Qiu Laohu was very powerful, Hua Xiongmao took off his blue soft hat, wiped the sweat on his forehead with a handkerchief around his neck, and brought the soft hat back to his head. The beautiful face of this Jiangnan man is now tanned. For a few months, the sun was on the head, the water was steaming under the feet, and the insurance group was full of healthy dark skin. Compared to the delicate complexion, Hua Xiongmao's calloused palms looked very rough. After holding the handle of the gun, holding the handle of the hoe, the calloused hands are also the unified characteristics of the insurance regiment.

"Comrades, rest for a while!" Hua Xiongmao shouted. Hearing the shout, the soldiers who were working together in the fields finished the last bit of work at hand, and then they put down their tools and sat down on the slope to rest. Everyone took off their blue soft military hats, some wiped their sweat, and some used their military hats as fans to fan the wind next to their heads.

"Comrades, wipe off the sweat and put your hat on. Now it's windy, and it's easy to catch a cold. Hua Xiongmao shouted. As the nominally supreme military leader of the insurance regiment now, Hua Xiongmao does not seem to have any official status at all. Even compared to when he was a lifter more than a year ago, he is more approachable. Although the voice of the body was loud, there was no hint of arrogance in the tone.

After listening to Hua Xiongmao's advice, the soldiers wiped their sweat with uniformly standardized military hand towels and brought their hats back to their heads.

"Brigadier Commander, I have something to say." A soldier walked up to Hua Xiongmao and said with a very embarrassed look. Hua Xiongmao finally got his wish and became the deputy commander of the 359 Brigade, and everyone's title also changed.

"Tell me something." Hua Xiongmao replied with a smile.

"Brigadier Commander, I want to cut my braids. Get a short haircut like everyone else. The soldier had a look of embarrassment on his face, "But I'm afraid my father will scold me." When the time comes, you'll have to intercede with me, brigade commander. ”

More than a quarter of the fighters in the insurance regiment now have their military haircuts short. In the matter of cutting hair, Chen Ke has not been forced, except for members of the People's Party, the insurance group does not force braids to be cut. In the eyes of the revolutionary party of 1906, braids meant extreme evil. But Chen Ke is not a person of this era, as a young man at the end of the 20th century, it is not such an evil thing for men to have long hair and even comb braids. Moreover, the reason why rural men in Anhui in 1906 wore braids was not loyalty to the Manchus, but a habit.

The insurance regiment paid attention to hygiene, and the fighters regularly bathed, washed their hair, and got rid of lice. Compared to short hair and braids, the superiority is clear at a glance. As it stands, the proportion of people in the water detachment who have their braids cut is very high, and most of those who decide to follow the party, especially those who have applied for membership and those who have already joined the party, have short soldiers' hair. But the most thorough haircut was to follow the engineering team of Youwu, doing the work of burning cement and glass, and the braids were often scorched or even burned in the high temperature. As a woman, You Mu cut her hair short, and the male warriors also felt that it was too uncomfortable to keep braids, so they simply cut their hair short.

China has an attitude of paying attention to social traditions and habits, and forcibly cutting braids will only provoke a full-scale revolt. When cutting braids can make life and work more comfortable, the Chinese can accept it naturally. In this regard, Hua Xiongmao felt that Chen Ke was right. After listening to the soldier's statement about cutting braids, he smiled, "If you want to cut it, you can cut it, your father will definitely scold it." If I go and say it, your father thinks that you are using me to press your father, and when I leave, I am afraid that the old man will scold you even more. ”

After hearing this, many fighters laughed. The soldier who had just spoken smiled a little embarrassedly, "yes." He smiled and scratched his head.

However, seeing that the warrior had no intention of leaving, Hua Xiongmao felt that the matter of cutting braids might not be what the warrior really wanted to say, so he asked gently: "What is the matter to say directly, men don't have to hide it like this." ”

With Hua Panda's encouragement, the sneer on the soldier's face turned into a look that mixed anticipation and uneasiness, "Brigade Commander, I heard that the land will be divided soon. ”

I see, Hua Xiongmao thought with a smile. The large-scale harvest is about to begin, and now that the People's Party has fulfilled its first promise to provide everyone with food, the people will have more trust in the promised land of the People's Party. These days, more and more people are running to see the scenery of Fengtai County in the future, although some pictures are a little discolored under the wind and sun, and the paint has begun to fall off, but the enthusiasm of the people is higher day by day. The hard work of the insurance group has initially taken on a scale in terms of infrastructure construction. There is still a long way to go from the beautiful new rural scenery on the map, but the most important backbones such as roads and canals are already beginning to take shape. This gives hope to the people who have worked so hard to achieve this.

Looking at the warrior very seriously, Hua Xiongmao replied: "That's right, the land will be divided soon." ”

"Brigadier Commander, how are you going to divide it?" As soon as he heard this, all the warriors came to their senses. Hua Xiongmao, who is the brigade commander, will definitely not lie when he says this in person. The warriors gathered around.

Hua Xiongmao pointed to the direction of the land that had begun to appear, "Comrades, the land that has been repaired, we will first distribute it to everyone's family." He also pointed to areas that have not had time for large-scale water conservancy construction for the time being, "Our army's own farms still need to be sorted out piece by piece." ”

Hearing this, some of the fighters had a look of joy on their faces, while others showed expressions of disappointment. Hua Xiongmao knew this, and was happy because his family was finally able to plant good land, but disappointed because he felt that the workload of the army farm was too great. After these months of hard work, everyone knows very well how hard the work is. In order to build such a vast area into what it wants, it will require an incomparably large amount of labor.

Hua Xiongmao shouted to the soldiers: "Comrades, we are the people's army. The purpose of building for the people first is to let the people, our own parents, and brothers live a good life first. And we farm our own land in order to be able to feed ourselves, and if we eat less food from the people, the people can eat more food. Are you right? ”

There was no thunderous echo, and the warriors either nodded or sighed. But Hua Xiongmao could see that everyone did not object, because everyone knew that what Hua Xiongmao said was very right. But the thought of having almost unlimited work to do makes it impossible for everyone to cheer.

"Brigadier Commander, I heard there is a saying. Those who have braids cannot become soldiers in the future. A soldier asked. As a member of the current army, it is impossible for everyone not to know that the insurance regiment is now beginning to vigorously break through the landlords' encirclement outside. However, during the Manchu era, there were rebellions every year. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, there were about 10,000 peasant armed forces in the country every year, and although the scale was not large, the common people were not too surprised by this. It would be inconceivable that such a large armed force of the insurance regiment would not have fought a war with the outside world. Since most of the soldiers who went out to fight did not wear braids, such rumors appeared in the troops.

Hua Xiongmao said loudly: "Our troops are suggesting that everyone cut their braids. Because short hair is easy to wash, and it is not easy to grow lice. But until now, we didn't have a policy that required everyone to cut their braids. ”

"Mr. Lu from the new village said that if you want to be a soldier in the future, you have to cut your braids." The warrior said.

It's Lu Huitian again! Hua Xiongmao couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Recently, especially after the first harvest, many party members who used to be just buried in their work have begun to speak often. In particular, comrades who came from student backgrounds have recently begun to make quite radical speeches.

"Mr. Lu's words are just his own thoughts, and this is not the policy of our troops. You must understand this. Hua Xiongmao still said loudly.

However, in addition to Mr. Lu, there are many other people who are also talking about this. It's time to cut the braids. To revolutionize. The soldier asked worriedly, "The last time I met my family, they were also a little worried." Afraid of war. ”

Soldiers, this is really treating the army as their own. Hua Xiongmao was very moved. Although it is natural for the troops to fight, the soldiers are so cute to be able to say such words that are almost heartfelt.

"Comrades, we are the people's army. Whether we want to fight a war or not is because we want to defend the people. It's not for our people, what are we going to do at war? Do you want everyone to die in vain, and then I will reap the benefits? Ha ha. Hua Xiongmao laughed out loud after speaking.

The soldiers felt that this truth was a bit twisted and did not understand it very well. But Brigadier Hua Xiongmao will work with everyone as long as he has time. If it's really for himself, the growth of Hualv can let others do the work. Anyway, the powerful and rich officials and landlords are like that. Since Hua Xiongmao said this, everyone also thinks it makes sense.

Hua Xiongmao saw that everyone's expressions had returned to normal, and he continued: "Comrades, our troops are still the old rules, and when it comes time to divide the land, we must tell everyone first, and we will have a meeting to discuss this matter." People, they all have to let people speak, but the rules of our army are that what is said in a meeting is the right thing, and what others say, if they don't hold a meeting to notify or discuss, it won't count. You have to remember this clearly. ”

In the past six months, the insurance group has indeed been like this. When Hua Xiongmao said this, everyone also felt that they had a spectrum in their hearts. Then I heard Hua Xiongmao shouting, "Okay, enough rest." Let's go ahead and finish this ditch as planned today! After speaking, Hua Xiongmao picked up the hoe and walked down the slope. The fighters put on their hats and walked down the construction site with their brigade commander.

In the evening, Hua Xiongmao didn't care about being tired, he hurried from the vicinity of Yue Zhangji to the county seat. Although he was the supreme commander of the insurance regiment, Hua Xiongmao actually found that he was actually engaged in military orders and training. Aside from the battle against Yue Zhangji, Hua Xiongmao never had the opportunity to actually participate in the battle. The rapidly expanding army has left the former Wuju man in a never-ending army-building effort.

Chen Ke's plan for army building seems simple, but the actual work that needs to be put into it is almost unlimited. What's more, the practical implications of these seemingly simple construction plans are not simple. Those who can understand this are in the minority of the BJP, and even fewer are willing to bury their heads and work hard to implement them. The BJP's military council is now seen as a gathering place for Chan Ke's die-hards. At least two recognized Chen Ke's hardcore subordinates, Hua Xiongmao and He Zudao, were in charge of military orders and military and political work. Although He Zudao is now the political commissar of the Second Regiment, everyone knows in their hearts that the brigade political commissar will be He Zudao sooner or later.

But for Hua Xiongmao, everyone's views are different recently. Because of the adjustment of the water detachment, many people believe that Zhang Yu, the current head of the water detachment, is likely to become the third-ranked military commander. Although Hua Xiongmao is the oldest, coupled with Chen Ke's support, Hua Xiongmao became the deputy brigade commander, and his status is already above other comrades. Although for the time being, no one will be able to challenge his position. However, there was Chai Qingguo before, although Chai Qingguo has not been as conspicuous as he was at the beginning recently, but now that Zhang Yu has appeared, everyone thinks that there is a newcomer who can faintly keep pace with Hua Xiongmao.

However, the competition for this status is not obvious now, at least Hua Xiongmao himself does not care. Hua Xiongmao's original purpose in joining the People's Party was to follow Chen Ke. Over the past year or so, Hua Xiongmao feels that this life has become more and more enjoyable. Not only because he has changed from an ordinary Shaoxing gentry to the commander of a team of more than 8,000 people, but more importantly, Hua Xiongmao saw that he could actually do such a big thing. When you are in the countryside, let alone 8,000 people, it is extremely difficult to only have 100 people. However, under the system constructed by Chen Ke, tens of thousands of people can be unified under one banner. Everyone was able to fight such a terrible natural disaster on their own. When the flood occurred, when the disaster relief work was underway, everyone, including Hua Xiongmao, was actually at a loss. There are floods everywhere, there is nowhere to run, there is nowhere to hide. And Chen Ke dared to sail a boat to save people from that time. After the water receded, facing a muddy landscape, Chen Ke dared to plan for the next few years.

When the hard work is over, everyone looks back, in fact, these things are just that. As long as the people can be organized, as long as there is a military organization like the Insurance Corps, and as long as the Insurance Corps can listen to the words of the People's Party, all the people will be able to accomplish great things with one mind. Many comrades in the party have begun to flutter, and all kinds of afterthoughts, hindsight, and hindsight have come out one after another. But Hua Xiongmao, the person who has always followed Chen Ke on the front line, knows very well that if Chen Ke has never wavered in his determination, if it weren't for Chen Ke and those Chen Ke's hardcores who are closely following the front line, these people who are now unashamed would have run away long ago.

So now Hua Xiongmao is anxious and dares to see Chen Ke, the purpose is to make it clear to Chen Ke about a lot of nonsense talk recently. The reason why the BJP and the insurance group have prestige is that they will not make promises lightly, and as far as promises are concerned, the BJP and the insurance group have done as much as possible.

If Hua Xiongmao still felt that after Chen Ke arrived in Anhui, it would be better to be in Shanghai. At that time, although Chen Ke was also cautious, he still dared to talk about the revolution. When he arrived in Anhui, especially during the flood period, Chen Ke repeatedly emphasized that "the People's Party is the vanguard of the people", "the insurance group is the people's team", and "immerse oneself in work". What revolution, what ideals, he never mentioned again. Hua Xiongmao now understands Chen Ke's plight. If Chen Ke, as the supreme leader, was full of big words at that time, the people below him didn't know what to say. Now that I have just seen the opportunity to lead everyone to live until next year, many comrades who used to work hard have begun to talk nonsense. This trend must be stopped in any case.

When Chen Ke was in Shanghai before, he talked about one thing. The revolution must do the work of destroying the old culture. One of the important aspects is the "official standard". Although the fighters below knew that it was Chen Ke who was the one who took the idea in the People's Party, everyone thought that what the "big officials" of the People's Party said was also what the People's Party meant. But in reality, not only did the words of these people not mean what the BJP meant, but none of them were really discussed at the party meeting.

Hua Xiongmao can't say it in public, those people's words are their own nonsense. To put it this way would be to undermine the unity of the party. And when the soldiers hear this, they will definitely think that other "big officials" are talking nonsense, so do you have brigade commander Hua Xiongmao talking nonsense. That was a devastating blow to discipline. So in any case, Hua Xiongmao hopes to hold a memory and talk about this matter. During the previous disaster relief period, Chen Ke repeatedly stressed that one of the party's disciplines was that what was said to the people must be unified, and there should be no individual autonomy. At that time, everyone could understand and do it, but now that they are relieved, many comrades will not close the door. This trend must be stopped no matter what.

Along the way, Hua Xiongmao straightened out the various statements he heard in his heart. Who said what, what kind of rumors are there among the fighters, and how far the work has been carried out lately. Although the journey is not short, but the mind is full of things, but it seems that there is not much distance. As soon as the content of the report was straightened out, Hua Xiongmao had already rushed to the county seat.

Seeing the barracks of the insurance regiment, Hua Xiongmao suddenly remembered a question, is this a small report? Hua Xiongmao has a straightforward temperament, although when he walks the rivers and lakes, he also knows those little tricks, but Hua Xiongmao is only to prevent people, and he has never thought about harming people. If it had been before, I would not have been in such a hurry to report other people's misdeeds.

However, despite this thought, Hua Xiongmao felt that his conscience was not shaken in the slightest. If this kind of thing is not explained clearly to the party organization and Chen Ke as soon as possible, I am afraid that there will be a big mess in the future. Hua Xiongmao just regretted that he was still careless, in fact, he should have reported to Chen Ke from the earliest time when some inappropriate rumors appeared. It's definitely too late to debrief now. Hua Xiongmao made up his mind that he would never turn a blind eye to these "hours" in the future.

Registering at the sentry at the entrance of the barracks of the insurance regiment, the sentry asked with a smile: "Brigade Commander Hua, who are you looking for this time?" ”

"I'm looking for Secretary Chen."

"Secretary Chen went to the dock to pick up people. I heard that a large fleet has come today, and there are many new comrades in it. The sentry said.

"Oh? Then I won't go in yet, I'll go and see it too. Hua Xiongmao turned around and left.

Now there are many new camps inside and outside the county, and a large number of displaced people have poured into Fengtai County, causing the population here to soar. Although the BJP has provided a large number of job opportunities, everyone is worried that if the victims are released to work in the fields, there will be a large-scale food rush. Therefore, most of the jobs are in the county seat, so there are a lot of people here. In order to maintain law and order, new police officers have also appeared in large numbers among the victims of the disaster in various places.

Passing through the crowds everywhere, sure enough, I saw the docks brightly lit up in the distance. Hua Xiongmao's eyesight is very good, he rushed to the vicinity of the dock, and suddenly saw two familiar people on the dock, one was Chen Ke, and the other turned out to be Qi Huishen, who had not been seen for a long time.