At dawn, Siping City suddenly became lively. More than two hundred policemen broke into five or six households at daybreak, catching everyone inside in one net.

The "Sweep Black and Eliminate Evil" campaign officially began from this moment. Entry and exit from Siping were temporarily forbidden. The police made mass arrests in the city for three days, and the prisons were soon overcrowded.

On the fifth day, a new notice shook the entire city of Siping. Mayor Peng Minsheng had colluded with the bandit Sun Er, nicknamed "Sun Qitian," [^1] committing many evil deeds over the years. Now that Sun Er had been arrested, he confessed about Peng Minsheng. Peng Minsheng had been dismissed from office and jailed.

Wu Youping and Xu Chengfeng walked side by side on the street. They saw shops on both sides of the street operating normally, and the people living lives no different from before. The idlers and loafers were no longer seen. In the anti-crime campaign, some of these people were targets of the crackdown, while others were scared into not daring to go out.

With these people gone from the crowd of serious workers, Wu Youping felt much better. But there were still quite a few fish that had slipped through the net on the arrest list. These guys had escaped the police intelligence network, either hiding in the city or fleeing outside. In the short term, they would probably remain at large.

Thinking of this, Wu Youping felt somewhat disappointed and couldn't help complaining to Xu Chengfeng beside him, "Commander Xu, when will the troops finish training? If you had participated in the anti-crime campaign this time, the results would definitely have been much greater."

Xu Chengfeng said nothing and continued walking toward Huaqing Tower. Wu Youping knew he couldn't yet establish the intimate relationship shared among Baoding Military Academy cadets with Xu Chengfeng, but he didn't want to be rejected so coldly, so he wanted to say something more to close the distance.

Unexpectedly, Xu Chengfeng suddenly spoke. "President Zhao Tianlin, who is coming this time, is very learned and has helped us."

Wu Youping was slightly stunned. "President Zhao is a Harvard Ph.D.; I have heard his great name. But what does this have to do with our current work?"

Xu Chengfeng glanced at Wu Youping. "The Governor asked you to come along to receive President Zhao; he definitely has expectations of you. You must grasp the opportunity well."

This perspective made Wu Youping pause. Suddenly, his heart felt warm; he realized then that Xu Chengfeng was not as cold as he appeared.

The two went up to the second floor of Huaqing Tower and saw He Rui sitting with three men in western suits. Seeing the two enter, He Rui stood up to introduce both sides.

"Brother Zhao, you've met Xu Chengfeng. This is the newly joined Wu Youping, graduated from the Shanhaiguan North China Railway Official School, now the Assistant Mayor of Siping. He was the first to propose building water conservancy projects in Siping, as mentioned in my letter."

Zhao Tianlin shook hands with both of them, looked Wu Youping up and down, and praised, "It seems Brother He has gained another young talent."

Accompanying Zhao Tianlin were *Ta Kung Pao* journalist Mo Yang and a returned student named Lu Daoming. Hearing Zhao Tianlin introduce Lu Daoming as a Tsinghua student who studied in the US and graduated from the Civil Engineering Department of MIT, specializing in hydraulic technology, Wu Youping couldn't help but look at him a few more times.

There were no great rivers outside the pass, and his hometown Siping didn't even have a river of the standard usually found outside the pass, only six small streams. Each river had a short course, small flow, narrow channel, and shallow water level, nearly drying up in the dry season. Siping's population had increased rapidly in recent years, more than doubling that of ten years ago, making the water shortage problem even more prominent.

Everyone took their seats, and the shopkeeper began serving dishes. He Rui laughed. "Brother Zhao graces us with his presence; presumably, he has something to teach me."

Zhao Tianlin pointed at the *Ta Kung Pao* journalist Mo Yang but smiled without speaking.

At this time, journalist Mo Yang took over the conversation and smiled. "Governor He has been in the Northeast for less than a month but has achieved such great undertakings. President Zhao always mentions you to us, with a sense of shared glory, making Mo admire you greatly."

He Rui was slightly surprised. He turned to look at this Journalist Mo Yang—in his thirties, of medium build, wearing a western suit, with short hair and black-rimmed glasses—looking at him with curiosity. He couldn't help laughing. "Journalist Mo praises me falsely. He has just taken office; where are there any great undertakings?"

Mo Yang laughed. "Governor He doesn't know, but your deeds of entering the Northeast in three days and making the Japanese army retreat in five days have long spread in Beijing, Tianjin, and even Shanghai. Even the foreigners praise you as a diplomatic wizard!"

He Rui laughed involuntarily and waved his hand. "Not at all, not at all. It must be exaggeration by the public; Journalist Mo must not take it for real."

Mo Yang shook his head and stopped smiling. "Governor He is modest. Before I set off, the *Times* correspondent in the Far East, Morrison, published an article specifically evaluating this matter. The article praised you greatly, so the newspaper specially sent me here this time, wanting to do an exclusive interview with you."

Hearing this, He Rui became slightly serious and said earnestly, "Oh? Is there such a thing? What did Morrison say?"

Mo Yang rummaged in his bag, pulled out an English newspaper, and pointed to the bolded and red-marked part. "Morrison believes that China's Northeast is like Europe's Balkan Peninsula. Chinese, Russian, and Japanese forces intersect here. Each party has important political interest demands and checks the others; it is the eye of the storm in the Northeast Asian situation. At this time of the European War, maintaining peace and regional stability in Northeast Asia is the primary issue for Chinese, Japanese, and Russian politicians, and also the core work of diplomats from various countries. He evaluated you as 'a political theorist with strategic penetration' and possessing a global vision. He deeply admires how you resolved the regional dispute peacefully with ingenious political skills this time. At the same time, he also reminded Far East diplomats stationed in China to pay attention to you in the article, and even recommended several of your books, suggesting they read and research them."

He Rui finally became serious. He knew this Morrison. This man was Australian and had been active on the Chinese political stage as a "China Hand" from the late Qing to the Republic. He was also a media person. possessing both Eastern and Western perspectives, he had great judgment on China issues. At this time, he was also serving as a presidential advisor to Yuan Shikai.

He pondered for a moment and asked Mo Yang, "Does your *Ta Kung Pao* view it the same way?"

Mo Yang seemed a bit embarrassed. "Governor He, I am the journalist and responsible editor for the political section of *Ta Kung Pao*. To tell the truth, the level of our domestic media in international politics is still relatively low, far behind the political commentators of *The Times* or *Le Figaro*. We usually mainly reprint and translate foreign commentaries." He looked at He Rui, his eyes holding expectation and perhaps a bit of pride. "You are the first political figure to be evaluated like this by Western media. So I came this time firstly to conduct an exclusive interview with you, and secondly to take this opportunity to learn from you."

He Rui was quite surprised and sized up Mo Yang a few more times. This journalist's standard was much higher than he imagined, and he was quite sincere. He couldn't help laughing. "Gentlemen, you flatter me. He has but meager talent; to be valued by you all is truly shameful." He looked around and smiled. "Doesn't Journalist Mo want to do an exclusive interview? There is no day better than today; I think right here is fine."

Mo Yang was stunned. "Now? Is now okay? Do we need to find a separate occasion?"

Zhao Tianlin and Lu Daoming looked at each other and smiled. Zhao Tianlin interjected, "Brother Mo, don't leave us aside." He turned to smile at He Rui. "Brother He, we've all read that newspaper. Those white people have eyes on the top of their heads; it's rare for them to praise someone like this. Mo Yang praised you all the way on the train. Brother Lu and I both want to hear your exclusive interview."

He Rui laughed loudly. "Since Brother Zhao says so, then this 'ugly daughter-in-law' will meet the in-laws today."

Mo Yang took out a notebook and a fountain pen and spread them on the table. "Governor He, then let's begin."

Xu Chengfeng and Wu Youping found it very novel and felt somewhat excited. Seeing their team leader with such prestige, they couldn't help feeling honored.

He Rui nodded. "Let's begin."

"May I ask the Governor, what are your views on the situation in Northeast Asia?"

He Rui frowned slightly. This question was actually not very professional. He guided, "Journalist Mo, which aspect of opinion do you want to ask about?"

Hitting a wall right at the start, Mo Yang froze for a moment, thought for a while, and asked, "Do you think war will break out between China, Japan, and Russia in Northeast Asia?"

He Rui smiled. "Of course, war will break out. However, the specific breaking point depends on the trend of the European War. The current world situation is dominated by Europe, and the Northeast Asian situation is subordinate to the European situation. If the European War ends, political and economic pressure will be transmitted to Japan and Russia, then the contradictions in the Northeast Asian region will definitely intensify, and armed conflict will definitely break out then."

"I noticed you didn't mention China. Do you think China won't intervene in the conflict?"

He Rui said seriously, "With the Republic's current national strength and military power, we do not have the ability to launch a war. So when the time comes, we can only choose a diplomatic stance in the conflict."

Mo Yang was stunned again; he didn't expect He Rui to answer like this. "Then how will China's interests be guaranteed?"

He Rui stopped smiling and spread his hands. "China's interests have no guarantee. However, to maintain the political balance in the Northeast Asian region, the Allied Powers will support China in maintaining sovereignty over the Northeast region, letting the three regional powers maintain a balance of power."

Zhao Tianlin interrupted indignantly, "Brother He, are Britain and France that kind-hearted?"

He Rui turned his head and replied, "Britain and France are not kind-hearted. In the Northeast Asian region, the expansion of either Russian or Japanese power would break the balance and does not conform to the world order dominated by Britain and France."

Mo Yang's expression improved slightly. "Then will Britain and France maintain this situation forever?"

He Rui laughed. "Of course not."

Mo Yang was stunned again, asking in confusion, "Then you just said..."

"This European war is too tragic. The national power of all directly participating countries will be greatly damaged after the war. So I judge that the British Empire will carry out a strategic contraction then, unable to maintain the balance of power in East Asia. At that time, a period of power vacuum is very likely to appear in the Northeast Asian region. At the same time, Russia's national power will suffer great losses, and I'm afraid it will be powerless to expand. Japan will very likely take the opportunity to expand its sphere of influence."

Mo Yang froze, then nodded and changed the topic. "Some people worry that when the Governor performed the negotiation task at the Japanese Kwantung Governor-General's Office, you conducted some unknown exchange of interests with the Japanese side. May I ask the Governor, is there such content?"

Hearing this question, Xu Chengfeng, who had participated in the meeting the whole time, raised his eyebrows and was about to speak. He Rui waved his hand to stop Xu Chengfeng and smiled. "I had a very frank exchange with the Japanese side. Both sides believe that China and Japan have broad areas for cooperation in providing commodities to the Allied Powers. Friction outside the pass will only affect cooperation, so both sides appeared very rational after the meeting."

"Does the Governor have specific pointers regarding the areas of cooperation?"

"Grain, coal, and non-ferrous metals outside the pass are all commodities urgently needed for the European War right now. So many raw materials can also be processed into industrial products for sale. During this European War, both China and Japan hope for a smooth industrial chain."

"If the Governor also wants to produce industrial products, the industrial level outside the pass is much worse than inside the pass. How does the Governor view this reality?"

"Some people see only a little water in the bottle. But they often fail to see the space for storing more water inside the bottle. The population outside the pass is not small, and our people are smart and diligent. Combined with the rich minerals of the Northeast, the space for industrial development is huge. Current international demand is extremely strong, and the processing industry based on raw materials has great room for development. Therefore, whether domestic or foreign, I represent all circles in Siping in welcoming all capital to invest and build factories in Siping for common development."

Mo Yang recorded everything one by one, then suddenly asked, "Governor He, I wonder how you view the Shandong Issue?" [^2]

He Rui was slightly startled, hesitated for a moment, then answered readily, "China is the only non-Allied member among the three East Asian countries. I suggest the central government of the Republic should immediately apply to join the Allied Powers and demand the establishment of an Allied Powers China Theater Command and Logistics Headquarters. All Allied troops in the theater should obey the leadership of the China Theater Command and Logistics Headquarters. In this way, it should be possible to fight for a certain amount of diplomatic maneuvering space. But to solve the Shandong Issue... it is truly impossible."

Mo Yang stopped his pen, looking somewhat depressed. "Governor, is there really no other better way?"

He Rui shook his head, his expression cold and stern. "Journalist Mo, international politics respects strength. There is no room for opportunism."

The atmosphere was somewhat cold for a moment, and everyone sighed. Xu Chengfeng and Wu Youping looked at each other; both grit their teeth and secretly clenched their fists.

Seeing everyone like this, Mo Yang changed the question: "Governor, there are currently many views on the political system in the country. I wonder what views the Governor has?"

"The republic replacing the monarchy is the general trend of history. However, a republic does not equal opposing unification. The comparison of the pros and cons of monarchy versus republic is used by quite a few people to mask the status quo of the struggle between domestic unification and separatist forces. This is a very regrettable status quo."

Mo Yang narrowed his eyes and asked unexpectedly, "If there is a sudden change in the situation, what does the Governor plan to do in Siping?"

He Rui gave him a deep look and smiled slightly. "I will devote myself to clearing up security and developing the economy in Siping. In my humble opinion, China's current urgent task is to develop industry and improve people's livelihood. All political system reforms must rely on the foundation of economic development. Changes detached from the economic fundamentals are meaningless."

Mo Yang was slightly disappointed. He closed his notebook and smiled. "Thank you for your guidance, Governor. I will organize it for publication soon. Governor, may I be allowed to walk around Siping these few days?"

He Rui pointed at Wu Youping. "Of course. If Journalist Mo needs anything, you can ask him for help." He cupped his hands toward Mo Yang. "*Ta Kung Pao* is a major newspaper. At that time, I ask Journalist Mo to help publish some advertisements for my Siping, to attract some investors to come to Siping to invest and start businesses."

***

[^1]: "Sun Qitian" (孙齐天) - A nickname referencing Qitian Dasheng (Great Sage Equal to Heaven), the Monkey King, implying arrogance and unruliness.

[^2]: Shandong Issue - Refers to the dispute over German concessions in Shandong province, which Japan seized during WWI and China sought to recover.