Insufficient balance
May 6, 1905. Early summer. It was still about a month before the rainy season, and Shaoxing City had clear skies and pleasant temperatures. On this afternoon, Xu Xilin entertained guests at home.
A gentle breeze carried the fragrance of flowers from the courtyard into the small living room. This is a typical Shaoxing-style living room, with a table against the north wall and two intricately carved armchairs on either side. Four chairs were arranged in two rows in the center of the room. Landscape paintings hung on the walls. The atmosphere was quiet and comfortable, perfect for conversation. Delicate window lattices had curtains attached to them, and sunlight filtering through cast beautiful shadows inside the house. It truly exuded a classic charm.
Xu Xilin, with his queue and long gown, sat in the host's seat, while a short-haired man in Western suit and leather shoes sat in the guest's seat. Xu was 32 years old this year, thin and pale, with a shallow facial contour and two striking black eyebrows. The guest looked ageless, with a typical northern Chinese face: square jawline, high forehead, high cheekbones, high nose bridge, and deep eye sockets that shone brightly with beautiful eyes.
Xu Xilin had recently joined the Guangfu Hui, and this renowned revolutionary leader was smiling as he sized up his guest Chen Ke sitting across from him. Xu Xilin wasn't unfamiliar with Western suits, but Chen Ke's suit seemed to be an unusual style. Chen Ke didn't seem to mind Xu Xilin's curiosity, wearing a deep yellowish-brown casual suit with leather elbow patches. A dark green striped dress shirt, a navy blue tie, and a gold-plated tie clip complemented his outfit, along with crystal cufflinks on his sleeves. In this era, 21st-century casual suits were not fashionable at all, not even among niche groups. Xu Xilin's gaze only showed mild curiosity, without any surprise. This was enough to prove the personal refinement of this famous revolutionary leader.
Xu Xilin and Chen Ke's encounter was indeed too sudden. Even Xu Xilin, who liked to make friends, thought it was interesting when he looked back on it.
Yesterday at noon, Qiu Jin suddenly sent someone to inform Xue Xilun that a short-haired man in a western suit had taken out a piece of paper with Xue Xilun's name on it and was speaking in an unusual official tone. He asked people who looked like scholars how to find Xue Xilun. Qiu Jin wanted to know what relationship Xue Xilun had with this strange guy. After hearing the report from Qiu Jin's servant, Xue Xilun felt quite surprised. He had a wide range of social connections and there were also overseas students who had cut off their queues in Shaoxing. However, Qiu Jin said in her letter that she had never seen this person before. As cousins and fellow revolutionaries, if Qiu Jin, who had a wide range of social connections, had not met this person, Xue Xilun should not know him either.
Xu Xilin asked where the person was now. Qiu Jin's family replied that he was not far from here. Xu Xilin asked again what the person looked like, and after thinking for a moment, Qiu Jin's family replied - either rich or noble. With curiosity, Xu Xilin went to take a look himself.
At the street corner, Chen Ke could be seen from afar. Southerners generally aren't tall, and in this era of malnutrition, Chen Ke's 1.82 meters made him stand out among ordinary people like a crane among chickens. At that moment, several Shaoxing rascals were surrounding Chen Ke, taunting him with the local dialect. Chen Ke seemed to be listening intently, his face showing a hint of confusion. His demeanor was unmistakably that of a scholar.
Those rascals also understood that the other party did not understand Shaoxing dialect, so they went up to prepare for a push and shove. Chen Ke immediately understood this action with clear meaning. He raised his left hand, the movement was not fast but just right. The smooth and delicate long fingers clamped down on the neck of the leading rascal like a steel clip. With a slight effort, the rascal's face instantly turned into liver color. The rascal's hands instinctively grabbed Chen Ke's wrist, trying to pry it open with force. Chen Ke took a step forward, his left hand swung out lightly but forcefully, and the rascal who had already started to roll up his eyes was knocked straight into his companions. Like an overturned gourd rack, several guys were knocked down to the ground together. A burst of joyful laughter erupted from the crowd of onlookers.
Xu Xilin highly appreciated Chen Ke's performance. In an era where scholars generally had weak bodies, such martial skills were extremely rare. When Chen Ke was teaching the rascal a lesson, his face did not have the usual ferocious expression of a good fighter. Moreover, Chen Ke's attire was completely different from those of the overseas students. His clothes were made of bright and clean fabric, not silk or satin, but had an old yet neat and tidy look that felt comfortable to look at.
Xu Xilin pushed his stunned family members, letting them hand Chen Ke a business card, and made an appointment to visit Chen Ke the next day. Xu Xilin saw from afar that Chen Ke had a laborious exchange with his family members, then his family members ran back in a hurry. Chen Ke glanced at Xu Xilin and smiled.
The news brought back by his family members pleased Xú Xī Lín very much. Chen Ke said that the inn where he was staying was very simple and asked if he could visit Xu's residence in person the next day. Xú Xī Lín was naturally fond of making friends, so he immediately had his family members pass on the message, and he waited respectfully at home for Chen Ke the next day.
In 1905, revolutionaries from all over China were mobilizing everywhere. At this time, Xu Xilin had already joined the Guangfu Society and got to know Tao Chengzhang. Tao Chengzhang was ambitious, with the goal of overthrowing the Qing dynasty and expelling the Manchu people. He had twice gone to Beijing to assassinate Empress Dowager Cixi but failed, and later went alone to Japan to study the army. The next year after returning home, he actively participated in revolutionary activities, traveling extensively throughout Zhejiang, Fujian, and Anhui provinces to connect with fellow revolutionaries. He often wore a rope around his waist, wore straw sandals on his feet, and traveled to various parts of Zhejiang Province, "walking 110 miles every day without complaint". Hangzhou was just a river away from his home, but he "went to Hangzhou four times without returning".
Xu Xilin had already decided to meet Chen Ke after seeing his short hair. In the late Qing dynasty, that short hair explained a lot of things. As a revolutionary, Xu Xilin would be making a huge joke if he refused a young man with short hair who came to visit him at the door.
"Director Xu, I'm being presumptuous by coming to visit you like this, and it's already quite rude of me. That you can take time out of your busy schedule to receive me is truly appreciated." Chen Ke said in standard 21st-century Mandarin.
Xu Xilin smiled and was about to speak when the servant brought in tea, placing two teacups in front of each person. Then he stood by waiting.
"Mr. Chen, have some tea." Xu Xilin also spoke in Mandarin, with a strong Shaoxing accent.
Chen Ke nodded, indicating that one of the two cups of tea was plain water and the other was clear tea. Chen Ke had rushed over early in the morning without having a drink yet, so when he saw the plain water, he felt thirsty and picked it up to take a big gulp. The servant standing behind Chen Ke couldn't help but show a mocking expression on his face. Xue Xilun glared at the servant, then also picked up the plain water and took a big gulp before waving his hand. The servant removed the tea bowl used for rinsing mouths, and only then did Xue Xilun pick up the tea bowl and say, "Mr. Chen, please have some tea."
Both of them picked up their teacups and took a sip before Xue Xilun asked, "Mr. Chen, where are you from?"
"He is from Zhengzhou, Henan." Chen Ke replied.
Chen Ke's beard was shaved clean, and his short hair seemed to be intentionally cut unevenly. He looked very spirited. Xue Xilun had been guessing Chen Ke's age for a long time, but only got the result between 20 and 35 years old. Judging from his appearance alone, Chen Ke looked at most 20 years old, and occasionally smiled, making him look extremely young. However, when Chen Ke put away his smile, his serious expression, especially his calm and unruffled eyes, made him look much older than his appearance suggested.
"From Henan all the way here, thousands of miles away, I wonder what Mr. Chen has to teach?" Xu Xilin asked.
For this question, Chen Ke did not rush to answer. After returning to this era, Chen Ke thought about his future again and again. He absolutely had no intention of being buried with the Qing dynasty. As a modern person, revolution was actually the only road that Chen Ke could choose. However, Chen Ke didn't like the Tongmenghui, and after thinking it over, he felt that the only organization he could join was the Guangfu Hui. The leaders of the Guangfu Hui that Chen Ke remembered were Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin. He had come all the way to Shaoxing to "find an organization". However, the Guangfu Hui itself was a local revolutionary party in Zhejiang, and as an outsider, it would be extremely difficult for him to join this organization smoothly. How to gain Xu Xilin's trust was the main problem that Chen Ke considered on his way.
Chen Ke spoke up, although he had carefully considered his words many times, he still sounded somewhat uncertain. Chen Ke knew only a part of Xu Xilin's glorious deeds recorded in the textbooks, and nothing else. Since he dared to rebel and became an important figure in Anhui officialdom, he couldn't be a fool. So Chen Ke spoke slowly, with some hesitation, "Mr. Xu, I have come from afar, naturally with a request for you. The current situation has deteriorated to such an extent that revolution is unavoidable. It's been five or six years since the Boxer Rebellion, and although the Qing dynasty seems to be recovering, it's actually beyond salvation. But now the constitutionalists are making a big fuss, I really look down on them. The so-called new policies of the Qing dynasty are just to appease the people, to deceive the scholars. They only care about the interests of the Manchu people in their bones. Not to mention that everything the Qing dynasty does is completely off the mark. To be honest with Mr. Xu, I have been studying abroad for many years and returned home this year. Abroad, foreigners look down on Chinese people. After returning home, I saw that China was muddled from top to bottom, completely unaware of where China's path lay, it really pains my heart. There are no revolutionary parties in Henan, I heard that Mr. Xu and Mr. Cai Yuanpei are the leaders of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. So I have some heartfelt words to share with Mr. Xu. Please listen."
Xu Xilin listened intently while sizing up Chen Ke. Chen Ke's attire and appearance suggested that he was indeed a returned overseas Chinese. Perhaps Tao Chengzhang had also made connections with heroes from various regions in this way? Xu Xilin thought to himself, never expecting that revolutionary comrades as far away as Henan would have heard of his name. At this thought, Xu Xilin couldn't help but reveal a smile.
But Chen Ke was an outsider after all, and he spoke frankly about his relationship with Cai Yuanpei. At present, the Qing government is on the one hand appeasing the gentry, while on the other hand sending secret agents everywhere to hunt down revolutionaries. The Guangfu Society had just been established, and it shouldn't have been known in Henan Province yet, but Chen Ke, a native of Henan, somehow knew about it, which made Xixin feel unbelievable.
"I don't know what advice Mr. Chen has." Xu Xilin asked.
Chen Ke said calmly: "Mr. Xu, I have written something, please take a look." After finishing speaking, he took out a stack of manuscripts from the bag he was carrying.
Xu Xilin took the manuscript, the cover was a sheet of plain white paper. After opening it, on the very good paper, there were rows and rows of neatly arranged vertical marks that had been pressed out. Just looking at the paper made it seem extraordinary. He glanced through it casually, and Xu Xilin's face showed a look of surprise. Then he suppressed his mocking expression and continued to read on. This was not an article written with a brush pen, the characters were delicate, like they were written with a steel pen, but even more delicate than that. Moreover, the characters were really ugly, in Xu Xilin's opinion, Chen Ke's characters weren't even as good as a child's scribbles. Not only that, the entire manuscript used simplified characters, some of which were simplified to the point of being unrecognizable.
The title on the right side of the first page was "Who is China's Enemy", Xu Xilin felt that it was still within his tolerance. Just by looking at the text, Xu Xilin had a slight disdain for Chen Ke, but thinking again, Chen Ke could read and write, which meant he didn't come from an ordinary family. Looking at the manuscript again, there were over 30 pages, with so many dense characters written, it must have taken tens of thousands of words. In this era, being able to write so many words in a flowing manner was no easy feat. He should be given some credit.
"It seems that Mr. Chen has put a lot of thought into writing these things. I'll take a closer look first. Please wait for a moment, Mr. Chen," said Xú Xīlín.
"Mr. Xue is willing to teach me without reservation, it's my honor. Please take your time, Mr. Xue." Chen Ke hastily replied.
This article lists the outline, and the full text is divided into five parts. The first part describes the differences between China and Europe in terms of industrialization, which is also why there is such a huge gap between the national powers of the two sides. The second part describes the prediction of the future development of the Qing dynasty. The third part describes what Western capitalism is all about. The fourth part is about China's national power. The fifth part is about how to establish a new China.
The text was half-classical and half-vernacular, making it very uncomfortable to read. Xú Xīlín only then understood why the manuscript was so long. For some simple narratives, Chén Kè could still use classical language, but for explanations of new things, he couldn't find suitable classical expressions, so he directly used vernacular. Although it felt quite awkward, Xú Xīlín was soon drawn in by the content of the article.
The content described in the article is just a very common view in the 21st century. The industrialized West is not much richer than China, but rather the amount of resources that can be invested in war is enormous. The Qing system and China's current status as an agricultural country make it impossible for China to invest sufficient resources in war. From the perspective of a 21st-century online article, the data is still not detailed enough and there are not enough "dry goods". However, for Xu Xilin in 1905, this was already unprecedented information that he had never seen before. To be fair, even the Qing government could not have produced such detailed data as the basis for national policy, let alone Xu Xilin, a ordinary scholar-official from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.
Just after finishing this part, Xue Xilun was deeply moved. From the Opium War to the Eight-Nation Alliance, China's wars against foreign countries had always ended in defeat, which was a great shame and humiliation for Xue Xilun. Chen Ke's article analyzed these wars clearly, explaining why they were fought, how the armies of both sides operated, their organizational models, combat methods, and outcomes. Many tables were used to compare specific data between the two sides. The introduction and summary were well-organized and logical.
After finishing reading, Xue Xilun put down the manuscript and stood up, "Mr. Chen is a great talent, I have eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai, I was rude." After saying that, Xue Xilun bowed his hands in salute.
Chen Ke saw Xu Xilin stand up and also quickly stood up. Seeing Xu Xilin bowing, Chen Ke hurriedly returned the courtesy. "Mr. Xu's praise is too much, if it weren't for a person like Mr. Xu, how could he understand my writing? I wrote this article, actually with not very careful consideration, the places that are not thorough, I hope Mr. Xu can point out and teach me."
Suppressing his excitement, Xue Xilun asked Chen Keluo to take a seat. "Mr. Chen, I need to finish reading your manuscript now. Please wait for a moment, Mr. Chen."
"It's no big deal. I came today specifically to ask Mr. Xu to take a look at my things. If Mr. Xu can't bear to look, wouldn't that be a waste of my trip?" Chen Ke said with a smile.
"Bring tea, bring some snacks." Xú Xīlín shouted out towards the outside, and after hearing the servant respond, he hastily picked up the manuscript to continue reading. This manuscript analyzed the gap between China and Europe, and then made predictions about the future development of the Qing dynasty. Chen Kè directly copied a brief summary from historical books, starting from the preparation for constitutionalism, to the establishment of advisory bureaus in various places, to some improvements in new policies, and finally the Qing dynasty's last push for an "Imperial Family Cabinet", the disappointment of the advisory bureaus in various places, until they sat back and watched as the Qing dynasty collapsed.
Xu Xilin was shocked by this part of the content. He usually liked to comment on national affairs, and his friends around him were also like that. However, when it came to revolution, they all talked about overthrowing the Qing dynasty. As for how to overthrow it, most people advocated violent revolution, either through assassination or uprising. When talking about it, everyone was enthusiastic and spirited. But when it really came down to doing it, it felt incredibly difficult, and no one could look at national affairs from a national perspective.
Chen Ke's manuscript has a clear and distinct description of the Qing dynasty, with a tone that is full of indifference. For Xue Xilun, the Qing dynasty was a living, breathing, powerful entity. In Chen Ke's writing, however, the Qing dynasty is depicted as a lifeless skeleton, an existence devoid of vitality. After reading these words, Xue Xilun felt a sense of realization that overthrowing the Qing dynasty would be such an easy task.
Before he knew it, the manuscript had turned to the last page, and Xu Xilin found that the last word was only in the middle of a sentence, and the whole article just ended like this.
"Mr. Chen, it seems like this draft is not finished yet." Xu Xilin's piercing gaze stared at Chen Ke, as if trying to squeeze out the remaining draft from his face.
"In the midst of haste, the article was not yet finished." Xu Xilin's passionate gaze made Chen Ke very uncomfortable. He picked up his teacup, wanting to use drinking tea to ease the atmosphere, only to find that the tea had been drunk dry. Xu Xilin saw through Chen Ke's unnatural movements at a glance. He got up and went out to call over a servant, giving him low-voiced instructions. The servant looked up at Xu Xilin in surprise, and Xu Xilin gave him more instructions before the servant turned and left.
After returning to the living room, Xu Xilin personally poured tea for Chen Ke, and after they sat down again, Xu Xilin said with great enthusiasm: "I prepared a table of light wine at noon, thinking of having a small drink with Mr. Chen." As he spoke, he glanced at the manuscript on the tea table, "Mr. Chen's masterpiece I read earlier, but I'm afraid I'm not learned enough to understand some things in between, and I hope Mr. Chen can give me some guidance without reservation."
"I originally came to visit you, just wanting to make friends with Mr. Xue. My articles are rough and some things are just my own wild guesses, many things I'd like to ask for your guidance. This meal, I've troubled you." Chen Kei was polite on the surface, but in his heart he let out a sigh of relief. It seems that this first step has been taken correctly.
"Mr. Chen, how old are you?"
"Born in 1880 of the Western calendar, I am now 25 years old." Chen Ke had pushed his birth date forward by a hundred years. "What is your honorable age, Mr. Xu?"
"I'm 32 years old, and I've been foolish for several years. Mr. Chen is so young! However, nowadays, many young people are emerging, such as Chen Tianhua, Zou Rong, who became famous at the age of twenty or so." Xu Xilin praised, "Where did Mr. Chen study abroad?"
"I studied abroad for a few years, but I really can't tell you where. I hope Mr. Xu will excuse me."
"Why?" Xú Xīlín asked in surprise.
"I have already decided to join the revolution and from now on I have nothing to do with my family. So I cannot tell you about these things." Chen Ke replied solemnly.
Xu Xilin pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked: "Could it be that Mr. Chen is a Manchu?"
Suddenly hearing this, Chen Ke's eyes widened in shock. "How did I become a Manchu? My family has been northern Han people for generations, perhaps our ancestors were descendants of the Xiongnu who surrendered to the Chinese court, but we are absolutely not Manchus. Moreover, the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian records that the Xiongnu were also descendants of the Yellow Emperor, I am a genuine descendant of the Yellow Emperor. How did I become a Manchu?"
"I have read Mr. Chen's article and gained a good understanding of politics. I am worried that Mr. Chen is a Manchu, and as for the Manchus, I absolutely will not associate with them." Xu Xilin replied seriously.
"If I were a Manchu, heaven and earth would be destroyed." Chen Ke also said seriously, "I am a descendant of the Yan and Huang emperors, the Manchus are just barbarians who usurped China. I will not willingly become a barbarian. This little bit of shame, I still have."
Xu Xilin looked at Chen Ke's serious expression and heard the oath of heaven and earth, and he also believed it. "Looking at Mr. Chen's attire and Mr. Chen's insight, isn't Mr. Chen's family a high-ranking official in the imperial court?"
After hearing this, Chen Ke stood up and said loudly: "Since I joined the revolution, I have nothing to do with my family. I grew up overseas since childhood and will not be loyal to the Qing dynasty. Although I never had a queue, I also have ancestors, and I cannot say that my ancestors did not have queues either. So I am me, and my family is my family. From the moment I left home, we are no longer related. As for my origin, I do not want to deceive Xu brother by making things up, nor can I tell Xu brother about it. Please forgive me, Xu brother." After finishing speaking, Chen Ke bowed deeply.
Xu Xilin hadn't spoken yet, when he heard a bright and clear female voice from outside the living room, "This is just like Chen Tianhua's 'Revolutionary Army'. If it's really because of devoting oneself to revolution, then there's no connection with family from now on. Everyone has their own aspirations. Baoying doesn't have to be forced." Baoying was Xu Xilin's courtesy name, and the voice was very familiar to him. Just a moment ago, he had asked his servant to invite Qiu Jin, but he hadn't expected her to arrive so quickly.
Chen Ke looked towards the door and saw a woman in her thirties walking into the living room with big strides. She had an oval face, clear and beautiful eyebrows and eyes, and a heroic spirit. Xue Xilin stood up and said a few words in Shaoxing dialect, Chen Ke wasn't completely unable to understand Shaoxing dialect, at least he could make out some of the official language, Xue Xilin was roughly saying "Xuanqing, I just sent someone to find you, didn't expect you to come so quickly."
Although not very sure, Chen Ke guessed that the person who came was Qiu Jin. The three of them stood still in the hall, and before Xu Xilin introduced him, Chen Ke couldn't help but ask: "Is this gentleman Mr. Qiu Jin?"
Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin were both startled, Qiu Jin looked Chen Ke up and down, "I wonder how to address this gentleman?" Qiu Jin used a very unaccustomed Henan dialect, but her voice had more of a southern accent, more like Hakka, that Henan flavor suddenly gave Chen Ke a sense of hometown feeling.
"It's an honor to meet Mr. Qiu." Chen Ke hastily replied in Henan dialect.
Qiu Jin listened to Chen Ke's Henan dialect, stunned for a moment, and then burst out laughing. "So Mr. Chen is from Henan. In this capital city, the Henan dialect is also considered an official language. No wonder Mr. Chen didn't want to reveal his own origins."
In the official circles of the late Qing dynasty, most people used Henan dialect rather than that affected Beijing accent. In the early years of the Republic of China, when discussing the national language, if it weren't for Yuan Shikai from Henan being overthrown and there being too few Henan people in power, Henan dialect would probably have been chosen as the national language of the Republic of China.
After the three sat down, Xue Xilun handed Chen Ke's manuscript to Qiu Jin. Qiu Jin read it quickly and was so excited that she jumped up after reading just a few pages. "Today, even if I only get to see this great work, it will be worth coming here for. Who wrote it?" As soon as the words left her mouth, Qiu Jin continued on her own, "It seems to have been written by Mr. Chen Ke."
"That's right." Xú Xī Lín replied.
Qiu Jin looked Chen Ke up and down several times, but said to Xue Xilun: "In the morning I heard the Tao, in the evening I can die. Bohong, today I invite everyone to drink."
Xu Xilin smiled and said: "I've already had someone prepare some thin wine. If Xuan Qing is willing to invite me for a drink, next time I'll come with Mr. Chen Ke to bother you."
Everyone burst out laughing at this. Qiu Jin said stubbornly, "Bohuan, I must take this manuscript with me. Next time you invite us to drink, I'll return it to you."
"This draft is incomplete. Next time, let's have a drink together and ask Mr. Chen Ke to bring the full draft." Xu Xilin said with a smile.
"Is this still not enough?" Qiu Jin was truly surprised.
Xuan Qing will know once he reads it." Xue Xilin said.
At this moment, a servant from the Xu family came in to announce that the banquet was ready.
"If you're hungry, go drink first. As for this document, I'll finish reading it before speaking." Qiu Jin said, sat back in her chair and continued reading from where she left off.
Xu Xilin waved his hand to the servant, and the servant retreated. The two men in the living room sat back in their chairs, and the quiet living room was filled with only the occasional rustling of papers.
