May 22, 1915. As the sky gradually brightened, the morning market opened, and breakfast stalls opened. There were more and more people on the street. Rickshaw pullers who only worked the morning shift wore short coats, pulling rickshaws and running through the crowd. Rich people wearing long gowns and mandarin jackets sat in the rickshaws. Regardless of rich or poor, the clothes were no different from the Manchu Qing era, except that basically no one with a braid could be seen on the street, and the flavor of the Manchu Qing was gone.

He Rui was on the road to the Ministry of War. Looking at this street scene, he felt a little emotional for a moment. Even though the Manchu Qing had existed for 296 years, now, only four years after the collapse of this dynasty, the braid, the biggest feature of the Manchu Qing, had vanished. When the tide of the times surges, all old things will be swept away.

However, the many contradictions that crushed the old era still exist. If the new era cannot solve these problems, it will collapse and be replaced by a newer era. The cycle repeats until these contradictions are resolved.

At 8:00 a.m., the shift changed in the gatehouse of the Ministry of War. When the guard who had completed the handover at a trot stood still, He Rui handed the introduction letter to the lieutenant guarding the gate. The lieutenant picked up the letter and saw that it was actually issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and couldn't help showing a surprised look.

After reading the letter, the lieutenant said respectfully, "Major He, please wait a moment. I will go and report now."

Not long after, He Rui was led to an office in the Ministry of War. A chubby lieutenant colonel stood up and took the initiative to step forward and shake hands with He Rui. The lieutenant colonel said kindly, "Brother He came so fast. My surname is Lu, the Lu in 'reed' (Luwei). Judging from what is written in the letter, you rushed back to Beijing from Japan only four days after graduation."

"Director-General Duan has ordered; this subordinate naturally traveled day and night. But I don't know what matter makes Director-General Duan so anxious?"

Lieutenant Colonel Lu asked He Rui to sit down and told the whole story.

Two months ago, on March 18, 1915, Zhang Xiluan, the General Pacifying Fengtian, telegraphed the Beijing government that three hundred Japanese troops had entered Fengtian City, and another one thousand five hundred were stationed along the South Manchuria Railway. On March 20, the Japanese planted flags in Changchun to recruit a Volunteer Army, preparing to go to Europe to participate in the war. This caused panic in the Chinese government, fearing that Chinese people would respond to the recruitment and affect China's "neutral" attitude. On the one hand, they discussed with the Japanese consul to stop the recruitment, and on the other hand, they "secretly forbade Chinese from responding to the call."

After finishing the story, Lieutenant Colonel Lu asked, "Brother He, who in your family holds a position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?"

He Rui was not clear about what exactly happened, so he asked, "Brother Lu, I wonder who in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentioned me?"

Lieutenant Colonel Lu chuckled. "If Brother He doesn't know, how could I know? I just heard that when Director-General Duan discussed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they both wanted to find someone who was not afraid of the Japanese and knew how to deal with the Japanese. So they thought of you. Brother He, dealing with the Japanese Outside the Pass is a hard job. Will you be worried?"

He Rui didn't expect to be asked this and was amused. "Hehe, Brother Lu, the Japanese garrison are just ordinary soldiers, not monsters with green faces and fangs. What is there to be afraid of?"

Lieutenant Colonel Lu slapped the table and praised, "As expected of my Beiyang brother, you have guts. Since Brother He traveled day and night like this, I wonder when you can go see Director-General Duan?"

"Right now is fine," He Rui answered frankly.

Although He Rui was ready to see Duan Qirui at any time, he waited from morning until more than two o'clock in the afternoon before following Lieutenant Colonel Lu into the flower hall of Duan Qirui's official residence.

The layout of the flower hall was very simple and plain. Behind the desk, an old man wearing a Beiyang military uniform was giving instructions on documents handed to him by an officer next to him. The staff officer led Lieutenant Colonel Lu into the room. The person behind the table stopped his pen and said a few words. Lieutenant Colonel Lu walked out quickly and ordered in a low voice, "Brother He, follow me in to see the Director-General quickly."

The person in the hall was Duan Qirui, one of the Three Heroes of Beiyang. Duan Qirui's appearance was not particularly outstanding, but his demeanor was heroic and focused. It was just that he seemed to have something on his mind at this time, and there was considerable worry between his brows.

Lieutenant Colonel Lu stood at attention and saluted before saying, "Report to the Director-General, this subordinate has brought He Rui to report."

He Rui stepped forward and saluted. "Subordinate He Rui, coming to report to the Director-General."

Duan Qirui looked He Rui, who was tall, up and down and asked, "Brother He, do you know what happened?"

"Report to the Director-General. Lieutenant Colonel Lu informed this subordinate. The Japanese army entered Fengtian and recruited a volunteer corps to go to Europe to participate in the war without authorization. They have ulterior motives. Also, please ask the Director-General to call this subordinate by name, He Rui."

Duan Qirui was in a bad mood and his tone was very cold. "He Rui, what is Japan trying to do?"

He Rui snapped to attention and said loudly, "Please give directions, Director-General."

"Don't you have any ideas?"

"Report to the Director-General. Judging from the news this subordinate has heard, this matter should be an unauthorized move by Japanese garrison officers Outside the Pass. If they can force us to make concessions, these officers will report our concessions to the Japanese Army General Staff Headquarters with embellishments, which counts as a merit. These self-righteous officers will then have hope for promotion."

"You say these Japanese officers are acting on their own? Isn't it instructed by the Japanese upper echelons?"

"Report to the Director-General. The excuse for the Japanese army this time is to recruit a Volunteer Army to go to Europe to fight. The people in the Northeast have not received military training. let alone marching and fighting, they don't even know how to use rifles. The British and French armies are more elite than the Japanese army, and their equipment and weapons are far superior to Japan. If Japan does not send troops and does not fulfill its obligations as an Allied Power, the Anglo-French Allied Powers will think that Japan wants to exploit the situation to raise demands. If such a Volunteer Army is sent to Europe, European countries will think that the Japanese upper echelons are deliberately humiliating the Allied Powers. Director-General, although the Japanese upper echelons are bad, they are not stupid. They will not do such a thing where the loss outweighs the gain."

Duan Qirui's eyes brightened a little. At this time, the staff officer brought another officer to the door. Duan Qirui beckoned, and the staff officer walked quickly to Duan Qirui and whispered a few words in his ear. Duan Qirui ordered, "Let Zhang Zuolin wait first." Then he turned his head. "He Rui, continue."

"Report to the Director-General. This subordinate has also known some people in the Japanese military and political circles in recent years. In this subordinate's opinion, the energy of the Japanese high-level leadership is focused on forcing China to fully accept the 'Twenty-One Demands', and they have no plan to invade China in the short term. According to the promotion regulations for Japanese officers, a cadet who graduated from the Army War College needs at least 30 years of seniority to become a Colonel. The Japanese army Outside the Pass is far from the Japanese mainland, and the promotion speed is even slower. If they can create something that conforms to the policies of the Japanese high-level leadership, even if it is a small merit, it will be of great help to promotion."

Duan Qirui felt his thoughts clear up at this moment. He didn't think that Japan recruiting a Volunteer Army in the Northeast to send to Europe was a big deal. It was just that Japan was currently anxious to force Beiyang to sign the "Twenty-One Demands," so Duan Qirui discussed this matter with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After listening to the various worries of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Duan Qirui was unable to make a judgment immediately.

The explanation made by He Rui was clear in thought and very much in line with Duan Qirui's ideas. Especially the explanation that the Japanese garrison officers Outside the Pass acted without authorization resolved Duan Qirui's doubts. Duan Qirui asked, "He Rui, how would you deal with this matter?"