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

Lu Yongxiang suddenly burst into laughter.

The laughter came abruptly, shattering the tense and menacing atmosphere that filled the room.

After laughing, he waved his hand dismissively: "All of you, get out!"

The guards hesitated for a moment, but ultimately dared not disobey orders. They put away their guns and filed out.

The sounds of gunfire faded into the distance, and only the three of them remained in the hall.

Lu Yongxiang slowly stood up, straightened his uniform, picked up his teacup, and bowed to Chen Hongwu: "Master Chen, I was rash just now. You saved my son first, and I pointed my gun at you. I shouldn't have done that. I was just joking with you, Master Chen. Please don't take it to heart."

He was sincere, but Chen Hongwu didn't care. Which warlord in troubled times wasn't a cunning old fox? It would be foolish to believe his nonsense.

"Master Chen, please have some tea." Lu Yongxiang sat down again, his smile deepening. "That bastard Xu Guoliang, relying on Qi Xieyuan's influence, has repeatedly opposed me."

Out of consideration for our comrades, I've been unable to do anything about him. Master Chen's intervention this time has removed a thorn in my side. I'm overjoyed; why would I blame you?

He clapped his hands, "Clap clap!"

Two guards immediately entered from outside, carrying a vermilion lacquered wooden box and two brocade boxes.

The heavy wooden box was placed at Chen Hongwu's feet. When the lid was opened, it was full of wrapped silver dollars. The foreign coins and red paper were rolled up into bundles. A rough count showed that there were no less than five thousand.

Inside each brocade box lay two gleaming gold bars, of extremely high purity.

Immediately afterwards, someone brought over a nanmu wood tray with a contract on it.

Lu Yongxiang pointed to the deed and said, "This is a shop on Avenue Joffre in the French Concession, two stories high, spacious and sunny. If Master Chen wants to establish himself in Shanghai in the future, he will need a decent property. Consider this shop my congratulatory gift, please don't refuse."

Chen Hongwu glanced at it only once, his expression unchanged.

Lu Xiaojia watched with envy, thinking to himself that his father had really gone all out.

These valuables were nothing more than a drop in the ocean for Lu Yongxiang.

As the military governor of Zhejiang, Lu Yongxiang controlled Chengdu, had a steady stream of funds, and also had the revenue from the Shanghai-Hangzhou Railway and Ningbo Port available for his allocation.

The army has tens of thousands of soldiers, ample firearms, and its food and pay are never delayed.

Although he was only nominally the Military Governor of Songhu in Shanghai, he held military and police power over most of the Chinese-controlled area.

Five thousand silver dollars, two gold bars, and a shop were nothing to him, not even a drop in the ocean.

"As for the Beiyang faction, Master Chen, there's no need to worry too much," Lu Yongxiang said slowly, leaning back in his chair. "Xu Guoliang died in office, and I have my own way of explaining it to Beijing. I can simply say he was assassinated by an enemy or killed while pursuing rebels; it's not difficult. As long as I'm here, this case won't cause any trouble."

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked at Chen Hongwu with a smile: "Master Chen, you've put my mind at ease. I invited you here today, firstly to thank you in person, and secondly, to ask what your plans are for the future. If you need my help, just ask. As long as I can do it, I'll do it without hesitation."

Chen Hongwu put down his teacup and got straight to the point: "I plan to open a martial arts school."

"A martial arts school?" Lu Yongxiang chuckled. "Master Chen, opening a martial arts school is easy enough. With your reputation, you could hang up a sign and have thousands of disciples. But if it were just about opening a school, why would you need to come to me? Which of the leading figures in Shanghai would dare not give you face?"

"I plan to name this martial arts school—" Chen Hongwu looked directly at him and said, word by word, "Central Martial Arts Academy."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Lu Yongxiang's smile froze on his lips. After all, he was a man who had spent half his life in the officialdom, and his heart skipped a beat when he heard the words "central government".

After a long pause, he slowly put down his teacup and said with a wry smile, "Master Chen, your words have really stumped me."

He stood up, paced around the hall a few times, and turned to look at Chen Hongwu: "I have some idea of ​​Master Chen's ambition. Once the flag of the Central Committee is raised, it will, on a small scale, represent the Shanghai martial arts industry; on a larger scale, it will represent the entire martial arts world."

But the words "Central Government" are no small matter. Duan Qirui in the north, Cen Chunxuan in the south—who wouldn't want to use those words? For a martial arts school to steal that name is tantamount to appropriating someone else's banner.

He sighed, "Master Chen, if you called it 'Chinese Martial Arts Academy,' I, Lu Yongxiang, can write the plaque for you right now. But 'Central'... that's difficult."

Chen Hongwu's expression remained unchanged: "It is precisely because it is difficult that we need to find General Lu. If it were easy, I wouldn't be sitting here today."

Lu Yongxiang narrowed his eyes, then suddenly laughed: "You young man, you're bolder than the sky. Alright, let me think about it. This is a serious matter and cannot be taken lightly."

After he finished speaking, he added, "Perfect, let my son show you around. Although Longhua can't compare to the bustling foreign concessions, it's still quite peaceful."