Chapter 35

  On the second day after Yan Fugui arrived at Chen Kena's place, Qin Wu'an and Chen Ke together paid the workers of the school construction team their wages for that day. Chen Ke and Yuwen Ba had agreed on a price beforehand, and "on his own initiative" gave the workers their wages every day. This was a loophole in the contract, as it did not specify who should pay the wages. Qin Wu'an and Du Zhenghui, as supervisors, were responsible for paying wages every day.

  Yuwen Batu's face was as if he had eaten a sour persimmon, his face almost twisted together. He had never seen such a "host".

  As a foreman in 1905, Yuwen Batu was quite capable. Of course, he was very familiar with all sorts of money-saving tricks. The most important thing was to firmly grasp the power to distribute money.

  Chen Ke, in Yuwen Batu's impression, is a very astute and wealthy person. From his attire, he appears to be an educated man as well. People like him, Yuwen Batu has seen before - mostly they are sharp-tongued, nitpicky, and condescending. They rarely visit the construction site; even when they do, they look at the workers with a mixture of disdain and a sense of superiority. Then, they pretend to inspect the site, finding fault in every little thing. Of course, some might be more lenient, claiming to generously provide extra meals for the workers. Those who are not so magnanimous would shout about deducting money.

  No matter how they made trouble, Yuwen Batu could handle it. And their making trouble was actually not bad, the fellow villagers below sometimes needed to be knocked down a bit. They were lazy when there was nothing to do. Anyway, the power to issue money was in Yuwen Batu's hands, and he took advantage of these opportunities to deduct some wages from them.

  So when Yuwen Batu lost control of the money, his pain and anxiety exceeded even his own imagination. This was the first time in so many years that Yuwen Batu had encountered such a situation. If it were before, Yuwen Batu still had the last resort of "dying together with the net", which was to simply take the construction team away and spread all kinds of bad rumors about the host. The project was halfway through, and suddenly it was dropped. The host on the other side would definitely not be able to bear it, and in the end, they would have to invite Yuwen Batu back.

  Now, the busy ones on the construction site are not only Yuwen Batu's engineering team, but also Chen Ke's own engineering team, which is even larger in number than Yuwen Batu's. The handful of people can't hold back the crowd at all. Looking at his fellow villagers lining up neatly and leading the wages with a smile, Yuwen Batu feels a wave of panic.

  At the party meeting in the evening, Qin Wu reported on the progress of the project to his comrades. Chen Ke said to the members of the party small group: "In order to win over the masses, we must first know where their interests lie. We not only need to consider long-term interests but also short-term interests. Let's try to see how to win over Yuwen Badao's team of Anhui people."

  This is a formal party meeting, and as the chairman of this party meeting, Chen Ke is arranging work for comrades.

  "How far should we go?" asked Chi Hui-shen. Within the People's Party, Chi Hui-shen had clearly taken a back seat. No one tried to challenge Chi Hui-shen's position, but Chen Ke knew that since Chi Hui-shen had almost monopolized all the work, many comrades were dissatisfied, such as Hua Xiongmao.

  "Who specifically will be doing this job?" asked Hua Xiongmao with a light tone. It was Hua Xiongmao who introduced Yuwen Badao to Chen Ke, and it was also Chen Ke who first proposed to win over Yuwen Badao, which he said to Hua Xiongmao. He naturally hoped that he would be the one to preside over this matter.

  Qī Huì Shēn already has a lot of work on his hands, and if he takes on this task, he really can't handle it. However, Huá Xióng Mào's words made Qī Huì Shēn feel very uncomfortable. With Chén Kè as an example, Qī Huì Shēn also works tirelessly every day, sleeping late and getting up early. To Qī Huì Shēn, the implied meaning of Huá Xióng Mào's words was clearly mocking, not volunteering to take on work.

  Before Qizhui could say anything further, Chen Ke had already taken over the conversation. "You can't just grab everything at once. I have a proposal now."

  After hearing Chen Ke's words, Hua Xiongmao looked at Chen Ke with a full face of expectation. Other comrades also thought that this task would not fall on their own heads, and they were not very concerned about it either.

  "Comrades, the first part of the party lesson has been completed. I think everyone already knows the People's Party's program and purpose?" Chen Ke's words were somewhat unexpected to his comrades. However, each person perked up their spirits.

  "I already know." said Hua Xiong Maoqiang in front of Qi Hui. Since Hua Xiong Maoqiang had spoken, everyone didn't want to say anything else either.

  "The program of the People's Party is to launch a people's revolution and establish a socialist new China. I don't know if comrades have any opinions on this?" Chen Ke asked.

  Her eyebrows slightly furrowed, arising from a woman's keen intuition, Yu Yun felt that there was some other implication in these words. "I have no opinion on this. What does the literary youth want to do? Hmm, it should be said, what is the literary youth prepared to do with the People's Party?"

  "I am prepared to reorganize the People's Party." Chen Ke answered this question straightforwardly.

  Most comrades showed a look of surprise. Zhou Yuanxiao was still calm and collected. Chen Tianhua and He Zudao were slightly tense. Wu Xingchen had an air of nonchalance, as if whatever Chen Ke said was fine with him. Qin Wuan's expression remained unchanged, but he listened intently to Chen Ke's speech.

  "I must point out today that our work will enter the first stage from now on. The goal is to establish a base area and launch an armed uprising. This is already rebellion. No, this is already in the midst of rebellion. So I ask everyone to think carefully about whether they are willing to participate in the revolution."

  Chen Ke finished speaking and swept his gaze over the comrades. After Chen Ke had lectured on the materialist conception of history, the comrades all knew that he was going to rebel, but when he said it clearly and unmistakably, everyone still felt a bit shocked.

  "May I leave?" Zhou Yuanxiao broke the silence.

  Chen Ke nodded, "Alright, I won't force anyone to stay. Brother Zhou, I'll talk to you about the workshop later. As a friend, I hope you can keep some things confidential for us."

  Everyone's eyes were focused on Zhou Yuanxiao, and Zhou Yuanxiao stood up in the midst of such puzzled and dissatisfied gazes. He looked somewhat relieved, and in response to Chen Ke's reminder, Zhou Yuanxiao said: "Wen Qing, rest assured, I absolutely will not betray everyone."

  You Yun wanted to say something, probably to persuade Zhou Yuanxiao to stay. But several times she thought about saying it, she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. In the end, she simply turned her head around, probably not wanting to watch Zhou Yuanxiao leave the venue. Chen Ke noticed all this and gave You Yun a warm smile. You Yun saw Chen Ke's smile but lowered her head.

  Zhou Yuanxiao quickly walked out of the crowd, his footsteps slowing down as he approached the door. Zhou Yuanxiao did not want to participate in the rebellion, and making rice meant going against the imperial court; if caught by the imperial court, it would mean beheading. He was not stupid, and halfway through the lecture, Zhou Yuanxiao had already realized that Chen Ke was determined to rebel. Although Chen Ke had promised Zhou Yuanxiao that he would not let him participate in armed struggle, could his words really be trusted once the rebellion began?

  Zhou Yuanxiao joined Chen Ke's party in desperation. If at that time, Chen Ke had really risen up to rebel, perhaps Zhou Yuanxiao would have followed him. Zhou Yuanxiao still remembered Chen Ke saying confidently: "Brother Zhou, once you become a party member, you will become a new person."

  Yes, after becoming a party member and attending the party's lectures, Zhou Yuanxiao indeed changed. The lessons Chen Ke taught to the students were only superficial. After the public lecture ended, Chen Ke would delve deeper into topics such as historical materialism and "Das Kapital". Zhou Yuanxiao had never known that there were such principles in the world before. Uncovering the complex surface of the world, he discovered that there were invisible laws governing its operation. With ample time to reflect on his past experiences, Zhou Yuanxiao finally saw where he went wrong all those years ago and why he ended up losing everything.

  "If I could do it again, I would definitely not fail." Zhou Yuanxiao couldn't help but say to himself. It was precisely because of this confidence that Zhou Yuanxiao no longer wanted to join the revolution. For him, rather than waiting for the uncertain future results of the revolution, he might as well seize the present and restore his family's business.

  Zhou Yuanxiao could see that these people were really going to rebel. Since he made up his mind, he didn't dare say it out loud. Chen Ke looked gentle, but relying on the kind of desperate ferocity with which he started working, Zhou Yuanxiao knew that Chen Ke was not an easy person to talk to. Qi Hui and Hua Xiongmao were not good people either. And then there was Wu Xingchen, who always liked to smile slyly, and had seen the translator who had offended You Ou and Chen Ke being beaten until he couldn't bear it. Zhou Yuanxiao knew that if these few people thought he was unreliable, he would probably be unable to escape the People's Party's clutches.

  Originally, Zhou Yuanxiao was worried and didn't know when he could bring up the topic of leaving the People's Party with Chen Ke. He didn't expect an opportunity to arise so soon. Even more unexpected was how reasonable Chen Ke was being. Warning himself not to reveal the secrets of these people, Zhou Yuanxiao absolutely would not do so. These people currently don't have any plans, and even if they were reported to the authorities, what could be done? Moreover, Qi Hui Shen is so enthusiastic about revolution, and he's also the young master of the Qi family. It seems that even if the People's Party were to get caught, nothing serious would happen.

  Even if the government really killed Qi Hui deep, Mr. Qi knew that the person who betrayed his only beloved son was himself, and his own fate didn't need to be thought about again.

  With a feeling of "hastily escaping from Jinshan Temple", Zhou Yuanxiao quickly walked to the gate, but couldn't help stopping. A strong sense of discomfort suddenly emerged. Among the people behind him was You Yun, who had helped him in his most difficult time, which was a kindness as timely as snow in winter. As for Chen Ke, there was no need to mention it, he owed his ability to regain confidence to Chen Ke. More importantly, the daily interactions over the past few months made Zhou Yuanxiao feel so accustomed to this place that leaving now felt like being expelled from a warm family. Zhou Yuanxiao stood at the gate, just one more step forward would allow him to escape the danger of his future, but he felt as if his legs were filled with lead, and he couldn't take that step no matter what.

  Zhou Yuanxiao turned his head back, and everyone was still sitting there as before, but a bit farther away. The accusing gaze that could be clearly seen earlier was no longer visible. Zhou Yuanxiao did see You Huan lift her head, with an expectant look on her face. Chen Ke looked at him, with a smile on his face. It was a smile of understanding. Zhou Yuanxiao made up his mind again, and said loudly: "I will absolutely not betray everyone. Everyone can rest assured." Then he turned around and walked out the door without looking back.

  Seeing Zhou Yuanxiao really leave, Chen Ke let out a sigh of relief. Up to now, the observation is that Zhou Yuanxiao is not a true revolutionary. Even if Zhou Yuanxiao didn't leave, Chen Ke wouldn't have entrusted him with important tasks again. It's good that Zhou Yuanxiao had the courage to take the initiative to leave. With him taking the lead, other comrades who want to leave will also be more courageous. An organization must retain voluntary members, otherwise those who are not loyal will inevitably become a hidden danger.

  "Are there any more comrades who want to leave? If you feel that you are unwilling to rebel, then leave now."

  No one spoke, and after a while, no one left.

  "Well, comrades. The People's Party is not just about overthrowing the Qing government. First and foremost as a political party, the People's Party is an organization, and this organization has its own discipline. I have already drafted this organizational discipline. Please take a look." After finishing speaking, Chen Ke took out a stack of documents and distributed them to everyone.

  Chen Tianhua took the document and saw that it was written in Chen Ke's somewhat legible handwriting, but it wasn't a printed document. Chen Tianhua thought to himself, could it be that when drafting this outline, Chen Ke didn't discuss it with Qi Hui? He glanced at Qi Hui, who was intently reading the document. Chen Tianhua buried his doubts in his heart and began to read the document.

  The name of this party is "Chinese People's Party".

  2. The program of our party is as follows:

  (1) The revolutionary army must, together with the proletariat, overthrow the Manchu government composed of landlords and nobles, and support the workers' and peasants' classes until the class distinctions in society are eliminated; (2) Recognize the dictatorship of the proletariat until the end of the class struggle, that is, until the elimination of class distinctions in society; (3) Abolish private land ownership and establish a modern industrial state dominated by common ownership; (4) Unite with the Second International.

  3. The party recognizes the system of representative meetings, organizing workers and peasants and soldiers, and recognizes that the fundamental political aim of the party is to carry out a social revolution; members of the Chinese People's Party must thoroughly break off all connections with parties and groups that attempt to oppose the party platform. Members must strictly observe the principles: individual subordination to organization, minority subordination to majority, lower levels subordinating to higher levels, whole party subordinating to Central Committee. This applies equally to ordinary members and cadre members.

  4. Anyone who acknowledges the Party's program and policies, and is willing to become a loyal party member, can be accepted as a party member after being introduced by one party member, regardless of gender or nationality, and become our comrade. However, before joining our ranks, they must sever all ties with parties and groups that attempt to oppose the Party's program.

  5. The procedure for admitting new Party members is as follows: Probationary Party members must undergo examination by the committee in their locality, and the probation period shall last at least two months. After the expiration of the probation period, they may be admitted to the Party upon a majority vote of its members. If there is an executive committee in that region, approval must be obtained from it.

  Sixth: When the Party is in a state of secrecy, the Party's important propositions and the identity of its members should be kept secret.

  7. Where there are five or more Party members, a committee shall be established.

  8. Members of the committee may be transferred to a committee in another place through introduction by the local committee secretary.

  9. In any local committee with no more than ten Party members, there shall be one secretary; where the number exceeds ten, there shall be one financial affairs commissioner, one organizational commissioner and one publicity commissioner each; where the number exceeds thirty, an executive committee shall be elected from among the committee's commissioners. The charter of the executive committee shall be separately formulated.

  When there are many Party members among the local organizations of workers, peasants, soldiers and students, they may be sent to work in other areas, but must always be under the strict supervision of the local executive committees.

  12. The financial affairs, activities and policies of local committees shall be subject to the supervision of the Central Executive Committee.

  Article 13: When the number of Party members in a committee exceeds five hundred, or when there are five committees in the same locality, an executive committee composed of ten persons shall be appointed by the National Representative Conference. If the above requirements cannot be met, a provisional Central Executive Committee shall be established. The working and organizational details of the executive committee shall be separately stipulated.

  14. Except as required by law, no member of the Party shall hold office in the government or in the national assembly without the permission of the Party. This provision does not apply to soldiers, policemen and civil servants.

  This Programme must be approved by two-thirds of the delegates at a National Congress before it can be amended.

  The document is not long, and Chen Ke's handwriting is not large, it can be finished in less than a page. The book on the materialist view of history co-written by Chen Tianhua and Chen Ke has been discussed many times. After returning to the People's Party, he also had in-depth discussions with Chen Ke several times. Other comrades have received comprehensive party education, at least they have received comprehensive theoretical education. Everyone can understand this party organizational outline.

  Chen Tianhua's gaze fell on the third article, "Members of the Chinese People's Party must sever all ties with parties and groups that attempt to oppose this party platform." Chen Ke had once clearly explained the difference between people's revolution and proprietors' revolution. For Chen Tianhua, if he joined the People's Party, he would have to sever all ties with the Tongmenghui and Huaxinghui. Word by word, Chen Tianhua was very uneasy in his heart. Huang Xing and Song Jiaoren were Chen Tianhua's close comrades-in-arms. Severing relations or not, this was a very severe requirement.

  At this time, however, Hua Xiongmao suddenly laughed and said: "Wen Qing, you had prepared this outline before meeting me, right?" Upon hearing these words, Chen Tianhua looked up at Hua Xiongmao. Not just Chen Tianhua, but everyone's gaze fell on Hua Xiongmao's face. After several months of getting along, they all knew that Hua Xiongmao was one of the earliest followers of Chen Ke in the party. Qi Hui Shen had risen quickly through the ranks, but he hadn't known Chen Ke for very long. You Yun, Wu Xingchen, and even Zhou Yuanxiao, who had just left, all knew Chen Ke before Qi Hui Shen did. Was Hua Xiongmao saying this to subtly show off his seniority? To intimidate Qi Hui Shen?

  "When the party is in a secret state, the party's important propositions and party member identity should be kept confidential. Wen Qing, you have been following this discipline for a long time. Everyone has known you for so long, and you have been hesitant to speak out the party's important propositions for a long time. Haha, indeed a good party member."

  Qī Huì's face turned pale as he glanced at Huá Xióng Mào, but he didn't comment on his words. He asked hesitantly: "Wén Qīng, what are the plans for the comprador after the party?" Upon hearing this, Yóu Suí's eyes lit up, and he stared intently at Chén Kè. The others also looked at Chén Kè with their own concerns, waiting for his response.

  "This document is the organizational program of our organization. Today I will also discuss the organizational model of the People's Party. It's a deep problem, actually it was discussed in the party class before." Chen Ke answered this question calmly.

  At the grand lecture hosted by the People's Party, Chen Tianhua attended, but afterwards he went to Japan. However, he did not attend the party's lessons. He glanced around at others, only to see everyone frowning and deep in thought, including Wu Xingchen.

  Chen Ke saw that everyone was silent, thinking that no one would say anything else. He decided to speak up, "I joined the revolution, my parents didn't let me report back home. Hui Shen and You Yun's families are compradors, landlords. Zheng Lan's family is a scholar-official, landlord. Wu Xiong is the master of the Tiandihui. Zu Dao and Wu An's families are workshop owners, petty bourgeoisie. Tian Hua and Hua Xinghui have a close relationship with the Tongmenghui. The eight of us, we all come from the old system. If you must talk about family background, none of us are poor commoners. But what is organizational discipline based on? It's based on our stance. Are we standing on the side of the people's revolution or some other class? This one point will decide everyone's choice."

  Chen Ke finished speaking and looked around at everyone. The comrades still didn't seem to have any intention of speaking, each one listening intently and deep in thought.

  "Let's vote now, who is really standing on the side of the people's revolution?" Chen Ke said and raised his hand. One by one, everyone else also raised their arms high. The first to raise his arm was surprisingly Wu Xingchen, Chen Ke was a bit puzzled as to why he was so enthusiastic.

  "Put your hands down." Chen Ke said, and then he put down his own arms.

  "I have said that revolution is not for killing people, and I will not let everyone kill their fathers and mothers to prove their revolutionary awareness. If we, including the new party members in the future, have parents and relatives at home who stand on a different political stance from us, or even become reactionaries, as long as they do not raise their butcher's knife against the people, we will not touch them. Even if they commit crimes against the people, as long as they can turn back and repent, we will give them a way out, give them policy."

  After hearing this, You Yun let out a soft sigh of relief. Just then, Chen Ke said heavily: "However!" Upon hearing this heavy and loud "however", You Yun shivered slightly.

  However, our party organization requires that everyone's stance must not be wrong. We cannot stand on the side of those parties and groups that attempt to oppose our party platform just because of parents, relatives, or friends. It is not allowed for party members to betray the party and defect to those parties and groups that attempt to oppose our party platform. If everyone cannot achieve this point, then you can leave now. If everyone feels that they will be in a situation where their heart is with one side but their body is on another side, or if they are standing on two boats at the same time, then please leave now. Because after this charter is passed, I will lead everyone to take an oath of allegiance to the party. Now leaving means we just have different political stances and we can still be friends. But once the oath is taken, if someone leaves because they cannot follow the party's discipline, that would be a traitor. I guarantee to everyone that in the upcoming process of overthrowing the Qing government, we will not let any traitors go unpunished.

  "I was a party member anyway, I joined." Hua Xiongmao said with a big smile, "Let's vote now."

  "Please wait a moment." Chen Tianhua interrupted the voting process. "Wen Qing, what are your views on other parties?"

  "That's a technical matter. What we're voting on is everyone's stance." Chen Ke finished speaking with a smile, but it was different from his usual smile. Chen Ke's face was indeed smiling, but his eyes weren't, and those bright, piercing eyes seemed to be able to see through people's thoughts.

  Chen Tianhua immediately understood that, if according to the organizational discipline, his behavior was actually not meeting the standard of severing ties with "party factions and groups attempting to oppose the party's program".

  Chen Tianhua participated in the establishment of the Tongmenghui and was also involved in its internal intense debates and factional struggles, so he was very clear about the goals of each faction within the Tongmenghui. The People's Party and the Tongmenghui, the People's Party and Song Jiaoren were bound to have a fierce conflict due to their political stance. To be more accurate, the two sides would inevitably become enemies in the future.

  At some unknown time, Chen Tianhua had closed his eyes, his teeth clenched so tightly that the muscles on both sides of his face were bulging. The voices and faces of Huang Xing and Song Jiaoren floated in his mind. The friendship between comrades was not something that could be easily abandoned. But Chen Tianhua knew that after going through so much thinking and exploration, so many failures and setbacks, it wasn't until he met Chen Ke that he finally found a path that truly showed him the future. Thinking of this, the fear and confusion he had felt back then again floated to the surface of his mind. That deep despair seemed to have fallen into an endless abyss, with no idea where the end was.

  Just then, Chen Ke-wen's voice entered Chen Tian-hua's ear, "Xing Tai, if you can't decide, let's talk about it later."

  Chen Tianhua opened his eyes to see Chen Ke had regained his usual gentle expression, and was even smiling at him with understanding and tolerance in his eyes. Although some of the comrades around them looked disdainful, Qi Hui's and You Yun's expectant expressions warmed Chen Tianhua's heart. It wasn't the kind of coercive and oppressive look that Chen Tianhua usually saw from other revolutionary party comrades. Instead, it was the encouraging gaze of a comrade who had gone ahead, expecting those behind to catch up quickly.

  In the People's Party, there was no intrigue or backstabbing, no bitter resentment. It was an organization that moved forward through learning and hard work. Although there were arguments, they never hurt anyone. Everyone always had a smile, like a warm fire on a cold night, not only guiding those who walked in the dark but also warming their hearts.

  "No need. I've joined the party. I will strictly follow all organizational disciplines of the People's Party." Chen Tianhua said firmly.

  Article 35