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

Chapter 67 "A Sudden Turnaround": Are Foreigners Superior?
In 1929, Tianjin, as an important railway hub in the north, had already built several railway stations.

The railway network mainly includes the Tianjin-Fengtian Railway, the Tianjin-Pukou Railway, and the Tianjin-Shanghai Railway.

There was a direct train from Tianjin to Fengtian, but the speed was not impressive. At that time, the trains were mainly steam locomotives, and a speed of about 30 kilometers per hour was considered fast.

Among them, the busiest passenger station was the 'Laolongtou Railway Station,' which later became the Tianjin Railway Station.

Located on the banks of the Haihe River in Hebei District, it was originally a Russian concession. On August 6, 1924, the Soviet government officially returned it to the Beiyang government, and it was later renamed the Third Special Administrative Region.

The two carried their luggage; Ye Ningzhen carried a suitcase, and Chen Zhan carried a black bag.

I didn't bring a gun, and the Laolongtou Railway Station was under martial law, so I couldn't get in with one.

The inspection was carried out layer by layer, comparing each item with Chen Zhan's photo one by one. When it came to the two of them, Ye Ningzhen was even more nervous than Chen Zhan, but Chen Zhan's ugly face with its high brow bone and flat nose remained completely calm.

They quickly let the two in.

The Tianjin-Fengtian Railway goes directly to Fengtian Railway Station, but it requires transfers through cities such as Baoding, Beijing, and Fuyang to connect with North China, so it takes two days and one night to reach Fengtian.

The speed is unacceptable to later generations, but it is already extremely fast now.

Even traveling by horse-drawn carriage to Fengtian might take ten days to arrive.

The two boarded the train, which was clearly marked in both Chinese and English. They quickly found their seats, third-class seats.

At that time, trains were divided into first, second, and third class seats. First class seats were private compartments, and two people were not eligible to buy them.

Second and third class also require a large sum of money.

At this time, there was no crowding and noise like the old green trains of later generations, with people coming and going. Even second and third class seats were not something ordinary people could afford; the passengers were all people of some status.

Chen Zhan walked quickly and sat down. He looked around. The train hadn't started moving yet, and patrol officers were scanning the carriage, doing a final check.

Chen Zhan showed no sign of distress, meeting the patrol officer's gaze without fear. Upon seeing Chen Zhan's attire and his fierce and ugly appearance, the officer immediately looked away.

The carriages are mostly steel structures, consisting of a base frame, side walls, end walls, and roof.

The train's interior features some Western touches; the seat cushions are made of leather paper with a small amount of sponge stuffing in, making them quite comfortable.

Thick black smoke billowed from the chimney at the top of the locomotive, and the train started moving with a clatter.

The train slowly pulled out of the station and headed towards the Beijing Station, where they were expected to arrive around the afternoon. Chen Zhan and Ye Ningzhen were dressed very fashionably, but because Chen Zhan looked frightening with his high brow bones making him appear fierce, no one came to talk to him.

The two didn't speak, each reading a book from right to left. At first, Chen Zhan wasn't used to it, but he quickly adapted.

They weren't reading books about boxing or martial arts, so there was no need to attract attention on the train.

In Chen Zhan's hand was a copy of "A Sudden Turnaround," written by Chen Tianhua. It was an old book, first published in Tokyo, Japan in 1903, and had not yet been published in China.

It was found on the bookshelf in Ye Ningzhen's room; at that time, it was considered a treasured forbidden book.

In his book, Chen Tianhua uses the vast territory, abundant resources, and large population of China, along with its long history, to inspire national pride.

The contents of this book have been highly controversial in later generations, especially its strong praise for organizations such as the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Boxer Rebellion, and its call to learn from their spirit of "dying for the country".

After all, later generations have had mixed opinions about the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Boxer Rebellion. Perhaps their initial intention was to expel foreign invaders, but as the chariot grew larger, things went wrong during its journey.

The goal is good, but the process cannot be scrutinized in detail.

However, Chen Zhan didn't care about these things. He knew there was no need to worry about repeating the same mistakes, because China would have its own extraordinary people descend from the heavens, leading the hopes of millions toward the light and toward a republic.

People of this era, if they could see China a hundred years from now, would all think it is paradise, a true ideal country.

It's just that people are limited by their times, and many people in later generations will complain about social injustice.

If you could experience the "meat grinder" of the Republic of China era, you would understand a lot.

Pulling himself back to reality, Chen Zhan found the words in the book "A Sudden Turnaround" to be incredibly powerful, and one passage in particular stirred his blood.

"Russia surrounds us from the north on three sides; England, under the guise of trade, harbors a treacherous scheme." "France occupies Guangzhou, eyeing Guizhou and Guangxi; Germany, ruling Jiaozhou, is eyeing the East like a tiger."

"The new Japan took Taiwan and then set its sights on Fujian; the United States also wants to carve up its territory."

"What part of China do I still have a share in? This imperial court is just a shell of its former self."

"To act as a local official for the foreigners; to suppress us Han people and surrender to the foreigners."

Humiliation upon humiliation, a century of humiliation, an indelible memory.

Chen Tianhua believes that foreigners are just people, not people with three heads and six arms, so how can you say that they cannot defeat them?

At the same time, it points out from a historical perspective that traitors in the early Qing Dynasty were despised, while heroes who resisted the Qing were highly praised, so as to warn people that having wishful thinking and surrendering to the enemy will only lead to a tragic end.

His ideas were radical, but they suited Chen Zhan's taste perfectly!
Such ideas seem insignificant in retrospect; there are many even more radical ones.

However, in this era, many years have passed since the invasion of the Eight-Nation Alliance, and many people have accepted the construction and development of China after the invasion and the shared prosperity.

Many people even believe that foreigners brought a lot of advanced technology.

Therefore, one should be superior to others!
A servile mentality takes countless years to form, and it will take countless more years to eradicate its servile nature.

"A Sudden Turnaround" is not long and can be finished quickly. Chen Zhan felt somewhat frustrated. The world was too bad, and he wanted to kill some people to keep quiet.

But one person's strength is not enough; he knew he couldn't compare to a powerful figure whose small spark could start a prairie fire.

A mere warrior can only commit acts of killing on behalf of Heaven!

Ye Ningzhen sensed a trace of murderous intent emanating from Chen Zhanyi, turned to look at him, and also saw the book.

"This is a forbidden book, be careful," Ye Ningzhen said.

Actually, the banned books themselves weren't so bad, but given Chen Zhan's identity, they became a huge problem.

What started as a search for banned books turned into uncovering a top-tier wanted criminal, a major boss—a truly disastrous outcome for the patrol officers.

Chen Zhan closed the book, rubbed his fingers together, and the three characters "suddenly turned back" on the page were crushed into powder and fell off in a flurry.

But the pages were intact.

For a master of subtle control, this is effortless.

He put away the book and looked at Ye Ningzhen. The book in her hand wasn't a banned book, but one that Chen Zhan knew all too well: *The Call to Arms*.

Hmm? It's Xun-ge!

Chen Zhan smiled; Xun Ge'er truly embodied a portion of the desolate chill of the Republic of China era.

I will glare at the pointing fingers of a thousand men, yet bow my head and serve the people like an ox.

The laboratory that dissects Chinese society not only reveals the scars of history but also forces us to confront our own limitations.

The insults were so harsh that they broke the defenses of many literary giants.

By this time, Xun Ge'er had been famous for many years, and many people regarded his works as masterpieces.

The book in Ye Ningzhen's hand was published in 25. It is written entirely in vernacular Chinese, which greatly reduces the difficulty of reading and increases its reach.

Two famous works, "Diary of a Madman" and "Kong Yiji," are included in it.

Seeing Chen Zhan's intense gaze fixed on the book in her hand, Ye Ningzhen smiled and said, "How about I let you read it first?"

Chen Zhan shook his head. He had already read all the chapters in "Call to Arms" and could even recite many of them from memory.

(End of this chapter)