When Morrison met He Rui again, his attention was momentarily captured by He Rui's new military uniform. It was a very, very European-style uniform, distinctly different from traditional Chinese attire.

Similarly, this uniform also had significant differences from the uniforms of European countries and even countries around the world. For example, regarding the peaked cap, which was basically the same style across countries, the one He Rui wore had considerable distinctions. The front upper part of this military cap was raised, creating an almost vertical line at the front. The cap badge on it was very striking.

The turned-down collar of the uniform exposed his Adam's apple, making He Rui's face look thinner and his neck longer. Since He Rui himself had a scholarly air, wearing this uniform made him look more like a university professor in military dress.

Not only He Rui, but other soldiers also gave off a similar feeling. Just this scholarly air filled with military style calmed Morrison's mood considerably.

After taking a seat, Morrison didn't beat around the bush. "Marshal He, I came this time to seek a position under the Marshal."

He Rui smiled, a smile that seemed quite sincere to Morrison. Sure enough, Morrison heard He Rui reply, "Our Investment Promotion Bureau lacks a Director right now. I wonder if Mr. Morrison is interested."

"Investment Promotion Bureau?" Morrison thought of the investment attraction activities He Rui had personally participated in and felt he understood somewhat. But he wasn't quite sure, so he asked, "What is the relationship between the Investment Promotion Bureau and the Ministry of Commerce?"

He Rui found an organizational chart of the Investment Promotion Bureau and handed it to Morrison. Morrison took it and looked at it. Looking up again, he saw He Rui smiling. "Keep reading; it doesn't affect my work."

So Morrison read the document while He Rui wrote documents. For a while, only the faint sound of paper friction against the pen tip and pages turning could be heard in the office.

Morrison didn't like the work of the Investment Promotion Bureau; it differed greatly from the traditional work content of a political broker. After reading the organizational plan, Morrison said, "Marshal He, perhaps there is a job more suitable for me."

He Rui looked up. "Mr. Morrison, I think this job suits you best. What is the most important work in the world right now? Is it for you to use your connections to make Britain consider the situation in China amidst its busy schedule? No, no, no. The most important work in the world right now is how to let the Allied Powers defeat the Central Powers. The production capacity outside the pass can play a big role in promoting this work. The Director of the Investment Promotion Bureau is not about letting merchants run outside the pass to invest, but making the area outside the pass an important product supply base for the Allied Powers."

"The Investment Promotion Bureau isn't for developing industry outside the pass?" Morrison was unwilling to believe He Rui's words, so his answer became blunt.

He Rui waved his hand. "As the Director of the Investment Promotion Bureau, understanding it this way is wrong. The industrial upgrading of the Northeast is a byproduct of the Allied Powers defeating the Central Powers; it is the Northeast industry contributing strength to the Allied Powers, not the other way around, the Northeast extracting strength from the Allied Powers. I hope that when Mr. Morrison writes to Minister Jordan, you must understand this logical relationship."

Looking at Morrison's surprised expression, He Rui answered seriously, "Mr. Morrison, please view this issue from a global perspective. China is part of the world, and China must make choices that conform to the general trend of the world. Or do we need to have a discussion on the current major trends of the world?"

Morrison thought for a moment and decided to test He Rui's magnanimity, so he asked, "Does Marshal He not look forward to strengthening the industrial strength outside the pass? The subordinates of Marshal He that I have met are all sincere patriots."

"Precisely because they are patriots, I chose them to be my comrades. But this does not mean the world will revolve around China. As I said before, China is only a part of the world; China has no ability to dominate the world situation, nor any reason to dominate the world situation. As I said before, providing strength for the victory of the Allied Powers is the direction of the world now, and also the direction we must devote ourselves to, rather than using the needs of the Allied Powers to strengthen ourselves. Do you think this is a cooperative attitude?"

"A cooperative attitude..." Only now did Morrison feel his thoughts clear, but he still dared not quite believe it. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Marshal He, can I write the content of our conversation in the letter?"

"Of course, it must be written in," He Rui answered clearly.

Four days later, Morrison's letter was delivered to Sir John Jordan, the British Minister to China. Jordan picked up the letter, then put it down. He called the counselor in. "Take a look at this letter. If there is any news worth telling me, tell me."

The counselor took the letter. Seeing it was written by Morrison, he was somewhat surprised. Looking at the sender's address, he was even more surprised. "Your Excellency, why did Morrison run outside the pass?"

There was some sarcasm in Jordan's tone. "This fellow fully supported Yuan Shikai proclaiming himself Emperor and has lost influence in Beijing. Morrison liked He Rui very much before; now he should be running outside the pass to try his luck. If He Rui can gain greater power, Morrison can also return to the Beijing circle."

The counselor didn't continue to say anything. Jordan's view was already very clear; this letter was probably Morrison boasting for He Rui. Now that Yuan Shikai was dead, all factions of Beiyang were vying to become the supreme ruler of China, and obtaining British support was also a very important choice for them.

Opening the letter, the counselor began to read. Reading on, the counselor couldn't help but be surprised. After reading it all, the counselor thought about it and still delivered the letter to Minister Jordan.

Jordan trusted this counselor's ability very much. Since the counselor thought this letter had value, Jordan picked it up and read it.

After reading only a few paragraphs, Jordan couldn't help laughing. "This guy became the Director of the Investment Promotion Bureau in He Rui's local government."

The counselor nodded but said nothing. This letter indeed moved the counselor somewhat. The war in Europe was fought more tragically. The Battle of Verdun, the Battle of Jutland—Germany fought tragic wars with Britain and France on land and sea.

Especially the Battle of Jutland. Although Germany failed to break the blockade of the British Grand Fleet, the German Navy displayed amazing combat effectiveness. Whether in tonnage of sunken ships or number of casualties, Britain's losses were more than double Germany's. What unsettled Britain even more was that Germany's capital ships were not heavily damaged; only one battlecruiser and one pre-dreadnought battleship were sunk. Britain, on the other hand, lost three battlecruisers and three armored cruisers.

The counselor's younger brother was a gunnery officer on one of the three sunken battlecruisers. It was heard that only 9 people on the ship were rescued, and the name of the counselor's brother did not appear on the list of 9.

Germany was not defeated; instead, it showed stronger power. This war not only showed no signs of ending but was heading in an increasingly tragic direction.

The relationship between countries is interest. This is just one of the most basic knowledge points in the British diplomatic circle. He Rui was able to clearly propose a cooperative attitude on this basis, which already surpassed the vast majority of the Beiyang high-level officials.

At least, He Rui told the British side very clearly: *I know you have needs, and I am willing to do my best to meet your needs. Do you want to cooperate?*

Jordan finished reading the letter and didn't evaluate the content of the letter. Instead, he asked, "Has that He Rui always advocated for China to join the Allied Powers as soon as possible?"

The counselor was stunned. He recalled carefully and found he actually knew little about He Rui. But this wasn't a problem. The counselor hurriedly took his leave temporarily and went to the archivist to seek He Rui's file. Soon, the counselor returned to Jordan with a file of only a little over one page. "Your Excellency, He Rui clearly stated in an exclusive interview last year that China should join the Allied Powers as soon as possible."