New Year Rebellion

The New Year Rebellion (: 正月謀叛 Shōgatsu Muhon), also known as the Wood Rat Rebellion (甲子謀叛 Kōshi Muhon) or the Navy Rebellion (海軍謀叛 Kaigun Muhon) was a military takeover of the Chiseian government, spearheaded by the Chiseian Royal Navy and Marines, following the First Escar-Varunan War. The Navy and Marines were primarily opposed by loyalist elements of the Army and Peaceguard, as well as unions and civilian demonstrators.

The rebellion was spurred by a number of factors, including the ratification of the humilating Shiro-Yamataian Treaty of Wanshu in January 1924, the slow disintegration of Imperial authority in the remaining Chiseian colonies, a fear of a socialist or ashikasist rising amidst civilian government indecision and traditional animosity between the Chiseian army and navy.

Initial clashes were mostly contained to the capital city of Eito, though in the aftermath of its capture a series of larger confrontations took place in the nearby city of Kawano. In these, the navy and marines emerged victorious, and on February 14 the nominal leaders of the insurrection, Admiral Kôzuke Maho and General Isokorkur Touya, entered the Heavenly Assembly with a band of marines and called a vote to dismiss the government of the Chancellor and grant full executive authority to the newly formed Council of Elders as an 'emergency measure'. This event would mark the beginning of the Conciliar Government period.

Ōdōri massacre
On the morning of the 8th, forces of the 3rd Marine Infantry Regiment were dispatched to disperse a crowd of 40,000, consisting largely of striking workers and labourers, that had gathered to protest the military takeover on the Ōdō (King's boulevard) leading into the Royal City. The Marines were met with jeers from the crowd, which waved red and black banners, though there is little evidence that the gathering had been officially organized by socialist or ashikasist groups. At 10:14 AM the initially peaceful demonstration turned into a riot, after a boy was shot in a struggle with one of the marines.

Bricks and debris began to be thrown at the soldiers, and the other units blocking the entrance to the inner city subsequently also opened fire, scattering the front ranks of the rioters. The first line of the marine blockade was overwhelmed at 10:30, after their wooden barricade was set alight. Reinforcements soon arrived from inside the inner city grounds however, including an, and the rioters were rapidly pushed back and off the road.

By 11:50 the Ōdōri itself was declared clear, but clashes spread to surrounding parts of the city, and the marines subsequently began to seal off the nearby residential districts, establishing checkpoints and further blockades. Almost 4,000 would be arrested in total, including local union leaders and some who had not participated in the riot. Armed clashes would continue in the city until the 10th.

The clashes came to be seen as a massacre by the rebel forces, and would continually be a focus for anti-government sentiment during and after the Conciliar period. In 1947 the 3rd Marine Regiment would be dissolved by Shiba Amame as a result of it's role in the military killings, though virtually all of the involved officers and enlisted had already died in the war or transferred to other units by this point.

Estimates for the number of dead varied wildly; initial reports by the Admiralty admitted that around 200 civilians had been killed, along with 130 marines. Yeongseonin journalists reported almost 4,000 casualties, with only 20 dead marines. In 1998, an official investigation by the special Wartime Records Committee of the Tosatsuin found that at least 820 civilians were killed directly by military forces in the clashes on the Ōdōri itself, and a further 210 in the subsequent sweeps of the surrounding districts. 56 were recorded as having died due to indirect factors, such as being trampled by fleeing crowds or being caught in fires that started during the fighting in the residential areas. A further 1,200 of those arrested died later, about half of them after the rebellion entirely, either through execution or while imprisoned.