Li Xiaofeng actually observed Dzerzhinsky's expression while watching, he was well aware of Dzerzhinsky's temper, a comrade who regarded principles as more important than life. You can ask for his orders, but you can never make him abandon his principles.

For such old stubbornness, persuasion by conventional methods will not have any effect at all, and will even have the opposite effect. Only by fighting poison with poison and grasping the principle issues that Dzerzhinsky cares about the most can the man in the iron mask stay.

In addition to the problem of leading by example, the iron mask man is most concerned about the discipline of party members and cadres. Over the past few years, along with the improvement of the economy, there have indeed been many bad signs in the party, such as corruption, hedonism, bureaucracy, and other unhealthy tendencies spreading. Dzerzhinsky was anxious in his eyes, even if he tried his best to fight against unhealthy tendencies, but these poisonous weeds were always inexhaustible wildfires and spring breezes and reborn.

After several years of struggle, Dzerzhinsky has become depressed, and the fight against corruption and bureaucracy is talked about every year, every month, and every day, but corruption is still going on all the time. It is pointless to make an example of a hundred, sometimes Dzerzhinsky is depressed, and it is just a matter of corrupt ideological trends and corrupt soil in the new revolution and small revolutions, how can there be quite a number of old revolutions that are the most corrupt?

At that time, Dzerzhinsky personally interrogated these old revolutionaries, and he wanted to find out where the enthusiasm and hard and simple style of everyone when they made a revolution together in those years had gone. But to Dzerzhinsky's grief, he saw only some completely depraved wretched worms, in whom Dzerzhinsky could no longer see the slightest trace of a revolutionary.

And this experience touched Dzerzhinsky greatly. Why did these old revolutionaries who had been born and died with him become like this? Are these people changing? Or is the party's rules and regulations not perfect?

After a long period of thought. Dzerzhinsky believes that the reason is the latter. The power of certain comrades in the party is so great that in the face of absolute power, it is difficult to think of being neither corrupt nor bureaucratic. Truth be told, Dzerzhinsky was distressed by this discovery, and he tried to improve the system, but the executors of the current system were strongly opposed to change, and no one wanted to be restrained, especially those at the peak of power.

Even Trotsky and Sverdlov had advised him not to take it too seriously. Temporarily guaranteeing the stability of the party comes first, and during the Great Patriotic War, stability trumps everything.

Dzerzhinsky was very angry at such persuasion, and he naturally did not listen to it, and naturally continued to grasp the problems of corruption and bureaucracy. However, the effect of such efforts was really limited, and when his body collapsed, physical exhaustion and psychological depression made the Man in the Iron Mask think of giving up for the first time.

Dzerzhinsky told himself: "Felix, you didn't do what you should have done. Even if things keep getting worse and you can't do anything about it, that only says a thing. You've failed, and you're having problems with your ability to work. Case. Why didn't you abdicate sooner to make way for Hyun? ”

Under such self-hypnosis, Dzerzhinsky thought of resigning, he wanted to get rid of it all, he was so depressed. And now, Li Xiaofeng is openly exposing his scars and sprinkling salt on Dzerzhinsky's wounds, and a certain immortal is tantamount to saying: "If you retreat, things will not get better, but worse!" ”

Did Dzerzhinsky think about this possibility? Yes, but isn't the Man in the Iron Mask already a little self-defeating? So he seems to be very interested in this.

Seeing that the effect was not good, Li Xiaofeng hurriedly said: "Comrade Felix, I have heard a lot of gossip about our two departments recently, are you interested in hearing it?" ”

Dzerzhinsky glanced at someone, which meant that I didn't want to hear your nonsense, but Li Xiaofeng pretended not to see it at all, and said to himself: "Two middle school classmates met and then greeted each other. One asked, 'Where do you work now?' and the other replied: 'Be a teacher.'" What about you? ', 'KGB. The latter went on to ask: 'Ah, what exactly are you doing in the KGB?' The former replied solemnly: "We are responsible for finding out those who are dissatisfied with the country." The latter asked in surprise: 'What do you mean...... Anyone else is more satisfied? The former pouted and replied, "Oh, those people are not under our control, it is the Commission for Discipline Inspection that is responsible for them." ’”

Dzerzhinsky still had no expression, as if he hadn't heard a bad joke told by a certain immortal, and Li Xiaofeng could only say one more: "I attended a meeting a few days ago, and the host suddenly said: 'Now please sit on the left side of the meeting room for comrades who think socialism is good, and comrades who think capitalism is good for the right side of the room. Most of them sat on the left, a few on the right, and only one was still sitting in the middle. The moderator asked: 'This comrade, do you think socialism or capitalism is better?' The man replied: 'I think socialism is good, but my life is like capitalism.' This sentence made the host panic, and he hurriedly said: "Then please sit on the rostrum quickly." ’”

Dzerzhinsky's face changed, but he still couldn't hold back and didn't say anything, Li Xiaofeng smiled slightly, and continued: "Two days ago, I heard a joke about an old revolutionary who suddenly remembered his life experience in the countryside when he was exiled, and invited an old friend who still lived in the countryside to his home. At that time, the old revolutionary enthusiastically showed off his luxurious villas, imported cars and expensive furniture, and asked his old friends what they thought of all this. Guess how his friend answered? ”

Dzerzhinsky finally couldn't help it and asked: "How did you answer?" ”

Li Xiaofeng smiled: "This old man in the countryside asked nervously: 'My old friend, what should you do if all this you have is discovered by the Communist Party?' ’”

Dzerzhinsky slapped the table at the head of the bed heavily, and he could see that the old man was angry, but Li Xiaofeng said with added fuel to the fire: "This is nothing? There are still jokes, but even Comrade Lenin did not let go! ”

Dzerzhinsky was shocked, he exclaimed: "This is impossible! ”

Li Xiaofeng shrugged his shoulders and said: "It is said that there is an old lady in the countryside of Ukraine, and when she went to Kyiv for the first time, she saw a huge statue of Comrade Lenin. The old lady looked at it carefully for a while and then asked the passers-by, 'Why do you want to erect a statue of my old man?' ’。 The passer-by was very unhappy and scolded the old lady: 'You know what. This is the great Comrade Lenin! The old lady was stunned and asked: 'What did Lenin do?' The passer-by replied solemnly: 'He liberated the proletariat of the whole Soviet Union and drove out all the evil capitalists, nobles and landlords!' When she heard this, the old lady was delighted, and she asked with great interest: 'Can Comrade Lenin drive out the Communist Party as well?' ’”

Dzerzhinsky's face really changed this time. Li Xiaofeng shrugged his shoulders very indifferently and continued: "You think that's all? There are also quite a few jokes about bureaucracy, do you want to hear them? ”

Dzerzhinsky could imagine what those so-called jokes were, so he shook his head decisively: "No need! ”

Li Xiaofeng spread his hands and said: "Actually, I think it would be better for you to listen to it, and even I think that these jokes should be told to all the comrades of the Central Committee, so that they can see what kind of attitude our masses have towards their work." A considerable number of our comrades have now become only willing to listen to good words! ”

Dzerzhinsky gave a surprise glance at a certain immortal, who, as far as he knew, was definitely a vested interest in the current system, although he could not be said to be a supporter of the current system. How could someone who is supposed to defend his own interests tell him these questions.

"I just want to say to you. Comrade Felix, for the time being the USSR still needs you. There is no one to take over your job for the time being. I know you're bitter about the serious problems of corruption and bureaucracy, but there's not much you can do, so you want to give up on yourself. I have to tell you, this is not right! ”

Dzerzhinsky smiled miserably: "What's wrong? I don't see what has been achieved over the years, and if those jokes you tell are true, I have to say that it just says that it is a failure of my work! ”

Li Xiaofeng immediately continued: "Your work is indeed a failure, because from the beginning to the end, you have always single-handedly fought corruption and anti-bureaucracy, and always tried to solve problems by relying only on your own strength. Is this realistic? The power of the individual is always limited, and the fight against corruption and bureaucracy must not rely on a single person or a single institution. We have to create a system, and you have to tap into more people who can fight corruption and bureaucracy. Over the years, you have only made a fuss about corruption and bureaucracy, but you have never wanted more people to join the anti-corruption and anti-bureaucratic camp. At this point, you are even inferior to Comrade Ruzutak, at least he is now thinking about the issue of institution-building. ”

Dzerzhinsky fell into deep thought, to tell the truth, Li Xiaofeng was not bad at all, there has always been only one Dzerzhinsky who has been fighting all these years, and the other old revolutionaries have no interest in this, and the final result is that the stupid camel of the tired iron mask man is thankless in the end. There is even the dilemma that once Dzerzhinsky falls, there will be no one to take over the work of the Discipline Inspection Commission.

Dzerzhinsky began to review the gains and losses of the work of the past 20 years or so, and considered why the discipline inspection commission was always in a disconnected position. At this time, Li Xiaofeng continued: "It is extremely irresponsible for you to ask for retirement at this time. If you step down, who will take over your job? Is it Susnov or Georgi? To put it mildly, these two people, one is a pure empty ideologue who is just a lonely ideologue, and the other is only a foolish person who only knows how to run blindly after corruption and bureaucracy, and they can't bear your burden at all! When the time comes, corruption and bureaucracy will explode and spread, and you are willing to watch it happen? ”

Dzerzhinsky stopped talking, because Li Xiaofeng's words still touched him a lot, because someone's evaluation of Susnov and Georgy was appropriate. The strengths and weaknesses of these two are all too obvious.

After being silent for a long time, Dzerzhinsky suddenly asked: "Do you think that apart from the two of them, there are no other comrades in the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection who can do my job?" You also underestimate the Commission for Discipline Inspection ......"

Li Xiaofeng unceremoniously interrupted the man in the iron mask: "Who else?" At most, there is your secretary Xie Lepin, who can make up for a living. But this kid is far worse than you, too young and too young. Who will buy his account from the current Central Committee and the Politburo? Even a word can get him out. And to put it mildly. This Comrade Sherepin is your clone. The temper is exactly the same as yours, and it's so unpleasant. Unfortunately, he did not make it in time for the October Revolution. ”

Dzerzhinsky knew very well what a certain immortal meant by the last words of the Communists, and the present Communist Party was no longer the Bolsheviks of the October Revolution. Back then, it was easy for young people to excel and get ahead, but now, with everything institutionalized (or bureaucratized), young people have to have seniority if they want to get ahead, and neither the Politburo nor the Central Committee will allow a little kid in his twenties or thirties to dictate to them.

And this is what makes Dzerzhinsky the most distressed. Who said that only an old man fifty miles away can understand politics? In order to understand management? There are so many young and amazing geniuses in human history, if there is a mandatory age limit, can they still be so amazing?

In particular, what displeased Dzerzhinsky was that Trotsky and Sverdlov played a major role when they were twenty or thirty years old, so why did they forget themselves and become very particular about seniority? Does that thing really matter?

In Dzerzhinsky's view, a comrade between the ages of 30 and 40 is not able to do something that will make a difference, or show outstanding ability. Then at the age of fifty, sincerity is like that. After all, this is the law of nature, and the golden years of human beings are those ten or twenty years. After this age, only one year is not as good as one year. And the system now in place in the Soviet Union has basically stifled the possibility of people under the age of 50 playing a major role. Over time, it will become a country of old men. It will be a stagnant water in politics then!

Pity. Dzerzhinsky knew the importance of promoting young cadres, but he was unable to counter the general trend of the Soviet Union. The old revolutionaries of the older generation are so easy to become mothers-in-law, and it is so easy to occupy that position, how can they easily hand over the power in their hands?

And even if Dzerzhinsky is iron-faced and selfless, he can't not talk about it at all, people obviously don't make any big mistakes, it's just that Lenin and Trotsky's generation are in the way, and they can't be blamed for not working hard, right? So Dzerzhinsky was also quite helpless and didn't know what to do.

"According to you, isn't there no hope at all!" Dzerzhinsky asked depressedly.

Li Xiaofeng shrugged his shoulders and said, "If you continue to do the same thing as before and continue to fight alone, then there is really no hope at all." If you retire in such a rage, there is no hope for any young people! ”

Dzerzhinsky smiled and said, "After talking for a long time, you still hope that I don't retire, right?" ”

"Of course," Li Xiaofeng nodded sincerely, "but I hope that in your future work, you will discover more young cadres and give them more opportunities, and don't always fight alone, it doesn't make sense." Moreover, I hope you can pay more attention to the construction of the system, only by building the framework of the system, can it be implemented step by step! ”

Dzerzhinsky thought for a moment and said: "I don't make sense for the first point you mentioned, it's time to give young people more opportunities. But for the second point, isn't the current system okay? ”

"The problem of the official register system has been fully exposed," Li Xiaofeng said very seriously, "There are more and more cadres, but there are fewer and fewer people doing practical things." Too many people think that being an official is to get a golden job, and in the future, it will be a drought and flood to ensure the harvest, as long as you stay through the year and seniority, there will always be a day when you will 'get ahead'. What is even more frightening is that under the official register system, cadres can be promoted but not demoted, and the final result is bureaucracy and superfluity. It is necessary to break the lifelong system of leading cadres and not give opportunities and channels for those who only want to make a foolish living, boil up their qualifications, or slap their beards and slap horses. This is the only way to solve the problem at the root! ”

Dzerzhinsky is not a child, it is impossible to be fooled by Li Xiaofeng casually, he has heard too many similar rhetoric and beautiful slogans, and whether he can do it is the key.

"I know it's hard, there's a lot of resistance!" Li Xiaofeng said with a smile, "But I still want to do it, and I also have the opportunity to have time to do it." I still have more than twenty years left, and how long will those old bureaucratic revolutions remain? ”

Dzerzhinsky had to sigh that it was good to be young, and if he had more than twenty years, he would have rolled up his sleeves and made a big move. It's a pity that he doesn't have 20 years, and he may not even see whether someone can succeed in the future, but he is willing to contribute to someone who is willing to do it.

"Three years, Andrey, I will give you only three years," Dzerzhinsky said with unusual solemnity and seriousness, "during these three years, I will shift the focus of my work to young people, but after three years, no matter what you say, I will retire, this is the principle!" ”

Li Xiaofeng is satisfied with this result, because he knows very well that what he has gained is not only a stable three years, but more importantly, Dzerzhinsky's commitment to him. During these three years, as long as he did not make mistakes of principle, he was not afraid of the Man in the Iron Mask finding fault, and even when Trotsky and Sverdlov were looking for his fault, he could still get some kind of help from the Man in the Iron Mask, which was a bonus! (To be continued.) )

PS: Bow and thank you to the Nanyue Brute Dragon, the Bright Templar and Comrade Juventus → holding the Broken Lunzi and the righteous word at the head!