I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 146: Red Flags Flying in St. Petersburg

For St. Petersburg in winter, heavy snowfall is not uncommon, and Mikhail is now used to such days. Therefore, when he goes out, he naturally wears the three-piece set of a fur coat, felt boots, and fur hat.

Although it looks a little bulky, it's really good at keeping you warm.

On his way to a certain destination, Mikhail naturally reunited with his good classmate Dmitry and the young Dostoevsky, who were also going to the Petrashevsky group meeting.

After the three met up, Old Tuo's clothes were basically the same as Mikhail's, and even seemed a bit thicker. However, whether it was due to poor health or excitement, Old Tuo's body would occasionally tremble a little in the midst of the heavy snow.

Compared to the two of them, Dmitry, a man as big as a bear, was dressed much more lightly. In fact, after excitedly embracing Mikhail, Dmitry, who seemed a little hot, even unbuttoned a few buttons on his coat.

To this, Mikhail could only exclaim, "My God, this is simply a congenital Siberian sacred body!"
Dmitri's body was in this state, but his mind was, in some ways, even better than his body.

The earlier words had already hinted at this, and after studying certain things in depth, his enthusiasm for this area grew, and he became more willing to talk about things.

Seeing that Mikhail was not much different from the first time he visited, and considering that there were indeed few people on the streets in this weather, Dmitry took the opportunity on the way to Petrashevsky's house to give Mikhail a general account of the ideas of Fourier and Saint-Simon.

During this process, Old Dostoevsky, who was unusually close to Mikhail again, rubbed his hands together excitedly and quickly joined the conversation.

It is worth mentioning that although Dostoevsky later became a conservative and can no longer be considered a radical, as a great writer, his reading volume and insights into many things are undoubtedly astonishing. For example, although he held a relatively conservative attitude towards some things, he was indeed well-versed in the history of the French Revolution, as well as the various socialist theories that were popular at the time.

It must also be said that utopian socialism at this stage was indeed closely linked to religion to some extent, to the point that there was even the view that "the average life of communism is the real Christianity."

This may be one of the reasons why the Dostoevsky was interested in these ideas during this period.

As for Dmitry, his interest in these ideas leaned more towards another aspect. For example, he suddenly asked in the middle of the conversation, "Misha, do you think there could be systemic reforms or even a real revolution in Russia?"

Upon hearing this question, Mikhail's eyelids twitched involuntarily, even though he had heard similar remarks from Belinsky many times before. Seeing that Dmitry's words were so violent and direct. Seeing that no one was around, Mikhail began to think about how to reply to his enthusiastic friend.

Old Dostoevsky, standing nearby, was also taken aback when he heard the question. However, what concerned him even more was Mikhail's attitude toward such issues. Although one could discern his inclination toward certain issues from Mikhail's works, it seemed that he had never heard of any direct discussion or response to them.

"I think it will happen sooner or later, but it will take a long time to develop. At this stage, many conditions are not yet mature."

Mikhail thought for a while and finally gave an honest answer to his good brother.

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this reply, Dmitry immediately perked up, nodding repeatedly while also asking further questions:
“Misha, I basically agree with you! So do you think it’s better to reform gradually or to do it like the French Revolution? But I often hear many people say that the French Revolution was too barbaric, chaotic, and full of bloodshed and violence. They feel that such a thing must never happen again.”

If you're talking about France, there's even more to say.

Upon hearing this question, although he knew it was indeed a complex one, Mikhail, in general, gave his answer on this gloomy, snowy day:
"The blood shed because of the French Revolution could fill a square. The French people who died unjustly because of a thousand years of autocratic rule could not be contained in the whole of France. Dark clouds hung over the sky for fifteen hundred years. Fifteen centuries later, the clouds have dispersed, and some people want to punish the thunder. Justice has anger, and the anger of justice is a progressive factor."

After saying this in a powerful tone, Mikhail, who had been walking and talking, had to stop. The two people beside him suddenly stopped moving, as if they could truly feel the dark clouds and gloom that had lasted for thousands of years, as well as the thunder that could resound throughout the entire world, from his words.

After a while, Dmitry and Old Do finally snapped out of their daze. Even in such cold weather, Dmitry's rugged face flushed red with excitement, looking almost frighteningly red.

Perhaps due to his excessive excitement, Dmitry seemed poised to lift Mikhail high into the air, and he couldn't help but raise his voice to speak to Mikhail:
“Misha, you published a novel in France, right? I think you should tell all the Parisians this line! Then I’m sure that no matter what revolution happens in Paris next, someone will definitely bring up your line and tell all their friends and enemies that another revolution is coming!”

Mikhail: “?”

How am I supposed to survive in France if things are like this?
He went into exile in France and then returned to Great Britain, right?
As Mikhail pondered this question, Dmitry's excited voice still echoed in Mikhail's ears: "Yes, you are right, Misha. I have learned so much from your words! Perhaps one day, the same thing will happen in our St. Petersburg."

"Then I will definitely raise the flag beside you! And maybe many more people will follow you, and we will plant the flag of revolution in every street and alley of St. Petersburg, even in those places that now seem sacred! By the way, dear Misha, do you think the tricolor flag or the red flag is better?"

Mikhail, increasingly suspicious, thought: "???"

What are you talking about when I say France?
Demi, you really were born at the wrong time.
As for the practice of planting flags, it still originated and flourished in the old revolutionary base areas. Since the Bourbon dynasty used a white flag, namely a white flag with a gold iris, as a symbol of royal power, white later became more of a synonym for feudal autocracy.

During the French Revolution, the tricolor flag became the mainstream, and this flag actually symbolized the bourgeois revolution in more sense. Later, with the development and changes of the times, the working class became increasingly dissatisfied with the meaning symbolized by this flag. Thus, in the Paris Republican uprising of 1832 and the Lyon workers' uprising of 1834, the red flag appeared as a symbol of workers' struggle.

By 1848, just as Marx emphasized in "The Class Struggles in France," "Only after being soaked in the blood of the June Insurgents did the tricolor flag become the flag of the European revolution—the red flag!" This is why a series of revolutions and political parties later adopted the red flag.

So, getting back to the point, even though the weather was relatively safe, Mikhail's lips twitched involuntarily, and he quickly replied, "Red Flag, I guess."

Mikhail quickly signaled to Dmitri, who was lost in some kind of fantasy, to calm down.

He started daydreaming again; Dmitry began to imagine the scene of red flags being planted all over St. Petersburg.
Everyone around me is a big dreamer.
When Dmitri finally calmed down, Mikhail finally noticed Dostoevsky's reaction.

Perhaps because he had never heard Mikhail talk about these things before, Old Dostoevsky looked astonished, his face full of surprise: "So this is what Mikhail is really like?"

Even after becoming a veteran, at this moment, after carefully considering Mikhail's words, the somewhat emotional Old Turk looked at Mikhail and said with a touch of excitement, "Mikhail, I also think what you said is correct."

To be honest, Old Turk wanted to imitate Dmitri and say "Misha," but ultimately he was a little embarrassed.
At the same time, although Dostoevsky at this moment agreed with Mikhail's words like Dmitry, his views on some things were fundamentally different from Dmitry's. For example, although Dostoevsky was in the Petrashevsky group at this time, he was not concerned with the theory of how to build something; he was more concerned with the problem of human enslavement.

He often lost control of himself when he spoke of the injustices suffered by enslaved peasants.

Many great writers share a common ground in this regard. Although their political views and ideas may not seem "advanced" enough in the eyes of later generations, their understanding of human nature and the society they lived in was absolutely profound to an extraordinary degree.

In short, the current situation is not that dire yet. When everyone is forced to express their inclinations and make their own choices due to the harsh reality, not to mention Dostoevsky and Turgenev, even the author of "The Modern Man" experienced a very serious split. Later, Turgenev and Nekrasov completely broke off their relationship precisely because of this difference in thought.

Frankly speaking, even though Mikhail has a good relationship with all of them now, he may not be able to bridge the gap when that time comes, because it ultimately stems from differences in their thinking.

All I can say is, keep moving forward. And so, on the snow-covered, muddy road, step by step, we move towards some vague goal.

As they approached Petrashevsky's home, Mikhail, remembering Dmitry's straightforward and passionate nature, finally gave him some advice, essentially saying that some things should only be said to the right people.

Dmitri, who wasn't stupid, nodded and couldn't help but say to Mikhail, "In that case, I think you should spread what you just said in Paris. I think a lot of people will agree with you. Maybe when you go to Paris in person, Misha, the people there will line up to welcome you!"

Mikhail: “.”

To be fair, when the reactionary forces in Paris launched their purges, their methods sometimes seemed even more powerful than the Tsar's heavy blows.

So it seems that things aren't necessarily all smooth sailing abroad. At most, if you don't directly confront them, they might ignore you, and some might even enjoy watching the drama unfold. It seems that Britain is one of those kinds of people these days.

Before Mikhail could reconsider his future, the three of them had unknowingly arrived at the door of the Petrashevsky family's house. Before officially going inside, Old Dostoevsky and Dmitry briefly told Mikhail about Mr. Petrashevsky's temperament:

"To be honest, we were often surprised by the eccentricities and temperament of Petrashevsky's character. We heard several times that he was very rational, but not very wise or prudent."

Mikhail was somewhat aware of what they were saying. To some extent, this Mr. Petrashevsky was a typical example of intellectuals in this era who were detached from reality yet harbored the desire to act as leaders.

In short, this was also a group of great dreamers, and some of the most despicable ones used the so-called revolution and the youth who followed them as tools to satisfy their personal desires and certain emotions.

Petrashevsky was certainly not that despicable, but it must be said that he was indeed an eccentric in terms of personality.

The most obvious example is when the Petrashevsky family's servant entered the house to announce the arrival of a guest, and soon after, a man rushed out in a strange and unusual outfit, which made him stand out from the crowd. His long hair, mustache, and beard would undoubtedly surprise many people in that era.

And for some reason, even indoors, he was wearing a Spanish-style short cloak and a top hat with four corners.

After clearly seeing the visitor, almost without hesitation, this rather eccentric-looking gentleman extended his hand to Mikhail: "Dear Mr. Mikhail Romanovich, I have been looking forward to this moment for a long time. Your arrival is truly an honor to my humble abode."

I am Mikhail Vasilyevich Petrashevsky, it's an honor to meet you.

"Hello."

Although he still didn't really want to get involved with such troublesome people, after thinking about his friends and other things, Mikhail finally extended his hand and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you too."

To be honest, I'm not very happy.
But there's no other way now. Since things have come to this, I might as well try their pastries first and see what they're like.

(End of this chapter)