Chapter 55 Chapter Fourteen (3)

A middle-aged man in a suit and a few young people stood in front of the oil painting and commented. Listening to his tone, it seemed that the teacher of the Academy of Fine Arts was explaining to the students.So Zheng Tong and Jiang Biyun also became his students, and they stood aside obediently and listened to the teacher's explanation. "...I think the image of Marat on the screen was created by the author according to Marat's real appearance, because David and Marat are contemporaries. He is five years old. Note that he is only five years younger than Marat. At that time, Marat was a celebrity in Paris and often gave speeches at mass gatherings. Almost all the citizens of Paris have seen him. So the painter David is obviously familiar with Marat's work. Fortunately, it was David who drew him, otherwise how would we know what Marat looks like today? The camera hadn’t been invented at that time. David is the representative of French neoclassicism, the royal family Academician of the academy, his early works were still in Rococo style, and later turned to classicism. This is his most important work. Students, please see that this oil painting successfully combines portraits and historical accuracy with extremely concise classical techniques. The combination of nature and sublime tragedy effectively highlights the heroism of this Friend of the People, and becomes a masterpiece of monumental realistic historical painting..."

Zheng Tong suddenly said in a low voice: "Misunderstanding my son..." The teacher and several students all turned their eyes to Zheng Tong. From their eyes, it can be seen that they expressed a kind of silent anger at the sloppy speech of this polite and bespectacled person. Zheng Tong said to Jiang Biyun nonchalantly, "Let's go, the air here is suffocating." The two of them had just walked a few steps when the teacher behind said: "Sir, please stay." Zheng Tong and Jiang Biyun stopped and turned around. "Sir, please explain the language just now, I don't know what I have offended you to make you react so rudely."

Zheng Tong adjusted his glasses: "Do you really want to know?" "certainly." "Well, first of all, I have to apologize to you, please forgive my bad words, I'm sorry, but what you just said to your students about Marat made me very uncomfortable, frankly speaking, you are misleading people. " "Oh, I'd love to hear more about it." "Why do you think that Marat is a hero? I think he is just a bloodthirsty man. Except for being loved by the mob during the French Revolution, anyone with any sense of reason thinks that Marat is an executioner. Speaking of heroes, I think it should be exactly The one who killed Marat, Charlotte Corday, was the hero."

A female college student said: "Sir, I don't know much about the French Revolution. The textbooks say it was the most thorough bourgeois revolution, and Marat was one of the leaders of the Jacobins at that time and was called the Friend of the People." heroes, if you have a different opinion, you can discuss it with us." "Yes, first of all I want to clarify that "Friends of the People" is not the title of Marat, but a newspaper founded by Marat in 1789. Yes, "Friends of the People" speaks for the people at the bottom, but Because of its irrationality, it also incited the destructive desires of the people at the bottom, and finally evolved into mob politics. After 1790, Marat began to abandon his original concept of freedom and equality and advocated dictatorship, and advocated revolutionary terror. It became the main purpose. In 1793, a watershed in the French Revolution, the leaders of the Jacobins, Robespierre, Marat, and Danton, began to cleanse the opposition and overthrow the Girondins. Commission, began a bloody reign of terror during which approximately 400,000 people were executed, there was no regular trial procedure, and an innocent citizen could be guillotined for a single false accusation from anyone. You should be thankful that there was no Living in that era, otherwise, you might be sent to the guillotine as an aristocrat based on the temperament, conversation, clothing, concerns and conversation styles of the gentlemen and ladies. , that would be terrible. We can make an absurd assumption, assuming that Mr. Mala has been resurrected again, and his bloodthirsty habit has not changed, and he is now hiding in an alley in Beijing to write an article for "Friends of the People", Mr. Marat stubbornly believes that the people who come to visit the art exhibition today are the enemies of the people, because their hobbies are incompatible with the thoughts and feelings of the lower class people, and their backgrounds are suspicious. Even if they are not nobles, they will not come from the lower class people. Getting rid of these unlucky ones can make mankind happy, so why not do it? I wonder if you are willing to be the lamb on the altar for the happiness of mankind?"

The teacher retorted disapprovingly: "When dealing with history, it depends on its consequences. Don't you think that Marat and Robespierre brought the voice of democracy and freedom to the world, and promoted the democratization process of the whole of Europe in the future?" Zheng Tong said: "I'm sorry, you confused the concept. It was the French Revolution that promoted the democratization process in Europe, not Marat and others. They were just representatives of a period of bloody tyranny during the French Revolution. The tyranny of the Jacobins The rule lasted only more than a year, and Mara and others have become a bloody collective criminal group. They called on people to massacre and set people on fire.

In the name of freedom, they deprived innocent citizens of their freedom, massacred nobles in the name of equality, trampled on the law, human dignity, and human supremacy in the name of national security. Right to life.As for the evaluation of the French Revolution, I agree with a historian who believes that: as far as France was concerned at that time, it was a tyranny against human rights.We evaluate a historical event not by whether it brings good news to the future and bystanders, but whether it brings well-being to the people in its local area and era at that time, because human rights refer to the local human rights at that time, not the future Human rights, not the human rights of bystanders. "

The teacher said: "But... sir, from the historical materials I have access to about the French Revolution, it does not show the bloody smell you mentioned at all, it just said that the crowd sent King Louis XVI and the Queen Guillotine..." Zheng Tong interrupted him politely: "So I think you are misleading your disciples. You have to understand that textbooks can only represent a point of view, not necessarily the truth of history. Why don't you read more materials? Like Migne "History of the French Revolution," Hobbes' "Leviathan," and Bollor's "The Evil of Politics," are there translations in China?"

"...Wait, please allow me to write down the title of the book. I have to read it before forming my own opinion, so what you just said can only be your own opinion." "I appreciate your academic attitude at this time. By the way, judging by your age, you were already a teacher at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, right?" "I had just started working for two years at the time." "Have you been touched by the movement? Have you been violently attacked?" "Of course, at that time most teachers were doomed, fighting and beatings were unavoidable."

"Then I draw your attention, if you still think that mob politics advocates and bloodthirsty people are heroes, and continue to instill this view in students, then you will inevitably be beaten in the future, a healthy society should be a A society ruled by law, a society that values ​​human dignity and life. Sorry, my words were a bit harsh, please don't mind." Zheng Tong and Jiang Biyun walked away. The task force entered the jungle at dawn. The whole team plus the officers of the two engineering battalions consisted of twenty people. They were divided into several combat teams according to the three-three system principle. Although the number was small, they were all selected experts. Individuals can stand alone. As the captain, Zhong Yuemin absolutely believes in every team member under him.

The morning finally came, and the scenery in the field of vision gradually became clearer. The jungle was filled with a faint morning mist. The team walked in a piece of wormwood and bushes. The green grass was dotted with small red and yellow flowers, and its petals spread out like a tray. , with bright yellow stamens exposed in the middle.Zhong Yuemin also found that there are slender alsophila spinulosa growing here and there. He knew this kind of fern from the "Teaching Material for Survival in the Wild". edible." There are no roads in the dense jungle, and it is difficult to walk. Ning Wei led the vanguard team to walk in front of the whole team. They swung their machetes to chop down the plants blocking the way, and their physical strength was exhausted.Zhang Haiyang led two soldiers in charge of the rear,

The entire task force acted quickly and cooperated with each other tacitly.Zhong Yuemin, who was walking in the middle of the team, used a compass to correct his direction from time to time. Fortunately for him, each of the task force members, in addition to carrying guns and necessary ammunition bases as required, also carried a full set of various special forces on their backs. Equipment backpack.In such a complex mountain and jungle area, they were able to maintain good physical strength for several hours of continuous marching with heavy equipment on their backs. Out of extraordinary physical fitness. Ning Wei, who led the vanguard team, found that the surrounding jungle has gradually turned into a primary secondary forest, with fewer and fewer bushes, tall trees above his head, and kudzu vines and thorns under his feet. Every step he takes, he will be hooked The thorny wild vines caught the legs.The forest is thick and dense, and the bright sunlight can't penetrate the sky composed of luxuriant branches and leaves, but occasionally a few spots of light can be seen through the mesh formed by the branches and leaves.The leaves that have accumulated under the tree for many years are soft, and when you step on it, a puddle of stagnant black water with a rotten smell will be splashed.A net-shaped aerial root hangs from a big tree in front of me, swaying slightly, like rows of nooses. It seems that there is no jungle in front of it, but an endless tunnel that is so green and black. Ning Wei, who led the vanguard team, suddenly squatted down. He gestured to the back, and all the task force members crouched down. Zhong Yuemin and Zhang Haiyang came to the front of the team. Zhong Yuemin lowered his voice and asked, "What's the matter?" Ning Wei stared at the front and whispered, "There seems to be something wrong with the jungle ahead." "What basis do you have?" Ning Wei shook his head in confusion and said, "I can't tell at the moment, I just rely on my feeling." Zhang Haiyang took out the map and checked it carefully: "Our current location is about 30 kilometers away from the destination area A." Zhong Yuemin mocked: "Are you talking about straight-line distance again? You staff officers can recognize maps. According to my experience, the 30 kilometers on the map must be at least 60 to 70 kilometers in the subtropical mountain jungle area. " Zhang Haiyang didn't bother to reply, and was carefully observing the opposite jungle with his binoculars. His vision stayed on two small trees growing side by side: "Yuemin, pay attention to those two small trees." Zhong Yuemin also raised his binoculars to observe: "Well, it's a bit famous. There was an explosion between these two small trees, and the branches on the side facing the explosion were damaged by the impact of the explosion. Judging from the destructive power of the explosion, this At best, it's a suspended anti-personnel mine." Ning Wei said to himself: "It seems that my feeling is right, we are about to enter the minefield." Zhong Yuemin looked at his watch, looking a little anxious: "We must open a passage in the minefield, who knows how deep this minefield is, and it will be dark in five hours, and we must pass through the minefield before dark." ." Wu Mantun came from behind and said, "I will lead two engineers to open the way ahead." Zhong Yuemin said: "Time is running out. Manual demining with mine detectors is too slow and dangerous. The best way now is to use detonating cords to blow up trees and use the fallen trunks to pave a road." The two officers of the engineering battalion accompanying the team both graduated from the Engineering Academy and are proficient in blasting and demining. Zhong Yuemin and others rarely dealt with the officers of the engineering battalion before, and they were not familiar with each other at all. Simply communicated with each other.At this time, Zhong Yuemin even forgot the names of the two officers. Due to the urgent situation, he couldn't care less about being polite, so he asked bluntly: "I'm sorry, I can't remember your names again. Can you say it again?" ?" A tall engineer officer said sarcastically: "It's okay, you are the leader, you have a lot to worry about, don't worry about small things, let's remember it after saying it a few times, my name is Zhu Xing, from Nanyang, Henan , the deputy commander of the first company of the engineer battalion." The other officer was a little younger and looked a bit cautious. He stood up and saluted the officers of the reconnaissance battalion according to the regulations: "My name is Zhao Zhicheng, from Changsha, Hunan Province, and I am the platoon leader of the second company of the engineering battalion. Please help me, comrades." Zhong Yuemin asked: "I want to ask for your opinions. After all, you are professionals. Deputy company commander Zhu and platoon leader Zhao, do you think it is feasible to blow up trees to pave the road?" Zhu Xing nodded, and said affirmatively: "This is a good way. The problem is that we don't know the depth of this minefield. If we go halfway, the detonating cord and explosives are all used up, and it's getting dark. How about going there?" At that time, we will be in a dilemma, and we will stand on the trunk overnight." Zhang Haiyang interrupted: "Let's resign ourselves to fate, we must give it a try." Wu Mantun said: "Yuemin, I really admire you. I'm afraid you have thought of this long ago, so you brought so many detonating cords." Zhong Yuemin made up his mind: "Just do it like this. Now, Man Tun and two comrades of the engineering soldiers will start the action." The detonating cord is an elastic flexible cord filled with high explosives, which is used to detonate several charge points at the same time.The drug core part of this soft rope is generally equipped with explosives such as RDX or OCTOGEN. The charge per meter of length is 10 to 13 grams, and the detonation velocity can reach 9000 m/s.Zhong Yuemin has long discovered the benefits of the detonating cord. It can be carried like a rope, or even wrapped around the body. It is still effective for blasting cylindrical objects with a not too thick diameter.At this time, it is very suitable to use it to blow down trees. The two engineering officers were really professional. Zhu Xing wrapped the detonating cord around the root of a small tree, connected the detonator and the wire.Zhao Zhicheng pressed the button on the detonator, and there was a "boom!" explosion, a small tree was blown off at its roots, and slowly fell towards the minefield. The fallen trunk struck several mines, causing a series of explosions ... There was another explosion, a tree was blown down, and several thunders rang out.The explosions continued. Wu Mantun led two engineering officers to become the vanguard of the entire team. They blasted and advanced into the depth of the minefield. Zhong Yuemin led the soldiers carefully walking on the fallen tree trunk, and there were explosions in front of them. Zhong Yuemin kept warning the soldiers: "Pay attention to your feet, don't slide down, there is thunder here." Zhang Haiyang was at the front of the team, and his attention was focused on the top of his head. While observing, he shouted: "Also pay attention to the top of the head. There are tripping and jumping mines on the tree branches. This kind of mine is more lethal. Almost There is no dead zone for explosions." A soldier scolded: "Damn it, you've entered the bastard formation, there are bastards everywhere." Class 5 leader Zhao Dongsheng said: "The mines seem to be scattered with sacks. Some mines don't even pretend to be there. I counted them just now. There are eight mines in one square meter. That's not enough." It's buried in the ground." Zhong Yuemin shouted sternly: "All concentrate on it, don't talk." Wu Mantun stood in a small open space in the jungle and waited for the team, and Zhong Yuemin led the team over the fallen tree trunk. Wu Mantun went up and said: "Yuemin, you can come down and rest for a while, the mines in this area have been cleared, and the surrounding area has been marked, you must not cross the mark." Zhong Yuemin asked: "Why don't you leave?" "The detonating cord is used up. I don't know how far ahead. Now we have to manually clear the mines. The two engineers are clearing the mines ahead." Zhang Haiyang stomped his feet anxiously and said, "Just rely on the mine detector to probe inch by inch? It's too slow." Wu Mantun spread his hands and replied helplessly: "Then what can I do? In the area under our feet, more than a hundred mines have been discharged just now." Zhu Xing and Zhao Zhicheng were lying on the grass to detect mines. They pierced the soil with the mine detectors and moved forward inch by inch. Using the mine detectors to detect mines depends on the touch of the deminers. This is a delicate job that requires patience. .