Zhang Xun had wailed bitterly before. Upon hearing the news of the deaths of Cixi and Guangxu, Zhang Xun, along with the Viceroy of Liangjiang Duan Fang and the then Admiral of Jiangnan Wang Youhong, had cried aloud together. Hundreds, even thousands of people weeping together didn't feel like anything was amiss. That was crying for others; as long as one cried loudly and appropriately, it was fine.

However, when a group of grown men lamented and wailed for themselves, Zhang Xun felt an intense discomfort. Implicit in this wailing was despair. Whether it was low sobbing or loud howling, it all gave Zhang Xun an incredibly gloomy feeling. The weeping brought not relief, but a more helpless oppression.

Zhang Xun himself wasn't much of a landlord, so his feelings towards the land weren't as intense as the gentry's. Clearing his throat, Zhang Xun said, "Gentlemen, the People's Party is powerful. Raising troops to resist is not feasible for the time being..."

"Then what about the Imperial Court? What is the Court doing?" a member of the gentry immediately questioned.

This question was asked so well that it lifted the spirits of some, while others looked at the questioner with disgust.

Gentry members began to refute, "When the Court was here, it couldn't do anything to the People's Party. Now you expect Yuan Shikai to send troops? That's simply impossible."

"If he destroys the People's Party, Yuan Shikai can be emperor. I am willing to write a petition to Yuan Shikai. As long as he can destroy the People's Party and protect my family's land, I am willing to do anything to support Yuan Shikai as emperor," a gentleman shouted impassionedly.

This stake seemed high, and some gentry members were already frowning suspiciously. Logically speaking, to become emperor, many people should disregard all risks. Compared to the risk of beheading, the benefit of becoming emperor should obviously be more tempting.

Immediately, a "smart" gentleman expanded on the idea, "Is there no one in the People's Party who wants to be emperor?"

This suggestion was obviously more reliable. If someone in the People's Party was willing to be emperor, as long as this person was willing to protect the vested interests of the landlords and gentry, in such a critical moment, the landlords and gentry wouldn't mind supporting this person to ascend the "Supreme Throne".

Listening to the completely bumpkin fantasies of this group of landlords and gentry, Zhang Xun felt an added layer of disgust in his already depressed heart. Did these gentry think that just by crowning themselves with the title of emperor, they could command the world? If it were really that simple, how could the Great Qing have fallen to such a state? The world still recognized the little emperor in the Manchu court as the true emperor. But so what? Internally there was Yuan Shikai monopolizing power, and externally there was the People's Party rebelling. Even a universally acknowledged emperor, if he could not effectively exercise commands, was no different from an ordinary person. Or rather, the title of emperor might bring him even greater danger and trouble.

Fortunately, there were sensible gentry members. He Fangwei, a *Juren*, had been sitting silently with a gloomy face. Amidst the gentry's desperate nonsense, He Fangwei couldn't bear it anymore. He stood up and said, "Gentlemen, since Lord Zhang has already made the People's Party's intentions clear, it is useless for us to be in such a mess now. Let's discuss countermeasures seriously first."

"The land is gone, what countermeasures are needed?" Someone tried to maintain order, but immediately someone else attacked. Zhang Zishan spoke first. Looking at his gnashing teeth, it seemed as if He Fangwei was the mortal enemy, the People's Party itself.

There were also some prudent elders among the gentry. Someone asked hesitantly, "Is the People's Party just scaring us, actually only wanting more money?"

"They've already killed so many gentry, how else does the People's Party need to scare us? We go to send money, look for connections—when has the response ever been different?" Zhang Zishan spoke fast and urgently, "Gentlemen, the People's Party will absolutely not let this go with us. In the current situation, either they die, or we die."

"The door is there. Go out and die yourself." He Fangwei could no longer tolerate Zhang Zishan's pestering.

"What did you say?!" Zhang Zishan immediately advanced towards He Fangwei.

He Fangwei stared back at Zhang Zishan without showing any weakness. Just as the conflict was about to erupt, Zhang Xun could no longer hold back. He slammed the table with a *pa*, "We are gathered together to find a way to survive. Whoever leads everyone to a dead end, leave by yourself. For those who stay here, if anyone talks about death or whatever again, I, Zhang Xun, will be the first to disagree!"

Zhang Zishan, being shouted at like this, quieted down a bit. He staggered to find a chair and sat down, holding his head in his hands and saying no more.

"Mr. He, please continue," Zhang Xun said.

He Fangwei looked around at everyone and said in a clear voice, "Gentlemen, we have been gathered together for several months, staying here for so long. What could be said has already been said to death. Now I want to say a few unpleasant words that haven't been said before. Please listen first."

The gentry had indeed discussed everything they could, and everyone was completely out of ideas. He Fangwei was of *Juren* background and counted as a figure in the locality. Since he wanted to say something "unpleasant", everyone wanted to see what new path He Fangwei was preparing to propose. Everyone sat down one after another, leaving only He Fangwei standing in the room.

"My He family is not populous, with only twenty or thirty people in the household. I am not willing to have my whole family executed because of this bit of land. I am as timid as a mouse. It hurts me to have my land taken. But asking myself honestly, as long as I am left with a way to live, I am still willing to live on."

These words were honest, and bitter smiles appeared on the faces of many gentry members. It was precisely because everyone was afraid of death, and the People's Party hadn't shown an attitude of exterminating everyone, that the gentry dared to gather here to discuss countermeasures. If the People's Party were killing gentry indiscriminately and seizing land, they would have chosen to flee with their whole families long ago, having no courage to hold a meeting here.

"I, He, think the name 'People's Party' is quite well chosen. One hears it and knows who they stand with. We've been scolding the common people these days for breaking the rules, but in my view, they broke the rules *we* set. We suffered losses, so of course we are unwilling. But from the perspective of the common people, they got benefits, so they are certainly willing to follow the People's Party."

Hearing He Fangwei actually speaking well of the People's Party, Zhang Zishan refuted, "We haven't oppressed the common people on ordinary days, and even upheld justice in the countryside. For decades, we've done quite a few good deeds. How come now, we are inferior to the newcomer People's Party?"

He Fangwei immediately replied, "The People's Party only collects thirty percent tax. When has the land rent we charged ever been only thirty percent? Moreover, this thirty percent tax is the *entirety* of the taxes to be paid. When has the combined land rent and taxes paid by the common people ever been this low every year? The common people aren't stupid. If the People's Party can really honor its promise, why wouldn't they follow the People's Party?"

Before Zhang Zishan could prepare to refute further, a white-bearded old man interjected and asked, "Juren He, then what do you think should be done now?"

"In my view, as long as the green hills remain, there is no fear of running out of firewood. They want land; we might as well donate the land. The People's Party is new to Jiangxi and definitely needs local support. We don't ask for anything else, just to seek a minor official position to serve the People's Party. Since the People's Party can collect such low taxes and yet has so many people who never loot, they must have their means of livelihood. However, I think these people will definitely botch many things. If the People's Party acts perversely, the common people will naturally know who is good and who is bad. At that time, naturally, there will be our opportunity. If the People's Party can really sit on this throne relying on just this bit of tax, then they deserve to sit there. We should just accept it."

Everyone never expected that He Fangwei would come up with such a proposal of total surrender. Most people were stunned.

Zhang Xun gently patted the table, "I agree with Mr. He's words. Everyone knows the People's Party started in Northern Anhui. The local tyrants in Northern Anhui were very powerful, with many fortified villages (*weizi*). Every *weizi* had hundreds of guns. Do you hear any news of these people in Northern Anhui now? When I, your brother, was the Admiral of Jiangnan, I knew some news. Not a single *weizi* in Northern Anhui remains; they were all wiped out by the People's Party. Those youngsters are always polite on the surface, but their actions are vicious. They never leave anyone alive who resists. Hard resistance is a dead end. Look at their current appearance; they will definitely carry out land reform to the end. Anhui had land reform, Hubei had land reform, Northern Jiangsu also had land reform. Jiangxi will definitely not be exempt. If we can't resist, let's see what the People's Party actually wants to do."

With even Zhang Xun saying this, the gentry completely lost their spirit. If they didn't have land, what could they do? Even if they muddled into a minor official position with the People's Party, it would be a life of running errands. There were tens of thousands of People's Party members in Jiangxi alone; how would it be their turn to call the shots?

He Fangwei continued, "Gentlemen, we are all good gentry. usually upholding justice in the countryside. Sometimes when natural disasters were too great and the Court still insisted on collecting taxes, everyone also took out their own money and grain to pay the government on behalf of the village. The support of the common people is the foundation of our lives. We are at our wits' end now, isn't it because the People's Party has pulled the common people over to their side? If we stubbornly resist here, we will only be defeated one by one by the People's Party. Only by safeguarding the livelihood of the people of Jiangxi and safeguarding the morality of Jiangxi can our words carry weight. The People's Party killed so many people but has been afraid to touch us—isn't it also because we haven't been in the wrong?"

"When has the People's Party ever been reasonable?" Zhang Zishan asked mockingly.

"Then when has the government ever been reasonable?" He Fangwei replied with a sneer.

"At least the government wouldn't engage in land reform!" Zhang Zishan did not back down.

He Fangwei gave a big sneer, "Haha, that's because the government was fed by us, and the officials themselves had land. Of course they wouldn't engage in any land reform. Has the People's Party asked us for a single penny? In this past year, has the People's Party collected taxes in areas without land reform? They haven't taken a single penny from us, so why should they do things for us?"

"They don't collect commercial tax?" Zhang Zishan still refused to yield.

"Let's speak from our conscience. Is the commercial tax collected by the People's Party more or less than before?" He Fangwei already had a somewhat dismissive attitude towards Zhang Zishan. "Likin and exorbitant taxes are all gone. Commercial tax is just once. The bandits on the road have also been wiped out. In this past year, for those who dared to continue doing business, who hasn't earned more than in previous years? They fulfilled the duties of the government, so they should collect that money."

Hearing this, Zhang Zishan finally understood. He pointed at He Fangwei, his arm trembling, "You, you really treat the People's Party as the government?"

He Fangwei replied decisively, "That's right! I am now going to treat the People's Party as the government!"

With a *buzz*, a commotion erupted among the gentry. This was the first time someone was willing to admit the official status of the People's Party. Before this, the gentry only treated the People's Party as a group of young bandits and never had the thought of genuinely acknowledging the People's Party regime. Now that someone had pierced this layer of window paper, the gentry could no longer deceive themselves.

He Fangwei's declaration caused a huge shock among the gentry. When the topic changed to seeking their own status under the rule of the People's Party with a cooperative attitude, the situation changed. The debate finally found a relatively reliable direction. The originally helpless gentry, whether supporting or opposing, all saw where the current core issue lay.

In the following two months or so, some gentry chose to withdraw, but there were also gentry who enthusiastically joined in, and some who withdrew and then chose to join again. There were even many who went in and out several times. The scope of influence spread from Nanchang to the entire Jiangxi province.

After discussing with some sensible gentry, He Fangwei formed a "Ganjiang Society" with Zhang Xun as the president. The Ganjiang Society took "safeguarding the public rights of Jiangxi people and supporting people's rights" as its main purport. In the selection for membership, He Fangwei was very smart. The first article of the Ganjiang Society was to support the administration of the Jiangxi government. It made it clear not to confront the People's Party head-on.

Because of this rule, it triggered explicit support and strong opposition from the Jiangxi gentry and academic circles. Opponents used "He Fangwei is shameless, betraying Jiangxi's interests to exchange for the safety of one person and one party" as the main point of attack.

Supporters believed that "stirring up chaos is useless and will only make Jiangxi chaotic and the people suffer."

Anyway, whether supporters or opponents, they were all literati. Literati were very keen on such matters, and various arguments were bizarre. With the "Ganjiang Society" as a gem in front, dozens of political parties organized by locals such as the "Jiangxi Society", "Jiangxi Revolutionary Party", "Great Harmony Society", and even the "Preserve the Qing Party" also came out one after another. For a time, Jiangxi could be described as "forests of political parties" and having a "strong democratic atmosphere".

The People's Party didn't care what exactly they said. With Chen Ke controlling the situation, the content everyone discussed went straight to the theme. Since the enemy had already organized, how should the People's Party's work be conducted?

Comrades led by Hua Xiongmao borrowed the wisdom of the Manchu Qing and characterized these "political parties": "This group of rebellious parties are purely fooling around!"

He Zudao also felt a headache, "It's really troublesome after the enemy gets organized."

In these days, the Ganjiang Society approached He Zudao directly to discuss cooperation on land reform. Their goal was clear: they wanted to seek a minor official position through cooperation. As the president, Zhang Xun actually asked the People's Party how they prepared to form the Jiangxi local assembly in the capacity of a "Constitutional Pioneer". It had to be said that this really hit the People's Party's soft spot. The military control of Jiangxi was originally because there weren't enough cadres to launch land reform in Jiangxi. They had to adopt a military control model.

If Zhang Xun hadn't stuck a pole in, the People's Party could have gradually implemented land reform under military control, swallowing Jiangxi within a year or two through the model of controlling key points and encroaching on various places. But suddenly so many political parties popped up. Each political party had its own slogans, but they were all based on the local community. And they had a common enemy: the People's Party. On many policies, this group of people dared to speak wildly. For example, "no taxes for three years after taking office", "everyone gets money after taking power", "the old are provided for, the young are depended on". Muddving the waters achieved the goal of this group of people.

"This is called us binding ourselves with a cocoon!" Hua Xiongmao said indignantly. The People's Party Military Control Government announced the People's Party's Provisional Constitution to Jiangxi, which was actually a reduced version of the Anhui Constitution. The "freedom of speech" part stipulated the rights of assembly, association, and demonstration, so various political parties came out one after another.

Since the era of the Anhui Base Area, although Chen Ke had made many temporary compromises with reality, the goal of the People's Party's one-party dictatorship had never changed. Realizing a New China of the alliance of laborers based on land reform policy—this was the consensus within the party. Party politics was not within Chen Ke's consideration at all. Everyone never expected that the seeds of party politics would actually appear in Jiangxi under military control.

"Chairman Chen, what should be done about this?" Hua Xiongmao asked.

Chen Ke hadn't expected the situation to change to this extent at first. When Chen Ke was born, the three truly powerful nations capable of destroying the world were "China, the US, and the Soviet Union". After the Soviet Union collapsed, Russia's party politics dragged the polar bear into the abyss of great decline. It wasn't until Putin came to power that the situation was maintained.

Countries that played this kind of N-party politics were all large countries without global influence. Among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, four were one-party dominant or two-party politics wearing the same pair of pants. France was just relying on that bit of family fortune from the colonial era; even hydrogen bombs and nuclear weapon miniaturization technology were exchanged from China. It was fine for fighting small African countries, but after WWII, the servant army sent by France to Korea was beaten bloody by China, and in Indochina, they were annihilated by the Vietnamese commanded by China. In Africa, they even lost Algeria, separated only by a sea. The UK at least won the Falklands War.

Not discussing cloudy theories, just looking at the results, none of those playing multi-party politics could be a great power. Chen Ke naturally didn't want the base area to end up with this kind of outcome. But looking at it now, multi-party politics within a certain degree was unavoidable. Facing this new situation, Chen Ke originally prepared to arrange some countermeasures, but in the process of understanding these political parties, Chen Ke discovered an interesting thing.

Many "political parties" rose and fell rapidly. Forming a party today, dissolving tomorrow. This wasn't an adjective, but a fact. And more political parties were just rich people playing house of "passing the addiction and then dying". They spent a lot of money to gather a group of people to announce the formation of a party. After eating and drinking for a few days, when it came to discussing matters, immediately no one participated. The last few backbones felt it was meaningless, so they announced the dissolution themselves. Those that could persist for more than two months were all political parties with local financial support.

So to Hua Xiongmao's inquiry, Chen Ke's answer was simple, "Don't worry about how they fuss, we stick to land reform." Land reform could not only perfect grassroots organizations but at this stage could also determine state-owned land. The true financial source of the People's Party came from state-owned land.