"Tao Gong, I wonder what you think about the war?" Xu Xilin was very worried about the war. After going through ups and downs over the years, Xu Xilin's insight far exceeds that of before. Whoever wins the war will be the victor in China's future. From the bottom of his heart, Xu Xilin does not want such a winner to be born. But his intellect unmistakably told him that after all, such a winner was born.

Tao Chengzhang's expression was a little gloomy, "Mr. Cai means to support Beiyang." I have also asked him many times, and Mr. Cai's bottom line is that Zhejiang's autonomy must be guaranteed. ”

Qiu Jin's temperament was more straightforward than the two, and she asked neatly: "Tao Gong, do you think Beiyang can't win Wenqing?" ”

Hearing such a straightforward question, Tao Chengzhang smiled bitterly, "Jianhu, between Wen Qing and Yuan Shikai, of course I have more Wen Qing in my heart. And we have a lot of self-cultivated farmers in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Wenqing wrote really well when he wrote his own book, and during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Jiangsu and Zhejiang suffered great population losses in the tug-of-war between the Hunan army and the Taiping army, so the rise of yeoman farmers after the war. But after he started the revolution, he ignored this fact, and the People's Party had to carry out land reform everywhere it went. I just can't say a few words for him. ”

Qiu Jin knew Tao Chengzhang's difficulties, but she didn't agree with Tao Chengzhang's statement. The western branch of the Guangfu Society implemented the policy of curbing land annexation, reducing rents and interest rates, and the government came forward to support industry and agriculture. Since the People's Party government was almost completely copied in the specific implementation, and only the issue of land ownership was vague, although the first few years were difficult, the difficulties of the past two years were overcome, and the localities in western Zhejiang did a good job.

In practice, the Zhejiang branch of the Liberation Society found that even if a vague policy was adopted on land ownership, it had to forcibly suppress the landlords if they wanted to get things done. To engage in agriculture, breeding, and industry, it is necessary to provide the workers and peasants with the means of production, and if the government does not have a say in land, the most important means of production, everything is a utopian dream. Mulberry planting, for example, was supposed to be a good deal that would have benefited almost everyone. But when the landlords saw that it was beneficial to grow mulberry, they began to think about "commercial management", that is, the traditional monopoly of mulberry leaf trading. Through monopoly and printing money, the price of mulberry leaves is very high. The purchase price of the People's Party has dropped every year, and silkworm farmers have worked hard to make money, and if the purchase price is too low, it will not be beneficial at all.

The western branch of Zhejiang convened a plenary "national assembly" to gather all those who could have anything to do with this matter, and to explain the current situation to everyone. Then the Liberation Society proposed to imitate the way of the People's Party, to build mulberry gardens, plan planting, and mass production. This proposal was quickly supported by the working masses. The working masses were outnumbered, and with the backing of the armed forces of the western Zhejiang branch, the landlords had to give in for a while. They were granted the right to operate a part of the mulberry orchard, which was exempt from taxes. In the case of mulberry leaves, the price is determined by the government. After straightening out the production channels, the scale of silkworm cocoons has doubled one after another, and the income from trading has increased rapidly. Moreover, with the establishment of the compulsory education system in western Zhejiang, agricultural schools have been established, and the level of mulberry sericulture has also been greatly improved.

This is just one example of tea plantations, chestnut production. As long as the government can forcibly mobilize the masses to straighten out the relations of production, relying on the huge sales system of the People's Party, there will always be a market for goods in western Zhejiang. In view of the livelihood problems of the peasants, a system of supply and marketing cooperatives has also been established in western Zhejiang, and the prices of metal farm tools and some machinery and equipment imported from the People's Party are higher than those in the People's Party base areas, but much lower than those of similar commodities imported from other regions. With the increase in production efficiency, the reduction in the price of means of production, and the suppression of land annexation by the government and the forced use of land for socialized production, there is no one in western Zhejiang who does not support the branch of the Restoration Society.

However, Qiu Jin will not blame Tao Chengzhang for these achievements, she knows that the Zhejiang West Branch of the Liberation Association is already an outlier. Tao Chengzhang is a minority faction in the general association that vigorously defends western Zhejiang.

"Tao Gong, is Mr. Cai going to support Beiyang at this meeting?" Xu Xilin asked.

Tao Chengzhang smiled bitterly, "Mr. Cai didn't say that, he still has the same old saying, he has to make things clear." But this time, Mr. Cai has made up his mind, and you have to pay taxes in Zhejiang. ”

Hearing this, Qiu Jin and Xu Xilin only felt that their heart beat faster a lot, and their faces became ugly. One of the important reasons why western Zhejiang has been able to develop over the years, and perhaps perhaps even one of the most important reasons, is that western Zhejiang does not pay taxes. Not only do they not pay taxes to the Zhejiang government, but because their business channels are all in cooperation with the People's Party, they are not at all subject to the constraints of other business groups, let alone pay any tolls and fees. Every penny earned by the West Zhejiang Branch of the Liberation Society can be used for the construction of West Zhejiang, and it looks very good. Qiu Jin and Xu Xilin both knew that the taxes from the various showdowns in Zhejiang to the heads of the people added up to nearly half of the people's income, and if half of the money of the people in western Zhejiang was used to pay taxes, life was destined to be miserable.

"This ......" Xu Xilin looked at Qiu Jin, very embarrassed.

Tao Chengzhang persuaded: "Bosun, now that our Restoration Society has mastered the council, and when the next election is the governor of Zhejiang, there is a chance that someone from our Restoration Society will be in charge." At present, the taxes of other places have been paid, and you always have to pay the taxes that should be paid. ”

Xu Xilin Zhengse said: "Tao Gong, when we formulated the constitution of the Restoration Society, we took tax exemption as one of the programs. Moreover, more than half of Zhejiang's taxes over the years have been raised by the Beiyang Army. We feel wronged to pay this money. ”

"So there's a meeting!" Tao Chengzhang said helplessly, "I think Mr. Cai means that he is very interested in the civic party run by Wang Youhong in Jiangsu. However, everyone knows that Wang Youhong's citizenship system is linked to tax payment. I do support the idea of gentry autonomy. So the two of you have to talk more at this meeting. ”

As soon as Wang Youhong, the governor of Jiangsu, was mentioned, Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin's faces were even more ugly. After the rise of the People's Party, it was Jiangsu that really started system building in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. It was forcibly seized in northern Jiangsu, and southern Jiangsu was completely surrounded by the People's Party. On the contrary, it stimulated the sense of crisis of Wang Youhong and the Jiangsu gentry.

Taking advantage of the sericulture crisis, Wang Youhong established a citizenship system in Jiangsu. The possibility of becoming a citizen does not mean that the owner of the property will necessarily be able to become a citizen. In addition to having a certain amount of property, you must also declare your assets, pay taxes and perform military service according to the declared assets. Only about 20 percent of people in Jiangsu have been granted citizenship. Even so, Wang Youhong still relied on this group of citizens to expel other forces from the parliament and the government in several elections, and initially established and improved Jiangsu's system at all levels, and most importantly, Jiangsu established a compulsory military service army composed of citizens. The total number of regular troops and reserves is more than 100,000. If there was no People's Party, Jiangsu, ruled by Wang Youhong, would be the largest force in Jiangnan, even stronger than Zhejiang.

Xu Xilin understands that whether it is the mention of Wang Youhong's citizenship system or the mention of collecting taxes from western Zhejiang. Cai Yuanpei is trying to control Zhejiang's economy and political power more effectively. This meeting will not be a good thing.

"Tao Gong, let us prepare first." Xu Xilin said.

Tao Chengzhang looked at Qiu Jin and Xu Xilin with a very understanding look, "You don't have to worry when you arrive." ”

Studying the People's Party in western Zhejiang is not a simple joke, except for its attitude towards the land issue and its ability to build industry, the system in western Zhejiang is exactly the same as that of the People's Party. As the ruling party, the Liberation Council will lead the work of the government in an all-round way. The cadres of the Liberation Society led the Liberation Army under their command as political commissars. It also implemented the construction of the branch to the company, and there was a soldiers' committee in the army, and even the "three da discipline and eight attentions" were also important military orders and military discipline of the Guangfu Army in western Zhejiang.

The West Zhejiang Branch now has jurisdiction over Deqing, Changxing, and Anji counties, and if Xu Xilin is willing, he can move the West Zhejiang Branch to Huzhou. It's just that at that time, the West Zhejiang Branch did not dare to be so arrogant in the face of the pressure of the third town of Qirui in Beiyang Duan. Later, Cai Yuanpei became the speaker of the Zhejiang Assembly, and Xu Xilin didn't want to get too close to the Guangfu Association. Therefore, Changxing, which is backed by the People's Party base, was still chosen as the headquarters of the western Zhejiang branch. The western Zhejiang branch of the Guangfu Society called Huzhou under its control Huzhou District, which corresponded to the liberated area of the People's Party, with Qiu Jin as the head of Huzhou District and Xu Xilin as the secretary of the Huzhou District Party Committee.

At the plenary meeting of the members of the Liberation Council of the West Zhejiang Branch, listening to Xu Xilin's description of the current situation and the possible content of the meeting of the General Assembly of the Liberation Society, Ji Ye, political commissar of the Anji Military Sub-district and county party committee of Anji County, spoke, "Secretary Xu, the head of the Qiu District, I don't agree with the idea of the Liberation Society joining the Beiyang side. Our policies and organizations are close to those of the People's Party, not to mention Beiyang, and even the differences between the General Association and us are greater than those of the People's Party. Where is the reason to seek the near and far? ”

The western Zhejiang branch was composed of the wounded who were forced to leave on the battlefield after the defeat of the Guangfuhui attack on Nanjing in 1909, as well as the members of the Guangfuhui who took the initiative to ask for a reins. These fighters fought together with the People's Party medical team and the guards protecting the medical team, repelled Wang Youhong's attack of tens of thousands of horses, and then calmly retreated to the People's Party's Anhui base area to rest. After the break, these members did not return to southern Zhejiang, which was controlled by the Liberation Society at that time, but entered western Zhejiang, which was backed by the People's Party, to start the revolution.

In terms of the experience of birth and death and the degree of good fighting, they can deserve to be the first in the Liberation Society. Moreover, nearly 1,000 core personnel of this group of troops have been trained by the BJP many times. Not to mention the attitude of Qiu Jin and Xu Xilin, as leaders, towards the Liberation Society, the backbone of the western Zhejiang branch is inclined to the People's Party.

After Cai Yuanpei took over from Tao Chengzhang, the Guangfu Society implemented a compromise policy towards Beiyang, and the western Zhejiang branch relied entirely on the support of the People's Party to gain a foothold in western Zhejiang. These comrades knew very well in their hearts that Beiyang completely regarded the western Zhejiang branch as a people's party. In that case, a considerable part of the backbone of the West Zhejiang Branch, at least Ji Ye thinks that the West Zhejiang Branch has no reason to stand on the side of Beiyang.

Ji Ye took the lead in expressing his position, and other comrades of the Liberation Association also began to speak, "That's right, even if you don't help the People's Party, there is no reason to help Beiyang." ”

"There is no reason for us in western Zhejiang to pay taxes to the governor of Beiyang. Mr. Cai got a lot of people from us, especially a lot of doctors. At the moment, there is no place to find a doctor if you have money. ”

"In the past year, various forces outside our western Zhejiang branch have been in constant conflict with us, and the headquarters does not do things authentically, let us not say it. When we were in conflict with others, when did they support us? ”

Listening to the comrades' gossip and opposition, Qiu Jin and Xu Xilin also felt helpless. They didn't dare to let Tao Chengzhang attend the meeting, not because they were afraid that Tao Chengzhang would leak secrets, but because they were afraid that Tao Chengzhang would be embarrassed. If the General Association of the Liberation Society thinks that the West Zhejiang Branch is an alternative, the comrades of the West Zhejiang Branch also think that many of the policies of the General Assembly, especially the core policies, are "inexplicable". There is no difference between the two sides on the point of opposing positions.

Xu Xilin did not dare to ask the comrades to vote at this time, and if the method of intra-party democracy was used to carry out voting, the result would be that the West Zhejiang Branch would reject all the demands of the General Association of the Liberation Society, and even in turn demand that the General Association of the Liberation Society break with Beiyang. Judging from what the West Zhejiang Branch has learned, Chen Ke was always able to gain support by persuading his comrades at such times. Xu Xilin knew that he would never be able to do this, and it would be good if he could not be persuaded by his comrades in a fierce and equal debate.

Qiu Jin hurriedly took over the conversation, "Don't worry, everyone. Since it is a meeting, we can talk. ”

As a representative figure of the Pro-People's Party of the Liberation Society, Ji Ye said loudly: "District Mayor Qiu, I don't think there is much to talk about in this matter. If Mr. Cai must support Beiyang, there is no need for us to stay in the Liberation Society. Beiyang is obviously not an opponent of the People's Party, and we have to choose the side of the winner. ”

With Ji Ye taking the lead, the West Zhejiang Branch continued to set off a wave of support for the People's Party.

The last thing Xu Xilin wants to see is the split of the Liberation Society, as the patriarch of the Liberation Society, he was born and died for the revolutionary cause of the Liberation Society, if he let the Liberation Society split because he failed to do his best to prevent it, Xu Xilin could not accept it anyway. However, Xu Xilin unexpectedly found that he could not find the allied army for a while, and the committee gathered all the backbones of the western Zhejiang branch, and almost everyone who participated in the meeting expressed no support for Beiyang, or even the policies of the General Restoration Association. The business department originally wanted to say something different from everyone else, but he frowned and thought for a while and chose to remain silent. In the end, someone finally said something, but it was the person in charge of the literature and art department, "Harmony is precious, I think at least it would be better not to make such a stiff quarrel with the association." ”

"From the perspective of "Theory of Contradiction", a slap doesn't make a sound......" Ji Ye unceremoniously pushed back the words.

"Alright, alright!" Xu Xilin hurriedly intercepted Ji Ye's words. Ji Ye continued to say this, and the whole situation had to develop into a more intense quarrel. Xu Xilin felt that the biggest gap between himself and Chen Ke was his leadership ability, no matter what, Chen Ke could hold the formation, but with the development of the West Zhejiang Branch, many times everyone avoided quarrels purely because of giving Xu Xilin face. In terms of practical actions, it is impossible for Xu Xilin to let his comrades go against their hearts and implement Xu Xilin's opinions.

"Then I don't have any ideas about this meeting, and I always have a fight and a quarrel when I go to the meeting as before. I'll be back when the argument is over. Xu Xilin said helplessly.

The comrades of the western branch of Zhejiang also felt quite helpless, anyway, every time the general meeting was held, it was such a result, accusations and quarrels. The only thing that maintains the general association and the western branch of Zhejiang is the so-called incense love. As time went on, the differences between the General Assembly and the West Zhejiang Branch increased day by day, and the attitude of the General Association of the Liberation Association became more and more clear, firmly supporting Beiyang and firmly opposing the People's Party. There is no possibility of harmony in this regard. Even if Xu Xilin can get past as usual this time, what about next time? What about next time? After the war began, how should the western Zhejiang branch be chosen?

Ji Ye said: "Secretary Xu, we can't avoid this matter, so let's just come up with a charter first." It's not an option. ”

Xu Xilin was afraid of this meeting, how could he not be clear about the thoughts of the West Zhejiang Branch. In the event of a war, although the West Zhejiang Branch was reluctant to join the People's Party, it was very willing to fight side by side with the People's Party. Cai Yuanpei's attitude is also very clear, and the only thing left to discuss is whether to have a civil war within the Restoration Society. Xu Xilin didn't want to see the comrades within the Liberation Association fighting each other.

"Everything will wait until I get back!" Xu Xilin made the final decision with the mud.

After confirming the ideas of the comrades, Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin embarked on a journey to Hangzhou with Tao Chengzhang. On the way, Xu Xilin began to persuade Tao Chengzhang to come, "Tao Gong, you said that the next Zhejiang Governor will be appointed by our Restoration Society. But I don't know if Tao Gong intends to run? ”

Tao Chengzhang smiled bitterly, "Bosun, I know that you are against joining this war, and this time I also want to be the governor of Zhejiang to protect Zhejiang." But Mr. Cai was determined to join the war. I came to you this time, brother, just to let Bosun support me. If I can become the governor of Zhejiang, I will definitely try my best to avoid the flames of war. ”

"But what should the Beiyang Third Army do? Didn't they recruit troops in Zhejiang just to fight this battle? According to the news I heard, the Third Army of Beiyang will be expanded to four towns and 100,000 horses. If Tao Gong wanted to avoid the war, the Third Army would definitely not agree. ”

"You also have more than 10,000 horses in western Zhejiang, more than 10,000 horses in southern Zhejiang, and only 40,000 people in the Third Army of Beiyang. Among these 40,000 people, there are almost half of the Zhejiang people, as long as they join forces, they can finally subdue the third army. At that time, there were 50,000 or 60,000 soldiers and horses in Zhejiang, and it was always possible to protect themselves. Tao Chengzhang told Xu Xilin about his plan.

"Then the key is Mr. Cai?" Xu Xilin asked.

"The key is Mr. Cai!" Tao Chengzhang replied heavily.