After Gu Lu listened to Chai Qingguo's work arrangement, he already understood some of Chai Qingguo's thoughts. As for the other parts that he didn't understand, he asked bluntly, "Commander Chai, are you afraid of breaking the bottles and cans, or are you worried that you won't be able to convince the comrades?" ”

"I'm worried myself, and I'm even more worried that I won't be able to convince my comrades. Chairman Chen put forward the concept of a core circle, that is, to establish a defensive area centered on the Yangtze River valley, and it is impossible for the enemy to enter this area at will unless it is absolutely necessary. Chai Qingguo said as he took out the map, and his fingers circled along the Yangtze River basin. Studying maps is the most basic military training subject of the People's Party, and with Chai Qingguo's fingers running tracks, Gu Lu already understands the importance of this area. More than 70 per cent of the BJP's steel, 80 per cent of its industry, and 60 per cent of its food production are in this region.

"But the palm of the hand is meat, and the back of the hand is also meat. How can we explain to the comrades in Henan why Henan can let Beiyang in, but other regions cannot. Henan is not a base area? The question raised by Secretary Zhang this time is only being discussed in Huaihai Province. Basically, in the southern provinces, we are the only ones who fight them, and there is no problem of them entering our base areas. Even if it was to come in, it wouldn't advance much. However, in the direction of facing the Beiyang, it is possible that the Beiyang will bring down Henan and Shandong. In terms of strategic considerations, Chairman Chen has thought too much and too carefully, and I know that there are some parts that we don't understand. But he still had to explain. Comrade Gu Lu, I asked you to go this time just to ask Chairman Chen for all the strategic considerations. Of course, the other consideration is because I am very optimistic about you, and it is a good opportunity to learn strategic considerations from Chairman Chen. After you figure it out, when you come back, our military region will be able to have a more comprehensive strategic consideration. ”

Gu Lu doesn't care too much about other people's comments on him, he is a staunch follower of Chen Ke, and Chen Ke's most objection is to use the evaluation of the outside world to determine his own opinion, he has talked about a problem many times, "I have made an extremely serious mistake since I was a child, that is, I like to see myself from the perspective of the outside world." For example, when I run, I always want to run like other people. Later, I learned to run with my teacher, and then I realized that I was completely wrong. It's up to you to feel your body, every joint, every muscle, every breath. All of this is based on how you feel about yourself. Running and starting does not mean that you turn a blind eye or hear but do not hear, at least most of your attention is on feeling yourself. Where is there time to care about what you look like, let alone what others think. ”

The method pointed out by Chen Ke was the most important guiding ideology in the march of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, and there have been many debates about this method. However, even comrades who did not fully agree with Chen Ke's views still disagreed on the details, such as not drowning too much on their own feelings, and also conforming to the specific situation on each march. However, in terms of basic training and experience, everyone still supports Chen Ke's idea.

With the idea of marching training, more problems were discussed in the troops, and those who had read books in the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army put forward the old saying that "if you have something to do, you must not go against what you do," which was combined with Chen Ke's "criticism and self-criticism."

Gu Lu never thought that she could do anything, but that she couldn't do anything, and she had to rely on learning to make up for her shortcomings. Gu Lu forgot about Chai Qingguo's praise after listening to it, but Gu Lu was very happy when Chai Qingguo proposed to let Gu Lu ask Chen Ke for advice. He asked, "Commander Chai, these things are confidential, will Chairman Chen tell me?" And since Chairman Chen hasn't talked to you and Secretary Zhang about strategic considerations now, why did he tell me? ”

Chai Qingguo nodded with satisfaction, "Because Chairman Chen has concerns at the moment, even if he has concerns about his current position, he can't talk about it, because he and the central government have taken on the heavy responsibility of deciding on strategy." Secretary Zhang Yu and I must not have any worries, we must meticulously carry out the orders of the central authorities. And as local leaders, we naturally have to come up with plans that are most beneficial to the local government. But you can have concerns because Chairman Chan and we both believe in you. Do you understand? ”

"Our party organization is to speak freely, and if you have concerns, you have to talk about it directly, I think this consideration angle is wrong." Gu Lu bluntly objected.

"Speaking freely is aimed at the specific affairs of the moment, not nonsense that makes everyone digress. This kind of atmosphere has begun to emerge in the party, and this part of the people love to use chicken feathers as arrows, regardless of whether they understand Chairman Chen's words or not, they will first lift Chairman Chen out as a shield. Whatever Chairman Chen said, they arbitrarily misinterpreted what Chairman Chen meant according to their intentions. Just the small abacus of those people trying to avoid labor, or the energy that they think is great, and no one pays attention to it, Comrade Gu Lu, can you not know? Now is a time of war, and we are responsible for the revolution, and we have to be responsible for these comrades who have not yet been instrumental. A certain degree of secrecy is the protection of revolutionary work. There are some factors that Chairman Chen can't determine, but those people dare to make full decisions and dare to talk nonsense. If we want to solve these problems, we can only rely on rectification, but because of the war, I am afraid that the rectification will also end. So at this time, you have to take that responsibility. You don't have to be afraid, if Chairman Chen doesn't tell you, it means that Chairman Chen really can't tell us. Secretary Zhang and I will never think that you are derelict in your work. How is it? ”

Although he didn't fully understand Chai Qingguo's concerns, Gu Lu also knew Chai Qingguo's worries, and he replied seriously: "I will work hard to complete the task." ”

Chai Qingguo nodded, "This time I went not only to ask, but also to report on the situation in Henan." Comrade Gu Lu, we are all relieved that you go to report the situation. You are not essentially a person who takes credit and shirks responsibility. So I can only send you. ”

Because of the railway, the time from Zhengzhou to Wuhan was shortened to more than one day. Chen Ke is a child of the railway, and he is still very clear about the most basic concept of train section card control. Moreover, thanks to the blessing of wired telegraph, the driving section card control can be very effective for dredging. Under Chen Ke's instructions, the base area even established two independent telegraph and telephone systems, telecommunications and tietongs.

Gu Lu very much agrees with Chen Ke's two sentences, "Fix the knots as soon as possible." "If you have a butt, you are not afraid of being beaten by the board, and you will talk about it when you are beaten." Gu Lu doesn't like to look back on the past, he thinks that he can do what he wants, as for the result, the process of doing things determines the result, rather than establishing a result first, and then seeking the path of the desired result. In this regard, the "Theory of Practice" has been said extremely thoroughly.

Along the way, Gu Lu fought fiercely with various reports. What Henan has done, what has it gained, and what it is doing. Based on the current dry situation, it is roughly inferred. This is really a thousand things, if Gu Lu can figure it out, he will list his thoughts, and if he can't figure it out, he will directly indicate where he doesn't understand. More than a day passed quickly, and in addition to summarizing, Gu Lu also found a lot of problems in the list. He also made a note in another notebook.

After arriving in Wuhan, Gu Lu was taken to Chen Ke by the comrades who came to greet him as soon as he got off the train. Before seeing Chen Ke, Gu Lu specially washed his head with cold water and completely sobered himself before he followed the guards into Chen Ke's office.

In addition to Chen Ke in the office, there are also Chen Tianhua and He Zudao, and it seems that the three of them are waiting for Gu Lu. Chen Ke asked Gu Lu to sit down, and then said: "Dare to stride forward, dare to retreat in stride." The comrades in Huaihai Province and Henan Province have no bottom in their hearts. In the face of Beiyang, where are we going to retreat? Comrades all have this problem. So I have to talk to my comrades about something. ”

After hearing this, Gu Lu immediately took out a notebook and prepared to record it.

Chen Ke waved his hand, "Don't remember." As I have told you, strategy can only win because it is right, and tactics can only be considered correct if it wins. There are several elements in the strategic backbone that I cannot accurately grasp. As a result, I have to be arbitrary in terms of strategy. I still want to talk to the comrades about this issue, and I hope that they can understand it. ”

Gu Lu put away the notebook and began to calm down and listen to Chen Ke's introduction.

"Let me first talk about our disadvantages, which many comrades do not see clearly. At present, the biggest enemy of our People's Party is actually not Beiyang, but foreign devils. Through diplomatic means, we have reached a tacit understanding with the United States. As long as we, the People's Party, can keep ourselves, the Americans will not fall into the trap, they will maintain trade with us. Even if the British cut off trade with us, our factories would not be in danger of shutting down. So our enemy at the moment is the British, and the British in Asia, Japan. We will inevitably encounter them in the war of liberation, and we must defeat them. With our current strength, we are not going to be able to challenge these two countries head-on and win. Then we have to wait for the opportunity. That opportunity is a full-scale war in Europe. And this requires the enemy to make his own mistakes, and we are powerless to control them. ”

Chen Ke made the comparison between the forces of the enemy and us very clear, if the British had not been caught in a full-scale war, they would definitely have the strength to support Yuan Shikai. As for the Anglo-Japanese alliance in Asia, Japan, as Britain's thug, aimed to fight the war in exchange for British support.

"On the issue of foreign countries, I can't make an accurate estimate, because the initiative is not in our hands." Chen Ke clearly informed the three comrades of the current problems.

Chen Tianhua and He Zudao nodded slightly, and Gu Lu just stared at Chen Ke tightly. Every word Chen Ke said, Gu Lu tried her best to remember it in her heart. He didn't have much to associate with him, though. Being in China, being able to predict what Britain will do is already a manifestation of Chen Ke's outstanding ability, but Chen Ke is not an immortal after all, allowing him to manipulate a Britain that is more powerful than the base area, Gu Lu would never think about it like this. If you can't do it, you don't have to think about it.

"Our comrades in Huaihai Province believe that if we wait for Yuan Shikai to be armed, we will have to face the enemy's heavy attack, and in this situation it is better to strike first and launch an attack while the enemy's strength is not as good as ours." Chen Tianhua said, he glanced at Gu Lu as he spoke, "I think the comrades who came to Henan Province also have this kind of consideration." Comrade Gu Lu came from Henan, and he should know best. ”

Gu Lu did not evade responsibility, "The comrades in Henan also have this kind of formulation, hoping to strike at Yuan Shikai first." But I haven't thought much about these strategic issues. I am only responsible for reporting to Chairman Chen on the thoughts of the comrades in Henan. ”

Chen Tianhua and Gu Lu both expressed their attitudes, and the eyes of the three people in the room fell on Chen Ke again.

Chen Ke said: "Comrades, for Yuan Shikai's question, I can only say that the time is not on the Beiyang side. And do we the BJP love the civil war? I don't think so. We, the BJP, have always been opposed to civil war. I would like to ask you a question, what is the nature of this war? Either Comrade Gu Lu, you can talk about it. ”

"The purpose of our People's Party's war is to liberate the Chinese people." Gu Lu replied.

Chen Ke turned his gaze back to Chen Tianhua, "We are not aiming to overthrow the Beiyang government, and they are not worthy of it. Our purpose is to liberate the people. And I have repeatedly said that it is precisely because of the revolutionary needs of the people that we have the basis for our revolution. Then we have to let the people know through propaganda that if we want to get rid of the pain of the moment and live a better life than we are now, we can only choose our People's Party. This is the biggest foundation for marching. When the people have needs, we naturally have to respond to the call of the people. It's not because Yuan Shikai threatens us that we are afraid to destroy the peace and take the initiative to attack Beiyang. ”

Chen Tianhua feels that sometimes Chen Ke is really "better than singing". On this issue, of course, it is okay to publicize it like this, but Chen Ke actually sang a high note at such a meeting, which is a bit out of place.

"Chairman Chen, if you explain this to the comrades, I'm afraid that the comrades may not be able to accept it." Chen Tianhua said.

"Political work must be explained to the comrades so that they can accept such political ideas. We, the BJP, cannot act on our own in isolation from the needs of the people. Chen Ke replied resolutely.

"However, Beiyang is really going to attack us. Playing late is also fighting, so it's better to fight early. Chen Tianhua was not convinced, at least he thought it was necessary to say what the comrades thought, and then see how Chen Ke explained.

"We will never shoot first, this is the attitude towards peace. Political propaganda and competition are one thing, but military struggle is another. Why should Beiyang reorganize their arms for war, because they can't compete with us politically. In the vast rural areas, we have achieved remarkable results in our political work and have won the support of the broad masses of peasants. So no matter how Yuan Shikai shouted, the entire Henan masses did not rise up against us. Including Yuan Shikai's hometown, in Xiangcheng, where feudal ideology is strong, there are no peasants who unswervingly want to oppose us. Whether the peasant masses understand it or not, at least the land reform work has been carried out and has been recognized. In the areas surrounding our base area, farmers and villages are constantly coming to our side. Isn't the fact that we have not used military force at all in the expansion of our base areas enough to prove our political superiority? On the contrary, it is the enemy who uses military force to intimidate the masses and slander us by means of political rumors. But the eyes of the masses are clear, and they all make their own choices. If the situation continues to be maintained, the enemy will be finished in a few years. ”

Hearing this, Chen Tianhua couldn't help but smile bitterly. Chen Ke's perspective often exceeded his expectations, and it is true that if the People's Party is allowed to expand peacefully like this, the surrounding provinces will basically not last long. Looking at the current situation from this perspective, the BJP should cherish the status quo of peace more than anyone else. That's true, but it's really hard to explain.

Gu Lu saw that Chen Tianhua was no longer talking, and he said: "Chairman Chen, our comrades in Henan have a question, if war breaks out, where are we going to retreat? ”

"Who said to retreat?" Chen Ke asked.

"The central authorities have put forward a plan for an absolute defense circle, and will areas outside this defense circle adopt a strategy of luring the enemy into the depths? Some comrades are more worried. Gu Lu replied.

"This ......" Chen Kedeng was a little annoyed, but soon he understood the crux of the problem, "Comrade Gu Lu, the absolute defense circle proposed by the central government is the area where foreign devils are to be driven out. And it does not refer to the area that does not allow Beiyang to enter. ”

After listening to this explanation, Gu Lu suddenly realized that it was the comrades who had misunderstood the strategy of the central authorities.

Chen Ke had a helpless smile on his face, "If the enemy wants to attack the base area, we must crush the enemy's attack on the spot." The Absolute Defense Circle is an area where hostile forces are absolutely not allowed to exist, and it refers to foreign military forces. That is, as soon as the war in Europe begins, all foreign military forces must get out of the absolute defense circle that we have drawn. If they don't get out, we're going to force them out. This has nothing to do with Beiyang. The Yangtze River in China, we don't allow foreigners to come in. You must explain this to your comrades when you go back. ”

"Okay." Gu Lu, who was born in the Dabie Mountains, actually didn't have much contact with foreign devils. As for the attack on the church, it was just a lot of small battles. The temple property of the foreign church was divided, and those who believed in the foreign religion were all imprisoned in the labor camp for forced labor. Regarding things related to foreign devils, Gu Lu has participated in so many things. However, Gu Lu was still very happy to be able to drive the foreign devils out of the Yangtze River.

He Zudao smiled: "Isn't that tantamount to a war with the British devils?" ”

Chen Ke did feel helpless, "We in the People's Party have never accepted unequal treaties, and we also support normal business activities. If you want to accomplish this goal, you need to talk about the method. There are some things we can't rush at the moment, we need to wait for the opportunity. However, the concept of an absolute defence circle must be proposed. But I didn't expect it to cause so many misunderstandings. ”

Gu Lu continued to ask: "So where should the focus of our current work in Henan be?" ”

"The focus of work is to mobilize the masses and establish a new system. As long as the masses can truly feel the advanced nature and superiority of the new system, when Yuan Shikai tries to attack Henan, the masses of the people will naturally stand with us. Henan has a population of nearly 40 million, and Yuan Shikai has at best raised two million troops, which is only 1/20 of Henan's population, and it is impossible for him to enter Henan. Wherever the enemy attacks, we will crush the enemy's attack. After saying to Gu Lu, Chen Ke turned to Chen Tianhua again, "The same is true for Huaihai Province, seize the current peace and strive to win over the masses, even if Beiyang attacks, Huaihai Province has a population of 20 million, and it can be done against Beiyang's troops." ”

"Then where will we expand our army by 3 million?" Chen Tianhua is very interested in this.

"Of the 3 million troops, the real field army is at most 800,000. The other 2.2 million include local forces, known as armed police forces, whose main job is to maintain the security of communication lines, industrial and mining enterprises, and cities. Engineers, railroad troops, and reserve troops. The regular army on the front line needs to be replenished by reserve troops after casualties and attrition to ensure that the troops are at full strength. In addition to these forces, militias are needed in the villages. The whole calculation is only afraid that it will exceed 3 million troops. ”

"Do you want to do a lot of infrastructure construction?" Gu Lu was very surprised. Henan is still continuing the construction of railways and related infrastructure as planned. However, the Henan Provincial Party Committee is not without worrying opinions.

"Without large-scale infrastructure, how can we ensure that the masses know what the BJP can do? It is impossible to increase production through land reform alone, and this has been proven in many places. Without supporting infrastructure, grain output will not be able to increase at all. Moreover, without large-scale infrastructure construction and comprehensive mobilization, the masses cannot be mobilized. Without the support of the masses, nothing can be talked about. ”

Chen Tianhua asked: "We have to explain to our comrades. The previous explanations alone are not enough. Can you say something more encouraging to comrades? ”

"Peace in the southern base areas is protected in the north. As long as the enemy in the north can be resisted, there is no possibility of the enemy invading in the south, and this is the characteristic of a game of chess in the base area. The heavy task of the war of liberation will be decided in the north. Therefore, comrades must bravely shoulder their responsibilities. ”