Mengshan Army

Chen Chao's courtyard is in the center of Zhuangzi, a courtyard with blue bricks and two entrances, which stands out from the crowd of Chenjiaya where most of the houses are built of stone.The location of the courtyard and the building materials all showed Chao Chen's status.

Due to the limited terrain of Chenjiaya, the layout of Chenjiasiheyuan is different from that of the northern plain. Due to the terrain drop, the whole courtyard is higher in the north and lower in the south. Steps, enter from a moon gate on the west side of the main building in the south courtyard, and you will find the main courtyard where the owner lives.

The north courtyard is obviously neater and more spacious than the south courtyard.There are five rooms in the main room, which is where the owner lives. "Mr. Long, please," Chen Chao, who led the guests to the main courtyard, gestured to Long Qian. Just as Long Qian was about to speak, the door curtain was raised, and a tall and slender man The girl came out and saw the two strangers in the yard, she couldn't help "ah", and then asked, "Who are they?"

"Shu'er," Super Chen seemed to be dissatisfied with the girl's impoliteness, "These two are friends we just met, quickly boil water and make tea for us." After speaking, he smiled apologetically at Long Qian, "She is my niece, No excuse for being rude."

"How dare you, Mr. Chen is too polite." Long Qian smiled, and before he could see the girl's face clearly, she had already agreed and turned around to go to the east wing. A graceful figure.

Chen Chao let the guests into the living room and study room. These are the two rooms located at the west end of the main house. The floor is paved with green bricks and four white floors. There is an Eight Immortals table and two Taishi chairs on the front.On the wall behind the Eight Immortals Table, there is a picture of landscapes and leisurely living. The paper has turned yellow and looks old.On both sides of the painting, there is a pair of couplets: the first-class people are loyal ministers and filial sons, and the two things are reading and farming.The simple official script, I don't know if it is the handwriting of the owner of Chen Zhuang.

"Mr. Long, please take a seat," Chen Chao gave up his seat, "This little brother, please sit down too."

"Thank you." Long Qian was not polite, and sat in the guest seat, and glanced at the layout of the room. He saw a wooden bookshelf at the bottom of the east wall, and half a shelf of thread-bound books on it.A desk painted maroon is placed in front of the bookshelf, and the four treasures of the study are neatly placed on it.Long Qian noticed two wooden square boxes beside the bookshelf, which were rubbed dark red due to their age, probably a set of Go.

Living in the cottage for a long time, seeing such an elegant study, I couldn't help but feel kindly, "Mr. Chen is an elegant man, living in this paradise, with a cup of tea and a book in hand, is really like a fairy. I think the owner of Chen should have fame Bar?"

"I'm ashamed to say that. I went to Beijing twice and returned frustrated. I, Chao Chen, have no chance to take the imperial examination."

"It turned out to be Master Juren. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Long Qian bowed slightly.

"Stop mentioning raising people," Chen Chao said with a dejected expression.

The door curtain was lifted, and a middle-aged woman dressed as a servant came in with a tea tray, and placed three cups of hot tea on the Eight Immortals table, "Guests please have tea." The woman said in authentic Lunan dialect, turned and left.

"Mr. Long is drinking tea. This tea is a gift from a friend, a new tea picked this spring. The journey is not so close. It was brought from Fujian. How does it taste?"

Long Qian took a sip from his cup and praised, "Good tea. Famous teas are mostly produced in the south. It is really a great pleasure to drink authentic white tea here."

"I don't know where Mr. Long's ancestral home is? Is this visit to Shandong just for sightseeing?"

"My ancestral home is Taiyuan Prefecture, Shanxi Province. However, the generation of ancestors has left their hometown, first went to Guangzhou, and then went to Nanyang to do business. My father crossed the ocean to the United States. I am ashamed to say that Long is twenty-five this year. It's very strange."

"So that's how it is," Chen Chao stared at Long Qian, feeling that this person had a vicissitudes on his face, and he looked definitely older than he said, "I also heard that the United States is a newly emerging power, and the country is very prosperous. Want to go back home?"

"I'm ashamed to say it. My father died early, and the business I left behind was handed over to me, but he didn't take care of it well. He can be regarded as an authentic prodigal son. My mother died of an accident last year, and I suddenly felt discouraged, so I was forced to go back to China. In fact, there are still There is another reason. Chinese people, even if they are naturalized in the United States, are still aliens in the eyes of white people. They will inevitably be discriminated against. It’s like returning to China, with the same language and the same race, and they all feel kind.”

"I see." Super Chen nodded, "Mr. Long has seen the world, and Mr. Chen has lived in this remote mountain for a long time, and he doesn't hear anything outside the window. He wants to ask Mr. Long for many things."

"Don't dare, Mr. Chen is too polite."

"Sir, you must have heard of 'Xin Xue'?"

"When I was in the United States, I had never heard of the term 'New Learning'. Instead, I only heard about it after returning to China. In Shanghai and Guangzhou, most scholars are keen on 'New Learning'."

"What is 'new learning'? Mr. Chen, a mountain villager, has long wanted to find out. Please teach me, sir."

Long Qian glanced at the books and newspapers spread out on Chen Chao's desk, and thought that although this person lived in the mountains, he was not like that ignorant and poor scholar, so he thought for a while, "Don't dare. If you are interested, otherwise you will not waste your time and run around. The so-called new learning, I think, refers to the old learning. The Chinese in the United States call the old learning the Chinese learning, which I think is very appropriate. A subset of classics and history is mostly the knowledge that domestic intellectuals have studied throughout their lives. New learning is a general term for natural and social sciences in the Western intellectual circles. Sociological knowledge is somewhat hindered by the imperial ban. Deep, but it is our country's shortcoming. For example, physics, chemistry, mathematics, astronomy, geography, etc., we are indeed inferior to the Western countries."

"Mr. Long's explanation of the new learning gave me a sudden insight. To be honest, sir, I also think that Western learning has great advantages. Mr. Long talked about education just now, and he is quite insightful. Do you think that, like Bi Zhuang? Private school professor, is your time wasted?"

Of course, Long Qian can’t speak ill of private schools, not to mention that private schools are at least positive for literacy. However, relying solely on the articles of the sages can't save the current situation. Besides," Long Qian sighed, "this time when I returned to my mother country, I felt that the literacy rate was extremely low, and the citizens were illiterate. I don’t think it can be said at all. Private schools are of great significance to literacy, and they are an act of great merit. However, with all due respect, there are quite a few disadvantages.”

"Oh, I would like to hear about it."

"Today's world is a world where the weak prey on the strong. We all know that the big powers have repeatedly violated China with their strong ships and guns. The two wars caused by the opium trade in Daoguang and Xianfeng years, especially the Sino-Japanese War five years ago, were even more serious. It was extremely painful. So the imperial court learned from the painful experience and decided to study Westernization and use barbarians to control barbarians. The Westernization Movement has been going on for 30 years, gun factories have been built, and armored warships have been bought back. It should be safe for national defense, right? Sports underwear, completely torn to shreds."

Chen Chao sighed slightly in his heart, "This person has good knowledge, but he has lived overseas for a long time, and he has not been influenced by my sacred teachings, so his words are inevitably vulgar." Thinking this way in his heart, he didn't say it out of his mouth, and still listened to Long Qian's explanation about the Westernization Movement .

"The Beiyang Fleet is said to be the sixth in the world and the largest in Asia. It is much larger in tonnage than the Japanese fleet. We overseas Chinese were all rejoiced and told the news. The navy is like this, and it is said that the army's equipment and strength are even stronger. Not inferior to Japan. However, since the Westernization and strengthening of the army, the imperial court has been complacent, thinking that although it cannot beat the Western powers such as Britain, France, Germany, and the United States, it is natural to have a good chance of winning against Japan, a small country. It turned out to be a voice for war. What was the result? Ye Zhichao was in North Korea, fearing the enemy like a tiger, and returned false military information without fighting. As for the fleet, even if the losses in the Dadonggou battle exceeded the Japanese, there may not be no room for a war. However, Li Zhongtang felt sorry for the fleet piled up with money, and strictly ordered him to stay in the military port and wait for the fleet to be destroyed. Little did he know that the meaning of the navy was to go out to sea and retreat to the military port. The gate was blocked by the Japanese, the self-sinking self-sinking, the surrendering surrender...The admiral of the navy, Ding Ruchang, also ended up committing suicide and martyrdom. It is really embarrassing for the fleet built by the imperial court to spend so much money and money. What about the consequences? Taiwan and Penghu were cut off by the Japanese. If it weren't for the fact that the people in Liaodong still exist, I am afraid that the rich land in the Northeast will no longer be owned by China. The amount of compensation has reached 5000 million Two silvers are equivalent to three to four years of the Qing government's annual revenue, and these losses will eventually fall on the poor people﹍﹍"

When Ryukyu said this, he saw that Chen Chao closed his eyes slightly, looking in pain, so he kept his mouth shut.

The defeat of Sino-Japanese War and the Treaty of Shimonoseki the following year were things that Chen Chao felt particularly heartbroken.Although he lived in the mountains, he paid close attention to it, but he had never heard such a concise commentary, especially for the general process of land and sea battles. It was the first time for Chen Chao to hear, "Mr. It is said that in order to prepare for the Queen Mother's birthday, the imperial court embezzled the navy's military expenditure, resulting in the navy having no ships and no ammunition, that's why ﹍﹍"

"Long Mou has heard such rumors. However, from Long Mou's point of view, it is not a bad thing if military expenditures are really used to build the Summer Palace." Long Qian interrupted Chen Chao's words very impolitely.

"Oh, why do you say that?"

"Advanced weapons can only exert their due power if they are mastered by advanced thinking. With the fear of the court, even if there are a few more ships, the final outcome will not change in any way." Long Qian slightly Smile, "It's different to build the Summer Palace. The garden is built there. As long as there is no more tragedy in the Xianfeng period, one day, it may be allowed to be a tourist attraction for citizens to freely visit. If you charge a few more tickets to subsidize national use, it will still be the same. It’s a good deal that benefits the country and the people.”

These words are unavoidably cruel.But Chen Chao was not angry, "Mr. Long is really amazing, so you are not afraid that Mr. Chen will sue you for defaming the court?"

"Mr. Chen helps the needy, benefits the poor, and has a great reputation. He is a true Confucian. He will not do such a frivolous act. In addition, the imperial court has done something wrong to the people, so the common people can't help it. "

Chen Chao laughed, "Mr. Chen deserves such praise. However, what is the relationship between what Mr. said and the private school issue just mentioned?"

"Mr. Chen's question is an extremely big question. It can't be explained in a few words. In addition, there are several key points in it, which Longmou didn't understand﹍﹍Longmou dared to ask Mr. Chen, what is the meaning of the word 'world'?" look?"

"This﹍﹍" Chen Chao was taken aback, not knowing how to answer.As a Confucian student, of course he knows the meaning of the world. "Self-cultivation, family harmony, state governance, and world peace" are the highest ideals of Confucianism, and "investigation of things, extension of knowledge, righteousness, and sincerity" constitute the basic moral norms and life ideals of Confucianism. .If understood literally, "Tianxia" is the territory of China. The so-called "Ping Tianxia" is not to pacify the world, but to flatten the separatist regimes and unify China.But the Tianxia proposed by this uninvited guest is obviously not a corner of China. "The Tianxia mentioned by Mr. Long probably refers to the five continents mentioned by Xinxue?"

"Exactly." Long Qian nodded slightly, "For a long time, China has thought that it lives in the center of the world, so it has the name of China. In fact, China lives only in the east of Asia. Apart from China, there are still countless people in Asia." Ten countries. Not to mention Europe, America, Africa and Oceania."

Chen Chaodun was interested, "When I was reading Ming history, a barbarian named Matteo Ricci came to China and drew a map for Emperor Wanli, which caused a lot of trouble﹍﹍"

"I haven't read the history of the Ming Dynasty. But I heard about it. That Matteo Ricci is a European, and his country is called Italy. In the south of Europe, most of the land stretches into the sea. Matteo Ricci truthfully painted Out of China's position in the world, the imperial court looked at it, why did China be drawn on the edge instead of the center? Is this okay? Matteo Ricci, who felt that he had caused trouble, re-drawn a world map. This time he learned a lesson , and drew our country in the center of the world, but, haha, it was too late. The shock that Matteo Ricci’s world map gave to the imperial court is indescribable.”

"Mr. Long is very knowledgeable and knowledgeable, which is admirable." Chen Chao praised him.He has studied a lot, and he knows the word "world". This word is originally a Buddhist term, such as "big thousand worlds". Here it refers to the world, which is quite appropriate. "Mr. I’m not alone in China.”

"That's exactly what it means. China's geographical location and the development of farming culture have led to its closed characteristics. In all dynasties, the dangers have come from the nomadic peoples from the northern desert going south. Therefore, since Qin Shihuang, the Great Wall has been built to defend his own farming civilization. You see, Long Qian dipped his finger in the cold tea and drew a map of China on the table, "The southeast is the sea, the west is the mountains and snowy mountains that are difficult for human beings to climb and the endless desert, only the north is the sea. The vast plains of Siberia.Therefore, the danger for the Han people always comes from the north.This dynasty originated from Manchuria, and after the establishment of the government, it adopted policies such as marriage alliances with Mongolia, and the danger in the north was temporarily eliminated.Unexpectedly, a greater danger appeared, that is the sea﹍﹍”

"Shu'er," Super Chen suddenly called out.

"Hey," agreed with a crisp voice, and the door curtain was raised, and the girl with big braids came in just now.

"Shu'er, quickly change a cup of tea for the guests, and tell your aunt to kill a chicken at noon and boil a pot of old wine. I want to have a few drinks with Mr. Long!"

"Hmm." The girl glanced at the patterns on the cases that hadn't been fully dried, and couldn't help but glance at Long Qian, who was meeting Long Qian's eyes, and hurriedly lowered her head and left.

"Mr. Chen, you're welcome﹍﹍" Long Qian withdrew his gaze from the girl, and smiled slightly at Chen Chao.

"It's a good time to have friends coming from afar. Living in the mountains for a long time, it's rare to have such a happy conversation." Chao Chen smiled, "I don't need to talk about the dangers at sea. I'm afraid there is no defense at sea now﹍﹍Mr. Long has gone around After a while, do you mean that in today's world, it is completely useless to study that subset of classics and history?"

"Long traveled overseas in the past, and he knows that the Western powers are not only the strong ships and guns we see, but also their social stability and cultural prosperity, which are not comparable to China. Imagine. Take the United States as an example. Its country is on the other side of the ocean. If you take a big ship from Shanghai and cross the Pacific Ocean, it will take more than a month. Its area is a little smaller than that of China, but it is not small. How much. The wealth and power of this country is beyond the imagination of ordinary people. The country has only been established for 200 years, but it is already very rich. It is unimaginable if you have not seen it with your own eyes. The country has convenient transportation, not to mention trains and ships. There is also a thing called a car that has entered the homes of ordinary people. The car is not more than ten feet long and four or five wide It can walk like flying without being dragged by cows and horses. People can sit in it, go to work and meet guests. Things. It’s a few hundred miles away, and the sun can be seen on both sides. If you go from here to Jinan Prefecture, start after breakfast, and have lunch at an old restaurant in Jinan Prefecture. Lighting a piece of wax is a great enjoyment. But the country’s electricity is popularizing, and it’s hard to say in the countryside, but its cities have already used electric lights. Such a big bulb, after being powered on, illuminates the whole room. It is bright and bright, men read and write, women cut clothes, completely unaffected by the night; and water, every house has introduced tap water, a water pipe is connected in, and when the faucet is turned on, clean water will rush out. Inexhaustible. How convenient do you think life should be? There is also a kind of telephone that is installed at home, and you can talk to friends who are hundreds of miles away without leaving home, as if you are right in front of you﹍﹍”

Super Chen was dumbfounded.Even Jiang Yun, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, was shocked, but Long Qian did not allow them to open their mouths to question, and continued to preach, "To be honest, we are far behind. Mr. Chen, please think, the boat is strong and the guns are sharp." Behind it is the prosperity of science and technology, how to mine ore, how to smelt steel, how can a ship made entirely of steel float in water without sinking? How to light up the lights, and what is the principle of the telephone? These things, the ancestors But they didn’t teach us, the Four Books and Five Classics, Zhu Zi’s family precepts, and they didn’t talk about ﹍﹍”

These words not only made Chen Chao dumbfounded, but even Jiang Yun was dumbfounded.I have followed Long Qian for a long time, and I have never heard Long Qian talk about it before. Just as I was about to speak, I heard the crisp voice from outside the curtain, "You really know how to make up stories to fool people. How can there be such a novel thing? You don't need to be dragged by horses. How can the car run? How can the lights be turned on without oil? There is no phone, and it is even made up."﹍﹍The door curtain was lifted, and the girl with big braids just walked in and looked straight at Long Qian.

"Shu'er, don't be rude to guests﹍﹍"

Long Qian could see the girl's appearance clearly from the front. She was eighteen or nineteen years old, with a pair of big eyes with long eyelashes on Guazi's face. She was lively and energetic. She probably lived in the countryside for a long time. Her skin was healthy black and red. Holding the teapot, he looked straight at Long Qian.

"This is my niece, nicknamed Shu'er," Chen Chao coughed dryly, "Why don't you apologize to Mr. Long?" He seemed to have forgotten that he had introduced Long Qian.

"It's okay. Girl's question is normal. Doesn't my little cousin also have disbelief written all over his face? If he didn't see it with his own eyes, how could Long make up so many stories?" Long Qian smiled slightly.