"Ro...man...ovsky." He Rui repeated the Soviet Russian envoy's name for about the fifth time, feeling he had more or less memorized it, especially the latter half. But as for this Red envoy's full name, He Rui didn't bother to memorize it at all. Remembering a string of dozens of letters was meaningless.

Zhao Tianlin sat beside He Rui, looking through the other party's information. Seeing He Rui was ready, he asked, "Chairman, the Foreign Language University plan has been postponed. We can't find that many teachers now; should we start it immediately?"

Seeing Zhao Tianlin's serious expression, He Rui smiled. "Language needs an application environment. Arranging for students to work together with the Germans and Russians in the concentration camps will easily improve their proficiency."

"That's not appropriate, is it? They are prisoners," Zhao Tianlin raised a different view.

"We send people there to learn languages, not to let the prisoners lord over them. Besides, Director Zhao's words are a bit politically incorrect; there is no distinction of high or low status among laborers." As He Rui said this, he had already stood up.

Zhao Tianlin didn't know if the second half of He Rui's sentence was sincere or fake, but in the Northeast, the political correctness was 'labor makes no distinction of high or low'. If not for this fact, He Rui's words could have been treated completely as a joke.

Arriving at the conference room, they saw a Russian youth sitting with a Chinese youth, the two chatting in low voices in Russian. Seeing He Rui enter, the two stood up alertly. He Rui couldn't be bothered to shake hands with them; signaling for everyone to sit down, he asked directly, "Please tell me, is the *tovarisch* who has come a Bolshevik? Are you under the leadership of a Central Committee member of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks)? Or under a committee subordinate to the Central Committee? Or some other status?"

Once these words came out, the Chinese translator youth opposite looked astonished, and the recording staff on He Rui's side also looked astonished.

When the Chinese youth translated He Rui's words, the Russian youth's expression also changed. He absolutely hadn't expected He Rui to understand the organizational structure of the Communist Party so well. Hesitating for a moment, the Russian youth said, "My name is Romanovsky, and I am under the leadership of Commissar Joffe of the Bolshevik Foreign Affairs Committee."

Hearing he was Joffe's subordinate, He Rui couldn't help but smile. "Commissar Joffe has already finished signing the *Treaty of Brest-Litovsk* with Germany. Why didn't he come? Is he worried that we would be unfavorable to diplomatic personnel?"

Hearing this, Romanovsky couldn't help but become fully alert. Before this trip, in the intelligence collected by the Communist Party, He Rui was characterized as a local Chinese warlord chieftain—cunning, ruthless, adept at seizing opportunities, and extremely dangerous.

Since He Rui was so clear about Joffe's position within the Bolsheviks, it proved that these judgments were not problematic at all, and he had to deal with him carefully.

"Commissar Joffe is currently busy with work and cannot come. I was delegated by Commissar Joffe to protest to Your Excellency. Your Excellency's stripping Russia of the Chinese Eastern Railway is a very vicious act of aggression, which we cannot accept..."

After the Chinese translator expressed the Russian envoy's attitude, He Rui didn't answer but asked the Chinese youth with the Northeast accent, "Is your name Li Taihu? Have you joined the Communist Party (Bolsheviks)? Have you acquired Russian citizenship? Are you a member of the Chinese Regiment in the Red Army?"

Li Taihu also braced himself. "I am Li Taihu, from the Red Army Regiment, and I haven't acquired Russian citizenship."

He Rui sized up this Chinese member of the Communist Party. Seeing his long face, thin build, and fearless gaze, filled with the passion emanating from within that was typical of revolutionary youth in this era, he continued to ask, "Oh. Comrade Li follows the revolution; do you identify with using violence to overthrow feudal rule, or do you identify with communist ideals? That is, the ideals of *The Internationale*."

Li Taihu had made many preparations before meeting He Rui, but he absolutely hadn't expected a warlord chieftain to say '*The Internationale*' as if it were only natural, and even use this question to inquire about Li Taihu's political stance. All the various preparations he had made seemed to have lost their direction, and for a moment he didn't know how to answer. Finally, he could only reply, "I identify with the ideals of *The Internationale*."

He Rui pressed, "Does this Romanovsky identify with overthrowing Tsarist Russia, or does he identify with *The Internationale*?"

Li Taihu translated He Rui's words, and Romanovsky didn't dare answer immediately. He Rui's danger rating was raised significantly. Even relying on intuition, Romanovsky could feel that this meeting would be very arduous. But not answering wouldn't do either. Finally, Romanovsky asked He Rui in return, "Is General He also a communist?"

He Rui laughed. "I am a die-hard communist."

Hearing He Rui, who was characterized by the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) as a warlord chieftain, shamelessly claim to be a communist, Romanovsky only felt a surge of anger, feeling he had been greatly mocked. Since He Rui spoke like this, Romanovsky simply ridiculed, "Seizing another country's property—what a 'die-hard communist'."

This ridicule had absolutely no effect on He Rui. He Rui hadn't expected a low-ranking Communist Party member to have a high level of understanding anyway, so he laughed unceremoniously. "Oh? I don't know which kind of communism Romanovsky studies, but in the communist ideals I know of, they all support national liberation. The Chinese people resisted the unequal treaties imposed on China by imperialist countries, recovered their own national interests, and turned the Chinese Eastern Railway into a state-owned asset. Shouldn't communists slap the table and shout 'bravo', shouldn't they celebrate with hand to forehead upon seeing this? Since you claim to be for *The Internationale*, based on the logic before and after, I can only reach one conclusion. You only oppose Tsarist rule, you do not oppose imperialism. The *Internationale* you identify with is just another form of imperialism."

Zhao Tianlin had seen He Rui go tit-for-tat with Britain in diplomatic settings, refusing to yield an inch. Even so, witnessing the fierce verbal attack He Rui launched this time, Zhao Tianlin was somewhat startled.

His experience studying in the United States made Zhao Tianlin understand that accusing the other party like this was as scathing as accusing a believer in God of actually being a Satanist.

Sure enough, the expressions of Romanovsky and Li Taihu opposite were constantly changing—indignation, anger, astonishment, bewilderment; various emotions appeared one by one and began to switch back and forth. It was evident they wanted to retort but didn't know how to answer immediately.

He Rui didn't give the two a chance either. He stood up and said coldly, "One of the foundations of communism is historical materialism, which is a very logical scientific system possessing a superior methodology for seeing the essence through phenomena. Therefore, the two of you who claim to be communists disappoint me greatly. This meeting ends here. Come see me again when you can answer the question I just asked."

After speaking, He Rui turned and walked away, not looking at the Soviet Russian envoys at all.

Zhao Tianlin looked again at the two young Bolsheviks. Seeing they still couldn't say anything, he couldn't be bothered to observe further. He followed in He Rui's direction.

When he caught up with He Rui, Zhao Tianlin asked, "Chairman, why did you treat them like that?"

He Rui's tone was normal. "They couldn't even answer such a question, so there's no value in continuing the discussion. Even if I told them my expectations, they wouldn't have the ability to correctly convey them to the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks). Letting them be so embarrassed might allow higher-level people from the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) to come for negotiations."

Zhao Tianlin originally thought He Rui was annoyed by the Soviet Russian side questioning China's action of recovering the Chinese Eastern Railway. He hadn't expected He Rui was considering a problem on another level, and for a moment he was attracted by this line of thinking.

Walking a ways with He Rui, Zhao Tianlin asked, "What does the Chairman want Soviet Russia to know?"

"I want Soviet Russia to know that our regime is not an imperialist regime, and our Civilization Party is not an imperialist party. Out of national interest, I want to resolve border issues with Soviet Russia, establish security and mutual trust, and even be able to cooperate."

Hearing this, Zhao Tianlin felt he could somewhat understand He Rui's rebuke, but he felt a bit uncomfortable in his heart. Within the Civilization Party now, especially in the army, some cadres were already considering recovering the land ceded to Russia. Zhao Tianlin himself had such expectations. However, in He Rui's words just now, no thinking in this regard could be found at all.

So Zhao Tianlin asked, "In that case, why doesn't the Chairman send someone to Russia to negotiate with Soviet Russia?"

He Rui answered as he walked, "To achieve mutual trust, there are two best environments. One is long-term friendly interaction. The other is helpless desperation with no other way out. With our current strength, the second is the easiest to achieve. So let Soviet Russia take the initiative to come to us seeking cooperation. This is our only choice."

Zhao Tianlin couldn't immediately accept He Rui's line of thought and could only think as he walked. Walking through the courtyard and returning to He Rui's office, Zhao Tianlin sat in a chair and frowned. After thinking for a while, he finally understood He Rui's meaning and couldn't help but praise with a heart full of joy, "Brilliant! This is what 'where water flows, a canal is formed' means!"

"Exactly. The countries surrounding Soviet Russia all want to eliminate the Soviet Russian regime. In this moment where they are striving for self-preservation, reducing enemies, or even increasing friends, is their best method. But that kind of Great Power chauvinist thinking in Russia is deep-rooted; they have to realize it themselves. Diplomacy relies on negotiation and conflict. In Soviet Russia's eyes, we are a declining great power. Naturally, they hope to use intimidation to gain security. I was so impolite to them only to achieve sincere negotiations as soon as possible. I hope Soviet Russia can understand this sooner."

Zhao Tianlin pushed up his glasses, feeling very excited inside. He Rui returning to China, going alone to the Japanese Kwantung Leased Territory to resolve the Japanese trouble-making in Changchun, and achieving diplomatic success—this was one of the two main reasons that prompted Zhao Tianlin to choose to follow He Rui. Afterwards, Zhao Tianlin participated in many diplomatic activities, and his understanding of diplomacy had changed a lot.

The diplomatic means He Rui displayed at this moment touched Zhao Tianlin even more deeply. He was a Doctor of Law to begin with and attached extra importance to logic and reason. Now he was even more certain of the role internal logic played in diplomacy.

However, thinking of this, Zhao Tianlin couldn't help but feel some worry. Just as he wanted to ask He Rui, he solved it in his own heart.

Zhao Tianlin worried that Soviet Russia, facing such a predicament, would send troops directly to attack the Northeast and Inner/Outer Mongolia, attempting to use military pressure to force He Rui to submit. But just as He Rui said, Russia was now under siege by all surrounding countries. Japan had already contacted He Rui, preparing to purchase grain and logistical services from the Northeast to attack Russia. Where would Russia have the strength to threaten the Northeast and Manchuria-Mongolia? Everything He Rui did fit the current world situation.

Thinking of this, his thoughts became clear. Zhao Tianlin deliberately sighed, "It seems the land we ceded can be recovered!"

He Rui, however, seemed not to have heard, giving absolutely no reaction.

He Rui certainly heard it, but the current situation hadn't reached that stage. Moreover, He Rui's own views on recovering territory were different from Zhao Tianlin's, and even from the vast majority of Civilization Party members.

So He Rui changed the subject. "Director Zhao, there are two things to do now. First, the Russians we caught when recovering the Chinese Eastern Railway are basically all White Russians. Now we demand that Britain and France, based on their anti-Soviet Russia stance, take in these refugees. If they don't take in these refugees, it would be an action completely devoid of international morality. If they insist on making us continue to keep White Russians in the concentration camps, Britain and France have to pay money!"

Zhao Tianlin was holding a water cup drinking water at this moment. Hearing He Rui righteously demanding money from Britain and France, he almost choked and sprayed a mouthful of water. Not only Zhao Tianlin, but other staff members in the office were also bewildered by these words.

He Rui was completely unaffected by these comrades and continued, "If Britain and France don't pay, we will publicize this matter in domestic newspapers and European newspapers, letting all of Europe know about this conduct of Britain and France that lacks international morality."

Zhao Tianlin didn't know for a moment what exactly He Rui wanted to do. Finally, he could only ask, "Chairman, what you are plotting wouldn't be to force Britain and France to take those twenty thousand Russians away, right?"

He Rui smiled lightly. "Heh heh. If Britain and France indicate they cannot accept this and want us to solve it, then Director Zhao can tell Britain and France that the White Russians have already transported quite a lot of gold to the British Consulate in Fengtian to buy arms. We don't accept pounds or francs; we want the White Russians to use that gold to pay for the goods."

Zhao Tianlin's expression turned serious. That He Rui would take things to this extent was unexpected yet stood to reason.

The interesting parts of diplomacy made Zhao Tianlin feel a special charm. Finally, Zhao Tianlin sighed, "I will seize the time to strengthen the Foreign Language Department."