Twentieth Century Chronicle

Page 2

Lin Xinyi smiled and thanked Ogawa Heikichi, but confidently replied, "If I didn't have the confidence to get into No. 1 High School, I wouldn't have done odd jobs to save up for tuition."

This answer completely killed off any topics Ogawa Heikichi had planned. He glanced at the boarding student, thinking to himself that only someone as arrogant as him could write such arrogant articles. After a moment of indignation, Ogawa Heikichi simply abandoned the pleasantries and directly stated the purpose of his visit that evening: "I heard that you and Eijiro both want to study literature at the University of Tokyo, and I've also read your articles."

What I'm trying to say is that even novels need to be logical. Do you think the Qing Dynasty would be so foolish as to challenge all the foreign powers? Anyone with even a basic understanding of international affairs knows that such a scenario is impossible. Although you're just a middle school student from the countryside and don't know much about international affairs…”

After listening to Uncle Eijiro's admonition, Lin Xinyi replied without changing his expression: "As a novel, as long as it's possible, that's enough. Uncle, do you really think there's absolutely no possibility of the Qing Dynasty declaring war on the various powers? When the Three Kingdoms intervened in our return of Liaodong, didn't our people clamor for war against them? Although the cabinet eventually suppressed this national sentiment, did the Qing Dynasty have a leader with the same prestige and clarity as ours?"

The Qing government of today, to the Chinese people, is a foreign government. Adding to this the defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, territorial concessions and indemnities, and the fact that Empress Dowager Cixi imprisoned the legitimate emperor and usurped power, from the Qing government's perspective, they had no legal basis to suppress popular anger. This is similar to the late Edo period in my country, where the anti-foreign faction relied on the people's xenophobic sentiment to overthrow the shogunate that advocated opening the country…

Chapter Four: Night Talk

Although Heikichi Ogawa is a top student in the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo, he still views international affairs from a Japanese perspective, a mindset commonly found in island nations. This mindset implies that events should not be influenced by external forces but should proceed according to our established plans.

The root cause lies in the isolated geographical environment of the island nation, which makes it difficult for external forces to influence the lives of the islanders, thus forming habits developed over thousands of years. After all, apart from the Black Ships opening Japan's doors, the only foreign invasion of the island nation was the Mongol invasion, which was defeated by the Kamikaze. Therefore, the Japanese national character appears quite narrow-minded, and they find it difficult to imagine viewing the development of things from the perspective of outsiders.

In Ogawa Heikichi's view, the strength of the Western powers had long been proven. The Qing Dynasty suffered consecutive defeats in the two Opium Wars, and even the imperial garden, the Old Summer Palace, was looted by the British and French. Therefore, the Qing government should not be so foolish as to challenge a coalition of powers that was stronger than the Anglo-French forces.

However, the calm and collected analysis of the young man before him made him somewhat skeptical. Indeed, the shogunate was rational, which is why it refused to expel the barbarians, but in the end, it was overthrown by the expulsion faction and instead bore the infamy of opposing the opening of the country. Meanwhile, the four southwestern domains, which raised the banner of expelling the barbarians, promoted a more comprehensive opening of the country after overthrowing the shogunate, ultimately triggering the Satsuma Rebellion.

Did the Qing government possess such rationality? Consider the Qing Empress Dowager who launched a coup, imprisoned the emperor, and ruthlessly destroyed the reform movement initiated by Qing patriots seeking self-salvation and strength. Judging from such a coup, the Qing Dynasty had not truly entered an era of enlightenment; it remained in a courtly political era similar to the Ottoman Empire.

The Manchu imperial family seemed unconcerned with the legitimacy of ruling China, focusing solely on the Manchus' right to rule. Under such a ruling ideology, China was clearly incapable of entering the civilized world. This possibility certainly existed, Ogawa Heikichi told himself.

However, on the surface, he was not intimidated by the aura of a young man, so he looked at the other party and emphasized: "This is the Sino-Japanese War, not the First Sino-Japanese War. The First Sino-Japanese War is the Qing Dynasty's terminology, not ours as Japanese."

Furthermore, while it's possible that the Qing rulers might indeed have made such an unwise move, your article stating that sending troops was a foolish act is an attempt to belittle the Imperial Army's efforts to uphold national dignity. It's important to understand that without the Imperial Army's valiant fighting in the Sino-Japanese War, how could the British have revoked extraterritoriality?

Even if this military expedition yields nothing, at least we can let the Qing people know that Japan's dignity is not to be challenged, just like that of other great powers…”

"This is a nationalist." Looking at Ogawa Heikichi, who was spitting as he spoke, Lin Xinyi had this thought in his mind. Based on his experience in later generations, nationalists can be divided into left-leaning, right-leaning, and "little pinks". "Little pinks" are creatures with distorted values. They talk about nationalism but avoid talking about class struggle, and they talk about nationalism but do not talk about who the dominant ethnic group is. Fortunately, such creatures had not yet emerged in the Meiji era. Ogawa Heikichi was at least a simple right-leaning nationalist.

As this thought crossed his mind, Lin Xinyi suddenly felt a light pat on his back. He finally snapped out of it and looked up to see Ogawa Heikichi frowning at him, clearly displeased with his momentary lapse in concentration.

Well, as a boarding student, Lin Xinyi didn't want to get into any arguments with the other party, but he also had no interest in debating the issue of nationalism, because his views were certainly out of step with the times.

So Lin Xinyi placed his hands on the straw mat, bowed slightly to the other party, apologized, and then sat up straight and said, "I was just thinking about why the Meiji scholars set literature, politics, and law as the first departments when they established the Imperial University."

Ogawa Heikichi was somewhat confused by the other's thinking. First, he was distracted in front of his elders, and now he was brazenly admitting that he had been daydreaming. This was simply a strange boy. However, seeing the other's calm and composed demeanor, he still held back and coldly asked, "Now you can even guess what the Meiji scholars were thinking? Then why don't you tell me?"

As long as nationalism is not discussed, Lin Hsin-yi does not mind chatting with the other party, so after a moment's thought, he said: "I think it is correct to set literature, politics and law as the first department."

The purpose of the wise men who established universities was to cultivate talent for the nation, and the first category was naturally the talent prepared for governing the country. Literary scholars criticized the country's shortcomings to sound the alarm for those in power; political scholars grasped the direction of the nation, ensuring that national policies did not deviate from the correct path; and legal scholars revised national policies to ensure that the nation could move in the right direction.

I think this is probably the beautiful ideal that the sages originally held when they established universities.

Ogawa Heikichi was certainly aware of the idea of ​​establishing universities to cultivate talent for the nation, but the idea of ​​linking departments like literature, political science, and law together was something he had never heard of before. It was novel and interesting, but unfortunately, it wasn't his own idea, Ogawa Heikichi couldn't help but think with a sigh of regret.

His expression finally softened somewhat, and he said, "Perhaps that's true. But since you know that Tokyo University is a place that cultivates talent for the country, you should be even less inclined to denigrate the sacrifices of the Imperial Army. You must know that without their sacrifices, the country could not survive."

Although he didn't want to debate nationalism, Lin Xinyi knew he could never be labeled as a non-citizen. Japan after the First Sino-Japanese War was an era of surging nationalist sentiment, and after the Russo-Japanese War, this nationalist sentiment had become a monster. If he went against this trend of the times, his life would be difficult.

Therefore, he could only correct him, saying, "I am not trying to denigrate the sacrifices of the Imperial Army. I simply believe that those in power who rule this country have no right to let the Imperial Army die in vain. To rush to send troops to China whenever something happens, and then claim it's to uphold national dignity, is clearly not the behavior of a competent ruler. It merely reduces the Empire to a lackey and follower of Europe and America. As the helmsman of this great ship of the Empire, shouldn't the Cabinet first consider the gains and losses of sending troops to China, instead of making empty pronouncements about upholding the dignity of the Empire and then letting the Imperial Army die?"

Ogawa Heikichi admitted that the boy's words might not be without merit. If the Russians were to seize the opportunity to occupy the entire Manchuria, it would not only threaten the Qing Dynasty but also the Empire's interests in Korea. If such a scenario were to occur, Japan would indeed suffer the most from the China Incident. After all, there was a consensus among the Japanese upper echelons that Korea was merely a stepping stone to Manchuria, and that Japan should take over Manchuria should the situation permit.

If Russia were to seize the opportunity to occupy the entire Manchuria, it would not only block Japan's access to China but also threaten Japan itself. After all, following the First Sino-Japanese War, only the British and Japanese fleets remained at sea in East Asia. If Russia were to gain control of Manchuria, it would mean that Japan would have a Russian fleet that was even more threatening than the Qing Dynasty, which was clearly unacceptable to the Japanese.

Once the idea of ​​Russia moving south and occupying Manchuria was opened up, even Ogawa Heikichi, who knew little about international relations, could imagine that after finally defeating Qing, a neighboring country on the mainland, another mainland neighbor, even more powerful than Qing, had emerged. How could they possibly live like that? And the more he thought about it, the higher the possibility seemed to him.

Ogawa Heikichi had almost lost interest in talking to the boy. After all, he had only chatted with the boy out of curiosity, but now he really wanted to think about the future of Japan.

So he asked the boy, "So, is the purpose of writing this article to warn the world?"

Lin Xinyi replied quite frankly, "No, this is just a novel, a fictional future novel. How can such illogical speculation serve as a warning to the world? I just want to submit it to earn some royalties to pay for my high school tuition. I wonder where you think this novel would be suitable for publication, Uncle? Preferably one with a generous payment."

After thinking for a moment, Ogawa Heikichi said, "I do have a few classmates who work at a newspaper. If you can finish writing it before I leave and I'm satisfied with it, I can take it back and recommend it to them. That's much better than submitting it blindly."

This is certainly better than blindly submitting articles. Japan is ultimately a society that values ​​personal connections. Even Yamagata Aritomo prefers to employ his own people. If submitting articles on his own is a matter of luck, then Ogawa Heikichi personally delivering them to his door is almost a sure thing.

Therefore, Lin Xinyi immediately thanked them and said he would definitely finish writing the novel as soon as possible. Ogawa Heikichi then encouraged the two of them, telling them to study hard and prepare for the high school entrance exam, and that he would definitely celebrate with them in Tokyo when the exam came.

After his uncle left, Ogawa Eijiro breathed a sigh of relief and said admiringly to Lin Xinyi beside him, "Seeing the scene of you talking to your uncle just now, you were not weak at all. I was sweating bullets for you. I would never dare to talk like that in front of my uncle."

Lin Xinyi patted him on the shoulder and said, "After all, I am your tutor. Theoretically, I am of the same generation as your uncle, so of course I have to have an imposing presence."

After Lin Xinyi turned and went into his room, Ogawa Eijiro finally realized what was happening and immediately shouted, "Xinyi, you're taking advantage of me!"

Lin Xinyi, who was inside the room, replied, "I still need to think about the rest of the novel tonight, so don't bother me..."

Ogawa Heikichi never came to his nephew's place again after that night. He was busy entertaining prominent figures in the village and county day and night, building connections for his political career, and seemed to have forgotten about the novel.

Meanwhile, the grand summer festival finally began. Lin Xinyi, who was writing diligently in his room, heard someone calling him from outside. He got up and went out of his room, immediately greeting the visitor in the courtyard with a smile: "Weren't you at your uncle's house?"

Standing at the bottom of the steps, Takenouchi Yutaka smiled and said, "I told my uncle I planned to take the entrance exam for the First High School instead of the Army Academy, and he kicked me out. Since tomorrow is the summer festival, I thought I'd come and spend it with you and Eijiro..."

Chapter Five Summer Festival

Looking at his slightly shy friend at the bottom of the steps, Lin Xinyi felt very happy. At least he hadn't come to this era empty-handed; he had at least rescued a kind boy from the army.

Takenouchi Yutaka's uncle was an army colonel, and his father was a middle school teacher. As for why the two were friends, it was because both of their families were samurai. However, Hayashi Nobuyoshi's ancestor was beheaded for resisting the imperial army on the orders of his lord, while Takenouchi Yutaka's ancestor surrendered to the imperial army with his lord and rose to prominence in the new dynasty.

Although the two families lost contact for a long time afterward, they reconnected when both were admitted to the same middle school. However, the original owner of this body had an accident at the Miyazaki Festival not long after, and someone else transmigrated into this world. It was only then that the two became acquainted. Then, at his uncle's request, Takenouchi Yutaka, who was preparing to apply for the Army Academy, was led astray by Hayashi Shin'ichi and is now finally starting to rebel against his uncle's unreasonable demands.

Lin Xinyi and Takenouchi Yutaka chatted in the room for a while. Eijiro also returned. Upon hearing Takenouchi Yutaka's purpose, he immediately said, "That's wonderful! Tomorrow morning we'll take the train to Kami-Suwa, visit the shrine in the afternoon, watch the fireworks by the lake in the evening, and then come back together the day after tomorrow afternoon. But, Xinyi, won't this interfere with your novel writing?"

Lin Xinyi immediately shook his head and said, "It's alright, I can write it while I'm in the car, and you can just make a copy for me when we get back."

After learning what had happened, Takenouchi Yutaka, who was standing nearby, eagerly said, "I can help you too. But what kind of novel are you writing that even Ogawa's uncle thinks is good enough to submit to a newspaper?"

Lin Xinyi then took out his manuscript and said, "You can take a look and then give me your feedback..."

The distance from Fuji to Kami-Suwa is about 19 kilometers, and the journey by horse-drawn carriage takes about three hours. These public carriages, which were introduced from England, can carry eight people at a time. Of course, they are not as comfortable as trains, but considering the energy saved, it is much better than walking.

Lake Suwa is a quadrilateral lake surrounded by mountains. In this era free from industrial pollution, the lake water is crystal clear, and during the day, you can clearly see the reflections of the surrounding mountains on the lake surface, which is a truly mesmerizing sight.

However, as evening fell, the fireflies twinkled and danced along the lake, creating an even more beautiful evening scene. Then, the fireworks display on the small island by the lake overshadowed the firefly dance.

Watching the fireworks rise into the sky, Takenouchi Yutaka sat on the ground and remarked with emotion, "When I have money, I'll definitely build a big house by the lake and stay here every day to enjoy the scenery." Eijiro, lying on the grass and gazing at the sky, said, "I prefer Tokyo. I heard that Tokyo has electric lights on the streets now; that's a truly amazing invention."

The two quickly turned to Lin Xinyi, who was lying on the ground, and asked, "Xinyi, where do you plan to live from now on?"

Lin Xinyi thought for a moment and said, "If I had money, I would definitely choose to travel around the world, see the scenery of different places, and then introduce them to the Japanese so that they know how big the world is. Japan is too narrow-minded now. When they talk about foreign countries, they talk about Korea, and when they talk about Korea, they talk about getting rich. When they talk about getting rich, they talk about how to seize Korean land. In short, they are too mercenary. I don't like Japan like that."

Takenouchi Yutaka echoed this sentiment, saying, "That's true. Every time I visit my uncle's house, he tells me a long lecture about how to succeed, as if one cannot understand the ways of the world without succeeding."

Eijiro also believed his father valued money too much and echoed Takenouchi Yutaka's view. Although the railway had not yet reached remote areas like Ueno, some foreign ideas brought by the Meiji Restoration had already begun to influence the Japanese people there. The Japanese people's sense of homeland was being changed by Darwinism and the value of money, and even teenagers like Takenouchi Yutaka and Ogawa Eijiro felt it.

A certain soul once experienced a more drastic shift in social values, from taking pride in labor to taking pride in money. As a result, traitors and gang leaders who were once despised are now seen as successful people in the new era. Then, a group of vested interests began to accuse the working people of being decadent, of the decline of morality, and of abandoning traditional moral values.

Meiji Japan was no different. A group of vested interests who pushed for the opening of the country and the introduction of colonialism and capitalist money concepts believed that the Japanese people were no longer as simple and honest as before. They seemed to hope that the Japanese people could be both sheep in their sheepfold and hunting dogs when Japan invaded other countries, a combination of sheep and dogs.

Of course, modern Japan still has an advantage in constructing such a national ideology because it can promote nationalism. They can cultivate the idea of ​​the superiority of the Yamato race by belittling other weaker and less civilized peoples. A certain country in later generations, in order to suppress the awakening of the proletariat, could not adopt such a direct approach, since its vested interests had grown up on the blood and flesh of the Han Chinese.

Hayashi Shin-yi didn't think he could change the atmosphere that had been cultivated over the decades since the Meiji Restoration, but he was still unwilling to go along with it, because conforming to the vested interests would only make him cannon fodder for Japanese militarism. In the later stages of World War II, Japan even conscripted liberal arts students from the Imperial Universities, but members of the Imperial Family began to retire from the military.

Therefore, cannon fodder is cannon fodder; even if you climb to a high position, you're still just elite cannon fodder. The true rulers are the "outstanding young people" who can be rapidly promoted during peacetime, and the "wounded and sick" who retire from the front lines during the most intense periods of war. Faced with this reality, the so-called "entering the pass" theory is nothing but a complete scam.

However, Japan currently lacks the internet, preventing its people from making their voices heard. Therefore, Japan's authorities can easily manipulate education and public opinion to instill lies into the minds of the Japanese people, since learning can strengthen a nation.

However, the Japanese do not truly believe in the education they receive, because the education in schools teaches them to be loyal to the emperor and love their country, to be diligent and serve the public. It seems that as long as Japan is built into a powerful country, the people will become rich and will no longer be oppressed by foreigners.

However, the reality in Japan was that the feudal lords controlled the government and squandered national wealth to support their cronies. The industrial and mining enterprises built in the early Meiji period with public donations were handed over by the feudal lords to their close confidants, the zaibatsu (financial conglomerates). These zaibatsu openly claimed they were taking over for the nation, because the state-run enterprises were on the verge of bankruptcy. However, both the government and the zaibatsu refused to disclose the losses incurred by the mines and refused to acknowledge the value of the machinery and land. Yet, after the zaibatsu took over, these mines became their goldmines.

Those who claim that Japan's national wealth and military strength are for the benefit of its people turn a blind eye to the pollution caused by the zaibatsu's copper and coal mining operations, as if the farmers living around the mining areas have lost their status as citizens. As for the zaibatsu's relentless exploitation of the working class, leaving them unable to afford medical care or housing beyond basic necessities, this has become common knowledge in the so-called business practices of the zaibatsu.

Of course, for Japanese conglomerates, a worker who works more than 14 hours a day doesn't need to buy a house or get married, because family life would only reduce the worker's working hours and efficiency. Japanese education aims to cultivate such hardworking, low-demand citizens who don't care about pay. Therefore, the four years of compulsory elementary education focus almost entirely on obedience, with almost no emphasis on intellectual development. This results in many Japanese people, even after completing four years of elementary school, still not being able to write their own katakana.

However, this compulsory education is turning Japanese people into a reserve force of industrial workers with preliminary discipline and a sense of collectivism. From this perspective, it is quite in line with Japan's current stage of rapid industrialization.

The conflict between school education and social reality led to a rapid decline in the Japanese people's trust in the government. Before the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan had already experienced several peasant and worker uprisings against the feudal clique politics and the exploitation by the zaibatsu. The First Sino-Japanese War saved Japan. The Japanese society, which was originally trending towards polarization, finally eased due to the reparations and benefits brought by the victory in the First Sino-Japanese War.

Because of the huge indemnity paid by the Qing government, Japan's vested interests were finally able to alleviate some of their exploitation of farmers and workers. The acquisition of Korea and Taiwan also provided the zaibatsu with new and cheaper labor and resources, and allowed them to relocate some landless farmers abroad, thus easing peasant discontent. For a country where agriculture was the dominant form of economy, appeasing the farmers naturally stabilized society.

When someone transmigrated, they found themselves in a Japan where the illusion of prosperity created by the victory in the wars against foreign powers seemed to give everyone hope of getting rich again. As a result, farmers began to believe in the saying that hard work leads to wealth. As for the more resourceful farmers, they went to the cities to seek opportunities. Because the Qing Dynasty's indemnity payments had enriched Japan's capital, there were indeed many opportunities in Japanese cities. Even if they couldn't get rich, they would still live better than the farmers in the countryside.

Japan's upper class began to taste the sweetness of appeasing internal discontent through external plunder, while the lower class longed for continued victories in foreign wars, so that at least the government could squeeze less from them. What unified these two ideas was nationalism.

For teenagers like Takenouchi Yutaka and Ogawa Eijiro, who were able to attend high school, they were at least not at the bottom of society, but far from the top. Therefore, they were more likely to be enlightened by the government's education system, since the middle class had the fewest choices in nationalism. For example, Tokyo University graduates like Ogawa Heikichi were originally trained as elites for the Japanese government, but because the powerful clans appointed private individuals, such elites could only become lawyers.

But the powerful clans are still taking turns in power, refusing to step down from their high positions in the government. So the middle class, who are studying hard to get ahead, see no hope for the future. What's the point of all those years of studying? Are they supposed to become cannon fodder like the farmers and workers at the bottom of society?

Under the influence of Hayashi Shin-yi, Takenouchi Yutaka and Ogawa Eijiro began to reflect on nationalism. Nationalism itself is a deception. Its design is to allow the upper class to enjoy everything while making the lower class pay the price. Then, a few people from the lower class are promoted to the upper class and regarded as sharing the fruits of victory in the national struggle. Anyone who has not seen the path to upward mobility will soon be awakened.

Chapter Six: Banquet

On August 12th, almost 14 days had passed since Ogawa Heikichi returned to his hometown. He had finished settling his affairs there and began to think of Hayashi Shin-yi's novel. That evening, Ogawa Heikichi went to his nephew's yard to ask Hayashi Shin-yi for the remaining manuscript.

Without looking up from his desk, Lin Xinyi told him that he had one more ending to finish and asked him to sit down for a while. Ogawa Heikichi picked up the completed manuscript without ceremony and began to read it. He was so engrossed in reading that he forgot the time until Lin Xinyi got up and handed him the ending. Only then did he realize what was happening and reach out to take it.

But Lin Xinyi didn't let go at this moment. He looked into Lin's eyes with enthusiasm and said, "Mr. Xiaochuan, you will definitely recommend me to the newspaper, right? You know, I really need this manuscript fee."

Ogawa Heikichi's seven or eight years as a lawyer hadn't been for nothing; he quickly realized what was going on, let go of Lin Xinyi's hand, took out a white envelope from his pocket, and placed it in front of him, saying, "From now on, you'll call me Uncle, just like Eijiro. We're all family, no need to be so formal. Don't worry, even if the newspaper can't accept your novel, as long as you get into the top high school, I'll sponsor your tuition. This is some pocket money from your uncle; take it and use it for now. After that, focus all your energy on your studies; there's no need to do odd jobs."

Seeing that Ogawa Heikichi was so understanding, Lin Xinyi naturally and respectfully placed the manuscript in front of him and thanked him, saying, "I will never forget Uncle's kindness. If you feel there is anything wrong with the manuscript, I can revise it overnight."

Ogawa Heikichi wasn't actually concerned about whether the novel would be published or not. What mattered to him was that the possibility Lin Xinyi had mentioned opened a door of opportunity for him. Lin Xinyi might not be able to turn this possibility into tangible benefits, but he wasn't without such a channel. Of course, before that, he needed to figure out just how high the probability was and whether it was worth the risk.

If this possibility were to actually materialize, then he wouldn't even need to spend his own money to support Lin Xinyi. Even if this possibility ultimately doesn't occur, if someone like Lin Xinyi can get into the top high school, he won't be an unknown figure in the future, which would greatly help Ogawa Heikichi's future path. After all, there are too few people in the Nagano region who are involved in politics, which is why he can't find comrades who can support each other.

After seeing Ogawa Heikichi off, Eijiro couldn't wait to have Hayashi Shinichi open the envelope. Two Daikokuten banknotes immediately caught their eye. Although Hayashi Shinichi had always thought the image of Daikokuten was too cartoonish, he found that the Daikokuten printed on the 10 yen Bank of Japan exchange note was quite handsome.

The large indemnity received from the First Sino-Japanese War restored the credibility of Japanese banknotes, which had almost lost their credibility. As a result, these two 10-yen banknotes could indeed be exchanged for 20 Japanese silver dollars. For a rural village like Kobe, this was equivalent to the annual income of some female laborers, after room and board were included.

Ogawa Eijiro also said in surprise, "Uncle is really generous to you. He only gives me one or two yen as pocket money. It seems he really makes money as a lawyer in Tokyo."

Lin Xinyi tapped his forehead with the envelope and said, "You really look down on lawyers. To participate in a council election, you have to pay a deposit of 2000 yuan. If you don't get a certain number of votes, the deposit will be confiscated by the national treasury. So, your uncle is someone who can come up with 2000 yuan in cash."

Ogawa Eijiro's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "Ha, 2000 yen in cash? Even the big landowner in this village might not be able to afford that. He only gave me this little bit of pocket money. That's too stingy."

Lin Xinyi tossed the envelope onto the desk, then lay down on the straw mat and looked out at the night sky, saying, "What's the big deal? After we graduate from Tokyo University, we'll build the largest newspaper in the country in Tokyo. At that time, we'll be richer than your uncle."

Ogawa Eijiro tilted his head and tried to imagine what the largest newspaper in the country would be like, but he still couldn't picture it. So he shook his head and said, "You're thinking too far ahead. I think we should focus on whether we can get into the top high school..."

After Ogawa Heikichi left, Hayashi Shin's life returned to its peaceful tranquility. To be honest, if it weren't for Ogawa Heikichi's recent return to his hometown, he would have found it difficult to associate this peaceful rural area with the Meiji era. After all, in his educational background, the Meiji era was a period of great upheaval and change. However, when he personally experienced it all, he found it to be far less significant than China in the 1980s and 1990s, which was the era that truly witnessed a great upheaval, only the waves were heading in the wrong direction.

Studying and living in such a rural middle school is almost unchanging. As the top student in the school and with special care from the teachers, Lin Xinyi had more time to study the times after his financial difficulties were resolved.

As for Ogawa Heikichi, upon returning to Tokyo, he finished reading Hayashi Shin-yi's novel of nearly 100,000 words, which he had spent two weeks writing. The novel begins with the Boxer Rebellion and ends with the end of the Russo-Japanese War, comprising 32 chapters. The novel describes events that will occur in the next four or five years, yet the author writes as if he had personally experienced them. At least Ogawa Heikichi believes that Hayashi Shin-yi's imagination as a novelist is sufficient.

Next, Ogawa Heikichi considered whether this novel could bring him any benefit, which was also his reason for bringing back the original manuscript. Although it was just a novel, he believed that many of its insights were still valuable.

Just as Ogawa Heikichi was searching for an opportunity, it finally came knocking. In early September, his classmates from the University of Tokyo invited him to a reunion, convened by law professor Ito Miyoji. Ito Miyoji, along with Inoue Takeshi and Kaneko Kentaro, participated in the drafting and formulation of the Constitution of the Empire of Japan, the Imperial Household Law, the Peerage Ordinance, and various supplementary laws to the Constitution. He was also the former principal of the Tokyo Law School, which was later incorporated into the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo.

Therefore, Ito Miyoji and the Tokyo Faculty of Law wielded immense influence, and Ogawa Heikichi certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity, especially since he was also a student of this professor. Furthermore, Ito Miyoji, Inoue Takeshi, and Kaneko Kentaro were close associates of Ito Hirobumi, truly figures at the heart of the imperial power, and indispensable support for Ogawa Heikichi, who was about to enter politics.

However, in the past, Ito Miyoji had always been focused on working for Ito Hirobumi and had no time to pay attention to his students. Even if Ogawa wanted to build a teacher-student relationship, he didn't have the opportunity. This time, however, he saw an opportunity, and he even had a stepping stone in his hands.

The gathering was held at the Shinbashi restaurant "Hama no Ie," a rather large Japanese-style hotel. Besides its famous Tokyo cuisine and sake, it is most renowned for its excellent geisha performances. Tokyo's politicians and wealthy businessmen like to gather here or entertain friends; however, most of the time it is a place for secret meetings and collusion between politicians and businessmen.

Ito Miyo Haruaki reserved a large private room with three long tables placed side by side. At the front of the room was a small stage where geisha performed to entertain the guests. Although geisha were considered a high-class profession in the Edo period, selling their skills but not their bodies, after the Meiji Restoration, with the drastic changes in society, geisha began to decline. However, "Hama no Ie" maintained the traditions of the Edo period, thus becoming a relatively high-end venue, even for someone like Ogawa Heikichi, who could not afford the prices there.

Of course, for Imperial Elite like Ito Mishiro, the "Hamano House" was just an ordinary place to entertain guests; truly important meetings were held at the Imperial Hotel. But no one would ask how these Imperial elites could afford such exorbitant prices.

Heikichi Ogawa wasn't seated at the head table, and although he knew it was quite fitting for his position, he still seemed somewhat sullen. At that moment, his classmate Nobuo Bando, sitting next to him, leaned over and whispered, "Do you know why Professor Ito called this gathering today?"

Ogawa Heikichi's attention was drawn to this, and he leaned closer to him, asking curiously, "Why?"

Nobuo Bando glanced back at the cheerful atmosphere at the main table before looking at the sake in his hand and said, "Last year, Lord Shunmo formed his third cabinet, but less than six months into his term, he was blocked by the Democratic Party, leading to the resignation of the entire cabinet. It is said that Lord Shunmo said on that day: 'Mercenaries are unreliable; we must have our own imperial guard.'"

Therefore, Professor Ito, as a close aide to Harumi, likely convened this gathering of Tokyo Faculty of Law graduates solely for one purpose: to establish a new party to counter the Democratic Party.

Ogawa Heikichi immediately understood. As the father of the Japanese Constitution, Ito Hirobumi's foundation was actually in the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo. After all, the domestic law and constitution studied at the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo were drafted by Ito and others. The formation of this new party was certainly a good thing for these graduates of the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo, as it would make their connections closer and thus gain more benefits.

Just as Ogawa Heikichi and Bando Nobuo were quietly discussing who would attend the founding meeting of the new party, the noise in the room gradually subsided. The two stopped talking and listened. It turned out that Ito Miyoji was talking about Qing Dynasty affairs, and everyone listened attentively.

"...Last year, Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao and other reformers launched the Reform Movement of 1898 on June 11 with the support of the Qing emperor. At that time, Chunmu Gong was visiting China, and the Qing reform faction wanted to invite Chunmu Gong to be their advisor. This was a great event in East Asia and a model of cooperation between Japan and China."

Unfortunately, the reform movement that had ushered in a period of civilization and enlightenment in the Qing Dynasty lasted only 103 days before being disrupted by a coup d'état launched by the Qing conservatives. Most of the key figures in the reform movement were executed, and Chunmu Gong could only rescue Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao. This single event caused the Qing Dynasty's political situation to revert to conservatism, and it was uncertain when it would ever again achieve civilization and enlightenment like Japan…

Hearing everyone lament the failure of the Qing Dynasty's reform movement and feel uncertain about the future political situation in Qing China and the situation in East Asia, Ogawa Heikichi's heart stirred, and fueled by a bit of alcohol, he suddenly spoke a few words loudly.

Chapter Seven: Ogawa's Insights

"...No, the Qing Dynasty will not simply fall into silence. In my opinion, although the Qing Dynasty's reform movement failed, the foundation of the reform—the anger of the Qing peasants—has not disappeared. The so-called victory of the conservatives over the reformers is merely a stopgap measure, preventing the Qing Dynasty's upper class from saving themselves. The burden on the Qing peasants has not been lightened, so how can they continue to endure it?"

Such banquet occasions are relatively free. Although one should listen to a specific few people speak, if someone brings up a topic that interests everyone, no one will stand up to stop them. Even Ito Miyoji, whose topic was interrupted, smiled and nodded at Ogawa's remarks. Hozumi Shigeshige, who was next to him, was also one of Ito Hirobumi's men and introduced Ogawa's background and current job to Ito.

At this moment, someone in the audience who was interested in Qing affairs casually asked Ogawa, "Does Mr. Ogawa believe that the Qing Dynasty will experience another peasant uprising like the Taiping Rebellion?"

When discussing peasant uprisings, one cannot help but think of the Taiping Rebellion, which nearly overthrew the Qing Dynasty. That uprising lasted for over a decade and occupied southern China. Even today, powerful figures in the Qing Dynasty are invariably involved in suppressing this rebellion. Therefore, the mere mention of peasant uprisings inevitably evokes memories of this fierce resistance by Qing Dynasty peasants.

Ogawa Heikichi was quite grateful to this fellow alumnus who had spoken up, as this allowed him to continue the topic. He simply got up and turned towards the main table, looking at Ito Miyoji with great enthusiasm, and said, "No, the Qing Dynasty's upper echelons will definitely direct the anger of these peasants towards the various foreign powers, thereby launching an official-led anti-foreign movement to avert their own downfall."

If Ogawa's previous statement was based on a rational judgment, then this conclusion is clearly a complete 180-degree turn, entirely based on conjecture, which naturally drew rebuttal from most people. These top students who graduated from the University of Tokyo, like Ogawa before them, obviously did not believe that the Qing government would be so crazy.

However, as Ito Hirobumi's assistant, Ito Miyoji was no longer just a lawyer; he was also a politician. Therefore, upon hearing such a illogical deduction, he did not shake his head in opposition like the others. Instead, he clapped his hands to quiet everyone down and then said to Ogawa, "Mr. Ogawa, you must have some brilliant insight to come up with such a reasoning. Would you be willing to share it with us?"

This was exactly the opportunity that Ogawa Heikichi wanted. If he couldn't get Ito Miyoji's attention, wouldn't his performance have been in vain? Ever since he got Hayashi Shin'ichi's manuscript, he had been scrutinizing it every day and collecting information about the Qing Dynasty. The more in-depth his investigation, the higher the chance that this possibility would become a reality. This was the confidence that allowed him to express such views tonight.