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

"Thugs! Lawless! Utterly inhuman!"

Not all Chinese people applauded Chen Hongwu's actions.

The first to fire the shot was a very famous writer named Pan Mingde, who was a PhD in philosophy from the United States in his early years and now writes a column for a newspaper that promotes "civilization and progress" every day.

He writes extremely quickly, disregarding the opinions of others, but only considering the opinions of foreigners, and has always regarded himself as a "public intellectual."

"Chen Hongwu's atrocities not only challenged the rule of law, but also destroyed decades of diplomatic relations between our country and our eastern neighbor in one fell swoop," Pan Mingde wrote. "What we seek is the rule of law and justice."

Alas! The existence of such a brute within our nation is a source of deep sorrow and indignation for enlightened people both at home and abroad. He is truly a great enemy of enlightenment and a common foe of civilization!

At this critical juncture, it is especially important to distinguish right from wrong. How can we advocate for them, indulging in momentary pleasure at the expense of lasting peace?

The article is short, but its tone is sophisticated.

Since the Boxer Rebellion, China has been surrounded by powerful nations, making it crucial to improve diplomatic relations and build up national strength.

He also said that although Japan is a neighboring country, its national power has been growing stronger since the Meiji Restoration, and China should learn from its strengths.

Then, the author shifted focus, accusing Chen Hongwu of "acting out of personal selfishness and reckless courage, killing Japanese soldiers in the marketplace and storming military camps in the middle of the night," calling him "the epitome of tyranny." Finally, the author lamented, "If everyone were to follow suit, friendly nations would look down on us, and the nation's progress would become increasingly difficult. If this trend is not curbed, we fear annihilation."

To put it bluntly, this means criticizing Chen Hongwu for lacking a sense of the bigger picture and causing trouble for friendly nations.

Between the lines, the phrase "Sino-foreign friendship" is touted as a death knell.

Upon seeing the report, within half a day, someone in the restaurant shouted, "What kind of scoundrel is this Pan!" Others sneered, "I knew this fellow was no good."

Many people couldn't stand it, and some even went so far as to publish articles in the newspapers to hurl insults at each other.

That morning, Zhou Shuren signed his pen name, "Tang Si," in the "Random Thoughts" section of the latest issue of *New Youth*. The article was short, yet it was as sharp as a knife cutting through flesh.

"Some people in the country have Chinese skin but drink foreign ink, and in the end, they feel that Chinese lives are not worth much money."

The Japanese bombarded our lands and killed our people, and they remained silent; but when the Chinese rose up, fought back, and retaliated, they became much more vocal, issuing lengthy accusations that we were "damaging diplomatic relations with our eastern neighbor."

"What is diplomatic relations? Is it something that can be obtained by exchanging the lives of Chinese people? Today, Chen Hongwu can kill people, and people write articles to condemn him; tomorrow, if the Japanese come to kill again, who will they condemn then? It is clear that there is no need to be surprised by 'friendly nations'."

"Military men can't kill people physically, but literary men can kill them through their writing. When Chen Hongwu killed one person, people cursed him; when the Japanese killed a hundred, they said 'it was excusable.' How is such rhetoric any different from that of traitors!"

In the final paragraph, however, Zhou Shuren shifted his focus to traditional Chinese martial arts.

"I used to say that martial arts were useless, just a trick to deceive people. Now I realize that I was wrong."

"Whether Chinese martial arts can be effective depends on those who are truly dedicated. Chen Hongwu's punches and kicks sent the Japanese running all over the map, which was more satisfying than 108,000 'Down with imperialism' slogans."

This is what makes it useful. We scholars, though we can't carry heavy loads or lift heavy objects, and can't rid the people of harm, should at least applaud those who do.

Looking back now, I realize that my prejudice against traditional Chinese martial arts was wrong.

I sincerely apologize today. From now on, I will practice more, not necessarily to fight, but at least not to tarnish the reputation of traditional Chinese martial arts.

This statement caused a sensation throughout the world.

-

Inside the Jingwu Association.

Chen Hongwen paced back and forth in the courtyard, newspaper in hand. His face was flushed, and he kept reciting, "Chen Hongwu's punches and kicks sent the Japanese running all over the map, more satisfying than a hundred thousand 'Down with imperialism' chants... Oh! Listen to this! How well Mr. Tang Si put it! It's one thing for my elder brother to be famous in the martial arts world, but now, even Mr. Zhou from the cultural circle is speaking up for him!"

Chen Shi stood next to him, holding an enamel bowl, his eyes following the newspaper in his hand: "Brother Hongwen, read it slowly, I can't recognize all of them."

Chen Hongwen read it again, and when he got to the word "traitor," he spat three times: "That Pan Mingde, what a piece of trash! 'Enlightened' and 'civilized,' huh? His ancestors suffered countless losses at the hands of foreigners, and now he's learned to speak for them! What a piece of trash!"

"That's right! That guy surnamed Pan is no good!" Chen Shi clenched his fist, squeezing the bowl so hard it creaked.

Li Yi slowly walked out of the house, took the newspaper and read it for a long time.

Chen Hongwen hurriedly said, "Uncle Li, look, now the newspapers are calling my brother 'The Number One Assassin in the World'! What an impressive title! Who in Shanghai wouldn't give him a thumbs up?"

After reading it, Li Yi carefully folded the newspaper and said calmly, "A renowned reputation is both a good thing and a bad thing."

Chen Hongwen was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"In the martial world, fame is a weapon." Li Yi sat down on the stone steps, lit a cigarette, and exhaled a puff of white smoke. "Have you ever seen people fighting for fame? A mere empty name can lead to generations of people killing each other."

He paused for a moment, then slowly said, "In the early years of the Republic of China, there was a Xingyi Quan master in Hebei who was known as 'Iron Palm Li.' Because he won several martial arts competitions beautifully when he was young, some people in Tianjin flattered him and called him 'Hebei's Number One Hand.'"

Just those five words, and guess what? Within six months, how many people came knocking on our door? Some wanted to become our disciples, some wanted to challenge us, some were dissatisfied, and some wanted to make a name for themselves by stepping on others.

Master Li is a skilled fighter, but he can't keep up with people coming every day and every month.

Later, after breaking a leg, I finally found some peace and quiet.

"That's still good. Do you know the 'King of the South' in Fuzhou? An old master of Southern Fist, surnamed Wu, was also praised by the newspapers, who said he was 'unbeatable in seven provinces'."

The following year, seven or eight boxing masters from Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang provinces came to visit him in turn.

They didn't say they were seeking revenge, just that they wanted to "learn from you." Master Wu was eventually worn down by the relentless attacks and died at the young age of forty-seven.

Chen Hongwen's expression darkened slightly.

Li Yi stubbed out his cigarette: "I never worry about Master Chen's skills. But the words 'Number One in the World' are a double-edged sword."

Your elder brother may be in the shadows, but his reputation is like a torch, blowing wherever he goes.

The tallest tree in the forest catches the most wind. This newspaper's decision to withhold such a prestigious title likely has ulterior motives.

Chen Hongwen asked anxiously, "What should we do then? Should we try to remove the newspapers?"

"We can't withdraw." Li Yi shook his head, then smiled. "But I was just saying. Who is your older brother?"

The Japanese couldn't buy his life with tens of thousands of silver dollars, so why would they care about these clowns? If anyone dared to come, they'd probably just be throwing their lives away.

Chen Hongwen breathed a sigh of relief and then asked, "But if Brother is alright, why hasn't he come back yet?"

Li Yi was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Perhaps they don't want to bring trouble onto us."

The wind blew in from outside the courtyard wall, and the wisteria leaves rustled.

Chen Shi drank the water in the bowl in one gulp, pursed his lips, and remained silent.