Hearing He Rui's prophecy that "we will meet in arms on the battlefield in the future," Okamura Yasuji nodded slightly. "This is exactly what makes He-kun such a pity. Given where Japan and China now stand, a collision is inevitable; it is not something you or I can control. Observing the current situation on the continent, it can be said to be going downhill day by day. He-kun is a rare wise man in this world. For the sake of the people of both countries and for the sake of East Asian civilization, full cooperation and mutual support between the two countries is the best policy. I wonder why He-kun is so stubborn?"

"Senior Okamura, what do you mean by stubborn?"

Okamura Yasuji said, "After reading He-kun's great works, I felt enlightened and benefited a lot. I fully agree with He-kun's view that the current problem in East Asia is essentially a conflict between Eastern civilization and Western civilization. It is an all-around contradiction involving economy, thought, culture, and even military affairs. At this time, the enemy is strong and we are weak. Why not use Japan as the core at present to integrate the power of East Asian civilization? Retreating, we can protect the roots of our civilization; advancing, we can contend with the Great Powers in the world."

The young officers behind Okamura Yasuji nodded frequently. Obata Toshishirō took over the conversation, "He-kun, when China and Japan integrate their forces, there will inevitably be contention. People with lofty ideals in both countries should cooperate fully. The smaller the conflict, the better; the faster the war, the better; the earlier the peace, the better. Preserving our vitality is the best policy!"

He Rui shook his head repeatedly. "Since I came to Japan to study, the views of Okamura-kun and others have been repeated: rely on Korea, encroach on Manchuria and Mongolia to acquire land and resources, and then get along with China. In fact, this strategy, speaking solely from a military perspective, is not without merit. But from a political and economic perspective, it is a dead end."

This was not the first time the two had debated. Okamura Yasuji just smiled and asked, "Dare I ask He-kun, where is the fallacy?"

"I have been compiling Japanese economic statistics." As he spoke, He Rui subconsciously wanted to touch his schoolbag. He reached out and touched air, only then remembering that he hadn't put a notebook in his bag today; it was full of the latest issue of *Military Soul*. Moreover, the bag was currently being held by Ishiwara Kanji, so he could only take out a cigarette and light it. "Japan has 370,000 square kilometers of territory — it's not a small country like the Netherlands or Belgium. Okamura-kun, what do you think is the most important problem for Japan at present?"

Before Okamura Yasuji could answer, a cadet nearby stood up and answered, "First and foremost should be the scarcity of land and resources. Then, the zaibatsu and politicians ignore the interests of the nationals, deceive the Emperor, exploit the people, and are extravagant and wasteful! This is the most urgent matter for Japan at present!"

This person was Aizawa Saburō, a prominent figure in the Military Academy. Born into a poor lower-ranking samurai family, Aizawa Saburō was famous in the school for daring to speak out and was the core of a group of cadets in their early twenties.

Since someone had answered, He Rui continued, "I mentioned a question in my humble work: what is civilization? Unlike you gentlemen, the civilization I believe in is neither kimono nor long gown and mandarin jacket; neither ukiyo-e nor ink wash landscape painting. The core composition of civilization, I believe, should be survival and development. The realization of survival and development is manifested as production and distribution. In practical application, production and distribution manifest as the insoluble knot of efficiency and fairness. And the questions from Okamura-kun and Aizawa-kun just now hit precisely on these two points."

Hearing these words, except for Ishiwara Kanji who nodded slightly, most of the other young Japanese soldiers looked blank.

He Rui explained further, "According to data from the Ministry of Finance, Japan's current population is about 55 million, with over 85% concentrated in rural areas. Japan's current main contradiction lies in the contradiction between the demand brought by rapid population growth and the industrial capacity insufficient to meet that demand. Is Okamura-kun's strategy hoping that by expanding into Manchuria and Mongolia, firstly, it will dilute the surplus domestic agricultural population and relieve domestic pressure; and secondly, use force to seize cheap coal, iron, and non-ferrous metal raw materials to rapidly expand Japan's industrial scale?"

Okamura Yasuji and Obata Toshishirō looked at each other. In fact, their military strategy generally aimed at a vague "sphere of influence," with the main purpose being slogans like "serving the Emperor" and "glorifying the Japanese Yamato race," which were vague and grand narratives. Regarding raw materials and land, they were indeed slightly involved, but they considered this more the business of Ministry of Finance bureaucrats or zaibatsu. From their perspective, as long as they controlled more land and more resources, how could the Great Japanese Empire worry about not being strong?

"I recommended last year that Okamura-kun carefully ponder *On War*, hoping that Okamura-kun could comprehend this problem on his own." He Rui took another drag on his cigarette after finishing. "Japan fought the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War one after another. What it truly gained, in reality, was the opportunity to complete Japan's industrialization. From Meiji to Taishō, the flourishing of national affairs stems from this. Whether it be other so-called territories or indemnities, they all served to shorten the time for Japan to transform from an agricultural country into an industrial country; everything else is trivial."

Just then, the crowd gathered together turned their heads. They saw Tōjō Hideki and Yamashita Tomoyuki approaching the crowd wearing the Emperor's military swords they had just received. The Japanese soldiers behind Okamura Yasuji saluted one after another. While nodding slightly in return, Tōjō Hideki walked into the crowd and stood behind Okamura Yasuji. Yamashita Tomoyuki raised his hand to return the salute to his classmates and stood among the crowd.

When everyone's gaze returned to the circle, He Rui continued his speech. "Okamura-kun, with your strategy, even if you conquer Manchuria and Mongolia, the benefits Japan gains will actually not be as great as you think. Let me ask you, at that time, when you pioneer Manchuria and Mongolia, what can Japan gain?"

Tōjō Hideki, who had just stood still, immediately answered, "Naturally, the whole country will benefit!"

"Then what have the nationals benefited? When Japanese farmers go to the Northeast to farm and reclaim land, what will be the ratio of public to private share? What about the tax rate? Can Japanese farmers really realize the dream of white rice at every meal?" He Rui pressed.

Many of the young Japanese officers changed their expressions, and Tōjō Hideki looked even more unhappy. He just held back and didn't flare up.

He Rui was a little surprised that Tōjō Hideki had actually learned patience. This guy had previously joined the *Military Soul* tabloid group, but because he was too arrogant, he looked down on classmates who were not of high birth. He had also flown into a rage during several sharp debates regarding domestic class issues in Japan.

Since no one interrupted, He Rui continued to speak to Okamura Yasuji. "Japan's circumstances dictate an export-oriented economic model. Japanese manufactured goods aren't competitive enough — apart from raw silk exports to Europe and America, Japan depends on the Chinese mainland as its primary market. If war breaks out and China loses significant territory, public outrage will be inevitable. China will close its markets to Japan. Even if Japan uses Manchuria and Mongolia to expand its industrial base, who exactly will buy all those manufactured goods?"