Seeing Deputy Commander Pu Guanshui so respectful to Chen Ke, the Anhui New Army soldiers who came with Pu Guanshui naturally dared not act rashly. Led by Pu Guanshui, they lined up to be reviewed by Chen Ke. The background music for the simple review ceremony was folk music played by the drum band organized by the gentry of Fengtai County.

The New Army soldiers really hadn't been treated to such a welcome by local elders. They were somewhat cramped and somewhat triumphant one by one. The gentry who came to welcome them had never seen so many regular Imperial troops arrive in Fengtai County either. Not to mention that the leader was actually a Deputy Commander. They were also somewhat trembling with fear.

After the simple welcome ceremony ended, Chen Ke led Pu Guanshui and the others to stay in the Insurance Corps barracks. Pu Guanshui knew Chen Ke definitely wanted to have a long talk with him, so he declined the invitations put forward by several gentry who came up, on the grounds of travel fatigue.

After settling the New Army soldiers, Pu Guanshui took Ba Yougong and other main officers to the conference hall with Chen Ke. The main cadres of the People's Party were also waiting there.

The process of mutual introduction was simplified to the extreme. The organization of the Insurance Corps and the New Army was completely different. The New Army side was Division (*Zhen*), Brigade (*Xie*), Regiment (*Biao*), Battalion (*Ying*), Company (*Dui*), Platoon (*Pai*), Squad (*Peng*). The names of officers at each level were Commander (*Xietong*), Regiment Commander (*Biaotong*), Battalion Commander (*Guandai*), Company Officer (*Duiguan*), Platoon Leader (*Paizhang*), and Main/Vice Squad Leader (*Zheng/Fu Mu*). The Insurance Corps was Brigade (*Lv*), Regiment (*Tuan*), Battalion (*Ying*), Company (*Lian*), Platoon (*Pai*), Squad (*Ban*). The officer names were Brigade Commander, Regiment Commander, Battalion Commander, Company Commander, Platoon Leader, Squad Leader. The New Army officers roughly understood the officer names of the Insurance Corps, but the Insurance Corps officers didn't quite understand the officer names of the New Army. So basically, they just introduced their names and official positions.

"On behalf of the People's Party, on behalf of the common people of Fengtai County, and on behalf of the Insurance Corps, I welcome the brothers of the New Army to our Fengtai County." Although Chen Ke didn't like being represented by others in the 21st century, in 1906, he spoke righteously representing the tens of thousands of people behind him.

The New Army officers didn't have any resentment towards Chen Ke representing tens of thousands of people on his own initiative. On the contrary, if Chen Ke hadn't said so, it would have made them feel something was wrong instead. Listening to Chen Ke's welcome speech, everyone either smiled or quietly continued to listen to Chen Ke speak.

Chen Ke waved to Yuwen Badu in the distance, then continued: "I won't say polite words. We invited everyone here this time to ask everyone to be teachers. The brothers of the New Army also saw the miserable state after the disaster along the way. I heard everyone saved quite a few common people along the way. These few hundred common people, our Fengtai County can also settle them. But we, Fengtai County ourselves, also have tens of thousands of people rushing to plant. This rush-planting is a branch of learning; many things still need you brothers of the New Army to teach us."

As soon as his voice fell, Yuwen Badu and several Insurance Corps soldiers carried a large table over. A sand table was placed on the table. This was the terrain sand table of Fengtai County. Because of the lack of qualified surveying personnel, it was made quite roughly. The faces of the officers in the Anhui New Army engaging in surveying and mapping immediately showed contempt. Chen Ke turned his head to look at He Zudao, only to see He Zudao also staring at those few officers. Seeing Chen Ke look at himself, He Zudao nodded slightly, indicating he had already noticed those few people.

Chen Ke then stood up, pointing at the sand table with a pointer. "On this plain, we want to open up a large farm. Although engineering design personnel are lacking, we have some. We don't have personnel engaging in specific surveying. Inviting everyone here, on one hand, we have to trouble you gentlemen to help us survey, and on the other hand, we also want to ask everyone to train apprentices."

Time was urgent; Chen Ke didn't stand on ceremony at all. He went straight to the subject. Even if Pu Guanshui stayed in Fengtai County without leaving, he would stay for two months at most. In these two months, the things the Insurance Corps needed to learn were really too many. Although Chen Ke's knowledge was advanced and rich, his knowledge was built on the use of existing industrial systems, and there was a profound gap with 1906. To cross this gap, countless modern technologies and knowledge were needed. Chen Ke at most knew what to learn, but didn't know the specific content of this knowledge. That was why he strongly invited Pu Guanshui to bring the technical arms of Anhui here.

Pu Guanshui didn't seem to care about Chen Ke's eager thought of acquiring knowledge. He asked: "Wenqing, these areas you just pointed to are all under control?"

"That's right, we have the final say in these areas," Chen Ke answered decisively.

Hearing this, Pu Guanshui was silent for a while, then asked: "How many people do you plan to let learn surveying? All officers of my 359th Brigade must learn surveying. Moreover, there is an engineer company of more than two hundred people who will specifically follow you to study."

Hearing this, the faces of the Anhui New Army officers changed slightly. Chen Ke's boldness was considered big enough. The Anhui New Army officers didn't know how many officers were in a brigade. But an engineer company of more than two hundred people all coming to learn surveying—this number really scared the Anhui New Army officers. It should be known that the surveying power of the Anhui New Army was extremely weak. Even after Pu Guanshui strengthened these technical arms after arriving in Anhui, with more than half a year of intensive training, the surveying talents that could be pulled out until now were no more than twenty. Chen Ke put forward more than two hundred people as soon as he acted, ten times that of the Anhui New Army. This conviction made these New Army officers feel a bit chilled on their backs.

Pu Guanshui stared at Chen Ke and said in a deep voice: "I brought not only surveying troops but also artillery, signalmen, and officers responsible for basic military training that I could bring. What does Wenqing plan to let these people teach?"

"The 359th Brigade has eight thousand people; there are many people to teach. For instructors, I only complain about too few, not too many." Chen Ke answered simply.

Since Chen Ke expressed his attitude simply, Pu Guanshui didn't talk nonsense either. He turned his head and said to the officers: "Do you have any requests? Say them first."

The officers looked at each other for a while but dared not speak much.

"Wenqing and everyone present are one of us; there is nothing to worry about. Speak straight if you want to say something." Pu Guanshui said seriously, "Don't wait until after teaching starts to have any thoughts; that would be unseemly instead."

As soon as the voice fell, a young company officer stood up, "Lord Pu, my home is in Fengyang. I want to go home and have a look first."

Although the salaries of the New Army were not bad, except for middle and high-ranking officers, very few low-ranking officers could bring their parents and wives to Anqing. seeing the flood so fierce, everyone's worry about their families grew day by day. Having finally been able to follow Pu Guanshui out, these people naturally hoped to go home and have a look first.

Regarding this young officer's request, Pu Guanshui was noncommittal. He asked: "Does anyone else want to go home?"

Several people immediately stood up among the officers requesting to go home. Pu Guanshui's gaze swept over their faces. Not a single officer avoided Pu Guanshui's eyes; they all looked back at Pu Guanshui seriously.

"Wenqing, if there are a thousand more people here, can you afford to feed them?" Pu Guanshui turned to ask Chen Ke.

"As long as Guanshui helps me with a favor, let alone a thousand people, I can afford to feed five thousand people," Chen Ke laughed.

"What favor does Wenqing want me to help with?"

"During the flood period, checkpoints on various routes were basically abolished. We transported grain in the rain, which could be considered unimpeded. However, recently the checkpoints have been restored. Robbing grain can be said to use every means. We still have a batch of grain not transported in, so I want to ask Guanshui to help lead the team."

After hearing Chen Ke finish this request, Pu Guanshui nodded, "This is no problem. But I also have a matter I want to ask Brother Wenqing to help with. Since you already have eight thousand people, you might as well lend some people to me, let them go with these brothers who want to go home. If the families of these brothers can't survive locally, help them come to Fengtai County first. What do you think?"

"Of course."

The two sealed the deal instantly like this. The Anhui New Army officers participating in the meeting showed joy on their faces one by one. Those in the New Army who followed Pu Guanshui were those whose families had no power. Those children of big landlords with power either refused to be soldiers, or even if they became soldiers, they were very close to other old forces of the New Army and ignored Pu Guanshui, this newcomer, at all. So although fortified villages were everywhere in Anhui, the families of these officers didn't have the strength of Zhang Youliang. Once the flood passed, life would definitely be miserable. The New Army officers arrived in Fengtai County, although they hadn't had time to look carefully. But the general feeling Fengtai County gave everyone was that this place didn't look like it had suffered a disaster. It just looked a bit desolate. In this year of great disaster, just appearing desolate was already remarkable.

Moreover, from the answer between Chen Ke and Pu Guanshui just now, as long as Pu Guanshui went out, he could definitely transport a large batch of grain. Bringing families to Fengtai County to live temporarily, there would absolutely be no problem with livelihood. What's more, there were people helping, which was even better.

Although some soldiers felt Chen Ke and Pu Guanshui singing a duet like this was a bit weird. But this year of great disaster was abnormal originally. As long as families could survive, what did weirdness matter?

Pu Guanshui didn't care about everyone's emotion. He said: "You go and gather the brothers, ask who wants to go home. Where are their homes? Brother Wenqing and I can plan how to arrange people."

The New Army officers responded and went out together. Pu Guanshui waited until they walked far away before saying: "Brother Wenqing, I will stay here for two months at most. Even if I leave some people for you, they will stay for three months at most. You have to grasp firmly what you want to learn."

Chen Ke laughed: "This is natural. I won't let down Brother Guanshui's painstaking efforts."

Hearing that Pu Guanshui allowed them to visit home, among the one hundred officers and soldiers who came together, eighty-two asked to go home and have a look. This investigation and arrangement kept them busy until midnight.

Early the next morning, Chen Ke and the others took the New Army officers and soldiers to the Insurance Corps camp located in Yuezhangji. Along the way, they saw ditches crisscrossing on both sides. Simple water wheels rotating constantly shoveled the groundwater seeping out of the ditches into the drainage troughs. Large numbers of people were farming in the newly opened farmland on both sides of the muddy road.

Most New Army soldiers came from rural areas. Looking at this situation, they could see the knack. When wailing was heard everywhere in other places, Fengtai County actually took the lead in entering the stage of restoring production. It was only August now. As long as God opened his eyes and didn't rain heavily generally again, the grain grown could last until next year's summer harvest anyway.

While praising, they saw a huge painting nailed on a high rack in front. Walking closer to look, it was a painting with a strange style. Inside was a rural scenery that New Army officers and soldiers could understand, but also completely couldn't understand.

Chen Ke laughed: "Brothers of the New Army, this is the appearance Fengtai County will be built into in the next two years. Since I am in Fengtai County, I must benefit the locality."

New Army officers and soldiers looked at the endless flat farmland in the painting, and then looked at the crowd full of labor in front of them, but the uneven and undulating land. Many people felt Chen Ke's words were a bit too boastful.

Chen Ke saw everyone's thoughts. He laughed: "Brothers, the reason why we want everyone to teach us surveying is that we must first measure where exactly to level, how much earth to dig, and how much earth to fill. After calculating these, we calculate how much manpower is needed to complete these projects. How much grain and money is needed to arrange this manpower. Only then can things be done. This is no different from fighting a battle; calculation must come first."

Ba Yougong felt what Chen Ke said earlier made sense, but hearing the last sentence, he couldn't help laughing.

Chen Ke didn't respond to this laughter of unclear meaning. Instead, Pu Guanshui beside him asked: "Commander Ba, what are you laughing at?"

"I didn't expect Mr. Chen actually understands fighting battles too." Ba Yougong answered hurriedly. But next, Ba Yougong asked Chen Ke: "Mr. Chen, you said the Insurance Corps has eight thousand people, but I wonder if there is a Logistics (*Zizhong*) Battalion."

Ba Yougong felt this person Chen Ke spoke very boastfully, and Chen Ke's boasting was different from others; it looked really decent. But it sounded unreliable no matter what. For other civil affairs, Ba Yougong couldn't interrupt easily. But as soon as Chen Ke talked about military-related matters, Ba Yougong really couldn't hold back.

Chen Ke knew Ba Yougong was very suspicious of the Insurance Corps. "We don't call it Logistics (*Zizhong*) Battalion here; we call it Logistics (*Houqin*) Troops. I have a Logistics Battalion, one thousand people specifically responsible for logistical work. This doesn't include the soldiers of the fleet."

Ba Yougong listened to this, half-believing and half-doubting. "Mr. Chen, you wouldn't have confused the Logistics Battalion and the Engineer Battalion, right?"

"Commander Ba is very familiar with military affairs. I didn't confuse them. We also have a specialized Engineer Battalion. Also one thousand people." Chen Ke laughed. This was Chen Ke not revealing the bottom line to Ba Yougong yet. The 359th Brigade in history reclaimed wasteland and farmed in Nanniwan; it could be said that everyone trained the skills of engineers. The reason why Chen Ke named his first troop the 359th Brigade was also to use the name of "later generations" to add some luck to himself. At least it could constantly remind himself what kind of troop the 359th Brigade was.

Ba Yougong was a middle-aged man of forty after all. He knew that continuing to talk would hurt the harmony. Since Chen Ke said so, he just closed his mouth and accepted it.

Instead, a young New Army officer beside him asked: "Mr. Chen, if you really built the new Fengtai County according to the appearance in this picture, what about this land?"

"I will distribute the land to everyone to farm."

"Oh? Then if my family arrives in Fengtai County, can we be distributed a piece of land to farm?" The young officer immediately got interested. After asking this, he felt these words were not quite reasonable, so he hurriedly added a sentence, "We can pay rent."

After saying this, he felt it was still not right. The young officer asked: "Don't know how much the rent is here?"

Looking at the expectant look of the young officer, Chen Ke laughed: "Now this land is managed by our Insurance Corps; no rent is paid this year. Next year, the land rent is thirty percent."

"What? Thirty percent land rent?" The young officer looked at Chen Ke with an incredible look. Anhui had never had such low land rent. But the officer thought again; it should be Chen Ke giving special preferential treatment to these New Army soldiers.

Other officers and soldiers also got interested hearing this. They asked Chen Ke one after another if these words could be taken seriously.

Chen Ke explained: "I have no necessity to deceive everyone. I said collecting thirty percent land rent, then collect thirty percent land rent."

"Then can we buy land?" A New Army officer asked.

"If the land is distributed, then naturally there is no reason for buying and selling. Otherwise, wouldn't it be making it clear that our Insurance Corps wants to make a big fortune ourselves? We won't do such things."

"Mr. Chen, you said the Insurance Corps has eight thousand people. But you only collect thirty percent land rent. I think you might not be able to eat your fill." Ba Yougong couldn't help making trouble again.

Chen Ke answered with a smile: "Our Insurance Corps is also distributed land ourselves. We feed ourselves, so this thirty percent rent is not collected for us."

Hearing this, Ba Yougong was really a bit baffled. This person Chen Ke's actions were completely different from the local powerful figures Ba Yougong had seen. If what Chen Ke said was true, Ba Yougong couldn't imagine what exactly this Fengtai County was like now no matter what.

The group continued to walk forward. They saw hard-working common people and Insurance Corps soldiers wearing dark blue clothes everywhere. Ordinary common people were doing ordinary farm work. While digging ditches, filling earth, transporting supplies—these heavy jobs were mostly done by Insurance Corps soldiers.

Ba Yougong held back this time. He looked left and right until he was sure he wasn't mistaken, then he wanted to speak. But he couldn't gain any advantage several times he opened his mouth. Chen Ke seemed not to get angry at all because others targeted him. But such a style that should have made people feel good made Ba Yougong particularly dissatisfied. Actually, his dissatisfaction with Chen Ke had been there for quite a few days. Starting from Pu Guanshui's inexplicable trust in Chen Ke, Ba Yougong was somewhat dissatisfied with Chen Ke whom he had never met. Seeing the well-trained Insurance Corps fleet, seeing the young but shrewd and capable He Zudao. Seeing Fengtai County actually able to persist on its own in the disaster year, and encountering various things that should have made people admire Chen Ke. Ba Yougong's feeling about Chen Ke became worse and worse. This mood made Ba Yougong himself feel strange.

But the mood of wanting to see Chen Ke embarrassed was so strong that Ba Yougong finally couldn't help asking: "Mr. Chen, I see those doing the hardest work are all Insurance Corps people, right?"

"That's right."

"Soldiers eat grain (to fight); it's unalterable principles. But I look at your place; being a soldier not only has to grow grain oneself. But also do the heaviest work. Then what are these people after being soldiers of your Insurance Corps? On what basis do you make these people follow you dead set?"

As soon as the three words "On what basis" (*Ni Ping Sha*) came out, Ba Yougong suddenly felt enlightened in his heart. He finally found the reason for his dissatisfaction with Chen Ke. On what basis did Chen Ke make Pu Guanshui, the Deputy Commander of the Anhui New Army, so respectful? On what basis could he own a capable fleet? On what basis could he possess such strength and status in Fengtai County? This youth in dark blue short clothes, with short hair like a "monk," on what basis could he have everything Ba Yougong didn't have? Ba Yougong had strong incomprehension and strong jealousy.

Chen Ke didn't know Ba Yougong's thoughts. He laughed: "Our Insurance Corps was distributed a large piece of land. If we don't do more work and create more benefits for the common people, how can the common people submit to us? As for on what basis these people follow me. Because our Insurance Corps is the team of the common people, the sons and brothers of the common people. That's what it is."

Hearing this answer, Ba Yougong stared at Chen Ke dumbfounded. As if looking at a monster never seen before.

"Mr. Chen is talking about protecting the territory and comforting the people (*Bao Jing An Min*), right?" A New Army officer beside him interrupted.

"No. Protecting the territory and comforting the people is us leading the common people to do things. But in this Fengtai County, the biggest is neither the magistrate nor our Insurance Corps. Our Insurance Corps is the people's army, doing things for the people." Chen Ke expounded the political stance of the Insurance Corps to members of other military organizations for the first time. And the result was really somewhat beyond Chen Ke's expectation. Hearing Chen Ke's words, the officers and soldiers of the Anhui New Army neither roared with laughter nor asked this and that. They just fell into a somewhat confused silence.

Arriving at the Brigade Headquarters of the Insurance Corps, Chen Ke asked Hua Xiongmao to arrange the matter of Insurance Corps soldiers and Anhui New Army soldiers returning home together. Taking advantage of other New Army officers and soldiers not being around, Chen Ke met with Pu Guanshui again. Chen Ke asked: "Guanshui, during your time in Anqing. Do you know Xu Xilin?"