Chapter 95

The news that Hua Xiongmao brought back, of being turned away at the door, did not surprise Chen Ke. After Hua Xiongmao finished recounting his experience, Chen Ke patted his shoulder and said, "Zhenglan, you've worked hard." The plan did not emphasize that Hua Xiongmao's group must engage in face-to-face negotiations with Zhang Youliang. More important than communication was the investigation of the waterway routes. Although Hua Xiongmao had been to Yue Zhangji during the flood, the water levels and hydrological conditions had changed significantly since then. Hua Xiongmao had to personally investigate again.

In response to the landlord Zhang Youliang's frenzied rhetoric, Chen Ke had no intention of engaging in a grand debate with this landlord. "Zhang Youliang is our enemy, and we must defeat him," Chen Ke began his speech at the expanded meeting of the Central Secretariat.

The role of social investigation was significant. The rural surveys in Jiangsu and Zhejiang opened the eyes of the comrades. The land issue in China was complex but clear in its manifestation. In a certain sense, there was no completely clear ownership of land in China. Unlike the feudal lords in Europe, there was no land in China that was absolutely owned by someone in a legal sense. Even the relatively simple issue of land leasing had various forms, such as perpetual tenancy and annual tenancy, which were quite different. Even the people who leased the land ranged from landlords to poor peasants. If you only looked at these models and names, you might feel like you were looking at a kaleidoscope. The relationships were intricate, and a piece of land might have two or three layers of ownership, forming a large tangle.

However, in a simple sense, the backwardness of productivity development determined the need for an arbitrator to maintain order. County magistrates were unable to understand the rural entanglements and effectively resolve the conflicts and lawsuits arising from these complex issues. Clans and local strongmen thus became the arbitrators of these issues and held real power in the region.

Chen Ke had no intention of reforming; he wanted to eliminate the local strongmen first and then resolve the complex land issues to gain a voice in the region. For a modern person, such an approach would be absurd.

In Chen Ke's view, the strength of a country in this era lay in its degree of industrialization. Socialism was superior to capitalism in its system because both were based on the operation of capital. The purpose of socialist capital operation was to promote productivity, while capitalism, no matter how it was dressed up, aimed to allow capitalists to gain more profits. Simply put, socialism was for the public, and capitalism was for private gain, which was an inherent difference.

Faced with the crisis that this agricultural country was encountering, there was only one solution: to industrialize China as soon as possible. History had already proven that China, which was still a poor and backward agricultural country in 1949, had developed into the world's largest industrial and agricultural producer in just over 60 years. This fact was enough to demonstrate the superiority of socialism in China. Therefore, from Chen Ke's heart, he had little sympathy for the landlords. The production relations represented by the landlords must be destroyed. Even if Zhang Youliang had not declared his intention to attack the insurance team, Chen Ke would still find a way to destroy the order that Zhang Youliang had established in Yue Zhangji. Zhang Youliang's rhetoric merely provided Chen Ke with a more favorable excuse.

However, Chen Ke knew that his understanding did not mean that the comrades also understood. The expanded meeting was attended by relatively senior party members who had a deep understanding of Chen Ke and the revolutionary theory. Even so, the number of people who would immediately act against the landlords at Chen Ke's command would not exceed four. A profound mobilization meeting was necessary.

A total of 25 people attended this mobilization meeting. In the "future" Politburo, there were 25 members, and 9 standing members. Chen Ke saw no reason to reject this numerical arrangement, which was surely a result of long-term work experience. In addition to the seven standing members, the Central Military Commission, logistics, and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection also attended the meeting. Most of the comrades had worked with Chen Ke for a long time and knew his habits. They were not misled by his calm tone, which was a sign of his determination. Most of the attendees had never met Zhang Youliang, and many were hearing his name for the first time. Although they did not know why Chen Ke wanted to eliminate him, no one opposed it.

Hua Xiongmao and Yuwen Ba introduced the situation, and Chen Ke summarized again, "This stronghold must be broken. Zhang Youliang must be eliminated."

After hearing the details, some different opinions began to emerge at the meeting.

"This Zhang Youliang only has a few men. How dare he provoke our insurance team? I think he's just talking. There's no need to act so hastily," said Lu Huitian, the first to oppose.

"That's not right. We must make an example of such people. This is a year of great disaster. If there were no flood, he might have already led people to attack us," countered Xiong Mingyang.

"This isn't about making an example. We've only been in Fengtai County for a short time. If we do this, how will the local gentry view us?" Lu Huitian did not agree with his classmate Xiong Mingyang's idea.

"You can't reason with such people. They are better at reasoning than you. There's no other way but to fight," Xiong Mingyang was firm in his stance.

"Just scaring him is enough. There's no need to attack him," someone stood with Lu Huitian. It was Xu Dian, who had a legal background. "And he definitely can't beat us. I'm just worried about his activities. But since Wang Shan is the county magistrate, we don't have to fear his tricks."

"That's not necessarily true," Qin Wuan expressed opposition.

The debate began, centered on whether Zhang Youliang was worth the People's Party's efforts to eliminate him. There were clearly three opinions: one to wait and see, one to fight resolutely, and the third, completely silent comrades. These were old party members who had followed Chen Ke for a long time. They watched the new comrades argue, occasionally looking at Chen Ke, waiting for him to end the meaningless debate.

Chen Ke listened to the comrades gradually repeat their earliest words until they had nothing new to say. Then he raised his left hand to request to speak. The debate stopped instantly at this gesture.

"Who do we rely on for the revolution of the People's Party?" Chen Ke asked.

"The people," He Zudao answered loudly.

No one disagreed with this question and answer.

Chen Ke scanned the comrades and continued, "What is our most important task now? Disaster relief! Saving the people from the fire. The food we have now is only enough for 50,000 people for less than two months. Even if we work hard to transport food, we can only last for three months at most. We can't hold out. Besides抢种抢收, do we have any other options?"

No one spoke. The People's Party was working hard to cultivate rice seedlings, and the sweet potatoes, potatoes, and alfalfa that had been transported in were being prepared for large-scale planting. All the comrades knew that a large-scale production self-rescue was inevitable.

"We need to抢种抢收. What do we lack? We don't lack people. What we lack is land. If we are to save the people, are the people of Yue Zhangji not people? Are the people of Fengtai County not people? Should we save them? I believe that within our capabilities, we should save everyone we can. Do you have any objections?"

This attitude was completely different from the direction of the previous debate. Many of the young comrades who had argued heatedly earlier looked ashamed. They hadn't realized that Chen Ke's starting point was so different from theirs.

Xiong Mingyang asked excitedly, "Does Wenqing mean that the People's Party must eliminate Zhang Youliang to obtain land?"

"The land of Yue Zhangji belongs to the people of Yue Zhangji. Why do we need the people's land?" Chen Ke countered.

"Isn't it to seize the land by eliminating Zhang Youliang?" Xiong Mingyang was confused.

"Zhang Youliang controls the land of Yue Zhangji. If we eliminate him as you suggest, we, the People's Party, will control the land. What's the difference between us and Zhang Youliang? At least Zhang Youliang has some kinship with the people of Yue Zhangji. We are outsiders, and the people won't trust us."

Xiong Mingyang was speechless, not knowing how to respond. Chen Ke didn't wait for an answer and continued, "The land of Yue Zhangji belongs to the people of Yue Zhangji. We will eliminate Zhang Youliang, and the land will belong to the people. However, it is a year of disaster, and the land cannot be divided. It must be collectively owned and cultivated. The idea that 'those who till the land should own it' is correct, but it's not necessary for the land to be owned by those who till it."

Chen Ke's words were indeed grand and reasonable, and Xiong Mingyang couldn't refute them immediately, but the words seemed problematic. Not just Xiong Mingyang, but many others also frowned.

"You may think this is off-topic. Let me say something more practical. The People's Party has the food and is already preparing for抢种抢收. We don't ask the people to do anything else. They can just take the seeds and seedlings from us and start planting. Regardless of whether the land is divided or not, we must first plant the food and harvest it. The people won't starve this year. I believe the people will accept these conditions. What do you think?"

This statement was clear and straightforward, and the comrades naturally had no objections.

"Then let's go back to the earlier question. To plant, you need land. We can produce food, but we can't create land. Where will the land come from? Since the landlords are unwilling to hand over the land, we have to force them to do so. Therefore, Zhang Youliang must be eliminated." After saying this, Chen Ke had Hua Xiongmao take out a map and hang it on the blackboard.

"From the county town to the west, all the way to these two lakes, it is now a swamp. There is no one living there, so there is no resistance. But here," Chen Ke pointed to the area between the two lakes, where the name "Yue Zhangji" was marked.

"This is Yue Zhangji. Zhang Youliang has a stronghold here. If we don't eliminate him, he can harass us when we start to restore production in the swamp. Therefore, I will eliminate him."

The map was rough, but the key points were clearly marked. The "big swamp" Chen Ke referred to was south of the Huai River, east of the county town, and west of the two large lakes. The north was a plain and hills. In a good year, this should have been fertile land, but now it was a dead zone.

"What about the north?" Xiong Mingyang asked.

"The north hasn't made a sound yet. After we eliminate Zhang Youliang, the landlords will be even more afraid to speak up. Whoever dares to speak up, we will eliminate them. This swamp area is almost a hundred miles in circumference. We can choose at least 200,000 acres. Even if we only have 100,000 people, if抢种抢收is successful, they can survive until next year's summer harvest." After saying this, Chen Ke looked at the comrades and asked, "Who still has objections?"

The comrades looked at each other, and finally, Lu Huitian hesitantly said in a low voice, "Zhang Youliang doesn't deserve to die, does he?"

Seeing Lu Huitian's nervous appearance, Chen Ke smiled, "Doesn't deserve to die? Comrade Lu Huitian, how do you know that Zhang Youliang hasn't done anything that deserves death?"

Lu Huitian quickly replied, "I really don't know."

"We won't take Zhang Youliang's life. Zhang Youliang is from Yue Zhangji, and we will let the people of Yue Zhangji decide his fate." Chen Ke still smiled, but his smile was full of confidence, and the pressure made Lu Huitian speechless.

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