Chapter 24

"Chen Tianhua, in a people's revolution, is it necessary to kill all the landlords and gentry?" Chen Tianhua asked. This was a question he had never dared to ask. Originally, Chen Tianhua was just listening and did not intend to speak. But now, he had to ask this question. This was Xu Xilin's bottom line.

Chen Ke extended his left hand and made a gesture recommending You Gou. "Let's have Comrade You Gou answer this question."

Chen Tianhua had a very good impression of You Gou, but he had never heard her discuss anything related to the revolution. Moreover, You Gou gave Chen Tianhua the impression of being an engineer, a not-so-excellent lecturer, and an excellent woman, but not a determined revolutionary. Seeing Chen Ke recommend You Gou to speak, Chen Tianhua looked at her with a slightly surprised gaze.

"Ah?" You Gou did not expect Chen Ke to recommend her to answer a revolutionary question. This was a topic that Chen Ke and others always discussed intensely, and she was not particularly interested or very clear about it.

"I can't answer that," You Gou hurriedly refused.

"Just share your thoughts on Xing Tai's question. We are all comrades; there's no need to hold back," Chen Ke encouraged with a smile.

"Miss You, in a people's revolution, is it necessary to kill all the landlords and gentry?" Since Chen Ke had said so, Chen Tianhua also wanted to see the attitude of this comrade within the revolutionary party. He asked very seriously.

"If the landlords and gentry use force to oppose the people's revolution, then... well, if they make the first move, we can't just sit and wait to die, right?"

Never fire the first shot! You Gou's answer made Chen Ke's heart bloom with joy. This measured approach to struggle was very satisfying to Chen Ke. Chen Ke had never taught You Gou these things, nor had he discussed them with his comrades. So he was happy but also waiting for the subsequent questions. If You Gou could demonstrate her personal qualities, whether they would meet the needs of the struggle, Chen Ke was very eager to see.

"How do you plan to interact with the gentry, Miss You?"

"Industry is very profitable; everyone can make money together."

"What about the conflict between the people's revolution and the revolution of the capitalists, as Wen Qing mentioned, Miss You?"

"We won't bully them, and they can't bully us. In the new system, no one will bully others, and no one will be bullied. Isn't that great?"

Hearing this, not only Chen Ke but also the others could not help but nod slightly. You Gou's answer seemed to be a compromise, but she had grasped a key point—the new system. Everyone present understood that the new system You Gou referred to was the new system established by the people's revolution, not the capitalist system.

Indeed, You Gou continued, "Wen Qing has told us about the textile factories in Europe, the 'sheep eating people' in Britain, and the slave trade in Europe. I studied in Germany and have heard about the slave trade. China cannot do that. It's too cruel. It's wrong."

Chen Tianhua was well-read and not ignorant of the world. He knew a thing or two about what You Gou said, and he had no reason to refute her views. After a moment of thought, Chen Tianhua asked, "So, if the gentry also follow the people's revolution as Wen Qing mentioned, they can live well. The revolution won't target them?"

You Gou had heard some revolutionary principles from Chen Ke and had thought about the revolution, but not deeply. If her previous answers were merely a narration of the revolutionary theories she could agree with, after hearing Chen Tianhua's words, You Gou suddenly felt enlightened.

"Wen Qing once said that the new system is an industrial system. In an industrialized China, everyone can produce far more goods than they need, and through equal trade, everyone can live well. This is a system where everyone can live well. If someone is dissatisfied with this system, they are too greedy, wanting to grab all the benefits. Such people must be overthrown."

Chen Tianhua had expected You Gou to narrate some radical revolutionary principles like Chen Ke, but he did not expect her answer to be so different. This woman's response, in essence, was the same as Chen Ke's, but it placed the people's revolution in the position of being bullied, making it sound pitiful.

After reading, especially women, they are different! Chen Tianhua praised in his heart. Recalling what Chen Ke had said earlier, "Even if we are just talking about principles, the people here have all received higher education, and it's easy to deceive those who haven't." When Chen Ke said this, he sounded arrogant and cruel, but after hearing You Gou's response, Chen Tianhua found Chen Ke's comments very reasonable.

Seeing Chen Tianhua deep in thought, Hua Xiongmeng smiled and said, "How about it, Xing Tai, our comrades here are quite extraordinary, aren't they?"

Chen Tianhua did not resent such self-praise and nodded in agreement.

"Actually, I asked Wen Qing this question a long time ago, and he always answered the same way. Xing Tai, you are a scholar and have traveled widely. You must know how bad the rich and powerful can be. If you don't teach them a lesson, they won't listen. Wen Qing said that the revolution is not about killing but saving people. If you don't teach these bad people a lesson, they will act without restraint and end up with a bad fate." Hua Xiongmeng usually didn't talk much, and in party meetings, Zhou Yuanxiao was the most silent, followed by Hua Xiongmeng.

"Zheng Lan is right, but Wen Qing's theory... sigh, it's too violent," Chen Tianhua sighed.

Hearing this, Chen Ke barely suppressed his laughter. For a revolutionary like Chen Tianhua to say the theory was too violent, what kind of world was this?

Qi Hui Shen did not have Chen Ke's composure and immediately responded, "If you say that, Xing Tai, I have to defend Wen Qing. Since Wen Qing came to Shanghai, we have been with him. Wen Qing treats people with kindness and sincerity. This revolutionary theory is just a matter of fact, not overly violent."

When Chen Tianhua first arrived, he found that Chen Ke was far less skilled in explaining revolutionary principles than himself. After listening to his speeches, Chen Ke's comrades were clearly very impressed. Chen Tianhua thought he could win them over. But when it came to the crucial moment, they all stood with Chen Ke, both in theory and emotion, with no one supporting him. His initial disdain for Chen Ke had vanished. It seemed that convincing Chen Ke was unlikely, and convincing Chen Ke's comrades was also hopeless. If he wanted to make progress, he had to stay and work for a while. Thinking of this, Chen Tianhua finally asked a question he should have asked earlier, "Brother Wen Qing, what is the name of our party?"

"We haven't decided yet."

Hearing this, Chen Tianhua almost burst out laughing. He knew they had been together for two months, and the party still didn't have a name. In other parties, the name would have been decided long ago.

"What do you all think the party should be called?" Chen Tianhua asked.

"Xing Tai, although you are the Minister of Propaganda, this matter can't be left to you," said You Gou, to Chen Tianhua's surprise. It was not Qi Hui Shen or Hua Xiongmeng, who always followed Chen Ke, but You Gou.

You Gou did not hesitate and slapped the table, "Since Wen Qing always talks about the people's revolution, let's call it the People's Party."

"Good, good," Hua Xiongmeng laughed.

Qi Hui Shen had no objections either. Following the party meeting procedure, everyone voted. Although Chen Tianhua had his own ideas, he knew that opposing this would be useless, so the vote passed unanimously. The name "People's Party" was decided.

Chen Tianhua was greatly surprised by Chen Ke's next actions. Chen Ke did not appoint officials or give grand titles. He did not set a large number of rules. Instead, Chen Ke first revised the "Three Major Principles of Party Member Conduct": 1. Theory linked to practice, 2. Close ties with the masses, 3. Criticism and self-criticism.

Regarding these three principles, Chen Ke's explanation was quite interesting. "Our theory is not yet clear, and we are all party members, so there's no real 'masses' to speak of. So, for now, let's focus on criticism and self-criticism. Emperor Taizong of Tang said, 'Using people as mirrors, one can see one's gains and losses.' Since we are Chinese, we should inherit Chinese culture. Using people as mirrors means accepting criticism from comrades. This way, we can know if our work and daily behavior have any problems."

Although everyone might not take this seriously, the logic was sound, so they nodded in agreement.

Chen Ke continued, "Have you all read the Analects? In the Analects, it says, 'I examine myself three times a day—have I been unfaithful in what I was entrusted to do? Have I been dishonest in my interactions with friends? Have I failed to practice what I have learned?' This is self-criticism. Although it's not exactly the same as what we talk about, the wisdom of our ancestors is not low. The principles I proposed are in line with what our ancestors said."

Chen Tianhua was speechless. The current revolutionaries openly opposed Confucianism, but Chen Ke's approach was the opposite, which left Chen Tianhua puzzled. But what happened next made him laugh out loud.

Chen Ke required that at the end of each party meeting, there should be criticism and self-criticism. "If there's no specific content to criticize at first, don't worry. Is the way people speak polite? Is what they say appropriate? These are all points of criticism, and they are the focus."

This wasn't a political party; it was a school. Could such a group of people really carry out a revolution? Chen Ke talked about the revolution with intensity and cruelty, but in practice, he was overly meticulous. Chen Tianhua found it hard to understand Chen Ke.

Chen Tianhua laughed, but he noticed that no one else was laughing, making him feel strangely ridiculous.

Qi Hui Shen said seriously, "Xing Tai, do you know that the wealthy families are the most concerned with etiquette? Every word and action is taught. If you don't follow the rules, you either kneel or get beaten. Or you get beaten and then kneel. Wen Qing's rules are sincere."

Chen Tianhua felt a bit embarrassed.

After the vote, the "Three Major Principles of Party Member Conduct" passed unanimously.

Chen Ke then began to introduce the recent situation and assign tasks to everyone.

According to the plan, a lecture series under the banner of the Shanghai Renxin Medical College would start in two days. The public part would focus on a chemistry lecture centered around "The Story of a Candle." The chemistry course for progressive youth would start the next day, and Chen Ke assigned this task to You Gou. Following this, Chen Ke would personally lecture on Yan Fu's "On the Evolution of Nature." After this course, Chen Ke would discuss "Materialist Historical View."

Hua Xiongmeng was responsible for continuing to sell medicine and finding an engineering team. Qi Hui Shen was in charge of the overall operation of the lecture series, including external coordination and material mobilization. Zhou Yuanxiao was responsible for guarding the base—the dyeing workshop. The lectures for progressive youth would be held here.

Chen Tianhua was to work with Chen Ke on editing the lecture manuscripts and compile them into a collection. Chen Ke had even named it "The Inheritance of Chinese Culture and the Rise of Materialism." Furthermore, Chen Ke planned to start a newspaper called "Huangpu Review," which would be distributed for free to those participating in the lecture series. The main focus would be on promoting new schools.

Finally, Chen Ke stated that if the lecture series was successful, he would strive to establish a reading organization called the Huangpu Study Society.

The other comrades found this arrangement feasible, except for the cost. Chen Tianhua recalled the Huaxing Society he had organized with Huang Xing and others. The process was similar to Chen Ke's, but it failed due to betrayal before the uprising could even begin. From his probing, Chen Ke seemed genuinely unaware of this. If so, it could only be said that great minds think alike. But Chen Tianhua was still uneasy and asked, "Wen Qing, since you want to overthrow the Qing Dynasty, an armed uprising is inevitable. Do you plan to launch an uprising in Shanghai?"

"I won't launch an uprising in Shanghai. The enemy's strength here is too great, and an uprising would only result in the comrades' deaths. If we must launch an uprising, it should be in a place where the enemy's strength is weakest."

"Are you planning to launch an uprising in Anhui as you mentioned before?"

Chen Ke did not directly answer Chen Tianhua's question but said seriously, "Xing Tai, I need to emphasize the difference between the people's revolution and the bourgeois revolution. The uprising in the people's revolution is not about us launching an uprising and forcing the people to die for us. The uprising in the people's revolution is when the people themselves, unable to bear the old system any longer, rise up to resist it. Our role is to connect with the masses and lead them in resisting tyranny and establishing a new and just society. This is a matter of us being willing to die first. So, without proper preparation, we should not talk about an uprising. Otherwise, it would be irresponsible, not only leading to our own deaths but also the deaths of many others. This is wrong."

Seeing that Chen Tianhua still didn't understand, Chen Ke continued, "We will discuss the uprising after the lecture series is completed and everyone has accumulated