Me: Okay here's where things really get confusing.
Mario: The heck do you mean?
Me: Well starting this chapter, I'm talking about stuff that the class BARELY talked about but is still considered part of World History. Let's just say I'm uncovering some little overlooked gems from this chapter onwards.
Mario: Oh...fun...Chapter 3, START!
Chapter 3: A small Ember in the midst of War
"So you little brat give me one reason why we, the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists, shouldn't shoot you where you stand, Guizi?!" Several young men surrounded the crimson teenager who awoke from a fall from the sky after he retrieved his El Shard from the Yongle Emperor. Two men held their swords to the front and back of Elsword's throat while the rest aimed their rifles at him.
Great I just got here and already this seems familiar. Elsword thought lightly, being caught in the same situation before. "How about that I have no clue what the heck is going on? The red-eyed boy barked back at the amateur swordsman who addressed him. He felt the swordsman's loud exhale and withdrew from the young boy.
"False alarm boys." It seemed as if that guy was the leader, the others followed his signal and put away their weapons. "Now just exactly who are you? Are you really sure you're not those European guizi...you devil?! Your white-skin is awfully suspicious."
"Yeah and my spiky red hair isn't? I'm just someone from another world who's got nothing to do with jokes like you all." Elsword retorted back, noticing their tattered clothes despite their so-called society's name. "What about you all? For a group being called Righteous and Harmonious, you all look like mere peasants to me."
"Enough about us, you got a sword don't you kid?" The leader dodged Elsword's question and noticed the Knight's sword. "Come with us, we need to make up for last week's casualties and you look like in good shape to become a Spirit Soldier."
Elsword stared at them all baffled, as if he couldn't believe that came out of his mouth without hesitation. "No thanks, what kind of person fights with their spirit?"
"Spirit Soldier you insolent kid!" He emphasized the term more. "You fell down from the sky didn't you? It's just as we predicted: spiritual soldiers from the heavens will protect China and purge away the foreign influences like those Europeans!" This time the group forcefully pulled Elsword back to their secret hideout.
"H-Hey darn you what the heck do you think you're doing?!" But it was useless, Elsword stopped resisting until they reached what the "Righteous Harmony Society" called their hideout. T-This is their hideout? A couple of shack houses in some place called Shandong?! Oh El, even Ruben has better housing than these guys. He didn't even bother trying to escape or try anything to harm them, being led to this "building" is the only clue he has to search for the El Shard in this time period.
"Come on little Spirit Soldier brat," Elsword grunted as the supposed commander spat at him, "Take a look at our casualties and maybe you'll share our cause." Spitting in defiance, Elsword grudgingly complied and followed the man to the "casualties".
The two witnessed several other men in tattered clothes, obviously untrained medics, as they set down their covered transportation beds. Suddenly the young Knight had an urge to convulse upon the sight. Elsword turned away upon seeing the medics easily pull out the severed arm that hanged from underneath the cloth that contained the dead body, dried blood stuck to the stump where it disconnected from the rest of the once alive Righteous Harmonious Society member.
"Can't stand it can you?" The commander sneered down at Elsword, who knelt down to the ground and held his head in a vain effort to stop the sudden migraine. "And you call yourself a fellow Swordsman?" Elsword didn't respond back, turning away right before witnessing the emotionless medics cremate the body on a nearby fireplace. Darnit! He grew angry at himself for being so weak. I've seen much worse fighting against the Demons, why does this shock me so much?! After a few moments he noticed the Society commander beckon him to follow. Shrugging his put down look, Elsword shook his head and slightly gritted his teeth while following him.
"Those darn Guizi!" The two entered what was supposed to look like an official circle of debate with the various members to have one of the men, a completely bald old one (he still has clothes mind you), curse. "If only those Europeans can just purge themselves, then we can finally purify China and lead it into the next millennium!" Elsword's mind clicked once he read the nearby calendar date by the table, the year was 1899.
"What if we train this Spirit Soldier here?" Another person, one with a distinct moustache, pointed to Elsword, causing everyone to stare him down as the Knight reluctantly took his seat next to the commander. "Those people who died back there didn't have enough conviction nor do they had the protection of God himself." To Elsword's chagrin, nearly everyone nodded their heads in agreement.
"Hang on!" The commander, who knew about Elsword more than the others, butted in. "He's just a little runt! No Spirit Soldier sends a child to help us in the Rebellion against the foreigners who keep calling us 'Boxers!'". Once again the people agreed to his statement, it's as if everyone is too indecisive about planning so they follow someone who looks like they'll make a good leader.
Those slimy little worms... The crimson Knight was disgusted by this "spiritual" society hide behind the shadows and let someone else do all the work. He was about to stand up and protest when someone else bursted out something that grabbed his attention.
"If only those past leaders like Lin Zexu and Hong Xiuquan were sent as Spirit Soldiers rather than this kid. We could use their help to avenge their losses against this darn government we Chinese have and the Europeans!" The bald one peaked Elsword's interest. Who exactly were these "Lin Zexu" and "Hong Xiuquan?"
"Hey what are you mumbling about there baldy?!" Elsword insulted him, trying to hide his curiosity. "What about leaders like them? I bet this Lin person isn't even a leader!" He correctly hypothesized.
The commander sighed and paid attention to the bald one. "You might as well tell him since you made him curious. We need all the persuasion we can get to purge those European demons."
"Very well, now where do I begin." The bald man pondered, eventually starting with the man who lived first. "Lin was a Chinese bureaucrat who usually keeps to himself, I knew because I chatted up with him." The others, particularly the crimson Swordsman, listened intently as the man went on a flashback while inquiring them about the human catalyst of the Opium War.
"Y-YOU'RE DOING WHAT LIN?!" The old bald man, then young and full-headed, exclaimed in disbelief when whispering about the tension between Europe and China with the illegal trade of Opium. Despite their vastly different class status, the two grew up together and conversed like old friends.
"I said I'm burning down the Opium Warehouse, Lang." Lin repeated his claim to his friend. "This illegitimate trade of opium between us and the Europeans has gone far enough! I arrested Opium dealers and used force to pry the narcotic away from every single merchant in China and yet they still continue to trade with them ever since the Europeans taught them to smoke with it and calling the new form 'Heroin'. This goes to show you that even harmless medicine like what this used to be can become addictive and harmful, ironic isn't it?" Lin finished rambling on and started to walk away. However his friend didn't let him.
"W-Wait! What if you get blamed for when a war breaks out?!" Lang tried to convince his friend out of committing this act.
"I will get blamed, this has happened far too long for me not to get noticed. I'm sorry Lang but it has to be done, how much longer before our great country succumbs to those barbaric Europeans?"
Lang hung his head low. He understood that even he cannot stop his prideful friend once he set his mind into something, that's how Lin got into his position as a Chinese scholar and official in the earlier days of the Qing dynasty rule. "Fine, but is there anything I can do to help?" He offered support for what he unknowingly thought was the last thing he could do for Lin.
Surprisingly, Lin accepted his friend's proposal. "Yes actually, I want you to have a copy of the letter I'm sending to Queen Victoria after I burn down the Warehouse." Lin took out two envelopes inside his pockets, giving one to Lang. "They're both identical, but I kept two copies in case those merchants from before don't ship my letter. This is why I'm giving you the other one, so you can send it to her in my place in case I'm unable to do so myself. Will you do this for me?"
Lang scratched his unkempt hair in thought and nodded. "I will, good luck Lin Zexu!" He addressed his friend by his official name one last time before leaving him.
The bald man, Lang, ended his tale there. What he already knew came from the new printing press from Europe several years ago from that time. He cleared his throat and looked at the people at the debate circle, particularly on the young lad Elsword, and finished up the story. "Lin was able to burn down the Opium Warehouse...but his letter was never sent. As a result the two Opium Wars years ago happened and we lost control of Hong Kong for a good century and a half."
"And what about your letter mister?" Elsword asked more politely, he's gaining respect for the old man despite sharing beliefs with the maggots around him.
With guilt written on his face, he flung the yet unopened letter across the table as the crimson teenager caught it. "I...I couldn't do it." He clasped his hands together and gripped tight. "I...was and am a mere peasant...those merchants would've never listened to me!" Ignoring his guilt trip, Elsword opened the letter and read it aloud.
"We find that your country is sixty or seventy thousand li (distance of 500 feet, aka a long distance away) from China. Yet there are barbarian ships that strive to come here for trade for the purpose of making a great profit. The wealth of China is used to profit the barbarians. That is to say, the great
profit made by barbarians is all taken from the rightful share of China. By what right do they then in return use the poisonous drug to injure the Chinese people? Even though the barbarians may not necessarily intend to do us harm, yet in coveting profit to an extreme, they have no regard for injuring others. Let us ask, where is your conscience?"
Elsword, understanding the message, crumbled the paper and shot it right back at Lang. "This...could've saved your friend from dying. If this Queen Victoria has any kind of common sense and not greedy lust like you all expelling the so-called demons from China, she would've stopped the trade herself!"
"Hey! That's no way to treat your elders you little ki-"
"No...he's right after all." Lang interrupted the commander. "I just...wanted to help him...but I was too frightened to do it." He excused himself and left the room. From there Elsword asked about the other person.
"Alright now what about Hong Xiuquan, someone who was an actual leader?" Elsword asked anyone in particular. "If this Lin person was the one who rebelled against Europe, why did this Hong person rebel in China like you lot now?" He tried to be as polite as he can to get the information.
Sighing heavily, the man with the distinct moustache decided to tell the tale of Hong Xiuquan. "Like us, Hong was a mere peasant during the Qing rule. All I remember about him is the crazy dream he spouted at me that made me think his mind grew warped and he became mentally insane." Unlike the story of Lin, Elsword merely raised an eyebrow as the moustachioed man continued on.
"You're delusional pal!" The moustachioed man exclaimed to his friend, Hong Xiuquan, as the two worked on the fields side by side.
"It is true Yao." Hong stood his ground calmly to his pal as he explained the strange dreams he's been having. "The first dream is an old man complaining that men worship the demons more than him. The second dream showed the founder of Confucianism, Confucius, being punished for his faithlessness which he later repented. And the final dream composed of a few angels carrying me into heaven, where an older-brother figure in a black dragon robe with a golden beard gave me a sword and magic seal to "purge China free from demons!" I know that the old man is God and the brother is Jesus!"
"Well anyone who believes in that Christianity baloney would think so, you'd listen to that all day wouldn't you Hong?"
"But here's the best part. I think I'm the younger brother of Jesus, the Chinese Son of God!" PLOP! Yao struck his shovel entangled in the dirt.
"I-It's true! How else do you explain these dreams only happening to me, a nobody who's never even preached to God before? Maybe the religion the Europeans were bringing is the one true religion, that Christianity trumps both Confucianism and Buddhism?"
"Okay you're going too far into this Hong!" Yao yelled to snap him out of his delusions. "Even if the Chinese elites are going corrupt lately, what happens if this so-called Christianity is fake and the ones we praise are real?"
"No! That's exactly why Christianity is the true religion, look at what Confucianism and Buddhism has done to our rulers!" Hong argued.
"That's only because they are the ones at fault, not the Gods!"
"The same Gods who are supposed to guide them into a righteous path, which obviously isn't happening! You know what I overheard some Europeans gossip around? That their economy is booming thanks to this 'Westernization' they called it. Do you know why? Because their Christian God guided them!"
"Forget this." Yao retreated back inside his house. "Just do what you want."
"With pleasure." Hong left the fields and pursued his new ambition.
Yao, the moustachioed man, wrapped up the rest of his story. "After that he gathered up a bunch of followers to start up a civil war here in China. It was recorded as the Taiping Rebellion with at least 20 million counted in the death toll."
"So we have an insane man who let religion take over him and another person who indirectly started a war due to their actions. How the heck would they help you as Spirit Soldiers?" Elsword asked them, while they thought deeply. Before the Nationalist promoting Society could answer the young boy's question, someone barged through the door.
"I-IT'S THEM, THE GUIZI! T-THEY'RE HERE!" Immediately they warned everyone in the nearby "Shandong Shack" village to gather arms. Quickly they equipped themselves with similar swords and rifles Elsword recalled when he first bumped into them. The crimson boy stayed put until the commander pulled him out of his seat by the collar.
"What do you think you're doing Spirit Soldier? You look like you need to find something right?" Elsword silently gulped. Is this battle-aged man really that perceptive? "Even though you're a little brat, they might not fire at someone young like you. We're using that to our advantage."
Reluctantly, Elsword released himself from the commander's grasp and followed him after dusting his shirt off. He's right, luck might be on my side like last time and I'll find the El Shard sooner than I thought. The crimson teenager reminded himself and unsheathed his sword and swung it over the shoulder style. After a brief walk alongside the rest of his "comrades" Elsword could make out several rushing dots in the distance. Multiple white-skinned men on horseback charged right at them, the Europeans readied their own rifles and aimed for the Rightous Harmonious Society (and Elsword).
"PURGE THE GUIZI!" With the commander's battlecry, everyone with the exception of the crimson Knight charged recklessly at the group.
Darn it, guess with them thinking I'm a Spirit Soldier they still think they're God and immune to bullets. Elsword thought darkly, knowing full well what being careless gets you in a sparring match. With a yell, he joins the fray as well.
BANG! BANG! Just as predicted, the Society falls down one by one with that "bulletproof" armor being nonexistent. With each shot Elsword hides behind the next person...and another after that...and repeats the process. Finally when the distance between them closed, the Europeans got off of horseback and continued firing their rifles against the remaining people still alive. Outnumbered ten to four, Elsword had no choice but to team up with the Righteous Harmonious Society to get out of this. Using his lengthy broadsword, the red Swordsman sliced off the rifles held in the hands of the Europeans to avoid killing them. After disarming two of them, a swift kick to both of their heads was enough to knock them both out. Sensing something to his left, he rolled out of the way from a shot from a European rifle as the owner was shot down by Lang's marksmanship.
"Thanks." Elsword bluntly thanked the old man and searched the battlefield for any signs of the El Shard when a sparkle caught his attention from the corner of his eye. The El Shard! The crimson Swordsman spotted the blue-green object atop the saddle on the horse closest to him. Perfect, if I can just get that I'm one step closer to going-
BOOM! Elsword froze when he spots the same old man who saved him, Lang, shot to the ground by one of the riflemen. From there, an internal conflict raged on his mind as he deals with the three men surrounding him. Darn it! The El Shard's just sitting there, why can't I rush to it! He blamed himself for actually thinking about saving the same people who treated him like a prisoner, stabbing one of the three riflemen through the abdomen repeatedly like a kabob and swinging him over to his friends. El Shard...worthless idiots...El Shard...worthless idiots. Elsword gritted his teeth and performed something he regretted.
After Yao this time was shot by one of the four remaining riflemen, the commander went all out and swiftly cut the life short of two of them. Thinking quickly Elsword rushed to help him by running fast, jumping, and swiftly performed a five meter long air somersault with his sword vertically against one of the Europeans. Finally with one left to go, he and the commander faced off.
SLASH! BANG! As if at once, both the sword and the bullet crossed through the hearts of both men, instantly killing the European but left the commander laying down in his final moments. Without thinking, Elsword immediately rushed to the commander, the one who treated him as a Spirit Soldier and not as himself.
"So that's it? All that boasting and you're going to die just like that." Elsword sheathed his sword and loomed over the commander like a shadow. "Looks like those Spirit Soldiers didn't shield those bullets for you huh?" He turned to walk away.
"But they did, you did." The commander gasped, prompting Elsword to turn back and ask quizzically.
"What do you mean, old-timer?" Elsword asked the rebellious 'Boxer'.
"I may not have been immune to bullets, but a true Spiritual Soldier like you protects us from having those bullets blasted into us in the first place."
"Whatever, I guess I must've failed my duty then. See you later." Elsword turned away as if he saw and forgot a new stranger. He returned back to the horse and grabbed the El Shard. Guess that means only one more to go huh? He thought as the light enveloped him for the second time.
Everyone: Huh?
Me: Hong the Taiping Rebellion leader, Lin the indirect instigator of the Opium Wars, and the guys Elsword runs into are part of the Boxer Rebellion XD!
Crystal: ...Total history junkie ^^
Me: Actually that's research Crystal, cold hard research when I haven't done much of it all year :D
