Uncle Jiu: I am Chen Yulou, the leader of the Xiangling gang

Chapter 34: On Saving the Nation

Upon hearing this, Liu Haochuan immediately bowed and said with a smile: "I greet Taoist Master Chen and Taoist Master Qian!"

Then, looking at Chen Yulou with curiosity, he asked, "Which sect of Taoism are the two Taoist priests from?"

"We are disciples of Maoshan!" Chen Yulou replied.

At this time, the carriage slowly began to move forward quickly along the mountain road.

"Maoshan?"

Liu Haochuan was a little surprised, and immediately laughed and said, "So the two Taoist priests are actually disciples of Maoshan. Maoshan is a big sect. I'm so sorry!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yulou did not respond, but just smiled slightly.

Liu Haochuan then asked, "Did the two Taoist priests go to Wuwang Town to exorcise demons?"

"That's right!"

Chen Yulou nodded.

"Are there really monsters and demons in this world?" Liu Haochuan stared at Chen Yulou with his bright eyes.

Chen Yulou glanced at Liu Haochuan, smiled faintly, and nodded: "Yes!"

"Then why have I never seen it?" Liu Haochuan asked back as if he didn't believe in ghosts or gods at all.

Before Chen Yulou could reply, Qiu Sheng, who was standing by, saw Liu Haochuan looking at them as if they were liars, and immediately said angrily, "It's easy for you to see a ghost!"

"It just so happens that we're going to Wuwang Town to exorcise demons and monsters. Why don't we take you there to broaden your horizons?"

Chen Yulou immediately turned his head to glance at Qiu Sheng, signaling him not to take it seriously. Then he looked at Liu Haochuan and smiled, "This world is all-encompassing. How much have you seen, brother?"

"Could it be that according to your logic, the people and things you haven't seen, the things and principles you haven't encountered, don't exist in this world?"

"this………"

Liu Haochuan immediately looked at Chen Yulou and was speechless for a moment.

"That's right. If you don't believe in something you haven't seen, it only shows that you are narrow-minded. Moreover, when ghosts appear, there will be disasters. You haven't seen them, so you should thank heaven and earth." Qiu Sheng looked at Liu Haochuan indifferently and agreed.

Liu Haochuan was speechless. After a moment's thought, he bowed and apologized to Chen Yulou and Qiu Sheng, saying, "I am so ignorant!"

"It's just that right now, during this time of national crisis, Buddhists are praying for Buddhahood, Taoists are cultivating immortality, swindlers are seeking wealth and killing, and warlords are attacking each other. The common people are helpless and living in dire straits. Thinking of this, I spoke without thinking, so I beg the two Taoist masters to forgive me!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yulou immediately smiled and said, "Brother, although we Maoshan Taoists may not be able to save the country, we can still save the lives of one person, one family, or even an entire village or area by exorcising demons."

"Does Brother Tai have the ability to save the country?"

"Or is there anything you can do to save a person, a family, a village, or a whole area?"

Liu Haochuan's expression was immediately stunned.

Chen Yulou continued to laugh and said, "If I'm not mistaken, you must have studied abroad, right?"

A trace of astonishment suddenly appeared on Liu Haochuan's pale cheeks. He then looked at Chen Yulou in surprise and asked curiously, "That's right, I just came back from the United States of America on the other side of the ocean three months ago!"

"How did Taoist Master Chen know this?"

Could it be that this young Taoist priest in front of me really has the ability to tell fortunes?
impossible!
It must have been a blind cat that caught a dead mouse. Overseas science told him that fortune-telling, demons, and monsters were nothing but the remnants of feudal ignorance and were merely tricks used by religious charlatans to deceive the people.

Qiu Sheng, who was standing by, couldn't help but show a look of surprise when he saw that Chen Yulou had guessed it right.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yulou did not explain, but instead said, "Then I guess you have learned a lot of skills overseas. If that's the case, why don't you save the country in this crisis?"

"Does it mean, brother, that if Buddhists stopped seeking Buddhahood and Taoists stopped cultivating immortality, then con men would stop stealing and killing, warlords would stop fighting each other, the people would be able to live and work in peace, and the country would be safe?"

Liu Haochuan opened his mouth, unsure how to refute. After a moment, he smiled wryly and said, "When I returned home, I saw the devastating situation at home, the warlords fighting each other, and the people suffering. I wanted to realize my ambitions, but in the past three months, I've visited several counties and dozens of towns around Shancheng, and I've only felt heavy-hearted. I don't have any plan to save the country."

That's right!

After he returned to China, he wanted to realize his ambitions, but after three months, he felt it was too difficult. There were warlords everywhere. The big warlords occupied a county, and the small warlords occupied a town. They acted tyrannically and bullied the people.

This made him want to do something big, but he had no idea how to start.

Chen Yulou immediately glanced at Liu Haochuan. Knowing that he had the ambition to rejuvenate the country, his displeasure also dissipated. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, "How difficult is it to save the country?"

Liu Haochuan stared at Chen Yulou in disbelief.

Isn’t it difficult to save the country?
This Taoist priest really dares to speak without hesitation!
Qiu Sheng couldn't help but look at his junior brother Chen Yulou.

Liu Haochuan immediately looked at Chen Yulou and bowed, saying, "Master, please teach me!"

He wanted to see what insights this eloquent Taoist priest had to offer.

Chen Yulou glanced at Liu Haochuan. How could he not know what the other party was planning? However, the other party had the heart to save the country, which made him a patriot. So he said indifferently: "I guess you have heard of saving the country through industry!"

Liu Haochuan nodded immediately and said, "I have heard of it. It was because of the influence of Mr. Zhang Jian, Mr. Kang Youwei, Mr. Liang Qichao and other predecessors that I returned to China to save the people from dire straits."

"Then do you know that Mr. Zhang also proposed to save the country through education?" Chen Yulou continued to ask.

"nature!"

Liu Haochuan nodded immediately and continued, "During the Republic of China, at least 300 schools across the country were founded by Mr. Zhang!"

"Since you know Mr. Zhang's theory of saving the country through industry and education, why do you say that there is no way to save the country?"

Liu Haochuan was a little surprised and immediately looked at Chen Yulou and asked, "Master Chen, do you want me to develop education through industry?"

Chen Yulou did not answer directly, but continued: "In my opinion, there are three ways to save the country."

"First, industry saves the nation. Why can Western powers bully our country from thousands of miles away?"

"It's simply because they have strong industrial capacity, which makes them powerful ships and artillery, and no one can stop them."

"If you want to save the country, you must develop industry!"

"Second, culture saves the nation. Western powers are not only strong in industry, but also in the wisdom and thinking of their people."

"Therefore, we must vigorously promote education, enlighten the people, and liberate their minds. The people are the country. If the people are ignorant, how can the country prosper and become strong?"

"Third, we must save the nation through military means. Looking at the Beiyang Army and the warlords across the country, they were more like bandits than an army. Therefore, if we want to save the nation, we must strengthen national defense. We must learn advanced Western military technology and management, and build a powerful and patriotic army to resist foreign aggression and safeguard national unity."

(End of this chapter)