Part 1: The Courtyard Battle
Imagine having a dream that that you were a Chinese mystic warrior. I’ll share with you my dream as such a warrior. The setting of the dream was the Qing dynasty, possibly during a time between both of the Opium Wars in China when a lot of change, uncertainty, and chaos was happening. The scene began with me as I appear in the real world, but I was walking into a traditional Chinese courtyard. As I explored my surroundings, some Chinese men in black clothing slowly and silently started dropping down from strings like spiders. Dressed like black ninjas, they were descending upon the scene. I could see the glimmer of their blades reflecting in the sun. I looked down at myself to notice that I was a 12-year-old girl who was wearing a western blueish green dress with tiny white and yellow flowers on it. Talk about feeling out of place. I obviously wasn’t the right stature or wearing the right clothes for fighting. My martial arts skills were basic, so I wouldn’t be any match for them. But it was a dream, so anything could happen and nothing had to make sense. After touching the ground, they crept towards me with the most intense gaze. As they approached me, I thought they might capture me. Instead, they just continued past me like I wasn’t even there. I watched them cross the courtyard that led to an endless open space to meet up with two groups of warriors walking towards each other. I had no idea where they came from or how they appeared out of thin air. These men seemed to be members of one of the groups because they were dressed the same way. They were all dressed in black with touches of red here and there. They appeared on the scene in a manner that gave me the impression that they had large amounts of backup nearby that could drop in at any time to assist. It’s possible that this could have been an intimidation tactic to appear as if they had more men stationed to engage in combat.
The two groups of warriors probably were from two different secret mystic societies. They faced each other at first, and then suddenly broke out into battle. Weapons and swords were flying everywhere, and the clanging and clashing of them could also be heard. Then, I suddenly sneezed, and the sneeze echoed loudly across the courtyard. Both sides froze for a moment and stopped to look at me. I was thinking, “Oh, crap! What do I do now? Should I run?” From the facial expressions and body language of all the warriors, I was afraid that both sides were preparing to charge at me like a rhino. After all, I must’ve looked out of place to them. But then some Qing dynasty officials walked into the courtyard. The two secret societies that were fighting each other decided to team up and fight against the Qing officials. The Qing officials with their beautiful robes, long graceful queues, and peacock feathers, disappeared into thin air after a while, and they were replaced with modern-day Chinese soldiers.
The environment was getting super-heated with all kinds of action when one of the secret society members, who was dressed like a Chinese-style ninja, came riding through the courtyard on a horse. He burst onto the scene yelling, “The British are coming! The British are coming!” I thought for a moment, “The British are coming?” Why does this line sound so familiar?” It wasn’t until I woke up from the dream that I realized these words were from Paul Revere. My subconscious added this famous line from American history just for humor. Since the British were historically interested in world colonization, I would presume that Paul Revere wasn’t the only person in history to shout out these words. Watching the event taking place in the courtyard was like watching a part of Chinese history unravel before me. After that line was said, I immediately transformed to being a member of one of the secret societies. I was a free spirit and didn’t seem to have any lover or a family of my own to worry about while on the battlefield.
Part 2: The Return of the Red Turbans
Every member of both mystic groups had a scarf around their head. Another one was tied around our necks and rested across our shoulders. We also wore sashes or cloth belts around our waists; however, a different color was worn by each mystic group. The mystic group that I was a member of wore red, and I was a male. The members of the other mystic group wore yellow. The wearing of accessories of a particular color to identify a gang was also indicative of a scene in the 1980s movie “Big Trouble in Little China” that showed two martial arts gangs fighting each other in Chinatown. Both sides also wore black. The difference was one side wore red headbands and belts while the other side wore yellow headbands and belts. Although we were skilled in martial arts, we weren’t merely members of martial arts gangs. We were members of different religious secret societies that studied mysticism and magic. At that time in China, there were Taoist, Buddhist, and even Christian secret societies that all fought for center stage. Despite being a huge fan of Taoism in real life, I was from a Buddhist secret society in the dream. One of our biggest goals was to bring back the old China we knew before we became enslaved by the Manchurians. During the Ming Dynasty, China was quite rich and powerful with the largest navy fleets that China had ever seen. Both mystic groups looked similar to the Red and Yellow Turbans of ancient China. Actually, we were fans of them and aspired to do exactly what they did in history. So, we studied them and legends about their strategies for taking down outdated and corrupt dynasties that no longer had the Chinese people in their best interest. Some people might say that we did it to have the power to ourselves. Perhaps, the very people that first organized and led these rebellions wanted power, but a lot of us were just tired of not being able to make a difference and craved change. Some of us had a dream. We wanted to be heroes to our descendants and leave a great legacy for our children and grandchildren. Although I wasn’t married with children yet, I imagined what it would be like to tell stories to my firstborn son of the great lengths I went through and all the amazing feats I accomplished for his future and the future of China.
Part 3: A History of Epic Rebellions
The Yellow Turban Rebellion was during the Han Dynasty in 184CE, but they were more famous for their presence during the “Three Kingdoms Period” which the rebellion helped establish. The Red Turban Rebellion was during the Yuan Dynasty between 1351 and 1368 when the Mongols ruled China. Another “Red Turban Rebellion” was during the Qing Dynasty (1854-1856) because many mystic, religious, and secret groups of people existed that wanted to spread their religious beliefs and gain political power. Some secret groups claimed that their purpose was to bring back the Ming Dynasty. The Red Turban Rebellion of the Qing was led by members of the “Heaven and Earth” society or “Tiandihui” in the Guangdong Province of South China. The “Heaven and Earth” society branched off from the “White Lotus Society,” which were Ming supporters.
Other names for this society such as “Hongmen“ (The Vast Family) or “Sanheihui” (Three Harmonies Society) developed after it started spreading in other provinces. Members of the “Heaven & Earth society,” like many other secret societies, were labeled by the Hong Kong British-ruled government as criminals along with triads. So members of the “Red Turban Rebellion,” despite their revolutionary acts, were also said to be involved in criminal acts such as piracy, prostitution, and opium smuggling. Later, some triads actually labeled themselves as ”Hongmen” and further smeared our name. Calling us criminals was a plot to have common people fear us, hate us, and to try to slow down our progress in getting more followers and supporters. Other earlier rebellions were the “White Lotus Rebellion” and the “Eight Trigrams Rebellion.” Another rebellion going on at the time, was the Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864).To fight off all the rebels in Guangzhou, a gentry of Guangzhou banded with the British Royal Navy because they weren’t strong enough to fight against us alone. So alas, I was forced to do some face-to-face, close contact fighting with British soldiers.
It’s hard to know whether I was a part of any of these rebellions or to know the name of the secret mystic group that I had joined, but I know I was a part of something monumental going on in China at the time. Perhaps, if I met someone else that had a similar dream or even a past life regression about the same thing, then I might have had more clues as to who I was and what I did in that life. I believe all these secret societies succeeded in half of their missions, weakening the Qing government. But weakening the Qing didn’t cause the revival of Ming. It just made China weaker for outsiders to cause havoc in our country, and it also made it possible for a new type of government to form and take over.
Part 4: Nothing to Fear, the British Are Here
The dream continued with me assisting my comrades in fighting off a bunch of British soldiers that came bursting in. I had average martial arts skills, and I didn’t seem to like using my weapons to kill unless I absolutely had to. I would fight with my bare hands first and pull out a weapon such as a sword or arrows later if I or someone else in the courtyard was threatened with a weapon. It seemed like I knew some type of Chinese magic, but didn’t use it in front of others or as a form of self-defense. It was my last resort. We lived by a code as to when we could use it and in front of who. It was more about preserving the art of magic rather than using it in front of others as a self-defense mechanism. We had to rely on wits and fighting skill first. Fighting techniques that were simple to us such as strikes, blows, kicks, and pressure points worked against the British because they were more accustomed to using weaponry such as guns and swords. They were weaker when it came to using their bare fists and stronger with the sword. Unless that is, the British soldier happened to be an excellent boxer. Because they were excellent swordsmen, they could be a tough match if they unsheathed their sword. One characteristic of British men was that they liked a good challenge, and they preferred to be a champion of a fair fight. So, I noticed that many British soldiers were willing to put aside their swords and their guns if we were unarmed. I guess it could be said that this was a type of knight’s chivalry or the way of a British gentleman. I concluded that, perhaps, they thought showing their ultimate strength and skill in a fair way was attractive to women. However, the British were also quite competitive, and they refused to back down in a fight. Despite this, we were starting to win against them. I knocked down and knocked out a bunch of British soldiers without using arms. I also protected other Chinese warriors and even some Chinese officials who suddenly decided to betray the British officers.
As the fighting went on, one British soldier, in particular, was growing impatient. He didn’t care about fighting with honor and chivalry or looking like the most skilled and powerful fighter among both the British and the Chinese. The most important thing to him was recognition and rewards for getting the job done as quickly as possible. His aim was to be the key to the British winning, but he couldn’t do that because many strategic Chinese warriors were still standing. I was a “thorn in his side” because he believed I thwarted his goals. Although I wasn’t a champion fighter, I had strong willpower to make it out of this massive fight alive and to be the glue to hold the Chinese side together. The strange thing was that we were all Chinese mystic warriors fighting each other like we were enemies. When the British entered the courtyard, the Chinese warriors that were our enemies became our allies. And I started the union by saving the life of an important leader from the other secret mystic society. So on the battlefield, it was decided right then and there that we would join forces instead of fighting each other for power. Our union would make us stronger and more powerful together than apart. The British didn’t like this too much. After a few British soldiers entered the courtyard, more kept coming in to replace the ones that we defeated. We were outnumbered. I thought, “How could the British defeat us now after two extremely powerful mystic groups joined forces?”
Part 5: The Evil Eye behind the Lattice Window
That one highly irritated soldier must have been watching me knock out a lot of his comrades, and he was waiting for a chance to step in and retaliate against me. I was on my way out of the courtyard because I wanted to slip away while others were fighting. I felt like I was being watched, but I looked around and couldn’t figure out who it was. Whoever was watching me, was probably hiding in the shadows or some dark corner. He didn’t want me to be aware of his presence and maybe planned to jump out and catch me off-guard. Suddenly, I had a feeling that an evil eye was on me as if I was being cursed. I knew I was being cursed by a British soldier. Could this soldier be projecting his anger towards me? I thought about what a British soldier could be angry about. Perhaps his superiors thought he was the weakest and the least skilled in fighting and strength. So, his superiors and some of his garrison members teased him. This would definitely make him feel like a misfit. He would be underrated and underappreciated for his abilities. Maybe his superiors didn’t know that he was actually clever and strategic. I wondered if he hated me because I reminded him of himself. However, unlike him, I managed to be successful. The universe seemed to have my back. An eerie feeling come over me that brought shivers running down my spine. Whoever it was that was watching me had dark thoughts and intent derived from hatred because he viewed me as an obstacle that hindered him from being a winner. He was both clever and a coward at the same time. He knew he wasn’t a match for the most powerful and most skilled Chinese warriors. He wasn’t even a match for other British soldiers. So, he devised a way to look like he was the only one that was able to end the rioting once and for all. He stood behind a lattice window watching the entire fight through the openings in the lattice. He watched some of the strongest British soldiers fall on the battlefield, which meant he was no match for us. He conserved his energy and power while he let his comrades get kicked to the dust. But this was opening the doors for him to turn things around. He watched closely to see which mystic warriors needed to be taken down to have everything topple down for us like Mahjong tiles falling off a Mahjong table. He decided that I was the one he wanted to try to get rid of first. The leader I saved was a better target for him, as warriors can lose some confidence or become disoriented with no leader. The fact that I was able to swoop in to be there at the right place and the right time for warriors more powerful and important than me got the attention of the British soldier hiding behind the lattice. I looked around and suddenly spotted the soldier’s eyes looking through the lattice. A good warrior could always discover who was watching him in the shadows.
Part 6: The Undercover Agent
The soldier ducked down as I made eye contact with him from a distance. After I spotted him, I was worried my good luck would run out. I knew that he had been studying me and my every move the whole time, and that wasn’t a good thing. I went over to where he had been, but he was no longer there. Some broken pieces of pottery and a few bodies of some of our fallen were everywhere. I used my intuition to figure out what might have happened to these men. I gathered that some of our men spotted him hiding there, but then he hid behind a stone structure in a miniature tree garden by the time they reached where he had been. While they were looking around for him, he jumped out to smash some heavy pottery on their heads or attempted to strangle them. After seeing the bodies, I felt bad that I hadn’t discovered him there sooner. I failed in protecting these society brothers. I decided to quickly leave the hallway area with the lattice window that led into the garden. I realized I overstayed my welcome in our mystical hideout. Both the British and Chinese officials now knew it’s location. I’m not sure how they figured it out, as it’s a location hidden by enchantment. Perhaps, a mole or traitor in our society betrayed us for riches and power. Someone in our society could have been angry. Our society leaders were getting older and always argumentative as to who would be chosen as the next society leaders. I thought, “Could there have been someone who wanted to see our demise because they were not nominated to be one of the next future leaders?” Nah, I figured it out. There wasn’t a mole. And I now know the real reason why the British soldier who was hiding was so angry at me. The enemy mystic society helped set up an ambush by the local government and the British. Since they were also mystics, they were able to notice our hideout despite its location being hidden from those untrained in magic and sorcery. Perhaps, they made an arrangement to use each other for more power. Just imagine what power the local Canton government and the British monarchy would have over China if they worked together with powerful sorcerers and mystics. And just imagine how much power a mystic society would have if they could manage to both influence and be supported by the government. The problem was the British and the local Canton government could not completely gain the trust of our enemy, much less each other, but we did. So, our enemy turned on them and became our allies. The British soldier behind the lattice was so mad about the outcome of this battle. Saving an enemy leader could be considered a stupid mistake. That stupid mistake could have gotten me in so much trouble, but it turned out to my advantage. In doing so, it foiled the soldier’s plans. But little did I know that he wasn’t a good for nothing soldier, he was just posing as one. That’s why he was hiding and looked out of place. He was actually an important agent and the wingman of high commissioner Elgin and was probably related to him too. He did all his dirty work such as negotiate with our rivals to help plan the ambush.
Part 7: A Game of Chinese Chess against the British
High commissioner Lord Elgin was at this very moment planning to seize control over Canton and undermine the Qing Empire. The local Canton government underestimated the British and completely overlooked this possibility. The Canton government also strained their ties with the British. They would not give into the demands of the British if it meant sacrificing their loyalty to the Qing court. The British were given the island of Hong Kong as a way to pay off a debt and to keep good relations. The British were unhappy because they bought more goods from China than China bought from them. Porcelain and tea were in high demand in Britain, but there wasn’t much in Britain that the Chinese valued. The British found that they can make a fortune in China through the selling of Opium. So they sent massive amounts of Opium to China and set up Opium making facilities there. The Qing government made Opium illegal and destroyed a lot of Opium when shutting down Opium smuggling operations. The British claimed they suffered massive losses in Opium goods that the Qing government agreed to pay back despite the British doing something illegal in China. Control over Hong Kong wasn’t enough for the British, they wanted access to more trading ports in Hong Kong. The Qing government was reluctant to give the British what they wanted. Most Chinese thought them to be too greedy for riches, power, and territory. It was also predicted that they would behave as if they were above Chinese trading laws. The British thought they would gain permanent access to live and trade in Canton after signing a treaty with the Qing emperor. However, they were only granted temporary access by Governor Ye of Canton. The Qing Empire was trying their best to keep them out of other parts of Canton and the rest of China, and they were relying on governor Ye to draw a strict line on what the British could do. Governor Ye was an important player to make moves that would keep the British where the Qing court wanted them, out of Canton. So the British planned to capture Governor Ye and make him a prisoner of war to make a statement to the Qing government. This was a statement of what could happen to Canton if they felt that China didn’t fully keep their end of the bargain. China felt they already gave too much to the British, but the British felt China wouldn’t give enough compared to what they gained from Britain. The British were ready to fight for what they wanted. But first, they needed to find an excuse to declare war. China wasn’t prepared for the influx of events that were all unfolding at the same time. If governor Ye was captured, it would get him off our backs. After all, he executed rebels like us every day. But then, we would have to deal with the British all the time. In those days, if a bold and brave man wasn’t challenged to the death by one person, someone else would try. So you had to watch your back everywhere you went.
Part 8: The Invisible Barrier of the Enchanted Courtyard
The British now knew our primary location, so I was thinking about how we would need to find a new hideout and how I was going to miss this one. A lot of traditional Chinese homes, buildings or restaurants had open space in the middle with rooms, stairs, and floors all on the edges of the courtyard. Sometimes, the courtyard had a roof and sometimes it was open space at the top where you could see the sky. Most courtyards were partially opened on one side with a door, gate, or some kind of large opening or entrance. Our courtyard was one-of-a-kind, because it was open on two sides which wasn’t usual. It was completely open at the ceiling with an invisible back wall, which made the space seem unusually vast. The other two sides led to living quarters where we spent a lot of time when we weren’t rioting or involved in large operations.
Many courtyards were square, but some were round in the inside in some parts of China. I guess this one was square. The front of the courtyard had an opening, but the back was a magic wall. The entire backside of the courtyard didn’t consist of rooms, stairs, or floors. It was all empty space leading out into a magical realm with nature scenery containing forests, mountains, and grassy land in the distance. It was a portal leading to the unknown. It created the feeling of both being inside and outside at the same time. One reason why we had been winning was because of our magical barrier. The British and Canton officials were disoriented and confused by it. It looked exactly like open space that they could walk through. But when they tried, they only walked into a wall. It’s similar to a bird flying into super clean glass. The British weren’t able to tell that an invisible barrier was there just like a bird doesn’t realize that glass isn’t in its way. You can tell that they were fascinated by it and seriously wanted to know how it worked. But they didn’t even have the first clue as to know how to begin using it. It was hilarious watching them paw at the wall trying to figure it out. It was also distracting for them because they didn’t know how far they could move before hitting the wall. So, when we fought them, we tried to move the fight towards the barrier. That caused the British soldiers to slow down their movements and their steps. They began to tread carefully to avoid hitting the invisible wall. You see, we could pass through the barrier to uncharted lands that were only known by mystics. Then, we could jump back in at random times to knock out the enemy and jump back out.
Part 9: The End of a Battle or a Dream?
At this time, I didn’t want to fight anymore. I was too far from the barrier that acted as a portal for us and a wall for everyone else. If I attempted to rest on the other side of the barrier, I would have to walk back into the battle. I wished to disappear from the scene and let more men replace me to fight. I questioned, “Why weren’t more men coming?” More men should have come to support us in the fight by now as they would be fresh for battle. Then, we could retreat to their location to be backups later. “Did something happen to them or did the person responsible for signaling the backups get killed?” I decided to head out of the entrance to find more men to fight. On the way out, I saw that a comrade on my side was about to get slaughtered by a British soldier. I was able to knock out this soldier by using my magical long queue to lasso him down, which was risky. So, I had to be quick. If not, an angry opponent might use his sword or knife to cut off my queue which would have been a great dishonor. Just when I finished knocking out the soldier by wrapping my queue around his neck and knocking the wind out of him, I felt a gun from a British soldier being shoved against my back. I thought it was probably the soldier who was spying at me from behind the lattice window. I felt a sharp pain likely caused by something oblong being rammed into my back. I woke up just as soon as I heard a click of the trigger.
