Chapter 68 Historical Confidence
"Every Chinese has a dream of becoming a great power. When we talk about great powers, we cannot avoid the Han and Tang dynasties. Our ancestors sacrificed their lives and shed their blood to expand the territory so that we, the younger generations, would have a place to live and a place to stand. Many people may say that the feudal dynasties fought wars only for the emperor's selfish desires. If you think so, you are biased."
"It is true that some emperors were aggressive and warlike, and some were extravagant and licentious. But wars were never fought just for the emperor. We all know that wars are fought for logistics and the economy. If there is money for war, can't the emperor use it to enjoy himself? Qin Shihuang and Emperor Wu of Han are both recognized by many as cruel emperors. One destroyed the six kingdoms and wiped out the population of Qin, and the other fought the Huns and used up the wealth accumulated by three generations of emperors."
"If Qin Shi Huang had not destroyed the six kingdoms, he would have been destroyed by them. This is a battle of national destiny. The strong will always be strong, and the weak will perish. Although the Qin Dynasty perished in the second generation, it laid the foundation for the Chinese nation to have the idea of great unification. From then on, the emperors of every dynasty would think about unifying the country. It is this idea that laid the foundation for China's current situation. If we hadn't had this idea, we might have agreed to the US's proposal and divided the country with Chiang Kai-shek!"
"If Emperor Wu of Han had not fought, the Xiongnu would have moved south, and the Han Dynasty would have been ruined. Although it cost a lot of money and manpower, he told us, the younger generations, that the Chinese nation would not succumb to any invaders. Without this idea, China would not have become the only ancient civilization that can be passed down to the present day. China would have been destroyed before the Japanese invaders even arrived!"
"We have a long history and a long cultural spirit. Although these cultural spirits may be brutally suppressed, one day we will pick them up again and arm our spirits. The story of the Tang Anxi Army tells us that even if we are thousands of miles away, we cannot destroy the idea of defending our country in our hearts."
"Because of this spirit, overseas Chinese donated money enthusiastically during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and even organized people to transport supplies to China. Because of this spirit, our border guards have been sticking to the border for decades, and even the scorching heat and severe cold cannot shake their mission in their hearts..."
"At present, our country is not yet rich and strong, which leads to many people saying good things about foreign things. The moon is farther away abroad, and foreign monks can chant sutras. This concept permeates all walks of life, including our education department. Now, many students are talking about studying abroad. I don't quite understand one thing. Engineering students can learn advanced technology when they go abroad. But what do liberal arts students want to learn? Writing skills from foreign countries? History and culture? Or philosophical thoughts? Can't these things be taught in China?"
"It can be taught! It's just that you don't trust what is taught in China! You think in your heart that you can learn better things abroad, and think that the country is hiding something from you. Some people even want to live abroad and become the so-called superior people just by taking advantage of the students who study abroad."
"I won't criticize your personal choice, but please don't take up the public scholarship quota. Those places are for those who will return to build the motherland in the future. If you want to live abroad, you can find other channels."
Liu Hongmin had not intended to talk about this, but the issue of studying abroad had been a hot topic recently, with many people with connections occupying a large number of places, which he could not stand.
"Sometimes I think about why this happened. I recently got an answer. Some people feel unsafe in the country, some simply hate everything in the country, but more people have heard too much about the good things in developed countries and have developed a yearning for them. I also understand that there is a gap between the living standards in China and those abroad, but we are working hard to catch up. If you don't contribute and I don't contribute, how can the country become prosperous?"
"Many people will ask, how long will it take for the country to become strong and prosperous?"
"We can get the answer from history. When the Han Dynasty was just established, Liu Bang couldn't find four horses of the same color to pull a carriage. By the time Emperor Wu of Han ascended the throne, the economy had already improved significantly. This period lasted 65 years."
"When the Tang Dynasty was first established, the country was not peaceful. During Li Shimin's reign, he was constantly at war. However, under his rule, the Zhenguan era still emerged. When Li Zhi succeeded to the throne, the economy of the Tang Dynasty was basically good. Emperors Li Yuan and Li Shimin only reigned for a total of 31 years." "When the Ming Dynasty was established, the economy was stronger than that of the Han Dynasty. The economy really developed during Zhu Di's reign, when Zheng He brought a large number of overseas products to the West and made a lot of money with the developed handicrafts and shipping industries. Even if we say that the Ming Dynasty's economy improved when Zhu Di died, it was 59 years."
"We live in a modern society with developed industry. As long as we work hard, it will take us less time to develop than those feudal dynasties. We have advantages such as trains, ships, airplanes, factories, etc. How can we not be better than the ancients hundreds or thousands of years ago? So I think it will take us 30 years at most to develop. As long as we work harder, this time will be advanced."
"This is the confidence that history has given us! This is also the answer that history has given us!"
"Whoosh whoosh-"
The students were so excited that their blood boiled. Although some were reluctant, they had to follow the crowd and applaud. Nowadays, only a minority of people want to study abroad, and most students are still thinking about how to build their motherland.
As for Liu Hongmin going off topic, they didn't care at all.
The professors also applauded, but they had strange dark complexions. They looked at each other and smiled bitterly.
They just wanted Liu Hongmin to talk about his creative experience, but he took the opportunity to attack them. They didn't even know that Liu Hongmin was talking about the chaos of studying abroad, or taking the opportunity to ridicule Zha Jianying. Now they regret it, knowing that this guy is not a worry-free person, why did they provoke him?
In order to prevent this guy from making trouble, Professor Tao of the History Department has intercepted two of Liu Hongmin's papers. As a result, they handed Liu Hongmin an opportunity to fire a shot. I wonder if Professor Tao will come to them to argue after knowing this.
Liu Hongmin felt better. It seemed that if he had something to say, he had to say it out loud and not keep it in his heart.
He did not take the opportunity to ridicule Cha Jianying's thoughts. Cha Jianying used her own channels to study abroad and did not occupy a public scholarship quota, so there was no need to ridicule her. He just wanted to take the opportunity to warn the school and those students who wanted to study abroad not to touch things that should not be touched.
As a member of Kyoto University, he doesn't want his alma mater to be scolded by netizens many years later.
(End of this chapter)
