Chapter 63: Establishing Independence

The imperial court declared war three days earlier than in the official records, and directly ordered Nie Shicheng to launch an offensive. It appeared that Luo Rongguang’s memorial had taken effect. Previously, members of the Qianzi Sect were used as cannon fodder to deplete the allied forces’ ammunition, allowing the Wuwei Army to hold their ground in battle. But now, with the Wuwei Army ordered to attack proactively, they began to falter.

At this time, the court made another bewildering move: they commended Liu Chengxiang, praising the Qianzi Sect for besieging the enemy and lauding them as loyal and brave patriots, rewarding them with five thousand taels of silver.

With this imperial favor, Liu Chengxiang became utterly arrogant. Since he was now a loyal defender of the nation, did that not make Nie Shicheng a traitor colluding with the enemy? Coupled with the Wuwei Army’s repeated failures to breach the lines, Liu Chengxiang decided to strike a harsh blow against Nie Shicheng.

He sent men to seize Nie Shicheng’s mother, wife, and daughter from the Nie family, placing them before the battle lines, and ordered that Nie Shicheng must capture the allied forces’ defenses within a single day.

With his family taken hostage, Nie Shicheng erupted in fury. He led the 1,500 Wuwei Army soldiers loyal to him, turned their guns, and attacked Liu Chengxiang’s position.

Though the Boxers were less well-armed than the Wuwei Army, they had the advantage of numbers. Newly commended by the court, they considered themselves the army of justice and resolved to kill Nie and suppress the rebellion. As soon as fighting broke out, both sides fought with all their might.

The surviving allied soldiers were dumbfounded—how had the enemy devolved into infighting? Nevertheless, it was the perfect chance to break out. Over a thousand allied troops launched a surprise attack from behind the Wuwei Army. What began as a two-sided battle turned into a chaotic three-sided melee.

Outnumbered, Nie Shicheng was gunned down in the chaos. The Boxers intended to mutilate his corpse, but with the allies attacking from the rear, they were forced to abandon their plan.

By the end of the battle, all Wuwei Army soldiers loyal to Nie Shicheng were wiped out. The remaining Wuwei troops and Boxers were too battered to resist, and the allied forces broke out smoothly. Thus ended the Battle of Langfang.

In this battle, the Wuwei Army suffered over 2,100 casualties, the Boxers over 5,300, while total allied losses were fewer than 600.

Even so, the Qing government still declared this a great victory at Langfang.

“Pathetic, lamentable, and utterly laughable!” Lin Lei, upon reading all the intelligence, laughed in fury.

Nie Shicheng and Liu Chengxiang had perfectly demonstrated what it meant to have utterly idiotic allies.

“No, if someone dares to take advantage of me, there must be a price to pay! Xiaoyue, I have a task for you—stop binge-watching dramas all day!” Lin Lei called out to Lin Yue’er outside his study.

Ever since Lin Yue’er had shamelessly insisted on staying by Lin Lei’s side, he had thought of every possible way to keep her from clinging to him. He had too many secrets; if she discovered anything, all his previous arrangements might unravel.

As for sending her away… Feng Desheng had long been “eyeing” the situation, ready to find another woman to fill the role at any time.

This was the Qing dynasty, after all. Anyone with a bit of status had a host of maids and servants. What’s more, given his persona as a deity descended to earth, it was only natural that he would have a few loyal female followers at his side.

He couldn’t send her away, but nor could he let Lin Yue’er stick to him every day. After trying many approaches, Lin Yue’er was finally captivated by the tablet computer, becoming a drama-obsessed recluse.

When she heard his summons, Lin Yue’er slowly walked toward Lin Lei’s study, her eyes still glued to the tablet in her left hand, while her right hand clutched a handful of sunflower seeds, which she popped into her mouth from time to time.

“Hey, hey, hey! I’m talking to you! Can you show me a little respect? If you’re not careful, I’ll take that tablet away right now!” Lin Lei said, exasperated.

She was utterly addicted to television dramas.

“Forgive me, Master! What are your orders?” Fearing the tablet might be confiscated, Lin Yue’er quickly hit pause and finally listened attentively.

“Send word through ‘Red Lantern Shine’: from today forward, the True Man of Qianyuan officially severs ties with the Boxers and establishes the Qianyuan Sect, with the main headquarters in Dagu and no branch chapters for now. All followers of Qianyuan Sect must register at headquarters and receive an identification token; otherwise, they will not be recognized,” Lin Lei instructed.

Liu Chengxiang’s reward from the court was all thanks to Lin Lei’s own efforts. If possible, Lin Lei would rather the court had rebuked that fool.

Now, with the court’s backing, Liu Chengxiang’s power was growing, effectively encroaching on Lin Lei’s own pool of followers. If Lin Lei tolerated even this, how could he still claim the title of True Man of Qianyuan?

He had initially borrowed the Boxer name, first to recruit troops easily, and second, to seize the opportunity presented by the Qing court’s declaration of war on the Boxers to lawfully appropriate the Qing’s mineral resources.

But plans never keep up with changes. In trying to repay the war loans, Lin Lei had gone too far—he not only frightened off the Eight-Nation Alliance but also completely stunned the Qing, that soft target.

The Qing government, cowed, dared not make another move. Instead, they decisively broke their own “sharp blade” by destroying Nie Shicheng. As long as Lin Lei remained a nominal leader of the Boxers, the Qing would never dare move against them.

But this was not what Lin Lei wanted.

The Boxers’ actions were too extreme. Right or wrong, they indiscriminately slaughtered foreigners.

At first, Lin Lei thought this was the only way to justify seizing foreign resources.

Yet after a few days and having settled into this era, Lin Lei came to new realizations: the Boxers’ black-or-white methods were little more than trading one extreme for another.

In resisting the Eight-Nation Alliance’s invasion of China, perhaps they had some merit, perhaps they were a valuable force.

But now that the allied forces had been repelled, if the Boxers were allowed to expand unchecked, emboldened by victory, they would only end up engulfed in disaster.

If they turned to plunder and destruction, what resources would be left for Lin Lei to seize? No matter how capable he was, could he out-snatch tens of thousands—or even hundreds of thousands—of bandits swarming like locusts?

Let the Qianyuan Sect handle the killing and looting—there was no need to let others share in the spoils. Ultimately, the Boxers were just impoverished people at heart; what they needed most was a stable life.

The best solution was to absorb the Boxers, let some of the poor return to peaceful lives, while the more belligerent ones could be merged into the Qianyuan Sect to continue fighting under Lin Lei’s command.

“Leaving the Boxers? The reckoning has finally come...” Lin Yue’er murmured, a trace of melancholy in her voice.

Having single-handedly established Red Lantern Shine and, in a short time, built it into the backbone of the Boxers, Lin Yue’er was far from naïve.

In fact, from the moment she joined the Boxers, she had anticipated this outcome: the court would use the Boxers to deal with foreigners, then discard them when their purpose was served.

She did not object—in fact, she had worked hard to bring this about. Otherwise, why would so many court officials side with the Boxers? Did anyone really believe pillow talk from a courtesan could be so effective? It was just an exchange of interests.

Lin Yue’er had foreseen everything—everything except Lin Lei.

His arrival had disrupted her plans; that was the true reason she had clung to him. Even if he said nothing, when the time was right, she would have suggested this herself.

“Don’t worry. I’ll negotiate with the court and strive for a peaceful merger. As for your Red Lantern Shine, if you’re willing, you can all join the Qianyuan Sect and continue handling intelligence work. The Boxers may be gone, but the debts the foreigners owe will be collected by us, the Qianyuan Sect,” Lin Lei reassured her, believing she was concerned about Red Lantern Shine.