Chapter 136: Gathering and Separation Part 8
"War?" Xu Shaoqian closed the door. "The kind of war where 'conquerors always love peace'?"
"Yes. The Assyrians besieged Lakish, Napoleon entered Jena, Elliot marched into Guangzhou, and Muren and Nicholas II seized the Korean and Liaodong peninsulas. If only all this could be accomplished without a single soldier. After all, 'politicians all love peace.' Is that what you mean, Mr. Xu?" Xie Zeyi smiled indifferently. "And what does a world-renowned scientist think of it?"
"Military strategists and politicians may have different goals, but scientists around the world, regardless of their fame, will always be on the same side when it comes to this matter." Xu Shaoqian leaned towards him, narrowing his eyes slightly. "What about you? With the Seven-Year Treaty, you risk dismissal and imprisonment. What side do you stand for?"
Xie Zeyi smiled, "Same as you and her."
"Same?" Xu Shaoqian also smiled, slowly moving to a projected map. "For over a hundred years, Britain has used military force to pave the way for commerce and spread religion and culture, while China still has to choose who to attack because it can't escape being attacked. People have cultural identities and the instinct to seek benefits and avoid harm. All of this, as well as your profession, means you're not the same as us. How can we be the same?"
Xie Zeyi turned around with him, and the red projector light shone on the two of them, causing a short period of visual stimulation.
It took him two seconds to adjust, then he continued, "It's certainly not exactly the same. For centuries, the war Europeans have pursued has been 'the continuation of politics,' 'a strike against the enemy's entire territory, wealth, and population.' War is a clash between two living forces, a give-and-take, a duel, an 'aesthetic acceptance.' Therefore, absolute endurance by one side cannot constitute war. Therefore, war is nothing more than large-scale hunting, starvation, cannibalism, and violence against violence. Bloodshed and sacrifice are all natural, and no one deserves sympathy or condemnation. In this violent contest, the will of the weak is imposed, and this is understandable. What could be more cruel than this kind of human hunting? And who can stop it?"
"Not yet. Not even the most brilliant military strategist."
"There's a saying..." Xie Zeyi pondered for a while, frowning. He still couldn't recite the original Chinese sentence, so he had to substitute it in English: "the supreme art of war, isto subdue the enemy without fig."
"Conquer the enemy without fighting."
"Yes. But once war breaks out, this ideal state no longer exists."
"That's right. Because war is full of possibilities, probabilities, luck and misfortune, danger, fatigue, unpredictable intelligence, and complex calculations. There is no correct answer, no absolute value."
"Thus, war is the closest of all human activities to gambling," he said. "When political efforts and diplomatic means are ineffective, and international law is declared ineffective, then in this state, only the mind can be used to play games, and emotions can be used to act; it is an escalating, violent gambling game, like a wild horse running wild."
Xu Shaoqian was very surprised, so he moved his chair back and looked at him, indicating that he was all ears.
"Why does gambling require so much careful consideration? More often it requires courage, the courage of a gambler."
Xu Shaoqian smiled when he heard him use this analogy. "National affairs are matters of life and death, the key to survival or destruction. If we lose this gamble, we will lose territory, wealth, and the lives of millions."
"Then why lose? Since there's no choice but to avoid being invaded, why question the justice of the force at hand, the bloodshed of the means? War isn't a duel between nobles, Mr. Xu. Europeans threw away their white gloves in the 17th century. Haven't the Chinese suffered enough in the past century? Why haven't they fought back?" Xie Zeyi's eyes seemed to burn with flames. "Mr. Xu, let me ask you, what was your original intention in leading this secret team and bringing half of the Royal Society to the Far East? Was it simply to avoid resistance, to defeat the enemy without fighting? But war has countless possibilities. It's uncontrollable, emotional, violent, alive, and a gamble. How could a person as thoughtful as you have decided completely not to use it when you made your decision?"
Xu Shaoqian asked in return, "How much do you know about it?"
"How much? It's just an extremely powerful weapon. Ten, a hundred, a million times more powerful than a bomb. I don't know, so what? War is nothing more than a death feat, fighting violence with violence."
"Fight violence with violence..." Xu Shaoqian couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at these words. He pondered over them, then asked, "But are you willing to see your wife's hands covered in blood, becoming the victim of this violence?"
Xie Zeyi narrowed his eyes slightly and asked tentatively, "You may know more about her than I do."
Xu Shaoqian also looked back at him cautiously.
Even when language touched upon that weapon, the young, perceptive professor showed no such alertness.
Xie Zeyi immediately understood the meaning of this expression and said, "She seems to be carrying a heavy secret alone, with no one to share it with. And given her personality, even though she feels that her sin is grave, she still does it without hesitation. Simply because she believes that no one else can do this."
Xu Shaoqian asked in a deep voice, "How do you know that she has no one to share it with and that only she can do it?"
Xie Zeyi looked at him quietly: "Mr. Xu, do you know what the saying 'World War I was a war between chemists, and World War II was a war between biologists and physicists' means?"
Xu Shaoqian said nothing, but signaled him to continue with his eyes.
"It means that even though she knew this journey was filled with countless possibilities, probabilities, luck and misfortune, danger, fatigue, unpredictable intelligence, and complex calculations, that there was no correct answer, no absolute value; that it was filled with dangers and difficulties, and that in the end, all she would reap was futility, failure, even infamy and blood on her hands, she still went for it. Is this madness? Whether it was emotion or violence, she risked everything on a gamble, simply because this might be the only glimmer of light in the darkness, and there must always be someone to follow this glimmer, to move decisively into the deeper depths of danger..." He raised his head slightly, "This is not a philosophy of violence, it's a philosophy of survival. Even if you survive with a broken, hunched body... you still have to live, and not be completely devoured by your own kind."
"She has her own lone courage. Perhaps the place where she was born destined her to never personally experience the cruelty of war and aggression. Then let me, who has witnessed civilization trample upon the jackal's kiss and is a staunch advocate of the philosophy of violence, teach her how to be cruel. If I truly lose this gamble, I will be her biggest accomplice, her partner in crime, her executioner, and I will go to hell with her."
"That's what she told me. Before I met her, I lived a passive life, numb and inertial. I had long since learned to watch all the exploitation and plundering in this hell without a murmur. But how lucky am I? When I met her, I realized that my heart was still beating fiercely..."
——
"What else did he say?"
Xu Shaoqian looked up at her and smiled, "What else did you say? I feel like I'm getting older and my memory is failing. Go ask him yourself."
The church bells rang, and she became anxious.
She opened her mouth, but Xu Shaoqian stopped her and said, "It's too late if we don't go to church now."
She had no choice but to give up, feeling disappointed.
Xu Shaoqian smiled helplessly and said, "Didn't you come here to ask me to be your teacher and take you into the church?"
She was stunned and completely dumbfounded.
How could I have forgotten about this...
"But I might not be suitable." Xu Shaoqian lowered his head and gestured to her about his feet, saying with a smile, "I'll take the liberty of inviting a more suitable candidate for you."
He turned around and shouted respectfully, immediately and jokingly: "Dear Prof. Luther Ford!"
Big Tiger turned back from the crowd, looked first at Chu Wang, then at Xu Shaoqian, and walked over with his hands behind his back. "Oh? I heard I'm going to be a godfather?"
When Chu Wang saw his two big white mustaches, his hands were shaking with excitement.
Rutherford smiled and said to Xu Shaoqian, "It seems that my students' students don't like me very much."
Chu Wang quickly shook his head, tears almost streaming down his face: "I...I'm just too happy!"
Xu Shaoqian said in Chinese very playfully: "Your idol Big Tiger is your aster."
Chu Wang laughed out loud. Happy.
Gentleman Rutherford reached out his hand, lifted her white-gloved fingers, and slowly walked towards the church.
The people behind him also slowly followed.
At the church door, a tall, blonde white girl came over, holding two glutinous rice balls in formal dresses on her left and right. She handed a bouquet of lilies to her, hugged her and Rutherford respectively, and then secretly left through the side door.
Through the closed door, one could see Sir Tse standing in the far corner of the first row, chatting with the Governor with a cheerful expression; Tse Tse-yi was waiting calmly and quietly in the church; the elegantly dressed people were all whispering, and from time to time there was a low female laugh...
The flower girl picked up her skirt, and Chu Wang and Rutherford pushed open the door from the left and right.
In an instant, everyone turned around and fell silent.
The tropical sunlight shone through the stained glass, falling on the red carpet and on her.
Xie Zeyi also turned around and looked at her, staring at her intently, without moving, with a smile on his face all the time.
She recalled what Xu Shaoqian had just said to her, and as she looked towards Xie Zeyi, her heart pounding. She felt as if she were walking through a time tunnel towards him, and the road seemed to be a hundred years long...
She was not even aware that the priest was asking, "Who handed the bride to the groom?"
Rutherford said: "I, Rutherford, in the name of the entire Royal Society, hand over the bride to the bridegroom."
There was a small area where a small scream came from -
"Oh my goodness, the President of the Royal Society!"
"Professor Rutherford!"
…
When Chu Wang came to his senses, his right hand had been handed from Rutherford to Xie Zeyi amid exclamations and envious gazes.
She heard the priest ask Xie Zeyi: "Are you willing to marry this woman?"
She heard him say, "I do."
He then continued, "Whether she is rich or poor, healthy or sick, successful or unlucky, beautiful or fading, Xie Zeyi promises to always love her, respect her, take care of her, cherish her, accept her, protect her, and be loyal to her until he leaves this world, and he will never regret it until his death."
The priest was helpless, and everyone was amused by his impatience to interrupt.
Amidst the laughter, Xie Zeyi's eyes never left her, and his tone was light and affirmative.
The priest turned to her, not even sure if he had asked a question. In her confusion, she could only hear herself slowly saying to him, "I do."
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