Chapter 42 7. Among the cherry blossoms, Yang Du and Tanaka discuss the road to China's prosperity

Hakone is in Kanagawa Prefecture, located in the northwest of the beautiful Sagami Bay, less than 200 miles away from Tokyo.The Hakone volcano in the territory is more than 1,400 meters above sea level. The mountain is majestic, the forest is verdant, and the weather is very spectacular.The Luhu Lake at the foot of the volcano is azure green, and it is clear to the end, which makes people feel refreshed.There are many hot springs here.Even in the depths of winter, the bubbling springs gushing out from the ground around the volcano are steaming, bringing warmth to Hakone.It is precisely because of Hakone's unique natural environment that it has become a famous tourist attraction in Japan.

This is especially a good place to watch cherry blossoms.Because there are many hot springs in Hakone and the atmosphere is warm, the cherry blossoms bloom a few days earlier than those in nearby towns.Those who love and cherish flowers in Tokyo, Yokohama, Shizuoka and other cities, in order to spend more time with cherry blossoms, often go to Hakone to enjoy the flowers for a few days first, and then just catch up with the local flower season when they return.It is precisely for this reason that Chieko invited her grandparents to Hakone to enjoy the cherry blossoms first when she came to Tokyo from Yokohama, taking advantage of the holiday when the cherry blossoms first bloomed in Tokyo.

When the Tanaka couple, Yang Du, and Chieko came to Hakone, it was indeed a place full of flowers and tourists.Thousands of cherry blossoms grow here at the foot of the mountain, by the lake, by the water, and by the road.Some are as high as ten meters, with thick trunks and dense side branches, and the trees are full of bright and shining flowers, resembling a fat sumo wrestler returning home after winning, wearing red and hanging colors, full of air.Some are only taller than a person, and the branches are still immature, but thousands of flowers are covering the branches, like a bride in her boudoir with honeysuckle on her head, waiting shyly for the wedding. The sedan chair enters the door.Looking around, the boundless sea of ​​flowers under the sun shines with a brilliant silver-white light red halo, and the whole lake and mountains of Hakone are illuminated by it and dyed red. Visitors were laughing, talking and singing, walking through the sea of ​​flowers in twos and threes, adding vigorous vitality to Hakone.

This kind of magnificence, magnificence and dazzling magnificence, let alone not seen in China, even in Tokyo, Yang Du has never seen it.Here and now, the world seems to have no darkness, no poverty, no ugliness, and no sin; the world is full of sunshine, beauty, peace, and happiness that people long for and pursue.Yang Du couldn't help admiring from the bottom of his heart: "Life is always like this, how wonderful it would be!" Tanaka was also attracted by the flourishing flowers, and after listening to Yang Du's emotion, he continued: "Yes, it's a pity that life seldom is happy, but there are many sad times, just like this cherry blossom, it is cold and lonely all year round. , the lively scenery is only a few days!"

"Grandpa, when you are so happy, why are you saying such spoiling words!" Qian Huizi interrupted Grandpa.She didn't know how to feel sad when she was young, and she lived in front of her, just like the bright cherry blossoms in front of her eyes, she was absolutely unwilling to listen to the clichés that life is worrying about life and life is short. Grandpa smiled and glanced at his granddaughter, and stopped talking.The old lady Kazuko repeated what she kept saying once she stepped into Hakone: "The flowers in Hakone bloom more beautifully than those in Tokyo." There was a circle of people under a few particularly tall cherry trees, and Yang Du guessed that another couple was having a wedding.Qian Huizi had sharp eyes and said, "Someone is performing a tea ceremony, Mr. Yang, go and see it!"

Yang Du hadn't seen the tea ceremony performance under the cherry tree yet, so he followed Qian Huizi and squeezed into the crowd.This is an open-air tea room.Several deep red carpets were spread on the floor. In a corner of the carpets, there were three masters and servants sitting kneeling, with various tea utensils such as tea kettles placed in front of them.The owner in the middle is a woman in her twenties.She was wearing a bright red kimono, with an emerald green wide-brimmed ribbon around her waist, and a huge bun on her head, which was filled with all kinds of dazzling jewelry, giving people a sense of elegance and luxury.Kneeling on the left and right of her were two little girls aged eight or nine. They were also wearing red kimonos, but their hair was undecorated. The faces of the three of them were all painted with dazzling white powder, and their lips were blood red.In the other corner of the carpet sat four luthiers.The luthier played classical music, the little girl got up to light a small clay stove, and the hostess added water to the crock.As soon as an ancient music was played, the water in the crock boiled.After a brief pause, the ancient music played again.The hostess stretched out her slender hands, picked up the gorgeous tea bowl and washed it over and over again, with a meticulous attitude.After washing, she poured two wooden spoons of green tea powder into the tea bowl, brewed it with boiling water, and then stirred it in the tea bowl with a round hollow bamboo device, then held the bowl with both hands, and slowly turned it from left to right for a while.After turning around seven or eight times, another child got up, took a black lacquer tray and walked to the hostess, who put the tea bowl on the tray.

Qian Huizi said to Yang Du: "Let's go. This little girl will walk towards the person watching later. She will invite that person to drink tea when she sees who has a higher status. There are also many specialties in drinking tea. Maybe that girl will recognize you as a Chinese, a guest from afar, and she will invite you to drink tea, and that will be troublesome." "Then leave quickly." Yang Du said with a smile, "I'm holding a tea bowl, I really don't know how to drink it!" The two walked out of the crowd, and the old couple in Tanaka were standing aside, pointing at the distance, apparently waiting for them.

"Mr. Yang, are there cherry blossoms in China?" Qian Huizi raised her face and asked Yang Du, her rosy face was caught in the flowers, so that Yang Du couldn't tell which was the cherry blossoms and which was her face.Yang Du suddenly remembered two lines of Tang poems: "Last year and today, in this gate, people's faces are red with peach blossoms." Then he replied: "We don't have cherry blossoms in China, but there is a kind of flower that can be compared with cherry blossoms." "What flower?" Chieko asked with great interest. "Peach Blossom." Yang Du replied.He thought of the peach blossoms in Shitangpu in mid-spring, and said emotionally, "In our hometown, after a few spring breezes and rains, the peach blossoms in front of the mountains and behind the mountains are all blooming, which is very beautiful."

The pink peach blossoms on the stone pond will also cover the surrounding fields and farmhouses with a colorful satin in those days when they are the most prosperous.But Yang Du certainly knew in his heart that no matter how beautiful the peach blossoms are, they cannot compare with the cherry blossoms in front of him.The first is this kind of momentum: stretching and vast, boundless as far as the eye can see, with majestic branches, straight into the sky, eclipsing the peach blossoms.Secondly, the popularity of flower appreciators and the strong emotions are beyond the imagination of the Chinese people.Although the peach blossoms in Shitangpu are delicate and dazzling, no one appreciates them.This is really the greatest tragedy of beauty!This sentence at this time, rather than praising the peach blossoms, it is better to say that it is nostalgic for the hometown.

Qian Huizi couldn't imagine Yang Du's complicated mood.She said with great interest: "Yes, although I have never been to your country, I can imagine that when the peach blossoms in your country are in full bloom, they must be more beautiful than this cherry blossom." "How do you imagine that?" I don't know whether it was moved by Qian Huizi's extremely polite answer, or because she beside the cherry blossoms looked more beautiful because of this sentence, Yang Du really wanted to talk to her more. Qian Huizi thought for a while and said: "There are many literati in your country who write beautiful peach blossoms, especially Tao Yuanming's, which makes the peach blossoms so fascinating."

"Have you read it too?" Yang Du felt warm when he met a beautiful woman who loved Chinese culture in a foreign country. "Can you remember the middle lines?" "I can recite the opening paragraph." Qian Huizi said quite complacently. "Then recite it to my teacher." Yang Du said with a smile. "Okay." Qian Huizi thought for a moment, and said back, "In Taiyuan of Jin Dynasty, Wuling people fished for a living. They walked along the stream, forgetting the distance of the road. Suddenly, there was a peach blossom forest, hundreds of steps across the bank, and there were no miscellaneous trees in the middle. The grass is delicious, and the falling flowers are colorful..." "Qian Huizi, you are memorizing in front of Mr. Yang, isn't it just a classmate?" Old Mr. Tanaka laughed loudly, interrupting his granddaughter's recitation. "Grandpa, this isn't a class move, it's a test for the teacher to test my Sinology foundation." After Qian Huizi finished speaking, she looked at Yang Du again, "Mr. Yang, do you think so?" "Yes, yes." Yang Du nodded frequently. "Don't memorize it anymore, your Sinology foundation is very good." "Thank you!" Chieko said happily, "'The grass is delicious and the fallen flowers are colorful'. The picture outlined by these eight words is enough to make people yearn for." "It's good, but it's a pity that the Taohuayuan described by Master Tao has been an ideal world in the minds of Chinese people for thousands of years. It is not a real life. It can't compare with your country, which is 'delicious' and 'colorful' It’s right in front of you, there’s no need for literati to fabricate it.” Yang Du suddenly thought of his impoverished and backward motherland, which was completely different from the Japan he saw during his travels.A sense of melancholy welled up, and my heart tightened suddenly.Facing this magnificent flower viewing picture, I can't help but feel a lot of thoughts. There was a small ditch in front of it, and Qian Huizi walked over it carefully with the help of grandma.Yang Du was about to come to help Tianzhong, the old man waved his hand and stepped over quickly.The cherry blossoms on this side of the small ditch seem to be more luxuriant. The flowers on the trees are clustered one after another, layer by layer, red and white, shining and dazzling.There are fallen petals piled up under the tree, some of which are two or three inches thick. Although they are fallen petals, they are still bright and delicate, which makes people feel a little bit reluctant to trample on them. "Luohong is not a ruthless thing, it turns into spring mud to protect flowers." Tanaka hummed softly, then turned to Yang Du and said, "Mr. Gong Seren's poems from your country have written a very high level of life. I have interacted with many international students in your country, and found that they all have a spirit of sacrificing themselves for the benefit of future generations, which I really admire." "Mr., you are flattering your words." Tanaka's words made Yang Du grateful, and the melancholy just now was also diluted by it. "The international students who come to my house to associate with you, I can see that they are all like you. They are all people who worry about the country and the people, and are generous and passionate. There are young people like you in your country. I think Taohuayuan will soon It becomes a real sight in your country." Mr. Tanaka's kindness and sincerity made Yang Du very grateful.Ten years ago, when the Japanese Navy defeated the Beiyang Navy, Yang Du, like all Chinese patriots, had a strong hatred for Japan.After coming to Japan, this feeling subsided unknowingly.Especially this time, he lived for a longer period of time, learned more about Japanese society and culture, and now he can speak Japanese, so he has more extensive contact with ordinary Japanese people. The feelings of Japan, a "tiny small country", have undergone great changes.He deeply felt that Japan is a very extraordinary country. It has many things worthy of China's imitation, and the most worthy of China's imitation is its constitutional monarchy.At the same time, the Yamato nation is a very enterprising nation. They are always keen and humbly learning the strengths of other nations, and through the unanimous hard work of all, they quickly take this advantage for themselves. "Mr. Yang, for the past half month, you have been staying at home every day, writing books at your desk. Are you drawing a blueprint for your country's future peach blossom paradise?" Seeing Yang Du meditating, Tanaka spoke again. "Mr., you are really right." Yang Du said excitedly, "I am drafting an outline for governing our country." "Outline of governing the country?" Qian Huizi was attracted by these four words, she turned her head and asked back in surprise. "Yes, this is an outline for governing the country. I used the four characters 'Golden Ironism' as the title of the book." Yang Du said proudly. Tanaka said: "The German Prime Minister Bismarck saved Germany with ironism. Did your ironism derive from ironism?" "No." Yang Du categorically denied, "Bismarck advocated the idea of ​​saving the country with black iron and red blood, that is, what the world calls iron bloodism, which allowed Prussia to unify the German confederations and then dominate Europe. The reason why Bismarck advocated this kind of doctrine is, It is because Prussia is a small country with few people and its conditions are not enough for it to survive in Europe where the great powers are vying for hegemony. Therefore, it is not enough to unite the German states against the Austrian law and build a united and unified Germany. It later The dominance of Europe is the result of using all forces to fight. But our country cannot use iron and blood methods. Our country has a history of 5,000 years of civilization, and the Confucian doctrine of benevolence and friendship is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. If it is weakened, the power of the people will also be weakened, and the social economy will also gradually wither." "That's right!" Tanaka said very appreciatively, "Your country is a country of poetry, books, etiquette and righteousness. All the saviors in your country must not lose this excellent tradition." "Yes." Yang Du nodded, and said rather conceitedly, "I took Bismarck's strengths and made up for it with our country's traditions, so I replaced his 'blood' with 'gold'. The so-called gold is gold." Also, that is, money, that is, the economy, in order to obtain the prosperity of the people's life. Iron, that is, black iron, that is, iron guns, that is, the military, in order to obtain the strength of the country." "The people's livelihood is rich and the country is strong. The goal is very good." Tanaka praised again, "The blueprint I have drawn for your country is indeed grand. However, I heard that there are often disputes among the students studying in your country, and the focus of the debate is not on the goal. It’s about the means to achieve the goal.” "You can see very clearly that what is being fought for is indeed not the goal, but the means." "I heard that the debaters have two opinions, one is to adopt a democratic republic and the other is to adopt a constitutional monarchy. Is this true?" Tanaka asked Yang Du. Before Yang Du could answer, Qian Huizi rushed over and said, "Grandpa, how do you know so clearly!" "Your grandfather," the old lady Kazuko said with a smile, "was also a fanatical political activist when he was young, and he secretly suggested many good ideas for the fall of the shogunate! I was worried about him at that time, in case the Tokugawa shogunate failed to fall , if the emperor does not take power, our family will suffer a catastrophe." "Oh, I didn't expect grandpa to be a hero in the restoration of the king's government. Why didn't he get an official job!" Qian Huizi deliberately teased grandpa. Tanaka said with a hearty smile: "What kind of official position do you want! It is the duty of every citizen to seek the interests of the country. Without Emperor Meiji's restoration, how could our Tanaka family be happy today? That's enough. What's more, my grandfather and I , can only plan curtains, but doesn't like to socialize with books!" After all, he laughed out loud.The short and thin Tanaka Kametaro instantly grew taller in Yang Du's eyes: what an amiable and respectable little old man! "Old sir, you have always been very friendly to our country, and you have been to many countries in Europe and America, and you have learned a lot. I am asking you for advice today as a student. Do you think it is better for our country to adopt a democratic republic or a How about a constitutional monarchy?" For a long time, Yang Du wanted to find an opportunity to have a good chat with Tanaka, and listen to the opinions of this old Japanese man who is familiar with China on the issue of China's future national system.The ancients said that they didn't know the true face of Lushan Mountain. It was only because they were in this mountain. The Chinese people couldn't see clearly the future of the country. Is it because they were in it?A knowledgeable foreigner may be able to see more accurately and profoundly from an onlooker's perspective.Today, in such a beautiful cherry blossom bush, the old man is in such high spirits again, since the topic has been brought up here, why not ask him to talk about it? "Mr. Yang, you are a very knowledgeable person and also a person with great ambitions. I dare not take you as a student to ask me for advice. If we discuss expensive things as friends China's politics, then I am very interested." Yang Du is a straightforward person. Seeing the old man's sincere attitude, he smiled and said: "It doesn't matter whether it's teachers, students, or friends. What matters is that I want to hear your criticism of our country's politics and help our country choose an independent path." the path of self-improvement." "You are so refreshing!" Tanaka said happily. "When I was young, I went to your country three times. When I went for the first time, your fellow countryman Zeng Guofan, who was the first to advocate self-reliance and self-improvement, was still there. After landing in Shanghai, I went to visit him in Nanjing. Unexpectedly, he had just been transferred to Zhili, and missed him. When I went to your country for the second time, he had already passed away. I felt a pity in my heart!" "I haven't seen this sage of mine either. When I was born, he had been dead for three years." Yang Du interjected. "Later, I went to your country again. This last time was the longest, and I stayed for four years." "No wonder your Chinese is so good!" Yang Du couldn't help interjecting again. Qian Huizi joked: "Grandpa, why didn't you marry a Chinese grandma for me?" "You damn girl!" The old lady Hezi patted her granddaughter on the shoulder lightly.Chieko laughed happily. "I wanted to marry at that time. I wrote home to ask your grandma for advice, but she refused to agree." Tanaka said while winking at his wife. "Is that so? Grandma!" Chieko leaned on her grandmother coquettishly, and asked softly into her ear. "Listen to your grandpa's nonsense!" The old lady Hezi stared at the old man with wide eyes, "I don't feel ashamed to tell such a lie in front of Mr. Yang and his granddaughter! The older you get, the less serious you become." The old man laughed loudly after hearing the old lady's scolding. Yang Du looked at this picture of a happy family and was very envious. He said with a smile: "The old man is an honest and fearful person. I think he would not dare to marry a Chinese even if he lived in China for ten or eight years." Madame's thoughts." "Okay, let's talk about the topic!" Tanaka said to his granddaughter, "You caused it just now. You just listen and don't interrupt." "I won't talk anymore." Qian Huizi took grandma's hand again and walked slowly, admiring the cherry blossoms while listening to the conversation between grandpa and Yang Du. "Twenty years ago, I worked as an accountant on a seagoing ship for two years. I traveled to France, England, Germany, the United States and Canada with this seagoing ship. Comparing the East with the West, and comparing your country with ours, In my opinion, the progress of your country should adopt a constitutional monarchy instead of a democratic republic." "Mr., do you think so?" Yang Du was very excited. With his personality, he really wanted to hug this like-minded friend beside him. "Can you tell me why?" "I'm not a thinker, so I can't tell you a very profound truth." Tanaka resumed his usual gentle and elegant demeanor, and continued in a calm voice, "From the perspective of the cultural origins of the East and the West, the history of accepting autocracy in the West is not as good as that in the East. For a long time. Westerners are greatly influenced by Christianity. Christ advocates equality and fraternity, so Westerners have a strong concept of freedom, democracy and equality. The East has a long history of accepting autocracy and is greatly influenced by Buddhism. Buddhism is a hierarchical religion. Therefore, the East People are used to living under the rule of the king. If there is no king one day, they will be at a loss and feel like they have no leader. On the other hand, to implement a democratic republic, all citizens must have a high level of education. Only a democratic republic has the foundation of a moral consciousness that considers the country and the public. Otherwise, the more democratic it is, the less likely it is to get things done. And to get things done, the only way to get things done is by dictatorship. Let’s use an analogy! A village has no roads, The village chief called the villagers to discuss. If the villagers have a sense of public morality, they will respond first, and then contribute money and effort. If everyone works together, the road will be repaired quickly. On the contrary, if there is no such sense of public morality, or only a few people Yes, most people don’t have it, and this road cannot be built. First of all, when it comes to this proposal, some people agree with it and some oppose it, and the opinions cannot be unified. Then the rich are unwilling to contribute money, and the powerful are unwilling to contribute. When it is received After receiving the money, the people who handled it embezzled it. The rest of the money was used to buy stones and wood, and some villagers would sneak back to their homes in the middle of the night to build houses for pigs and cows. In this way, can the road be repaired? Like this In the village, there is only one village chief who is far-sighted and savvy and tough. There is no need to discuss, and he directly orders everyone to contribute money and efforts, and organizes a picket team to strictly supervise. Those who do not follow the order will be punished. , it is possible to repair the road. Mr. Yang, do you think so?" "That's right." Yang Du said convincingly.Although Tanaka is not a thinker, he can not only see problems from the differences between Eastern and Western cultures, but also explain them clearly with simple metaphors. In fact, he is better than many self-proclaimed thinkers, and he is better than many pretentious Chinese students studying abroad.Yang Du added an ancient Chinese example to Tanaka's discussion. "In the Spring and Autumn Period of our country, there was a politician named Zichan. He adopted some reform measures at the beginning of Zheng Guo's power. Because the people did not have the vision of Zichan and were limited by long-term old ideas, they attacked Zichan's reforms. Some people Some even advocated killing him. It was not until three years later that the people had clearly benefited from the reform that they all praised him and said he was a good prime minister." "This story is very good." Tian Zhong listened to Yang Du's allusion with great interest, and then continued to analyze, "If the state of Zheng was not a monarchy but a democracy, Zichan would have been democratically discussed. Kill. Therefore, in a country where the national moral awareness and intellectual level are not high, you can only practice the monarchy but not democracy. This is the reason. Let me be frank, although your country was once the most culturally developed country in the world country, but it is relatively backward now. The education level of our country’s citizens is higher than that of your country as a whole, and it is far behind that of Europe and the United States. Therefore, our country can only adopt a monarchy. It cannot be a democracy.” "Under the wise leadership of Emperor Meiji in the past few decades, your country has undergone earth-shaking changes, both economically and militarily. Your country's success has set a living example for our country. China and Japan Same language, same race, your country’s road should be the road that our country should take. This is why a large number of Chinese students have come to your country to study in recent years.” Yang Du's words obviously made Tian Zhong feel very comfortable.He smiled modestly and said: "Japan is always grateful for China's kindness. Xu Fu took five hundred boys and girls to cross the sea to establish Japan. Although archaeologists have yet to verify it, in the early Tang Dynasty, Japan sent Batch after batch of envoys from the Tang Dynasty went to China to study, and Yanhuang elites, represented by Master Jianzhen, came to Japan to pass on scriptures and treasures without fear of the dangers of the sea. This is all true history. Now, Japan has come a few steps ahead , China has sent its own outstanding children to Japan, I think this is normal, China and Japan should help each other." "Exactly this sentence." Yang Du sincerely admired Tanaka's words, and he saw the broad and kind heart of the Yamato nation from this ordinary old man. "I thought that only by following the path of Japan can China truly realize the ideal of a rich country and a strong army. However, there are two aspects to a constitutional monarchy. I only talked about one side of the monarchy, and the other side is constitutionalism." Tanaka continued his grand theory, "In the past , whether it is China or Japan, there is only a monarch without a constitution, and the words of the monarch are the law. Even if the power of the monarch is inexhaustible, at the same time, there is no law in the country, and there is no fixed law for everything, and the country will be chaotic. Modern advanced The national theory tells us that a group of elite talents in a country is gathered to formulate an effective law governing the country, and then a group of the best talents are selected from the elite talents to form a cabinet that is responsible to both the monarch and the people to implement it. Law. As for the king, he is only a representative of the country, supervising the cabinet but not governing. Such a state system is a perfect and ideal state system.” "Old Mr. Tanaka," Yang Du said in a very respectful tone, "I have benefited a lot from what you said just now. There is an old saying in our country that a word from Wen Jun is better than ten years of reading. I will give it to you today. It should be most appropriate." Chieko had been listening silently, and at this moment she also said with emotion: "Grandpa, what you said today is really good. I was not interested in politics at first, but now I am interested. Grandpa, the emperor should invite you to be a prime minister." yes." "Grandpa is getting old, he's almost eighty..." Tanaka's face suddenly changed when he said this, and he turned to Qian Huizi and said, "Someone is coming, you should run away!" Everyone was surprised and looked forward together.