Time flies, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye. It has been three or five years now.
The country is still in the midst of war and artillery fire, and marches and protests are taking place one after another.
In 1933 and 1934, two great war masters, Sun Lutang and Li Shuwen, passed away one after another. Wang Yan traveled across half of the country to pay his respects.
The two masters had numerous disciples, many of whom held high positions. Despite Wang Yan's invincible demeanor, in their eyes, he was merely a skilled warrior. Wang Yan possessed fame, not prestige. Therefore, he would receive all the necessary courtesy. To expect more would be like not knowing his own name.
Wang Yan wasn't idle the rest of the time. Besides his daily martial arts training, calligraphy practice, and medical studies, he secretly assembled a 500-man team. These men were all disciples of reliable veterans he had visited, and some even sent their own relatives. In fact, over the years, a considerable number of their disciples had already joined the army.
However, the result was heartbreaking for them. Many of them died in the warlords' melee and struggle for power, becoming victims of the struggle. Similarly, they would only support Wang Yan if he made it clear that he was determined to take down the Japanese. Of course, they wouldn't believe it completely, but they couldn't believe it. They would first see what Wang Yan would do, and he did send some capable disciples.
With the vast sums of money he'd earned from business over the past few years, Wang Yan had used gold bars to pave the way for the foreign invaders, acquiring a wealth of elite equipment and arming these 500 men. Ip Man and Zhou Qingquan didn't comment on Wang Yan's lavish spending; they were quite supportive. They were both reasonable and righteous men, and in a time of life and death, this was the right thing to do. In reality, they couldn't afford to support too many people; money was everything.
These men all had excellent physical qualities. As long as their unruly nature was suppressed and they learned obedience, they would all be good soldiers. Wang Yan didn't know how to train soldiers, so he just followed his own ideas. These men weren't afraid of hardship and could withstand it, and with the pile of prescriptions he had, their lifespans wouldn't be shortened too much.
Therefore, he followed his own impressions of formations, physical fitness, marksmanship, and practical killing techniques he had compiled from various schools. These techniques he had compiled were essentially one-shot kills; if they couldn't kill the opponent, he'd kill himself. This is why it's said to shorten one's lifespan: they were all about quick skills, honed to the point of practicing speed and strength. One must relentlessly charge forward; the faster survives, the slower dies.
These people were all martial artists, so they naturally knew what was wrong with what Wang Yan was teaching them. But when they left their hometown, their elders had warned them that if they left, they would only return with corpses. And since they had all come out of their own free will, they didn't care about that much. Killing one was enough to cover their losses, and killing more was a profit.
After training, Wang Yan led his men north to fight several battles. He lacked military strategy and strategic foresight, relying on his elite tactics, skill, marksmanship, and mobility to inflict casualties. He assisted Ma Zhanshan, and later Yang Jingyu, in guerrilla warfare, disrupting their supply chains. Initially, his effectiveness was adequate, delaying the enemy and inflicting considerable casualties, but eventually the enemy began to take precautions.
After a frantic chase and interception, with nearly a hundred casualties, this battle-hardened team finally took shape. Wang Yan didn't need to worry about the rest. He only needed to control these people, follow them on occasion, and ensure logistical supplies. The rest was for the veterans to guide the newcomers, gradually expanding their ranks and letting them figure things out on their own.
The things he led his men to do more or less changed some small situations, but were useless in the overall situation. His few guns really couldn't do anything, and were just a show of bravery.
Wang Yan had to start recuperating once again. He had personally killed hundreds of people through assassinations and massacres. He was truly driven to murder. So much so that when he encountered a problem, he subconsciously wanted to kill people to solve it. This was unacceptable.
Thanks to the good secrecy, the veterans kept quiet, leading everyone to know about this elusive team, but not the leader. Perhaps someone with ulterior motives had discovered something through clues, but they wisely kept their mouths shut, sending someone to contact Wang Yan privately. After all, the team Wang Yan commanded was incredibly powerful, and their lives were wasted in his hands.
Wang Yan wasn't a fool. He guaranteed that if anyone discovered he was working as a thug, he'd have very few men left the next day. He'd end up like Ding Lianshan. The old man was old, not incapable of action, but he couldn't fool people that way. So, he just approached the people he'd tried to win over. Since their work was tough and difficult at the time, he provided them with some supplies—better than nothing. He ignored everything else.
There's a saying: Don't let yourself assume, let me assume. The Japanese also noticed something was going on and took some actions against Wang Yan, including assassinations and backstabbing. After being killed a few times, he just endured it. After all, those people were carefully trained and much more valuable than ordinary soldiers. They had a greater purpose. It wasn't worth sacrificing so much to kill a warrior.
It inevitably affected Gong Baosen in Fengtian. With all the Manchukuo and co-prosperity mongering going on over there, it was difficult to take action against someone of Gong Baosen's rank. But it was still a constraint, and the Gong family was in a difficult position. Gong Baosen's letter told Wang Yan not to worry and to just do what he needed to do. He was truly relieved. His efforts had paid off, Wang Yan's efforts had paid off.
On this day, Wang Yan and Zhou Qingquan were having meals at Ip Man's house as usual.
Zhang Yongcheng was taking care of Ye Jun who was not eating well. On the other side, Zhou Qingquan's son, Zhou Guangyao, lowered his head and shoveled rice into his mouth without saying a word.
Zhou Qingquan picked up a dish with chopsticks and said, "Ayan, thank you so much. Guangyao has improved a lot. Apart from anything else, his health has improved a lot."
When Zhou Guangyao heard this, he quickly slowed down and became more polite.
"Haha, you, why are you scaring the child?" Wang Yan was useless. Ye Wen said with a smile: "Guangyao, don't worry about eating, we don't have so many rules."
Wang Yan also smiled and said, "It's okay. It's my fault. Guangyao and Azhun have been my students for two years, and I only taught them a little recently."
"Take your time, Guangyao is only thirteen, he has time." Zhou Qingquan comforted him. He knew what Wang Yan was talking about, as he was in charge of many of the supplies.
Wang Yan shook his head and was about to speak when Uncle Xiang walked in: "Master, there's a master named Liao outside looking for you."
Ip Man signaled to Wang Yan and Zhou Qingquan, then went out to welcome the guests.
Wang Yan knew that this was the beginning of Ip Man's plot. He would never be found when faced with a challenge. He traveled from north to south, recognized as invincible. Who would dare to challenge him?
After a while, Ip Man came in with his men and told him to wait. Wang Yan and Zhou Qingquan exchanged glances without saying a word. They ate in silence, their meal filled with the clatter of bowls and chopsticks.
While eating, Ye Wen glanced at the people present. Seeing that no one spoke, he turned around and asked, "Master Liao, have you eaten yet?"
Seeing him shaking his head, Ip Man invited him to the table and have a bite together.
Except for Zhang Yongcheng and Zhou Qingquan, everyone at the table practiced martial arts. They finished their meal in a short while, leaving only some leftovers.
Ip Man wanted to have a closed-door sparring match with Master Liao. Wang Yan had no interest in watching them fight, and Zhou Qingquan was not interested either. The two of them sat down on the stone bench in the yard.
"Ayan, a batch of supplies will be shipped here soon. Please arrange for someone to pick them up." Zhou Qingquan said after taking a sip of tea.
"Well, I'll give you instructions later."
"By the way, Ayan, we have to stop supporting that side for a while. I've noticed some unfamiliar faces recently."
Wang Yan pondered for a moment, wondering whether he should kill those people. Finally, he nodded and said, "Then let's stay out of the spotlight. It's a good opportunity to make some extra money. I've lost a lot of people. I have to pay for the compensation and recruit new people."
He picked up the tea, took a sip, and continued, "And you, practice what I taught you more. It's not safe even if you have someone to protect you now."
Zhou Qingquan nodded without saying anything.
At this moment, someone climbed up the wall. Wang Yan recalled the plot for a while before he remembered that it was Sha Danyuan. He had been killing people for the past two years and was confused. How could he remember such a minor character so clearly?
They have no one to discipline them, no education, and have been living in the streets, picking up all kinds of bad habits. There are many children like this these days, and it's a blessing that they're still alive.
After he climbed up the wall and stabilized himself, Wang Yan called out, "That kid."
The sound startled Sha Danyuan so much that he nearly fell. Coming back to his senses, he looked in Wang Yan's direction and froze. As they were both in Foshan, he naturally knew who Wang Yan was. There were countless legends surrounding him.
Seeing Wang Yan waving at him, he quickly climbed down and came to Wang Yan, nodding and bowing: "Mr. Wang, what do you want to talk to me about?"
"Do you have the guts to kill someone?" The kid is not young in this era, he must be seventeen or eighteen years old.
Even though he didn't know who he was supposed to kill, Sha Danyuan wanted to shout that he had the guts, but he was just a small-time thug with no ambition. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead, and his legs were shaking. He lowered his head and trembled in fear. No one knew what he was thinking, but he just kept silent.
Zhou Qingquan on the side rolled his eyes at Wang Yan and asked why he was scaring the child for no reason.
At this time, Ye Wen and Master Liao came out. Wang Yan waved to Sha Danyuan in front of him boredly and said, "Go."
Sha Danyuan was pardoned and ran away without even caring about the kite.
After seeing Master Liao off, Ip Man returned to the courtyard and sat down. He asked the two children to do a set of boxing to help them digest their food, and he also checked their progress and gave them some feedback.
After that, they talked for a while and then went home.
Sha Danyuan returned home and hesitated for a long time before telling his brother Wu Chilin what happened today, otherwise he would be uneasy.
"Brother, I met Mr. Wang at Ip Man's house today. He asked me if I had the courage to kill someone." Sha Danyuan said to Wu Chi Lin who was washing dishes.
Wu Chilin subconsciously asked, "Mr. Wang? Which Mr. Wang? Oh..." Then he realized what he was doing, stopped what he was doing, and said, "So what did you say?"
Sha Danyuan said with a bitter face: "I... I didn't dare to speak..."
Wu Chi Lin didn't take it seriously. How could someone bother with a child like you? He consoled her, "It's okay, don't worry. Mr. Wang is such a big shot, why would he care about us? Just be safe and sound, and don't cause trouble for me."
In fact, Wu Chi Lin also blamed Wang Yan in his heart. He was such a big shot, and there were plenty of people working for him. Why did he scare my brother?
He didn't know that Wang Yan was not just trying to scare the child. If Sha Danyuan had said he had the guts, he would have been sent away the next day, thrown directly into the base to train to death, and then go to the battlefield to fight for his life.
These were all minor matters, and Wang Yan didn't care. He stayed at home to cultivate his character and calm his restless heart.
It was another beautiful day. Wang Yan went to a nearby base, checked the training of the new recruits, and listened to Li Qiankun's report on some situations.
After Li Shuwen left, Li Qiankun joined Wang Yan. He was the crown prince of the Li family, so he chose to work for him. Wang Yan couldn't let anything happen to him, as it would be difficult to explain. So, he led him into battle a few times, fooled him a bit, and then assigned him to take charge of the rear.
Because of the years of war, everyone was struggling. Wang Yan used coercion and bribery to recruit a group of Chinese medicine practitioners with decent medical skills and moral integrity. He didn't dare touch the famous ones, as they had too many benefactors to touch. He settled these people in this base, treating the wounded as they came, and spent most of his time researching prescriptions.
His goal was to thoroughly understand the underlying medical principles and find alternative herbs. The original herbs were too scarce and expensive, and even with his considerable wealth, he couldn't afford to support so many people. He would need to recruit a few foreign experts to combine Chinese and Western medicine. Ultimately, he needed to improve and popularize the practice, a process that required long-term persistence and continuous investment.
After checking the doctors' progress, Wang Yan left and returned to Foshan City. He didn't need to see any more of it. If the work didn't get done in a month or two, even a year or two, or even ten or eight years, it would all be wasted.
Back in the city, someone he had met greeted Wang Yan: "Hello, Mr. Wang, are you going to Mr. Ye's house?"
"Huh? Why do you say that?" Wang Yan often went to Ip Man's house, but their relationship was not known to everyone, and this man was not a gangster.
"Don't you know? A boxer came from the north, clamoring to challenge Ip Man. I saw many martial artists followed him."
"I just found out about it too. You're busy, I'll go see what's going on." After saying this politely, Wang Yan walked towards Ip Man's house.
When they arrived at the Ye family mansion, there was a circle of people gathered outside. When they saw Wang Yan coming, they shouted "Mr. Wang" and made way for him.
In front of the tightly closed door, Li Zhao saw Wang Yan coming and hurriedly greeted him. Wang Yan waved his hand without saying anything. He knew Li Zhao, and he was considered an extra-commissioned younger brother. Li Zhao had been responsible for finishing off the people he had killed before.
After waiting for a while, Jin Shanzhao came out with his men, looking dusty and dusty. He asked Li Zhao to evacuate everyone, and Wang Yan said to Jin Shanzhao, "Come with me." Then he went inside.
Jinshan didn't recognize Wang Yan, and he was in a bad mood after being beaten up. "You think..."
Li Zhao, who was standing next to him, quickly punched him and said to Jin Shan, who was glaring at him, "I saved you out of kindness, don't be ungrateful. He's Mr. Wang, and he wouldn't be courting death like you."
"Mr. Wang? Which Mr. Wang?" Jin Shanzhao was confused for a moment.
Someone nearby gloated, "That's Mr. Wang, the man who fought from north to south without a single defeat."
No one called Wang Yan's name directly. It was okay behind his back, but in public, it was a sign of respect for the strong.
"Ah..." Jin Shanzhao suddenly realized: "If you just told me he was Wang Yan, I would have known. Thank you so much."
After saying that, he turned around with his men and walked into the main hall that he had just destroyed.
Li Zhao shook his head and muttered "reckless man", then turned around and said, "Everyone, go away. Master Ye has won. There's no more excitement to watch. Go away."
Everyone was talking about Wang Yan and then dispersed in a crowd.
When Jinshan came to the main hall, he saw Wang Yan sitting on a chair and talking to Ip Man, with Uncle Xiang pouring tea for him.
Wang Yan pointed at Jinshan and said to Uncle Xiang, "Uncle Xiang, tell them to clean this up."
Jinshan didn't even bother looking for anything. He hurried over with his four men and, under Uncle Xiang's command, started to clean up the place. He even mopped the floor before finishing the job.
Looking at the five people standing obediently in front of him, Wang Yan said directly: "Want to eat?"
Jin Shanzhao said without hesitation: "I want to eat."
"Can you endure hardship, but dare to kill people?"
"I dare." Jinshan nodded heavily.
Wang Yan asked the younger brother that Jinshan had found: "What about you guys?"
"We listen to Big Brother."
He nodded, asked Uncle Xiang for a pen and paper, wrote a few words, and handed it to Jin Shanzhao: "Take this and walk ten miles north of the city. Go."
Jinshan found the note and bowed to Wang Yan: "Thank you, Mr. Wang, for the meal."
Seeing Wang Yan nod, he turned around and left with his men, heading out of the city to the north towards the mountains.
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