The sense of defeat did not affect Comrade Lenin, but he had to face the contradiction between "World Revolution" and "Patriotism". At the Bolshevik Party Congress in September 1920, Comrade Lenin observed the changing mood of the committee members.

Comrades who believed that victory could be achieved continuously as long as the banner of "World Revolution" was raised suffered the greatest shock. No matter how inspiring the revolutionary ideals were, in the cruel reality, the Red Army was defeated and had to withdraw from the "disputed territories" claimed by Poland. This border line was even two hundred kilometers further east than the "Curzon Line" proposed by the British. Even from the perspective of nationalism and patriotism, Soviet Russia had suffered major losses.

Commissioner Nikolai Bukharin was a comrade who understood self-criticism quite well. His speech focused on reflection on this defeat. This speech had already brought Comrade Lenin to the verge of an outburst. Next, Commissioner Trotsky spoke with eloquence about his persistence in the World Revolution. Lenin finally could not bear it anymore and interrupted Comrade Trotsky's speech, "Please stop for a moment, Comrade Trotsky."

Under the gaze of all the Bolshevik committee members, Comrade Lenin stood up. "Comrades, what exactly this failure proves will take a longer time to understand. Forced explanations will only cause more confusion. What needs to be done now is to end the civil war as soon as possible and begin Russia's internal construction. This is the theme of this meeting."

After speaking, Comrade Lenin looked at Trotsky, "Now, Comrade Trotsky, you may continue your speech."

Trotsky did not want to end this topic. The World Revolution was Trotsky's proposition. Although the leadership responsibility for the defeat in Poland was borne by Tukhachevsky, Stalin, Budyonny, and others, Trotsky still could not accept that the concept of World Revolution had suffered such a huge blow.

But Comrade Lenin's prestige was so immense that since he had set the tone for the meeting, the meeting had to proceed in that direction.

Trotsky could only say, "Let other comrades speak first."

Now the topic could not continue. Obviously, Comrade Lenin already had his own ideas, and the various committee members wanted to know Comrade Lenin's judgment on this matter first.

However, the committee members were wrong. Comrade Lenin was only determined to solve the problem of the failure of the war against Poland as soon as possible while ensuring unity within the party. Comrade Lenin had not yet determined a line of thought for the analysis of this matter.

Moreover, what Comrade Lenin cared about was the analysis He Rui had made of this war beforehand. Poland had three factors for inevitable victory, and Soviet Russia had three factors for inevitable defeat.

At that time, Comrade Lenin was very dissatisfied with He Rui's prediction. This was also human nature. What He Rui said was nothing new beyond human wisdom. Undoubtedly, Poland had nationalist sentiments, British support, and the convenience of interior lines of operation.

The Soviet Russian army was fighting on exterior lines, the logistical pressure was too great, and the grasp of intelligence on Poland was insufficient. The number of field armies capable of fighting in foreign countries was extremely insufficient.

From the results, He Rui had precisely grasped the "degree". Compared to the Bolshevik Central Committee, He Rui's judgment of the Soviet Russian Red Army's strength was more precise.

Just as other committee members finished speaking, Comrade Lenin stated his own view, "The Red Army fell short of success in Poland. Innumerable problems can be found. Innumerable wrong orders can be listed after the event. From the perspective of dialectics, it was insufficient strength that led to these problems, not these problems that led to the defeat."

Logic is often counter-intuitive, so the committee members initially could not accept the fact of the Red Army's "weakness". But logic can defeat intuition precisely because once its validity is proposed, it can be proven by reality.

After depressed, resentful, and even angry discussions, the committee members finally accepted Comrade Lenin's judgment.

With this judgment, the Bolshevik Central Committee meeting finally concluded that the comrades in the war bore work responsibilities. This was a fairly mild judgment for the Bolshevik Central Committee at this time. Work responsibility meant that everyone was a good comrade. As for the problems that occurred, who in the entire Bolshevik party had not had problems in their work?

After the meeting ended, Comrade Lenin had to make a decision and asked Commissioner Joffe to return to his office with him. As soon as they entered the office, Comrade Lenin stated his decision, "Dear Comrade Joffe, are you willing to go to Northeast China again?"

Kolchak was about to be annihilated, and the Trans-Siberian Railway had been controlled by the Red Army. Joffe felt that this trip would be much easier. But thinking of the difficulty of dealing with He Rui, the biggest warlord in China, Joffe thought for a moment before asking, "Comrade Lenin, are we going to sign a secret treaty with He Rui?"

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed under Joffe's responsibility. Lenin had great confidence in Joffe's working ability. Since Joffe already understood what to do, Comrade Lenin went straight to the point, "Although He Rui is currently a local leader in China, I believe he will become China's future leader. I hope to understand He Rui's judgment on the world situation."

"Comrade Lenin, do you believe in He Rui?" Joffe asked an ambiguous question.

"From all of He Rui's works and speeches seen so far, his attitude is very honest. Moreover, he bears no malice towards the World Revolution. He Rui has the ability to formulate and execute economic policies. The Northeast Government he leads is composed of many people from different backgrounds. Although the class background of these people lacks revolutionary character, in terms of economic construction, they have not shown a tendency to represent the interests of feudal landlords or capitalists..."

Comrade Lenin recounted his judgment of the Northeast Government. While persuading Comrade Joffe, he was also persuading himself to some extent.

Comrade Joffe was obviously persuaded. In the process of the Russian Revolution, Comrade Lenin's judgment played a decisive role. It not only allowed the revolution to succeed but also led the revolution from one victory to another.

Although the failure of the war before them was unexpected, Comrade Lenin's judgment on the failure also allowed Joffe to see the current situation more clearly, which actually strengthened Joffe's confidence.

So, Joffe asked a question, "Comrade Lenin, are we going to propose border demarcation to He Rui?"

Comrade Lenin knew the relationship between China and Russia. Especially Tsarist Russia and even the Bolshevik government two years ago hoped for the independence of Outer Mongolia. From Russia's perspective, this was a means to ensure security. But from China's perspective, this was an act full of hostility. From the patriotic sentiments of the people, this was an act that created hatred.

To eliminate hostility, some sincerity had to be shown.

"We are willing to discuss the treaties imposed on China by Tsarist Russia." Comrade Lenin gave a vague answer.

Commissioner Joffe knew the meaning of these words very well, so he did not ask more about this sensitive issue. Instead, he asked about Comrade Lenin's expectations for He Rui.

After talking for a while, Joffe received the appropriate scope of authorization and rose to leave. Before setting off, Joffe specifically asked about the recent situation on the front line. The news he received was not very good. After half a year of reorganization, the White Russian army withstood the first wave of the Red Army's offensive. They did not collapse at the first touch as before. In the battle reports received in Moscow, the White Russian army even recovered the courage to engage in bayonet fighting from the early days of the civil war, engaging in fierce hand-to-hand combat with the Red Army when they rushed into the trenches.

Comrade Joffe returned to his office and immediately held a meeting to arrange work. The members of the Foreign Affairs Committee felt Commissioner Joffe's urgency and raised their confusion. Since the war was not over yet, why rush to Northeast China? It would be easier to talk after the war ended.

"Comrades, if we can make He Rui interrupt his support for the White Army, how many casualties can our Red Army soldiers reduce?" Joffe asked in return.

The office of the Foreign Affairs Committee fell silent. No one could voice any opposing views. From the perspective of striving to reduce Red Army casualties, the Northeast Government, as the current source of supplies for the White Guards, had enormous influence.

Seeing that the comrades were persuaded, Commissioner Joffe made personnel arrangements and immediately contacted the train to the Far East.

The train was full of people, mostly Red Army soldiers heading to the Far East. They were ordered to go to the Far East to participate in the battle to annihilate the Kolchak White Guards. Many of the Red Army soldiers were simple peasants leaving their hometowns for the first time. Everyone discussed whether the battle would be easy to fight, and also talked about grain harvests and family situations.

Joffe did not like listening to these topics very much. The situation facing Soviet Russia was too dangerous. Even if the meeting presided over by Comrade Lenin resolved the issue of this defeat mildly, it only stabilized the Bolshevik Central Committee internally and prevented instability due to drastic personnel changes.

But Poland's victory gave Poland huge territories and more population. Moreover, Poland's victory allowed Britain and France to fully support Poland to threaten the Soviet Russian regime. Now, the Red Army must deploy more troops on the Russian-Polish border to guard against possible attacks by the Polish army.

Even if the war did not continue to break out, Soviet Russia could not reveal any opportunity for exploitation. This would be a heavy pressure.

The train advanced eastward day and night. Comrade Joffe took this opportunity to learn Chinese. Since He Rui was an unavoidable figure, reading He Rui's works directly became very important.

Before Comrade Joffe's Chinese ability improved to the point where he could read He Rui's articles alone, he arrived at the Sino-Russian border. The cities here had been burned by the flames of war. A considerable number of Red Army soldiers in the city were wounded, showing that cruel battles had taken place.

The person responsible for receiving Commissioner Joffe was a division political commissar. When sending Joffe to the border, he couldn't help but curse the Northeast Government.

"Those damn Chinese provided countless weapons to the White Army, from rifles to artillery. Every time we capture a position, we can seize a large amount of weapons and ammunition! Comrade Commissioner, China is our enemy!"

Seeing so many wounded, Commissioner Joffe could guess that the war situation was not easy. Kolchak had once collapsed like a landslide, and millions of people risked crossing thousands of miles of winter roads to avoid fighting the Red Army.

Now that the White Guards could cause such huge casualties to the Red Army, the weapons and ammunition provided by the Northeast Government were a very important reason. Moreover, the White Guards now held a front line. This front line relied on the Songhua River originating from China, starting from the Sino-Russian border in the west to the Sea of Japan in the east. The Red Army had been blocked by the front line.

Just as Comrade Joffe was considering how to talk to He Rui, he heard the division political commissar continue, "Comrade Commissioner, if we enter Chinese territory directly and launch an attack from the side and rear, we can easily defeat the White Russian army. Please..."

"Shut up!" Joffe immediately stopped the Red Army division political commissar's suggestion.

The division political commissar was not scared by this shout. He continued with grief and indignation, "Comrade Commissioner, in the current situation, the Chinese army is fighting against us together with the White bandits!"

Joffe didn't say much more. He threw off the Red Army political commissar and walked forward. The boat was ready, and Joffe boarded it. However, the Red Army political commissar did not stop because of this. He continued to shout, "Comrade Commissioner, can you make China agree to our request?"

Joffe knew that the Northeast Government would never agree to this matter. If the positions were swapped, Soviet Russia would not agree to foreign troops launching attacks through Russian territory either. For any great power, this was not an acceptable thing.

The boat went further and further away, and the Red Army political commissar's voice could no longer be heard. Joffe even felt somewhat fortunate that at least the Red Army did not propose the idea of annexing Northeast China and establishing a Yellow Russia. As long as such remarks appeared in Soviet Russian newspapers, conflicts would immediately intensify.

The situation in Soviet Russia was already very bad. Except for the Arctic Ocean region which was relatively safe, all other regions faced huge threats without exception. Compared to all neighbors, He Rui was already the mildest one. Even so, He Rui had already seized the Chinese Eastern Railway and completely cleared Russian power in Outer Mongolia. And he fully armed Kolchak's army. If He Rui sent troops into Russia to fight, the threat would completely shake the new Soviet Russian regime. Such a situation must not be allowed to happen.

Along the way, Joffe looked at the Northeast outside through the train window. Having not been here for only more than two years, Joffe found that the world seen outside the window had changed greatly. The density of villages had obviously increased, and patches of woods had also increased. From the neatness of the woods, these woods were all artificially planted. That is to say, the degree of land development in the Northeast had increased very much compared to two years ago.

Not only woods, but the number of pastures was also increasing significantly. From a distance, herds of cattle grazing on the pastures could be seen in the gaps between the woods. Moreover, the Northeast he saw was not experiencing war. Everything looked so peaceful and comfortable, a world of difference from Russia which was undergoing a large-scale war.

Arriving in Shenyang, as soon as Commissioner Joffe walked out of the train station, he saw trams appearing on the main road. This definitely appeared recently. When Joffe passed here last time, the road in front of the bustling train station was full of horses and very few cars.

The trams were full of passengers, and the people on the street were dressed much better than before. Especially that feeling of vigor and vitality made Comrade Joffe feel the changes taking place in the Northeast.

However, He Rui was not in Shenyang. The Director of the Foreign Affairs Office who received Joffe told him that He Rui was inspecting the local areas and would return within two days. These two days were just right for Comrade Joffe to have a good rest.

Regardless of whether Joffe thought He Rui was playing a game of displaying authority, in fact, He Rui was really inspecting the local areas. More accurately, He Rui was inspecting the troops that had completed this round of combat exercises against Japan.

Exercises were not acting. Since they were to fight Japan, the troops had to conduct various targeted training against the combat organization of the Japanese army. At this time, He Rui was inspecting the 8th Army. According to the plan, 1 million troops would be used for the operation against Japan. An army had three divisions, about 40,000 men. The Northeast Army had already organized 25 armies.

With the characteristics of the PLA, the designations 1, 2, and 3 were not given to army-level organizations, so the troops started from the 4th Army and went all the way to the 28th Army.

The army commander and political commissar accompanied He Rui to inspect the troops' daily training first. He Rui remained silent. After seeing the general situation, He Rui spoke. Pointing to a platoon in front, He Rui ordered, "Start digging defensive positions for fighting the Japanese army in plain areas now."

Hearing the order, the army commander did not say much and immediately ordered, "Commander of the 2nd Division, order your troops to execute the mission."

The Commander of the 2nd Division immediately conveyed the order, "Commander of the 3rd Regiment, I order this platoon of your regiment to start digging defensive positions for fighting the Japanese army in plain areas."

Gao Shitou did not expect that one day he would be able to dig trenches in front of Chairman He Rui. When the order arrived, Gao Shitou immediately lined up in front of the platoon leader with other troops.

"1, 2, 3, 4..." Counting finished. As the squad leader of the 1st Squad, Gao Shitou immediately reported, "Report to Platoon Leader, 1st Squad has 10 people, 10 people present."

After the three squads confirmed the number of people, trench digging began. Soon, sweat appeared on the officers' and soldiers' foreheads, and their breathing became rapid. But everyone's hands did not stop at all. With the digging, a defensive position gradually appeared.

This was a position belonging to the overall defense system, divided into three lines of trenches, with communication trenches connecting them. There were even anti-artillery holes.

When Gao Shitou rotated with the soldiers, he looked in He Rui's direction and saw Chairman He Rui listening to the officer beside him whispering something. But Chairman He Rui remained silent. That calm expression made it completely impossible to understand what Chairman He was thinking.

Just standing there, He Rui seemed to become the core of all matters, and the people around him were revolving around Chairman He Rui. And judging from the attitudes of the army commander, political commissar, chief of staff, and others, these people truly admired Chairman He.

Unbuttoning his collar, Gao Shitou breathed as hard as he could to allow his physical strength to recover quickly. Gao Shitou himself also wanted to become one of these people around Chairman He because Gao Shitou himself also admired Chairman He.

Bullying was the most common thing in the countryside. Gao Shitou had been bullied by the squad leader a month ago. Compared to those people in the village, the squad leader was already considered not bad, at least he didn't go on endlessly.

However, the squad leader was removed from his post. The platoon leader told the soldiers including Gao Shitou directly, "The Northeast Army will never accept shifting responsibility to others. The squad leader's actions violated the tradition of the Northeast Army. That's why he was handed over to the Personnel Department."

Gao Shitou could see that the platoon leader was not bullying the squad leader. If he wanted to bully the squad leader, it would be beating, scolding, and mocking. Just this one thing made Gao Shitou feel that he had fallen in love with this "tradition".