Chinese martial arts: From human punching bags to martial arts mastery

February 6, 1930, the eighth day of the first lunar month.

On a cargo ship on the Suzhou River, Hu Sanzhen was bending over the deck, administering acupuncture to six young laborers with fractured spines. His nimble fingers brought a rare touch of human warmth to the chaotic world.

On the shore, in old Shanghai, on Sichuan Road within the Japanese concession, the "Liusan Pavilion Izakaya" was already shrouded in gloom, with the smell of alcohol and violence mingling together, making it extremely crowded.

Inside the main hall of the izakaya.

The crowd stood in two rows on either side, arranged in a strict V-shape.

Seated at the head of the left is a Japanese military officer with a sinister face—Colonel Suetsugu Nobumasa of the Japanese Army General Staff. This man was the designer of the Hongkou Dojo, and his eyes harbored a wolfish ambition to annex Shanghai.

The man at the head of the right, outwardly a refined professor at the "East Asia Tongwen Academy," is actually Lieutenant Colonel "Sayo Hideji" of the Japanese Army. In 1930, he personally compiled "The Art of Assassination in China," secretly cultivating spies for the Black Dragon Society while colluding with the Green Gang to train assassins for them. His hands are already stained with the blood of Chinese people.

At this moment.

The room was filled with Japanese officers, spies, ronin, and thugs, all holding their breath and behaving with utmost respect, just to welcome a key figure who had seized a huge sum of 300 million yen from the Kwantung Army—this welcome was the gathering of evil, the beginning of a conspiracy.

A moment later.

"Beep————"

The piercing sound of car horns echoed through the streets of the Japanese concession. Several Japanese military vehicles were parked in front of the Rokusan-tei Izakaya, their headlights piercing the dim night.

The first person to step out of the car was Lieutenant Colonel Kitano Masaji, a medical officer of the Japanese Kwantung Army. Dressed in a white coat, his eyes and brows were full of cold-bloodedness and violence, making him look like a walking piece of trash.

Following them off the vehicle was a group of Japanese soldiers covered in a strong stench of blood.

They wore white coats as medical staff, but beneath the fabric lay filthy sins—these people were all butchers in Japan before, and their purpose in crossing the ocean to Shanghai and donning white coats was self-evident.

The cold white coats cannot conceal their bloodthirsty nature. Three million yen in illicit funds are driving this group of devils to unleash a brutal and inhumane conspiracy in Shanghai.

......

The night was as dark as ink, turning the surface of the Suzhou River into a deep, dark blue.

The small steamer was anchored steadily on the shore, the roar of the engine long since ceased, leaving only the occasional sound of the river water lapping against the hull.

Everyone on the boat was fast asleep, breathing evenly.

Only Chen Feng remained seated cross-legged on the cold edge of the ship's gunwale.

He gazed into the distance, looking towards the riverbank.

It was a continuous expanse of smoke rising from thousands of homes, their dim lights flickering and extinguishing like will-o'-the-wisps in the night.

Moonlight poured down, turning the water's surface into a shimmering expanse of silver. Beneath those reflections lay hunched figures toiling for a living, outlining the desolate landscape of the lower classes in a chaotic world.

"well----"

Chen Feng sighed softly, his eyes slightly closed, but he could not hide the turbulent thoughts surging within them.

Suddenly.

A wisp of smoke drifted past Chen Feng like a gossamer thread.

Without turning around, the familiar aura was immediately recognizable.

"The river's maples and fishing lights keep me awake with sorrow!"

A clear and melodious chant came from behind, carrying a touch of Zen, a touch of freedom, and a touch of desolation.

Hu Sanzhen walked slowly over, and without waiting for Chen Feng to greet him, he naturally sat down cross-legged next to him.

He glanced at the silent night, then at Chen Feng's furrowed brows, and said to himself, "Can't sleep? Perfect! I can't sleep either!"

Chen Feng remained silent.

He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping across the cool river surface. The river breeze brushed against his robes, carrying a biting chill.

As if asking a question, or perhaps talking to himself, he murmured, "The river wind is cold; if only I had some wine!"

The voice just fell.

He suddenly looked up, staring straight at Chen Feng, a sly smile playing on his lips: "Young man, do you have any alcohol on you?"

Seeing his expression, Chen Feng shook his head silently, feeling both helpless and amused.

"Haha!" Seeing this, Hu Sanzhen wasn't disappointed. Instead, he chuckled smugly, pulled a small wine flask from his pocket, and weighed it between his fingers: "I have one!"

Chen Feng looked at the wine pot, then at Old Hu, and chuckled to himself.

In his eyes, Hu Sanzhen was sometimes a wise and detached hermit who could see through the chaos of the world; sometimes a down-and-out old man who was overwhelmed by the hardships of life; and at this moment, he was more like a mischievous old boy.

He hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, his voice low but urgent: "Old Hu! You were so knowledgeable about the history of the Suzhou Creek, but how much do you know about the gangs that oppress the people on the river and along its banks?"

"Gang?"

Hu Sanzhen took a big gulp of wine, and the rich aroma of the wine instantly filled the air.

He smacked his lips, shook his head, squinted one eye, peered into the wine jug, then took another swig. Finally, he handed the jug to Chen Feng and said slowly, "Young man! Have a drink to warm yourself up, and then let me explain!"

Chen Feng took the wine pot and felt it was very light in his hand.

He tilted his head back and gestured at the spout of the pot for a long time, and sure enough, not a single drop of wine came out.

Hu Sanzhen, who had been watching closely, smiled slyly: "There's no more wine, so I won't say a word!"

Before he could finish speaking...

A clear, crisp female voice rang out at just the right moment: "I have wine!"

Tangtang lifted her skirt and walked over quickly, holding a pot of rich Shaoxing wine in her hand, smiling broadly.

"Good, good—this girl is so sensible!"

Hu Sanzhen immediately beamed with joy, snatched the wine pot, and quickly tucked it under his elbow, acting as if he were afraid someone would snatch it away.

Then.

He took out his pipe, skillfully loaded and lit it, took a deep drag, and his eyes became profound amidst the swirling smoke.

"This martial arts world may not be large, but it's teeming with gangs, sects, associations, factions, and cults!"

Hu Sanzhen slowly exhaled a smoke ring, his voice hoarse but each word clear.

"Let's start with the character '帮' (bāng). The bottom part is '巾' (jīn), which originally referred to people who traveled and made a living as wanderers, and they were the most numerous among them!"

"The Green Gang is the most typical 'gang.' The Green Gang was originally called the Canal Gang. Since the Ming Dynasty, the inland waterway transport was incredibly developed, with tens of thousands of canal boats and hundreds of thousands of officials and soldiers. It was at its peak!"

"During the reign of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty, in order to regulate the grain transport and crack down on salt smugglers' corruption, Yongzheng appointed Li Wei as the Governor of Zhejiang and concurrently the Salt Commissioner of Liangzhe!"

"In order to integrate the fragmented canal transport organization, Li Wei selected Weng Yan, Qian Jian, and Pan Qing to establish the Canal Transport Gang, which was registered according to the official model. From then on, this gang had official status... Later, a Canal Transport Governor was even appointed!"

"By the late Qing Dynasty, maritime transport had risen in popularity, while the Grand Canal transport had declined. This group of people then went ashore, mostly gathering in Shanghai, and changed their name from the 'Grand Canal Gang' to the 'Qing Gang'!"

"It wasn't until the Republic of China era that they cut off their Qing Dynasty queues and changed their name to what we now call the 'Green Gang'!"

"The gang has a strict hierarchy of master and disciple, using twenty-four characters such as 'pure morality, sincere Buddhism' to determine seniority. Huang Jinrong belongs to the 'Tong' generation, and Du Yuesheng belongs to the 'Wu' generation. The distinction between disciples is clear!"

"Their methods of controlling the docks, brothels, casinos, and other industries, and their exploitation and plunder of the shantytowns, all relied on a single book, 'The Essentials of Water Transport'!"

"The so-called gang slang is nothing more than 'canal regulations' and 'flag signals'!"

Chen Feng frowned slightly and murmured, "Signal?"

Hu Sanzhen nodded, took a deep drag of his cigarette, and slowly exhaled a clear mouth shape—"Door!"

"The term 'gate' is more like a code name for a secret society. It has fewer members than a 'gang' but more than a 'secret society' or 'faction,' and its organizational structure is the most tightly knit!"

"The Hongmen is a prime example; it's the internal name for the 'Heaven and Earth Society'!"

"Zheng Chenggong founded the Ming Dynasty in Taiwan. The character '洪' (Hong) has two interpretations: one is to commemorate Emperor Hongwu (Zhu Yuanzhang), and the other is that it was formed by removing the character '中土' (Zhongtu) from the character '汉' (Han) after losing the Central Plains."

"Actually, both statements are correct; the character '洪' (Hong) was chosen through a group of discussions!"

"Hongmen brothers do not distinguish between seniority; they all address each other as brothers, so it's easy to discuss things!"

"Its organizational structure imitated Liangshan Marsh, using 'mountain' in its name and having 'hall' under it!"

That brings us to this point.

Hu Sanzhen looked at Chen Feng meaningfully: "The 'Beast Cage' where you fought in underground boxing matches before is one of the Five Sacred Mountains. The mountain lord is a ruthless character!"

Then, changing the subject, he returned to the main point: "The Hongmen's mission is to overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming, and its ironclad rule is: 'From Hongmen to Qing, you'll be skinned alive!'"

That's all.

Hu Sanzhen took a big gulp of wine, moistened his dry throat, let out a satisfied burp, and softly uttered a single word—"Yes!"

"A 'meeting' is a task-oriented action organization with the fewest members and the greatest flexibility. It can range from a few people to hundreds. The core principle is 'assemble as needed and leave when the task is done!'"

"The Triads are a prime example. They don't have the strict hierarchy of the Green Gang, nor do they have fixed ancestral halls like the Hung Society. They're more like mobile action groups!"

Upon hearing these words...

"Yes, yes, yes—"

Tang Tang immediately chimed in, "I know that. My father is always in meetings, big or small. Once he's done, they're over, no dragging things out!"

Hu Sanzhen stroked his beard and laughed heartily.

He laughed.

His eyes sharpened, his gaze landing on Chen Feng, and he slowly uttered a single word—"Pai!"

"The term 'faction' is often related to the inheritance of skills. For example, the Wudang, Emei, and Shaolin factions rely on unique skills to unite their members. The core principle is 'passing down skills from master to apprentice, and preferring quality over quantity!'"

"The core of this 'school' is the master-apprentice chain. The master passes it on to the apprentice, and the apprentice then passes it on to the grand-apprentice, just like the inheritance of a family craft!"

"A master can only take on a dozen or so disciples at most. If there are more, they are divided into general disciples, personal disciples, and closed-door disciples!"

"Once the disciples who have passed on their skills graduate, if they branch out and grow, they will at most develop into a sect of a hundred or so people, unlike the Green Gang which easily has tens of thousands!"

That's all.

After finishing the last sip of wine in the flask, Hu Sanzhen slowly took another puff of his cigarette.

Finally, there's 'teaching'!

"This 'religion' is the most unique; it attracts people through religious faith, and its maximum number of members can range from a few hundred to tens or even hundreds of thousands!"

"The core idea is 'recruiting people through faith'!"

"The White Lotus Sect, which existed as early as the Southern Song Dynasty, worshipped the Eternal Mother and preached the eight-character mantra 'True Homeland, Eternal Mother!'"

"They burn incense and chant verses, using scriptures like the Maitreya's Descent Sutra to unite people's hearts, like binding people together with a spiritual bond—when the lower classes suffer, as long as they hear that 'believing in a religion can lead to rebirth in the Pure Land,' they will flock to join!"

"A single uprising in the late Qing Dynasty could mobilize tens of thousands of people, and their daily followers were spread across multiple provinces, ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands!"

"However, although the 'cult' has a large number of members, it has very few core members, usually only a few dozen to a few hundred leaders, with the majority being incited peripheral believers. Therefore, once the core is broken up, the entire organization is prone to collapse!"

As Hu Sanzhen finished speaking, his gaze became distant, and he murmured meaningfully, "The teachings may be grand but not substantial, yet they offer a glimpse into the threshold of enlightenment!"

The night was deep, and the river breeze blew by. All three fell silent.

Only the embers on the pipe still flickered intermittently, illuminating Chen Feng's thoughtful face.