"Mr. Chen, do you really not collect taxes in the base?" A voice suddenly erupted from within the captive crowd. It was a wounded soldier with a bandage on his arm.

"When did you mean not collecting taxes?" Chen Ke asked.

"You just said you wouldn't collect taxes." The agitated captive shouted.

"I only said two things about taxes. First, there are no landlords collecting rent. Second, there is no extortion from officials. But we still have to collect taxes in our base areas, and if we don't collect taxes, we also have officials in our base areas, and everyone has to eat. "Chen Ke can't say that the base area doesn't collect taxes, because that's not true. Rebels in all eras have always loved to shout that they don't collect taxes, such as the slogans of "the king comes and doesn't pay food" with the rebels in the late Ming Dynasty, which sounds very cool, but in practice it is nonsense.

"Since you collect taxes, what is the difference between them and the Qing Dynasty?" The wounded soldier then shouted. Hearing such incendiary words, many of the wounded soldiers who had originally had a look of longing on their faces immediately had a sudden realization.

It seems that this person is a troublemaker, Chen Ke looked at the clothes of this wounded soldier, and it seemed that he was still an officer. It is estimated that after listening to Chen Ke's words, he was not angry, so he wanted to stir up the situation or something.

Chen Ke is not at all afraid of this level of provocation. When Chen Ke was a common man in the 21st century, he was very unhappy about collecting taxes. With this change of status, he now also feels that collecting taxes is a must. No one wants to pay taxes, and if taxes are called an "evil" of the state, then this is a "necessary evil".

Chen Ke said loudly: "Most of us are injured. I'm not going to talk about donating blood, if there were no doctors, if there were no needles to draw blood. I made a cut on my body with a knife and released a large bowl of blood, which could not be transfused into the wounded. You've seen it with your own eyes. ”

Hearing this, the captives, who had been unimpressed at first, began to concentrate their attention again. In fact, more than half of the people have experienced injections these days, and the vast majority of people have seen other people's injections. These delicate needles and a large number of transparent glassware surprised the officers and soldiers of the Hubei New Army.

"These medical devices are all manufactured by us in our own base, and we have a special factory to produce these medical devices. The workers who make these devices have to eat and drink, and we have to pay these workers. They don't farm themselves, but they have to eat every day. We don't steal or rob, and if we don't collect taxes, what do these people eat? These doctors are all about learning how to heal the sick and save lives. When they learn this knowledge, they can't farm and learn at the same time, they also have to eat, they have to dress. Without the tax revenue of the base areas, it would not be possible to have such a large number of people. If there is no such a large number of people, who will treat everyone? Everyone is a soldier, and if there is no one to treat such injuries, what will happen? In order to save everyone, we have spent a lot of money in the base area. Where does this money come from? It's from taxes. ”

After hearing this, the wounded soldier of the new army who had just come out to find fault was silent. No matter how deep their affection for the Manchus or Zhang Zhidong is. Now it is the BJP that has saved these people. The Manchus and Zhang Zhidong simply drove them to this battlefield of death, and then Li Yuanhong led them from defeat to destruction. The diehards in the Hubei New Army have reached such a point, they may have the courage to pick on Chen Ke, but they don't have the courage to directly point at Chen Ke and scold.

Seeing that he had re-accepted his statement by the wounded soldiers of the Hubei New Army, Chen Ke continued: "We collect taxes, but we don't collect exorbitant taxes. The agricultural tax is 30%, and you don't have to pay silver, you only need to pay grain. The tax on buying and selling is 10%, and there is no other tax. The most important thing is that there are no landlords in our base areas, and there are no tax collectors who live by collecting taxes, and the government directly collects taxes from the people, so everyone does not have to be exploited at all. ”

One of the major problems of the Manchu tax system was that it did not collect goods in kind, only money. This tax model has led to the fact that the grain is cheap and expensive. If the peasants wanted money, they had to sell their labor or sell their grain. In a society with a small peasant economy, it is not so easy to make money. After the First Opium War, there was a massive outflow of silver from China, which led to the bankruptcy of the rural economy. Wait until foreign goods begin to hit the Chinese market, first, the accelerated outflow of metal money, and second, the continued bankruptcy of rural handicraft industries. The entire smallholder economy began to go bankrupt at an accelerated rate.

Chen Ke used to think that the Manchu government was "just rotten, rotten", but why it was so bad, Chen Ke did not know very well. It wasn't until he returned to this era that he began to understand where the Manchu rot was. The decay of the Manchu Qing personnel was a major cause, but the fundamental problem of the Manchu system was a more important factor.

"The most important thing is not just to collect taxes, but to spend them with the country. The government in our base area runs factories and we have to pay wages to our workers. We run schools in the area, and we have to pay salaries to teachers. We have to build bridges and pave roads in our base areas, and we have special engineering troops. We also have to pay the salaries of the engineers. In the place where we are now, the doctors, the nurses, and the workers who are hired to wash the bandages, I have to pay my wages. Where will the money from the tax be spent? It's used in these places. If you don't believe me, you can ask. If you don't believe us BJP workers, you can ask the women workers who were hired to wash the bandages. Let's see if we're giving money. Of course, you were paid as soldiers, and the Manchus also paid you. However, in addition to you people, you might as well think about how many of your people in Hubei can be provided with employment and wages by the state. ”

After saying this, the wounded soldiers of the Hubei New Army were silent again. It's not that you don't understand reason, it's just that no one has ever reasoned with everyone like this. The propaganda of "rank" in the Manchu regime was incomprehensible, officials could easily decide the life and death of the people, and those who were officials were less bullying were good officials, and who dared to ask the Manchu officials where the taxes they paid went.

After Chen Ke said these words, he suddenly remembered the republic of the 21st century. The republic is far from a paradise on earth, and tax transparency is not very good. But to give a simple example, Chen Ke himself finished elementary school and went to college, and his family's economy is also very easy. Compared with the situation in Europe and the United States where they have to repay their school loans for decades after graduating from college, Chen Ke and his peers are happy. Although he is not in the 21st century, Chen Ke's "five mao" temperament is still there, and he can't help but say a few words of defense for the republic in his heart.

The guy who tried to stir up the situation just now triggered Chen Ke's association, once the people at the bottom have revolutionary ideas, then this kind of thinking will instinctively overthrow everything that is now oppressed on him. The pain of the people is nothing more than taxes, and the people who have bullied them in reality. History proves one thing, the spontaneous disorderly power of the people basically represents destruction, and this force can destroy an old world. But revolution is not the same as destruction, the greatness of revolution is to create a new and better world. If this force is not channeled correctly, the situation will be even worse after the destruction work is completed. The fall of the Manchus is a clear proof of this, and it was only 38 years after the fall of the Manchus that China was truly united by a political party unparalleled in Chinese history.

Chen Ke knew that he was powerless to prevent this inevitable process of history from happening, and he just hoped to make this stage as short as possible by his own efforts. We will pass this stage as soon as possible and enter a new stage of China's strong rejuvenation. If we want to shorten this painful journey into the city, we must give clearer guidance. This is Chen Ke's work, and this is Chen Ke's mission.

Seeing that what he said had touched the hearts of the prisoners of war to some extent, Chen Ke was unwilling to "add to the snake", and wanted others to accept his truth, which was someone else's own business. Pulling out seedlings and promoting them is harmful but not beneficial. Chen Ke finally said, "Everyone have a good rest and recover soon." During this period, you might as well think about why you want to work for the Manchus, and whether this kind of sacrifice is worth it. Especially after you return to Hubei, it is likely that you will have to fight us under the impetus of the Manchus. I think everyone should think about this clearly. We, the BJP, know that we are fighting for ourselves, for our fathers and relatives, and for the people of the world. For whom do you fight? ”

After saying this, Chen Ke got off the stage, checked the basic work of the prisoner camp, and then returned to the headquarters.

Back at the headquarters, He Zudao had already brought a few political commissars and was waiting for Chen Ke. They were not in a hurry at all because of waiting, but were discussing some work matters enthusiastically. Seeing Chen Ke enter the door, the political commissars stood up and saluted, and Chen Ke returned the salute. As soon as everyone sat down, He Zudao said: "Chairman Chen, our political commissars have held a meeting for the work of this election. Now I'd like to report back to you. ”

Seeing that Chen Ke nodded in agreement, He Zudao elaborated on the thoughts of the political commissars. The main view of the political commissar was that the area where the elections were held must be the old areas of the People's Party, and there was no need to rush in the newly liberated areas. The actual influence of the BJP has not entered all the base areas, and if there is an election, I am afraid that the dregs will rise. The political commissars all believe that there are still some local forces that need to be eradicated first, and these forces themselves are still quite influential in the local area. If these people are elected to become representatives of the people's government, it will be too much trouble to eradicate them. And the people will have a bad opinion about it.

From the point of view of control, the views of the political commissars are very reasonable, for example, the Jianghu Hui Party, which Chen Ke has always wanted to eradicate, is actually not too bad now, and some landlords are far from being heinous. If these people become officials, even Chen Ke will find it more troublesome.

"I know what comrades think, but I don't agree with some of your views. In the short term, the election will indeed cause some chaos, and the people will have little experience in electing. And I also think that one-person-one-vote elections will often become a very thing. This is Chen Ke's sincere words, he knows many local grassroots cadres, since the implementation of the village-level elections, there have been a lot of "bribery votes", and many local gangster forces have also begun to emerge. Elections are actually an action led by "personal interests". It's a bit of "Even if the flood is monstrous after I die!" The taste.

Seeing that the political commissars nodded secretly in agreement one by one, Chen Ke next took a basin of cold water, "But have the comrades considered a question?" The election is not only attended by those bastards, but also by our People's Party and the people. In terms of numbers, the number of people is overwhelming. Do you think that our comrades of the People's Party do not have the support of the masses? ”

The political commissars were silent after hearing this, "From the perspective of political struggle, it is not a bad thing for me to let the snake gods of those bull ghosts jump out, especially at this stage, it is simply a good thing." ”

"Chairman Chen, why do you say that?" Even He Zudao didn't understand what Chen Ke meant.

"Ordinary people elect representatives they identify with because they believe that these people can bring them benefits. But who do you think these people really look at from the perspective of the interests of the people? They're definitely going to have to get it for themselves. I have said many times that the eyes of the masses of the people are clear. Whether these people are fishing for themselves or not, the people can see clearly. In the same way, our People's Party stands on the interests of the people, and the masses of the people will know it when they compare them. Now that we, the People's Party, are doing it on our own, the masses of the people have gained tangible benefits, and this is true. However, the current view of the masses of the people is that as long as they meet good officials, they will be fine. It doesn't have to be your People's Party. Let's take a look at the election to show you that in the current world, only the People's Party stands with the people. ”

The commissars were dumbfounded, and normal people were in the first place to reduce the current troubles. Chen Ke not only did not try to reduce the trouble, but now he even took the initiative to take the trouble.

Looking at the appearance of this group of political commissars, Chen Ke knew that he had frightened these people. Because although Chen Ke inherited all his ideas from Uncle Carl and Grandpa Mao, Chen Ke came from the downstream of history. Uncle Carl and Grandpa Mao certainly have the greatness of the pioneers, but they have not been able to see the process that their careers have gone through. From the perspective of seeking truth from facts, Chen Ke is located in the lower reaches of history, and he has seen all the things that have really happened, so he naturally has less passion as a theorist and more coldness as a doer. The most important thing is that the things that have not happened in this era, Chen Ke has seen countless performances, so he naturally acts calmly and confidently.

The People's Party established by Chen Ke is not a "magic stick" organization, and Chen Ke himself always has to explain the development of things and the reasons for them clearly. This is also the reason why Chen Ke was able to establish great prestige in less than two years. Faced with the prospect of the revolution in the future, these comrades could not see clearly and could not understand that the revolutionary situation "predicted" by Chen Ke had almost become a reality without going out of shape. Big and small things are the right predictions of Chairman Chen Ke, and it's too late for everyone to follow, except for careerists, who will think of opposing it?

Since the People's Party is not a "magic stick" organization, Chen Ke has an obligation to make clear the reasons why it is being considered.

"Comrades, let's still think along the basic lines. First, material preparations. At present, the land in the base areas is divided into land owned by the masses and state-owned land. State-owned land belongs to the State-owned Assets Management Commission. Now it is temporarily hanging with the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, which means that through land reform, we have obtained most of the land ownership. Therefore, the grassroots government organization functions to manage the people, and they have no extra land to squeeze. Our People's Party is talking about the interests of the people, and the other people think about themselves, and they have no extra land to use, so what tricks can they come up with besides exploiting the people? ”

Last year, Chen Ke proposed the criterion of dividing three acres of land for one person, and many comrades felt that this land was given more. Someone even offered to give two acres of land would be enough. Now after listening to Chen Ke's explanation, everyone suddenly realized. The reason why Chen Ke gave more land was because the BJP actually gained more control over the land. There are more advantages in the later stages. At that time, Chen Ke never mentioned these reasons now, but only said how necessary three acres of land was for the masses of the people, which simply meant opening his eyes and telling nonsense.

Chen Ke didn't care about this kind of gaze at all, although he marked the name of the political commissar in his heart, and after the meeting ended for a while, Chen Ke was going to record it in his diary, and he forgot about it later. But he was not shocked in his heart, and continued to explain in a calm tone: "Second, in terms of employment means. Everyone has a very good understanding of the situation in the rural areas, and in addition to farming, the people go out to work. Our state-owned enterprises have basically unified the factories up and down the ground. Moreover, there are many workers working in our state-owned enterprises, and we will accumulate quickly. What's more, if he wants to make profits in private enterprises, his exploitation will inevitably be much more fierce than ours. I still say the same thing, the eyes of the people are clear, and everyone knows how to compare. In comparison, who do the comrades think will win the final competition? ”

As the saying goes, if you have food in your hands, you don't panic in your heart. Money is a hard commodity, Chen Ke explained that after playing all this, the political commissars have been convinced that state-owned enterprises can control the largest and largest amount of money, and there is food, money and guns, so there is no need to be afraid of what new tricks those "snake gods of cows and ghosts" will come up with.

"The third point is the organizational model. The organizational model of our People's Party is the most scientific, and we treat problems with scientific methods and thinking. And those people haven't learned this, haven't experienced this. Their organizational model is necessarily unscientific. What is not scientific will inevitably be defeated by science. So I wish they were jumping out now. What our People's Party promotes, they have not learned, and they are even hostile. Since we are hostile, it is naturally impossible to learn our scientific attitudes and methods. If you wait for these people to come into contact, you will learn. It will be more difficult for us to fight these people. By then, the situation will be much more difficult than it is now. So I want them to jump, and I want them to jump as high as possible. ”

The commissars were speechless by this point. Originally, they thought that once the people's elections were carried out, it would immediately be a dangerous and difficult thing. After listening to Chen Ke's explanation, the situation looks bright. This 180-degree shift in thinking is so rapid, and the bright prospects and huge contrasts make the political commissars grin one by one, but speechless.

"Fourthly, I would like to talk about the issue of settling accounts after the autumn. Some people just want to be this official and have a good time. This is also human nature. But everyone can imagine that once the power is in hand, the order will be carried out. One can imagine how they will use these powers. They will sin, or at least they will offend people. At this point, it's time for us to settle accounts after the fall. We know that they will definitely do these bad things, but when they haven't actually done it, let's get rid of them, and the people think they are pitiful, and they think we are tyrannical and unreasonable. When they do these bad things, let's get rid of them again, and the people will only feel happy and happy. We have eliminated the harm of the people. So wait for them to jump on their own, why let these guys be martyrs, they don't deserve it. ”

Xiong Mingyang is relatively tough, and after hearing this, his face was full of joy and fierce smiles. "Chairman Chen, I see. Now I know what to say to the warrior. ”

Chen Ke stopped Xiong Mingyang's enthusiastic remarks at that time, "You, you don't know." Let me ask you a question, do you think I am playing a conspiracy by thinking about the problem so much? ”

"How could it be! Chairman Chen, I don't think it's a conspiracy at all. Although he said this, Xiong Mingyang's expression had betrayed his mind.

Chen Kezhengse said to Xiong Mingyang: "Comrade Xiong Mingyang, all my inferences are not that I deliberately lure those snake gods of bull ghosts, but that as long as there is an opportunity, the snake gods of bull ghosts will jump out and do this themselves." It's in their nature, and they don't do it because they don't have the opportunity to do it. ”

Xiong Mingyang obviously just wanted to reassure Chen Ke now, and he replied repeatedly. "That's right, that's right."

Chen Ke didn't mean to be perfunctory at all, "Comrade Xiong Mingyang, and the comrades attending this meeting. First of all, you have to keep the contents of this meeting confidential. Second, starting tomorrow, you will come to me and participate in a meeting to discuss the mobilization of fighters. None of you can really figure it out, and you can't participate in the propaganda campaign to mobilize the fighters. I'm waiting to see how you perform. ”