In Northwest China, Mon rode with a dozen of his handpicked warriors across the sands. They made their way toward a garrison that had refused to submit to Imperial authority. Upon seeing the riders, the garrison closed the gate and armed the walls. "Take out the leader!" the commander ordered.

That ended up being a mistake as all firepower was directed toward Mon who was impervious to their fire. The bullets merely bounced off his armor and skin. Inside the garrison, an ordinary trader began to dispatch the guards on the tower from the inside. Mon reached out his hands to his riders. Once they were all touching him, he used his instant transmission to bring them all onto the walls. Mon and his men quickly took out the tower guards and conquered the garrison. Two soldiers were left alive as prisoners.

"You will send a message to your chief not to fuck with me," Mon said to them. "Now, go," he ordered. As they ran out of the garrison into the open desert, a thought occurred to him. "How many does it take to send a message?"

"One," his sniper smirked. The sniper took aim and shot to death one of the messengers.

"Nice," Mon smiled.

Beijing, China

News of Mon's victories reach Emperor Lu, the puppet that Mon had placed in power after he had killed the previous emperor. "Six more enemy garrisons have fallen along the northern road, trade has dramatically increased, the kingdom has never been so prosperous, and our citizens no longer need worry of famine and war," a clerk said to Emperor Lu.

"More attacks are soon to follow," the clerk added.

"Who is leading these attacks?" Emperor Lu asked.

"Prince Mon-El, Your Majesty, with his squad of shadow warriors," the clerk replied.

"We shall not allow the Insane prince to take glory that is rightfully Chinese. Here is my decree: We shall build a mighty army, every family shall supply one man, and deploy this army. China is the Dynasty of Tang, not of El," Emperor Lu declared.

Central China

In a random village, recruiters sought out a man from every household. "Citizens, we are attacking and invading the north. Our land is at war. By edict of the emperor, every family must contribute one man to fight, one man from every household," the recruiter ordered and then started shouting out family names.

"I will fight," a teenage girl said already dressed up in red armor.

"The fuck?" the recruiter wondered. "I said one man from every household."

"I identify as a man," she said boldly.

"Fine, fuck it," the recruiter allowed and handed her an admittance scroll.

On horseback, Mulan crossed the mountains and deserts to get to the army camp. She eventually arrived a few days later at a place with a series of tents set up. "My name is cricket. They say that when I was born, I was a good luck charm," one soldier said.

"No, you're not. Shut the fuck up," another soldier told him off.

"No, you shut the fuck up," Cricket shot back. The men started fighting in line and Mulan ended up getting pushed to the ground.

"Need some help, little girl," Chen asked her.

"Misgender me again or you'll feel the tip of my blade," Mulan said, suddenly taking out her sword and pointing it at his throat. Chen took out his own sword at her throat at the same time.

Gen. Tung suddenly appeared and broke up the fight, disarming Mulan and Chen at the same time. "I am your commanding officer. Fighting will not be tolerated," he said to them both.

"Yes, commander," Chen sighed. Mulan merely nodded.

"With your voice, soldier," Gen. Tung ordered.

"Yes, commander," she said finally.

"They send me daughters when I ask for sons," Gen. Tung rolled his eyes. "What's your name?"

"Hua Mulan," she replied.

"Is this your family sword?" he asked.

"It belongs to my father," she confirmed.

"Fall in line," Gen. Tung ordered everyone.

Mulan's gender was largely ignored, and she was sent to a male tent. For her own safety and peace of mind, she took a shower via getting rained on during tower guard.

The next morning, Mulan was in formation with all the other men. A hard-ass Sergeant Major addressed them all. "Stealing, desertion, fornication, dishonesty is expulsion; a disgrace for you, your family, your village, your country, and your cow. We're going to make men out of all of you."

Commander Tung then came forth and did some sick sword moves in front of them all. With play-swords, the recruits fought with each other. They went to the range and shot like shit. They then went up a mountain with water buckets in both arms. "Straighten out those arms, shoulder level, don't stop," the Sergeant Major ordered. "Do I hear crying? What the fuck?"

On the range, a soldier shot with his eyes closed and managed to score a hit. "Keep both eyes open, soldier, or I will kick you off my range," Sergeant Major ordered him.

With the power of her chi, Mulan excelled in all areas. Meanwhile, a rebel soldier hundreds of kilometers away struggled with her training and was nearly kicked out when she proved herself with an ingenious technique to use the friction from two weights to get her to the top of a wooden pole. After having gained the admiration of her fellow soldiers, the rebel performed better creating a positive feedback loop within her platoon. As Mulan carried water buckets up a mountain with her chi, the rebel used a pole through two buckets and was able to carry both buckets on her shoulders.

One training day, Mulan was hauled into Commander Tung's tent. "Enter," he said to her.

"It seems you have been hiding something. I sensed it the moment I met you but now, I am sure. You see, I have a secret as well. I knew your father. He was a great soldier. I see the shadow of his sword in you. Perhaps, the shadow of his sword weighs heavily on you. You need to cultivate your gift. The chi is powerful in you. Why do you hide it?" Commander Tung asked.

"To give myself false humility, Sir," Mulan replied.

"Make sure everyone in the camp knows how awesome you are. That's an order," Commander Tung told her.

"Yes, Sir," Mulan replied.

Mulan then showed her sick moves to her fellow soldiers that night in the field near a lake.

On the next training day, the Sergeant Major informed the men of the nature of their enemy. "The enemy is vast, and they are ruthless and unpredictable. A warrior feels the chi and redirects it. With your chi, a thousand kilograms will feel the same as four grams. Private Mulan, demonstrate," the Sergeant Major ordered.

In front of everyone, Mulan grabbed two heavy buckets of water and made her way up the mountain with ease with her arms completely outstretched. "Holy shit," the men realized.

Meanwhile, the rebels took a few more garrisons prompting the emperor to send his untrained troops into battle.

Commander Tung addressed his division. "Garrisons continue to fall to the rebels. We have been called to war despite our training not being finished. Up until now, you have been boys and girls playing soldiers. Now, when you take your oath, you will be soldiers."

Later that day, Mulan came into Commander Tung's tent. "There is something heavy on my heart. I must confess it to you. I have an issue with our virtues."

"There's no shame in being fearful before battle. In fact, it is a testament to your honesty that you confess such doubt," Commander Tung complimented. "Mulan, you're a good woman. I like you. After this war is over, you can come over to my house and fuck my daughter."

"It would be an honor," Mulan replied.

In the mountain areas, Mon was inside a crater. Thousands of rebel bodies were scattered about. The ones closest to him were vaporized completely while those on the outer rim of the blast radius were merely burned. "Stack the bodies," Mon ordered his squad. "Surely, there are more rebels to fight."

"The Imperial Chinese army has been sent out to confront the army you have just destroyed, My Lord," his scout informed him. "It would be a pity if both armies annihilated each other at this spot," his sniper said.

Mon smirked at his elite squad as he got their meaning. As he sensed the Chinese army, he noticed someone special among them. "I sense a presence I have not felt since...," Mon said intrigued. "The army means nothing. I want the one who has the power of chi."

Meanwhile, the Chinese imperial army arrived at a garrison on the front. Scouts reported an enemy platoon in the area. "Rebel platoon, half-day ride from here. We greatly outnumber them," the scouts reported.

"He who moves first controls the enemy," Commander Tung said boldly. "We leave to fight them in the day, in an open field, taking the low ground."

His troops proceeded to give him a WTF look but remained silent.

The next day, the Chinese imperial army, a division, marched out into an open field. A small rebel cavalry scout squad went out to meet them. The Chinese imperial army fired at them with infantry gunfire, artillery, and missiles scorching the land. The rebel cavalry scouts took off into the mountains. "Pursue them," Commander Tung said to his Sergeant Major.

The Chinese imperial army went after them into the mountains. There, the army quickly became divided as they made a path through the narrow passes. Rebels ambushed Mulan's squad. In the firefight, Mulan did her fair share of killing the rebels as all of her men died around her. Finally, she was left alone. Mulan then made her way back toward the main group.

Mulan came to a place filled with volcanic vents giving off poisonous steam. The surface was a lake frozen over. A shockwave blast suddenly threw Mulan off her horse. The freaked-out horse took off into the distance. Mon instantly appeared in front of her wearing his Insane armor. Mulan quickly got back to her feet with her sword drawn.

"The chi is with you, young one...but you're not a Vindicator yet," Mon told her.

Mulan went up to him without fear with her sword ready. Mon casually unsheathed his own sword. The two clashed a few times to test each other out. Mulan then aggressively tried to force an advantage. Mon easily pushed her back nearly toppling her over. Mulan got back to her feet and aggressively pushed Mon back towards the mountainside. Mon blocked all her blows easily enough and then nearly took off her head with a good swipe.

"You have learned much, young one," Mon mocked.

"You're going to find I'm full of surprises," Mulan replied confidently.

Mon quickly disarmed her, sending the sword sliding across the ice. Mulan went for the sword, crawling on the ice to ensure her weight was distributed evenly among the ice, and eventually reached her sword. Upon reaching the sword, she inexplicably stood back up with all of her weight on her feet. She suddenly fell through the ice. "All too easy," Mon smirked.

Mon gracefully glided across the ice and looked into the hole. He looked down into the water to see if she would come back up. "Perhaps you're not as strong as the emperor thought," he figured.

Mulan suddenly broke through the ice behind him for a sneak attack. Mon blocked her just in time. "Impressive," Mon said sincerely. "Most impressive," he said as he regained his proper footing with her. Mon then pointed his hand at her and gave her a shockwave blast. Mulan hit the mountainside hard knocking her out.

Chinese Imperial scouts finally found the rebels in the mountains. They were a small group, no more than a platoon. They were carrying one wagon presumably filled with TOW missiles. Suddenly, one of the missiles malfunctioned and fired off prematurely into the air. As Shan Yu went to investigate, he was shot in the shoulder by an Imperial sniper.

The Imperial scouts fired non-stop at the rebels, but their shots were not accurate at that range. The rebels scrambled to save the TOW missiles from the wagon and get cover. A lucky shot hit the wagon causing an explosion that destroyed the remaining missiles and the wagon. The rebels then fired their TOW missiles back at the scouts creating explosions all across the mountain. The scouts were defeated but the rebels only had one missile left.

On the top of the mountain slope, ten thousand Imperial Chinese troops revealed themselves with Commander Tung in the front. The rebel platoon stood their ground as they faced down an entire Imperial division. Commander Tung led the division down the slope toward the rebels on horseback. Thousands of horseback riders made their way down the slope as a giant wave. One rebel took the last TOW missile and charged the Imperial army.

The lone rebel carefully set up the TOW missile, armed the missile, got the sites ready, took off the safety, and aimed directly at Commander Tung. As Commander Tung approached with his sword outstretched, the rebel fired the missile. The missile barely missed Commander Tung's head and went past him. "The fuck?" Commander Tung wondered as the missile kept going through the air and hit a mountain causing an instant avalanche. The avalanche quickly overwhelmed the Imperial division.

Upon realizing the situation, Commander Tung swiped at the rebel with his sword and then tried to escape the avalanche. Thousands of Imperial troops were swept away by the avalanche and buried. The remaining rebels retreated as well and found cover behind a rock formation where the snow passed around them. The entire Chinese division had been destroyed in an instant. The rebels then made their way toward Beijing.

Beijing

Oblivious to their epic defeat, the Imperial Chinese were about to celebrate with fireworks. The rebels, dressed as concubines, infiltrated the palace and took Emperor Lu hostage. Once they had secured the emperor, they locked the gates and took off their dresses. Mulan raced toward the palace on horseback and found the doors locked. Rebel leader, Shan Yu, took Emperor Lu to the top floor of the palace and onto a balcony looking over the square.

"Your walls and armies have fallen and now it's your turn," Shan Yu told him. "Bow to me."

Mulan channeled her chi and punched the gates open. She then continued her way through the palace punching the lock doors open. She met the rebels and quickly dispatched them with her sword and martial arts. At the same time, Shan Yu continued to work on the emperor.

"I grow tired of your arrogance. Bow to me!" he demanded.

"No matter how the wind howls, the mountain cannot bow to it," Emperor Lu replied.

"Then, you will kneel in pieces," Shan Yu told him.

Mulan intervened just in time to block Shan Yu's sword. Mulan disarmed Shan Yu but was thrown off the balcony. Mulan grabbed a hold of a pillar, swung herself around, and kicked Shan Yu in the face as she got back on the balcony. The two struggled a bit until Shan Yu managed to get Mulan restrained on the floor. The rebels took hold of the emperor and took him away to another rooftop via cable ropes.

"No!" Mulan shouted as the emperor disappeared.

Mulan elbowed Shan Yu in the face stunning him and head-butted him to the floor knocking him out. The lone rebel on the balcony cut the cable to prevent Mulan from getting to the emperor. Mulan then went back to Shan Yu to finish him off. He tried to defend himself with a knife only for Mulan to kick it away and punch him to the face. Mulan then went for the kill with her sword.

"You killed all of my men," Mulan accused him.

"No, I did," the lone rebel told her.

Mulan withdrew from Shan Yu and went after the lone rebel. The lone rebel locked a door behind her only for Mulan to punch through it. Mulan chased the lone rebel down and sliced through entire pillars with her sword to get at her. One of the pillars fell through a wall creating an opening. The lone rebel balanced on the fallen pillar in the outside air. With her chi, Mulan's feet remained steady on the pillar as she approached. The lone rebel leaped up and climbed onto the roof. Mulan tore through the roof and surprised the lone rebel.

"Your fancy ideas are no match for my chi," Mulan said to her as she thrust forward with her sword. The lone rebel took out a fan, hooked Mulan's sword with it, and then disarmed her. Mulan advanced on her regardless. The lone rebel swiped several times only to be blocked by Mulan's index finger. Mulan, finally, took her sword back and went for the kill.

The lone rebel took a knee in prayer as Mulan was about to execute her. The clouds erupted as a giant red dragon formed above the imperial palace. The dragon solidified and glared at Mulan. "What the fuck?" Mulan wondered. The dragon then bitch-slapped Mulan into a tower that promptly exploded as it was filled with fireworks.

Mon then teleported onto the roof and watched the firework explosion with amazement. The lone rebel recognized Mon and knelt before him. "Tell me your name," he ordered her.

"Magnolia," she replied.

"You kneel before me?" Mon questioned.

"I kneel before the rightful emperor of China," she replied.

"In gratitude to your service and dedication, I invite you to join my most decorated warriors as an officer in my guard," Mon invited.

"Your Majesty, I have completed my mission. I beg you that you never forget the ultimate ideal of a warrior, to lay down one's sword," Magnolia declined.

"Well said," Mon allowed.

"I've assessed the situation, and I'm going home," Magnolia told him.

Mon eyed the palace and capital full of people. "Let me take you back."

Mon brought Mulan back to her village. For her bravery, Mon handed her an extremely sharp expensive sword. "I have not reconsidered being an officer in your guard," she said confused.

"It's for your dowry," Mon replied. "Live long and in peace."

With the Imperial and rebel armies both destroyed, Mon put Emperor Lu in his place under his command. Never again would a Chinese Emperor be able to form an army or fight in a war without Mon's permission.

Author's Notes: Magnolia is the word origin for the name: Mulan. The red dragon at the end has been left intentionally ambiguous as a spirit dragon, Mushu, or a ki technique by Mon. The contrast between Mulan 1998 and Mulan 2020 is interesting. Instead of feminine determination, ingenuity, and clever compensation for a lack of masculine strength, faith, and comradery with her spirit pal, Mulan 2020 is simply a Jedi. While Mulan 1998 simply goes home to a peaceful life, Mulan 2020 joins the system that oppressed her and threatened her with death.