Chapter 2 Chapter 1 The Strange Man in Liquan Village

winter. 1901 The west wind is fierce, and the dead trees are swaying. Xuzhou, the famous ancient battlefield, had its first light snowfall last night, and what appeared in front of people this morning was a silver world. Fifty miles south of the city.The market town of Caocun, located on the north-south ancient post road, is silent and desolate, and there is only one handsome young man.Stroll on the snow in the village.Waiting for the carriage going north. His name is Xu Shuzheng, from Liquan Village, Xiao County.Just turned 20.He is a 12-year-old middle school scholar, a 16-year-old postgraduate student, and a 17-year-old student who failed in the Nanjing examination.Since the defeat of Nanjing, he has been indifferent to fame, and wants to go to the vast sea-like society to develop his ambitions.

Xu Shuzheng paced slowly, his heart churning like waves: "Society—what is it? Did it swallow me in the end, or did I control it in the end?" Late last night, he stood by the door and looked at the fluttering snowflakes, and he thought happily: "I'm going to rush out facing the snow! The snow will drown all the filth in this world, and I, Xu Shuzheng, will restore the world to a white one." Pure!" His mother called him back to the house, and while flicking the snow particles on his body lightly, she said, "Ling, it's snowing. The weather is getting colder. I'm afraid there will be no passing cars, so don't leave tomorrow."

Shuzheng looked at his frail mother and said, "Mother, don't be afraid. You don't need to change the date you chose. You should know that I have never regretted my decision." Mother sighed, and kept silent-- The forty-six-year-old Mrs. Yue is a person who knows a lot about calligraphy.Her husband, Xu Zhongqing, although he has a tribute crown on his head, is indifferent to his official career. He only guards a private school in the village to educate his children.The couple have three sons and four daughters, and Shuzheng is the youngest and the one they love the most. "Parents all over the world love children", this is also human nature.What's more, the eldest son Shuheng and the second son Shuhuang have grown up, running around all day long, living independently; four daughters have also passed away three times, and only the youngest daughter suffers from congenital rickets. a piece of heart disease.

To say that Yue Shi loves his little son Shuzheng, there is another subtle reason: It is said that when Yue Shi was pregnant with Shuzheng and was about to give birth, such a strange thing happened—— That night, in his sleep, Yue Shi suddenly heard the sound of wooden fish outside the door, and the knocking became louder and louder.Yue hurriedly went to open the door, but saw that it was Master Xingkong, the abbot of Ruiyun Temple in Huangzangyu, who came to ask for alms.Xu Jiale is well-known for his kindness.When Ruiyun Temple suffered a fire and turned into ruins, Xu Zhongqing took out three years of savings to help rebuild the temple and rebuild the golden body.Now that Xingkong came to his door, he naturally responded to every request.However, Yue clearly remembered that before the fire at Ruiyun Temple, Master Xingkong was eaten by a wolf.The wolf that ate him broke into the meditation hall in the middle of the night while the mage was out to have a little solution.After the wolf had a full meal, he found that the door was fastened and could not go out.It was also the year when the monastery was in depression, and many monks traveled abroad, and no one opened the door.Over time, the wolf was starved to death.Therefore, there is a local story that "the wolf ate the monk and starved to death".When Yue saw the emptiness, he was terrified, and hurriedly said, "Didn't the mage passed away? What's the matter today..."

Xingkong clasped his hands together, said "Amitabha", and then answered irrelevantly, "Madam has a great wedding, and the poor monk came to congratulate me." Yue said, "Nowadays, the crops are not harvested, wars continue, life is difficult, and family affairs are not going well. What happy event dare to work with a mage?" Xingkong said: "There is a nobleman born in the Xu family. The old monk has a Ganoderma lucidum here as a congratulatory gift. May the nobleman live a long life and everything goes well!" Yue took the Ganoderma lucidum, thanked him quickly, and said: "Master was kind all his life, and the villagers are well-known. I didn't want to be killed by evil wolves, and all the villagers were sad for Master. Today, Master came to the poor family to congratulate him. Xu's family will never forget Master. Courtesy."

"That's unnecessary." The master said: "All things in the world come as they should come and go as they should go. In the final analysis, there is still an empty word. The old monk never takes life and death in his heart. I don’t even have a relationship with the old monk. If I didn’t feel that the Xu family is so good at accumulating virtue, the old monk would not come out to give Ganoderma lucidum. Thanks to my wife’s concern about the old monk’s life and death, I have to say a few more words. In fact, everything in the world is complicated. Empty and empty, life is death, death is life; existence is non-existence, non-existence is existence; people in the world must not be greedy for fame and fortune. If Madam has a son again, I am afraid it will be difficult to understand these. The old monk is unwilling to say anything else."

Yue Shi wanted to say something more, but Xingkong had already drifted away.Yue Shi chased after him again, only to wake up from the pain in his back, and gave birth to a son.Because this son came with "Ganoderma lucidum", Zhongqing named him "Ling". Strange to say: the child didn't cry or fuss as soon as it landed on the ground, and just opened his eyes wide, looking at the new world in front of him, as if everything was clear: when someone stood in front of him and smiled at him, he also smiled; When nodding, he blinks; when people speak, he moves his mouth; when people get angry, he blinks.Yue Shi is very pleased with his son's cleverness, but he also thinks that he is too clever, and he is afraid that he will be restless when he becomes an adult and cause trouble...

Now, with his son going out, Yue's heart naturally couldn't let go.Everything she could prepare for her son was ready.It was already late at night, but she still braved the snow to go out to find her newly married daughter-in-law Xia Hongyun. "Hongyun, you should persuade Shuzheng not to go out. I heard that there is no peace everywhere, there is chaos, where are you going?" The daughter-in-law Xia Hongyun, who was two years older than her son, said a little bit ashamedly: "Mom, how can I persuade him? Let him go." She lowered her head and lowered her voice and said, "He still persuades me, saying A man with ambitions everywhere, he can't be stuck at home for a lifetime! He also said that you are also a lady of everyone and have read a lot of books.It should be wise and sensible, but we can't just focus on our small yard.Mother, you said..."

Yue Shi understood.I know that my daughter-in-law persuaded her son, but she didn't persuade her to change.Then he sighed again and said: "It's also a reason. When a boy grows up, he can't stay at home all the time. Let him break in. If he doesn't cause trouble, it's the virtue of his ancestors." Yue was most afraid that his youngest son would go out two years earlier. Shuzheng once ran to Qingjiangpu alone, begging a friend of his father to find a job.Yue Shi couldn't let go of his mind, and made a fuss with her husband Zhong Qing to bring him back, and hurriedly married his son, hoping to calm his mind, but who knows, he still couldn't.

Seeing that her mother-in-law was still worried, Hongyun said, "Mother, don't worry, this time he is not going to another place, but to Jinan. Go to Jinan to find my brother. My brother will help him and take care of him. " Yue's heart lightened.She knew that Hongyun's brother Xia Zhongtao was working in Jinan. "There are acquaintances to take care of them, and they are such close relatives, so they will definitely help." She thought so. Shuzheng paced back and forth, thinking about his mother again: "Mother, it's been too hard, she gave her heart and soul to her children!"

A carriage full of firewood came galloping.The driver only beat the whip two or three times at the village head, and the car flew north. Xu Shuzheng took a breath in a daze. "They don't carry people. What can I do?" A flying eagle rushed over from the blue sky in the northwest, made a quick turn over the village, and headed northwest again.Xu Shuzheng's eyes followed the flying eagle in the distance, and suddenly touched the rolling mountains.This reminds me of the long and beautiful legend of this mountain. The ancient name of that mountain is Huangsangyu.It got its name because of the prolific mulberry production in the mountain valley.Mulberry can be used to raise silkworms, silkworms can make cocoons, cocoons can be reeled silk, silk can be woven into brocade and sold for silver.The mountains have brought life to the poor people here.The poor are the most relentless, and the grace of dripping water is reciprocated by the spring! This is the origin of the name "Huang Sang" in the valley.When Chu and Han were fighting, Xiang Yu Pengcheng won, Liu Bang fled in embarrassment, and fled to Huangsangyu, where he was overtaken by pursuers.He had to dive into a rock cave, which saved his life.After all, Xiang Yu is a man of courage and intrepidity, he only knows how to fight here and there.As a result, Wujiang was defeated.drowned in history.Liu Bang became the founding emperor of the Han family.Liu Bang escaped in Huangsangyu, and Huangsangyu naturally got married to the royal family.The flatterers changed the name of "Huangsangyu" to "Huangzangyu".Since then, the building of temples and enshrining Zen has been very lively.There was only one nunnery in Huangsangyu, after it was sealed.Then he left the monastery.Widely recruit monks and nuns.At first, some people named the temple "Dengyun Temple" in the name of Liu Bangping's rise to the top.Later, the doctors thought it was vulgar, and said, "When my master was hiding in the valley, auspicious clouds appeared in the sky. They lasted for a long time. Why don't you call it Ruiyun Temple!" In this way, one valley and one temple make the poor mountain scenery stand up.From Han to Tang, from Ming to Qing, cigarettes have been curling up from generation to generation.Morning bell and curtain drum.Good men and women.Come from thousands of miles away.Local people are naturally proud of this.It's just that in recent years, due to wars and natural disasters, valleys and temples have become deserted again. Looking at the distant mountains, Xu Shuzheng straightened out his chest and smiled. "Liu Bang was just a small pavilion chief in Surabaya when he killed the snake. He was able to rule the world because he broke through! If he is greedy for Xiaopei and dies, he may not even be a seventh-rank sesame official in his life. I, Xu Shuzheng, have a lot of money, and I have long been known as a child prodigy. Is it not as good as a small pavilion leader?" He felt that running away from home was a bright road for him, and he would go to the end without hesitation! At this time, he looked at fertility again. His small village felt like a birdcage, "I have finally flown out, and I want to soar in this boundless sky!" His wife Xia Hongyun came over the snow.She also held a calico package in her arms. "Hongyun, why are you here?" Shuzheng went up to meet her. "Mother is worried, let me send you a few more clothes. It is said that the north will be colder than here, and I am afraid that you will freeze." She said.He bowed his head shyly. Shuzheng knew that what Hongyun said was an excuse.In fact, she was disturbed and wanted to keep him - last night.Although Hongyun said something in front of her mother-in-law that "a man's ambition is everywhere" and "Jinan has a brother to take care of him".Zhe still had other thoughts in his mind: "Newlyweds, and there is chaos outside, how can she let him go out and run wild!" Shuzheng went to touch her hand holding the package, and said lovingly: "Look at your hands are cold, Ice It’s like a block. You are not allowed to send it, you have to send it. I am fine when I go out, but you are cold and sick at home, how can I feel at ease?” "I'm not afraid. I'm not sick from the cold." Hongyun said, "I'm only afraid of you. There will be two or three snowfalls after the first snowfall. I choose to go out at this time, so don't worry about it! Shuzheng, change it." Can't the day go on?" "Don't change it." Shuzheng said: "What has been decided, you have to do it without hesitation. I hope you can understand me." Hongyun looked at her husband with blushing eyes, and said, "Why did I not understand you?" I hate to leave you. But..." "Stop talking, I understand. I'm your wife, I can't understand!" As he said, he lowered his head again, and the circles of his eyes became redder. Shuzheng took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the corners of her eyes.Said: "Hongyun, didn't you agree, why are you sad again? No, after I leave, once I have something to do, I will definitely come back to pick you up. At that time, we will be together day and night, and we will never be apart." Hongyun smiled.She took her husband's handkerchief, leaned closer to her husband again, and said in a low voice, "Just now, the man's ambition is far and wide. Why are you so fond of me again?" "You bad Hongyun!" Shuzheng gently twisted his wife's cheeks.There was a sound of copper bells in the south, and a carriage rushed over. Hongyun handed the package to her husband and said, "Shuzheng, remember, you don't need to have too much hope for my brother. He is a man with a narrow heart and no capacity; besides, he is not a person of status. If you fail, you should come back early." "Understood." Shuzheng took the package and said, "Take good care of yourself. The family affairs are all up to you. Mother is not in good health, and fourth sister is half paralyzed. You have to worry about it." "You just go at ease, what to do, I will do it well." Xu Shuzheng got into the carriage, waved goodbye to his wife, paid the fare, and went north on the road, heading straight for Xuzhou.The bell ding-dong, the car body was shaking, Xu Shuzheng sat down for a long time before he regained his composure. At that time, the traffic was difficult, and only horse-drawn carriages came and went on the avenue to Fucheng in the morning and evening.The carriage, the carriage wheels are all made of wood, the long body, there is a square bucket in the middle, the bucket is covered with cloth tents in winter, and the roof is covered in summer. It is driven by two big horses, with five or seven passengers, and can travel seven times a day. , Bashili Road, the fare is one silver dollar.People with a little wealth dare to take such a car, but people from poor families mostly rely on walking when going out. Just as Xu Shuzheng regained his composure, an elderly passenger in the car smiled and replied, "Xu Xiucai. You want to enter Fucheng?" Xu Shuzheng smiled and nodded. "The old man also entered Fucheng?" The old man smiled and nodded. "Do you still know the old man?" Xu Shuzheng raised his eyes and saw that this man was tall, wearing a robe, a felt hat, a horse tie beside him, a cigarette pouch with a long bamboo pole in his hand, and a pair of clothes on his feet. Lightweight ox hair nest shoes.Quite a bit of the style of a businessman in the economy.Although Xu Shuzheng felt kind-hearted, he couldn't remember where he met him, so he said: "Student's eyes are clumsy, so I can't remember at the moment." The old man shook his head lightly, and said a few words slowly: " The seven-way horse of Zhongpao crosses the river, the car is high and the left pao faces the screen..." Xu Shuzheng remembered that it was old man Sun who played chess on Yunlong Mountain in Xuzhou Scenic Area in the early years.He hurriedly said: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! The student was just a newborn child at the time. When it comes to chess skills, of course he has to be willing to bow down. I'm afraid that he is not qualified to worship the old man as a teacher!" "No!" said the old man, "I admire you. You are a master; it's not just a blind date. It's a superior skill." --It turned out that this old gentleman had played chess under Yunlong Mountain for many years, and claimed that "Xu has no opponents in the eight counties!" In that year, Xu Shuzheng transferred to Xuzhou and went to visit Yunlong Mountain with several classmates. Someone mentioned the surname of Sun As a chess player, Xu Shuzheng thought "he is a quack", so he didn't bother to get acquainted with him.However, he felt uneasy. One was that he felt that his chess skills were extraordinary and wanted to show off. In addition, that day coincidentally, they inadvertently competed in front of the old man.Xu Shuzheng took a look and saw that the chessboard made by the old man not only nailed his old "handsome" to death, but also wrote an aggressive couplet on both sides: Chess hero, invincible everywhere! Xu Shuzheng was very unhappy when he saw it. "How capable are you, how dare you make such wild words?" He stopped to take a closer look, and understood: it turned out that the old man was setting up a "seven-way horse crossing the river" formation.He thought to himself: "You can only coax the children in the village, and even those who know a little about chess will be dismissed." He turned around and wanted to leave.But then I thought again.can't go. "I heard that this old guy boasted a lot in Haikou, and said that Xu was invincible in the eight counties. "I have to see how capable he is!" Xu Shuzheng felt that his chess skills were extraordinary, and he saw through the formation of this mountain.He must be able to beat him; secondly, he is also young and vigorous, and often shows himself in the public, not to mention a quack, a well-known Confucian scholar in some places.He also often praised him full of praise and walked forward, first asking the old man for a hammer, and nailing the old "general" in front of him to death, and then started the game. The old man originally thought that this student was just a newborn calf not afraid of tigers, but seeing that he was also nailed to a veteran "general", he knew that he had three points.He hurriedly said, "Come on. At my age, how can I compete with you? If I win, I won't accept everyone." Shuzheng said, "What if you lose?" The old man laughed "haha": "I have been at the foot of Yunlong Mountain for 20 years, and I haven't met an opponent yet. You should avoid it." Xu Shuzheng insisted on disagreeing, and decided to fight.And said: "Old sir, please." Seeing that Xu Shuzheng had to fight, the old man made a small plan to eat the opponent's car with his pawns.I wanted to lure Xu Shuzheng to eat his cannon, but Shuzheng refused to eat it, and said with a smile: "Old man, I want to wait for my car to eat your cannon, so you turn around and step on the cart, and drive straight down. I just want a car four In two. You..." Old Qing knew that the chess formation had been seen through.Pulling up the "handsome", he was willing to bow down, and claimed that Shuzheng was the "young chess master". Seven or eight years passed in a flash.Probably the old man lost too strangely, so remember the opponent accurately.This encounter.They walked together all the way again, so they naturally talked more.The old man praised Xu Shuzheng's chess skills again.And said: "Based on your elf, I can say that you are a person who will do great things in the future!" Xu Shuzheng conceded modestly, still thinking happily in the mask: "I just want to do something when I go out this time." The road is long and the car is slow, which is a good time to chat.While praising Xu Shuzheng's talent, the old man still said: "Student, the world is in chaos now, and the world is not easy to break through. The Empress Dowager Cixi uses bad people all the time, making the government not right and foreigners invading. No, Just signed the traitorous "Xin Chou Treaty" with the Eight-Power Allied Forces. Not to mention cutting off a large area of ​​Chinese land, you have to pay 450 million taels of silver in compensation, and you have to allow people from many countries to run rampant in China. Tell me, the Chinese Can you open your eyes?" "Yes!" Xu Shuzheng said, "The Chinese must live up to their spirits and regain their lost power!" "Who will take it?" The old man said: "Up and down, everyone is so stupid, who will take back the lost land?" "China is so vast and rich in resources, and there are always capable people." Perhaps the old man saw Xu Shuzheng's extraordinary temperament, and perhaps he had lingering fears after his defeat back then, so he deliberately flattered him, and hurriedly said: "Student, there are not many people like you who are talented and dare to make a living in China! I'm not saying a word of flattery." , I think you are a person who handles big things, and China will be prosperous and strong in your hands!" Although this was a flattering remark, Xu Shuzheng was very happy when he heard it—— Xu Shuzheng hated imperialist aggression.In order to show their determination to fight against imperialist aggression.He wants to emulate the anti-British hero Lin Zexu.Therefore, he called his nickname "Xu Zelin", and wrote a long scroll, hanging in his study.The text is: Ju Heng steals reading, and Confucianists study for practical use.In recent years, the government has been in trouble, losing teachers and cutting land, which is a great humiliation to the country. Now, after listening to the old man's words, I have strengthened my confidence even more. "I want to change China!" Shuzheng said: "Students don't dare to say what big things they want to do, but students are definitely not willing to be slaves to subjugate the country!" "Student, it's not that my old man is crazy. There is an ancient legend, and I think it can be applied to you." "I don't know what legend the old man is referring to?" "Your hometown, Xiao County, is a treasure land..." Xu Shuzheng was afraid that he would utter a set of unsavory sayings, so he hurriedly said: "Yes, Xiao County was called Xiao State in ancient times, and it has a history of nearly three thousand years since Zhou established the county. Back then, Liu Xiu was named King Xiao, and the fief is here." "No, that's not it." "What do you mean?" "Xiao County has good geomantic omen, and it is a place where seventy-two emperors can be born." "This is an exaggeration." "It's not an exaggeration." The old man said, "Xiaoxian County was once called Longcheng, and there were Longshan and Shanshan. Seventy-two people, the Son of Heaven, were destined to be born here..." "Why didn't any come out?" "Later, Feng Shui was broken by a Southern barbarian. The seventy-two imperial courts that were supposed to come out, turned out to be only seventy-two gardeners. Haven't you heard that: Daishan's radish, Maoshan's onion, and Huangli's cabbage came out of Shandong. !Xiao County has become a hometown of vegetables for generations." Although the old man said slang and jokes, Xu Shuzheng listened carefully, and felt that there was a reason for it, so he had to believe it, so he said: "That barbarian is also very hateful, how could he do such a bad thing!" Seeing that Xu Shuzheng was dubious, the old man said again Words: "Speaking of which, that barbarian's skills are not superb, and he can't break his family's feng shui. Didn't the Liu Xiu you mentioned just now become the emperor. You are a scholar and understand history. Liu Bang must be counted as a native of our country, not as a great emperor; there are seventeen or eight princes and kings around Xuzhou Mansion.It has to be considered the hometown of emperors. " Xu Shuzheng doesn't care if the old man's words are true or not.However, Xiao County is the hometown of emperors, and Xu Shuzheng was very moved.He felt that the current emperor was dead. "If there is a way, how could it be defeated to such an extent? With the "Xin Chou Treaty", most of the sovereignty is lost, and the people of the country have to pay debts. This is not a symbol of the country's subjugation! Besides, there is no one who is the leader of the country. .Maybe Xiao County is really going to leave the imperial court, starting from me, Xu Shuzheng, sitting on it for seventy-two generations..." Xu Cunzheng thought so, and then gave the old man a smiling face, and then said, "Fengshui is actually Unreliable. Let’s talk about Fengyang County. There are nine out of ten years of famine, and there is a Zhu Yuanzhang. Is Fengyi in Peixian County the land of Longfeng? Liu Bang! Let me see, it doesn’t matter where you were born, you have to be able to make a living. As the saying goes, the winner is the king and the loser is the bandit! Don’t Liu Bang and Zhu Yuanzhang think about becoming emperors as soon as they leave home? Not enough. But there must be one thing You must conform to the will of the people. As the ancients said, the one who wins the hearts of the people wins the world." The old man heard Xu Shuzheng's words and admired him very much.Not only knowledge, but also ambition to govern.Naturally, it was inevitable to flatter him a few more words.It wasn't until late in the day that the carriage arrived at the edge of Xuzhou City that they got out of the carriage and broke up. They said "there will be a period later" and went their separate ways. Xu Shuzheng found an inn on a small street in Xuzhou to stay. He didn't want to travel anymore, because he had studied in Xuzhou for several years, so he didn't want to travel anymore.I also slept very comfortably all night, but I just thought about the "leaving the court" that the old man said several times on the way, and I actually had a dream of "leaving the court".When I woke up, I couldn't help but smile slightly. I got up the next day, washed up, ate some snacks, and hurried to the station to buy a train ticket from the north to Jinan-- Who would have thought that this ordinary student who came out of the mountain this time would actually become a figure who could influence the situation during the warlord's melee.Relying on his own talent, relying on the powerful forces of the Anhui warlords, he either waved his flags and shouted on the stage and gave orders, stirring up half of China, making the whole of China turbid and bloody; The heads of tens of thousands of innocent people fell to the ground, and their families were destroyed.During that long period of time, the major measures taken by the warlords of the Anhui faction were all made by him.If he wants China to be peaceful, China will live in peace; if he wants China to be chaotic, China will be at war.Historians call him the "little dysentery strategist" in the warlord's melee, the "spirit of Hefei (Duan Qirui)" and "the strange man of Beiyang".In the Beiyang government, Xu Shuzheng successively served as the Director of Military Studies of the Ministry of Army, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Army, Secretary-General of the State Council, Northwest Frontier Envoy, Commander-in-Chief of the Northwest Frontier Defense Army, and political envoy to inspect Europe, America, and Japan. The title of "General Yuanwei". This is a later story, let us speak slowly.