In the Lingbao gold mining area of Sanmenxia City, Zhang Yu witnessed for the first time what chemical gold refining was all about. After zinc powder was added to the dark liquid, a lot of bubbles immediately emerged, and the liquid almost seemed to boil. As zinc powder was continuously added, the bubbles gradually decreased, and the color of the liquid became lighter. The substance settling at the bottom of the liquid gave off a dark golden sheen.

"Is this the chemical displacement method?" Zhang Yu had heard Chen Ke talk about this method of using "aqua regia" to dissolve and refine gold. Chen Ke had told stories about refining gold in a porcelain vat in the wild. Because the description was so vivid, Zhang Yu had suspected Chen Ke was making up stories. But seeing the gold ore powder dissolved by hydrocyanic acid several times, and then reduced by zinc powder displacement, with the precipitate turning from black to gold step by step, the process was exactly as Chen Ke had described. The facts before him forced Zhang Yu to admit that at least Chen Ke wasn't wrong.

"Yes, this is the chemical displacement method," replied the staff member in charge of gold smelting. "Current high-temperature smelting technology is not yet mature enough, so we can only temporarily use this chemical displacement method."

Zhang Yu nodded. He went from the central smelting workshop to the heavily guarded crucible refining workshop. The final products were indeed gold bars. Zhang Yu picked one up casually. It didn't look very big, but it felt extremely heavy in his hand—it was indeed gold.

Putting down the gold nugget, Zhang Yu looked around again. Soldiers with live ammunition were monitoring both sides of the production line, and recorders were recording various data at all times. This strict atmosphere made it easy to forget that the product in front of them was extremely valuable gold.

Chai Qingguo was also with him. When he and Zhang Yu came out of the workshop together, Chai Qingguo smiled and said, "I didn't expect that Chairman Chen wasn't joking with us before."

"Hmph, Chairman Chen really doesn't like to joke," Zhang Yu said with a cold smile.

Chai Qingguo, the acting commander of the Henan Military Region, was quite puzzled by Zhang Yu's behavior. "Secretary Zhang, why do you look unhappy?"

"I just think Chairman Chen's background is too outrageous," Zhang Yu replied. "Old Chai, this isn't the first or second time we've heard Chairman Chen tell stories. You seem to remember the gold matter too. I want to ask you, has Chairman Chen ever told us a lie?"

Chai Qingguo shook his head. "I used to think Chairman Chen liked to joke, but now I don't dare think that anymore."

Zhang Yu said with a gloomy expression, "If Chairman Chen hadn't been to Sanmenxia and hadn't seen gold refining in the wild with his own eyes, he couldn't have told us that story. But do you really think Chairman Chen has been here? Before us, no one in Sanmenxia had ever heard of the term hydrocyanic acid."

Hearing this, Chai Qingguo's face also became serious. "Old Zhang, what exactly do you mean?"

"Chairman Chen tells us stories because he trusts us. My meaning is that we shouldn't tell Chairman Chen's stories in the future. I've heard you talking about Chairman Chen's stories with others; this doesn't seem appropriate. I investigated, and then I felt I couldn't investigate any further, but some people who have heard the stories might not stop. What do you think?" Zhang Yu finished and stared at Chai Qingguo.

Chai Qingguo and Zhang Yu looked at each other for a while, then Chai Qingguo turned his head away. Chen Ke's origin was a major mystery within the People's Party. Chen Ke had issued an extremely rare order as Chairman forbidding investigation into his experiences when he was young. If it weren't Chen Ke himself, the People's Internal Affairs Committee would have long since taken away the unidentified fellow for strict interrogation. But when Chen Ke occasionally told comrades about things from his youth, every event seemed extremely mysterious, just like a storyteller. However, leaving aside who the protagonist of these stories was, the stories themselves had no issues. Just like this gold refining matter, Chen Ke had explained the location, method, and technological process clearly. Simply following this had created Lingbao, the People's Party's largest gold refining base.

"Old Zhang, I understand. I will watch my mouth in the future," Chai Qingguo replied. Zhang Yu's reminder was correct. None of the senior cadres of the People's Party suspected Chen Ke. Even knowing that Chen Ke's origin was a mystery, no one really wanted to solve it. As the founder of the People's Party, Chen Ke's core status and the driving role he had played in the revolution over these years made the comrades not care what Chen Ke had actually done when he was young. But while Zhang Yu and Chai Qingguo could genuinely not care, other comrades might not necessarily feel the same. If someone used this matter to make an issue, it would indeed be quite tricky.

"It's good that you know." Zhang Yu himself didn't want to talk too much about Chen Ke's origin problem. As far as Zhang Yu was concerned, he wished he could completely forget about this matter. "There will be a war in more than a year, and our Henan will definitely bear the brunt. Given the current situation, it's impossible to prevent the Beiyang Army from fighting into Henan. So to what extent they will fight, I have no idea in my heart. Look at the situation in Henan; Lingbao will definitely become the front line, but there happens to be a gold refinery here. Chairman Chen said not to be afraid of breaking the pots and pans, but Chairman Chen has that broad-mindedness, I don't. Our People's Party family's possessions are precious to begin with; I feel distressed if they get broken."

Besides serving as the acting commander of the Henan Military Region, Chai Qingguo's formal position was Commander of the Engineering and Railway Corps. Without even looking at a map, Chai Qingguo could recall the map in his mind, as well as the related place names on the map and the local conditions.

"Yuan Shikai won't just go through Henan; he will also send troops through Shandong. South of Jining is Weishan Lake and Zaozhuang, where we have the coal-iron complex group. Further south in Xuzhou is our heavy industry base." Speaking of this, Chai Qingguo simply had his guard take out a national map. He traced the border between the People's Party and Beiyang with his finger. Except for the Yimeng Mountains on the border, other areas had industrial bases that were extremely important to the People's Party. Not to mention Qingdao, as an enclave, concentrated many German industrial enterprises controlled by the People's Party. The Sifang Locomotive Works alone was currently the most important railway machinery production center for the People's Party.

"But we also can't violate orders and act on our own," Chai Qingguo sighed.

"Do you still remember the 30-year prediction Chairman Chen made back then?" Zhang Yu asked.

"I've only heard about it; I wasn't in Anhui at that time," Chai Qingguo replied.

"At that time, not a single person in the party really believed what Chairman Chen said. Looking at it now, Chairman Chen wasn't wrong. I think Chairman Chen is waiting for the European powers to start fighting themselves in Europe. When they have no time to look east, we can liberate China. At that time, Chairman Chen said that the European devils would start fighting by 1915 at the latest. The news brought back by the comrades who went abroad for inspection this time is that Britain and Germany are easing relations. Some people think Europe won't fight, at least Britain and Germany are very controlled. But my thinking is different. Look at what we and Beiyang are doing right now? Expanding the army and preparing for war! If the base areas really complete the recruitment and training of 3 million troops, any reason will do to start fighting then. Just like Yuan Shikai preparing to establish 100 divisions and 2 million troops. After he gets so many people, he will fight us regardless of the reason. I feel that Europe is already fully prepared," Zhang Yu said.

Chai Qingguo naturally didn't think Zhang Yu cared about the Europeans. Zhang Yu's target was Yuan Shikai, and looking at Zhang Yu's meaning, he hoped to start fighting while the People's Party currently held advantages in numbers, training, and equipment. As a military commander, Chai Qingguo believed that with the People's Party's current strength, thoroughly destroying Yuan Shikai might not be enough, but driving Yuan Shikai out of Hebei and thoroughly occupying Beiyang's lair, which was Hebei and Shandong, was not a problem.

This plan seemed quite attractive. Chai Qingguo felt somewhat tempted. Forcibly resisting this temptation, Chai Qingguo said, "It's impossible for Chairman Chen not to see this problem. His grasp of strategy is above ours."

Zhang Yu replied hatefully, "I know Chairman Chen is more formidable than us in strategy, but he won't tell us his strategic considerations now, just burying his head in construction and preparation. I find it unacceptable."

Chai Qingguo now thoroughly understood why Zhang Yu wanted to come with him to Sanmenxia, which had not been occupied for long. Zhang Yu simply didn't accept giving up these areas. Although the current gold production plant in the Lingbao mining area was completely an expanded version of Chen Ke's "wild field alchemy," and if they really ran, they ran. Beiyang didn't have the capacity for large-scale production of industrial acids, so occupying Lingbao would be useless. But the coal mines and iron mines in Henan, as well as the grain production areas in the Huang-Huai Plain, were not things one could bear to give up.

Just thinking of the People's Party's investment in railways, Chai Qingguo replied, "If you want to ask the Central Committee about this matter, I am willing to jointly sign with you."

This was what Zhang Yu wanted to hear. He knew Chen Ke couldn't be persuaded, at least not by Zhang Yu. Zhang Yu didn't have the ability to persuade Chen Ke to change the campaign plan. So he had to unite with Chai Qingguo to get a reaction from Chen Ke. After all, the Henan side bore the greatest pressure. On the great plain with no dangers to defend, if Beiyang really had 2 million troops, it was possible for them to rush all the way to Xuzhou.

"Then how about sending a telegram in the name of the Henan Provincial Committee?" Zhang Yu asked.

Chai Qingguo was now also a member of the Provincial Standing Committee. If the telegram was sent by the Provincial Committee, some unnecessary misunderstandings could be avoided.

"That's not necessary. I think it's better to ask in the name of the Military Region. We can let Comrade Gu Lu report to Chairman Chen. And then ask about pure military work on behalf of the Military Region by the way," Chai Qingguo replied.

Zhang Yu never expected that the usually very serious Chai Qingguo would also play this trick. He couldn't help laughing out loud. "Old Chai, let's not play this trick in front of Chairman Chen," Zhang Yu replied.

"I believe in Comrade Gu Lu," Chai Qingguo laughed.