The news brought back by Hua Xiongmao about being shut out did not surprise Chen Ke. After listening to Hua Xiongmao finish telling his experience, he patted Hua Xiongmao's shoulder: "Zhenglan, you've worked hard." The plan did not emphasize that Hua Xiongmao's group must conduct face-to-face negotiations with Zhang Youliang. More important than delivering the message was the investigation of the water route. Although Hua Xiongmao had been to Yuezhangji during the flood, the water level and hydrological conditions then were vastly different from now. Hua Xiongmao had to go investigate personally again.

Regarding the frantic clamor of the reactionary landlord Zhang Youliang, Chen Ke didn't want to have any big debate with this landlord at all. "Zhang Youliang is our enemy and must be overthrown." At the Expanded Meeting of the Central Secretariat, Chen Ke started his speech with these words.

The effect of social investigation was huge. The rural investigation in Jiangsu and Zhejiang opened the comrades' eyes wide. China's land problem was truly complicated but also manifested clearly. In a sense, it could be said that Chinese land did not have a property right completely and clearly belonging to a certain person. Different from those feudal lords in Europe, China did not have land belonging absolutely to a certain person in a legal sense. Even for the relatively simple land rental issue, there were multiple forms: perpetual tenancy (*Yongdian*), annual tenancy (*Suidian*); the models were vastly different. Even the people renting out land ranged from landlords to poor peasants. If you just looked at these models and titles, you would even have a kaleidoscopic impression. It was complicated and confusing inside; the owner of a piece of land might have two or three layers of relationships. Linked loop by loop, forming a big tangled ball of hemp.

But in a simple sense, the backwardness of productivity development determined the need for an adjudicator to maintain order. And the county magistrate had no way to understand these entanglements in the countryside, and thus effectively solve the conflicting lawsuits caused by these complex problems. Clans and local powerful figures rose to become arbiters of these problems, thereby mastering real power in the local area.

Chen Ke had no intention of engaging in any reformism, going to get rid of local powerful figures first, and then seizing the local voice by solving and coordinating these complex land problems. For a modern person, adopting such a practice would be simply absurd.

In Chen Ke's view, entering this era, the contrast in power between countries lay in the degree of their industrialization. And why socialism could be superior to capitalism in the system was because both were first built on the operation of capital, but the purpose of socialist operation of capital was to promote productivity, while capitalism, no matter how it whitewashed itself, had the purpose of allowing capitalists to grab more profits. More simply, socialism is for the public, capitalism is for the private; this is the innate gap.

Facing the crisis encountered by China, this agricultural country, now, there was only one solution: to let China industrialize as soon as possible. History had long proven it. In 1949, agricultural China was still poor and blank, but in just over 60 years, it had developed into the country with the world's largest total value of industrial and agricultural output. This fact was enough to prove the superiority of engaging in socialism in China. So from Chen Ke's heart, he didn't have much hatred for landlords personally; the production relations represented by landlords must be destroyed. Even if Zhang Youliang didn't declare he would move against the Insurance Corps, Chen Ke would try every means to destroy the order established by Zhang Youliang in Yuezhangji. Zhang Youliang's clamor merely gave Chen Ke a more favorable excuse.

But Chen Ke knew that his understanding of these things didn't mean the comrades also understood. The people at the expanded meeting in front of him were all relatively senior Party members who knew Chen Ke deeply and had a relatively deep understanding of revolutionary theory. But even so, if Chen Ke gave an order to attack landlords immediately, probably no more than four people could do it. A profound mobilization meeting was imperative.

There were twenty-five people participating in this mobilization meeting. The Politburo of "later generations" had twenty-five members, and the Standing Committee had nine. Chen Ke felt there was no need for him to reject this numerical arrangement; this was definitely experience summarized from long-term work. In the People's Party, besides the seven Standing Committee members, the Military Commission, Logistics, and Discipline Inspection Commission all attended the meeting. Most comrades had worked with Chen Ke for a relatively long time and knew Chen Ke's habits. Hearing Chen Ke's clean and decisive words, everyone was not confused by such a calm tone. This was a manifestation of Chen Ke making up his mind. The absolute majority of participants had never seen Zhang Youliang, and many heard Zhang Youliang's name for the first time. Although they didn't know why Chen Ke insisted on getting rid of this person, no one opposed it.

Hua Xiongmao and Yuwen Badu introduced the situation, and Chen Ke summarized again, "This fortified village must be broken. The person Zhang Youliang must be eliminated."

After listening to the ins and outs, different opinions appeared at the meeting.

"This Zhang Youliang only has a few people under him; does he dare to stroke the tiger's whiskers of our Insurance Corps just based on that? I think he is just talking. There is no need to be so anxious to take action." The first one to sing a contrary tune was Lu Huitian.

"That's not right. For this kind of person, we have to kill one to warn a hundred. This is a year of great disaster, and this Zhang Youliang dares to say this. If it weren't for this flood, I'm afraid he would have brought people to attack our door by now." The one refuting was Xiong Mingyang.

"This isn't a matter of killing one to warn a hundred. We haven't been in Fengtai County for long. If we do this, how will other local gentry view us?" Lu Huitian did not agree with the idea of his classmate Xiong Mingyang.

"With this kind of person, reasoning is useless; they are better at reasoning than you. There is no other way except fighting." Xiong Mingyang's attitude was very firm.

"Just scare him a bit; there is no need to fight over there." Someone stood in Lu Huitian's camp. It was Xu Dian, who came from a law background. "Moreover, he definitely can't beat us. I'm just worried about his activities everywhere. But since Brother Wangshan is serving as this Fengtai County Magistrate, we naturally aren't afraid of him playing any petty tricks."

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

The argument started like this. Revolving around whether this person was worth the People's Party exterminating, there were obviously three opinions. One was to watch the changes quietly, one was resolutely to fight. As for the third type, they were comrades who remained completely silent. These people were old Party members who had followed Chen Ke for a long time. While watching the new comrades argue, they looked at Chen Ke from time to time, wanting to see when Chen Ke would stop this meaningless argument.

Chen Ke listened to these arguing comrades gradually start repeating their earliest words, until they had nothing new to say, before raising his left hand to request to speak. Seeing this action, the argument stopped instantly.

"Who does our People's Party revolution rely on?" Chen Ke asked.

"It is the people and the common masses," He Zudao answered clearly and brightly.

Hearing this question and answer, no one expressed denial.

Chen Ke scanned the comrades around before continuing: "What is our most important work now? Disaster relief! Saving the people from water and fire. The grain we have on hand now is only enough for fifty thousand people to eat for less than two months. Even if we transport grain in desperately, it will last at most three months. We can't hold on either. Besides rush-planting and rush-harvesting, do we have any other way?"

No one spoke. The People's Party was now desperately carrying out rice seedling cultivation. The transported sweet potatoes and potatoes, as well as alfalfa, had begun seedling preparation for large-scale sowing. Comrades from top to bottom knew that a large-scale production self-help campaign was imperative.

"We want to rush-plant and rush-harvest. What do we lack? We don't lack people. We lack land. Since we want to save the people, aren't the people of Yuezhangji people? Aren't the people in Fengtai County people? Should we save them? I think, within the scope of our ability, we must save everyone we can. Does anyone have an opinion?"

This attitude could be said to be completely different from the direction of other comrades' arguments. Among the young comrades who were arguing until they were red in the face just now, many showed shame. They didn't expect Chen Ke's starting point to be truly vastly different from theirs.

Xiong Mingyang asked excitedly: "Does Wenqing mean that in order to get land, our People's Party must get rid of Zhang Youliang?"

"Yuezhangji's land belongs to the people of Yuezhangji. What do we want the people's land for?" Chen Ke asked back.

"This? Isn't getting rid of Zhang Youliang for seizing land?" Xiong Mingyang didn't understand.

"Now it is Zhang Youliang controlling the land of Yuezhangji. If we do as you said, we get rid of Zhang Youliang and it becomes our People's Party controlling the land. Is there any difference between us and that Zhang Youliang? At any rate, Zhang Youliang still has some kinship relations with the people of Yuezhangji. We are all outsiders; the people won't trust us."

Hearing this, Xiong Mingyang was tongue-tied and didn't know how to answer. Chen Ke didn't intend to let Xiong Mingyang answer either. He continued to state, "Yuezhangji's land belongs to the people of Yuezhangji. We get rid of Zhang Youliang, and this land returns to the ownership of the people. However, now is a disaster year, and this land cannot be divided. Instead, it must be collectively owned and collectively cultivated. 'Land to the tiller' is a correct principle, but there is no need for these fields to be owned by the tiller."

Chen Ke's words were indeed dignified grand principles. Xiong Mingyang couldn't refute them for a moment, but these words sounded problematic no matter how one listened. Not only Xiong Mingyang, but many others also frowned.

"Everyone must feel this statement is too far off topic. Then I'll say something easier to operate. Now the one with grain in hand is our People's Party, and the one who has started preparing for rush-planting is also our People's Party. We don't want the people to do anything else. They first collect seeds and grain seedlings from us and start rush-planting. Regardless of dividing land or not, plant the grain first and harvest it, then the people won't starve to death this year. I think the people should be able to accept such conditions. What do you think?"

This statement was clear and straightforward, and the comrades naturally wouldn't oppose it.

"Then I return to the previous question. To cultivate, you must have land. We can produce grain, but we can't conjure up land. Where does this land come from? Since the landlords refuse to hand it over obediently, we have to force them to hand it over. Therefore, Zhang Youliang must be eliminated." After finishing speaking, Chen Ke asked Hua Xiongmao to take out a map and hang it on the blackboard.

"From the county town to the west, all the way between these two lakes, is now a swamp. There are basically no inhabitants, and naturally no resistance. But here." Chen Ke pointed to the location between the two lakes, where a place name was marked: "Yuezhangji."

"This is Yuezhangji. Zhang Youliang has a fortified village here. If we don't get rid of him, when we start restoring production in this big swamp, Zhang Youliang can harass us at any time. So, I want to get rid of him."

The map was drawn very crudely, but various key points were marked very clearly. The "big swamp" Chen Ke mentioned had the Huai River to the south, the county town to the east, and two big lakes to the west. The north was plains and hills. This should have been fertile land in a bumper year, but now it was a dead land.

"Then what about the north?" Xiong Mingyang asked.

"No one in the north has uttered a sound yet. After we get rid of Zhang Youliang, those landlords will be even less daring to utter a sound. Whoever dares to utter a sound, we'll continue to get rid of them. This swamp area is nearly a hundred *li* in radius. Picking and choosing, there are always twenty or so thousand *mu*. Not to say much, even if there are one hundred thousand people, as long as the rush-planting and rush-harvesting are successful, they can live until the summer harvest next year." Having said this, Chen Ke looked at the comrades and then added a question: "Who else has an opposing opinion?"

The crowd looked at each other in blank dismay. Finally, Lu Huitian hesitated and said in a not-loud voice: "This Zhang Youliang isn't guilty of a capital crime, right?"

Seeing Lu Huitian looking somewhat trembling, Chen Ke laughed: "Not guilty of a capital crime? Comrade Lu Huitian, how do you know Zhang Youliang hasn't done things deserving ten thousand deaths?"

Hearing this, Lu Huitian quickly said: "I indeed don't know this."

"We won't take Zhang Youliang's life. Zhang Youliang is from Yuezhangji; let's let the people of Yuezhangji decide Zhang Youliang's life or death." Chen Ke said, still smiling. That simple smile was full of confidence; that kind of pressure made Lu Huitian speechless.