All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

So Army Colonel Fujita Tsuyoshi ordered Akutagawa Ryuichi of the Hongkou Dojo to publish a statement in the newspapers, in which he said he was willing to fight the Jingwu School again and settle the score!

Ryuichi Akutagawa of the Hongkou Dojo was actually very unwilling to accept this arrangement. The first person that came to his mind was that mysterious farmer.

But Fujita Tsuyoshi replied dismissively.

"I will personally take to the stage then. In my opinion, both you and the Jingwu School are trash!"

Upon hearing this, Ryuichi Akutagawa was filled with rage. He had just stepped forward to teach Fujita a lesson when Fujita raised his foot and, with a crack, kicked the large tree stump in front of them in two.

This instantly dispelled the anger that had just surged within Akutagawa Ryuichi. He remembered that Fujita Tsuyoshi had another nickname in the army: "Ironclad Robot".

Indeed, Akutagawa Ryuichi could only swallow his saliva in despair at such power. So, as Fujita Tsuyoshi requested, the Japanese Hongkou Dojo published a challenge in major newspapers, inviting the Jingwu School to a final showdown.

When Bai Jiaxuan saw this news, he was at a pharmacy with Huo Ting'en. This pharmacy was under the Jingwu Men and was also owned by Uncle Nong.

The Jingwu School was actually founded by Uncle Nong, with Huo Yuanjia as its leader and Uncle Nong as its investor.

At this point, Bai Jiaxuan realized that the amiable uncle in front of him was actually quite shrewd. This man, who seemed ordinary, was actually a veteran of the Ge Ming regime and had an unusual relationship with the current high-ranking officials of the Republic of China. In fact, the Jingwu School was originally established to train the Ge Ming forces.

However, none of this matters to Bai Jiaxuan. It's better that Uncle Nong has a powerful background, so that Bai Jiaxuan's medicine powder can also be sold at a high price.

Indeed, Bai Jiaxuan discussed cooperation with Huo Ting'en on the second day after arriving at Jingwu School. At first, Uncle Nong did not pay attention to the medicine powder that Bai Jiaxuan brought.

But when a group of dockworkers, all bearing knife wounds from a fight at the docks, came to their pharmacy for treatment, Bai Jiaxuan took out the medicinal powder he had brought with him.

Its miraculous hemostatic and numbing effects have earned praise from all the dockworkers, and many have even asked to buy some for self-defense.

In Shanghai, dockworkers fighting each other was a common occurrence in movies. Twenty years later, Ding Li, wielding a large machete, fought his way out of the encirclement and became a notorious gangster. Such stories played out almost every day in this era, but few were truly resilient.

Uncle Nong finally noticed this magical powder. He immediately tried it himself and was overjoyed. As a veteran of the war, he immediately realized that this powder was a battlefield artifact.

So he agreed to Bai Jiaxuan's cooperation request without hesitation. The other party promised Bai Jiaxuan that he was willing to buy it no matter how much of it there was, and even if Bai Jiaxuan was willing to provide the secret formula, he was willing to have the government of the Ge Ming government pay an astronomical price to buy it.

Bai Jiaxuan didn't even want to reveal his real name, so naturally he wouldn't bother with such things. This powder was his capital for making a living in Bailuyuan during the chaotic times, and he couldn't possibly make a one-off deal with it.

The three of them brought 60 kilograms of medicinal powder. Bai Jiaxuan offered a fixed price of 6,000 silver dollars, or 100 silver dollars per kilogram of powder.

Bai Jiaxuan had calculated the price before quoting it. One kilogram of medicine powder could potentially save twenty seriously wounded patients on the battlefield. Was it worth exchanging twenty seriously wounded patients for one hundred silver dollars?

This is definitely worth it! Medicine is the most expensive thing in chaotic times. Penicillin is about the same price as gold. In special circumstances, this stuff is much more effective than penicillin.

Even if it's worth it, this price is indeed astronomical. But Bai Jiaxuan insisted on this price and said that he could provide 200 kilograms of medicinal powder every year, no more!

After thinking it over, Uncle Nong saw that Bai Jiaxuan was determined and finally left Jingwu School with the samples and went to another place. Uncle Nong told Bai Jiaxuan to give him half a month and give him an answer after half a month!

Bai Jiaxuan nodded and agreed. It just so happened that he planned to stay in Shanghai for about a month, so the matter was settled.

Huo Ting'en was very curious about this medicine powder. He had just seen its effects at the pharmacy when he heard a disciple of the Jingwu School come to report the information he had just seen in the newspaper.

Upon hearing that it was the Hongkou Dojo challenging the Jingwu School, Huo Ting'en clenched his fists, his eyes filled with hatred, and casually decided to accept the challenge.

Bai Jiaxuan did not stop Huo Ting'en from accepting the challenge. In Bai Jiaxuan's opinion, Huo Ting'en's martial arts skills were not bad. Although he did not know the true martial arts skills of Akutagawa Ryuichi, he had tried Huo Ting'en's martial arts skills and, apart from some lack of experience, he should be more than capable of dealing with Akutagawa Ryuichi.

So Bai Jiaxuan agreed to give Huo Ting'en short-term special training. He wanted to make Huo Ting'en ruthless and teach him a few tricks to kill with one blow.

As for this matter, it was something Bai Jiaxuan had expected that Hongkou Dojo would take the initiative to declare war. Moreover, he knew very well that behind Akutagawa Ryuichi was definitely the robot Fujita Tsuyoshi.

When the time comes, Fujita Tsuyoshi will be handed over to him. Huo Ting'en is unaware of Fujita Tsuyoshi's existence, and Bai Jiaxuan has no intention of telling him, fearing it might undermine his confidence.

Bai Jiaxuan had already planned that after dealing with the Japanese, he would provoke other Western countries, issuing challenges to each one and publicly challenging their strongest martial arts masters. He would then resolve the situation swiftly and decisively, causing a sensation throughout Shanghai and shaking the entire nation.

The reason why he didn't challenge those Westerners immediately was simple: if he challenged other countries now, his actions in Shanghai during this period would be impossible.

The Western devils are happy to see a decisive battle with the Japanese. For them, whether the Chinese or the Japanese win, it's a fun and entertaining thing. They actually hope that the Jingwu School wins, so that they can take the opportunity to damage the reputation of the Japanese.

However, if Bai Jiaxuan were to challenge them now, they would definitely unite against him and try to trip up the Jingwu School, since those foreign devils love to play that kind of trick!

Now Bai Jiaxuan has time to take care of his private affairs. After he finishes his private affairs, he will challenge the Westerners and then flee far away. He will wait until next year or the year after to see if there is an opportunity to come back.

Everything is going according to plan!

Chapter 21

Now that the drug sales are going well, the second thing to do is buy guns.

Bai Jiaxuan came to Shanghai for two reasons: to sell medicine and to buy weapons. Of course, he also had another reason: to see Chen Zhen.

But Chen Zhen didn't see it; instead, he became Chen Zhen himself. So, he decided to take care of the other two things first.

Actually, neither of these things is difficult. This medicine powder can be sold anywhere; the only difference is the price.

If Uncle Nong hadn't been a veteran of the revolution and didn't have that background, he might have been lucky to sell the medicine powder he brought this time for a few hundred dollars.

Raising prices on the spot is only human nature. Those high-ranking officials in the Republic of China were so rich that a few thousand silver dollars was just a drop in the ocean for them.

In fact, Bai Jiaxuan's bottom line was really five hundred silver dollars. In those days, five hundred silver dollars could do a lot of things. The entire village of Bailuyuan probably couldn't sell all the crops they harvested in a year for five hundred silver dollars.

Selling medicine isn't difficult, and buying guns isn't difficult either. Where am I?

The famous Shanghai Bund, besides the large concessions, also had dozens of countless local organizations of all sizes. Cats had their ways, mice had their ways, and as long as you had money, everyone was the boss!

Bai Jiaxuan didn't ask anyone else for help, but instead went to Huo Ting'en.

Huo Ting'en had always suspected that Bai Jiaxuan's identity was not simple. In the past few days, he had been eavesdropping and asking Bai Jiaxuan many questions, but Bai Jiaxuan only said that he was a farmer and did not reveal anything else.

Seeing that he couldn't get any information from Bai Jiaxuan, he then tried to ask Lu San and Zheng Mang. The two of them knew even less, and they kept saying that they were just farmers who had worked in the fields all their lives.

Aside from instructing Lu San and the other two not to reveal his name or Bailuyuan, Bai Jiaxuan didn't keep any other secrets.

Seeing that Lu San and Zheng Mang kept saying they were farmers, Huo Ting'en thought he would have a friendly exchange with them.

As expected, the two were beaten so badly they were like wooden blocks, completely clueless about how to fight back.

Bai Jiaxuan smiled and even asked a disciple of the Jingwu School to teach the two basic skills. At first, everyone thought that Lu San and Zheng Mang were faking it, but after spending a few days together, they found that the two really didn't know kung fu.

The two were not young, and it was a bit late for them to start learning kung fu from scratch, but they were still learning very seriously. This was their first time experiencing kung fu, and curiosity played a major role in it.

Fortunately, although these two did not know kung fu, they had been doing farm work for a long time and had become very strong. Two or three Jingwu School disciples could not beat Lu San in strength. Although Zheng Mang was not as strong as Lu San, he was much smarter than Lu San. He could learn some basic skills after just one lesson and perform them well.

However, Bai Jiaxuan did not intend to train Zheng Mang to become a martial arts master. In this era, no skill can withstand a bullet. Bai Jiaxuan planned to have him learn to shoot later.

Huo Ting'en was a native of Shanghai, and he grew up with his father and was influenced by veterans like Uncle Nong. Moreover, the Jingwu School itself had a special background.

So he actually knew quite a few people in that field, and Bai Jiaxuan asked him about buying some good weapons for self-defense.

Upon hearing Bai Jiaxuan's request, Huo Ting'en immediately revealed an expression of "I knew it."

In his opinion, it would be a miracle if Bai Jiaxuan, with such superb martial arts skills, didn't have some special identity.

Now, Bai Jiaxuan suddenly asked him to introduce some channels in that area, and Huo Ting'en was not surprised and readily agreed.

The gun Bai Jiaxuan wanted to buy wasn't one of those cheap firewood sticks, but the latest imported model.

Huo Ting'en hesitated for a moment after hearing Bai Jiaxuan's request, and then said after thinking for a while.

"Brother Chen, please wait for me for two days. I'll go and inquire for you. I originally thought you wanted to buy a few guns to play with. I can take you to the dock to pick them up later. But since they need to be imported, I'll have to ask someone I know. But it shouldn't be a problem. Brother Chen, how many do you need?"

Bai Jiaxuan thought for a moment and then replied.

"Twenty short guns, fifty to one hundred long guns, and if there are machine guns, it would be best to get a few as well!"

Upon hearing the number of weapons Bai Jiaxuan needed, Huo Ting'en was taken aback. He hadn't expected Bai Jiaxuan to require so many; this was no small feat.

Huo Ting'en was also guessing Bai Jiaxuan's identity. With so many weapons, he was probably either a national salvation organization or a representative of some local forces.

In this era, buying guns was not unusual, after all, China had never been at peace since the late Qing Dynasty.

Especially in the Guangdong province, where there are many overseas Chinese, almost every household has bought guns, and there are many different kinds. It is normal for some villages to have thousands of guns, ranging from 19th-century muskets to the latest 20th-century machine guns.

In Shanghai, a place where the poor and desperate fight, machetes and axes were more threatening. Of course, it's not that they didn't have guns, but there was no need for them.

In Shanghai, if you have money and power, buying a gun is as easy as eating on the street. Most of the world's arms dealers and war profiteers of this era had branches here.

Starting from the late Qing Dynasty, these war profiteers intentionally or unintentionally cultivated a large number of ambitious individuals and warlords. The Japanese financial cliques had already laid out their plans on this land many years ago.

In the Northeast during the 1920s and 30s, a large number of Japanese Type 38 rifles and other weapons produced by the Japanese were found throughout the Northeast Army.

Those weapons weren't seized through war, but rather redeemed. One reason why Japanese arms dealers were able to dominate the Northeast market was that the Japanese could buy weapons on credit, and collect payment after the fighting had reached a point of no return.

No money?

No problem. The coal mine and iron mine will be used to offset 10,000 Type 38 rifles. And your railway tax revenue will be used to offset the cost of the ammunition you sold last year.

In short, starting from the late Qing Dynasty, various warmongers cultivated countless monsters and demons in China.

The reason why Shanghai became a paradise for warmongers is simple: concessions have existed here for decades, and more and more concessions have been built by various countries, giving it an absolute geographical advantage.

After decades of industrial development, other countries have overcapacity in many areas and even need to eliminate outdated production capacity, while the Chinese market is still a blank slate. Supply and demand determine everything.

Many countries use this city as a transit point, as it is the richest and cheapest source of weapons, ammunition, and intelligence.

In Shanghai, a rifled gun costs only three to five dollars, while in the Sichuan-Chongqing area, it costs fifty dollars, not including bullets. This is the geographical advantage of Shanghai.

Subsequently, Huo Ting'en, representing Jingwu Men, announced in major newspapers that he would accept the challenge from Hongkou Dojo, choosing Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. two weeks later, at the Chinese Martial Arts Hall.

This Chinese martial arts hall sounds impressive, but it's actually just a theater. The owner behind this theater is none other than the famous Boss Huang.

The reason for choosing this location was thanks to Uncle Nong's help in making the contact. Uncle Nong has connections with the police station, and Boss Huang happens to be the only Chinese detective inspector in the police station.

I won't go into the details of Huang Jinrong's rise to power, but in short, he had the backing of Britain and France. In this duel between Jingwu School and the Japanese Hongkou Dojo, Uncle Nong ultimately chose Huang's territory.

However, Bai Jiaxuan didn't tell Uncle Nong that after defeating the Japanese, he would have to fight the Westerners. If Uncle Nong had known, he probably wouldn't have agreed.

The matter with the Japanese was settled. Two days later, Huo Ting'en came to find Bai Jiaxuan and said that someone wanted to see him.

Huo Ting'en didn't say who it was, but the other party only vaguely said that if the talks went well, they could directly buy the gun from this person.

Seeing Huo Ting'en's solemn expression, Bai Jiaxuan didn't ask any further questions and readily agreed.

That evening, Huo Ting'en took Bai Jiaxuan into two rickshaws. Huo Ting'en led the way, first into the French Concession, and then the two wandered around until they finally arrived at a brightly lit street.

It was indeed a dazzling and bustling street. In 1912, Bai Jiaxuan was somewhat dazed when he saw the street. It wasn't until the two of them stopped in front of a shop with a sign that had both Chinese and English names that Bai Jiaxuan looked up.

"Red and Blue Dance Hall!"

-------------Chapter Dividing Line---------------

The two got off the rickshaw, and Huo Ting'en led Bai Jiaxuan toward the door.

Bai Jiaxuan followed behind Huo Ting'en and could clearly sense that the other party was somewhat reserved, even a little scared, which surprised Bai Jiaxuan.

Those who could open a dance hall in the French Concession must be some powerful force, but none of that had anything to do with Bai Jiaxuan.

As soon as the two entered the gate, they heard a cheerful melody. However, before they could go any further, they were stopped by two agile men in black. The men in black asked a question.