What is history: it is the echo of the past to the future, the reflection of the future on the past. - Hugo
"The first-class intellectuals must be the second government," is the famous saying of Master Li Ao. This sentence of his often reminds me of Lu Xun.
Thinking that Lu Xun had denounced the Kuomintang and pinned down those in power, who were bent on exposing the tyranny of the National Government, and even intended to shake or even overthrow its rule, the crowd of followers, the huge influence, the strength behind him, and the fierceness of the shooting and dagger, it should not be too exaggerated to say that at that time, The Zhou House in Jingyunli, Hongkou, Shanghai was the "second government" in the circle of intellectuals.
However, the mystery of the problem is that in that era when his life was like grass, Lu Xun, after resigning from his "going to the sea," was no more than a freelance writer in terms of his public identity, and it can be said that he had no job and no power to equal the common people. The National Government, whose thinking was so "dangerous", whose posture was so broken, and who killed and plundered him, seemed to have been helpless against him, not only did not assassinate him, but even tolerated him from time to time.
After Lu Xun's death, Xu Guangping's mother and son and a group of friends
Although he was also criticized as a "degenerate literati," in fact, he not only turned a blind eye to let him publish his articles and continued to "poison The youth of China," but eventually let him die in his home safely, allowing him to be buried in a beautiful scenery, and even sent a large amount of money to appease his wife and children, opening the door to the publication of his complete works, making the boundary between enemies and friends a little blurred.
All this seems to be very magnanimous and even compassionate to those in power, and it also gives many friends a feeling that the Government of the Republic of China is very courteous to intellectuals and is the "golden age" of Chinese literati. But is this really the case? Or is that the whole truth? For this reason, I have always been skeptical.
First, the power of the national government is loose and the rat thrower
A very popular opinion holds that the reason why Lu Xun was able to raise his eyebrows and anger the government, tear his heart and lungs to curse public power, and be safe and sound was because the Nationalist government at that time was enlightened in government and the power was loose, because he was "talking about different things in the streets and alleys", or pretending not to see it, or tolerating and conniving.
Personally, I do not completely reject such a view, but I think that it is too simple to explain the reason to this. Not only is it wishful thinking, but it is also contrary to historical facts, and it also beautifies the true appearance of some "tigers". Because, a little knowledge of modern history, the government of the Republic of China is still violent, rebellious, and addicted to assassination, and it is no more kind to dissidents than any previous dynasty.
Famous sights in Nanjing
The Kuomintang and its Nationalist government had a large black account, that is, its assassination history. In a very short period of time, only in the military, political and cultural fields, the dissidents who were assassinated by them could write this book. For example, this small list: Tie Liang, Deshou, Fengshan, Zheng Rucheng, Tao Chengzhang, Tang Hualong, Tang Shaoyi, Chen Qimei, Zhang Jingyao, Deng Hao, Zeng Zhongming, Deng Yanda, Zhang Xiaolin, Yang Jie, Yang Hucheng, Yang Yongtai, Liao Zhongkai, Yang Xingfo, Huang Jingwu, Shi Liangcai, Wang Yaqiao, Li Gongpu, Wen Yiduo, and so on.
Intimidation, shooting, burial alive, torture, explosion, and extermination of doors are also all means, splitting intestines and severed hands, sad and miserable, despicable, and heinous. These "revolutionaries" who were originally raised to resist the Manchu Qing Dynasty, when they came to the top and became politicians, many people regarded "revolution" as a sacred guideline and could not tolerate the slightest noise. These old things, but anyone who has read Gao Jinling's "The "Assassination Era" of the League" and Wei Feide's "Spy King: Dai Kasa and Chinese Agents" and other books must have been shocked.
The National Government is really not a vegetarian Buddhist government. After the 1920s, it also spared no effort to eliminate the left forces, and typical cases were the tragic deaths on the streets such as the "Five Martyrs of the Left League" and the "Twenty-four Martyrs of Longhua". At that time, these young people were only "subordinates" of the "Lord of the Left Alliance", and they still wanted to die of blood, and the people in power alone would let the leader Lu Xun go? Is it really because they don't know the pen name "Lu Xun" of "Zhou Shuren"?
Lu Xun did not "enjoy" the same treatment as assassination, according to Yang Kuisong and other researchers, the main reasons are two: First, his reputation at that time was too big, his reputation was too high, and raising his hands and feet would involve international observation and various forces. "Shen Drunken Memoirs" said, "Worried about his reputation, I have never dared to do it."
Second, before Lu Xun was born, he cursed the heavens and swore not to cooperate, but he was not a stupid donkey, and he would not fall into the ground in vain. He was extremely cautious, "you can be naked to your friends, and you must wear armor on the battlefield", so he generally does not openly insult some of the main brain figures such as Yuan Shikai and Jiang Zhiqing. Feng Xuefeng recalled that in 1930, when some people wanted him to publicly scold Chiang, he refused on the spot: "The article is very easy to write", but "in Shanghai, I could not live, I could only go abroad to work as a yugong".
The first right in the fourth row is Lu Xun
The strategy he adopted was a spring and autumn brushwork that insinuated from the east to the west, and the Nationalist government felt that it did not hurt the center, and would warn that it would knock and intimidate, but it would not hinder him from letting him go.
Second, as the "old qualification" of the Guangfu Society, the League, and the Republic of China government
Too many friends have also overlooked that Lu Xun is not only a "pure literati", he also has the side of a former senior "old revolutionary" in the system at that time. He can save himself, and his identity is also a very critical factor.
Lu Xun in 1911, wearing a coat of his own design
Lu Xun actively participated in the anti-Qing patriotic movement at least in June 1906, at the age of 25, when he returned to Tokyo from Sendai, and was a member of the League and a senior member of the Guangfu Society. Although Zhou Zuoren said that he had never really entered the Guangfu Society, his enthusiastic participation was well documented; his close friend Xu Shousheng(hsu Shoushou) made his memoirs more explicit that he was a member, and that the society had even deliberately cultivated him as one of its leaders. It is only said that the Guangfuhui is an assassination group, and "those who join the association do not tell each other about their families and fathers", because even if their brother Zhou Zuoren is a person, he does not know the inside story.
Lu Xun ink
This layer of secret identity, Li Ao has particularly prompted, "two weeks" research expert Ni Moyan, in the "Lu Xun's social activities" in 2006, the monograph, more detailed research, conclusive. The general opinion is that it was the GuangfuHui who arranged for him to return to China in 1907 to assassinate a certain important minister of the Qing court, which he felt was meaningless, and gradually faded out. It can be said that with revolutionary qualifications, he is also a "good friend" of a Japanese-staying element, a revolutionary, a member of the "Second Session," a "prince of the Republic of China, Zhang Taiyan," and a key member of the Republic of China government in the future.
Shaoxing City in the Republic of China era
Around 1903, the GuangfuHui conspired to form a center of activity in Japan and its base camp in Shaoxing. Its leaders, Cai Yuanpei and Tao Chengzhang, and the core backbones, Xu Xilin and Xu Shousheng, were either Lu Xun's fellow countrymen, or his closest friends, not his family, or his teachers, and Lu Xun had a deep relationship with the great cause of revolution at that time. These materials are now all documented.
For this reason, Lu Xun, whose academic qualifications were not in the miscellaneous medical professions, and Zhou Shuren, who was still unknown, returned to China at the end of 1909 and could be appointed as the superintendent of Shaoxing Middle School; as soon as the Nanjing Provisional Government was established in 1912, he was able to immediately "become an official" and quickly enter Beijing, and was directly appointed by Cai Yuanpei as the chief of the first section of the Department of Social Education of the Ministry of Education. After that, after 14 years of senior civil service career, if he did not have a conflict with his superior, Zhang Shizhao, he was almost promoted to director, and he was also received by Yuan Shikai twice.
Lu Xun's confidant Cai Yuanpei
Lu Xun can have such "official luck", of course, not only because he has a "network" of Shaoxing hometown friendship with Cai Yuanpei and a family of generations, but more than that, it is actually his own "revolutionary qualifications". For example, his second brother Zhou Zuoren, who knew how to study when he was studying in Japan, had a relatively distant relationship with the revolutionaries, and belonged to the circle of outsiders, so he could not have this official honor and could only teach at a university.
It can be said that When Lu Xun talked about his identity, he was an "old comrade" of the Kuomintang and its National Government, and although his accusations were fierce and crossed the line, even within the Kuomintang, many people felt that it was not a big deal. Not only that, for a long time, Lu Xun was full of artillery fire outside, but the Nationalist government still paid him a high salary.
Third, the "Shaoxing Association" of the Xinhai Revolution and the "Jiangsu and Zhejiang Gang", the backbone of the Republic of China government
We all know that the revolutionaries of the late Qing Dynasty and their National Government, the most core force at the top, were dominated by The Guangdong and Jiangsu and Zhejiang people. After the Northern Expedition, with the death of Sun Wen, the departure of Wang Jixin, and the assassination of Liao Zhongkai, the Guangdong forces plummeted, and the "Jiangsu and Zhejiang Gang" basically controlled the Nationalist government.
The Jiangsu and Zhejiang revolutionaries, in terms of numbers, momentum, treasury, backbone, strength, and background, have almost occupied the center since the Xinhai Revolution. Feng Zi's "History of the Former Revolution" said, "Since the Guangfu Society was established, the participants were from Zhejiang and Anhui provinces, and the other provinces were not with Yan", bluntly saying that when the revolution first arose, they were all from Zhejiang and Anhui provinces. This trend, in the National Government of the Jiang Zhiqing era, intensified, and the people of Jiangsu and Zhejiang completely occupied the upper circle of the core of the interior.
According to the investigation of Xie Yibiao's "Biography of Tao Chengzhang", there are very few people in Anhui who are high-level members of the revolutionary party, and the most powerful people are Zhejiang people, and the Zhejiang people are mainly concentrated in Shaoxing people. At that time, the most famous first-line figures, such as Qiu Jin, Xu Xilin, Cai Yuanpei, Tao Chengzhang, and Chen Boping, were all Shaoxing people. Almost all of the presidents, vice presidents and important backbones of the GuangfuHui are from Shaoxing.
It is precisely because almost all of its hosts are from Shaoxing, it is in the Guangfu Association, Shaoxing members are also responding to this and that fathers and sons, brothers invited to join the association, I don't know how many. According to the "Shaoxing City Chronicle" alone, there are 265 members of the Guangfu Society registered in the city. Probably because of this, some people later said that the Guangfuhui was the "ShaoxingHui".
Based on the available materials, we can know that since Lu Xun's complete "left-wing" turn in the 1930s, he chose to confront the Nationalist government many times, was in danger many times, risked his life, and was not really safe and sound. For example, in 1930, this "old predecessor" of the Republic of China government was wanted by the authorities for participating in the Grand League of the Freedom Movement, and Shen Drunkenly stated that he had "moved to kill him."
And his ability to be safe and sound is not unrelated to his strong "connections" and local background. While he was hated by some people in power, another faction within the Nationalist government, such as Soong Ching-ling, especially many important members of the "Jiangsu and Zhejiang Gang" and "Shaoxing Association", were actually secretly protecting him. Among them, there were Cai Yuanpei, Shao Lizi, Zhu Jiahua, Chen Brei, and other deceased people from Jiangsu and Zhejiang who were in a key position, and even Du Yuesheng, the "Emperor of Shanghai Beach", made great efforts.
Shanghai Lu Xun Former Residence on the first floor of the reception room
Shao Lizi said, "There must be absolutely no cruelty to this generation of literary heroes."; When the Kuomintang was ready to publish a newspaper to slander Lu Xun for taking japanese allowances and destroying his image in terms of personality, Chen Bray immediately stopped it. Even Chiang seemed to have a lot of respect for Lu Weng, and according to Masuda's 1947 book The Impressions of Lu Xun, "the chief executive (i.e., Chiang) secretly sent someone to contact him, saying that he wanted to meet with him, but he refused." Jiang is also a native of Zhejiang, and throughout his life, he has been more tolerant of Jiangsu and Zhejiang people and the Huangpu family.
Drunk and so on
Later, when Lu Xun died, Jiang also sent someone to send 100,000 funeral expenses. Even when Lu Xun was seriously ill, Jiang instructed him to try to allocate a sum of money to help Lu Xun go to Japan to recuperate. He said, "I am from Zhejiang, and I know the temper of Zhejiang people."
Fourth, cultivate the "self-defense skills", hide in the concession and be protected by many forces
Lu Xun's attack on the National Government and confrontation with it is not unreasonable, nor is he alone, nor does he have any intention of seeking his own death. He has a very deep network of contacts as a guarantee, has an excellent struggle strategy, and has many forces secretly defending him.
He was never a naïve student, nor was he a reckless rough man, a rain of bullets, shirtless, and made senseless sacrifices. Lu Xun ridiculed the ugly forces, indeed he was fighting with an open flame, and he dared to risk being arrested and killed, but around the 1930s, when he was openly protesting, he did cleverly "chaotic state and no residence", and the land he borrowed was the Japanese concession in Shanghai. This is a place where the National Government has no jurisdiction, and it is not easy to suppress or even murder him, and what will arise will be an international dispute.
Therefore, the writer Li Ao was not convinced by Lu Xun, who also belonged to the "literary hero", all his life. At that time, he made a program entitled "Li Ao Has Something to Say," and publicly "shelled," saying that the reason why Lu Xun dared to scold those in power was because he was very "provocative," and would only hide in the concession to do things, and was blessed by the foreigners and Japanese devils.
Shanghai Lu Xun's former residence - "concession" is divided in half, is for "and Jieting"
He also criticized Lu Xun's article, "Selling it may be harassed, but his body is very safe, unlike us, he will be locked up at any moment, he will not." Therefore, Lu Xun's bravery, in my opinion, must be said to be a guarantee from the concession." Lu Xun's status was higher than his, and he was very dissatisfied, "The people who praise Lu Xun as a hero today refer to how hostile he is, or how he fights against the Kuomintang government, and says that he is so high-spirited and bright, I cannot accept this statement."
Although Li Ao's words are paranoid, they are not purely honest when they think about it. What we know now is that although Lu Xun was fighting alone at that time, he was secretly protected by at least three forces, and may even be in the dark: 1. The enlightened faction in the upper echelons of the Kuomintang, such as Soong Ching-ling, Cai Yuanpei, Chen Bray, and other important members; 2, some sympathizers and progressive forces in Japan; 3, supporters from Yan'an. Although the three parties are not a gang, and even often hostile, they all have their own considerations, but they are crooked and coincide.
In the homes of Japanese friends
Otherwise, if the Nationalist government really moves, really wants you, and really assassinates you, even Liao Zhongkai, Tang Shaoyi, Yang Yongtai, and other well-guarded powers will not be able to escape death. The issuance of the wanted warrant, to a large extent, but he should not be too excessive, and should pay attention to the proportions of words and deeds.
Lu Xun has scolded people for more than 20 years, especially love to angrily rebuke those in power, how can he retreat from the whole body, the reasons are naturally different, the above is just a few speculations.
I squatted by the window in the afternoon to gossip about these things, and my selfish expectation was to restore a little bit of the real situation of history. Another thing that needs to be added is that I personally like Lu Xun very much, and the recent heavy reading is still his collection of essays. When I talk about this, subjectively I have no intention of lowering the "greatness" of Zhou Gong. What I want to focus on is that we should respect history, but also the need to restore Xun Weng to a real "person" – only true respect is true respect.
Japanese writer Kenzaburo Oe in front of the former residence of his idol Lu Xun
Lu Xun is not a fearless god who does not enter the sword and gun. He also has a wife and children, and he also has concerns. All his life, he has been stubbornly fighting, fighting against the powerful, fighting against power, fighting against abusive government, fighting with the Kuomintang, fighting with the National Government, and even fighting with the foolish people, almost fighting evil in all directions. In the end, it is not a fluke that will not fall down and be saved, and it is not a fluke, not a sudden conscience discovery of tigers and wolves, and it is not a sinister society that gives mercy, but relies on strategy.
Lu Xun is both a brave man and a wise man, whose courage is enough to reach his way, and whose wisdom is enough to protect himself. At that time, Cao Juren's "Commentary on Lu Xun" commented on him this way, "I thought that he was fighting in a tank car, and he had to save himself first. Then fight with fierce fire. It climbed extremely slowly, but the pressure was very heavy—after all, he came out of master Shaoxing's world, and every chess move he played had his own strategy."
Why Lu Xun is so fierce, so fierce, sniping at those in power, attacking the National Government, but he is safe and sound, I think that understanding Tong Cao Juren's words can understand all of them.