November 8th, the Start of Winter.

The fishing nets cast into the Shanmen Reservoir were hauled in, and soon, the glimmer of fish scales flashed from within the mesh. By the time the nets were dragged onto the boat, they contained over a dozen grass carp, each weighing more than a jin.

As the cooks began processing the ingredients, the Party, military, and government cadres watching from the shore discussed the progress of artificial fish farming and returned to the venue.

The venue consisted of several tents set up beside the Shanmen Reservoir. Government cadres, especially those responsible for rural work, had all participated in measuring the water storage depth. This reservoir, covering nearly 10 square kilometers with a maximum depth already exceeding two meters, drew admiration and delight from everyone.

Lu Daoming, the Deputy Director of the Water Conservancy Bureau in charge of the project, was filled with joy. As he accepted everyone’s congratulations, a smile naturally spread across his face. Lu Daoming himself hadn't expected that the first reservoir project he would design, construct, and complete the first phase of would be in the region outside the pass, often considered a wild frontier. Moreover, the lack of major rivers in this area, while a problem for hydraulic engineering, also presented an advantage for specific water conservancy projects.

Despite his high spirits, Lu Daoming maintained the calm demeanor of a technical expert when facing the cadres' inquiries. "Reservoir construction must be based on seeking truth from facts and adapting to local conditions. More importantly, for the higher terrain, we must ask the comrades from the Forestry Bureau to guide the afforestation work to conserve water sources."

Zhang Qingshan, Deputy Director of the Siping Forestry Bureau, felt a mix of joy and awkwardness upon hearing this. Outside the pass, everyone was used to cutting down trees; those who planted them were rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Zhang Qingshan was originally a village cadre. He had stood out from the crowd of village officials—who only had experience in felling trees—simply because his family had planted a dozen trees at the edge of their fields. Thus, he was temporarily acting as the head of the Forestry Bureau.

Seeing the gazes of the other local cadres, Zhang Qingshan knew he actually didn't understand much, let alone have any experience to share.

Fortunately, this exchange didn't last long, and the meeting convened shortly after. At the start of the meeting, He Rui went straight to the point. "Next year is the first year of the First Five-Year Plan. As of now, the main framework of land reform across the entire Northeast is basically complete. The next steps are the mass training of cadres, the strengthening of compulsory education, and the increasing of people's income. In the agricultural training across various regions, comrades must make the concept of investment—that is, the key points of input and output—the focus of training..."

Zhang Qingshan listened with great admiration. As a cadre from a peasant background, knowing how much to sow and what the harvest would be was the most basic form of input and output. But it was only during the rural cadre training that Zhang Qingshan learned the theory of input and output. Even now, he and the rural cadres preferred to use the phrase "how to manage a household" to describe this knowledge.

Learning how to arrange farm work meant growing more grain after receiving land. Learning how to manage one's life meant completing more orders for sewing and other tasks won by the village, earning more grain. Now, Zhang Qingshan was busy every day planning forest farms, collecting seeds, arranging nurseries, and cultivating seedlings. He only knew from letters that his family's life had improved significantly—at least they could eat their fill.

After the agricultural section concluded, the topic shifted to industrial development. The only parts Zhang Qingshan could grasp were "compulsory education" and "strengthening training." Essentially, it meant training, classes, and sending the children to school.

However, in the minds of Wu Youping, Zhao Tianlin, Xu Chengfeng, Lu Daoming, and others, the content He Rui presented was much more complex, even giving them a sense of excessive optimism.

Industry was the capital with which the Great Powers vied for world hegemony. Since the Self-Strengthening Movement, China had failed to truly achieve industrialization despite decades of effort. These young Chinese men, who had received higher education, believed that under He Rui's leadership and through arduous struggle, China could certainly reach the level of the Great Powers. Yet, in He Rui's description, the process of industrialization seemed as clear and straightforward as reaching into a bag to take something out.

Of course, He Rui also described the massive workload and the enormous resources required. But to these comrades, such a workload felt trivial compared to the prospect of industrial progress. No one questioned it, largely because they didn't know what to say.

At noon, fresh and hot *Guobaorou* (Double Cooked Pork Slices) and *Suancaiyu* (Sauerkraut Fish) were served at the dining gathering. Paired with multigrain pancakes made of a mixture of sorghum and corn flour, everyone enjoyed a delicious meal.

As they ate the meat, the comrades from the Animal Husbandry Department became the focus. Chen Deli, who was responsible for rural work, couldn't help but sigh. "Although green fodder is good, there's no way to feed it to pigs properly. No matter what we say, there are always farmers who feed pigs with green fodder until the pigs bloat to death or get sick. The farmers, distressed over their lost income, then vent their anger on the village cadres."

Zheng Silang, who had a somewhat impatient temper, couldn't help but ask, "How do those village cadres respond?"

"It's useless to talk to them. The farmers don't care about logic; they cry, make a scene, and threaten suicide. The village cadres are in a very difficult position."

The expressions of the leading cadres, whether they had received higher education or came from rural backgrounds, varied greatly—some were very unhappy, others deeply moved. However, everyone's gaze eventually fell on He Rui.

He Rui was just dipping a pancake into the soup and putting it in his mouth. Seeing everyone's eyes focused on him, he swallowed the bite before speaking. "Emphasizing input-output education during cadre training sounds simple. Obtaining fodder nearby saves a lot of effort; this is human nature. But to raise pigs well, one must have the right methods. During training, we must provide methods and be able to solve problems. This is very heavy work for the cadres; it requires everyone to be patient and capable of enduring grievances."

"We can't just let those people talk nonsense, can we?" Zheng Silang's young face was filled with the indignation characteristic of youth.

He Rui waved his hand. "Let them talk. As long as our cadres disseminate the content we need to propagate, other matters depend on whether the masses can accept it. And for the masses who can accept it, it depends on whether they can receive further support. There will always be people who make trouble, but there are also those who focus on the matter itself. We shouldn't get into emotional disputes with those who talk nonsense. Instead, those who focus on the task itself should receive the matching knowledge and education. I believe that in the face of interests, the eyes of the masses are sharp."

"...In the face of interests," Zheng Silang repeated, saying no more. Most of the other comrades felt something similar and also dropped the subject.

The meeting continued in the afternoon and lasted for three days. At the Party Congress, all party representatives solidified their understanding of the First Five-Year Plan. Just as the meeting was about to conclude, Zhuang Jiaxiong, who had already gone to the Changchun Industrial Bureau, raised a question that had been on his mind. "Chairman, why continue to invest in Siping? I believe Siping is not suitable for large-scale industrial construction."

The comrades all looked at He Rui earnestly. Every comrade working in an industrial department hoped their city could possess a complete industrial system. Fengtian, Changchun, and Harbin were all major cities with scales far exceeding Siping, and their conditions for developing industry were by no means inferior. Especially the comrades who had followed He Rui earlier, they had all considered the possibility of a "Great Siping Relocation." However, not only did this expected event not happen, but Siping had actually gathered even more industrial projects. Comrades inevitably felt He Rui was being too biased.

"Two reasons," He Rui answered decisively. "First, Siping is geographically much safer and can withstand a sudden surprise attack. The destruction of the Beiyang Manufacturing Bureau in Tianjin is a lesson not far behind us; I do not wish to see it happen again. Second, even Siping's current industry is far from forming a complete system. Regarding the so-called Great Siping Relocation, I believe what should be moved is an entire industrial system. Therefore, Siping should be a training base, with a large number of personnel coming here to receive training."

At this point, seeing the disappointed looks on their faces, He Rui couldn't help but smile. "Everyone thinks Siping's conditions aren't very good, and that is a correct thought. The Northeast is so vast; there are plenty of places more suitable for building an industrial system than Siping. We aren't doing it now simply because the time is not yet ripe. I can only say that Siping's industrial categories will increase, but the scale will not continue to expand. Correspondingly, provided safety is guaranteed, the industrial scale of every city will reach the level it should."

Although He Rui's answer didn't completely satisfy them, the leading cadres from the three provincial capitals showed joy in their expressions. At least they had something to look forward to!

After the Party Congress ended, the various representatives stayed in Siping to rest for a few more days. The work over the last six months had truly exhausted everyone, and gathering together now, they didn't want to immediately rush their separate ways.

But He Rui didn't have this leisure. He returned to Fengtian and accepted an exclusive interview with reporters from the *Asahi Shimbun* and the *Yomiuri Shimbun*.

The reporters from the two newspapers were familiar faces. Takeda from *Asahi Shimbun*, upon seeing He Rui, sighed after the initial greetings. "Since Your Excellency left Japan, *The Soul of the Army* has been far less interesting than before. It has now ceased publication."

Uesugi from *Yomiuri Shimbun* shared the same sentiment, but he didn't dwell on the past. He sighed, "Your Excellency's exclusive interview in July received a very good response. In particular, your evaluation of the Battle of Jutland was highly praised. The struggle of the German fleet was nothing more than a fierce attack by prisoners against their guards; it did not change the strategic situation of the German Navy. No matter how brilliant the tactical victory, it was of no avail. How does Your Excellency judge China's potential entry into the Allied Powers?"

"As you both know, I have always called for the Chinese central government to join the Allied Powers as soon as possible. Although I have no voice in the central government, based on scattered news I've heard, President Li Yuanhong may announce this news in the near future."

The eyes of the two reporters lit up. Takeda hurriedly pressed, "Is this news reliable?"

He Rui smiled. "I've only heard it. However, I have repeatedly called for it in domestic newspapers and have also submitted a petition to President Li Yuanhong. I imagine the President will always give it some thought."

The day after Yuan Shikai's death, according to the succession list he had established, Li Yuanhong, who was ranked first, succeeded as the President of the Republic of China. As a major figure who had been forcibly brought out to lead the situation after the Wuchang Uprising, Li Yuanhong was indeed the most suitable candidate at this time.

However, what Li Yuanhong did next was to attempt to overthrow the Beiyang system along the way by holding those responsible for the Hongxian monarchy accountable. This met with opposition from the Beiyang clique as a whole.

So what He Rui said was true; he had indeed published articles in newspapers and submitted petitions to Li Yuanhong and others. But He Rui didn't believe for a second that his words would actually have such a great effect.

The reason he did this was entirely because he wanted to gain recognition from the Allied Powers.

After the interview ended and the reporters were seen off, the French merchant Maglon came to visit. Upon seeing He Rui, he immediately said with excitement, "Your Excellency, mass production can begin."

"Oh?" He Rui didn't dare to fully trust Maglon's capacity; after all, this involved arms, and orders for Russian-pattern rifles did carry significant risk.

Maglon saw through He Rui's thoughts and continued, "The equipment has already started production. If it weren't for the fact that the factories in the south are not at the same level as those in the north, it should have arrived by now. But please rest assured, Your Excellency. Many people greatly appreciate your sincerity regarding joining the Allied Powers and acknowledge the production capacity you now possess. They are willing to cooperate with you."