Chapter Seventeen: Barbarity (Part 2)

“Sima, repeat the order!”
Sima Tai had long been fed up with Ruan Youming’s arrogance. He immediately grew excited, aimed his gun at Father Ruan, and repeated Liu Yu’s order at high speed: “Any who resist shall be killed without hesitation!”
Liu Yu had brought the main force of the Liu Yu Camp—over a hundred infantrymen, along with two small cannons.
Following Liu Yu’s orders, the soldiers took action. The Liu Yu flag was raised, and they formed into three rows, loading their guns. The sound of bullets being chambered could be heard at any moment, and the two small cannons were also positioned, their barrels aimed at the church.
Sima Tai and Cai Yunnan’s morale, which had been somewhat low, suddenly soared, and their ranks became orderly. Cai Yunnan even whispered, “Keep a close eye on them. Make sure they don’t escape!”
Since he had led the Tiandi Society to join the Liu Yu Camp, he no longer had to stay in Haiyang City and wasn’t afraid of offending anyone.
But in Father Ruan’s eyes, these bandits were still utterly insignificant.
Their main weapons were old-fashioned rifles that France had phased out decades ago. They didn’t even have uniform military uniforms—they couldn’t be called an army; they were just a bunch of bandits. There was no fundamental difference between them and the tens of thousands of Vietnamese government troops wiped out by Captain An Ye.
They didn’t dare!
He heard the soft gasps of believers and non-believers hiding behind the white line. Seeing that reinforcements from the Liu Yu Camp had arrived, even with two cannons, they all became uneasy.
Ruan Youming didn’t back down. He merely glanced at Liu Yu with disdain, finding yet another good reason for himself.
The leader of these bandits was terrifyingly young—almost a child. The only reason he could be their leader was due to the influence of his ancestors.
In France, only outstanding individuals who had received formal military training, especially those who graduated from the prestigious Saint-Cyr Military Academy, could become officers. They were all highly talented, proven in battle, and France’s finest defenders.
He clenched his Bible, looking down on this excessively young boy. Only such barbaric Eastern gangs would do such things. He wasn’t even afraid of those black gun barrels.
One step forward.
“I must warn you!” He held the Bible horizontally against his chest. “You barbarians! This place is under French protection, and it enjoys the gospel of the Lord!”
His voice grew louder: “Not only that—Haiyang City is also under French protection!”
“No! According to the Franco-Vietnamese treaty, entire Annam is a protectorate of the French Republic. I must give you one final warning: leave immediately!”
Father Ruan Youming seemed never to have been so agitated. He had already imagined his most glorious moment.
“Go back right now! France isn’t afraid of sending an expeditionary force to wipe you out!”
His roar was even terrifying to Liu Yu. In front of Sima Tai and the others, he was like an insurmountable mountain.
All it took was pulling the trigger to kill this French priest full of nonsense.

But no one had the courage; everyone stared at the tricolor flag hanging in front of the church, representing the terrifying nation standing behind the priest. They didn’t know just how terrifying France was—only that this distant country possessed thousands of breech-loading rifles, steel-made steam warships, and terrifying rapid-fire cannons, forces they could never withstand.

Liu Yu gently ran his fingers through his short hair on his forehead, glanced at the French priest spitting on the ground, then swept his eyes over the church and the tricolor flag, as well as the murderous intent hidden among the crowd.

“I love France…” he thought, “the nude photos of the first lady,” but at this moment, it was better to show some respect for the tricolor flag for now.

Liu Yu smiled calmly. He couldn’t afford to alienate the French yet. “Father Nguyen, I respect France’s territorial integrity. But since defeated enemy soldiers have fled into the church, I ask that you disarm them under our supervision. I guarantee their safety.”

He spread his hands and pretended to be troubled. “I’ll…”

Although he was giving the French some face for now, it meant Liu Yu would have to tolerate the Vietnamese troops who had taken refuge in the church. In his memory, during the war of resistance, foreign missionaries had strongly demanded that churches be made neutral zones, and the Chinese army had agreed. Soon after, the Japanese captured those undefended churches, causing heavy casualties among the Chinese troops, while the foreign missionaries didn’t dare say a word.

That was his bottom line.

Yet even such a concession caused the believers behind him to exclaim in amazement. Father Nguyen saw that his threats had worked, so he stared intently at Liu Yu again. “Barbarians, you must withdraw from Haiyang!”

Liu Yu didn’t want to argue about this for too long. “I give you three minutes to hand over the enemy soldiers in the church! I guarantee your safety.”

Hearing this, Father Nguyen roared again. “A joke! Barbarian, do you want to bring ruin upon yourself? Remember Father Ma Lai!”

“Father Ma?” Liu Yu mused to himself.

“Remember, to punish the murderers of Father Ma Lai, France sent an expeditionary force, captured your barbarian capital, and inflicted the greatest punishment on you. Remember that!”

He was referring to the Second Opium War, with Father Ma being the pretext the French used to start that war.

“I remember!”

“It was the Old Summer Palace!”

Liu Yu’s tone also became harsh. He gripped his Spencer rifle tightly and glared at the French priest. “This is your last chance! I’m giving you one last chance!”

The two were locked in a tense standoff, but those behind them clearly didn’t favor Liu Yu. Liu Yu was alone, while Father Nguyen had France behind him—it was an unequal battle.

The believers occasionally cheered and prayed that these bandits would go to hell.

The clergy members praised from the side, “It’s time to dedicate ourselves to the Lord. Remember, dying of illness doesn’t mean one can immediately ascend to heaven and enjoy blessings. But sacrificing one’s life for the Lord allows one to receive these blessings right away. May God grant you the great grace of martyrdom soon.”

Ruan Youming seemed to have already seen a beautiful ending; he became even more aggressive: “According to the Franco-Vietnamese treaty, France protects this country. We must maintain its freedom and independence! Get out!”
“Do you know what a protection treaty is? Do you know what consular jurisdiction is? Do you know what extraterritoriality is?” Ruan Youming trembled with excitement: “Barbarians, get out! Go and beg for God’s forgiveness!”
I know. I remember.
It was the Old Summer Palace. Bali Bridge.
History would change from this moment on. Liu Yu suddenly shouted, “It’s you who should get out!”
He turned around: “Orders! All of you barbarians like me! Follow me…”
“Charge—”