"Chairman, do you think the communism Marx spoke of will be realized?"

"No."

"Why?" Li Runshi asked, not particularly surprised.

"The communism predicted by Marx was deduced from his economic theories. However, humans do not exist solely with social attributes; they also possess biological attributes. I believe that in the process of rapid social development, technologies that alter human biology will also emerge. When that stage is reached, there will be new discussions regarding what defines a human being.

For instance, 'clasping the moon in the Ninth Heaven and seizing turtles deep in the Five Oceans.' When everyone can enjoy such capabilities, many will consider the human physical body to be too fragile. If one must rely on extremely complex and precise mechanical assistance to perform such activities, what if we modify the human body to extend its adaptive capabilities... If I must describe it, you could consider it becoming a 'semi-immortal body.' In that case, do you think that new human society will be the same as our current society?"

Li Runshi enjoyed the sense of penetration brought about by chatting with He Rui, but He Rui's words now were perhaps too erratic, making Li Runshi feel this wasn't like a normal discussion. Fortunately, Li Runshi could actually keep up with He Rui's train of thought. He shook his head. "From a materialist perspective, if the internal causes undergo such tremendous change, the inherent attributes will change accordingly... So, the five stages of human development proposed by Stalin are a misunderstanding?"

"Stalin's theory of the five stages of development of human society is meant for the people of today, not a genuine consideration of the future world. If a new world order is established in the upcoming war of liberation, human society will achieve tremendous progress. Humanity's ability to transform the world will be vastly elevated. At that time, poverty, hunger, and absolute scarcity will all vanish. Such a future would count as..."

"Knock, knock, knock." Someone knocked at the door.

He Rui stopped his narration and turned his head. "Come in."

The secretary pushed the door open, walked up to He Rui, and whispered, "Chairman, a telegram from the Soviet Union. Stalin has sent a special envoy requesting to see you."

"Arrange it. I'll see him," He Rui replied.

After the secretary left, He Rui smiled. "Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives. Stalin has sent a special envoy. What does Premier Li think this is about?"

Li Runshi thought for a moment and replied, "Perhaps it's about the Spanish Civil War. Is the Soviet Union preparing to provide aid?"

"Why?"

"China is a great power and has a decisive influence on the Soviet Union. Even if only from the perspective of respect, Stalin must send someone to notify us of this matter," Li Runshi answered.

Seeing that Li Runshi had completely accepted China's current global status, He Rui felt very satisfied. Many people within the party and the country clearly hadn't yet grasped China's true standing in the world. In those people's perception, China was either the "Celestial Empire" of the past or a weak nation coveted by imperialism and liable to be attacked at any moment.

In reality, the elites of the Great Power nations were smart and tactful; they already regarded China as one of the Great Powers and treated China with the attitude reserved for a Great Power. If a British Prime Minister were to announce this morning that they were declaring war on China in order to sell opium to China, by this afternoon at the latest, that Prime Minister would either be in a mental asylum or dead due to various accidents.

Having mixed in to the level of a Great Power, how could one be like a gangster thug? Acting according to the person one is dealing with is one of the most basic abilities of the Great Powers.

"Why is the Chairman unwilling to participate in the Spanish Civil War?" Li Runshi asked with interest.

"France and the Soviet Union are both very important trading partners for us. If we participate in the Spanish Civil War, we will offend them," He Rui replied.

Seeing He Rui, who had just been proposing that humans might achieve a "semi-immortal body," instantly revert to a cold realist, Li Runshi found it truly interesting and couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. To have such a massive span in thinking, the person's spiritual world must be extraordinarily rich.

"There is another issue: we must absolutely not give other countries an opportunity to sow discord," He Rui continued to explain. "For example, if we intervene, we need to make a diplomatic stance. Suppose Britain sends someone now to articulate an attitude basically identical to ours—should we express agreement?"

Hearing He Rui's query, Li Runshi thought for a bit and then replied, "We cannot express agreement... but..."

Seeing Li Runshi grasp the focal point of the problem so quickly, He Rui explained, "Correct. This is a so-called diplomatic trap. The British would immediately publicize internationally that the Chinese government agrees with London's attitude toward the Spanish Civil War. At that point, the Soviet Union and France would certainly demand we clarify the matter. How should we clarify? This is a little trick in diplomacy."

Li Runshi nodded. He hadn't received diplomatic training, but with a little thought, he immediately mastered the methodology involved. As for the outcome of the Spanish Civil War, although Li Runshi felt regret for the idealists among the Spanish left wing, the Spanish left-wing groups themselves had too many problems; it didn't look like they could win no matter how one looked at it. And once China entered the arena, it had to win. With China's current projection capabilities, even if they entered, they likely couldn't win. So Li Runshi simply didn't mention supporting the Spanish left wing.

One day later, Li Runshi accompanied He Rui to meet the Soviet representative, Molotov, at a guesthouse outside the resort area. Molotov did not conceal anything. "Mr. Chairman, General Secretary Stalin ordered me to come and express the CPSU's views to you and the Chinese government. The CPSU believes that the Spanish revolution is encountering a huge crisis. As a member of the Third International, the CPSU has an obligation to provide aid to the Spanish government. This is a struggle between socialist forces and Nazi forces, concerning the future direction of the world. If the revolutionary forces in Spain fail, fascist forces will gain greater influence."

Just as He Rui expected, the Soviet side expressed ample respect. Li Runshi looked at He Rui, and heard He Rui say, "Please convey to General Secretary Stalin that the Chinese Civilization Party and government's view on the Spanish Civil War is independent, serious, and profound. The Chinese Civilization Party and government will not oppose the CPSU's decision."

Molotov knew He Rui's basic attitude before coming. Hearing He Rui's specific answer now, he stood up and said, "If you have no other matters, I will take my leave."

"Please convey my regards to General Secretary Stalin. Goodbye," He Rui said as if chatting about domestic trivia.

Molotov turned and left, as if he had just dropped by He Rui's place for a visit, rather than having flown over ten thousand miles from Moscow. Watching Molotov's retreating figure, Li Runshi wanted to ask something. Although the French government had expressed a neutral stance, French republicans were raising funds domestically to support the Spanish republicans. Now, although the Soviet Union was not intervening in the name of the government, it would actually give a large amount of support, plus the mobilized forces of the Third International—was there really no possibility of victory?

In a flash, Li Runshi recalled the three words He Rui had just used: "independent, serious, profound." He felt relieved. Since He Rui firmly believed the Spanish left wing would fail, then he would watch how the specific issues developed.

Time flowed on; the streets were peaceful. Days continued. US President Roosevelt was successfully re-elected. Due to their respective demands for heavy industry, related industries in Japan and China were booming. Conversely, light industry showed a less-than-favorable situation. Discount activities were becoming more frequent; light industrial goods, especially cheap, low-quality commodities, filled the streets but no longer sold quickly just because of low prices.

Spring went and summer came; in the blink of an eye, it was early June 1937. It was already summer in Spain. After the 16th International Brigade of the International Brigades completed their positions, they naturally held a regular meeting.

Starting in October 1936, the Third International organized the International Brigades to fight against the Italian and German armies participating under the name of volunteer forces. By now, the International Brigades had a scale of about 50,000 men, organized into six brigades.

The 11th International Brigade, composed mainly of Germans and Austrians.

The 12th International Brigade, composed mainly of Italians.

The 13th International Brigade, composed mainly of Poles, Yugoslavs, Hungarians, and Bulgarians.

The 14th International Brigade, composed mainly of French and Belgians.

The 15th International Brigade, composed mainly of British, Americans, Canadians, and Irish.

The 16th International Brigade, composed mainly of Chinese, Japanese, and communists from other Asian countries and Asian colonies. The number was about 5,500, with about 3,400 Chinese, about 540 Japanese, 28 Koreans, about 320 Burmese, and members of local communist parties and the Civilization Party from the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia coming to fight.

The "Civilization Party members from Asian colonies" were not a branch of the Chinese Civilization Party; they had spontaneously adopted this name. Most Civilization Party members from Asian colonies were studying in China or were members of local guerrilla forces who had gone to training camps on the border for training. The reason they came to participate in the Spanish Civil War was neither China's arrangement nor China's instruction, but rather, like the participating Chinese volunteers, purely out of their own volition.

The communists from Asian colonies came in response to the call of the Third International, totaling about 500 people. Colonial communists generally could not speak Chinese, while other volunteers from the colonies could mostly speak some Chinese. Therefore, the meetings of the 16th International Brigade were held in Chinese.

After more than half a year of fighting together, even the personnel from Asian colonies who previously couldn't speak Chinese could communicate simply in Chinese, though they couldn't understand complex Chinese content. Fortunately, Brigade Commander Liu Jingtian never used complicated language. He simply pointed at the map and explained, "After failing to attack Madrid, the rebel army has turned to attack the north, attempting to seize the important industrial areas of the Basque Country and Asturias along the Bay of Biscay. Losing this, the Spanish government loses its self-produced industrial goods and weapons."

Liu Jingtian had once gone to France as a Chinese laborer to support the war, and joined the Comintern at that time. Later he returned to China and went to work in the Northeast. Afterwards, he was caught by the Northeast National Security Bureau. The National Security Bureau did not make things difficult for Liu Jingtian, and because he had some technical skills learned in factories when he was a laborer, Liu Jingtian stayed in the Northeast and entered a factory. Later, when the war between the Northeast and Japan broke out, Liu Jingtian volunteered to join the army, becoming a soldier in the Northeast Army.

At the end of 1923, he followed the troops all the way south, participating in the war to liberate all of China and the subsequent Sino-British War. However, after the government was established, Liu Jingtian still felt that China didn't seem to have thoroughly changed. When he retired in 1928, he was a captain, and he subsequently returned to the Comintern. In 1930, accepting a Comintern assignment, he went to Vietnam to organize the Vietnamese Communist Party with Ho Chi Minh and launch struggles against French colonialists. Afterwards, he went to work at the Comintern headquarters.

Because he had undergone three six-month training sessions in the military academies of the Chinese National Defense Force and completed the basic officer courses, he naturally became a commander in the 16th International Brigade. Following the system of the Chinese National Defense Force, he held meetings on ordinary days to conduct ideological education. Especially regarding the war, he did not hide the war situation from the officers and soldiers.

Precisely because facts were never hidden, the officers and soldiers knew what kind of war situation they were facing and had a high acceptance of fierce combat. Borrowing the words of some soldiers, "If I die, I'll be a ghost who knows what killed him."

This working method also had good results in the International Brigade. Although some among the officers and soldiers of the International Brigade were indeed terrified after understanding the pressure, the Chinese National Defense Force's response was to conduct military training and military exercises, letting the soldiers master the methods of confronting the enemy. There were many who impulsively came to join the International Brigades, but coming to Spain required going through untold hardships. Those who were not firm had already beaten a retreat when facing difficulties. Those who could remain here were all people of firm will. What they needed was precisely the methods and training on how to specifically defeat the enemy.

The officers' gazes moved on the map following Liu Jingtian's finger. The Bay of Biscay is a gulf in the eastern North Atlantic, located between the west coast of France and the north coast of Spain. The French government had originally decided to support the Spanish government but encountered opposition from the French right wing, who believed such support might drag the French government into war.

Hearing the French right wing's description of being dragged into war, the French public immediately expressed instinctive opposition. The war less than twenty years ago had wiped out a generation of French youth; the French people resolutely opposed entering a war on their own initiative again.

At this time, the British government also required the French government to maintain neutrality. The French government was rather resistant, because France's northern neighbor Germany and eastern neighbor Italy were now both fascist regimes. The current Spanish rebel army was also obviously fascist. If the Spanish government were defeated, France would have another fascist country, Spain, beside it. France would basically be surrounded by fascist countries.

So the French government's stance given to Britain was extremely vague. At the same time, it used French fleets to transport material aid provided by left-wing forces worldwide to the Spanish government through the Bay of Biscay.

After introducing this situation, Liu Jingtian concluded, "Therefore, the rebel army will certainly do its utmost to seize the Bay of Biscay. Besides taking the industrial zone here, they can also cut off France's maritime aid route. And the Italian government has already dispatched their fleet to cruise along Spain's Mediterranean coast, intercepting aid supplies for the Spanish government."

Just as he said this, someone from the patrol unit came in from outside. "Report to the Brigade Commander, a supply convoy has arrived."

Liu Jingtian and the people in the brigade headquarters were overjoyed and hurriedly went out to welcome them. Seeing the arrival, Liu Jingtian stepped forward happily. "Brother Ma, you've come again."

Ma Wenbin was from Xinyang, Henan. "Cousin, those guys in the Spanish government are really screwed up. They insisted on detaining half the stuff on the trucks along the way. I don't know what they're trying to do. I said before, aid is aid, but the stuff for you has to end up in your hands. They couldn't be harboring some other ideas, could they?"

Hearing Ma Wenbin's complaints, Liu Jingtian gave a bitter smile. Most of the Spanish government's gold was used to buy weapons and equipment from the Soviet Union; the process was truly hard to describe in a few words. On the contrary, the 16th International Brigade received richer supplies because of Sino-French relations, plus the fact that Liu Jingtian had been a Chinese laborer, and China's anti-Nazi stance.

After cursing the Spanish government, Ma Wenbin hurriedly had people unload the supplies. A total of 20 trucks had come this time, all having crossed the Pyrenees on the border of France and Spain, traveling thousands of miles to arrive in here. The trucks carried mostly supplies, no ammunition. Even so, seeing those precious medicines and medical instruments, Liu Jingtian and the officers in the brigade headquarters were overjoyed. Although Spain was a European country, its industrial level was not even up to that of Japan during the Great War in Europe. The medical level didn't even need mentioning. This batch of medicines and medical instruments truly helped a lot.

Just after unloading the supplies, the alarm sounded. Liu Jingtian hurriedly said, "Brother Ma, quickly drive the trucks to the concealment point. The rebel planes are coming."

Ma Wenbin quickly jumped onto the first truck and went toward the concealment ground under the guidance of 16th Brigade personnel. Not long after, several planes flew overhead. Seeing the 16th Brigade's position empty, they casually dropped a few bombs and left.

Seeing the German Air Force painting on the planes without any concealment, Liu Jingtian felt both angry and regretful. His feeling about the Spanish Civil War was similar to the Sino-Japanese War 15 years ago. At that time, China also used air-ground integrated attacks, but back then it was the Japanese army taking the beating. Now finding himself on the receiving end, Liu Jingtian finally understood how the Japanese army felt back then. The harassment and bombing by planes greatly affected the daily work of the troops; this point alone was extremely unpleasant. As for during combat, the feeling was even more unbearable.

At this time Ma Wenbin rushed back over. Liu Jingtian didn't want Ma Wenbin to take risks, so he had people bring over several large boxes. "Brother Ma, inside here are some combat records, and also the personal effects of some people. Take these back."

Looking at those boxes, Ma Wenbin sighed. "Cousin, don't you... take care!"

Not long after Ma Wenbin left, planes painted with Italian army insignias came again. Based on Ma Wenbin's accumulated experience and judgment of the overall situation, the opposing Spanish rebel army would launch a fierce attack within the next two days.

Commanding this campaign was Franco. He personally went to the front line to inspect the battle. Planes whistled as they dropped bombs on the Spanish government forces' positions, and artillery towed by trucks had also arrived, opening fierce fire on the government forces' positions. Just looking at the smoke and dust, one felt the government forces' positions had been thoroughly destroyed.

Franco, however, was not so optimistic. This tactic was not being used for the first time. It worked very well on some government army units. But on other government army units, especially the International Brigades, it didn't work so well. In the intelligence obtained before the battle, the 11th to 16th International Brigades were all incorporated into the government army. Now it was hard to judge whether there were International Brigade people on the front.

After this preparation of air-artillery cooperation, Franco's troops coordinated with the Italian troops to launch an attack. For this attack, Italy and Germany were also determined to cut off France's support for the Spanish government. The Pyrenees were very difficult to traverse and not suitable for large-scale transport. Italy was also doing its best to blockade the Spanish Mediterranean side, even risking conflict with the French fleet.

Therefore, this attack was an attack that would decide the strategic posture. Thus, Mussolini of Italy also spent significant capital, dispatching 100,000 Italian troops to arrive in Spain to fight. If they couldn't seize the Bay of Biscay, Franco's army could not win the war.

The attack was not smooth from the start. The rebel positions looked as if there was no one there, but as soon as the rebel troops approached, the counterattack fire from the position immediately became fierce. Several probing attacks were all beaten back. The Italian troops didn't believe in heresy and soon relieved the rebel troops to begin the attack. As a result, several massed attacks were equally unsmooth. The enemy's position just showed no people, yet they simply couldn't charge up.

News soon arrived in the staff department. The opposing unit's designation was completely confirmed: it was the 16th Brigade of the International Brigades, which was the Chinese Brigade that had thoroughly defeated the rebel army relying on a night raid in the Battle of Madrid.

Hearing the name of the Chinese Brigade, the faces of several Spanish generals who had participated in the Battle of Madrid turned very ugly. To this day, they still hadn't figured it out. The Chinese Brigade had only made one assault at night, and they were defeated. At that time, all positions were attacked; various units lost command in the chaos and were directly routed. But the opponent was only a brigade-level unit; where did they get so many troops?

Although this era no longer believed in witchcraft, a rumor circulated in the Spanish rebel army that the Chinese seemed to possess some sorcery that made soldiers fearless of death. Gunshot wounds sufficient to kill ordinary people were only ordinary injuries to the Chinese. Only when the Chinese soldiers achieved combat victory would the real injuries erupt, and the Chinese soldiers would die at that time.

Just as the atmosphere became oppressive, a German officer wearing a monocle, Model, spoke up. "Isn't this very good? We have already confirmed the location of the enemy's elite troops. I suggest that we next dispatch troops to pin down this Chinese army, while our main force launches an attack on the enemy's weaker defense lines."

The generals around Franco looked at Model, who was only a colonel, and were not convinced in their hearts. But Franco had stabilized his emotions by this time. Model's view was very correct. Although shifting the direction of attack was indeed rather troublesome, major US corporations were supporting Franco one after another. especially the US auto giants General Motors and Ford, who provided Franco with 12,000 trucks, making it easier for Franco's troops to maneuver. Adjusting the deployment immediately now could allow them to change to a new attack direction before the opposing government forces adjusted.

"Colonel Model, where do you think it is appropriate to attack?" Franco asked.

After Hitler expanded the army, Model was already the Chief of Staff of a German infantry corps. He came this time as an advisor to support Franco. He had long studied the map thoroughly, and even took a German plane to actually look at the various positions. Since Franco asked, Model didn't put on airs. He pointed directly to a location on the map. "Launch the attack here. Since the main force of the International Brigades is placed at the very front, it means the Republican Army is prepared to resist stubbornly. Judging by this, the defense troops in this valley will not be the main force. Let the troops conduct a raid, supplemented by continuous air strikes from the Air Force; it is possible to seize this place."