Chapter 90

In general, Chen Ke's attitude at the People's Party meetings has always been the most intense. Early party members have deeply felt this. When He Zudao first heard Chen Ke talk about "class oppression" at a party meeting, he was truly shocked. According to Chen Ke, all "exploiting classes" must be overthrown. At that time, He Zudao thought Chen Ke was an incomprehensible existence. However, as he stayed in the party longer, He Zudao's attitude also changed continuously.

Chen Ke once said very seriously at the mobilization meeting for the People's Party's move to Anhui, "Comrades, if we think that just because we have read a few books and know a few words, we should be the leaders of the people, this is a big mistake. If we do not serve the people, the people will never follow us."

He Zudao felt that many comrades had forgotten these words, mainly because Chen Ke's effective leadership had given the People's Party enough influence and appeal in just over four months. Thus, many comrades subconsciously believed this was a matter of course.

As a political work cadre, He Zudao was most aware of the psychological changes of ordinary soldiers. Among these new local comrades, many initially even thought the People's Party was a band of bandits from elsewhere. Their attitude towards cooperation was "extremely passive." They joined only because joining the insurance team meant having food to eat. After Chen Ke's command led the insurance team to strongly intervene in local disaster relief activities, the masses changed their views on the People's Party. In various disaster relief activities, the masses showed great obedience and support. However, this support was not for the People's Party but for their fellow villagers suffering from the disaster. If the comrades did not deeply understand this, the people's support would not be infinite.

While reflecting inwardly, He Zudao heard Chen Ke ask, "Comrade Chai Qingguo, what do you think about dealing with the reactionary masses?"

Chai Qingguo had always been不服气 (unconvinced) of Chen Ke. He Zudao, who worked with Chai Qingguo, knew that Chai Qingguo originally thought that coming to Anhui meant "raising the banner and fighting everywhere." Chai Qingguo had always been extremely impatient with complex political work. The problem was that Chai Qingguo was an "outsider" and spoke with a different accent from the locals in Anhui. The traditional "brotherhood" in Anhui was of no use to him. Therefore, Chai Qingguo was very disappointed. Chen Ke still had some expectations for Chai Qinggu, as the People's Party currently needed more military talent. Moreover, Chai Qingguo came from the countryside, and Chen Ke believed he would have more affection for the peasant class.

When Chen Ke called on Chai Qingguo to speak, He Zudao paid even more attention.

"I think we should mainly target the rich households," Chai Qingguo replied. Hearing this, He Zudao's face darkened slightly. At today's meeting, Chen Ke's stance was very clear: to completely destroy the old land system in Fengtai County. Targeting the rich households was not enough. After the floodwaters receded, the rich households would still exist, and the old order in Fengtai County would continue to operate.

"Completely eliminating the landlords is not something to rush. After all, we are all neighbors, and many rich households have done favors for us. If we eliminate all these rich landlords, how will the people see us? Many of these rich households are clan leaders. As the saying goes, 'a palm is not as close as four fingers.' I don't think people will be willing," Chai Qingguo argued for a cautious approach, and this attitude made many people nod slightly.

"Comrade Yuwen Bada, I want to ask you, is the situation in your village as Comrade Chai Qingguo described?" Chen Ke continued to call on someone. Chen Ke was well-prepared for this mobilization. This meeting would not end in the short term. In the early stages of the meeting, Chen Ke had detailed his plan to the comrades, and now the collision of different lines within the party was just beginning.

Yuwen Bada did not expect Chen Ke to call on him. He had not been in the People's Party for long and did not have the courage to speak much. Moreover, Yuwen Bada was quite smart and could tell that Chen Ke's purpose in calling on him was to prove that Chai Qingguo's statement was incorrect. He was not too willing to play the role of the one who offended others. "I don't know much, and I can't be sure about this," Yuwen Bada said hesitantly.

"Then I'll ask a few questions. First, how many landlords in your village hire tenant farmers long-term, and what is the rent?"

"There are five or six landlords. The rent is 60%," Yuwen Bada said nervously.

"Do they reduce the rent during disaster years, regardless of whether they are good or bad?"

"Well, during a major disaster year, they might allow a bit less to be paid, but the following year they would demand more," Yuwen Bada answered even more nervously.

"During each disaster year, do the landlords take advantage of the situation to seize others' land?" Chen Ke continued to ask. This was common knowledge. If they did not "acquire land" when ordinary people could not survive during disaster years, who would sell their land, which they considered their lifeline?

As Chen Ke pressed on, Yuwen Bada understood Chen Ke's intention. Because he understood Chen Ke's intention very clearly, Yuwen Bada finally became anxious. "Mr. Chen, if you do this, there will be a fight. These big landlords have their own fortresses. In northern Anhui, any significant landlord has their own fortress. They are usually guarded by their own people, and they have people and guns. Now, our insurance team has people, guns, and food. I heard that some people are already inciting the local villagers. Forget about us targeting the rich households; they are already preparing to target us."

When these words were spoken, everyone was shocked. The atmosphere in the room immediately became tense. Except for Chen Ke, the comrades looked at each other, none of them had expected to become the "fat sheep." Chai Qingguo had just returned today. Although he did not support completely eliminating the landlords, when he heard that the landlords were targeting them, his anger flared. Chai Qingguo stood up and walked a few steps to Yuwen Bada, shouting, "Who dares to lay a hand on me?"

"Comrade Chai Qingguo, sit back down. We need discipline during the meeting," Chen Ke immediately shouted.

"They are coming to attack us, and you are still talking about discipline," Chai Qingguo was furious, "These ungrateful people, we worked hard to bring food to save the people, and they are coming to attack us."

"If those who benefited from us are ungrateful, how did Comrade Yuwen Bada get the information? Wasn't it from the people? Would the landlords who plan to attack us inform us?" Chen Ke laughed. Although this was the first time he heard this news, he was not surprised at all.

Hearing Chen Ke's words, Chai Qingguo glared angrily at the anxious Yuwen Bada and then returned to his seat, still fuming.

"Everyone, don't worry. The water has not fully receded yet, and these people cannot attack us now. I want to ask everyone a question: how can these landlords incite the people to follow them and attack us?" Chen Ke found Yuwen Bada to be an interesting person. He had not intended to make Yuwen Bada reveal such a significant piece of information. In fact, he was somewhat worried that Yuwen Bada would support Chai Qingguo's "gradualism." Unexpectedly, Yuwen Bada did much better than Chen Ke had hoped.

Yuwen Bada received this information yesterday and was unsure whether to share it. The information was not yet confirmed, but when Chen Ke pressed him to speak, he blurted it out. Now, he was extremely anxious. Hearing Chen Ke's question, Yuwen Bada stood up, ready to reveal everything. He felt that he could not be at ease unless he did so.

Seeing Yuwen Bada stand up, Chen Ke raised his left hand and pointed his index finger slightly, "Comrade Yuwen Bada, please sit down. It's not your turn to speak yet."

"But Mr. Chen..." Yuwen Bada said anxiously.

"Don't call me Mr. Chen. There are no 'Mr.'s in the party. Call me Comrade Chen Ke," Chen Ke interrupted Yuwen Bada again, "Comrade Yuwen Bada, everyone trusts you. If they didn't, Comrade Chai Qingguo wouldn't be so anxious. Isn't that right? If they didn't trust you, he would have asked where you heard this from, rather than getting so angry and shouting." Chen Ke laughed heartily, and his cheerful laughter eased the tense atmosphere in the room.

Seeing Chen Ke's firm attitude and the fact that his words had indeed calmed Yuwen Bada, Yuwen Bada felt a sense of relief. He was no different from an ordinary "informant." Once he started speaking, he could not keep the rest inside. It felt as if he could not be at ease or gain everyone's trust unless he spoke. With the leader of the People's Party, Chen Ke, expressing trust in his loyalty, Yuwen Bada felt a wave of relief. He obeyed Chen Ke's order and sat back down.

"Comrade Wenqing, why don't we listen to Comrade Yuwen Bada introduce the situation?" You Gou, as a female party member, had not spoken much. Seeing that Chen Ke was not anxious, while the other comrades were either nervous, angry, or both, You Gou decided to speak. She was a strong supporter of Chen Ke and, understanding him, believed it was necessary to guide the meeting in a direction Chen Ke could control.

"The landlord militias are a motley crew. If we attack them, it might be troublesome. But if they come out to fight us, they won't stand a chance. I'm not worried about how to eliminate the landlord militias. I'm worried that if we kill or injure a large number of people coerced by the landlord militias, will we still be able to work in the countryside in the future? Therefore, we need to know how the landlords are coercing the people. We need to separate the people from the landlords."

Lu Huitian raised his hand to speak, and with Chen Ke's permission, he stood up. His voice carried a sense of confusion and being overwhelmed by the sudden change in the situation, "Comrade Chen Ke, why would the people attack us?" Lu Huitian was very puzzled by this question.

"After the flood, the people need food. The heavy rain started at the end of spring and beginning of summer. It has been almost two months. The end of spring and beginning of summer is already a time of food scarcity. The stored food from last year is almost gone, and the new crops have not yet matured. This is the time when food is the scarcest. With the flood, there is even less food. People can't just wait to starve to death," Chen Ke explained.

Listening to Lu Huitian's question and Chen Ke's answer, He Zudao felt deeply disappointed in a group of comrades represented by Lu Huitian. Chen Ke had mentioned this issue when analyzing the recent situation at the beginning of the meeting. Lu Huitian's question now was not due to a lack of understanding at the time but a complete failure to recognize the severity of the situation in Fengtai County from the beginning.

Since starting work in Anhui, He Zudao's greatest impression was not Chen Ke's intense and firm revolutionary attitude but the weakness shown by many comrades in their work. Although most party members had a lofty "ambition to clarify the world" before coming to Anhui, He Zudao felt that without Chen Ke's leadership, the comrades would have been overwhelmed by the difficulties long ago.

Traveling a long distance to Anhui, from forming the People's Party's armed force, the "insurance team," to suddenly encountering this major flood, Chen Ke was responsible for the command. He Zudao knew that if it were just him or any other comrade, they would have been at a loss in the face of these difficulties, and the People's Party might have scattered. As for turning adversity into advantage and seizing every opportunity to continuously expand the influence of this external force in Fengtai County, that was out of the question.

Chen Ke almost single-handedly dragged everyone forward. Although at each meeting, Chen Ke tried to mobilize and encourage the comrades, and the comrades did indeed work hard, in the end, all they could do was follow Chen Ke's arrangements. This was already good. After all, they had gathered a few hundred people and worked effectively for so long, gaining some confidence and habits. If after months of effort, they were still the same small group, and the People's Party had not developed, Chen Ke would not have been able to maintain control. However, learning that landlords from other places were preparing to use force against the People's Party, many comrades were still frightened. He Zudao took a deep breath. Now, he absolutely could not show any fear. Facing this situation, He Zudao's judgment was simple: he must closely follow Chen Ke. Only by doing so could there be a way out.

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