Chapter 1

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The Foreigner in Hong Kong (Revised)

My name is Han Xin.

I was born in 1890.

My father was a young man from Korea with grand ambitions.

He worked as a sailor and, upon realizing the vastness of the world, dreamed of leaving the peninsula.

It was a heroic feat, bordering on myth, and he even brought my mother, who was still in her teens.

After many twists and turns, we settled in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong, a region ceded to Britain by the Qing Dynasty after the Opium Wars, was a place of extreme polarization.

The Hong Kong Island, dominated by the British, was filled with grand Victorian buildings, while the Kowloon Peninsula across the bay was a slum.

Our family lived in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon.

After my reincarnation, I was preoccupied with the global political landscape and the power games of major nations.

But when I was five and first visited the back alleys of Tsim Sha Tsui, I realized I had been thinking too big.

The streets were filled with feces, and rats roamed day and night.

Opium dens lined every alley, and the stench of the underworld was overwhelming.

Most of those who died from opium had no one to claim their bodies, and they were often dumped outside the city, ignored by both the Qing government and the British authorities, left to rot for months.

This era was more barbaric and cruel than I could have imagined.

The rationality and common sense of the 21st century could not comprehend the evil that terrified me.

What made my life particularly difficult as a child was the persecution of foreigners.

The British in Hong Kong were also foreigners, but they were untouchable.

These guys just picked on the easy targets, like us Koreans.

"Hey! Squid! Have you eaten today? Want some dog food from my house?"

"If you crawl under my legs, I'll give you some."

"Damn, your head is so stiff, you might end up licking my dick if you crawl under."

Before I could talk about the world, the great powers, or the military, I needed to defeat the Qing Han kids who ruled the 30-meter radius around my house with absolute power.

And that victory, achieved when I was nine, remains a happy memory.

In the dark alleys of Hong Kong, a terrifying organization was born.

I joined the organization and, along with my brothers, dismantled the local gangs and brought peace to the alleys.

"Hey, Squid! Haven't seen you around lately? Feeling better?"

"Wait, who's that behind you?"

"What? What? Ah!"

The Triad in this era was a small organization in Hong Kong but rapidly expanding its influence.

It was not just a simple criminal organization but a secret society opposing the Qing Dynasty, closely linked to revolutionary forces aiming to overthrow the Manchu-ruled Qing government.

My work in the Triad went well.

Of course, smuggling opium was not exactly honorable, but I had to survive.

"Brother, I've brought the goods."

"Good. But this time, there's a lot more?"

"I praised Queen Victoria's grace and mercy to the British, and they gave me some extra."

"Sure enough, Koreans are capable. You kids, learn from him!"

During the day, I was an excellent student at a Hong Kong middle school.

At night, I worked as a porter and earned money for the Triad.

It was time to move.

Thinking about the nuclear apocalypse in my previous life always made me break out in a cold sweat.

There must be a reason I was reincarnated.

China, with its territory, population, resources, and history, had everything.

But what went wrong that made them live like fools and do such despicable things?

The moment I opened my eyes in Hong Kong, I knew what I had to do.

Make China a normal country. Transplant democracy to the continent.

To do that, paradoxically, I needed strong power.

As Mao Zedong said, power comes from the barrel of a gun.

In a world of barbarism and cruelty, power means an army.

The era of warlords was approaching.

Anyone, regardless of their background, could conquer the world.

An era of unparalleled opportunity was coming for me.

***

My father, who noticed I was different from a young age, let me do as I pleased.

Whether it was neglect or trust, it was good for me.

I took the Star Ferry from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island.

Hong Kong, at the dawn of the 20th century, was an incredible modern city.

The Triad's action leader, Du Jingzi, approached me.

"Xin, why do you want to become a soldier? You have a bright future in our organization."

"Brother, I understand. But a man must have something in his head to achieve great things. Besides, graduating from the military academy might allow me to do more for the organization."

"Alright, forget the organization. Just focus on your studies at the military academy."

"I hope I can go."

"You will. When you joined the organization, most people called you Squid and looked down on you, but you proved your worth."

We arrived at a two-story building in the heart of Hong Kong Island.

It was the Hong Kong branch of the Chinese Revolutionary Alliance.

Sun Yat-sen, the most renowned revolutionary leader in China, had united various groups to form the largest anti-Qing revolutionary organization.

The Triad secretly supported the Chinese Revolutionary Alliance.

Du Jingzi patted my shoulder as I opened the door to the office.

A man with a seemingly weak appearance was writing something with a fountain pen.

"Are you the student who wants to study at the military academy?"

"Yes, my name is Han Xin."

"You're Korean, but you speak Cantonese well."

"I was born in Hong Kong."

"I was born in San Francisco."

A nameplate on the desk read Liao Zhongkai.

He was Sun Yat-sen's financial backer and manager.

Indeed, his desk was piled high with documents for approval.

"Are you worried that your heritage will be a hindrance?"

"Perhaps. There's no reason to spend a fortune educating a Korean."

"There is a reason."

"Tell me."

"The goal of the Chinese Revolutionary Alliance is to overthrow the corrupt Manchu-ruled Qing, right?"

"Yes."

"Have you thought about what happens after that? The world after the fall of the Qing?"

Liao Zhongkai put down his fountain pen and looked at me with interest.

"Go on."

"The new China should not be ruled by a specific ethnic group like the Manchus or Han. Instead, it should be inclusive of all ethnicities."

"Not a Han-dominated country...?"

"Exactly. Whether Han, Hui (Muslims), Tibetan, or Korean, what matters more than their bloodline is a peaceful bed where they can wake up without worrying about hunger. A world where everyone can achieve their goals without discrimination."

Sun Yat-sen's idea of a republic of five ethnic groups was still years away.

For Liao Zhongkai, who was focused on overthrowing the Qing with Han-centric armed forces, this was a novel idea.

I continued confidently to prove my worth.

"After the fall of the Qing, the old norms will break down. China must create new values. In this process, ethnic minorities like me will have a role to play. As a member of the Chinese Revolutionary Alliance and a soldier from the military academy, I want to contribute to the revolution and the new China."

"Interesting."

Liao Zhongkai nodded.

Then, he asked with a hint of doubt.

"But you are Korean, right?"

"Yes."

"Your country has not been in a good state since 1905. Wouldn't studying in Japan be better?"

Indeed, there were no specialized military academies in the early modern Qing.

While there were military schools in each provincial capital, they were inadequate.

For young Chinese who wanted to join the military, studying at the Japanese military academy was the norm.

"Sun Tzu said, 'Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated.' I want to study at the Japanese military academy to understand the enemy."

"Indeed. You are a promising young man. The future of the Korean people is bright."

"Thank you."

Of course, I didn't particularly want to go to Japan.

I was already called Squid in China; in Japan, I would be called a Chink hundreds of times a day.

But it was 1907.

The Xinhai Revolution, which would overthrow the Qing, was just around the corner in 1911.

To seize the opportunity amidst the chaos, I needed to rise quickly.

The Japanese military academy was the key.

The Japanese Empire, having defeated the powerful Qing and Russia, was the rising sun of Asia.

The Japanese military academy was the elite path.

"But be cautious about your excessive animosity towards Japan. After all, Japan is the only Asian country that has successfully modernized through self-strengthening. It would be better to work together to overcome the crisis rather than fight."

Liao Zhongkai added this as a favor.

This was the reality of Asian intellectuals at the time.

Look at Japan!

Asia can do it too!

Work together with Japan to overcome the crisis!

Of course, these confident predictions would be proven wrong when the Sino-Japanese War broke out.

But that was a distant future.

The interview continued.

Liao Zhongkai asked detailed questions.

I answered without hesitation.

Regarding my background:

"Everyone on the Chinese mainland wants to overthrow the Qing. A Han-centric revolution has its limits. If you appoint me, it will greatly expand the revolution's reach."

Regarding my reasons for wanting to study at the military academy:

"A competent commander is worth a thousand soldiers. A revolutionary-minded elite officer from the Japanese military academy is a rare talent. I have the confidence to take on such a role."

Regarding my thoughts on the Qing:

"I have experience slaughtering pigs since I was twelve. When the revolutionary flames ignite, I will be the first to rush to Beijing to slaughter the pigs. Please entrust me with this task."

The interview ended on a warm note.

Liao Zhongkai promised to write a letter to a high-ranking official with connections.

Thanks to this, I was able to take the selection exam for overseas students.

Without boasting about my modern genius, the level of exams in this era was low, and I passed easily.

Thus, in 1908, at the age of eighteen, I stood on a passenger ship bound for Japan!

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Military Academy Studies

The steamship plowed through the waves.

The sky turned black from the thick smoke.

On the ship, I was not alone; other students selected from various regions of China were also aboard.

They were all elites in their respective areas.

They subtly sized each other up, trying to gauge their competition.