After the mobilization work of the day ended, the soldiers disbanded to prepare for the next stage of battle, but the political commissars of the military political work system did not disband. The head of the military commissars was now He Zudao; holding a summary meeting after every mobilization meeting was a convention for the commissars. Preparatory meetings and summary meetings were conducted every time.

"Morale is usable!" Xiong Mingyang shouted excitedly. The comrades' desire for battle today was very urgent, and their words showed a high sense of trust and belonging to the troops. Xiong Mingyang had an enthusiastic personality; feeling everyone's enthusiasm, he also felt high-spirited and excited. "Commissar He, as long as the soldiers have this energy, the next battle is not a problem."

He Zudao was younger than Xiong Mingyang; reasonably speaking, he should be more easily excited. However, among the commissars, He Zudao's performance was consistently calm. Seeing He Zudao silent and just looking thoughtful, everyone didn't feel it was strange. Everyone knew that a large-scale battle was coming soon, and the commissar's current job was to boost the morale of the troops. He Zudao's silence did not stop the comrades' enthusiasm, and everyone began to discuss enthusiastically.

"I think we should simply shout 'Capture Fengyang Prefecture, Liberate All of Anhui' now. What do you think of this slogan?" Li Zhao, the General Political Commissar of the Water Detachment, asked. Hearing this bold propaganda outline, the already excited commissars nodded in support one after another. In the mobilization, the soldiers repeatedly expressed that they would follow the Insurance Corps loyally. Wherever the team went to fight, the soldiers would fight there. Such heart-to-heart words made everyone very excited.

Now everyone in the troops had seen clearly that the Water Detachment would definitely form a new brigade. All the capable troops were in the Water Detachment, and the Military Commission had issued orders for political commissars to start looking for common people among the disaster victims from other places who were willing to follow the team, striving to get them to enlist. These common people, tortured to the brink of death by famine and hunger, were full of hatred for the rich, hatred for the government, and hatred for this era. Under such hatred, with a slight recruitment by the Insurance Corps, it could be said that respondents gathered like clouds. These common people had already been incorporated into the reserves for comprehensive training and physical recuperation; they should be very good soldiers. As long as their bodies recovered, the troops could definitely get a big development. This development was very likely to be the largest scale since the establishment of the Insurance Corps. So the commissars also felt there was a bright prospect. The expansion of the troop organization meant an increase in the number of troops everyone led, meaning promotion in position.

"What we are going to fight now is Shouzhou. How about we say 'Capture Shouzhou City, Liberate Fengyang Prefecture' first? After taking Shouzhou, use this slogan again. Otherwise, what to say for the next mobilization?" Dai Enze suggested.

Everyone thought this idea was good; even Li Zhao, who first proposed the slogan, thought this suggestion was very good. After discussing for a while, seeing that He Zudao still didn't speak, Li Zhao asked, "Commissar He, what do you think?"

He Zudao still had that thoughtful expression on his face, but this didn't mean he was completely wandering in his mind. Hearing Li Zhao's question, He Zudao nodded. "'Capture Shouzhou City, Liberate Fengyang Prefecture.' I think it's okay." After speaking, He Zudao originally wanted to continue thinking, but his expression inexplicably became somewhat anxious, as if he was very dissatisfied with his own mood. He couldn't help but say, "Comrades, I feel the political nature of such a slogan is not strong enough."

"Political nature not strong?" The comrades looked at He Zudao in surprise. Everyone never expected He Zudao to actually say such an inexplicable sentence. The gazes looking at He Zudao were all puzzled.

Xiong Mingyang stared at He Zudao. He actually didn't quite understand why He Zudao tried to suppress the soldiers' mood in the mobilization today, but instead repeatedly explained the new land policy. The new land policy was actually quite complex; even someone like Xiong Mingyang who had read books felt it was a bit unclear. He Zudao insisted on "calculating accounts" with the soldiers, comparing the differences between the old system and the new system. This was something Xiong Mingyang didn't understand very much.

The result of such mobilization naturally wouldn't be too good; the soldiers were almost confused by the talk. Later, Li Zhao saw things were wrong and quickly took over the conversation, guiding the direction towards military struggle, which rekindled the soldiers' fighting will. He Zudao's political work in the past had never had such a flaw; everyone was actually very puzzled.

He Zudao didn't pay attention to the comrades' emotions. He looked very anxious now; it seemed his thinking just now encountered a bottleneck. He frowned and closed his eyes, then opened them again very quickly. "Comrades, I have an idea. Why exactly do our troops fight? Isn't it still to live a good life? If we only engage in military struggle blindly and don't pay attention to political concepts, the result will only be creating a force full of hatred. I always feel this kind of morale is not right. Fighting smooth battles, such morale can still be used. Once fighting against the wind and suffering setbacks, I am very worried about whether the troops can hold up then."

The commissars never expected that what He Zudao worried about was actually such a matter. And because emotions were high now, some people even completely failed to understand what exactly He Zudao wanted to say.

Li Zhao laughed, "Commissar He, in Fengyang Prefecture, who is the opponent of our troops? In the battles so far, haven't those forts that boasted they would never be breached been beaten into fallen flowers and flowing water by us just the same? Moreover, the troops started by charging through blasted breaches, and now the frontal troops are also very daring to fight. The virtue of those official soldiers is probably not even comparable to the family guards of the forts."

Because Li Zhao was personally responsible for transporting the officers and soldiers of the Anhui New Army home, he had quite a lot of contact with these so-called "elite" New Army officers and soldiers. When encountering things, the performance of these New Army officers and soldiers was actually very poor; as long as without Pu Guanshui's command, these people could do nothing. In comparison, although the equipment of the landlord armed family guards in the forts was not great, facing the attack of the Insurance Corps, these family guards were daring to fight and risk their lives.

Li Zhao started, and other commissars also echoed one after another: "Troops are for fighting; political work is responsible by the civil affairs department. We can't intervene in the work of the civil affairs department, right? Organizational discipline doesn't allow it either."

"Destroy the government first, and then we can grasp the initiative. Whatever can incite the fighting will to fight the government now, we should do it that way."

"Secretary Chen said very clearly that our current military goal is not to let any official troops enter the base area. Otherwise, I'm afraid the current situation cannot be maintained. What we are fighting now is not just a military battle, but a political battle. We can only win now, not lose. Losing once will lead to big trouble."

Other commissars spoke one after another; almost everyone was opposing He Zudao. Seeing He Zudao facing everyone's unanimous opposition alone, some commissars felt a vague pleasure in their hearts. This was not only the pleasure of speaking one's mind directly, but also because He Zudao himself, as Chen Ke's diehard, had always been the leading figure among the commissars. Now being able to criticize and oppose He Zudao politely and reasonably, this pleasure involuntarily overflowed in their hearts.

He Zudao listened quietly. What everyone said made sense. When military struggle was the principal contradiction currently, maximizing the fighting will of the troops was naturally a good thing. Even in the long run, as long as comprehensive control of the locality was obtained, against the background of overwhelming military force, after external enemies were defeated, no one internally would dare to oppose the new regime. These were all correct principles. It was also the requirement Chen Ke proposed for this military action mobilization.

But He Zudao had an indescribable sense of dissonance. The revolutionary cause itself would absolutely not be so simple. If victory could be achieved so simply, then why did so many peasant uprisings in history fail every time? It is good for the army to know who its enemy is. But He Zudao believed that a true revolutionary army should know what it should guard, not just know whom it should overthrow.

If the new system led by the People's Party had been established now, He Zudao wouldn't be nitpicking like this. The problem lay in that the new system was completely unbuilt. It was even still in the budding stage. Not seizing the time to carry out the work of promoting the new system at this time, but conducting large-scale battles instead—He Zudao felt it wasn't right no matter what. The soldiers' loyalty must be directed at the system, at the revolution led by the People's Party. It cannot be merely out of simple gratitude. Although he didn't know what kind of problems a team formed by such gratitude would encounter, He Zudao knew problems would definitely arise.

However, seeing the posture of other commissars vowing not to stop until they convinced him, He Zudao had to soften temporarily. "Then this time we will write summaries separately. I will write about land distribution and the issue of calculating accounts under the old and new systems. Everyone write about the issue of army morale." He proposed a compromise plan. But after hearing He Zudao's words, everyone did not express complete agreement. He Zudao had to continue: "The problem of calculating accounts I was responsible for this time was not done well; this time it can be said to be a failure. I will write clearly and review it personally to the Party Committee. This is my own responsibility, and I will bear this responsibility."

Since He Zudao spoke to this extent, everyone couldn't say anything more. "Killing a person is no more than a nod to the ground" [meaning don't go too far]; Commissar He personally admitted his mistake and admitted his failure. Saying too much more would not be an attitude of solving problems. After briefly summarizing the process and situation of the mobilization meeting again, everyone began to write their own reports.

When He Zudao went to report to Chen Ke with two reports, he felt very depressed. For him, he had lost a battle in this mobilization meeting. When facing Chen Ke to report the result, He Zudao did not fear Chen Ke's anger, but felt a deep shame for failing to complete the task. The guard went in to announce him; waiting at the door, He Zudao felt his face flush red with shame. The waiting time seemed very long, yet seemed not long. In short, the guard came out to let He Zudao in. Waiting for He Zudao in the office was not only Chen Ke; Qi Huishen was actually sitting by the desk too. Seeing He Zudao come in, both people in the room stood up. Qi Huishen walked a few steps quickly to welcome him. "Zu Dao, it's really been a long time." Saying this, he extended his hand.

Since Qi Huishen and the others arrived at the base area, everyone had been busy with affairs. The two only occasionally saw each other rushing to handle affairs from afar; this was the first time they officially spoke until now. He Zudao and Qi Huishen were old friends; it was Qi Huishen who pulled He Zudao to follow Chen Ke. Meeting an old friend, He Zudao's depressed mood was also relieved. He shook hands tightly with Qi Huishen. "Huishen, now that you're here, hurry up and join the work. I'm really busy to death here."

Hearing this, Qi Huishen laughed, "This work arrangement has to be listened to from Wen Qing; I can't make the decision myself." These words were full of an indescribable flavor; He Zudao didn't know if Qi Huishen was complaining or approving of Chen Ke not arranging work for him.

But proper business was important now. He Zudao handed two documents to Chen Ke. "Secretary Chen, take a look. This is the record and summary of today's mobilization meeting." After Chen Ke took the documents, He Zudao continued to add: "My calculation comparing the new and old systems seems to have failed. Although the soldiers also knew that calculating accounts this way was correct, everyone focused more on what was unfair. Interest in the advantages of the new system was not great. This was something I didn't anticipate at the time."

Although he knew he failed, He Zudao did not directly use words like sorry. Chen Ke never let subordinates use language like "sorry" in reports. His evaluation of this was simple: "If apologizing was useful, you wouldn't need to do anything else; just apologizing would be enough. Revolutionary work is to complete goals, and must complete goals. If you have time to apologize, you might as well think about how to get things done."

"Sit." Chen Ke said. After speaking, he also sat down and started reading the reports. He Zudao sat straight on the stool, quietly waiting for Chen Ke's evaluation after reading the documents. Qi Huishen originally wanted to talk to He Zudao, but seeing He Zudao's serious expression, he didn't break the silence in the office either and waited wordlessly.

After Chen Ke finished reading one document, he handed the document to Qi Huishen and started reading the other one himself. Qi Huishen read for only a moment and couldn't help laughing out loud. "Zu Dao, I didn't expect you to speak really impressively now." Not knowing if it was because he heard He Zudao frankly admit his failure, anyway, Chen Ke read He Zudao's document first. After reading, he handed it to Qi Huishen. And Qi Huishen was obviously very interested in He Zudao's performance.

Facing the joke of his old friend, He Zudao did not show the slightest timidity caused by shame. He admitted calmly, "Speaking of the deception of the common people by landlords and clans under the old system, the soldiers were very interested. But when mentioning the advantages under the new system, the soldiers didn't understand. I failed very much."

Before Qi Huishen could speak, Chen Ke interrupted in a calm tone, "If not for the hatred of the old system, why do you think these soldiers would perform so outstandingly? Everyone knows that fighting kills people. The reason these soldiers perform outstandingly is that they have the passion to retaliate against the old system in their hearts. If you talk greatly about the benefits of building a new system, everyone definitely doesn't like to listen."

He Zudao actually already understood this. He just nodded in agreement, without defending himself at all. Instead, Qi Huishen asked somewhat puzzledly, "Wen Qing, why do you say that? Do you mean these soldiers just want to take revenge on society?"

"Huishen, have you read *Water Margin*?" Hearing Qi Huishen's words, Chen Ke did not answer directly but asked another question instead.

"Read it, and listened to storytelling too," Qi Huishen answered strangely.

"Can your Jiangnan tanci [ballad singing] express that kind of intensity? Hehe, I doubt it very much." First questioning the expression form of southern traditional folk art, Chen Ke then continued: "Liangshan Po claimed to 'Act for Heaven' [Enforce Justice on behalf of Heaven], but this acting for heaven looked one way in the eyes of Black Whirlwind Li Kui, and another way in the eyes of Timely Rain Song Jiang. There are one hundred and eight generals, so there are one hundred and eight different kinds of acting for heaven. This is nothing strange."

Qi Huishen never expected Chen Ke to view *Water Margin* this way, but Chen Ke's sentence plagiarizing a foreigner's evaluation of Hamlet was very meaningful. Qi Huishen was stunned after hearing it and actually couldn't find words to respond.

Chen Ke ignored Qi Huishen and continued browsing the document. The document wasn't very long; Chen Ke finished reading it in more than ten minutes. He raised his head. "Commissar He, I've seen the general situation. What is it that you can't figure out? Let's hear it."

He Zudao had already prepared the question. "I feel that if it goes on like this, trouble will definitely occur. If the troops cannot complete politicization, how should we solve principled problems encountered in the future?"

"For example?" Chen Ke briefly raised his question.

He Zudao answered immediately: "For example, what boosts morale now is jianghu loyalty, not identification with revolutionary concepts. As I see it now, our revolutionary concepts will definitely encounter many situations that conflict with the soldiers' current ideas in the future. The first article is obeying discipline and listening to command. Although I didn't participate in the battle, I saw some intelligence; soldiers now have very problematic ideas about promotion. Everyone wants to choose their favorite fellow villagers and relatives, and is somewhat resistant to personnel appointments by the organization. This is the negative effect of jianghu loyalty."

Qi Huishen was really quite surprised watching the formerly frail scholar He Zudao talk with fervor and assurance, his speech well-grounded. Although Qi Huishen was responsible for the work of the Shanghai Branch, in terms of clarity of reasoning alone, the current Qi Huishen felt he was already inferior to He Zudao. And a year ago, He Zudao himself needed Qi Huishen to help sort out his viewpoints and opinions. Could one year of work make such a big change in a person? Qi Huishen felt puzzled on the one hand, and somewhat jealous on the other.

Just as Qi Huishen was thinking over and over, He Zudao had already started summarizing. "Secretary Chen, I feel very worried about this matter. This kind of thing will definitely happen in the future. At that time, without revolutionary concepts as ideological support, soldiers will easily fail to think things through, and even intensify contradictions."

"Commissar He, you can realize one thing, right? The power of verbal education is very small." Chen Ke answered calmly. Chen Ke had experienced this mood of He Zudao long ago, so he hesitated whether to speak clearly.

He Zudao had so much practical work experience, and because he was convinced by Chen Ke from the bottom of his heart, he accepted Chen Ke's concepts completely. After hearing this sentence from Chen Ke, he was only confused for a moment, and then a trace of shocked expression suddenly appeared on his face.

Chen Ke saw that He Zudao likely understood the meaning in his words. He continued with a grave expression: "Great waves wash away the sand. Commissar He. Revolution is not a dinner party; this is true for treating enemies, and also true for treating our own problems. We now want soldiers to wage war against the old system. Then the aim is to win the war. Soldiers grow up in war; just like a tree growing tall, there will always be some branches growing wrong. At that time, we must prune when we should prune. We must chop off those branches when we should chop them off. This is an inevitable process. This process does not change according to our subjective will."

Qi Huishen didn't quite understand the meaning in Chen Ke's words, but seeing He Zudao's face becoming more and more unsightly—that expression was a mixture of pain, regret, unease, shock, and unbearableness—Qi Huishen also felt something was wrong. Then, he heard Chen Ke continue: "At the current stage, we still have to focus on education and guidance. But in the future, what should be tidied up must be tidied up. Soldiers of the revolutionary army can only have one revolutionary program. So I think your idea is very good; I absolutely support it. But pay attention to work methods. Although both act for heaven, the acting for heaven Li Kui recognized was swinging a big axe and chopping at the spectators watching the execution during the raid on the execution ground in Jiangzhou. Song Jiang's acting for heaven was to seek amnesty. Commissar He, you are a member of the People's Party; you must stand on the stance of the People's Party's people's revolution. No matter what situation you face, as a political commissar, you must confirm this stance of yours. Do you understand?"

He Zudao's face had become dignified and gloomy. He was silent for a good while, and finally said loudly: "I understand!"

There was a feeling of determination and helplessness in this voice. Chen Ke knew He Zudao really understood his words. His heart softened, and he couldn't help but advise, "Our people's revolution is the only correct path for China now, but the people's revolution cannot save everyone either."

After speaking, ignoring what reaction He Zudao might have, Chen Ke waved his hand. "Commissar He, time is tight and tasks are heavy now; you hurry back to work."

Since Chen Ke said so, He Zudao spoke no more. He stood at attention and saluted Chen Ke, then turned and walked out of Chen Ke's office.