Chapter 97

**Recommend, collect, and vote for the Three Rivers!**

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

According to the accounts of Han Si and Liu Peng, the Hongmen and the Heaven and Earth Society were actually the same organization, said to have been established by Zheng Chenggong and his military advisor Chen Yonghua (Chen Jinnan) as a secret organization with the mission of organizing and leading anti-Qing activities in mainland China—well, quite like the spies of later Taiwan!

Therefore, at the time of its establishment, the Hongmen and the Heaven and Earth Society had unified leadership and strict discipline. Chen Jinnan, the master of Wei Xiaobao, was the direct leader of the entire Hongmen and Heaven and Earth Society, while the head of the Zheng family in Taiwan was the supreme leader of the organization.

Unfortunately, after Taiwan was occupied by the Qing army, the true headquarters of the Hongmen and Heaven and Earth Society no longer existed. Although the Hongmen grew stronger over the next two centuries and launched several anti-Qing uprisings, they failed to pose any substantial threat to the Qing dynasty due to their disorganization.

However, despite the disorganization, the Hongmen and Heaven and Earth Society never abandoned the banner of "overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming." The members of the Hongmen and Heaven and Earth Society, according to later accounts, were all part of the proletariat, perhaps poor, but always full of the spirit of rebellion. Sun Yat-sen's anti-Manchu revolution in later times also began by inciting the members of the Hongmen to rebel, showing that the Hongmen and Heaven and Earth Society were still a force that could be utilized for rebellion.

Of course, Zhu Jishi also knew that the current members of the Hongmen and Heaven and Earth Society could not shoulder the responsibility of overthrowing the Qing dynasty. At best, they were just the mass base for the anti-Qing and pro-Ming movement.

"The Great Ming Mountain, although originating from the Hongmen, is completely different from other Hongmen mountain halls," Zhu Jishi said, pacing in his study and addressing his three subordinates. "The methods of the Hongmen have been tried for two hundred years and have failed to overthrow the Qing. This clearly shows that such methods are not viable. The Great Ming Mountain cannot repeat the same mistakes... The Great Ming Mountain must be a tightly united, progressive, and combative organization!"

Zhu Jishi spoke with excitement, waving his fist as if he already had a million troops under his command. The two men listening to him were filled with admiration.

A tightly united, progressive, and combative organization—sounds impressive! But how to achieve it?

"First, we need a leader!" Zhu Jishi glanced at Liu Peng and Han Si, raising his voice. "Since the Qing army occupied Taiwan, the Hongmen and Heaven and Earth Society have lacked a truly authoritative leader, which has led to the organization becoming increasingly disorganized and ineffective against the Qing. Therefore, the Great Ming Mountain must have a leader who can lead the masses, and that leader is me!"

Han Si and Liu Peng nodded vigorously. Of course, the leader could only be Zhu Jishi! He had the background, the money, and the family lineage, making him the perfect choice for a leader!

"All members of the Great Ming Mountain must swear allegiance to me, the leader, and absolutely obey my orders and principles!" Zhu Jishi continued.

The principle of minority服从majority, Zhu Jishi would not introduce to his "Great Ming Mountain" so soon. His absolute leadership was essential.

"The Great Ming Mountain is different from other Hongmen organizations and must have a guiding ideology that all members must remember and understand! This ideology is called Jishiism!"

The core ideas of "Jishiism" are currently three: 1) Establish a nation-state; 2) Chinese learning as the foundation, Western learning for practical use; 3) State regulation of class interests to ensure the basic living needs of the lower classes.

Establishing a nation-state elevates the slogan of "overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming" to a revolutionary ideology, telling the members that they are fighting for the nation, and that "overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming" represents the interests of the entire Chinese nation!

"Chinese learning as the foundation, Western learning for practical use" is the guiding principle for China's modernization. Clearly, a complete adoption of Western political ideas is not feasible! The great, glorious, and correct party of later times also said this, which is obviously the truth. Therefore, the "Chinese learning" system must not be abandoned! Just like the ideology of later times! What? Is the ideology of later times Western? This... I will have to ask Marx and Engels next time whether their ideology is Western or Eastern.

For Zhu Jishi, who was preparing to oppose the Qing dynasty, the traditional Confucianism of China could not be abandoned. The reason is simple: Han Si had attended a few days of private school and knew some Confucian principles. Liu Peng and Liu Jiong were well-versed in Confucian classics and had both participated in the county exams in Nanhai County, with Liu Peng even obtaining the title of scholar. Liu Peng also told Zhu Jishi that among the children of the Thirteen Factories in Guangzhou, there were countless scholars and even those who had passed the imperial exams. In the Jiangnan region, the Huizhou merchants, the Yangzhou salt merchants, and the Shanxi merchants had many children who entered the bureaucracy through the imperial exams, including high-ranking officials like Cao Zhenyong (whose grandfather was a major salt merchant in Yangzhou).

In the Hongmen and Heaven and Earth Society, there were also many scholars who had passed the imperial exams! Even in the Chinese schools in Southeast Asia, the Four Books and Five Classics were still taught.

In this era, whether in China or among the Chinese diaspora, whether in government, business, or the underworld, they were all Confucian disciples. To oppose the Qing dynasty, which was not yet on the decline, and to be wary of the imperialist powers, it would be extremely difficult to completely eliminate the deeply ingrained Confucian ideology.

As for the Confucian scholars who supported the Qing dynasty and opposed him, that was not a problem. He would have enlightened Confucian scholars to assist him, just as the British Empire could not ban Christianity in the country just because some of their former enemies believed in God.

The last point could also be called "people's livelihoodism," but there would be no equal distribution of land! The land of the Qing loyalist officials and landlords would definitely be confiscated, but it would not be distributed to the peasants without cause. Instead, it would be given to the meritorious members of the Hongmen and Heaven and Earth Society... The leaders of the Hongmen were certainly capable of causing trouble, but they could not be relied upon to manage affairs. It would be better to give them some land and titles to become landlords.

"Furthermore, the organization of the Great Ming Mountain must be strengthened and cannot follow the loose structure of the Hongmen. All members must obey the leadership of the central hall."

Zhu Jishi tried to recall the organizational structure of a certain party from the future and said, "The central hall of the Great Ming Mountain is called the Jishi Central Hall. Each province will have a branch hall called the Revival Branch Hall, and each county will have a branch hall called the Revival Incense Hall. The central hall, branch halls, and incense halls will all have committees as governing bodies. Currently, the central hall committee members are appointed by me, and the committee consists of me, Mu Wen, and Po Jun. The branch hall committee members will be appointed by the central hall committee, and the county incense hall committee members will be appointed by the branch hall. Under the central hall, branch hall, and incense hall committees, there will be military, propaganda, finance, personnel, and legal departments, responsible for leading armed struggles, propaganda, fundraising, financial management, developing new members, appointing officials, and enforcing the laws of the Great Ming Mountain."

In addition, the members of the county incense hall committees, as well as the members of the military, propaganda, finance, personnel, and legal departments, will be paid salaries by the Great Ming Mountain and will be professional revolutionaries. The Jishi Central Hall will also regularly provide activity funds to the branch halls and incense halls.

Oh? Liu Peng and Han Si nodded slightly, following the Great Ming Mountain in rebellion would mean earning money!

This was different from other Hongmen mountain halls, which had to be self-sufficient. Over the years, they had turned from rebels into "business organizations" and often engaged in illegal activities, leading to a lax and corrupt discipline.

"Lord, with millions of members, the funds cannot all come from the central hall, right?" Liu Peng calculated and reminded, "The branch halls and incense halls should also have the responsibility to raise funds. They can also start some businesses to serve as a cover and to raise funds. Additionally, the Jishi enterprises in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong can be operated by the members of the Great Ming Mountain..."

"No need!" Zhu Jishi waved his hand and said firmly, "The Jishi enterprises are the Jishi enterprises, and the Great Ming Mountain is the Great Ming Mountain. The central hall of the Great Ming Mountain will find ways to raise funds. With my shares in the Jishi enterprises, I can also raise funds from the wealthy merchants in Guangdong, Jiangnan, and other regions. There will be no shortage of funds, so the branch halls and incense halls do not need to worry. Starting businesses as a cover is fine, but not for profit."

According to Zhu Jishi's plan, the Jishi enterprises, the Great Ming Mountain, and the future Jishi Army must have clear lines of authority and must not be mixed up. The Jishi enterprises are business companies, and in business, one should focus on business without considering politics. The Great Ming Mountain is essentially a political party and should concentrate on politics, not on business, as that would only lead to losses. It would be better to use the profits from the Jishi enterprises to support the Great Ming Mountain!

As for the Jishi Army, it will be a pure military force, and a royal army! He intended to be the emperor, not the General Secretary of the Great Ming Communist Party, so the party army model was not suitable for the current Chinese situation.

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