I rely on talking to brush the copy

Chapter 25 Writing in the Republic of China (24)

Zhou Dezhang's words brought silence across the hall.

Le Jing sighed slightly in his heart.

Although Zhou Dezhang took a long-term view, he was only worried that opium would occupy fertile land, lead to food shortages, and shake the foundation of the country. He simply did not realize the essential health hazards of opium.

This also represents the intellectuals’ understanding of opium at that time. Many people regard opium as medicine and even think it can strengthen their body.

At the beginning, British businessmen used opium to knock on the door of China to obtain huge profits, so a large amount of silver flowed out. But what China is most indispensable for is "smart people."

Many "smart people" told the emperor that we should vigorously develop the localization of opium, let the people grow opium, break the monopoly of British businessmen on opium, let the people absorb low-price opium, and also create a lot of tax revenue for the country and fill the national treasury. . Moreover, these "smart people" also said that they could impose heavy taxes on opium in the future to make the poor stop smoking and the rich stop smoking, thereby achieving the goal of prohibiting opium.

So there were two kinds of cigarettes in the Qing Dynasty, foreign medicine and local medicine. In order to "measure China's material resources and win the favor of its friends", and also to get rid of those mud-legged Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and maintain Aisin Gioro's rule for generations, the emperor began to call on his subjects to take home-grown native medicine. This is a patriotic expression. !

Therefore, Mr. Lin's Humen sales were smuggled foreign cigarettes. Mr. Lin himself was not opposed to smoking. What he opposed was smoking foreign cigarettes, which would cause the outflow of silver and make the country poorer. For Lin Gong, smoking is an economic issue. Therefore, he supported the people's smoking of local cigarettes, because "the mainland circulates among itself, just like a person's blood is filled with blood, so why hinder it?" This was also the view of many intellectuals at that time on opium. They believed that people smoking local opium would neutralize the effects of opium. Toxic, harmless to human body.

There is no need for future generations to criticize Mr. Lin more harshly. We can only say that this is the limitation of the times. When something becomes someone's pocketbook, the nature of the thing set by society will become ambiguous and distorted, and even the law will make concessions for it. In the final analysis, it is just the economic base that determines the superstructure.

Even in the Republic of China, opium was a political, economic and people's livelihood issue that would shake the country. For example, Yunnan's annual income today is about 11 million silver dollars, of which 8.04 million silver dollars are from opium.

Opium was regarded as a money bag by warlords in various provinces. The warlords who now rule Sichuan have stipulated that if farmers only grow grain but not opium, they will have to pay taxes for three years if they grow grain for one year, but if they grow tobacco, they will have to pay tax for one year... If the farmers still only grow crops in the third year If you don’t grow tobacco, farmers will have to pay taxes for seven years.

Therefore, the Sichuan Army has a resounding title-"Double Gun Army", that is, a musket in one hand and a smoking gun in the other. If it had not been for the Sichuan Army's bloody battles during the Anti-Japanese War, which proved their bloody character and bravery, the Sichuan Army would have been nailed to the pillar of shame in history and could not hold its head up.

It is precisely because the people abandoned their land and planted opium instead that the tragedy of "big famine and cannibalism" occurred every few years in the Republic of China.

It was not until decades later that the red trend swept across the land of China. Those mud-legged people who created changes unseen in China for three thousand years resisted the temptation of money bags and cut off the two cancers of opium and prostitutes. Only then did China's Democracy has truly taken hold.

Le Jing understands better than anyone here that the opium problem is an issue of the times and cannot be solved by simple manpower.

So in this situation, even though he was unwilling to do so, all he could do was remain silent.

In the quiet room, Zheng Yiliang's sigh was particularly clear: "Jun Yu, don't think about it, we can't solve this matter, not even the president can solve it." He smiled dejectedly, "If there ever comes a time … All we can do is sacrifice ourselves for our country to apologize.”

Zhou Dezhang was silent for a few seconds, then managed to raise his head and showed an ugly smile: "Look at me, why are you talking about this when you have nothing to do? It makes everyone unhappy. It's my fault. I hope you two can forgive me."

Le Jing shook his head and said with a smile: "It's not wrong for Duke Zhou to worry about the country and the people. It's just that we, as scholars, have no power. The only thing we can do is to convey our thoughts as much as possible through articles."

Zheng Yiliang quickly nodded in agreement and said: "About the pole, the pole, I won't say it. Jun Yu, you are also a great writer. Many people always respond to your articles. You can use your articles to call for a smoking ban!"

Zhou Dezhang sighed in his heart, knowing that this was just his friend comforting him. The opium problem cannot be solved by him writing a few articles - he has written many articles in the past to express his anti-smoking opinions, and indeed it triggered a lot of discussions in newspapers, but it was limited to "discussion".

With the efforts of Zheng Yiliang and Le Jing to change the subject and liven up the atmosphere, the atmosphere among the few people finally got rid of the depression just now and became harmonious again. However, only the people involved knew about the inner undercurrent.

The sun hung brightly in the west, the heat was steaming on the ground, and there were only scattered pedestrians on the street. Even though Zheng Yiliang was already on the rickshaw going home, he couldn't stop the sweat all over his body. He was sweating profusely and fanned himself with his hands, cursing the damn weather.

Zhou Dezhang, who was sitting aside, couldn't help but mention Li Jingran to Zheng Yiliang: "I think this child is not a thing in the pool."

Zheng Yiliang rolled his eyes at him, "Do you need to tell me that?" He recalled the young man standing tall in the front hall, talking calmly and eloquently, and said sincerely: "I don't know which family raised this monster. If I were his father, I would probably wake up laughing in my dreams."

Zhou Dezhang fell into deep thought, "Li is a big surname, it's hard to say." Li Jingran just said that he left home to study and see the world. He kept silent about his specific family background, and they couldn't ask. But looking at his words and demeanor, you can tell at a glance that his family is either rich or noble. Only such a family can raise a child with both pattern and talent like Li Jingran.

Zheng Yiliang replied nonchalantly: "No matter what his family background is, it is Li Jingran who interacts with us, not his family. Why think so much?"

Zhou Dezhang was stunned for a moment, and thought about it. This is exactly the reason. He was obsessed. Regardless of Li Jingran's family background, his temperament and talent are to their taste. Although Li Jingran is much younger than them, he and Zheng Yiliang are not pedantic people. They both think that Li Jingran is a good candidate for friends, and they are inclined to have a good relationship with him in their hearts.

Le Jing had no idea about the comments made by the two on the way back. After the two left, he stood in the corridor, staring at the vast and clear sky, and fell into a long meditation.

From the moment he woke up from this era, he had a great affinity with opium, and opium also caused irreversible damage to his body. Until now, his hands and feet are still cold at night, and he will pant heavily after a little exercise. No one knows better than him the harm that opium will cause to health.

But knowing is one thing, and doing is another.

Although he told Zhou Dezhang that he could write to convey his thoughts, he also understood how little this was. The opium problem faces greater resistance than the prostitute problem.

To solve the stubborn disease of opium, time, place and people are indispensable.

However, even so, some things still need people to do.

Just like what the great writer said: There is no road in the world, but when more people walk on it, it becomes a road.

When he came to this era, he was naturally influenced by civilization for nearly a hundred years more than the people here, so he was a natural pioneer.

As a pioneer, he has the responsibility to open up a road for future generations.

If there is no light in this era, then let him become light, so that readers can feel the light of civilization that has traveled through a hundred years through his words.

Since he woke up from this time and space, the ambition that has been quietly buried in his heart has finally broken through the ground.

This time he no longer wrapped himself in the name of patriotism and righteousness, but he just wanted to do so.

This is his ambition and his justice.

He wants to awaken the brilliance of humanity in more and more people through his words, and he wants to use his pen to guide readers to the free and beautiful new China.

If one day he really gave his life to build that beautiful new world...

Li Shuran saw that his elder brother, who had been standing silently in the corridor, looking up at the sky and lost in thought, suddenly covered his eyes and laughed softly.

Li Shuran couldn't help but get goosebumps all over her body, and then she realized it was creepy.

She swallowed her saliva and whispered, "Brother...what are you thinking about?"

The boy put down his hand, his eyes were so hot that they almost burned her, his lips curled up, and his voice was mixed with a happy smile: "Suddenly I thought of a very beautiful thing."

Le Jing glanced at Li Shuran, who was intuitively aware of danger like a small animal, put away the joy that was almost overflowing in his heart, and showed a gentle smile as usual: "Be good, go study. Brother went to the study to write."

Li Shuran stared at the back of her eldest brother leaving, and only found that she couldn't help shaking after a long time. She looked at Li Jingran, as if she was looking at something covered in human skin...something.

In the blur, she had a hunch that what she had just seen was the real...Li Jingran.

...

Le Jing felt that he had never seen the world so clearly. He stood in front of the desk, looking at the snow-white manuscript paper, and felt that he was in a very good state, as if there was unlimited energy coming out of every pore of his body.

He thought, after recuperating for so long, it was time to do something big.

Let him imitate Sun Wukong, use the pen in his hand as a golden hoop, and smash all the dark and rotten things to pieces!

He wrote quickly, leaving a line of cursive characters on the manuscript paper - "The Last Person Who Doesn't Take Drugs".

This is the title of his next novel.

A normal person who doesn't take drugs witnesses all the incredible chaos in a country where drug use is legal and everyone takes drugs. As the last illegal person who doesn't take drugs, he has suffered countless persecutions and blows, and thus revealed the ugly and hideous appearance of this drug country.

Maybe his novel will sink into the sea and fail to complete the mission he gave it.

Let him answer with the inscription on the centenary of the birth of the Literature Newspaper.

How can you say it is silent? The history is the witness! How can you say it is silent? The mountains and rivers are named!

History will record his words that he will never surrender.

The author has something to say:

This is also the reason why I set Le Jing as such a family environment.

He actually inherited his police father's morbid obsession with justice and his antisocial mother's innate indifference and cruelty.

Le Jing has his own justice. In a broad sense, freedom and beauty (that is, all the glory of human nature) are his justice, and in a narrow sense, fun and excitement are his justice.

He lived for his justice and died for his justice. For his justice, he could be covered in blood and do whatever it takes.

He is the most terrible idealist.

From this chapter, you should also see his arrogance, right? On a psychological level, he is actually like the villains in many film and television works, with a narcissistic personality and a sense of mission.

Well, anyway, he is a psychopath (simple and crude)

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