He Rui had not yet had much contact with the Chinese people of this era. Watching the young officers' eager anticipation to begin the review, he felt a flicker of hesitation.

By 21st-century standards, these review criteria would be considered "highly political." Yet the young officers seemed to have no reaction to this; he couldn't tell if they were indifferent or if they simply lacked any concept of "politicization."

After a moment's thought, He Rui decided to postpone the discussion for later—how much later, he himself wasn't sure.

During these days, whenever He Rui found a spare moment, he would deliver a lecture, introducing the basic theories of 21st-century evolution, sociology, and political science.

Those from ordinary backgrounds reacted strongly to the theories of evolution and sociology, yet they showed little interest in political science.

Xu Chengfeng, hailing from a prominent landlord family, displayed the exact opposite inclination.

However, regardless of their backgrounds, the core members showed no resistance to these review conditions, which could be described as highly political for this era. This realization put He Rui much more at ease.

At that moment, Xu Jia finished reading the review criteria and asked, "Is there anything unclear to anyone?"

The young soldiers all indicated their understanding, and Xu Jia took his seat.

"Then, the first review meeting begins," He Rui announced.

This was the preliminary review. Over sixty applicants had taken the examination, and candidates for the first round would be selected from among them.

"Zhu Guangyou. Male, nineteen years old, single. Working-class background. Currently employed as a day laborer in a factory. Parents are both living; two older brothers, one younger sister... Scores..."

Locating the scores in the ledger, Zhong Yifu continued reading, "Chinese: 72. Mathematics: 67. He studied a foreign language—English—but claims to remember only a few phrases now."

The review process was straightforward, utilizing a system of collective deliberation. First, the basic details of an applicant were read aloud, followed by a briefing from the personnel responsible for the interview.

After Zhong Yifu finished reading, Xu Chengfeng consulted his notes and began to brief the committee. "Zhu Guangyou has witnessed patriotic demonstrations and feels that foreigners are bullies. His requests are: he asks if the relocation allowance can be paid in full and hopes his monthly wages will be paid on time without arrears. He says he can take beatings or scoldings, so long as he isn't 'bullied.' He is indifferent about being sent to the Northeast or anywhere else."

Xu Jia produced his notebook. Waiting until Xu Chengfeng concluded his briefing and seeing no objections from the reviewers, he turned to the page for Zhu Guangyou's home visit. "Zhu Guangyou lives in the Tianjin workers' district. The family occupies three rooms. Zhu Guangyou shares a room with his second brother. He failed to mention that his eldest brother has already moved out..."

Hearing that the applicant had not been entirely forthcoming, the officers, who had initially thought well of Zhu Guangyou, looked somewhat displeased.

"Zhu Guangyou's parents are aware of his application, but they aren't particularly supportive. When I visited, they thought he had gotten into trouble and kept questioning me. His father is a worker, and his mother manages the household—or, to use the prescribed terminology, she is a 'housewife.' A very honest family."

After Xu Jia finished his report, Zhong Yifu asked, "Then why didn't Zhu Guangyou mention his eldest brother?"

Xu Jia shook his head. "I don't know. If everyone feels he should proceed to the next round, perhaps we should ask him before he officially joins the team?"

After a collective deliberation, Zhu Guangyou's overall profile was deemed acceptable, and he was moved to the next round.

"Chen Deli. Male, eighteen years old, single..." The review of the next applicant began.

He Rui observed the young soldiers, checking his open pocket watch from time to time. Under normal circumstances, a break should be taken after forty-five minutes at most. However, He Rui intended to push them to their limits.

He watched as the young officers transitioned from excitement to focus, then to fatigue, and finally to ill-concealed impatience. To He Rui's slight surprise, the first to show impatience was Zhong Yifu. When an exhausted Xu Jia called for the "Next" applicant, Cheng Ruofan finally spoke up: "Forget it, let's take a breather." Even he had reached his limit.

The entire session had lasted about an hour and a half.

"We'll stop here for now. Break for thirty minutes," He Rui ordered.

Everyone stood up wearily and went for a walk to clear their heads. Xu Jia remained behind. Once the others had mostly cleared out, he asked, "Colonel, do the instructors at the academy also evaluate us through this kind of collective deliberation?"

"I didn't attend the Baoding Military Academy, so I'm not privy to their specific methods. If I had to guess, though, it's likely much the same."

Xu Jia rubbed his sore eyes, a look of quiet satisfaction on his face. "Colonel He. I used to think fairness was a rarity in this world. But after participating in these reviews—especially the collective deliberations—I've realized that fairness is indeed possible."

He Rui had been keeping a close eye on Xu Jia over the past few days. Xu Jia's grades at the Baoding Academy had been a mere C-average; he was certainly capable compared to the general population, but hardly a standout among his peers. What interested He Rui, however, was the aptitude and enthusiasm Xu Jia displayed for the review work.

Since Xu Jia had asked, He Rui replied, "Whether fairness exists depends on whether the goal of the deliberation is genuine equity or merely a predetermined outcome—what one might call 'going through the motions'."

Seeing Xu Jia nodding thoughtfully, He Rui asked, "Do you value fairness?"

"Of course I do."

"Then pay close attention to how we use inquiries, examinations, home visits, and interviews to compile a dossier. Even with a dossier, decisions must still be reached through methods like collective deliberation."

Hearing this, Xu Jia asked hurriedly, "Colonel, I will do my best. But I'm also a bit worried. If there were no collective deliberation and the judgment rested on a single person, how could fairness be guaranteed?"

He Rui answered, "In that case, judgment must be based on the objective direction of the examination content—on logic."

"What exactly *is* logic?" Xu Jia's interest deepened, his fatigue forgotten in the face of his thirst for knowledge.

***

Half an hour later, the refreshed young soldiers returned to their tasks.

Before the review meeting resumed, He Rui ordered, "From now on, each session will last forty-five minutes, followed by a fifteen-minute break."

Despite the more reasonable pace, the review continued late into the night. The young soldiers expended immense mental and physical energy, but they finally selected the first batch of recruits. Zhu Guangyou was among them.

Drawing on their experience from the Baoding Academy recruitment, Xu Jia proactively suggested, "Should we visit their homes again? We should speak with them one more time to confirm they are truly willing and to see if they have any lingering concerns."

Xu Chengfeng couldn't help but smile, recalling when he had heard He Rui discuss this very step with Zhou Yinshan at the academy. He casually picked up the planning document to check, but didn't see this item listed in the schedule.

According to He Rui's plan, these recruits would gather with their belongings to live at National Beiyang University. Under the "Work Content" section, the words "Ice-breaking Meeting" were written.

Even though Zhao Tianlin had agreed to provide dormitories, he still had to be kept informed. Initially, Zhao Tianlin had simply said, "Understood." To He Rui's surprise, however, he sought him out two days later. "Brother He, why aren't you drilling? This hardly looks like the way one trains troops."

"It isn't time yet. At the moment, I'm holding 'ice-breaking' meetings for the new recruits."