Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

The backyard of Wu Qingshan's wonton shop was brightly lit.

A kerosene lamp hung under the eaves, its dim light spilling into the courtyard and illuminating a group of busy figures.

Lu Jun, Qin Ming, and more than a dozen of Wu Qingshan's brothers all held shovels in their hands, bending over and digging holes with all their might. Their movements were quick but they deliberately kept quiet, for fear of disturbing the neighbors nearby.

The more than forty boxes of silver dollars were enormous, each weighing over 400 jin (approximately 200 kg) after being soaked in water, making it impossible to hide them inside the house.

The wonton shop was already small, and once foreigners came to search it, they ransacked it, leaving it nowhere to hide.

Burying it underground is the safest option.

The pit dug by the group was extremely deep, more than a person's height, and long and wide enough to hold all the camphor wood chests.

Camphor wood is moisture-proof and insect-proof, so even if buried underground, there is no need to worry about the silver coins getting damp and rusting, making it the best way to hide them at present.

The division of labor was very clear: several strong men who had practiced external martial arts were responsible for digging the pit, and the deep pit was dug in just half an hour.

Several other people were responsible for carrying the boxes. They worked in pairs, channeling their inner energy into their arms to steadily lift the heavy camphor wood boxes, moving them step by step to the edge of the pit, and carefully placing them down to avoid making any noise.

The remaining people were responsible for filling the pit with soil, tamping and flattening the excavated soil back into the pit.

Lu Jun stood to the side, his hands behind his back, calmly watching everyone busy at work.

He wasn't afraid at all that Wu Qingshan and the others would keep all the silver dollars for themselves.

With so many silver dollars, totaling more than forty boxes and weighing over ten thousand catties, it was impossible for Wu Qingshan's dozen or so men to transport them out of Tianjin quietly.

Moreover, once it gets light, the foreigners will definitely blockade the entire city and launch a frenzied search. Let alone transporting the silver dollars, whether we can even leave the city smoothly is unknown.

Wu Qingshan wiped the sweat from his face, straightened up, and looked at the pit that was gradually being filled in, feeling a mix of emotions.

He knew perfectly well that from the moment he retrieved the first box of silver dollars, he and his brothers were already tied to Chen Zhan, with no turning back.

Moving forward meant a dead end—fighting against foreigners and the Qing government.

From now on, there is only one way out: being held accountable by the foreigners. Only by following Chen Zhan can they have a glimmer of hope.

Wu Qingshan walked to Lu Jun's side, his tone solemn and his voice low: "Brother Lu, what should Mr. Chen do next? After causing such a commotion last night, the foreigners will definitely not let it go. We can't keep hiding forever."

Chen Zhan's actions went far beyond simply stealing these silver dollars.

Lu Jun shook his head and looked toward the distant concession. In the darkness, there were still flickering lights and the faint sound of shouts could be heard.

"We can't fathom Mr. Chen's thoughts, so we'll just follow his orders from now on."

Qin Ming also came over and added, "Moreover, we must be fully prepared to deal with the foreigners' search. Once discovered, these silver dollars, and all of us, will be finished, without even a complete corpse."

Lu Jun pulled Qin Ming and Wu Qingshan to a corner of the courtyard: "Brother Qingshan, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should. Are all the brothers under your command reliable? This matter is of great importance and cannot tolerate the slightest mistake."

Wu Qingshan was taken aback, but then understood their concerns. He couldn't help but smile, his tone firm: "Brother Lu, don't worry. The brothers I'm taking to collect the silver dollars are all people I've been through thick and thin with for years. We know them inside and out, and they would never betray us. But are the people you've brought reliable?"

Lu Jun nodded, his tone certain: "No problem, they are all my trusted brothers, each one of them is trustworthy. Even if they are captured by the foreigners, they will never utter a single word."

As night gradually faded, a faint light appeared on the horizon, and the eastern skyline was tinged with the pale light of dawn.

The pit in the backyard of the wonton shop has been completely filled in, covered with a layer of loose soil and weeds, and there is no trace of digging.

After packing up their shovels, ropes, and other tools, the group quietly left the backyard and dispersed to various outposts in the old town.

Only Wu Qingshan and a few brothers changed into the clothes of wonton shop employees and stayed in the shop as usual, preparing to open for business, in order to avoid attracting attention.

Meanwhile, the British concession was already in complete chaos.

The two unexpected events last night were like two thunderbolts exploding in the concession.

The British concession immediately notified the entire city of Tianjin, including the resident minister, the French concession, and the American concession, and activated the highest level of alert. Martial law was declared throughout the concession area, with police and troops patrolling everywhere, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

The ambassador's residence in Tianjin was bombed. Although the British concession minister was not killed, he was greatly frightened. Several security personnel were also killed. The residence was completely burned down and turned into ruins.

This was not only a loss of life and property, but also a heavy blow to the face of the British Empire.

Swire & Co. suffered even greater losses, with more than forty boxes of silver dollars disappearing. These were the accumulated payments from seven days of sales, a huge sum that was enough to bring Swire & Co.’s business in Tianjin to a standstill.

What made the foreigners lose face even more was that the Swire Building, which was right next to the riverbank, was bombed, its walls cracked, and smoke filled the air.

The people of Tianjin could see it from across the Haihe River, and when the news spread, the whole of Tianjin was shaken.

At dawn, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, all four gates of Tianjin were completely closed. The gates were guarded by foreigners and Qing soldiers, who prevented anyone from entering or leaving, effectively sealing off the entire city.

Foreigners also know that dozens of boxes of silver dollars, weighing tens of thousands of kilograms, would be impossible for even the most skilled bandit to carry out of the city gates overnight.

The silver dollar must still be in the city. Once we find it, we can find the perpetrator.

The police officers from the General Police Station, along with the troops stationed in the concession, were divided into dozens of groups and began a carpet search, gradually advancing from the concession area towards the old city.

Newspapers in Tianjin also caught wind of the news and sent people to gather information and frantically rush to produce articles.

The theft of Swire Trading Company and the bombing of the consulate are either major news stories that would make the front page. Now that both have happened at the same time, the newspaper editors are extremely busy and don't even have enough space.

The newspapers were printed around noon, and newspaper boys could be seen selling them on the streets and alleys.

Newspaper analyses were everywhere. Some believed it was the work of a notorious gang of thieves from the south, while others speculated it was an international thief, meticulous and audacious enough to take action within the British concession.

The analysis mentions that the perpetrators used the consulate, which was just across the street, as bait to attract most of the police force, and then took the opportunity to sneak into the Swire Trading Company to steal silver dollars. The plan was extremely meticulous.

Some have even linked the killing of foreigners in the Fangshan mining area of ​​Beijing to the incident, speculating that it was the work of the same group, and that the Fangshan mining incident was merely a setup for this theft and bombing.

No matter how much they analyzed it, no one could explain how those silver dollars were moved away without anyone noticing.

If a group of people were carrying boxes at night, it would be impossible for them not to be discovered by patrolling police officers, let alone to move more than forty boxes of silver dollars without a trace in just a few hours.

No one expected that the so-called "theft gang" was actually just one person.

The man was sitting in a room at the Four Gates Inn, leisurely drinking tea. On the table was a newspaper he had just bought, and the headline was a report on the events that had taken place in the concession the previous night.

Chen Zhan was dressed in an ordinary blue long gown, having removed the black clothes and mask he wore the night before. His expression was calm, as if he were not the one who had bombed the consulate and stolen silver dollars the night before.

Opposite him sat a middle-aged man with a sallow complexion and wrinkles around his eyes; he was the leader of the Four-Door Car Gang.

Old Zhang's feet.

Old Zhang was also holding a newspaper. He glanced at it a few times, but couldn't bear to look at it anymore. He looked up and asked, "Mr. Chen, this matter... can't be related to you, can it?"

Before Chen Zhan could even reply, he quickly waved his hand, trying to reassure himself, "It couldn't be you, it couldn't be you. You're all alone, how could you possibly do these things?" Of course, he knew that Chen Zhan had subdued Lu Jun, Qin Ming, and others, and he was also aware of Chen Zhan's abilities; these words were nothing but self-deception.

Old Zhang knew a little about Chen Zhan's background. He wasn't stupid; he remembered that when he last visited Chen Zhan, there was a map of the concession area on the table, one of which marked the location of the Swire Group.

He just didn't want to believe that if it were confirmed that Chen Zhan was the one who did it, he would become an accomplice.

Chen Zhan had been staying at the Four Gates Inn for quite some time, and he had entered and left the inn many times, talking to Chen Zhan on several occasions.

I'll tell the foreigners that this has nothing to do with me.

Who believes?

Even jumping into the Yellow River wouldn't clear his name; the entire four-door carriage crew would be buried with him.

Chen Zhan carefully read the newspaper, picked up his teacup and took a sip: "I did it."

He put down his teacup and looked at Old Zhang: "So, how was I? Am I amazing?"

The room fell into a deathly silence, which lasted for a long time.

Old Zhang felt a chill run through his body, and a wave of despair washed over him. It seemed that his four-door cart business, which he had run for half his life, was completely finished.

He slumped into his chair, sighed, and said with a tone full of helplessness, "Mr. Chen insisted on dragging me into this mess. Sigh, you succeeded. Now, I, Old Zhang, have no choice but to get on this train."

"You'll be glad you made this choice soon."

It was now 1895, only five years before the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China, burning, killing, and looting.

He knew perfectly well that five years from now, Tianjin and Beijing would become hell on earth.

According to later records, after the allied forces entered the city, they burned, killed, looted, and committed all sorts of atrocities.

The people of Tianjin rushed to flee towards the North Gate, but the Allied forces set up guns and cannons on the Drum Tower and fired volleys and explosives at the crowded refugees. With each volley, dozens of people fell dead, and countless others were trampled to death.

Countless people were killed in the city, their bodies piled up like mountains, and even infants in swaddling clothes were not spared.

Corpses piled up like mountains along the southern city wall.

From the Drum Tower inside the city to the waterside pavilion outside the North Gate, corpses piled up for miles. The bodies of the victims floating on the Haihe River even blocked the waterway.

Tianjin, which originally had a population of one million, was reduced to only about 100,000 after this catastrophe.

At that time, what about four-door carriages, canals, waterways, dragon kings, and Tai Sui? How many people will survive?
Chen Zhan didn't know if he could stop this tragedy, but he knew that he couldn't leave everyone powerless to resist.

Killing one foreigner is one, killing two is enough.

There's no way to escape it; rather than waiting to die, it's better to rise up and fight back.

Old Zhang didn't understand these long-term plans, nor did he know about the catastrophe that would occur five years later.

But Chen Zhan knew.

These rickshaw drivers from the Four Gates Cart Gang travel year-round in and around Tianjin, are familiar with the roads and alleys, and are skilled in stealth and transportation. The next plan cannot do without them.

We must firmly bind Zhang Laojiao and Simen Chebang to our war chariot.

Old Zhang sighed, his expression gradually calming down. At this point, complaining was useless, so he could only grit his teeth and continue: "Sigh, please give your orders. My men are a mixed bag, and there are too many of them, so we can't release the news yet."

Unlike Lu Jun and Wu Qingshan's subordinates, the Four Gates Car Gang consisted of trusted brothers.

The rickshaw guild has hundreds of drivers, a mix of good and bad, including many who are afraid of death. Once they find out that Chen Zhan did it, there's a good chance that some of them will take a chance and report him to the foreigners to claim credit.

Although those who reported it will most likely not survive, the foreigners may not keep their promises, and may even kill them to silence them.

However, human greed and a sense of侥幸 (a lucky break) often cause people to lose their rationality.

"fine."

Chen Zhan spoke calmly, his tone confident, "Tomorrow, when you pay the brothers in the cart gang, you should know how the foreigners will deal with them if they take my money and don't work for me."

"Give me money? You want some?"

Old Zhang was stunned, not expecting Chen Zhan to propose such a method, cutting off those people's escape route.

"Yes."

Chen Zhan nodded. "Once you take the money, you're mine. You either work for me or wait to be purged by the foreigners. There's no third way."

Old Zhang nodded and didn't ask any more questions, but he instructed, "The search has already started outside, so you must hide well. There are many people coming and going from the Four Gates Inn, so it's easy for the police to spot you."

No sooner had he finished speaking than there was a knocking sound at the door.

Old Zhang got up, walked to the door, opened it a crack, and only after seeing who was outside did he breathe a sigh of relief and quickly opened the door: "Come in."

Lu Jun and Wu Qingshan walked in, both of them disguised.

Concealed.

The two entered the room without speaking immediately, their eyes instinctively glancing at Old Zhang, their gazes filled with wariness.

They knew Zhang Laojiao, but they didn't know if he was reliable.

Chen Zhan noticed their concerns and said calmly, "It's alright, we're on the same side."

Lu Jun and Wu Qingshan breathed a sigh of relief and nodded slightly to Zhang Laojiao. Lu Jun spoke first: "Mr. Chen, the search outside is getting more and more intense. The police have already searched to the edge of the old city. What should we do next?"

Chen Zhan's gaze fell on Wu Qingshan, a middle-aged man whose face had long since lost its initial hesitation and fear, leaving only helplessness and admiration.

He was initially a little scared, but having come this far, retreating meant going down a cliff, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and move forward.

Chen Zhan spoke slowly, his tone solemn: "You should understand better than I do that the foreigners' current dormancy is only temporary. Once they have accumulated enough power, they will not be satisfied with the current concessions; they will only further encroach on our land and oppress our people."

"From the moment opium entered our country, the foreigners' ambitions have never been restrained. They burned, killed, looted, and plundered wealth. Do you think we can coexist peacefully with them?"

Wu Qingshan nodded emphatically, his tone firm: "I understand. I sent someone out of the city early this morning to contact the Yihequan brothers outside. We Yihequan have several experts, all of whom are skilled fighters, and they will all come to Tianjin to await Mr. Chen's orders."

"Hmm, not bad."

A hint of approval flashed in Chen Zhan's eyes, and his tone was filled with anticipation, "It's also a good opportunity to meet these experts. I've long admired your names."

Since entering Tianjin, apart from Wang Wu, a top-tier expert, he hasn't encountered any other true masters of martial arts. (End of Chapter)