On January 21, 1917, *The Times* published Morrison's report. On January 23, *Le Figaro* published a similar piece, though written with a distinctively French flair.

Contrary to Morrison's concerns, no one looked down on He Rui because of China's current state. Since European society, from the elite to the working class, did not believe China was capable of building an industrial system in the first place, encountering difficulties was seen as natural, not laughable. Instead, the detailed account of the hardships involved in constructing the Northeast Arsenal garnered appreciation from many readers.

However, the perspectives of the upper and lower classes diverged significantly. The lower classes saw the struggle of building an arsenal; the upper classes saw the production capacity. British Minister of Munitions Winston Churchill, who had initially sought to exploit He Rui's news value, now realized that He Rui's practical value might be even greater. An arsenal capable of producing inexpensive rifles was truly invaluable at this juncture.

In France, the husband of Maglon's lover—the French Minister of Munitions—returned home after work and found the people he had summoned waiting for him.

"You are to go to China and participate in the construction of the arsenal," the Minister ordered.

"Go to China?" The young men were astonished. "What is there for us to do in such a place?"

The Minister offered no explanation, simply commanding, "Russia needs more munitions. Your job is to increase production capacity!"

Ignoring the young men's thoughts, he immediately ordered them to go back and pack their luggage.

After the young men departed, the Minister walked to the window. Watching their somewhat disgruntled retreating figures, he sighed inwardly, thinking that the youth truly did not understand the painstaking efforts of their elders. A new round of conscription was about to begin. It was no longer appropriate to send these people to the colonies, as the colonies had also begun mass conscripting young men for the war.

At such a time, the official options available to him were limited. Sending them to China to join military production was the method least likely to attract criticism. Of course, this was also thanks to the report in *Le Figaro*, which made the people of Paris aware that such an arsenal existed, producing equipment for the Allied Powers and in urgent need of Allied technical support.

*Live well!* The Minister sighed in his heart.

However, only a minority could be sent to the Chinese arsenal. Soon, this matter was forgotten by the public.

***

In April, France launched an offensive against Germany. The battlefield, stagnant for months, was once again filled with smoke and fire. Heavy artillery groups on both sides began to roar, hurling countless shells at each other.

Originally, the French command believed that artillery bombardment could minimize French casualties. Coupled with the fact that the Nivelle offensive sector was small in area, they optimistically estimated casualties at ten thousand.

However, within forty-eight hours, the recorded French casualties exceeded 98,000. It was estimated that the actual casualties were likely double that figure.

The military hospitals, prepared for ten thousand casualties, were not just overcrowded—they were completely overwhelmed. The wounded could not receive timely treatment; they were piled up like trash throughout the hospitals. In the corridors, in the rooms, in the tents—everywhere was filled with the screams and groans of the dying. They clutched their bleeding wounds, yet no one came to help.

Light wounds turned into severe injuries; severe injuries led to death. Some wounded soldiers, unable to bear the environment, painfully tried to crawl out of the military hospitals. Yet more wounded were being transported in, blocking the corridors completely. No one could get in, and no one could get out. The stench of blood permeated the hospitals, driving many soldiers to madness. They stood up, bleeding, roaring and shoving.

Some lightly wounded soldiers kicked open the fences and rushed out, ignoring the guards' attempts to stop them, and began to head towards the rear. At this moment, the soldiers no longer had any will to fight for their country. They had only one thought left: escape this place, escape home. The French soldiers did not want to fight anymore!

Over the next half-month, a massive wave of desertion erupted throughout the French army. The number of deserters in just two weeks exceeded the total number of deserters from the past two years combined by several times, perhaps even ten times.

The news of the great mutiny in the French army shocked the upper echelons of Britain and France. In this time of war, news was strictly censored. Therefore, the ordinary French soldiers did not actually know that the February Revolution had broken out in Russia, overthrowing the Tsar's rule and establishing a new government.

The pressure on the Central Powers dropped precipitously. If the German army launched a fierce attack at this moment, the French army would likely suffer a total collapse.

It was also at this moment that *The Times* and *Le Figaro* once again published "good news" about the war. The Chinese Beiyang Government had begun to show interest in joining the Allied Powers. Moreover, it was not just China joining unilaterally; there was a possibility that the United States and China would join the Allies together and declare war on the Central Powers.

In addition to this news, there was also good news from the Northeast Arsenal in China. With the assistance of British and French engineers and mechanics, the arsenal's production capacity had increased significantly, now capable of producing 20,000 rifles and 6 million rounds of ammunition per month.

For Britain and France, this was indeed good news. But in the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Headquarters—a member of the Allied Powers—this was treated as negative intelligence.

Lieutenant Colonel Itagaki Seishiro, He Rui's junior alumnus and the head of the newly established "He Agency" (specifically tasked with monitoring He Rui), personally presented a report to the General Staff.

"According to our investigation, the production output of 20,000 rifles and 6 million rounds per month appears to be genuine," Itagaki Seishiro concluded, looking up at the faces of the generals. The generals wore solemn expressions; such news indeed put pressure on them.

"However, this capacity is built upon the foundation of Britain and France providing He Rui with large quantities of metals. Almost 100% of the copper, chromium, and nickel is imported by He Rui from Britain and France. According to this subordinate's investigation, Britain and France are not indulging He Rui; they conduct extremely strict reviews of his imports and exports."

After Itagaki finished, he waited for instruction from the senior generals. The generals remained silent, so Itagaki continued to recount the recent findings of the "He Agency."

Since Japan controlled the South Manchuria Railway, there was clear data on the raw materials transported to He Rui's arsenals. Currently, He Rui could only produce coal, iron ore, and the corresponding steel.

While self-produced steel was indeed important, steel alone could not support a military industry. He Rui not only had to import metals from Britain and France but also had to import saltpeter from Britain to produce gunpowder. All data clearly indicated that the weapons and ammunition produced by He Rui's arsenal were sold to Russia and were not kept to arm He Rui's own troops.

Given the current situation, Britain and France wished they could send every single rifle and every single bullet to the Russian army to keep them attacking Germany.

Of course, if Japan were to suddenly attack the Northeast now, He Rui could withhold the Mosin-Nagant rifles to arm his own army. But clearly, Japan had no such intention. Even if they did, Japan dared not create new complications at this juncture.

After Lieutenant Colonel Itagaki, head of the "He Agency," finished his briefing, the generals asked a few questions. Thanks to the effectiveness of Japanese intelligence gathering, Itagaki's answers were decisive and detailed.

Once the questioning ended and the generals began their deliberations, Itagaki Seishiro withdrew. Outside, Itagaki lit a "Siping" brand cigarette, noting that the flavor of the tobacco had improved significantly.

Intelligence work was arduous, but it came with many perks. For instance, these Chinese cigarettes, which cost less than a third of the market price of Japanese cigarettes, allowed Itagaki to use them as gifts.

Smoking the cigarette, Itagaki considered his work. Establishing a special intelligence agency targeting a specific Army War College graduate was a first in the history of the Japanese military. The more he investigated, the more Itagaki felt that the Army War College was truly a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Who could have imagined that He Rui possessed such strength in industrial development?

But as the investigation showed, the extent of Britain and France's aid to He Rui matched the extent of their wariness. As soon as Britain and France cut off the supply, He Rui's arsenal would have to stop work or produce weapons of inferior quality. Therefore, He Rui's production capacity did not pose a threat to Japan.

It was not just Itagaki who saw it this way; the generals of the Japanese General Staff held a similar view. Thus, the content of their discussion gradually shifted from He Rui to the Anglo-Japanese Alliance.

If Britain was so wary of He Rui and absolutely refused to give him the opportunity to develop freely, they naturally held the same view of Japan. It was just that Japan had already built its own military industry. Even if Britain withdrew its support, Japan could rely on its own military industry to complete its military construction.

"He Rui said that once the Allied Powers win, Britain will not continue the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. And He Rui's prediction about the Russian revolution has come true..."

Someone in the meeting raised this untimely question—one that perhaps shouldn't have been asked—causing most of the generals to frown slightly. The sudden collapse of the Russian Romanov Dynasty, which had lasted over 300 years, had left the Japanese General Staff somewhat bewildered.

The thought that perhaps they could take advantage of this opportunity to do something, perhaps even acquire more territory, lingered in the minds of many generals.

Just then, the person who had mentioned He Rui's prediction spoke again, "Since Britain is so wary of He Rui, is it possible they intend to use He Rui to construct a new balance of power in the Far East?"