After withstanding a backlash from various forces, everyone had no choice but to accept the outcome and reluctantly approached Baozhilin to discuss cooperation.
Jardine Matheson & Co. could be said to have taken advantage of this opportunity to successfully carve out a large slice of the pie.
The focus of the militia gradually shifted to Guangzhou.
Before he knew it, a year had passed quietly, and Li Boyang had been in the dream world for two and a half years.
With the opening of the route by Zhang Shusheng, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, an arsenal for producing Enfield rifles was quickly established with the help of Jardine Matheson & Co. and went into operation three months later.
Li Boyang deployed a full 1,000 people to the vicinity of the arsenal, turning it into a restricted area where no one other than staff members was allowed to enter.
The benefits of occupying Guangzhou began to emerge, and as opium flowed into Guangzhou, it brought Baozhilin a large amount of economic revenue.
With a steady stream of funding, the militia quickly expanded to a full-strength division. Furthermore, thanks to the cover provided by Zhang Shusheng, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, and the fact that they operated under the guise of apprenticeships with Baozhilin, almost no one realized Baozhilin's true strength. Everyone could only sense that Baozhilin possessed a powerful military force, but no one knew just how strong that force was.
The remaining funds were all invested by Li Boyang in industrial construction. Within a year, three clothing factories and two soap factories sprang up. In just one year, Baozhilin was no longer just a clinic, but had become a company similar to a foreign firm.
"Build high walls, store up plenty of grain, and delay declaring yourself king." The militia had not yet reached the point of sweeping across China and was still secretly accumulating strength.
Li Boyang was only responsible for some strategic arrangements and no longer paid much attention to the specific operations, which were handled by the professionals recruited by Baozhilin.
Inside the training ground of Baozhilin Martial Arts School in Guangzhou.
A man was demonstrating the moves of various schools of martial arts. Whether it was Xingyi, Tai Chi, or Hung Kuen, he handled them with ease. Although his movements were seemingly haphazard, they gave the impression of being perfectly unified.
The person practicing boxing is none other than Li Boyang. A year is enough time to change a lot. Li Boyang is no longer confined to the framework of Hung Kuen and has begun to integrate various styles.
As Li Boyang practiced his stance, with each punch he threw, the pores on his entire body relaxed, and with each retraction, they closed. It was as if he were breathing through his pores. As the number of punches and retractions increased, a faint white mist began to swirl around him, giving him an air of enlightenment and spiritual attainment.
"The Small Heavenly Circuit Qi Circulation Method uses the body to breathe instead of the mouth, which makes perfect sense."
After practicing a set of boxing techniques, Li Boyang gained a deeper understanding of nourishing the internal organs.
"But how exactly can one achieve such fluidity of force?"
Li Boyang had already mastered the hidden strength half a year ago, but he couldn't find the opportunity to truly master it, which made him feel a bit suffocated.
"The boxing manual says that the mind comes first, then the body; beyond the rules, all power lies in the spirit and consciousness."
“My master once said that my boxing only has intention, not power. It seems that power in this boxing style is the key to mastery.”
Just as Li Boyang was pondering the essence of the fist technique, Liang Kuan rushed into the training ground in a great hurry.
"Third senior brother, third senior brother, stop practicing! The train Master is on is almost at the provincial capital."
Perhaps due to the inertia of history, Wong Fei-hung's storyline has been completely altered because of his own butterfly, yet Leung Foon still becomes Li Bo-yang's junior brother by chance. Not only that, Wong Fei-hung also receives an invitation from foreigners to attend a medical conference. Ironically, this medical conference is actually sponsored by Jardine Matheson.
Although Huang Feihong was the highest leader of Po Chi Lam, he was even more hands-off than Li Boyang, basically not involved in any of Po Chi Lam's affairs, and was more interested in medicine and taking on apprentices. On the contrary, his second apprentice brother, Toothpick Su, became the backbone of Po Chi Lam. He handled almost all the routine affairs. It can only be said that Toothpick Su was indeed a talented person who had studied abroad, and he displayed amazing talent in the management position, handling everything in Po Chi Lam in an orderly manner.
It can be said that Po Chi Lam today can do without Wong Fei-hung and Li Bo-yang, but it cannot do without Toothpick Su.
Unlike in the movie, Po Chi Lam's headquarters has now moved to Guangzhou. However, Huang Feihong may have gotten used to living in Foshan, so he still lives in Foshan instead of Guangzhou. Li Boyang considered that Foshan also needed someone to be in charge, and since it was not far from Guangzhou, he did not try to persuade him otherwise.
Huang Feihong's temperament has changed. Perhaps it's not so much a change in temperament, but Huang Feihong still rejects Western culture, still lives a life that adheres to ancient customs, and is still the same Huang Feihong who hates evil.
What we should really talk about is his perspective. Having experienced the entire transformation of Po Chi Lam, Wong Fei-hung's knowledge far surpasses that of the Wong Fei-hung in the movies.
Li Boyang flung his training clothes aside and scolded, "Liang Kuan, why are you still so impetuous? What kind of behavior is this?"
Liang Kuan was both shocked and afraid of this third senior brother. Not to mention that he had been taught a lesson by Li Boyang in the past, the current state of Baozhilin was the work of this third senior brother. Even Huang Feihong had to listen to the opinions of this third senior brother on important decisions of Baozhilin.
"Let's go pick up our master. What are you standing there for?"
"Alright, senior brother."
The Guangzhou-Foshan Railway, a major project by Li Boyang, is only 60 li long and just opened to traffic last month. Because Baozhilin had swallowed up the underground markets of Foshan and Guangzhou, this railway was built for the convenience of personnel dispatch.
After the completion of the Guangzhou-Foshan Railway, it will only take two and a half hours to travel from Foshan to Guangzhou, which will not only facilitate personnel scheduling but also strengthen the flow of goods between the two places.
"Peanuts, red dates, and almonds."
"Eggs, fresh free-range eggs."
With the construction of the Guangzhou Railway Station, the area around the station suddenly became a bustling market. Dozens of vendors set up stalls just outside the platform, each with their own makeshift sales points, enthusiastically hawking their wares. Countless porters also came and went to unload goods at the station.
Looking at the bustling scene around the train station, Li Boyang felt a surge of pride for no reason. Wasn't this just a small change he was making for China? As long as he persevered, China would soon be transformed.
"Boyang, we're here."
“Boyang, here he is.”
While I was still in a daze, I heard Aunt Thirteen's voice coming from inside the train station.
"Third senior brother, I see Master! Let's go over there quickly."
Sure enough, Wong Fei-hung and Aunt Thirteen had arrived.
Thirteen Aunt was still dressed in a Western-style suit, while Wong Fei-hung, dressed in a yellow robe, held a bamboo fan, unfolded it, shook it, walked up to Li Boyang, touched hands with Li Boyang, frowned, and said, "Boyang, you still haven't reached the pinnacle. It's been almost half a year, hasn't it?"
Li Boyang smiled wryly and said, "I'm sorry to disappoint my master. Maybe I'm just not very talented. I still haven't figured out the difference between power and intention."
"Don't rush, it's just that the time is not right yet. When the time comes, you will naturally be able to reach the pinnacle."
"Seeing your increased strength, it seems your lungs have been properly nourished. It looks like you haven't neglected your daily hard work during this time."
The two hadn't seen each other for almost half a year, and in the blink of an eye, Wong Fei-hung learned about Li Bo-yang's current progress.
"This disciple lacks natural talent, so all I can do is persevere with a sincere heart and practice diligently every day until I achieve whatever level I reach."