A liaison group of 4,000 personnel meant that essentially all admirals and field-grade officers from both the Chinese and Japanese navies would participate. Since the Japanese side was so sincere, Cheng Ruofan suppressed his skepticism and smiled. "Since that is the case, what reason do we have to disagree? The total number for the Naval Liaison Group will be tentatively set at 4,000. What does Director-General Nagumo think?"

Nagumo Chūichi thought for a moment before responding, "That is excellent. However, how should the offices for this liaison group be set up?"

Cheng Ruofan then laid out the plan He Rui had proposed before his departure. "One office will be established in Japan and one in China. The heads of each office will be recommended by their respective countries, and the two offices will be responsible for work in China and Japan respectively. A regular meeting system will be established, held in rotation between the two countries. If a specific problem is encountered by either office, a meeting will be held in that office's host country to resolve it on the spot."

Nagumo heard He Rui's style in this proposal. This kind of magnanimity was not something ordinary soldiers possessed. Even if a soldier had such boldness, they wouldn't have the sufficient rallying power to realize such a plan. Since this was the case, Nagumo replied, "We have no objections. Let us discuss the specific details at the preparatory meeting for the joint working group."

A plan that should have required deep deliberation and various consultations was thus settled in just a few words. After scheduling the subsequent preparatory meeting, the Chinese representatives ended the meeting. However, they did not rush to leave. Instead, at the invitation of the Japanese side, they undertook a three-day tour.

China's capital was on a plain, and Japan's Tokyo was also on a plain. So Cheng Ruofan had thought Tokyo could be built into a very grand city. Even if it couldn't be achieved immediately, one should at least be able to see the embryonic form of a magnificent capital. However, as the car drove through the streets of Tokyo, the more he looked, the further it seemed from his imagination. The scale of Tokyo felt like a prefecture-level city, and the street level was about the same. It was just that Tokyo's population was indeed incomparable to an ordinary Chinese prefecture-level city, and its prosperity far exceeded many.

The car passed through several streets and stopped at the gate of the Army War College. Cheng Ruofan got out of the car but looked toward several girls passing by on the street. Although Cheng Ruofan didn't look for too long before withdrawing his gaze, the Japanese personnel responsible for accompanying him were surprised to notice this small detail. Was a figure like General Cheng Ruofan lecherous? The Japanese escorts were quite puzzled. Moreover, looking from the back, those girls didn't seem to have anything particularly eye-catching about them.

Such things could absolutely not be spoken aloud, so the group did not mention the matter. The Japanese side simply considered whether to temporarily add an itinerary item to invite Japanese geishas to entertain Cheng Ruofan.

Cheng Ruofan himself wasn't thinking about that. He was simply surprised by the recent changes in the attire of Japanese citizens. In the photos Cheng Ruofan had seen, the clothing of quite a few Japanese citizens was very "mixed and matched." Wearing a brimmed hat on the head, a Western-style button-down jacket on the upper body, traditional Japanese wide-legged trousers below, and wooden clogs on the feet.

However, what Cheng Ruofan saw on the streets of Tokyo was not like this. The clothes worn by most Japanese were no longer mixed and matched; they were either Western-style clothing or Japanese-style clothing. One could already distinguish job classifications from their clothes: work clothes, business suits, and clothes worn by students and scholars. The reason those girls had attracted Cheng Ruofan's gaze just now was that they were all wearing work clothes—and at a glance, they looked like the kind of work clothes that required some physical labor—and they were all wearing hard hats woven from thin willow branches on their heads. At first glance, they looked very much like construction workers.

Specialized clothing meant an increase in professionalism. Just as on the 1:1 land-based carrier platform built in China, all personnel wore bright-colored clothing according to their duties. This was the case in China's Railway Corps, Construction Corps, and large military industrial enterprises.

At this moment, Cheng Ruofan walked into the Japanese Army War College and saw that the scale of this school was not large. Although he had long known this to be the case, he couldn't help but be disappointed. Entering the teaching building, he saw photos of the school's famous principals hanging on the corridor wall. In the row directly below the principals' photos was He Rui's photo. The frame and the glass covering the photo were wiped very clean, showing that the Japanese side respected He Rui very much.

Cheng Ruofan couldn't help but feel a burst of envy. He had long heard that He Rui had considerable prestige in Japan, but he hadn't quite believed it. Japan had once erected a statue for the commander of the American fleet from the Black Ships incident as a symbol of Japan's modernization. Now they had torn that statue down. He Rui had graduated from the Japanese Army War College as the top student, and was not a foreign conqueror. Cheng Ruofan couldn't help but feel he had been a bit narrow-minded.

The current principal of the Japanese Army War College was Xu Chengfeng (Note: This seems to be a placeholder or error in the raw text, possibly referencing a fictional character or misremembered name, context implies a Japanese principal but name is Chinese-styled. Given the context of "Japanese Army War College", the principal would be Japanese. However, sticking to the text: "Xu Chengfeng". Wait, "Xu Chengfeng" (徐乘风) sounds like a Chinese name. Is the principal Chinese? Unlikely. Let me check the raw again. "日本6军大学现任校长是徐乘风". This is strange. Maybe a localized name or He Rui installed someone? Or a pseudonym? Given the context, I will translate it as "Xu Chengfeng" but be aware it might be a specific character in this universe).

*Correction/Refinement on "Xu Chengfeng"*: In this novel, He Rui has deep influence. But a Chinese principal of the Japanese Army War College? That implies Japan is a vassal or deeply integrated. The chapter title is "East Asian Alliance". It's possible. I will translate strictly as "Xu Chengfeng".

The current principal of the Japanese Army War College was Xu Chengfeng, but Xu Chengfeng had gone to the Japanese Ministry of Defense for some matters at this time and could not personally welcome Cheng Ruofan and the others who came to visit. Of course, this might also have been specially arranged by Xu Chengfeng. Since the campus of this school was not large, Cheng Ruofan and the others only visited the school's curriculum arrangements. Through the introduction of the vice-principal, they learned that the organization of the Japanese Army had also undergone comprehensive adjustments after exchanges with China. Various military academies had adjusted their majors to form specialized schools.

The purpose of the Army War College was to cultivate general officers. Every student who entered was already considered a promising officer and would complete advanced training here. When asked how many Chinese students were currently in the school, the vice-principal replied with some regret, "Only one."

This was not strange. Just as Chinese naval officers would go to Japan for advanced training, current Japanese army officers all hoped to go to China for advanced training. For the newly established Japanese Air Force branch, studying at China's Air Force Academy was considered an important stage in one's life. Cheng Ruofan felt that this change, triggered purely by teaching strength, was quite reasonable.

The Japanese Army War College was not big. Just as the visit was about to be completed, they heard a commotion outside. Soon, someone ran in, saw Cheng Ruofan and the others were there, and immediately turned to leave. The vice-principal's mouth twitched slightly. Everyone present was a high-ranking officer; how could they not know that students had gotten into a conflict? Running over like this and then running away only made it more obvious.

Cheng Ruofan smiled and said, "We will take our leave."

After seeing Cheng Ruofan and the others off, the vice-principal immediately went back to ask what had happened. The class monitor said excitedly, "Puyi-kun and Takakura-kun started fighting."

Hearing it was Puyi, the vice-principal also felt a bit surprised. Puyi had firmly stood on the side of the Revolutionary Army during the Japanese Revolution. Moreover, this fellow was Chinese, and the former Emperor of China. The Japanese side could only let him serve in the troops for a period before arranging for him to take the entrance exam for the Japanese Army War College.

Unexpectedly, this last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Puyi, had quite good grades. Although his talent was not outstanding, his grades were at least completely passing. Of course, truly talented officers were a minority to begin with. If He Rui, Nagata Tetsuzan, and Ishiwara Kanji were taken as the standard, the Japanese Army War College could just close its doors.

Moreover, although Puyi did not have the talent of an outstanding military strategist, he at least strictly observed discipline and his personality was not arrogant. The vice-principal could not imagine why Puyi would fight with a classmate. Furthermore, this was a military academy; it was not uncommon for a group of young men in their twenties to break into fights. Originally, the vice-principal wanted to call the students over, but after thinking about it, he just asked the monitor, "Was anyone injured?"

The monitor immediately answered, "No."

"Why did they fight?"

"They were talking about whether cavalry can still exist. Takakura-kun mocked Puyi-kun, saying didn't the Qing Dynasty conquer the world with horse archery? Puyi-kun then fought with Takakura-kun."

Hearing this, the vice-principal wanted to intervene even less. From an educator's perspective, young people needed some stimulation to promote their development. For example, fighting like this, there was a slight possibility that both of them would consider the future of cavalry. And the matter of cavalry was indeed troublesome. The Japanese Army infantry major was now divided into armored specialties and mountain warfare specialties. The cavalry specialty, which originally had a status above infantry, had become of little value.

The Japanese Army had seriously considered whether to completely abolish the cavalry specialty. However, because of the various terrains of its vast territory and the space for cavalry usage, the Chinese Army retained a portion of its cavalry. Although the Japanese Army knew that Japan did not have such great needs, in order to maintain parity, they still hadn't made up their mind to abolish it.

At this time, Puyi had already returned to the dormitory. As long as he thought of Takakura's sentence "Didn't the Qing Dynasty conquer the world with horse archery?", Puyi felt his heart rate speed up and just wanted to find something to vent his anger on. Puyi was about to graduate from the Japanese Army War College soon. If he continued to stay in the army, Puyi would have to face a choice. Although the Qing Dynasty had been overthrown and Puyi didn't feel he was a Chinese national (in the modern republican sense), Puyi had never considered giving up his Chinese citizenship. If he continued to serve in the Japanese army, it would undoubtedly make Puyi very laughable. If he returned to the Chinese Army to serve, Puyi believed he would absolutely never have a day to stand out.

Although Puyi also knew that he probably had no hope of restoring his country, thinking that he would eventually end his life as an ordinary person was something Puyi always felt unable to accept. What exactly should he do? Puyi couldn't figure it out. In the end, Puyi suddenly felt that he still needed his teacher's guidance. His teachers were either top scholars or Hanlin academicians, and the one Puyi identified with most was Chen Baochen.

He would graduate in a few days. There was no need to be particularly anxious about where to go after graduation. After all, the Army War College had indicated to Puyi that if he was willing, he could stay in the Japanese Army.

A few days passed quickly. Puyi finally graduated from the Japanese Army War College with the 11th best score in his grade. At this time, the Emperor was gone. Although the Japanese Army War College still had the "Military Sword Group" (top graduates), they were no longer Imperial Gift Military Swords. Looking at the six classmates in the front row, Puyi suddenly thought of He Rui. He wondered what kind of high spirits He Rui had when he accepted the military sword as the valedictorian under everyone's gaze. Although Puyi had studied with all his might these years, Puyi knew himself that he was only of average talent. If it weren't for the fact that he had received a good education since childhood and the Japanese side had been exceptionally accommodating, he might very well not have passed the exam for the Japanese Army War College.

After graduation, there was naturally a farewell banquet. Everyone toasted each other and talked about their future plans. Puyi's alcohol tolerance was average, and he didn't love drinking. Even so, drinking a few Japanese under the table was not a problem. Puyi looked at his classmates who were quickly becoming a bit debauched from drink, and a strange nostalgia suddenly arose in his heart. Although Puyi didn't like these guys very much, in Puyi's life up to now, these classmates of different temperaments and considerable talent were no longer simple acquaintances, but companions and classmates who had truly spent their youth together.

Thinking of this, Puyi carried his wine cup to Takakura, who had unbuttoned his military uniform and bared his chest. "Takakura-kun, I toast you."

Takakura was stunned, then immediately raised his cup. "Puyi-kun, I offended you a few days ago, please don't take it to heart."

"We are all classmates, no need to say so much." Puyi raised his glass and clinked it with Takakura's, and both drank it in one gulp. The surrounding classmates cheered together and poured more wine. The monitor shouted, "Fellow students, let everyone drink a cup together. May the military fortunes of all students be long-lasting!"

"May military fortunes be long-lasting!" everyone responded loudly.

Although Puyi wanted to open his heart and drink freely with his classmates, he was full of worries. Especially listening to his classmates talking about Japan's possible future combat targets and the majestic power the future Sino-Japanese coalition forces would have, Puyi was even more melancholy. Even if he stayed in the Japanese army, Puyi would probably have to fight under He Rui's command along with the Japanese army.

But leaving the army to attend Tokyo University as discussed before... Puyi was unwilling to give up the opportunity within the system that he had obtained with such difficulty. In the army, he could at least command a unit. Moreover, after graduating from the Japanese Army War College, Puyi would be awarded the rank of Major. He could at least become a regimental commander and command several thousand people. Becoming an ordinary scholar, Puyi would return to being a loner again.

With so many emotions in his heart, Puyi drank cup after cup until he actually got drunk.

Two days later, Puyi boarded a plane to Beiping. Although his head was still a bit uncomfortable from drinking too much the day before yesterday, Puyi hoped even more to return to his teacher's side immediately to ask for advice. In this world, the only person Puyi could trust was his tutor.

The plane took off from Tokyo Airport and flew straight to Beiping Airport without any stops in between. Arriving at the address his teacher had left before, he found that this place was completely different. The former hutong was gone, and in the location of the former hutong was a large area of buildings.

Had the teacher already moved back to his hometown? Puyi suddenly felt burning anxiety. Fortunately, there were also some people from the Aisin Gioro clan in Beiping now. Puyi hurriedly went to visit them. After asking around, he learned that his teacher Chen Baochen had moved to Tianjin. Puyi hurriedly bought a train ticket and went to Tianjin again.

Along the way, seeing patches of dense crops on the fields, Puyi was very puzzled. The crops in the past seemed much sparser. The green in the fields now was so rich, as if completely different crops were planted.

As soon as the train arrived in the suburbs of Tianjin, Puyi was even more surprised. On both sides of the railway now, two-story, three-story, and even four-story buildings could be seen everywhere. Although the houses were not dense, these buildings alone proved that this city was already much more prosperous than what Puyi had seen. That is to say, China under He Rui's rule had really prospered somewhat.