Chapter 18: Civilization (Part 2)

The church was still on fire, with bricks and stones collapsing from the flames from time to time. Soldiers from the Liu Army stood all around, armed with guns, blocking believers who tried to put out the fire.

Nguyen Huu Minh resembled a defeated French rooster. This blond, blue-eyed French missionary had been preaching in the colony for nearly a decade but had never faced such a setback before.

Liu Yu maintained excellent control. So far, only ordinary Vietnamese believers had died, and the local missionaries had only suffered minor gunshot injuries.

Staring at the burning church, his eyes ached so much he could hardly keep them open. The church could be rebuilt, and the rebels could be eliminated, but rebuilding the paradise in his heart was a daunting task. The fire had destroyed the image the church had painstakingly built over decades.

He clenched his fists—he wanted revenge. He would send troops from Haiphong to wipe out these bandits.

France had two military bases in northern Vietnam: Hanoi, the capital of the north, and Haiphong, which controlled the Red River route and was called “Zuo Jin” by the Vietnamese. Each base housed a company of French Marines, with 100 soldiers each. In addition, a small number of river vessels from Indochina’s fleet would also patrol in central Vietnam.

According to Nguyen Huu Minh’s estimate, just one Marine company and a few small warships would be enough to eliminate these barbarians. The thought of him made his blood boil.

He didn’t want to stay in Hai Duong for another moment. Forcing a smile, his face twisted in pain—worse than crying—“Dear sir, I must explain that due to lack of guarantees, we foreign missionaries wish to seek refuge in Hai Duong!”

Liu Yu glanced at Father Nguyen Huu Minh. This French priest with a Vietnamese name still carried a fierce look in his eyes, but he couldn’t shoot him yet.

Killing a few Vietnamese believers was one thing, but killing a French missionary was another entirely. Yet he had been waiting for Nguyen Huu Minh to say those words. He knew Nguyen Huu Minh would go to Haiphong to summon troops, but Nguyen Huu Minh didn’t realize Liu Yu knew even more.

“Go! I guarantee your safety as you leave!”

“Amen! Thank you!”

…

As soon as those annoying foreign missionaries were driven away, Liu Yu turned to Liu Suiyun and said, “Next time we meet, kill him!”

He regretted not killing Nguyen Huu Minh. Time was insufficient, resources were too limited—Liu Yu’s strength was still far too weak!

Now, just one French infantry company would be enough to utterly defeat the Liu Army without any difficulty.

Less than five years! He had less than five years left. During that time, he had to build up his strength to face the Sino-French War in five years.

I need more breech-loading rifles, artillery, ammunition, and military supplies. I need more brave soldiers. I need more funding.

I can do it.

This is the best opportunity yet.

The fire at the cathedral in the west of the city drew the attention of many people. The Catholics in the city and the remaining Vietnamese soldiers scattered like smoke in the wind.

They sensed a dangerous atmosphere and immediately went underground. Countless Bibles were thrown into furnaces to be burned, and numerous military uniforms were dumped into wells. With their unique cunning, they automatically retreated underground. Unless the Liu Zi Camp retreated outside the city, they would always carefully observe the situation and never take any risks. Even if missionaries or superiors told them to come out into the sunlight, they lacked the courage. They knew what kind of crazy bandits these were—they had even burned down the church in the west of the city. Yet some people didn’t seem to care. In a small room in the west of the city, a few people held ancient scriptures and said joyfully, “The foreigners’ church has been burned—this is a divine opportunity for our religion!” “Since our religion retreated to Vietnam, it has failed to revive due to the attacks from foreign religions. Now is the best chance!” “Lord, let’s take this opportunity to recruit more believers!” “Exactly! With the reputation of foreign religions in decline, our efforts will surely yield twice the result.” Among the excited crowd, a girl under twenty appeared unusually calm. She had witnessed the repeated declines of this small religious group. In a icy tone, she said, “Do you know where this is?” Dressed in men’s clothes with a neutral appearance, her delicate features and graceful demeanor couldn’t hide her natural beauty. “This is Vietnam, Hai Duong! It’s French and Catholic territory.” She spoke coldly and bluntly, “The French could return at any time. How long do you think we can hold on?” “Our religion now only has a few loyal followers left. I don’t want to lose you.” The woman in men’s clothes concluded, “I’m actually interested in the Liu Zi Camp’s attack this time… What we need are partners we can work with.” Nguyen Huu Minh stared intently at Hai Duong City from the ship. The cathedral was massive, with flames still burning and thick smoke rising. He would return for revenge. Unbeknownst to him, his opponent would eventually be given the titles of “Great Saint” and “Bearer of Civilization,” and he had no idea who would bestow such titles. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese officials were furious. They found no soldiers or officers—once they saw things were going wrong, these people either fled the city or disguised themselves as civilians. Even the Liu Zi Camp’s searches failed to locate them. But now trouble had arisen—the Catholic church in the west of the city had caught fire. What could they do? The French would return for revenge. Then local officials would be dismissed or executed, and they would also have to pay compensation to the French. Thinking of everyone becoming like headless flies, scrambling to complain to the governor, they said, “Sir! It’s bad enough that those bandits refuse to see you, but they even burned down the French church. What should we do?” “What should we do?” “Things are very bad.” Fan Fushu, however, remained calm. Looking at the flames, as a Confucian scholar, he felt a secret sense of satisfaction, but he also knew this situation was difficult to resolve. It was tough! But as a defender of Hai Duong for his country, he had to take responsibility. He adjusted his official robes and said, “I will go see that Mr. Liu right away and ask him not to wreak havoc in Hai Duong.”

He stepped outside, disregarding his own safety.
“Fan Fushu, Vice Grand Secretary and Governor of Haiyang as well as Minister in Charge of Commerce, requests an audience with Mr. Liu Yu.”
Note: Fan Fushu was originally the Governor of Haiyang and Minister in Charge of Commerce; in the 31st year of the Sidde era (i.e., 1878), he was promoted to Vice Grand Secretary while continuing to hold his governorship.