Zhao Jinjie
Xu Shichang (1855-1939), also known as Juren, was a native of Tianjin. In the twelfth year of Guangxu (1886), he entered the Hanlin Academy and was taught editing. He joined Yuan Shikaimu to participate in the organization and training of the new army, and later served as the minister of military aircraft, the governor of the three eastern provinces, and the scholar of Tirenge University. He served as Secretary of State in the autumn of 1918 and was elected as the second President of the Republic of China in the autumn of 1918, stepping down in 1922.
Xu Shi held a high position of power in the late Qing Dynasty, and his momentum was prominent, but he still liked to dance and ink, did not change the true color of the literati, and he also gathered a large number of literati and celebrities around him. When Xu Shi was first appointed secretary of state, he once said to people in public during a banquet for guest staff: "Yu Bingshu was a scholar of many people in the same year, He Songpo, Yu Congzhi xuewen; Ke Fengsun, Yu Congzhi learned poetry." "Ke Fengsun was the famous master of traditional Chinese studies in the late Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the author of the "New Yuan History", and the Shandong Jiaozhou people Ke Shaocheng; He Songpo was the ancient Scholar of the Tongcheng Sect in the north of the late Qing Dynasty, and He Tao, a directly subordinate martial artist who was born as a jinshi in the same year as Xu Shi.
The following author will take He Tao's anthology and the diary of He Baozhen, the son of He Tao, as the main literature basis, and briefly sort out the exchange deeds and deep friendship between Xu Shichang and He Tao, who have pushed each other, expected and morally cut into each other, and the communication process between Xu Shichang and Wuqiang He for more than 50 years.
Xu Shichang
Tongguan Kyoshi
He Tao (1849-1912), zi Songpo, directly subordinate to Wu Qiangren, Guangxu twelfth year (1886) jinshi, chief of the official punishment department, in the early years of the Baoding Lotus Pond Academy, For Tongcheng Wu Rulun, Wuchang Zhang Yuzhao Gaozu. He Tao wrote for the text", "Guiding the source of Sheng Han, flooding the Zhou and Qin sons, practicing and creating, and the artistic conception is self-contained." Its scale domain, an imitation of Zhang Wu Ergong", has a deep attainment in ancient writing, and it is no wonder that Xu Shi should humbly learn from him. As for when Xu Shichang and He Tao met, the historical records do not clearly record, but in general, when the two took the exam together in the twelfth year of Guangxu, they immediately became jinshi in the same year in high school, and after that, both of them were officials in the Beijing Division, and their exchanges were close. Xu Shichang once recalled that he "visited his papers from time to time, and the day shifted dial could not go." From time to time, there are meetings of literature and wine, and even the ancient and modern things are not inferior. Suddenly, the years are full of youth and current affairs. After that, he lost his sight, and from time to time he came to the Lord's House, and he still did not quit his studies day and night", which shows the close contact between the two people.
In the eighteenth year of Guangxu (1892), it coincided with the sixtieth birthday of Xu Mu Liu Taiyi, and in the same year, all of his colleagues and friends went to Xu House to congratulate him, and publicly recommended That He Tao to write a birthday preface on behalf of everyone to wish Xu Mu a happy birthday. In this preface, He Tao first expressed his praise and envy for Xu Shichang's ability to welcome his mother to his side and serve day and night, and "hated and ashamed" that he could not serve his adoptive parents nearby. Then he highly praised Xu Mu's diligent and thrifty family style, whether rich or poor, can be indifferent to self-preservation, and has no other luxuries, and said that Xu Mu's behavior is invisibly an education and demonstration of Xu Shichang, so that he can "calmly learn and strive for the moral field", in the past, Xu's achievements and future will be unlimited, and then it will bring greater comfort and glory to her mother. Finally, He Tao said that his parents are also about to celebrate their birthdays, and hopes that Xu Shichang will also write an article for him to celebrate his birthday and teach himself.
In the twenty-second year of Guangxu (1896), Xu's mother Liu Taiyi passed away peacefully and will be buried with Xu's father (name Jiaxian, character Shaoshan), who unfortunately died early more than thirty years ago, and He Tao wrote an "Epitaph of Xu Jun Shaoshan" at the request of Xu Shichang. In the text, He Tao praised Xu Father for his "young Yingguo, Yan Yi has special skills", especially when he was only seventeen years old, he showed superhuman boldness in the confrontation with the thief army, and deeply regretted that he died at the age of twenty-five, that is, unfortunately, at the age of twenty-five, and "a great embrace of different materials, and he did not give a charity". Later, He Tao used more ink to record the virtuous deeds of Xu Mother's birth, diligent service, and presiding over family affairs, especially after the death of Xu Father, she was willing to be poor and went all out to raise the Xu Shichang brothers, so that the Xu brothers successively raised and became jinshi, "the two sons all have virtuous deeds, and then revitalize their families, and they have made great achievements", and vigorously praised the character and deeds of Xu Mother's virtuous mother who was "the third son of the upper and the second son of the lower sect".
During the period when the two were in the same official division, He Tao, in addition to writing a birthday order and epitaph for Xu Shichang's parents, also wrote a "Beijiang Old Lu Record" specifically for Xu Shichang himself. Xu Shichang's residence in Beijing at that time was the old residence of Hong Liangji (ZiBeijiang), a famous scholar in the Qianjia period of the Qing Dynasty, and the house was "bamboo and stone, Jiashu lined up", which is said to have been camped by the Hong family in that year. Xu Shichang liked to read Hong Liangji's works and admired Hong's people, so he wrote a plaque of "Beijiang Old Lu" in the hall of the house, and often celebrated Xu's mother's birthday in it and gathered colleagues. He Tao, as Xu Shichang's best friend of the same year, was often invited to drink among them, and because of his feelings, he believed that although Hong Liangji was erudite and useful, it was a pity that no one appreciated him, and he could only end up with hatred. Xu Shichang's Chinese style is earlier than Hong Liangji's, and if he can "calmly learn, Xu Yizhi", then the achievements of the other day in some aspects will definitely surpass Hong's. It can be seen that He Tao had high hopes for Xu Shichang's learning and talents, and hoped that Xu Shichang could "encourage himself with Mr. (referring to Hong Liangji) zhizhi and be happy to be a friend", and gave him sincere encouragement and suggestions as a friend.
He Guan Yu Xu
He Tao, while being the chief of the Official Punishment Department, has always been the chief lecturer of The Jizhou Xindu Academy, and after gengzi, the Qing government implemented the new policy, and all the provincial academies were restructured into new-style schools, and the Xindu Academy was also changed to the Jizhou Middle School, and He Tao still served as a Chinese teacher. At the beginning of the thirty-first year of Guangxu (1905), because some students studying in Jizhou at that time tended to learn new things and despised old learning, they publicly wrote a letter to He Tao opposing his continued teaching of traditional lexicography in Jizhou, and He Tao resigned in anger, ending his nearly twenty years of education in Jizhou.
Soon after, he received an invitation from Chen Qitai, an envoy directly under the Bureau at that time, and immediately went to baoding to serve as a lecturer in the Chen Family Hall. The Chen clan admired He Tao's virtue and learning, so they respected him very much and treated him very well, but unfortunately, in less than half a year, the Chen clan was about to move to Anqing, so He Tao resigned from the museum and made a tour of the capital.
Just at this time, Xu Shichang, who was already in the official residence of the Patrol Police Department Shangshu, learned of the news of He Tao's idleness, and he immediately entrusted Chen Qitai to greet He Tao, hoping that he could teach in the Xu family hall in the capital, and was willing to compare Chen's courtesy to He Tao and treat him as a guest. He Tao immediately wrote to Xu Shichang and expressed his gratitude, Xu Shi immediately returned the letter and invited again, He Tao did not reply immediately, and immediately ended his trip to the capital and returned to his hometown. During this period, Xu Repeatedly advised He Tao through Chen Qitai, Wu Xijue and others, and finally He Tao agreed to Xu's invitation by replying to Xu Shichang's sincere feelings, and went to the Xu family's home in Beichizi in the capital city in the spring of the following year (1906).
Since then, Xu and He have closer contacts, and Xu's government affairs have talked with He Tao about poetry papers, exchanged knowledge, and often talked about government affairs and current affairs. In addition, Xu Shichang also took the manuscript of the Xu clan genealogy that he was renewing at that time to He Tao for review, and asked him to correct and revise it. The Xu family tree of Shou Yi Tang was created in the early years of the Qing Dynasty, and the cultivator was the fifth Xu Qi (字吟香,号清圃), and in the early years of Guangxu, Xu Qi (炘子徐墀) continued to make up for it, at which point Xu Shichang made the third repair and prepared to print it for the world. After He Tao completed the revision of the Xu family tree, he touched his chest for a long time and sent it to the Xu family tree. He Tao believes that some high-ranking officials and nobles are full of pride and feel good about themselves, so they often despise the words and deeds of their ancestors. Since the late Qing Dynasty, when the West Wind gradually became stronger, especially after the Qing government implemented the New Deal, some floating people have vigorously attacked their country's five-thousand-year-old traditional culture with the help of a little Western learning that they know, which is outdated and backward, and "will be quick to cut it off." If these impatient people are allowed to do whatever they want, then "they are worried about their homes and their homes, let alone the country"? On the other hand, Xu Shichang, as an important member of the DPRK and China who attached great importance to the new policy of the Qing court, did not blindly pursue Western studies and Western law, but engaged in the work of continuing to repair the family tree and compiling the world's virtues in addition to government affairs. Therefore, He Tao concluded in conclusion, "The trend of change must be observed, the more firmly it is kept, and the more it is to be fierce," there is no need to introduce Western studies to overthrow traditional culture, but only by holding the roots of traditional culture can we better introduce Western studies and reform politics.
In another article written by He Tao at the request of Xu Shichang at about the same time, "The Book of Praises of the Ten Ministers of the Imperial System", He Shi also expressed a generally similar thought and feeling about the situation in the late Qing Dynasty. The article first compares the prosperous scene of the Qianlong Dynasty and the peace of the country and the country's troubles with the decline and chaos of today's rapid changes and internal and external troubles, and believes that "following the old is not enough to govern, and the ancient law will be taken and more open." That is to say, the country should be reformed politically to cope with the current situation, but some officials who only want to learn Western law do not know how to practice the way of being an official who "seeks the country with loyalty and diligence", but blindly denigrates the ancients and ancient laws, and even does not hesitate to abandon the etiquette and righteousness that have been passed down for thousands of years Chinese. He Tao believes that these people's behavior is "uncertain in the middle, and the anger is arbitrary", in other words, they are all angry youths who are angry and do things, and if they are allowed to preside over the government and implement the new law, "I am afraid that there may be a risk of collapse and uncontrollable.". It can be seen from this that He Tao still had a very clear understanding of the world and the political situation at that time, and he did not oppose the implementation of the New Deal, but hoped that it would be presided over by enlightened officials like Xu Shichang who were loyal to the country and had good manners, so that it would be possible to put the country on the road of prosperity and strength of steady development.
Soon after He Tao arrived at the Xu family,took up residence, he suddenly received a letter from Mao Qingfan, the envoy of the Zhili Prefecture, conveying the news that Yuan Shikai, the governor of Zhili, wanted to set up a Zhili Literature Museum at the former site of the Baoding Lotus Pond Academy and wanted to hire He Tao as the curator. Although the He Tao Pavilion was only in Xu Shichang's house for more than two months, the two had a deeper understanding of each other, Xu respected He's moral articles and academic insights, and He admired Xu's official demeanor that did not change the true color of the literati although he was in a high position, so the two left more written exchanges although they were in different places.
In 1905, the Qing government set up a patrol police department, which was renamed the Ministry of Civil Affairs the following year. The picture shows the officials taking a group photo in front of the Civil Affairs Department when the Patrol Police Department was renamed the Ministry of Civil Affairs at the end of 1905. From the right in the front row: Right Senator Wu Tingxie of the Supplementary Patrol Police Department, Zhao Bingjun of the Right Guard, Shangshu Natong of the Patrol Police Department, Xu Shichang of the Patrol Police Department, Yu Lang of the Left Guard, and Shang Shu Qi Shang.
Textual communication
At the beginning of the thirty-third year of Guangxu (1907), the northeast was reorganized into a province, and Xu Shichang was appointed minister of Chincha, the governor of the three eastern provinces, and the general in charge of fengtian and other places. He Tao, who was the director of the Literature Museum in Baoding at that time, made a special trip to Beijing to send Off Xu Shichang, and wrote a sincere and insightful "Preface to Sending Xu Shangshu", which became a written testimony of the deep friendship between the two. At that time, the northeast had just experienced the baptism of the Japanese and Russian wars and was facing the danger of being divided by the two major imperialists at any time, and there were many difficulties in internal and foreign affairs, and Xu Shichang was the first governor of the three eastern provinces as a civilian official from Hanlin, and the complexity and difficulty of his task could be imagined.
After Xu Shichang saw He Tao, he first consulted him on how to handle the affairs of the three eastern provinces, and sighed: "My government is not repaired, foreign insults are coming, both robbed of the outside world, and self-government?" When He Tao asked Xu Shichang what he thought, Xu Shi told He Tao all the northeast administrative policies and strategies that he had planned in advance, and hoped that he could make some good suggestions. After listening to it, He Tao felt that Xu's administrative strategy was complete, comprehensive, targeted, and expeditious, and that although he wanted to make a statement, he had nothing to pretend to say. Although He Tao humbled himself and did not have any suggestions, he still pointed out to Xu Shichang in the text a Pacific sea power strategy that was not an urgent task at that time, but was related to the long-term development of northeast China. He believed that "the victory and contraction of commerce depends on the relaxation of sea power", and the actual situation in the northeast at that time was that "the power of the Pacific has been seized by Japan and Russia, and there is little power in our country." Therefore, He Tao suggested that after Xu Shichang went to the northeast, after the well-formulated political strategy was put into practice and achieved certain results, he should devote himself to fighting for the supremacy of the Pacific Sea and "contend with the masses on the sea." Although He Tao's proposal may not be adopted and implemented by Xu Shichang in time, it still does not hide his profound political insight and strategic value.
Soon after Xu Shichang arrived in the northeast, He Tao sent a letter from Baoding to Xu Shi, which was called the "Book of the Shangxu Military System". The article was full of hope for Xu Shichang's appointment as the governor of the three eastern provinces and the future development of the northeast, and put forward pertinent suggestions to Xu from the three aspects of internal governance, diplomacy and internal relations. Regarding the art of internal governance, He Shi thought that "it is enough to make the officials who have been set up to do their own thing and make people worthy of their officials"; diplomacy is more complicated, and He Shi advocates treating external forces such as Japan and Russia with great political wisdom and patience, and opposing the use of simple and naïve ways to anger each other and intensify their relations; with regard to "internal relations", it is actually to properly handle the relationship between local governors and the central government, and this is especially what He Tao wants to say to Xu Shichang. He believed that although the imperial court had given Xu Shichang the privilege of "acting cheaply and not being bound by the ministry's rules", Xu Shichang could not rely on it too much, and if he wanted to do something at the local level and the central authorities had different opinions, he should find a way to persuade it with reason, and should not be angry and confront it, so as not to destroy the normal relationship between them, and everything would be easy to handle. In particular, Zhang Zhidong and Yuan Shikai have recently been summoned to the Military Aircraft Department to preside over the daily work of the central government, and with their prestige and current position, Xu Shichang has "no resistance to them under the especially appropriate courtesy." In the end, He Tao suggested to Xu Shi that "if you let the good inspectors take care of it, and give credit to the cardinals, if there is something, consult it, and if there is doubt, you will be questioned", so that the forces of all sides can eliminate their jealousy and sponsor it more, so that everything they want to do can be successfully completed and realized.
After Xu Shichang received He Tao's letter of proposal, he immediately wrote back to He Shi, detailing to him the northeast administrative strategy he presided over and the difficulties he was currently encountering, hoping that He Shi could continue to make suggestions. He Tao lived up to his expectations and once again gave Xu Shichang a letter of repair, that is, the "Fu Xu System Military Book". In the text, He Tao once again stressed that internal governance should not only achieve official deeds, but also realize that people can be regarded as officials, but at present, "those who are difficult are only in the ears of the people", in view of the rare talent, and it is difficult to cultivate in a short period of time, He Tao suggested that Xu Shi "that is, those who are now appointed can be strong." In response to the problem that Xu Shichang's letter mentioned that the subordinate clerks "have many donkeys, and they are not all available, and they should be eliminated", He Tao believes that after the elimination, the remaining "middle donkeys" should be available, and only need to "take Bo Le Xiangzhi", "Wang Liang, and the Emperor of the Father", that is to say, after the discernment of the superiors and the cultivation of intentions, these people can still become excellent talents to play their due effects. Secondly, in view of the problem of Japan's garrison on the island and its intention to make some plans, He Tao believed that it should "rise up and criticize it, and make many concessions," so as to not only subdue Japan's arrogance, but also enable other powers to retreat in spite of difficulties and no longer have non-divided thoughts about the northeast, so as to ensure that the sovereignty of the northeast is intact. In the end, He Tao expressed his high praise for Xu Shichang's administrative strategy of "fixing the official system, creating talents, insulting the emperor, and leveling internal troubles", believing that the twelve-character content outline was extensive and comprehensive, and he had no better suggestions, and recommended two outstanding talents to Xu Shichang, hoping that Xu Shichang would only appoint them.
At the beginning of the first year of Xuan reunification (1909), Xu Shichang was appointed by the Qing government as the Shangshu of the Ministry of Posts and Communications, and returned to the capital from the northeast, he Tao learned the news, and immediately sent a letter to Xu Shi to congratulate him and offer advice for his new duties. He Tao believes that since the implementation of the New Deal, the country has made great progress in various undertakings, and only the northwest region is still poor and backward due to inconvenient transportation, "so the laying of railways, but Lanzhou is the most urgent." In the government announcement of the Ministry of Posts and Communications, it was stated that the construction of the railway should be planned from the three aspects of politics, military and commerce, but in the actual construction process, only commercial interests were often considered, resulting in the cause of national politics being put behind. He Tao held that in the current special period of implementing the preparatory constitution, the government's various undertakings should be comprehensively considered and implemented around national politics, and the railway construction of the Ministry of Posts and Communications "should be postponed for a while, reluctantly made difficult, and strive to go all the way to Sealand," so that the northwest region can change its backward appearance as soon as possible and be consistent with the new policy process of the whole country. At the same time, He Tao suggested that the Ministry of Posts and Communications presided over by Xu Shichang should take back the power of shipping administration and postal services as soon as possible, and the preparation and planning plan of the Sichuan-Han Railway in Jinpu, Guangdong and Han and Hubei should also be managed by the Ministry of Posts and Communications and announced to the outside world. In the end, He Tao claimed that he had been in the Literature Museum for three years, and that he had "lectured on old learning in the new world, but he was not effective enough to speak of, and he was ashamed of himself", although it was a self-effacing remark, it also revealed his sentimental feelings about his own encounters and changes in the world.
Behind He Tao
In the first year of the Republic of China (1912), the Qing Emperor abdicated, the Republic of China was established, and he Tao unfortunately died of illness at home in the old city more than two months later. Xu Shichang, who was then secretary of state, did not forget his old friends, worried about the obliteration of the writings behind He Tao, and resolutely funded the publication of his collection of essays and rulers, which was the "Collected Writings of Mr. He" printed in July of the third year of the Republic of China (1914). Xu Shichang also wrote a special preface for the book, which not only systematically sorted out the origin, righteousness and representative figures of the Tongcheng School, but also fully affirmed He Tao's literary attainments and position in the genealogy of the Tongcheng School, and at the same time remembered the deep friendship between the two of them that "intersected for the longest time". Not only that, Xu Shichang also wrote a poem for this anthology, praising He Tao's literary achievements and recording the unforgettable experience of the two in the process of interaction and the origin of their friendship with their descendants:
After the rise of Tongcheng, the Si people did not stay. Qi Wen chased Shi Han, and Daye succeeded Han Ou. The hospitality was once hanging on the bed, and the collection of books was rising upstairs. The phoenix hair can be continued, and the qin sword is restored from the swim.
In the poem, "Feng Mao can continue, and the qin sword can be revived from the tour" refers to He Tao's son He Baozhen (literal existence) can inherit his father's business, "silence can be written", Xu Shichang remembers the deep affection of the deceased, and also appreciates He Baozhen's talent, so he attracts it to the curtain. He Baozhen has been a guest of Xu Shichang for many years, taking care of internal affairs for Xu Shichang, sorting out books, and helping Xu Shichang compile and publish books. Xu Shichang once had a poem "Jian He Sex Cun", and praised He Baozhen:
Ten thousand axis toothpick fee school vendetta, a hundred flowers deep hidden library. The article sect inherits the previous business, and the directory masters inherit the flow of victory. The unique history of the thorn camel, continues to remember the terroir of the deep state. Rumen Shide Qing Fenyuan, Xiao Ruan Caihua Mai Ying Liu.
He Baozhen compiled eight volumes of the Bibliography of the Bibliography of the Book Pulp Building, with 400 books in the Bibliography, 1,000 in the History Department, 800 in the Sub-Department, and 5,000 in the Collection Department, for a total of more than 7,000. There are manuscripts and Ming periodicals, mainly collections of Qingren poems, and about 2,700 kinds of bibliographies of Qingren Beiji. At the time of the compilation of the bibliography, Xu Shichang wrote a poem, and the words revealed his true appreciation and gratitude to He Bao:
Indifferent to the end of the nostalgia, annoyed jun for my classic library. The white and black in the eyes are known and kept, and the case is Dan Huangfei school vendetta. The signature is 100,000 volumes longitudinally, and the ancient and modern rongs are cast for thousands of autumns. After being cataloged into a book, the rainbow light on the sea shot bullfighting.
Although He Tao's grandson He Peixin (Zikong Cai) and Xu Shichang are of great generations and age differences, and they are located in Beijing and Tianjin, it is difficult to have the opportunity to have in-depth contact with each other, but he still won the favor of Xu Shichang with his family lineage and talent. He Peixin visited Xu Shi in Tianjin Xu Zhai after Xu Shichang left the wilderness, and not only received a warm reception and gentle encouragement from Xu Shichang, but also received an ink treasure written by Xu Shichang for him, which was reflected in He Peixin's "Preface to the Seventy Birthdays of Mr. Han Zhai" for Xu Shi.
Xu Shi wrote in the "Seal of The Seal of The Pai He Kong Cai": "He Kong Cai is erudite and good at literature, can shao his ancestral inheritance, and is a young and handsome man." Reading in the leisure, happy printing. Those who practice this artist must be familiar with primary school and play on top of Qin and Han, so they should express their meaning. It can be said that the erudition of this late-born descendant is full of rewards and gratitude. Due to Xu Shichang's prestige and status in the political and cultural circles of the late Qing Dynasty and the family relations between Xu and He, He Peixin was also full of reverence and gratitude for Xu Shichang, so after Xu's death in 1939, he specially compiled a "Annals of the People of Shuizhu Estate", which not only left a complete life record for Xu, but also drew a satisfactory end to the more than fifty years of communication between Xu Shichang and Wuqiang He.
bibliography
[1] Written by He Tao, Zhu Yimei and Feng Yongjun: Collected Writings of He Tao, East China Normal University Press, 2011.
[2] He Baozhen and Xu Yanping, diary of He Baozhen, Phoenix Publishing House, 2014.
[3] He Peixin, Wang Damin et al., He Peixin, Phoenix Publishing House, 2016.
[4] Liu Shengmu and Xu Tianxiang, "Tongcheng Literary Origin Examination Writing Examination", Huangshan Book Club, 1989.
[5] Xu Shichang: "The Relics of Songpo of The Bahe", "The Seal of the Gongcai of the Bahe", in The Inscription of the Retreating Farmland Hall, vol. 4.
[6] Xu Shichang: The Collected Works of Shuizhu Estate, Vol. 2, published by Tianjin Xu Shi Min Wu (1918).
[7] Xu Shichang: Collected Works of Haixi Caotang, A Series of Ancient Books from Neptune Estate, photocopied by China Bookstore, 1991.
Editor-in-Charge: Zhong Yuan
Proofreader: Luan Meng