The moment of parting arrived. Lieutenant General Kawai Misao, in his crisp military uniform, sighed, "He-kun, the Ministry of War has ordered me to return to Tokyo immediately. It is a pity that I cannot visit the Northeast."

He Rui, also in a crisp military uniform, sighed, "It is indeed a pity that the Principal cannot visit the Northeast. I look forward to when the Principal has time."

Morita Mitsuko, standing beside Lieutenant General Kawai Misao, maintained an attitude of quiet reserve, gentleness, considerateness, and noble virtue throughout. But beneath the appearance of this perfect woman expected by Japanese society, Morita Mitsuko looked seriously at the adult world. This was the world she was about to enter. In the spring of 1920, Mitsuko would graduate. She was already preparing to work in a newspaper office, and Professor Taira Toyomori also supported Mitsuko's choice and expressed that he could recommend Mitsuko to *Asahi Shimbun*.

Neither of the two Chinese and Japanese generals in front of her told the truth, yet what they said was all true. This is the adult world of treating each other with courtesy. If one couldn't understand how the forces to which they belonged operated, it would be impossible to figure out what the two sides were actually saying.

Based on Mitsuko's current limited understanding, both sides had effectively exchanged the things they wanted to know and would go back to make responses. From a personal perspective, Mitsuko naturally leaned toward He Rui, who was like her own brother. But Mitsuko was somewhat uneasy; what Brother He Rui wanted to do was to completely smash the old order. From Mitsuko's feeling, He Rui not only wanted to destroy the old order of China, but the old order of Japan was also within He Rui's striking range. Mitsuko found it hard to imagine what kind of bloody storm such destruction would bring.

Neither General He Rui nor Lieutenant General Kawai Misao wasted words. This time He Rui didn't salute but extended his hand to Lieutenant General Kawai Misao. Lieutenant General Kawai Misao held He Rui's hand and sighed sincerely, "He-kun, please do your best for Sino-Japanese cooperation."

He Rui smiled. "Please rest assured, Principal; Japan is my second hometown. I will work hard for a beautiful future for Japan."

For a moment, Kawai Misao couldn't help but want to try again to persuade He Rui to cooperate with Japan in the Far East. But Kawai Misao held back; He Rui was definitely not the kind of person who would easily change his views. Moreover, from He Rui's perspective, using the chaos in the Far East to play both sides was undoubtedly the best choice. If Lieutenant General Kawai Misao were in He Rui's position, he would also make the same choice as He Rui.

Letting go of He Rui's hand, Lieutenant General Kawai Misao smiled. "Let's say goodbye here, He-kun. I wish He-kun smooth sailing in the future."

He Rui nodded slightly. "I wish the Principal long-lasting military fortune."

At this time, the car taking He Rui to the station had stopped outside the door. Mitsuko bowed her head to say goodbye to He Rui. If possible, Mitsuko wanted very much to personally see He Rui into the car. But in the upper-class world, rationality outside of etiquette did not exist. Apart from following complete etiquette, Mitsuko had no right to act according to her own ideas.

Watching He Rui get into the car, Mitsuko waved goodbye to the car. At this moment, Mitsuko only wanted to grow up as soon as possible so she could possibly act as an adult, and even bring her mother to visit He Rui.

Lieutenant General Kawai Misao was quite satisfied with Mitsuko's performance. In the Lieutenant General's view, this female university student displayed the performance a Japanese woman should have, giving the meeting a warm and affectionate side. Although He Rui's political judgment was not affected by this, it was not Mitsuko's fault.

Lieutenant General Kawai Misao took a train straight to Busan Port, then departed by ship, returning to Tokyo to bring He Rui's attitude back to the Japanese General Staff.

The General Staff had long been prepared for this. Since He Rui was not prepared to intervene in the war, the Japanese military had only two choices left: persuade Britain, or do it alone.

If they wanted to persuade Britain, Japan had a very important bargaining chip, which was the 'Anglo-Japanese Alliance'. The purpose of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance was to ensure pressure against Russia in the Far East region, but the Anglo-Japanese Alliance did not cover the United States.

Lieutenant General Kawai Misao and a group of officers from the General Staff gathered around the map of the Far East. Everyone had the impulse to fully utilize the changes in the Far East, but no one spoke.

The content that could be discussed had long been discussed. The Russian Red Army had to pass through long supply lines to reach the Far East, and after the Russian Civil War, the domestic economy was destitute, so the incoming Russian Red Army did not have sufficient strength. Even if Kolchak was weak and could not defeat the Russian Red Army, if the Japanese army devoted all its efforts to the war, victory was possible.

But who would pay the money? Japan had requested Britain to pay several times, but the British side ignored it completely. Japan itself had already sent troops to Vladivostok. So far, apart from constantly paying money, there had been no actual income. To develop Vladivostok, one must first swallow Vladivostok.

And Britain expressed absolutely no agreement on this matter, and also explicitly expressed opposition to the roundabout probing of Japanese representatives. It could be seen that Britain was not happy to see Japan become a continental country.

Some more radical officers proposed that Japan fight alone, completely defeat the Russian Red Army, and seize the Vladivostok region. The General Staff itself didn't support such a plan much. If this were done, millions of Japanese troops would need to enter the Far East region for long-term combat. This military expenditure already exceeded the budget of the entire country of Japan. Even if victorious, it would take decades to recover.

If they failed... the Great Japanese Empire would be finished.

Since all discussable possibilities had been discussed, plus receiving He Rui's clear statement, the officers were silent. No one was willing to break such silence. In the silence, Chief of the General Staff General Uehara Yusaku said, "Since that's the case, gentlemen, meeting adjourned."

Lieutenant General Kawai Misao breathed a sigh of relief and was about to leave when he was stopped by the Chief of the General Staff. Arriving at the Chief of the General Staff's office, General Uehara Yusaku said, "Lieutenant General Kawai, the General Staff recommends you as the next Commander of the Kwantung Army, replacing Your Excellency Tachibana."

There were already rumors about this news in the Ministry of War. Lieutenant General Kawai Misao also knew very well that his appointment as the Commander of the Kwantung Army was partly to leverage his familiarity with He Rui. Lieutenant General Kawai Misao simply replied, "Thank you!"

Chief of the General Staff General Uehara Yusaku invited Lieutenant General Kawai Misao to sit down. "Lieutenant General Kawai, what do you think is He Rui's attitude toward the Empire? According to intelligence, He Rui already has considerable military strength. Will he rely on his own strength to act freely?"

Kawai Misao recalled the meeting with He Rui and replied, "He-kun is already a man capable of standing on his own."

"Oh..." General Uehara Yusaku had a feeling about this implicit statement. If said in Japan, it meant He Rui was definitely not a person controlled by others. Although General Uehara Yusaku could accept such an evaluation, he was not happy to see it.

But since He Rui could become the top graduate of the Japanese Army War College, becoming such a person was not surprising. General Uehara Yusaku changed the question. "What is He Rui's attitude toward Russia?"

Lieutenant General Kawai Misao replied, "He Rui seems to only want to seek profits from Russia's civil war and the pressure of various countries on Russia. I also asked He Rui about his political views. He Rui stated that he sympathized very much with the suffering people of Russia. I think he was just perfunctory."

General Uehara Yusaku was somewhat skeptical. The Japanese General Staff had specially established the 'He Agency' and had a large number of privileges in Northeast China, so they were very clear about what happened in Northeast China. Many Japanese officers believed that He Rui was a communist.

The previous head of the 'He Agency', Itagaki Seishirō, was a famous China expert in the Japanese army. Itagaki Seishirō did not agree with such a view. Such policies had been implemented many times in Chinese history; the most similar to He Rui's policy was the 'Zu Yong Diao' system of the Tang Dynasty. Similarly, land was state-owned, people had land use rights, and the state collected taxes from land possessors.

As for eliminating political enemies and developing industry, Japan had done it in the Meiji Restoration decades ago. Striking at illegal local tyrants and evil gentry was even more normal in Chinese history. The prosperous Tang Dynasty a thousand years ago implemented the imperial examination and struck at powerful families, which was the same method.

If these were all considered communist behaviors, then the prosperous Tang Dynasty most revered by Japan was undoubtedly a thorough communist country.

Anti-communism could be used as a political excuse, but in the eyes of people in high positions like General Uehara Yusaku, what He Rui did had countless precedents in reality and had nothing to do with communism. There was only one thing worth paying attention to: He Rui was striving to promote China's progress, which undoubtedly posed a threat to Japan. General Uehara Yusaku asked, "Is there a faction opposing He Rui within the Northeast Government?"

Since Lieutenant General Kawai Misao already knew he was a candidate for the Commander of the Kwantung Army, he had done his homework long ago. According to intelligence collected by the 'He Agency', the Northeast Government practiced party politics, so he replied, "Your Excellency, most of He Rui's subordinates are personnel gathered by He Rui through short-term training. They come from the Northeast and immigrants from inside the pass, and no faction leaders have appeared. There are very few old Northeast government officials retained, and the more prestigious ones are relatively radical patriots. So far, no obvious policy differences have appeared. I personally do not believe there are political figures in the Northeast capable of confronting He Rui."

General Uehara Yusaku was somewhat disappointed, but also felt it made sense. After all, He Rui was an excellent talent cultivated by the Great Japanese Empire. If He Rui couldn't do these things, it would instead disappoint the upper echelons of the Japanese military.

Just as he wanted to continue asking about the political inclination of the Northeast Army, he heard Lieutenant General Kawai Misao continue, "Your Excellency, He Rui proposed the idea of personnel exchange between the Northeast Army and the Kwantung Army in this meeting. I understood his meaning as being able to send military personnel to serve in each other's troops. This surprised me somewhat; I don't know if He Rui has any preparations."

General Uehara Yusaku asked about the content of the conversation and also felt he couldn't figure out He Rui's thoughts. If He Rui's purpose was to let his excellent subordinates pass the exam for the Japanese Army War College for advanced studies, the same purpose could be achieved without such means.

If He Rui's purpose was to establish good relations between the Chinese and Japanese armies, General Uehara Yusaku felt it was impossible. All intelligence indicated that He Rui was a patriotic soldier who would absolutely not accept Japanese leadership over China.

However, General Uehara Yusaku was not troubled by this, only preparing to hand this question over to the officers of the General Staff to study.

Finally, General Uehara Yusaku asked, "Lieutenant General Kawai, do you have confidence in defeating the Russian Red Army?"

Lieutenant General Kawai Misao had seriously considered this question. Russia was indeed in a weak state, but Russia's own power remained strong. This was not a good time for a decisive battle with Russia. Precisely because of this, Lieutenant General Kawai Misao answered briskly, "Your Excellency, I have full confidence in defeating the Russian Red Army with equal troop strength!"

It was March 1920 when the news of Lieutenant General Kawai Misao becoming the Commander of the Kwantung Army became known. He Rui did not congratulate him in person this time but sent a telegram to Lieutenant General Kawai Misao and also sent a congratulatory gift.

At this time, the delegation sent by China to Europe had returned. Accompanying them back were more than a dozen British and French engineers and scientists, as well as more than a dozen Germans.

He Rui welcomed them personally. The person responsible for the introduction was Wang Donglu from the aircraft group in the delegation. Wang Donglu's joy was hard to contain; he hadn't expected to actually invite the research team responsible for researching fighter jets in Germany during World War I. Although these people were unemployed now, and Germany was prohibited from having an air force in the Treaty of Versailles, it was truly incredible that these experts could come to China.

Wang Donglu's excitement did not affect He Rui. When Wang Donglu introduced one of them, He Rui took the initiative to step forward and shake hands with that person. "Your Excellency Haushofer, I have always admired your attainments in geopolitics."

Wang Donglu was stunned. He knew He Rui had quite some connections and influence in Japan. But he hadn't expected He Rui to have his own understanding of distant Europe. This Karl Ernst Haushofer and his academic assistant Rudolf Hess were scholars. Although Karl Ernst Haushofer was once a Major General in the German Army, the Treaty of Versailles stipulated that the German Army could not exceed 100,000, and generals in the German Army of millions were now all unemployed.

Former Major General Karl Ernst Haushofer was not particularly surprised. While shaking hands with He Rui, this former Major General said in broken Chinese, "Hello."

Then he said in fluent Japanese, "I have also read Your Excellency's works and have long wanted to meet with Your Excellency."

A German actually conversing with a Chinese in Japanese—watching such a reality happen before his eyes, Wang Donglu unexpectedly developed a suspicion: did he mistake something?

Or perhaps he was the foreigner.

After the reception, He Rui invited Karl Ernst Haushofer and Rudolf Hess for a private meeting. Major General Karl looked at the Chinese General in front of him and simply asked frankly, "Your Excellency, do you want to change the current world pattern?"

He Rui was not astonished, only somewhat surprised by Major General Karl's frankness. But this Major General was indeed a formidable figure in the history of the development of geostrategic thought, and He Rui didn't worry that Major General Karl would become a British spy.

So He Rui answered frankly, "I am not happy with the world order established by the Treaty of Versailles."

Major General Karl was very satisfied with He Rui's frankness. He looked at Rudolf Hess, who had a look of pleasant surprise, and turned back to He Rui. Since they were engaged in geopolitical research, there was no need to engage in clichés like diplomats. Major General Karl asked, "According to my understanding of geopolitics, China is a country, but even more so a civilization. So no matter how many times China is defeated, European civilization has not spread widely in China. Not only China, but Japan is the same. The popularity of Western suits is only influenced by the strength of European countries and has not changed Japan itself. The clash of civilizations cannot be solved by mutual infiltration."

He Rui liked Major General Karl's keenness very much and smiled. "If China can break the system of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany will have the opportunity to break free from the shackles and become strong again."

Major General Karl nodded. "Your Excellency, you are a patriot, and so am I. Any research is to serve the motherland. Although the current German General Staff is completely different from before, there are still some people willing to cooperate with Your Excellency who opposes the Anglo-French Versailles order."

He Rui asked with interest, "What makes Your Excellency think I have a reason to break the Versailles system?"

Major General Karl smiled and pointed to the map hanging on the wall. "May I use it?"

He Rui asked his secretary to bring in a world map and spread it on the wide table. Karl walked to the map and immediately felt as if he had returned to the time of commanding troops in World War I.

In 1869, Haushofer was born into a literary family in Munich. His father, Max Haushofer, was a famous economics professor and politician, engaging in academic and literary work together with his mother, Adele Haushofer.

In 1887, after graduating from a sports high school in Munich, Haushofer joined the Bavarian 1st Field Artillery Regiment "Prince Luitpold" and achieved good results in the Bavarian General Staff.

In November 1908, he served as a military attaché at the German Embassy in Japan. During his tenure, he studied the Japanese army, met high-level officials, and was even received by Emperor Meiji. He loved traveling and wandered through India, Southeast Asia, Korea, and the Northeast, laying the foundation for his future research on Eastern issues and becoming a premier expert on Japanese strategic issues. Later, due to contracting lung disease, he left Japan and returned to his country for treatment, published the thesis "Reflections on the Military Power, World Status, and Future of the Great Japanese Empire", and obtained a doctorate from the University of Munich. He integrated his experience into Japan's rise process, began to reflect on maritime civilization, and finally formed a grand strategic thinking transcending traditional land and sea power.

During World War I, Karl was responsible for commanding a brigade on the Western Front. In the confused year of 1919, he also worried about Germany's defeat and its future. Probably at this time, he met Rudolf Hess, who was not only his experimental assistant but also a close friend. Karl entered academia with the aim of reviving Germany. He believed that the geopolitical dilemma of the old empire led to its failure and intended to teach the public personally.

Learning that the delegation from Northeast China for introducing industry had ended their trip to Britain and France and arrived in Germany, Karl found the leaders of the former General Staff and tried hard to lobby them, hoping to contact the Chinese industrial delegation. And he facilitated the German Air Force fighter R&D personnel coming to the Northeast.

Lieutenant General Karl bet on his own judgment that He Rui, the warlord ruling Northeast China, would become a key force to leverage the Versailles system and let Germany break free from the shackles as soon as possible.

His fingertips slid along China's border on the map, and Major General Karl stopped first at southeast China. "Chinese civilization can absolutely not accept Britain dominating the economy of the south, just as the German Empire absolutely does not accept France dominating southern Germany; war is inevitable."