{"id":6334,"date":"2021-08-25T21:43:30","date_gmt":"2021-08-25T13:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.benjamincheah.com\/?p=6334"},"modified":"2021-08-25T21:43:30","modified_gmt":"2021-08-25T13:43:30","slug":"the-wind-blows-from-the-west-part-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/?p=6334","title":{"rendered":"The Wind Blows From the West Part 7"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

They made good time on the road, arriving in the next town by late afternoon. Instead of checking in at an inn, Cheung insisted on going straight to his local contact. Ayan parked the wagon outside a short, squat building. The sign above the door read \u2018New World Printers\u2019.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Lee leapt off the back, he heard faint mechanical clanking drift through the air. He wrinkled his nose. There was\u2026something\u2026in the air. A moment later, he detected a faint whiff of hot, freshly-printed paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMr Lee, Ms Tung, please stay outside to guard the wagon,\u201d Cheung said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t need any escorts?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo need. We\u2019re among friends here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a grunt, Ayan grabbed a trunk off the back of the wagon and followed Cheung in. Lee briefly contemplated grabbing his Volition, but that was probably overkill in an urban environment. Besides, if they needed a long gun, Tung could unhook her box from her belt and fasten the stock to her C86.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The moment the door closed, Tung said, \u201cYou did well against the bandits, Mr Lee.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnly because you had my back, Ms Tung.\u201d He cocked his head. \u201cYou killed more of them than me, didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She smiled briefly. \u201cWe had each others\u2019 backs, didn\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnly way to get by these days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She nodded. \u201cI get the feeling our client isn\u2019t upfront with us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy? Because his contact was executed?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Lee\u2019s face darkened. \u201cWe don\u2019t know the full situation. I\u2019ve seen firsthand what the Imperial Guard can do, and will do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee sighed. \u201cI was… In the early days of the I Chuan Uprising, the I Chuan Tui besieged the International Quarter of Shen Kang. When the Westerners broke the siege, the Emperor declared war on the Eight Nation Alliance and sent in the newly-formed Imperial Guard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee\u2019s voice faded to a whisper, his eyes glazing over. \u201cThe Imperial Guard burned down the International Quarter. Slaughtered every foreigner they found. They marched on the Treaty Ports, on the International Legation in Nanking, and did it all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen the Uprising was over, they embarked on a \u2018pacification\u2019 campaign. They executed everybody suspected of assisting the foreigners. All it took was an accusation from a pure-blooded Hsia. I saw it all first-hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWas our client\u2019s customer truly a criminal? Or had he simply run afoul of some official who turned the Imperial Guard against him? We don\u2019t know that for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was war. Things are different now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Pacification of Linghsi wasn\u2019t that long ago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her face fell. Then she looked up. \u201cWe need to find the truth for ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow do we do that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She grinned. \u201cI have a lockpick set.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He nodded. \u201cGet to it. I\u2019ll keep a lookout.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She hopped into the back of the wagon. He waited, standing his lonely vigil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minutes later, the door opened, revealing Ayan and Cheung.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Ms Tung?\u201d Cheung asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGuarding the cargo.\u201d He circled around the wagon, calling, \u201cMs Tung, we\u2019re done here. Please hand me my rifle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHere,\u201d she said, holding out his Volition in one hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d he said, while raising his eyebrow and gesturing ever so slightly at the trunks in the rear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re welcome,\u201d she replied, nodding almost imperceptibly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

**<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They didn\u2019t speak again until the evening, when they checked into the inn. Once upon a time it was a rich man\u2019s mansion, surrounded by low walls. The current owners had maintained the facade, but kept up with the times. It had piped water, electricity, even a telephone on the front desk. After the men moved the goods into Cheung\u2019s room, the quartet adjourned to the dining room. The waitresses greeted Ayan warmly and led them to their table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey seem to like you,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He smiled. \u201cYes. I taught their families a few years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou were a teacher?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWas. Then the Imperial education reforms reached the Northeast. The Education Ministry sent a young man with a wagon full of \u2018modern\u2019 textbooks. He insisted that I teach the new curriculum.\u201d A great invisible weight fell on Ayan\u2019s shoulders. \u201cI am an old man. In my youth I studied the classics. I couldn\u2019t begin to understand the \u2018mathematics\u2019 and \u2018sciences\u2019 they wanted me to teach, and the new curriculum had no room for the Analects or the Great Records. I had to find a new job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat must have been terrible,\u201d Tung said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ayan shrugged. \u201cMaybe. Maybe not. Who am I to say?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou seem very calm about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheung laughed. \u201cHe\u2019s a scholar of Laotzu. What did you expect?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ayan smiled benignly. \u201cThe times have changed. Now the wind blows from the West, and we must bend or we will break.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A waitress arrived to take their order. They ordered noodles and pickled cabbage soup for everyone. And tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat did you mean, the wind blows from the West?\u201d Tung asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were a great empire once,\u201d Ayan said. \u201cWe gave the world the Four Great Inventions: paper, gunpowder, printing and the compass. The Westerners took them from us, improved them, and used them against us. Now, if we are ever to end the Century of Humiliation, we must catch up with them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t forget Yematai,\u201d Cheung said. \u201cWe gave them their written language, and in their eternal gratitude they stole Ch\u00fcsenkuo and are now meddling in the Northeast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh, yes. Yematai. I almost forgot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tea arrived. It was much hotter and a little sweeter than Sum Kong teas. Lee sipped slowly at his.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe stood up against the West,\u201d Tung said. \u201cWe defeated the Eight Nation Alliance by ourselves. I\u2019d say we\u2019re doing well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo? Why not?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe fought them to a stalemate. We couldn\u2019t remove them from our lands. The best we could do was to renegotiate the Unequal Treaties, turning the Treaty Ports into International Cities. And that was after five years of total war.\u201d He sipped quickly at his tea. The heat held back memories of burning skies and bloodsoaked earth at the door to his soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou were there,\u201d she said. \u201cI heard you fought for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He blinked away images of lightning-struck airships crashing to the ground and the buzzing of flies feasting on rotten corpses. \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He raised an eyebrow. \u201cThe foreigners were invading our land and murdering our people. How could I not <\/em>fight?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI mean, your father\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ethan Thomas Lee laughed and laughed and laughed. His companions just stared at him. He kept laughing, expelling bitterness before it formed. Finally, he said, \u201cWhy, am I supposed to feel guilty because my father is a bakgwai<\/em>? My parents taught me that we are all human first, before race or nation. I tried to live up to that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEr, well, okay,\u201d she said. It was the first time he\u2019d seen her flustered. \u201cI just thought it would be\u2026difficult for you to fight in the Army.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was. Only pure-bloods were allowed to sign up. Mixed-bloods were outcasts at best, race traitors at worst.\u201d Another sip of tea. \u201cI fought as a franc-tireur. Later in the Auxiliary Corps, when the Emperor declared total war and relaxed the race policies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ayan chuckled. \u201cSounds like us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou too?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was working as a travelling merchant in the Northeast during the Uprising,\u201d Cheung said. \u201cWhen Yematai landed their Marines, I was cut off, so I joined the local resistance. That was how I met Ayan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat did you two do?\u201d Tung asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe ran supplies, smuggled people and delivered information.\u201d Ayan smiled. \u201cInteresting times. The Yemai sent the largest contingent amongst the Eight Nation Alliance, mainly to deal with the franc-tireurs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheung laughed. \u201cNot us, mind you. We were just two old men doing a small part. The glory goes to the young ones who fought for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t sell yourself short,\u201d Lee said neutrally. \u201cWithout resupply I couldn\u2019t have done much. Nobody could have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll drink to that,\u201d Cheung said, and did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee turned to Tung. \u201cWhat about you? What did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She tapped her fingers against the table. \u201cHm. I joined the I Chuan Tui when they held recruitment rallies, and fought in some skirmishes near the coastal cities. After the Sack of Nanking, the Emperor fled to Linghsi and the foreigners followed. We were the rearguard. We fought them in the forests and the swamps, holding them off until the Kanch\u00fcn Braves and the Imperial Guard defeated them. After that, I followed the Braves and the Guard all the way to the final victory at Nanking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheung raised his cup. \u201cTo victory!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo victory,\u201d Lee replied, and the others took up the toast. Cheung refilled their cups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Emperor\u2019s betrayal must have hit you hard,\u201d Cheung said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBetrayal? No, no.\u201d She shook her head. \u201cUncle was too set in his ways. We defeated the imperialists only because we were united. We had to stay united. But Uncle stayed true to the Ch\u2019in Dynasty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour uncle was the warlord of Linghsi,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes,\u201d she said tonelessly. \u201cHe was a governor until the Long Hair Rebellion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe taught you wuchishu<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tung giggled. \u201cWell, his daughter needed a training partner. A woman who could fight like a man.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHold on,\u201d Ayan said. \u201cIf your uncle supported the Ch\u2019in, why did he allow the Emperor into his lands?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTijen te tijen shi wo te p\u2019engyu<\/em>,\u201d she said. The enemy of my enemy is my friend<\/em>. \u201cHe hated the foreigners more than the Hsia. He also thought he could win concessions from the Emperor that way. He was\u2026mistaken.\u201d She sighed. \u201cWe needed a unified country, and Uncle continued to be defiant. He brought his fate on himself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The food arrived. Lee, as he always did, took a minute to take a tiny taste of each dish, judging them not alien to his palate. As he scooped up a mouthful of springy wheat noodles, Cheung asked, \u201cHave you two faced Western sorceries?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Tung said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee simply nodded, and chewed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat did you think of them?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrightening,\u201d Tung said. \u201cIt was nothing I\u2019ve ever seen before. I saw them grow brick walls from the ground, turn themselves invisible, create thunderstorms in clear days\u2026\u201d She shook her head. \u201cThe first time I met them, I saw a fireman wave his hand and burn down a farm. Just the crops. They left the farmers to starve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheung glanced at Lee. \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee swallowed. \u201cI think the Westerners\u2019 magic was superior to ours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tung blinked. \u201cReally? We developed wuchishu<\/em> and moshu<\/em> while they were still burning witches at stakes. They still don\u2019t accept the existence of chi<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, and they caught up.\u201d He set his utensils down and stroked his chin. \u201cThe old wuchi<\/em> masters wanted to create a perfect warrior, someone who could use every weapon and defeat every defence. But there were no guns back then. Only shields and blades. Even after firearms became commonplace, the old teachings remained untouched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Westerners developed a theory of magic in an age of gunpowder and steam engines. They integrated their magics into their militaries and studied how to use them properly in modern warfare. That\u2019s one of the reasons why they rolled over the Ch\u2019in military so quickly during the Colonisation Wars.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrue, but the New Army reforms are changing the way we fight with wuchi<\/em>.  Besides, Western elementalists are sharply limited. They can only manipulate the element they specialise in. We understand universal principles. The world is ours to shape.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s more than that,\u201d Lee said. \u201cThe Westerners turned magic into a science. They studied magic, isolated its elements, and made everything explicit. As for us, wuchishu<\/em> is taught mainly as a set of interconnected ideas and principles. We were expected to learn them by going through the forms, thinking about how they worked for us and applying them in the real world. It takes years before a student can begin to use wuchi<\/em> at a useful level. The Westerners could train military elementalists in months.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrue, but our method is more effective. We are healers, fighters, sappers\u2026anything the battlefield needed us to be. I fought entire battles without ever touching my gun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat may be true for you,\u201d he said, nodding. \u201cI did most of my killing with guns and knives and bombs. I only used chi<\/em> for mundane purposes. Healing, reducing obstacles, that kind of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cReally? I thought franc-tireurs who knew wuchi<\/em> used it a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe they did.  All I know is, for me, a bullet flies faster than a chi <\/em>ball.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere did you learn wuchishu<\/em> from anyway?\u201d Ayan asked. \u201cI\u2019ve never seen a mixed-blood using it before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy father. He learned Taichi Chuan, among other things.\u201d Lee paused. \u201cThen again, he mixed and matched some styles, with an emphasis on what could be easily learned and applied. Maybe I just didn\u2019t have the classical education Ms Tung had.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She nodded, and turned to her food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMr. Lee, have you<\/em> faced Western sorcery up close?\u201d Ayan asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Lee said. \u201cI had a sorcerer in my unit. He told me interesting things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSuch as?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur moshu<\/em> and theirs isn\u2019t very different. Both methods involve summoning spirits and asking them for help. Our sorcerers call on lots and lots of spirits, make grand offerings and generally take a while to do things. The Western sorcerers, what they call ritualists, call on just one spirit at a time. No grand displays either. While they don\u2019t have a lot of spirits they knew how to use them effectively. The Western rituals also took less time and resources than ours. Always a plus in war.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCould you give an example?\u201d Tung asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTake the Boxers.\u201d Lee blinked. \u201cI mean, the I Chuan Tui. Calling down a hundred thousand spirit soldiers was impressive, yes, and so was mass spirit possession. And, yes, they made some early gains using shock and surprise. But as individuals the spirits were weak, and their sorcerers couldn\u2019t control them properly, much less coordinate with the rest of the I Chuan fighters. The Western ritualists summoned small groups of powerful daemons, and coordinated effectively with the rest of their forces. When the war came to a close, the Spirit Army practically ceased to exist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInteresting,\u201d she said. \u201cThe Westerners killed our sorcerers early on, and we never fought sorcerers on the road to Nanking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, they sent them against the Auxiliary Corps mostly. We shifted our sorcerers there to counter that.\u201d He swallowed down some soup and with it a memory of a fire-breathing daemon that came too close to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou okay?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine. Just\u2026\u201d he shrugged, looked away. \u201cThe war was long ago, and there\u2019s a long road ahead of us still.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI agree,\u201d Cheung said. \u201cCome, no more talk of war tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dinnertime conversation turned to less weighty matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After dinner, Cheung yawned, stretching. \u201cI think I shall turn in soon,\u201d he said. \u201cSee you in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that, they stood. As Lee prepared to go, Tung leaned close to his ear and whispered, \u201cWe need to talk. In private.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Want more stories like this? Sign up for my mailing list here<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

They made good time on the road, arriving in the next town by late afternoon. Instead of checking in at an inn, Cheung insisted on going straight to his local contact. Ayan parked the wagon outside a short, squat building. The sign above the door read \u2018New World Printers\u2019.   As Lee leapt off the back, […]<\/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":[102,136,138,143,253,289,303],"class_list":["post-6334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction","tag-cultivation","tag-fantasy","tag-fiction","tag-free-story","tag-pulprev","tag-singlit","tag-steampunk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6334"}],"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=6334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6334\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}