Bringing the Railway to Daming

"It is no exaggeration to describe Shanghai at that time as being 'run by gangsters,' just like in the movies."

"At that time, the big gangs in Shanghai not only had a large number of people and were powerful, but they also had guns and could even get their hands on powerful weapons such as grenades and artillery."

"Most importantly, those big gangs not only had people in Shanghai's officialdom backing them, but also had connections with foreigners in the concessions and the Japanese invaders. The leaders of these big gangs were also very wealthy, owning many businesses and wielding considerable influence."

"For example, the largest gang in Shanghai at the time, the Qing Gang, had as many as 500,000 to 600,000 members, while the total population of Shanghai was only over 3 million. It is said that 90% of rickshaw pullers and 70-80% of dockworkers joined the Qing Gang."

A gang with five or six hundred thousand members?!

Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao, and others were shocked when they heard this.

Soon, they realized that these 500,000 to 600,000 members of the Qing Gang were all in one city, which likely accounted for about one-seventh of the city's population!

Without Liu Kuanduo needing to describe it further, they could imagine how influential this gang was in Shanghai and how arrogant its leader was.

After regaining his senses, Zhu Biao couldn't help but ask, "Brother-in-law, can such a large gang still be called a gang?"

Liu Kuan smiled inexplicably and said, "Your Highness, the Qingbang's origins dictate that it is a gang. Even if it later enters the political arena, its gang nature cannot be changed."

Zhu Biao asked curiously, "What are the origins of the qingbang?"

Liu Kuan: "The origins of the Qingbang can be traced back to the canal workers in charge of transporting grain during the Ming Dynasty, or to the Luo sect that was secretly popular among the millions of canal workers."

"Since the Qing government established its capital in Beijing, it still needed canal workers. In fact, the scale of canal workers even grew later, and in the mid-Qing Dynasty, various boat guilds were differentiated under the Luo sect, collectively known as canal guilds."

"By the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing government was forced to open many ports, and maritime transport flourished as a result. The canal guilds declined along with the canal transport. One branch of the canal guild went to Shanghai, which was developing rapidly at the time, to make a living and became the later Qingbang."

"Speaking of the name Qingbang, there is a story of dubious authenticity - it is said that Qingbang was originally called Anqingbang, which was a combination of the names of Zhuanshe and Zhuqingshe near Zhujiagang in Fengyang at that time."

"At that time, it was the mid-Qing Dynasty. After the Qing court learned of the existence of the Anqing Gang, it believed that they had the nature of anti-Qing restoration and might even be descendants of the Ming royal family. So the Anqing Gang was so frightened that it changed its name to 'Anqing Gang', that is, changed the 'Qing' in celebration to the 'Qing' in the Qing Dynasty."

"Later, they changed their name to Qingbang. After the Qing Dynasty fell, they changed their name again and became Qingbang."

Old Zhu and Zhu Biao were both taken aback. They never expected that this gang had actually used the Zhu family's name and had even changed its name after being frightened by the Qing government.

Regardless of whether the founders of this teen gang acted voluntarily or passively, it made Lao Zhu feel like he'd been smeared with a pile of shit, which was very unpleasant.

However, since he didn't know much about the Qingbang, Old Zhu didn't get angry, but patiently listened to what Liu Kuan had to say next.

"The growth and expansion of the Qing Gang was not only related to the social environment at the time, but also to its much more rigorous organizational structure than previous gangs."

"It is said that the Qingbang established four monasteries and six ministries. The four monasteries are probably similar to the Censorate, the Grand Secretariat, and the Court of Transmission of the Imperial Court. The six ministries are simply called the same as the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, etc. of the original Imperial Court."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang could no longer contain himself.

"Four temples and six ministries? Isn't this just setting up a court with the intention of rebellion? And the court at the time actually allowed it?!"

Liu Kuan explained, “Your Majesty, firstly, when the Qing Dynasty’s doors were blasted open by the Western powers with cannons, its control over the local areas was already quite low. Later, when the Qing Dynasty collapsed, it was a chaotic era of warlordism.”

"Moreover, Shanghai was arguably the city with the strongest influence of the Western powers at the time and later in China, and it also had the largest concession area. In other words, Shanghai was not under the control of the imperial court at the time, but was more influenced by the Western powers."

“In this situation, who would care what kind of organizational structure a gang establishes? After all, the Qing Gang did not actually rebel.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang could only sigh, "The chaotic world after the fall of the Qing Dynasty is truly chaotic."

Liu Kuan then added, "Besides having such a strict organizational structure as the Four Temples and Six Departments, the Qing Gang also has a strict hierarchy—it is said to have as many as seventy-two generations."

"And relatively clear entry requirements and a rank promotion system were established. In addition, relatively detailed rules and regulations were also established."

"However, in addition to relying on traditional shipping and other transportation industries for a living, the Qing Gang, which has a relatively tight organizational structure, strict hierarchy, and detailed rules, also often runs casinos and brothels and collects protection money on the streets."

"There are even part-time thieves who kidnap and extort. Of course, the most outrageous are those who run opium dens and sell opium."

"In the late Qing Dynasty and the three or four decades after its fall, in addition to the Qing Gang, there were other large gangs such as the Heaven and Earth Society, the Hongmen, and the Gelaohui, whose influence spread throughout the north and south of China and even overseas. As for the small gangs, they were countless."

"By the way, besides the Qingbang, there was also a gang with the same name as the one in the movie, the Axe Gang, in Shanghai at that time."

Axe Gang?
Old Zhu, Zhu Biao, and others were all surprised when they heard this.

Zhu Xiong Ying couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, is the Shanghai Axe Gang really that powerful? Are they really as ruthless as they are in the movies?"

Liu Kuan laughed and said, "The Axe Gang in history was indeed very powerful, even more so in some aspects than in the movies—for more than ten years after the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the Axe Gang was the dominant force in Shanghai." "Later, in order to fight against the big merchants who were exploiting the dockworkers, the founder of the Axe Gang had more than a hundred axes made overnight, and led his men to storm into the merchants' homes to threaten them and help the workers get their money back."

"Because the Axe Gang was more inclined to benefit the lower-level laborers and rickshaw pullers, it spread rapidly among them and became a powerful gang that could rival the Qing Gang in less than a year."

"Of course, as a gang, the Axe Gang is bound to run casinos and brothels, and even engage in kidnapping and extortion. But the real Axe Gang has more principles than the brothel gang, or rather, it has more national sentiment."

"The founder of the Axe Gang, who was also the gang leader, was an outstanding marksman and was most skilled at assassination. He assassinated the then Shanghai Police Chief, as well as warlords, and even the leader of the provisional court."

"Later, when the Japanese invaded, the Japanese in Shanghai became increasingly powerful and arrogant. The leaders of the Qing Gang all tried to please the Japanese, helping them to collect intelligence, buy and sell goods, and even collude with the Japanese to oppress the Chinese."

"But the leader of the Axe Gang created the 'Iron-Blooded Traitor Extermination Corps' to assassinate those traitors who surrendered to the Japanese invaders."

"He even shot three holes in the body of the biggest traitor at the time, the puppet leader of the Japanese-backed government. Although he didn't kill the puppet leader at the time, he did cause him to die of illness a few years later."

"Unfortunately, the leader of the Axe Gang failed to assassinate the leader of the provisional court at the time, which made him resentful. He was eventually assassinated by the provisional court's intelligence organization."

Upon hearing Liu Kuan's explanation, the Zhu family once again showed expressions of surprise.

Zhu Yuanzhang then remarked, "The leader of the Axe Gang in history was a true man. Although he engaged in江湖 (jianghu, the world of martial arts and outlaws) activities, he could still be called a true hero."

Zhu Xiong Ying asked in confusion, "Teacher, since the real Axe Gang in history was more like a righteous gang, while the Qing Gang harmed the people and even betrayed the country, why did later movies portray the Axe Gang as the main villain, instead of the Qing Gang?"

Liu Kuan sighed, "It's very simple—after the Axe Gang leader was assassinated, the Axe Gang vanished. But the Qing Gang has continued to exist."

"After the establishment of the new dynasty, although the Shanghai Qing Gang was wiped out and its remaining influence was completely eradicated, some Qing Gang members had already fled overseas before the establishment of the new dynasty."

"The people who made 'Kung Fu Hustle' may have had a sense of national pride, but in the end, it was all about making money. In addition, there were younger generations of Qing Gang members in Hong Kong at the time, so they naturally didn't dare to use the name of Qing Gang."

"However, those who truly understand history know that the Axe Gang in the movie is actually the Qing Gang. The real Axe Gang leader was the hero who killed the Fire Cloud Evil God with a single palm strike!"

Having learned about the real Axe Gang in history, Zhu Biao and others suddenly felt that the movie "Kung Fu Hustle" had another layer of profound meaning.

It's really hard to say whether it's stigmatizing the Axe Gang, pandering to the Youth Gang, or subtly mocking the Youth Gang.

After a moment, Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "Liu Kuan, according to what you said, the Qing Gang has five or six hundred thousand members and a tight organization, yet the Axe Gang still managed to grow. I suppose there must be other reasons besides their many acts of injustice?"

“That’s right.” Liu Kuan nodded. “Although the Qing Gang has many members, there are also many internal factions. Just take the Shanghai Qing Gang as an example, there are five major factions and three major leaders.”

"These three gang leaders, some of whom became Japanese lackeys after the Japanese invasion, and others who were opportunists, secretly assisted the provisional government in resisting the Japanese. Some of them committed all kinds of evil, while others ran opium dens and did charity work at the same time."

"If the bigwigs at the top are like this, then the lower-level members of the Qing Gang are an even more mixed bag, with all sorts of people in the mix."

"But it was precisely because the Qing Gang had many factions that fought each other for their own interests that the Axe Gang had the opportunity to grow."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded—this was pretty much what he had guessed.

While everyone was pondering the real history of the Axe Gang and the Qing Gang, Zhu Yunwen suddenly asked, "Teacher, did the kind of kung fu depicted in the movies really exist in later generations?"

Before Liu Kuan could answer, Zhu Xiong Ying laughed and said, "Third brother, are you confused? How could a skill like the Tathagata Palm exist?"

Zhu Yunwen is thirteen or fourteen years old, an age when he yearns for kung fu and martial arts. Upon hearing this, his face turned red, and he explained, "I mean the kind of kung fu that is more realistic, not the Toad Style or the Tathagata Palm."

Liu Kuan said with a smile: "In reality, there is no such thing as Toad Kung Fu or Tathagata Palm, but there is real kung fu, which flourished for more than a hundred years from the late Qing Dynasty to the establishment of the new dynasty. During this period, some legendary martial artists who became famous for generations were born."

"Such as early Tai Chi masters Yang Luchan, Wang Wu, the Great Saber, the Bajiquan family members Li Shuwen, the Sword Immortal Li Jinglin, the Divine Fist Sun Lutang, the Xingyi master Guo Yunshen, the Jingwu hero Huo Yuanjia, the Northern and Southern Heroes Du Xinwu, and Huang Feihong from the South."

"These people have all mastered one or more martial arts to an extraordinary level, their skills approaching the pinnacle of their art."

"For example, Li Shuwen was known as 'Li Shuwen, the steel fist who can never be beaten, the sharpshooter Li Shuwen.' In his early years, when Yuan Shikai was training the new army in Haijin, he was hired as a martial arts instructor. At that time, there were many Japanese soldiers and ronin in Yuan Shikai's army, that is, Japanese samurai."

"Because Li Shuwen was rather ugly, the Japanese samurai Itō Taro saw him and mocked him as 'the poor sick man of East Asia.' Li Shuwen immediately brandished his spear and pierced a fly on a pillar with one thrust, but no mark was left on the pillar."

"Ito Taro felt that Li Shuwen was provoking him, so he drew his sword and fought with Li Shuwen. Seeing that Ito Taro was no match for him, three other Japanese samurai present came to attack him. Li Shuwen then stopped holding back and killed all four of them in a few moves, and their bodies were thrown to the side."

After hearing Li Shuwen's story, not only were the young people like Zhu Yunwen excited and filled with longing, but even Old Zhu and Zhu Biao were surprised.

Zhu Yunwen then asked urgently, "Teacher, are there any other stories of real kung fu like this?" (End of Chapter)