"Please convey our heartfelt thanks to Chairman Chen Ke, Comrade Hu Fu," Kita Ikki said seriously to the Chinese special envoy Hu Fu.

The Japanese Navy dared to implement a blockade on Japan, but the Chinese side stubbornly delivered a lot of new printing presses and paper through air transport. This support, almost regardless of cost, at least solved the immediate propaganda problem. Chen Ke knew very well how color revolutions were started; it was to utilize information asymmetry and the vigorous mobilization of the rebelling side.

Just like a joke on the 21st-century internet, "I sell River Maps, Heavenly Books, Qilin, Spirit Turtles, Auspicious Clouds, Fine Grain; substitute for fox calls, interpret astrology, spread nursery rhymes, substitute for composing prophecies, substitute for writing letters of persuasion to ascend the throne, custom-made one-eyed stone men (burial included), substitute for writing on yellow silk books (free insertion into fish bellies), substitute for sewing yellow robes (free draping over the body), also offering services like angrily slaying demon snakes, aura rushing to the heavens, yellow dragons appearing in the river, phoenixes coming to pay respects, accepting custom orders for the Imperial Jade Seal and Emperor's crown and dragon robes."

When engaging in propaganda and incitement, the truth is actually not that important; the key is to effectively trigger associations. Although the People's Party's rise was vastly different from Japan's, essentially it was just a difference in entering the city. When the People's Party rose to rebel, China from top to bottom had already abandoned the old system. The Japanese revolution needed to make the Japanese people believe that the Japanese old system was finished. When the people of a country collectively abandon the old system, this system has inevitably reached a dead end.

The new printing presses, large amounts of paper, and operators provided by the People's Party were mainly used to print pictures. The photos of "The Emperor affectionately receiving the complaining masses" could not be blurry. With photos as proof, plus the introduction of the reasons, purposes, and process of this restoration printed in large quantities by the printing factories controlled by the Japanese Restoration troops, the propaganda of the Japan Anti-Feudal Alliance at the grassroots level made more and more Japanese people believe that the Emperor supported the people and was willing to solve the suffering of the Japanese people. Although more and more officers and soldiers of the Restoration troops began to realize that this idea might be somewhat "overly optimistic."

All bases of the Japanese Air Force received these propaganda documents. Because the Air Force had been established for a short time, most of these soldiers were young people. A portion of the old diehards thought this practice was lawless, but the young people didn't think so. Looking at the pictures of the Emperor receiving batch after batch of hundreds of common people, looking at the scenes of those people kowtowing and wailing frozen in the photos, and reading other written narratives, the young soldiers of the Air Force also began to feel their blood boil. Under the instigation of the Restoration troops, the Air Force wings privately sent representatives to Tokyo to "visit." They found that things were indeed as the Restoration troops said. Ordinary people were getting the opportunity to see the Emperor. This kind of thing, which was previously unimaginable, was not a lie fabricated by the Restoration troops, but a fact that was actually happening.

The young Air Force soldiers finally believed that these Restoration troops were not for their own personal fame and fortune, but for the whole of Japan. The Restoration troops took drastic actions not to harm the Emperor, but to break the deception of the Emperor by those bad people around him. Young people are the most foolishly cute; they are direct enough to believe that there are once-and-for-all things in the world, or at least shortcuts that lead directly to the end of victory. The Restoration troops undoubtedly accomplished this.

So by April 22, more than half of the Air Force units reached a consensus with the Restoration troops and were willing to provide "limited assistance" to the Restoration troops. The old guys in the remaining half of the Air Force units who could still control the situation spoke the classic Japanese phrase, "I don't know anything about what you are doing."

With the assistance of the Air Force, the heavily defended naval bases suffered "air raids," and large amounts of leaflets drifted down like snow in June into the naval camps. The Navy, which had been strictly blocking news internally, finally knew what was happening outside. Not only the Navy, but those troops controlled by the Control Faction also suffered air raids, and the strict intelligence blockade of the military camps was broken from the sky.

For these days, the troops of the Control Faction had been worried about being attacked by the troops of the Imperial Way Faction, and their attitude towards the Restoration troops was extremely hostile. Learning about the actions of the Restoration troops these days, and seeing that the social bottom layer like farmers and workers could actually complain to the Emperor, the attitude of the Army bottom-layer soldiers in the Control Faction troops towards the Restoration troops immediately took a 180-degree turn.

After such vigorous propaganda, the division commanders, brigade commanders, and regiment commanders of the Control Faction troops were all dumbfounded. Except for the old diehards, there were actually many among these people who approved of the actions of the Restoration troops. Their only worry was whether they might be liquidated.

So the old guys who had previously refused to see the Restoration troops finally began to contact the representatives sent by the Restoration troops. After receiving guarantees, although they were still skeptical, they were no longer prepared to act immediately. Instead, they chose the strategy of "wait and see."

Kita Ikki hadn't expected his revolution to reach this stage. The possibility of the Restoration troops being wiped out after a tragic siege also existed. But now Japan was actually beginning to consider the possibility of taking a new path, which was already an unimaginable thing. The power of the printing presses sent by the People's Party was worth five divisions. Now at least five divisions had expressed that they "could consider supporting the Restoration Army at a critical moment," and the low-ranking soldiers of another five divisions expressed their unwillingness to march into Tokyo. Other troops "knew nothing." The possibility of being attacked militarily was already negligible.

Comrade Hu Fu was also beaming with satisfaction, "Those upper-class people are afraid that such actions will shake their status, but they can't find other ways to deal with it for the time being. This is a very critical moment. If it were our People's Party, we would strengthen the combination with the masses. This is, after all, the root of all power."

Kita Ikki nodded repeatedly. The People's Party's line of mobilizing the masses was very different from Japan's current actions, but after the Japanese people were temporarily mobilized, their power was also beyond imagination.

Hu Fu dared not be too arrogant. Although he already had a feeling of being a "Retired Emperor" (power behind the throne) in his heart, Chen Ke had repeatedly instructed him to respect the Japanese comrades before this trip. The Organization Department of the People's Party never tolerated sand in its eyes; the result of getting carried away would inevitably turn this great opportunity into a noose that strangled his own path of progress. So suppressing his strong feeling of complacency, Hu Fu relayed the speech drafted by the People's Party, "We in China have the term 'system' (*zhidu*). 'Zhi' is the system, representing management, and 'du' is how to manage. The work behind this is a very arduous process, and Comrade Kita Ikki will definitely be very hard-pressed. Chairman Chen and the Central Committee agree to fully restore normal trade relations with Japan. This is something we can do in the near future."

"That would be greatly appreciated!" Kita Ikki said from the bottom of his heart. No matter what kind of mass standpoint and advanced ideology the Japanese revolutionary faction had, if these standpoints and ideologies could not be turned into immediate social improvement, once the passion of the revolution passed, Japan would still go back to the old path. Being able to reopen trade with China, and even get China's order support, the improvement of the Japanese economy would be the best "proof of rationality" for the revolutionary faction. The purpose of the Japanese people participating in this revolution was not for the revolution, but to try to take a new path to get rid of the current pain. Just as Chen Ke repeatedly emphasized, "It is not that our People's Party can create a revolution, but that the revolution is nurtured among the people. Revolution is the way and means for the people to obtain liberation and a better life."

"Chairman Chen also asked me to tell Comrade Kita Ikki that you must absolutely not admit guilt. No matter how great the external pressure is, you cannot admit that your actions this time have any fault. No matter how those classes that are now forced to compromise deceive you, you cannot admit guilt. You must absolutely not admit that the path you are taking now is wrong. Chairman Chen sends you eight words: Revolution is innocent, rebellion is justified (*Geming wuzui, zaofan youli*)." Although Hu Fu did not quite agree with Chen Ke's attitude, he dared not fail to convey Chen Ke's words.

Kita Ikki nodded repeatedly after hearing this. These days, many dignitaries privately said to Kita Ikki that as long as he admitted a crime, admitted a small mistake, then these dignitaries would stand firmly on Kita Ikki's side and go all out to persuade the Emperor to make a compromise. Even though Kita Ikki knew that the people saying this had malicious intentions, he still wavered a little. Launching a revolutionary action is relatively simple, but how to maintain Japan's national operation after the action succeeds is an arduous and long process. And compromise seemed to be a way to solve problems immediately. After hearing Chen Ke's suggestion, Kita Ikki finally breathed a sigh of relief. At least the revolutionary pioneer of Asia still approved of Kita Ikki's actions.

After receiving support and promises from the Chinese side, Kita Ikki placed the main point of future work on the Navy. Kita Ikki formally sent a representative to ask Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu, the Chief of the Navy General Staff who was now leading the Navy, to meet the Emperor and confirm that the Restoration faction had not harmed the Emperor.

Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu finally agreed to meet the representative of the Restoration faction this time. The naval bases were now showing an extremely unstable situation. The soldiers on the ships could be temporarily blocked from all news, but the Navy could not always float on the sea; they needed supplies of food, fresh water, and some maintenance. The deeds of the Restoration faction had spread like a "plague" in the naval fleet.

The reason the Navy maintained morale was high treatment, and the family lives of low and middle-ranking officers and even soldiers relied on this high treatment to sustain themselves. The families of most naval soldiers were not wealthy. Knowing that their families' lives might be truly improved, the wavering attitude of these soldiers can be imagined.

High-ranking naval officials could only rely on a strong suppression model to temporarily stabilize the Navy, but strong suppression triggered more intense antagonistic emotions. Now the officers of the entire fleet were no longer considering attacking the Restoration Army; their attention was focused on how to maintain the order of the Navy and prevent changes.

The request made by the representative of the Restoration faction was not only for Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu to go and confirm the Emperor's safety, but they also demanded that the Navy lift the blockade so that the fleet could transport chemical fertilizers to other regions according to the plan.

At all times, one must stand with the people, or at least satisfy the interests of the working people. Kita Ikki highly appreciated the method China used to handle the land of the people killed in the April 12th Incident in Zhejiang back then. When the People's Party implemented land reform, they guaranteed the interests of ordinary laborers who had purchased the land of the killed people and planted grain on it. The money for selling the land was fully refunded, and the laborers were allowed to harvest the grain planted on that land. No matter what kind of conflict there was, principles could not be shaken.

As for whether Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu was willing to see the Emperor, the Restoration faction didn't care at all. They now wanted to expose the Japanese Navy's attempt to prevent the people from obtaining chemical fertilizers. Through such propaganda, they intended to strike at the old forces within the Navy.

Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu was fooled; he didn't see through this. Not only did he not see through this, but the Navy's upper echelon also didn't see through this. Some people thought that Kita Ikki was taking two steps forward and one step back; if they couldn't trick Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu into going to Tokyo to acknowledge the reality that the Japanese Restoration Army temporarily controlled political power, then they would implement their actual administrative control over Japan. Others thought the Restoration faction wanted to send key personnel to Shikoku and Kyushu to control these regions. So the Navy high command unceremoniously rejected the Restoration faction's request.

After confirming the Navy's reply, the Restoration faction immediately wrote a comprehensive report on the matter and disseminated it to Shikoku and Kyushu through air drops and various information channels. Even though there were many problems after the Control Faction controlled the distribution of chemical fertilizers, chemical fertilizers did effectively promote Japan's agricultural output. The farmers of Shikoku and Kyushu were eagerly waiting for this year's fertilizer for spring plowing. Even if there was a mutiny in Tokyo, if the fertilizer could arrive in time, it could still be used during the top-dressing period. Seeing that the Japanese Navy was actually preventing the fertilizer transport that could have reached various places according to plan, the farmers of Shikoku and Kyushu were truly shocked and angry.

By May 18, finally, middle and high-ranking naval officers suggested at a military meeting whether Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu could temporarily allow ships transporting fertilizer to pass through the Navy's blockade. This was actually very polite; the so-called naval blockade at this time had a flavor of existing in name only. Various bases showed signs of wavering. Regarding whether this change was a "mutiny" or a "Showa Restoration," the Navy's view gradually leaned towards it being a "Showa Restoration." For Japanese people, the Meiji Restoration was a righteous action that opened Japan's path to power. Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu knew very well that if the Navy believed this change was the Showa Restoration, the rebels would have truly grasped the great righteousness of Japan. Everything at that time would be different.

Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu came to the Navy to be this Chief of the Navy General Staff with the real purpose of purging the guys in the Navy whom Hirohito did not trust. So Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu was very suspicious of what these people's goals actually were. The Japanese common people were nothing in Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu's eyes before; now they had become accomplices of the even more hateful chaotic party. Instead of trying to save Hirohito at this time, they followed the chaotic party to pressure Hirohito. In Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu's eyes, this was a completely treasonous action.

It was just that the situation in Japan was vastly different now. The big bosses of the Control Faction were either killed or captured, and Hirohito simply fell into the hands of the rebels. The powerful force behind Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu dissipated at this time. So Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu could only snort coldly and make no response.

This group of high-ranking Navy officials also refused to bow to the Army. They only raised this point because they were under pressure from the lower levels. Since Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu refused to speak, they tactfully stopped mentioning the matter.

However, even if the upper levels didn't mention it, the lower levels couldn't ignore the fertilizer issue. Young soldiers knew that chemical fertilizer could largely determine this year's harvest. When Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu was inspecting the deck, a young sailor with a fluctuating expression suddenly stepped forward quickly and saluted Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu. "Your Excellency, I would like to request that you allow the transport of fertilizer to Shikoku and Kyushu."

Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu was extremely sensitive to this issue. He already knew that the rebels this time were all young people. Seeing the sailor's young face, the panic and hostility in his heart erupted like a volcano. "Take him down!" Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu shouted loudly. After the guards took the young soldier down, Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu said angrily, "Investigate carefully if he has any accomplices!" After saying this, Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu shouted with lingering anger, "Also find out exactly who is spreading rumors!"

The fate of this sailor was miserable. There were stubborn guys in the Navy, especially those petty officers (*NCOs*). They hoped to be valued by their superiors, and there was Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu's order to "investigate carefully if he has any accomplices!" So the soldier was subjected to cruel torture. The petty officers tried to get intelligence as soon as possible, so they were extremely heavy-handed during the torture. They actually beat this soldier to death.

After beating the man to death, the petty officers were a bit flustered. Not because they would be punished for killing someone—with Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu's order, killing someone was just killing someone. The problem was that after beating this young soldier to death, there were no clues. After all, Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu had demanded to catch the accomplices.

So the soldiers in the same unit as this poor soldier suffered. They were arrested and tortured and interrogated together. Under the feudal system, these recipients of orders were only responsible to those in power. To satisfy the demands of those in power, they didn't care about the Navy's own military law system at all. Or rather, the military law system was just a tool in the hands of this group of people. It was the game rule for them to tyrannize or get promoted and get rich.

Firstly, someone wanted to take advantage of this matter, and it couldn't be settled easily because the Navy demanded a ban on spreading the news of this time. If the news could reach the ship, it meant there was a chain of passing news. This chain had to be dug out completely.

Before the Navy fought the "rebels," a great purge began within the naval fleet. News spread very fast, and all soldiers who knew the news felt insecure. On May 27, a secret meeting was held in the engine room of the Combined Fleet flagship *Kirishima*. The attendees included soldiers, lieutenants, and even field officers. The common point of these participants was that they were very young. They were all from rural backgrounds.

What had to be said had been said long ago these days. Now everyone wanted to say but dared not say the most important words.

First, they talked a few sentences about who else was arrested and who else was investigated. These words only added to the gloomy atmosphere of the meeting. In the exchanged eyes and expressions, these naval officers and soldiers knew each other's thoughts.

Finally, the leading field officer released his bitten lip. He said with a face full of determination, "Let us also participate in the Showa Restoration."

On June 1, 1937, the Combined Fleet's fleet near Tokyo approached Tokyo Harbor under the leadership of the flagship *Kirishima*. The troops defending the coast immediately became alert. But after exchanging semaphore signals, the defenders on the shore received shocking news: The First Squadron of the Navy Combined Fleet requested to participate in the "Showa Restoration"!