The Rise of the Writers of the Republic of China

At the beginning of 1923, 55-year-old Cai Yuanpei left Europe because of the "Luo Wengan Case".

The so-called "Luo Wengan case" was a trick played by Cao Kun to forcibly remove charges in order to overthrow the cabinet at that time. The judiciary acquitted Luo Wenqian again and again, and Cao Kun ordered his subordinates to protest again and again. Judicial officials were unwilling to pronounce sentences indiscriminately, so Cao Kun simply dismissed all the prosecutors handling the case and replaced them with new ones. In the end, Luo Wenqian was still acquitted.

Speaking of it, there was no shortage of officials who upheld principles during the Republic of China, such as those two batches of prosecutors who undertook tremendous pressure to maintain judicial justice.

It's a pity that it was useless, and finally Cao Kun forced the chief prosecutor to prosecute Luo Wengan.

Cai Yuanpei left at that time. He was completely disappointed with the Beiyang government, so he simply went to Europe to travel and study.

Originally, the Ministry of Education was short of money and couldn't afford to pay salaries. It was all relying on Cai Yuanpei to maintain it, and in the turbulent situation, he tried his best to shield the teachers and students of the school from wind and rain. After he left like this, Peking University's life became even more difficult, and they all hoped that President Cai would come back sooner.

At the end of 1924, Cao Kun, the president who bribed the election, resigned. Peking teachers and students called Cai Yuanpei: "Principal, come back quickly, that bastard president has already run away!"

At the beginning of 1925, Duan Qirui held an aftermath meeting. Peking teachers and students called Cai Yuanpei: "Principal, come back quickly. Old Duan is a good and reasonable man!"

In April 1925, the Beiyang government signed a contract with France. Peking teachers and students called Cai Yuanpei: "Principal, please come back quickly. The Boxer indemnity has been settled. This time it is gold francs!"

At the beginning of 1926, Cai Yuanpei finally returned to China, but he stayed in Shanghai and refused to go north. The teachers and students of Peking University called again and said, "Principal, please come back quickly. The country can have no president, and Peking University cannot have no president!"

In April 1926, Zhang Zuolin sent troops to surround Peking University. Peking University teachers and students called Cai Yuanpei: "Principal, come back quickly, these soldiers are so scared!"

Cai Yuanpei didn't dare to go back, he was afraid of being killed by Wu Peifu.

Marshal Wu said in an interview with an English-language newspaper a while ago: "China has radicalism, which began with Sun Wen...the north has Cai Yuanpei...the young people in China are poisoned by him, and if it is not contained, the government will be in trouble."

Although Wu Peifu compromised with Zhang Zuolin, he was still very powerful in Beiping. He believed that Cai Yuanpei had instigated the student riots. How could Cai Yuanpei dare to go back under such circumstances? What's more, Cai Yuanpei actively campaigned for the Northern Expedition and was wanted by Sun Chuanfang.

Peking University is almost crying, because the government does not pay wages, the teachers are already suffering. The authorities also wantonly arrested and murdered scholars and celebrities, and frequently accused them of red elements and shot them. Now many professors have fled to the south, and if this continues, the school will only remain empty.

So——Principal, come back quickly, we can't hold on any longer!

...

Shanghai Concession.

Beloved wife Zhou Jun brought three letters and a newspaper, and said with a wry smile: "There are letters from the north again, and one of them is the **** that was published in the newspaper."

"Well, what can I do in this situation?" Cai Yuanpei first took the newspaper and looked at it.

The article in the newspaper was written by Zhou Zuoren. In the letter, he first dispelled Cai Yuanpei’s political concerns about his reinstatement, and then cited the difficulties that Peking University is currently facing. In one sentence: "Principal, come back quickly!"

Cai Yuanpei glanced at it, put the newspaper aside, and opened the other two, all of which were to persuade him to return to Peking University as soon as possible to become the principal.

It was not until the third letter was opened that Cai Yuanpei began to read it carefully. It was Liang Suming's theory of saving the country through education, and he hoped that he would take the lead in rebuilding the China Education Association.

Cai Yuanpei has been engaged in education work for many years and knows the hardships.

At the beginning of the founding of the Republic of China, the Ministry of Education clearly stipulated that elementary schools, normal schools, and higher normal schools are exempt from tuition fees.

The "Educational Constitution" also stipulates that funding for education, science, and culture shall not be less than 15% of the total budget at the central government, 25% of the total budget at each province, and 35% of the total budget at cities and counties.

Of course and eggs!

Even well-known universities like Peking University can't afford salaries, let alone those small schools in remote areas. The various laws and regulations of the Republic of China look beautiful, but they are all castles in the air and cannot be realized at all.

Liang Suming wrote in the letter that he hoped to bypass the government and warlords, run schools through social fundraising, concentrate the funds on basic education in elementary schools, and build one school after another, as long as they can train more literate students. Even if the citizens have immeasurable merit.

Most of the literati in the Republic of China shouted loud slogans, but they did not take actual actions. Liang Suming is a pragmatist, he researches and does things when he thinks about it, and he later wrote a couplet: If you are not a sage or a beast, don't ask about the harvest but about the hard work.

After reading this letter, Cai Yuanpei was quite moved. His academic research in the past few years has come to an end, and he has nothing else to do in Shanghai except to promote the Northern Expedition. There is still a lot to be done in rebuilding the Chinese Education Association.

As for Zhou Hexuan and "The Rise of Great Powers" mentioned in the letter, Cai Yuanpei said to his wife, "I'll go out for a while."

Naturally, Cai Yuanpei went out to look for the "Beijing-Tianjin Times". He had many friends, so he quickly got the latest 20 or 30 issues of the newspaper.

After reading one article after another, Cai Yuanpei couldn't help feeling astonished. He has traveled to the West all the year round and has a deep understanding of the European and American academic circles. There is really no Western scholar who can study the rise and fall of the world's major powers so clearly and thoroughly.

This kind of high-end historical academic talent can definitely easily hold a professorship in any European university.

But which rock crevice did Zhou Hexuan jump out from? Why has he never heard of it before?

After Cai Yuanpei finished reading "The Rise of Great Powers" overnight, he first wrote back to Liang Suming, and then wrote to Jing Hengyi, chairman of the Education Committee of the Nationalist Government and acting president of Sun Yat-sen University: "My disciple Yuan Huijian: Recently, I came across a book called "The Rise of Great Powers" lists the rise and fall of the world's great powers, and the words of gold and stone throughout. I think it is like enlightenment, and I have benefited a lot..."

Cai Yuanpei's letter is to recommend "The Rise of Great Powers" to Jing Hengyi, hoping that he will invite Zhou Hexuan to teach in Guangzhou, and he must not let this talent go. Even if you can't invite anyone, you can still use the content of "The Rise of Great Powers" as an extra-curricular reading for students.

Jing Hengyi is also a legend in the education circle of the Republic of China. When he was transferred from Zhejiang No. 1 Normal School six years ago, the students of the whole school spontaneously protested and marched, and were shot and wounded by the military and police. A classmate named Zhu Zantang was so indignant that he grabbed the knife from the policeman and committed suicide on the spot.

The students would rather use their lives to keep the principal, which shows how respected Jing Hengyi is. His supporters used to include these people: Feng Zikai, Zhu Guangqian, Zhu Ziqing, Xia Mianzun...

Cai Yuanpei sent the collected newspapers to Guangzhou together with the letters. After Jing Hengyi finished reading "The Rise of Great Powers", he frantically inquired about Zhou Hexuan's whereabouts, and finally got the news from the reporter of "Zi Lin Xi Bao", and immediately called his friends in Tianjin to invite him on his behalf, hoping that Zhou Hexuan could become a professor at Sun Yat-sen University.

At the same time, "The Rise of Great Powers" was also spreading rapidly in Guangzhou, a revolutionary center. "Zi Lin Xi Bao" and "Beijing-Tianjin Times" were hard to come by. Young students compiled books by hand copying, and hand-written copies of various versions were circulated in schools.

Students majoring in economics regard the Netherlands as a model, and believe that business and finance can also enrich the country and strengthen the people; students in military schools believe that China should learn from Germany, and that only iron and blood unity can achieve national rejuvenation; ...

It seemed that everyone could find a way to save the country from it. For a while, "The Rise of a Great Power" became a popular reading material in various schools in Guangzhou. Zhou Hexuan, who only heard his name but never saw him, was also regarded as an idol by young students, and some people even shouted: "Zhou Hexuan is also my teacher!"