When He Zudao and You Gou walked side by side on the country road, they didn't talk much. At this time, it was completely dark. The vast majority of Party members in this Party meeting lived in Yuezhangji. Shang Yuan and the comrades from the county town stayed in the venue to discuss issues with Chen Ke. You Gou wanted to return to her station, and He Zudao volunteered to escort her. You Gou felt indifferent about this action, while He Zudao absolutely didn't want to give up. So the surprised or meaningful gazes of the comrades didn't make this couple have the idea of giving up.

The two were silent all the way. Although he liked You Gou very much, work was already so heavy that He Zudao simply had no mind to spend on feelings. You Gou was also full of worries; how to convene probationary Party members was also a very troublesome thing for her. The two walked silently for a long distance like this. You Gou opened her mouth and asked: "Zudao, you are engaged in political work; do you have any good suggestions?"

"I don't have any good suggestions. Mr. Wenqing always says to me that revolution itself is already bred in the masses. A revolutionary is not to create revolution, but to discover the revolution needed by the people, and turn the people's revolutionary wish into reality. I always feel these words are very correct, but there is always a breath missing from being able to grasp the key point," He Zudao said slowly.

"Haha, if even you feel a breath missing, I am missing ten thousand eight thousand *li*," You Gou laughed.

"Sister You Gou, you are too polite," He Zudao couldn't help being polite.

"Humph!" You Gou laughed once. The sound of rushing water came from not far away; that was the pumping station of the water plant. Unknowingly, the two had arrived near the county town.

"Zudao, let's sit there for a while. How to propagandize, I still have no clue," You Gou said.

The young man and woman sat down on the brick and stone foundation of the pillar under the high diversion canal, but fell silent again. After a good while, He Zudao said: "Sister You Gou, among the current Party members, how many do you think Mr. Wenqing takes a fancy to? Who can make Mr. Wenqing feel is a true revolutionary?"

"This, you certainly count as one," You Gou answered.

"I count as a revolutionary eagle and dog (*ying quan*) at most; can't talk about being a revolutionary. Mr. Wenqing and Mr. Shang Yuan are revolutionaries. I can be sure of this. The two of them have something we don't have. But I can never say it out."

He Zudao's words actually spoke You Gou's heartfelt words. She originally didn't join Chen Ke's team for revolution. Even now, You Gou considered herself a chemist, not a revolutionary. But she also felt her definition might not be reasonable. In short, various complicated things were clear in Chen Ke's narration, but when it was You Gou's turn to think, they returned to a state of fog.

After another while, He Zudao continued: "We can be considered qualified Party members; I can be sure of this. Now what Mr. Wenqing wants to recruit is also Party members, not revolutionaries. By the way, Sister You Gou, do you still remember the matter of us doing social investigation together back then?"

You Gou knew He Zudao referred to the social investigation conducted by the People's Party and Huangpu Book Society together at the end of 1905. She nodded slightly in the dark night. You Gou still remembered that social investigation clearly, but felt it seemed like something from a long, long time ago. She suddenly thought that in this dark night, He Zudao might not be able to see her nod, so she made a sound "Mn."

He Zudao said slowly: "At that meeting, Mr. Wenqing asked us to find revolutionaries. Sister You Gou, you told us that what we need to find now are revolutionary comrades, not revolutionaries. Now Mr. Wenqing wants us to convene Party members; I think we still have to do as you said, Sister You Gou."

"What did I say? Let you do so? Zudao, you'd better tell me what to do." You Gou laughed. He Zudao's words were ambiguous; You Gou didn't quite understand.

He Zudao said: "We don't need to convene comrades who can understand the People's Party's program. We need to convene people who are willing to follow the People's Party's program. Let these newly joined comrades undertake work; in work, they can understand and improve their understanding. I came through this way; I think there is no problem doing so. As long as they listen to the Party and are willing to work, everyone can understand what the People's Party wants to do sooner or later. I still don't know to what extent Mr. Wenqing wants to push the revolution. But although I can't say it, I can feel what is called the people's sons and brothers soldiers. What is called being good to the people."

Generally speaking, with You Gou's impatient temper, she would always say something. But this time You Gou listened to He Zudao's words quietly without commenting. He Zudao finished expressing his opinion and waited for a good while, but didn't get a response. He asked somewhat guiltily: "Sister You Gou, what do you think?"

"Zudao..." You Gou stopped here. Perhaps not knowing how to evaluate, she was silent for a moment again before continuing, "Zudao, you have grown up. You are already a true revolutionary."

He Zudao never expected You Gou to evaluate him like this. His heart immediately pounded wildly. This sentence gave He Zudao endless associations, and these chaotic and hazy associations turned into clear courage. Just as he wanted to speak, he heard You Gou continue: "I already know how to recruit new Party members. Thank you, Zudao. Your political work is done well."

The words already rushing to his mouth were blocked by You Gou's words. He Zudao swallowed twice in succession but didn't know how to continue.

"Zudao, it's late; you go back quickly too. It's not far from where I live here; you don't need to send me." After speaking, You Gou jumped off the pillar foundation made of bricks and stones.

"..., alright." He Zudao could only say this sentence.

Chen Ke really didn't expect one thing. Three days after the last brief meeting, You Gou brought a list of eight pages, "Secretary Chen, these are the Party members I prepare to recruit. I have talked with them; everyone voluntarily joins the People's Party and is willing to accept the test of the Party organization."

The paper was densely written with names and general introductions. Chen Ke flipped through it; unexpectedly, both sides were written. There was information on at least a dozen people on one page. There were probably more than a hundred people on these eight pages. This meant You Gou had to recruit at least almost forty people every day. This efficiency was excessively high.

Before Chen Ke raised his question, You Gou already explained: "The comrades on this list don't understand revolution. Don't understand liberation. They just know four things: First, the People's Party is the true leader of Fengtai County. Second, the People's Party seeks benefits for the common people. Third, they refuse to return to the previous days even if they die, and join the People's Party organization completely voluntarily. No matter how bitter or tired, it's fine. Fourth, if they don't do well, they will be expelled from the Party. These comrades are all tested comrades; most have public duties. I think they can become probationary Party members."

Listening to You Gou finish saying these in one breath, Chen Ke stared at You Gou for a while before asking: "You wouldn't have swept up all the people in the guard team, right?"

"More than forty people are from the clothing factory." You Gou gave a more detailed explanation.

At this stage now, Chen Ke couldn't nitpick anymore. "Endure hardship first, enjoy pleasure later. The rules of joining the People's Party were explained clearly, right?"

"All explained clearly! They are not afraid of enduring hardship. Everyone generally thinks, how much harder can it be than before? If enduring hardship, it's suffering together with comrades. If everyone can do it, they can do it." You Gou answered.

These words were actually correct. In such a big disaster year, no one's life was easy. Chen Ke nodded, "Since there are so many people, the Party School will start classes. These new comrades attend Party School training every night."

Watching You Gou leave the office with light steps, Chen Ke couldn't help sighing. Without meeting these female comrades, Chen Ke could figure out that these women were rural women determined to turn into professional women rather than revolutionaries.

Following You Gou, He Zudao brought a list of three hundred people. Chen Ke flipped through roughly and asked He Zudao again, also defining this batch of comrades as rural soldiers preparing to switch to professional soldiers.

But after He Zudao left, Chen Ke suddenly figured it out. These comrades might not necessarily become qualified Party members, but at least they possessed the potential to become cadres. It should be known that being able to make up one's mind to give up peasant status was already considered very advanced character in this era.

"Don't say, these two people really have ideas." Chen Ke couldn't help praising secretly.

Since there was a new train of thought, Chen Ke immediately convened a Standing Committee meeting of the seven secretaries. At the meeting, targeting He Zudao and You Gou's work thinking, a selection standard centered on "selecting comrades who decided to get rid of peasant status by joining the People's Party" was proposed.

With the main direction, various standards came out. The most important one was that any comrade volunteering to join the People's Party would automatically lose the qualification for land distribution shortly after. Since they decided to give up peasant status, join the Party organization, and eat public grain, there was completely no need to obtain land belonging to themselves anymore. The People's Party is not a group seeking its own interests; this point is absolutely not allowed to be shaken.

In the next three days, nearly a thousand probationary Party members were selected. Actually, the applicants reached three thousand people. Through the general meetings held by several secretaries, the common people of Fengtai County learned the definite existence of the People's Party. There were plenty of people wanting to seek a "future." But as soon as the rule of not allowing owning one's own land came out, those farmers chose to give up immediately. The People's Party publicized that land distribution would begin after this harvest was completed. Although everyone didn't believe it fully, this was always a big hope. Joining the People's Party looked beneficial, but these benefits were empty; getting land distributed was the real lifeblood (*ming gen zi*). For farmers, this account didn't need to be calculated deliberately at all.

Only those who truly were willing to give up being farmers, and truly passed the People's Party's test, performing very hard in work, passed the selection.

Suddenly, the problem of insufficient manpower that had always plagued the People's Party was solved. Although knowing deeply that a large batch of these probationary Party members would definitely be eliminated, these people genuinely wanted to follow the People's Party. Chen Ke felt there was no need for him to nitpick and pick bones from eggs at this stage.

The abundance of human resources made the realization of Chen Ke's original paper plan possible. First established was the Public Security, Procuratorate, and Court (*Gong Jian Fa*) system. At least establish a modern Public Security system. The modern Public Security system is not purely police, but a complete social management and service system. Census police are also part of the Public Security system. These local comrades understood the local situation very well. Composing the Public Security system with them not only greatly improved work efficiency, but local common people also felt much more at ease.

In these few days of expanding grassroots cadres, the Insurance Corps was not idle either. Those arrested guys formed a "Labor Battalion." They worked with the Insurance Corps under the guard of soldiers. These people were not diligent originally. The Insurance Corps didn't abuse them, just asking them to undertake the same workload as Insurance Corps soldiers. A few days later, this gang was trained to cry for their fathers and mothers.

Although the relatives and friends of these people still worried about their life and death, seeing the Insurance Corps just let this gang work, obviously not beating or killing them, they were relieved. Watching the usual loafers looking worried and tired like dead dogs really had a satisfying effect.

The Party School started classes as scheduled. These probationary Party members worked during the day and studied at night. It was naturally much harder, but they also found something that made them happy: ration supply also increased a bit. Half full became seventy percent full. For the common people under natural disaster, this was more real than any reward. The original uneasiness about the future also faded away. After all, joining the People's Party meant selling one's life to others. Even for these courageous comrades, the mood of uneasiness about the future was naturally impossible to be absent.

With enough manpower, the settlement work of foreign refugees also proceeded more smoothly. Chen Ke could finally free his hands to do some things he wanted to do.

Pu Guanshui naturally didn't know the situation in Fengtai County. After leading the Anhui New Army officers and soldiers away from Fengtai County, he began dispersed actions completely according to the plan. In the plan, the Insurance Corps fleet dropped the officers and soldiers at several assembly points along the waterway, then assembled again to pick up a large batch of supplies agreed upon long ago back to Fengtai County.

The Dragon Flag and Pu Guanshui's Commander Flag fluttered on the fleet. Plus the Anhui New Army uniform, although the local governments along the way didn't need to fear the New Army Commander, they still had to give this face. Although checkpoints stood like forests along the way as in the data provided by the Insurance Corps, the fleet could still continue to move forward.

Every day they could encounter common people throwing themselves into the water to commit suicide. Every day they could see dead bodies of common people on the river and on the bank. Although already used to these scenes, Pu Guanshui still couldn't accept these. But the cold reality couldn't be changed at all. If Pu Guanshui didn't have the magical power to provide grain infinitely, he couldn't save these common people.

The inner pressure was so great that Pu Guanshui was not even willing to appear at the bow anymore. He closed the window in the cabin and read Chen Ke's book attentively to obtain spiritual escape.

On the third day, a gunshot broke the calm on the river surface.