Washington, like other northern American cities, had been subjected to bombing by the Chinese Air Force. However, China had not carried out a campaign of total destruction; rather, the strikes were calculated to ensure that the members of the US Congress felt the weight of the threat.

Capitol Hill had been hit, but the main structure of the Capitol building remained intact. As the congressmen traversed the potholed roads, they could not help but feel a sense of trepidation. Once inside, the voting commenced.

Senators from the Northern states were adamant about passing the new Conscription Act and the Special Tax Law. They had assumed that the Southern states would fall in line, but as the results were tallied, the Northerners were shocked to find that every Southern senator had voted against them—including those who had previously pledged their support. Ultimately, the Senate vote resulted in a tie.

The US Senate is composed of two senators from each state, a structure that naturally allows for such deadlocks. To resolve this, the system provides for the Vice President to cast the deciding vote.

All eyes turned to Eleanor Roosevelt. As President Wallace’s Vice President, it fell to her to break the stalemate.

Watching her, many were reminded of various sentiments, both good and bad. Those who admired FDR hoped his widow would display a political wisdom worthy of his legacy. Those who did not recalled that Roosevelt had died in the arms of his mistress; they had little confidence in a woman who, in their view, could not even satisfy her own husband.

Eleanor Roosevelt had not expected to hold the fate of such a momentous political decision in her hands. For a moment, amidst her fluster, she felt a surge of intense delight. The excitement of wielding the power over the nation's destiny stirred a trace of malice within her.

Realizing she did not truly know the "correct" course of action, she chose to follow her own impulses. The men in politics had brought her nothing but profound pain; now, it was finally her turn to make them feel something just as powerful.

"I support the proposal," Eleanor stated directly.

The moment the words left her lips, the pro-proposal senators let out a sigh of relief. The opposition, however, was consumed by a mixture of fury and desperation. One senator shouted across the floor: "Warmonger! You and your husband are both warmongers! He provoked this war and saw six million die. Now you intend to starve another six million! You are all warmongers!"

The President of the Senate, seeing the Southern senator had lost all sense of decorum in his rage, pounded his gavel and shouted to the agitated assembly: "Order! Order!"

By January 7, 1945, the news reached Li Runshi. He was struck by the reports of the Southern senators’ fierce opposition and their vow to block the bill in the House of Representatives. He had not expected a major power like the United States to display such weak internal cohesion when faced with an external challenge.

By all rights, America should have been pursuing a policy of national unity. Instead, the internal rift was so deep that some Southern senators had begun wearing makeshift armbands featuring the Confederate flag. The message was clear: they were pressuring the North, hinting that if this continued, the South was not afraid to split once again.

Setting the report down, Li Runshi finally felt a sense of relief. China did not fear the United States, but if America were united, the cost of suppressing them after the war would be immense. With America tearing itself apart, China could more easily manage the other European nations.

His gaze fell upon the current map of Europe. The Nazi Third Reich in Central Europe was a glaring sight. After the annexation of Austria, it reached from the North Sea deep into the heart of the continent.

If post-war Germany were allowed to maintain such borders, it would remain a perpetual threat to Europe. Therefore, Austria had to be independent, and a second Austro-German union must be strictly forbidden. Poland, of course, had to be restored, and East Prussia on the map required a more rational attribution.

Li Runshi pulled out a report submitted by the WPLA General Logistics Department. It described the miserable lives of the Jews liberated on Madagascar, as well as the crimes those same Jews had committed on the island.

The Jews were indeed a pitiable people in exile, yet they had also proven themselves capable of great cruelty. When faced with the native Malagasy, they had committed numerous atrocities—acts so blatant they fell under the definition of genocide.

The WPLA had already conducted public trials and executed those responsible, totaling approximately 300,000.

Originally, when Europe transported the Jews to Madagascar, they had been indifferent to the survival of the eight million souls. Over 500,000 had died during the transit. At that time, the World Jewish Association, desperate to prevent those on the island from starving, had petitioned the Chinese government for humanitarian grain shipments.

He Rui had agreed, sending food to the island. Even so, plagued by shortages of food and medicine, another 200,000 had perished. Combined with the 300,000 executed, there were still some seven million Jews remaining on Madagascar.

Now, He Rui told Li Runshi that he intended to take East Prussia after the war and establish a Jewish Republic there. He wanted the Jews to no longer be a landless people. Moreover, this would serve as a means for Germany to atone for its sins.

Li Runshi could not quite fathom He Rui’s thoughts on the matter. Even when discussing this plan, He Rui remained notably cold. It was clear he harbored no personal affection for the Jews.

After some consideration, Li Runshi asked the Foreign Ministry to handle communications with the Jewish leadership while he went to preside over a meeting of the Military Commission. This session was critical, as three Marshals—Xu Chengfeng, Zhong Yifu, and Zheng Silang—had returned to the capital.

The three Marshals were exceedingly polite when they met Li Runshi. For them, this was sufficient acknowledgement of the reality that Li was soon to take full power. Upon their return, their first act had been to pay their respects to He Rui. He Rui had made two things clear: first, he would not run for public office again; second, the national name and National Day would be changed. The only symbol to be preserved was the Five-Star Red Flag, established during the Northeast Government era.

To the three Marshals, these two matters were of secondary importance. Seeing that He Rui appeared to be in good health was enough to convince Xu Chengfeng that all was well.

As the Military Commission meeting began, Xu Chengfeng asked, "Overseas garrisons will inevitably become a long-term reality. What will be the core of Chairman Li’s assessment model?"

Li Runshi did not answer immediately. He still felt a degree of conflict regarding the issue. If it were up to him, he would prefer the unity of the world's people rather than cooperation under a Chinese-led hegemony. Yet, while politics was filled with ideals, reality demanded stability. And where stability was concerned, the bureaucrats held the home field.

Ultimately, Li Runshi agreed to Xu's request. "Begin formulating the model," he replied.

Zhong Yifu felt a wave of relief. He had worried Li might refuse, given He Rui's own inexplicable lack of enthusiasm for overseas garrisons. Of course, the kind of garrison He Rui detested was the "control-oriented" type. In this, Zhong agreed with the Chairman. Once the purpose of a Chinese garrison was to suppress a region, its entire nature would change.

For instance, Chinese garrisons in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea had to be there to combat piracy and provide safety for ships in distress, not to strike at the maritime capabilities of potential rivals.

However, Li Runshi’s attitude toward garrisons was even more passive than He Rui’s. Zhong Yifu had truly feared Li would use a "delaying tactic." From a practical standpoint, if Li dragged his feet, the Chinese Navy would be unable to return home. At this stage, the sentiment in the military was already: "The war is nearly over; we can go home once we've finished off Nazi Germany!"

With that settled, Zheng Silang asked, "Did the Chairman truly order a halt to military industrial production?"

"Yes," Li Runshi answered immediately. "The Chairman believes that at this stage of the war, large-scale production of current equipment is no longer necessary. The focus of military research must now shift entirely toward the development of next-generation equipment."

Zheng Silang, who had served as Director of General Logistics, followed up: "Is this new direction one established by the Chairman?"

Li Runshi nodded in affirmation. Zheng Silang felt satisfied. He had wanted to ask He Rui this question himself but had refrained since the Chairman hadn't brought up work. Over the years, Zheng had become much more composed and knew better than to pester He Rui with such matters. Now that he had his answer, he was fully at ease knowing it was He Rui’s direction.

The others felt similarly reassured. To this day, while there were debates over specifics like the use of 7mm ammunition on the battlefield, He Rui’s broader directions for equipment had yielded excellent results. They were now only willing to trust He Rui, for beyond his shocking insight, he was a man capable of taking responsibility.

In a normal system, the higher a person's position, the less willing they are to take responsibility, as any failure could weaken their political prestige. He Rui was the opposite; he dared to take responsibility and point the way. This alone had made life much easier for those below him. There was someone at the top who was willing to take the blame!

Seeing that Zhong Yifu had no further questions, Li Runshi asked, "What is your assessment of the shuttle bombing plan?"

"Total agreement," Zhong Yifu replied instantly.

The others concurred. China had largely completed its airbases between Britain and Italy and was prepared to begin shuttle bombing Germany. The bomber formations would no longer turn back over Germany but would fly directly from Britain to Italy, and vice versa. This would be highly effective in reducing losses.

Li Runshi then asked the final question: "Can the World People's Liberation Army defeat the Wehrmacht on the ground?"

No one dared answer immediately. In terms of equipment and military skill, the Wehrmacht remained one of the strongest forces on Earth. Even the regular Chinese Army could not guarantee victory in every engagement.

Finally, Xu Chengfeng spoke: "If the WPLA cannot hold its own, our regular forces will take over."

Li Runshi immediately objected. "No. The Wehrmacht must be defeated by the World People's Liberation Army!"