Duan Qirui and Xu Shichang’s car drove into a very ordinary *hutong* in the capital. The walls on both sides were peeling, their grey surfaces looking even more dilapidated in the evening glow.

Arriving at the entrance of a courtyard house, the car had just come to a steady halt when guards came out from within to welcome them. The neighbors in the capital had seen enough of the world that although they watched from a distance, no one made a fuss.

The guards led Duan Qirui and Xu Shichang into the main hall, where they saw Zhang Xiluan sitting on a sofa, dressed in a light, warm brocade robe. Seeing the two enter, Zhang Xiluan waved his hand feebly. "Two brothers, no need for formalities. Sit."

At that moment, the chiming clock by the wall suddenly sounded. A small mechanical door opened, and two small birds leaned out from the antique mechanism, chirping seven times before automatically retracting. The small door closed, and the rather old clock struck seven times, reminding everyone in the hall that it was 7:00 PM on September 1, 1923.

President of the Republic Xu Shichang and Premier Duan Qirui sat beside Zhang Xiluan, the Army Minister, momentarily silent. It was Zhang Xiluan who tremblingly raised his arms and commanded, "Brother Xu, Brother Duan, hold my hands."

Seeing Zhang Xiluan’s hair and beard completely white and his face as pale as paper, Xu Shichang and Duan Qirui each took one of his hands, only to feel them icy cold. September 1st was the 21st of the seventh lunar month; the Limit of Heat had just passed and White Dew had not yet arrived, yet Zhang Xiluan’s hands were as cold as deep winter. Both understood that this old man, who had just passed his eightieth birthday, likely did not have long to live.

Feeling the warmth from Xu Shichang and Duan Qirui's palms, Zhang Xiluan sighed and slowly withdrew his arms. "Two brothers, I certainly won't live past this winter. I invited you here today because I assume you have already received the telegram from Brother He."

Xu Shichang sighed without speaking, but Duan Qirui forced himself to reply, "Brother Zhang, we were unconvinced before. Only today do we know that your judgment of character is far beyond ours. The embassy in Tokyo sent a telegram describing the great earthquake. Countless buildings in Tokyo have collapsed, and most of the city has turned into a sea of fire. The Kanto region is Japan's essence; suffering such a catastrophe, it will take years to recover. Brother He said in the telegram that the Japanese army will surely struggle to the death, striving to breach the Yalu River defense line. From last October to now, the million-strong Japanese army has fought for eleven months without breaching the Yalu River line; today, as a spent arrow, they certainly cannot do it. We came this time to ask you, Brother, if Brother He could leave us some dignity."

Zhang Xiluan felt unhappy, but his body was so weak that even the feeling of displeasure was thin. This allowed him to speak slowly and calmly. "Brothers, Brother Wang Shizhen wrote to me saying that Brother He has already discussed your affairs. do you feel that Brother He has treated you unfairly?"

"Brother Zhang..." Xu Shichang wanted to explain.

Zhang Xiluan immediately cut him off. "Listen to me!"

Xu Shichang had to shut his mouth, and Zhang Xiluan asked the previous question again. Duan Qirui replied, "Brother Zhang, Brother Xu and I have no dissatisfaction with Brother He's arrangements. But there are so many brothers in the Beiyang faction, and Brother He hasn't mentioned a word about them!"

Zhang Xiluan wanted to speak but had to pant for a few breaths before continuing. "The way out for the Beiyang brothers is also easy. Brother He, and those young Beiyang brothers who have followed him all these years—whatever treatment they receive, ask Brother He to give the Beiyang brothers the same treatment according to their rank. Do you think that is fair?"

Xu Shichang and Duan Qirui sighed slightly and remained silent. Zhang Xiluan was correct in saying that He Rui and his subordinates were Beiyang. He Rui was of the pure Beiyang lineage. His Minister of Education Zhao Tianlin and Director of Water Resources Lu Daoming were students sent abroad by Beiyang. The Northeast Chief Executive Wu Youping and Director of Industry Zhuang Jiaxiong were university graduates from Beiyang institutions.

Zhou Yinshan, the commandant of the Northeast Army War College, was a student sent abroad by Beiyang and later an instructor at the Baoding Military Academy. Northeast Army generals Xu Chengfeng, Cheng Ruofan, Xu Jia, Zhong Yifu, Hu Xiushan, and Zheng Silang were all graduates of the Baoding Military Academy.

So when Zhang Xiluan said that the people in the Beiyang government in Beijing should receive the same treatment as those of the same rank in the Northeast government, it was indeed very fair. However, this 'fairness' itself was unacceptable to Xu Shichang and Duan Qirui's subordinates.

Zhang Xiluan panted a few more times and ordered his son to fetch a document, which he handed to Xu Shichang. Xu Shichang opened it and saw it was a declaration. Zhang Xiluan announced that he was donating all his land and real estate to the Northeast Government.

Xu Shichang sighed, "Brother Zhang, why is this necessary!"

Duan Qirui took the document, read it, and said helplessly, "Brother Zhang, I know you want to set an example for the brothers. Brother Xu and I, as well as many old brothers, are not unreasonable. If we were asked to donate our land and property to state ownership, there is nothing we couldn't agree to. But with so many people in Beiyang, it is no longer something we can completely control."

Zhang Xiluan chuckled coldly. "Two brothers, I had this prepared two years ago. Releasing it only now was to wait for the brothers to understand on their own. I have few days left to live; I can't wait for them. Two brothers, I will say two final things."

In the eyes of the current Beiyang government, Zhang Xiluan was a very special existence. He was both important and somewhat annoying, because as the connecting point between the old and new Beiyang, he was both useful and useless.

To say he was useless meant that Zhang Xiluan could not promise anything on He Rui's behalf. To say he was useful meant that what Zhang Xiluan promised could be relied upon.

Seeing that Zhang Xiluan truly had few days left, and that He Rui had gained the advantage in the war against Japan at this critical moment, there was little time left for the Beiyang faction to tangle with He Rui. The two wanted to bargain further, but heard Zhang Xiluan say, "Inviting you two here today was because we have been brothers, and we should see each other one last time. I am eighty this year; my death will be a happy ending. After I die, let firecrackers be set off; there is no need for weeping in the mourning hall. Everyone should have a lively banquet and discuss my life. People speak of 'affairs before death, reputation after death'; by that time, everyone will have already judged me. Two brothers, it is late, so I won't invite you to dinner. I am very tired and will go back to my room to sleep."

After speaking, Zhang Xiluan had his son support him as he stood up and walked tremblingly toward the inner room.

Xu Shichang and Duan Qirui could only take their leave. Just as they exited the door, before they could get into the car, someone delivered a letter. Duan Qirui read it by the light of a lantern held by a nearby guard and kicked the car in anger.

Xu Shichang took the letter and his expression changed as well. It turned out that Feng Huanzhang in Shaanxi had telegraphed the whole country, stating that the Northeast Government was fighting a great war against Japan to revive national prestige and expel foreign humiliation. Therefore, starting September 1st, Shaanxi would accept the leadership of the Northeast Government.

Was this the start of the defections? Xu Shichang laughed in extreme anger. "Haha! Good old Feng Huanzhang, well done!"

At this time, He Rui was standing side by side with Wu Youping at the entrance of the Northeast Government building's courtyard. Troops were coming and going around them, sentries were dense, and trucks and cars filled the space in front of the government building. Orderlies were moving a large amount of communications equipment and necessary items onto the vehicles. He Rui was about to personally go to the Yalu River front to command the ensuing war.

While He Rui and Wu Youping were discussing logistics, a signals soldier ran up to deliver Feng Huanzhang's telegram. Shaanxi's surrender did not bring He Rui joy; instead, he ordered his secretary with displeasure, "Publish this in the newspapers tomorrow. At the same time, express the Northeast Government's attitude: The Northeast Government accepts Shaanxi's allegiance, but the Northeast Government now orders Shaanxi to continue accepting the command of the Central Government."

Wu Youping was stunned, then amused. "Chairman, if you do that, neither side will be happy."

He Rui replied unhappily, "We cannot give opportunities to opportunists. Moreover, Feng Huanzhang has already gained benefits by doing this. What more does he want?"

Wu Youping thought about it and felt it made sense. He said, "Chairman, there are no problems with supply in the rear; the front line can fight without restraint."

He Rui nodded. "Mm. I also hope the war proceeds as I expect. End the war early, unify the country early."

Seeing He Rui about to get in the car, Wu Youping called out to him. Under the lights, Wu Youping's eyes were bright. "Chairman, it has been just over eight years since you arrived in Siping. I feel as if it were just a moment ago, yet also like a lifetime has passed. Please be careful on your trip to the front."

Looking at Wu Youping's uncontrollable emotion, He Rui suddenly remembered when he first met him; Wu Youping had been just as impassioned then. Although he hadn't trusted He Rui at that time, he had still come to ask to join.

In the blink of an eye, the youth in his twenties was now a thirty-year-old adult. Seeing the weary look on Wu Youping's face, He Rui patted his shoulder. "Youping, don't worry. Being with the comrades, I am very safe."

After speaking, He Rui shook hands with Wu Youping to bid farewell and got into the car. The lead truck drove out of the gate, followed by several cars of the same model. The convoy headed straight for the train station, preparing to depart on a special train.

He Rui felt no joy in his heart at this moment; his mind was full of the upcoming arrangements. With the war at this stage, although it was still a battle of a million against a million, it was now a political war rather than a military one. Annihilating this million-strong Japanese army could indeed completely reverse the balance of power between China and Japan. But it would not be favorable for future arrangements.

If a political war approach was adopted, He Rui was not sure if the troops had the ability to fight to that precise degree. Moreover, morale was high, and he feared that too many officers and soldiers were looking forward to annihilating the Japanese army.

As for the Japanese Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army, which faced potential annihilation, Vice Chief of Staff Ishiwara Kanji was loudly questioning the communications officer in the headquarters. "Still no reply from Tokyo?"

The communications officer immediately replied, "Reporting to the Vice Chief of Staff, we are transmitting to Tokyo once every half hour. Up to now, Imperial Headquarters has not replied."

Ishiwara Kanji continued to ask, "Is there any other news?"

The communications officer answered in a low voice, "Reporting to the Vice Commander, there are some clear-code telegrams, not sent to us, but from foreign radio stations in Japan sent abroad. The telegrams say that both Tokyo and Yokohama are ablaze."

Based on incoming telegrams between various military command departments in the Japanese homeland, it was basically confirmed that a major earthquake had occurred in the Kanto region, with heavy losses in Tokyo and Yokohama. In this misfortune, because it was wartime, Japan still had a million troops in the homeland. Although there was brief chaos after the earthquake, the army quickly mobilized to suppress bandits and restore order in various places. By now, cities outside the earthquake zone had stabilized.

These messages filled Ishiwara Kanji's heart with mixed feelings. Japan's industry and commerce were concentrated in the Kanto Plain; this great earthquake had dealt a heavy blow to Japan's industry and economy. The most troublesome part was that the earthquake had triggered a tsunami, causing huge losses to the ports in the Kanto region. The Korean front would not be able to receive material supplies for a short time.

Just as Nagata Tetsuzan had said, it was impossible for He Rui not to see this. If the Northeast Army launched an all-out attack at this time, the Japanese army would have no way to withdraw. Ishiwara Kanji believed that if He Rui wanted to annihilate the Japanese army, he could do it.

Just then, the telegraph officer suddenly shouted, "Excellency, a telegram from Imperial Headquarters!"

Ishiwara Kanji hurriedly waited for the message. Soon, a telegram was handed to him. "Manchuria-Mongolia Expeditionary Army Headquarters: At this time, please attack immediately to make progress, so that the enemy dares not attack our army at this juncture. Additionally, beware of sabotage by Korean rebels."

Ishiwara Kanji was not surprised by the first part of the telegram. Nagata Tetsuzan had long correctly predicted that Imperial Headquarters would issue an attack order. But the second half was truly somewhat strange.

What Ishiwara Kanji did not know was that on the streets of Tokyo and Yokohama, beside blocks where the fires had not yet been extinguished, large numbers of Japanese youth organizations had gathered with weapons. Their leaders held torches and shouted loudly to the gathered radical youths, "The Koreans are planning a riot! They are poisoning the water sources to stop us from disaster relief. Citizens, the time has come for us to rise up! Catch these rebellious Koreans and kill them!"

In the firelight, the eyes of those radical youths flashed with a bestiality triggered by despair, like packs of jackals. Listening to the leaders' incitement, these Japanese youths, who had turned into a mob, raised their weapons together and shouted in agreement.

The leaders wasted no words; lifting their katana, they began to act, heading straight for the Korean gathering areas in various places.

The reason there were no atrocities against Chinese in Japan was that the Japanese government, in its war propaganda, had already let Japanese citizens know that all Chinese in Japan had been arrested. Furthermore, earthquakes were frequent in Japan; even if the Great Kanto Earthquake was extremely violent, it didn't make the Japanese feel that the earthquake itself was abnormal. The bestiality triggered by despair was directed at the Koreans who usually competed with the Japanese for jobs.

Under the total mobilization system, Koreans were also managed and used centrally, and did not live in scattered locations. Unfamiliar with earthquakes and suffering this catastrophe, the Koreans who had escaped with their lives were concentrated in their workers' living quarters.

These Japanese thugs rushed into a Korean labor housing area and began killing without explanation. Screams rang out incessantly, and blood splattered. Before long, corpses of Korean laborers littered the ground.

These Korean laborers belonged to various factory owners. Seeing their cheap labor being killed, surviving factory owners couldn't help but step forward to stop it. The thugs, eyes red with bloodlust, grabbed a factory owner and asked, "Are you in league with the Koreans?"

Some factory owners saw the situation was bad and hurriedly tried to defend themselves. But there were always some stubborn ones who tried to deter the mob with threats of the police. At this time, the police in Tokyo, Yokohama, and other places could hardly protect themselves; how could they have the mind to deal with the mob?

The stubborn bosses' words not only failed to scare the mob but instead incited their ferocity. Seeing that there were valuable goods in the factory, some thugs simply shouted, "We caught one! We caught a traitor colluding with Koreans!"

These factory bosses, who usually exploited and squeezed their workers, were already detested by everyone. Now that someone had shouted a reason to commit violence in the name of justice, the mob swarmed up and killed the boss. Then they rushed into the factory to loot.

The scale of the looting grew larger and larger. Some thugs, high on killing, simply set fires again. The city ruins, which had not been completely extinguished, began to burn once more.

On the morning of September 2nd, the army finally rushed into the city and began to suppress the riots.

On the roof of the Japanese Imperial Headquarters, Colonel Obata Toshishirō held binoculars, watching the army units deploying in the city. These troops were fully armed; if they encountered anyone with a weapon on the street who did not immediately kneel upon command, they opened fire and killed them instantly.

Obata Toshishirō did not care if there were accidental killings among these people. The army's order was to take over the city and completely restore order. No matter how many people were killed, in Obata's view, it was a price that had to be paid to restore order.

The army swept through block after block, seeing corpses of murder victims everywhere, which reinforced the army's view that the city had been taken over by mobs. The bloody suppression unfolded along the roads, extending to the ruins of various factories and shops.

Obata Toshishirō watched for a while, then walked down from the roof to attend the morning military conference. The meeting was very dull; many basic common-sense issues were not mentioned by anyone. This was absolutely not because the officers didn't know, but precisely because they all knew that they couldn't say it out loud.

For example, the tsunami in Tokyo Bay had destroyed the port, and military supplies already produced in the Kanto region could not be supplied to the front... assuming the warehouses in those factories had even been preserved.

To transport via railway to the west coast of Japan would require repairing the railways damaged by the earthquake first. This work could absolutely not be completed in the short term. The million Japanese troops by the Yalu River would have to survive on stored ammunition and supplies for half a month to a month... assuming the Northeast Army allowed them to do so.

After the earthquake, the General Staff worked through the night in the damaged building and finally reached a conclusion that could have actually been determined much earlier: The million Japanese troops on the Yalu River front could not withdraw in an orderly manner.

The Northeast Army had been able to withdraw before because they had only 500,000 troops, were fully prepared, and had a large number of trucks as transport. The Japanese army possessed none of these conditions. Starting a retreat would turn into chaos.

Synthesizing these factors, Colonel Obata Toshishirō found that the Japanese army launching a feint attack at this time was a show of strength by the weak, consistent with the art of war. It was perhaps even the least bad choice in the current situation.

At such a time, there was nothing to discuss. The meeting ended hastily. The only inspiring news was that at 9:00 AM, a portion of the Japanese army had penetrated deep into the disaster area, joined forces on the streets, and established a cordon. At least order in Tokyo would be restored relatively quickly.

While the various Japanese army units were meeting on the streets of Tokyo, the artillery duel between the Japanese and Northeast armies on both banks of the Yalu River had already begun.

At 9:15 AM, the Northeast Government's telegram was sent to the world, primarily hoping that Japan would receive it.

Of course, in Operation 'Cold Water', what flew onto the heads of the Japanese army was by no means clear, cool water, but hot artillery shells. By 12:00 PM, Nagata Tetsuzan discovered that the Northeast Army's shelling showed no sign of stopping, and the air raids had become even more intense. The planes in the sky were larger and carried more bombs.

Japanese artillerymen, accustomed to a few bombs falling, suddenly found that what was dropping from the sky was not sporadic bombs, but strings of dozens. Under the Northeast Army's fierce bombardment, the Japanese artillery had to withdraw further, temporarily breaking off the counter-battery fire.

It was also at this moment that Nagata Tetsuzan received a report: The Northeast Army had begun constructing pontoon bridges across the Yalu River.