Up to now, the highest decision-maker in the Insurance Corps was Chen Ke; this was a recognized fact. Although Chen Ke repeatedly emphasized that the People's Party led the Insurance Corps, and when encountering urgent problems, everyone must convene a Party Committee meeting to make a decision. However, the convention of Party meetings until now was always Chen Ke speaking, and everyone discussing after listening. Like today, Party members independently requesting to convene a Party Committee meeting to decide the action of the Insurance Corps, this was the first time.

The Waterway Detachment was an old unit, and the Reconnaissance Battalion was an elite force. Chen Ke had been strengthening the political education of these two units. So these two units now had a total of 600 people, and Party members and probationary Party members reached a scale of 54 people. Although the proportion was less than 10%, the total number of People's Party members had just approached 300; proportionally speaking, it was already very high.

As the commander of this operation, Zhang Yu was not in a hurry to express his views. He first introduced the situation briefly, then asked Political Commissar Li Zhao to speak.

Li Zhao looked at the comrades but didn't speak immediately. This wasn't him playing mysterious, but he found he couldn't say anything. The work of the Political Commissar was actually very awkward at the current stage. Although known as Political Commissars of units at all levels, actually what they had to say and do was arranged by superiors, or rather Chen Ke and He Zudao. Among Political Commissars at all levels, those who could do the work assigned by the organization well were considered very excellent talents. Asking them to decide the action of the troops according to the People's Party program themselves, even He Zudao, recognized as the number one Political Commissar in the army, was just beginning. Let alone a novice like Li Zhao.

But one always has to speak in a meeting. Li Zhao's chest originally boiled with justice and passion. When he wanted to turn this justice and passion into his own words to pour out to the comrades, hoping the comrades would accept it, an inexplicable fear immediately overrode this emotion. Li Zhao was 22 years old this year, a native of Songjiang Prefecture. His grandfather's generation was considered middle peasants. Since Shanghai opened as a port, relying on selling grain and vegetables, life was passable. Church schools didn't charge tuition, so Li Zhao's grandfather sent Li Zhao's father to a church school. After graduation, he became a mechanic at the dock shipyard and established a relationship with the British. The Li family's fresh vegetables could always be sold to the British fleet, which guaranteed the Li family's profit. By Li Zhao's generation, he could even attend Fudan Public School.

Following Chen Ke from Shanghai to Anhui, after more than half a year of hard work, exposed to wind and sun, this young man with a round face and a height of 1.65 meters was tanned dark, and the bookish air on him was already very faint. But when he propagandized to the comrades based on his own understanding for the first time, Li Zhao seemed to suddenly return to the days when he was called up by the teacher to answer homework. Nervous inside, dry in the mouth, with an indescribable bitter taste. He just stood there, saying nothing.

Zhang Yu looked at Li Zhao, feeling amused in his heart. Zhang Yu, four years older than Li Zhao, came from a petty clerk family in Handan, Hebei. His family always hoped one of their children could pass the exam for a title. This way they could completely get rid of the family's awkward status. Zhang Yu was once a person the family regarded very highly. But when Zhang Yu was 18, facing the two choices of going to work in the Tianjin Machinery Bureau or continuing to study, Zhang Yu gave the opportunity to continue studying to his younger brother, and carried a small package himself on the road to the Tianjin Machinery Bureau.

In 1900, when Zhang Yu was 20, the Tianjin Machinery Bureau turned to ashes in flames and explosions. Zhang Yu, who participated in defending the Machinery Bureau, was seriously injured and barely saved his life. In the following few years, Zhang Yu worked in a private factory in Tianjin. It wasn't until Chen Ke arrived in Beijing in 1905 that he went to work at the Beijing Honeycomb Briquette Factory under Qin Tongren's introduction. Then, he resolutely gave up the opportunity to continue working in the honeycomb briquette factory, followed Shang Yuan to Shanghai, and then to Anhui. Accumulating merit, he became the Captain of the Waterway Detachment.

In terms of social experience, Zhang Yu was more than a little bit smarter than Li Zhao. So Zhang Yu didn't think Li Zhao could incite everyone's emotions. Because of this view, now that Li Zhao let the scene go cold, Zhang Yu didn't urge or mock. On the contrary, he looked at Li Zhao with very serious eyes.

"Comrades," Li Zhao finally spoke, "Now we have to discuss a matter at the Party meeting: whether to help the common people of Liujiapu attack the fortified village."

Everyone knew clearly what was to be discussed. No one spoke; Party members and probationary Party members waited quietly for Li Zhao to continue.

"I think it is necessary for us to fight. Our Insurance Corps is the people's army; we cannot watch the common people starve to death helplessly." These words should have been magnificent and forceful, but Li Zhao said them without any momentum at all.

Zhang Yu didn't blink, listening quietly. But in his heart, he had already noted down the first point to refute Li Zhao.

"Since we want to liberate the whole of China, Liujiapu will inevitably be liberated in the future. Liberating it now, at least we can get the support of the common people now. Future work will inevitably be much easier." Li Zhao continued. However, these words were spoken with a bit more passion.

Zhang Yu felt Li Zhao finally found some knack, but this was still not the main point. In such a mobilization meeting, what should be emphasized is inflammatory nature, not rationality or long-term consideration. This was also the reason why Zhang Yu drove Zhou Yisheng away. If Zhou Yisheng stated his family's misery and the heartlessness of the landlord in the fortified village with tears and snot, it could at least stimulate everyone's sympathy. Then expounding the righteous mission of the People's Party could encourage the comrades' fighting spirit. After mobilizing the comrades' emotions, then expounding the many benefits of attacking the fortified village to the revolutionary cause, he could naturally get the comrades' support.

In the early days of arriving in Fengtai County, Chen Ke mobilized the comrades' fighting spirit like this, successfully establishing the current situation with the People's Party as the core. And Li Zhao obviously hadn't learned the essence of Chen Ke's speech. He Zudao, as the number one political commissar in the army, had already mastered these, while Li Zhao was still tender.

Sure enough, as Zhang Yu thought, because Li Zhao couldn't grasp the essence of the problem, the effect of his speech was limited. Although everyone was listening seriously, their brows began to frown. But Li Zhao could climb to this position not completely by eating dry rice (being useless). Seeing the situation was wrong, he didn't speak much more and simply ended the speech. "I'll say this much first; now let Captain Zhang talk about his views."

Not bad, not bad, Zhang Yu thought secretly. If it really doesn't work, hand over the speaking right to the other party immediately, look at the other party's words, and refute specifically; this is also a strategy. This was a strategy Chen Ke once narrated.

Zhang Yu stood up, looked around first like Chen Ke. His eyes were bright, looking at every comrade's eyes seriously and carefully. Only then did he start his words. "Comrades, I originally didn't support attacking the fortified village, but I somewhat support it now. But I want to ask everyone a sentence: whose armed force is the Insurance Corps? The Insurance Corps is the gun; who commands the gun? The Party commands the gun! Who should the Insurance Corps listen to? The Insurance Corps should listen to the Party. We Party members present now are the ones deciding the action of our detachment now." Zhang Yu said these words powerfully and resonantly. No one would think Zhang Yu didn't believe this. Even those comrades who hoped to send troops now were the same.

"Then, as Party members, the superior Party organization gave us the great power to command this fleet. We cannot act on our own; we must be worthy of the superior Party organization. Secretary Chen Ke saw us off personally representing the superior Party organization; we must be worthy of Secretary Chen Ke. Cannot let Secretary Chen Ke, let the superior Party organization be disappointed in us. What task did the Party organization give us? Comrades, what exactly is the task the Party organization gave us?" Zhang Yu asked repeatedly, then looked at the Party members' eyes one by one. Under the pressure of Zhang Yu's gaze, everyone was recalling the Party organization's order.

Seeing the thoughtful expressions of the comrades, Zhang Yu already knew he successfully brought the comrades' train of thought onto his own track. But just being triumphant for this moment, Zhang Yu's face suddenly changed. He suddenly remembered one thing, a thing he had ignored. Suddenly, Zhang Yu understood the true intention of the superior Party organization.

The gaffe only lasted for a moment; Zhang Yu had recovered the serious expression just now. "Whether to attack the fortified village and save the common people? Did the Party tell us before this mission?"

This question was asked very cleverly. The Party organization said a lot; which sentence exactly was the explanation for whether to attack the fortified village? Everyone didn't figure it out for a moment.

Zhang Yu didn't let everyone think too much; he announced the answer directly. "Before setting off, Commissar He asked us two questions. The first question: going out this time will definitely see very many tragic things; the Party organization asked if comrades were mentally prepared? The second question: do comrades want to save these common people? How to save these common people?"

Party members looked at each other; many people suddenly realized. While some were still a bit confused. Zhang Yu was excited to confirm that he finally grasped the superior's idea, and on the other hand, scolded his own stupidity in his heart. Since the decision was made, Zhang Yu didn't hold back anymore, didn't keep a hand. He said loudly: "Why did the Party organization ask this? Why didn't they order us to attack the fortified village directly? This is the Party organization's care for us. To save the common people, we have to take out grain solidly. We don't have this grain. To save the common people, we have to help them fight for this grain. Picking up and dropping off people this time is a temporary job. The Party organization doesn't know the specific situation. Asking us to relieve the common people is naturally impossible. Asking us to mobilize the common people, we don't even know if the common people want to fight desperately with the people in the fortified village. If we attack on our own initiative, maybe the common people will think we are a group of robbers. Ruining things instead. So the Party organization said nothing; Commissar He could only speak to this extent."

Once these words were clarified, comrades suddenly realized. There was immediate discussion in the venue. Some comrades felt Commissar He Zudao had many twisty intestines (tricks); most comrades felt Commissar He was really a considerate person. But whether to attack the fortified village was no longer the focus of discussion.

"Comrades, be quiet." Zhang Yu shouted, "Since everyone held this meeting, we must consider realistically. Attacking the fortified village, do we fight with the common people, or do we fight alone? How to fight this battle? What to do if people die in the fight? What to do if someone is injured? Are there enough doctors? Is temporary medical care enough? Are our weapons enough? Oh, by the way, decide now immediately. Heard from Comrade Lu Zhengping that the fellow villagers have already set off to attack the fortified village. Should we rush over now, or send people to stop them immediately? We must make a decision immediately."

Hearing this, People's Party members began to ponder immediately. This was indeed a big matter. Previously, such things were completely decided by Chen Ke and the Military Commission; everyone just listened to orders. Now asking everyone to make decisions, everyone really couldn't think of specific methods for a moment. Everyone's eyes couldn't help falling on Zhang Yu again.

Being watched by so many people with eyes of expectation and trust, Zhang Yu felt great satisfaction in his heart. Previously, such eyes were cast on Chen Ke, on those leaders with higher status. Among those eyes were also Zhang Yu's own eyes. Now Zhang Yu could finally receive such attention himself. He was really incomparably joyful. Looking at the dumbfounded Insurance Corps Political Commissar Li Zhao, Zhang Yu already knew that he completely overrode Li Zhao now. The object everyone was convinced by was no longer Li Zhao, but him, Zhang Yu.

To convince the crowd, first of all, you yourself must have an attitude in your heart that can truly move everyone, a stance that everyone can approve of. Zhang Yu, who had experienced the line of life and death, knew this very well. Back then when he followed Admiral Nie Shicheng to defend the Tianjin Machinery Bureau, everyone was moved by Admiral Nie's righteousness. Without even saying much, just Admiral Nie Shicheng's eyes and those simple words were enough to let everyone know that the time to risk their lives had come.

Although until now, Zhang Yu had never regretted his choice at that time. But after that time, Zhang Yu firmly believed one thing: justice cannot solve problems. No matter how righteous you are, how your deeds can go down in history, there must be matching power behind this justice. Otherwise, you are just filling the ditch for those who master the righteous cause. The reason Zhang Yu followed Shang Yuan and Chen Ke was that these two people, besides possessing a heart of justice, had the power and strategy to implement their ideals. And now, Zhang Yu had very likely stepped on the road to stand side by side with these two people. Although Zhang Yu's current power still originated from these two people, no one was born to possess the power to "decide justice."

But such little getting carried away didn't last long. Zhang Yu was someone who had experienced the test of death after all. He knew thinking too much would only make him lose his bearings. Where Chen Ke was superior to Zhang Yu was that he knew what kind of organization to build. Zhang Yu was convinced wholeheartedly on this point. Confucius said, "The superior man stands in awe of three things: he stands in awe of the ordinances of Heaven, he stands in awe of great men, he stands in awe of the words of sages. The mean man does not know the ordinances of Heaven, and consequently does not stand in awe of them; he is disrespectful to great men, and makes sport of the words of sages." Since Chen Ke was far superior to him now, then Zhang Yu should obey orders under Chen Ke wholeheartedly. If this was the mandate of Heaven, Zhang Yu would absolutely not challenge it.

Throwing away selfish thoughts, Zhang Yu discussed with comrades simply and clearly, and then sent out two waves of personnel.

The People's Party meeting was full of twists and turns, but also sparks flew. On the other side, the meeting of the Anhui New Army could only be described as a pool of stagnant water, covered with dark clouds.

The assembly of the New Army was far less fast than the Insurance Corps, although the number was much smaller than the Insurance Corps. But the Insurance Corps meeting had been held for a good while before the New Army officers and soldiers assembled. Looking at Pu Guanshui's gloomy face, the New Army officers and soldiers were scared into silence. They didn't know who did what wrong to provoke the Commander so angry. At the same time, they looked at the dirty refugee behind Pu Guanshui whose face was like a living skeleton, limbs thin as hemp stalks, clothes ragged, and a large piece of clothes on the chest broken, with doubtful eyes. Everyone felt very puzzled why such a person followed the Commander.

"This person is Zhou Yisheng's brother, Zhou Yizheng. This person is the current refugee in Anhui. Did everyone see what he looks like?"

As soon as Pu Guanshui's voice fell, the face of every New Army officer and soldier became extremely bad. Could their own relatives look like this too? This very practical association made the hearts of New Army officers and soldiers fall into an ice cave.

Pu Guanshui's voice was very low, "Not just this person; now the common people in Anhui all look like this. Just now, hundreds of refugees have gone to break the fortified village of Liujiapu to find food to survive the disaster year. But in my opinion, I'm afraid they can't break the fortified village."

Hearing this, almost all New Army officers and soldiers had sympathetic looks on their faces, but only that kind of sympathy like a fox mourning the death of a rabbit. Seeing such expressions, Pu Guanshui was very disappointed. Pu Guanshui remembered the indignant expression of that Insurance Corps soldier named Lu Zhengping very clearly just now. Lu Zhengping's home was in Fengtai County, having nothing to do with the common people of Liujiapu. Moreover, Fengtai County maintained everyone's survival anyway; presumably, his family definitely had no worry about food and clothing. Yet Lu Zhengping's indignation far exceeded that of the Zhou brothers whose home was in Liujiapu. As for these New Army officers and soldiers who should have camaraderie, they couldn't compare even more.

What the New Army officers and soldiers showed was fear instead. They were merely fearing Pu Guanshui as the Commander. While the soldiers of the Insurance Corps dared to raise opinions to their superior. Also being an army, why was the gap between the two sides so big?

"Should we go help Zhou Yisheng?" Pu Guanshui asked loudly.

For such a simple question, no one in the New Army officers and soldiers dared to utter a sound. After a while, finally someone emboldened himself to ask: "Lord Pu, aren't we here just to help us take our families to Fengtai?"

"That's right, we are here to help everyone. Then should we help the refugees of Liujiapu?" Pu Guanshui continued to ask.

No one dared to speak on this question. In the minds of New Army officers and soldiers, "Sweep the snow from one's own door; do not care about the frost on others' roofs!" This was the correct principle. Saving one's own family, relatives, and friends was already the limit of good deeds in the minds of these officers and soldiers. Helping those refugees who had nothing to do with them, what benefit was there for the officers and soldiers themselves? Obviously none.

Moreover, in the current disaster year, except for anomalies like Fengtai County that could let common people have a mouthful of food, which place with grain wasn't a big household's fortified village? Attacking a fortified village cost lives. Why risk one's life for strangers? There is no such reason in the world.

But there were people with clear minds after all. A battalion commander said: "Lord Pu, if you ask those fortified villages to release grain, as long as you go to talk personally, presumably they will give you face no matter what. We will definitely follow you."

Hearing this, Pu Guanshui sneered.

Pu Guanshui was not a fool. He was not ignorant of officialdom and human relationship ways. Coming from an official family, Pu Guanshui naturally couldn't be unaware of these. It was just that he didn't like such practices at all. Pu Guanshui had always believed these established practices were wrong. Pu Guanshui knew the result of coming forward to ask for grain very clearly. Nothing more than the other party thinking he was extorting contributions (*da qiu feng*). Either they wouldn't let him into the fortified village at all, then send him a sum of gift money and tea money for New Army brothers. Or timid ones would symbolically release enough grain for the common people to eat for a few days. Anyway, it was useless work. The fortified village felt that as long as they could save Pu Guanshui's face, that was enough. What did the life and death of the common people have to do with those landlords in the fortified village?

This was also the essential difference Pu Guanshui believed existed between him and these landlords. Pu Guanshui sincerely hoped to save China and save the common people. If he only had such a broad and vague concept before, since reading Chen Ke's book, Pu Guanshui understood more and more why this world was so cruel. Although he didn't deal with Chen Ke much personally, just that set of *Chinese Cultural Inheritance and the Rise of Materialism* made Pu Guanshui firmly believe that Chen Ke was a person who could save China and save the world's common people. That was why Pu Guanshui respected Chen Ke so much and was willing to join the revolution led by Chen Ke.

Seeing the reality of Fengtai County and participating in this operation of picking up and dropping off the New Army proved even more that Chen Ke was practicing the ideal of saving the common people. Taking the world as one's own responsibility—anyone can say such big words. Pu Guanshui had seen so many high officials. In this era when China suffered foreign invasion and internal and external troubles, most of them hung these words on their lips. But such words were just their excuses. And in just this one day today, Pu Guanshui saw dozens of young people intending to shoulder this responsibility. And these people were not Chen Ke's diehard followers; they were just some ordinary officers and soldiers among the eight thousand soldiers of the Insurance Corps.

Just today, the revolutionary soldiers Pu Guanshui saw who were willing to save the common people with practical actions were more than the total number of people he had seen in his life who were willing to do something practical for the common people.

And these New Army officers and soldiers in front of him, even if their fellow villagers were struggling on the death line, they still dared not express anything. What exactly were they afraid of?

Although Pu Guanshui was full of passion when convening the New Army officers and soldiers, having said just these few words to the New Army officers and soldiers, Pu Guanshui felt somewhat dispirited. He couldn't help sighing, "If the fortified village only gives the common people grain for a few days, as soon as we leave, the common people will still starve to death in a few days. Do you think there is any use doing this?"

The New Army officers and soldiers looked at each other. Although these words made sense, what could the New Army officers and soldiers do?

"Then we can't break the fortified village, right? What's the difference between that and bandits?" A bold officer said. Pu Guanshui looked; that person was named Xu Qingnian, and his family had a fortified village.

Yes, in Xu Qingnian's view, breaking a fortified village was treason and heresy. People who broke fortified villages were bandits. As for the starving common people, they deserved it. Pu Guanshui didn't want to say Xu Qingnian was wrong to say so. He looked around carefully at his subordinates. Among them, if speaking truthfully, at least twenty percent either had fortified villages at home or at least could live in fortified villages. Asking them to break fortified villages was something not to even think about.

I still didn't consider things thoroughly! Pu Guanshui suddenly felt a great powerlessness.

Just then, someone ran over suddenly. The New Army officers and soldiers stared at the comer one by one. Pu Guanshui was disheartened at this time and didn't even want to waste the effort to turn his head.

"Commander Pu, our Detachment Commander invites you," the comer shouted.

Pu Guanshui announced the New Army stand here for now, and followed the comer to the command post of the Insurance Corps Waterway Detachment. He saw the command post already presented a kind of extreme busyness. Seeing Pu Guanshui come in, Zhang Yu stood up immediately to greet him. "Commander Pu, we have decided to attack the fortified village. Are there any New Army brothers willing to participate?"

"What?" Pu Guanshui knew Zhang Yu didn't want to attack the fortified village. He was completely confused by such a big change in attitude in such a short time.

Seeing Pu Guanshui silent, Zhang Yu asked again, "Commander Pu, are there any New Army brothers willing to participate in attacking the fortified village?"