Twentieth Century Chronicle

Page 8

This time, Ito finally responded to him, saying, "A rising power and a declining power have completely different ideas about war. The former will only keep challenging the enemy because it knows what spoils it will gain after winning the war. But the latter will be cautious in every war because it knows that even if it wins, it will not gain much, but it will lose a lot if it loses."

The British Empire dominated the seven seas and controlled a quarter of the world's land and population. When it was at its peak, even minor changes to Japan's borders required its approval. Therefore, when facing such a powerful empire, we naturally sought its approval in everything we did.

However, once the British Empire declines, it will inevitably relinquish those regions it cannot control, leaving them for other powers to contend for, while securing its own core areas of interest. For example, in China, Britain's core areas of interest are actually south of the Yangtze River, with North China being the periphery, and Manchuria and Korea being areas beyond its reach.

Therefore, a declining British Empire would certainly tacitly allow Manchuria to be occupied by other powers. However, which power's occupation of Manchuria best served Britain's interests depended on which power posed the least threat to North China and the Yangtze River basin. Does Lord Dashan still believe that the decline of the British Empire is unrelated to the situation in the Qing Dynasty?

Saigo Tsugumichi then expressed his opinion. He had never forgiven his cousin Oyama Iwao, who had betrayed the Satsuma Domain, and therefore no longer considered him a Satsuma person. He certainly wouldn't let the opportunity slip by. "I support Lord Itō's opinion. In this Boer War, the British performed really poorly. They had a disastrous week in the Battle of Ladysmith. Facing the Boers, whose population was far smaller than their own, they really didn't act like an imperial army."

Oyama glanced at Saigo but didn't say anything. On one hand, he didn't want to argue with his cousin about something meaningless. On the other hand, he admitted that the British had fought terribly this time. Saigo, like him, was from the army, so he could naturally tell how badly the British had fought.

Realizing he could no longer argue with Ito about foreign policy, Yamagata Aritomo readily conceded defeat and instead earnestly asked Ito, "So, in Ito's opinion, how should we deal with the current situation in Qing China, given that the British Empire is beginning to decline?"

Ito didn't hesitate and immediately made a judgment: "A British Empire whose power is beginning to decline will certainly not agree to change the current status quo of Qing China. In other words, the British will not agree to the plan to partition China. On the contrary, it is Germany and Russia that want to partition China. So, Yamagata-sama, which side do you think we should stand on?"

Inoue Kaoru hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Even the declining British Empire is not something Germany and Russia can afford to provoke, because the British control the seas, so the Germans will eventually submit to Britain. But Russia, Russia borders China..."

This time, Daisan Iwa immediately realized what was going on and blurted out, "Then Britain must need someone to drive Russia back, and the only forces in East Asia capable of doing so are us and the Qing Dynasty, otherwise Britain will have to get involved itself."

Inoue Kaoru immediately retorted, "Britain won't get involved themselves. The British army has already lost face just fighting the Boers. Are they going to send a million-strong army to East Asia to fight the Russians? That would mean a full-scale war between Britain and Russia. It's much closer for the Russians to go to India from Central Asia than to Manchuria."

Oyama nodded in agreement and said, "So, the British are left with two choices: either let the Qing people drive the Russians back, or let us send troops to Manchuria to drive the Russians back. This is indeed a very likely scenario."

Saigo Tsugumichi frowned and said, "The British won't personally intervene, but they should at least provide us with support, right? We can't just take all the wealth we've accumulated over the past 30 years of Meiji and go to fight the Russians for our lives just because the British give the order, can we? That would be taking ourselves too seriously."

Hearing Saigo's words, Oyama Iwao glanced at Yamagata Aritomo beside him, noticing that his face had also paled slightly, though he had managed to regain his composure. Saigo's guess was precisely the operational plan against Russia that the army was considering. Of course, when the army formulated this plan, they hadn't considered the possibility of a conflict between the British and Russians; they were only thinking about how to ally with Britain, ensure that the British wouldn't betray them during the war, and then gamble their national destiny against Russia to win Japan's future.

However, after reversing the order of the war against Russia and the alliance with Britain, the plan became a laughing stock. They were essentially carrying their own provisions to solve the British problem, yet they thought they had gained a great advantage. Oyama Iwao, at this point, somewhat understood why Yamagata didn't want Ito to form a new party and play politics with these politicians. These naive soldiers would probably only dig their own graves and then have to thank the other side.

Yamagata finally spoke, word by word: "So, if we allow the Russians to occupy Manchuria, the British will actually help us fight against the Russians?"

Ito glanced at Yamagata, then turned to the Emperor and said, “Japan and China are close neighbors. I believe that seizing Manchuria will only worsen the situation in China to an irreversible point. At that time, we will truly become the enemy of the Chinese. I believe this is not conducive to Japan’s leadership of East Asia toward enlightenment.”

Emperor Meiji glanced at Ito and Yamagata before nodding and saying, "It is my wish that the people of Japan and China can live in peace and prosperity. Lord Ito's words are very comforting to me. The Cabinet should give this much consideration when formulating foreign policy."

After the Emperor finished speaking, he rose and left, thus concluding this Imperial Conference. Although it seemed that nothing had been decided, the Yamagata Cabinet would now need Ito Hirobumi's approval to formulate foreign policy, as Ito now represented the Emperor's opinion.

Upon leaving the palace, Saigo Tsugumichi did not board his own carriage but instead got into Matsukata Masayoshi's. Inside the swaying carriage, Saigo Tsugumichi said to Matsukata Masayoshi, "Aren't you quite familiar with Ito? Why don't you ask him something for me..."

Chapter Twenty-Five: Tokyo Life

Matsukata Masayoshi would of course not refuse Saigo Tsurumi's request. He simply asked what Saigo wanted to ask. Saigo thought for a moment and said, "Ito went around giving speeches in the second half of last year. I don't think he had time to study any foreign policy. His diplomatic approach at today's meeting is also very different from the past. I always feel that someone has given him advice on diplomacy."

Ask Ito if he has a new acquaintance. If so, let's build a relationship with him and find out about his background and abilities. I don't want Ito to be leading the conversation around at the next meeting…”

Matsukata Masayoshi agreed. From a certain perspective, Ito had actually broken away from the Choshu Domain and become a Japanese nationalist. This made the politically weaker Shaman Domain willing to maintain some communication with Ito and form a tacit understanding on some political matters in exchange for Ito's support for the navy. Ito was a channel for maintaining the relationship between the two sides.

Saigo's decision to have Matsukata inquire about the matter was actually a subtle way of expressing his dissatisfaction to Ito, since Ito hadn't just ambushed Yamagata this time, but they had all been ambushed together. Thinking of this, Saigo couldn't help but complain to Matsukata, "Yamamoto is quite familiar with naval affairs, but he has no political insight whatsoever. He's completely led by the nose by the army."

Matsukata Masayoshi echoed this sentiment, saying, "Ever since Okubo and Saigo left, Satsuma hasn't produced a leader of exceptional talent. Instead, this incompetent military commander Yamagata has seized control of the government. It's truly going downhill..."

Meanwhile, Inoue Kaoru also boarded Ito Hirobumi's carriage and asked him about his remarks that day. Ito didn't hide anything from his ally, but he didn't reveal everything either. He simply said casually, "I recently heard some very interesting diplomatic insights, so I couldn't help but say a few more words at the meeting."

Inoue Kaoru looked at him with some suspicion and said, "Your remarks today were more than just rambling; you've even changed Yamagata's diplomatic policy. What exactly are you planning to do?"

After a moment's thought, Ito Hirobumi said, "I'm just thinking that Japan can't follow Britain's lead. Otherwise, even if we abolish the unequal diplomatic treaties, we'll still be controlled diplomatically, which would greatly limit Japan's diplomatic options. The forces that can oppose Britain are certainly not ones that Japan can confront alone. So, in the end, Japan will need Britain's protection to survive. At that point, will the Anglo-Japanese Alliance still be an equal relationship?"

Before today, Inoue Kaoru thought this was not a problem, because he believed that the British Empire could be glorious for at least another hundred years, and Japan, following behind Britain, could be preserved for at least another hundred years. If Japan, which had developed for a hundred years, still did not have the ability to protect itself, then it would not be a pity if it perished.

However, according to Ito's analysis, Britain is clearly on the decline. At this point, any power that challenges Britain could become the new world hegemon, and those who side with Britain might be the first to be eliminated by the future world hegemon. Even if Inoue Kaoru insists on the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, he has to consider what conditions the Anglo-Japanese Alliance should be under.

At the same time, Oyama Iwao, who was sitting in the same carriage as Yamagata, said to Yamagata, "Ito-kun's argument seems to make sense. If the British are really starting to decline, then we should take this opportunity to fight for more benefits for Japan, instead of being too eager to follow the British and become their servants."

Yamagata Aritomo remained silent for a long time before replying: "Ito wanted to play the game of the smart man, to make Japan the Britain of Asia, but he made the Japanese smarter. They like to daydream and instead of thinking about serving the country and being loyal to the Emperor, they spend all day promoting democracy."

I think Japan is better suited to a pragmatic approach: blindly pushing forward with its head down. It doesn't seek future gains; it only focuses on the immediate benefits. This down-to-earth approach is the reason Japan has developed to its current state, and it's the foundation of its army's existence.

At first, Oyama Iwao didn't quite grasp the situation. It took him a while to understand that Ito's proposed new diplomatic direction had essentially diminished the military's status, making it subordinate to the diplomatic corps. This was unacceptable to Yamagata, who had dedicated his life to the military, as it made him feel abandoned by the army.

Although Oyama Iwao was a key member of the Choshu Domain, because he wasn't originally from the Choshu Domain, he actually leaned more towards the national military's stance. For him, since Ito's proposals were beneficial to the nation, there was nothing unacceptable about them. However, since Oyama Iwao was part of a group and enjoyed the benefits it provided, he naturally found it difficult to betray his group for the sake of a hollow nation. Therefore, he could only remain silent in the face of Yamagata's confession.

After saying goodbye to Inoue Kaoru and returning home, Ito Hirobumi summoned his personal secretary, Mori Taijiro, and instructed him, "Go and meet with Ogawa Heikichi, and see how his junior is doing at the new school..."

Lin Xinyi actually had a very uncomfortable time at his new school. In Kobe Village, as the top student and a simple countryman, he hadn't witnessed much of the disgusting bullying among students. But after transferring to Tokyo Prefectural First Junior High School, as an outsider, he immediately faced discrimination from the local students.

Tokyo Metropolitan Prefectural First Junior High School was originally intended as a model school to showcase Japan's achievements in modernization and enlightenment to foreign countries. Therefore, its facilities are quite good, and it also has international students, primarily from North Korea and China.

However, as times changed, the First Prefectural Junior High School became a natural stepping stone to the First High School, and the atmosphere at the school became somewhat strange. On the one hand, students at the First Prefectural Junior High School looked down on other junior high schools, believing that their school was the best junior high school in Japan and a preparatory class for the First High School. On the other hand, the competition within the school became extremely fierce. In order to improve their exam scores by one rank, students did not hesitate to use means other than academics to undermine the students ranked higher than them.

As an outsider who ranked in the top ten in his first exam after transferring schools, Lin Xinyi faced double discrimination. If he were a normal teenager, he might have already given up and become a violent individual in this atmosphere. However, Lin Xinyi was clearly not; he could only reassure his two companions, telling them not to pay attention to the strange atmosphere at the school.

Although he wanted to settle things peacefully, those hot-blooded teenagers had no sense of propriety; in their eyes, the weak were born to be bullied. So one day during lunch break, when a group of students tried to force the rather thin Eijiro to buy them cigarettes, the conflict finally broke out.

Lin Xinyi and Takenouchi Yutaka, who had practiced martial arts for many years, beat up seven or eight delinquent students, but he was not happy at all. He did not expect to get involved in a fight so soon after arriving in Tokyo. The style of the story was really too different. He originally thought that he came to Tokyo to give orders and point out the world, but it turned into a youth hot-blooded manga.

Lin Xinyi pointed his bamboo sword at the leading student kneeling on the ground and asked, "Tell me, Eijiro has nothing to do with you, so why are you causing trouble for him? You'd better tell the truth, or I'm not sure if I'll break your hand. Since I was able to transfer from Form 5 to No. 1 Middle School, I'm sure I'll be fine."

The student in the lead glanced at Lin Xinyi, who was only slightly sweating, and then looked at his bruised and swollen companions. He immediately said honestly, "It was Okada Seizaburo from Class 2 who asked for this. He felt that you stole his ranking and made him fall out of the top ten in the whole school, so he asked us to cause trouble for you."

Takenouchi Yutaka asked with some surprise, "Okada Seizaburo is so short, why do you listen to him?"

The student in the lead said, "Oh, he's the young master of Oedo Soy Sauce, he's very rich."

Lin Xinyi tossed aside the bamboo sword with little interest and told the students to get lost before turning to Takenouchi and Ogawa beside him and saying, "I originally thought that the school in Tokyo would allow you to learn more, but I didn't expect this to happen. It's my decision that has dragged you into this."

Takenouchi Yutaka said dismissively, "They're just a bunch of weak Tokyoites. We can scare them off as soon as we start. Why should we be afraid of them?"

Eijiro Ogawa regained his composure and said, "Tokyo and Kobe are ultimately different, and I'm not afraid of them."

After a moment of silence, Lin Xinyi said, "This can't go on. We have to try to correct the atmosphere of this school. If we can't even change the atmosphere of one school, how can we expect to change Japan in the future?"

Ogawa Eijiro followed Lin Xinyi without hesitation, but Takenouchi Yutaka frowned and said, "This is a school in Tokyo. We're only going to study here for a year. The teachers don't care about these things. Do you think we can correct them?"

After thinking for a moment, Lin Xinyi said, "There's no harm in giving it a try. I think we can start with the student council. The student council is completely irresponsible these days, which is why so many problems arise..."

Chapter Twenty-Six: School Life

Lin Xinyi spent a week conducting a survey of all grades in the middle school. His team consisted of a few troublesome students. These students were not organized thugs on the street, so they immediately yielded when faced with the more powerful Lin Xinyi. Perhaps this is the national character of the Japanese.

A week later at noon, Lin Xinyi presented 19 suggestions for improvement regarding the student council at the cafeteria entrance. He then gave a speech to the students who came to collect their meals, demanding a re-election of the student council to address bullying incidents between upper and lower grades.

Although the Japanese are quite open-minded about mixed-gender bathing, and the Meiji government repeatedly tried to prohibit it but failed, they were extremely cautious about co-educational schools. Co-education was allowed in elementary schools, but it had not yet become a common practice in junior high schools and above, so the First Junior High School was an all-boys school at that time.

The typical life of a boarding middle school student in Japan is as follows: every morning, they bow to the image of the Emperor in the classroom to pay their respects, then recite the Imperial Rescript on Education, and then spend the entire day studying. In the evening, they bow to the image of the Emperor again to mark the end of the day, repeating this routine day after day without interruption.

In such a dreary environment, it's not surprising that a few delinquent students would emerge. Lin Xinyi's blatant challenge to the student council organized by the school authorities at the cafeteria entrance drew a large and enthusiastic crowd. For these frustrated students, this outrageous act was like opening a window in a sweltering sauna, bringing a refreshing breeze to their monotonous and oppressive lives.

However, the school administration, which had previously turned a blind eye to bullying incidents among students, acted swiftly when Lin Xinyi gave a speech in front of the school cafeteria. Before Lin Xinyi had finished his speech, the school's dean of students and his homeroom teacher, along with several other teachers, came to disperse the students who were watching, tore down his big-character poster, and took the three of them to the teachers' office.

In the teachers' office, Dean of Students Horita severely reprimanded Lin Xinyi for his behavior and threatened to expel him from the school if he did not write a letter of apology and publicly admit his mistakes.

Lin Xinyi remained unmoved and replied solemnly to Director Horita: "The Emperor said in the Five Articles of the Oath: 'Empires should hold many meetings, and all matters should be decided by public opinion. All officials and soldiers should be of one mind, and all affairs of state should be managed with great success. Officials and military personnel should be united, and even the common people should be able to fulfill their aspirations, without causing any weariness in the hearts of the people. Old bad habits should be eliminated, and the justice of Heaven and Earth should be upheld.' I don't know which article I have violated?"

Tokyo Prefectural First Junior High School is a public school and also the Emperor's school. Am I wrong to oppose the student council's inappropriate actions according to the Emperor's decree? If you insist on expelling us, then we will stage a sit-in at Nijubashi Bridge and request the Emperor to uphold justice.

Tokyo Prefectural First Junior High School is the top school in the country, and Principal Horita has naturally encountered many arrogant and privileged students. However, he has never met anyone as audacious as Lin Xinyi. You see, when other students are threatened like this, they either submit to him and admit their mistake, or they resolutely refuse to admit their mistake and transfer schools. Lin Xinyi is the first person to threaten him to his face like this.

However, Director Horita admitted that such a threat was more effective than pressuring the school through the Ministry of Education; if such an incident occurred, the principal would be dismissed first. Of course, he would never admit his mistake and surrender to the students; if everyone acted recklessly like Hayashi Shin-yi, the school would be in chaos.

Principal Horita called over Mr. Oshima, who was standing nearby, and gave him a severe dressing-down before saying menacingly, "This is your student. If you can't teach him to admit his mistakes, you can go and explain to the principal yourself."

After saying that, Director Horita angrily left the office with a wooden stick between his legs. He originally wanted to punish Lin Xinyi, but after Lin Xinyi threatened him, he ultimately did not dare to do so.

Professor Oshima was a young teacher in his early thirties with a handlebar mustache. After the Meiji Restoration, the reformers particularly favored European-style handlebar mustaches, which led to a mustache trend among intellectuals and soldiers. To be honest, Japanese people with handlebar mustaches did look less Japanese and more like Westerners.

Despite his European-style beard, Mr. Oshima was a kind and gentle man. After asking the other teachers to leave, he spoke earnestly with the three of them, saying, "You all come from the countryside of southern Shinano. I think your purpose in coming to Tokyo to study is to get into No. 1 High School, right? Lin-kun's grades are excellent, so getting into No. 1 High School is no problem for you. However, Takenouchi-kun and Ogawa-kun are still in danger of getting into No. 1 High School. Now is not the time for you to mess around, but to study hard."

After glancing at his two companions, Lin Xinyi said to Professor Oshima, "Actually, this matter has nothing to do with them. They were just helping me get some papers. This was entirely my doing, and I won't deny it."

Takenouchi and Ogawa both wanted to speak, but Hayashi Nobuyoshi stopped them with a look. Hayashi Nobuyoshi then continued to say to Mr. Oshima, "I don't disagree that students should study hard at school. But conversely, shouldn't schools also create an environment where students can study well? In today's No. 1 Middle School, can students really study well?"

Faced with Lin Xinyi's questioning, Mr. Oshima could only smile bitterly. Of course, he knew that although the school looked beautiful and prosperous, the students' struggles had gone beyond the scope of competition, and the teachers' educational methods were quite brutal. Almost every year, students who could not stand the school's atmosphere would choose to transfer schools or drop out.

Lin Xinyi continued, “There are two purposes for studying: one is to acquire knowledge, and the other is to distinguish right from wrong. But now, the books that teachers require us to read are neither for acquiring knowledge nor for distinguishing right from wrong; they just require us to get enough points on tests.”

I've heard that First Middle School is a preparatory class for First High School. If we send students like this to First High School, and they go on to study at the University of Tokyo or join the government, where will they lead Japan? Are we really going to expect a group of people who can only recite standard answers to lead Japan forward?

When the Meiji scholars were pioneering their careers, did they also have standard answers at their disposal? I simply couldn't tolerate this corrupt teaching atmosphere, which is why I wanted to awaken my comrades and reform the academic environment. Therefore, I don't know where I went wrong.

After a long silence, Mr. Oshima looked at Eijiro Ogawa and Yutaka Takenouchi and said, "Since you have nothing to do with this matter, you should go back to the classroom first. I still need to continue talking with Mr. Hayashi."

Ogawa mustered his courage to speak, but Takenouchi Yutaka pressed his head down, bowed to Oshima, and pulled him out of the office. Outside the door, Ogawa said to Takenouchi Yutaka with some dissatisfaction, "Why did you pull me out? Are you going to make Nobuyoshi take the blame for this all by himself?"

Takenouchi Yutaka, however, said to him, "Without the two of us dragging him down, how could Shinji not be able to handle this? Didn't you see that even the headmaster was driven away by him?"

Ogawa was momentarily speechless, but still said, "I just don't think it's a good idea to come out like this."

Takenouchi Yutaka said, "How can you inform your uncle if you don't come out? We can't help you inside. This matter depends on your uncle; let's see if he can communicate with the school..."

After hearing the office door close, Professor Oshima relaxed and pointed to the chair opposite him, saying, "Sit down too. Let's talk as equals, not as teacher and student."

Lin Xinyi thought for a moment and then sat down. Oshima looked at him earnestly and said, "Actually, it's not that I can't understand your approach. Many teachers and students are very disgusted by some of the bad practices in our school. But we can't do anything because this is the Emperor's country. Without the Emperor's decree, the system of this country cannot be changed. The school is also part of the national system, so any bottom-up changes are not allowed."

"If you want to change this country, then you should study hard, get into the best high school, then the University of Tokyo, then join the government, and become a minister. Only then, with the Emperor's permission, can you change the country. But not now. No matter how much you resist, it's useless to the school authorities, because they obey orders from above, not for the students' benefit."

Lin Xinyi remained silent for a long time before saying to Mr. Oshima, "I only hope that the school authorities will change some of the bad things, but you want me to become their superior. What if I forget about things here after I go up there?"

Ms. Oshima sighed and said insincerely, "Everyone else except you, Lin-kun, can tolerate it. The only one who can't tolerate it is you, Lin-kun. If you've forgotten, then forget it."

Lin Xinyi began to understand why the Japanese were so fond of overthrowing their superiors. It was because the lower class wanted to change but did not have the power to do so, while those who had the power to change felt there was no need to change. So the lower class could only eliminate the upper class and let those who were willing to change take the place of the higher class.

He scoffed inwardly, "Oppressing the people is one thing, but attempting to overthrow the system is a crime. These powerful and wealthy people really have the common folk under their thumb, not even letting them breathe a sigh of relief."

Having realized this, Lin Xinyi knew his plan to reform the student council had failed. Without a forceful solution, one shouldn't expect bureaucrats to have a change of heart. So he respectfully bowed to Professor Oshima and said, "Thank you for your guidance. I admit defeat and am willing to abandon the idea of ​​reforming the school atmosphere. However, I will not admit my mistake, and I can accept the punishment given by the school."

Faced with such a cheerful and rational student, Oshima pondered for a few seconds before saying, "I understand. You can go back now. I'll let you know when things are settled."

Lin Xinyi stood up, bowed to Oshima, and then calmly walked out of the office.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Reunion with Cai E

The uproar caused by Lin Xinyi at the cafeteria entrance did not subside. Although the timely arrival of the dean of students and teachers stopped Lin Xinyi's speech and dispersed the students present, the students who had not yet reacted to the situation spread the word about Lin Xinyi's speech at the cafeteria entrance, and discussions among the students began to ignite dissatisfaction with the school authorities.

Of course, the problems at No. 1 Middle School are not only visible to Lin Xinyi, an outsider who has only been transferred here for a few days. The students studying here have always been the victims, but they did not realize that it was the school's problem in the past. Instead, they focused their resentment on the students who bullied them. Therefore, they either resisted with force or silently endured it, with the latter being the norm.

Lin Xinyi directly targeted the student council, which was managed by the school, and was suppressed by the school, instantly transforming him from an outsider into a hero who rebelled against the school. Although they couldn't understand why Lin Xinyi was so bold, some native Tokyoites, with their meddlesome Edo-style temperament, lashed out. That evening, they staged a collective strike during self-study to support Lin Xinyi, demanding that the school not hold him accountable.

However, after Oshima Ryoichi argued his case, and considering the personnel background that had arranged Lin Xinyi's enrollment, the principal originally intended to give him a minor punishment as a warning. But because of the students' strike, the matter escalated, and the principal had no choice but to say that he would deal with Lin Xinyi strictly, ordering him to go home and suspend his studies for a period of time.

This turn of events caught Lin Xinyi somewhat off guard, but he remained calm and asked Professor Oshima, "So how were Xiaofeng and Eijiro dealt with?"

Mr. Oshima looked at him and said, "Everyone's attention is focused on you, and no one has mentioned the other two. So, they've only received a warning. But your problem is more serious. If you don't have someone influential to speak to the principal, suspension will turn into expulsion. You'd better talk to your sponsor and ask him to put in a good word for you with the principal."

Hearing that his two companions were alright, Lin Xinyi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you for taking care of me, teacher. I will handle things properly from now on."

Professor Oshima asked with some surprise, "How do you plan to handle this? This isn't a problem you can handle."

Lin Xinyi said nonchalantly, "I just need an opportunity to take the exam. I don't necessarily have to take it at No. 1 Middle School. There are so many middle schools in Tokyo, surely one of them will accept me. If I have to bow down to a school because of this, then I might as well not have stood up in the first place."

I heard that when Tan Sitong, a reformer in the Qing Dynasty, refused to be rescued, he said: "In every country, reforms are achieved through bloodshed. In China, there has never been anyone who shed blood for reform, which is why the country is not prosperous. If there is to be bloodshed, let it begin with me."

I can admit defeat, but I cannot surrender to the school administration. Only in this way can I inspire future generations to improve the school's academic atmosphere, right?

Faced with such a vibrant young man, Ryoichi Oshima felt he should be the one ashamed. He could only pat the boy on the shoulder and say, "Go back and study for a while. I can't guarantee anything, but I'll do my best to explain this to the principal. I believe that whether you're at First High School or not, you'll shine..."

When Takenouchi Yutaka and Ogawa Eijiro heard that Lin Xinyi was going to be suspended from school, they were both indignant. However, Lin Xinyi persuaded them, saying, "I'm actually fine. It's just a change of school. Compared to here, I might be more free. But you two should keep a low profile. If the school can't deal with me, they might turn their attention to you."

Takenouchi Yutaka immediately said, "Don't worry, the school won't catch us doing anything wrong. We'll wait here for you to come back so we can go to No. 1 High School together."

Seeing this, Ogawa Eijiro could only help Lin Xinyi pack his luggage. Just as the two were seeing Lin Xinyi off at the school gate, they noticed that several students were waiting outside the dormitory. As Lin Xinyi was looking them over, the students came over, bowed to him, and said, "We didn't know that you were such a person, Mr. Lin. We would like to apologize for offending you before."

Lin Xinyi then recognized the delinquent student he had fought with. After accepting the student's apology, he said, "If you can repent and stop bullying other students, then I think I won't have wasted my time at No. 1 Middle School."

After speaking, Lin Xinyi nodded to the group and left with Takenouchi Yutaka and Ogawa Eijiro. At the school gate, Lin Xinyi said goodbye to the two and was about to leave when he saw two Chinese people talking to the gatekeeper in the guardhouse. He glanced at them, then pushed open the door and greeted one of them, "Brother Cai, what are you doing here?"

Cai E turned around and saw him, then immediately said to the gatekeeper, "Thank you, we came to see him, that's all."

Cai E pulled the people around him and Lin Xinyi out of the guardhouse. Although he didn't know why the other party had come to find him, Lin Xinyi still said goodbye to Takenouchi Yutaka and Ogawa Eijiro and followed Cai E out of the school.

The three found a teahouse outside the school and sat down. Cai E said to Lin Xinyi, "This is Ji Yihui, courtesy name Yuancheng, one of the earliest students from Hubei Province to study in Japan. Also, I have changed my name to Cai E..."

After Cai E's explanation, Lin Xinyi learned that since returning to Tokyo, the three of them had been contacting Chinese students in Japan and had held several meetings to discuss the future path of China. Finally, in January of this year, they established the Labor Party, with 47 members.

Qin Dingyi and Tian Bangxuan returned to China first due to changes in the domestic situation, leaving Cai E to handle the work in Japan. Cai E pointed to Lin Xinyi and said to Ji Yihui beside him, "This is Lin Jun, the author of the Questions and Answers. If you have any questions about the Questions and Answers, you can ask Lin Jun."

Ji Yihui still found it hard to believe that the author of the Q&A book was actually a Japanese middle school student. But after seeing him in person, he had to force himself to believe it. After thinking for a moment, Ji Yihui still told Lin Xinyi about his incomprehension of the judgment that China had to eliminate the landlord class in order to embark on the path of industrialization.

Ji Yihui spent most of his time trying to show Lin Xinyi that in times of national and ethnic crisis, even the landlord class would have the idea of ​​self-preservation and would actively embrace industrialization rather than oppose it.

After listening to Ji Yihui's explanation, Lin Xinyi pondered for a long time before saying, "My view is that the landlord class is not necessarily unwilling to embark on the path of industrialization; otherwise, Britain would not have been able to have the Industrial Revolution. However, looking at the history of various countries, no country's Industrial Revolution was led by the landlord class. The English Revolution was led by yeoman farmers and capitalists in London, the French Revolution was led by capitalists and citizens in Paris, and the situation in Germany was more complicated. But it was precisely the development of capitalism in the various states that led to the unification of Germany, which ultimately transformed into the German Revolution."

Take contemporary China as an example. The reformers who attempted to save the country were defeated by the conservatives. Did the reformers within the landlord class disappear? I don't think so, but could they have defeated the conservatives on their own? I believe not. Without support from other classes, the reformers could not have overthrown the conservatives and led China towards industrialization.

To gain the support of other classes, eliminating the landlord class is the best banner. For example, the Boxer Rebellion that broke out in northern China today, if this movement did not ultimately aim to eliminate the landlord class, but only focused on xenophobia, then this movement would eventually fail due to the landlord class's betrayal under the invasion of foreign powers.

The landlord class in the south might choose self-preservation under the intimidation of the great powers, but they did not oppose the landlord class's autocracy. Therefore, attempting to unite the southern landlord class to overthrow the conservatives in the north was nothing but wishful thinking. The conflict between the southern and northern landlord classes was merely an internal power struggle, but whether or not China pursued industrialization was a matter of life and death for the landlord class.

A simple glance at the position of landowners in major industrialized nations reveals that they have completely lost the power over their tenants that Chinese landlords held over them. They are landowners bound by the state, not the landowners of China. This is why, regardless of the significant conflicts between northern and southern landowners, they would not support the reformers; the benefits the reformers demanded be ceded to the people were their own interests.