"Comrade Gao Shitou."

"Present!"

"Our platoon's task is to construct these four buildings. Once construction is complete, your squad will be responsible for launching an attack from the south."

"Yes, sir!" Gao Shitou answered loudly.

After the platoon leader finished assigning the exercise tasks, he took out a 1:100 scale map. The soldiers gathered around the map were wearing combat uniforms—loose-fitting, convenient, sturdy, and wear-resistant clothing perfectly suited for combat. In the pursuit of absolute battlefield utility, these combat uniforms had completely abandoned any pretense of 'aesthetics'.

The officers and soldiers didn't mind this; they almost intuitively sensed the utility and accepted it. After examining the layout of the buildings, the soldiers used entrenching shovels to dig several shallow trenches in the ground, piling up the excavated earth to simulate outer walls and the shape of houses.

It wasn't just Gao Shitou's platoon doing this. On the vast expanse of saline-alkali soil where almost no grass grew, various units of the 42nd Army were conducting field exercises. The 42nd Army was currently under the command of the First Army Group. In the Northeast Army, unit designations like '1st' through '3rd' didn't exist permanently. The Army Group was a temporary combat unit to be disbanded after the war, so there wasn't much fuss about the numbering.

Estimating the height of the walls, Gao Shitou led the soldiers of his squad through the 'controlled streets' to the target's exterior. Taking out a small mirror and clipping it to the muzzle of his rifle, Gao Shitou put his back against the 'wall' and raised his rifle high, using the mirror to observe the situation 'inside the wall'.

After observing, Gao Shitou sent the deputy squad leader to report to the platoon leader: "There are no enemy forces on the other side of the wall."

The platoon leader was very satisfied with Gao Shitou's report. The Northeast Army regulations required regular 'Military Democracy Meetings', also known as 'Zhuge Meetings' (Meetings of Wits). During training and study, soldiers learned many techniques. At the 'Military Democracy Meeting', they were required to speak their minds freely. In the standard terminology proposed by the higher-ups, this was called 'user feedback'. In common parlance, it was 'nitpicking'.

'Nits' might not cause wounds, but they certainly caused discomfort. Gao Shitou had pointed out that most of the time, one shouldn't use the small mirror method to look at things two meters away—you really couldn't see clearly. It was better for close range, like leaning against a wall to look at the immediate other side.

Originally, this observation method had been proposed by the higher-ups, along with various ways to use it. A mere squad leader daring to sing a different tune than the superiors made the platoon leader rather unhappy. However, his displeasure was only that Squad Leader Gao dared to oppose the higher-ups' methods; the platoon leader actually agreed with Gao Shitou's view. As a platoon leader, he had to master the use of various weapons and equipment. The platoon leader himself had found that using such a small mirror to observe things several meters or even ten meters away was extremely difficult. He had privately asked other platoon leaders in the company; the straightforward ones admitted they had tried and failed, while the less straightforward ones avoided the topic—implying they couldn't do it either.

Since the higher-ups mandated that one must speak freely at the 'Military Democracy Meeting', the platoon leader 'followed procedure' and submitted the report of the entire 'Democracy Life Meeting', which included this item.

To his surprise, the platoon leader wasn't called in for a reprimand, which put his mind at ease. It seemed the higher-ups were serious about the Military Democracy Life Meetings. Two months later, when the new combat regulations were promulgated, the method for using the small mirror had changed. The requirements were lowered directly to a level that ordinary people could operate.

The platoon leader was overjoyed, feeling a surge of admiration for the higher-ups and a significant increase in goodwill towards Gao Shitou.

Now receiving the report that there were 'no enemies inside the wall', the platoon leader immediately ordered, "Breach the door!"

A soldier pretended to fly-kick the door. Of course, the 'door' didn't open. At the same moment, on the other side, a human ladder was formed. A soldier with excellent eyesight secretly peeked over the wall to directly observe the situation in the courtyard and the house within the perimeter.

Kicking the door was intended to attract the attention of potential enemies, while direct observation was far more effective than using a small mirror.

Exercises were not playacting. They had to include drills for various situations, and most importantly, there had to be logic within them. One couldn't just make wild, baseless assumptions.

The offensive exercise continued for two days. After practicing various scenarios multiple times and verifying the unit's preparations for urban warfare, the regiment convened a meeting of officers and NCOs, including squad leaders.

The Regimental Commander randomly called on a squad leader to stand up, and it happened to be Gao Shitou. The Commander asked directly, "This Squad Leader, if you are attacking a house and encounter machine-gun fire from inside, what would you do?"

"Immediately order the men to stop the attack and report to the platoon. At the same time, pull back to a position that can seal off the exits. If conditions permit, have men irregularly throw grenades inside."

The Regimental Commander called up Gao Shitou's platoon leader. "Platoon Leader, what about you?"

The platoon leader immediately stood at attention. "Immediately report this enemy fire point to the company. At the same time, seal off the passages around this fire point as much as possible so the enemy cannot relocate."

The Regimental Commander was satisfied with these answers. He let them sit down and explained to the officers and NCOs, "The enemy cannot conjure machine guns out of thin air; they only have a fixed number. Light infantry without artillery support just need to identify enemy fire points and isolate them. Leave these enemies for the artillery to resolve. The light infantry will occupy other areas. We have the numbers; the isolated enemies will only be destroyed by us one by one. Light infantry groping forward should not try to be heroes when they encounter enemy machine guns. War involves casualties, but when it's not necessary, the lower the casualties, the better."

These words struck a chord with the comrades. The troops had conducted a large amount of live-fire training, learning and drilling on how to use their weapons against the enemy. They knew very well what it meant for infantry to charge with rifles against machine-gun fire. No one would do that unless absolutely necessary. Using artillery to resolve enemy machine-gun defensive points in urban warfare was undoubtedly the best option.

At this point, the Regimental Commander asked, "Do you comrades have any questions?"

Several people immediately raised their hands. The Commander eventually chose Gao Shitou again. Gao Shitou stood up and asked a question that had been puzzling him. "Commander, how do we confirm that the enemy's machine gun positions have all been destroyed?"

The Regimental Commander hadn't really wanted to discuss this issue, but after a moment's hesitation, he spoke.

"The quantity of the enemy's equipment is basically fixed; it's impossible for a batch to suddenly appear. After squads and platoons discover and destroy enemy machine gun or artillery positions, they must report it immediately. Companies and battalions must also quickly compile and report this. So, does everyone understand why falsely reporting military intelligence—reporting fire points destroyed by other units as your own kills—will be severely punished?"

Some officers and NCOs failed to complete this logical connection, but Gao Shitou figured it out. He immediately answered, "Doing so would cause the higher-ups to miscalculate the number of machine guns and other equipment the enemy still has left."

The Regimental Commander stared at Gao Shitou for a moment, then waved for him to sit down before speaking loudly to the comrades, "If a unit falsely reports military intelligence, and the Regiment believes there are no enemy machine guns in that area, ordering troops to advance rapidly along the passage... but actually, the undestroyed enemy machine guns open fire—how many men would die in vain? Comrades, what do you think we should do to someone who does such a thing?"

Exercises were not playacting, yet exercises were still just exercises. The 'casualties' would stand up again and joke with everyone. So while everyone knew that stealing credit was absolutely not allowed, they only knew it in principle.

After conducting actual urban warfare drills and hearing the Regimental Commander analyze the results from his perspective, the officers and soldiers who hadn't taken this matter seriously before felt a tension in their hearts. Many hadn't previously realized how every report and every action of theirs was viewed by the Commander. Now, no one dared to treat it lightly.

Just as the Commander said, if false reporting or failure to report in time caused a delay in battle opportunities, the execution of military discipline by the Judge Advocate General's office would not be a joke. It would be truly justified. Everyone felt that if they did such a thing and caused an incident, they really wouldn't be able to justify themselves.

Gao Shitou looked at the Regimental Commander's stern expression, and his heart burned hot. Before, he had no opportunity to know how a Regimental Commander, several ranks above him, commanded a battle. Although Gao Shitou also wanted to become a Commander, he felt the gap between himself and the Commander was like the distance between heaven and earth. Now that he understood how the Commander viewed problems, the path suddenly connected. Gao Shitou felt his views were on the same track as the Commander's; the Commander was no longer in another world, but simply in a world slightly higher than Gao Shitou's.

At this moment, Gao Shitou hadn't considered which city they were practicing to attack. It wasn't on the map, and the maps were immediately collected after use. As for the enemy having Japanese-style equipment, the Northeast Army had been training against this adversary for years, and everyone was used to it. So, the name 'Lushun' (Port Arthur) did not appear in Gao Shitou's mind.

Of course, on the Northeast Army side, Lushun was the 'Kwantung Leased Territory', and the Kwantung Leased Territory was Lushun. In conversation, people rarely used 'Kwantung Leased Territory'. But on the Japanese side, the title 'Kwantung Leased Territory' could absolutely not be mistaken.

In 1919, the original Kwantung Governor-General's Office was changed to the 'Kwantung Army'. The Kwantung Army included one division garrisoned in the Kwantung Leased Territory, as well as approximately 40,000 Japanese troops within the railway zones along the South Manchuria Railway.

The current Commander of the Kwantung Army was Lieutenant General Kawai Misao. Saionji Kinmochi from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs arrived in the Kwantung Leased Territory with a small delegation, and the Lieutenant General personally went to welcome Duke Saionji Kinmochi.

Lieutenant General Kawai Misao greatly admired the 73-year-old Duke, a major figure who had twice served as Prime Minister of Japan.

Saionji Kinmochi came from a family of court nobles (Kuge), not a samurai family. His status was second only to the "Five Regent Houses" (Konoe, Kujō, Nijō, Ichijō, Takatsukasa), belonging to one of the "Nine Seiga Houses" (Koga, Sanjō, Saionji, Tokudaiji, Kazan'in, Ōimikado, Imadegawa, Hirohata, Daigo).

The Saionji family and the Tokudaiji family shared the same lineage; their ancestor was Fujiwara no Morosuke, the younger brother of Kampaku Fujiwara no Saneyori. When the Saionji family line had no male heir by the thirty-second generation, Saionji Morosue, they adopted the second son of the Tokudaiji family due to their shared ancestry. This child was Saionji Kinmochi.

Saionji was born in 1845. After his adoptive father passed away, Saionji, born in 1849, was appointed "Chamberlain" to Emperor Kōmei in January of the sixth year of Kaei (1853), at the age of four. In May, he assumed the post.

In January of the second year of Bunkyū (1862), at the age of 13, he was awarded the court rank of Senior Third Rank.

But Saionji Kinmochi was different from that group of court nobles; he was personally extremely diligent. excellent in his studies, and possessed a broad vision. Therefore, Saionji promoted Western technology, established schools, and threw himself into the pro-Imperial faction, earning merit during the war.

After the establishment of the Meiji government, Saionji went abroad to study, learning more advanced foreign experiences. During the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, Saionji was in Europe. He witnessed with his own eyes how the Prussian army crushed France. He also saw the rise and failure of the Paris Commune.

Possessing such insight, Saionji returned to Japan. Although a member of the House of Peers, he threw himself into party politics, hoping Japan would become a democratic political state. Hara Takashi was a politician Saionji had vigorously supported.

Now that Hara Takashi had been assassinated, Saionji Kinmochi came to Shenyang in his private capacity after retirement to continue exerting himself for the Empire of Japan. For such a man, Lieutenant General Kawai Misao had no other thoughts but admiration.

Upon arriving at their accommodations, Lieutenant General Kawai Misao presented his arrangements. "Your Excellency, due to my status and duties, I cannot accompany you on your visit. I have prepared a guard detail to escort Your Excellency during this trip."

The 73-year-old Japanese Genrō (Elder Statesman) Saionji Kinmochi was in high spirits, his face full of hearty smiles. "General Kawai has gone to too much trouble. Has He Rui sent reception personnel?"

"Yes, they are already outside the border of the Kwantung Leased Territory."

Saionji Kinmochi nodded. "That will do. A guest should follow the host's convenience. For this visit, let He-kun be responsible for my safety."

"Your Excellency..." Lieutenant General Kawai Misao felt this was inappropriate.

Saionji Kinmochi smiled. "I am visiting in a private capacity, so there should be no official guards to begin with. I have heard a thing or two about this man He-kun. Given his way of doing things, the one who should be most afraid of an incident is him."

Kawai Misao completely agreed with Saionji Kinmochi's judgment, but as the Commander of the Kwantung Army, if he let He Rui be entirely responsible for Saionji Kinmochi's safety, he feared some people back home would make snide remarks.

Saionji certainly knew what Kawai Misao was worried about. If it were any other general, Saionji probably wouldn't bother explaining, but Kawai Misao had served as the Principal of the Army War College and possessed vision, magnanimity, and perspective far exceeding the average general. So Saionji Kinmochi asked, "Has General Kawai heard that He-kun has made preparations to blow up all mining enterprises joint-ventured with Japan at any moment?"

Kawai Misao was stunned. Reporter Morita Mitsuko, who had been standing quietly behind Saionji Kinmochi like a female secretary, was also stunned.

Kawai Misao thought for a moment before sighing, "This subordinate knows of this matter. He-kun made no secret of it when he did these things, nor did he avoid the topic. He even openly requested the cooperation of Japanese investors."

"In that case, can the Imperial Japanese Army make He-kun submit?" Saionji Kinmochi asked.

Kawai Misao himself certainly knew that He Rui would absolutely not submit. By doing this, He Rui was telling the Japanese side that he didn't care about mutual destruction. Japan's goal in attacking Manchuria and Mongolia was to obtain resources. Those factories, mines, reservoirs, and other facilities were extremely important assets. Once these were destroyed, Japan would be left with nothing but a tug-of-war and guerrilla warfare with He Rui in the Northeast, vainly consuming Japan's national strength.

Even if He Rui was finished, and Japan exhausted its strength to occupy Manchuria and Mongolia, it would face a land of ruins and a population filled with hostility. In any case, Kawai Misao would not make such a choice, nor did he wish for the result to turn out like this.

Mitsuko hadn't expected the incredibly kind He Rui to make such a decision. Such cold cruelty was vastly different from the He Rui *ni-chan* (big brother) in Mitsuko's heart, yet completely consistent with the top power-holders Mitsuko had seen.

So Mitsuko held her breath and concentrated, saying not a word. She heard Elder Statesman Saionji laugh, "In that case, if we send a unit of troops, are we demonstrating against He-kun?"

Lieutenant General Kawai Misao was somewhat persuaded by Saionji and could only ask, "Your Excellency, please at least take a few guards dispatched by the Kwantung Leased Territory."

Saionji still did not agree. "No need. If I were truly to be assassinated, a few guards wouldn't make a difference. I believe He-kun's ability can certainly protect my safety."

The next day, the special train stopped at the border line between the Kwantung Leased Territory and the Northeast Government. A unit of Northeast Army officers and soldiers boarded the security carriage, replacing the Japanese officers and soldiers. Director Liu of the Foreign Affairs Bureau entered Saionji Kinmochi's carriage and came forward to offer greetings. "Excellency Saionji, I have been ordered to welcome Your Excellency and accompany you to Shenyang."

Saionji Kinmochi exchanged a few pleasantries with Director Liu, then pointed to Morita Mitsuko. "This is Reporter Morita from the *Asahi Shimbun*. She will be covering the entire trip."

Director Liu stepped forward and shook hands with Mitsuko. "I have heard that when Chairman He was studying in Japan, he received much care from the Morita family."

The train soon started moving, beginning its journey across the vast land of the Northeast. Mitsuko didn't dare interject at all and could only watch the scenery outside the window. She saw vast fields, with forests and large patches of crops flashing by in an alternating pattern. Even at the edges of the crop fields, there were rows of neat trees. This scene was completely different from the small plots of land in Japan.

Mitsuko knew that the Manchuria and Mongolia region controlled by He Rui was 3 million square kilometers, almost ten times the land area of Japan. But she hadn't expected this land to be so flat and so full of vitality. No wonder there were always so many people in Japan clamoring that 'Manchuria-Mongolia is Japan's lifeline'.

Originally, Mitsuko could only understand the desire of those people to obtain food and raw materials for the Empire of Japan, given that Japan was mountainous with little land and scarce resources. Now Mitsuko completely understood their thoughts; just seeing the lushness on the Northeast plains outside the train window, she understood why those people would issue such covetous sighs.

Saionji's insight was not something Mitsuko could compare with. Although he was also surprised by the scenery outside the window, he didn't harbor much covetousness. Saionji had merely looked at the scene on the plains and confirmed that the Northeast had indeed undergone considerable development, just as various reports had stated.

This development was not just about extracting resources and grain from the land, but included massive construction. Apart from the forests and crops, the occasional river canals and ponds were all constructions that allowed this fertile soil to provide agricultural products more sustainably. The reports said that He Rui mobilized one-third of the population in Manchuria and Mongolia every year to invest in infrastructure. Looking at it now, the achievements were indeed remarkable.

The Northeast was already wealthy, and now it had been built to be even wealthier.

Such scenes were seen all along the way. Upon arriving in Shenyang, Director Liu of the Foreign Affairs Bureau personally accompanied Saionji Kinmochi to the Northeast Government. The bustling scene inside Shenyang city made Saionji even more certain of the reports' veracity; under He Rui's rule, Manchuria and Mongolia had made great strides in both industry and agriculture. Trying to conquer Manchuria and Mongolia by means of war would inevitably cost the Empire of Japan a tremendous price.

He Rui was waiting at the Northeast Government. Since the visitor was Saionji, He Rui even descended the steps to welcome him. The two entered the conference room, and Saionji smiled, "I am merely here for a tour this time; He-kun is too polite."

He Rui smiled and asked some unnecessary staff to leave first, keeping only close interpreters. Then He Rui spoke in Japanese, "Since Your Excellency is here for a tour, please allow me to host you in a private capacity."

A private conversation with He Rui was exactly what Saionji had expected. However, the time was not yet right, so Saionji began to chat about things an old man out on a trip would say.