Zhao Tianlin chatted with He Rui until evening, yet he still felt as though they had only scratched the surface. "Brother He, since you are in Tianjin, allow me to show you some hospitality. Call your subordinates, and let us have a meal together."

"A meal is certainly in order, but immediately afterward I must hold a meeting with my young officers to assign their tasks."

Seeing a look of regret mixed with curiosity flash across Zhao Tianlin’s face, He Rui added, "Would you be interested in joining us, Brother Zhao?"

"Would that... not be a disturbance?" Zhao asked tentatively, though he was clearly eager. While Zhao Tianlin generally harbored little affection for the Beiyang Army, He Rui was proving to be a singular exception. The prospect of hearing what He Rui would say to his men was more than enough to pique his scholarly curiosity.

The group headed to a small eatery adjacent to the university. Each man ordered a large bowl of noodles and a side dish, and they ate their fill with gusto. Upon returning to the dormitory, the young officers respectfully invited Zhao Tianlin to take a seat in the front row. Zhao smiled, waved the students into the seats closer to He Rui, and pulled up a stool for himself at the back of the room.

He Rui took out a drafted document and began copying its points onto the blackboard as he explained.

According to the "four-four" organizational structure—Regiment, Battalion, Company, Platoon—a single regiment consisted of sixty-four platoons. Each platoon was to be assigned one cultural instructor, meaning he needed to recruit sixty-four men. These recruits did not require an exceptionally high level of education; a higher primary school graduation was sufficient, though middle school was preferred. They should be around eighteen years of age and, ideally, unmarried.

As an educator, Zhao Tianlin was heartened to learn that He Rui intended to embed teachers within the ranks to eliminate illiteracy and provide a basic education to the soldiers during their service. He noted with approval that He Rui was not merely a man of fine words, but one who followed through with concrete action. He listened to the specifics of the plan with rapt attention.

He Rui had divided the recruitment process into four distinct phases.

**Phase One:** Hire locals to post flyers and distribute handbills throughout Tianjin. Young men interested in the position would report to National Beiyang University to register, where they would undergo initial oral and written assessments on the spot.

**Phase Two:** Conduct a preliminary review of all applicants. For every candidate who passed the initial screening, He Rui and his officers would conduct a personal home visit to the address provided. This would allow them to gain a more granular understanding of each applicant's circumstances.

**Phase Three:** Evaluate the findings from the home visits. Those who passed this stage would be invited for a final formal interview. If they were successful, they would sign an enlistment agreement and receive a settling-in allowance. These new cultural instructors would then move into the university dormitories for a period of collective living and training.

**Phase Four:** Once the quota was filled, the entire unit would depart for the Northeast.

The young officers had no objections to the process, and Zhao Tianlin found it eminently sound. Seeing the specific tasks laid out before them, the young men showed a visible eagerness to begin the work. His curiosity satisfied, Zhao Tianlin rose to take his leave.

He Rui walked him to the university gates. Zhao smiled and remarked, "You really do look like you're running a school, Brother He—even down to the home visits."

"There are many from my home province of Shandong who have made the journey to *Chuang Guandong* [^1]," He Rui replied. "I know their stories. If they weren't at a dead end, few would choose to leave for the frontier. Without home visits, how can we truly know if these boys come from clean backgrounds?"

Moved by the sentiment, Zhao Tianlin offered a suggestion. "Brother He, regarding your mission to the Northeast to resist the Japanese—should we perhaps mention that in the recruitment materials? The people of Tianjin have suffered under foreign boots for a long time; many harbor a deep-seated resentment that might draw them to your cause."

"There is no need," He Rui said firmly. "Serving one's country is a long-term endeavor; it requires men of steady perseverance. Momentary indignation may produce a surge of energy in the short term, but such emotions rarely survive the grinding attrition of time. They are too prone to discouragement. A man who walks with a steady, measured pace is the one who will endure to the end."

"A profound insight," Zhao Tianlin praised. "It seems you have already weighed every factor carefully. I was abrupt to suggest it."

"You only wish to serve the nation, Brother Zhao. How could that be considered abrupt?"

Encouraged, Zhao Tianlin thought of another way to assist. "Tomorrow I shall contact some friends at the local newspapers and ask them to recommend some newsboys. They spend their days scouring every street and alleyway; they know the layout of Tianjin better than anyone."

"That would be a tremendous help. My thanks."

The two parted at the gates, and He Rui returned to the dormitories to rest. Early the next morning, the work began in earnest according to the plan.

Although the Tianjin of 1915 was not yet the sprawling metropolis it would become in the twenty-first century, it was already one of China's premier cities. Despite their best efforts, the seven of them spent the entire first day running across the city only to find they hadn't covered even a fifth of the urban area.

During the evening debriefing, Zhong Yifu suggested asking Zhao Tianlin for further assistance. He Rui shook his head. "We must not. If we cannot bear the difficulty of asking strangers for help here, who will we turn to once we reach the Northeast?"

June 4th.

The formal recruitment drive in Tianjin had entered its third day. It was past eight in the evening when He Rui and his men finally trickled back into the dormitory. The young officers collapsed directly onto their bunks, too exhausted to move a muscle.

Cheng Ruofan let out a low groan. "How far did we walk today?"

For a long minute, no one had the energy to answer. Finally, Xu Jia rolled over and sat up, rubbing his sore legs. "I'd wager we covered at least sixty *li* [^2]."

"Was it really that far?" Cheng Ruofan’s voice was a mere whisper.

"I visited six different families today," Xu Jia said, the memory of the stairs and alleys bringing a fresh wave of fatigue. He lay back down, staring at the ceiling. "With all the walking to distribute the flyers, sixty *li* sounds about right."

"In just these few days, we must have covered over two hundred *li*. No wonder I feel more drained than I ever did during field training."

Hearing Cheng Ruofan put a number to their efforts, the young officers realized the magnitude of what they had accomplished. But the thought that this was only the beginning weighed heavily on them. Zhong Yifu sighed. "How many more days of this? If it keeps up, I won't be able to lift my feet."

Just then, the door creaked open, and He Rui walked in, trailing the sharp, acrid scent of fresh printer's ink. Seeing his exhausted squad, He Rui barked with a voice that showed no hint of fatigue, "Squad, attention!"

With a chorus of rustling and groans, the young men struggled to their feet.

He Rui waved a stack of freshly mimeographed papers. "Tomorrow will be a day of rest. We will hold a study session in the afternoon to review these—the evaluation criteria and the background check forms. Look them over if you have the strength. For now, get some sleep."

He Rui stepped back out to retrieve the rest of the materials. The trip took only twenty minutes, but when he returned, he found Xu Chengfeng sprawled across his bed, clutching a copy of the instructions, already sound asleep. The others hadn't even managed to take a copy; they were already lost to the world.

He Rui set the remaining papers down gently, stifled a yawn, and lay back on his own bunk. The moment his head hit the pillow, a wave of heavy sleep pulled him under.

***

June 7th. 2:00 PM.

The young officers had returned to the university and were gathered in a classroom. For the past two days, the unit’s focus had shifted from broad outreach to the intensive investigation of the applicants.

He Rui stood at the front of the room. "The meeting will come to order. Xu Jia, please read the evaluation requirements."

Xu Jia, short and stocky with a surprisingly resonant voice, began to read. "Condition One: Clean background. There must be no history of criminal activity or legal violations within the immediate family."

The young officers, now acting as a selection committee, consulted the forms they had been given as they listened.

"Condition Two: Patriotic outlook. Applicants must not possess any close ties to foreign powers. Condition Three: Politically reliable. Preference is to be given to those from worker or peasant backgrounds..."

***

[^1]: *Chuang Guandong* (闯关东) refers to the mass migration of Han Chinese from the North China Plain, particularly Shandong and Hebei, to Manchuria (the Northeast) starting in the late Qing dynasty.

[^2]: One *li* is approximately 500 meters. 60 *li* is roughly 30 kilometers (18.6 miles).