When the military meeting took a temporary break, Chen Ke walked up to Hua Xiongmao and asked: "Go to the toilet together?"

Hua Xiongmao was slightly startled, then smiled immediately: "Just right, I'm almost dying of holding it in."

The two old comrades-in-arms went out side by side, leaving a room full of comrades with various expressions on their faces. Everyone knew clearly in their hearts that Chen Ke was probably going to talk to Hua Xiongmao about the matter just now. Most comrades were young people; even Zhang Yu, who was considered quite shrewd, couldn't hold back. He opened his mouth and asked: "Commissar He, are Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin old friends of Chairman Chen?"

Attending the Military Commission meeting were not only military cadres; Qi Huishen, Shang Yuan, and Chen Tianhua, these civilian cadres, also attended the meeting. He Zudao looked at Zhang Yu with some embarrassment, then cast his eyes on Qi Huishen. Qi Huishen also felt quite embarrassed; reasonably speaking, this kind of thing was a private matter and shouldn't be gossiped about behind backs. But this matter happened to be closely related to official business. Qi Huishen calculated slightly; actually quite a few people in the People's Party knew about this matter. Even if he didn't say it, others could find out the news. If he didn't explain it thoroughly to everyone now, it would appear secretive instead, as if there were some tricks. Thinking of this, Qi Huishen simply introduced the general situation.

Everyone knew that Chen Ke gathered the first batch of old party members in Shanghai. Learning that it was Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin who took Chen Ke to Shanghai, and Hua Xiongmao was a relative of these two, the comrades who didn't know the situation before understood why Hua Xiongmao would say such words.

"Indeed a dilemma." Chai Qingguo laughed. After speaking, Chai Qingguo couldn't help looking at Shang Yuan. The news that Shang Yuan decided to go to Hebei to work a while ago had been communicated among the high-level of the People's Party. Chai Qingguo himself really wanted to go back to Hebei with Shang Yuan. It wasn't that he had any opinion about Chen Ke. After personally participating in the People's Party's revolution, Chai Qingguo already believed Chen Ke's words: people's revolution and raising a banner to rebel were two completely different things. Following Chen Ke personally on the front line, Chai Qingguo's original dissatisfaction with Chen Ke had long dissipated in the common hard work. Chen Ke was not the kind of "scholar" Chai Qingguo loathed; scholars would absolutely refuse to go down to the fields to work themselves. The People's Party led the common people to struggle out of the death line; Chai Qingguo also felt very honored by this merit.

The reason why he wanted to go to Hebei with Shang Yuan was actually quite simple. Chai Qingguo was used to being a leader and was still not quite used to the strict discipline of the People's Party. Plus he was good at cavalry, and who knew in which "donkey year and horse month" [God knows when] the Anhui Base Area would build a cavalry unit. But returning to Hebei, raising horses was far easier than in Anhui. Since launching a "people's revolution" in Fengtai County, where he had never been before, could be so easy, Chai Qingguo believed that if he returned to Hebei and was with his old brothers from before, he could absolutely create achievements no less than in Anhui. So Chai Qingguo had already talked privately with Shang Yuan, probing his tone to see if Shang Yuan was willing to agree to him going to Hebei together. regarding Chai Qingguo's expression, Shang Yuan also expressed welcome, only he told him this matter must be agreed by the Party Committee. As a party member, Shang Yuan could not propose a resolution overriding the Party Committee.

Hearing Shang Yuan's statement, the first thing Chai Qingguo thought of was the experience of being kicked out of the venue in Beijing back then. Regardless of whether the Party Committee was right or wrong, one must obey the Party's arrangement first. Chai Qingguo had an unforgettable impression of this.

And this time Chen Ke laid hands on old friends, and in the Party Committee meeting, facing an old brother like Hua Xiongmao, he still didn't save any face, making Chai Qingguo even more unhappy. There is no friendship in the People's Party, at least no friendship in the Party Committee. One's own relatives rank even lower. This accurate recognition made Chai Qingguo want to go to Hebei even more; only there were brothers of the jianghu, only there were sworn brothers of life and death. Thinking of this, Chai Qingguo couldn't help looking at Shang Yuan again. He saw Shang Yuan sitting calmly on the stool, looking thoughtful, and couldn't tell what he was thinking at all. Chai Qingguo felt really quite disappointed.

Chen Ke couldn't care about the thoughts of other comrades either; for him, there were more important things to explain to Hua Xiongmao. "Zheng Lan, I am not trying to deal with Mr. Xu Xilin and Ms. Qiu Jin; do you believe me on this point?"

"Don't worry, Wen Qing. I have never doubted you." Hua Xiongmao said hurriedly, "I know you want to deal with the Guangfuhui, and after all, you don't have deep friendship with the two of them. It's not the time to want them to defect to us now either. You rest assured, I absolutely have no other meaning. It's just that everyone is a relative; I am still worried about them in my heart."

Seeing Hua Xiongmao spoke sincerely, Chen Ke nodded with a gloomy face. "Zheng Lan, since you can understand, I am relieved. But I still want to ask you one thing: if Mr. Xu Xilin and Ms. Qiu Jin come to our base area, find you, lobby you, and ask you for help, will you help or not?"

This question was quite sharp. Hua Xiongmao thought over and over before saying: "That depends on what help they ask me for. If it's a private matter, I naturally want to help. If it's official business, I listen to you." Although he said so with his mouth, Hua Xiongmao didn't say it so cheerfully.

Chen Ke didn't fuss about these. If Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin arrived at the base area, finding Hua Xiongmao could absolutely not be for private matters. Chen Ke knew this very well. "It's hard on you, Zheng Lan." After speaking, Chen Ke patted Hua Xiongmao's shoulder.

Hua Xiongmao sighed and spoke no more.

After the break ended, the meeting continued. Up to now, the Fengtai County Base Area used water transport as its main means of transportation, and the effect was naturally very good. For this military operation against Anqing, most comrades still thought adopting water transport was the best way. But Chen Ke felt very worried; capturing Fengyang Prefecture this time definitely had fish that slipped through the net, and several officials couldn't be found no matter what. These people were extremely likely to flee to Anqing. If so, taking the water route would appear very unsafe. After all, the waters controlled by the People's Party were far from reaching Anqing, and too many uncertain factors would be encountered along the way. In case things changed and the enemy blocked the water route, the troops attacking Anqing would become an isolated force.

Hearing this question from Chen Ke, Zhang Yu spoke immediately: "If we take the land route, we have to pass almost entirely within enemy territory. At least we have traveled the water route several times. Even if someone runs to Anqing, Anqing simply won't have time to notify the enemies on the water route. If worried about this matter, the best way is to send troops immediately and catch Anqing off guard."

Other comrades looked troubled hearing Zhang Yu's risky method. Instead, Chen Ke felt this might not be a solution.

"How about we still let Comrade Pu Guanshui trick open the city gate; what do you think?" He Zudao proposed. This proposal immediately received the approval of many Military Commission comrades. The People's Party had tried this trick repeatedly with success; attacking Shouzhou and attacking Fengyang Prefecture, disguising as the Anhui New Army had played a great effect. People have habitual thinking when thinking about problems. The comrades of the Military Commission now had mental inertia about disguising as the New Army. The first choice naturally went to this.

After hearing this, Pu Guanshui wanted to say something, but stopped again. He felt that if he negated it, he might be misunderstood as being greedy for life and afraid of death. But if he didn't raise his objection, in case things were messed up, he would be even more sorry to the comrades. Just as he was hesitating, he heard Chen Ke say: "I object. If we adopt the plan of sending troops immediately, the basis for establishing this plan is that Anqing Prefecture already knows our news. Since it is built on this strategic assumption, letting Comrade Pu Guanshui disguise as the New Army, isn't that moths flying into the fire? This is a strategic logic error."

Hearing this, Pu Guanshui's heart relaxed. Chen Ke relieved him very effectively. Pu Guanshui glanced at Chen Ke with grateful eyes. Then he heard He Zudao ask in confusion: "How is it a strategic logic error?" He Zudao had never participated in military academy training, nor had he received systematic military theoretical education. He completely didn't understand this term.

"This means, we assume Anqing Prefecture already knows our news and is already prepared. In order to act before the enemy, we take the water route to act first. But since we have this assumption, if we set out immediately like this, and then send Comrade Pu Guanshui to trick open the city gate, this action is based on the assumption that the enemy does not understand our situation. The logical positions of these two assumptions conflict. Anqing cannot know our situation and not know our situation at the same time."

"So that's it." He Zudao suddenly realized. What Chen Ke liked most about He Zudao was this point: ask if you don't understand, learn if you don't know. Never pretending to know when not knowing. Actually, some comrades around looked at He Zudao with a slight hint of ridicule in their eyes, but He Zudao didn't care at all. This was not feigned; this was because He Zudao asked this not to grandstand, but because he really didn't understand. Moreover, He Zudao didn't feel it was shameful to ask Chen Ke, so he simply didn't consider many things.

"What if Anqing only knows about our People's Party, but doesn't know that Comrade Pu Guanshui has already defected to us? This situation is also possible, right?" Chai Qingguo asked. Hearing this, several comrades showed agreeing expressions on their faces.

"Indeed there is such a possibility." Chen Ke nodded. "The problem is how likely is this possibility? Anqing is hundreds of li away from us; we completely don't know the situation in Anqing. This is not Shouzhou, right under our eyelids. This is not Fengyang Prefecture either; we attacked Fengyang Prefecture, and we actually knew the situation of Fengyang Prefecture very clearly. Even so, we actually made two sets of plans. If the city gate couldn't be tricked open, attack the city immediately. Anqing Prefecture is a stronghold-type city by the Yangtze River; the city walls are high, the defense is good, and the city is large. If we base our strategy on being able to trick open the city gate, in case Anqing Prefecture got the news and had defenses against us... what do we do then?"

"We have to try anyway. If we can't trick open the city gate, we'll fight our way in." Chai Qingguo said with heroic spirit reaching the clouds.

"We cannot gamble with comrades' lives." Chen Ke immediately negated this suggestion.