Sakata Keiji spent two days walking all over Siping, and the doubts in his heart grew stronger and stronger.

The citizens inside Siping City were not wealthy, but neither were they particularly destitute. Everyone was working hard to make a living, and the city itself was functioning normally. This was what confused Sakata Keiji—why was there so little abnormality in this city?

The normality within Siping City highlighted the abnormality of the Japanese concession. Most of the Chinese remaining in the Japanese concession were dishonest characters, or simply opium addicts. These people feared the orderly Siping City as a wild beast fears thunder.

Drugs had already been eliminated within Siping City. Drug traffickers were executed by firing squad immediately after public trials, while addicts were sent to rehabilitation centers. According to Japanese merchants in the Siping concession, He Rui's crackdown on drugs was ruthless; even Japanese pharmacies and merchants had been subjected to comprehensive searches. The death rate among those forced to withdraw was high, yet during the process, He Rui had surprisingly arranged for quite a few medical personnel to provide medical services to these people in the rehab centers.

It wasn't strange that He Rui would do this. What astonished Sakata Keiji was that the Japanese merchants didn't mention He Rui's troops taking any of their property during the searches. Since the Japanese merchants only lamented the confiscation of their opium—and the threat that they would die if they dared to sell it again—it proved just how strict the discipline of He Rui's troops truly was. If He Rui's subordinates had taken even a single needle while performing their official duties, the Japanese merchants, with their nature, would have etched it into their memory.

After finishing his tour and before heading to his final stop, Changchun, Sakata Keiji felt distressed. If someone trafficked drugs within Japan, Sakata would unhesitatingly advocate for their execution. He absolutely did not support drug trafficking itself.

However, when it came to selling drugs to China to earn huge profits, Sakata felt that if Japanese merchants were the ones earning this money, while he certainly didn't like it, he couldn't genuinely oppose it either.

When He Rui lectured in Tokyo, he had said that holding such thoughts was due to the influence of narrow nationalism. At the time, Sakata felt he was not a narrow-minded person. But hearing merchants talk about the profits from previous drug trafficking, Sakata found he couldn't help but be tempted.

While waiting for the train, Sakata smoked a cigarette, his heart filled with mixed feelings. Having passed the exams for the Army War College, he had always considered himself an exceptionally excellent person, believing he had overcome traits like narrow-mindedness. Yet the facts seemed to suggest otherwise. If everything was pushed onto patriotism, then since China was Japan's potential enemy, selling drugs to China to weaken it might not only *not* be an evil act, but might even be a virtue.

If one believed that selling drugs to an enemy was right, then it proved that drug trafficking wasn't wrong, only trafficking to one's own country was wrong. He Rui said this was a kind of narrow nationalism, and he wasn't wrong.

Siping brand cigarettes were cheap, and Sakata could afford them. Smoking one after another, the struggle in Sakata's heart rose and fell. If narrow nationalism was incorrect, but one removed the pillar of nationalism from one's philosophy, wouldn't the nation teeter on the verge of collapse? What kind of strong pillar could be used to make the country itself stronger, to make it better? Could economic development replace nationalism? Sakata didn't think so.

The whistle sounded, urging passengers to board. Sakata Keiji, his mind full of doubts, boarded the train, carrying these questions with him towards Changchun.

***

He Rui was currently facing Morrison, the Director of the Investment Bureau. Morrison explained Wu Youping's demands to He Rui, then advised, "General, there is no need for us to go to this extent."

Reports regarding Wu Youping's demands had been sent over long ago. Even without the reports, He Rui felt Wu Youping's demands were perfectly reasonable.

"Director Morrison, I believe that when the British and French diplomatic personnel made their demands, their starting point was incorrect. Even taking the most charitable view, the object they wish to satisfy is the Russians, not the winning of the war."

Morrison did not agree with He Rui's view. "Russia's requirements for the weapons are also for the sake of achieving victory."

"I do not oppose Russia stationing inspectors here for random checks. However, I believe the reason Mayor Wu opposes it lies in the fact that the British and French diplomats have made excessive demands. Our arsenal is currently exerting one hundred percent of its effort just to maintain the quality of the weapons, but such effort has not received sufficient respect. Problems with machining precision are an inevitability, not an accident. If we want to improve efficiency, we must receive help from more experienced engineers and technicians. Once engineers and technicians arrive at the factory and begin effective work, the yield rate will naturally increase significantly. At that time, random inspections will be no problem. Have Britain and France strived for the goal of winning the war? Have they adopted methods that conform to the laws of industrial production? Speaking diplomatically, I have grounds to question their objectives!"

Hearing He Rui speak like this, Morrison felt both amused and helpless. It had to be said, the British and French diplomats really hadn't considered it this way. It wasn't because these people were deliberately causing trouble, but because they genuinely didn't understand industrial production. Given the current shortage of industrial goods in Britain and France, how could anyone who understood industrial management be running around working as a diplomat!

Let alone this group, even a Minister to China like Jordan—who looked majestic and imposing in China—what did he count for back in London? If Jordan returned to the UK now and wanted to seek a better position, he would still have to use money to buy office, bowing and scraping to recommend himself to the big shots in London.

Morrison looked at He Rui and decided to test his thinking. "General, if the British and French governments are dissatisfied with your response strategy and stop placing orders, what then?"

Such a 'threat' amused He Rui. "Heh, Director Morrison, that is impossible. If a few errand-running diplomats could decide Britain and France's Far East policy, Britain and France would absolutely not hold their current status in the world today. Policy formulation is a very pragmatic matter. Our rifle prices are lower than the market price not because we are willing to earn less, but to improve cost-effectiveness. After all, no one has much confidence in Chinese industrial products. Therefore, such cooperation is itself the result of compromise by all parties. The demands made by those errand-running diplomats are requirements targeted at mature arsenals; applying such standards to us is inappropriate. I believe the British and French sides are very clear on this point."

Faced with this helpless reality, Morrison nodded resignedly. Just as he wanted to say something else, he saw He Rui break into a smile. "However, it is necessary to write this up as an interesting news article. Director Morrison, could I ask you to help polish it?"

"Polish it? Is there already a draft?" Morrison was surprised.

He Rui picked up a pen. "Not yet, but there will be in a moment."