Chapter 86: The People's Revolution

At the end of July 1906, a fleet of traditional Chinese river boats was sailing on a wide river. The entire fleet consisted of eighteen boats, each heavily laden with cargo that pressed the gunwales close to the water. The river was wide, and the current was swift. Despite the sails being fully extended, the boats still required the use of oars. With the powerful calls of the boatmen, they rowed in unison, their upper bodies bare. Each stroke of the oars moved the boats upstream against the current, and splashes of water occasionally sprayed onto the decks or the awnings.

At the bow of the leading boat, Chai Qingguo stood under a large flag. Dark clouds hung low, and the wind, heavy with moisture, blew across the water, occasionally bringing a few raindrops to Chai Qingguo's face and body. Although he had been in the south for more than half a year, the Shandong native still found the humidity difficult to adapt to. The wind made the large flag flutter loudly, and Chai Qingguo had seen this flag many times, able to picture it clearly even with his eyes closed.

The flag was entirely crimson, with a black emblem in the upper left corner. A sickle and a hammer crossed each other, forming a unique pattern that resembled a peculiarly shaped bow and arrow. The sickle naturally represented the peasants, and the hammer represented the workers. As for why the red flag was chosen, Chen Ke's resounding voice still echoed in Chai Qingguo's mind: "We chose the red flag because it is dyed with the blood of the people's heroes who, since 1840, have fought against internal and external enemies to achieve national independence and the freedom and happiness of the people."

The words were eloquent and long, and Chai Qingguo did not understand them at first. Spending more time with Chen Ke and his group, Chai Qingguo himself had become accustomed to the habits of the literati. After carefully asking about the meaning of the words, Chai Qingguo summarized what interested him: Zhao San duo and Uncle Jing Tingbin were also the "people's heroes" Chen Ke spoke of, and the brothers who fought with him in the Gengzi year were also "people's heroes." He then accepted Chen Ke's explanation for the color of the red flag.

Of course, Chai Qingguo did not have any particular feelings about these words as he stood at the bow of the boat. He was not even thinking about them. At this moment, the Shandong native had other things on his mind.

In the novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," it is said that Zhuge Liang set a fire to trap Sima Yi in the Hu Lu Valley. Just as Sima Yi and his sons were about to be engulfed by the flames, a sudden downpour extinguished the fire, allowing them to escape. Watching Sima Yi and his sons flee in panic, Zhuge Liang sighed, "Man proposes, God disposes."

The People's Party's work in Anhui in 1906 had a similar feeling.

Throughout the spring, the core of the People's Party's work centered around Fengtai County. After Shang Yuan took office as the county magistrate, the People's Party members quickly infiltrated the county government as officials. Secretaries, constables, and several key positions in the county were replaced. At least on the surface, the People's Party controlled the county government. At the same time, Chen Ke selected a group of core members of the People's Party, along with the fellow villagers who returned with Yuchwen Bate, and formed the armed forces of the People's Party.

The second-in-command of the Anhui New Army, Bu Guanshui, met with Chen Ke in Anqing and, through his connections, secured the title of "Security Corps" for Chen Ke. The "Security Corps" were essentially bandits who fought other bandits. In these turbulent times, the massive number of unemployed farmers greatly increased the ranks of the bandits in the mountains, so organizations like the "Security Corps" emerged. They also levied "protection fees" and collected money and grain, much like bandits. On the other hand, the Security Corps also engaged in black market activities, suppressing bandits and protecting the safety of merchants. They were a mix of "stationary bandits" and "escort companies" with some background.

Chai Qingguo did not like the regular army, so Chen Ke personally led a team, including Chai Qingguo and others, for a one-and-a-half-month military training with the Anhui New Army. By the time the training was over, it was almost May. Bu Guanshui used his connections to secure a batch of guns, and with the help of Kuroshima Jinichiro, a batch of guns was obtained from the "revolutionary supporters" in Shanghai, Japan. The 120 core members of the Security Corps were now all armed.

Just as the team returned to Fengtai County, ready to take action, it started raining.

Chai Qingguo, a northerner, had never seen rain fall so incessantly. Chen Ke was unaware of the impending flood, and Chai Qingguo knew even less. Historical records state:

In 1906 (the 32nd year of the Guangxu era), during the transition between spring and summer, it rained for over 60 days in Anhui. Mountain floods broke out, and the Huai, Si, Sha, Ru, and Fei rivers all rose simultaneously. The water level on the plains rose several feet, "for over a thousand miles, everything became a vast lake," "starving people died by the dozens every day, families of men and women threw themselves into the river, and those who fled along the way died on the road, the dead lined the roads, a sight too terrible to bear."

Chai Qingguo was truly amazed. It rained heavily every day, as if the sky had been pierced, pouring endless rain. The plains turned into ponds, which expanded into lakes, and the lakes continued to grow, turning the hills into isolated islands. Trees several zhang tall had only their treetops barely above the water.

Fields and houses were completely submerged, and the people who managed to escape were trapped on the hills. If it weren't for Chen Ke personally leading the People's Party's "Security Corps" to rescue people by boat in the heavy rain, many more would have died in the first few days of the downpour.

The Security Corps were organized according to the regular military structure, with one company consisting of four platoons, each platoon consisting of four squads, and each squad consisting of twelve men. The Security Corps had a full company of 240 men. The People's Party members held all the positions of company commander, platoon leader, and squad leader. The party branch ordered that People's Party members must personally lead the rescue efforts and were not allowed to leave their posts for any reason. With torrential rain and widespread flooding, rescuing people by boat was extremely dangerous, and falling into the water could mean certain death. Although Shang Yuan had borrowed all the relatively safe and reliable large boats he could find, casualties were inevitable.

In just ten days, the People's Party paid a heavy price. Even though everyone on the boats tied ropes around their waists during dangerous times, one party member and five members of the Security Corps unfortunately drowned. For ten days, the Security Corps went out in all directions, rescuing over 3,000 people. Although "saving one life is better than building a seven-story pagoda," the members of the Security Corps were also human. If it weren't for Chen Ke and the party members leading the efforts and standing in the most dangerous places, and if it weren't for the fact that many of the Security Corps members were local people who had worked together for a long time and genuinely wanted to save their fellow villagers, this hastily formed team might have collapsed.

Despite this, by the eleventh day, the exhausted and injured Security Corps were no longer able to go out. When Chen Ke announced a temporary break and planned to resume rescue efforts in a few days, all the members of the Security Corps showed relief. Although they knew that stopping the rescue efforts meant that those trapped in the floodwaters would have little chance of survival, they had worked hard for ten days, and their lives mattered too.

Thinking about this, Chai Qingguo couldn't help but turn his head. Among the group of dark and muscular boatmen, there was a clearly paler and thinner young man who was rowing with everyone else. That was He Zudao, the political commissar of the Security Corps. This young man from Shanghai initially served as a cultural instructor and the organizer of the soldiers' committee. He was now the political commissar of the second company of the Security Corps. Theoretically, the political commissar's position was even higher than the company commander, meaning that Chai Qingguo, as the second company commander, had to follow the decisions of the party committee led by the political commissar. In the Boxer Rebellion, this role was akin to a "military advisor," but He Zudao had no airs of an official. He was always involved in the work arrangements, including all the officers' plans.

Chen Ke had worked hard to win over Yuchwen Bate, and Chai Qingguo didn't know how they convinced him to bring his fellow villagers from Anhui back home. This large group formed the backbone of the Security Corps. Chen Ke led the team, and He Zudao arranged the luggage, marching, and cooking logistics. Even Chen Ke carried his own luggage and cooked along the way. As the organizer of the soldiers' committee, He Zudao told everyone that this was called "officers and soldiers as one." In the Security Corps, there were only differences in position, not in status.

The soldiers' committee started with casual conversations, where everyone shared their family backgrounds and reasons for joining. Chai Qingguo, as a member of the soldiers' committee, personally participated in all the activities. The representatives elected by the soldiers' committee were all ordinary soldiers, and officers were not allowed to serve as representatives.

At first, Chai Qingguo thought this was absurd. "Why should I, an officer, listen to a soldier?" Not only the officers, but even the soldiers initially thought this was wrong. Soldiers should listen to their officers. They found this overstepping of authority inappropriate.

He Zudao, not only as the organizer of the soldiers' committee but also as a cultural instructor, addressed this issue. During daily literacy classes, he taught the party's platform through many small stories. The more characters the soldiers recognized, the better they could understand the party's platform.

With Chen Ke's strong support, after a month of work, it was payday. The soldiers' committee elected a soldier named Dai Enze to distribute the pay. Dai Enze was originally a beggar who had drifted to Shanghai from Anqing, Anhui. When Chen Ke's team set out from Shanghai, Dai Enze was half-starved and approached them upon hearing the Anhui accent. Chen Ke gave him a steamed bun, and as Dai Enze wolfed it down, Chen Ke asked if he wanted to go to Anhui with them. Dai Enze immediately agreed. At the soldiers' committee activities, Dai Enze shared his background. In Shanghai, he had worked at the docks with fellow villagers but offended a local gang, and his fellow villagers were beaten up. The former "boss" floated dead in the Huangpu River, and the others scattered. Dai Enze was severely beaten and had his money stolen. Alone and sick, he had no choice but to become a beggar. He would do anything to return to Anhui and never wanted to stay in Shanghai again.

In He Zudao's literacy classes, the soldier who recognized the most characters would wear a small red flower. Dai Enze had worn it for over ten days. Being a seasoned person, he recognized Chen Ke's status. Since the soldiers' committee was strongly supported by Chen Ke, he dared to speak up and propose ordinary soldiers' opinions. Therefore, he was elected as the representative to distribute the pay.

Dai Enze called out the names of everyone from Chen Ke to the soldiers and distributed the pay publicly. After verifying the amounts, they signed the pay slips. The soldiers had learned to write their names and were delighted to sign them after receiving their pay. When Dai Enze called out, "Comrade Chai Qingguo, come to collect your pay," Chai Qingguo felt uncomfortable. A new soldier, a former beggar, was calling him out so formally. If the procedure for collecting pay wasn't the same for everyone, including Chen Ke, Chai Qingguo would not have let it go.

As the days passed, the soldiers' committee became increasingly bold. The "Security Corps" had many "officers and soldiers as one" rules, including prohibiting officers from beating or insulting soldiers. This was fine, but at each officers' meeting, the soldiers' committee representatives had to attend and had significant speaking rights. Dai Enze attended multiple times and, as time went on, began to voice his opinions. Chen Ke fully supported this and even explained the purpose of each decision to the soldiers, ensuring their understanding and support.

Chai Qingguo thought Chen Ke was crazy. "Are you leading soldiers or leading lords? You can't be so lenient with them." He once confronted Chen Ke.

Chen Ke replied, "We are the people's army, and the people's army should be like this. If the army doesn't know why they are fighting, can you expect them to fight to the death for you?"

Chai Qingguo knew he couldn't argue with Chen Ke on this, so he gave up. He was sure this way of leading would cause problems, and he waited to see Chen Ke's downfall. Over the months, the Security Corps did have a few instances of unstable soldier morale and reluctance to endure tough training. However, through the soldiers' committee, these issues that could have led to intense conflicts were resolved. Moreover, Chen Ke's "New Style" campaign, led by the influential He Zudao, was well-received and achieved significant results. The army's organization and discipline were greatly improved.

Without these measures, the Security Corps would not have been able to sustain ten days of continuous rescue efforts. They might not have lasted even one day.

Now, as He Zudao rowed and shouted, "Comrades, shall we sing a song?"

"Sure!" The boatmen, all members of the Security Corps, responded enthusiastically.

"Let's sing 'The Three Main Rules and Eight Points of Attention.'"

"Sure!" They responded again.

"Every people's soldier must remember, one two!" He Zudao started with a loud voice.

Then the entire boat sang in unison, "Every people's soldier must remember, the three main rules and eight points of attention. First, all actions must follow orders, unity is the key to victory. Second, do not take a single needle or thread from the people..."

Although the singing was a mix of northern and southern accents, everyone sang in unison. Hearing the song from this boat, the other boats quickly joined in. The same songs echoed across the flood-expanded river, carrying far and wide.

The people were not ungrateful. Many of the rescued locals from Fengtai County volunteered to join the Security Corps. Although Chai Qingguo thought their main motivation was to "serve and eat," in the midst of the flood, joining the Security Corps' "big boat" was the best choice for these disaster victims. However, they did volunteer, and the Security Corps' strength quickly grew from one company to a battalion. The reason many joined was that the Security Corps' rescue efforts had gained a good reputation. Although people were wary of this new force, they were no longer hostile.

Chen Ke and the party organization carefully selected the applicants. Yuchwen Bate, a local, and many others in the Security Corps were locals. They knew who were good people and who were troublemakers. The Security Corps recruited mostly good people, with only a few skilled troublemakers.

With the expanded Security Corps, armed and supported by the local government and people, the party organization arranged the next step: establishing routes for transporting supplies from Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the disaster area. This fleet of eighteen boats was the second organized transport team. The boats were loaded with grain, seeds, cloth, medicine, salt, and some tools. At the party committee meeting, Chen Ke proposed that the People's Party must personally lead the disaster-stricken people in post-disaster reconstruction, planting and harvesting, and ensuring no one starved or suffered from disease after the disaster.

When Chen Ke spoke, he was energetic and full of vigor, showing no signs of fatigue despite working on the front lines for dozens of days. "Comrades, this flood has completely disrupted our original plans. We must turn adversity into opportunity. While the flood has made our situation very difficult, it has also destroyed all the old social structures in Fengtai County. Except for a few landlords and strongholds, most of Fengtai County is underwater. The land is barren and clean. Now, the people are on the brink of starvation, and clan ties and land deeds are meaningless."

At this point, Chen Ke looked around at the comrades, and Chai Qingguo felt as if two flames were burning in Chen Ke's eyes, a kind of passion he had never seen before. "Now, the people are in a life-and-death situation. Whoever saves them, they will follow. Now, we, the People's Party, have come. We have come to save them. So, we not only need to save them from this flood, but we also need to show them a path where they won't starve, won't be forced to pay rent to landlords, and won't be unable to eat the food they grow. Is there anyone here who thinks the people don't want such a life? If so, please raise your hand!"

Hearing this, the comrades laughed.

Chen Ke also laughed, a laugh that seemed like a tiger ready to pounce. "Replacing the old land system in Fengtai County with a new socialist system, saving the people from both the flood and this land system, is the will of heaven, the path of justice, and the path of revolution!"

As he finished speaking, Chen Ke's left hand slashed the air as if cutting something invisible in half. Chai Qingguo, sitting in the front, felt a gust of wind in his face. At the same time, Chen Ke loudly declared, "This is the true people's revolution we, the People's Party, will lead!"

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End of Chapter 86