Chen Ke actually got angry too. Accompanied by an angry voice, his finger poked on the broken table of the Brigade Headquarters. Accompanied by that forceful action, the table tottered on the verge of collapsing.

"Organizing people to eat a meal can also result in human lives." This was something Chen Ke had never thought of, "Does everyone distrust us so much? Having eaten today, there will be no tomorrow?"

The comrades looked at Chen Ke with confusion, as if a raging fire was burning on his forehead. Which time did fighting for relief grain in a disaster year not cause human lives? Comrades who had seen such things felt Chen Ke was really making a fuss over nothing. Let alone tens of thousands of people, even disaster relief activities for a few hundred people could kill people. In comparison, this matter was nothing at all. Actually, everyone couldn't quite figure it out. Originally, the labor comforting activity was for the Insurance Corps 359th Brigade; why did the other reclamation "troops" also have to improve their food? Those "troops" were basically common people temporarily attached to the Insurance Corps. There were men, women, old, and young in the "Reclamation Brigades"; even if looking for people to send to death in war, such mixed troops were not the first choice.

They could think so in their hearts, but couldn't say it with their mouths. Everyone was a veteran of meeting venues and already knew that speaking carelessly wouldn't bring any good results.

Seeing that the comrades neither supported his stance nor felt they had done anything wrong, Chen Ke was also somewhat discouraged. Thinking about his own era, queuing was also something that only well-trained organizations could achieve. Chen Ke felt his anger was indeed somewhat untimely.

However, the mood wouldn't be turned around so easily. Chen Ke said with a dark face: "We have already reached an agreement with the landlords. They will lend their land to the county yamen within two years, and the county yamen will entrust us, the Insurance Corps, to manage these lands."

This news immediately triggered the enthusiasm of the comrades. Hua Xiongmao was so happy that he almost stood up, "It really succeeded!" His excitement was overflowing in his words and expressions. Hua Xiongmao's family was also a landlord; he knew how difficult it was to make landlords make such concessions.

Chai Qingguo looked at Hua Xiongmao with some jealousy. Although they were both comrades in the Party, and although he was a deputy regiment commander, he didn't know Chen Ke was conducting such negotiations. But Hua Xiongmao, as the regiment commander, could know beforehand. It was said that everyone was equal within the Party, but one could tell the distance and closeness at a glance. And at this time, the number of comrades holding this thought was really not small. Actually, they misunderstood. Such civil affairs work couldn't be notified to military cadres. The seven members of the People's Party Temporary Central Secretariat Committee all knew about this matter.

Although Yuwen Badu didn't read many books, he was much smoother in worldly wisdom. Seeing everyone's expression, he smiled: "This matter was discussed within the Secretariat Committee. At that time, we were afraid everyone might accidentally leak the news, so it was not notified temporarily. Since Secretary Chen has already accomplished it, only now is it being told to everyone." Hearing this explanation, the comrades felt somewhat relieved, and the originally complicated gazes softened a lot.

Chen Ke originally didn't think so much; Yuwen Badu's words reminded him well. The People's Party was no longer that small team in Shanghai. Accompanied by the division of the Party Central Committee and other ordinary Party members, one must be careful when speaking.

"Although landlords have much land, the people have equally much land. We got the landlords' land, but these lands are not to be distributed to the common people, not to rob houses and plunder, not to rob the rich to help the poor. Instead, we want to use the land of the entire Fengtai County centrally. Use a new system to let everyone live a good life. I hope comrades can be certain about this point. If you cannot accept this most fundamental starting point, then raise it now. Don't change your mind after getting to work. Once the organization's resolution is formed, everyone must execute it meticulously!" The last sentence was popped out of Chen Ke's teeth word by word. For every word spoken, Chen Ke's finger knocked on the table once.

Comrades could understand Chen Ke's sharp attitude somewhat, and some were very puzzled. Everyone had always executed Chen Ke's orders resolutely; what was the point of emphasizing this again?

"Brigade Commander Chen, what exactly do you mean by this?" Chai Qingguo had developed a habit in the past half year. As long as it was in a Party meeting, he would always ask to the bottom about things he didn't understand. As for the reason for doing so, whether it was the sequelae left over from being expelled from the meeting by collective vote at the Beijing Party meeting, or because he was somewhat puzzled by Chen Ke's seemingly simple but actually far-reaching orders, he couldn't distinguish clearly himself. But Chai Qingguo knew that whenever Chen Ke spoke like this, big things would always happen.

Chen Ke had no intention of concealing either, "We are about to promote cadres on a large scale immediately, and conduct large-scale Party school training immediately. I want Comrade Xiong Mingyang to introduce a bit about the Manchu Qing officialdom. Comrade Xiong Mingyang, you speak."

Xiong Mingyang received the order and stood up immediately. He came from a bureaucratic background and knew the inside story of many things very well. His opening was simple, "Have everyone heard of *Dream of the Red Chamber*?" Half of the comrades shook their heads, half nodded.

Xiong Mingyang started from the "Talisman for Protecting Officials" (*Hu Guan Fu*). The Legal Advisors (*Shi Ye*) in the Ming and Qing dynasties were very developed, and the industry of "Legal Advisors" was often inherited from fathers, forming a very family-nature industry. Shaoxing Legal Advisors were particularly famous. An important reason for this situation was that Shaoxing Legal Advisors mastered the "rules and inside stories" of officialdom, and even had various secret pamphlets. These pamphlets narrated in detail how to deal with matters in officialdom. The relationship between various factions and families, and the amount of silver to bribe up and down for different matters. Only by mastering these things could officials "not break the rules" and be considered "one of us." The reason why Shaoxing Legal Advisors were famous was not that this place was naturally suitable for producing Legal Advisors, but because they accumulated the most knowledge and inside stories in these aspects, and the Legal Advisor industry organization was the most complete, so it formed a monopoly industry.

Most of the participating comrades knew about this for the first time. Among these people, there were also many who dealt with bureaucrats. They verified their past experiences in their hearts and all had a feeling of suddenly seeing the light.

After Xiong Mingyang finished speaking, Chen Ke took over the conversation and roughly narrated why the Legal Advisor industry had experienced a relatively large decline in the past twenty or thirty years. Because China's social system had also undergone not small changes. After foreigners fought in, the rules accumulated in the past were destroyed due to the rapid changes in the political situation. Especially the rise of the Westernization Movement (*Yang Wu Pai*) introduced many new production methods, which left blank areas for the Shaoxing Legal Advisors who could originally cover the national officialdom. Legal Advisors also had rules they couldn't know. And with the rise of the Westernization Movement constantly affecting the political pattern of the Imperial Court, the original rules were also constantly collapsing. Everyone spent money to support Legal Advisors to get things done. Legal Advisors who couldn't get things done naturally wouldn't be welcomed, so the Legal Advisor industry began to decline rapidly.

"Brigade Commander Chen means to set rules for us," Xu Dian asked excitedly. As a graduate of the law department, Xu Dian had a natural love for setting rules.

"Not setting rules for you, but establishing the People's Party's rules. I must be the first to obey the rules set," Chen Ke answered somewhat grumpily.

Xu Dian, who was criticized, didn't feel the slightest dissatisfaction at all. his face was still full of excitement and longing, "A new system must have rules for the new system. I firmly support it." As a student of the law department, Xu Dian always hoped to formulate a perfect law. Chen Ke's instruction had already let this brilliant student of the law department see the broad road to practice his ideal.

Other comrades were not as excited as Xu Dian. Of course, they couldn't imagine the legal provisions flying in Xu Dian's mind at this time either. For those comrades with sharper political brains, they were concerned about what kind of rules would be formulated exactly, what kind of authority they would get through this new rule, and what kind of restrictions they would be subject to. Comrades who were not so sensitive politically thought that if the new rules were not so harsh, they were ready to accept these provisions.

Chen Ke looked at the widely different reactions of the comrades, and his heart was also somewhat filled with mixed feelings. Finally reached this step! For more than a year, Chen Ke always dared not tell the comrades his true thoughts because without a base area, he couldn't have the final say in the base area. Political arguments would never have feasibility, just letting everyone brag in a round of empty talk. Now, Chen Ke could finally expound his political philosophy completely. Those willing to revolutionize would stay, and those unwilling to revolutionize would part friendly. This excited mood of being able to display his ambitions, although Chen Ke knew it actually had no meaning, still popped out uncontrollably.

"Calm down, calm down," Chen Ke said to himself silently in his heart. Even now, it was not the time to pour out all the beans from the bamboo tube and finish speaking. If he wanted to control the situation, he must first get the support of several important cadres. Or rather, get the support of the seven secretaries of the entire People's Party Temporary Central Secretariat Committee. To put it more simply, he must get the support of the army. He must firmly control the army in his hands. And this required convincing a few more people.

Chen Ke's gaze swept over the comrades, and several key figures—Hua Xiongmao, Chai Qingguo, He Zudao, Xu Dian, Xiong Mingyang, Kuroshima Jinichiro, etc.—these cadres who already held high positions in the army glided past Chen Ke's line of sight in turn. As well as newly promoted cadres Bai Bao, Dai Enze, and others also entered Chen Ke's line of sight.

Start with the army first, then convince Party and political cadres, and finally seek the opinions of civil affairs cadres. Chen Ke had already determined his strategy.

Thinking is really fast when it wants to be fast. Chen Ke had really thought it through during this process of "setting rules." He suddenly felt somewhat uneasy. "Setting rules" meant purging (*zheng su*). Someone would definitely rise slowly politically, and someone would be left behind. Chen Ke himself never liked movements like purging counter-revolutionaries (*su fan*), because these movements were very uncontrollable. If there wasn't a strong executive agency, it would become a terrible disaster. For the People's Party and Insurance Corps, where even comforting the troops could cause human lives in the "Reclamation Brigades" equivalent to "refugee camps," Chen Ke deeply understood the value of cadres.

Let's do it first. Chen Ke persuaded himself. But he knew very clearly that according to the current plan, as long as the cadre team was expanded on a large scale, the ensuing large-scale rectification (*zheng feng*) and even purging counter-revolutionaries (*su fan*) would be inevitable. With the mission of saving the people, he pulled many people onto the position of cadres, but human nature is not so easily changed. Once power is obtained, various depravities will inevitably float to the surface. Corruption and embezzlement, lining one's own pockets—treating these people, Chen Ke had to criticize and punish them with a stance of justice, and even cut off their heads with a stance of justice. This was really a speechless black humor.