Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Chapter 365 Tongbei Sect! Dominating the Martial World
Through-the-back door!
Suddenly, Chen Jie recalled a scene from the 'Hero Arena' in the capital.

In the martial arts world of the Great Qian Dynasty, there are known as five sects, thirteen factions, and eighty-one schools.

This is a martial arts school that has been passed down for hundreds of years in the Great Qian Dynasty.

The Tongbei School's martial art is Tongbei Fist, which has a long history and is quite famous in the martial arts world.

but,

Tongbei Sect once encountered a disaster and was almost wiped out, its lineage nearly ended, and its overall strength is relatively weak.

Tongbeimen in Xicheng District of Beijing is just one branch of it.

In other parts of the Daqian Dynasty, there were other branches of the Tongbeimen sect.

and,

Some branches have developed very well.

When the 'Hero Arena' began, Ma Zhankun, the leader of the 'Tongbeimen' in the capital, was killed on the spot by Peng Gan, the deputy leader of the Axe Gang.

At that time, all of Tongbeimen's businesses were to be swallowed up by the Taipinghao Axe Gang.

Tongbeimen will also face the predicament of disbanding.

Finally, Chen Jie emerged as a dark horse, killing two leaders of the Axe Gang in the "Hero Arena" and becoming the leader of the "Righteous Group" in the western district of Beijing.

Chen Jie returned all of Tongbeimen's properties and also gave Tongbeimen a sum of money.

The middle-aged man smiled and said:
“Yes, yes, yes—this brother is right. I am Ma Tongming, the younger brother of Ma Zhankun of Tongbeimen.”

Chen Jie then remembered that it was an old friend from the "Hero's Arena" in Xicheng District of Beijing.

After receiving the silver coins from Ximentang, Ma Tongming led his disciples and left the capital, arriving in Jinling.

There is a branch of Tongbeimen in Jinling City, and it has developed even better.

In fact, Chen Jie had only done a small favor and didn't take it to heart at all.

So much time has passed that he has almost forgotten everything.

Now that I think about it, I feel like I've seen this person before.

Thinking of this, Chen Jie nodded and said politely, "So it's Brother Ma. I didn't expect to meet you again in Jinling City."

When Ma Tongming saw Chen Jie, he was reminded of himself and felt very excited.

He smiled and said:
“Young master, if it weren’t for you last time in the capital, our Tongbei Sect would have had to disband.”

"Since leaving the capital, all of us brothers of Tongbei Sect have been deeply grateful for your kindness, young master."

"When we learned that you had become the Governor-General of Shandong, all of us brothers originally planned to go to Qingzhou, Shandong, to pay our respects and express our gratitude."

"But during this period of time, the entire eastern Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu have been in chaos, and we have been unable to spare any time for them."

"I never expected to see you in Nanjing this time."

"Young master, would you like to visit our Tongbei Gate in Jinling sometime? All of us brothers would like to express our sincere gratitude to you."

Chen Jie was taken aback upon hearing this.

Xu Shichang is currently transferring troops from Huzhou Prefecture, while Ximentang is temporarily resting in Jinling City.

To attack Hangzhou, we must know the current movements of the rebels.

Therefore,
Chen Jie is waiting for the right opportunity.

He thought about it and figured that since he had nothing else to do at the moment, there was no harm in going to Jinling Tongbei Sect to learn about the various sects in the martial arts world.

People in the martial arts world are very well-informed, even more so than the Ximen Hall's "undercover" intelligence network.

Just like the Canal Gang, they had a very clear understanding of many things in the martial arts world.

The main business of Jinling Tongbeimen was boat running, but it did not belong to the Caobang (Grand Canal Gang). It had dealings with major underworld forces such as the Green Gang, the Gelaohui (Brotherhood Society), the Taipinghao (Taiping Ship), the Red Lantern Gang, and the Hongmen (Triads).

therefore,

You might be able to glean some information from them that you don't already know.

Chen Jie pondered for a moment, then nodded and said:
"Alright, since Brother Ma is so kind, let's go and have a seat."

When Ma Tongming heard that Chen Jie was going to Tongbeimen, he was so excited he almost jumped up.

He immediately led the way, guiding Chen Jie and the others through the streets of Jinling City towards the eastern district of Jinling.

As he walked forward, he casually asked:
“Young master, when we Tongbei Sect disciples were on the ship, we heard that you were already the governor of Shandong, and this time you have dispatched a large army to garrison Jinling.”

"Ximentang not only repelled the Western Allied Forces, but also made the Kwantung Army flee in terror. Is it true that he is preparing to quell the rebellion in eastern Zhejiang this time?"

Chen Jie nodded and smiled, not intending to hide anything from the other party, and said:

“That’s right. Since the ‘Heroes’ Arena’ in the western district of the capital, I have become the Grand Commander of the ‘Righteous Group’ and the Governor-General of Shandong.”

"The reason I came to Jinling this time is because Jinling City has become a base under Ximentang. No, it should be said that the entire southern and northern Jiangsu will become a base under Ximentang."

"In addition, as a condition of our exchange with the Great Qian Dynasty, our Ximen Hall will assist the Great Qian Ministry of War in suppressing the rebellion."

hiss--!
Upon hearing this, Ma Tongming gasped.

He said cautiously, "I heard before that Ximen Tang is going to take over from General Guan Qilin and be stationed in Jinling Prefecture, and that you will become the prince consort. I wonder if it's true?"

Chen Jie nodded slightly, surprised that these people in the martial arts world were so quick to spread information.

He said calmly, "The matter of the prince consort is still far off. The emperor has promised, but I haven't even seen the princess yet."

Speaking of this, Chen Jie felt very frustrated.

During my last trip to the capital to meet the Emperor, I never expected that Emperor Li Zheng would be assassinated at the Great Buddha Temple.

Princess Li Lingyue is avoiding seeing him.

Upon hearing this, Ma Tongming's body trembled violently.

Puff-!
He knelt on the ground and said to Chen Jie, "Young Master, no—Your Highness, I didn't know—!"

Chen Jie was speechless; he hadn't expected the other party to have such a strong sense of "class".

Upon hearing that he was the Governor-General of Shandong and the son-in-law of the emperor, he immediately knelt down.

He quickly said, "Get up. A man's knees are worth gold. He should only kneel to heaven, earth, and his parents. There is no need for him to kneel to me."

Ma Tongming was helped to his feet by Chen Jie, and his tone sounded very awkward.

That kind of deeply ingrained 'class consciousness' cannot be eliminated in just a few words.

He took a deep breath and said:
“Young master, when I first heard that Ximen Tang was stationed in Songjiang Prefecture, I wasn’t sure if it was the Ximen Tang from the capital.”

"How long has it been? Ximentang was just a small gang on Ximen Street in the capital. How could it have grown so fast?"

"I always thought it was just a coincidence that we had the same name, but I never expected it to really be you."

"I deserve to die! I should have realized earlier that this was no coincidence!"

indeed,

In less than a year, Ximentang rose to power, not only sweeping away the Western Allied Forces, but also completely crushing the Japanese Kwantung Army.

Ximentang was recognized as the most powerful army in the Great Qian Dynasty.

Not only was Ma Tongming shocked, but anyone else familiar with Simon Tang would find it unbelievable.

Chen Jie shook his head and said with a smile:

“Ma Tongming, although I am now the Governor-General of Shandong, Ximentang is ultimately just a gangster force and does not belong to the Ministry of War of the Imperial Court.”

“We met in the Xicheng District of Beijing, and we can be considered old friends. We even fought against the ‘Axe Gang’ together.”

"From now on, let's treat each other as equals. There's no need to be so formal or have too many formalities."

Chen Jie behaved very modestly, without any arrogance.

Ma Tongming was at a loss for words.

He was a man of the martial arts world, and had dealt with government officials and various forces from all walks of life.

to be frank,
He had never met a big shot like Chen Jie before.

Given Chen Jie's current status and position, even Xu Shichang, the Minister of War, could only sit alongside him.

Moreover, Chen Jie is the Grand Commander of the 'Righteous Army' of the Great Qian Dynasty, and the leader of all the righteous armies in the world.

call--!
Ma Tongming couldn't help but take a deep breath and said:
"Young master, the Tongbei Sect's branch in Jinling is just ahead."

After a while.

The group arrived at a large mansion near the east gate of Jinling.

Two stone lions stood in front of the gate of the mansion.

The plaque above the door bears three large, powerful characters.

—Tongbeimen!
Following Ma Tongming's announcement, the gate opened.

A man in his forties walked out from inside.

Behind this man were hundreds of Tongbei Sect disciples.

Ma Tongming quickly stepped forward and whispered something to the burly man.

Next,
He introduced himself to the burly man and all the Tongbei Sect disciples around him:

"Brother Yuan, this is Young Master Chen, the Grand Commander of Ximen Hall!" *Whoosh!*
As soon as he finished speaking, all the disciples of Tongbei Sect knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Chen Jie.

Class consciousness was already deeply ingrained in the Great Qian Dynasty.

The middle-aged man kowtowed to Chen Jie and said, "This humble subject, Yuanzhang, pays his respects to Your Excellency the Governor!"

Yuan Zhang!

The sect leader of the Tongbei Sect in Jinling Prefecture has already broken through to the early stage of the Marrow Transformation Realm.

Compared to Ma Zhankun, the former leader of the Tongbei Sect in the capital, Yuanzhang's martial arts skills are much stronger.

This is why Ma Tongming led his Tongbei Sect disciples to join Yuan Zhang of Jinling Prefecture.

Chen Jie didn't really have any class consciousness.

Seeing the other person kneeling and kowtowing before him, he quickly said:

"Sect Leader Yuan, there's no need for such formalities, please rise!"

finished,

The group entered through the back door and sat in the hall.

The servants quickly served tea, and the other members of Tongbeimen all stepped forward.

Om-!
Chen Jie didn't say much, but took advantage of the moment when everyone around him relaxed their mental focus.

He sipped his tea while performing the "Bible-Spiritual Practice".

Since he broke through to the 'mid-stage of guarding the acupoints', his mental strength has become much stronger than before.

The third stage of Spirit Cultivation Techniques—Spirit Control!
This is the third level of biblical spiritual practice, which Chen Jie used to find very difficult to perform.

but,

Now he can perform it with ease, silently and imperceptibly.

This is a method for controlling mental power.

Under normal circumstances, only those high-ranking members of the Western religious sect's spiritual gate will be subjected to 'spirit control'!
Once someone has been subjected to 'Spirit Control', their inner faith will become increasingly firm and clear.

and,

Over time, this power of faith can temper one's spirit.

That is,

After Chen Jie used 'Spirit Control', an imprint will be left in the hearts of these members of the Tongbei Sect.

From then on, Chen Jie became their faith.

Furthermore, as everyone gains faith in Chen Jie, their own spiritual power will also increase.

The deeper the imprint, the deeper the faith, the faster the spiritual power will increase.

They were willing to sacrifice their lives for the totem in their hearts.

This is an extremely terrifying method of controlling mental power.

of course,

If the opponent's spiritual cultivation has broken through to the 'guarding the aperture' stage, then the Bible-spiritual cultivation technique will find it difficult to shake their mind.

this moment,
Chen Jie left an imprint on the minds of Yuan Zhang, Ma Tongming, and others.

call--!
Chen Jie took a sip of tea and couldn't help but exhale.

Damn it——!
This time, using 'Spirit Control' consumed a great deal of mental energy.

Perhaps it's because the Tongbei Sect has too many members, and their martial arts skills are quite high.

Therefore,
Chen Jie could only exert his power on the dozen or so key members in the Tongbeimen meeting hall.

If there are too many people, his mental energy will not be able to withstand it, and it may even backfire and cause him to collapse.

in fact,

Practicing 'Bible-based spiritualism' is extremely dangerous.

If the opponent's mental strength is strong, it can easily cause backlash damage to oneself.

Therefore,
Chen Jie has always been very careful and cautious when performing 'Bible-based spiritual practices'.

He first needed to use his spiritual perception, honed at the Refining Spirit Realm, to confirm that the opponent's spiritual power was no stronger than his own.

If you act rashly, you'll be in big trouble once you leave a mark on the other person's mind.

At this time,

A member of the Tongbei Sect placed a large stack of silver notes in front of Chen Jie.

This is a universal bank note from the largest money shop in Jinling Prefecture.

Each note costs ten silver dollars, and there appear to be about a hundred of them, totaling roughly a thousand silver dollars.

This amount of money is nothing to Chen Jie.

but,

For a gang in the martial arts world, a thousand silver dollars is definitely a huge sum of money.

Yuan Zhang, the sect leader of Tongbei Sect, took a deep breath and said:
"My lord, if it weren't for your help in the capital last time, our Tongbei Sect's branch in the capital would have been completely destroyed."

"You are the benefactor of our Tongbei Sect. You saved the lives of hundreds of our disciples."

"We, the Tongbei Sect, have no way to repay your great kindness."

"This is a thousand silver dollars, to express our feelings. In the eyes of adults, this amount of money may not be worth mentioning, but it is the sentiment of all of us in Tongbeimen."

Chen Jie nodded, took the silver notes, and counted them briefly.

Unexpectedly, the money shops in Jinling have a very good reputation, and the banknotes can be used directly in the market.

The money shops in Nanjing were more developed than those in the capital and Tianjin.

in fact,

The preparations for establishing a bank by Simon Tang are almost complete.

Chen Jie originally planned to open a bank in Shandong after lifting the blockade at sea.

With Ximentang as guarantor, the bank can be opened anywhere in the Great Qian Dynasty.

At that time, banks will begin to issue paper currency uniformly.

The money shops in Jinling are operating well. After Ximentang moves in, I can talk to them and get them to invest in Ximentang Bank.

Chen Jie thought to himself as he placed the silver note on the table.

"When I defeated Peng Gan and Yan Hu of the Axe Gang in the 'Hero Arena,' it was only to compete for the position of leader of the 'Righteous Group.'"

"As for the businesses of your Tongbeimen, they were just sidelined and not worth mentioning."

“You brothers who work on ships earn your money through hard work and blood.”

"Take it back, I can't keep this money!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Zhang nodded without saying anything more.

He was a seasoned veteran; he could tell from Chen Jie's tone that the other party didn't care about such a small amount of money at all.

That makes sense, though, since Chen Jie was the Governor-General of Shandong and also the emperor's designated son-in-law.

A mere thousand silver dollars could hardly catch his eye.

then,

He smiled helplessly and put the silver note away.

"We, the disciples of Tongbei Sect, will forever remember your kindness, sir."

"From now on, whenever you have any orders, all 383 disciples of the Tongbei Sect will go through fire and water without hesitation."

A smile appeared on Chen Jie's face.

His visit to Tongbeimen this time was indeed purposeful.

He wanted to support a powerful force in the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world) of Jiangnan, someone who could act as the spokesperson for Ximen Hall.

Although Tongbei Sect is only one of the eighty-one sects in the Jianghu of the Great Qian Dynasty, its overall strength is relatively low.

but,

Meeting is fate, and Chen Jie doesn't mind helping the other party become the number one power in Jiangnan.

If the Green Gang doesn't submit, then let the Tongbei Gate replace the Green Gang!
Chen Jie thought to himself, and then asked about the internal situation of Tongbei Gate.

Yuan Zhang did not hide anything and told Chen Jie about the Tongbei Gate in detail.

It turns out that Tongbeimen suffered a disaster decades ago and split into five branches.

Including the branches in the capital, the Tongbeimen branch in Jinling has the strongest overall strength.

Tongbeimen, located in Jinling Prefecture, has always been engaged in the shipping business and can be considered a long-established brand in the Jiangnan shipping industry.

(End of this chapter)