Chapter 32

  On the afternoon of September 1, 1905, Chen Ke shouted slogans for the first time in a public speech. Before that, Chen Ke had always tried to explain the revolution with a calm attitude. Chen Ke did not like slogans, no matter how many slogans were shouted, it was not equal to solving practical problems. In Chen Ke's growing era, China entered the stage of engineers ruling the country. More is done than said.

  Moreover, even looking at the party's history, Chen Ke has always believed that the party is not won by talking, but by relying on countless hard work to achieve victory. Chen Ke can raise the People's Party flag, and comrades gather around him because he can solve problems.

  After Chen Ke shouted out the slogan "Read for the rise of China", his classmates, who were already passionate, suddenly boiled over. Under Chen Ke's previous efforts, this slogan was so logical and natural.

  Looking at the enthusiastic and uplifting scene below, looking at the young classmates applauding and cheering for themselves. Chen Ke's face was filled with a resolute expression, raising his left hand to everyone. This action subconsciously imitated Xiao Hu Zi, but it triggered even greater enthusiasm from the classmates.

  But beneath Chen Ke's seemingly resolute exterior, his rational and scientific nature had already suppressed the temporary excitement. Chen Ke calmly concluded in his heart, "As a public lecture, as a revolutionary propaganda activity, shouting slogans is necessary. Just like an experiment, some reagents are essential."

  The students who were stirred up with great enthusiasm surrounded the stage, blocking Chen Ke from leaving. The audience below stared at everyone, asking Chen Ke to say something more. Chen Ke had no choice but to shout, "Today's lecture ends here, and we will continue tomorrow." However, this did not calm down the students' requests.

  You Yun supported Chen Ke's lecture, but he still had to make medicine in the evening and couldn't delay the party's work. You Yun looked at his watch again. It was already 5:30 in the afternoon.

  At almost the same moment, similar dials and identical movements. Qi Jing also glanced at her watch on her wrist. Japan entered the largest shadow on earth earlier than China, and the sky had completely darkened.

  Unlike Shanghai, Japan is having a great sunny day today. As Qiu Jin walked into the restaurant, she could see the bright Venus in the sky. This time, Qiu Jin came to the hotel to have dinner with Chen Tianhua, and then she would return home.

  The founding conference of the Alliance Society has entered its final stage, and the situation can be said to be both good and bad. Qiu Jin felt quite perplexed about this matter.

  On August 13th at 2 pm, Chinese students in Tokyo gathered at the Fujimikan Hall in Kanda to welcome Sun Yat-sen. Despite being in the middle of summer vacation, over 1800 people attended. Those who arrived late could not enter and stood on the street, looking up at the building, numbering around 600-700 people. Sun Yat-sen wore a crisp white suit and walked calmly into the venue to thunderous applause. This was the most grand occasion since the Tokyo student gatherings began. After Song Jiaoren's welcoming speech, Sun Yat-sen gave a two-hour lecture.

  "He said: 'Now China is to be raised up by our 400 million fellow citizens. Today is the first day of our rising, from now on we will use all our strength to promote this reform, and put our spirit into saying that China will rise, there is no reason why China should not rise.' He called for the abandonment of the monarchical system 'to choose the most civilized political laws on earth to save our China', and to build China into a first-rate republic in the 20th century. The applause was thunderous and prolonged."

  Qiu Jin did not know that in history, Chen Tianhua cheered Sun Yat-sen as "the representative of our 400 million people, the hero among Chinese heroes!" What Qiu Jin knew was that after Chen Tianhua went to Shanghai, there was no news from him. On August 5th, Song Jiaoren in Japan received a letter from Chen Tianhua, saying he would return to Japan soon and had important things to tell everyone. Then there was no more news.

  As the founding conference of the Alliance approached, Chen Tianhua still did not appear, which was beyond everyone's expectation. Everyone was worried that Chen Tianhua had been arrested by the Qing government, after all, he still had a warrant out for him. Huang Xing and Chen Tianhua had made a rebellion together, so he was especially anxious. It was Qiu Jin who advised Chen Tianhua to meet with Chen Ke. Although she didn't dare say it directly to everyone, Qiu Jin herself was even more worried. Until August 16th, just four days before the founding of the Alliance, Chen Tianhua finally arrived in a flurry. Although everyone grumbled in their mouths, they all let out a sigh of relief.

  Chen Tianhua returned in high spirits, and Qiu Jin invited Chen Tianhua to dinner the next day. During the meal, they talked about Chen Tianhua's trip to Shanghai this time, as well as his interactions with Chen Ke. Chen Tianhua highly praised Chen Ke's talents and told Qiu Jin about Chen Ke's organization of the People's Party and his recent situation. Upon learning that Chen Ke was also quite popular in Shanghai, Qiu Jin was delighted for him. In the end, it was Chen Tianhua who paid the bill. The fact that Chen Tianhua, who had always been financially strapped, could afford to treat a guest made Qiu Jin realize that Chen Tianhua had been treated as an honored guest by Chen Ke.

  But the joyful reunion did not last too long.

  Chen Tianhua was a key figure in the formation of the Tongmenghui, as a main cadre of the Hubei Huaxinghui. Chen Tianhua was a trusted subordinate of Huang Xing and Song Jiaoren. Two days later, Qiu Jin heard that Chen Tianhua had several disputes with Song Jiaoren. The Tongmenghui was mainly formed by the union of the Hubei Huaxinghui and the Guangdong Xingzhonghui.

  However, the relationship between the various parties was not subordinate to each other from the beginning. When Qiu Jin learned about the conflict between Chen Tianhua and Song Jiaoren, she knew it from the overseas students who lived with Chen Tianhua. It didn't take long for Qiu Jin to know why such a conflict occurred.

  On August 20, at the first meeting after the establishment of the Alliance Society, Chen Tianhua put forward his own opinions. He hoped to establish a political party with a clear political program. This political program was not just a vague outline, but a complete set of political theories and a government program based on these theories. As a famous propagandist and main writer for Min Bao, everyone expected to hear what kind of political theory Chen Tianhua would come up with.

  Chen Tianhua "did not disappoint", proposed the idea of "reducing rent and interest, uniting workers and peasants." He discussed the defects of the private land ownership system and put forward the concept of establishing a new industrialized China.

  When Chen Tianhua was passionately expounding his own ideas, the participants did not speak. After Chen Tianhua finished speaking, the scene fell silent. Qiu Jin still remembered that in such a situation, Chen Tianhua's expression changed from proud to puzzled.

  Sun Zhongshan spoke first, politely expressing his opposition. Sun Yat-sen believed that the current priority was to overthrow the Qing dynasty. Only after seizing national power could they discuss Chen Tianhua's policies.

  Hu Hanmin immediately spoke in support of Sun Yat-sen's opinion. Hu Hanmin said more bluntly that establishing a new country, at least like the Hua Xing Society had hoped for back then, was to establish a new regime in one province as a matter of urgency. Moreover, Hu Hanmin frankly stated that people are unreliable. The Zhongxing Society also did some propaganda work in Guangdong, but there were very few responses to the revolution. Rather than relying on the people, it is better to rely on the party.

  In the face of such opposition, Chen Tianhua did not lose heart. He emphasized that establishing a party with a clear program and strict organization was currently the most needed, without which the revolutionary forces would be too weak to confront the Qing government. With differing attitudes towards revolution among everyone, if they could not unite politically first and form a consensus, the unity problem of the Tongmenghui would become very serious in the future.

  Tan Tianhua's speech still gained support from some people, at least Huang Xing seemed to be more supportive. Sun Yat-sen's round face wore a gentle smile as he asked: "Xingtai, which national salvation concept is this political idea mainly based on?"

  "At least the part about equalizing land rights can be omitted." These words were spoken by Jiang Yue, a member of the Revive China Society, in response to Sun Yat-sen's "Drive out the Tartars, restore China, establish the Republic, and equalize land rights" 16-character manifesto.

  The Restoration Society's relationship with other political parties was not very good. As a representative of the Restoration Society, Qiu Jin was well aware of this. The contradictions were multifaceted.

  In terms of political ideology, the Restoration Society demanded the overthrow of the Qing dynasty, but did not oppose the imperial system. Moreover, many members of the Restoration Society openly stated that the imperial system was superior to a constitutional monarchy. The ideal of the Restoration Society was to see the emergence of a new Han Chinese dynasty.

  In official matters, the members of the Kuomintang are relatively wealthy and it is easy for them to find financial supporters. Therefore, they do not support the crazy promises and embezzlement of Sun Yat-sen and his followers.

  In private, the members of Guangfu Hui also attach great importance to their own conduct. Tao Chengzhang publicly criticized the corrupt style of those people in Guangdong Xingzhonghui who indulged in whoring and gambling.

  The Guangfu Society joined the Alliance because it had launched several uprisings but all failed. In such a situation, the Guangfu Society hoped to join the Alliance to connect with more people and support each other in the uprising. However, the attitude within the Guangfu Society was severely divided, and some comrades claimed that they would never join the Alliance. If the Guangfu Society joined the Alliance, they would launch their own revolution. "The Guangfu Society will never cooperate with those fake foreigners from America."

  This so-called "American fake foreign devil" refers to Sun Yat-sen. Many people in the Guangfu Society had a strong aversion to Sun Yat-sen. Qiu Jin was not clear how it would end up like this.

  As soon as he heard this, Hu Hanmin immediately retorted, and the atmosphere of the meeting became tense. Chen Tianhua was left aside, looking at his comrades' quarrel with great embarrassment.

  In the following days, there was a heated debate about the political program of the Alliance. Chen Tianhua tried to explain his views again. This time, each faction gave Chen Tianhua some time, and Qiu Jin did not expect that Chen Tianhua would also have times when he suddenly couldn't speak. Normally, Chen Tianhua's revolutionary speeches were eloquent and thought-provoking, discussing China's various injustices with flair and insight. However, this time Chen Tianhua's statement of political views was somewhat hesitant and self-contradictory. In the end, Chen Tianhua barely concluded his speech and sat down.

  This statement is not convincing to comrades. Not only other factions, but also Huang Xing and Song Jiaoren from the same Hua Xing Society did not support Chen Tianhua. The matter does not end here, Chen Tianhua who was always brave in speaking up every day, now starts to listen more rather than speak. The Tongmenghui let Chen Tianhua preside over the secretarial work. Chen Tianhua actually had some evasive meaning.

  These things are just trivial matters. By August 25, Qiu Jin heard that Chen Tianhua and Song Jiaoren had another falling out due to a dispute. The two had always cooperated happily, but now this incident occurred, and Qiu Jin originally suspected it, but now she has to believe that the meeting with Chen Ke must have had a great impact on Chen Tianhua.

  Today, Qiu Jin made an appointment with Chen Tianhua to have dinner, just wanting to ask about this matter. Due to her feminine intuition, Qiu Jin did not come out directly with Chen Tianhua, they agreed on 7 o'clock, and Qiu Jin arrived very early. As an important cadre of the Tongmenghui, she was also very busy. It's impossible to always think about this matter. So she came a little earlier, hoping to sort out her thoughts as well. Having not seen Chen Ke for a long time, Qiu Jin wanted to think carefully about Chen Ke's affairs.

  Even now, Qiu Jin can still recall the first time she met Chen Ke. The young man with his unusual attire and that slightly uneasy and bewildered expression. Qiu Jin remembers it all. But it's hard to say whether Chen Ke has changed or if Qiu Jin never really understood him from the start.

  Chen Ke was very familiar with this era, or rather he knew who to cooperate with. Chen Ke never abandoned those who had no use value. He was like that when making friends with himself, and also when making friends with Xue Xilun. Of course, if you blame Chen Ke for this, it's a bit excessive. The watch that Chen Ke gave to himself was extremely valuable. Not only did You Xunsan say so, but Japanese friends who knew their stuff also praised the watch. Xue Xilun only brought Chen Ke to Shanghai, but Chen Ke still gave Xue Xilun 300 taels of silver. In this era, making revolution was all about spending money, and Chen Ke didn't have much money at the time.

  However, Chen Ke dared to contact Yu Yun and others. Now, even Hua Xiongmao, who had conflicts with Chen Ke at that time, is so close to Chen Ke. On the other hand, Qiu Zhen and Xu Xilin seem like strangers. Chen Tianhua also changed a lot after meeting Chen Ke. What on earth is Chen Ke up to?

  Qiu Jin decided to carefully ask Chen Tianhua, and she would be returning to Shanghai soon. This time Qiu Jin wouldn't let Chen Ke off easily, she had to figure out what this guy was up to.

  Chen Tianhua entered the tavern at 6:45. Seeing that Qiu Jin had already arrived, Chen Tianhua hurried over to apologize. The proprietress of the hotel came over with a uniquely Japanese half-bowing posture. Qiu Jin casually ordered a few dishes and then asked, "Xing Tai, I heard you've had some minor disagreements with Mr. Song?"

  "It's nothing, just some trivial matters," Chen Tianhua said. Qiulü didn't believe Chen Tianhua's words, and from his face, it was clear that this was no small matter at all. The two were probably having a rather heated argument.

  "Xing Tai, Wen Qing was introduced by me to you. If there's anything wrong, Tian Hua, you can speak directly."

  Chen Tianhua raised his small wine cup and drank the clear liquor in one gulp. He then said with a slightly bitter smile: "Mr. Qiu, I'm extremely grateful to you for introducing me to such a talented person as Wen Qing. Among all the revolutionary comrades I've met, there are hardly a few who can surpass Wen Qing."

  "Which of them can surpass Wen Qing? Can Xing Tai tell us?" Qiu Jin said with a sly smile, as she poured wine for Chen Tianhua.

  It's clear that Chen Tianhua took this joke seriously, he thought carefully. He didn't say another word. This actually scared Qiu Jin a bit. Chen Tianhua doesn't like to talk nonsense, nor does he like to discuss people's strengths and weaknesses. Since he remained silent, it can only be said that Chen Tianhua really hasn't found a revolutionary who can be compared with Chen Ke.

  Who were the people Chen Tianhua had contact with? They were all famous revolutionaries like Song Jiaoren, Huang Xing and even Sun Yat-sen. Just as Qiu Jin was hesitating about whether to continue questioning Chen Tianhua, Chen Tianhua spoke up first. "Mr. Qiu, the revolution advocated by Wen Qing and the one we advocate seem similar yet are completely different. The revolution advocated by Wen Qing is a peasant's revolution, not a revolution for people like us who have property."

  Qiu Jin still remembered Chen Ke's speech at Cai Yuanpei's home, about the things Chen Tianhua had said. Qiu Jin wasn't surprised at all. "Wen Qing has always advocated for this."

  Chen Tianhua shook his head, "It's different, it's different."

  "What's different?"

  "In the eyes of Wen Qing, Manchu was just blocking his way, so he wanted to destroy Manchu. Wen Qing's revolution is to thoroughly crush China and start anew. This world needs to be recreated from scratch."

  "The literati have always said so." Qiu Jin smiled and said.

  Chen Tianhua furrowed his brow, looking at Qiu Jin with an unreadable gaze. "Qiu, in the revolution of the literati, even we revolutionaries must be remolded."

  It was unclear whether it was the explanation or Chen Tianhua's gaze that had this effect, but suddenly, as if a window had been opened in front of Qiu Jin, she felt a sudden clarity and understanding of things about Chen Ke that she had not previously understood.

  "Does Xing Tai mean that even revolutionaries must be overthrown in a revolution of intellectuals?"

  "That's right." Chen Tianhua drained the cup of wine again. "I originally didn't agree with Wen Qing's way of thinking, but after being with Wen Qing for so long and writing articles together, I now think that Wen Qing's ideas are actually quite reasonable."

  "Oh? What great work, may I take a look?" Qiu Jin asked curiously.

  "Mr. Qiu, the original manuscript is still with Wen Qing. I only brought a copy over. You can take a look now, but you have to return the manuscript before you leave." Chen Tianhua said as he pulled out a copy from his bag.

  "The Inheritance of Chinese Culture and the Rise of Materialism", what a strange name.

  "This is even more outrageous."

  "I'd better study it carefully then." Qiu Jin said with a smile.

  It's pointless to continue drinking. "Mr. Qiu, I'll take my leave." Chen Tianhua smiled and said to Qiu Jin.

  This smile carries a hint of fatigue, yet it has a full and lively feeling. Qiu Jin can see that the only thing tired is Chen Tianhua's body. The recent disputes have not knocked down Chen Tianhua, on the contrary, Chen Tianhua seems to have shaken off his initial helplessness. It's as if he found a new direction. Qiu Jin feels very curious about Chen Tianhua's change.

  Young people can immerse themselves in their ideals for a long time, almost infinitely burning with passion. For them, the future is something to look forward to. As a revolutionary propagandist, Qiu Jin was very familiar with that feeling. However, Chen Tianhua and Qiu Jin were both born in 1875, and this year they are also 30 years old, no longer young.

  After the passion of revolution subsided, Qiu Jin always felt a sense of powerlessness. No matter how beautiful the ideal world was, she had to face the cruel reality in the end. As she grew older, Qiu Jin increasingly felt this helplessness. The more she knew, the more fearful she became. Chen Tianhua's repeated setbacks made him feel relieved, which worried Qiu Jin somewhat.

  "Where is Xing Tai going?" Qiu Jin asked anxiously.

  "I have an appointment to give a lecture." Chen Tianhua replied. He looked at Qiu Jin's expression with some concern and couldn't help but smile, "Mr. Qiu, I've been teaching several students about the Book of Rites recently, and they all love it. Every time I finish lecturing, I find that many places that I thought I understood before are actually not clear at all. And every time after lecturing, I feel a sense of sudden enlightenment."

  "Oh, then can I go and listen too?" Qiú Jǐn came with interest.

  "If Mr. Qiu doesn't mind, I hope he can give me more guidance."

  The class was held in a fairly decent mansion. The tatami room had already gathered many young people, and the sound of their heated discussion could be heard before entering the door. Upon opening the door, about twenty young people were seated in several groups, passionately discussing. Qiu Jin took a glance and saw that there were both people wearing traditional Japanese clothing and those wearing ordinary overseas student attire.

  The young people saw Chen Tianhua come in and stood up one after another, forming two rows. The row on the south side should have been all Japanese, with seven or eight of them, they almost simultaneously used Japanese bowing etiquette, using Japanese to greet Chen Tianhua. "Hello, Teacher Chen."

  The young Chinese on the right also said at the same time: "Hello Mr. Chen."

  As everyone stood up straight, Chen Tianhua introduced: "This is Mr. Qiu Jin, a revolutionary party member and also my comrade. I got to know Mr. Chen Ke through Mr. Qiu's introduction."

  Upon hearing this, the Japanese students immediately bowed to Qiu Jin again with Japanese courtesy, and Chinese overseas students also flocked to ask Qiu Jin how she was doing. Qiu Jin was somewhat perplexed as to why her relationship with Chen Kuang had been mentioned when referring to herself. Moreover, the way those students looked at her was so passionate.

  The Japanese student who was at the front asked excitedly, "Teacher Chen, since Mr. Qiu is familiar with Mr. Chen Ke, will she be giving us a lecture today?"

  "That's not it. Mr. Qiu just came over to sit in today. I'll try teaching this class."

  Qiu Jin didn't quite understand what Chen Tianhua meant by his words, so she returned the greetings to everyone while sizing up the crowd. Judging from Chen Tianhua's usual demeanor, Qiu Jin found it hard to imagine that he actually had so many supporters. More importantly, although these young people were spirited, they didn't have the frivolous air of those overseas students. Everyone's face didn't have the exaggerated expressions of joy or anger, but rather a serious attitude of genuinely pursuing knowledge.

  As everyone sat down cross-legged, Chen Tianhua also got straight to the point and wrote a topic on the blackboard - "The Connection and Development of the World".

  "Today's lesson, I have no way to explain it to everyone anymore. I can only try to read the text aloud. As I mentioned before, when Mr. Chen Ke led me to write this book, I didn't understand some parts, and Mr. Chen Ke was there to guide me personally. At that time, I thought I understood. But now, let me explain it to everyone, I can't."

  After finishing, Chen Tianhua also sat down cross-legged and took out a copy of the manuscript to read. The atmosphere of the lecture was very good, after Chen Tianhua finished reading a part, he would explain it according to his own ideas and discuss it with his classmates. All Japanese students who attended this class could speak Chinese. However, I guess there were more people from Nagasaki, their Mandarin accent was inexplicable, mixed with various flavors from Shandong to Fujian.

  Compared with the course content, the accent issue is negligible. This lesson discusses the fundamental opposition between dialectics and metaphysics, their connection, and the objectivity and universality of this connection.

  This kind of logical problem, just the name alone made Qiu Jin dizzy. Each specific example, Qiu Jin could still understand, but once these examples were used for logical reasoning, it was no longer something Qiu Jin could comprehend at present. Not only did Qiu Jin feel confused, but the students also looked puzzled. After half an hour of lecturing, Chen Tianhua gave up.

  "I'm really sorry everyone. I really can't teach this lesson. I now announce that our course has come to an end." Chen Tianhua said.

  Qiu Jin saw Chen Tianhua smash the lecture hall and was slightly worried about him. Next, the students indeed caused trouble.

  "When is Teacher Chen planning to head back to Shanghai?" asked the leader of the Japanese students.

  Qiu Jin looked at Chen Tianhua and saw that the Japanese were using such blunt language, which was essentially a way of driving people away.

  "Set off in three days."

  "So I'll go buy the boat tickets first." The Japanese student said with a hint of excitement, then he turned around and started chatting with other students in Japanese.

  "We'll also go back and prepare." said a Chinese student who looked like the leader. After finishing speaking, he took out a purse of money, "This is our money to buy boat tickets."

  Chen Tianhua shook his head and pushed the money bag back in front of that classmate. "I'll pay for everyone's boat ticket. You guys are giving up your studies and returning to China with me, I really feel guilty about it."

  "Tianhua Sheng took us to meet Mr. Chen Ke, and we were overjoyed to be able to attend his classes. We studied hard for the sake of saving our country, and as long as we can save China, our studies will not have been in vain."

  Other students nodded in agreement.

  Qiu Jin stared at Chen Tianhua in shock, originally thinking that Chen Tianhua had messed up the class, but it turned out to be completely different. Listening to everyone's meaning, they actually wanted to go back to Shanghai together to find Chen Ke. Chen Tianhua had never mentioned this matter before, and he kept his mouth shut about such an important decision.

  "Mr. Qiu, I don't blame the gentlemen of the Alliance for having opinions about me. What Wen Qing has learned is indeed far superior to mine, and I thought I had already understood it, but now I realize that I only understand a little bit on the surface. Therefore, I have decided to go back to Wen Qing's place to finish learning these courses first. These friends are all very interested in Wen Qing's book, and I also boasted that Wen Qing is running a school and opening a factory there, so when you arrive in Shanghai, you will definitely not be without a way to make a living. Everyone should go with me."

  Qiu Jin really didn't expect things to end up like this. Looking at the students, especially those Japanese students, what exactly did Chen Tianhua learn from Chen Ke that could make these people so interested? According to Chen Tianhua's words, Chen Ke's place was actually able to accept so many people and could support them all.

  What exactly did Chen Ke do in Shanghai? Qiu Jin was very curious.

  Chen Tianhua left on September 5th, one day earlier than Qiu Jin's return journey.

  Article 32