Beside the large table stood a large pot filled with thin porridge. Protected by combat personnel in police uniforms, the cook used a large ladle to scoop out the steaming porridge into the earthenware bowls lined up on the table. In the cold wind of the Northeast winter, the steaming porridge quickly reached a temperature suitable for consumption.

Several European and American reporters mixed among the countless White Russian famine victims. At every intersection of the 10x10 meter grid-patterned roads, there was a food station. The famine victims entered from the entrance and first crowded around the nearest food station, fighting for the hot porridge.

Soon, the White Russian famine victims who understood the situation surged toward the food stations farther away. White Russian expatriates serving as volunteers took on the responsibility of guidance, telling the famine victims to follow the planned paths as there were more empty food stations. A large number of famine victims kept pouring in. Under diligent guidance, like water pouring into a dry desert, they were quickly absorbed instead of crowding at the entrance.

With a few bowls of porridge in their stomachs, the empty stomachs of the famine victims were filled by this mild thin porridge. Many of them held the porridge bowls but didn't drink immediately, instead using the warmth of the bowl to warm their frozen hands. As if hard ice was melting, many White Russian refugees were already in tears.

Reporters from various countries hurried to take photos, recording these scenes with their cameras. Another group of reporters went to the temporary hospital established by the Northeast Branch of the Red Cross Society of China.

Personnel coming and going were sending a large number of sick and injured people into the hospital. Most people inside the hospital were Chinese, and some were foreigners. Because a plague had broken out in the Northeast at the end of the Qing Dynasty, medical organizations from various countries had sent personnel to participate in the fight against the epidemic, and later an international epidemic prevention organization was formed.

Now this organization was not allowed to come, and all participating volunteers were under the leadership of the Northeast Red Cross. But there were also people among the personnel that the reporters knew. Seeing a British doctor they knew examining the injured at the reception, several British reporters hurried forward and asked, "Doctor John, is the thin porridge provided for disaster relief too lacking in nutrition?"

Doctor John was stunned, then his face turned gloomy. In the professional training of doctors, they were already accustomed to a poker face, and when the face turned gloomy, it was even colder. Doctor John answered unhappily in a non-London accent, "Treating refugees who have just arrived at the camp like this conforms to medical rules." After speaking, he ignored this group of dumbfounded reporters and continued his work.

Reporters always wanted to find some faults. Unwilling to give up, they met the director of a branch of the temporary hospital. The director was French. Although not familiar with the reporters, he received them politely. The temporary branch director listened to the reporters' questions while walking. Just after listening, he couldn't help stopping and said unhappily with that arrogant French demeanor, "Will the reporter gentlemen publish my answer truthfully? In France, too many reporters quote out of context, making me almost dare not believe the content in the newspapers."

The reporters immediately replied, "Please believe us; we will definitely report truthfully!"

The branch director immediately said loudly, "This plan was formulated by me and my Chinese colleagues. Their medical level is completely trustworthy. We adopted the response most suitable for the current situation, including the thin porridge the reporter gentlemen are concerned about. Did you gentlemen understand what I said?"

The reporters were all astonished. The branch director dropped a 'goodbye', turned around, and left, leaving a group of embarrassed reporters on the spot.

Of course, there were also some reporters who relatively understood common medical knowledge. Using the wireless radio provided by the Northeast Government, they immediately sent the situation of the first day of the rescue operation back to Europe. Due to the time difference, it happened to catch up before typesetting. *The Times* and *Le Figaro* immediately adjusted their layouts and published this news.

The next day, the latest news once again triggered the attention of the whole of Europe and America. There were those who praised, and quite a few who cursed angrily.

But this could not affect the progress of the entire rescue operation. Reporters followed the road the White Russians came from, interviewing personnel and collecting intelligence. The tragic state of the Russians coming like a tide shocked the reporters, and the corpses along the way stimulated the reporters' mood even more.

On November 10, when the last batch of White Russians was taken in, on November 11, a summary report on this operation was first published in *The Times*.

About 1.3 million White Russians arrived at the shelter, while the number of deaths along the way was definitely no less than 100,000. Although in the European war that just ended, the death toll of any large-scale battle exceeded the figure of 100,000, battles where so many people died were written about extensively. That the death toll this time could be compared with those battles was already horrifying.

That afternoon, the French counterpart of *The Times*, *Le Figaro*, also published a report by its own reporter. Based on the tradition of scolding Britain for everything big or small, the headline of the French *Le Figaro* was extremely eye-catching: "A Century's Humanitarian Disaster Comparable to the 'Great Irish Famine' and 'Great Famine of India' Created by Britain!"

Just looking at the headline, readers could easily think this humanitarian disaster was created by the British Empire.

Director of the Foreign Affairs Office Zhou Xinghao was one of the retained old bureaucrats of the Northeast. He had no experience of studying abroad but had participated in some negotiations with foreign countries as an attaché. At this time, the Foreign Affairs Office received several times more telegrams than in previous days, but Zhou Xinghao was no longer as busy as before. In these days, he had discussed with the party branch of the Foreign Affairs Office a process to deal with so many things, finally freeing the not-so-numerous Foreign Affairs Office from the predicament of running around like headless flies.

Director Zhou Xinghao was waiting to report to He Rui at this time. He Rui hadn't asked about the Foreign Affairs Office for some time. Now that things had taken shape, let alone the current policies of the Northeast Government, even according to the official rules of the Qing Dynasty, he had to report quickly.

Recalling his work, Zhou Xinghao wanted to find the most suitable description. The plan discussed by Director Zhou Xinghao and the comrades of the Foreign Affairs Office was not complicated; it mainly categorized telegrams and reduced the level of attention. Zhou Xinghao remembered that comrade named Ma Youming asked at the meeting, "Why should we take the news sent by foreigners too seriously?" Everyone was shocked.

But in the end, everyone accepted this suggestion and lowered the level of attention, and the Foreign Affairs Office immediately became much more relaxed.

All telegrams sent by the public were archived by country classification. Telegrams sent by governments of various countries were also archived by country, and specialized groups judged their purposes. If it expressed goodwill, a polite telegram was sent back. If a foreign government made a request, such as expressing a desire to support with money, it was submitted to the analysis department for analysis. Only those that were actually felt to be ambiguous would be submitted to the Foreign Affairs Office.

As long as foreign telegrams weren't taken too seriously, things became workload rather than overwhelming.

While thinking, Zhou Xinghao saw He Rui's secretary walk into the waiting room. "Director Zhou, please follow me."

He Rui just listened seriously to Zhou Xinghao's report without any special reaction. Seeing this, Zhou Xinghao took out a few copies of foreign newspaper news drafts and put them on the table. "Chairman, the reports of these foreign reporters hardly mention our Northeast Army. Just reading the newspapers, one would think that those few reporters and a small number of foreign volunteers saved these million-plus White Russians. After discussion, our Foreign Affairs Office feels this is inappropriate."

"Then how do you plan to respond?" He Rui laughed.

Zhou Xinghao proposed the view of the Foreign Affairs Office. "Could we ask the Chairman to write an article on this matter, introducing the efforts of our Northeast side?"

He Rui shook his head. "Let's not do this, because it's meaningless. This humanitarian rescue was not paid for by the Northeast; have you seen European and American newspapers mention it?"

Zhou Xinghao was stunned, then asked, "But we contributed effort?"

"Britain and France paid to purchase our services; that's all. It's like building a house; if it gets into the newspaper, will they mention those workers who built the house?" After speaking, He Rui couldn't help laughing. "Hehe, Britain and France gave money very briskly this time, without even bargaining much."

Zhou Xinghao felt somewhat uncomfortable in his heart. He had great hostility toward these British and French governments that had invaded China, but He Rui's words also made Zhou Xinghao feel there was indeed no need to tangle over this matter. After all, Britain and France were not China's primary enemies now.

When the report ended, He Rui stepped forward and extended his hand to Zhou Xinghao. Zhou Xinghao held He Rui's hand, feeling that pair of hands warm and full of strength. He heard He Rui say gently, "Director Zhou, you have dark circles under your eyes. Pay attention to nutrition and rest. I will immediately approve a meal allowance for the comrades of the Foreign Affairs Office; the body is the capital of revolution!"

Zhou Xinghao was moved for a moment and couldn't help speaking his mind. "Chairman, forget the meal allowance. Can you approve more coal coupons? The newly issued coal stoves are easy to use, just that there isn't enough coal."

He Rui sighed, "Meal allowance must be given. As for coal coupons... I want to give them very much. But coal involves too much. I can't agree."

Zhou Xinghao also knew that coal transportation capacity was insufficient now, so he apologized quickly. "Chairman, I said something rude..."

"What's rude about this? Everyone works hard, isn't it all for a better life? Don't misunderstand; I think this request is very reasonable, but the supply of coal involves the entire Northeast, and I can't make decisions on my own."

"Sorry... thank you!" Zhou Xinghao replied emotionally.

Sending Zhou Xinghao away, He Rui basically understood the unimportant statements of foreign countries. Overall, Europe's reaction was relatively positive. Although they still didn't value China, there was a good improvement compared to before the European war. This was also what He Rui hoped to see. Once the Sino-Japanese War broke out, although the folk will of the European people wouldn't affect the war situation, the more people who identified with China, the better.

The next person to come in was Cheng Ruofan. Cheng Ruofan didn't sit at all; he immediately handed over a report, then began to set up the blackboard and hang up the map.

At this time, Korea had been annexed by Japan. Outside the Sino-Japanese border marked by the Yalu River, based on transportation and operational deductions, Chief of Staff Cheng Ruofan had completed the plan for building permanent fortifications.

"Chairman, we discussed with Director Lu Daoming of the Water Conservancy Department. We can build quickly in this area using the method of constructing water conservancy projects. However, Director Lu suggested that it would be best to start various water conservancy projects together in the Northeast; in this way, Japan's attention would be greatly reduced."

He Rui nodded. These specific tasks should be the responsibility of core backbones like Cheng Ruofan who had grown up. What He Rui had to manage now were major policies.

Cheng Ruofan asked, "Chairman, our General Staff wants to invite the Chairman to preside over a paper deduction of a campaign. Does the Chairman want to be the judge or the Japanese commander in the exercise?"

These words made He Rui even happier. "Ruofan, are you ready?"

Cheng Ruofan involuntarily stood straight and answered decisively, "The synthetic ammonia system obtained from France has started production, and the production line for producing nitric acid from synthetic ammonia has also been put into production. The General Staff has confirmed the production capacity of various gunpowders and explosives. In two years, we will be able to conduct a large-scale war of attrition with Japan."

Since Chief of Staff Cheng Ruofan was so confident, He Rui laughed. "I will play the Japanese army side in the paper exercise. You have to be careful. I will do my best to exert the highest combat effectiveness the Japanese army can achieve, and will even surpass the combat effectiveness Japan should have."

Cheng Ruofan revealed joy from the bottom of his heart. "Chairman, we have fully assessed the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army; their strength is very average. We can win! If it weren't for the Chairman personally commanding, we would be worried about insufficient pressure and inability to find our problems."

"Then it's settled. You set the time, and I'll adjust my schedule according to the time," He Rui laughed.

Cheng Ruofan then took down the map regarding permanent fortifications and hung up the Sino-Russian border map. "Chairman, the General Staff has determined the regulations for border management, and the troops have arrived at the border. Just as the Chairman said, some comrades proposed views on recovering lost territories. The Political Department comrades are also under great pressure. I wonder if the Chairman has any suggestions?"

Seeing the regret Cheng Ruofan couldn't hide on his face, He Rui asked, "Ruofan, the army stresses discipline. We are all very clear about the comrades' impulses. What is your own attitude?"

Cheng Ruofan puffed out his chest. "Our current primary task is to unify the whole country, followed by solving the military threats from Britain and Japan, and then rapidly building the country. The Russian direction is indeed not our main direction, but I personally still take it to heart!"

He Rui had always felt that Cheng Ruofan's character was closer to the Chinese people in the first 10 years of the 21st century. China already possessed world-top strength and had begun global layout. The humiliation brought by history, as well as the longing for power and a new order, converged into the mood of the youth of that era.

In the first 20 years of the 20th century, too many Chinese people became depressed and desperate due to a series of failures, turning into blind admiration of foreign countries. Cheng Ruofan didn't. This guy appeared not to face reality many times because of his stubbornness. But this stubbornness also allowed Cheng Ruofan to always have confidence and refuse to bow to the great powers.

Just like now, Cheng Ruofan dared to frankly express his desire to restore territory. This is a unique personality of an idealist, a shortcoming and also a merit.

He Rui decided to give Cheng Ruofan some special tutoring, so he let Cheng Ruofan sit opposite him. "Ruofan, do you think the future international situation is beneficial to Russia?"

Cheng Ruofan thought for a while. "Britain and France hope to strangle the communist regime!"

"Is our Civilization Party a communist party?"

Cheng Ruofan answered decisively, "I recognize it is!"

"Why didn't Britain and France consider eliminating us?"

"...Is it because the Chairman adopted effective diplomatic policies?"

"Take the *Treaty of Brest-Litovsk* as a case; the Soviet government adopted flexible diplomatic means. But because of geographical factors, Russia is inherently the greatest pressure on Western Europe. As long as Russia is there and maintains its unity, Britain and France cannot be at ease. Even if it were not a Bolshevik regime, wouldn't Britain and France regard Tsarist Russia as a threat? Now that France's greatest enemy, Germany, is defeated and cannot recover in the short term, Russia must become the object Britain and France need to strike most. Ruofan, putting aside concepts proposed by humans like politics, considering from the most basic real world, do you think what I said is reasonable?"

Cheng Ruofan couldn't help frowning, pondering for a while before answering hesitantly, "Chairman, you mean even if Tsarist Russia continued to exist now, Britain and France would still strike at Tsarist Russia?"

"Needless to say Russia, which is close at hand; the United States played a huge role in the European war, helping Britain and France win victory. At the Paris Peace Conference, didn't Britain and France strike at the power of the United States, trying to exclude the United States from the world order dominated by Britain and France? Why did the United States, Britain, and France all eventually accept the clause transferring Germany's rights and interests in Shandong to Japan? Did they support Japan initially? According to the materials we saw, the United States initially also supported China recovering rights and interests in Shandong. The United States turned to support Japan hoping to pull Japan to support the United States. But in the end, the United States was still excluded from the world order formulated by Britain and France."

Cheng Ruofan thought for a long time before sighing, "Truly cold and ruthless!"

"Starting from the most basic angle, one can naturally draw such a conclusion. Britain and France hope their rule can last for thousands of years, definitely not just for the moment of defeating Germany. Whoever can challenge the British and French rule of the world order, Britain and France will strike at whom. Just 80 years ago, Britain and France joined hands with the Ottoman Empire at the time and fought the Crimean War. Defeating Russia caused the Russian Tsar at the time to commit suicide. Since Britain and France want to maintain eternal hegemony, they must forever strike at opponents capable of challenging their hegemony. As for who the opponent is, it depends on the situation at the time."

"...That is to say, for its own country, Russia cannot make enemies on all sides?" The dark clouds on Cheng Ruofan's brow began to dissipate.

Seeing Cheng Ruofan might have understood, He Rui continued to explain, "Ruofan, Russia's main strategic direction now comes from Central Europe. If they can solve the strategic problems in Central Europe, they will turn to the secondary strategic direction of the Caucasus, and finally the Far East region. At this stage, what Britain and France are inciting first are also Russia's enemies in Central Europe, then the Caucasus, and only then might it be the turn of the Far East. After that, there might be a group attack. In short, Russia's pressure will only increase. At that time, we will have the opportunity to redemarcate the border."