Chapter 97

After a day of discussion, the People's Party's expanded meeting reached a resolution on disaster relief. The meeting assigned tasks, and each department received its own responsibilities. Chen Ke focused on the work of the Military Committee. The Military Committee had just settled into the room when You Gou pushed the door open. Although a woman, You Gou was a senior member, and the People's Party had long advocated for gender equality. Therefore, the comrades did not discriminate against her. However, no one knew what business You Gou, who had been assigned civil work, had.

"I hope the Military Committee will consider the idea of establishing a women's unit," You Gou dropped a bombshell.

The men looked at each other in surprise. Women were not unheard of in the military, but they were usually camp prostitutes. You Gou would never form such a "unit." The only remaining possibility was a regular army composed of women. The moment this thought surfaced, all the men were stunned. Even Chen Ke was taken aback. While there were female soldiers in the People's Liberation Army, they were not in combat units. As for the Red Women's Army, Chen Ke's only impression came from films and television. What was You Gou's purpose in insisting on forming such a unit? Was she planning to join the military herself?

Hua Xiongmao knew You Gou had a fiery temper. He cautiously asked, "Comrade You Gou, what is the purpose of your proposal? Where would such a women's army be used?"

Although he asked this, Hua Xiongmao was determined to oppose it if You Gou suggested using the army for military purposes.

"Since it's a garrison army, it's only natural for there to be women in it, right?" You Gou asked.

"The garrison army also has to fight. You wouldn't want those women to fight, would you?" Hua Xiongmao immediately objected.

"Didn't Wen Qing say these units would only fight in the future? For now, they are just undergoing military training," You Gou still believed there was a possibility of forming a women's army.

"Let's discuss this issue at the next party committee meeting," Chen Ke said. Who knew what Ren Qiyong had talked You Gou into? In the past, the Red Army had female soldiers out of necessity. Now, with sufficient troops and during a flood, bringing women into the military would be a difficult issue to explain.

"Can't we form our own armed force for training within the Women's Federation?" You Gou made a final attempt. During the disaster, men and women lived separately, and the outer perimeter of the women's living area was patrolled by the Insurance Corps. The patrol teams were far from the women's camp. From this perspective, You Gou presented her argument.

"First, I disagree with issuing firearms to women. Second, without firearms, your patrol teams cannot perform guard duties," Chen Ke said, and the men on the Military Committee agreed.

"But the camp isn't as easy to manage as you think. Without a military force, I don't think it's appropriate. There have already been several conflicts, and the Insurance Corps' guards can't enforce the law inside the camp. I think it's necessary to form a women's guard unit," You Gou said. This wasn't an excuse; after being in the camp for so long, minor conflicts had accumulated. With the flood receding and people's moods relaxing, conflicts had intensified. This was true not only in the women's camp but also in the men's camp.

"In response to this situation, we will form a police force, not a women's unit," Chen Ke firmly stated, giving You Gou no room to maneuver.

"Then please form the police force as soon as possible. I'll take my leave," You Gou said. Chen Ke appeared gentle, but once he made a decision, he would not waver.

After You Gou left the meeting, Chen Ke, as if nothing had happened, said seriously, "Now let's discuss the expansion of the military."

The Insurance Corps would expand to 8,000 people, with the existing armed forces remaining unchanged. The new units would all be agricultural garrison units. Chen Ke intended to build the military in the image of the historical 359th Regiment.

"People think that the law doesn't punish the masses. The more people there are, the less likely they are to be held accountable. Even if something happens, some will escape punishment. This is a common belief. While I won't comment on whether this belief is correct, since we plan to rise up in the future, the size of the military is crucial," Chen Ke explained. Everyone, having once been civilians, could accept this reasoning. After discussion, they drafted a plan. As they discussed, Chen Ke observed that no one truly understood the significance of the expansion. Only Hua Xiongmao and He Zudao showed enthusiasm, while others lacked interest in the new units.

This was not surprising. Building the current military had encountered many difficulties. Farmers needed extensive training to become qualified soldiers. Before sending them to the battlefield, they required a great deal of training.

After drafting the expansion plan, the main task was conscription. Chen Ke took the plan to Shang Yuan, the head of civil affairs. Shang Yuan read the plan and frowned. "Wen Qing, what are you thinking?"

It seemed Shang Yuan had seen through it. Chen Ke probed, "Wang Shan, what do you mean?"

"Are you preparing for a purge too early?" Shang Yuan asked directly.

Shang Yuan had indeed seen through it. Chen Ke found Shang Yuan to be an extraordinary person. Could he also be from the future? Chen Ke even had such doubts. In the formation of the new army, Chen Ke had already made preparations. The new military leadership was almost entirely new, and the officers chosen were all disciplined comrades.

Purges and rectification were necessary, not dependent on Chen Ke's will. He only hoped to control the scale of such events. The new units would serve as reserves. If the front-line units faced large-scale purges, as long as the core remained, they could be replenished from the second-line units and quickly regain their strength. Therefore, the second-line units must be isolated from the front-line units. The further they were from the center of conflict, the fewer problems they would face during purges.

Of course, Chen Ke had no intention of purging immediately, but it was better to be prepared. The political sensitivity of the Military Committee members was too low, and they showed little enthusiasm for forming the second-line units. Hua Xiongmao and He Zudao's enthusiasm was purely out of loyalty to Chen Ke. With the front-line units still needing strengthening, Chen Ke dared not transfer them to the second-line units. Therefore, he chose disciplined comrades who would find it difficult to establish personal authority in the new units and were less likely to develop bad habits.

Since Shang Yuan had seen through it and spoke frankly, Chen Ke had no choice but to be direct. In such matters, one was either a comrade or an enemy; there was no middle ground. Shang Yuan must have realized this, which is why he spoke so directly.

"Wang Shan, what do you think of this?" Chen Ke's expression was serious; pretending to be gentle was meaningless now. Laughing would make him seem heartless.

"Wen Qing, when you were in Beijing, you once treated the party cell members with suspicion. I told you then not to do that. I believe comrades can be educated," Shang Yuan replied directly.

"Wang Shan, class position isn't something that can be changed easily. I'm just making preparations," Chen Ke tried to persuade him.

"Wen Qing, I'm not saying what you're doing is wrong. Sometimes, one must endure hardships to know who is loyal. I understand that," Shang Yuan said with a hint of reluctance.

Is it too early for me to make these preparations? Chen Ke suddenly had doubts. He wasn't worried about anything else; Shang Yuan wasn't foolish enough to speak recklessly. Shang Yuan wouldn't dare discuss this with others, and if he did, Chen Ke would eliminate him at any cost. Shang Yuan's directness indicated he had more to say.

"Wang Shan, I hope purges won't happen. But you know, some things are beyond my control," Chen Ke probed.

"Wen Qing, you know some comrades don't want to treat landlords this way," Shang Yuan said slowly, choosing his words carefully. Chen Ke knew many comrades felt this way; it would be strange if they didn't. Therefore, Chen Ke had to make preparations. The military must obey the party's decisions and remain stable. History had proven the importance of this.

"Your preparations are not wrong, but I think there might be other methods. You can't bring yourself to kill these comrades, and I'm sure of that. But if they know our intentions, their departure won't be a good thing."

"My preparations are only for the military. I have no intention of harming other civilian comrades. Forcing them to stay won't work. If they want to leave, I can only let them. Their stance determines their actions. If they don't stand with the people, they won't work for the people. Keeping them might not be a good thing," Chen Ke finally explained his thoughts. Wang Shan thought he intended to purge everyone, which was not Chen Ke's intention. Purges were mainly for the military, which must remain pure. As for the civil departments, they could never be entirely transparent. Even the great leader couldn't manage the Central Propaganda Department, known as the "Yama's Hall."

Upon hearing Chen Ke's explanation that he didn't intend a blanket purge, Shang Yuan said no more. A smart person knows when to remain silent, and Shang Yuan was undoubtedly smart.