Books such as "Jiangsu", "You Translation and Editing", and "Zhejiang Chao" were handed to Ah Fa, he was a little puzzled, turned a few pages casually, raised his head and asked: "Oppose the Manchu government?" Charlie is? ”

Charlie Song saw that Ah Fa was just puzzled and asked, but there was no surprise on his face, so he felt very hopeful, and said with a smile: "This is what my friends asked me to print, do business." Besides, I'm a big believer in Lincoln and think these books are pretty good. ”

Ah Fa nodded in disbelief, smiled slightly, and teased: "Printing **, you will definitely make a fortune, this is probably a law in the publishing industry!" ”

"Get rich, sort of!" Charlie Song looked at Ah Fa and said meaningfully: "Then what does Mr. Chen think of the revolutionary party and the revolution?" ”

Ah Fa thought for a while, and did not answer directly, but asked rhetorically: "Then what does Charlie think of the country and practical subjects?" Will the revolution be broken and then established, or will it only be broken but not established, or will it only be broken and will not be established? Does the revolution only need propagandists who drum and shout, or does it need workers who work hard? ”

This series of questions immediately sent Charlie Song deep in thought. In the minds of the vast majority of revolutionaries at that time, almost all had the belief that revolution is omnipotent. It seems that when the rotten Manchu regime is overthrown and the revolution succeeds, all problems can be solved. If the country can become independent and strong, the nation can be rejuvenated and rise, and the surname can live and work in peace and contentment, the revolution seems to be a panacea for all problems.

But in reality, the strength of the country and the independence of the nation depend on a variety of factors. For the political and economic system of a social form, revolution is a "new peach for the old", with obvious qualitative mutations; However, as far as the material foundation of a social form and even the development of talents are concerned, a new leap that begins on a new qualitative basis is inseparable from the accumulation of quantity.

In other words, "saving the country through industry," "saving the country through science," "saving the country through education," and so on are naturally one-sided and narrow-minded, but on the whole, they are indispensable factors for a country and a nation to become independent and strong. Can the agitation and propaganda of revolutionaries alone get rid of the oppression and bullying of the great powers? Without a long period of arduous pioneering work and arduous preparation in such areas as "saving the country through industry" and "saving the country through education," revolution would certainly be able to overthrow an old society, but what would the new society look like?

And Ah Fa's question seems simple, but it implies such thoughts and judgments. Just as Mr. Lu Xun said: Since ancient times, the Chinese nation has had people who have worked hard, people who have worked hard, people who have asked for their lives for the people, and people who have sacrificed their lives to seek the law. Is it because they are engaged in different jobs and different ways of doing things that they do not regard them as the backbone of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation in the new century?

In ancient China, the meaning of "revolution" was very narrow, and it only referred to changing the dynasty and changing the surname. Revolution is change, and life is destiny. The meaning of this word has not changed for 2,000 years.

It was not until around 10 years ago that Wang Tao's "French Chronicles" in the late Qing Dynasty used the modern semantic terms "revolution" and "French revolution" for the first time. Because of the relationship between the modern use of "revolution" and the French Revolution when it first entered China, and the original semantics of the word in China, it had two colors from the beginning, one is violence and the other is justice. In particular, the latter point caused the Qing government to only say "chaotic party", "thief party", and "traitorous party", and absolutely did not want to use the word "revolutionary party" that had already spread.

Since the word "revolution" has taken on a new meaning, it is different from the rebellions and rebellions in Chinese history, and the ultimate goal should not only be to fill and overthrow the Qing court. Moreover, revolution is not necessarily a cure for the world, and construction is not a robbery.

In fact, Ah Fa's thoughts have not been said so deeply, nor have they been understood so thoroughly, and they are quite sophistry to Charlie Song's ears. However, Ah Fa's attitude can be regarded as showing that he is not opposed to the revolution, but his practical work in industrial development is also a work of the revolution. In other words, Ah Fa is not prepared to participate in the kind of revolution that Charlie Song wants, at least for the time being.

"If you want a specific theory, Mr. Chen can take a look at this." Charlie Song didn't want to give up easily, so he picked out a book from the book and handed it to Ah Fa, praising it: "There are agricultural skills, there are industrial skills, and iron machines, which are really works of the world." ”

Ah Fa didn't like Charlie Song's face, so he took it over and looked at it. Obviously, in his opinion, what is said above is not new, what widely uses machines to open more factories, what takes agriculture as the economy and business as the weft, and what overhauls iron in all directions...... As long as one knows a little about the historical situation of the great powers, it is not very difficult to write about these.

"Actually, that's the difference between a professional revolutionary, or a politician, and a doer." Ah Fa reads quickly, because many of the contents do not need to be carefully considered, but he and Charlie Song see the problem from a different angle and thinking, "These things are written by revolutionaries or politicians, with lofty goals and optimistic prospects, but they are agitation and propaganda." However, to achieve it, it requires specific and meticulous methods, and it requires doers of various professions and specialties to work hard. What's more, a huge amount of money is required. Excuse me, where does the money come from? ”

"I don't deny the role of doers, but without lofty ideals, how can we have the direction and motivation to move forward?" Charlie Song was a little disappointed, because he didn't see Ah Fa ecstatic and admired, but he still patiently explained: "The revolution needs Beichen, and now that it is there, people with lofty ideals naturally want to follow him, support him, support him, and work hard for the ultimate goal." ”

The people of an era have the characteristics of an era, that is, the mode of thinking and the theory of thought are different. Ah Fa is no exception, and the most prominent manifestation is respect but not superstitious authority. Moreover, these theories of the so-called revolutionary Beichen are neither new nor concrete to Ah Fa, and they lack attractiveness.

"Since Charlie doesn't deny the role of doers, then I'll try to be one of them first!" Ah Fa said with a smile: "There is no need to argue, there is always time to prove who is right and who is wrong." By the way, today I want to discuss something with Charlie. To put it simply, I want to open a newspaper and ask Charlie's Huamei Printing Factory to contract the printing. ”

Seeing that Ah Fa diverted the topic, Charlie Song was not easy to talk about. What's more, although Ah Fa did not have a clear commitment, he did not have obvious opposition, and he left all these books, which seems to be something that can be won.

Ah Fa's later thinking made him more realistic, although he did not deny the role of ideals and the necessity of revolution. But what he focuses on is not the kind of far-sightedness, but the down-to-earth that seems a little less enthusiastic and radical, like the difference between what he wants to do and what he can do. Dazzling and exciting goals can be had, but the means and methods of how to achieve them seem to be more important in his mind.