Chapter 117 integrity

Xiong Shili felt bitterly about the political corruption of the Qing Dynasty and the serious national crisis. He often used Fan Zhongyan's words "worry about the world before you worry about it" to warn yourself.In the process of reading a lot of books, he was deeply fascinated by works such as "Gezhi Enlightenment", and regarded the Six Classics as scholars.Moreover, he was deeply influenced by the works of Wang Chuanshan, Huang Lizhou, Gu Tinglin and other great philosophers during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, as well as the works of reformers such as Yan Jidao, Liang Qichao, and Tan Sitong in the late Qing Dynasty. And run and call.

Xiong Shili was wanted by Zhang Biao, the commander in chief, for leading the Huanggang Military Academy Training Club, and offered a reward of 500 gold to buy Xiong's head.Fortunately, Lan Tianwei from the Camp Office secretly informed Xiong Shili that Xiong Shili first hid on the ceiling of He Zixin's home, and then fled back to his hometown.According to Mr. He Juefei, Zhang Biao refused to stop, so he asked Zhang Zhidong to order him arrested, and attached a short essay scolding him written by Xiong Shili in the Army Special School.After reading it, Zhang Zhidong said to Zhang Biao: "Children are messing around, why bother?" In the end, Zhang Biao had no choice but to close down the Huanggang Military Academy Training Club.After Xiong Shili returned to his hometown, there were six Xiong brothers at that time, they ate every meal without rest, and in winter, they didn't have enough clothes to cover their bodies.They heard that the Nanxun Railway was under construction, so they went to De'an to reclaim wasteland together.

From 1917 to 1918, Xiong Shili participated in the Dharma Protection Movement led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen.He witnessed the decline of the world since the revolution, "partisans compete for power, and the revolution ends with no good results." Warlords and bureaucrats are greedy, extravagant, cruel, jealous, deceitful, subservient, sloppy, hypocritical, and the party is in trouble. Martyrs, scholars and customs are corrupt, people's livelihood is declining, and humanity is extinct. I deplore that "the party members have absolutely no effort in body and mind." Thinking that the disasters are caused by the ignorance of the public, I want to concentrate on academics and guide the people to correct views", deeply feel that "revolution in politics is not as good as revolution in mind", so I abandon politics and study Confucianism and Buddhism, in order to explore the essence of life and improve the people's morality. moral responsibility.He once said: "It was thirty-five years ago when I decided to pursue an academic career. This is a major change in the rest of my life, and it is the period of rebirth."

After Chiang Kai-shek gained the military and political power of the Kuomintang, Mr. Xiong became middle-aged and the world changed. As a participant in the revolution, his inner pain and despair were beyond comprehension for ordinary party members: he scolded Chiang Kai-shek, and put the newspaper with Chiang Kai-shek on it. Tear it off and stuff it in your crotch. Xiong Shili was fond of scolding Chiang Kai-shek. Xu Fuguan, an official in Chiang Kai-shek's waiting room, gave him a check for one million yuan, but he scolded him away. Once, when Guo Moruo visited him, he brought him an old hen and scolded Chiang Kai-shek together. , making him very happy.

The students listened to Xiong Shili's lectures, and felt that he was teaching and teaching people. He talked about "new knowledge-only theory" and "common interpretation of Buddhist names". In October 1936, when Chiang Kai-shek celebrated his 50th birthday, Shao Lizi invited Xiong Shili to the presidential palace to celebrate his birthday.When the banquet started, Xiong Shili acted as if no one was around, and sat down at the main table without humility.After drinking and eating for a while, he pretended to be crazy and drunk.While drinking, all the dignitaries took turns writing poems and singing hymns for Chiang Kai-shek.It was Xiong Shili's turn, and after he laughed for a while, he swung his pen and wrote while reciting a "Poem on Inverting the Pagoda":

After Xiong Shili finished writing this strange poem, he laughed heartily, then lifted his trouser belt and walked and ran, pretending to be in a hurry to relieve himself.Everyone looked at the poem and looked at his funny face, and smiled knowingly.Chiang Kai-shek had no choice but to watch Xiong Shili walk out of the gate dumbfoundingly, got into the small car and left without saying goodbye. Since "September 18", Beiping, the former capital, has become a border town, and the Japanese aggressive forces have extended to North China year by year.Xiong Shili usually lives in a small room and does not participate in political movements, but he supports the students' strikes and demonstrations.The students went on strike to oppose the independence of North China, and Mr. Xiong Shili couldn't attend the class, but Xiong Shili sympathized with the students and expressed dissatisfaction with Hu Shi's forcing students to attend classes.

In 1937, when Japanese invaders invaded North China, Xiong Shili disguised himself as a businessman and fled Beijing by coal truck.It was raining on the road, and the clothes and shoes were all wet, and the state of panic was beyond words.After returning to Huanggang, some young people from the village asked about state affairs. Xiong couldn't help crying, cursing the Nationalist government for not resisting, and asked the young people to go to the Communist Party and take up guns to fight Japan. In 1938, Xiong Shili lived in Bishan, Chongqing. He often lectured on the history of the nation to the students, and encouraged him with solar terms, saying: "The Japanese must never destroy our country, our nation, and our culture."

After Xiong Shili arrived in Bishan, he began to write "Chinese History Speech".He Lin and others went to Bishan to visit him, and he talked about the outline of his "Chinese History Speech" with great interest, to the effect that "five ethnic groups have the same origin".Xiong Shili talked about the same origin of the Han, Manchu, Mongolian, Hui, and Tibetan ethnic groups, intending to provide theoretical and historical basis for the unity of all ethnic groups and the joint resistance against Japan. During the eight years in Sichuan, Xiong Shili's life was very unstable. Prices soared, and the people in the rear were struggling to make a living. He had to rely on old friends and old students to live a difficult life, unable to live with his family.But there is not a day when he does not give lectures, and there is no day when he does not revise his "New Consciousness-Only Theory" style text.He saw the Kuomintang running amok and doing anything wrong, and even scolded Chiang Kai-shek by name, but he never seemed discouraged.

Xu Fuguan once gave Chiang Kai-shek a copy of "Reading the Scriptures" just published by the teacher, and Jiang ordered He Yingqin to allocate 2 million yuan in French currency to Xiong Shili.Xiong Shili still refused to accept his resignation. The reason this time was that he was getting old and in poor health. "Such signs of decline are indeed very dangerous." Vitality, it’s best to let me settle down.” Afterwards, Xiong wrote a letter to his disciple Xu Fuguan, and gave him a big lecture: “Fuguan taught me with so much love and respect, how could I wish I hadn’t done it long ago.” It means I still want to live a few more years, and I don't want to do any more research institutes.Later, Sun Yingchuan, an old colleague from Nankai Middle School, invited Xiong Shili to come to Sichuan again to preside over the Philosophy Research Department attached to his Huanghai Chemical Industry Association.But this time, Xiong readily went.

After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Xiong Shili came to Wuhan and saw that the Yangtze River town, the thoroughfare of nine provinces, was devastated, and the Kuomintang was actively preparing for civil war regardless of the lives of the people, which aroused his dissatisfaction.So, for many days in a row, he walked in the commercial streets of Wuhan holding a lantern in broad daylight, attracting passers-by to stop and watch. Curious people really couldn't figure it out, so they stopped him and asked: "Mr. Why?" Xiong Shili replied loudly, "It's dark and dark today, and wolves are in power, so how can we walk without a lamp!"

Xiong Shili has always wanted to set up a folk philosophy research institute. In the spring of 1946, Xiong Shili, who had avoided living in Sichuan and taught books for many years, returned to his hometown in Hubei and stayed at the home of Mr. Wang Mengsun in Hankou.At this time, Chiang Kai-shek was about to take a boat back to Nanjing, and passed through Wuhan. When he learned that Xiong Shili was in Hankou, he sent someone to invite him, and wanted to talk face-to-face to see what the old master could do for the party and the state.When Master Xiong heard this, he immediately became angry: "I want to see him, what is he!" No.Mr. Jiang wanted to hear about Xiong's temper, but he was not angry. He asked Tao Xisheng to call Wan Yaohuang, the chairman of Hubei Province, and asked him to donate one million to Xiong Shili to help him set up a philosophy research institute.However, Xiong didn't appreciate it, and said: "I, Xiong, did nothing in the confrontation, and I am ashamed." On May 16, 1949, he heard a telegram from Reuters: The Chinese People's Liberation Army had crossed the Yangtze River and occupied Wuhan, a military center.Xiong Shili was extremely excited, and wrote three words: Liberated! On the tenth day after the liberation of Guangzhou in October 1949, his old friends Dong Biwu and Guo Moruo jointly sent a telegram to invite Mr. Xiong to go north to discuss state affairs.In March of the following year, Xiong Shili arrived in Beijing, and Qi Yanming, secretary-general of the Government Affairs Council, greeted him at the station.Reminiscing about the past, Xiong Shili had mixed feelings and thoughts when he thought of the dreary scene of the coal-scraper truck fleeing Beiping after the "July 7th" Incident in 1937 and being drenched in heavy rain on the road.From this, he was convinced: the Chinese people have really stood up! In mid-November 1949, Xiong Shili received a telegram jointly sent by his old friends Dong Biwu and Guo Moruo, inviting Mr. Xiong to go north to discuss state affairs.In his reply letter to Dong and Guo, Xiong Shili said that he is not a talent for meritorious service and is not suitable for being an official. , Return to the north when it is warm, and everything will continue as usual, otherwise I don’t want to go north.” At the beginning of the "Cultural Revolution", Xiong Shili did not hang portraits of leaders, but only seated Confucius, Wang Yangming, and Wang Chuanshan, and worshiped day and night.But at this time, his eyes were no longer piercing, his conversation was no longer chic and free, and his emotions were no longer passionate. Instead, he "often sat alone at the table, with a stack of blank paper in front of him, a bald pen in his hand, and sat for a long time." .