The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

"Niu Dan, hurry up." "Niu Dan is so scared that he has become soft."

The more noisy the crowd was, the more anxious Zhang Niu Gu became and he was speechless. In fact, Zhang Yinghao could fully understand that it was the first time for a speaker to speak on stage.

It is very difficult for people to speak fluently. Otherwise, there would be no training institutions in the future that specialize in teaching people how to speak and give speeches.

Zhang Yinghao stood up and gestured, and all the villagers immediately quieted down.

"Comrade Niu Gu, don't be nervous. Just say whatever comes to your mind. You can also tell me how you plan to help the villagers."

"good..….…""

The election continued. Although Zhang Yinghao felt it was no longer necessary to watch, he still had the deepest understanding of the importance of seeing things through to the end. If you give up halfway, you still don't know what problems you'll encounter next time you encounter the same situation, and you might still be unable to solve them. In his previous life, he failed to achieve anything because he couldn't do this.

After the election, Zhang Yinghao, Wang Qixian, and Wu Xizhu headed to Lounge 108. Only then did Wu Xizhu take a serious look at the village and its inhabitants. The entire village was in perfect order. The faces of the people, unlike those elsewhere, were filled with smiles, many even sporting a sleek, radiant complexion.

This was incredible. You know, last year, Sichuan was devastated by a severe drought, with countless victims. Guang'an was also a hard-hit area, so it was expected that there would be ragged victims everywhere. He hadn't expected Zhangjiagou to be so unusual. Then he suddenly remembered that Zhangjiagou also had plenty of new clothes. With so many people gathered together, there was no smell at all. This was truly beyond Wu Xizhu's expectations.

"Hello, Madam Wang. Hello, Mr. Wu Xizhu, I'm Zhang Yinghao. Welcome to Zhangjiagou. Come sit down and have a cup of tea."

Arriving at the lounge, Zhang Yinghao arranged for them to sit down, poured each of them a cup of tea, and placed it in front of them on their right.

"We came here to see the genius Qi Xian talked about, but now it seems he's just so-so."

"Haha, Mr. Wu is right. I'm just an ordinary person, not a genius. Qi Xian, don't talk nonsense next time."

Wu Xizhu was choked by Zhang Yinghao's words and was speechless. Mrs. Wang said, "Your village is really beautiful."

"This is all thanks to the comrades and villagers. They were responsible for making and burning bricks, and they were also responsible for the construction. I don't have any specific credit."

"I wish I had thousands of mansions to shelter all the poor people in the world and make them happy. If Du Fu saw this, I wonder what this great poet would think."

"Haha, Madam Wang is quite learned. But as you said, Du Fu is just a poet. How could he understand construction? He just moans and groans without any real reason, and expresses a sense of sadness and sorrow."

"You mean you're better than the great poet Du Fu?"

"Mr. Wu, there's no need to be so aggressive. There's no comparison. He's certainly good at writing poetry, but when it comes to construction, he's completely clueless."

"That cost you a lot, didn't it?"

"Madam Wang, our theories are different. We create wealth through labor. If Du Fu had the ability to understand where a happy life comes from and that it must be created through labor, he could have organized the villagers to build houses, and he wouldn't have to live in a thatched hut himself. If he could have organized the people to grow crops like cotton, he wouldn't have lamented: 'The cloth quilt has been cold as iron after years, and the child's rough sleep has torn it.' As for the cost, it's not much. We have an agreement with the villagers that everyone doesn't have to pay, just provide labor. We not only build houses, but also repair canals and dig reservoirs. It's a lot of work. They can live in the houses we build for free, but they have to work with us to dig ditches and reservoirs. This labor will offset their construction costs."

Mrs. Wang was very smart and understood it immediately, but this made her even more confused.

"Um, Yinghao, is it okay to call you that?"

"You are my elder, so of course there is no problem. That's what my mother calls me."

"Yinghao, if you put it that way, then digging the reservoir and building the canal are benefiting these villagers, and building the houses is also benefiting the villagers. So, you are doing a purely good thing?"

After hearing what Mrs. Wang said, Zhang Youji thought carefully. It made a lot of sense. Why hadn't he thought of it before? After thinking carefully,

Isn't that the case? But Zhang Yinghao is Zhang Yinghao, he does things on his own.

Isn't it the value of one's existence to be able to benefit the people? What kind of revolution is this?

"Haha, Madam Wang is very clever. That's indeed the truth. But our Progressive Party's goal is to ensure that these white people have 'land to farm, everyone has clothes to wear, and their children are all well off.' That way, we'll have achieved our goal. The reason for this suffering is that since we don't farm ourselves, everything we eat must be created by others."

Seeing Madam Wang nod, and seeing Wang Qixian looking at Zhang Yinghao with a look of reverence, Wu Xizhu was furious.

"Where can you lead the imperial court like this? You have no respect for the imperial court and are a rebel."

"Haha, the imperial court can't let us starve to death, right? It can't stop us from living a good life, right? I believe the people will rise up and fight to protect their own interests."

"Hmph, you're just showing kindness, using the people to gain respect. You're just a bunch of rabble, I'm afraid you won't be able to withstand a single blow."

However, at this time, Mrs. Wang was a little dissatisfied. She always felt that Wu Xizhu was a great scholar and should not be so sarcastic and mean.

"Mr. Wu, what do you mean?"

"Madam Wang, look at this place, it's so well built. But what time is it now? It's a year of great disaster. It's the time when fishermen should be resting.

But what about this place? They wasted the people's energy and exhausted the people's energy to let the ignorant people settle down and build reservoirs. Aren't the people the ones who suffer? Building so many houses and doing so much hard work, the hardship can be imagined. So this place looks vibrant, but in fact it is already in ruins. They show kindness to the people, but in fact they are helping them to get on their own chariot.

"The people are toiling under high pressure, how can they have the energy to fight? What else can they do but a mob?"

When Mrs. Wang heard this, she thought it made a lot of sense. Zhang Yinghao had just said that he did not gain any benefit, but the people did. But now

After Wu Xizhu said this, she felt that this was a bit of a dream. Is there really such a good person in the world? However, Zhang Yinghao was very calm.

But Wang Qixian said directly: "Why are the people suffering?

They work for themselves. They live in the houses themselves, and they use the reservoirs themselves. Isn't this just dividing up the land? "

"Hmph, Qi Xian, you're just a child. What's the big deal about dividing the land? You're just taking it for granted. The rebels Hong Xiuquan and Yang Xiuqing said we should all farm and eat together, but did they achieve that? The rebel Li Zicheng said we wouldn't have to pay taxes, but did he succeed? You're just a mob. What you're doing is rebellion, an unforgivable crime. It's not too late to stop now. When the Qing Dynasty comes to encircle and suppress us, the army will pass by, and blood will flow. Our Sichuan will be flooded with blood."

"This..." At this time, Wang Qixian opened his mouth, and after saying one word, he didn't know how to refute it.

Zhang Yinghao's Quotes: There may not always be a rainbow after the storm, but there will definitely be a new life!

Chapter 52

Zhang Yinghao suddenly felt that Wu Xizhu was indeed a talent. Through Wang Qixian's book, he could discover these things and refute them one by one.

If this person changes his mind, he could become a very powerful figure. Furthermore, he is deeply loyal to their Confucian principles and is dedicated to serving the ruling class of this era. Zhang Yinghao also finds it good to have such a person constantly offering him opposing opinions.

Whether Wu Xizhu said that his side was a mob or that his side was bound to fail, Zhang Yinghao was not angry at all. Instead, he felt that what he said made a lot of sense.

"Qi Xian, look at how much Mr. Wu Xizhu's words make sense. How many powerful forces in Chinese history have ultimately vanished, how many invincible forces have ultimately collapsed. Therefore, we, the members of the Forward Party, must uphold the three major styles. At this time, we must criticize and self-criticize. We must learn to criticize the practices of those in the past, learning from their good points and discarding their bad points. Only in this way can we continuously make progress."

Hearing Zhang Yinghao say this, Wu Xizhu's nose was almost crooked with anger. "What I said was so serious and so reasonable, but you completely ignored it and even used it to teach your own students. This is really something that even an uncle can tolerate, but not even an aunt."

But Zhang Yinghao doesn't care about Wu Xizhu at all. What he wants to do is

If I don't persuade Wu Xizhu, what's the point of persuading him? I have to persuade my own comrades, and I only tell my own truths to my comrades.

Those who are willing to listen to my reasoning will listen. Now, the ones I am fighting for are Wang Qixian and her mother. As for Wu Xizhu, she can stay wherever she wants.

"Qi Xian, do you know why our civilization has been able to stand up again after going through so many hardships? Dynasties have changed one after another, and our civilization has

After several failures, she is becoming more and more glorious. It is not that our country is blessed by God, but in the feudal era, agricultural civilization,

Our country's philosophy and governing philosophy are the most advanced, which means that productivity and production relations complement each other.

However, after the Westerners industrialized, the Industrial Revolution led to a tremendous development of productivity. These newly emerged productive forces and production relations completely surpassed China's old production model. Were we wrong? We weren't wrong. Was it the times that were wrong? How could the times be wrong? It was the times that were progressing.

Wei Yang of the Qin Dynasty said, "There is no one way to govern the world, and the way to benefit a country does not follow the old ways. Therefore, Tang and Wu did not follow the old ways and became kings, while Xia and Yin did not change their rituals and perished. Those who go back to the old ways are not to be blamed, but those who follow the rituals are not numerous. Han Feizi also said, "We do not seek to restore the old ways, and we cannot always follow the old ways. We can discuss the affairs of the world and prepare for them." Therefore, when the world changes, the times shift, and when the times shift, we must be prepared for change.

Our country has been ahead for far too long, like the tortoise and the hare. Our hare ran for a while before stopping by the roadside to sleep. This sleep lasted for hundreds of years until it was suddenly bitten by a wolf. The hare was heartbroken, but just as it woke, still half asleep, a pack of wolves surrounded it.

The rabbit knew it couldn't defeat the hungry wolves, so what could it do? It could only keep cutting its own flesh to feed the wolves, begging them to stop them from killing it and eating it. The rabbit also wanted to become a wolf, but the other wolves rarely found such a fat and confused rabbit, so how could they allow this rabbit a chance to turn things around?

So the wolves kept injecting opium into the rabbit and draining its blood, which was economic plunder. They were afraid that the rabbit would recover. They would periodically beat the rabbit until its bones were broken and forcibly cut off its flesh, which was to say, the land. They also wanted the rabbit to voluntarily offer its flesh for the wolves to eat, which was to say, the treaty compensation. Mr. Wu, Qi Xian, do you think this rabbit can be saved?

"Is this your reason for being disloyal to your country? How can you be worthy of your ancestors?"

"Haha, is this country you're talking about the Qing Dynasty or China? Are these ancestors from the Qing Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty, or the Tang Dynasty? At least the ancestors from the Ming Dynasty or the Tang Dynasty wouldn't have had pig tails, right?"

"Rebels like you, with your sweet words and lies, always have countless excuses. Ultimately, it's all about killing people and setting fires to get amnesty, or spreading cholera to the country. It's all about your own selfish interests. If you truly care about the people, why don't you devote yourself to the country?"

"hey-hey."

Zhang Yinghao sneered and said, "Qi Xian, do you know what? If we compare our country to that rabbit, this rabbit is not the most miserable. The most miserable thing is that there is a huge parasite on this rabbit. More than one million Manchu people do not produce anything, but lie on this rabbit and suck its blood continuously, feeling at ease and happy to do so for more than two hundred years. Why does this parasite resist the wolves who want to share the rabbit? It is because it regards this rabbit as its own exclusive property. But when this parasite sees the wolves wanting to kill the rabbit for meat, what do you think this parasite will do? Qi Xian, what do you think it will do?"

"Well, what else can I do? I'll just take a few more puffs."

"It will definitely take a few more puffs. Look at the Qing Dynasty now, isn't it sucking the marrow out of the bones? Even if it dies, it will die with a full stomach! But the reason why a parasite is called a parasite is that it will die if it leaves the host. So in order to survive, it will definitely go to the wolf pack to discuss it. What will it say? It will definitely make a deal with the wolves in private. It will say to one of the wolves: "If you don't kill this rabbit, I will cut the meat from its hind legs and bleed it for you. And it will say to the other wolf, if you don't kill this rabbit, I will cut the meat from its front legs and bleed it for you... Then it will tell them that if they don't kill this rabbit, they will be able to keep getting rabbit meat, rabbit blood and rabbit fur from it. "Madam Wang, do you think these wolves will agree?"

"Most likely he will agree."

"Of course I will agree. If I kill him, I will just eat some meat noodles. Qiao Youjiu can eat meat regularly. Unless there is a wolf that is very hungry and wants a bite.

If the rabbit is not killed, the wolves will even try to save it from death.

Why do I say that the Qing court cannot represent China? The widespread cultivation of opium is a clear proof. Can you imagine a person poisoning a rabbit raised at home just to eat its meat? By the same token, this parasite saw a pack of wolves injecting opium into the rabbit and extracting its bone marrow.

He would plant opium himself and suck out the devil's energy. This way, the rabbit would become weaker and weaker, and would no longer have the chance to resist.

It is. ”

Seeing Madam Wang nod, Zhang Yinghao continued: "Who is in power in Guan Guangsheng's country now? It is the Manchu Xiao Chenglian. The big figures of the M years of Zifa J Fadong, didn't they drive their slaves to Japan to sign on behalf of the Manchu Qing?"

Signed a traitorous treaty. For this, Li Hongzhang was nailed to the pillar of shame in the history of power, and he will never be able to turn over. Even if his descendants give him

Whitewash, but as long as this humiliating history is mentioned, no matter what difficulties Li Hongcao had, Li Hongzhang is on the list of this period and cannot be washed away.

It's not that I didn't serve the Qing Dynasty. If I had, my grave would have been overgrown with grass.

So what I want to build is a country where the people are the masters of the country. Think about it, if we pay compensation to the great powers and then negotiate with the people, will they agree? So the country we want to build is a country where the people are the masters of the country.

The country that has the final say.”

"It's ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. The people can be made to follow it, but they can't be made to understand it. What do these peasants know? They only know how to farm. You are doing this.

It means that heaven and earth are turned upside down, and the sun and moon cannot be distinguished."

Wu Xizhu didn't expect to hear such words. He could no longer imagine what kind of world it would be like if a group of peasants were in charge, but he knew that this would definitely be a disaster for him.

Hey, so the Qing Dynasty sold out the country so happily that they signed more than a thousand traitorous treaties. Did the people agree to these treaties? They paid tens of millions, hundreds of millions of silver. The Qing Dynasty royal family paid a lot of money.

Two taels of silver? Are they going to mix gold and silver? It is us, the people, who pay the money. The Qing Dynasty is so complacent in selling out our country, why should we still recognize it?

Naturally, I will take its place with peace of mind.”

"You are making far-fetched arguments. The Qing Dynasty's conquest of the world was destiny, the will of heaven."

"Haha, Mr. Wu actually said fate, destiny. Don't you know Confucius said that a man should not talk about strange things? But Mr. Wu is right. The Qing Dynasty

The destiny of the man is over. Tai Gong said: If there is no disaster in the way of heaven, it cannot be initiated first; if there is no disaster in the way of man, it cannot be planned first.

We can make plans. Now, the Shang Dynasty is being misled by the people, and the initial response is extremely extreme. This is a sign of national destruction. The officials in the court are tyrannical, cruel, and corrupt, and they have violated the law and the law.

If the people are unaware, this is the key to the destruction of the country. _A How great is the heart! The virtue of the sage, and all things are beneficial, when the army is dispatched, all things are subdued. How great is the virtue of the sage,

It is a joy to hear and see alone! Guan Yuan Tuwang comes out with the number of hair, which is not destiny but fate, which is the will of heaven. But in my opinion, it is not fate, nor is it destiny.

The will is the people’s will.”

"You are so rude to Confucius. You are totally disrespectful to your elders."

Wu Xizhu saw that this was a good game and he was quick-witted and started to attack by calling Confucius' name.

"Hey, Yinghao, be kind with your words and don't rush into it."

Mrs. Wang also thought it was very beneficial.

"Haha, Madam Wang, I, Hang, must have an E—our revolutionaries, indeed, use the Spring and Autumn style of writing, unrivaled in the world."

"Haha, Yinghao is indeed a remarkable man. My son is right."

"Mrs. Wang, you are well-educated and well-mannered. You can apply for a scholarship to study. Here, we believe in equality in labor, including equality between men and women. With your knowledge, you are more than qualified to be a teacher. Just imagine how fulfilling it would be to have a bunch of children calling you Teacher Wang. We welcome you to work here."

"Madam Wang, this is unacceptable. They practice communal marriage here. You're not doing justice to your husband by showing up in public like this every day."

"mother."

Hearing this, Wang Qixian cried out in worry, and Mrs. Wang's face turned pale instantly. Zhang Yinghao was really angry at this time. Mom, I didn't want to completely tear my face apart, but I really gave you face.

"Wu Xizhu, here we believe that men are human beings, and women are human beings too, so men and women are equal. Women are not men's private property, so where does the concept of communal wives come from? Only those of you who view women as objects to be given away, as clothes to be worn by others, are truly communal wives. I heard you are a great Confucian scholar, and I have read several Confucian classics, making me a semi-disciple. Confucius taught benevolence, Mencius taught righteousness, and Xunzi taught propriety. Which sage do you respect more?"

"Hehe, of course it's Confucius, the great teacher of all ages, the great sage. You won't be allowed to shackle him."

"You've learned all sorts of irrelevant stuff, you rubbish. Confucius taught us not to do to others what you don't want done to you, that a gentleman should help others achieve their goals, and that one should be generous to oneself and lenient with others. Confucius preached the principles of benevolence and forgiveness. Where in any book have you seen Confucius make such statements? Do you still qualify as a Confucian scholar? A disciple of Confucius?"

"Humph, starving to death is a small matter, but losing one's chastity is a big matter."

"Haha, you bastard Wu, you've revealed your true identity! You're even a disciple of Confucius. Poverty and starvation are minor matters, but remarrying and losing your chastity is a major one. Why don't you tell me the whole story? I'm wondering what you're doing here so excitedly, old thief. So you're here to call me to task. Why don't we just starve to death? Instead, you're teaching us the art of rebellion, right?"

It seems you know what kind of people we are. You are such a sharp talker, old scoundrel! We kill people with swords and guns, destroying the flesh. You kill people with Neo-Confucianism, killing without shedding blood. You are much more powerful than us. You didn't learn the teachings of Confucius, you learned the teachings of Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming dynasties. But you, a corrupt and sour Confucian, old scoundrel, even learned Neo-Confucianism wrongly, and distorted it. The "Collected Works of Zhu Wengong" clearly states: "Marrying after the husband's death is something that even a sage cannot forbid." Who do you think you are? You even learn from Confucius, so thick-skinned.

Zhang Yinghao's Quotes: When you worry about the worst happening, there are actually clues, and your subconscious mind has noticed it. Otherwise, why would you worry?

Chapter 53

"Why are you cursing? It's disrespectful."

Zhang Yinghao saw Madam Wang's face turn pale. "It's really insulting, but you're so stubborn!" he asked. "Why would such a thing happen in the Song Dynasty? It's because the Song Dynasty was a dynasty that planned to cultivate women. Those sour Confucian scholars, unable to protect their own women, have come up with this theory that harms women, making them dependent on others. Men are incompetent, yet they still expect women to serve them. What about those men who played with the Neo-Confucianism of Wang Ding? Haha, what's the point of Mingmu's double-breasted chestnuts? Confucian scholars, even if they jump into the river, they say the water is too hot. Suddenly, a pig's tail appeared on the back of their heads."

"Okay, Yinghao, I'm fine."

"Auntie Wang, if it weren't for Guan Zhong, I would have been slain by the Left Society! Four great kings have fought against the barbarians, distinguishing between the Chinese and the barbarians. But these descendants of theirs have seized upon the teachings of the Zhazi and sought wealth. When the Mongols arrived, they immediately kowtowed to the emperor. When the Second Emperor came, they immediately kowtowed to the Qing. The master has changed, and each Zhazi disciple is like a dead light. If Confucius were a high-ranking official, seeing his descendants and younger scholars misinterpreting his teachings like this, he would surely be furious and send all these rubbish into the eighteen layers of hell, where they would never be able to escape."

"If a barbarian is Chinese, then he is Chinese; if a Chinese is a barbarian, then he is a barbarian. Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty and Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty were both great emperors of their time.