On the morning of April 29, 1933, at 10:00 AM, the cars of He Rui, Duan Qirui, Xu Shichang, and others stopped at the entrance of Zhang Xiluan's residence. The area outside the Zhang home was packed with vehicles. The younger generations of the Zhang family, all dressed in mourning attire, were welcoming those who came to pay their respects. Seeing He Rui and the others arrive, the Zhang family members simply exchanged a few words before guiding these prominent figures of the Beiyang era towards the mourning hall.

An incense table had been set up in the mourning hall, with Zhang Xiluan's photograph hanging above it. Several foreigners were awkwardly lighting incense and kneeling to bow before Zhang Xiluan, while the Zhang family members bowed in return. The Zhang family steward whispered to He Rui and his group, "Everyone, these are from the foreign consulates in Tianjin."

Seeing these foreigners, who had always wanted to impose Western etiquette on China, now obediently kneeling and bowing according to Chinese custom, Duan Qirui felt a sense of satisfaction. Duan Qirui did not consider himself a staunch traditionalist; having attended military academy in Germany, he fully agreed that etiquette should be as simple as possible. Now that China was entering industrialization, the pace of life was much faster than before, and the people had no time for such troublesome rituals. However, this simplification of etiquette had to be done by China itself and had nothing to do with importing foreign customs.

Just then, hearing footsteps, Duan Qirui turned to see his son, Duan Hongye, standing beside him. Out of habit, he wanted to scold him. But on second thought, he felt his reprimand would be groundless. His son had clearly been waiting outside for some time and only followed them in after seeing him arrive with He Rui, which counted as knowing his place.

At this moment, the foreigners had finished their obeisance. Following them, two men stepped forward and knelt to offer incense with exceptionally practiced movements. Their kneeling posture was almost a full prostration, significantly different from the movements of ordinary Chinese people. The Zhang family steward whispered an explanation: "These two are from the Japanese and Korean consulates in Tianjin."

After the foreign diplomats stood up, they saw He Rui and the others and wanted to approach, but were blocked by security bureau personnel. He Rui and his group stepped forward to kneel and offer incense. After the ceremony, the Zhang family invited them into the rear hall.

Madam Zhang, her eyes swollen from crying, sat listlessly in a chair in the rear hall. Seeing He Rui and the others enter, she struggled to stand. Xu Shichang stepped forward to stop her, "Sister-in-law, please do not rise. Take care of your health and restrain your grief."

The deceased was paramount, so Madam Zhang did not stand on excessive ceremony. Zhang Xiluan's eldest son stepped forward to recount the circumstances of Zhang Xiluan's passing. "My father took a nap in the flower hall the day before yesterday afternoon, just as he always did. We didn't want to disturb him. Unexpectedly, he just passed away like that."

As he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes again. Xu Shichang sighed, "Sigh... Duke Zhang was open-minded all his life. I didn't expect him to leave so peacefully at the end, comparable to entering Nirvana. This is a blessing."

At these words, everyone nodded. Zhang Xiluan's eldest son knew there was absolutely no malice in these words; passing without the suffering of a sickbed was indeed a blessing for Zhang Xiluan. He took a letter from his bosom. "Chairman, my father wrote this letter several years ago. He instructed me that if the Chairman came to offer condolences in person, or sent someone to inquire, I was to hand this letter to the Chairman."

Hearing this, Duan Qirui, Xu Shichang, and the others couldn't help but feel envious. This was indeed Zhang Xiluan's style. He had been certain while alive that He Rui would come, so he hadn't rushed to mail the letter. If He Rui hadn't come, this letter would never have been delivered to him. In the world today, with Zhang Xiluan gone, there was no one else qualified to do such a thing.

He Rui naturally understood that Zhang Xiluan was putting on a small show of status at the very end of his life; this act was very much in character. Taking the letter, he intended to offer a few words of comfort, but suddenly grief welled up from within. Thinking of the friendship and full support Zhang Xiluan had given him back then, he couldn't help but shed tears.

Duan Qirui and the others were excellent judges of character. Seeing He Rui weep, they could sense it was not feigned. While reassured, they also felt somewhat emotional. The old Beiyang faction had been established during a time of national turmoil, striving to accomplish something at the end of the Qing Dynasty. Feared by the Qing court above and despised by the revolutionaries below, they had struggled with difficulty. The turmoil in between was countless. From 1895 to 1925, they had bitterly held on for thirty years, accumulating countless infamies during that time. Although it was He Rui and his cohorts—who came from the Beiyang—who unified China, a Beiyang background was no longer a credential to be flaunted within He Rui's government. Although the name of Beiyang still existed, in reality, it had vanished like smoke.

He Rui wiped away his tears and sighed, "I still remember when Duke Zhang entrusted the responsibility of the Zhen'an General to me at the Fengtian Railway Station. Duke Zhang was in plain clothes. holding my hand, he said, 'Brother, the future of China is left to you guys!' Leaving Fengtian that time, he had only one concern: out of brotherhood, he insisted on seeing Duke Xiangcheng one last time. Thinking of Duke Zhang's grace in recognizing and supporting me, I..."

At this point, He Rui's eyes reddened again.

Zhang Xiluan's eldest son was moved and quickly said, "Chairman, my father passed away in his sleep and left no last words. However, in recent years, my father said that if anyone praised his life during the condolences, I should clarify. In his life, he accepted all the gifts others sent, and did little for the country or the people. The only thing my father was proud of was fighting those few small battles with the Japanese and the Russians. Resigning the position of Zhen'an General was because my father lacked the strength to shoulder it and could only entrust it to others. Meeting Chairman He and entrusting major national affairs to him actually fulfilled my father's reputation. It was absolutely not a grace of recognizing talent."

These words made Duan Qirui feel uncomfortable. Among the old brothers of the Beiyang lineage who held the title of General, except for Zhang Xiluan, basically all had notorious reputations, and there was no shortage of those who were ruined, with Yuan Shikai being the most ruined of all. Zhang Xiluan had achieved both worldly affairs in life and a good name after death. Duan Qirui felt his own life fell far short, causing him to sigh repeatedly.

Xu Shichang said, "Nephew Zhang, your father had a clear mind. Apart from envy, we have no other words. The deceased is gone; please restrain your grief."

The group did not stay long. After presenting their monetary gifts, they took their leave.

Duan Qirui was in a heavy mood and remained silent after getting into the car. He only looked at his son when he heard Xu Shichang introducing Duan Hongye to He Rui. He Rui smiled and said, "So it is National Hand Duan. I have long heard of your great name."

Duan Hongye smiled bitterly, "The title of National Hand is unworthy of the name. I have been defeated repeatedly and made a laughingstock of myself before the Chairman."

Hearing his son's reply was decent, Duan Qirui's mood improved slightly. Unexpectedly, Duan Hongye continued, "Duke Zhang's passing is enviable. I was just thinking, if in my old age I could thoroughly solve an ancient Go manual and then die, that would be a most beautiful thing."

Hearing his son start spouting nonsense again, Duan Qirui wanted to scold him in anger. But with He Rui present, Duan Qirui didn't want to lose face in front of an outsider, so he could only glare hatefully at his good-for-nothing son, planning to deal with this bastard after returning home. But he heard He Rui laugh, "If you could thoroughly solve one ancient Go manual, and then solve another, that would be even more beautiful."

Hearing He Rui encourage his son, Duan Qirui quickly said, "Chairman, my son has a nature that seeks no advancement. Do not have any expectations of him."

Facing his father's attack, Duan Hongye didn't care at all. He smiled bitterly, "Chairman, although I work hard, I also know that my Go strength has reached its limit. No matter how hard I try, I cannot improve an inch. Just as my father said, I am not worth expecting anything from."

He Rui had witnessed the era where AI completely crushed human Go players and had a very intuitive feeling about the upper limit of human Go ability, so he didn't take winning or losing at Go to heart at all. He advised, "National Hand Duan loves Go, so you must know that Go skills are also an accumulation. If you can clarify your own understanding of Go and write it down for future generations to learn from, that is also a contribution. Japanese Go also relies on accumulation."

Hearing this, Duan Hongye couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty, "Does the Chairman also play Go?"

"I do not," He Rui replied.

"I hear that the Chairman writes books and establishes theories, which I truly admire. What the Chairman just pointed out... it's not that I don't want to do it, but that I cannot. If you ask me to play, I can play, but if you ask me to summarize Go theory, I rack my brains only to find that everything I can write is nonsense. I am truly ashamed."

Hearing Duan Hongye speak sincerely, He Rui smiled, "When I started writing books back then, I was equally uneasy, feeling that the theories I proposed were utter rubbish. However, the ugly daughter-in-law must eventually meet her in-laws. Isn't writing it out just to let others criticize and ridicule it? As long as one does one's best, that is enough."

Hearing this, Duan Hongye frowned. After thinking for a moment, he asked somewhat uneasily, "Every time I write, I feel it is my best effort. But looking at it again a few days later, I feel it is rubbish. Does the Chairman have any advice?"

"I don't understand Go. Even ten of me added together couldn't beat National Hand Duan. So I will only speak of the mindset. National Hand Duan, everyone has defeats from yesterday. Do you feel that yesterday's defeat was because you didn't do your best at that time?"

Duan Hongye frowned, pondering for a while before answering, "In every game of chess, I do my best."

Hearing this, Duan Qirui almost blurted out the words "Really?". He only refrained from interrupting because Xu Shichang tugged at his sleeve. He heard He Rui smile, "Everyone can morally criticize others, and can also morally criticize themselves. But before criticizing, it is best to think about one thing. Was that person's action at that time a case of having the ability to solve the problem but deliberately not doing so? Or was their ability truly only limited to that extent? If National Hand Duan does his best in every game, why care about how others evaluate it? If you have any insights, just write them down."

Hearing this, Duan Qirui felt a shock in his heart and immediately thought of the crowd of the old Beiyang faction, feeling depressed again. He turned a deaf ear to what his son and He Rui said afterwards.

Yuan Shikai had suppressed rebel armies many times in his life, killing countless people. In the textbooks of He Rui's government, these events were evaluated as negative cases. Conversely, regarding Yuan Shikai declaring himself emperor, the evaluation was that Yuan Shikai could not see the situation clearly and had limited ability, simply wanting to risk everything on a gamble; this matter was actually not viewed as Yuan Shikai's crime. If one followed what He Rui just said, it really sorted out a train of thought, clarifying how to distinguish things.

The more he thought about it, the more ashamed Duan Qirui became. The old Beiyang crowd faced countless accusations. If followed what He Rui just said, those people claiming they were merely acting out of expediency were just looking for excuses. What they sought was the result. From the perspective of intent, the old Beiyang crowd actually knew that they were just fighting for power and profit. So, being condemned by word and pen was absolutely not wronging them.

Compared to this struggle for power and profit, Yuan Shikai proclaiming himself emperor was actually Yuan Shikai using his personal ability to attempt a path to unify China. No wonder that although the evaluation of the old Beiyang was terrible, Yuan Shikai remained the number one figure among them. This level of vision was truly superior.

Just as he was thinking, he suddenly heard Xu Shichang speak, "Chairman, I have a doubt recently. What exactly is the difference between China's Socialism and the Soviet Union's Socialism?"

Duan Qirui realized then that he had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn't heard what everyone had been saying. Xu Shichang's question was exactly the issue many people had been raising recently. In the National Assembly, many MPs who were not from the Civilization Party expressed their own views on this matter. Conversely, MPs from the Civilization Party did not like to raise such questions.

Looking at He Rui, he saw He Rui reply with a hint of a smile, "At this stage, what is most striking about the Soviet system cannot actually be said to be Socialism, but its welfare system. The system the Soviet Union has created has made it a welfare state. Mainly, Soviet nationals all enjoy the treatment of citizens. This point alone surpasses much of Europe. Actually, if you just look at the manifestation, don't you all feel that France has also been pushing a welfare system in recent years?"

"Welfare... isn't that just getting money without working?" Xu Shichang asked.

"Welfare is a treatment one enjoys naturally as a citizen of the country. If you view the Soviet Union as a large enterprise, it is easier to understand. Welfare applies to all employees, while bonuses only apply to high-performance employees. Welfare includes many things, and various enterprises provide different forms of welfare to employees, but these can be classified into the following categories: employee welfare, supplementary wage welfare, insurance welfare, retirement welfare, employee service welfare, and material welfare.

"Welfare does not fall from the sky; it must be viewed as part of the total compensation, and total compensation is one of the important aspects of human resource strategic decision-making. From a management perspective, welfare can contribute to the following strategic goals: assisting in attracting employees; assisting in retaining employees; improving the enterprise's image in the eyes of employees and other enterprises; and improving employee job satisfaction. Unlike employee income, welfare is generally tax-free. For this reason, relative to an equivalent cash payment, welfare has greater value to the employee in a certain sense."

Duan Qirui could only understand the general idea, but even so, he formed a vague concept. When people in China discussed the Soviet Union now, they naturally praised how good that country was to workers and how comprehensive the protection for workers was. Hearing He Rui now, describing welfare as part of wage compensation, he felt a sense of enlightenment.

Xu Shichang obviously understood it more profoundly. After a moment of thought, he continued to ask, "Chairman, you just said that bonuses only apply to high-performance employees. Isn't that what those notes the Soviet Union provides to factories and farmers are?"

He Rui nodded, "Correct. The Soviet Union has vast territory and a sparse population, with abundant resources, so it can support such a welfare system. And under the welfare system, the Soviet Union is not unaware of rewarding diligence and punishing laziness; their bonus system is designed to achieve such an incentive effect."

Xu Shichang nodded slightly, "Then where lies the difference between my China's Socialist system and the Soviet Union's?"

He Rui asked in return, "What is our China's most abundant and valuable resource?"

Xu Shichang thought for a long time before tentatively answering, "Could it be people?"

"Precisely. China has a large population, ranking first in the world. People are the most creative group; they are both the creators of social products and the consumers of social products. Although China is vast and resource-rich, the per capita amount is very small. Therefore, China's only path is to develop productive forces. To develop productive forces, competition must be introduced into industries. Being in the midst of competition, victory and defeat are unavoidable. Having victory and defeat implies a lack of security. Therefore, what China wants to provide to the people is not welfare, but guarantees. This kind of guarantee is divided into two aspects: one is education, allowing all people to receive education to participate in competition and continuously improve their personal strength. The other is to guarantee that people will not suffer a devastating blow due to excessive competition and never recover.

"Comparing the two countries, the Soviet Union at this stage is first letting the people live a passable life. Those who want to do more get rewards. This welfare system is immediate; you can get it right now. Whereas China at this stage is letting the people know that everyone will not die because of failure in competition. But if you don't participate in social mass production, if you don't participate in competition, there will be no better life."

Hearing this, Duan Qirui felt somewhat unwell. Chinese history had cartloads of records regarding "contention"; as long as there was contention, tragedy would inevitably arise. Therefore, China had always pursued stability and opposed contention. Taking the Beiyang struggle for power and profit that Duan Qirui had personally participated in as an example, just the few old Beiyang members and the revolutionaries had made a foul atmosphere of the world, and it could even be said that the people had no way to live. The competition He Rui spoke of covered the entire country; no matter how he thought about it, it didn't seem like a good thing.

Xu Shichang had already voiced his own view, "Chairman, competition must always have laws and regulations. I wonder if the many new laws enacted in recent years are intended to suppress the turmoil brought about by competition?"

"You can look at it that way, but there is a big difference within it," He Rui replied. "Turmoil caused by competition is divided into two types. One is a growth economy, and the other is a stock economy. Let's talk about the stock economy first. Mr. Zhou Shuren, the Minister of Culture who resigned, wrote an article saying that the social system before liberation was one where moving a chair would result in death. Why did such cruel things happen? Because the total economic volume had reached its limit, which is the so-called fixed number of wealth under heaven. Therefore, any change in wealth means taking someone else's wealth as one's own. How could the person losing wealth let it be? Naturally, they would rise up and struggle. Taking away a person's livelihood is worse than killing their parents; it would be strange if lives weren't lost. Therefore, we must absolutely not let the country run under the conditions of a stock economy."

Duan Qirui suddenly understood and couldn't help but ask, "Chairman, then how about the growth economy?"