Sun Yuan said in his heart: Can I say that I have not studied in the United States?

Of course, this is unspeakable. Sun Yuanqi pondered for a moment and replied: "As Brother Ren said, the US political system is exemplary and worthy of being learned by all countries in the world, and China is no exception. But taking the method is not the same as transplanting, and we must first take into account the huge differences between China and the United States. For example, the geographical situation, the United States is vast and sparsely populated, and the people do not have to worry about flood, drought and hunger. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, forming two natural barriers; To the north is docile Canada, to the south is cowardly Mexico, and the hostile forces in the country are mainly Indians with less than 5 combat strength. For a long time before the middle of the 19th century, they did not have to worry about foreign intrusion, and they could develop the economy, improve people's livelihood, and discuss democracy with peace of mind.

"And what about us, China? Tsarist Russia in the north has already seized a large part of our territory, and now it is salivating over Xinjiang, Inner and Outer Mongolia, and the three eastern provinces. Japan's wolf ambitions, more than 10 years ago, cut off our Taiwan and Peng Islands, and blackmailed 200 million taels of silver, which made them have a big appetite, but they are afraid that they will be even more greedy in the future. In the west and south, Britain and France watched over Tibet and Yunnan. Around the border, strong enemies are around! At home, when the central government is weak, the provinces are independent, wars are frequent, floods and droughts are frequent, famine is continuous, and the people are struggling to make a living, how can they have the leisure to consider what democracy and freedom?

"To borrow the teachings of Brother Ren just now, what is the most urgent issue in our country at the moment? It is to realize the prosperity of the country and the strength of the people as soon as possible, eliminate the division of the territory at home, resist the strong enemy from the outside, and carry out the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. As for whether the state system is a democratic republic or an enlightened **, it is just the word 'governance' as Brother Ren said. As long as it works, why bother to discern its roots? If we ignore the huge differences between China and the United States. Blindly transplanting the American political system is tantamount to following the example of Dongshi and Handan, and the result can only be self-defeating! ”

Tang Shaoyi suddenly shook his head: "What the virtuous brother said is wrong! It is true that the country is now weak and the people are poor, all kinds of waste are waiting to be rebuilt, the provinces are independent, and the people are struggling to make a living, but we must also realize that this is the best opportunity to plan the future political system of the country, which is called 'because of the people's difficulties'. As the saying goes, 'the hungry are easy to eat, and the thirsty are easy to drink', we should take this opportunity to draw up the most democratic and promising political system for China." So that hundreds of years later, talented people with lofty ideals no longer have the regrets of Li Wenzhonggong. For this purpose, even if the country loses something in the short term, it is well worth it in the long run!

"Moreover, power is like a tiger, easy to release and difficult to collect, we should put it in a cage when it is young and young, teach it to respect the parliament, abide by the constitution, and ensure that it operates under the supervision and restraint of the people, and dare not exceed it in the slightest. It should not be for a small profit or to be angry for a moment. Releasing it out of the cage to feast on flesh and blood will only make it ferocious. Once you don't have enough to eat, or you're dissatisfied with your owner, or you don't have someone to vent to. It will be eaten indiscriminately! ”

Sun Yuanqi frowned and asked, "In Brother Tang's opinion, should we want democracy or prosperity or strength?" ”

Tang Shaoyi was stunned: "These two are not contradictory, right?" It shouldn't be a multiple-choice question, right? ”

"What if you had to choose one or the other?"

"This ......"

Sun Yuanqi ignored Tang Shaoyi's answer, and said to himself: "Democracy and prosperity may not contradict each other, but looking at all countries in the world, all backward countries will go through a period of strengthening centralized power when they progress to developed countries. Democracy can maximize people's enthusiasm for political participation and make decisions reflect the will of the majority, but it is not a panacea, and it has its own weaknesses. For example, the people are susceptible to emotions, political instability, lagging decision-making, and anti-elite and pro-mass tendencies.

Of course, these drawbacks may not be much of a problem for a stable, rich and powerful developed country, at most they will lag behind the speed of development; But for poor and backward countries, it is like a dose of poison! It will weaken the authority of the central government, hollow out the head of state, and hinder things everywhere, so that the country will fall into the quagmire of democracy and it will be difficult to get out. Therefore, there are many countries in the world that are rich and strong first, and then democratic. A country that is democratic first and then rich and powerful has never been! This is the fundamental reason why I strongly advocate enlightenment. ”

In the 21st century, the most famous countries that have fallen into the quagmire of democracy are India, the world's largest democracy, and the Philippines, a model of democracy in Southeast Asia.

Tang Shaoyi said: "Since we know that democracy has these shortcomings, it is necessary to take measures to make up for them." Why throw out the bathwater with your child? ”

Sun Yuanqi said with a smile: "These malpractices are the womb of democracy, and if we really want to correct all these malpractices, is the reformed democracy still democracy?" Moreover, the most effective means of correcting these shortcomings is education, through which the people of the whole country can clearly understand the current situation of the country, understand their obligations, and learn to exercise their rights. At present, less than 10 percent of the country's 40,000 people are literate, and it will take five or ten years for the people to grasp democracy? Or thirty years, fifty years? Can the state wait like this?

"Actually, the enlightened** I advocate is not much different from the democratic republican system in the United States. The most striking difference is that in the United States, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party jointly control the Senate and the House of Representatives, while I would like a political party composed of elites from all walks of life to control both houses, and the struggle must be confined not only to the parliament, but also to the political parties, so as to avoid the national turmoil caused by frequent regime changes. In addition, the head of state is also elected from within the party, rather than canvassing for votes, thus avoiding the election of a speaker with an IQ of less than 100. ……”

At present, Sun Yuanqi roughly described the state structure of later generations to Tang Shaoyi.

After he finished speaking, Tang Shaoyi muttered: "Although this can re-establish the authority of the central government and facilitate the implementation of policies, but it is only contrary to the spirit of democracy to exercise the authority of the parliament alone, right?" Even if the country becomes rich and strong in the future, what will be the benefit to the ordinary people? ”

Sun Yuanqi said perfunctorily: "The so-called 'big rivers have water and small rivers are full, and big rivers have no water and small rivers are dry', when the country is rich and strong, the people will naturally benefit from it." As for democracy, it is not too late to discuss it when the country becomes rich and strong, and perhaps when China stands on top of the world again, the ruling party will split into two parties? Wouldn't that be a direct realization of the democratic republican system in the United States that Brother Ren wanted? ”

Regarding Sun Yuanqi's whimsical conjecture, Tang Shaoyi naturally found it difficult to agree. The two talked again, seeing that the sky was getting dark, and it was time to hold the lamp, Tang Shaoyi got up to say goodbye. Before going out, he turned around and persuaded earnestly: "Virtuous brother, people have no foresight, but they must have near-term worries!" ”

Sun Yuanqi replied: "The river fish has a rotten belly, and it does not seek living water, but still thinks about turning into a dragon; The scholar is dying, he doesn't ask for a good doctor, he still thinks of serving the country. Although his heart is commendable, it is inevitably lost! ”

In the following day or two, Tang Shaoyi came to negotiate with Sun Yuanqi when he was free, always hoping that he would give up his enlightenment and join the embrace of the democratic republic. As the famous saying goes, "There are two hardest things in the world, one is to put one's own thoughts into other people's heads, and the other is to put other people's money in one's own pocket." If the former succeeds, he will call the teacher, and if the latter succeeds, he will call the boss. "Tang Shaoyi may be a qualified politician, but she is definitely not a qualified teacher. Sun Yuanqi is the opposite, relying on the teaching skills of being a teacher for more than ten years, Tang Shaoyi began to be a little unconfident in the democratic republican system, and turned to be interested in enlightenment.

Through constant conversations with Tang Shaoyi, coupled with his own understanding of history and reality, Sun Yuanqi gradually formed a set of his own political ideological system. In the next few years, this political ideological system not only became the guiding theory of the New China Party, but also had a profound impact on the subsequent political development of the Republic of China.

Later, the history books called the conversation between Sun Yuanqi and Tang Shaoyi in the boat as the "Sun-Tang talks". Because the ship was sailing on the Yellow Sea at the time of the conversation, it was also called the "Yellow Sea Talks". The time of the Sun-Tang talks, the name of the ship he boarded, the main content of the conversation and its far-reaching impact are all important test points in high school modern history textbooks.

Because only Sun Yuanqi, Tang Shaoyi, and Feng Jishan, the captain of the guard, were present during the talks, and no written materials were left, later historians can only restore the situation at that time based on the memories of Tang Shaoyi and Feng Jishan, but there are also many contradictions in the memories of these two parties. In Tang Shaoyi's book "Classmates and Teenagers Are Not Cheap - The "Yale Department" in the Political Arena of the Republic of China", he devoted five chapters to the "Sun-Tang Talks", and described how he was sincere and kind and taught Sun Yuanqi how to govern the country; how to analyze the situation at home and abroad endlessly, so that Sun Yuanqi suddenly opened his mouth; How to cite the political ideas of various schools for Sun Yuanqi to choose...... In short, in the "Sun-Tang Talks", he Tang Shaoyi played the great role of Sun Yuanqi's "spiritual mentor".

In his memoir "My Life", Feng Jishan severely refuted the claim of "Sun-Tang talks", and in his opinion, the most accurate name for this meeting should be "Sun-Feng talks" or "Sun-Feng criticism-Tang talks". Because as early as the 29th year of Guangxu in the former Qing Dynasty (1903), when Mr. Sun Yuanqi met with Liang Qichao, he had initially put forward the idea of enlightenment. The real situation of the "Sun-Tang talks" was that Feng Jishan, the captain of the guard, resolutely stood on the side of Mr. Sun Yuanqi, bitterly criticized Tang Shaoyi, who was heavily poisoned by Western democracy, and exposed his profound nature as a lackey of the West.

It is precisely because of the lack of written information and the fact that the people involved are different from each other, and this history has become one of the most enthusiastic topics among modern history researchers. In just a few decades, nearly 10,000 papers and more than 100 monographs have been published in various countries, countless historians have been created, and finally even the names of every crew member and passenger on that ship have been verified!

But in February 1912, no one knew that the talks would have such an impact in the future. Especially Sun Yuanqi, at that time, in addition to thinking about political issues, he was still concentrating on writing a letter of recommendation, and he didn't have time to think about other things at all.