Chapter 18: Civilization (Part 2)

As soon as he spoke, everyone gasped in shock.
That wasn’t some tattered flag—it was France’s tricolor flag.
“I’ll do it!” Zhang Biao was the first to step forward. “I’ll do it!”
He had long felt uneasy about that tricolor flag. In a few quick strides, he rushed to the base of the flagpole and used the bayonet on his gun to cut the ropes. The tricolor flag, with its seven black dots, fell to the ground, drifting helplessly in the wind, like a French lady trampled by German giants.
“Commander!”
The flag was quite large. Liu Yu was only thirteen, with small hands that couldn’t fully grasp it, so he could only seize it temporarily. He strained with all his might, but the flag was astonishingly elastic—he just couldn’t tear it apart. No matter how hard he tried, it remained intact. Seeing this, Ruan Youming finally smiled, but the movement pulled at his wound, causing tears to flow.
Zhang Biao, on the other hand, acted quickly. He removed the bayonet from its holder and handed it over. “Commander! The bayonet!”
No matter how stubborn or struggling the flag was, Liu Yu simply made a light cut with the bayonet. In one swift motion, the entire flag was split in two and fell to the ground.
“God!” Ruan Youming felt as if his mother had died.
Not only him, but also those French missionaries and hypocritical believers who abused their position in the church all felt their hearts bleeding.
This was just the beginning. Liu Yu pointed his index finger at Ruan Youming, at the church’s cross, and at the tricolor flag, teasing the “shy French lady.”
“God!” Gasps filled the air as the women turned away, unable to bear witness to such horror.
Liu Yu unfastened his belt, revealing his still tender penis, and began urinating on the ground. The French tricolor flag immediately became soaked.
What pleasure!
It had been hours since he’d last urinated—finally, he got his wish.
Just as he finished, Zhang Biao rushed over to comfort the tricolor flag. “I’ll do it! I’ll do it!”
One after another, they lined up and urinated directly at the church, letting out strange cries from time to time. The tricolor flag, split in two by the bayonet, was moved to tears.
Ruan Youming finally understood what barbarians were!
They were Attila the Hun!
Liu Yu continued to tease her with his finger. “I’m giving you one last chance!”
“I’ll hand over the Vietnamese soldiers who have taken refuge in the church right away!”
“No! Get them out!”
Since he had already offended the French, he decided to go all the way. He glanced at the grand church and said, “Get everyone out! I’ll make sure you remember today forever! One… two… three…”
“Ten, nine, eight…”
“Seven, two, one!”
Ruan Youming regretted it deeply. From now on, the French church in Haiyang would be utterly humiliated, losing all its authority. He had only agreed to hand over those Vietnamese soldiers to those bandits. Hearing Liu Yu speed up and reach “one,” he immediately cried out, “I agree!”
His face was swollen, his eyes narrowed to slits, but within the most conservative system of the Catholic Church, he was the supreme authority.

At his command, hundreds of believers and non-believers rushed out of the church. Liu Suiyun shouted at the entrance, “Who has been baptized? Who believes in religion?” Clearly, belief in religion or not had become the standard for differential treatment in Liu Ziying’s camp. Many who had just been baptized now retracted their faith, saying, “I don’t believe in religion. I’m willing to atone with money!” Most of those who retreated to the church for shelter were high-ranking officials and nobles, eager to use their gold, silver, and valuables to save their lives. Cai Yunan stood beside Liu Suiyun, quietly identifying those nobles willing to pay to atone. Several opium dealers immediately paled. This Cai Yunan was the leader of the Tiandihui in Haiyang and knew it best—this time, they would surely suffer losses. “Remember, even if it’s robbery, it must look like robbery!” Liu Yu recalled Napoleon’s teachings: “Suiyun, you’re in charge here. Anyone who disobeys your orders shall be killed without hesitation!” He clearly didn’t mean those trembling cowards but rather the eager soldiers. Yet his men still needed to be restrained—after all, they had fought their way into Haiyang seeking wealth. He glanced at Zhang Biao, who wanted to loot everything, and raised an eyebrow. “Zhang Biao, take your men into the church and clear it out. I want no one left inside in an hour!” Zhang Biao had been waiting for this order. Who didn’t know France was known for its tyranny and vast wealth? There were several sets of silver tableware and sacred vessels alone. He immediately shouted, “Follow me to clear it out!” Clearing the church wasn’t solely Zhang Biao’s task. From time to time, members of Liu Ziying’s camp would go in to clean it out and drive out the foreign missionaries hiding there, also gaining some loot. The Vietnamese officials who came to negotiate grew anxious. “Sir, please don’t provoke the foreigners. You can leave easily, but we can’t afford the consequences. It’s easy to talk about money—the governor is waiting for you…” Liu Yu ignored them. There were still six or seven hundred people gathered near the church. Over a hundred Vietnamese soldiers had been disarmed and forced into labor teams. Fifty or sixty wealthy people had already paid ransoms that satisfied Liu Suiyun, but there were still over three hundred believers and many wealthy merchants left. He wanted them to remember this day. He glanced at the cathedral. It was magnificent and towering, yet it must have been soaked in blood and stolen wealth.Ruan Youming’s eyes burned with anger, but now he understood the terror of barbarians. He saw Liu speaking: “I said I’d make you remember this day—forever!” “I won’t break my promise!” “Zhang Biao, set fire to it!” Zhang Biao was bold and ruthless, skilled in killing and arson. There was nothing he wouldn’t do. Since the church had already been looted several times, it wouldn’t bring any extra gain. Hearing this, he wasn’t afraid at all but instead grew excited. “Hurry, light the fire!” The missionaries trembled, but seeing the believers wounded by bullets, they dared do nothing and only prayed silently. A few fires were lit, and flames erupted.

The fierce flames turned Liu Yu’s originally fair face red. The believers and priests dared not show any resistance under his tyranny as Liu Yu stood with his hands behind his back, facing the church in flames. It was absolutely magnificent. “I believe you will remember today.”