Chinese martial arts: From being shot and killed by the armed police during a mountain search to bec

"Understood!" More than twenty people shouted in unison, their voices making the single-bar iron pipe hum.

The soldiers immediately formed ranks as if by reflex, their leather boots clicking on the fine sand, their steps perfectly synchronized, their movements so swift that even Staff Officer Jiang was momentarily stunned.

Chen Hongwu stood in front of the queue, his gaze sweeping over the twenty-odd faces, before he strode from one end of the queue to the other.

As he walked, he looked around, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, scanning each soldier in front of him.

In his eyes, the basic skills, hidden injuries, and power exertion habits of these people were immediately apparent from their movements, sitting, and lying down.

There is a saying in Xingyi Quan: "Looking at a person is like looking at their fists." The tension or relaxation of a person's shoulders, the straightness or bending of their knees, the solidity or emptiness of their foot landing, and even the depth or shallowness of their breathing can reveal the depth of their kung fu skills.

When Sun Lutang taught boxing in Baoding, new disciples didn't need to report their background. They only needed to walk around the courtyard and stand in a stance once, and Master Sun could tell them how many years they had practiced, which leg had an old injury, and whether their power generation habits were more hard or soft, without any error.

Although Chen Hongwu was not as skilled as Sun Lutang, he was more than capable of handling the soldiers in front of him.

He stopped in front of a lean soldier in the first row. "What's your name?"

"Reporting to Master Chen, it's Li Dazhu!" The soldier stood tall and proud.

Chen Hongwu raised his hand and gently tapped below his left shoulder blade, stopping his fingertip half an inch from the fabric, a subtle force penetrating through it.

Li Dazhu felt a slight numbness in the space between his shoulder blades and involuntarily shrank his shoulder. "You have an old injury on your left shoulder. It was caused by a gun butt when you were fighting with bayonets. The injury is on the lower angle of your shoulder blade. You carried a gun before you had it properly healed, and the fascia is still stuck."

When you strike with your left hand, the blade tip is slightly lower than your right hand because the fascia can't stretch properly when your shoulder abducts, preventing your left arm from fully extending.

Li Dazhu was stunned. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

The old wound on his left shoulder was from a bayonet fight on the battlefield. At the time, he thought the bone was fine and didn't pay attention to it. Later, his left arm was indeed not very flexible, but he never mentioned it to anyone.

Master Chen only glanced at the wound before pinpointing its location, cause, and impact. He's incredibly skilled!

Chen Hongwu walked up to a bald, tall man in the second row, glanced at his face, and said, "Right knee meniscus is worn, left calf calf muscle is slightly torn, lower back has an old injury, and the lower back is stiff every morning."

You're practicing Hung Kuen's bridge hand stance, but your horse stance is too low and too rigid, putting too much stress on your knees. The more you practice, the more injured you'll become.

The bald, burly man's face twitched, and he blurted out, "How do you know I've practiced Hung Kuen?!"

Most of the fighting in the camp was based on instinct, with only a few people coming from martial arts schools. He was one of them, having practiced Hung Kuen for eight years.

Chen Hongwu did not answer him, but shifted his gaze to a short, stocky man beside him. "His right leg is a size thicker than his left leg, and there is a vertical callus on the front of his tibia, which is a result of repeated stress fractures."

You're not using the instep when you kick the sandbag, you're using your shin.

The short, stocky man stiffened slightly. He was the one who practiced his legwork the most, and he did indeed often use his shinbone to smash against the wooden stake.

He broke his tibia twice, but he recovered and continued playing, never revealing it to outsiders.

Li Dazhu couldn't help but ask, "Master Chen, how did you know? We weren't practicing any boxing or stance training, we were just standing here..."

Chen Hongwu turned around. "You have all fought in wars, bearing gunshot and knife wounds, as well as old injuries from your training. Your foundation in martial arts is clearly written in every step you take, whether you walk or sit."

The slightly bent knees are a trace of the horse stance, the slightly forward-turned shoulders are a habit of punching, and landing on the outside of the foot is a gait left by long-term stomping.

He raised his hand and tapped Li Dazhu's left shoulder, "If the bone is injured, the fascia will definitely be adhered; if the nails are brittle, the liver blood must be insufficient; if the breathing is short, the lung qi cannot sink to the dantian; if there are bloodshot eyes, the sleep is not sound, and the heart is weak and the fire is excessive."

These things don't lie.

The training ground was completely silent.

This is not at the level of a master looking after an apprentice; it's like doing a full-body CT scan with the naked eye in the days before X-rays were invented.

Chen Hongwu walked back to the front of the formation and glanced at the expressions on the soldiers' faces.

Astonishment, admiration, awe, and a touch of eagerness to try it out.

He then changed the subject: "Teaching one person at a time is too slow, I don't have that much time."

"All of you, attack together!"

The twenty-odd soldiers looked at each other, and no one moved.

"Attack together... what do you mean?"

"I'll take on all of you by myself!"

Li Dazhu swallowed hard and forced himself to speak: "Master Chen, this isn't appropriate. Two fists can't fight four hands. We may not know anything else, but when we strike, we aim for vital points."

Eye-gouging, throat-locking, groin kicks—every move is a desperate fighting style used on the battlefield. No matter how skilled you are, what if we make a mistake…”

"Stop talking nonsense!"

"Martial arts are not just theoretical; to truly learn something, you must hone it in real combat and learn from sparring. Talking without practicing is empty talk, and practicing without talking is foolish."

Chen Hongwu waved his hand, his tone calm: "During the battle, it is easiest to provide real-time guidance and adjustments based on each person's footwork, center of gravity, and power exertion habits."

The group exchanged glances and silently adjusted their stances.

Staff Officer Jiang stepped back a dozen steps, clearing the entire training ground.

More than twenty people spread out and surrounded Chen Hongwu in a crescent shape.

These soldiers were all seasoned veterans of the battlefield; they didn't need to greet each other or use secret signals, and a single glance was enough for them to form a tacit understanding.

"Master Chen, watch out!"

The bald, big guy gave a low shout and took the lead.

He took a step forward and thrust his right fist straight at Chen Hongwu's face.

The punches were powerful and forceful, following a straight-line, lunging path, and made a deep, muffled sound as they struck the air.

At the same time, a lean soldier on the left side cut in from the side, sweeping his leg like a whip, his toes aimed straight for Chen Hongwu's knee.

Their attacks, one above and one below, one in front and one behind, were perfectly coordinated.

Chen Hongwu did not retreat. He took a half step forward with his left foot, his sole grinding against the fine sand, his toes gripping the ground, his ankle rotating inward, and his waist and hips twisting slightly.

The person appeared completely still, but their center of gravity had shifted three inches within a small space.

Tai Chi: As if sealed and closed!

This move is an extremely exquisite defensive technique in Tai Chi. The hands appear to be blocking, but in reality, the power is contained and not released. The slight rotation of the waist and hips drives the arms to deflect the opponent's attack from the side.

The bald giant's fist slid past his ear, while the lean soldier's sweeping leg grazed the outside of his knee, and both of them missed their target at the same time.

In the brief moment when their old strength had just dissipated and their new strength had not yet been generated, Chen Hongwu's right hand had already placed on the shoulder of the bald giant, while his left hand pressed down on the lower back of the lean soldier.

This is the "Cai" technique in Tai Chi Push Hands. Chen Hongwu gently grasps and guides the opponent's force as they retract their strength.

The bald giant felt a numbness in his shoulder and involuntarily tumbled forward; the lean soldier, on the other hand, was propelled into the air by the gentle force coming from his lower back, flying three feet away.

The two collided, fell onto the sand, and rolled around in a heap.

"Your punches are too straight and lack variation, so you lose your balance as soon as someone pulls you along." Chen Hongwu's voice was unhurried amidst the wind of the punches. "When you sweep your leg, your waist and hips don't follow up, so your center of gravity shifts halfway through the kick. I just pointed out your problems, and you haven't corrected any of them."

Before he could finish speaking, two veterans behind him had already pounced on him.

One palm strike aimed straight at the back of his neck, while another grappling hand gripped his right elbow joint.