Chapter 42: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa, Chapter 42: Script Turmoil

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Lv Muzhi's script *The White-Haired Girl* was finished that very night, and after revisions the next day, he submitted it directly to the Political Department's office.

Inside the Political Department office sat Wu Instructor and secretaries Li Zhilong and He Zhonghan, busy with some documents.

"Huh? Muzhi, your script is already finished?" The instructor took the script from Lv Muzhi's hands.

"Oh, inspiration struck suddenly last night, I couldn't hold it back, so I just wrote it down in one go." Lv Muzhi touched his nose. This script was adapted by him from a later-generation play of the same name, *The White-Haired Girl*, a work beloved by the masses and soldiers in the liberated areas of later times.

Now was precisely the period of cooperation between the two factions, and after some modifications, Lv Muzhi's script had become one promoting revolutionary thought.

Wu Instructor sat on the office desk and began reading *The White-Haired Girl* script, while Li Zhilong and He Zhonghan sat on either side, each holding a sheet, passing them back and forth.

After a long while, Wu Instructor drew a deep breath: "Good, this script will definitely move our audience, whether workers or peasants, they can all fully understand the meaning it conveys!"

Li Zhilong nodded: "Not bad. The villains in here are indeed hateful. Landlord Huang Shiren coveted tenant farmer Yang Bailao's daughter Xi'er, and thus colluded with the local warlord Mu Renzhi. Huang Shiren imposed high rent and high interest on Yang Bailao, while Mu Renzhi used warlord military force to drive the Yang family to ruin. Finally, Yang Bailao could not repay the rent and debts, and had no choice but to sell Xi'er to Huang Shiren..."

Xi'er's lover Dachun was also driven out of the village by Huang Shiren. With nowhere to go, Dachun joined the Revolutionary Army, and together with the Revolutionary Army expelled the local warlord, exposed the fact that Huang Shiren was colluding with the warlord, tried Huang Shiren according to law, and finally reunited with Xi'er. The village land was redistributed, realizing the tiller's right to his own field.

"Our soldiers can deeply relate to this script. The soldiers almost all come from the countryside, have been tenants themselves or seen and heard related matters. Just the matter of redistributing land, performed within the troops, can strengthen the troops' ideological construction, and make everyone more enthusiastic about joining the revolution;

performed in factories and the countryside, it can also mobilize more people to join us." Li Zhilong pointed at the script and said happily.

He Zhonghan seemed to have caught onto some pretext: "Wu Instructor, regarding the plot about redistributing land, it should be deleted. The Grand Marshal's Office has not yet issued any related policy. This could easily lead to misunderstanding. Does Lv Muzhi's script perhaps contain the suspicion of misinterpreting the Grand Marshal's Office's policy?"

Lv Muzhi frowned. You, He Zhonghan, are everywhere.

He Zhonghan couldn't be indulged like this. He had to properly debate with this fellow.

"What Secretary He Zhonghan said is itself misinterpreting the Grand Marshal's meaning. The Grand Marshal's Three Principles of the People have long been telegraphed nationwide and made public. The advocacy of equal land rights within them is well known to all countrymen. My created script aims to promote the Grand Marshal's principles. How, in your place, has it become misinterpreting policy?"

"Hehe, you're using the Grand Marshal to pressure me? I'll ask you: among the policies we are currently implementing, is there any implementation of the land distribution spoken of in your script? If not, wouldn't that greatly disappoint those who support us? Wouldn't that be false propaganda?" He Zhonghan stood up, pointing a finger toward the window, looking full of momentum.

Wu Instructor, on the other hand, said nothing, but looked toward Lv Muzhi, wanting to see how Lv Muzhi would respond.

Li Zhilong was not flustered either. No matter how eloquent He Zhonghan was, before the even more eloquent Wu Instructor, all arguments would become sophistry.

When the time came, Wu Instructor would naturally settle matters. And Li Zhilong believed that Lv Muzhi's script would definitely pass Wu Instructor's test.

Lv Muzhi immediately responded to He Zhonghan: "There isn't now, so we can't promote it? We Whampoa students joined the revolution pursuing exactly what we don't have now. If the world were already peaceful, with no warlords and no imperialism, what revolution would we be making? If my script counts as false propaganda, then the Grand Marshal's call for us to rise in revolution is also false propaganda?"

"To expel warlords, to expel imperialism, we must throw ourselves into the revolution."

"If peasants want to redistribute land, they must also throw themselves into the revolution."

"The Grand Marshal never guaranteed that once one joins the revolution, warlords and imperialism will surrender, the country will be peaceful, and the ideals of Whampoa students will be realized."

"My script never said that joining the revolution means land will be distributed. All of this is based on the foundation of revolutionary success."

"Absurd, absurd..." He Zhonghan deployed his oratorical talent, about to refute.

"Good, good... enough, enough..." Wu Instructor forcibly interrupted He Zhonghan's words.

"In my opinion, Lv Muzhi's script is not bad. I want to use this script as the inaugural performance of our 'Blood Flower Drama Society'!" Li Zhilong voluntarily stood up to support Lv Muzhi.

"I agree too," Wu Instructor said with a smile.

He Zhonghan's face turned green. He stood with hands on hips, putting on an air of nonchalance, and waved his hand: "Since Wu Instructor has spoken, I have nothing more to say..."

He Zhonghan had originally thought Lv Muzhi was going too smoothly and had stolen his limelight with the Principal, intending to make things difficult for Lv Muzhi over the Blood Flower Drama Society matter. Unexpectedly, he ended up unable to step down himself.

If Wu Instructor hadn't forcibly interrupted, He Zhonghan would have debated with Lv Muzhi for ten-odd rounds.

Wu Instructor walked to He Zhonghan's side and patted his shoulder: "Dreams should still be had. Who knows, they might come true? Promoting land policy is not unreasonable, am I right?"

He Zhonghan nodded.

Li Zhilong handed the script to He Zhonghan, smiling: "Give this script to the Principal for review. Once it passes the Principal's test, our Blood Flower Drama Society can begin formal rehearsals."

Inside the Principal's office, the Principal casually flipped through the script He Zhonghan had brought, then set it aside: "Did the Political Department pass it?"

He Zhonghan nodded: "Wu Instructor has already reviewed it. You review it once more, and this script will be finalized."

"Then let's go by this script..." The Principal leaned over his office desk and continued handling documents.

"But Principal, this script written by Lv Muzhi, in my opinion has some unreasonable aspects. It needs to be sent back for revision!" He Zhonghan instigated.

"What's unreasonable about it? It's just distributing land. As long as this script can unite our soldiers and mobilize more common people to join the Revolutionary Army, these are not problems. What I need now is a united, strong force. If it doesn't help unity, don't say it."

"Also, let me remind you: the Grand Marshal's principles have already been explained at a grand meeting. I know you're talkative, but don't arbitrarily misinterpret the Grand Marshal's meaning. Listen and watch more at the Political Department, speak less, and just tell me what you see and hear."

He Zhonghan sighed softly, then said: "Principal, I feel that within the Blood Flower Drama Society, the proportion of the Worker-Peasant Faction is somewhat large. It might become their drama society. This drama society is a window for our Whampoa Military Academy to speak to the outside world. Shouldn't we tighten things up a bit?"

The Principal stopped writing, thought for a moment. Among the backbone of the Blood Flower Drama Society were Jiang Xiangyun, Li Zhilong, and He Zhonghan. The actual leader was Wu Instructor. Only He Zhonghan was from the Qingtian Faction. Doing this, the Blood Flower Drama Society might become a gathering place for the Worker-Peasant Faction.

The Blood Flower Drama Society would also go on tour in the future. It was a window for the Whampoa Military Academy to promote revolutionary thought and display itself to the outside world. If the atmosphere of the Worker-Peasant Faction was too strong inside, others would think the Whampoa Military Academy was all Worker-Peasant Faction.

The Principal needed to find a way to balance things. At the very least, this Blood Flower Drama Society could not become the sole outward face of the Whampoa Military Academy.