Chapter 66

When Lin Yuan arrived, Shen Tao was sitting under the shade of a tree, chatting with Chen Fei and the soldiers who had just arrived. As soon as Lin Yuan appeared, everyone stood up. Chen Fei had already quietly slipped away, and Shen Tao bowed, saying, "Mr. Lin, you've come? There's no need for me to introduce myself. I hope Mr. Lin can teach me a few moves." As he spoke, he made a gesture to start.

Lin Yuan, who knew nothing about martial arts, could only say, "I really don't know martial arts."

Shen Tao sighed lightly and said, "It seems my skills are not good enough, and Mr. Lin is unwilling to spar with me." The soldiers also took the opportunity to cheer, urging Lin Yuan to come forward and compete.

Zhang Cheng then shouted loudly, "Captain!" The soldiers immediately understood and shouted in unison, "One more!" Zhang Cheng shouted again, "One more!" The soldiers followed, shouting, "Captain!"

These were common phrases used during "song contests" in the military. A "song contest" is a common form of entertainment in the military, where two groups challenge each other to sing, comparing who has the stronger spirit. These groups are usually distinguished by their units, such as the first platoon challenging the second platoon, or the first company challenging the second company.

Unable to resist, Lin Yuan had to step down, walk to Shen Tao's opposite side, and sit cross-legged on the ground, smiling, "Physical combat is too rude. Why don't we try a different way to compete?"

Shen Tao asked, "How should we compete?"

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "Let's discuss the principles of martial arts. Whoever can convince the other wins. What do you think?"

Shen Tao smiled and said, "Sure, I've never competed in this way before." He then sat cross-legged on the ground.

Lin Yuan started, "Brother Shen, tell me, what is the essence of combat?"

Shen Tao thought Lin Yuan would describe a technique and then ask him to find a counter. He didn't expect Lin Yuan to ask such a question, leaving him momentarily speechless.

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "Let me share my thoughts. The essence of combat lies in two words: attack and defense. Attack and defense are not isolated entities but are intertwined, like the black and white fish in the Taiji diagram. Defense is used for attack, and attack is used for defense. This is the essence of combat. What do you think, Brother Shen?"

These words actually contained philosophical dialectics, which were correct. To his surprise, these words made Shen Tao think deeply. Suddenly, Shen Tao stood up and said, "Mr. Lin, you are indeed a master. My teacher often said that the highest realm of combat is to let your moves follow your heart. I never understood it before, but now, hearing you say that attack and defense are intertwined, I suddenly understand!"

As he spoke, Shen Tao stood up, bowed, and then ran back to his room. Lin Yuan was puzzled, unable to figure out what had enlightened Shen Tao. However, looking at his departing back, he suddenly remembered a plan he had before.

It was already late, but Shen Tao couldn't sleep. He was too excited. If attack and defense are one, then techniques are not so different. He could move freely in combat, which might be what his teacher often said: "No technique is better than any technique."

At this moment, a knock came at the door. Lin Yuan said from outside, "Brother Shen, are you asleep?"

Shen Tao quickly opened the door and invited Lin Yuan in. Seeing that Lin Yuan had brought a middle-aged man, Lin Yuan introduced him, "This is Zhang Hua, one of our own."

Lin Yuan got straight to the point and asked, "Brother Shen, we have a request."

Shen Tao smiled and said, "Mr. Lin, please speak."

Lin Yuan looked at Zhang Hua and said, "I hope you and Comrade Zhang Hua will go to Beijing and establish an intelligence network for us there."

Shen Tao had never heard this term before and asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Lin Yuan said, "It means helping us get information that the foreigners don't want us to know."

Shen Tao thought for a long time and said, "You want me to be a spy."

Lin Yuan shook his head and said with a bitter smile, "That term is too harsh. You will be our eyes in the enemy's midst. Beijing has embassies from various countries, and you will gather the information we need from them."

Shen Tao thought for a while and shook his head, saying childishly, "I won't go. I want to kill the Japanese to avenge my teacher."

Lin Yuan asked, "Was your teacher killed by the Japanese?"

Shen Tao said, "My teacher raised me. We lived in the mountains, and he taught me martial arts. Later, the Japanese found my teacher and asked him to go to Japan to teach them Chinese martial arts. My teacher said, 'How can a Chinese treasure be taught to the Japanese?' and refused. They shot and killed my teacher. I escaped secretly and got a job at the government office in Beijing, hoping to kill the Japanese to avenge my teacher, but I never succeeded. I came here to kill the Japanese!"

Zhang Hua smiled and said, "You said you and your teacher lived in the mountains. How did the Japanese find you?"

Shen Tao had never thought about this and shook his head. Zhang Hua said, "This shows how good the Japanese are at intelligence work. That's why they found your teacher. Don't you think intelligence work is important?"

Shen Tao nodded thoughtfully. Zhang Hua continued, "Revenge doesn't have to be direct combat. Our intelligence work can strike the Japanese hard. Think about it: if our intelligence work is good, before we fight the Japanese, we will know how many they are, what weapons they have, and where they will attack. Wouldn't it be easier to defeat them?"

Shen Tao nodded heavily and asked, "Why do you need me? You all seem very capable. Why don't you establish the intelligence network yourselves?"

Lin Yuan said, "We have considered it before, but we face a major problem. When we get there, we will be unfamiliar with the place and the people, making it easy to run into trouble. We need someone like you, who is capable, brave, and familiar with the local situation, to join our team."

Shen Tao thought for a moment and said, "Alright, as long as I can fight the Japanese, I'll go anywhere. But if you are unfamiliar with the place, can't you gradually get to know it? It shouldn't be that difficult, right?"

Lin Yuan thought, "We are all from the future. In the feudal society, the hierarchy is so strict that even the clothes you wear and the house you live in have standards. If you overstep these, it's a serious crime. In such a situation, without someone familiar with the local conditions, it's not easy to stay long and gather intelligence."

However, he couldn't tell Shen Tao that they were from the future, so he mumbled a few words and passed it off. Shen Tao didn't mind and asked, "What do I need to do?"

Zhang Hua said, "The most important thing in intelligence work is building relationships. We need people who have access to confidential information. Your job is to interact with them and find opportunities to recruit them to work for us."

Shen Tao nodded and said, "Alright, I agree."

Lin Yuan said, "Alright, then. Prepare yourself. You will go to Beijing as part of the Ryukyu Kingdom's embassy to the Qing court."

As they left, Lin Yuan thought, "Now we can roughly grasp the movements of the various countries." He looked up at the night sky and couldn't help but think of the missing Xu Feng, silently saying, "Brother, where are you?"

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