[center][img]https://pic1.zhimg.com/80/v2-1edcc5128251d62abe95aaf64c2baf3d_hd.jpg[/img] [img]https://img00.deviantart.net/791b/i/2011/332/a/e/alternate_flag_of_kazakhstan_by_goodyob-d4hmkb0.png[/img] [i][b]Huinan Commune and Dhanga Autonomy Party, Winter Red Turban Party Congress, Part 2[/b][/i][/center] Rinchen nodded politely as her compatriot droned on to her left - something about factories and the need for certain ores to produce some new explosive. The details of it were over her head, but she knew that this particular warlord had a penchant for wasting resources on new, experimental designs, each of which he swore would end the war in a day. She wanted no part in his next scheme, but gave him the courtesy of her attention. It didn’t do to make enemies, not in such uncertain times. She glanced over at Wise Brother in between sentences. Whether he or one of his allies would approach her was the question of the day. She had always made clear the conditions of her support; perhaps uniquely among ideologies and cliques she was of a more mercenary mindset. Would he meet her conditions? She wasn’t sure she trusted him to. A man who would slaughter his allies once might do it again, when they were no longer of use to him. “Madam?” “Oh, my apologies.” She smiled at the man. “Please, do go on…” As the man resumed his lecture, a small figure appeared in Rinchen’s field of vision, skillfully maneuvering towards her through the shifting crowds of larger and taller folk. A woman in drab military green, with no clear insignia of rank but for a single red star on her cap. In seconds, she was within feet of Rinchen. “Comrade Fung,” Wang Huifang offered respectfully to the ever-droning warlord. She then turned to Rinchen and smiled. “Comrade Tsultrim.” The man hesitated for a moment before replying with a perfunctory “Comrade Wang.” For another moment he seemed to contemplate resuming his lecture, but instead he turned away. “Remember! Aerial self-propelled heavy gas rocket batteries! Chemical attacks from above!” he shouted back like a parting shot, before melting back into the crowd. A brief pause. “You arrived right in time, Comrade Wang. I was running out of excuses for why I did not want to reroute multiple trains of bitunum.” “Huifang, please,” she replied with a smile. The Gonghui Guangtou wasn’t one for needless formality with those she considered friends, at least not once more uncertain characters had left the conversation. “And glad to be of service. I assume I didn’t miss out on Red Zengrav’s key to victory?” “The details elude me, but it seems he wanted to construct a rocket capable of reaching Kaifeng. Choden would have a fit if I said yes.” Huifang chuckled. “Projects for the next generation of Communists, perhaps? I do have to admire the man’s imagination…” her grin faded into a smile, and her tone grew a little more serious, “we’ll need that kind of thinking when we don’t all have to be soldiers and generals.” She sighed, “To be honest, I’m here with that time in mind. To talk about the society we are trying to build, and how to protect it from those who would rule by fear.” She didn’t need to name any names to make it clear who she was talking about. “To be fair, it’s to safeguard us here and now too.” “You’re about to propose something risky.” Rinchen crossed her arms. “Well? Out with it.” “A proposal on the Rights of Nationalities to Self-Determination,” Huifang answered, allowing her smile to return. “Something core to the Communist cause, and important to most of the delegates here. Not just us minority-nationals, but any Quin with minority constituents who isn’t an outright national-chauvinist or doctrinaire Holtist. But it hasn’t been put in writing yet, and I think we should change that today.” At times like this Rinchen had to rely on her knowledge of people, as the minutiae of communist policy escaped her. What Huifang said was true, obvious even. But proposing it now? Here? She was up to something. Based on her personality, it was probably something that would annoy their dear Elder Brother. “And you want my support, I assume?” She pointed out. “I suppose it is a good policy, but not one that’s particularly urgent right now. Surely we should be focusing on pushing north, what with the blacks distracted.” Huifang’s smile shrunk, and her eyes darted briefly into a corner before returning to Rinchen. “I wish things were that simple. I wish we could just focus on the campaign.” She paused and leaned forward. “Let me be blunt,” she spoke quietly. “You know the Brother’s views on questions of local autonomy, and on Minga national rights. You know he could turn those questions just as easily against you or me as anyone he’s already “purged,” or against any nationality that he decides is “reactionary by nature.” And you know as well as me that he hasn’t reached the limit of how low he’ll stoop to to impose those views.” Huifang took a deep breath. “This may be the last Party Congress where we can even count on a majority in favor of our national rights. But even if it isn’t, we rebels and rabble-rousers know that if we don’t stick together today, we can’t count on having anyone to stick to tomorrow. I know you don’t feel the pressure now. But if we don’t build *some* kind of coalition now, however loose, in favor of a basic level of Autonomism - Who will you count on when the Quin Chauvinist Brother finally [i]does[/i] start to chip away at Dhanga self-determination? Would you rather go guerilla again then, alone, against both the Reds and all our current enemies? Or would you rather have allies? Perhaps cut him off in the halls of Congress, and prevent the issue from coming to gunfire at all? Personally, between civil war, total obedience, or some kind of legal coalition while we can still make one I’m going with the third option.” “You won’t have a legal coalition against a man like that. You’re drawing lines in the sand, and he’ll certainly take it as a challenge.” She glanced around at the other warlords and delegates. Some she knew personally, many by reputation, and a few not at all. “I don’t necessarily disagree with your goal, but you must not be hasty, Huifang. How much support do you have?” Huifang gently moved her head from side to side, eyes shifting to scan for potential eavesdroppers. Then, she leaned in ever so slightly further towards Rinchen. “The Commune can always depend on its share of influence in Congress, like your own party,” she whispered. “We are also in contact with other factions of importance. I’m convinced that we can [i]redeem[/i] our cause” - the Society of Redemption, a strong and quickly-growing army under the Minga Hamutka Tzun, short only on exactly what the Commune had to offer: supplies and guarantees of ethnic self-determination - “and that our combined forces will [i]darken the sky[/i].” The Black Battalion of Zong, an anarchist city-state’s army brimming with eager foreign volunteers and directed by the brilliant tactician (and unfortunate opium addict) Do Hang. “I’m also very hopeful that, with dialogue and understanding, we will see [i]tomorrow’s dawn*[/i].” The Syndicalist Party of Tomorrow, a large and heavily-armed anti-Totalist splinter from the Red Turbans lead by Guo Yuhan, considered the Third Great Revolutionary (after the Red Father and Wise Brother). His opposition to current Red leadership and its ideology were no secret and went beyond even Wang’s open critiques of the Purges. All the factions to which Huifang alluded had representation at the Congress, though among their leaders only Hamutka Tzun was personally present. Certainly, by now, all had been reached by Huifang’s associates. But she wasn’t finished. “Outside of these halls, in the city and the towns and the villages - there are some friends and a dozen times their number in supporters who would join us when the Wise stops looking Strong.” That was to say, Huifang had contacts in Siban-Ta itself and other settlements in the region, an opposition that might go public given a moment of failure or weakness from Reg-Ahn. A brief pause of consideration. “Very well. You’ll have my support as well. What is our plan of operation?” “For now, the written proposal,” Huifang reiterated. “Something that even the Brother can’t condemn publicly without losing face, but also something that will limit his power. And something he will probably violate, as he has already, but after this -if we catch him- it will be a documented violation of a Party statute.” She smiled knowingly. “Like you said, a line in the sand. “From there, we will have to focus on making friends. I’ve told you about my contacts, and I’m sure you have and can make more of your own. I still hope that, with enough support and the right conditions, we can work this out within the Party. But either way, we can’t go alone.” “We mustn’t overcommit and tip our hand too soon.” Tsultrim decided. “Our Elder Brother is no fool. He will be expecting some move in congress; I suspect he is prepared for it. He will try to bait you into open defiance and watch for who aligns against him. Keep your aces off the table” - by which she meant, keep some of their important supporters off the proposal and in the background - “and avoid a confrontation.” Wang Huifang considered her comrade’s words with eyes narrowed in thought. Personally, she was itching for a showdown. But Rinchen had a point. “Fair enough. My reputation’s already set and made, but no need to drag others into it before they’re ready. We’ll found our front in one moment, and reveal it in another.” “I’ll sign as well. My ‘mercenary’ nature is already well known. No one will be surprised to see me pushing for ethnic autonomy.” “I would hope no one would be surprised to see [i]anyone[/i] push for national self-determination in a Party Congress. But that’s not where the Party’s at.” Huifang sighed. “Anyways, let’s draft this thing before Comrade Fung comes back with another mineral request.” __ [i][u]ON THE NATIONAL QUESTION IN THE P.R. ZENGRAV[/u] [b]Twice No to Reactionary Patriotism, Yes to Socialist Solidarity![/b] - NO, the People’s Republic is not a nation-state! The Nationalists, like their Lukanian masters, enforce one language and one tradition in public life, mandating physical or social eradication of all others. The Republicans do the same more “gently” in their schools and company towns. The People’s Republic recognizes the many-nation history of Zengrav! - NO, the People’s Republic is not an Empire! The Royalists, like their Commonwealth idols, recognize many nations – one as Master and all others as Subjects. They sort us into ranks and pit us against one another. The People’s Republic recognizes the equality of nationalities! - YES, the People’s Republic is a free union of peoples and settlements! We recognize and oppose national oppression. We recognize the right of nationalities to self-determination. We recognize that every nation has a proletarian element to win power and a bourgeois-feudal element to overthrow. [b]Nationalities in the P.R. Zengrav Affirm their Rights! - We may[/b] - Organize, on the basis of nationality, specifically against national oppression during revolution and to defend these gains post-revolution. - Organize among comrades of other nationalities on an equal basis in all Party organs not aimed at the two purposes above. - Conduct life – public and private, community and individual – in our native languages. - Freely practice customs and traditions that can be reconciled with Socialism. - Maintain – in a socialist manner – traditional means of production and survival. These include nomadic and diasporic traditions – pastoral herds, boat communities, caravans, and ancestral homes among other nationalities. - Enjoy the absolute guarantee of the People’s Republic against pogroms, forced deportation, and forced relocation on the basis of nationality. - Form, to enforce the above rights, self-governing districts, settlements and territories as federal member units of the P.R. Zengrav. Such units need not be territorially contiguous and may be formed by association of a single nationality, or by a coalition of nationalities. [b]To these ends, the People’s Republic of Zengrav provisionally establishes a Congress of Nationalities, subordinate to the Party Congress, of two representatives elected by each indigenous nationality of Zengrav.[/b] - Recognized nations include, but are not strictly limited to : Quin, Minga, Uzra, Gailziri, Zeh, Bashur, Bingal, Jorguk, Kāzé, Tu’wa, Yaar, and Dhanga. - Each nationality shall elect its councilors by popular vote conducted in the liberated territories of the PR Zengrav. Election of representatives shall be administered by their respective national communities and organizations. - Individually, the councilors shall be charged with representing the interests of their respective nationality and coordinating federal organs of national-cultural life. - Collectively, the Congress of Nationalities will lead the socialist struggle for Internationalism within the People’s Republic, opposing national chauvinism, xenophobia, lingering forms of national oppression, and infiltration of colonizer-imperialist notions of race supremacy. [/i] __________ (Collaboration between AspenIvan and Talis, follow up to Part 1: [url]https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4678510[/url])