After the military meeting confirmed the plan to attack Anqing, starting from that night, the Military Commission and the Staff Department stayed up all night formulating operational plans and corresponding training plans. Comrades from the political work department conducted in-depth investigations and summaries of the troops' situation. None of the comrades had fought such a big battle, and everyone felt uneasy in their hearts. But since arriving in Fengtai County, as long as all comrades worked, there would be good results. So everyone simply threw away other thoughts and started working as usual.

Chen Ke was responsible for strategic formulation. Since he had finished explaining the strategy, he was relatively free. Yan Fu had long helped the troops perfect the water transport plan, and having just returned from Anqing not long ago, the old plan could still be used. He had nothing else to do, so he was also quite free. Taking a spare moment, Yan Fu found Chen Ke. "Chairman Chen, I want to ask, which foreign school did you learn your military affairs from?"

"I haven't attended a military academy. All my military knowledge was learned from a senior surnamed Mao. This Grandpa Mao is Chinese." Chen Ke answered this question with a smile.

"There is such a strange person?" Yan Fu was really a bit surprised. "Seeing that Wen Qing is by no means a layman in military affairs, I didn't expect you learned from a teacher. Where is this Mr. Mao now? Can I meet him?"

"He has passed away." Chen Ke didn't know if this was correct. But that Grandpa Mao who created military thoughts had already passed away when Chen Ke was born [in his original timeline].

"That is a pity." Yan Fu couldn't help sighing.

Seeing Yan Fu's regretful look, Chen Ke calmly diverted from this topic which was very disadvantageous to him. "Mr. Yan, are you still a bit worried about the battle to attack Anqing?"

Yan Fu didn't stand on ceremony; he stated his thoughts straightforwardly: "I am indeed worried about this matter. After all, our army does not have an advantage in troop strength, and equipment is far worse. According to Wen Qing, we are still fighting on exterior lines. The difficulty is greater. Although our army has experience in storming fortifications, once fighting starts, if casualties are heavy, I'm afraid the troops might not be able to hold on for long."

"Mr. Yan, tactically speaking, our army has also been to Anqing, experienced more, and seen more. Most importantly, the biggest advantage of our army compared to the Anhui New Army is that our army knows who the enemy is and knows why we fight. Actually, I wanted to prepare more. Preparation is still insufficient. Mr. Yan, I want to ask you, if it is to save the disaster-stricken common people of Anhui, should this battle be fought?"

Yan Fu also agreed with the judgment of insufficient preparation for military struggle. But when Chen Ke mentioned "should this battle be fought to save the common people," Yan Fu was immediately speechless. According to the characteristics of Manchu Qing officialdom, they simply didn't care how many common people died. How could they manage such things as natural disasters? Disaster relief was the Imperial Court's business; as long as there was no civil uprising, natural disasters couldn't be blamed on local officials no matter what. Moreover, natural disasters indicated the Imperial Court's loss of virtue, and the Emperor had to issue an edict of self-blame. Even though he had always been in the military and rarely involved in politics, Yan Fu knew very well that there was simply no need to count on officials for disaster relief. From the perspective of the People's Party, to save the common people, one must first crush the Manchu Qing regime before talking about saving the common people.

This inference was logically completely correct and could have convinced Yan Fu. The problem was that this reasonable conclusion was incompatible with the current status quo of China. Yan Fu participated in the revolution; in his view, the primary purpose of the revolution was to seize political power and build a powerful China. Fighting battles to save the common people like Chen Ke—this only appeared in books. "Console the people and punish the wicked [punish the tyrant to comfort the people]"; these were words Yan Fu had read. When these four characters were concretized, Yan Fu felt no joy at all; he only felt that what Chen Ke said was "extremely absurd."

After thinking for a good while, Yan Fu had to say: "It must be fought."

"Mr. Yan, I personally feel that insufficient preparation now refers not only to insufficient equipment and insufficient military strength. The most important thing is insufficient political work. Up to now, in the People's Revolutionary Army, at most one thousand people can understand that fighting is to save the common people. If not for this flood, fewer than two hundred people could understand this logical relationship. If I could be given half a year, I wouldn't worry about attacking Anqing at all. As long as there are six thousand soldiers who know that without crushing the Manchu Qing regime, the common people cannot be saved... the enemy in Anhui is not worth fearing at all."

Yan Fu didn't feel surprised. He praised: "That's true. Even now, I already admire Wen Qing very much for being able to build a base area of such scale. If it were me, I absolutely couldn't do it."

Hearing Yan Fu's praise, Chen Ke looked at Yan Fu helplessly. Seeing no joking meaning in Yan Fu's expression, Chen Ke then said: "Mr. Yan, I am not talking about the number of people. If there really can be so many comrades realizing that only to save the common people must we overthrow the Manchu Qing government, I would feel very at ease even if I died. Because there are successors to the revolutionary cause. Overthrowing the Manchu Qing is a strategy that must be adopted to save the common people. If it were just to overthrow the Manchu Qing, that would just be for the welfare of one family and one surname, or for the interests of a certain group. The people's revolution is to put the interests of the common people first. Because only in this way can we get the support of the people. The people will absolutely not revolutionize for a certain ideal; what the people want is a better life, to live and work in peace and contentment. What they want is to know who to ask for help in times of danger. Just another half year, and I can let the people know that the people's revolution promoted by the People's Party, the new order promoted, is the only choice to let the people get liberated and obtain a happy life through labor. Only then can the people's revolution be invincible."

"Does Wen Qing not believe that the people will follow the revolution?" Yan Fu asked. He actually wanted to ask this question all these days. Although the people's revolution claimed to be for the people, Yan Fu actually didn't believe in the people's revolution.

"I feel the people don't believe in us yet. Everything Mr. Yan sees is actually the result of the labor of the common people. Weren't those houses built by the people brick by brick with their own hands? Weren't these water conservancy facilities dug by the people shovel by shovel? How can I not believe in the people? Without the people, there would be no Fengtai County today. It is the people who don't believe in the new system where the fruits of labor can belong to the people; it is the people who have no confidence in the people's revolution now. If the people firmly believe that the people's revolution can succeed, I am not worried at all about not being able to take Anqing now."

Speaking to this point, Yan Fu finally understood Chen Ke's meaning. Or rather, Yan Fu finally understood where the power of the people's revolution lay. Next, Yan Fu's first thought was actually wanting to beat Chen Ke up. Chen Ke's "arrogance" made Yan Fu feel somewhat unbearable. If those uneducated common people really understood these, Yan Fu felt that such a world would be too terrifying. Although he couldn't completely imagine what that world would be like, Yan Fu could imagine that such a new world would smash everything existing in China to pieces. Everything daring to block the people's revolution would be completely destroyed. As for the end point of that new world, Yan Fu couldn't see clearly at all. But the starting point of this revolution, Yan Fu could see clearly: that was hatred. Hatred for the old order.

Yan Fu clearly knew he had the same hatred. Those Empress Dowagers, Emperors, princes, and nobles who ate all day and did evil, those officials who held down jobs without doing a stroke of work, those scholars who only knew how to secure personal gain—Yan Fu had incomparable hatred for these pests ruining the country. It was these people who made China suffer bullying and made the dignified China forfeit its sovereignty and humiliate the country. If there was to be a revolution, these people should be the objects of revolution.

But these had prerequisites. This huge force must be guided by ideals; it absolutely cannot run wildly like a flood. Chen Ke absolutely cannot irresponsibly release this force to destroy everything in China. Words of persuasion were on the tip of Yan Fu's tongue, but were swallowed back into his stomach by Yan Fu. He remembered what Mr. Ma Xiangbo said to him more than a year ago: "Jidao, the person who wrote the book is a genius granted by heaven. If you are willing, I would like you to accept him as a disciple. If no one disciplines him, this person might bring disaster and chaos to the world."

Yan Fu once thought that after accepting Chen Ke as a disciple, Chen Ke would seriously turn to him after hitting walls everywhere. He never expected Chen Ke to create such a career in just over a year. If he persuaded Chen Ke now, Chen Ke would definitely not listen. Falling out with Chen Ke had no value at all. The only way was to establish merits in the People's Party and come out to stabilize the direction at critical moments.

So Yan Fu asked: "Chairman Chen, have you heard of the Yuewang [King Yue] Society in Anhui?"

"Know a little." Chen Ke had heard that this organization had a very close relationship with the Tongmenghui, but since it was nameless in later generations, presumably it wasn't a remarkable organization.

"When I was teaching in Anhui, I had dealings with the Yuewang Society. Since the plan involves persuading the New Army, as far as I know, the Yuewang Society has close relationships with many people in the New Army. Since there are still some days before marching into Anqing, I will set off immediately to contact people from the Yuewang Society. See if I can get them to help."

"That is very good. But what exactly does Mr. Yan plan to use to persuade the Yuewang Society?"

"Since Chairman Chen doesn't care about Anqing Prefecture, I might as well use Anqing Prefecture as an exchange."

"No problem. Then I'll trouble you, Mr. Yan."

He Zudao led the political work personnel to select personnel for the Anqing battle. After other political work personnel fell asleep in the latter half of the night, He Zudao rubbed his slightly red and swollen eyes and looked around. Everyone was lying or prone, sleeping soundly. Steadying his mind, He Zudao picked up a pen and quietly began to write a letter. "Sister You Gou, this time I will follow the army to attack Anqing. The battle is very dangerous; I am ready to sacrifice for the revolution. At this time, I have something I want to say to you, I..." Writing this, He Zudao stopped his pen, a shy expression appearing on his face. He glanced guiltily at the comrades sleeping around him, then picked up the pen again, but couldn't write no matter what.

Thinking for a while, He Zudao read the previous text again, modified a few words slightly, and then continued to write. "I am not afraid of death, but before I die, I want to say to you no matter what, I admire you very much, Sister You Gou. Ever since you and Chairman Chen stayed up all night making medicine to save my life, I swore to repay the kindness of both of you. Following Chairman Chen in revolutionary work, I understood a lot. What is people's revolution, how to be a qualified People's Party member properly. In this regard, Sister You Gou, you still do far better than me. You are also the object of my study. But, I have a special feeling for you, Sister You Gou. Although I contracted that kind of disease..." Writing this, He Zudao's face flushed red. He thought for a moment, then crossed out this paragraph. He continued writing below: "I want to be the best party member, a party member who can undertake important work like Sister You Gou. I have also been working hard."

"Sigh!" He Zudao exhaled depressedly. He grabbed the written paper preparing to tear it, but stopped his hand. Paper was very precious now; he couldn't bear to waste a piece of paper, and felt what he wrote was very unpromising. He turned the paper over, gritted his teeth, plucked up his courage, and scribbled a sentence: "Sister You Gou, I love you very much. I want to be with you; I want to marry you." Writing this, as if breathing was not smooth, He Zudao was even panting a bit. Gritting his teeth, a small writing brush seemed to carry a weight of thousands of jun. "Sister You Gou, today I have the fortune, can we tie the knot together?"

Throwing the pen on the table, He Zudao covered his face with one hand; rapid breathing made this young man's shoulders shake. He originally wanted to write a will, but somehow, thinking of death, the idea of writing a will turned into wanting to tell You Gou his longing and dream for a long time.

"I am not worthy of Sister You Gou." He Zudao kept reciting this sentence repeatedly in his heart. The flame of the oil lamp on the table flickered slightly with He Zudao's rapid breathing. An intense and surging emotion made tears hang on He Zudao's face without him knowing when. He was completely unaware of it himself, only feeling he had thousands of words, but couldn't describe them with appropriate vocabulary.

Finally, he picked up that piece of paper, folded it carefully, and put it into his bosom. At this time, the sky was already dimly bright.