"Please, you must believe in General He's attitude." Morrison emphasized this point for the second time in his conversation with Jordan's secretary.

For a high-level dialogue, speaking this way was already excessive. Morrison said this because he realized the secretary's evaluation of He Rui was very similar to his view of Indian Maharajas. But Morrison did not want to converse on such a foolish premise.

Just as Morrison was communicating with Jordan's secretary, He Rui received a guest from Japan. Sakata Keiji, a junior from the Academy who had been posted to the Kwantung Leased Territory after graduation, had set out along the South Manchuria Railway in his capacity as a railway security inspector and found the opportunity to visit He Rui.

"Senior! Long time no see!" Sakata Keiji saluted He Rui.

He Rui stepped forward to shake his hand. "Indeed, it has been a long time. How are the comrades in Japan?"

Sakata Keiji replied somewhat embarrassedly, "Reporting to Senior, Ishiwara asked me to convey his apologies. *Gunkon* has ceased publication. Everyone wanted to keep the newspaper going, but after you left, Senior, some people with ill intentions infiltrated the group and wrote many articles with ulterior motives. In order to prevent *Gunkon* from being used by them, the comrades collectively withdrew and announced the suspension of the publication."

"You did the right thing," He Rui praised.

The two sat down, and Sakata Keiji began to recount the recent situation in Japan. Just as He Rui had predicted, Japan's finances had improved rapidly, but the people's standard of living had not improved accordingly.

"Senior, the classmates are all very eager to know about the land reform you are conducting in Manchuria. But there is too little news about this; it is not mentioned at all in Japan. On the contrary, they want to use your reputation to promote themselves."

He Rui welcomed such interest. "I will arrange for you to visit the land reform sites. As for the results, why don't you write up your own observations? When you send your report back to Japan, I will also send a copy of our local land reform summary to Japan."

Sakata Keiji was somewhat surprised. "Senior intends to show us the government work report?"

He Rui understood why Sakata was surprised and couldn't help laughing. "What is so strange about that? National policies are meant to be made public. Should I conceal them just because they differ from mainstream politics? Sakata-kun, in Chinese history—the Han, Tang, and Ming dynasties—all conducted large-scale land grants. Other acts of granting land were even more numerous. The land reform I am executing now can hardly be called a pioneering act."

"Yes, what Senior says is true," Sakata Keiji replied hastily.

After chatting for a while longer, Sakata Keiji rose to take his leave. Once on the train, Sakata picked up a simple handwritten outline of the land reform in Japanese that He Rui had given him and began to read.

Because time was limited, the content of the outline was not detailed. Even so, Sakata Keiji was moved by the fundamental concepts. When He Rui was in Japan, he had made many incisive expositions on the future development of the world. Especially regarding the development of civilization, He Rui's views were far more profound than the concepts popular among young Japanese military officers.

As a Japanese national and a student of the Army War College, Sakata Keiji held no special affection for He Rui personally. Acknowledging He Rui's ability did not equate to liking him.

However, seeing this outline, Sakata could not help but feel respect for He Rui. Just as He Rui had previously stated in student gatherings, one must absolutely not view land reform from a moral standpoint, nor view it as an act of charity. The purpose of land reform is to rationalize production relations and eliminate social contradictions; it is a thoroughly materialist policy.

Now seeing He Rui's summary of the Northeast land reform with his own eyes, Sakata Keiji recalled the words He Rui had once spoken. In Japan, there were indeed ideas about equalizing land, and the number of people daring to voice such 'treasonous' views was increasing. The common people were suffering too much; heavy land rents and taxes were crushing the ordinary Japanese populace.

Japanese people without land could only go to work in factories with atrocious conditions, and women even had to go to European-controlled Southeast Asia to sell their bodies. Although the Anglo-Japanese Alliance was still being maintained, this was the only opportunity Britain afforded Japan. The privilege for Japanese women to sell themselves in Southeast Asia was the goodwill Britain showed as an ally.

Therefore, the majority of young officers in Japan believed they must fight a decisive war with the Western nations, and they viewed this war as one concerning civilization.

The train arrived in Siping, and Sakata Keiji arrived at the Japanese Concession. Originally, there was only one platoon of Japanese troops here, along with some Japanese merchants and concession administration personnel. Seeing that the Japanese Concession was extremely desolate, vastly different from reports, Sakata Keiji immediately summoned the platoon leader for questioning.

Admission to the Japanese Army War College was strict; graduates were generally required to be under 26 years old and hold the rank of Lieutenant or higher. After graduation, War College students typically started as Majors. A platoon leader would truly be trembling with fear before a Major.

"Reporting to the Major, the Chinese in the concession have all moved to the city proper," the platoon leader answered.

"Why?" Sakata Keiji asked with a stern face. He did not want people to know of his relationship with He Rui, so he felt using a displeased tone would be better.

The platoon leader did not know how to answer for a moment. Japan only had concessions in China; if the Chinese left the concessions, the Japanese could not control them. But the impact of the Chinese leaving was significant. First, the concession lost revenue. Whether doing business, attending school, or seeking medical treatment, Chinese people in the Japanese Concession had brought in significant income for Japanese merchants and the concession. The withdrawal greatly reduced this, affecting the Japanese army itself as well.

Seeing the platoon leader's expression, Sakata Keiji realized the situation was worse than he had imagined. He decided not to ask further. He walked around the concession and saw that Japanese-run schools had closed and Japanese shops had few customers. Many houses were empty, and some Chinese families were packing up to move.

This made Sakata Keiji feel uneasy. His classmates at the Army War College all acknowledged He Rui's personal strength, but what country didn't have a few outstanding figures? If the scale were expanded to the national level, Japan had considerable confidence when facing China.

But the current situation made Sakata feel anxious. He Rui had given him not only a handwritten Japanese outline but also a Chinese summary.

Although it was strenuous to read, Sakata Keiji did his utmost to read it carefully and felt he understood most of it. The land reform and land distribution had clarified that the grain tax brought to the Northeast populace was a thirty-seventy split.

In Japan, it was also roughly thirty-seventy, but in the Northeast, the people kept seven and the state took three, with no landlords collecting rent in between. In Japan, this ratio was reversed: the people only received thirty percent of the grain harvest, while the other seventy percent was taken by the government and landlords.

Sakata Keiji did not dare to fully believe He Rui could achieve such a level in just one year, but seeing the population flow in the Japanese Concession, he had to admit it was likely true.

Just as He Rui said, the purpose of land reform had nothing to do with morality; it was to rationalize production relations and eliminate social contradictions. When the Northeast regional government could provide a better life, the people of Northeast China would naturally move to where that better life was.

Thinking of this, Sakata Keiji found someone to exchange his clothes for Chinese civilian attire and decided to go outside the concession into Siping City to take a look.

He Rui had once described a new life to young Japanese officers in Tokyo. Now was the time to see if He Rui could actually realize such a life.

But as he was about to step across the line separating the concession from Chinese territory—a line that actually had no physical barrier—Sakata Keiji hesitated. If what He Rui said could truly be realized, should Sakata be happy or unhappy?

As a graduate of the Japanese Army War College, Sakata had expertise in judging strategic situations. Britain was able to possess a huge advantage in Europe because it could fully utilize the fragmented situation of Europe for manipulation, taking the so-called policy of neutrality to the extreme.

But in Asia, Japan had been a small country for thousands of years because the adjacent continent was unified by a powerful China. As an external state, Japan had absolutely no room to intervene.

This was the fate of island nations adjacent to a continent. Going back 2,000 years, the European continent had the Roman Empire and the Germanic barbarians to the north. The British Isles were then just a desolate place, letting various groups come and go.

If He Rui made China strong, and He Rui himself did not execute the new model of civilization he had described to the young military men in Tokyo, then Japan's fate would be singular: to be crushed by a powerful China.

Thinking of this, his steps, which should have been light, became incredibly heavy. Yet, Sakata Keiji still took that step, striding onto the land controlled by the Chinese Northeast Government.