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

In the side courtyard of the Jingwu Association, under the wisteria trellis.

On the stone table sat a pot of Longjing tea and two celadon cups, the tea emitting a bittersweet aroma.

Chen Gongzhe, dressed in a gray cloth robe, sat upright to the side, his brows slightly furrowed.

Chen Hongwu leaned back in the bamboo chair, his face calm, as if listening to the wind passing over the wall, or as if he wasn't thinking about anything at all.

"You killed Xu Guoliang, didn't you?" Chen Gongzhe spoke first.

"Yes." Chen Hongwu did not deny it.

"Kill him if you want, but to hang his head in public is even worse. No matter how bad Xu Guoliang was, he was still a police chief under the Beiyang government. This isn't just a slap in the face, it's like stabbing them in the eye with a knife." Chen Gongzhe shook his head and smiled bitterly.

"The Japanese have already offered a bounty. If you then recruit the Beiyang Army, you'll be attacked from both sides. How will you recover?"

Chen Hongwu picked up his teacup and took a sip: "The Beiyang government will not go to great lengths for Xu Guoliang."

"Why?" Chen Gongzhe asked, puzzled.

Chen Hongwu seemed very confident.

"Xu Guoliang was able to maintain his position as the police chief in Shanghai because of Qi Xieyuan."

However, Lu Yongxiang also served as the military governor of Songhu, and he had long hated Lu Yongxiang.

These two factions, one from the Zhili clique and the other from the Anhui clique, were ostensibly both under the Beiyang government, but secretly they were bitter enemies.

Chen Hongwu put the teacup back on the stone table. "If I kill Xu Guoliang, Lu Yongxiang will only applaud. He will naturally fill the position with his own people and smooth things over. The Beiyang Army is too busy fighting among itself to bother with me."

In the original historical trajectory, Xu Guoliang's death was orchestrated by Lu Yongxiang.

Wang Yaqiao's actions made him famous throughout the world.

Chen Hongwu simply brought this step forward; Xu Guoliang just died a few years earlier.

Things in Shanghai have never been as simple as just fighting and killing. With Xu Guoliang's death, a new balance will naturally emerge between the Police Department and the Longhua Military Command.

Chen Gongzhe remained silent for a long time before slowly nodding: "You seem to have a clear understanding of the Shanghai game."

"Now we are in a chaotic world, and the old rules no longer work. Whoever has the bigger fist has the final say. Even without Lu Yongxiang, I am not afraid of the Beiyang government."

With my abilities, Chen, where in this world can't I go?

Chen Hongwu looked confident, leaving Chen Gongzhe with no point of rebuttal.

"Moreover, if Xu Guoliang hadn't helped the Japanese force my Jingwu Association, I might not have taken action against him. Since he dared to step forward, he should be prepared to pay with his life."

Chen Gongzhe sighed: "Fine, I can't dissuade you from crossing the river like this. So what are your plans next?"

The atmosphere in Shanghai is tense and the Japanese want nothing more than to tear you apart.

The title of "Number One Assassin in the World" may sound intimidating, but assassins are ultimately people to be avoided.

If you can keep it hidden, this sword will forever hang over someone else's head; but once you reveal your whereabouts and someone finds out your location, this tiger skin will be useless.

At that time, with open and covert attacks, machine guns and cannons, even the most skilled martial artist won't be able to protect themselves completely.

Chen Hongwu did not answer immediately.

He looked up at the wisteria-covered eaves, remained silent for a few moments, and then said, "I plan to open a school in Shanghai to teach students."

Chen Gongzhe was taken aback, the teacup wobbling in his hand: "Are you crazy? Aren't you just jumping out to become a target?"

"Let me finish." Chen Hongwu sat up straight, his gaze sharpening like a drawn dagger. "President Chen, have you ever considered why the martial arts world in the South has always lagged behind the North? Is it a problem with the specific styles of martial arts?"

Chen Gongzhe was taken aback: "How can the martial arts world in the South be inferior to that in the North? Guangdong Hung Kuen, Fujian Five Ancestors, Sichuan Buddhist sects—aren't they all teeming with masters?"

"Masters are everywhere, but they don't gather together." Chen Hongwu shook his head. "Southern boxing styles are diverse. Hong, Liu, Cai, Li, Mo, plus White Crane, Wing Chun, Cai Li Fo, and Xiajia, which one isn't a good boxing style?"

However, each faction and group clung to their own views, and none of them would submit to the others.

Today you step on me, tomorrow I'll crush you. All this fighting is for a few martial arts schools and a few plaques. When real trouble comes, very few will stand up for you.

"The more I saw, the more I felt that our martial arts world had serious problems, as I traveled from Guangdong to Shanghai."

"Oh?"

"Everyone goes their own way, working in isolation. One style of boxing is divided into three families and five schools; one patriarch has eight masters. When faced with external enemies, they are all a disorganized mess, each pursuing their own agenda."

The Chinese Martial Arts Association was established in Tianjin in the third year of the Xuantong reign (1911). Li Cunyi, Li Ruidong, Zhang Zhankui, and their group integrated the Xingyi, Bagua, and Tai Chi styles from Hebei, Shanxi, and the Beijing-Tianjin region. Even today, although conflicts still exist within the northern martial arts world, there is always a central thread, and everyone knows who to turn to when trouble arises.

But what about the south? Hung Kuen, Choy Li Fut, Pak Mei, Wing Chun, and Mok Family Kung Fu each operated independently, refusing to interact or submit to each other. Before the foreigners even invaded, they were already fighting amongst themselves, their faces bruised and battered.

How could the martial arts world in this situation withstand the catastrophe that would befall China a few years later?

In the face of the tides of the times, individual bravery is insignificant, even for a master like Chen Hongwu, who at most could carry out a few decapitation strikes.

In terms of the overall situation, the impact is limited.

What he needs to do now is to strengthen the nation and its people, and unite the entire martial arts world as one to fight against external threats.

Regardless of North or South, there can only be one voice!

Of course, you have to eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time.

Chen Hongwu's strategy was to conquer the south first and then the north.

Chen Gongzhe's expression changed slightly. As the president of the Jingwu Association, he naturally knew the inside story of the martial arts world in the south.

Although the Jingwu Association holds a dominant position in the martial arts world of the South, its influence lies more in its system and education. Among the true martial arts practitioners, there are numerous factions, and no one listens to anyone else.

"What do you want to do?" Chen Gongzhe's voice lowered.

"Opening a martial arts school is not just about teaching boxing," Chen Hongwu said, emphasizing each word. "I want to start in Shanghai and stir up this stagnant pool of martial arts in the South. The Jingwu Association has already made a good start, but we still need someone, a flag, to pull out those who are closed off, those who are quarrelsome, and those who are hiding their true intentions. Otherwise, when disaster strikes in the future, what good will a few boxers do?"

Chen Gongzhe stared at him intently, as if he were meeting this young man for the first time.

He never expected that Chen Hongwu, this martial arts fanatic, would harbor such great ambitions, or rather, aspirations.

After a moment, he took a deep breath: "You want to be the leader of the martial arts world?"

Chen Hongwu leaned back in his chair, his expression indifferent.

"That's right!" he said. "In this Southern martial arts world, someone has to step forward and turn this scattered mess into a united front."

"And who else but me should take the position of leader?"