For the average person, a military map might just be a piece of paper with lines of various colors and widths, some place names written in certain locations, and Arabic numerals marking specific contours.

In the eyes of a soldier, every line and every number represents the undulation of the terrain and the trend of the landscape. They see mountains, hills, plains, rivers, and lakes. Even for places they have never visited, a single look at the map allows them to construct the geographical appearance of the local mountains and rivers in their minds.

There isn't just one type of military map. Maps of various scales—1:10,000, 1:1,000, and even certain ultra-precise 1:100 maps—display different content. The scale differs; the smaller the ratio, the higher the precision.

For example, a 1:10,000 map would not show small paths, whereas a 1:100 map, if depicting an area outside a city, would mark the location of a single ditch, a ridge in a field, or a well. If it were a city map, every alleyway—whether a connecting road or a dead end—would be fully embodied.

Cartography is an introductory subject for officers. Soldiers may not necessarily like painting, but they all know how to use drawing pens.

Cheng Ruofan, the Chief of the General Staff of the Northeast Army, personally disliked drawing, so he attached extreme importance to the latest aerial photography. Even if an officer couldn't draw a lifelike terrain sketch, anyone could overlay semi-transparent tracing paper on a photo and mark the key terrain features. At least so far, he hadn't seen an officer unable to accomplish this.

When the General Staff reported to He Rui, they used maps that utilized a large number of aerial photos combined with field surveying technology. The General Staff was very proud of the accuracy and high efficiency brought by this new technology.

Humans make mistakes, and they can make mistakes due to personal ability, but machines set up correctly will not. At most, it's a matter of insufficient operating skill, resulting in some photos being out of focus and appearing blurry. Solving such problems only requires sufficient training and selecting soldiers with a talent for these operations.

Maps were no longer hand-drawn. Because a large amount of handwriting was required on the drawings, what was submitted to He Rui were blueprints with blue lines. The drawings emitted a slight smell of ammonia. This was the 'ammonia blueprinting' technology—a design concept proposed by He Rui and completed first in the Northeast.

With this, as long as a semi-transparent sulfuric acid paper master drawing was created, finished maps could be mass-produced. This technology liberated the Cartography Section of the Northeast Army General Staff from heavy work. Not only the Cartography Section but the drawing production departments of the entire Northeast industry felt that the sky over the Northeast was a sunny sky.

Since they were using industrially mass-produced maps, the General Staff hand-drew the defense line positions directly on the blueprints. It wasn't that the lines were too dense for the blueprint machine to display accurately. The reason for hand-drawing was that this part of the content was classified military information.

On both banks of the Yalu River, thin lines were spread across the map like thick hair, with each thin line representing a defense line. Although the campaign's main thrust was formulated by He Rui, the specific work was the result of the joint efforts of thousands of officers in the Northeast Army officer corps. Facing this campaign, which concerned the destiny of the entire Northeast and even the whole of China, He Rui's attention was highly focused.

The briefing went from noon to evening, and from evening to late at night. The members of the General Staff were exhausted and slept haphazardly in the dormitory next door. As soon as dawn broke, the briefing continued. Another whole day passed, and the night outside the window was pitch black when He Rui finally finished listening to the last part of the content. He said to the comrades of the General Staff, "Comrades, I have basically understood the operational plan arrangements."

Every participant in the General Staff looked at He Rui, wanting to know what evaluation He Rui, who had formulated the operational plan proposal, had for the operational plan. Cheng Ruofan's handsome face wore a resolute expression, which surprised He Rui, who had intended to state his judgment.

Six years ago, at the Baoding Military Academy, Cheng Ruofan was considered a cadet with a flighty personality. The instructors actually liked this young man with handsome features, but the low evaluation was because this guy's attention was easily attracted by other things.

But Cheng Ruofan had changed, and this change delighted He Rui. As the saying goes, "it is easy to change rivers and mountains but hard to change a person's nature"; Cheng Ruofan's personality would not change. However, the world itself has its laws. If the knowledge a person possesses can cover the work they need to complete, there is a high probability that they can be as focused and selfless as Cheng Ruofan is now.

To bring about such a change required Cheng Ruofan to have a heartfelt desire for this matter. Although Cheng Ruofan's personality was not as resolute as Xu Chengfeng's, this young man had a desire to implement justice and a passion for reviving China that was in no way inferior to Xu Chengfeng's. Only such idealists could work tirelessly and bear the burden of blame to realize their ideals.

Seeing He Rui look at him, Cheng Ruofan thought he was being slacker at that moment, so he immediately straightened his body and quickly adjusted his military uniform. The other officers almost instinctively followed suit and tidied up.

This action made He Rui rejoice in his heart. He Rui himself was not particular, but a soldier is a soldier. A serious and earnest military style is not a show for the outside world, but a self-cognition and positioning.

Looking again at the huge conference room, the edges of the tables holding the comprehensive large maps, and the many tables nearby were filled with notebooks and booklets recording various data. A row of blackboards was covered with various detailed maps. If someone were to barge in at this moment, they might think this was a group of engineers conducting academic discussions or technical research.

This is what a modern army looks like. Soldiers are a group of professional technical personnel who research military technology and practice military technology.

He Rui stood straight and said to everyone, "Comrades, attention!"

The officers all stood at attention, waiting for He Rui to speak. "I approve of this operational plan..."

Before the words fell, a sigh was already emitted from among the officers. That was the sound that could be made by joy and a sense of relief. The sound quickly subsided, and He Rui then continued, "Every defense line on the map has undergone field surveying and has been deduced based on the terrain and the Northeast Army's firepower configuration. Thousands of comrades have exhausted their wisdom and energy for this plan. This is a successful job, and also a laborious and tedious one. I thank the comrades for their contribution to the motherland."

Many among the officers could not help but smile, and some even had tears flashing in their eyes from excitement. He Rui was right; to complete this work, whether it was sun or rain, wind or snow, they had to do their best to complete their tasks. The hardship involved indeed brought huge pressure and many negative emotions. Especially in this work, everyone had to admit their ignorance. Such forced self-cognition was more unbearable than physical hardship.

"Completing the operational plan is the first step. The subsequent work is to execute this plan, and in the process of execution, overcome difficulties and adjust the plan according to the actual situation. Moreover, once the war begins, what we have to face is not the enemy on paper, nor our own troops simulating the enemy in exercises. We have to face the real enemy; that is pain, fear, and comrades may be injured or sacrificed. Are you willing to face such tests for the motherland?"

As soon as He Rui finished speaking, an officer said loudly, "Chairman, I became a soldier to revitalize China. Please rest assured, Chairman, on the battlefield, I will definitely lead the troops to fight the enemy bravely!"

These words were undoubtedly the heartfelt voice of these young soldiers before him. The comrades responded one after another, "For the motherland, we will definitely fight the enemy bravely!"

He Rui nodded and said, "I announce that this briefing is over. Meeting adjourned!"

Afterwards, the famished He Rui and the equally famished General Staff ate a meal together. It was no longer mealtime; the dishes had gone cold, and reheating them wouldn't make them as tasty as when they were freshly made. The only advantage was that at least they were fully cooked. Toppings were added to the noodles—tofu, vegetables, steamed bowls—and bowls of pork vermicelli were lined up on the table, all-you-can-eat.

He Rui raised his glass and toasted everyone. Everyone drained their glasses, very forthright. However, He Rui only toasted three cups before sitting down to eat.

Cheng Ruofan didn't say much; looking at his gaze, he was thinking about something. After the meal, Cheng Ruofan personally saw He Rui out. Walking to a secluded place, Cheng Ruofan slowed his pace. "Chairman, I feel that this battle will not be lost, but victory still relies on some luck."

He Rui stopped. "Don't worry, Japan has reasons why it must lose. Although I don't agree with explaining the struggle between Japan's sea and land forces from the perspective of factional infighting, the struggle between the Japanese Navy and Army for military funding is very fierce. The military funding the Japanese Army gets is probably only half of Japan's overall military funding. Based on the battlefield situation, it is basically impossible for the Japanese Navy to influence the war situation. The Japanese army is fighting us with one hand. And our army is not attacking the Japanese army head-on, but fighting trench warfare, which makes the Japanese army's combat difficulty greater. I see that the operational plan formulated by the General Staff has already prepared for fighting trench warfare with the Japanese army for two years. As one side falls and the other rises, the Japanese army has no possibility of defeating us. Ruofan, do you have any worries about our preparations?"

Cheng Ruofan pondered for a moment. "Chairman, I also feel we won't lose. But I still can't help worrying."

He Rui could understand Cheng Ruofan's mood. The Northeast Army was an army established according to the modern military model, but the Northeast Army was an army without actual combat experience. Fighting such a big war right from the start, if Cheng Ruofan were brimming with confidence at this time, patting his chest and guaranteeing a win, He Rui would instead have to consider replacing Cheng Ruofan. That wouldn't be confidence; that would be arrogance.

So He Rui comforted him gently, "There is no inevitable victory in the world. If you feel uneasy in your heart, then try to verify it through your executive work in the coming 10 months."

Cheng Ruofan nodded under the streetlamp in the courtyard. "I will do my best! The General Staff will do its best!"

He Rui nodded. "Very good. I look forward to seeing the comrades' preparatory work."

In the Northeast's official calendar, the New Year is the Spring Festival. As the New Year approached, the entire Northeast entered a joyous atmosphere. Although a drought was encountered in 1921, relying on the water conservancy construction that the people of the Northeast had worked hard on for the past few years, the drought was successfully resisted, guaranteeing grain production in the Northeast.

Several of the most severely affected counties also received government relief. Let alone selling sons and daughters, they didn't even sell household farm tools and furniture to exchange for food. Because the government's relief grain was carried by trucks, driven directly to the village entrances and towns through the roads built in these few years, and organizations at all levels distributed grain to the people according to household registration information.

If one had to say who was disappointed with the disaster relief, it was some village and town cadres whose grassroots organization was ineffective and who hadn't even done basic work like population census management well. They all received criticism from the organization, and under the punishment of demotion, demerits, and dismissal, this New Year was indeed passed very unhappily.

By the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the entire Northeast shifted from the festive atmosphere to production preparations after the start of spring.

Mayors, county magistrates, town heads, and village heads all began preparing for spring plowing. Seeds, fertilizer, farm tools, and the masses involved in agricultural production were all objects that party and government organizations at all levels had to care for and organize well.

Especially the masses; experience from these few years showed that in the spring when the climate changes drastically, many people would fall ill. Falling ill during the spring plowing stage would affect production. Apart from illness, there were various other things affecting production; how to deal with such a situation was also work that governments at all levels had to prepare for with all their might.

By April, spring plowing was basically completed. The Northeast Government began to wait for rain.

The Northeast is a good place; on the vast plains lies fertile black soil. The biggest problem is the lack of water. Although it is said that a timely snow promises a good harvest, and it snows heavily in the Northeast every year, the snow in the Northeast just doesn't melt easily in the cold climate. It doesn't equate to the Northeast region having relatively high precipitation.

In the era He Rui came from, China's new energy industry had already become number one in the world. Seawater desalination technology, that is, technology to effectively and efficiently separate seawater to obtain endless fresh water, had also been completed in China. Since then, China had never experienced a water shortage problem.

However, in 1922, grain production in the Northeast relied on the spring rain season in April. According to China's traditional accumulated experience, a year following a disaster year would likely be a year of favorable weather. Sure enough, in early April, it began to rain in the Northeast. Abundant rainwater moistened the crops that had already been planted using the moisture from the melting snow, and the crops, receiving ample water sources, began to grow sturdily.

By May, reports from grassroots agricultural stations all indicated that the crops were growing gratifyingly. If no major disasters occurred in the next few months, this year in the Northeast would be a harvest year.

By June, the Water Conservancy Department published a report in the *Northeast Daily* stating that the Water Conservancy Department had completed a large number of water conservancy projects. Even ordinary people knew this was all good news.

He Rui did not rejoice at this. Reports from agriculture, industry, and military industry all showed that war preparations had reached expectations. He Rui announced at the Civilized Party Central Committee, "The Northeast is about to implement Level II Mobilization."

The Central Committee members didn't say anything. However, everyone's breathing was a bit heavy, and some comrades' cheeks even turned red; this was the result of accelerated heartbeats supplying a large amount of blood to the head.

Once Level II Mobilization is initiated, it means conscription. The first batch of conscription numbers would reach a scale of one million. So this is what a "million-strong army" is all about. It really feels like they can be summoned at will.

If the mobilization status were raised to Level I, it would be full mobilization. Currently, conscription still involved a consideration of willingness; by that time, anyone refusing military service for personal reasons would be considered a 'deserter'. Being a deserter during wartime is a major crime.

These drills had been done several times in the past few years, so everyone wasn't inexperienced. Some Central Committee members had risen to their current positions precisely because they performed well in previous drills. Although everyone was excited, no one was at a loss.

After the meeting adjourned, He Rui stopped Director Liu of the Foreign Affairs Bureau. "Send a telegram to the capital, requesting that the issue of Shandong's rights and interests be raised at the Washington Naval Conference hosted by the United States."

Director Liu was already a fully qualified leader of the Foreign Affairs Bureau. Upon hearing this, he didn't ask about the matter itself. "Chairman, what signal is this intended to send to the Anhui and Zhili cliques?"

Strictly speaking, He Rui's arrangement belonged to being 'politically incorrect', dumping the work regarding the Anhui and Zhili cliques onto the Foreign Affairs Bureau as well. However, from the perspective of work efficiency, it was most appropriate to let the Foreign Affairs Bureau handle these matters. Whether it was military or political, public security or local governance, the Northeast Government and other political forces in China had basically no content for cooperation.

The only consensus between the two sides was commerce, but war with Japan was imminent, and there was no time to let the Department of Commerce handle these matters.

Just as Director Liu of the Foreign Affairs Bureau said, the Duan Qirui government was truly confused about what He Rui meant after receiving his telegram.

During World War I, all naval powers designed battleships with larger scales and more powerful firepower, with main gun calibers rising to 16 to 18 inches. Since the construction and maintenance costs of battleships were extremely high, this expensive arms race obviously became a heavy financial burden after the war ended.

During the Washington Conference in 1922, the five naval powers—the United States, Britain, Japan, France, and Italy—signed the *Treaty for the Limitation of Naval Armament* (Washington Naval Treaty), limiting the tonnage of capital ships (35,000 tons) and main gun caliber (not to exceed 16 inches), and stipulated that the total tonnage ratio of capital ships (battleships and battlecruisers) for the US, UK, Japan, France, and Italy was 5.25:5.25:3.15:1.75:1.75. In addition, it also stipulated the total tonnage, standard displacement, and artillery caliber of aircraft carriers for the contracting powers.

At this time, the conference had not yet convened, so the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China did not know how things would develop. Even if they knew, they wouldn't think it had anything to do with them. With the Republic of China's weak navy and backward industrial level, they had no qualifications to participate in such negotiations at all.

As for discussing the Shandong issue after the Washington Naval Conference, this matter had nothing to do with the Northeast Warlord He Rui. If they heard the lecture Cheng Ruofan was giving to the mayors of the Northeast amidst his busy schedule at this time, they would probably be frightened.

"...General mobilization is not telling the public that the war has begun. It is shifting the national operation onto a war track before war becomes inevitable." Facing five provincial party secretaries, five governors, and dozens of mayors, Cheng Ruofan not only showed no unease but instead deepened his tone because he wanted to explain clearly what he had learned and accumulated over the years.

"General mobilization is divided into two parts: army formation and production capacity planning. The basis of army mobilization is the census of the entire Northeast. There is a complete population census for the residents of every village, town, and every residential quarter, street, and district in the cities. According to different mobilization levels, all suitable populations fitting the regulations of that mobilization level must report to the local conscription office. Troops are formed from this..."