the message."

Watching the three leave calmly while being pointed at by over thirty guns, the Major General finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, another pressure weighed heavily on his heart a moment later. "How am I going to explain this to the Emperor?"

King Hirohito was currently sitting in the palace with a gloomy face. He never expected the Army to actually rise in rebellion. His grandfather, King Meiji, had managed to seize power from the Shogunate with great difficulty, becoming the Emperor with the most authority in Japan in a thousand years. But Hirohito's father, Taisho, was not up to par. The Choshu clique genro were constantly against Taisho, and they spread rumors everywhere that Taisho was mentally ill.

Actually, Hirohito knew very well that his father, Taisho, was not mentally ill at all. It was just that Taisho truly felt he was the living god of Japan, the Emperor, and should have an unshakable say in government affairs. The ideal was plump, but reality was skinny. Those Choshu elders didn't just pay lip service to Taisho; they openly defied him. Not only did they strip Taisho of his power on the grounds of "mental illness" and set up a "Crown Prince Regency," but they also placed Taisho under house arrest.

The imperial power that Meiji had struggled to regain was falling back towards the Shogunate era. These old fogies not only treated Taisho this way, but Yamagata Aritomo even blatantly interfered with Hirohito. Kuni no Miya Nagako had been internally decided as the Crown Princess, but Yamagata Aritomo, a genro figure with immense power, opposed the marriage on the grounds that Nagako's mother was colorblind, believing that Nagako's family genetics were poor.

Ever since his father Taisho was labeled "mentally unstable," Hirohito had been extremely sensitive to so-called genetic diseases. So he tried every means to fight back, clashing tit-for-tat with Yamagata Aritomo for a full year and a half before finally marrying Kuni no Miya Nagako. Yamagata Aritomo lost the struggle and had to resign.

The reason Nagata Tetsuzan and the others were able to gain Hirohito's trust was that when Nagata Tetsuzan, Okamura Yasuji, and others met Hirohito in Baden-Baden, Germany, they explicitly stated that they would protect Hirohito's ascension to the throne no matter what, and they would definitely completely eradicate the bigwigs of the Choshu domain. Both of these things were what Hirohito truly desired. Facts proved that Nagata Tetsuzan and Okamura Yasuji were indeed working hard on this task. Hirohito didn't care that his subordinates possessed the power to act. As the Emperor, he could do no wrong. And in this world, the more you do, the more mistakes you make. So Hirohito didn't care how the so-called "Control Faction" implemented their policies.

But Japan's power must come from the Emperor, not from those dignitaries who could act willfully just because they held power.

Some time ago, people petitioned in front of the palace. Hirohito had heard the phrase "the Emperor of the Japanese people." But he didn't take it to heart at all. What were the Japanese people?

When the "Emperor of the Japanese people" was labeled "mentally unstable," did the people come to overthrow the Choshu domain and help the Emperor restore his power? No!

When the Crown Prince was taking a wife and was subjected to unwarranted interference by ministers, did the people rise up in support? No!

Even when it was possible that the Crown Prince might not be able to succeed to the throne, did the people say anything verbally? No!

Relying on Hirohito's own efforts over these years, and relying on the efforts of Nagata Tetsuzan and others, Hirohito had managed to control the military with great difficulty. He was gradually controlling the political power. This was all the result of Hirohito's own efforts.

In such a situation, what need was there for the people? After Japan's universal suffrage, what kind of things were elected from among the people? A group of MPs who could be bribed by Tanaka Giichi with secret funds were elected! If the military were bastards, the opposition Minseito party at the time, composed of elected MPs, engaged in massive bribery just like Tanaka Giichi. They only failed because of insufficient funds. This was democracy?!

Compared to these, the young "Control Faction" officers who always maintained outward respect and obedience to Hirohito were more reliable.

There were rebels attacking the palace outside. Hirohito didn't know what they did or which unit they belonged to. He only knew that a group of daring desperadoes was trying to strip the Emperor of his power. Looking at their aggressive posture, they had the momentum of not stopping until they achieved their goal.

Kneeling before Hirohito were quite a few high-ranking officials. They were either imperial relatives or high ministers. With the Control Faction currently in power, these people were here to express their obedience. In the past, these guys either had their own ideas or had unclear connections with the Imperial Way Faction. At this moment, they all recognized the situation and were ready to express complete submission to Hirohito.

Although guns and cannons were roaring outside, along with violent explosions, Hirohito sat motionless with a cold face. Even if these people were afraid in their hearts, they dared not make any moves. At this moment, the commander of the Palace Guard secretly slid open the door.

"Come in," Hirohito said.

The Major General walked in trembling with fear, then described his actions in a humble voice. Hirohito stared at the Major General for a moment and said, "You did well. Then send someone to inquire about the rebels."

In the political struggles of these years, Hirohito knew very well that intimidation and anger were the most useless things. No matter what ideas those rebels outside flying the "Restoration" banner had, first stabilize them. Waiting for the loyalist troops outside to arrive and solve them was the proper course. In fact, Hirohito had already issued orders to the Army and Navy, demanding they send troops immediately to rescue him. Every minute gained was a minute better for the situation on Hirohito's side. As for what the rebels actually thought, Hirohito really wanted to know. Only by understanding the enemy's needs could he find the key points to exploit.

The Major General had prepared himself to be scolded, but he didn't expect His Majesty to be so magnanimous. He immediately withdrew as if granted a great pardon.

"Your Majesty, why not persuade those people outside to surrender?" seeing that Hirohito was not angry, Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal Yuasa Kurahei asked tentatively.

Hirohito endured for a long time, but hearing this tactless remark, his emotions finally couldn't be contained and he exploded in rage. Slapping the table, Hirohito shouted angrily, "Persuade them to surrender? I don't care who they are or what ideas they have. This kind of reckless behavior must be suppressed as soon as possible! Must be suppressed as soon as possible!"

Seeing Hirohito looking like a completely different person from a moment ago, the imperial relatives and ministers lowered their heads in fear. With this outburst, Hirohito sprang up from his chair, paced back and forth a few steps with his hands behind his back like a beast in a cage, and then sat back down. Looking down at these people in front of him, he said in a cold tone, "Gentlemen, if the rebels intend to carry their rebellious acts to the end, then I will absolutely not be captured without a fight. When the time comes, I will personally lead the Imperial Guard to fight these rebels to the death. I hope you gentlemen will fight alongside me then!"

These ministers, like gramophones with their switches flipped, bowed in unison and said, "Hai!"

Although most of them disapproved of Hirohito's idea in their hearts, or were even cursing him secretly, no one dared to say anything that would "shake military morale" at this time. The Emperor's bodyguards were eyeing the people in the room aggressively. Regardless of whether the Emperor would really go into battle, there would be no problem executing a few guys in the room who didn't understand the times.

Outside, Lieutenant Colonel Andō Teruzō naturally didn't know the changes inside the Inner Palace. Preparations for the second attack were complete. Just before Lieutenant Colonel Andō was about to issue the order, the Inner Palace gate opened a crack, and a fellow wearing a formal attendant's outfit walked out. That is to say, a man wearing court robes and a tall, slender hat on his chignon, looking somewhat like a Shinto priest from appearance.

This formal-wearing, rather nervous-looking traditional palace attendant was brought before Lieutenant Colonel Andō. The Lieutenant Colonel took the attendant into a room serving as a temporary command post. Before the attendant could say anything, Lieutenant Colonel Andō ordered him to be tied up and his mouth gagged.

Next to him was Captain Kōno Hisashi. He led two soldiers and nimbly tied the man up according to Lieutenant Colonel Andō's order, binding his mouth with a cloth strip. Only then did he ask, "Mr. Andō, why do this?"

Lieutenant Colonel Andō said steadily, "This man has brought out a secret oral message from His Majesty. His Majesty wants us to quickly storm the Inner Palace and rescue His Majesty from the hands of the national traitors."

Captain Kōno Hisashi looked at the attendant who was tied up like a sticky rice dumpling, his face full of panic and making muffled sounds, and for a moment didn't understand what was going on.

Lieutenant Colonel Andō continued, "The Emperor is in the hands of the national traitors. What can he say? Anything he says will be stopped by the traitors, so sending such a messenger already explains everything. Attack immediately!"

Captain Kōno Hisashi was an honest man. Like most of the officers and soldiers who rose up, he believed that the Emperor was hoodwinked by bad people. Thinking about Lieutenant Colonel Andō's words, the Captain felt it made a lot of sense. So leaving two soldiers to guard the attendant, the Captain walked out of the room with Lieutenant Colonel Andō. "Mr. Andō, please let me lead the charge."

"Good!" Lieutenant Colonel Andō replied decisively.

The Major General in charge of the palace defense breathed a sigh of relief after sending the attendant out. At least the negotiations would take some time. The Major General had specifically instructed the attendant repeatedly to "stall," to stall as long as possible. After sending the attendant away, the Major General began ordering his troops to adjust their deployment stealthily. This wasn't for fear of disturbing the Emperor, but for fear that any noise would be heard by the rebels outside.

The Major General's order was correct, provided of course that things developed as he expected. In fact, the rebels' unconventional way of playing cards turned the Major General's deployment into a huge blunder. While the troops were still moving stealthily, shells from outside were already whistling from the gun barrels. This was followed by fierce fire from light and heavy machine guns. The mutinous troops had been measuring firing data for a while. The students of the Artillery Academy were all advanced personnel and already had actual combat experience. The volley of shells was extremely accurate, and the infantry immediately followed up with an attack. In the blink of an eye, the external firing points were smashed to pieces.

The troops didn't charge the inner palace gate to their deaths; they chose to fight through the walls. The demolition team used plastic explosives imported from China on the walls. First, small explosions opened gaps in the wall, then explosive packs were stuffed in. With several loud bangs, several gaps were blown open in the inner palace wall. This was the method used by the Chinese army when they raided the Yalu River Bridge more than ten years ago. The Japanese army was deeply impressed by this when repairing the Yalu River Bridge.

The troops mobilized by the Major General were originally moving to more favorable defensive positions. When suddenly attacked, the troops were first panic-stricken. Some continued moving to the designated positions, some froze on the spot, and some tried to run back to their original defensive positions. The inner palace section was like a chessboard. With such chaos, the soldiers were running around like rats in a maze.

At this moment, several large holes were suddenly blown open in the wall, and then a volley of hand grenades was thrown in. The explosions killed and wounded groups of soldiers inside. Amidst the screams of the uninjured, the wails of the wounded, and the dying gasps of the heavily injured, the mutinous troops had already charged in with bayonets fixed.

The Palace Guard was considered an elite force after all. Even if they were behind in tactics, when they really collided with the enemy at close range, they quickly sobered up. The guards also quickly fixed their bayonets and began a counterattack against the rebels charging in. The sound of shooting, the clashing of bayonets, the beast-like howls of soldiers being stabbed... in the battlefield defined by narrow passages, the combat instantly entered an even more white-hot stage.

In such cold weapon bayonet fighting, there was no such thing as fighting for hundreds of rounds. After two or three moves, any flaw would lead directly to death. After the soldiers in the front row were stabbed, they almost subconsciously let go of their rifles and grabbed the front end of the rifle that stabbed them, while other soldiers on their side took the opportunity to stab the enemy soldier who had stabbed their comrade. The rate of troop depletion on both sides was extremely fast, and the Palace Guard even gained a slight upper hand. It looked possible that they might block the mutinous troops' attack route and seal the breach in return.

However, the battle did not fall into a stalemate. The Palace Guard lacked hand grenades, but the mutinous soldiers did not. They threw hand grenades fiercely into the enemy camp over the wall of people killing each other. One grenade would blow a mass of flesh and blood. However, the people were too dense. There were also individual incidents where quick-handed enemies caught the flying grenades and threw them back, blowing up the mutinous soldiers.

However, the situation was irreversible by this point. The frontmost Palace Guards did not disgrace the name "Guard"; they created an exchange ratio of one to one point five, or even one to two in the melee combat. But the mutinous soldiers knew this was the most critical moment and they did not retreat at all. After these first-row guards died in battle, the channels cleared by the grenades gave the mutinous troops' light machine guns room to display their power.

The volley fire from the Palace Guard knocked down a dozen mutinous soldiers exposed after stabbing the guards in the melee, but these guards were then exposed to the machine gun strafing. The dense rain of bullets whipped the Guard officers and soldiers, knocking them down row by row.

Even after suffering such a heavy blow, the Guard soldiers did not retreat. There was no way back now; retreating further meant retreating to the Emperor's side. The guards did not fear death at all. They just stood straight and continued firing until they were knocked down by bullets or blown down by grenades.

The mutinous troops knew even better what their fate would be if they failed. Fighting to this point, having killed so many people, the mutinous troops had no way back. If they couldn't see the Emperor, all their efforts would fail.

Holding the same attitude of preferring death to turning and fleeing, both sides didn't dodge at all. They just stood there straight, shooting at each other. Even those who were knocked down didn't give up. As long as they had a shred of strength, they would continue to fire while lying on the ground until they were killed by the swarming enemies or stabbed to death with bayonets. After wiping out the enemy, the troops didn't mean to stop; they continued to advance, continuing the cruel slaughter with the enemy.

The bloody slaughter continued until the inner palace gate was blown open. After the troops outside eliminated the guards defending the palace gate and swarmed in, the troops fighting inside the inner palace were caught in a pincer attack from front and back and were finally wiped out.

Captain Kōno Hisashi was charging at the very front. It seemed the goddess of luck on the battlefield was protecting him; whether it was bayonet fighting or gunfights, Captain Kōno remained unscathed. After eliminating the guards in front of him, the Captain led his troops and charged to the front of the Emperor's sleeping quarters. The Major General defending the palace drew his command sword and stood neatly with the last of the guards in front of the main gate of the sleeping quarters. The Major General's face was ashen. He pointed his command sword at Captain Kōno Hisashi, "Halt! This is the Emperor's sleeping quarters. What exactly do you want to do?"

The Captain held his rifle and shouted loudly to the Major General, "We admire your loyalty and bravery greatly. For the sake of Japan, we will definitely remember your sacrifice in our hearts. Fire!"

The light machine gunners had long been red-eyed with killing frenzy. Let alone a Major General in front of them, even a Field Marshal would be no problem. As soon as Captain Kōno gave the order, the machine gunners fired immediately. The Major General and the last of the guards were instantly gunned down.

Captain Kōno didn't care about those people. He led the troops and rushed quickly into the Emperor's sleeping quarters. He had studied the map many times. They rushed quickly towards the Emperor's conference room. There were few people guarding the door, and the resistors were wiped out in an instant.

Standing in front of the conference room door, Captain Kōno took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and walked in.

"Who is it!" A bunch of bald, gray-haired, and white-haired men inside began to scold.

The Captain didn't care about these people. His gaze fell on that person he had seen many times in pictures but never in person. That was His Majesty the Emperor, His Majesty hidden deep within the palace.

Captain Kōno's heart beat violently. This was the person he wanted to see, this was the person he wanted to pour his heart out to. "Your Majesty!" Captain Kōno shouted.

Just then, the sound of a pistol shot rang out. Captain Kōno suddenly froze. He subconsciously covered his right chest and looked at the opposite side with a stunned gaze. He saw a wisp of blue smoke rising from the muzzle of the pistol in Emperor Hirohito's hand. Then the Captain slumped to his knees on the ground.