Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4567 | Page 293

“Hong, mankind has lost their faith in me and have turned to demon worship,” the bellowing voice spoke
solemnly to Hong, who was gazing at Him in wonderment.
“I now entrust you with the great honour of purging China of the demons and sinners that infest this country.”
Hong felt the augmenting weight of the seal stone in his hand as the responsibility magnified upon his shoulders.
He woke from his state of unconsciousness, breathless and heart racing.
The epiphany arrived suddenly and without warning. It was dark outside with a hint of daybreak, and within this
timeless space, Hong’s head seemed to open up, allowing a brilliant white light to pour over him, and flooding
into his entire body. He was now awake in utter amazement.
He knew now, that the gods above had sent him to Earth to carry out one task --- to rid China of the devils
that infest his beloved country.
His previously hollow mind was now filled to the brim with a strong determination and an indescribable
contentment that extended beyond the bounds of human expression.
He was the brother of Christ and he had a Kingdom to build.
Part Five
It had been thirty years since the Hong’s experience of the mystical vision. He had not forgotten it, nor the
message that was sent to him.
He looked upon the fruits of his rebellion from where he stood, which was 10 metres above ground level. He
was standing on the very defensive wall that had fought off thousands of Japanese pirates, and protected his city
from harm.
They look like pathetic scrambling ants, Hong thought to himself, as he watched his fellow rebels raid the homes
of the noncomplying villagers who had refused to give in to change. This was the 30th village he had to burn
down in ten years, but of course, this was all for the greater good.
He had a Heavenly Kingdom to build, and to instill moral values in the hearts of the people by promoting
Christian values. To do that, he had to gain the trust of the locals, rid China of the disgusting teachings of
Confucius and overthrow the dictating government of the Qing dynasty. Yes, he admitted, millions upon
millions of men had been slaughtered in the process, but this did not stop him from seizing city upon city.
Countless fields of crops had been burnt down, mere collateral damage that resulted in the starvation of many,
yes, but the God would not allow innocents to die of famine. The deceased were anything but innocent and had
to be condemned to a life in eternal hell. It was an effective process of weeding out the sinners and creating a
new world of justice and righteousness.
Yet, many people had advised him, “Master Hong, perhaps you are bent on making your burlesque religious
pretensions serve your political purpose and avenge the death of your father?”
Hong did not think so, and neither would those who did, as Hong would sentence them to their immediate
decapitation as soon as someone said so. He could not risk an uprising against his kingdom, and sacrifices had to
be made.
The day had come to a pleasant close. Hong was satisfied with the progress he had made that day. Three more
cities had been taken by his elite force of loyal rebels, a necessity in his intricately thought-out and ambitious
plan to expand the boundaries of his Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, but his sweet moment of victory was
short-lived.
“Sorry to interrupt, but an urgent matter has arisen,” his advisor Lu Feng said as he entered Hong’s chamber.
“Master Hong, it appears that there was a disturbance in Nanjing. The townsmen there have made an
assassination attempt on one of the Taiping Princes. Unsuccessful. Chaos everywhere and-”
“Worry not, my loyal advisor,” Hong interrupted with the utmost confidence,
“God will defend Nanjing.”
As if Lu Feng had told him nothing of the utmost importance, Hong casually requested for the time.