"Obey orders, listen to commands, have a strong offensive spirit. The most important point is, they must not be boastful. Those who complete tasks silently and don't complain about hardship or fatigue; a list of these comrades must be made, and the organization will talk to these comrades. Cultivate these people." Chen Ke explained his thoughts to He Zudao one by one.

After recording in his notebook, He Zudao thought for a while before saying: "Chairman Chen, we have long begun cultivating these comrades. Comrades who can stand up to complete tasks at critical moments all meet these standards."

"Then those who are not boastful on normal days, although they can't step forward immediately when encountering a crisis, can complete basic tactics according to usual training; these comrades should be talked to properly. If they can overcome fear, they can also be listed in the ranks of cultivation."

"Chairman Chen, as long as they don't talk much on normal days and concentrate on training, their performance on the battlefield is good. Comrades who perform poorly on the battlefield are all comrades whose training is not very good on normal days. Poor training is usually because they think too much, and a part of them really can't understand tactics. No matter how they train, it's all for 'hitting the bell for as long as one is a monk' (doing the bare minimum); it seems they can't adapt to war."

Since He Zudao spoke so honestly, Chen Ke could only nod slightly. "Then what proportion do comrades who meet the standards occupy in the troops?"

"About one in five. Not boastful on normal days, able to train seriously, not thinking too much on the battlefield, daring to fight and charge. These comrades are all backbones in the troops and are generally promoted. But one unit is relatively special; that is Comrade Zhang Yu's unit. He was very careful when selecting personnel at that time. The average quality of cadres and soldiers in his unit is quite high. Basically, seventy percent are excellent cadres and soldiers. Before he went to Anqing, he almost hollowed out the Water Detachment."

"Then take these current Party cadres as the core and start a big discussion. Discuss what war is, why we fight. Why we work so hard. I feel the reason many comrades can't accept war is that they don't have a sense of belonging yet. They still treat themselves as mercenaries and haven't been able to integrate into the organization. The Political Department must treat this work as an important task for the near future."

"Mercenaries? What does this mean?" He Zudao was somewhat puzzled.

"In the Beiyang Army, when encountering life-and-death battles, those so-called dare-to-die squads all have to be stimulated by spending big money. In our troops, those who step forward at critical moments regardless of life and death are Party members and activists. Why do they stand up regardless of life and death? Because these comrades treat the revolutionary cause as their own cause, not purely to be soldiers and eat rations in the troops. While those other unexcellent comrades often don't have this attitude. Their purpose in coming here is to be soldiers and eat rations. They came for the treatment, or had nowhere else to go, so they hit the bell for as long as they are monks."

"Then how to distinguish this kind of thought?" He Zudao asked.

"First, the Political Department must solve its own problems; the Political Department itself must first have a revolutionary attitude. Then the Political Department will naturally know what to do." Chen Ke's answer was profound and mysterious. But He Zudao didn't have a very confused look; he subconsciously tightened his lips while thinking.

After a long time, He Zudao answered: "This is very difficult. Those excellent comrades are very clear about the benefits revolution can bring to everyone. They genuinely like labor; they are not afraid of labor. Laziness is human nature. Wanting to change laziness is too difficult. Let alone these comrades, I myself have to fight laziness every day, and have to criticize and self-criticize every day. Even so, I myself often get lazy."

Hearing He Zudao speak so sincerely, Chen Ke couldn't help laughing: "Then explain clearly to everyone in the troops why one cannot be lazy, and the fatal harm of laziness in various works. Once a person is lazy, they can't find methods to do things; without methods to do things, they can't complete work well."

"Some comrades already feel they have contributed to the revolution and have completed the work they should complete. What about this?" He Zudao raised a very practical question.

Chen Ke answered decisively: "If they can't be educated, then let them be demobilized. Iron barracks, flowing soldiers; we will demobilize a portion of soldiers recently, and will also recruit a portion of soldiers. Regarding the ideological education work of new soldiers, the Political Department must grasp it tightly. Those excellent cadres and soldiers must be kept. They are the most precious wealth of our troops. The atmosphere of the troops is driven by these excellent comrades. In the troops, we must propagandize this atmosphere with great fanfare, making excellent comrades feel they are doing right. Commend the advanced, encourage the backward. We absolutely cannot harm this healthy and upward revolutionary atmosphere in the troops."

"I understand," He Zudao answered.

Chen Ke added another sentence: "Whatever deficiencies there were in previous work must be summarized. This is not settling accounts after the autumn harvest, but so that the same mistakes won't be made in the future. Party Committee construction is the top priority. We don't force comrades to sing high tunes, but to look at problems, analyze problems, and solve problems seeking truth from facts. On this point, I trust you, Commissar He; I trust the Party organization."

After finishing work discussion with He Zudao, Chen Ke invited Hua Xiongmao over. After the two sat down, Chen Ke said straight to the point: "Zhenglan, I want to talk to you about a very private issue now, which is also a very un-private issue. You know we want to support the Guangfu Society to establish their regime in Jiangnan, right?"

Hua Xiongmao was very smart. As soon as Chen Ke said this, he roughly understood what Chen Ke wanted to say. "Wenqing, you want to ask me about the issue of Party spirit (Party nature)."

"Correct. In the political program of the Guangfu Society, the basic content is to cooperate with landlords, gentry, and petty bourgeoisie to form a regime. Even if there is a part related to people's liberation in their political program. In my opinion, these contents are both childish and unrealistic. So, in my personal prediction, they are destined to fail. At the beginning, I had the idea of playing power tricks, wanting to use the weaknesses of the Guangfu Society to do some Machiavellian designs. Now I feel this idea of mine is relatively childish."

Hua Xiongmao nodded. "The Party Constitution requires that before joining our ranks, People's Party members must sever all connections with those parties and groups that run counter to our program..."

"Yes, I also want to make a self-criticism. When I considered the Guangfu Society issue, I started from the perspective of political interests or party interests, not from the Party program. Our People's Party's core program is serving the people. Any political force that runs counter to our Party's program is our enemy. Our cooperation with the Guangfu Society is built on the basis of current principal contradictions and secondary contradictions."

Hua Xiongmao looked at the tabletop, only nodding slightly.

"Zhenglan, you definitely know Sun Yongsheng; that person is my uncle (*Gufu*). Although I have never met him. I thought Sun Yongsheng was a trouble for me. On this point, I didn't do well; I valued my own interests too much, valued my own political interests, and discarded some most fundamental human things instead. We should treat enemies ruthlessly, but for those who have laid down weapons and no longer do evil, we should give some care. I should go see Sun Yongsheng. Before I figured this out, I once felt that in the cooperation and struggle with the Guangfu Society, if you harbored pity for Mr. Xu Xilin and Ms. Qiu Jin, it might be inappropriate. I know I was wrong now; having compassion is not a mistake. I just ask you to be firm in political stance, but regarding personal matters, I don't want to make any criticism or evaluation of you. Zhenglan, can you understand my meaning?"

Hua Xiongmao sighed slightly. "Wenqing, you've said this much; what else can I not understand? I absolutely will not leak our Party's internal secrets and resolutions to those two and the Guangfu Society. However, I still hope those two can recognize the situation clearly, and even become members of our People's Party in the end. Wenqing, you telling me these things today, actually I should thank you. I've thought a lot about this matter these days. But I didn't know how to tell the comrades. If I say nothing, everyone knows I am relatives with those two. If I speak, I worry everyone will misunderstand my meaning. I feel stifled in my heart too. Wenqing, you opened your heart to me; this big stone in my heart can be considered to have landed."

Chen Ke also smiled bitterly. "Zhenglan, an elder educated me before, saying only victors can be magnanimous. Because you already possess it, you can choose to give. Before this victory, we actually couldn't afford to lose. If we lost once, we would lose everything we have now. So a lot of times it's not that everyone deliberately wants to be mean, but if we don't pick faults, we can't survive. Of course, even now, we must be more serious and cautious, and cannot be boundlessly lenient. However, the once relatively distorted mentality also has to be adjusted. Treat comrades as warm as spring, treat work as hot as summer, treat individualism like the autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves, treat enemies as cruel and ruthless as severe winter. This mentality of tension and relaxation is what we must establish now. As the highest commander of the troops, you and I both have to achieve these."

"Wenqing, don't worry about this. As long as I don't encounter malicious misinterpretation, I won't lose my composure." Hua Xiongmao said hurriedly.

"Zhenglan, your words are still a bit low-taste. When encountering malicious misinterpretation, we must present facts, talk reason, and clarify things. As Party members, we cannot let these dark things exist in our Party and in our army. This is not for our own reputation; reputation is others' evaluation of us. It has nothing to do with us. As Party members, we must be responsible for the revolutionary cause. Our revolutionary cause does not allow these unscientific things to exist. So we must fight against these things."

Hua Xiongmao smiled bitterly: "Wenqing, you can understand me; these are relatives who are somewhat out of keeping with the times for both you and me."

"It has nothing to do with being out of keeping with the times; relatives are relatives, this exists objectively. Let's face reality. Let's not talk about these; I discussed demobilization and conscription with Commissar He. This matter must be grasped tightly. The Manchu Qing finally gave us time and opportunity with great difficulty. Within this time, we must solve internal problems to the maximum extent."

"Chairman Chen, don't talk about solving internal problems. Quite a few comrades are already shouting about going north, fighting into Beijing. Liberating all of China."

"Do they not consider logistics issues? Our troops can at most implement tactical maneuvers within the base area. Where is the ability to fight into Beijing?"

"The comrades who proposed this view trust you very much, believing Chairman Chen can definitely solve the logistics problem."

"Haha!" Chen Ke laughed loudly. "Then I am going to disappoint these comrades. I can't solve these problems. Not only can't I solve this problem, before we completely control the Dabie Mountain area, I won't let the troops have military operations to expand the base area. Our base area is already a pig bladder. Blown big, but actually it's not like that at all."

Chen Ke pointed to the map and laughed: "Except for the Dabie Mountain area, now we have occupied the whole of Anhui, and even occupied parts south of the Yangtze River. In reality? The areas we truly control are only Fengtai County, Shouzhou, Wuhe County, such a small area. Land reform hasn't been completed in many areas. In some areas, like parts of Jiangnan, we are the same as the Manchu Qing, merely occupying the county towns and prefecture cities. The troops now need to demobilize unsuitable comrades, recruit new soldiers, and conduct military training and political education. If there are any military operations, it's just to knock out the armed forces and strongholds around us that can threaten our base area. Make them unable to threaten the normal operation and life of the base area. Internal work is piled up like a mountain; where is the energy to continue expanding? Let alone fighting into Beijing."

"Large-scale demobilization will weaken the combat effectiveness of the troops for a certain period of time." Hua Xiongmao's tone didn't reveal whether he was confirming this matter or opposing it.

"New troops will have stronger combat effectiveness. Now there are quite a few old-timers in our troops; among these old-timers, there are very, very many people who cannot meet the revolutionary requirements. After demobilization, then recruiting new soldiers, the strength of the troops will increase instead. Because the composition of the cadre team is much better than before. The so-called big waves washing the sand is just like this. Caring only about the number of veterans, but unable to choose and select effectively, means there is no way to give those excellent performing comrades enough opportunities."

"Expand the army after demobilization?" Hua Xiongmao stared at the map of Anhui Province and asked.

"The Dabie Mountain area is an excellent source of soldiers," Chen Ke answered.

"Poor mountains and fierce waters produce unruly people (*Diao Min*)," Hua Xiongmao cracked a joke.

Chen Ke's face changed instantly. He frowned and said: "Division Commander Hua, I require you never to say such bullshit again in the future. What is meant by unruly people? People all want to live a better life, but does the old system give people opportunities? We liberated the people; people join the army to defend the fruits of the revolution. We must believe in the people, we must rely on the people, we must liberate the people. This world is the people's world, not our People's Party's world. This point is one of our political programs."