Chapter 85

The success of the People's Party's rescue operation had a positive impact within the party, including the Huangpu Book Society. The oppressive atmosphere of the past twenty days was swept away when the comrades were successfully rescued from prison. For those comrades who had families in Shanghai, the party arranged for family reunions.

The vanguard team led by Hua Xiumao had already arrived in Anhui and started preliminary investigations. Wu Xingchen also set off for Hebei. The party entrusted Wu Xingchen with an official letter to notify Chen Tianhua to return to Shanghai urgently to assist with the party's relocation to Anhui.

In addition to these external tasks, the People's Party and the Huangpu Book Society held full meetings one after another. After a not-so-intense discussion, the comrades acknowledged the overwhelming disparity of forces between the enemy and us in Shanghai. Chen Ke's request to work in Anhui was approved. Chen Ke personally took charge and established the Anhui Work Committee. The committee talked to people one by one, encouraging them. To Chen Ke's surprise, more than 70% of the People's Party members were willing to go to Anhui, and the members of the Huangpu Book Society were even higher, exceeding 80%.

January 24, 1906, was New Year's Eve, and the People's Party took a long holiday. Chen Ke didn't know when the comrades who would work in Anhui would be able to spend the Spring Festival with their families in a peaceful environment again. Therefore, he proposed this suggestion, which was unanimously agreed upon by the party members.

According to the plan, after the Lantern Festival, the work in Anhui would officially begin. Several non-medical disciplines of the Shanghai Renxin Medical College had already started recruiting students. The medical department of the school would officially start classes in the spring. On New Year's Eve, the dormitory building of the school was bustling with activity.

In November 1905, the Japanese government issued many regulations to restrict Chinese students, resulting in many students returning to China. These people originally hoped to obtain degrees and then return to China to "achieve great things." Now, forced to return, they were even more determined to achieve their "ambitions." For these people, the most effective way to achieve their goals was to "start a school." The problem was that starting a school required money. Although these students came from relatively well-off families, their families' financial resources were insufficient to support the establishment of a school. Moreover, their families sent them abroad to study so that they could "glorify the family" and "become officials and get rich." Now, before they had earned any money, they were asking their families to invest in a school, which they knew was unrealistic.

So they began to solicit investors. The Huangpu Book Society became a well-known gathering place in Shanghai. Before the Shanghai uprising, Qi Huishen had been greatly disturbed by these people. However, as the saying goes, "blessings and curses are intertwined." When the police arrested Qi Huishen, he was facing the daily visits of these students. The visitors were also arrested, which proved that Qi Huishen had no time to participate in the movement. The British were also unwilling to offend these Chinese students too much, so they were all released. Now that Chen Ke had returned to take charge of the work, these people, seeing that the storm had passed, gathered at the school again. Chen Ke, being somewhat righteous, allowed these people to temporarily stay in the school dormitories.

Chen Ke had heard of and occasionally seen women crying, making a fuss, and threatening to hang themselves. However, he had never seen men do such things in real life. After a few of these returned students from Japan staged such a scene for Chen Ke, he began to regret allowing them to stay in the dormitories.

On New Year's Eve, Chen Ke spent the night with these students. There were a few women among the students, and the few women sat at one table, while the men occupied the other tables in the canteen. Among these people, Chen Ke was particularly interested in the dozen or so students who specialized in mining. After the People's Party entered Anhui, they would definitely face a blockade. Self-reliance and self-sufficiency were essential. In practical economic operations, mining, agriculture, and chemical industries were the most important. Even for these mining personnel whose true capabilities were unknown, Chen Ke was determined to secure them. Among them, Yao Hongye was the one Chen Ke valued the most.

Chen Ke did not know Yao Hongye's history. Born in 1881, he was one year younger than Chen Ke according to the identity Chen Ke fabricated. He was from Xiaomeitang, Yiyang, Hunan. In 1904, he went to Japan to study, founded the Road and Mining School, and was the first to advocate for the protection of road and mining rights. In 1905, he joined the Tongmenghui. In 1906, he returned to China to protest the Japanese Ministry of Education's "Regulations for the Management of Chinese Students," which aimed to restrict Chinese student activities. In Shanghai, he rented a house with Qiu Jin and Yu Youren to start a school, founding the China Public School, which was the first privately-run new school. Later, due to financial and housing difficulties, and slanderous rumors, he committed suicide by drowning in the Huangpu River on April 7, 1906, the day Chen Tianhua's coffin arrived in Shanghai.

Since Chen Tianhua joined the People's Party, there would be no issue of suicide. Yao Hongye did not follow the old path in history. He returned to Shanghai in December 1905. At that time, Chen Ke and Chen Tianhua were both active in Beijing. Yao Hongye first participated in the social investigation activities organized by the People's Party. During the social investigation, he strongly lobbied Qi Huishen to fund the establishment of a mining university. Qi Huishen was very interested in his plan, but such a major decision was not something Qi Huishen could make alone. When Chen Ke returned to Shanghai, Yao Hongye met him personally and continued to lobby for the establishment of the school. Chen Ke's response was simple: the main campus of the school must be in Anhui, and only a branch campus could be established in Shanghai.

Yao Hongye's enthusiasm was doused with a bucket of cold water. He originally wanted to establish the school in Shanghai. Chen Ke's plan to take them to the remote areas of Anhui was unacceptable to him. Chen Ke was not afraid that Yao Hongye would ultimately refuse. After all, without other investors, the mining school, which was still on paper, would either be abandoned or would have to follow Chen Ke's plan. If Chen Ke knew that Yao Hongye had historically committed suicide due to a lack of funds, he would have been even more confident.

In fact, not only Yao Hongye, but most of the students who remained here had signed work contracts of varying lengths with Renxin College. During the two months Chen Ke was away from Shanghai, the production of the special medicine had generated significant profits. Thanks to Wang Qian, the sales of the special medicine in Southeast Asia expanded continuously, reaching a record of 3,000 doses in January, earning 100,000 taels of silver. By January 1906, the People's Party's funds exceeded 200,000 taels. With money in hand, there was no need to worry. If it was just about setting up a few new majors, the salaries of a hundred or so people were not a problem.

Moreover, the People's Party had a clear plan for who to recruit. They basically did not want liberal arts students. These people were not like Lu Xun, and liberal arts students were useless. The ones who cried, made a fuss, and threatened to hang themselves were liberal arts students. Among the liberal arts students, Chen Ke did not recruit any except those studying law.

New Year's Eve usually starts with eating and drinking. However, over several hours, you can't just keep eating and drinking. Qiu Jin did not return home for the New Year. She celebrated with everyone, and as a revolutionary propagandist, after a few drinks, she began to speak about revolutionary principles. Chen Ke did not pay much attention, as he had heard such propaganda many times in this era. Moreover, they were about to go to Anhui to face the harsh grassroots work. If he hyped it up too much, the emotional letdown when they saw the remote areas would be too great.

The students naturally loved this. For these temporarily powerless students, at least the revolution offered a beautiful vision. Whether they could achieve it or not, they could at least enjoy the vision. The audience's emotions grew higher. Chen Ke had already explained the hardships of working in Anhui to the key selected candidates and did not want to dampen their spirits further. Seeing that his wife, He Ying, was uninterested in Qiu Jin's speech, he secretly signaled to her and slipped out. Soon, He Ying also slipped out. The couple held hands and strolled around the school.

There were not only Chen Ke and his wife outside; many students were setting off firecrackers and fireworks in the campus. The sound of firecrackers was lively.

"Missing home?" Chen Ke asked.

"Um," He Ying answered honestly.

Chen Ke wanted to apologize but felt there was nothing to apologize for. Since they were married, they should live together. "I'll play the piano for you," Chen Ke said.

"Okay," He Ying answered honestly.

The couple slipped into the school's music room. Chen Ke had been there a few times in the past few days. Once in Anhui, there would be no time for such bourgeois activities. As a leader, Chen Ke playing the piano for his wife would set a bad example. So Chen Ke felt he needed to play for his wife more now.

The music was melodious, and it was "All the Way with You." "Do you know, loving you is not easy, it takes a lot of courage..." Chen Ke sang. As He Ying listened, her expression changed. Chen Ke, focused on playing and singing, did not notice his wife's expression. After finishing the song, Chen Ke felt it went well. But he saw He Ying lower her head and suddenly ask, "I miss my aunt."

"We'll visit her in a few years," Chen Ke said without much thought. After saying this, he saw He Ying's expression change, and she became even more unhappy. Chen Ke quickly realized the issue and explained, "The song and lyrics were not written by me. I just think they sound good, and there's no other meaning."

He Ying seemed unsatisfied with this answer, and Chen Ke felt a bit wronged. He tried to explain again, but the more he explained, the worse it seemed. He decided to change the song to "My Motherland." The melody was beautiful, and He Ying was not really that upset. It was just a woman's inexplicable mood. Seeing that Chen Ke stopped explaining, she did not pursue it further. After playing and singing several songs, footsteps echoed in the hallway, and a group of people came up. Then, Qiu Jin's slightly tipsy voice was heard, "The young intellectuals are hiding here, whispering sweet nothings, making us envious." As she spoke, a group of people rushed in. Qiu Jin was at the front, and Chen Tianhua was right behind her.

With Chen Tianhua's return, the students seemed to have a backbone. This was the effect Chen Ke wanted. Indeed, some students who were initially unenthusiastic about going to Anhui finally agreed to work there. Especially after Chen Tianhua's persuasion, Yao Hongye and his mining classmates finally agreed to join the school. However, Yao Hongye insisted that the main campus be in Shanghai, but he guaranteed that a batch of students would be sent to Anhui to work after a year. With Chen Tianhua's mediation, although Chen Ke was not entirely convinced by their enthusiasm and guarantee, he could not be too picky.

After the Lantern Festival, the comrades returned to their work. By February 10, the comrades from the Beijing party cell also arrived. This time, more people came than expected, including Mao Yibo, Xu Dian, Su Wuming, and others, bringing over a dozen comrades to Shanghai. Qin Tongren did not come with the group because there were still many things to wrap up in Beijing, and he was also working to gather more people. Once things in Anhui were settled, he would lead the "main force" to join the comrades.

By February 18, Shang Yuan also arrived in Shanghai. On February 19, the first national preparatory meeting of the People's Party was officially held in Shanghai.

Many years later, there was much discussion within the party about the status of the first national preparatory meeting. The distinction between the first national preparatory meeting and the first national congress was not a small issue. It determined the seniority within the party. At this preparatory meeting, there were 53 full and probationary members, with 23 from north of the Huai River and 23 from south of the Huai River, creating a balanced situation. The full and probationary members came from eleven provinces, including Taiwan, and even included seven Japanese comrades.

There were not many memoirs about this preparatory meeting, and most of the participants did not live long enough to write memoirs. Apart from the official meeting records, the most important source was Wang Qian's diary. Wang Qian had already passed away, and records from France confirmed that he had received a "baptism" ceremony in a Protestant church in France in 1900, becoming a Protestant. In the context of the republic's efforts to eliminate the three major Christian denominations, Wang Qian's posthumous manuscripts were thoroughly examined, and the dozens of diaries were discovered.

Of course, after research, it was unclear how much Wang Qian's faith in "Christ" differed from his faith in "Guanyin Bodhisattva." At the time of his "call to the Lord," Wang Qian showed no intention of seeking religious comfort. Additionally, after joining the party, Wang Qian never showed any resistance or confusion about materialism and atheism. Therefore, the conclusion was that "Wang Qian, in his youth and early adulthood, before encountering materialist theory, participated in a Protestant religious activity due to mental distress," and he was ultimately recognized as a materialist.

The diary's record of the first national preparatory meeting of the People's Party is as follows:

"On the first day of the meeting, people from all over were present. Many people's speeches were hard to understand, especially the northern comrades could not understand the southern comrades' accents. Everyone's speeches needed translation, and the meeting was noisy."

"When Wenqing addressed the comrades about working in Anhui, he did not say anything encouraging. Instead, he repeatedly emphasized the hardships of rural work, like a Puritan, urging everyone to abandon all high-minded attitudes and immerse themselves in the people to do the most practical work."

"I have lived in the countryside and know the hardships of farmers. I found Wenqing's attitude strange. His description seemed like he was encouraging himself. Everyone knew that Wenqing had returned from abroad and had never been to the countryside. However, he then proposed specific solutions to improve rural productivity. He openly stated that the goal of this rural work was to completely seize all administrative power in the region, and all power would belong to the People's Congress led by the People's Party. These terms were new, and it was the first time I had heard them."

"On the second day of the meeting, Wenqing's speech required everyone to strictly follow the party's organizational guidelines, all actions to be commanded, and the work goal was to overcome all difficulties and complete the tasks assigned by the organization. Many comrades were seeing Wenqing take such a strong stance for the first time. It seemed that many comrades were dissatisfied. If it weren't for Wenqing being the founder of the People's Party and the old comrades' respect for him, such a blunt statement would have caused a public uproar. Even so, many people privately thought Wenqing's attitude was too domineering."

"On the third day of the meeting, tasks were assigned. I would be treating patients wherever I was, and I would only go to Anhui in June. My task in the first semester of the medical department was to find students willing to work in Anhui. Of course, many students at the school had signed apprenticeship contracts, requiring them to unconditionally follow the school's arrangements for seven years. Xu Dian from the north, who seemed to be studying law, had some objections to this. Wenqing told everyone that these students' contracts would automatically become void once they started working in Anhui. If the contracts were voided now, they would not follow. In this era, beggars can't be choosers. I thought Wenqing's reasoning was sound. People with medical skills, especially those trained in Western medicine, were unwilling to go to the countryside. If it weren't for Wenqing leading the team to the countryside in Anhui, I wouldn't go either."

The meeting lasted three days, basically determining the party's development guidelines and goals in the base area. This was the key point of the discussion about seniority between the representatives of the first national preparatory meeting and the first national congress. It is well known that Chen Ke's status within the party, as well as the complete revolutionary guidelines and direction, were fully established at the first national congress. At the first national preparatory meeting, the revolutionary direction was mentioned, but Chen Ke's status was not discussed.

On February 24, 1906, three days after the end of the first national preparatory meeting, the People's Party began to dispatch the first official Anhui mission team. Chen Ke and other comrades officially set out on their journey to Anhui.

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End of Chapter 85