Chen Ke's public speech in the United States was quickly published by newspapers and reprinted by major media outlets in every country, immediately triggering a global shock. Colonial countries jumped up as if they had been stabbed in the lungs; this was the world's first clear-cut declaration in the capacity of a state to strike at global colonialism, a declaration to thoroughly end the colonialism that had prevailed in the world for over 300 years.

Britain's reaction was particularly intense. The Soviet Union and the United States could hardly be considered colonial countries. For Chen Ke to deliver such a speech in the United States itself carried a seemingly terrifying implication. What exactly was the United States' attitude? This could not help but make Britain feel panicked.

The domestic attitude in the United States towards Chen Ke's speech was also quite subtle. The "Imperial Preference System" promoted by Britain made the United States hate it to the bone; Britain could use colonialism to easily shut American goods out. From this perspective, in his speech to US Senators and Representatives, Chen Ke greatly praised the "revolutionary nature of capitalism," believing that the capitalist system ensured that "All fixed, fast-frozen relations, with their train of ancient and venerable prejudices and opinions, are swept away, all new-formed ones become antiquated before they can ossify. All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned, and man is at last compelled to face with sober senses his real conditions of life, and his relations with his kind." American congressmen felt that Chen Ke's praise of the capitalist system was quite pertinent.

Humanities were developing fast in these years. It wasn't that there were no Americans attempting to solidify everything existing. Similarly, there were plenty of American intellectuals declaring that "the only constant is constant change." Whether a theory is "universal" or not depends on the audience. The views of ordinary American people were vastly different from those of the American elite. Therefore, the American upper class increasingly did not want a military conflict with China, at least not before the end of the European war.

The British side was extremely anxious about this. If the United States refused to wage war against China, Britain would not only lose everything in the West Pacific forever but also lose its important colonies in the Indian Ocean. Seeing that India was already covered in the smoke of beacons, Britain tried every means to drag the United States into the water. Britain didn't have many cards to play, and one of them was the "religious issue."

The People's Party's attitude towards religion in China was very clear. First of all, religion must get the hell out of the political and economic spheres.

Thirty-some years ago, when the People's Party first charged into Anqing, they looted the churches in Anqing clean. In the process of the People's Party sweeping away feudal secret societies in Anhui, foreign religions bore the brunt. Local believers were treated slightly better; being tied up and paraded through the streets was the norm, and not a few were dragged out and shot. As for the foreign devil missionaries, as long as there was any behavior of harassing the common people, they would be arrested and sentenced. Inside the People's Party, the hatred for foreign religion had a very strong foundation; with so many old comrades from the Boxer Rebellion background, no matter what their views on the revolution were, their views on foreign religion were completely consistent.

Various illegal acts by foreign missionaries were exposed. After propaganda and public trials, those who should be shot were shot, and those who should be expelled were expelled. Then came the public announcement in the civil service examination system: anyone who believed in religion was strictly forbidden from taking the civil service exam. The recruitment regulations of state-owned enterprises also explicitly stated that those who believed in Catholicism or Christianity would not be recruited. The People's Party might oppose "The King of Chu loved slender waists, so many in the palace starved to death" in other matters, but when it came to treating religious believers, they basically ignored this. The lives of foreign religious believers in China became increasingly embarrassed. Anyone who was a publicly recognized Protestant had basically no room for development other than basic survival.

Of course, the People's Party did not adopt the foolish tactic of portraying religion as an omnipotent devil. The doctrines of various religions were introduced very completely and very rationally. The development and origin of religion were explained clearly from the perspective of historical materialism. Regarding the characteristics and circumstances of when the doctrines were formulated, especially regarding their rationality and purpose at that time, very rational narrations were conducted. In order to explain religion clearly and plainly, quite a few movies about religious themes were filmed. These did not discuss mysticism but discussed the actual situation of religion.

Chinese culture is actually very materialist. Deep-rooted ancestor worship is because without ancestors there would be no present; it is an extremely materialized reason. In reality, the mysteriousness of religion was stripped clean, and religious doctrines were also explained very clearly. As for believing in religion, it would clearly affect one's future. Thus, religion became a source of entertainment among young people, a kind of content related to etiquette and tradition.

Burning incense and worshipping Buddha still happened; the majority were just joining in the fun, and those who truly believed were basically old men and old ladies. As for foreign religions, they had basically gone extinct in China.

In the United States in the 30s, religion also flourished for a bit due to the Great Depression. But the US Republican Party at that time was a different matter from the Republican Party of the 21st century. The Republican Party believed in science and had a big struggle with the Democratic Party to promote evolution. On the contrary, the Democratic Party was full of various Protestant weirdos. Britain tried its best to rope in those in the Democratic Party who had close ties with religion, attempting to strike at China from the religious angle. Soon, articles accusing China of treating religion cruelly appeared one after another.

At this time, *Time* magazine interviewed Chen Ke. Both sides naturally talked about the issue of colonialism and also the issue of religion.

Originating as a normal Chinese youth from the 21st century, Chen Ke was very clear about the various shady curtains of religion. He spoke about the attitude of materialists towards religion: "Materialists believe that if the gods in religion can be proven to exist, then we will admit the existence of gods. Religion is a cultural phenomenon, and historical materialists treat religion as a cultural phenomenon. The US Constitution does not establish a state religion; this is the correct understanding of religion by America's predecessors. And those who propagate religion, their purpose is not to discuss religion, but to use religion to seek their own interests. They are predators, not givers. The British believe in Protestantism, and they use religion to oppress the Catholic Irish in Ireland. Some accuse us materialists of oppressing religion; this is the most comical part. Whether it is Jehovah or Jesus, let them appear before us, show off their divine power to call the wind and summon the rain, display their magical ability to part the Red Sea, show their capability with the five loaves and two fish. Rest assured, we would absolutely admit their actual existence. Thinking of using that idealist stuff to make us materialists give up our materialist attitude, that is too comical."

After all, science had developed for so many years. The *Time* magazine reporter interviewing Chen Ke was a Republican; he did not believe that the Earth only had a history of 7000 years as the Bible said. So Chen Ke's judgment defining religion as a cultural field quite suited this person's taste. The incisiveness and exquisite viciousness with which Chen Ke exposed the shady curtains of religion also gave this person a sense of joy peculiar to intellectuals. Soon, *Time* magazine sent this interview out.

After it was sent out, a one-sided criticism of China did not appear within the United States because of Chen Ke's statement. On the contrary, those who supported Chen Ke's attitude of viewing religion as a cultural tradition and the extreme religious figures each expressed their views, and then both sides had a huge war of words centering on the long-standing debate between science and religion in the United States.

Chen Ke naturally did not have time to see this huge war of words. After his visit ended, he took a special plane back to Asia. On the return journey, Chen Ke visited Japan.

"China's leader Chen Ke visits Japan!" This news caused a huge sensation in Japan. Japan is a nation that extremely worships the strong. The war with China proved that China was vastly stronger than Japan. In Japan's previous strategy of "Leaving Asia and Entering Europe," they extremely worshipped Europe. Right now, China had beaten Europe to a pulp. Without even needing to look at the war specifically, just the latest map of China updated in Japan—from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle, from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean, the new China map stretching ten thousand *li* east, west, north, and south—already made the Japanese understand what a powerful country the current China was.

Domestically, Japan had already begun to reflect on its future strategy. "Leaving Asia and Entering Europe" was no longer mentioned by anyone. Moreover, Japan had earned massive profits in its labor export to China. For any Japanese working in Chinese enterprises, their income would be transferred via banks to their accounts in Japan. This was a condition the Chinese side forced Japan to accept. How the Japanese government collected taxes from the Japanese people was the Japanese people's business. But Japan could not dump this shit-basin onto China's head.

With one's own relatives working ten thousand *li* away, the money could still return to the accounts at home on time. Even if the government taxed fiercely, and forcibly exchanged Renminbi for Japanese Yen when Japanese people withdrew money to guarantee Japan's foreign exchange needs, the Japanese people certainly would not be hostile to the People's Party. Although the majority of Japanese people had not thought clearly that the People's Party was actually supporting the Japanese side in forcibly exchanging Japanese Yen domestically. At least being able to get more money than they could earn from domestic labor, the Japanese commoners were very supportive of various trades with China. The Japanese returning from overseas construction sites proclaimed their daily food standards even more—meat was enough to fill you up, rice and steamed buns could be eaten freely. This made even more Japanese want to go work over in China.

Being able to get a share of the pie from China's expansion, even if just drinking the soup, greatly expanded Japan's overseas markets. The Japanese upper class was convinced that they had followed the right boss this time. And the young new civil servant class of Japan who went to China to participate in training understood China's strength even more and believed in the wise decision of Prime Minister Kita Ikki. So top to bottom, Japan prepared to seriously welcome Chen Ke's visit, striving to leave a beautiful impression on this leader of the West Pacific.

Of course, there were Japanese and Chinese people who held completely different standpoints. If Chen Ke were assassinated, even if the assassination was not successful, what responsibility would Kita Ikki bear? What predicament would the currently infinitely glorious Japanese "Showa Restoration Faction" encounter? For those desperate ones, being able to achieve these things would already satisfy them greatly.

And some Chinese living in Japan were those who had failed in the struggle with the People's Party, even falling to the state of having a home they could not return to. Under the fierce and cruel iron-fisted rule of the People's Party, there was no mercy for some people.

Of course, behind this, there was also the support of the British. If Chen Ke died, China would lose a large part of its strength. In this regard, the desperate British very much believed this. Or rather, they hoped this was China's reality. In the past, Chen Ke had powerful military strength and political strength protecting him. When visiting the United States, the American side did not want to risk Chen Ke being killed in the United States. Roosevelt was such a smart person; if Chen Ke were killed in the United States, the United States would suffer heavy losses morally.

No matter who did this thing, that person and the forces behind them would be the mortal enemy of the United States, and the Americans would absolutely not let off their mortal enemy.

So the planning of the assassination was placed in Japan. Chang Kaishen, who had once successfully assassinated Tao Chengzhang, accepted this task.