In China's capital on February 26, He Rui stood up and pushed open the office window. The air from outside flowed into the room; amidst the chill of early spring, there was already a hint of warmth. He Rui lit a cigarette and smoked silently. Behind him, Wu Youping took the urgent telegram from Foreign Minister Yan Huiqing's hand in disbelief and read the short text again.

'Revolution broke out in Japan. Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary Army Ishiwara Kanji announced that the Revolutionary Army has controlled Tokyo and established the Japanese Republic.'

Wu Youping read it once and felt it wasn't enough. He read the telegram word by word several times before saying, "Chairman, I didn't expect Ishiwara actually did it!"

"Mm." He Rui responded. He hadn't expected Ishiwara to dare to be so thorough either. If Ishiwara had spared the Emperor's life, He Rui wouldn't have found it strange. After all, the Imperial system had been maintained in Japan for more than two thousand years; breaking it completely required great courage.

From a strategic perspective, Ishiwara had to do this. Even a revolution as incomplete as the Xinhai Revolution knew that the Qing Emperor must be driven off the stage, the Manchu Qing Dynasty overthrown, and a republic established. If Ishiwara didn't do it thoroughly, then Ishiwara was destined to fail.

Of course, even if Ishiwara did it so thoroughly, Ishiwara might not necessarily succeed.

After calming his mood, He Rui turned to Wu Youping and Yan Huiqing and said, "Next, once the Ishiwara government publicly requests our government's recognition, we must recognize it immediately."

Yan Huiqing was as shocked as Wu Youping. But Yan Huiqing was 50 years old and could control his emotions better than young people. Yan Huiqing knew Ishiwara had always been considered He Rui's disciple, so he thought He Rui would definitely recognize the Ishiwara regime. Hearing He Rui's order at this time, Yan Huiqing immediately answered, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will prepare immediately."

He Rui turned to Wu Youping. "Once Ishiwara can send someone here, we must begin to substantially restore Sino-Japanese trade."

Wu Youping was stunned. After thinking for several seconds, he suddenly realized and answered hurriedly, "Yes!"

He Rui wanted to continue assigning work, but thinking of Ishiwara's current situation, he couldn't help laughing. "Haha, presumably Ishiwara doesn't have a single copper coin in his hand right now. Even raiding the homes of the so-called Japanese powerful elites won't yield much. If Ishiwara really has the ability to send someone here, tell them we accept the Japanese government buying on credit."

Wu Youping was stunned again. The term "buying on credit" (Gua Zhang) is not a term in accounting due to its non-standard nature, but due to historical reasons, it is habitually used by accounting personnel. The meanings it contains include: the meaning of confirming the accounting subject of a certain accounting element; the meaning that it should be confirmed but is not, containing the meaning of non-compliance and non-processing.

After thinking for a while, Wu Youping probed, "Does the Chairman mean that if the Ishiwara government purchases raw materials from China, we put it on credit and don't ask them for payment for now? And when Japanese goods are sold to China, we pay for the goods?"

"Something like that. Maintain it for half a year first and see how the situation goes," He Rui answered.

Wu Youping considered it and felt half a year should be okay. After all, this money wasn't being given to the Japanese government, just temporarily allowing the Japanese government to owe it.

Yan Huiqing also understood at this time and couldn't help sighing with emotion, "I didn't expect there would be such a day between China and Japan."

Wu Youping looked at Yan Huiqing, not quite understanding what exactly the Foreign Minister was sighing about. Yan Huiqing, filled with emotion, continued, "Back then, the real reason for Yuan Shikai's failure was that the Reorganization Loan couldn't fill the financial hole, so he had to sign the Twenty-One Demands! I didn't expect that now it's Japan's turn to borrow money from our China!"

Hearing Yan Huiqing's explanation, Wu Youping was also very emotional. From upper elementary school, middle school to university, Wu Youping attended schools opened by the Beiyang government, so he had a certain affection for Beiyang. That was why Wu Youping defected to He Rui, a Beiyang figure with proper roots. But the Twenty-One Demands made Wu Youping completely despair of Yuan Shikai. At that time, if Wu Youping had the opportunity to meet Yuan Shikai, he would definitely have scolded this traitor in public.

Even though he later received education from He Rui and understood that Yuan Shikai signed this treaty of national humiliation to raise funds to unify China and rebuild the fiscal and tax system, Wu Youping still couldn't forgive Yuan Shikai. In the blink of an eye, twelve years had passed. Without any loss of sovereignty or national humiliation, Wu Youping, He Rui, and a group of comrades built a New China far beyond what Yuan Shikai and the old Beiyang guys could imagine. This New China defeated Japan and Britain, which conversely strengthened Wu Youping's disgust for Yuan Shikai and others.

Amidst the emotion, Wu Youping suddenly had an idea. "Chairman, can Japan rebuild its finances through domestic political revolution while restoring foreign trade?"

He Rui had also recovered his calm at this time and gave Wu Youping the answer frankly: "If the Japanese revolutionary organization can really grasp the core concepts of political economy, I think they can achieve the goal of rebuilding finances. After all, economic development is a comparative concept. Japan's current economy is too miserable; changes driven by political system revolution can show results very quickly."

"Is economic development comparative..." Wu Youping savored this sentence. Because this wasn't the first time He Rui said this; he had explained it to the comrades long ago. The lower the starting point, the more obvious the effect of economic development. And the higher the starting point, the less obvious the changes brought by economic development.

The topic that should have been discussing changes in the Japanese economy triggered Wu Youping's emotions about the domestic economy. One of the biggest tasks in China's economy right now was the 'Great Demobilization'. The State Council's initial idea was to let millions of retired officers and soldiers who had been tempered and educated in the army go to various places. This would not only supplement the manpower needed by the localities, but these millions of retired officers and soldiers also originated from the Northeast Army, and the majority of the Northeast population were immigrants from various places. Even if going to various remote areas would cause complaints, letting officers and soldiers return to their hometowns shouldn't be a problem, right?

However, having traveled all over the country, the knowledgeable officers and soldiers only wanted to return to the Northeast. Even returning to their hometowns caused complaints. Using the concept of 'economic development is a comparative concept' really could explain this problem. Compared with other regions in the country, the Northeast was undoubtedly the premier industrial region in the country; even Shanghai couldn't compare with it.

In terms of weather and natural environment, the Northeast was indeed inferior to Shanghai and the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region. But industrial regions had complete social systems and infrastructure. Although the Northeast region had to spend a lot of effort every year to ensure water pipes didn't freeze, at least the Northeast region had its own water supply and drainage system. Wu Youping had been to the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region. He had seen with his own eyes that in scenic places like Suzhou and Hangzhou, residents would fetch water for cooking and wash toilet buckets in the same river.

It had to be said that Wu Youping was really disgusted by seeing these things. From then on, he had a soul-deep understanding of the difference between industrial and non-industrial regions.

"Comrade Youping, don't be distracted. Did you hear what I just said?" He Rui's call brought Wu Youping back to reality.

Wu Youping didn't explain either. "Please say it again, Chairman."

He Rui immediately said, "The current Japanese government is under great pressure, so they will absolutely not show weakness to us diplomatically, otherwise it will be used by people with ulterior motives in Japan. However, we must also understand Japan's cultural tradition; Japan has a strong mentality of admiring strength. So we must absolutely not use Chinese culture as the basis for consideration. The so-called friendship between gentlemen is completely inappropriate in Japan. It will be even more misunderstood."

Hearing this, Wu Youping didn't know how to distinguish accurately for a moment. He Rui smiled, "I think you should talk to Comrade Jing from the Central Bank. Don't be afraid to speak directly."

Hearing He Rui say this, Wu Youping couldn't hold back and laughed out loud. 'Comrade Jing' had a rather complicated background. Simply put, this comrade was originally surnamed Mitsui and was Japanese. After He Rui completed the cooperation agreement with the Mitsui family, Comrade Jing, who spoke with a strange accent, was proficient in Kanji and banking business but spoke Chinese very poorly, joined the Northeast Government as a distant relative of Wu Youping. Asking Comrade Jing to understand Japanese culture was indeed a very good idea.

"I understand," Wu Youping replied after putting away his smile.

"Ishiwara will inevitably borrow a considerable number of current Japanese government personnel now, so we don't need to be polite to Japan. The Japanese government must secretly provide us with a portion of economic data. Otherwise, we will definitely be deceived," He Rui urged.

While China was making preparations, Ishiwara didn't waste time either. Four days later, on March 3, Yan Huiqing received the representative sent by the Ishiwara government. The Japanese representative was named Suzuki Yasuhiro; Yan Huiqing had never heard of this person's name.

As soon as the two sides made contact, Suzuki Yasuhiro said, "On behalf of Mr. Taira Toyomori, President of the Japanese Republic, I would like to express my regards to Mr. He Rui, Chairman of the Republic of China."

Yan Huiqing immediately discovered that Suzuki Yasuhiro was a diplomatic novice; he could even judge that this person had absolutely no diplomatic experience. But Japan was, after all, a country that paid great attention to rules, so Suzuki Yasuhiro was polite and could convey messages normally.

Thinking that the Japanese diplomatic circles probably wouldn't defect to the Ishiwara regime at this time, and for such an important meeting, the Ishiwara regime wouldn't choose an unreliable person. So Yan Huiqing didn't dwell on whether the other party had a diplomatic background but politely expressed goodwill, "On behalf of Chairman He Rui, I welcome Mr. Suzuki Yasuhiro, the envoy sent by Mr. Taira Toyomori, President of the Japanese Republic."

Although uncertain if Suzuki Yasuhiro heard the diplomatic implications in these words, Yan Huiqing still tried to speak according to diplomatic routines. As the Foreign Minister of the Republic of China, saying "Mr. Taira Toyomori, President of the Japanese Republic" meant recognizing the existence of the "Japanese Republic".

Suzuki Yasuhiro's expression clearly proved he wasn't a professional diplomat. If he were a skilled diplomat, he would have immediately understood China's attitude and started to climb up the pole. But Suzuki Yasuhiro just went through the obviously rote-memorized process in a way of completing a procedure.

Yan Huiqing would naturally cooperate, but he complained a bit about Mr. Taira Toyomori in his heart. Could the Japanese revolutionary government really not find a single person with some diplomatic experience?

Complaining about Taira Toyomori in his heart was one thing, but Yan Huiqing appreciated the Ishiwara government's decision to have Taira Toyomori serve as President. The 'Taira clan' was a surname bestowed on imperial family members by the Japanese Emperor during the Heian period. The first batch to change their surname to Taira by Emperor Kammu were called Kanmu Taira; those of Emperor Ninmyo's lineage were called Ninmyo Taira; those of Emperor Montoku's lineage were called Montoku Taira; and those of Emperor Koko's lineage were called Koko Taira. Generally, the Taira clan mostly refers to the Taira of Emperor Kammu.

Now China knew that Ishiwara Kanji had executed Emperor Taisho and his son, and was executing the Taisho Emperor's family, implying extermination of the clan. And Taira Toyomori, as a famous scholar in Japan, had extremely high prestige. The 'Taira clan' were descendants of the Emperor. Taira Toyomori becoming President meant that although the Taisho clan was exterminated, the Emperor's bloodline was not severed. For Japanese citizens who believed 'Kings, princes, generals, and ministers must really be of a certain stock', this was a very effective suggestion.

Yan Huiqing was now certain that He Rui was the mastermind behind the Japanese revolution. So Yan Huiqing had to suspect whether He Rui had purposefully chosen Taira Toyomori as his academic partner more than ten years ago and done his best to help Taira Toyomori.

With the cooperation of a seasoned diplomat like Yan Huiqing, the meeting went smoothly without any mistakes. Afterwards, Suzuki Yasuhiro requested to see He Rui to personally deliver President Taira Toyomori's handwritten letter.

Yan Huiqing expressed that he would arrange this and prepared to end this formal meeting. Because what could be discussed in a formal meeting was very particular, facing someone like Suzuki Yasuhiro, a private meeting was actually better.

But Suzuki Yasuhiro asked again at this time, "May I ask, is Second Lieutenant Puyi, a probationary cadet at the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, the Chinese citizen Aisin Gioro Puyi?"

Yan Huiqing was stunned. He certainly knew about Puyi going to Japan to study and entering the Imperial Japanese Army Academy. But this matter was not suitable to be discussed in a formal meeting, which made Yan Huiqing feel that Suzuki Yasuhiro was really inexperienced. But since the other party raised it, Yan Huiqing couldn't lie. After pondering for a moment, he still answered, "As far as I know, our citizen Aisin Gioro Puyi indeed went to Japan to study. May I ask if something happened to him?"

In the next few minutes, the corners of Yan Huiqing's mouth twitched from time to time. Even with the wildest imagination, Yan Huiqing couldn't have imagined that Puyi, the Emperor who abdicated because of the Chinese revolution, actually participated in the Japanese revolution. Moreover, because of his outstanding performance in the revolution, especially after Ishiwara executed Taisho and his son, he took the lead in shouting 'Long live the Japanese revolution!'

Because of Puyi's performance of 'loyalty to the revolution', he received attention he shouldn't have received, and his true identity was subsequently found out. Now, Puyi had become a very subtle character. Suzuki Yasuhiro specifically mentioning Puyi was, at least diplomatically, not a rude performance.

'These Japanese pirates are too cunning!' Yan Huiqing had to sigh in his heart. previously He Rui warned Wu Youping to consider dealing with the Japanese side according to the Japanese cultural zone. Yan Huiqing felt He Rui was right, while worrying that a young comrade like Wu Youping, who had a purely Chinese cultural mindset, might not easily master the propriety involved. Looking at it now, even Yan Huiqing, who understood Japanese culture, couldn't easily deal with the little tricks played by the Japanese who were experts in 'doing a religious rite inside a snail shell' (making much ado about small things/being intricate).

However, the balance of power between China and Japan had reversed at this time, especially after the Japanese revolution; Japan's absolute strength was no longer equal to China's. So Yan Huiqing answered very calmly, "Receiving education is a right enjoyed by our citizens. Our citizen Puyi going to Japan to study was his personal choice, not authorized by our government. As for our citizen Puyi's actions after arriving in Japan, they belong to his personal choices. Regarding our citizen Puyi, what I can propose is that we request the Japanese government to ensure whether Puyi's personal safety and legal rights are protected, and hope the Japanese government will not take illegal actions against him because of his identity as our citizen."

Suzuki Yasuhiro was not a diplomat but the President of Suzuki Corporation (Suzuki Shoten). He came here representing the Japanese business community. Although the Japanese business community basically supported the 'Taira Toyomori-Ishiwara' regime, they were also frightened after Ishiwara killed Taisho and his son. So much so that Mitsui Yasuki dared not show his face again.

Listening to Yan Huiqing's diplomatic rhetoric, Suzuki Yasuhiro thought very seriously and reluctantly believed that the Chinese government wanted to express that they did not send Puyi to Japan to participate in the revolution. However, this was different from Puyi's own statement when he was investigated; Puyi was 'hinting very clearly' that he was a person protected by the Chinese government.

Since he couldn't figure it out, Suzuki Yasuhiro didn't say much more, and again asked Yan Huiqing to arrange a meeting with He Rui as soon as possible.

Yan Huiqing originally really wanted to arrange it, but now he didn't want to. Puyi's matter alone was already troublesome enough, let alone Suzuki Yasuhiro's diplomatic experience; he feared something might go wrong.

Ending the meeting, Yan Huiqing immediately went to see He Rui. Unexpectedly, after hearing the content of this talk, He Rui actually laughed out loud. Yan Huiqing could only sigh and let He Rui calm down by himself. However, He Rui tried to calm down several times but couldn't help laughing again, making Yan Huiqing wonder what was wrong with He Rui.

He Rui was indeed baffled by Puyi's matter. Historically, Puyi was very cowardly, and when young, his mind was full of unrealistic ideas. If the news brought by the Japanese side was that Puyi hid and didn't participate in the revolution, or even defected to the Japanese Emperor's side, He Rui wouldn't have found it strange.

But Puyi chose the most impossible path. Especially when a group of Japanese revolutionary officers and soldiers were silent, Puyi was actually the first to shout 'Long live the Japanese revolution', which was even more unthinkable. It took He Rui some time to roughly judge that Puyi definitely didn't shout because of excitement, but because of fear. Thinking of Puyi's mood at that time, He Rui really couldn't hold it back.

Managing to stop laughing with difficulty, He Rui called Commerce Minister Morrison to attend the meeting together. "I only intend to receive Professor Taira Toyomori's letter. Afterwards, you and Morrison will talk with Suzuki Yasuhiro."

Hearing He Rui's arrangement, Yan Huiqing breathed a sigh of relief. This was the most reasonable arrangement he heard today; apart from this, other things were really a bit outrageous.

He Rui's meeting with Suzuki Yasuhiro was quite successful, especially the special meeting after the brief formal meeting. Yan Huiqing also discovered that Suzuki Yasuhiro didn't understand diplomacy but understood business very well. Especially in machinery, he was an expert.

Thinking that China wanted to import a large amount of Japanese goods, Yan Huiqing certainly hoped that the more machinery products, the better.