Chapter 40

Yan Fu naturally could not have experienced the team-building exercises of the early 21st century, and the core purpose of 21st-century team-building exercises was entirely different from the military training of the early 20th century. The core of 21st-century team-building exercises was "reasoning." This was vastly different from the forced discipline instilled in early 20th-century military training.

After lunch, Chen Ke directed everyone to clean up the picnic supplies. His explanation was that "doing things requires a start and a finish." You can choose not to eat, but if you eat, you must clean up the dishes. In 1905, when compulsory education was not widespread, those who could read, or more specifically, members of the Huangpu Book Club, were not from poor families. Many were from wealthy families, and after meals, servants would clean up the dishes, so they had never personally washed dishes. Therefore, Chen Ke had to use a reason that everyone could understand to inspire their enthusiasm for labor.

Watching Chen Ke command over a hundred young people to act according to his wishes, even though it was just these simple tasks, Yan Fu found it quite impressive. In the past, at the Beiyang Naval Academy, students knew they had to follow the rules after entering the military school. Even so, it required repeated inspections and corrections by the instructors, and sometimes even physical punishment, to establish discipline and norms. As far as Yan Fu knew, the Huangpu Book Club was not a formal organization, and it had not been established for long. The members were diverse, yet Chen Ke could still command them. Moreover, from what Yan Fu observed, the young people did not resist Chen Ke. This leadership ability surprised Yan Fu.

When observing Chen Ke closely, Yan Fu could confirm that Chen Ke was not a graduate of a military school. Yan Fu had studied at the British Naval Academy and had been a military school principal himself. Chen Ke's movements and demeanor clearly indicated he was not a military school graduate. However, Chen Ke's grasp of rules and the emotions of the group was clearly not unfamiliar. Yan Fu knew that leading a group was not a simple task. Just standing in front of over a hundred people and speaking clearly, and being able to make the audience follow the speaker's thoughts, was already a sign of a qualified instructor. Such instructors were rare even at the Beiyang Naval Academy in the past.

Originally, Yan Fu had only come to see if Chen Ke was really busy. He did not plan to stay long, but seeing Chen Ke's performance, he no longer felt the urge to leave. A 25-year-old, even in 1905, was still considered young and inexperienced. Chen Ke's demonstrated capabilities made Yan Fu truly feel "the young are to be feared." Yan Fu had extensive practical experience and had met countless capable people. He did not believe in the "geniuses" described in novels, who knew everything about astronomy and geography, and could both govern the country and lead armies. He knew that people who could write books often did not perform well in practical work, and those who excelled in practical work often could not write.

Chen Ke's performance overturned Yan Fu's previous experience. He could write and act. This truly had the style of the "great masters" described in history books. Sun Wu could write books and lead armies to conquer Chu. Even the concubines of King Wu could be trained under Sun Wu's command. The people in front of Chen Ke were certainly more capable than the women from over 2000 years ago. However, from Yan Fu's observation, they were still a motley group. Sun Wu had the authority to execute people, but Chen Ke could only rely on his personal abilities to persuade and lead them. Because Yan Fu was not an ordinary person, he could better understand how outstanding Chen Ke's abilities were. Sun Wu was revered as a great war god for thousands of years. What would Chen Ke's future be like?

"If there had been such a person at the Beiyang Naval Academy in the past..." Seeing Chen Ke command everyone so orderly, even Yan Fu could not help but imagine.

Chen Ke did not know what Yan Fu was thinking. He finally managed to command everyone to clean up the supplies. Then he led the group to start the afternoon team-building exercises.

The first activity was a game. This game was simple: ten people held hands, and as long as no two people held hands with each other, they could move around without letting go of each other's hands until they formed one or more circles.

Chen Ke and nine others held hands tightly, forming a knot. The onlookers thought Chen Ke's claim was unreliable. However, Chen Ke had played this game many times, and the key to solving it was to start from the topmost pair of hands. Soon, with everyone's efforts, they either squatted down to let the person holding hands step over the intertwined arms, or turned around with great difficulty to avoid twisting their arms, or raised their arms to form an arch. The group gradually dispersed, becoming looser and looser. In the end, as Chen Ke had said, they indeed formed a circle of ten people holding hands.

Chen Ke shouted, "Let go of each other's hands. Form groups of ten according to the queue and complete this game."

In those days, young people had few entertainment options. Sports like basketball, volleyball, table tennis, and football were not yet popular in China. Even marbles were not widespread. The game immediately attracted everyone's enthusiasm. Chen Ke watched as everyone gathered to play, and he slowly moved back. The enthusiasm of the group far exceeded Chen Ke's expectations. In the team-building exercises he had participated in, there were many who were not enthusiastic about the games themselves. Chen Ke had originally wanted to see how many people would be like that this time, but to his surprise, everyone was very enthusiastic, even those who were naturally shy, though they were a bit embarrassed, still actively participated. This really surprised Chen Ke.

"What is the significance of this game for the literati?" Yan Fu asked, appearing beside Chen Ke.

"Mr. Yan, this game is to bring everyone closer together."

"Oh? So there's more to come?" Yan Fu was very interested.

"The next game is to increase trust. The final one is to face a challenge together." Chen Ke did not hide anything; lying to a smart person was pointless.

As Chen Ke had expected, Yan Fu thought for a moment and said, "First, show fairness, then bring people closer, then build trust, and finally face the challenge. I understand."

Chen Ke did not want to boast or be overly polite. He just smiled and said nothing.

Unexpectedly, Yan Fu said, "Wenqing, I have a suggestion. After the last game, can you lead these students in some drills?"

Chen Ke was slightly surprised. He had indeed planned to do this but had not mentioned it. He did not expect Yan Fu to have the same idea. Chen Ke turned and asked, "Why?"

Yan Fu looked at the students and said calmly, "You'll see."

Chen Ke did not ask further and turned to continue watching the group's activities.

In modern team-building exercises, someone must play the role of the coach. This role is not easy, as it requires identifying problems and enforcing penalties. However, Chen Ke did not intend to play this role in this training. It was not the right time. However, seeing the students' serious attitude, Chen Ke felt that their level of seriousness far exceeded his expectations. No one deliberately broke the rules to end the activity early. If it were in the 21st century, even Chen Ke, as a homebody, would prefer to go home early. Watching movies, listening to music, and chatting online were all very comfortable activities. Compared to these, team-building exercises were just a form of relaxation.

Chen Ke used to love going to the cinema when he was young, but after getting a computer, he rarely went. At home, the only difference was the screen size, and he could watch whatever he wanted. Why go through the trouble when he could easily get entertainment at home? In 1905, even the most comfortable life could not match the standards of 2005. Not only were material resources scarce, but spiritual life was also lacking. This was an era of comprehensive scarcity in knowledge, culture, and entertainment. The students' enthusiasm for the games Chen Ke taught was similar to his own enthusiasm for playing marbles and picture cards as a child, and later for video games.

Thinking about this, a certain doubt in Chen Ke's mind suddenly began to clear. Why, in just a few months, had seven comrades joined the party? This society was like a stagnant pool, oppressive, and full of injustice. So, the comrades followed Chen Ke, who was relatively fair, to work and even to revolutionize.

Revolution is inherently rooted in the people, as Yan Fu had summarized. Even in small matters like sharing food, people still strive for fairness. It was not the games that brought people closer, but the need for closer relationships among the students. These healthy and positive games provided them with the opportunity. Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain why some people in 21st-century team-building exercises were not enthusiastic, or why Chen Ke himself found the activities enjoyable but preferred to go home.

Chen Ke had always told the comrades that it was not the People's Party that mobilized the masses for revolution, but the masses who needed revolution and followed the People's Party. He understood this theoretically, but only after organizing this team-building exercise did Chen Ke verify that his words were indeed correct.

"The Chinese people are a great people, for even an illiterate knows to uphold a just order." Chen Ke could not remember where he had read this, but he agreed with it. Although it was a theoretical agreement, today, Chen Ke finally believed it. As long as what is provided is healthy and positive, and aligns with the Chinese people's pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty, people will follow. Just as Chen Ke saw with his own eyes, one team had failed twice and was now attempting the game for the third time.

The revolution has a bright future, Chen Ke could not help but smile. With such a social foundation for revolution, how could it not succeed? Chen Ke said to himself. Although his scientific and objective nature later made him doubt his optimism.

In less than forty minutes, eleven teams completed the game. Everyone was laughing, and some of the more outgoing ones were already demonstrating how their arms had been twisted or how awkward it was when others crossed over the intertwined arms.

"Students, now we will move on to the next activity: Trust Fall." Chen Ke clapped his hands and shouted loudly.

This activity was not simple. Hua Xiongmao, following Chen Ke's instructions, built six platforms, each over three meters high. Chen Ke divided twenty people into two teams to stand below the platforms, facing each other. They placed their hands back down and palms up on each other's shoulders. Chen Ke explained the rules: he would stand straight and fall backward from the platform, landing on the arms of the group below. Chen Ke assured them that this impact would not injure him or the people below.

After explaining, Chen Ke asked loudly, "Do you trust me?" Everyone was very worried about this position. If their palms were down and their hands back up on the opposite person's shoulders, they could at least support Chen Ke when he fell. With palms up, there was no way to brace, and Chen Ke, being tall, would definitely knock everyone's arms down, causing him to fall straight to the ground.

The students looked at each other.

"I said it would be fine, and it will be fine. Do you trust me?" Chen Ke asked with a determined gaze.

After the previous training, the students had already built trust in Chen Ke. They all said, "We trust Mr. Chen."

"Drop the 'Mr.' and answer together." Chen Ke said and asked again, "Do you trust me?"

"We trust." They answered almost in unison.

Chen Ke asked again, "Do you trust us?"

"We trust." This time, the response was uniform.

Hearing this, Chen Ke smiled, explained the rules and precautions, and nimbly climbed the frame. As he said, he stood on the platform with only his toes, facing the group. "I am Chen Ke, and I am ready," he shouted.

"We are the first team, and we are ready. Please trust us," the students below responded excitedly.

As soon as he heard this, Chen Ke straightened his body and, under the watchful eyes of over a hundred people, he fell backward like a second hand on a clock, pivoting on his feet. The students did not expect Chen Ke to fall so suddenly. In a gasp of shock, Chen Ke's body had already fallen flat, landing on the "net" formed by the students' arms. The feeling on his back was a slight sinking, but it quickly stopped.

With palms up, another benefit was that they did not need to reverse their arms to lower Chen Ke. The surrounding students were already asking, "Does it hurt?" They were shocked by Chen Ke's clean and swift fall. The platform was over three meters high, and Chen Ke's head was over five meters from the ground. Falling backward from such a height was shocking just to watch.

"Not at all."

"That's right. Mr. Chen was correct. A person's weight distributed among forty arms is barely noticeable."

The students below said proudly. When Chen Ke fell, they were all a bit worried, but it turned out to be just as Chen Ke had said, with no significant impact.

Some students could not resist and were ready to climb the platform to try it themselves.

The most critical part of this training was to avoid the natural tendency to fall backward with the buttocks first. Forty arms could easily support a person's weight, but three or four could not. Chen Ke made five restraining bags to prevent this.

After so much training, the students had already become accustomed to obedience. Two students stood on the platform to help the participants put on the bags, which were like large cloth bags with several poles inside. Once a person was in the bag, they were tied with ropes, making it impossible to bend. These two students also controlled the direction to prevent any tilting. Chen Ke could do it himself, but he did not dare to let the students do it on their own.

The over a hundred students were divided into five teams for this activity. Some, after the initial questions, immediately fell backward. Others were not so quick, hesitating for a while before gathering the courage to lean back. In the air, even though their bodies were forcibly straightened by the poles, their buttocks were still noticeably protruding, indicating they had not fully followed the rule of keeping their bodies straight.

Some stood there, even after being asked several times and receiving responses from below, but they could not bring themselves to lean back. The students on the platform had to help them. Following Chen Ke's instructions, they pushed the hesitant students' foreheads, allowing them to fall more straightly.

One by one, the "flying people" fell, with the earlier ones setting an example. The later ones became more skilled, and the game was completed in less than an hour.

Yan Fu watched the students, who were excited but also a bit fearful, and saw them becoming more proficient in the "dangerous" training. His expression became increasingly serious. Chen Ke's training looked risky but was very safe. As each person experienced this training, the atmosphere among everyone became increasingly harmonious. If no one caught them, falling backward from such a height would be fatal. But landing safely on the arms of their classmates and being gently lowered was a very different experience. In a sense, it was a "life-and-death" bond.

After such training, Yan Fu believed that the relationships among these people would be fundamentally different. The training at the Beiyang Naval Academy was always very harsh, and before the First Sino-Japanese War, there were multiple incidents of soldiers dying due to the severity of the training. However, such training could not instill the same level of trust. How did Chen Ke come up with such a method? Watching Chen Ke seriously inspect the training, Yan Fu saw how naturally he integrated into the environment, despite being the leader. Yan Fu was not worried that anyone would oppose Chen Ke, but no one would deny his leadership. If given time, these students would become a cohesive and united force.

Yan Fu was very satisfied with this.

"Mr. Yan, would you like to join us?" As Yan Fu was thinking, a student excitedly ran over to invite him. After the stimulating activities, the students' faces were flushed, and many of the original rules had been forgotten in their excitement.

"Uh?" Yan Fu did not expect to be invited.

It was not clear who started the cheering, but the students were already shouting in unison, "Mr. Yan, do one! Mr. Yan, do one!" More and more people joined in. In this group-dominated atmosphere, everyone could not help but join in. Hearing the enthusiastic and friendly invitations, even Yan Fu felt a bit moved. He was a military man and did not like empty formalities. Yan Fu took off his glasses and, with the agility he had maintained from his days at the British Naval Academy and his training with the Nanyang and Beiyang fleets, climbed the platform. The students applauded and cheered. Yan Fu stood as Chen Ke had, and in the sudden silence, he said loudly, "I am Yan Fu, and I am ready."

"Please trust us." The response below was loud and powerful, and Yan Fu could tell that it was not just the people preparing to catch him but everyone who responded in unison.

Yan Fu straightened his body and fell backward. No matter what, the innate human reaction to falling could not be suppressed, and a sense of fear still dominated. But Yan Fu was not one to give in. He did not tighten his body but instead kept it straight, just as in naval swimming training before diving into the sea. The feeling of falling seemed long but was not. Before Yan Fu could doubt whether the people below could catch him, his body had already landed in the barrier of strong arms. The collective strength of the group held Yan Fu in the air. No one was injured. Cheers erupted again.

The final activity was to climb over an obstacle, with ten people in a group, all of whom had to pass over a three-meter-high barrier. The barrier was a sturdy wooden frame buried deep in the ground, with thick wooden boards tightly fitted together. They had to climb up by forming a human pyramid and then flip over, with the last person pulling the second-to-last person's legs to be pulled over by the group. Although the theory was simple, the execution required significant effort.

Yan Fu walked to Chen Ke's side and asked, "Wenqing, can I command the final drill?" Watching the students work together to climb over the obstacle, Yan Fu felt a sudden return to his days as the principal of the Beiyang Naval Academy. It was a long-lost feeling.

"This team-building exercise was initiated by me, and I must command it personally. I cannot fulfill Mr. Yan's request, and I apologize for that." Chen Ke politely but firmly refused.

Yan Fu had not thought much about it, just a simple excitement. Hearing Chen Ke's refusal, Yan Fu suddenly realized that he was no longer the principal, and those days had ended in the Gengzi year. Looking at Chen Ke's young and energetic face and the equally young students encouraging, carrying, and pulling each other over the high obstacle, Yan Fu nodded slightly but did not say more.

At 5 PM, everyone had climbed over the obstacle. Many had blood on their arms, but no one cared. They were happy and chatting. A day of training, even for young people, was tiring, but everyone felt refreshed. In the Huangpu Book Club, they had met before, but they had never been so close. After so many challenges, they suddenly discovered that their classmates, even those who did not seem very likable, had reliable and lovable sides. This new discovery made the already sociable students even closer.

"Everyone, gather and form a line." Chen Ke shouted, pointing to a spot in front of him. No further explanation was needed. Someone ran to stand at that spot, and the other students quickly formed a 10x11 square formation around him, like iron filings attracted to a magnet.

"Everyone, march in step." Chen Ke shouted.

Although the formation was still a bit messy and some people could not resist starting with their right foot, under Chen Ke's "one-two-one" command, everyone adjusted their steps without being told. Soon, everyone's steps were in sync. The more synchronized the steps, the more powerful they became, and the more powerful they became, the more synchronized they were. The students marched fifty meters in unison. The wall was getting closer, and although some thought they should stop, no one did. It was a strange feeling; everyone felt a new strength. If Chen Ke gave the command, they would follow the training they had just received, work together, and climb over the wall, moving forward into the vast space beyond.

"Attention!" Chen Ke finally shouted.

"Students," Chen Ke said in front of the formation