Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Chapter 244 Prevention is worse than Crackdown: North-South Integration

The main reason is that Gu Ruzhang's reputation is too great, making it impossible for people not to be wary of him.

Gu Ruzhang was essentially a martial arts master from the north. Although he was from Jiangsu, he was sent to Shandong to study under Yan Yunqi, a martial artist known as "Yan the Spear," from the age of eight. He studied Shaolin boxing, spear techniques, and qigong for eleven years.

He learned the "Little Golden Bell" Iron Shirt and Iron Palm techniques.

In his youth, Gu Ruzhang was already proficient in all eighteen weapons. With his Shaolin Kung Fu, he made a name for himself in the martial arts world in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, and Hubei provinces.

To break through his bottleneck, Gu Ruzhang sought out renowned masters, learning Tai Chi and Taiyi Sword from "Sword Immortal" Li Jinglin, Chaquan from Chaquan master Yu Zhensheng, and Xingyiquan from Xingyiquan master Sun Lutang.

He was particularly skilled in Iron Palm, and his palm power was so great that it could "shatter stubborn rocks and crack pig iron." In the 1924 Nanjing National Martial Arts Competition, he won the championship with his spear skills, further solidifying his status in the martial arts world.

He was only thirty years old at that time.

In 28, Gu Ruzhang participated in the first National Martial Arts Examination and was selected for the Central Martial Arts Academy with the highest score. He then formed the "Five Tigers Go South" with Wan Laisheng, Fu Zhensong, and three others to spread Northern-style martial arts in Guangdong.

It is worth mentioning that among the Five Tigers who went south of the Yangtze River, Wan Laisheng was the youngest. In the national martial arts examination, Wan Laisheng ultimately ranked first, and Gu Ruzhang ranked third.

Then, at Li Jishen's invitation, the Five Tigers founded the Guangdong-Guangxi Martial Arts Academy, with Wan Laisheng as the director and Gu Ruzhang as the deputy director.

In 1929, Gu Ruzhang founded the "Guangzhou Martial Arts Society" in Guangzhou.

He was known as "Iron Palm, Golden Spear, and Divine Sword!"

This clearly shows that he is a true all-rounder, proficient in both internal and external martial arts. At less than forty years old, he has already fought his way through Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. He is not invincible, but he is close to it.

Logically speaking, Gu Ruzhang learned most of his martial arts skills from northern boxing masters, and after moving south, his philosophy was to integrate the north and south and strengthen the country and its people.

It's more like the thinking of Northern boxers.

The reason he represented the South in the competition was not to restrict the teaching of Northern boxers, but because he had his own ideas.

The two signed the agreement and went up into the ring.

The audience erupted in cheers.

"Iron Palm Gu, Master Gu is on stage! This is it, we Southern boxers are sure to win."

"That's right, with Master Gu's appearance, there's no need for a match, it's one to one. Who's that person on the other side?"

"Liu Yinhu, yes, that's the name. A master of Wudang School, specializing in Yang-style Tai Chi."

"Yang Luchan? That Yang must be just as good, it should be a fierce battle."

"Hehe, the Yang in Yang Luchan is not Yang Luchan himself. There are many people in Yang-style Tai Chi. If they were all Yang Luchan, would other martial arts masters still be alive?"

Liu Yinhu wasn't very famous, but like Ma Fengtu, he was the head of the instruction department at the Central Martial Arts Academy. However, Yao Cai and Gu Ruzhang were not on the same level.

Yao Cai has a decent reputation in Foshan, but that's about it.

Gu Ruzhang is the deputy director of the Guangdong-Guangxi Martial Arts Academy, the president of the Guangzhou Martial Arts Association, and has a whole host of nicknames, each one impressive.

Once on stage, they didn't rush to start fighting.

Gu Ruzhang turned to Chen Zhan, then looked at Wang Ziping, Gao Zhendong, and Wan Laisheng.

After scanning the room, everyone was puzzled.

Gu Ruzhang said, "The Alliance Leader is here, along with Master Wang, Master Gao, the high-ranking members of the Guangdong and Guangxi Martial Arts Institutes and the Central Martial Arts Institute, as well as many famous boxers from the martial arts world of the North and South. Before the fight begins, I would like to say a few words."

Chen Zhan and the others stood up one after another, and out of consideration for Gu Ruzhang, no one objected.

"Mr. Gu, please speak. We are all ears."

Not only Chen Zhan and Wang Ziping, but also the people below the stage shouted, urging Gu Ruzhang to speak freely.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Gu Ruzhang said:
"This exchange between the North and the South is like adding fuel to a fire, and it is also a timely event. In the past few years, the Northern boxers have indeed suppressed the living space of the Southern boxers, and there have been many violent clashes, resulting in many deaths. That's why this challenge has come about."

"Logically speaking, Mr. Gu also came from the north to the south, as did Mr. Wan. We are also outsiders in Guangdong and Guangxi, but we have integrated better and have been accepted by various sects, apprentices and people."

As he said this, someone below said, "How can that be the same? Mr. Gu is originally from the South. He went to the North to learn his craft. It can only be considered as returning home in glory."

Gu Ruzhang turned around and saw a local Foshan boxer. He wasn't angry.
“That’s right, this master is correct, but if we follow this logic, does that mean anyone whose ancestors were related to the South is a Southerner? If we delve deeper, where exactly is the South? And where exactly is the North?”

"Guangdong and Guangxi are south enough, but what about Jiangsu and Zhejiang? And Anhui and Guizhou?"

“In the past, Mr. Li Cunyi promoted the integration of martial arts circles in the North and South. He said something that I think is very true.”

"Does a country have a north-south division of boxing styles?"

"If the country is on the verge of collapse, why bother with the division of the martial arts world into North and South?"

Gu Ruzhang hadn't discussed his words with anyone beforehand, but they coincided perfectly with Chen Zhan's thoughts. Chen Zhan took two steps forward, walked onto the stage, clasped his hands in a salute, and at this moment completely regarded Gu Ruzhang as a kindred spirit.

"Mr. Gu is right, please continue."

Gu Ruzhang also clasped his hands in a salute, looking at Chen Zhan with some uncertainty about his meaning, but still continued, "Therefore, I think the theme of this martial arts competition should be changed."

Chen Zhan smiled and said, "Please explain."

Instead of dividing the territory between North and South, let's change it to North-South exchange, continue the martial arts competition, and determine the winner, but there's no need to put them to death.

Everyone understood Gu Ruzhang's meaning, but immediately asked a question in return.

"According to Mr. Gu, if there is exchange between the North and the South, then what is the point of the martial arts competition?"

"Of course it's meaningful. Forgive my bluntness, but the South can't stop Northern boxers from going south, and the Northern boxers can't take all the disciples from the Southern martial arts schools. Even if we in the South win this fight, how will you drive all the Northern boxers back north of the Yangtze River?"

"Take the Bagua School for example. As for the official matters, I don't need to explain, everyone here understands. However, in a direct confrontation between martial arts schools, which of you can drive the Cheng School Bagua School out of Foshan?"

"Opening a school and taking on students is all about individual ability. It's better to guide than to block. If we defeat the Northern boxers in today's competition, the people will see it. They're not fools. They know our martial arts are superior, and they'll naturally know where to send their children for a better future."

"If we lose, what's the point of saying anything? If we're not as skilled as others, wouldn't it be better to have both skills and learn from each other?"

Gu Ruzhang is of high status and strong power. If someone else had said this, they would probably have been scorned, but he is different.

After thinking about it, everyone agreed that it was indeed the case.

To be honest, even if the two major martial arts academies set rules and the Southern martial arts world wins, can it prevent all Northern boxers from crossing the Yangtze River to make a living?

The war in the Central Plains is raging, and the North has no way to survive. Do you think you can make the entire martial arts world in the North obey your arrangements?

If you don't open a martial arts school, but instead guard homes and act as bodyguards, how can you stop them?
In coastal areas, how can you stop people from sailing and forming gangs?
If they lost, the northern boxers could go south with a clear conscience and even take the reputation of the winner of the fight, and the situation would immediately reverse.

On and off the stage, martial arts practitioners from both the north and south whispered amongst themselves.

Ordinary people don't understand; these words are useless to them. They just want to watch the excitement, and incidentally see which martial arts master is strong and whether he takes on disciples, so they can save money to send their children to martial arts schools.

But people in the martial arts world of the North and South, upon careful consideration, realized that Gu Ruzhang was right.

In retrospect, this martial arts contest, which seemed to have been proposed by the martial arts community in the south, actually resulted in both sides suffering losses.

It can only be said that the north is currently suffering from war, and moving south is inevitable. If you don't allow people to move south, it's a matter of life and death. If you lose your life, who will listen to the rules?

Chen Zhan hadn't expected that Gu Ruzhang would recite all of his poems.
His original plan was to subdue everyone with overwhelming force after the North and South were determined, and then rightfully take the position of leader of the martial arts alliance before discussing this matter.

Because he is from the North and opened a museum in the South, he is a stakeholder, and the people in the South probably won't listen to him.

Only by first convincing everyone can a solution be proposed.

Now that Gu Ruzhang has said it, it suits his wishes perfectly.

After Gu Ruzhang finished speaking, Chen Zhan said calmly, "Fellow martial artists, I wholeheartedly agree with what Brother Gu said, and I will not elaborate further. I would like to mention something else for everyone to consider."

"Everyone knows that the Central Plains War is raging, but I come from Fengtian, where the situation is not optimistic. The Northeast Army is unable to contain the Japanese expansion, and the Japanese have begun large-scale troop deployments. At this time, with the Central Plains War raging, the Nationalist government has no time to pay attention to the Northeast."

"If we were to repeat what happened thirty years ago, do you all think it would be meaningful for us to fight for this territory?"

Wang Ziping and the others knew what Chen Zhan had said, but Gu Ruzhang and Wan Laisheng did not.

Wan Laisheng took two steps onto the stage and asked incredulously, "Is this really true?"

"I witnessed firsthand that the Japanese not only frantically increased their troops and expanded their territory, but also developed all kinds of weapons. The ninjas I met in the capital had a kind of poison gas bomb. When punctured, it released poison gas. It was only the size of a jujube, but it could affect a radius of four or five meters."

Chen Zhan spoke softly, so the common people below couldn't hear him, but Wan Laisheng and Gu Ruzhang could hear him clearly.

Wan Laisheng holds a military rank, and a very high one at that.

Although he had promised Chen Zuyan not to talk about it, Wan Laisheng was a member of the National Government, so it didn't matter if he knew.

Wan Laisheng frowned deeply; Chen Zhan's words had exceeded his authority.

Fortunately, the current focus is on reconciling the conflicts between the North and the South, and no martial arts groups have been organized to march north to resist the Japanese.

Wan Laisheng didn't hesitate for long before nodding: "What you two say makes sense. There is no real conflict between the martial arts worlds of the North and South. If the Japanese raise their swords again, and we are still entangled in sectarian disputes, then one day all those under the Japanese invaders' swords will be slaves of a conquered nation!"

If Gu Ruzhang's words were merely meant to give the Southern boxers pause for thought, then Chen Zhan was the final straw that broke the camel's back.

When facing a foreign enemy, they naturally share a common hatred and hatred.

(End of this chapter)