After entering Foshan, Li Boyang did not go directly to Baozhilin to become Huang Feihong's disciple. In this era, becoming a disciple was not an easy thing. Why have so many traditional martial arts been lost? It's because of the strict requirements for inheritors and the prejudice against sectarianism.
In ancient Chinese relationships, the emperor was supreme, followed by relatives, and then the master and disciple. For a master, choosing a satisfactory disciple was no less important than finding a son to support him in his old age. Therefore, the conditions for becoming a direct disciple were usually quite strict; it wasn't something you could just decide to do.
Po Chi Lam is definitely a must-visit, but the way to enter cannot be simple and crude. If one could simply kowtow to Wong Fei-hung and become his disciple, Li Boyang would take action without hesitation.
However, the reality is not that simple. If he did that, he would be politely escorted out of Po Chi Lam by Wong Fei-hung's disciples without any suspense. Therefore, Li Boyang decided to try a different approach.
"This is it."
After leaving Baozhilin, Li Boyang quickly inquired about the location of the militia's headquarters.
Just as Li Boyang had predicted, the militia was still recruiting.
The requirements for soldiers in this era were not high. Due to the invasion of foreign powers and the repeated failures of the Qing Dynasty's foreign policy, most people had lost faith in the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, it was difficult to recruit even regular soldiers, let alone local militias for maintaining local security.
After hearing Li Boyang's purpose, Li Boyang met with the militia commander Fang in no time, knowing that the other party would question him soon, and thought about his answers in advance.
"Li Boyang, why did you join the army?"
"Just trying to make a living."
"Hmm, you're fairly honest. So, what skills do you have?"
"I can take a beating, and I can read and write, and I can even speak a little bit of the foreign language."
"Oh? You can actually read? And you even know foreign languages?"
The square tube showed an unusual color. In this era, there was no nine-year compulsory education, and not everyone could read, let alone foreign languages. Ninety-nine percent of the people were illiterate.
The square-tube leader called someone over to test Li Boyang's skills.
For Li Boyang, who had mastered the art of skin-strengthening techniques, taking on 10 adults was a piece of cake. He easily passed the test after showing off a little of his skills.
Then the steward brought out the Four Treasures of the Study (writing brush, ink stick, inkstone, and paper), and after seeing that Li Boyang could write his own name, he wrote a poem. He exclaimed, "What a fine gentleman he is!"
Yes, this captain is illiterate. In his eyes, it's already quite an achievement to be able to write his own name, let alone a poem.
The position of staff member of the militia was arranged for Li Boyang by Fang Guandai. At the same time, Li Boyang also had a large amount of information about the militia.
Of course, Li Boyang wasn't the only advisor in the militia, but one of many. However, the position didn't matter to him. He chose the militia because it was now directly under Huang Feihong's command, allowing him to get closer to Huang Feihong and Aunt Thirteen. The result was better than expected; Li Boyang gained the militia's attention.
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Chapter 5 Becoming an Apprentice of Wong Fei-hung (Part 1)
For several days, Li Boyang didn't see Huang Feihong, but during this time, he had integrated into the militia. He also learned that Huang Feihong only came to inspect the area every now and then, and that the main training work was actually handled by the deputy commanders in each battalion.
If Li Boyang's impression of the militia and Huang Feihong was still based on the movies a few days ago, after living with the militia for the past few days, he felt that his impression of Huang Feihong as a great hero had been completely shattered. At the same time, he also understood why Huang Feihong had such a great influence in Foshan.
The militia actually consisted of three battalions, each with 500 men, meaning the militia was essentially a semi-military force of 1,500 men.
Huang Feihong's position in the militia was not as simple as the chief instructor portrayed in the movies. Of the 1,500 people in the militia, 1,000 were originally regular sailors from the Black Flag Navy. After Liu Yongfu's expedition to Annam, he directly entrusted these 1,000 people to Huang Feihong. Therefore, the entire militia could be said to be Huang Feihong's direct subordinate force.
Furthermore, Wong Fei-hung's Po Chi Lam martial arts school employed several hundred people, which gave him the confidence to confront the Admiral. Wong Fei-hung was more than just a simple swordsman.
What truly changed Li Boyang's opinion of Huang Feihong was the source of the militia's income. The militia was not a formal organization and did not receive a regular military salary. It only received a certain amount of subsidies from the Foshan government. The militia actually made its living mainly from protection fees. It managed to support its 1,500-strong group by relying on protection fees from merchants of all sizes in Foshan. However, Huang Feihong had a good reputation and did not exploit the merchants but provided them with good protection.
Calculating the time when Huang Feihong would arrive at the militia, Li Boyang got up especially early today.
Sure enough, less than half an hour after they started working, Manager Fang rushed in, shouting, "Master Huang will be checking the accounts soon. Make sure you have all the income and expenses for this month!"
The staff's main job was to handle the militia's documents and accounts, and Li Boyang's assigned task these past few days was dealing with protection fees, which was of course not difficult for him.
A short while later, a man dressed in a blue robe, who looked to be in his early thirties and bore a striking resemblance to Jet Li, entered the staff's office. He was followed by the core members of the militia's management team.
"This must be Wong Fei-hung."
Li Boyang looked at the elder man with Jet Li's face and nodded secretly. His calm and composed demeanor, and the way he sat down with a flick of his trousers, were truly inimitable. He was definitely Huang Feihong.
"Master Huang, do you see any problems with the initial performance this month?"
"There's nothing major. It's just that a new admiral has recently arrived in Foshan Prefecture. You and the militia brothers should inform him to be careful lately and not give him any leverage."
“Master Huang, what does the governor’s appointment have to do with us? He can do his thing, and we can do ours. The court won’t even pay the brothers’ wages. If it weren’t for you, Master Huang, the brothers would have starved to death long ago.”
"That's right. If the newly appointed admiral dares to cause us trouble, I'll have the local thugs in Foshan take care of him."
Listening to their casual conversation, Li Boyang roughly understood the extent to which the Qing government's control over Guangzhou had weakened.
"The court is useless, but we can't cause trouble for it. The foreign powers are bullying China because we are not united. Don't give me any nonsense. Just behave yourself for the time being."
Huang Feihong glared fiercely at the militia's management, and the room fell silent instantly; no one dared to speak.
Li Boyang thought to himself, "I didn't expect my chance to make a name for myself to come so soon. Now it's my turn to perform. Let me share my insights with you, and then you'll all be convinced and worship me."
He coughed twice, stood up, and said:
"The real root cause of the oppression by the great powers is not the problem of the imperial court, but the problem of the gentry class in Chinese society. If this problem is not solved, it will be the same even if the imperial court is changed."
Huang Feihong curiously looked up and noticed Li Boyang, the newly arrived staff trainee, and smiled:
"What you said is interesting. What's your name?"
"Li Boyang".
As expected, this caught Huang Feihong's attention. He pressed on, determined to fool Huang Feihong until even his own mother wouldn't recognize him. That would be half the battle won. Li Boyang was secretly pleased; the novels he'd read on Earth hadn't been a waste of time. He still remembered some of the analyses of modern Chinese ailments from those novels. He took a breath and said: