{"id":6329,"date":"2021-08-23T22:11:40","date_gmt":"2021-08-23T14:11:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.benjamincheah.com\/?p=6329"},"modified":"2021-08-23T22:11:40","modified_gmt":"2021-08-23T14:11:40","slug":"the-wind-blows-from-the-west-part-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/?p=6329","title":{"rendered":"The Wind Blows From The West Part 5"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The sun fell quickly in this part of the world. Cheung blew on his hands in a vain attempt to keep them warm. Lee willed chi<\/em> to heat up his hands. Lee still felt the drop in temperature, but his fingers would be able to pull a trigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheung ignited the wagon\u2019s acetylene lamps. The light was weak, illuminating maybe ten feet beyond them, just enough to watch the road. The road wound and twisted unpredictably through the forest and around the hills, and Cheung slowed further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The night was quiet. No birds, no nocturnal animals, not even insects. Or maybe Lee just couldn\u2019t hear them over the steam engine\u2019s growl. All the same, he checked his Volition rifle by feel, ensuring its safety was still on, and patted his cartridge pouches, verifying the flaps were still closed. It didn\u2019t hurt to be careful, and animals only go quiet when there\u2019s a predator around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Volition rifle was a long<\/em> gun, just a bit too long to handle comfortably inside the cab of the wagon. Keeping it slung around his neck, Lee twisted in his seat, slowly easing out his Webster revolver and placing it on his lap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExpecting trouble?\u201d Cheung asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revolver in right hand, left gripping the Volition\u2019s forend, he cast his gaze beyond the lamps\u2019 cones of light and listened<\/em> to the world. Something\u2026felt\u2026off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lantern appeared in the distance. In the circle of light, Lee saw bunches of saplings bundled across the road, forming a makeshift barricade. Just beyond the light, he sensed human-shaped shadows. And the trees around the barricade were packed too tightly for the wagon to drive through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDiu!<\/em>\u201d Lee cursed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shadowed men stepped out. Two of them, silhouetted against the light. Both pointed long guns at the wagon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of them shouted something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d Lee whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStop your engine!\u201d the highwayman repeated, this time in passable Kuoy\u00fc. <\/em>As the bandit spoke, Lee cocked the revolver, the clicking muted by the grumbling engine but still too loud in the dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The merchant glanced desperately at the shootist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo it,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheung gulped audibly, but he hit the brakes and flipped a switch. The engine cut out and the wagon rolled to a stop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bandit on the left stayed where he was. The one on the right sauntered over to the driver\u2019s side, keeping away from the lamps\u2019 cones where he could be blinded. Or recognized. He said something, again in the Northern dialect. Cheung shouted something back, and the bandit switched to Kuoy\u00fc.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour money or your life, merchant!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cWe\u2019re just simple travelers,\u201d Cheung replied. \u201cWe don\u2019t have much of value.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLure him closer,\u201d Lee whispered. \u201cWhen he comes to the window, get down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGive us everything you\u2019ve got and we\u2019ll let you go,\u201d the bandit replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOkay, okay! I\u2019ll get my purse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The highwayman chuckled. \u201cGood boy.\u201d He circled around the cab, pointing his weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cDuck,\u201d Lee said. \u201cPretend you\u2019re going for your purse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee pressed his rifle against his side, concealing it as best as he could. He drew his chi<\/em> in, making himself look small, insignificant, just an ordinary passenger. He wasn\u2019t sure how the bandits had missed the rifle next to him, but he\u2019d take every advantage he could get.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bandit circled around the cab, weapon at the ready. Cheung folded himself down, clearing the glassless window. Lee tightened his grip on the Webster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The outlaw stopped and stooped over, peering through the window. He opened his mouth just as Lee raised the gun and fired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the brief light of the muzzle flash Lee saw the bandit\u2019s head snap back, the target dropping straight down. Keeping his head down, he opened the door and leapt out. The bandit\u2019s partner shouted. Running for the nearest tree, he squeezed off three more shots in the robber\u2019s general direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTung! Bandit in front!\u201d he shouted, pressing himself up against the tree trunk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A shotgun blast split the night. Another. \u201cMore behind us!\u201d she replied. \u201cWe\u2019re surrounded!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A heavy bullet slammed into the tree trunk and exploded out of it, showering him in dry dust. Cursing, he leaned out and fired his last two shots into the dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHold the line!\u201d he called. \u201cI\u2019ll deal with this one first!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tung\u2019s reply was drowned in a flurry of high-pitched pistol cracks. Lee sprinted for the thickest tree he could make out in his limited sight. The bandit to his front fired and yelled what sounded like an insult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee thumbed down the revolver\u2019s hinge, breaking the weapon open. Six spent casings popped out of the cylinder. His left hand opened his revolver cartridge pouch, withdrew a LaCroix device, and inserted it into the hungry cylinder. It took him a moment to correctly align the bullets before the speedloader went in. He twisted a knob and deposited all six rounds at once. Replacing both empty LaCroix and full Webster, he brought his Volition rifle to his shoulder and looked at the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He extended his senses, feeling the chi<\/em> of his surroundings. The bandit was in front of him, maybe fifty feet away. Now the bandit advanced towards his previous position, discharging a round into the air. Lee circled the tree as quietly as he could, transferring the rifle to his left shoulder, and waited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A dark shape appeared, surrounded in a red aura. He fired. The bandit dropped with a loud cry. He worked the lever, fired another shot into the body. No sense taking chances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind him, a brilliant flash lit the forest, rapidly followed by thunder. But it was no ordinary weather phenomenon. Lee sensed waste chi<\/em> drifting towards him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And just like that, the forest went still again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMs Tung!\u201d Lee shouted. \u201cAre you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes!\u201d came a far-off reply. \u201cI got them all. And you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re clear! Meet up back at the wagon!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everybody was materially unhurt. A stray bullet had zinged above Ayan\u2019s head, but close was no cigar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you, thank you,\u201d Cheung said, his voice shaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust doing our job,\u201d Lee said. \u201cLet\u2019s see what kind of damage the bandits did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wagon had two lanterns in the rear. The civilians took one to inspect the wagon, while the risk takers took the other to gather up the bodies. They also took the time to search the pockets and empty their purses. Dead men needed no money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were five bandits. They resembled each other enough that they must have been relatives, brothers and cousins, perhaps. None of them had died clean. The one struck with the lightning bolt took the worst damage, an ugly tunnel burned clean through his chest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee had seen worse damage during the Uprising. Tung didn\u2019t flinch at the sight. She was looking at\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey were using Sachsen guns,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee picked up one of the bandit\u2019s rifles. It was a Roster Model 1898, among the most common Sachsen bolt-action rifles available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean anything,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the early days of the Hsia Dynasty, the first among the Emperor\u2019s reforms was the Self-Strengthening Movement. Prince Hsihui was charged with reorganizing the army. He had invited Western representatives to produce new rifles for testing. Roster won the initial contracts, in large part because the Sachsens claimed to have no imperial designs on the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then came the I Chuan Uprising, the colonisation of Chiaochou and the Nanking Reprisals. Enraged, the Emperor looked to Columbia instead, what he called the least aggressive of the Western powers. While the Roster rifles were officially abandoned, they were still made in small numbers for private buyers. The old Linghsi armory, in fact, used to produce copies of Roster firearms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Yemai adopted Sachsen weaponry too. And see this? The weapons do not have serial numbers or manufacturer markings,\u201d Tung said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee shook his head. \u201cPolitics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The boiler sprung to life. \u201cHey!\u201d Cheung shouted. \u201cThe wagon\u2019s fine! But we need to clear the roadblock!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheung stretched. \u201cWell, let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee held up a hand. \u201cAllow me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking up the makeshift wall, Lee gathered chi<\/em> in his tant\u2019ien<\/em>. Stopping three feet away, he rooted his feet to the earth and held his hands at chest height. He took a deep breath, supercharging himself. He concentrated, willing the chi<\/em> to bend to his will. A blue-white ball appeared, framed in his open palms. He shouted explosively, stepping forward and shooting both hands out. The chi<\/em> ball obeyed his will, rocketing towards the obstacle. It exploded in a blinding flash of light and thunder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Lee\u2019s eyes readjusted to the dark, the saplings were little more than ashes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShow-off,\u201d Tung said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou fired that lightning bolt earlier. I figured you were drained.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She smiled ever so slightly, and walked away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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The sun fell quickly in this part of the world. Cheung blew on his hands in a vain attempt to keep them warm. Lee willed chi to heat up his hands. Lee still felt the drop in temperature, but his fingers would be able to pull a trigger. Cheung ignited the wagon\u2019s acetylene lamps. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[102,138,143,253,303],"class_list":["post-6329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction","tag-cultivation","tag-fiction","tag-free-story","tag-pulprev","tag-steampunk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6329"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6329"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6329\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}