*The Times* of London and *Le Figaro* of France were the two most prominent media outlets in Europe. These two institutions were the earliest major newspapers to introduce He Rui and his ideology to the European public.

On October 10, 1943—the National Day of the Republic of China—a European press delegation, led by these two newspapers, arrived at the important frontline port city of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. They had come to interview the General Headquarters of the World People’s Liberation Army (WPLA).

Arriving alongside the European press delegation were representatives from the Vatican. Beyond the Vatican, the WPLA itself comprised citizens from nearly every recognized independent nation on Earth at the time.

Upon arrival, the Vatican representative immediately began inquiring if there were any Catholic organizations in the area. He soon learned that such organizations did indeed exist and, coincidentally, were about to hold a Mass.

The Vatican representative’s eyes lit up. The Holy See was deeply concerned about whether the WPLA would follow through on its claim to "liberate Europe." However, it must be said that if such a thing truly happened, the Vatican would have no choice but to accept it.

For the Vatican, with its tiny population, the most critical issue was whether it retained the authority to appoint Catholic bishops in various countries. If a national government conceded this power to the Vatican, the Holy See would maintain good relations with that state.

However, if a nation refused, the Vatican was powerless. For instance, the United Kingdom had its own Anglican Church; the Soviet Union employed state atheism to combat religion; and China refused to recognize the legality of any religious figures appointed by foreign powers within its borders. The Vatican’s relations with these three nations were abysmal, yet there was nothing it could do.

Since there were religious activities in the WPLA-controlled regions, the Vatican representative excitedly set off to observe the Mass.

As he approached the church, he encountered a long row of signboards. After stopping to read them for a moment, the Vatican representative shook his head and sighed in helplessness. The first large board bore a single sentence: "Religious organizations are commercial organizations; this is the unchanging essence of their nature!"

This statement did not make the Vatican representative angry. He sighed because the sentence accurately and bluntly described the essence of religious institutions.

Without money, who would interact with a religious organization? The Papal Court was powerful precisely because it held vast wealth, allowing it to undertake numerous public projects and assume many functions of a government. This was what allowed the Papacy to maintain its prestige and "decency."

When the nature of religious organizations was described so transparently, the Vatican representative realized his opponent was indeed Chinese. He Rui’s government had been dealing with religious organizations domestically using exactly this logic.

Since its inception, the Vatican had attempted to cultivate good relations with this great Eastern power. He Rui’s government did not refuse to establish diplomatic ties, nor did it reject normal commercial interactions. However, it absolutely refused to recognize the Vatican’s ecclesiastical authority over Chinese believers.

Faced with such demands, the Papacy initially tried to bypass the issue by proposing the establishment of a Vatican representative office in China. In response, China stipulated that a Vatican embassy would be considered an official organization and must not possess any religious attributes.

Furthermore, any other Vatican organizations in China beyond the embassy would be classified as commercial entities and were required to register with China’s tax bureau and commerce department. If the Vatican established organizations outside its embassy, it was legally obligated to fulfill "propaganda responsibilities."

Specifically, any Vatican organization in China (excluding the embassy) had to repeatedly emphasize to the Chinese public that the Vatican was a profit-seeking commercial organization. It had to state that any religious content was merely a tool for making money. Furthermore, it had to inform the Chinese people that, for the sake of profit, the Vatican had historically sold indulgences and invested in state and private ventures involving robbery, murder, slave trading, and drug trafficking, as well as operating brothels and casinos. As long as it was profitable, the Vatican—under the guise of a religious organization—would provide various means for so-called believers to absolve the guilt brought by their crimes.

When the Vatican received these official documents from He Rui’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, its shock far outweighed its anger. This was because He Rui’s assessment was, in fact, the exact business strategy the Vatican had employed for over a thousand years.

Faced with an opponent as shrewd and formidable as He Rui’s government, the Vatican voluntarily abandoned further attempts at interaction. Instead, in internal meetings and private Masses, they continuously prayed for the rapid and total collapse of the He Rui government.

The truth might not hurt a common man, but the Vatican’s thousand-year foundation was built upon the exploitation of human psychological weaknesses and the manufacturing of suffering. Only when the human spiritual world continued to bleed could the Vatican thrive.

All of He Rui’s demands of the Vatican were based on facts; he was asking the Vatican to acknowledge the truth of its own history. Yet, for the Vatican to admit these truths would undoubtedly be suicidal. If even an ordinary person cherishes their life, how much more so the Vatican?

Continuing to read the religious propaganda, the Vatican representative saw nothing but factual history. The WPLA listed every celebration and blessing the Vatican had historically held for European colonialists who invaded, plundered, and stole. For every instance of colonial resistance, they provided the Vatican’s public condemnations and curses.

Yet, while negating the Vatican, the WPLA still allowed religious Masses. This was deeply confusing to the representative.

Inside the church, there were Black ushers. Seeing the Vatican representative in his finery, a Black religious worker dressed in vestments approached and said in English, "Come to our place to pay money, but you don't have to pay taxes."

English was the most widely spoken language at the moment, and the representative could also speak fluent Latin. He asked in a pious tone, "My brother, if your church doesn't collect money, how does it survive?"

The Black priest immediately replied, "Our church generates income through social services and by teaching courses on religious history and propaganda."

The Vatican representative had prepared himself for the worst, including the possibility that these church personnel were directly on the local government’s payroll. But hearing that Catholic personnel were essentially "social service providers" felt like having his tail stepped on. He blurted out in shock, "How can you be so blasphemous?!"

For many years, the Church had used rhetorical gymnastics to separate the Papal Court’s stance from the actions of its clergy. The standard defense—"the actions of a certain bishop do not represent the entire Papacy"—allowed them to deflect criticism from those lacking logical depth.

But by initiating propaganda about "Religious History," the WPLA was striking at the very root of the Church’s power. To claim the right to interpret religious history was to claim ownership of the "God" the Vatican served.

The He Rui government did not completely suppress religion; they did not burn priests or destroy churches. Instead, they promoted the "He Rui Government Authorized Version of Religious History." These interpretations, rooted in historical materialism, were taught as part of compulsory education.

The Vatican had originally hoped the Chinese people would be a source of support. Instead, after receiving this compulsory education, the image of the Vatican in the minds of the Chinese people was that of a commercial organization specializing in the sale of indulgences and cold-hearted "spiritual services."

The Vatican and the Papacy, as commercial organizations, were extremely wealthy and invested heavily in technical research within their service sectors, making them very effective at deceiving the masses. In contrast, Russian culture was blunt and crude, employing direct and total suppression of religion. This approach had actually produced many loyal and resilient religious followers within the Soviet Union.

The He Rui government’s removal of the "sacredness" of religion was the true strike at its roots. If the characteristics of mysticism and sacredness they had carefully manufactured were stripped away, the Vatican was no different from a street vendor selling orange soda.

Seeing this being implemented in Africa, how could the Vatican representative not be horrified?

The two Black priests, seeing the Vatican representative so agitated, could only offer a bitter smile. "You must have learned about the government's policies from Europe. Our Mass here consists of three segments. The first is a lecture on religious history according to the government’s version. Then comes the normal Mass. The third segment is another lecture. We even have special lecture weeks for medieval religious history, and we organize seminars for believers interested in the subject. We even publish papers in newspapers to earn royalties."

"Are you blaspheming the Divine?" the Vatican representative shouted.

One of the Black priests first recited a prayer, then said solemnly, "My brother, you should have read the Gospels to understand why Jesus was nailed to the cross."

The Vatican representative could guess what the priest was about to say, but he couldn't bring himself to admit he hadn't read them carefully in this context, so he nodded helplessly.

The Black priest continued, "Wasn't Jesus nailed to the cross precisely because he did what we are doing now? He tried to seize the interpretation of Judaism from the priestly class, so the high priests had to kill him."

If this were a discussion with a white European scholar, the Vatican representative would have remained calm. But hearing such "truths" from a Black man in Africa made him curse inwardly: *Do you people even deserve to be compared to Jesus?*

However, those words could not be spoken aloud. Back then, Jesus was crucified because he had no guns and couldn't defeat the Romans or the Jewish priestly class. If the Black people today didn't have guns to fight for themselves, the Vatican representative would have personally sent these two Black priests to the gallows.

But the Black people of today were truly waging war against the white world and winning a series of victories.

Before this representative came to Africa, the Papacy had emphasized to him: even if he were killed, the Holy See would only condemn China and the WPLA—nothing more. Since the Black people had guns, the Vatican had no desire to provoke "accidents" through radical behavior.

The WPLA had already declared its goal to liberate Europe and punish colonial crimes. The Vatican had no defensive capability. Once the Vatican was overrun by Black armies, and they hanged the entire Papal Court for "war crimes" or "colonial crimes," the Vatican would be powerless to resist.

Forcing down his anger and fear, the Vatican representative squeezed out a distorted smile. "My brothers, I understand what you've said. May I join today's Mass?"

Since the representative showed no outward hostility, the two Black priests found his overall demeanor acceptable.

When the Mass ended and the "Amen" was said, a Black priest took the pulpit and spoke with infectious tone: "Brothers, today we will discuss: The Vatican’s financial crisis and the Church’s desperation. When Pope Urban II saw an opportunity, he issued indulgences..."

From a purely historical perspective, the Vatican representative felt there wasn't much factually wrong with what the Black priest said. But the priest told this history like a street storyteller, bringing it to life. The Black congregation below was highly emotional, especially when hearing how Urban II used indulgence money to support mistresses and illegitimate children for various bishops.

Someone in the crowd shouted, "No wonder the Popes and Bishops are so rich, their business is massive!"

Another Black man joked with a lewd smile, "Wasn't there a female Pope who gave birth in public?"

By the time the sermon reached this point, the Vatican’s dignity was crumbling, just as it had in Europe. Originally, the Church had hoped to suppress such talk, believing "Church matters are not for outsiders to judge," but the WPLA's version was now the "official" history.

After finally enduring the Mass, the Vatican representative walked out of the church with the congregation. Hearing the historical stories being discussed by the people around him, he felt a surge of hatred, wishing the WPLA would perish soon so he could send these "believers" who discussed religious history to the stake for purification by fire.

However, just then, a squad of soldiers passed by on the street. They were mostly Black, marching in neat formation with powerful strides. Their assault rifles gleamed with the cold light of polished metal.

Seeing this squad of Black soldiers, the malice in the Vatican representative's heart instantly melted like snow. He lowered his gaze and walked back to the headquarters with a pace that wouldn't attract attention.

Inside the headquarters, reporters were busy conducting interviews. Since people from almost every country except the Vatican participated in the WPLA, and there were representatives from every nation on the executive committee, European reporters sought out their own countrymen.

The reporters from *The Times* and *Le Figaro* interviewed Cheng Ruofan, the Chief of General Logistics. *Le Figaro*, being a French paper, was more friendly toward China. The reporter began, "I personally congratulate you on your promotion to Marshal."

Cheng Ruofan replied, "A soldier's promotion means casualties. I feel no joy in being promoted to Marshal."

Hearing such high-sounding words, the *Times* reporter couldn't help but say, "It's surprising that the Marshal is so compassionate. I've read your statements; you seem to have a very strong passion for war."

Cheng Ruofan smiled. "I am proud to be fighting for the freedom of hundreds of millions of people."

The *Times* reporter didn't attempt to refute this directly, as it was difficult to argue against such a stance. Instead, he asked, "Your Excellency, are you directing this war with a mindset of revenge?"

Cheng Ruofan replied, "Revenge is an animalistic behavior. I support the punishment of criminals; I do not seek revenge."

The *Times* reporter asked, "Cables sent from all over the world claim Black mobs are destroying white towns in South Africa. Isn't that revenge?"

Cheng Ruofan asked back, "Could you be more specific?"

The British newspapers were now characterizing the WPLA as a mob organization. The *Times* reporter knew the Chinese wouldn't define it that way; his goal wasn't to argue but to get a big scoop.

Dropping the entanglement over labels, he asked, "The distress signals from South Africa say the WPLA is destroying white towns. Can you stop these atrocities?"

Cheng Ruofan replied, "Violence by one class against another may seem like an atrocity to the British, but do the vast oppressed people find this view strange? Should the people of South Africa use peaceful means to deal with the British who use violence against them?"

The *Times* reporter felt he could now pivot the interview to the "British sense of order."

Cheng Ruofan laughed. "Do the people in the colonies even have the opportunity to vote? Didn't you know that? Peaceful petition?"

He continued, "The British Colonial Office decided to use violence from the very beginning. According to the documents we captured, this is clearly proven. If you are interested, you can go to the WPLA trial office to see these materials—they are all official documents with the British government's seal and signatures."

The reporter was stunned. "The WPLA captured such documents? They are truly damned!"