The train arrived in Fengtian. Jordan adjusted his slightly wrinkled shirt before standing up. His secretary took a neat and beautiful coat from the hanger in the compartment and helped Jordan put it on. When the group walked out of the carriage, with their crisp suits and shiny leather boots, they looked magnificent and respectable.

The Northeast staff receiving the train could see fatigue beneath the magnificent appearance of Jordan's group; the old man was 76 years old this year, and traveling thousands of miles like this wasn't easy.

Checking into the hotel, Jordan originally thought he would soon meet with the difficult fellow He Rui, but unexpectedly, the meeting was scheduled for the afternoon of the next day. This made Jordan sense a certain danger; He Rui must be preparing some scheme.

However, the bathwater was already prepared, and the old man finally succumbed to his body's needs. Not long after, Minister Jordan was soaking in the warm hot water, letting out a comfortable sigh. The hot water provided energy that the aged Jordan's body couldn't provide, and the accelerated blood circulation made the old man feel his mind was much clearer.

He Rui had still done what Jordan didn't want him to do; the young Chairman of the Republic's Northeast Government had formally contacted the British Cabinet, relying on the advanced communication tool of radio to bypass the British Minister to China on many major issues.

Jordan came to Fengtian this time under instructions from the British government to negotiate an arms deal with He Rui. There was a huge gap, even a world of difference, between Jordan leading the negotiations and merely executing London's orders. After his bath, Jordan wanted to think more. However, the soft large bed and the clean bedding emitting a fragrance made this 76-year-old man fall asleep quickly. When the old man woke up and rubbed his slightly swollen eyelids, he saw it was pitch black outside the window. Calling in his secretary, he learned it was already 9 PM.

It seemed tonight would be another sleepless night. Jordan got up. He heard his secretary say, "Your Excellency, His Excellency He Rui's secretary came by. Hearing that you were asleep, he asked me if you would be willing to attend the banquet held by the Investment Promotion Bureau tonight?"

Old man Jordan didn't want to go to such an overly noisy place, but looking at the desolate bedroom and thinking of sitting idly until dawn, he nodded.

A European-style building stood in the night, decorated with many colorful lights outside, resplendent and multicolored. Traffic flowed like weaving at the entrance. Men and women in full dress got out of cars and walked into this building.

As soon as Minister Jordan walked to the entrance, he heard the rhythm of the melody inside, full of spiraling softness; it should be a saxophone. The host's voice came through the speakers: "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the jazz band we invited from New Orleans, USA, to the... stage..."

When Jordan walked into the venue, he saw six black men standing on the stage at the banquet. Even the widely traveled Jordan hadn't expected to see a group of black men occupying the stage, nor had he expected that a banquet for foreign merchants held in Fengtian, China, would actually hire a black band to perform.

At this time, the band had already started playing, and the rhythm he had never heard before surprised Jordan. Just then, there was a slight commotion in the crowd nearby. Jordan turned to look and saw He Rui, wearing a black military uniform, walking toward him.

In this banquet hall where everyone was dressed magnificently, and even the black band members wore suits, shirts, and small bow ties, the feeling of luxury and dissipation seemed about to overflow from the main doors and windows of the hall. He Rui's fitted black military uniform displayed a style of coldness, sleekness, restraint, and asceticism, yet unexpectedly harmonized very well with this place.

"Your Excellency, you've had a hard journey," He Rui smiled.

Jordan knew He Rui probably hadn't come to attend the banquet. If he completed the negotiation with He Rui this time, the profit He Rui could earn would exceed the sum of his earnings over the past two years. Data provided by Morrison, Director of the Northeast Investment Promotion Bureau, showed that He Rui had done a lot of business in the past two years, and even if it couldn't be said there were no returns, it could be said he hadn't made much money.

Since Jordan didn't like the style here, the Minister simply took a goblet He Rui picked from a passing attendant's tray, and with He Rui each holding a glass of champagne, they walked toward the second floor.

The European-style building had a balcony on the second floor for guests to rest and chat. When He Rui and Jordan walked up, He Rui's guards politely asked other guests to move elsewhere, clearing a corner for the two.

Holding the wine glass and gazing at the night view, they saw that there were already streetlights on the streets of Fengtian. Under rows of bright lights, the orderly streets and the buildings on both sides outlined the city's backbone. Lights shone within the buildings scattered on both sides of the streets, creating a beautiful and peaceful night scene.

Jordan asked, "General He, is there anything that absolutely has to be discussed now?"

He Rui raised his glass and took a sip before answering calmly, "Naturally, it is something only Your Excellency Minister can decide. Your Excellency Minister, do you know that issuing currency requires collateral? For example, the British pound can be exchanged for gold in peacetime."

Jordan was not an economist and wasn't clear about this theory, but he naturally knew that the pound could be exchanged for gold. Hearing He Rui say this, he just nodded slightly.

"The Northeast is issuing banknotes and needs gold as collateral. However, the White Russian side transported gold to the Consulate in Fengtian. I know the White Russians cannot trust us, which is why they did this. We can completely understand this matter, but we cannot quite understand why the British side intends to send this gold to Britain."

"Oh?" Jordan deliberately pretended to hear this for the first time.

He Rui, however, didn't care whether Jordan was pretending not to know or really didn't know, and continued to state his attitude: "If Your Excellency Minister cannot make a decision, I am willing to contact London directly and clearly inform London of my request."

Jordan talked with He Rui for a while longer, confirmed He Rui's thoughts, and fell into silence temporarily. This request wasn't excessive, but someone had to take responsibility. Dozens of tons of gold couldn't be ignored by the British Empire; someone was bound to want to use this to claim credit.

According to the rules of the British government, they would definitely choose the lesser trouble. That is to say, He Rui must threaten the British side and toughly demand payment in gold. An ambassador like Jordan was just a high-level clerk of sorts, not a policymaker. Threatening the clerk Jordan was useless; it had to be the British Cabinet that made the decision.

Thinking of this, Jordan even felt quite relieved. Even if the Beiyang government were given ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare threaten the British government. He Rui had no problem with it; to ensure smooth intelligence transmission, he had already made preparations beforehand.

So Jordan kept a straight face. "This kind of thing is decided by the Cabinet and the Foreign Office. General He is looking for the wrong person by coming to me!"

He Rui smiled slightly and raised his glass to Jordan. Jordan kept a straight face and politely toasted back.

The next day, after a frank diplomatic meeting of tit-for-tat, He Rui sent a telegram conveying the message full of anger to the British Foreign Office.