Outside the official residence of the Beiping Municipal Government, thousands of students marched and demonstrated, shouting slogans:

"Return my school, restore my school!"

"Education saves the country, study rejuvenates the country!"

"Li Shizeng got out of the way and opposed the merger of the nine national schools!"

“……”

A small car stopped far away, and the person sitting in the car was He Qigong, the mayor of Beiping. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Inexplicably, the students blocked the gate of the official office, He Qigong frowned and said, "What is this going on?" I didn't hear anything big about it lately! ”

The secretary said, "Mayor, do you want to call the police to disperse?" ”

"Nonsense!"

He Qigong criticized: "When students engage in demonstrations, there must be a reason for the incident, so let's go over and ask for clarification first." ”

When He Qigong was a student, he was expelled for participating in student demonstrations, and at the age of 18, he came to Peking to earn a living as a teacher, and later became a journalist. It is precisely because of his own experience that he has an understanding and sympathetic attitude towards the student movement, and will not use any force to suppress it.

The secretary went over to inquire for a while, and soon came back to report: "Mayor, these are all students of the Ninth National University, mainly Peking University, Beijing Normal University and Beiyang University (the predecessor of Tianjin University and Hebei University of Technology). ”

He Qigong was confused and said in a daze: "Peking University and Peking Normal University are okay to say, Beiyang University is from Tianjin, what are they doing here to make trouble with the Beiping Municipal Government?" ”

The secretary explained: "The Nanjing government announced the establishment of the Beiping University District and merged the nine national universities in Pingjin and Tianjin into one and renamed Chung Hua University. However, the president and vice president of Chung Hua University are still in Nanjing, no one is to handle the affairs of the university, no one is to pay salaries, and all nine universities are unable to open classes normally. ”

"What a mess!" He Qigong scolded, "Let them go to the graduate school to make trouble, don't come to the city government." ”

The secretary smiled bitterly: "The graduate school (Northern Education Department) is still an empty shell, and there is no one working in it. ”

He Qigong said with a headache: "The education system is all pig's brains, and it is reckless to carry out educational reforms. This is not even paid the salary of the teacher, the school can't open, and it's a fart! ”

"So what are we going to do?" The secretary asked.

He Qigong thought for a while and issued an order: "Send a telegram to the Nanjing government and the Central University, urging them to solve this matter as soon as possible, otherwise how will I, the mayor of Beiping, do anything?" ”

To be honest, if Li Shizeng had money in his hands, he might really be able to reform successfully in this Beiping University District.

But what is the actual situation?

Inexplicably, nine schools including Peking University, Beijing Normal University, and Peiyang University were merged, but Li Shizeng and Li Shuhua stayed in Nanjing, resulting in the new university not being able to see the president and vice president, and there was not even a person in charge.

These schools have been in arrears of wages since June, not to mention the teachers, and even the school workers who boiled the water have been cut off.

Now that the new semester starts in September, students come to the school to have a look......

Nima, what's going on?

Their school was expelled, merged with the hellish Chung Hwa University, the teachers went on strike and did not go to work, and they couldn't find anyone to find the principal, can they not make trouble?

It's funny to say, at the beginning, Zhou Hexuan helped contact Northeast Yizhi, and Chang Kaishen reciprocated the favor and asked people to reissue education funds to Peking University. All this money was withheld by Nanjing, and the teachers and students of Peking University did not see a penny.

The marching students blocked the gate of the Beiping City Government for a long time, and after lunch, they began to move separately.

The parade at Peking University was the largest, and they put forward two demands: one was to restore the name of Peking University, and the other was to restore Zhou Hexuan as president.

"Give me back Peking University, return my school!"

"We want to read, not march!"

"Get rid of Li Shizeng and welcome back Principal Zhou!"

“……”

On the side of the road, Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin, who had just returned to China, looked at the marching students stupidly.

They were recommended by Liang Qichao to apply for a job at Tsinghua University, but the new president of Tsinghua University, Luo Jialun, was still in Nanjing, and no one was in charge of school affairs. The two left Tsinghua University in a huff, and as soon as they took to the street, they encountered a student march.

Lin Huiyin said in surprise: "Didn't you say that the Northern Expedition was victorious, and Vientiane China was renewed?" How can this education circle be more chaotic than when the Beiyang government was in charge? ”

"How do I know?" Liang Sicheng was quite depressed. He and his wife heard about the establishment of the new government of the Republic of China and swept away the ills of the past, so they rushed back to build the country.

Lin Huiyin approached the procession, pulled a student and asked, "Classmates, why are you marching?" ”

The student said angrily: "All nine public universities in Pingjin have been suspended, and we need to ask for an explanation!" ”

The student next to him also said, "Yes, you have to give me an explanation." Why cancel Peking University? Why was President Zhou dismissed? What qualifications does that Li Shizeng have to be the president of Chung Hua University? Where was he when Peking University was forced to listen to lectures by Zhang Zuolin? When President Zhou paid for the salaries of Peking University employees by himself, where did Li Shizeng hide? ”

"We want Principal Zhou, not Li Shizeng!"

"Get rid of Li Shizeng and welcome back Principal Zhou!"

"Give me back Peking University, return my school!"

The students were indignant, and the slogans were louder and louder.

After Zhou Hexuan became the president of Peking University, although he did not take care of things specifically, at least the students were able to attend classes normally, and the fact that he privately paid for the salaries of faculty and staff was also widely circulated among students.

Compared with Li Shizeng, who is now suspending the school, Principal Zhou is really good, a rare good principal in the world!

The march at the nine public universities in Pingjin was called the "Reading Movement" because their demand was simple: they wanted to resume classes.

It is only natural for students to read books, and this move has won widespread sympathy from society.

"Ta Kung Pao" bluntly criticized: "In the era of the Feng system, Liu Zhe, who was regarded by the world as a corrupt and reactionary, was still able to negotiate Russian funds, so that the funds of various schools could be settled...... The National Government is not as good as the former. ”

The manifesto issued by the "Reading Movement" of the students of the Ninth School put it more bluntly: "In the era of warlords, the Nine Schools of Peking have never been new. Hebei's evil government, to Zhang Chu (Zhang Zuolin, Chu Yupu) and extreme, but the government schools, and the song has not been broken. Today, after more than three months, the Graduate School has no practical way to ...... the Ninth National University except to send people to accept it nominally."

Li Shizeng's educational reform was unanimously recognized by the academic community and society as inferior to even the Beiyang warlords.

Historically, this matter has been in trouble for more than half a year, and it has intensified.

In the end, the students directly attacked the graduate school (Department of Education), and then killed Li Shizeng and Li Shuhua's residences, causing a bloodshed and causing a sensation throughout the country.

Li Shizeng had no way to deal with it, and it was Cai Yuanpei and Jiang Menglin who came forward to solve it.

Now Li Shizeng is still in Nanjing, trying to raise funds for education, and when he has no money in his hand, he goes to Beiping to no avail.

Looking at the telegram on the table, and then at today's newspaper, Li Shizeng only felt a headache.

Money, it's all about money.

Why is education reform so difficult?

In particular, the slogan shouted by Peking University students -- to drive away Li Shizeng and welcome back President Zhou -- deeply pierced Li Shizeng's heart.