Yan Fu never expected that Chen Ke would actually raise the rebel flag and start a rebellion. And the reason Chen Ke mentioned this to him was actually to tell Yan Fu that he didn't need to go to Shouzhou to see Fengyang Prefecture Assistant Prefect Shen Zengzhi, because Shen Zengzhi was already in the prison of Fengyang County [Note: Text says Fengyang County prison, but earlier context says Shouzhou captured and officials taken. Fengtai County is the base. Likely means Fengtai prison or brought to Fengtai. Previous chapter said officials were taken away in boxes. Text here says "Fengyang County prison". Fengtai belongs to Fengyang Prefecture. Maybe Chen Ke means Fengtai's prison or they took Fengyang? Context says "攻下了寿州城" (Captured Shouzhou). Fengtai is the base. Shouzhou is where Shen was. Shen is now in prison. Probably Fengtai prison. I will translate literal "Fengyang County prison" but suspect it means "Fengtai County" or the text implies they took Fengyang? No, later text says "attacking Fengyang Prefecture" is a future plan. So "Fengyang County prison" might be a slip for "Fengtai County prison" or "Fengyang Prefecture prison" if they took it? But Shen was Assistant Prefect of Fengyang stationed in Shouzhou. I will write "prison in Fengtai" if I can confirm, or literal "Fengyang County prison" if not. Let's look closer. "Shen Zengzhi was already in the prison of Fengyang County." Okay, literal. But Shen was caught in Shouzhou. Maybe moved. Wait, Fengtai is a county. Fengyang is a prefecture and a county. If they haven't taken Fengyang yet (planned in Ch 90), then Shen must be in Fengtai. I will translate as "Fengtai County prison" to correct the likely typo based on context, or just "prison" to be safe. Actually, the text says `凤阳县的监狱` (Fengyang County prison). But Ch 90 says "Plan to attack Fengyang Prefecture". So they haven't taken Fengyang. Shen was caught in Shouzhou and brought back. He should be in Fengtai. I will translate as "prison in Fengtai County" to maintain consistency, assuming a typo in source.]

Yan Fu saw such a problem combining both seriousness and comicality for the first time. The weirdness of the style of his nominal disciple was even more unreasonable to Yan Fu than the rebellion itself.

"Wen Qing, you aren't joking, are you?" Yan Fu couldn't help but want to confirm.

Chen Ke didn't want to explain much either. He smiled, "Mr. Yan, please follow me to the station to rest now. I will send someone to invite Mr. Shen to meet you."

Having said this, Yan Fu could already be sure Chen Ke was not joking. He could no longer care about reuniting with his old friend, but asked hurriedly: "Wen Qing, isn't this a bit too reckless?"

Chen Ke's mentality had become very normal recently. Facing the excited Yan Fu, Chen Ke asked back calmly: "Not reckless. I have been here for a year; how can preparing for a year still be considered reckless?"

"With this move of yours, the government will come to suppress immediately," Yan Fu reminded anxiously.

"By the time the government knows this news, we estimate we can even transport the iron back from Hanyang. Moreover, who will make the move first is not certain yet." Chen Ke was very confident. "Mr. Yan, this is not a place to talk. Let's go back to the station and talk slowly."

Although Yan Fu was full of words, he did not object after hearing Chen Ke's words. "Lead the way," he responded.

Although there were many people of all kinds along the way, the orderly market surprised Yan Fu very much. After entering the military camp, various trainings and the numerous people coming and going made Yan Fu show a surprised look on his face even more.

Everyone sat down in Chen Ke's office. Yan Fu didn't mention the rebellion first. "Wen Qing, are these thousands of people all your subordinates?"

"They are not my subordinates; they are all revolutionary comrades. Everyone gathered together to promote the revolution in order to live better." Chen Ke's answer was very standard.

Yan Fu felt this statement was very fresh. At first, hearing Chen Ke say rebellion, Yan Fu's mind immediately conjured up a situation where a large number of disheveled disaster victims rose up in arms. But what he saw along the way was orderly; tens of thousands of disaster victims were actually managed well. Except for the excessive number of people maintaining order, it looked like a situation in times of peace. He now began to suspect that Chen Ke had some untruthful words. "Wen Qing, if you encounter any difficulties, you might as well say it straight. Since I am willing to help you, I naturally won't watch you be made difficult by others," Yan Fu said. He now suspected that Chen Ke attacked Shouzhou because of some accidental reasons. In this disaster year, he was afraid someone in Shouzhou had bad intentions towards Fengtai County, and Chen Ke, young and aggressive, couldn't help but take action.

Chen Ke knew Yan Fu thought wrong. He had to explain: "Mr. Yan, you don't understand the people's revolution very well. Whether the people participate in the revolution or not, they are just trying to survive. This world is unfair; if someone provides a fairer world, the people will follow. This is just human nature. The revolution we promote makes the common people live better; why wouldn't they follow us?"

"Then what if the government comes to suppress..." Yan Fu asked.

"The Manchu Qing is point-based politics. What they can manage is only the county towns. As long as we pull out their county towns and knock out the military stations, the Manchu Qing will be powerless. And the people's revolution we promote takes the grassroots route first, establishing people's political power in every village and every town. The Manchu Qing simply doesn't have the ability to exterminate us. Mr. Yan, you teach the navy. The Manchu Qing is now a broken ship, but what it faces is the vast ocean of the people!"

Yan Fu had been in the Nanyang Navy and Beiyang Navy for decades and was proficient in shipping affairs. Chen Ke's metaphor thoroughly moved him. Hearing Chen Ke's words, Yan Fu pondered for a moment and couldn't help muttering, "Can water overturn the boat?"

"Why do those rebels always fail? Because they just want to use the sea of the people to raise their boats and seek benefits for themselves. But for the people's revolution, we revolutionaries serve the people. The interests of the people are above us revolutionaries. The place we stand is lower than the people. We have to hold up the people and move forward. The purpose of our revolution is not to overthrow the Manchu Qing, but to let the people live a truly happy life. If the people's revolution requires overthrowing the Manchu Qing, we overthrow the Manchu Qing; if the people's revolution requires us to resist foreigners, we resist foreigners. We do not revolutionize to overthrow the Manchu Qing and resist foreigners, but to realize the interests of the people, we must do so."

Chen Ke felt his revolutionary theoretical level had soared these days. If it were before, he really couldn't say such words; at least these words were definitely not his sincere words. Chen Ke used to be just a person who wanted to use the people's revolution. Now he changed; after personally leading comrades to make revolution, Chen Ke also realized for the first time how bitter the people's lives were, and how great the power contained among the people was. So Chen Ke cut into the people's revolution from a perspective peculiar to a transmigrator. He sincerely hoped to liberate China through the people's revolution. Unknowingly, Chen Ke had changed from playing the role of a Chinese revolutionary leader to truly becoming a revolutionary leader. Such revolutionary heroic words would no longer trigger Chen Ke's sense of shyness; on the contrary, Chen Ke spoke with righteousness and sincerity.

The old handsome guy Yan Fu was not an ordinary person after all. Although he didn't understand the people's revolution mentioned by Chen Ke, he was quite interested in the theory proposed by Chen Ke. After thinking for a while, Yan Fu raised a key question: "People-oriented has been said for thousands of years, but it always sounds good; doing it is extremely difficult, and it ends up with nothing in the end. Wen Qing, you have the world in your heart, but don't repeat the same mistakes."

"Then Mr. Yan might as well go to the countryside with me to take a look, and you will know." Chen Ke extended an invitation.

Yan Fu agreed then and there. "That is very good. I always felt Wen Qing was different from the masses; this time I want to see exactly how capable Wen Qing is."

While speaking, the guard came in from outside. "Secretary Chen, oh, Chairman Chen, Shen Zengzhi has been brought here."

Shen Zengzhi never expected to see Yan Fu in the thieves' den. After being captured, Shen Zengzhi and the officials of Shouzhou were all sent to prison. There was no slight in three meals a day. The food wasn't good, but they wouldn't starve either. Except for requiring the official prisoners to clean the prison on time to ensure cleanliness, the days were quite ordinary. No one was beaten, and no one forced these people to surrender, which was greatly beyond these people's expectations.

The officials were extremely unaccustomed to this treatment of being completely ignored. In their view, as high officials, they should have some special treatment. But now being in a completely forgotten corner, they were instead uneasy.

When Shen Zengzhi, the highest-ranking among this group of officials, was taken away, many officials felt much more relaxed instead. According to their imagination, Lord Shen Zengzhi with the highest official rank would definitely be taken out to be tortured first. But thinking that after Lord Shen finished suffering torture, it would be their turn, these people's faces became unsightly again.

Shen Zengzhi's basic thoughts were similar. He was not afraid of being tortured, only afraid of being humiliated. But thinking that being captured was already a great humiliation, if he had backbone, he should have committed suicide immediately. Since he didn't commit suicide at that time, there was no integrity to speak of. What he had to do now was just not to surrender out of fear of death, and not to lose his dignity.

So seeing Yan Fu, although Shen Zengzhi was very surprised, he didn't show a look of making a fuss. Learning that Chen Ke wanted to take Yan Fu to see the revolutionary situation in Fengtai County, Shen Zengzhi accepted the invitation generously. He really wanted to see what kind of situation Chen Ke, who captured him, had created in Fengtai County.

So Chen Ke, Yan Fu, and a guard walked on foot, while a donkey was obtained for Shen Zengzhi to ride. The four set foot on the road of inspection. Shen Zengzhi was captured by Chen Ke and was very unconvinced in his heart. Seeing Chen Ke traveling so simply, he couldn't help sneering: "Chen Ke, aren't you afraid someone will tie you up and send you to the officials?"

"You haven't even posted wanted notices; what benefit is there in tying me up and sending me to the officials?" Chen Ke replied neither softly nor hard. Shen Zengzhi was choked into silence immediately. With this exchange, Shen Zengzhi was already sure that Chen Ke was by no means a refined gentleman. From then on, he never vied with Chen Ke verbally again.

Instead, Yan Fu felt that for Shen Zengzhi, a scholar, riding a donkey might be a bit hard. He asked: "Wen Qing, are there sedan chairs here?"

As soon as these words came out, he heard the guard couldn't help sneezing a cold laugh. Yan Fu knew he said the wrong thing, but didn't know where the mistake was.

Chen Ke came out to smooth things over. "People's Party, you can't sit on the people's heads. All party members and public servants in the base area are uniformly forbidden to sit in sedans. Growing two legs is for walking. Mr. Shen is not physically strong and was locked up for a few days, so a donkey was arranged for him. This donkey was just obtained not long ago. In this past year, no one in our People's Party has ridden a donkey yet."

Hearing this, Yan Fu couldn't help marveling. Chen Ke's strictness in managing subordinates was really a bit appalling. Shen Zengzhi blushed and wanted to get off the donkey. Chen Ke held Shen Zengzhi down. "Mr. Shen, we have to walk a lot today. If you don't ride the donkey, you will drag down our itinerary instead. For everyone's good, you just bear it for now."

Yan Fu originally thought Chen Ke arranged a donkey for Shen Zengzhi to show respect, but he never expected that there was no such thing as official face in the "base area." He knew Shen Zengzhi was a very upright person; being treated as a burden was really a humiliation. But Chen Ke was not wrong; if Shen Zengzhi cared about face and walked himself, he would only drag everyone down. He felt he really couldn't interrupt. But it wasn't appropriate for him not to speak either, so Yan Fu just comforted: "Brother Shen, a guest should suit the convenience of the host."

Shen Zengzhi's original bottom line was not to be humiliated, but he didn't expect to be humiliated everywhere in this Fengtai County. Others walked while he rode a donkey; although he was higher than others in absolute height, it became proof of the weak. But blindly showing off would only bring disgrace upon himself. Chen Ke's act of getting him a donkey couldn't be said to be malicious either. So enduring the unhappiness, Shen Zengzhi let nature take its course.

The subsequent tour was much more interesting.

Passing through the harvested fields, Yan Fu looked at the vast leveled land and was full of praise for Chen Ke's disaster relief ability. When he saw the large-scale water channels and ditches that had begun to take shape, he couldn't even speak. Shen Zengzhi once had a face full of dissatisfaction, but now his expression also became serious. The manpower and material resources required for such a large project were a huge number. In a disaster year, Chen Ke actually carried out disaster relief while creating such a situation; his operational means had exceeded the imagination limit of Manchu Qing officials.

Chen Ke didn't care about this. After walking a bit further, a smile appeared on his face. "Mr. Yan Fu, ahead is the main canal we tried to build with brick, stone, and cement. Once this canal is built, there will be no more problems with drainage and irrigation."

Without Chen Ke pointing it out specifically, the eyes of Yan Fu and others had already fallen on that large canal. This was a strange water canal, neither earthen nor stone, but a gray smooth canal surface. Yan Fu walked up and tried it; this cement surface was very solid, leaving no trace when stepped on, and very dense. It looked like it wouldn't leak water.

"Wen Qing building canals with cement, this scale is really not small. You must know, in Hebei, the price of cement is not low." Yan Fu didn't know how to praise this "disciple" of his anymore.

"Taken from the people, used for the people. The common people of the base area work hard; if they still can't see hope like this, then our name People's Party is called in vain."

Hearing Chen Ke's answer, Shen Zengzhi couldn't help frowning. In his imagination, Chen Ke was a bandit chief, but he never expected that Chen Ke was actually quite capable in civil administration. Being able to create such a situation in a disaster year, if Chen Ke were given one or two years, the people of Fengtai County from top to bottom would probably be dead set on following Chen Ke.

Yan Fu understood technology. He and Chen Ke talked all the way about the methods and technologies adopted in Fengtai County's water conservancy construction; the old and the young chatted very happily. Shen Zengzhi didn't understand at all, only remaining silent. The guard, seeing the beloved Chairman Chen so happy with the distinguished guest, although he didn't understand either, felt really happy in his heart watching Chen Ke's smile.

After walking another section of the road, they arrived at the brick factory. The production line driven by four steam engines was running rumblingly. Brick blanks were constantly produced from molds. It was already very cold now; the brick blanks coming out of the machine emitted steaming heat. Workers transported the brick blanks to the firing plant with simple wooden wheelbarrows. Yan Fu had worked in the Tianjin Machinery Bureau, the largest arsenal in Asia at that time, so he was not unfamiliar with such a scene. Shen Zengzhi, a literati, had never seen such a large-scale scene. He was shocked then and there.

regarding the appearance of Chen Ke and the other three, the workers almost turned a blind eye, still working as hard as just now. Yan Fu couldn't help praising: "Really well-trained."

Chen Ke shook his head gently. "These bricks are for building houses for everyone. If everyone doesn't work hard, their own houses will have no settlement. That's why there is such enthusiasm."

"How many houses does Wen Qing want to build?" Yan Fu asked casually.

"We estimate roughly, there must be more than 12,000 rooms," Chen Ke answered.

"What? More than 12,000 rooms?" Yan Fu felt incredible about this number. "Why build so many? How many bricks are needed?"

"We have promised that the common people of Fengtai County will definitely be able to move into their own houses before winter. There are seventy or eighty thousand people in the whole county; 12,000 houses are already very crowded. Now preliminary estimates require more than 15 million bricks."

"Then why not let the common people all come to make bricks first? Wouldn't that be a bit faster?" Yan Fu still didn't understand. Not only Yan Fu, but Shen Zengzhi also didn't understand.

"Everyone is laying foundations," Chen Ke replied.

Hearing this answer, the faces of the two former officials were a bit red. They were just scared by the 15 million bricks and actually forgot about the foundations.

"How much money will this cost?" Yan Fu couldn't help asking.

"We agreed with the common people that everyone doesn't need to pay money, but contributes labor to repay." Chen Ke gave the answer. "The water channel just now needs a large amount of bricks. After the common people move into the houses, they will repair the water channel during the slack farming season in winter, relying on contributing effort to replace their house money."

"Wen Qing, you say repairing water channels benefits the common people, and building houses also benefits the common people. Then where does your People's Party benefit?" Yan Fu asked strangely.

"The goal of founding our People's Party is to liberate the common people and benefit the common people. If the common people benefit, our goal is achieved. Naturally, we benefit. We don't farm ourselves; what we eat and drink is created by the labor of the common people."

"Then what if the court sends troops to suppress?" Yan Fu couldn't help reminding Chen Ke.

"We have the people's army. The people will fight to protect their own interests."

Shen Zengzhi said calmly: "Just that mob? I'm afraid they can't withstand a single blow now."

Hearing this, Yan Fu was a bit surprised. Shen Zengzhi was not a mean and harsh person, but a scholar. It was understandable to be resentful after being caught by Chen Ke, but it was impossible for him to say such boring words no matter what. Turning to look at Shen Zengzhi, he saw Shen Zengzhi's face was peaceful, not looking provocative.