Hearing Yan Huiqing ask about industry and commerce instead of land, Li Shiguang's gaze became sharp. He Rui was aware that Yan Huiqing was acquainted with many industrial and commercial owners, but Yan Huiqing himself spent all his money on his children's education and had no funds to open factories. Yan Huiqing had also donated his family's land, so this question must have been asked on behalf of those around him. He Rui stood up and invited Yan Huiqing and Li Shiguang to sit on the sofa. He Rui smiled and said, "Brother Yan, since we are chatting, why not address each other as brothers?"

Yan Huiqing had graduated from the Tongwen Guan (a foreign language school opened by the Qing Dynasty) in his early years, and later studied at the University of Virginia in the United States. He had not met He Rui many times, but he knew that He Rui, just as Zhao Tianlin had said, was a 'Military Scientist' rather than a traditional Beiyang soldier. Traditional soldiers regarded military service as a lifelong profession, and inevitably had that soldierly manner—stern and grim expressions, and a bearing full of oppression. As a 'Military Scientist', He Rui was just a scholar, like a 'Jurist', 'Chemist', or 'Mathematician'.

Hearing He Rui use the way scholars communicate to build a discussion atmosphere fit Yan Huiqing's expectations exactly. He sighed, "Brother He, you changed the Republic's New Year's Day back to the beginning of the year, showing you understand Chinese culture very well. Why don't you choose a courtesy name for yourself? This is a bit too modern."

"Brother Yan, China's situation is as precarious as a stack of eggs. Our most urgent task is to stop the trend of the Divine Land sinking with maximum efficiency, and make China return to the path of forward development. I went out to study when I was young, and now I cannot do these things, to avoid subordinates following suit."

Although Yan Huiqing didn't quite understand what He Rui meant by 'subordinates following suit', he could understand the necessity of keeping everything simple. He nodded, "Brother He, the matter of land redemption involves a great deal. Distributing land to the people for free is naturally a benevolent policy. This decision involves such a wide range and has such a deep impact that I, your foolish brother, have thought about it and have absolutely no clue. If Brother He is willing to give some guidance, I would be overjoyed."

"Brother Yan, forgive my presumption, have you ever read the 'History of Song'? Or perhaps read some foreign economics works?"

Yan Huiqing had read many books but had not researched them, so he answered frankly, "I have browsed a little, but know nothing. Brother He might as well speak more simply to avoid a lot of trouble."

He Rui thought for a moment and asked, "Brother Yan, what is China's primary task right now? How much has been completed?"

Yan Huiqing answered immediately, "Naturally, it is to determine national security and not be subjected to continuous foreign threats. Now most of it has been completed."

"China will not suffer a foreign military invasion. The greatest result of this is that China can formulate and implement long-term, stable economic development policies, without worrying that the policy execution period will be interrupted when formulating policies. As for the foundation of economic development policies, it is the stability of the regime. The policy of distributing land use rights to the masses is not a benevolent policy, but an urgent task concerning whether the regime can be stable."

"Oh?" Yan Huiqing's spirit rose upon hearing He Rui say this, and he quickly said, "I wish to hear the details."

"A socialist regime naturally tends to protect the lower classes and does not accept the model of satisfying the maximization of interests of those who control the means of production at the expense of the lower classes." Saying this, He Rui paused deliberately, wanting to see Yan Huiqing's reaction.

Sure enough, he saw confusion in Yan Huiqing's expression. However, Yan Huiqing did not hide it; he asked straightforwardly, "These terms are too profound. Please change to a simpler way of speaking, Brother He."

He Rui satisfied Yan Huiqing's request. "Currently, families in China who rely on their own land to maintain their livelihood account for about one-fifth of China's total population. The remaining four-fifths all live in a state of precariousness. Distributing land use rights means that these sources of social unrest immediately become sources of social stability. As long as society can stabilize, the people, through labor, can not only eat their fill but also have a little surplus. At the end of every year, in addition to preparing seeds and farm tools for next year's cultivation, there is still spare money to make two sets of clothes for the family. The whole society has embarked on a path of development."

Yan Huiqing originally thought that He Rui's main recent goal was to end the chaos and restore order. He didn't expect that the purpose of He Rui's policy was actually to solve the poverty of the people. In his excitement, he couldn't help but praise, "If everyone doesn't go hungry and can buy two sets of clothes every year, this is a time of peace and prosperity!"

He Rui was not excited. He continued calmly, "In Chinese history, such times were few, and times when the people generally encountered various problems were many. The reason lies in the fact that economic development cannot keep up with population growth. China has a large population and needs to develop faster to solve this problem. At this time, we can talk about the industrial and commercial issues Brother Yan asked about."

Yan Huiqing looked at He Rui, wanting to know immediately what kind of future He Rui had planned for industry and commerce. He heard He Rui say, "Since the Westernization Movement began, Chinese industry has started. However, Chinese industry has never been able to develop. A major reason is that a system adapted to industrial development has not been established. The new government aims to create an environment suitable for industrial development at this stage. As long as they abide by the relevant Labor Law, Education Law, National Security Law, and other regulations, industry and commerce can develop to the best of their ability."

He thought He Rui would propose some extraordinary plan for industrial and commercial development, but he didn't expect just these few sentences. Yan Huiqing felt that something seemed wrong, so he pressed, "Brother He speaking like this really makes one unable to make heads or tails of it."

He Rui smiled, "Brother Yan, this is making it hard for me. These are formulated and executed by relevant government departments. The text in the outline manual issued to industrial and commercial owners has tens of thousands of words; I haven't even read it. if Brother Yan cares, why not go ask for one and read it yourself."

Hearing He Rui say this, Yan Huiqing felt a burst of shame in his heart. He Rui's work was to formulate policy, not to do this specific work. He was confused by concern and had actually forgotten this. He picked up his water glass and drank a mouthful of plain water to calm his mood.

After regaining his composure, Yan Huiqing asked a question he had never been able to find an answer to from others, "Brother He. Even if industrial development cannot be said to be known to everyone, it is not a secret among the Great Powers. However, the results of industrial development in various countries are widely different. Some people speak of the issue of national character. I wonder what Brother He thinks of this?"

Seeing Yan Huiqing care so much about the so-called national character view, He Rui felt it was quite funny, but this kind of view was actually quite influential within China, and He Rui couldn't help but answer, "Cultural accumulation has a great influence on all countries; this is inevitable. The so-called national character is just nonsense. British and French industry once surpassed Germany. Germany, as a latecomer to industry, developed extremely fast. This is the result of the state promoting industrial development. And what are the dominant categories of Germany in industrial varieties now? Brother Yan should have some understanding, right?"

Yan Huiqing thought for a while, "Germany is renowned for products requiring exquisite craftsmanship. German products are technologically advanced and exquisitely crafted. Is this not related to the Germanic national character?"

"The term 'Germanic nation' appeared in the German states after 1840. It has been less than 100 years until now. When the term 'Germanic nation' appeared, it was considered that the Germanic nation was backward and weak. It was necessary to learn the advantages of other nations, get rid of Germany's backward national character, and build a great will. When the 'Germanic nation' was proposed, there was absolutely no saying that the Germanic nation was born rigorous and serious. If there really exists a naturally rigorous and serious Germanic nation, then there is only one explanation. 80 years ago, the Germanic nation was swapped by some force. From that day on, every German born was naturally rigorous and serious."

Yan Huiqing didn't expect He Rui to explain it this way and was stunned for a moment. Li Shiguang beside them was amused and let out a 'Ha' of laughter. In his surprise, Yan Huiqing thought carefully and found that this comical conclusion was actually built on a completely reasonable logic. Now Yan Huiqing didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but still felt something was wrong.

He Rui continued to explain, "Britain and France both have vast colonies. The populations of both countries are a little over 40 million. Germany has a population of 65 million. Britain and France can plunder from colonies to deal with internal problems. Germany has no colonies. When encountering economic problems, it can only obtain revenue by selling goods externally. Britain and France have their own industrial systems, and German similar goods cannot be dumped in the British and French markets. To obtain a market, Germany can only work on technology iteration and process development. In this way, German goods can be sold. That is to say, the advanced technology and exquisite craftsmanship of German industry were forced out by reality. Moreover, for advanced technology and craftsmanship, the cost cannot be too high. If the price is too high, it also cannot be sold. If German enterprises cannot do this, they have to close down and go bankrupt. Those who can survive until now are certainly enterprises that possess these characteristics. Just looking at the German enterprises that have survived until now, one naturally feels that German enterprises are very advanced. If one looks at it from the history of German industrial development, one will understand how cruel market competition is. Enterprises that are not excellent enough will all go bankrupt."

Yan Huiqing only felt his inner thoughts surging. The explanation He Rui proposed was very persuasive, and Yan Huiqing wanted very much to accept such an explanation. However, He Rui's explanation was too simple and clear, which made Yan Huiqing feel confused again.

Distributing land can allow landless peasants to return to a self-sufficient life from their current destitute life; Yan Huiqing could easily understand and accept this. But engaging in industry was actually also this simple and straightforward? Yan Huiqing felt a sense of incongruity in his heart. If things were this simple, why has Chinese industry never truly developed in the 60 years from the Westernization Movement to now? Apart from the reason of foreign enemy invasion, there must be other reasons.

He wanted to speak, but at this moment, He Rui's secretary came in to report, "Chairman, the next meeting is about to start."

He Rui stood up and extended his hand to Yan Huiqing, "Brother Yan, if there are industrial and commercial owners asking you about your views on the policy, just tell them that the new government supports industrial and commercial development, and for specific questions, they should go to the local government to understand national policies. I will take my leave for today."

Yan Huiqing quickly stood up and held He Rui's hand, "Chairman He, I still hope to have the opportunity to ask for advice in person. Talking with Chairman He, I have a feeling of sudden enlightenment."

He Rui smiled, let go of Yan Huiqing's hand, and under the guidance of the secretary, took Li Shiguang with him to the nearby conference room. At this time, all the comrades had arrived. After He Rui and the others took their seats, the executive chairman of this meeting, Minister Zhao Tianlin, who was in charge of science, education, culture, and health, began to speak about the theme of this time. "Regarding land redemption, it has already been promoted in the Beijing-Tianjin-Zhili area, and the results in the Beijing-Tianjin area are impressive. The local landlords are quite knowledgeable, knowing that there is absolutely no possibility of armed confrontation, and the execution speed is extremely fast. At this stage, we have already begun to enter the land distribution phase. However, comrades in other regions have many ideas. The opinions that comrades have collected will be discussed here."

After Zhao finished, Organization Minister Xu Jia followed with a speech, "The Party has already communicated the policy content to the grassroots. Comrades are very supportive of the policy of completely realizing land state ownership through land nationalization. Comrades have accepted the policy that we do not aim to physically eliminate all landlords. For evil landlords who have committed crimes, physical elimination and confiscation of land are carried out. Comrades are very supportive. The parts where comrades' thinking diverges are mainly the following points."

Speaking of this, Organization Minister Xu Jia opened the content at the back, "Why not distribute the land to the people first, and then redeem the land from the people? This is the question raised the most. The organization has already made an explanation and is trying its best to unify understanding. Among the reasons causing the bankruptcy of landless people, private ownership of land is certainly an important reason. Once private ownership of land is eliminated, the people's living standards will rise rapidly, and this problem can be solved in the short term. Moreover, those qualified to have their land redeemed are landlords who have no crimes and have not taken up armed resistance because of their political stupidity. Redeeming their land can reduce our opposition to them to an acceptable level."

After reading this summary, Xu Jia asked, "Chairman, the comrades' emotions are still very strong. Please give instructions on this."

He Rui had long thought about these issues. Since the situation had progressed to a new stage, it was also time to speak about it. He Rui began to speak frankly, "At this stage, we are only establishing a government locally, and the conflict with the local areas has not yet fully unfolded. Therefore, among the people comrades see jumping up and down, there are still many who must be resolved. It is easy for comrades to intuitively think that all landlords and gentry are like this. Once military action begins, everyone will see a huge change."

The level of understanding of the comrades attending the meeting was much higher than that of the grassroots. He Rui's answer addressing the grassroots' mood was full of bloodiness in these comrades' feelings, and their expressions unconsciously became extremely serious. However, everyone also knew that if it were the current grassroots comrades hearing He Rui's words, perhaps they would smile.

He Rui continued to explain, "Comrades see those landlords getting money, and their mood will naturally be unhappy. This is a human instinct reaction. Some comrades will think that those landlords have made a profit and are secretly rejoicing in their hearts. This is not the fact."

Speaking of this, He Rui's mouth was a little dry. He picked up his teacup and took a sip before continuing to explain, "Currently, China's land is in the hands of the old upper and middle strata. These people not only want to use land to earn rent but also want to obtain political benefits through controlling land and corresponding product transportation, from the source of grain production, acquisition, sales, and other means. As long as the government does not exchange equal political privileges with them based on the amount of land, these old upper and upper-middle strata losing land ownership means they lose the many powers derived from land. The little money they get is negligible compared to what they lose. Their hearts must be painful, much more painful than we can imagine. There is absolutely no joy to speak of. On this point, comrades must be clear. In terms of attitude adjustment, I hope comrades can all possess the ability to seek truth from facts; this is a powerful tool for understanding the real world."

The meeting secretaries recorded quickly to provide content for the subsequent meeting summary. Seeing that the first problem was solved, Xu Jia continued to raise other questions. "Many comrades have doubts. Since we can completely resolve those landlords without spending a single cent, what is the benefit of adopting redemption?"

He Rui did not think; he had completed the thinking on these contents long ago, and only needed to elaborate when the policy was pushed to a corresponding degree. "The Civilization Party is a communist party, and its thinking must be based on reality. The current landlords arrived locally earlier than we did, and their purpose in becoming landlords was not to confront us. When they became landlords, the Civilization Party had not been founded. That is to say, we are the outsiders, the latecomers. Fully understanding this matter helps to clearly distinguish between ourselves and the enemy."

"According to the social status quo, what we want to unite is the broad masses of the bottom layer. As outsiders and latecomers, the masses of the people know very little about us, or even nothing at all. Let alone so-called trust. In such a realistic environment, the judgment of the broad masses of the people on us is entirely based on their simple understanding. If our actions go beyond their understanding, it will trigger misunderstandings, and misunderstanding is precisely the starting point of the chain of suspicion."

"Make a note to emphasize this sentence later and explain it clearly to the comrades. Human heads are not chives; they don't grow back after being cut. This is not only something we can understand but also something the masses of the people can understand. When those evil tyrants who committed crimes are killed, the masses will feel that they should have suffered retribution long ago, and now the retribution has come. For those guys who stupidly resisted the land policy and were defeated and killed in battle, the masses will feel that this bunch of people didn't understand, were insensible, and had no eyes. They actually confronted the government directly and courted their own destruction. regarding the destruction of these people, as long as our evidence is conclusive and our propaganda is in place, the masses can also understand."

"But!" He Rui increased his tone, "But, for landlords who have not committed crimes worthy of beheading and are not stupid enough to confront the government, if they are killed, the masses cannot understand, yet they have to try to understand. Then, they will definitely produce misunderstandings. This will cause a huge impact on our work. As for the landlords, they have already submitted. If they are deprived again, they will definitely fight to the death. At that time, people who originally would not have died at all will be swept into such fierce conflicts, and corpses will litter the fields. While creating a large number of tragedies that could have been avoided, it also delays the time for land reform. In this world, human lives and time are both more precious than money. If spending money can save human lives and save time, this is undoubtedly a valuable redemption."

Speaking of this, He Rui asked Xu Jia, "Continue asking other questions."

Xu Jia's gaze was deep, obviously thinking about He Rui's explanation. Hearing He Rui ask this, he answered, "Chairman, originally there was another question about the amount of this money and the impact on the economy. Now I feel it seems no longer that important. The previous issues alone are enough to convince the comrades and unify their thinking."

"No. I don't think so." He Rui immediately expressed disagreement. "This is actually a very good question, and also a very important question. Only by calculating the accounts clearly can everyone reduce the resistance in their hearts."

After speaking, He Rui ordered the secretary to start writing numbers on the blackboard, and then explained to the comrades, "Quick land redemption saves one year of time. Our tax revenue is 30%. This grain means that our economic activities in the local area immediately become active. Comrades are either from the army or are southbound cadres, and have all learned some logistics and transportation knowledge. If we can allocate materials nearby, we save a lot of time and transportation costs. Farmers who receive land sell their surplus grain, and they will buy production materials and living materials. How many transactions has the input of this money created? It has played a huge role in the vitality of the local economy. Just like in the Northeast, it provided market purchasing power for the small commodity economy."

Most of the participating comrades knew this; they paid more attention to the numbers. The main reason why He Rui had to explain this issue was that only He Rui's personal explanation had authority. Although other leading cadres had the right of interpretation within their responsibilities, they were far inferior to He Rui's personal explanation.

He Rui had relied on these to persuade the comrades of the Central Committee before, and it was not too much to say it again at this time. "As for the little money the landlords get, it is all paper currency paid over ten years. Paper currency is worthless if it is not spent. So much currency flows into the market, completing production and sales. If some of the landlords use the money to open workshops, engage in handicraft factories, or even invest in industry, it will have a promoting effect on the economy. As for paper currency, this equivalent exchange, let's make a joke: once the central bank's printing press turns on, there is as much as you want. The government may lack everything, but it does not lack paper currency."

These words did not trigger the comrades' laughter. Everyone had too much serious work in their hearts, weighing heavily on their minds. This level of joke simply could not achieve the effect of making people laugh.

Xu Jia closed the prepared file, his heart still heavy. If the progress of the redemption policy could really be as He Rui described, it would naturally be a huge success. Completely eliminating the landlord class, solving the rural land problem, uniting the broad masses of people, and invigorating the economy—all kinds of problems could be solved through this redemption.

But can things really be this easy? Xu Jia believed that the land redemption policy could finally be implemented, but its process was destined to have too many unexpected waves.

As the executive chairman of this meeting, Zhao Tianlin began to invite other comrades to express their opinions. After Xu Jia spoke and asked questions, other comrades found that most of the problems seemed to have already been discussed, and the content they prepared was not particularly different. Even so, everyone still picked out the differences and raised questions, waiting until the participants completed the work stipulated by the process. Zhao Tianlin looked at his watch; it was already 12:30 late at night. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, "If comrades have no other questions, the meeting is adjourned."

When everyone had walked out of the conference room, Zhao Tianlin said to He Rui, who was sitting in his seat yawning, "Chairman, there is a group of people who insist on celebrating Lord Zhang's birthday in advance. What do they want to do? Seeking official positions?"

"What else can it be but seeking official positions?" He Rui answered wearily. This regime change, in the eyes of foreigners, was He Rui's regime driving away Duan Qirui. But in the eyes of the Beiyang people, it was not that case at all.

He Rui was ready to go to sleep, so he stood up and answered, "Let them be."

Zhao Tianlin wanted to express agreement but said nothing. This matter was quite funny, but also had considerable complexity. As the minister in charge of science, education, health, and culture, Zhao Tianlin still had quite a bit of pressure.