This disabled Chinese soldier was a village party branch secretary. He had been a fugitive and vagrant since childhood, joined the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army at the age of 14, fought in dozens of battles large and small, and joined the People's Party of China (PCP). During the Siege of Qingdao against Japan, Secretary Zhu, who was already a company commander, was hit by shrapnel from a Japanese shell, losing all four limbs and his left eye.

Naturally, the army could not ignore a combat hero. After being discharged from the military hospital, he was arranged to stay at the Qingdao Veterans' Sanitarium. However, Secretary Zhu did not want to spend the rest of his life there, so he chose to return to his hometown. At that time, his village was extremely poor, and no one was willing to serve as the branch secretary there, so Secretary Zhu volunteered for the position.

Based on the knowledge he learned in the army, Secretary Zhu dug canals, leveled land, and built roads according to the village's situation, and vigorously developed fruit tree cultivation and sericulture. In just a few years, the villagers who had fled famine were willing to come back to farm. Moreover, Secretary Zhu had a stubborn streak; he didn't wait for the national construction team to arrive, but relied on the village's production to finally raise enough money to complete the installation of electric lines first, bringing electricity to the village.

These simple accounts astonished the Japanese visiting group beyond measure. They simply could not imagine that such a person, relying on such a broken body, could achieve such feats.

But facts proved that Secretary Zhu was not bragging. Leading the Japanese visiting group around the village's fruit trees, mulberry trees, farmland, and canals, Secretary Zhu was able to clearly explain various data and the reasoning behind the construction. He could even recount the aspects not considered during construction, the deficiencies during construction, and the plans for future maintenance and development.

The Japanese high officials were also knowledgeable. Hearing these accounts, they knew that this village secretary must have participated in the entire process of surveying, discussion, and design, and must have been the commander-in-chief of these projects.

Moreover, the Japanese high officials also noticed that Secretary Zhu had quite a few new scars on his body. When asked, Secretary Zhu said indifferently, "I slipped not long ago and bumped myself."

Former Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu had once had three ribs broken in war. At that time, he had a stubbornness of "not leaving the line of fire for minor injuries" and demanded that the medical officer treat other wounded first, counting as a strong-willed person. He couldn't help but ask, "Are you not afraid of pain?"

Secretary Zhu said lightly, "Pain tells me that I am still alive. It's good to be alive; being alive means I can work."

Japan calls itself a nation of warriors, and after the Meiji Restoration, it placed extra emphasis on Bushido. Hearing such resolute words, all the former Japanese high officials changed their expressions. Listening to Secretary Zhu's introduction, they knew that this person with a broken body was part of China's young and strong generation from the era when the People's Party began its fierce war with Japan. At that time, Japan still felt that no matter what changes occurred in China, it was just a change. Japan still had the overall upper hand. Now they had a feeling of sudden realization as to why, starting from that time, every war between Japan and China had been a failure. In that period, at least the People's Party had already gathered warriors like this ordinary village secretary. At that time, Japan was facing a group of warriors like this in China.

After the visit, even the most unconvinced former Japanese high officials fell silent. Especially Hirohito, who didn't speak for several days. This severely disabled man, who had to rely on prosthetic legs and crutches to walk, had a completely ordinary status and position. His achievements could absolutely not be called earth-shattering, but just the fact that he could stand there on his own possessed something that shook the soul.

Recalling what this person said, there were no particularly heroic words. There was neither the heroism of "serving the country for seven lives" nor the tragic solemnity of "meeting at Yasukuni Shrine." He was just living well.

According to the People's Party, most of the secretaries in every village in China were now assumed by retired soldiers. And most of these soldiers had started as privates and gradually became officers. Recalling Kita Ikki's special kindness to retired soldiers, Hirohito probably understood some of the reasoning.

And there was a passage from this Secretary Zhu that made Hirohito feel particularly shaken, and even feel an unspeakable disgust: "The suffering of the masses is my suffering; the difficulties of the masses are also my difficulties. If the masses have problems and I don't solve them, don't sympathize, don't pay attention, this is actually also a shame of my own, my own ugliness, my own shame!"

Such a man who came from a begging background, a man who didn't know a single character before joining the army at fourteen, a person who in Japan would belong to the type abandoned by society. He actually had a feeling of caring for the world, actually believed he had an obligation to this society. He seemed not to feel at all that his status was so humble, belonging to the type looked down upon by others. His sense of honor and disgrace was linked to his contribution to society, making this originally lowly person actually look great.

If in Japan, this was something impossible to imagine and impossible to happen. That person could not possibly join the army in his life, nor could he obtain any decent job recognized by people. After losing his limbs and left eye, this person would be destined to die without a burial place.

What changed this person's fate? All of Hirohito's thoughts pointed to one answer. That was the New China created by the People's Party. In the society of this New China, all people received respect as human beings themselves. Even a disabled person could gain status and respect through labor.

"The suffering of the masses is my suffering; the difficulties of the masses are also my difficulties. If the masses have problems and I don't solve them, don't sympathize, don't pay attention, this is actually also a shame of my own, my own ugliness, my own shame!" Recalling this sentence, Hirohito felt increasingly disgusted. Such a person would not be liked by the upper class in Japan; the very existence of such a person was a mockery of the Japanese upper class, a mockery of Hirohito himself.

The Japanese upper class had never taken the Japanese people seriously, let alone the suffering of the Japanese people. As for the Japanese bureaucratic class with equivalent status to this Secretary Zhu, it was even less expected that any of them would consider problems like this Chinese man.

exactly what kind of society, what kind of power, could allow such a man to exist in China? Hirohito increasingly couldn't figure it out. He no longer had any thoughts of military strikes against China; Hirohito knew that the China he faced was fundamentally invincible. With such a backbone, China would never again lower its head to external forces.

What Hirohito worried about now was, if Japan also became a country like China, then how should Hirohito, this living god of Japan, continue to exist as the Emperor? The courage that once dared to assassinate Kita Ikki had vanished completely from Hirohito, and Hirohito finally fell into true panic. When he finally received an audience with Chen Ke in Beijing, Hirohito was uneasy in his heart.

Chen Ke received Hirohito at the Summer Palace. Although in the original timeline, Chen Ke had once imagined taking the Summer Palace for himself, then planting some crops inside, raising turtles in Kunming Lake, and fishing a few out to cook when friends came to visit. When Chen Ke really had the ability to do so, he did not put this idea into practice. Chen Ke just felt that he was really cute back then.

Not only was Hirohito dejected, but after witnessing China's true backbone, the entire delegation composed of former Japanese high officials was depressed. But seeing Chen Ke appear, all the former Japanese high officials felt a sense of mental shock.

This was not only because Chen Ke looked very young; he should be sixty years old, but apart from having quite a few white hairs, his appearance looked no different from a forty-year-old. Nor was it that they were actually still looking forward to seeing this Chinese leader with their own eyes; these people had, after all, been Japanese of status, and for Japanese people, looking at another big shot more powerful than themselves with eyes full of curiosity was sometimes a capital offense.

The reason these people felt shaken was that there was no rigidity, no hesitation, and no posturing. When Chen Ke appeared before the old Japanese upper class, it was not through any action to prove Chen Ke's identity; Chen Ke not only appeared but existed.

Hirohito was the Emperor after all; he sensed the difference between Chen Ke and the old Japanese upper class. Japanese people would habitually look for their own position, and even the vast majority of people were like this. However, Chen Ke didn't look for it at all; clearly, Chen Ke had already found himself, found his own position. So he had no confusion, and even less uneasiness.

When greeting everyone, Chen Ke was very concise in etiquette but without any omissions. On the contrary, those Japanese high officials became submissive one by one.

After the others met and greeted Chen Ke, they were accompanied by other People's Party staff to visit the Summer Palace. Only Hirohito and Chen Ke were left talking together. Facing Chen Ke, who was 21 years older than him, Hirohito suddenly didn't know what to say.

The two sat under the famous corridor of the Summer Palace. Staff poured tea for both, and the translator was also in place. Chen Ke just quietly waited for Hirohito to speak, while Hirohito felt the invisible pressure around him becoming heavier and heavier. As if to shake off this heaviness, Hirohito opened his mouth and said, "Chairman Chen, I wonder what your views are on the future of China and Japan?"

"Are you referring to China's future? Or Japan's future? Or your future in Japan?" Chen Ke didn't want to bullshit with Hirohito, so he asked directly about the root cause.

Hirohito was slightly stunned. In front of the free and easy Chen Ke, Hirohito felt that the reserve and politeness he had upheld before seemed very boring. And since this matter concerned his own future after all, Hirohito replied, "I want to know how you view my personal future."

"Comrade Kita Ikki has probably not considered abolishing the Japanese Emperor system now, nor has he thought about taking any action against you personally. This used to be the Qing dynasty's royal garden. Before the Qing dynasty perished, there was a debate about whether to save the Great Qing or save China. I think they at least saw one thing clearly, which was that the political system adhered to by the Qing dynasty at that time could no longer represent China's interests. And in the end, the Qing dynasty chose to uphold the Qing dynasty's interests. So it perished," Chen Ke said slowly.

The more Hirohito listened, the heavier his heart became. No matter how he looked at Chen Ke's words, it felt a bit like writing an epitaph for Hirohito.

"The Japanese Emperor system has a long history. Although as a revolutionary, I cannot possibly approve of an Emperor system maintained by bloodline. But I personally believe that if the Emperor system does not come into direct conflict with the people's interests, it can still continue to exist for a certain period." Chen Ke's words gave birth to some hope in Hirohito's heart again. In any case, he didn't want to be a ruler who lost his country. If the Emperor system was cut off in his hands, Hirohito would rather commit suicide than accept this result.

"I first suggest that you do not think that the Emperor system can represent the interests of all classes in Japan, the Emperor system cannot even represent the interests of all Japanese people. So given the current social status quo, for your personal interests, I suggest you stand on the side of the Japanese ruling class, stand on the side of the people who make up the majority."

Chen Ke had neither the idea of overthrowing the Emperor system nor the thought of maintaining it. He pointed out a path for Hirohito, firstly not wanting to interfere too much in Japan's internal affairs, and secondly not wanting to intensify Japan's domestic contradictions in the short term. If Hirohito was really driven to desperation, it wouldn't be a good thing for any party.

Hirohito had no way to understand Chen Ke's true thoughts. He was concerned about the survival of the Japanese Emperor system. Since Chen Ke meant that he could accept the continued existence of the Japanese Emperor system, even if he didn't quite believe it in his heart, Hirohito still felt much more at ease. So Hirohito hesitantly tried to ask how to ensure that various Japanese forces could be "loyal to the Emperor."

Chen Ke also found it hard to determine exactly what emotion he felt. If the Emperor didn't have the thought of being loyal to Japan's interests in the first place, he really didn't know how to ask the Japanese people to be loyal to the Emperor. Hirohito's words were "quite skillful"; he asked Chen Ke how exactly the People's Party was loyal to Chen Ke. Even if he didn't want to provoke Hirohito, on such a fundamental issue of right and wrong, Chen Ke could only tell the truth.

"I have never asked anyone to be loyal to me personally. For our People's Party, all party members, including myself, are only loyal to the People's Party, loyal to the People's Party's revolutionary cause. First of all, I personally must be loyal to the People's Party, obey the Party's discipline, and abide by the Party's constitution. If you think I have any power, that is also the power finally endowed to me by the People's Party members through the election of the Party Committee. These powers do not belong to me personally."

Hearing Chen Ke "sing such a high tune," Hirohito felt a burst of unhappiness in his heart. He found that these words were actually no different from what the Secretary Zhu in the village had said. The republicans seemed not to care about their own ups and downs; in fact, in Japan's constitutional politics, cabinet members could take turns on stage, and even if they stepped down temporarily, they would still have a chance to come to power later. However, after the Emperor stepped down, it was a permanent curtain call. There was really no common ground between the two sides.

Seeing Hirohito's uneasiness and dissatisfaction, Chen Ke smiled, "Your Excellency Hirohito, the main contradiction in Japan now is not retaining or abolishing the Emperor system, but that the Japanese people want to break free from the feudal system and seek a better life. Whoever can truly lead them to obtain this liberation, they will support. They actually don't care at all whether it is an Emperor system or a republican system..."

If the standpoints were different, many issues were hard to talk through. After talking for a good while, seeing that Hirohito was really a stone in a latrine pit, Chen Ke could only give up the effort to make Hirohito evolve into a truly promising ruler. Instead, he threw out more substantial content. "If Your Excellency Hirohito can guarantee support for Japan's socialist revolution, then our side can guarantee that the Emperor continues to exist as a symbol of the Japanese state."

Finally hearing such a concrete promise, the big stone in Hirohito's heart finally landed. There was even a hint of a relieved smile on his face.

It had to be said, Chen Ke himself was very disappointed. What originally belonged to Hirohito, Hirohito was afraid of losing. And the political power that was very likely to be obtained, Hirohito gave up just like that. He didn't know whether to say he picked up a sesame seed and lost a watermelon. But on second thought, Chen Ke himself did not have the idea of maintaining bloodline inheritance, so Chen Ke really wasn't qualified to make such judgments and criticisms. So Chen Ke felt relieved.

Let the future Japanese people decide all future matters.