Training the Heavens

Chapter 289 Honolulu
"Then I'd rather obey than be disrespectful." Zhang Xingjiu agreed after a brief thought. Situ Xianyi's Anliangtang is a branch of the Hongmen, and the Hongmen has a great influence in the United States, Southeast Asia and mainland China. If he can get the status of a guest official, it will be very beneficial.

Situ Xianyi was very surprised to hear this, because Zhang Xingjiu was a famous scholar in Europe and the United States. It was definitely a great honor for Anliangtang that someone like him could look up to it.

He quickly explained the rules of Anliang Hall to Zhang Xingjiu, and added, "Mr. Zhang is a guest official in Anliang Hall. He doesn't need to do anything. If there is anything Anliang Hall can help with, please feel free to ask!"

"It's not just the American Anliangtang, all the Hongmen in the world are one family. No matter where Mr. Zhang goes, as long as there are Hongmen members in the local area, he can at least get some face by revealing his identity."

The next day, Zhang Xingjiu went to give a speech at the University of San Francisco. Situ Xianyi took this opportunity to make preparations, inviting high-ranking Hongmen officials from the surrounding areas and setting up the incense hall. He was very busy.

In the evening, Zhang Xingjiu returned from the University of San Francisco. The ceremony was already prepared. For ordinary people to join the society, they had to open the altar, invite new members, recite and repeat the thirty-six oaths, and finally kill a rooster, drink blood wine and swear an oath with blood. Only then could they become official members of the Hongmen.

Zhang Xingjiu has a special status and is a guest official, so he naturally cannot be treated like this. Several elders of Anliang Hall respectfully invited Zhang Xingjiu into the hall. Zhang Xingjiu lit a stick of incense to the ancestors worshipped by Hongmen.

Then Situ Xianyi read aloud Zhang Xingjiu's life experience, focusing on his contribution to the Chinese people around the world entering university. Finally, he announced that Anliangtang was grateful for Mr. Zhang's kindness, so he invited Mr. Zhang to join the association and serve as the hall master.

Hongmen is a general term, and below it are the Tiandihui founded by Cai Dezhong, the Sanhehui founded by Fang Dahong, the Paogehui founded by Hu Dedi, the Gelaohui founded by Ma Chaoxing, and the Xiaodaohui founded by Li Shikai.

This is the origin of the Five Ancestors of the Hongmen: Five people wrote a poem separately, but no one knew about the Hongying on their bodies; this matter was passed on to all the brothers, and they met and reunited later.

There are mountains below the house. Most of the names of the Hongmen mountains correspond to various mountain ranges in China, such as Nanhua Mountain, Jiuhua Mountain, Wutai Mountain, etc.

To give a similar example, each branch is like a major Taoist sect, such as Quanzhen, Zhengyi, etc., and each mountain is equivalent to the Taoist temples under Quanzhen and Zhengyi. They are all Hongmen in name, but in fact they are independent.

The relationship between the various branches of the Hongmen is relatively loose. Although they are all members of the Hongmen in name, they are not subordinate to each other. When there is no conflict of interest, they give each other face and acknowledge each other's identity. Therefore, there is a saying that "the Hongmen is a big area, and the Qing Gang is a line."

The interior of the mountain is mainly divided into eight inner and outer halls, which are responsible for managing various affairs. The position of the Holy Hall Master that Situ Xianyi gave to Zhang Xingjiu is the incense chief, the head of the eight inner halls. He does not usually participate in the affairs of the hall, but can be the main incense burner when the incense hall is opened. It is prepared for the most distinguished guests.

If not many people know about the title of "Holy Hall Master" or "Incense Master", then everyone should know it if it is called a common name. This position is more widely known as "White Fan". Sun Yat-sen held this position when he joined the Hongmen later. Now Zhang Xingjiu has held this position several years earlier than him.

When I return to China in the future, if I meet someone from the Hongmen and reveal my identity, even if he is the leader of another Fangshan gang, I will have to treat him with courtesy, otherwise I will be considered as not knowing the rules.

This is even more true when going to Nanyang. In Zhejiang, one has to be on guard against the Qing Gang and cannot reveal one's identity rashly. However, Nanyang is the base where the Hongmen has been operating for many years. Any Chinese with a little status has a very close relationship with the Hongmen.

Even if Zhang Xingjiu was penniless, he could easily secure help from members of the Hongmen. Sun Yat-sen's ability to continuously raise funds and recruit personnel from overseas was also closely tied to the support of the Hongmen. The United States also provided Zhang Xingjiu with significant advantages. The Anliangtang now had branches in dozens of cities, with a membership of tens of thousands. Leaving San Francisco, Zhang Xingjiu traveled south along the West Coast, continuing his lectures and exchanges at universities and research institutions. He was warmly received by the Anliangtang congregants wherever he went, and they handled many matters for him without him even having to ask.

If they were ordinary guest officials, they would not have such a great honor. The main reason was that Zhang Xingjiu had found a way for Chinese Americans to achieve class advancement and give their children the opportunity to go to college. Therefore, these people were willing to serve Zhang Xingjiu. Even if it was just a little help, it would make them happy for a long time.

Zhang Xingjiu also used their channels to write a few letters and sent them back to China, giving them to his family, A Zhang, and relatives and friends in Shanghai, telling them about his recent situation.

By the way, he also pointed out some opportunities for them to make money. If overseas Chinese can become stronger, they can give back to the country more effectively, which will be of great benefit to the future development of China.

After staying in California for a few days, visiting various branches of the University of California, as well as universities such as California Institute of Technology for exchanges and speeches, Zhang Xingjiu's trip to the United States came to an end.

This exchange was very successful. It not only greatly enhanced our reputation among American scholars, but also enabled us to reach cooperation with many universities in the areas of radio patents and Chinese students.

From a small perspective, it adds a few more chips for Zhang Xingjiu to compete for the Nobel Prize in the future; from a big perspective, it is also of great benefit to enhancing the status of overseas Chinese and promoting the future development of China.

He originally planned to take the train back to New York, and then return to Paris from New York. Unexpectedly, before leaving, someone sent him an invitation through the Hongmen, inviting him to meet in Honolulu, which is the Chinese name for Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii.

Zhang Xingjiu originally didn't want to go, but when he heard the name of the visitor, he immediately changed his mind, "Okay, I'll leave tomorrow."

The visitor's face lit up immediately, and he quickly bowed and said, "If Master of the Holy Hall doesn't mind, we'll take care of the trivial matters of booking the boat tickets. We'll be waiting for you at the hotel tomorrow morning."

"Then I'll trouble you all." Zhang Xingjiu sent them to the door, then went back to the room to tell Ma Zongwen the news. He didn't say he wanted to meet someone, but only said that it was old news that Hawaii had beautiful scenery, and since they were already there, they might as well go and see it.

The next day, after breakfast, Zhang Xingjiu boarded a cruise ship to Honolulu under the escort of members of the Hongmen. The journey from Los Angeles to Hawaii is about 4,000 kilometers, which is a bit far.

Fortunately, they were on a cruise ship specially designed to accommodate tourists. There was everything on board for food, drink, and entertainment, so they would not be bored along the way.

A few days later, the cruise ship arrived in Honolulu. When Zhang Xingjiu got off the ship, he recognized the person who had made an appointment with him at a glance.

(End of this chapter)