Chapter Sixty-Two: Internal Strife

“Holy Mother of Yellow Lotus,” Lin Hei’er, was the leader of Red Lantern, a branch subordinate to the Boxers. When Lin Yue’er returned from studying abroad, she was determined to use her knowledge and experiences to awaken the people and change the current situation in the country. However, as a woman, no matter what views Lin Yue’er expressed to those around her, she was always dismissed as a “long-haired, short-sighted” sentimental female. After repeated setbacks, Lin Yue’er gradually worked out a pattern: talking about reform and national pride with people at home was like playing music to a cow; she might as well be a storyteller in a teahouse, recounting tales from “Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio,” which proved far more captivating.

It was at the height of the Boxer movement, when deities seemed to appear everywhere, that Lin Yue’er saw an opportunity. In truth, Lin Yue’er did not believe that the Boxers alone could contend with foreigners; but if the Qing army were involved, things would be different. So she took the alias Lin Hei’er, established the Red Lantern altar, proclaimed herself the “Holy Mother of Yellow Lotus,” and gathered an all-female “propaganda brigade” to stir up momentum across the land.

Most of her recruits were prostitutes. First, this made it easier to spread rumors—after all, brothels saw countless visitors, and any little whisper would soon be known throughout the city. Second, it aided intelligence gathering, exploiting men’s competitiveness to extract secrets they felt “only I know, nobody else does.” Third, it allowed her to influence high officials and nobles who frequented brothels, whispering into their ears. The reason the voices supporting the Boxers in court now dominated was largely thanks to Red Lantern.

Red Lantern held a prominent position among the Boxers; when the Holy Mother of Yellow Lotus appeared, even the sect leader would treat her with respect. Yet Feng Desheng gave Lin Yue’er no face at all: “This is the Qian Branch; it’s not your place to show off, Holy Mother of Yellow Lotus!”

The Qian Branch under Lin Lei had almost entirely separated itself from the Boxers. Their only tie was perhaps the hope of recruiting more members from the Boxers.

“You misunderstand. I’m not here to show off, but to disclose my true identity to you. If you need any information in the future, you may consult me,” Lin Yue’er said.

“What do you mean? Are we close or something?” Feng Desheng did not understand.

Previously, she had come with force to cause trouble, but now she had transformed into the Holy Mother of Yellow Lotus and was offering intelligence.

“Once I report back to my grandfather, I’ll come specifically to look after the seventh ancestor’s daily life. Then, we’ll naturally become familiar,” Lin Yue’er explained.

Lin Yue’er’s curiosity had been thoroughly piqued after her defeat by Lin Lei, though she still doubted that he was truly a deity descended to earth. Thus, she resolved to stay and investigate further.

But how could she stay? The best way was to become Lin Lei’s personal attendant. Yet as the third young lady of the Lin family, serving as someone else’s maid would be a disgrace to her family’s name. Fortunately, Lin Lei had been entered into the family genealogy; nominally, he was Lin Yue’er’s seventh ancestor. For a great-granddaughter to look after her own seventh ancestor’s daily life, no one would gossip—though it was awkward that this seventh ancestor appeared far too young…

“Damn it! Why didn’t I think of that!” Feng Desheng was deeply frustrated. The barracks were filled with rough men who knew nothing about serving others. Had Lin Yue’er not suggested it, he would never have considered this angle. His annoyance stemmed from losing such a good opportunity to build connections to Lin Yue’er.

Earlier, when Lin Lei questioned Lin Yue’er, he had sent Feng Desheng and his companions out of the hall, leading Feng Desheng to mistakenly believe the matter was already settled.

“Um… Miss Lin, about earlier, please bear with me!” Feng Desheng offered his goodwill in advance.

And so, Lin Lei inexplicably gained a great-granddaughter to look after his daily affairs…

The imperial court had yet to issue a decree regarding the Battle of Dagu, and Lin Lei continued his reclusive life. Meanwhile, in Langfang, Red Lantern brought fresh news: Nie Shicheng’s Wuwei Army had slaughtered Boxer followers.

Of course, this was intelligence from Red Lantern alone, and as Red Lantern belonged to the Boxers, their account naturally favored the Boxers. However, as reports from all sources poured in, including military intelligence from Luo Rongguang, Lin Lei finally pieced together the true sequence of events: Nie Shicheng had rebelled at the front, and the Allied Forces seized the chance to break out.

Why had the supposed “Langfang Victory” deteriorated even after Lin Lei eliminated the Allied Forces’ reinforcements? The root cause lay in the longstanding discord between Nie’s army and the Boxers.

A month earlier, when suppressing Boxer attacks on the railways, Nie’s troops had shot over five hundred Boxer members, earning the enmity of both the Boxers and Prince Duan, the Qing official in charge.

Yu Lu attributed his success in repelling the Allied Forces to the Boxers, showering them with rewards, while Nie’s army received nothing. Later, when Nie Shicheng was ordered to attack the Tianjin concessions in early June, the Boxers took the opportunity to loot and burn. Nie dispatched troops to suppress them, killing more than a thousand Boxers, who then accused Nie of colluding with the enemy.

The court issued an edict of censure. Nie Shicheng was furious, declaring, “Above, I am not trusted by the court; below, I am persecuted by the Boxer bandits. Only death can clear my name.”

After these two incidents, the two sides were irreconcilable, and the confrontation erupted fully during the Battle of Langfang.

At the outset, the Qing army still led, with the Boxers as auxiliaries. The Governor of Zhili, Yu Lu, ordered Nie Shicheng to lead the elite Wuwei Army, equipped with heavy machine guns, to defend the Tianjin Yangcun area. He also assigned Liu Chengxiang of the Qian Branch of the Boxers to cooperate with Nie’s army. Liu’s followers bore no direct grudge against Nie, which was why Yu Lu arranged their collaboration.

Seymour led over two thousand Allied troops, a ragtag force; even Seymour himself was only a vice admiral, temporarily acting as commander. Having a navy officer command land battles—victory would be a miracle.

Thus, as soon as Seymour’s group reached Yangcun in Tianjin’s western suburbs, they were surrounded by Nie’s army and the Boxers. Nie ordered Liu Chengxiang’s followers to spearhead the assault, resulting in heavy casualties under the Allied machine guns.

The Boxers were forced to retreat, only to be mowed down by Nie’s army’s machine guns. Under fire from both sides, over a thousand Boxer members were slaughtered. Afterward, Nie’s army and the Allies engaged directly.

Liu Chengxiang had assumed he bore no personal animosity toward Nie, yet Nie saw all Boxers as “bandits.” The massacre escalated tensions between the Boxers and the Wuwei Army, with mutual suspicion preventing either side from taking the offensive.

This stalemate allowed Seymour to seize the opportunity: he left half his troops as bait and managed to escape back to the Tianjin concessions.

Ordinarily, such a standoff would have lasted until the arrival of the main Allied Forces. Yet on June 19, the imperial court abruptly issued an edict declaring war on all eight nations simultaneously. At the same time, Nie Shicheng’s forces were rebuked for their slow progress and ordered to attack actively and eliminate the besieged enemy as quickly as possible.