Beiyang Dream

Chapter 15 Tojo, how about we have a match?

September 7, 1889, Monday, 8:9 AM.

There was a full hour left before the start of the autumn entrance exams for the Prussian War Academy.

Berlin, Unter den Linden, at the entrance of the main building of the Prussian War Academy.

Chang Desheng jumped down from the four-wheeled carriage of the legation, stretched his arms, and stepped onto the stone pavement. The weather was nice, clear and crisp in autumn, though a bit chilly in the wind. He looked up at the building in front of him—four stories high, neoclassical, made of gray stone, with a wide facade and two pillars standing at the entrance, looking quite imposing.

"This is the cradle of the General Staff," he muttered to himself. "Old Moltke, Schlieffen, Hindenburg all worked here... now it's my turn."

A thought flashed through his mind: When I graduate from here and go back, if my resume says "Graduated from the Prussian War Academy," wouldn't that be like I've been gilded? Getting a position as a deputy director in the North Korean garrison's administrative office shouldn't be a problem, right? —No, deputy director is too low a position; I need at least a general director!

He was feeling quite pleased with himself when Duan Qirui stepped down from the carriage. His feet had barely touched the ground when he swayed and nearly lost his balance.

Guo Shigui quickly helped him up from the side: "Zhiquan, are you alright?"

Duan Qirui waved his hand without saying a word. His face was as white as paper, with dark circles under his eyes, making him look like he had been pulling all-nighters for a month.

Chang Desheng glanced at him, his inner thoughts racing again: Duan Zhiquan is indeed clever and hardworking. But his mental fortitude is lacking—he panics in the face of big events, no wonder he couldn't defeat Cao Cao and Wu Xiucai in history.

However, he met me in this life, and his Beiyang Anhui clique probably wouldn't have been able to rise to prominence.

"It's over, it's over..." Duan Qirui stood there, his lips trembling, muttering in a voice only he could hear, "That guy surnamed Chang has really screwed me over... I can't even understand the Germans' math and physics, and now they have to test me in English... I've only memorized seven or eight hundred German words, and I can't even speak fluently... I'm going to be so embarrassed..."

A series of images flashed through his mind like a movie: Hong Jun was furious, his classmates at the Tianjin Military Academy were laughing at him, and Li Zhongtang's cold face...

Chang Desheng had no time to concern himself with Duan Qirui's little schemes. He was strolling leisurely outside the main building of the War Academy, his hands behind his back. He walked from left to right, looking up at the architectural details, his professional instincts kicking in again.

"This building... is a three-story brick and stone structure, with a ceiling height of about four and a half meters. The windows are quite large, so the lighting should be good. The columns in the porch are Ionic, but the capitals are simplified—tsk, to emphasize the cold, hard feel of military architecture? Interesting."

Just as I was pondering this, I heard the sound of a carriage wheel rolling over stone slabs behind me.

Two black four-wheeled carriages, one in front of the other, came to a steady stop on the other side of the academy's main gate.

The car door opened.

The first to disembark was Hideaki Tojo. He wore a navy blue stand-up collar military uniform, his leather boots were polished to a shine, and he stood ramrod straight. Next came Shogo Iguchi, Keizo Yamaguchi, and Shigeta Fujii—the three of them dressed exactly the same. After getting off the vehicle, they automatically lined up in a row, looking like they were participating in a military parade.

Chang Desheng narrowed his eyes. He thought to himself: These Japanese soldiers are well-trained. They're much better than those old-fashioned soldiers of the Huai Army. They're almost as good as my military training when I was in college.

At this point, the fifth person got off the bus.

He was a skinny man in his forties, with a face that looked as if it had been carved with a knife, barely any flesh on it. He had a neatly trimmed mustache above his lips and wore the epaulettes of a colonel on his shoulder.

This guy is Yasumasa Fukushima, the military attaché at the Japanese Embassy in Germany.

Chang Desheng had already inquired around and found out that the current Japanese military attaché in Germany was named Fukushima Yasumasa, a colonel (Japan only had one colonel in Germany) – this guy later became quite famous, having once ridden alone across Siberia, conducting intelligence gathering along the way... He was a formidable character!

"Sigh," Chang Desheng sighed. "Speaking of which, there have been quite a few ruthless Japanese devils in recent years!"

Fukushima didn't look in Chang Desheng's direction. He had his back to them, facing Tojo and the other three, and began his address in Japanese:

"Gentlemen, this place is the temple of Prussian military wisdom."

"Today, you represent not only yourselves, but also the honor of the Imperial Army."

"We must do everything in our power to show the Germans that the East also has soldiers who can rival those in the West."

The four members of the Tojo group puffed out their chests in unison: "Hi!"

The sound was crisp and clear, carrying far across the street under the Bodhi tree in the early morning.

Chang Desheng curled his lip, thinking to himself: Keep pretending, we'll see the real test later in the exam!

At that moment, Fukushima finished his speech. He turned around, his gaze casually sweeping across the academy entrance—and then fixed on it.

He saw Chang Desheng and Duan Qirui.

A look of surprise appeared on Fukushima's chiseled face. He stared at Chang Desheng's Beiyang Huai Army uniform for two seconds, then glanced at the somewhat dejected Duan Qirui.

"Qing Dynasty people?" Fukushima asked in a low voice, a hint of disbelief in his tone. "They're here to apply to the War Academy too?"

Hideaki Tojo stepped forward half a step, leaned close to Fukushima's ear, and whispered in Japanese, "Colonel, that tall man is Chang Desheng, the chief of the Beiyang Army."

Fukushima narrowed his eyes. He stared at Chang Desheng, scrutinizing him from head to toe with an X-ray-like gaze, as if he wanted to scan him from head to toe.

Those who work in intelligence are most annoyed by "accidents." And these two Qing Dynasty candidates in front of us are the biggest accident of all.

All the intelligence he had received indicated that only five Qing Dynasty military students were going to Germany this time, all of them to the Berlin Military Academy. He hadn't heard of anyone trying to get into the Prussian War Academy... Could the Beiyang Army's intensive military training program really produce students capable of getting into the Prussian War Academy?

Fukushima's mind raced, but his face remained impassive. He gave Tojo a wink: "Go ask."

"Hi," Tojo replied, and walked towards Chang Desheng.

On Chang Desheng's side, Guo Shigui panicked first.

The dark-skinned, stout fifth-rank civil official, seeing the Japanese approaching and noticing Chang Desheng's eagerness to try, quickly tugged at his sleeve, his Tianjin accent escaping: "Zhenbang, Zhenbang! Don't cause trouble! Let's take our exam, ignore them!"

Chang Desheng laughed: "Lord Guo, are you afraid? That Japanese guy is small, he can't beat me."

Guo Shigui's face darkened even more: "What's this talk of fighting! This is Berlin, right in front of the Prussian War Academy! If a war breaks out, we'll all be packing our bags and getting out of here!"

"Don't worry, there won't be a fight." Chang Desheng patted him on the shoulder, then straightened his Huai Army uniform and walked towards Tojo.

The two stopped at the same time, about three steps apart.

Eyes facing each other.

Hideaki Tojo spoke first, in German with a Prussian accent: "Mr. Chang, it's nice to see you again."

Chang Desheng replied in German, with perfect Hanoverian pronunciation: "Mr. Tojo, it seems that today, you and I will have to have a contest."

"The examination hall is like a battlefield." Tojo nodded. "Today, let's have a contest and see who comes out on top."

"Exactly!" Chang Desheng's smile widened. "The examination hall is like a battlefield!"

Both men spoke with smiles on their faces. But beneath those smiles, anyone could smell the tension.

Dong Biao glanced behind Chang Desheng and saw Duan Qirui's dejected appearance—not worth mentioning. He turned back to Chang Desheng: "It seems your country only has two candidates? Our country has four taking the exam this time."

That's a polite way of putting it, but the meaning is quite clear—you're short of talent!

Chang Desheng, however, seemed oblivious, grinning and waving a finger in the air: "But there can only be one first place!"

Tojo's smile froze for a moment.

Chang Desheng added insult to injury, his tone utterly matter-of-fact: "Major Tojo, you can only come in second this time!"

Tojo stared at him for two seconds before slowly saying, "Mr. Chang seems very confident."

"Yes! We're determined to win!" Chang Desheng said without any hesitation. "The kind of person I am is either not taking the exam at all, or if I'm taking it, I'm going to be number one."

Tojo took a deep breath. He could feel Colonel Fukushima's gaze behind him, and he could also feel Iguchi, Yamaguchi, and Fujii looking in his direction. He couldn't back down.

"Military affairs are a science; they require a down-to-earth approach," Tojo said slowly. "You can't rely on a little cleverness."

That's practically a direct accusation: "Don't think you can get away with this just because you have a bit of language talent."

Chang Desheng wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, he nodded in deep agreement: "Indeed, in mathematics and engineering, there's no such thing as cleverness or genius; there's only right or wrong!"

He paused, looked at Tojo, and smiled with a hint of provocation: "Major Tojo, how about we have a contest? A contest of math, physics, fortification, tactics—let's see who gets more right and fewer wrong?"

Tojo stared at him, but didn't reply immediately.

Chang Desheng didn't urge him, just smiled and looked at him. He thought to himself: "Little brat, are you going to accept or not? If you don't, you're a coward." He accepted… "Heh heh, I have the complete set of past exam questions and answers from the *War Academy Problem Set*, plus my master's degree in architectural engineering from a 211 university in my previous life. Are you afraid of me?"

There was a silence of about three seconds.

Tojo spoke, his voice turning somber: "Then let's settle this in the exam hall."

"Alright!" Chang Desheng clapped his hands. "Let's settle this once and for all!"

After saying that, he bowed slightly to Tojo and turned to walk back. After taking a couple of steps, he turned back and added, "Oh, by the way, Major Tojo, I'll treat you to dinner after the exam—to cheer you up."

Tojo's face turned pale.

Chang Desheng, however, acted as if nothing had happened, strolling back to Guo Shigui's side. Guo Shigui's face turned pale, and he grabbed Chang Desheng, whispering, "Zhenbang! Are you crazy! Why are you arguing with the Japanese!"

"There was no competition," Chang Desheng said innocently. "We just had a friendly exchange and encouraged each other."

"You call this encouragement?" Guo Shigui was almost in tears. "You're just adding fuel to the fire!"

"Hey, you don't understand," Chang Desheng waved his hand. "Exams need some pressure. Where does the motivation come from without pressure?"

……

Eight forty.

Chang Desheng, Duan Qirui, Tojo Hideaki, Iguchi Shogo, Yamaguchi Keizo, Fujii Shigeta, and four Turkish men with large beards—a total of ten candidates—were led into the main building of the War Academy by a German civil servant.

The first-floor corridor was wide and high, with black and white marble tiles on the floor, polished so smooth they reflected one's image. A row of portraits hung on the walls—Frederick the Great, Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Moltke the Elder… each dressed in military uniform, with serious expressions and eyes that seemed to see right through people.

As Chang Desheng walked, he looked up and thought to himself: If this were in later generations, it would be a "wall of honor." Maybe I could hang it up after I graduate from here—but that would have to be after the Republic of China era. Hanging a portrait of a Qing Dynasty officer would be too embarrassing.

The officer leading the way stopped in front of a heavy oak door, pushed it open, and said, "Please come in, the examination room is here."

Ten people filed in.

The examination room was spacious and bright, with a whole south-facing wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that let in warm sunlight. Twenty tables were arranged in the room, spaced 1.5 meters apart, each with ink, pens, and draft paper. A huge map of Europe hung on the wall directly in front, stretching from Gibraltar to the Ural Mountains, from Norway to Sicily. The map was densely marked with red, blue, and black pins, marking major battles of the past fifty years—the Crimean War, the Franco-Prussian War, the Austro-Prussian War…

Chang Desheng stood in front of the map, seemingly looking at it casually, but in his mind he was quickly reviewing the battle examples in the "War Academy Exercise Book".

"The Battle of Sedan, commanded by Moltke, was won by Prussia... Blue nails are driven in here, representing Prussian victory. The Crimean War, won by Britain and France... Red nails. The Austro-Prussian War, the Battle of Knigretz... Blue nails."

His gaze swept across the map, his mind simultaneously recalling the corresponding tactical scenarios and standard answers from the exercise book. He had practiced this process for over twenty days and was already somewhat familiar with it.

On the other side, the four Japanese men entered the room and, without looking at the map, immediately found tables and chairs to sit down. Shogo Iguchi took out his drawing tools—compass, set square, and ruler—from his bag and arranged them neatly on the table. Keizo Yamaguchi took out a pocket watch, glanced at the time, and carefully put it back in his pocket. Shigeta Fujii took out a fountain pen, unscrewed the cap, and tested the ink. Hideki Tojo remained seated, his back ramrod straight, his gaze fixed straight ahead, but his peripheral vision kept glancing at Chang Desheng.

Duan Qirui found a table in the corner and sat down. He didn't look at the map or set out his stationery; he just kept his head down, his gaze fixed on the table. But Chang Desheng could feel Duan Qirui's gaze drifting over from time to time, landing on his back—his eyes were very complex, containing anxiety, resentment, and a bit of...resentment.

Chang Desheng sighed inwardly. "Duan Zhiquan, Duan Zhiquan, if you continue with this mentality, you'll only ever be a 'Tiger of Beiyang,' never a 'True Dragon.' A dragon must be able to soar through the clouds, while a tiger… well, it's just a mountain king."

Just as he was thinking this, the exam room door opened again.

A German officer walked in.

He was in his early forties, not very tall, but broad-shouldered and thick-backed, looking quite sturdy. His face was expressionless, and he was wearing the uniform of a Prussian army major, holding a thick stack of exam papers in his hands.

"Gentlemen," he placed the exam papers on the podium, "I am Major Goldz, an instructor at the War College. I will be proctoring the exam today."

The room was so quiet you could hear someone breathing.

Major Goldz picked up the top exam paper and held it up: "Today's exam consists of five sessions. Three in the morning: mathematics, physics, and English. Two in the afternoon: a professional subject—choose one from artillery, infantry, cavalry, and fortification; and tactical scenario planning."

He paused, his gaze lingering on Chang Desheng and Tojo Hideki for a moment longer.

"All the tactical scenario questions for this exam were personally drafted by Army Chief of Staff General Waldersee."

Upon hearing this, the people in the room simultaneously gasped.

Chang Desheng's heart sank. He knew Waldersee well—not that he knew the person well, but he knew the name well. When the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing, this guy was the commander-in-chief. Later, he was even rumored to have had an affair with Sai Jinhua… Damn it, the questions this guy sets are bound to be very tricky.

Major Golds continued, "Furthermore, His Excellency the Dean has ordered that the top student in this exam will be granted permission to intern in the General Staff's Map Room during his studies."

"boom......"

These words were like a bomb, exploding in the examination room.

The General Staff Map Room! That's the decision-making core of the Prussian-German army! It houses the most detailed military maps in all of Europe, as well as war game simulations from past battles and staff work manuscripts! Being able to go in and see it is like being gilded and studded with diamonds!

Hideki Tojo suddenly raised his head and subconsciously looked at Chang Desheng.

Chang Desheng was also looking over.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

Tojo noticed that Chang Desheng's lazy smile had vanished, replaced by a calm that seemed to indicate he had everything under control. It was as if the position of "Trainee in the General Staff Map Room" had already been written in his ledger, and he was simply there to retrieve it.

The fire in Tojo's heart flared up, and he stared at Chang Desheng, letting out a soft snort.

The sound wasn't loud, but it could be heard clearly in the quiet examination room.

Chang Desheng heard it. He smiled at Tojo without saying a word, but the meaning in his smile was clear—first place, mine. Map room, mine. You, step aside.

Major Golds seemed not to hear the snort. He glanced at his pocket watch, then began distributing the math exam papers.

"First session, mathematics. Time: one and a half hours. Let's begin."

The exam papers were handed out one by one and passed to everyone.

Chang Desheng took the exam paper and spread it on the table. He first glanced at the questions—ten major questions covering algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and introductory calculus.

He picked up his pen, unscrewed the cap, and casually scribbled a couple of lines on the draft paper to test the ink. Then, on the first line of the exam paper, he neatly wrote:

Name: Chang Desheng

Nationality: Qing Dynasty

Major applied for: Urban Construction

After finishing writing, he looked up, glanced at Major Golds on the podium, and then at Hideaki Tojo diagonally in front of him.

Tojo has already lowered his head and started answering the questions; it seems he does have some knowledge!

Chang Desheng withdrew his gaze and looked at the first question...