Chapter 36: A Forest of Guns (Part 2)

In the face of bayonets, any courage or resistance paled like blank paper. In less than five minutes, the fierce Zhang Biao led his men, armed with loaded revolvers, to the front of the chapel.

The chapel was scattered with religious items—Bibles, crosses, silverware. A few believers outside were trying to lower the prominent tricolor flag. Upon seeing Zhang Biao, they were terrified and abandoned the flag halfway down, shouting as they turned and ran.

Zhang Biao proudly slid his revolver back into its holster and shouted, “Kill!”
The entire infantry company echoed, “Kill!”

The usually bold and aggressive Catholic village fell silent, while the soldiers of Xiliu Camp marched in perfect order. Sima Tai led them around the chapel.

There was not a single person left inside. The once sacred chapel was trampled under the feet of these brutal soldiers.

God was enraged.

The trembling believers hiding in the rooms finally heard good news: “The foreigners have arrived! The missionaries are here—let’s see how arrogant they are.”

Outside the village, Cai Yunnan pointed at this formidable force and said, “Brother Shen, isn’t my unit pretty good?”

As the leader of the Tiandihui, he was now in high spirits. Thanks to his role as an insider in the Battle of Haiyang, he had become a platoon leader in Xiliu Camp, commanding over forty men.

Though he commanded fewer people than before in Haiyang, his status had skyrocketed. Among all the Tiandihui leaders in Vietnam, none had as much influence as him.

Yet this leader of several provinces in Tonkin was a seasoned warrior who had actually fought in battles. He glanced at Sima Tai’s Xiliu Camp and said, “It’s all superficial. Do you know what true strength in troops means?”

During the Taiping Rebellion, the Tiandihui had also launched several uprisings. Liu Yongfu could be considered a peripheral figure within the Tiandihui, while its main force was the famous Flower Flag Army. This time, Brother Shen was someone who had actually led thousands of Flower Flag soldiers.

“It’s just superficial—just well-organized formations,” Brother Shen dismissed Xiliu Camp as worthless. “They have a few fast guns and have practiced formations for a few days. True strength comes from fighting in battle.”

He then sighed wistfully, “Back in the day, I fought against the Tartars. Even among them, there were some strong troops—have you heard of Bao Chao?”

Bao Chao was a general of the Hunan Army, whose troops were among the most combat-effective in the later stages of the war. Cai Yunnan had also heard of him: “I’ve heard that Bao Chao’s troops attacked like tigers and defended like Mount Tai—they were one of the strongest forces among the Tartar armies. But my Xiliu Camp is probably not much weaker than them.”

Brother Shen sneered, “Back then, I led my troops against Bao Chao’s forces. They formed square formations, fired cannons and guns, and remained unshaken. The Taiping Army used dozens of cannons to bombard them—I’ve never seen such powerful firepower in my life. Yet Bao Chao led his troops in a hollow square formation and advanced slowly, completely ignoring those guns and cannons…”

He criticized the troops led by Sima Tai: “Your Xiliu Camp is nothing but a group that has practiced formations for a few days—nothing more than an illusion. If real battle breaks out, with guns firing and cannons booming, I’m afraid your troops won’t be as disciplined as they are now.”
Shen Sheng glanced at Xiliu Camp again: “Let me tell you the truth—true strength isn’t achieved through training. Your Xiliu Camp might be able to scare a few missionaries, but if it comes to real foreigners, you’ll likely panic and falter first.”
Although both he and Cai Yunnan were leaders of the Heaven and Earth Society, Shen Sheng held a far more prestigious position. He governed several provinces and had many pawns at his disposal. He wasn’t very enthusiastic about Cai Yunnan’s suggestion to cooperate with Xiliu Camp: “Don’t think you can act recklessly just because you have a few shotguns.”
“In the past, our Flag Army had hundreds of thousands of men—how many were left in the end?” Shen Sheng viewed the past indifferently. “Your strength is too weak. Not to mention foreigners, even the elite troops of the Qing Dynasty might not guarantee a complete victory.”
“Tell your sentries to step back!” Shen Sheng advised Cai Yunnan. “The foreigners haven’t arrived yet.”
Cai Yunnan glanced around before saying, “The foreigners have already arrived!”
“Kill them!” Sima Tai led his troops in another furious shout. Their morale not only didn’t decline but grew even stronger.
“What if someone blocks our advance?”
“Kill them!”
“What if the troops block our way?”
“Kill them!”
“What if the foreigners block our path?”
“Kill them!”
He gave one final motivational speech to the troops. This time, Liu Yu was determined.
Before setting out, he had made things clear to Sima Tai: “Don’t fear death or casualties. Our goal this time is to establish our authority.”
Sima Tai was still hesitating about the problem Haiyang had faced before: “What if we encounter foreigners?”
Liu Yu’s reply was, “To establish authority—what better way than killing foreigners?”
Indeed, killing a foreigner would surely cause a huge stir, but to show strength, there was no more effective method than killing foreigners. If foreigners could be killed, then no one else could stop them.
Under Colonel Jackon’s command, the troops advanced in four columns, ready for battle. Zhang Biao excitedly pulled out his revolver again—he could already see the foreigners.
He had a natural inclination for violence: “Killing a foreigner is nothing!”
The entire troop advanced in unison, charging at the missionaries.
Just as their morale was at its peak, noise came from the side of the road: “Stop! Please stop!”
Sima Tai glanced over and saw Ye Mengyan, the man in charge of pacifying Xiliu Camp. He was drenched in sweat, his official robes disheveled, and utterly panicked. He shouted, “Sentry Sima, these foreigners are under the protection of the imperial court—they are the most noble people. I beg you, spare them.”
Zhang Biao ignored him and led the vanguard straight ahead. Enraged, Ye Mengyan jumped up and cursed, “Do you know the consequences? Those are foreigners! Foreigners—people you can’t afford to offend. Think about the consequences!”
The French missionaries across from them were waving tricolor flags, angrily demanding retribution.

Sima Tai had already given his order: “Bayonets! Ready!”