In the spacious private room, a cup of tea sat before each person. Everyone sipped slowly, exchanging relaxed and pleasant words. Lü Feng, the former counselor, had positioned himself carefully; he would only intervene when the conversation reached an awkward stage, smoothing emotions with light topics to keep the rhythm flowing. The rest of the time, Lü Feng needed only to eat, drink, and listen.

Seeing the conversation flowing smoothly among the group, Lü Feng waited peacefully, having no intention of speaking. He heard Wang Shizhen say, "General He has won the first battle. In my view, Japan will certainly counterattack with full force hereafter; the onslaught will be like a violent storm."

Wang Shizhen's appearance was not striking; right now, he looked like nothing more than an ordinary little old man. However, after decades of military service, with just these one or two sentences, his expression and gaze were already faintly as sharp as a blade. Lü Feng had never seen such a figure in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and felt a shiver in his heart.

Zhao Tianlin's expression was composed, though his gaze brightened slightly. He nodded slightly. "Exactly so. The Northeast Government is waiting with full strength, striving to fight the coming war well."

Wang Shizhen stared at Zhao Tianlin for a moment, then smiled faintly. The blade-like sensation quickly dissipated, returning Wang Shizhen to the appearance of that amiable little old man. He laughed, "Hehe. Every year on Elder Zhang's birthday, I visit to offer congratulations. Every time, I see people sent by Brother He to pay respects. New items not found on the market emerge endlessly in Elder Zhang's home. Elder Zhang is generous and invites us idlers to try them. Elder Zhang is noble and does not much like to go out. We asked him how he knows about these new objects that aren't even on the market, and Elder Zhang said they are all seasonal tributes from Brother He. He lamented that Brother He is nostalgic and never forgets his seniors. When Brother He takes over the heavy burden of Beiyang, and Elder Xu and Elder Duan go to Tianjin to be neighbors together, Elder Zhang will surely ask Brother He to take care of them in this way. I am truly grateful for Elder Zhang's goodwill."

Lü Feng shut his mouth, wanting to breathe as lightly as possible. He saw Zhao Tianlin smile and say, "Elder Xu, Elder Duan, and Elder Wang bear the hopes of the masses under heaven. At this time of national turmoil, even if the three of you wish to retire into seclusion, we must ask the three of you to come out of the mountains. Elder Wang, do not be too modest."

Wang Shizhen sighed. "Gong Zizhen wrote in a poem, 'I persuade the Lord of Heaven to shake up anew, and bestow talent of all kinds.' Kang Youwei said, 'If the youth are strong, the country is strong.' To my knowledge, Brother Zhou and Brother Zhao are under forty this year, correct?"

Zhao Tianlin was born in 1886, making him thirty-six this year. Zhou Yinshan was born in 1884, making him thirty-eight, already the oldest among the core layer of the Northeast Government. Zhao Tianlin had long heard that Wang Shizhen was known for his meticulousness starting from the troop training at Xiaozhan. Listing them by age in passing at this moment, Zhao Tianlin felt that Wang Shizhen attached great importance to this trip and was not merely here to probe.

However, Wang Shizhen did not intend to ask questions, so Zhao Tianlin and the others continued to listen to him speak.

"Brother He is thirty-two this year. Among the Fengtian generals, I haven't heard of many over thirty. When this old man thinks back to being that age, it was exactly the time of youthful vigor and high spirits. The country ought to have such an atmosphere. For us to retire and watch young people serve the country is also a joy."

Zhao Tianlin then replied, "Elder Wang, youth has its own deficiencies. Nearing forty, I feel this especially. Young people may not necessarily be ignorant of principles, but without elders like Elder Xu, Elder Duan, and Elder Wang to sit in command, once the hot blood rushes to the head in a struggle of wills, they will lose their sense of measure. Take institutions like the Parliament, which should be the foundation of the country. When China is unified and the Parliament reopens, if there are no figures like you gentlemen to sit in command, at my age, I might still want to go down and argue myself over a single disagreement. Elder Wang has surely seen much of such things."

Wang Shizhen chuckled, pondering for a moment before laughing. "During the troop training at Xiaozhan, the recruits were all children of Zhili and the surrounding few provinces. Everyone was a Northerner, yet disputes arose over such small matters as different accents. Such things are unavoidable."

Zhao Tianlin smiled faintly. "Elder Wang, the Northeast Government has been promoting the *Xinhua Dictionary* and the standardization and popularization of Mandarin for the past few years. Although everyone still speaks with mixed accents, it doesn't reach the point of such disparity."

Even someone as composed as Wang Shizhen saw his expression change slightly. Lü Feng had not expected Zhao Tianlin to be so frank; he almost held his breath, looking at the people present. He saw the three from the Northeast looking composed; it seemed they had made up their minds. As for Wang Shizhen and Yang Du, their expressions were quite grave.

Just amidst the silence, Morrison spoke up with a laugh. "Gentlemen, I have been in China for over twenty years and have long felt myself to be a Chinese person. Comparing Chinese and Western banquets, I have some insights."

Opposite him, Yang Du immediately laughed, "I wonder what insights Mr. Morrison has?"

Morrison replied, "In Western banquets, mostly the food is served first, then business is discussed."

On this side, Zhao Tianlin laughed, "If you are hungry, you might as well say so directly. When attending a banquet in China, if you sit down and say, 'I'm hungry,' rest assured, we serve dishes in China much faster than in the West!"

Hearing this, everyone laughed loudly. Zhao Tianlin turned his head with a smile and shouted outside, "Waiter, bring the menu."

Wang Shizhen and Yang Du were people who had seen grand scenes. When Zhao Tianlin asked them to order, they casually ordered something they liked without standing on ceremony. The beautifully printed, thick menu was soon delivered to Lü Feng. Lü Feng also ordered a stir-fried green vegetables with tofu, then passed the menu to Zhou Yinshan next to him.

Seeing the atmosphere finally maintained in a bundle of joyous harmony, Lü Feng could not help but feel admiration for this group of big figures. The blunt words just now were truly fearsome. Zhao Tianlin had explicitly indicated that if the regime were handed over, the top figures of Beiyang would be given positions with revered status like Speaker of Parliament, but with very limited real power. And the top Beiyang figures would not need to consider planting their own people in the new government.

If it were the younger, violent-tempered sort within Beiyang, talking to this point, they would probably dare to flip the table on the spot. Wang Shizhen's calm and composed demeanor made Lü Feng admire him greatly.

In contrast, the civil and military officials on the Northeast Government side behaved with propriety and were shrewd and capable. They were neither arrogant because of their status nor smug because of the other party's ingratiation. Obviously, they had depth to their minds. Even talks concerning the future of China were not some grand scene in front of them.

Lü Feng had rarely seen such a demeanor in the government; even within the Japanese government, only those top-tier Japanese politicians possessed such bearing.

Lü Feng leaned towards Beiyang, but he didn't care all that much. Drinking at the same table with such big figures now, dread and unease arose spontaneously in his heart. At this moment, Lü Feng intuitively understood one thing: the current Northeast Army simply didn't have the time to pay attention to Beiyang, which was the only reason Beiyang had a chance. As soon as the Northeast Army's spearhead turned toward Beiyang, Beiyang would be finished.

This feeling was unexpectedly no different from the feeling of the Beiyang Government facing the Great Powers.