May 6, 1905, early summer. There is still a month before the rainy season, and the city of Shaoxing is sunny and the temperature is pleasant. On such a morning, Xu Xilin entertained guests at home.

The breeze blew into the small living room with the scent of flowers from the yard. This is a common living room in Shaoxing, that is, there is a carved Taishi chair on each side of the table under the north wall, and the four chairs in the middle of the living room are arranged twice. There are landscape calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls. The environment is quiet and comfortable, perfect for conversation. The carved panes are attached to the window screens, and the sunlight falls on the screens, casting beautiful shadows in the house. It's really a classical flavor.

Xu Xilin, who wore braids and a long shirt, and a man with short hair and leather shoes sat in the guest and host seats. Xu Xilin is 32 years old this year, he is thin, his face is not deep, and his two dark thick eyebrows are very eye-catching. The guest could not tell his specific age, but he had a square and angular face of a northerner, a high forehead, high cheekbones, a high nose, and large beautiful eyes that sparkled in deep eye sockets.

Not long after Xu Xilin joined the Restoration Society at this time, this historically famous revolutionary looked at Chen Ke, a guest on the opposite side, with a smile. It's not that Xu Xilin has never seen a suit, but Chen Ke's suit looks too different. Chen Ke was not surprised by Xu Xilin's curiosity, the dark yellow blended casual suit was still a style with a leather elbow lining on the elbow. Dark green dark striped shirt, a dark blue tie, a gold-plated tie clip, and a pair of crystal cufflinks on the cuffs of the shirt. Casual suits for the 21st century are not a trend in this day and age by any means, not even niche. Xu Xilin only had shallow curiosity in his eyes, but no surprise. This is enough to prove the personal cultivation of this famous revolutionary.

The meeting between Xu Xilin and Chen Ke was too abrupt. Even Xu Xilin, who likes to make friends, thinks it is interesting in retrospect.

Yesterday at noon, Qiu Jin suddenly sent someone to inform Xu Xilin that a man in a short-haired suit took a piece of paper with Xu Xilin's name written on it, spoke a strange official language, and when he saw that he looked like a scholar, he asked how to find Xu Xilin. Qiu Jin wanted to know what Xu Xilin had to do with this strange guy. After listening to the report of Qiu Jin's servant, Xu Xilin was quite surprised. He travels widely, and there are also international students in Shaoxing who have cut their braids. But Qiu Jin's letter said that Qiu Jin had never seen this person. Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin are cousins and revolutionary comrades, if Qiu Jin, who has traveled extensively, has not seen this person, Xu Xilin should not know him.

Xu Xilin asked where the person was now. Qiu Jin's family replied that this person was not far from here. Xu Xilin asked again how this person looked, Qiu Jin's family thought for a while, but replied - either rich or expensive. With curiosity, Xu Xilin went to see it in person.

Chen Ke could be seen from a distance at the corner of the street. Southerners are generally not tall, and in this malnourished era, Chen Ke's height of 1.82 meters is a head taller than ordinary people, which is simply standing out from the crowd. At this time, several Shaoxing splashes were surrounding Chen Ke, provoking in Shaoxing dialect. Chen Ke seemed to be listening intently, and a look of confusion appeared on his face with northern characteristics. At first glance, he is a reader.

At this time, those splashes also understood that the other party did not understand Shaoxing dialect, so they went up and prepared to push and shove. Chen Ke immediately understood this move with clear meaning. He raised his left hand, unhurriedly, but just right. The smooth and delicate slender fingers stuck the neck of the head splashing like steel pliers. With a little force, the skinny face instantly turned the color of pork liver. Splashy hands instinctively grabbed his suffocating wrists and tried to break them open. Chen Ke took a step forward, swung his left hand out softly, and the splash that had already begun to roll his eyes and crashed straight into his accomplice. It was like a gourd stand that had been overturned, and several guys were knocked to the ground together. There was a burst of laughter from the crowd of onlookers.

Xu Xilin admired Chen Ke's performance, which was extremely rare in this era of general physical weakness among scholars. When Chen Ke was teaching a lesson, he didn't have the usual obedient look on his face that is common for brave and ruthless people. Not only that, Chen Ke's outfit is not only different from those international students, the clothes are very bright, not the bright silk and satin, and it looks a little old, but it is clean and tidy, how comfortable it looks.

Xu Xilin pushed the stunned family and asked the family to hand over Chen Ke a famous thorn and make an appointment to visit Chen Ke the next day. Xu Xilin saw Chen Ke and his family communicating with each other for a while from a distance, and then the family ran back with a smoke, Chen Ke glanced at Xu Xilin and smiled.

Xu Xilin was very satisfied with the news brought back by his family, and Chen Ke said that the inn where he lived was very simple, and asked if he could come to Xu's house in person the next day. Xu Xilin loves to make friends by nature, so he immediately asked his family to pass the word, and he waited for Chen Ke at home the next day.

In China in 1905, revolutionaries from all over the country were connecting in series, and Xu Xilin had already joined the Liberation Society at this time and became acquainted with Tao Chengzhang. Tao Chengzhang had few ambitions, and took the anti-Qing Dynasty as his responsibility, and went to Beijing twice to assassinate the Empress Dowager Cixi without success, and then went east to Japan to study the army. After returning to China the following year, he actively participated in revolutionary activities, running around the revolution in ragged clothes, and running around Zhejiang, Fujian, and Anhui to contact revolutionary aspirants. He often tied his waist with hemp rope and wore mango shoes on his feet, and traveled all over Zhejiang, "walking 110 miles a day, tirelessly". Hangzhou is only a water away from his home, but he "went to Hangzhou four times and did not return".

Xu Xilin had already decided to meet Chen Ke after seeing Chen Ke's short hair. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, that short hair had already explained a lot of things, and it would really be a big joke if Xu Xilin, a revolutionary, turned away a short-haired young man who came to visit.

"Gong Xu, I took the liberty to come to visit, it was already very rude. You can't thank you enough for taking time out of your busy schedule to host you. Chen Ke said in standard 21st-century Mandarin.

Xu Xilin smiled and was about to speak, when the servant had already brought tea in and put two tea bowls in front of everyone. Then stand on the start.

"Mr. Chen, drink tea." Xu Xilin also spoke official dialect, and his accent was full of a strong Shaoxing accent.

Chen Ke nodded, one of the two cups of tea was white water, and the other was clear tea. Chen Ke came early in the morning, he hadn't drunk the water yet, and when he saw the white water, he felt really thirsty, so he took the white water and drank it all. The servant stood behind Chen Ke, and when he saw this, a look of mockery appeared on his face. Xu Xilin glared at the servant, then took the white water and drank it all, and then waved his hand. The servant removed the tea bowl containing the mouthwash, and Xu Xilin picked up the tea bowl, "Mr. Chen, please drink tea." ”

Both of them took a sip of their teacups, and Xu Xilin asked, "Where is Mr. Chen from?" ”

"A native of Zhengzhou, Henan." Chen Ke then replied.

Chen Ke's beard was cleanly shaven, and his hair was short, but it seemed that he was not very neatly cut on purpose. Looks very energetic. Xu Xilin had been guessing Chen Ke's age for a long time, and only got the result between twenty and thirty-five years old. In terms of appearance alone, Chen Ke looks like he is twenty years old at most, and occasionally smiles a few times, making him look very young. But when Chen Ke put away his smile, his serious demeanor, especially his calm eyes, made him look far older than his appearance.

"From Henan to here, thousands of miles away, I don't know what Mr. Chen has to say?" Xu Xilin then asked.

Chen Ke did not rush to answer this question. After returning to this era, Chen Ke thought twice about his future. He had absolutely no intention of burying the Manchus, and as a modern man, revolution was actually the only path Chen Ke could choose. But Chen Ke didn't like the Alliance, and after thinking about it, the only organization he could join was the Restoration Society. The leaders of the Restoration Society that Chen Keneng remembered were Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin. He came all the way to Shaoxing to "look for an organization". However, the Liberation Society itself is a local revolutionary party in Zhejiang, and it is really difficult for a foreigner to join this organization smoothly. How to gain Xu Xilin's trust was the main issue that Chen Ke considered along the way.

Chen Ke spoke, although he had considered his words many times, he was still a little unconfident. Chen Ke knew nothing but the "glorious deeds" recorded in some of Xu Xilin's textbooks. Since he dared to rebel and could become an important figure in Anhui officialdom, he naturally could not be an idiot. Therefore, Chen Ke's speed of speech was not fast, and he sounded a little hesitant, "Xu Gong, I came from afar, so I naturally have a request for you." Today's world has been decadent to such a state that it is impossible to do without revolution. It has been five or six years since the Gengzi Incident, and the Manchu Qing Dynasty seems to have returned to the light, but in fact it is completely irretrievable. But now that the constitutionalists are in the dust, I look down on them. The so-called New Deal of the Manchu Qing Dynasty was nothing more than to appease the world and deceive the scholars. They are only for the benefit of the Manchurians in their bones. Not to mention that everything the Manchus did was completely unable to grasp the main point. Don't hide it from Gong Xu, I have been studying overseas, and I only returned to my hometown this year. Overseas, foreigners look down on the Chinese. When I arrived in China, I saw that China was mediocre and had no idea where China was headed, which was really heartbreaking. There is no revolutionary party in Henan, and I heard that Mr. Xu Gong and Mr. Cai Yuanpei are the leaders of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Therefore, there are confidants who say to Xu. Wan Wang Xu Gong listened. ”

Xu Xilin listened and looked at Chen Ke. Chen Ke's clothing and appearance should be that he returned from overseas. Maybe Tao Chengzhang is also the same and has friends with heroes from all over the world, right? Xu Xilin secretly thought to himself, but he didn't expect that the revolutionary comrades in Henan had actually heard of his name. Thinking of this, Xu Xilin couldn't help but smile.

But Chen Ke is a foreigner after all, and he bluntly talked about his relationship with Cai Yuanpei. Now the Manchus appeased the gentry and sent spies everywhere to hunt down the revolutionaries. Not long after the establishment of the Restoration Society, the local authorities in Henan should not have known, but Chen Ke, a native of Henan, actually knew about it, which could not help but make Xu Xilin feel incredible.

"I don't know what Mr. Chen has to say." Xu Xilin asked.

Chen Ke said calmly: "Mr. Xu, I wrote something, please take a look." With that, he took out a stack of manuscripts from the satchel he was carrying.

Xu Xilin took the manuscript, the cover was a plain white paper, after opening it, on the very good paper, the vertical traces that were pressed out were arranged very neatly, just looking at this paper is extraordinary. After a few casual glances, Xu Xilin showed a look of surprise on his face, and then he forced back his mocking expression and continued to look down. This is not an article written with a brush, the handwriting is slender, like it was written with a fountain pen, but it is more delicate than the pen words. And this character is really ugly, from Xu Xilin's point of view, Chen Ke's character is not as red as a child's portrayal. Not only that, but the manuscript is all written in simplified characters, and some words are even simplified.

The headline on the right side of the first page is "Who is China's enemy?", and Xu Xilin feels that it is within his tolerance. Just by looking at the text, Xu Xilin had a contempt for Chen Ke, but after thinking about it, Chen Ke is literate, and this background is by no means an ordinary family. I looked at the manuscript again, there were more than 30 pages, and there were so many dense words written in such a dense way, how could there be tens of thousands. In these years, it is not easy to write so many words. It's better to be more tolerant.

"It seems that Mr. Chen has put a lot of effort into writing these things. I'll take a look first. Please Mr. Chan wait. Xu Xilin said.

"It is my honor that Xu Gong can give me advice. Please Xu Gong take a look. Chen Ke hurriedly responded.

The article is preceded by an outline, and the full text is divided into five parts, the first of which deals with the differences between China and Europe in terms of industrialization. This is why there is such a significant gap in the national strength of the two sides. The second part deals with the predictions of the future development of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. The third part tells what is really going on in European and American capitalism. The fourth part is China's national strength. The fifth part is a review of how to build a new China.

The text is half-literate and half-white, and it is uncomfortable to read. Xu Xilin then understood why the manuscript was so long. Some simple descriptions, Chen Ke can still use literary language, the elaboration of new things, can not find the literary language that can be expressed, so he directly went into the vernacular. Although it was quite uncomfortable to read, Xu Xilin was quickly attracted by the content of the article.

What the article expounds is nothing more than a very common view in the 21st century, that industrialized Europe and the United States are not much richer than China, but that the amount of material that the country can throw into the war is enormous. The Manchu system, the status quo of China's agricultural state, made it completely disproportionate to the amount of materials that China could invest in the war. In the 21st century, the data is not detailed enough, and there are not enough "dry goods". But for Xu Xilin in 1905, this was already information that he had never seen before. To be sure, even the Manchu government could not have come up with such detailed data as the basis for national policy. Not to mention Xu Xilin, who is just an ordinary gentry in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

After just reading this part, Xu Xilin was already greatly moved. From the Opium War to the Eight-Nation Alliance, China and foreign countries have been defeated repeatedly, which is really a great shame in Xu Xilin's view. Chen Ke's article makes it clear why these wars were fought and how the armies of both sides fought. The organizational model of the armies of the two sides, the mode of war and the course of the battle, the results of the battle and the results of the war, many places use tables to compare and list the specific data of the two sides. The presentation and summary are well organized.

After reading these, Xu Xilin put down the manuscript and stood up, "Mr. Chen is very talented, Xu has eyes and doesn't know Mount Tai, it's rude." After speaking, Xu Xilin shook his hand.

When Chen Ke saw Xu Xilin standing up, he also quickly got up. Seeing Xu Xilin's gesture, Chen Ke hurriedly returned the salute. "Mr. Xu Miao Zan, if it weren't for someone like Mr. Xu, how could he read my things. When I write this article, I have actually thought about it very inconsiderately, and I hope that Mr. Xu can advise me. ”

Suppressing his excitement, Xu Xilin invited Chen Ke to sit down, "Mr. Chen, I have to read your manuscript now, please wait a moment." ”

"Don't take precautions, I came today to ask Mr. Xu to see my things, if Mr. Xu can't stand it, wouldn't I come in vain." Chen Ke said with a smile.

"Tea, snacks." Xu Xilin shouted outside, and after hearing the servant's answer, Xu Xilin hurriedly picked up the manuscript and continued to read. After analyzing the gap between China and Europe, this paper predicts the future development of the Manchu dynasty. This part of the content Chen Ke directly copied the history book briefly, from the preparation of the constitution, to the establishment of advisory bureaus in various places, to the improvement of some new policies, and then the Manchu Qing finally launched the "imperial cabinet", and the disappointment of the advisory bureaus in various places until they sat back and watched the fall of the Manchu Dynasty.

Xu Xilin was shocked by this part of the content. He is usually good at commenting on state affairs, and he gathers like things, and so do his friends around him. But when everyone talks about revolution, it is nothing more than the overthrow of the Manchus. As for how to overthrow, most people advocate violent revolution. Or assassination, or uprising. When I talked about it, everyone was enthusiastic and high-spirited. But if you really want to do it, you will feel that it will be extremely difficult, and no one has ever been able to look at national affairs from the perspective of the state.

Chen Ke's manuscript describes the Manchu Qing Dynasty clearly and clearly, and when describing the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the choice of words and sentences is full of indifference. For Xu Xilin, the Manchu Qing Dynasty was a powerful existence with living flesh and blood. In the description of Chen Ke's article, the Manchu Qing Dynasty is a dry bone in a tomb, like a walking corpse. After reading these words, Xu Xilin had a feeling in his chest that it was so easy to defeat the Manchu Qing.

I don't know when, the manuscript has turned to the last page, Xu Xilin found that the last word was only the middle part of a sentence in the manuscript, and the whole article was gone.

"Mr. Chen, it seems that this manuscript has not been completed." Xu Xilin stared at Chen Ke with burning eyes, as if he wanted to squeeze the rest of the manuscript out of Chen Ke's face.

"In a hurry, the article has not been written yet." Xu Xilin's enthusiastic gaze made Chen Ke very uncomfortable, he picked up the teacup, and wanted to ease the atmosphere by drinking tea, only to find that the tea had been drunk. Xu Xilin saw through Chen Ke's unnatural movements at a glance, he got up and went out to call the servant over, and whispered a few words. The servant looked up at Xu Xilin in surprise, Xu Xilin gave a few more commands, and the servant turned around and left.

After Xu Xilin returned to the living room, he personally served tea to Chen Ke, and after the two sat down again, Xu Xilin said brightly: "I prepared a table of thin wine at noon, and I want to have a few drinks with Mr. Chen." Xu Xilin said, and looked at the manuscript on the coffee table again, "Mr. Chen's masterpiece I read just now, I have only learned lightly, and there are some things that I can't comprehend in the middle, I hope Mr. Chen can give me advice." ”

"I took the liberty to visit, just to make friends with Xu Gong. The following article is sloppy, and some things are just random guesses by yourself, and many things want to ask Xu Gong for guidance. I'll bother with this meal. Chen Ke was polite and relieved in his heart. It seems that this first step is finally the right one.

"Mr. Chen, Gui Geng."

"I was born in 1880 and is 25 years old this year." Chen Ke advanced his birth by a hundred years. "Mr. Xu, Guigeng."

"I'm 32 years old, and I've been crazy for a few years. Mr. Chen is so young. However, today, there are quite a few young people who are up-and-coming, such as Chen Tianhua and Zou Rong, who were only in their twenties when they became famous. Xu Xilin praised, "Where is Mr. Chen studying overseas?" ”

"I've been studying overseas for a few years, and I can't tell you where I studied. I hope Mr. Xu forgives me. ”

"Why?" Xu Xilin asked in surprise.

"I have decided to join the revolution and have nothing to do with my family ever since. So I can't tell you about these things. Chen Ke replied.

Xu Xilin pondered for a while, and suddenly asked, "Could it be that Mr. Chen is full of people?" ”

Hearing this suddenly, Chen Ke's eyes widened in astonishment, "How did I become a Manchurian?" My family has been a northern Han for generations, and perhaps my ancestors are descendants of the Xiongnu who served in the internal service, but they are by no means Manchus. Moreover, Taishi Gong's "Historical Records" records that the Xiongnu are also descendants of Yanhuang Miao, and I am a genuine descendant of Yanhuang Miao. How to change the full people. ”

"Reading Mr. Chen's article, I also know a lot about political affairs. I'm a little worried that Mr. Chen is a Manchurian, and I will never make friends with this Manchurian. Xu Xilin replied.

"If I am full, the heavens and the earth will be destroyed." Chen Ke also said with a straight face, "I am originally from Yan and Huang Miao, and the Manchurians are just barbarians stealing China, and I will not be willing to be barbarians." I still have this idea of shame. ”

Xu Xilin looked at Chen Ke's serious expression, and when he heard the oath of heaven and earth, he believed it in his heart, "Looking at Mr. Chen's clothes and Mr. Chen's knowledge, could it be that Mr. Chen's family is a high-ranking official of the imperial court?" ”

Hearing this, Chen Ke stood up and said loudly: "After I joined the revolution, I have nothing to do with my family. I grew up overseas, and I would never be loyal to the Manchus. Although I have never had braids, I have ancestors, and I can't say that my ancestors did not have braids. So I am who I am, and my home is my home. Ever since I walked out of the house, the two have nothing to do with each other. Regarding my origin, I don't want to make it up to deceive Brother Xu, but I can't tell Brother Xu. I hope Brother Xu will forgive me. After finishing speaking, Chen Ke took a deep look.

Before Xu Xilin could speak, he heard a hearty female voice outside the living room, "This is the same as Chen Tianhua's "Revolutionary Army". If it is really because of his devotion to the revolution, it has nothing to do with his family from now on. Horses of courses. There was no need for it. "Bosun is Xu Xilin's word, this voice Xu Xilin is very familiar, just now he asked the servant to invite Qiu Jin, but he didn't expect her to come so soon.

Chen Ke looked out the door and saw a woman in her thirties striding into the living room. She has a goose-egg long face, delicate eyebrows, and heroic spirit. Xu Xilin stood up and said a few words in Shaoxing dialect, Chen Ke didn't completely understand Shaoxing dialect, at least Shaoxing official dialect could also be heard, Xu Xilin probably said, "Xuanqing, I just sent someone to look for you, I didn't expect you to come so soon." ”

Although he was not very sure, Chen Ke guessed that the person who came was Qiu Jin. The three of them stood still in the hall, and without waiting for Xu Xilin's introduction, Chen Ke couldn't help but ask, "Is this Mr. Qiu Jin here?" ”

Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin were both surprised, Qiu Jin looked Chen Ke up and down, "I don't know what this gentleman is called?" Qiu Jin used a very unproficient Henan dialect, but her voice was more southern accent, more like Hakka, that kind of Henan flavor, which made Chen Ke suddenly have a kind of nostalgia.

"Under Chenke. It was an honor to meet Mr. Qiu. Chen Ke hurriedly replied in Henan dialect.

Qiu Jin was stunned when she heard Chen Ke's Henan dialect, and then laughed. "It turns out that Mr. Chen Ke is from Henan. In this capital, Henan dialect is also an official dialect. No wonder Mr. Chen refuses to say that he is from his family. ”

In the officialdom at the end of the Qing Dynasty, most of the people used Henan dialect, not the Beijing dialect that flowed in the air. In the early years of the Republic of China, the official language was discussed, if it were not for the fall of Yuan Shikai, who was born in Henan, and there were too few Henan people in power, Henan dialect would probably have been elected as the official dialect of the Republic of China.

After the three of them sat down, Xu Xilin handed Chen Ke's manuscript to Qiu Jin. Qiu Jin read it at a glance and ten lines, and after only reading a few pages, he had already started shooting. "Even if you can just see this masterpiece today, it's worth the trip. Who wrote it? As soon as the words fell, Qiu Jin continued to say: "It seems that Mr. Chen Kechen wrote it." ”

"Exactly." Xu Xilin replied.

Qiu Jin looked Chen Ke up and down a few times, but said to Xu Xilin: "Chaowen Dao, Xi can die." Bosun, today I invite you to drink. ”

Xu Xilin said with a smile: "I have already asked people to prepare thin wine, if Xuan Qing is willing to invite wine, I will bother with Mr. Chen Ke next time." ”

Hearing this, everyone laughed together. Qiu Jin said reluctantly: "Bosun, I have to take this manuscript away." The next time I invite you to drink, I will return you. ”

"This manuscript is incomplete, the next time Xuanqing invites us to drink, I have to ask Mr. Chen Ke to bring all the manuscripts." Xu Xilin said jokingly.

"Haven't you written so much?" Qiu Jin was really surprised.

"Xuanqing will know after reading it." Xu Xilin said.

At this moment, the servants of the Xu family came in to report that the banquet had been prepared.

"If you are hungry, go and drink first. I'm going to read this manuscript first. After Qiu Jin finished speaking, she sat back in her chair and continued to read what she had just said.

Xu Xilin waved his hand to the servant, and the servant retreated in amusement. The two men in the living room sat back in their chairs, and in the quiet living room, there was only the sound of turning papers from time to time.