Who is the "plain" of the "pen war" with Sun Yat-sen?

On the eve of the Xinhai Revolution, a fierce polemic broke out between the revolutionaries and reformists in Singapore.

In September 1908, the reformist Nanyang General Report published nine articles, including "On the Invincibility of Revolution as a Proposition" and "The Boy Listens to It", which were signed "Plain", one after another, and the sharp edge was directed at the revolutionaries. Under the pseudonym of "Nanyang Primary School Student," Sun Yat-sen published three articles in the Zhongxing Daily, sponsored by the League on September 11, 12, and 15, respectively, including "It is wrong to open one's mouth in a fair manner," "On those who are afraid of the revolution to call and divide up, but also those who do not know the current affairs," and "Those who are not willing to admit their mistakes in a fairly honest manner," criticizing the reformists' remarks that "the revolution must be called up and divided." Other members of the revolutionary faction, such as Huang Xing, Ju Zheng, Wang Jingwei, and Hu Hanmin, also wrote articles to cheer for Sun Yat-sen. On the reformist side, there were also Kang Youwei's proud protégés Xu Qin and Wu Xianzi, as well as Ou Yujia, Li Yanzhao, Liang Boming and others.

Although many people use pseudonyms in the pen battles of the two camps, the true identity of the author is mostly clear, and the articles of "Nanyang Primary School Students" can be read in the "Complete Works of Sun Yat-sen". Only the reformist masters will be "plain" and will not show the true face of Lushan for a long time.

In recent years, due to the in-depth excavation of the works of Tang Xuan and Tang Dayuan in the Shaoyang Bunko, from the articles of the Ertang Dynasty, the true identity of "Plain" has slowly surfaced. This "Plain Truth", real name Tang Xuan, alias Jian, Jinshan, Lianxin. Born in 1873 in a small mountain village called "Kip shek". On the new version of the map of Hunan Province, "Jiaoshi" is located in Heishi Village, Zhushi Town, Dongkou County, Shaoyang City. When Tang Xuan was 7 years old, when he was 12 years old, his uncle Tang Junqing used the local Zhong Lei Xi to come out of the upper league "Xi Zhong Lei, Lei from the ground", asking him to come out of the lower link. Without thinking, Tang Xuan said to the village of Kip shek, "The name of the village is Kip Shek, and the stone is earth-shattering." ”

In 1895, Tang Xuan and the "prodigy" Cai Yi were in the same list of xiucai. Although he is 9 years older than Cai Yi, the two are like-minded and become good friends. Cai Yi later entered the Shiwu Academy, studied in Japan, and became Liang Qichao's high foot. Tang Xuan went to wuchang Lianghu Academy, studied with Zou Daijun, a Hui of Shaoyang Long, and had a classmate with Huang Xing, the founder of the Xinhai Revolution.

In 1906, Huang Xing went to Guilin to instigate the Guangxi Patrol Battalion Guo Renzhang Uprising. Tang Xuan also came here to find Cai Yi, the chief instructor of the New Army, and was recommended to the Guo Renzhang camp and was ordered to return to Wugang to recruit troops and buy horses. During this time, Tang Xuan traveled between Xianggui and Guizhou, seeking revolutionary volunteers and revolutionary base areas. Finally, it was decided to establish a base in his friend Liu Depei's hometown, Matang Mountain, Longhui County, Shaoyang City. With territory, Tang Xuan scattered his family wealth, recruited more than 200 volunteers, and planned an anti-Qing uprising. Because the situation was not secret, they were surrounded and suppressed by qing soldiers, and he and Liu Depei fled to Guangxi. On cai yi's recommendation, Liu Depei served as an envoy to Hunan Tongdao Zhi County and Lingling, and Tang Xuan was retained by Li Zongren's father as a tutor. Due to the urgent pursuit of the Qing soldiers, Tang Xuan escaped over the wall and traveled back and forth to Yangshuo, Wuzhou, Guangzhou, and Longzhou.

In Longzhou, Tang Xuan attended the memorial service for martyr Chen Tianhua and delivered a speech. The observation made Zhuang Sixuan appreciate it and sponsored him to go to Japan. Tang Xuan studied law and politics in Japan, and after being introduced by Yang Du, he worshiped Liang Qichao as a teacher, joined the Political News Agency, and praised the establishment of constitutional reform. Under the influence of Liang Qichao, he changed from a radical platoon to a "constitutional monarchy", and in his own words, transitioned from a "barbaric revolution" to a "civilized revolution", laying an ideological foundation for the future pen battles with the revolutionary party.

In 1908, Tang Xuan was recommended by Liang Qichao to Singapore as the chief writer of the Nanyang General HuiXinBao. Since September 5, he has successively launched a "pen war" with the revolutionary party in the name of "plain". In fact, Don Xuan's thought is quite complex and contradictory. He advocated constitutional monarchy and favored peaceful reform, but stressed the need to prepare for force, including the idea of "power coming out of the barrel of a gun"; he opposed revolution, believing that "revolutionary matters cannot be done by the times and cannot be done"; he opposed creating momentum for the sake of revolution, but he strongly advocated running newspapers and periodicals, creating public opinion, running universities, and cultivating talent. He seemed to be aware of his contradictions, and after a few rounds of pen fighting, he quietly returned home.

In February 1909, Tang Xuan served as a member of the Yunnan Investment Promotion Committee, and in this capacity published "Describing the Situation of Yunnan and Paying Tribute to Overseas Chinese" in the Nanyang Zonghui New Newspaper, advising overseas Chinese to invest in the development of Yunnan and go down to Nanyang to attract investment for Yunnan. In Yunnan, Tang Xuan was enthusiastic about industry and devoted himself to mining, and once played the chapter of the "Yunnan Shu Railway Diversion to Dian Yong Discussion" to the Qing court, and served as the manager of Yunnan Baohua Antimony Mining Company, and the company issued 50 taels of silver per month. Because of his mining experience, he supported his friend Liu Depei to sell the mountains and forests and mine copper in the area of Dongkou Garden. While in Yunnan, he joined Cai's United Republican Party and participated in the Chongjiu Uprising. After the establishment of the Military Governor's Office, he served as the director of the Tengyue Department and the Senator of the Governor's Office, and also served as the chief writer of the "Yunnan Daily", actively assisting his fellow villager Cai Yi.

In 1913, Cai Yi allowed the Kuomintang to annex the United Republican Party. Tang Xuan was very depressed, announced his separation from the Kuomintang, and returned to Hunan with his family. In Changsha, he rejoined the Republican Party and, together with Liu Renxi, organized the Xiang branch of the State Affairs Maintenance Association, which was wanted by the Kuomintang. When he was cornered, he secretly entered Beijing with Cai Yi and accepted Yuan Shikai's appointment as an observer of Hengyong Chengui. At the beginning of his term of office, Tang Xuan spared no effort except for treachery, goodness, teaching, advocating correct learning, and developing industry. However, due to the inability to cooperate with Zhao Chunting, the shonan town guard, after only 6 months in office, he resigned and returned to his hometown to set up a museum to give lectures, and concurrently held idle posts such as the counselor of the Hunan Governor's Office.

In 1920, when Tang Xuan heard that Yan Xishan was establishing an independent kingdom in Shanxi, he took his students Yin Zhongqi and Xu Zhaomin to defect, but they were not reused, and they were given the empty title of adviser to the Overseer's Office. Tang Xuan did not have any practical work in Shanxi, and he lectured in the "Heart Washing Society" on weekdays, and devoted himself to the book "Refining The Heart Study Class".

At the end of the summer of 1924, Tang Xuan, who had not been rewarded with great ambitions, returned to Changsha exhausted and served as the director of the Hunan Provincial Book Editing Office and the director of the library. Later, Li Zongren sent a letter from Jiujiang inviting him to Zanxiang Rongji. Tang Xuan was disheartened, hesitant, and missed the "good opportunity." Tang Xuan bid farewell to the provincial wall and returned to the snow peak mountain where he was born and raised. Entering his later years, Tang Xuan, under the guidance of his brother and Buddhist master Dayuanju, took refuge in the quiet earth, green lights and yellow scrolls, and sought spiritual sustenance in the study of Buddhism.

In the spring of 1928, when the flowers were blooming, Tang Xuan left a full house of scriptures and quietly died in his hometown.

(Chen Yanggui)