The wharf of Fengtai County is in the south of the county, against the Huai River. At the beginning of 1906, it was a very ordinary small stone wharf, but when Qi Huishen arrived in Fengtai County with a large fleet at the end of October 1906, he could no longer see the original appearance of this wharf. The pier has been doubled in size, and the new part of the large brick and stone mortar made of cement looks thick and strong. Just looking at it gives a very reliable feeling. Although the dock is quite busy and there are many people coming and going, the ground is very clean.

In the letters exchanged, Qi Huishen knew for a long time that Chen Ke was doing well in Fengtai County. However, Qi Huishen also experienced the social survey in 1905, he grew up in Shanghai, and was accustomed to the environment of so many people. Compared with Shanghai, the population of the surrounding towns and villages, including the surrounding cities, is very small. Therefore, after the fleet docked, Qi Huishen really didn't expect that the wharf in Fengtai County was not as big as Shanghai, but it would be so grand and tidy. And the density of people on the dock is not smaller than that of Shanghai.

As soon as the fleet approached the dock, many poles were already hung with red and green lights. This really frightened Qi Hui, such a standardized treatment is by no means backward compared to Shanghai Wharf.

"What's going on?" Qi Hui asked the signalman next to him. Ever since they got on this ship and entered the water sphere of influence of the insurance group, the signalmen began to come in handy frequently. Communicating with signals on land and water, these signalmen are always able to come up with ways that seem strange in Qi Huishen.

"Mr. Qi, the horizontal row of lights on each pole indicates the number of mooring positions it is. A vertical line of lights below tells how many boats can be parked at each berth. The boat we sent out not so long ago was a pilot. They have already told the dock the number and size of our fleet. These lights are the ones that tell us how many boats we can park. Shortly there will be a boat coming and telling us how to moor. ”

"Wouldn't it be okay to stop the ship in order?" Qi Hui asked curiously.

"There are also some unloading issues. Some berths can be unloaded, and some berths are just dedicated to parking ships. Can this be arranged? Otherwise, it's a mess. The signalman explained seriously.

It turned out that there was such a complicated set of management, Qi Huishen had a feeling of sudden realization, and he smiled: "Thank you, Comrade Zhao." I just understood what you said. ”

"Mr. Qi, you're welcome. It's my job. The signalman replied very seriously.

Qi Huishen could hear that there was a sense of pride in the signalman's voice. He can also understand that the signalman has long been told that Qi Huishen is a big figure in the People's Party, and he came from Shanghai and went to Fengtai County for the first time. And such a complex water management system does have something to be proud of for signalmen.

Sure enough, as the signalman had said, two small boats approached the flotilla from the dock. But not quite close. The boat was lit up with red and green lights, and the lights were constantly changing. The signalmen on each boat also communicated with signals that Qi Huishen did not understand at all. There were no trumpets, no shouting, just the sound of water hitting the surface of the water as the oars stroked. The flotilla entered their respective berths in an orderly manner under the command of the signalman.

"Comrades who disembark, please bring your own things and get off the boat quickly." As soon as the fleet landed, someone in the berth began to shout through the microphone. An hour before the ship docked, the people in the flotilla had already informed them of the incident. Wang Qinian and his uncle Wang Yuelong hurriedly lifted their suitcases and followed the flow of people with backpacks to the shore.

"Qi Nian, this People's Party really looks like that." Wang Yuelong praised, "Just looking at the rules of the dock, the dock in Manila is nothing more than that." ”

"Uncle, Mr. Chen Ke is indeed not an ordinary person. Up to now, isn't there no imitator of the medicine in Shanghai in Nanyang? Wang Qinian said with a smile.

Wang Yuelong was obviously very satisfied with his nephew's choice, and he also smiled: "There are many foreign devils who dye flowers and willows, and a year ago I thought that as soon as the formula of this medicine was announced, a large number of European foreign medicines would enter the South Seas. I really didn't expect that this year, not only did European foreign medicine not enter the South Seas, but I made a lot of money by selling the medicine to Europe and India. ”

Wang Qinian didn't care much about his uncle's praise, he looked around, and suddenly he pointed to the group of people on the dock and said, "Uncle, look. The tall man on the dock was Mr. Chen Kechen. ”

Wang Yuelong looked in the direction of his nephew's finger, but he saw some tall and short people on the dock, and he couldn't tell which one was Chen Ke that his nephew said. Because of the upward viewing angle, he couldn't even tell which was the tallest. saw that Qi Huishen had already stepped forward quickly, and a tall man on the dock also walked up quickly, and the two clasped their hands tightly. Wang Yuelong knew that Qi Huishen was the supreme leader of the Shanghai branch of the People's Party, and he thought that the short-haired tall young man opposite was Chen Ke, whom his nephew had always admired.

After nearly a year of separation, when Qi Huishen saw Chen Ke again, he saw this companion who had led his comrades to vow to create a new China, and his heart was full of excitement. Since Chen Ke left, Qi Huishen has led the party branch in Shanghai to work hard and work hard. After the floods in Anhui, communication between the two sides was interrupted for a time. However, at this time, many Anhui victims had already fled into Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Qi Huishen specially investigated the victims, and when these victims talked about the flood they had personally experienced, they were really crying blood. Death, death, death, nothing else is narrated by the victims except for all kinds of hunger and death. Listening to the first-hand account of this terrible disaster made Qi Hui feel chilled to the bone. Those who can run to Anhui are no longer considered victims of the hardest-hit areas. And what Fengtai County, which is at the core of the disaster area, will look like, Qi Huishen can't imagine it at all.

Just when Qi Hui was deeply anxious but unable to think about it, he finally received a small team sent by Chen Ke. Chen Ke's letter does not contain the slightest complaint, but constantly tells how the revolution has progressed tenaciously. He asked Shanghai to provide ships and supplies, and the fleet would return to Fengtai County with these life-saving supplies.

Except for the comrades of the People's Party who worked hard to relieve the disaster under the leadership of Chen Ke, the news brought by this team was roughly the same as that of the victims. Qi Hui knows Chen Ke's personality very well, this young man who looks gentle on weekdays has an indescribable ruthlessness in his bones, as long as Chen Ke is determined to do something, then he must do it to the end. Although he knew the horror of the flood, Qi Huishen no longer said anything that could shake the morale of the army. He just used up all the connections of the comrades of the Shanghai branch according to Chen Ke's arrangement, and even used the strength of Yan Fu, Ma Xiangbo, the head of Fudan Public School, and the gentry they knew to get the ships and materials that Chen Ke needed, and determined that the fleet would not be troubled to the greatest extent. When sending the fleet away, Qi Huishen could even send his comrades on the ship with a smile. In fact, Qi Hui was extremely anxious in his heart.

In the months that followed, communication between the two sides remained subtly maintained. On the one hand, there is the news of the prosperity of various base areas brought by the fleet, and on the other hand, the more terrible situation in the disaster area brought by more victims. Qi Huishen couldn't figure out what was being said over there was the truth.

Today, he personally met the wharf in Fengtai County and met Chen Ke, and he finally believed that the founder of the People's Party and the supreme leader of the People's Party in front of him had fulfilled what he said in the letter about the establishment of a new base area. Needless to say, the fact that there is still room to build a new wharf in a disaster year is enough to prove the strength of the base area.

"Wen Qing, Wen Qing ......" Qi Hui was full of words, but he didn't know how to say it when it came to his mouth. He could only hold Chen Ke's hand tightly and shake it vigorously.

"Huishen, welcome to the Fengtai County base." Chen Ke was not as excited as Qi Huishen. Compared with a year ago, Qi Huishen has changed a lot. Originally, although Qi Huishen was very revolutionary and young, after all, he was born in a rich family and received a lot of education, so he was still quite elegant on the whole. But after nearly a year of separation, Qi Huishen's temperament has changed a lot, leading the work of the Shanghai branch, and preparing various materials, Qi Huishen has experienced so many things, and he has become a lot more mature. However, it can be seen that Qi Huishen is very worried these days, and there is an indescribable dark feeling between his eyebrows. That's what only people who worry about anxiety all day long.

And Qi Huishen looked at Chen Ke in his eyes, only half of them were happy, and the other emotions were mixed with a kind of worry that he couldn't believe the facts in front of him.

"Wenqing, everyone's okay." Qi Huishen finally held back the first question.

"It's all good, Zhenglan, Zudao, everyone's good. You're okay over there. The British didn't continue to trouble us, did they? Chen Ke said with a smile.

"Nothing happened in Shanghai. I'm just worried about you, there is such a big flood in Anhui, and many people have starved to death every day when they come to Shanghai. I worry about it every day. Qi Huishen said as he spoke, his eyes were red, and he couldn't help choking.

Chen Ke can think of how anxious Qi Huishen is these days, as long as he sees one thing, that is, every time he goes to Shanghai, the new fleet and new materials he receives are the maximum quantity, and he can know how much energy Qi Huishen has put into it. Thinking of this, Chen Ke couldn't help but say: "Huishen, thank you organizationally for your work and the comrades of the Shanghai branch." You have saved the people and the party. ”

Qi Huishen never imagined that Chen Ke would actually hold back such a sentence, although this kind of half-public and half-private words were nondescript, but they didn't sound fake at all, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter. Wiping away his tears, Qi Huishen asked, "Zhenglan, are they here?" ”

"Zhenglan is stationed in the Yuezhangji Insurance Group, and I am busy with work over there, so I haven't informed them for the time being." Chen Ke also smiled. As he was talking, he suddenly saw Qi Huishen's gaze fall behind him, and then he heard Qi Huishen ask in surprise: "Isn't that one behind Zhenglan?" ”

Chen Ke turned his head and saw Hua Xiongmao squeezing through the crowd and striding from behind him. Although he didn't know how Hua Xiongmao suddenly appeared here, Chen Ke smiled and said, "Say Cao Cao Cao arrived." Zhenglan is here. ”

As he was talking, Hua Xiongmao had already arrived, and he and Qi Huishen shook hands tightly, "Huishen, you miss me to death." ”

Although everyone is reunited after a long absence, after all, they have done a lot of great things in the past year, and although they are excited, they all know that they should do what they need to do well. This time, the fleet not only brought a large number of materials and machinery, but more importantly, many comrades from Beijing and Shanghai finally arrived. Qi Huishen hurriedly took Chen Ke to meet everyone.

Qin Tongren and Xu Erba of the Beijing branch, the technicians of these cellular farms, Wang Qinian, Xie Mingxian and others in Shanghai, and many new party members who are developing in Shanghai have all disembarked. After a brief meeting, Chen Ke led the team and took these new comrades to the direction of the barracks of the insurance regiment.

Most of the new comrades came to Fengtai County for the first time, and most of them came to Anhui for the first time. Everyone already knows a lot about this flood, although I heard that Chen Ke and others have laid a big situation in Fengtai County, and they can even overcome the flood. But before I saw it with my own eyes, everyone didn't believe it. Now that they have seen the order of the dock with their own eyes, many people believe that Chen Ke and they have really created a real situation. However, when they followed Chen Ke and them to the barracks, they saw many camps of disaster victims along the way, and everyone did not believe that Chen Ke had overcome the flood.

It's already night, and it's impossible to have a big feast. Qi Huishen had already given Chen Ke the roster of people who came this time, and the logistics department divided the dormitory. The crowd first lined up on the playground to make sure that no one was lost. Then the comrades from the logistics department took everyone to their dormitories. Dropped off my luggage and made my bed. The people were gathered together again and went to the cafeteria, the water room, the bathhouse, and the latrine. Then the meal began.

The potato-based food filled the stomachs of these comrades who had come from afar, and everyone was rushed to take a bath. Then he was arranged to go to the dormitory to rest.

Due to the temporary division of dormitories according to geography, Qin Tongren, Xu Erba and others were arranged into a dormitory. There were eight people crammed into a room. Many of us have never slept in a bunk bed, and the straw mats are not so comfortable. In addition, northerners are not very accustomed to taking boats, Xu Erba couldn't sleep on the top bunk, so he simply opened the conversation. "Mr. Qin, what do you think of this Fengtai County now. I don't think I've subsided the disaster as I said. ”

"Hmph, Wen Qing's ability is not small. Don't talk nonsense. Qin Tongren replied calmly.

"Why do you say that?" Xu Erba felt very puzzled.

Not only Xu Erba, but also other northern comrades who came with him were also a little confused. In addition, many comrades have not fully recovered after seasickness, although they are dizzy, but they are not sleepy, listening to Mr. Qin Tongren, who doesn't like to talk very much on weekdays, Mr. Qin opened his mouth, and several people in the room simply sat up, "Mr. Qin, you tell me." Why is Mr. Chen's ability not small? "These people have cooperated with Chen Ke's honeycomb coal yard in Beijing before, and although they know that Chen Ke is capable, they always feel that Chen Ke is not capable of anything.

Qin Tongren actually didn't feel very well, and he didn't feel too sleepy. And he has a good eye for it, and has noticed a lot of details that these colleagues in the same industry have not noticed. Although he didn't really want to succeed, he thought about it for a while, if he didn't explain the reason to these colleagues well, in case they talked nonsense, they would only be looked down upon. He simply sat up and explained, "Did you notice the smell of water when you took a shower?" ”

The kind of equipment that can run water as soon as the switch is turned on and off, and these comrades who are engaged in machinery can know what principle they use at a glance. In fact, there is running water in the Northern Concession, and the iron faucet is still much stronger than the goods made of bamboo in Anhui. People didn't pay much attention to it. But when it comes to the taste of water, people don't think it's impressive.

"The water doesn't smell good." Someone said.

"That's right, it's because there is no taste that it shows that Wen Qing is a great person. This is tap water. Qin Tongren explained.

"Tap water?" Everyone felt a little confused, "This Fengtai County is right by the water, how can there be no shortage of water." ”

Qin Tongren was very disappointed with these companions who did not have basic observation skills, "Let's take a boat all the way, how do you smell all day long." It smells very fishy. This tap water is treated water, and there is no fishy smell at all. Build a water plant to treat water. How much effort does it take to do this alone? This is a disaster area, not a city like Beijing or Tianjin. A small Fengtai county actually has tap water, and how many people in Beijing and Tianjin can use tap water? That's all rich people. We still use well water for water, but this is a military camp and has already used tap water. If you say that Wen Qing is incapable, so that those who understand hear it, won't you laugh off your big teeth? ”

Everyone thought about it for a while, and then it dawned on them. "I see."

However, Xu Erba was a little unconvinced, "This tap water is so expensive, Mr. Chen uses it like this, how much silver does it have to be wasted?" ”

Qin Tongren felt speechless when he heard this, and he didn't bother to explain this kind of elm head. Qin Tongren then talked about his views on the scene he saw all the way in this short time.

Although there are many victims in Fengtai County, there is no such situation of selling children and daughters, let alone crying and wiping tears, and the dead are everywhere. The victims just looked curiously at the large group of people marching with torches. Qin Tongren observed that in addition to his own brigade, there were also many people wearing clothes similar to Chen Ke's style in a team of five, and they also carried torches to patrol the gathering areas of those disaster victims. Although there was a very vigilant posture, there was no disturbance. In this public order situation, although there is no talk of living and working in peace and contentment, at least it can be sworn to be orderly. It is not easy to manage a disaster area like this.

It was only after talking about what they had observed that everyone remembered these details. Everyone tasted Qin Tongren's words repeatedly, and then they felt that it made a lot of sense. Moreover, Mr. Qin was able to see so many things, and everyone's admiration immediately gushed out.

Seeing that everyone had accepted their own point of view, Qin Tongren then went down and said: "This Fengtai County belongs to Fengyang Mansion. Fengyang Flower Drum sang that since Zhu Yuanzhang came out, there have been nine years of famine in ten years. It's not a wealthy place in the first place. Wen Qing came here, and it was only a year after the full fight, plus this big flood. According to what the Fengyang flower drum said, there is no flood, and it is also the appearance of disasters everywhere. It definitely can't compare to the rich places in Jiangnan. Now there is a catastrophe here, but there is order. And although the food we eat is not very delicious, we can eat enough food. If Wen Qing only cares about his own people's food, and the victims outside have no food, do you think they can be so quiet? ”

The crowd didn't say much, just nodded silently in the dark.

"Wen Qing can get this disaster area to this extent, I think he must have a lot of things that we haven't seen. Rest now, everyone, there will be more things to do starting tomorrow. Don't delay your rest, yawn tomorrow. It's just a matter of underestimating us. After Qin Tongren finished speaking, he took the lead in lying down and falling asleep.

Everyone didn't dare to disturb Mr. Qin's sleep anymore, whether they could fall asleep or not. They all lay down quietly. After a while, everyone slowly fell asleep.