Twentieth Century Chronicle

Page 20

Hearing Kawahara's inconsistent words, Saigo finally interrupted him, saying, "I'm a layman when it comes to the Navy, so you don't need to explain too much to me. Anyway, I don't understand the technical stuff. I only care about one thing right now: can the Naval Academy give the students some freedom to find their own future in the Navy? I think young people's ideas can't be entirely useless."

Kawahara, sweating profusely, agreed. He could tell that Saigo's suggestion of giving the student some freedom actually meant giving the new student the freedom to think about the future of the navy on his own. This conclusion shocked Kawahara, because such a promotion beyond his rank had become rare since the Meiji Restoration, especially in the navy.

However, after Kuroda's death, Saigo became the only veteran in the Navy. Even Yamamoto was the second-generation Navy leader promoted by Saigo. Therefore, after Saigo expressed his decision, Kawahara could only obey.

After concluding his conversation with Kawahara, Saigo said to him before leaving, "Retrieve this map for me and deliver it to the ship. As for the matter of trustworthiness, if you don't know how to handle it, contact my secretary..."

After Saigo left, Kawahara sat in front of the map for a full hour, only taking it down from the wall when it was time for dinner. To be honest, he still didn't quite understand what the lines on the map meant, but he did make a copy for himself, deciding to study it carefully later.

Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Wind Rises

As the squad leader of the fourth platoon, Lieutenant Commander Yamada Hisaharu was encountering a difficult new cadet like Hayashi Shinji for the first time. The last legendary figure at the school was Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu, a cadet from the sixteenth class. As the first member of the imperial family to join the Naval Academy, and given his young age when he enrolled, the school took meticulous care of him. As a result, this imperial cadet complained that the school was too accommodating to him and dropped out to study at the Flensburg Naval Academy in Germany.

Although Captain Yamada Hisaharu never witnessed this imperial cadet's impressive exploits at the academy, he had heard of his exploits. Regardless of how strict military discipline became after the Meiji Restoration, some people were different from others; discipline didn't apply to them. Now, Hayashi Nobuyoshi was such a special cadet.

Although Lin Xinyi's background was quite ordinary according to his enrollment file—he was neither from Choshu nor Satsuma, nor was he the descendant of any famous figures—he still left a deep impression on Captain Yamada as the only freshman escorted to the school by the military police. The fact that he was only given a half-day of solitary confinement for inciting conflict between freshmen and upperclassmen is even more intriguing.

If it were ordinary cadets, including both new and veteran cadets like Lin Xinyi, they would all be beaten with mental injection sticks. Regardless of whether you were right or wrong, challenging school rules would result in suffering. This severe punishment would continue until the cadets graduated. Naval officers trained in this way would have no idea of ​​challenging their superiors, even if the orders were wrong. This was the blind obedience advocated by the military.

However, this requirement only applies to ordinary cadets, whose education aims to serve leadership. For special cadets, whose goal is to become naval leaders, such so-called blind obedience is irrelevant. The academy naturally wouldn't resort to harsh corporal punishment for these individuals.

From the current perspective, Lin Xinyi is a special trainee. As Lin Xinyi's squad leader, he was ordered to take Lin Xinyi to the principal's office and witnessed Marshal Saigo and Lin Xinyi having a private conversation, during which even Principal Kawahara was kicked out. The length of this conversation also made him feel uneasy. You should know that other instructors don't even have the opportunity to meet with Marshal Saigo alone; being able to talk to Marshal Saigo alone for a few minutes is already something they can boast about.

Captain Yamada kept this discovery to himself, hoping to get along well with this special freshman and at least not let him become an obstacle to his career. However, Lin Xinyi was clearly a very special student. Sure enough, on the very night he had spoken with Marshal Saigo, while everyone was reciting the Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Marines at bedtime, he stood up and questioned the appropriateness of the marine cadets reciting the Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Marines.

Although Captain Yamada also felt it was somewhat strange for the Navy to recite the Army's "Imperial Rescript to Soldiers," wasn't this already a common practice? How could a freshman possibly deny the nearly twenty-year-old habits of the military academy? However, considering the meeting between Lin Xinyi and Marshal Saigo this afternoon, Captain Yamada, feeling somewhat uncertain, did not decisively punish Lin Xinyi.

He simply asked Lin Xinyi to leave the dormitory and run ten laps around the track, and then let the other students finish their evening classes. However, after thinking about it all night, he still reported the matter to Instructor Togo and Principal Kawahara during the morning meeting.

Instructor Togo was furious upon hearing this and believed that Lin Xinyi, who dared to challenge school rules, should be punished. Many instructors also agreed with Togo's opinion. However, at this moment, Principal Kawahara's attitude became ambiguous. He vaguely stated at the morning meeting, "Indeed, students who dare to challenge school rules should be punished. But didn't Captain Yamada already punish him last night? To add punishment now would be double punishment for the same offense. I think that's inappropriate."

Kawahara's statement made some instructors feel that a storm was brewing at the school, and they immediately fell silent. As a result, no consensus was reached at the morning meeting, and the matter was temporarily shelved.

When Saigo inspected the school in the morning, Kawahara, who was accompanying him, jokingly brought up the freshmen's questions about reciting the "Imperial Rescript to Soldiers." Saigo did not react immediately, but a while later, when he met with the school's instructors in the conference room, he suddenly mentioned Kuroda Kiyotaka.

Since the Hokkaido development scandal and the suspected murder of his wife, Kuroda Kiyotaka had effectively begun to distance himself from the core of the Satsuma faction and align himself with the old shogunate faction. Therefore, Saigo Tsugumichi rarely mentioned Kuroda's name in public.

But this time, in front of these military academy instructors, he suddenly expressed his nostalgia for Kuroda and said, "Kuroda and I both believe that the navy belongs to the Emperor. However, it was the navy and the army that created this country together, not the army alone. We old folks will eventually die, but the navy must remember this."

Saigo's statement in this context not only signified a reconciliation with the Kuroda faction but also clearly put forward the proposition of equality between the navy and the army. This greatly encouraged the young officers who were dissatisfied with the policy of the army taking the lead over the navy. Instructor Togo immediately stated, "Judging from the current course schedule for the students, allocating too much time to unnecessary matters does indeed hinder the students' learning enthusiasm. I think we can cancel the evening classes so that the students can get better rest."

Saigo didn't immediately express his opinion, but simply sat there watching the instructors in the conference room. Soon, everyone reacted and stood up to support Instructor Togo's statement. After everyone had spoken and stated their positions, Saigo slowly said, "Although I studied in the army when I was young, I spent the rest of my life in the navy, and I still have a deep affection for the navy."

I shouldn't interfere in such specific matters, since I didn't manage this during my tenure as Minister of the Navy. However, after the Sino-Japanese War, the Army started bossing the Navy around, as if the Navy had become subordinate to the Army. I regret that the Navy has become like this.

Who among today's youth still remembers? If we hadn't forced the shogunate to reach an agreement that allowed Edo to surrender without bloodshed, would a new government have been established? It's one thing if others don't remember the navy's glory. But if the navy itself doesn't remember its honor, what's the point of talking about the navy being the master of the sea and the servant of the land?

Of course, replacing the "Soldiers' Edict" all at once wouldn't be right. I think it would be better to have them memorize the five oaths in the morning and the "Soldiers' Edict" in the evening. Sunday, then, can be a day of rest for the trainees…”

Saigo's instructions quickly reached the various squad leaders, much to Captain Yamada's surprise. However, he ultimately said nothing. The conflict between the rules and the people, and the eventual revision of the rules, could only tell him one thing: he really couldn't afford to mess with this year's freshmen.

However, the only thing he can be thankful for is that Lin Xinyi has so far targeted the school's rules rather than people, which means that everyone can still coexist within a certain range.

That evening, Captain Yamada called Lin Xinyi out of his dormitory and led him out of the school to a nearby commercial street. Captain Yamada then said to him in a lukewarm tone, "You must be back at school before morning class tomorrow, or you will receive a demerit."

Captain Yamada finished speaking and left with a stern face. As Lin Xinyi was pondering what he meant, he heard someone call him, "Xinyi-kun, Xinyi-kun, over here..."

Lin Xinyi looked in the direction of the shout and saw a young girl standing in front of a lantern at the entrance of an inn, waving at him. He quickly walked over and asked the girl, "Miss Muzi, haven't you returned to Tokyo yet? I've asked several times, but they won't tell me."

Mu Zi held his hand tightly and said, "Let's go back to the room to talk. This isn't the place to talk."

Lin Xinyi nodded and followed Mu Zi into the backyard of the inn. The owner just smiled when he saw Lin Xinyi in his white military uniform and didn't ask anything. He was obviously used to this kind of scene.

In a bright and airy room on the second floor of the backyard, the two sat by the window, chatting as the evening breeze blew. Mu Zi explained that she had been in Miyajima for the past few days and would be returning to Tokyo with a very important person in a couple of days; she had come to say goodbye before leaving.

Chapter Sixty-Nine: The First Step of Action

Bathed in the evening breeze, Lin Xinyi asked Lin Muzi, "What will you do after you return to Tokyo?"

Lin Muzi thought for a moment and said, "I will go back to Binzhijia. I'm used to living there."

Lin Xinyi then asked, "Is the Genyosha really not going to interfere in your life anymore?"

Lin Muzi lowered her head and replied, "I'm sorry for deceiving you. I didn't know that Xuan Yang Society wouldn't keep its promises, but I had no choice but to believe their word."

After a moment of silence, Lin Xinyi said, "Freedom is never a gift from others; only through personal effort and struggle can one obtain true freedom."

Lin Muzi looked up at Lin Xinyi with some confusion and asked, "What did you say?"

Lin Xinyi chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "It's nothing. Speaking of which, this departure from Tokyo was rather rushed, and there are some people I haven't properly said goodbye to yet. I'd like to write a few letters; could you mail them for me when you get to Tokyo?"

Lin Muzi agreed and went downstairs to get pen, ink, and paper from the shop owner. After thinking for a moment, Lin Xinyi wrote a short letter to Ogawa Heikichi, Abe Isoo, and Cai E. Lin Muzi helped him put the letters away and suddenly asked, "Will you write to me later?"

Lin Xinyi reached out and put his arm around her waist, then whispered in her ear, "Do you want me to write?"

Lin Muzi didn't reply, but turned her head and gently kissed Lin Xinyi's lips. After a night of indulgence, Lin Xinyi was woken up by Muzi when it was still dark outside the next day. The girl said to him, "You should go, or you'll be late for your morning class."

Lin Xinyi felt like he couldn't even open his eyes. He reached out and hugged the girl, saying, "Lie down a little longer. Aren't you leaving today? It's okay to be late..."

Captain Yamada, who was leading his class in morning exercises, saw Lin Xinyi trying to sneak into the group, but he eventually looked away and pretended not to have noticed him.

Around noon, Kawahara Yoichi went to see Saigo Tsurumi off. On their parting, Kawahara finally mustered the courage to ask Saigo, "Sir, are we going to change our strategy of following the army from now on?"

Saigo Tsurumi leaned against the railing, gazing at the beautiful scenery of the Seto Inland Sea, and said rather relaxedly, "It's time for the Navy to go its own way. Otherwise, who will remember that the Navy is an independent branch of the military? For the past 20 years, we have been tolerant of the Army for the sake of the overall situation, not because we have become subordinate to the Army..."

After seeing Saigo off, Kawahara Yoichi was also greatly encouraged. Improving the status of the navy has always been the long-cherished wish of the navy, but due to the domestic and international situation and the suppression by the navy elders, this voice has not been able to form a unified voice.

However, with the large amount of reparations received from the Sino-Japanese War, the navy completed the formation of the Six-Six Fleet. The increase in naval strength led to a renewed sense of dissatisfaction within the navy with the land-based dominance and the navy's subordinate status. As a result, the idea of ​​elevating the navy's status gradually became a broad consensus within the navy.

Kawahara viewed Saigo Tsugumichi's speech at the military academy as a shift in the naval leadership, a move away from the past policy of prioritizing the navy over the army. This was undoubtedly encouraging news for naval commanders like himself.

While the navy offered good benefits, it also offered limited political opportunities. In contrast, Yamagata had already formed his second cabinet in the army. The army's prestige was indeed something the navy envied. Kawahara realized that his political career might not have reached its end yet, and the turning point lay in the navy's rise in status.

Since Lord Saigo left, Captain Yamada had enjoyed a few peaceful days. Just when he thought Lin Xinyi was finally getting used to life at the military academy, Lin Xinyi brought him another unexpected surprise during the lunch break that day.

Faced with Lin Xinyi's application, Captain Yamada had to patiently explain to the student, "Cadet Lin, the Naval Academy is a military academy, and military academies do not allow students to form clubs privately. Do you understand?"

Lin Xinyi stood ramrod straight and said earnestly to Captain Yamada, "Squad leader, I have carefully studied the school's rules these past two days, and I found that the rules do not prohibit students from applying for clubs or organizations. Therefore, I have not violated the school rules by organizing a club privately, but have instead submitted an application to the school, hoping that the school will provide support."

"Can't you understand? Since the school has already prohibited students from forming clubs privately, it means they won't accept such an application." Captain Yamada couldn't help but unbutton his top button; he actually felt a bit stuffy in this weather.

Lin Xinyi said without changing his expression, "We have to try it first to know. Since the school rules don't prohibit it, students certainly have the right to do so."

Captain Yamada really wanted to pick up the application in front of him and tear it up in front of Lin Xinyi, but after glancing at the watchful eyes of his colleagues in the office, he finally held back and said, "I don't have the authority to give you an answer, but I will submit this application to the principal for him to make a decision."

Captain Yamada's true thought was that he needed to figure out the principal's attitude towards this new student—whether it was indulgence or strict discipline—before he could decide his own attitude towards Lin Xinyi.

When faced with Captain Yamada's club application, Principal Kawahara's attitude was somewhat ambiguous. He didn't get angry about it. In the past, such acts of challenging the school were considered unforgivable violations of the school's rules.

However, this time he only asked Captain Yamada a few questions about Lin Xinyi's daily life before saying tolerantly, "Freshmen do find it difficult to get used to military academy life at first. I think his purpose in forming a club is perhaps to enjoy the free atmosphere of university here. However, the subsequent courses will soon let him know the biggest difference between military academy and university."

This way, give him a chance to understand that organizing clubs in a military academy is a dead end, because nobody will play games with him there. When everyone is putting in 100% effort for academic rankings, how many people will remain in his club? Give him three months; if his club cannot be deemed beneficial by the school, or if it has fewer than 10 members, then it must be disbanded.

Faced with such a lenient principal, Captain Yamada could only accept it. However, just as he was about to turn and leave the principal's office, Principal Kawahara called him back and said, "You did very well this time. Lin Xinyi's situation is rather special. If you find it difficult to handle his problems, you can come and report to me at any time..."

During the seventh self-study period on the afternoon of December 24th, Lin Xinyi suddenly stood up, walked to the podium, and said to the students below who were full of doubts: "Students, now that we have joined the Navy, we should naturally start studying what the Navy is from now on. If you miss this time at school, will you be able to find like-minded naval comrades after you graduate and board a ship?"

So a couple of days ago I applied to the school for a student club, and the school officially approved my application today. I'd like to invite my classmates to join me in forming this club. What do you all think?

Inoue Tsunomatsu immediately raised his hand and said, "No matter what kind of club it is, please add my name."

Shigetaro Shimada was still considering when Inoue kicked him from behind and said, "What are you still hesitating about? We're accomplices from the Prefectural First Middle School."

Shimada immediately sat up straight and said, "I'd also like to join, but what kind of club is Lin-kun going to form?"

Seeing that the other students were still observing, Lin Xinyi picked up the chalk and wrote a line on the blackboard behind him, then turned around and said, "The club I plan to form is called the Naval Research Association. The temporary purpose is to consider how to build up the Japanese navy."

Such arrogant words immediately caused a commotion in the classroom. Everyone was young and had the bad habit of youthful arrogance, but Lin Xinyi's boastful words were too much for the teenagers of his age to bear.

Hori Teikichi immediately retorted, "Do you think you're the Minister of the Navy? No, even the Minister of the Navy can't consider this issue independently. You're simply dreaming..."

Chapter Seventy Finding Fault

The classroom erupted in laughter, but Lin Xinyi remained unmoved on the podium. Only after the mocking laughter subsided did he continue, "Yes, I am certainly not the Minister of the Navy, and I may not even become the Minister of the Navy in the future. But I do not believe that the 32nd Marine Class cannot produce a Minister of the Navy, nor do I believe that the Navy cannot produce a Prime Minister."

So, when some of you here become Minister of the Navy or Prime Minister, do you think you can single-handedly control everything? Or do you simply see the Naval Academy as a ladder to the top, someone who doesn't care about the future of the navy as long as they can climb up?

Lin Xinyi's question made the students below stop laughing. After a while, Takano Isoroku raised his hand and said, "Lin-kun is right, so I'll count myself in too."

After Takano Isoroku joined, six or seven more people signed up. However, the others remained silent. Although they no longer mocked Lin Xinyi's arrogance, they lacked the courage to join the group. After all, many applied to the Naval Academy to escape their family background and enter high society. Lin Xinyi's criticism was, in fact, correct.

However, Lin Xinyi did not insist on this situation. Instead, he said, "The Naval Research Conference will not refuse the participation of any comrades with ideals. Not joining today does not mean that you cannot join in the future."

I know that the reason why some people cannot join this club is not necessarily because they look down on our ideals, but because they are unsure whether we are truly pursuing them. I will do my best to show everyone that the Naval Research Conference is a promising club, and I hope that in time everyone will no longer hesitate to pursue their ideals.

"Well then, those of you joining the naval seminar, let's tidy up the storage room first. The school has provided a space for our club activities, but we'll need to clean it ourselves. As for the club's activity time, the school has agreed to let us use the seventh period's self-study time..."

Upon hearing that Lin Xinyi had received so much permission from the school, four or five more students raised their hands to ask if they could join now, and Lin Xinyi naturally wouldn't refuse. So after the students who had joined the naval seminar left, about half of the seats in the nearly fifty-student class were empty.

The students who remained in the classroom had lost interest in studying; they were now eager to know whether Lin Xinyi's naval seminar would be successful.

The news that the freshmen of the 32nd class had applied to the school for a club spread quickly. This club was open to all freshmen and also accepted the participation of senior students. Faced with the recruitment posters made by Lin Xinyi and others, the senior students became somewhat angry.

Putting aside the fact that the student applied for club memberships without the permission of the senior students—in this school, the seniors are the ones with the right to think, and freshmen are just supposed to follow in their footsteps—the fact that the school actually approved this absurd application made the senior students extremely jealous. They had endured two years of hardship at the school to finally get to where they were; why should a freshman receive such preferential treatment? He wasn't royalty or a descendant of the elders.

The previous conflict between the senior students and the 32nd batch of freshmen nearly caused a school scandal, and after stern warnings from the instructors, the senior students had to behave themselves for a few days. Of course, the senior students pretended not to remember that they had also lost the argument to the freshmen. But now that the 28th batch of graduates had completed their graduation ceremony and the school had finally returned to its usual tranquility, the senior students felt it was time to educate these younger students to uphold the tradition of Etajima.

Lin Xinyi, a well-known figure among the freshmen and the root of all the problems, naturally became the primary target of the upperclassmen. According to some of the upperclassmen, "If we can get rid of this troublemaker, then the other students will behave themselves."

Therefore, Naotaro Ominato gathered a group of senior students and decided to disrupt the naval seminar. Ominato's secret weapon was Naonori Fujita, who also graduated from Tokyo Prefectural First Junior High School. After Shin-Yi Hayashi obtained the school's club permission, some students with connections gave up the idea of ​​teaching this freshman a lesson, because they knew they could not obtain such preferential treatment, which meant that Shin-Yi Hayashi either had a stronger background than them or was quite special.

Only Naotaro Ominato, who had been directly beaten by Shin-Yi Lin, couldn't swallow his anger. He tried to use his status as a senior to Naotoku Fujita to suppress Shin-Yi Lin, seize control of the club, and thus damage Shin-Yi Lin's prestige among the new students. He believed that as long as the mysterious aura surrounding Shin-Yi Lin was removed, things would return to normal, and the relationship between seniors and juniors would be restored.

Lin Xinyi, who was discussing the club's organizational charter with the members, saw seven or eight senior students suddenly barge in. He immediately stood up and asked them, "Are you here to register for the club, seniors?"

Ominato glanced around the room and, noticing there were forty or fifty people, sneered, "What, not welcoming you, senior?"

Lin Xinyi waved his hand to stop Inoue from retaliating behind him, and then said, "We are discussing the organization's charter. If you want to join, senior, you might as well sit down and listen, and give us some advice."

Ominato walked to the desk in the middle and slammed his hands down, making a loud bang. Then, staring at the freshmen in the room, he said arrogantly, "Organizational charter? I don't think there's any need to discuss it. Just elect a president, and the president can set the charter. That's the rule of the Navy. I propose that Fellow Fellow Fujita be the president of the club. He's not only the number one student, but also a top student who graduated from Tokyo Prefectural First High School. Do you have any objections?"

"Yes." A loud voice came from behind Ominato. Ominato turned around abruptly and grinned maliciously at Hayashi Shinichi, "Do you have some dissatisfaction with your senior's decision?"

Lin Xinyi looked at him calmly and said, "First, as the number one student, I think you should remember that there is a rule in the school rules that students who disrupt the normal teaching order of the school will be given a demerit at the very least, and expelled at the very worst."

Secondly, our association does not intend to establish a permanent president, because our purpose is to study and discuss the future of the navy, not to establish an organization.

Third, I'm a freshman, and the senior is a third-year student. Does the senior really intend to give up all the efforts of the past two years and be expelled from school with me?

When Lin Xinyi stated the first rule, the senior students who had been eager to try fell silent. Da Minato, however, stubbornly retorted, "What a joke! This is just a club; how can you call it teaching order?"

Lin Xinyi said sincerely, "This is a club established with the official approval of the school, and of course it is part of the school's teaching order. If you seniors are sincerely here to join the club, please sit down. If you are just here to take a look, then you have seen it now. There is nothing strange or unusual here. Please go back and do not disturb the club's normal activities."

Naotaro Ominato's face turned red, and his eyes were a little red, but at this moment a hand pressed on his shoulder and said, "Alright, since we're already here, let's sit down and listen to how the younger generation plans to study and discuss the future of the Navy."

It was Fujita Naonori who held Ominato back. Seeing how confident and fearless Lin Xinyi was, he finally interrupted the conflict between the two. If Ominato suffered another loss, it would be a disgrace to the senior students.

Naotaro Ominato finally sat down quietly with Naotoku Fujita and the others. The freshmen who were originally sitting there avoided the upperclassmen, afraid of being drawn into the conflict between the two sides.

Seeing this, Lin Xinyi walked to the desk and said, "Since several senior members have joined us today, I'll first summarize the organizational charter we discussed earlier so the new members can understand the progress, and then we can continue the discussion. First, this association will not have a permanent president. We will discuss the topics proposed by each member, and the topic that receives the support of the majority of members will be the current proposal. The person who proposed the topic will automatically become the organizer of the topic discussion..."

Chapter 71 Topic

The senior students, led by Fujita Naonori, originally wanted to nitpick the freshmen's discussion results and then start over. However, the discussion results presented by Hayashi Shin-yi were indeed impeccable. If there was any problem, it was that the system of one vote per member seemed to be completely contrary to military regulations.

Of course, in order to solve some miscellaneous tasks of the club, a volunteer committee was also set up within the club. This committee was responsible for cleaning the activity room, convening meetings, making posters and other trivial tasks, which the senior students were naturally not interested in.

So far, it's just an ordinary student club, nothing to praise nor anything to criticize. However, Naotaro Ominato couldn't help but sarcastically remark after Shinichi Hayashi finished speaking, "Haven't the organizational charter already been discussed? So what are you still discussing?"

Lin Xinyi replied calmly, "The organizational charter of student clubs is not the key point; the key point is the organization of club activities. Therefore, we are currently discussing the organization and selection of the first research topic. We hope that the seniors can give us some guidance in this regard."

Naotaro Ominato was speechless. As a senior student who had studied at the military academy for two years, what thoughts did he have about the future of the navy? He certainly had some, but was it really appropriate to discuss them publicly? In his two years of study, people who expressed opinions different from their seniors were not well-received.

In this regard, Lin Xinyi, who dared to incite freshmen and seniors to fight on the first day of school, had no problem. However, for these seniors, there were still many concerns. Even though the seniors had graduated and left, their actions at school would still reach the ears of the seniors who had joined the navy. So what would happen after they graduated?

The senior students, including Fujita Naonori, also remained silent; this was not the time to be defiant. Seeing their silence, Lin Xinyi said, "There are still three days until Saturday. I suggest everyone submit their discussion topics by 8 PM on Saturday. That way, we can hear everyone's presentations the following morning and vote in the afternoon. After the New Year's holiday, we can officially begin the discussion activities. Does anyone have any objections?"

The freshmen naturally had no objections, and even the upperclassmen remained silent for a while before Fujita Naonori suddenly spoke up first, asking, "Bring out a registration form for club applications. Now that we're here, we should at least leave our names here."

Lin Xinyi gave Inoue a wink, and this classmate, who also came from the same school, immediately handed Fujita Naotoku a registration form. While Ominato Naotaro was still hesitating, Fujita had already signed the form and placed it in front of him, saying, "We should hear what topics the younger generation can raise so that we can give them guidance."

After Fujita, Ominato, and the other senior students left, Inoue couldn't help but ask Hayashi Shinichi, "Are we really going to let these senior students join? They don't seem to genuinely want to join the club; they're just here to cause trouble."

Lin Xinyi glanced at the others in the room and noticed the worried expressions on their faces. He smiled and waved his hand, saying, "We've only just formed our club. If we refuse them directly, they'll easily find something to use against us. If they complain to the school, it will be difficult for us to keep our club."

Therefore, let's get them involved first, so the senior students know that our club isn't targeting them. Once the club has made a good impression on the school, dealing with those senior students who cause trouble will be a natural next step.

Seeing Lin Xinyi's confident assurances, the new members finally chose to believe him. Sunday, the day for selecting topics for the naval seminar, began. Although Lin Xinyi had already given the members ample encouragement, urging them to boldly express their visions for the future of the navy...

However, less than half of the new members actually submitted their research projects, totaling 23. When it came time to present them to everyone, three more withdrew. Of the remaining 20 projects, the first nine were met with harsh criticism from the senior students who had arrived early for the event. This criticism wasn't unfounded, as the new students genuinely lacked knowledge of the Navy, naturally leading to many humorous situations.

However, this put too much pressure on the other members who were waiting to present, and they all chose to give up. So Lin Xinyi became the last person to present his topic. If his presentation failed, the selection process would be a complete failure, which was probably the result the senior members were hoping for.

Lin Xinyi seemed oblivious to the somber atmosphere in the activity room and the ill-intentioned stares of the older students. He walked to the podium, opened his proposal, glanced at it, and said, "Speaking of our national fleet, I believe even an ordinary citizen would know about the 66th Fleet. Why has the 66th Fleet left such a deep impression on the people? Because of its expensive manufacturing cost."

The total cost of the fleet's construction was 213 million yen, covering the first phase of naval expansion in 1896 and the second phase in 1897. For the public, a fleet built at such a huge expense of taxes certainly left a deep impression.

Therefore, the topic I'm proposing today is whether the expensive and powerful "Six-Six Fleet," in the eyes of our people, truly constitutes a deterrent force in the eyes of top-tier naval powers, or is it merely a toy fleet in their eyes.