Before the Meiji Restoration, Japan also used the Chinese calendar. After the Meiji Restoration, Japan designated January 1st as New Year's Day, completely following the Western calendar. Since it was New Year's Day, it was naturally a national holiday. Lieutenant General Ishiwara Kanji also took this opportunity to return to his hometown, which he hadn't visited for a long time.

Ishiwara hadn't been home since 1922. His parents had been to Tokyo once, but Ishiwara only met them hastily because he was in a meeting with comrades. This time, Ishiwara prepared gifts to make up for the guilt in his heart.

Due to the Great Kanto Earthquake, the earthquake-stricken areas in 1924 were very miserable. However, 90% of Japan's territory did not suffer direct losses. Yet, one year after the earthquake ended, what Ishiwara saw in these areas was nothing but depression besides depression.

In the cities and villages he passed through, not many people decorated their homes for the New Year, as if New Year's Day was just an ordinary winter day, or perhaps they hadn't thought about celebrating the New Year at all.

The people wore old clothes, which looked like they were bought the year before last or even the year before that. Those children on the roadside and streets wore Japanese-style clothes with holes, bare-legged, wearing straw sandals. Ishiwara Kanji had fought in northern Korea and experienced low temperatures of minus twenty degrees. He personally realized that Japan's geographical environment made winter much warmer than the continental region. Even so, seeing the clothing of those ordinary families, Ishiwara felt quite uncomfortable in his heart.

Just as judged in Professor Taira Toyomori's report, the confidence of the Japanese nationals suffered an extremely heavy blow. The lack of confidence directly led to the people trying every means to keep money and not consume, causing the already heavily hit economy to worsen.

In the past, when encountering such a situation, Japan could still consider plundering from China. This last road was completely blocked, and everyone in Japan lost hope. The Japanese economy also entered a winter with no end in sight.

In the administrative division of Japan after the Meiji Restoration, prefectures were larger than cities. Ishiwara's hometown, Tsuruoka City, was a small rural place with a population of only 40,000. This place also produced grain, and the people's lives were barely passable. However, it was lifeless here. Although hairstyles had changed a lot and clothing had also changed, Ishiwara felt like he had returned to the Shogunate era.

Arriving on the street outside his house, neighbors had already seen Ishiwara and hurriedly came forward to greet him. This was the simple countryside, which made Ishiwara feel warm in his heart. Although Ishiwara was already a big shot in Tokyo, in the eyes of the fellow villagers, Ishiwara was still that 'son of the Ishiwara family.'

After exchanging greetings with the villagers, Ishiwara took the guards to the door of his house. At this time, someone had already gone to the Ishiwara family to report the news. As soon as Ishiwara arrived at the door, he saw his younger brother coming out to welcome him. The villagers watched the excitement at the door. Ishiwara looked at his home, which also hadn't prepared for the New Year, and felt very guilty.

Because the Sino-Japanese War was actually a defeat, and the Great Kanto Earthquake occurred, even though Ishiwara received a medal and a corresponding bonus of 15,000 yen, the bonus was delayed. So much so that Ishiwara couldn't send money to his parents.

Entering the main room, he saw his father already sitting at the table. Ishiwara went up to greet him, and his father looked gratified. "Kanji, you are finally back."

Ishiwara's mother looked at her returned son, her eyes already red. Ishiwara's younger sister brought Ishiwara's nephew. The little guy was no longer the little toddler learning to speak; he just hugged his mother's arm and looked at Ishiwara timidly. When ordered by his mother to 'say hello to uncle,' the little guy became shy again, hiding behind his mother and unwilling to come forward. This action amused Ishiwara.

Not long after the family reunited, many people came outside, all local prominent figures. Old Man Ishiwara was the local police chief, a mid-to-lower-level civil servant on the establishment in Japan, truly eating the imperial grain. He didn't bow and scrape to the prominent figures of Tsuruoka, a small place of 40,000 people, and was even more calm and magnanimous at this time.

The local prominent figures of Tsuruoka greeted Ishiwara respectfully with 'Your Excellency,' 'Your Excellency.' Ishiwara was a big shot ranked in the top 100 in Japan. The mainland population of Japan was over 40 million, meaning one such person appeared on average out of 400,000. For a small place like Tsuruoka City with a population of only 40,000 to produce such a big shot, even the mayor had to bow his head.

These people never had the opportunity to contact big shots and didn't have the ability to flatter Ishiwara Kanji just right. Fortunately, everyone didn't lack eye service. Since no flattery would be in place, at least don't make Ishiwara feel annoyed. After expressing their respect, these people stood up to take their leave, letting the Ishiwara family spend the holiday quietly.

Only the family remained at home, and Ishiwara's mother and younger siblings came out. In the eyes of his relatives, Ishiwara was not Your Excellency Ishiwara, but a child of the family. Everyone didn't even mention the war; they just chatted affectionately. When Ishiwara took out his accumulated salary to give to his family, everyone sighed again that making money was not easy now and life was hard.

At this time, the little nephew had become familiar with Ishiwara and was no longer shy. He pulled Ishiwara to look left and right, became interested in the medal Ishiwara tied to his collar, and wanted to take it off to look.

Now even Ishiwara's sister felt this shouldn't be done and prepared to scold the little guy. Ishiwara waved his hand, "It's just a medal."

Saying this, he untied the 'Order of the Golden Kite, 1st Class' and handed it to his little nephew. The child had never seen such an exquisitely crafted little gadget and liked it very much, holding it to look left and right, liking it very much.

Ishiwara's father saw that his grandson had played enough, took the medal and examined it for a while, sighing, "Kanji, you are already a true samurai."

From a young age, Old Man Ishiwara used Bushido to teach Ishiwara. Hearing his father speak like this at this time, Ishiwara also felt very gratified. His father saying this was the greatest recognition of himself.

Although the war between the Northeast and Japan made Ishiwara not care so much about this medal anymore, in terms of the medal itself, if a Lieutenant General after the war wore the 'Order of the Golden Kite, 1st Class,' it meant that this soldier had solidly walked back and forth in front of the Gates of Hell several times during the war. In terms of a samurai not fearing life and death and doing his utmost loyalty, Ishiwara believed he indeed deserved the name of a samurai.

The next day, after the family had lunch, Ishiwara was clumsily making a small toy for his nephew when someone knocked on the courtyard gate of the Ishiwara family. Ishiwara's sister went to open the door and saw several people dressed unusually outside. The leader asked with a Kansai accent, "I am Ishii Yoshiya. Is Your Excellency Ishiwara in?"

In the past two years, the level of figures the Ishiwara family could contact had greatly increased. Even Ishiwara's sister who stayed in Tsuruoka could see that the visitor's identity was unusual. She put her hands in front of her and bowed slightly, "May I ask what business you have?"

Ishii Yoshiya took out a business card and handed it out with both hands. "I would like to request an audience with Your Excellency Ishiwara."

Ishiwara's sister took it with both hands, asked Ishii to wait outside for a while, and walked into the house herself. On the way, Ishiwara's sister looked at the business card, which read 'Member of the House of Representatives of the Japanese Diet, Ishii Yoshiya.' The other party turned out to be a member of the House of Representatives.

After the Meiji Restoration, Japan introduced the Western parliamentary system. In 1889, Japan promulgated the "Constitution of the Empire of Japan," and the "Imperial Diet" at that time set up the House of Peers and the House of Representatives. Since the legislative power at that time was vested in the Emperor, the Imperial Diet was only a "co-sponsorship" organ for the Emperor's legislative activities.

Even so, a member of the House of Representatives was considered a figure in Japan!

Sure enough, Ishiwara read the business card and invited Ishii Yoshiya in. Ishiwara's sister led Ishii in, then dragged away her son who wanted to play with his uncle, leaving Ishiwara and Ishii to chat quietly.

Ishii Yoshiya asked frankly, "Your Excellency is a great scholar of He Studies. I came to Your Excellency's home specially to ask Your Excellency how you evaluate the effectiveness of the land reform in Shina?"

Ishiwara had a high evaluation of politicians but an average evaluation of parliament members. Especially after hearing Ishii ask such a question, he disliked this Ishii even more.

Parliament members were already the Japanese upper class. Wasn't the focus of contradictions in Japan clear? Was the Japanese upper class unaware? If in a private setting, even guys like Nagata Tetsuzan and Obata Toshishiro could give a fair evaluation of the He Rui government's land reform. These two young officers of the Control Faction would even admit that land reform could indeed solve a fundamental social problem in Japan.

Ishii asking this was very likely trying to drag Ishiwara into the water. Ishiwara asked in a cold tone, "Does Ishii-kun want to propose land reform in Japan in the Diet?"

He thought Ishii would evade the question, but unexpectedly Ishii looked resolute. "Your Excellency, I am preparing to do so. However, the land reform proposal must be persuasive. If it is proposed hastily, it will definitely be rejected directly. I have already gone to consult Mr. Taira Toyomori. Thanks to Mr. Taira Toyomori's instruction, my horizons have been greatly opened. Mr. Taira said that Your Excellency Ishiwara has learned the essence of He Studies, so I took the liberty to come and ask for advice."

After speaking, seeing Ishiwara didn't believe him, Ishii took out a letter from his bosom. "This is Mr. Taira's letter; please take a look, Your Excellency."

Ishiwara took the letter; it was indeed Taira Toyomori's familiar handwriting. Taira Toyomori praised Ishii Yoshiya quite a bit in the letter and asked Ishiwara to give him some pointers. Closing the letter, Ishiwara still couldn't quite believe it. Did Ishii not know what kind of resistance and opposition he would encounter after proposing the Japanese land reform plan?

Ishii Yoshiya took out a document. "Your Excellency, this is the fourth draft of the 'Japan Land Restoration Plan' written by me. It has been revised repeatedly twice before, and revised once more after consulting Mr. Taira. Please give your guidance, Your Excellency."

Ishiwara took it and browsed through it quickly. Judging from this land reform plan, Ishii was really going all out! He had indeed created a Japanese version of land reform based on the Chinese land reform blueprint.

Since it was a Japanese plan, it was naturally not as radical as China's. In Ishii's plan, after the state implemented land redemption, it would sell the land to the people at a certain price, avoiding the burden on national finance. People purchasing land could pay in three modes: 10-year installments, 15-year installments, and 20-year installments.

Not only that, Ishii also analyzed the significance and function of land reform quite reliably based on Professor Taira Toyomori's views. In order to gain more support, he especially emphasized that the greatest function of land reform for Japan at present was to recreate 'hope and confidence' for Japan. Even though Ishiwara didn't think this plan would be passed, he developed a lot of goodwill towards Ishii.

In the end, Ishiwara made a decision. "Ishii-kun said just now that you have some doubts. I wonder what Ishii-kun's specific doubts are?"

Seeing that Ishiwara was willing to resolve his doubts, Ishii Yoshiya immediately rejoiced, "Thank you for your guidance, Ishiwara-kun. My first doubt is, if my plan is analyzed with He Studies, who will truly oppose this plan? And why oppose it?"