The Rebellion Engines

by Jeannie Lin

  Hanzhu allowed himself one more drag, exhaling slowly, before stubbing it out against the case.

  “Engines!” he commanded.

  The deck was already in motion. An alarm bell sounded to signal the engine room as Hanzhu took the helm. The barge master ordered for the crew to man the cannons and the gunners assembled quickly. Each of the cannons required a team of men to load and fire. Another team wheeled out a wooden frame affixed with a sling arm designed for launching fire bombs.

  Chang-wei took hold of my arm. “Soling, I think you should get down below.”

  “No.” Satomi appeared beside us with Makoto close behind. “We need everyone.”

  She thrust a pistol into my hands and tossed a rifle to Chang-wei. The next moments were a shuffle of gunpowder, bullets, and shouted instructions. All the while, the Western ship loomed closer.

  Chang-wei moved us against the wall of the forecastle and checked his rifle before looking through the field glasses once more. “They’re hailing us,” he called out. “They want to board.”

  “Fuck their ancestors to the eighteenth generation!” came Hanzhu’s reply from the wheel.

  “He’s always been like this,” Chang-wei said apologetically, seeing my wide-eyed look. “He just usually holds back around you.”

  As if I cared about swearing at the moment. I was in a ship stocked full with black powder and guns about to face off against another ship with even larger guns.

  “Isn’t Yingguo aligned with us against the rebels?” I asked.

  I jumped as the thundering boom of cannon fire shattered the air.

  “Warning shot,” Chang-wei explained, surprisingly calm. “None of that matters out here, I’m afraid.”

  We weren’t supposed to be here as far as the Qing government was concerned. There was no one to hold to account if we were blasted out of the water.

  My pulse raced. Kai clamored up beside us, pressing his large frame against the forecastle.

  “I don’t know how to use this,” he said, indicating the pistol in his hands. I took it from him.

  Chang-wei’s men emerged from the hatch, surveying the gun deck and the flurry of activity around them.

  “I’ll send them to the engine room,” Chang-wei said, darting away. I watched his back as he left, biting down the urge to call him back.

  By now the engines below us were churning. One had to shout to be heard over the roar. The foreign steamship had gained on us. Yang Hanzhu’s war junk was smaller and more maneuverable, but was it faster?

  I turned back to Kai and quickly gave instructions on how to use his weapon before handing it back. If we were boarded, the firearms would only afford us one shot each. Neither of us had the skill to reload for a second shot.

  “Do we tend to the injured?” Kai asked me.

  In the Factories, that had been our duty. Here, I doubted we’d have that luxury. This could very well be a fight for our lives.

  “Afterward,” I told him.

  If we survive.

  Another shot from the devil ship split the air and my insides shook. I hated that sound.

  The foreigners were still out of range, but not for long. I thought I heard the splash of a cannon ball plunk into the water, but it was followed by a hissing sound. Moments later, a cloudy mist rose to surround us.

  I’d seen Yang use this trick before. He’d discharged barrels of a chemical substance which mixed with the sea water to bubbled up as a thick fog. It would keep the steamship from pinpointing our exact location as well as knowing how the convoy ships were positioning themselves.

  Chang-wei came back to us. “All warning shots so far. It doesn’t appear the naval vessel is aiming to shoot us out of the water,” he said. “Which is perhaps our only advantage.”

  He handed me and Kai plugs of wax to put into our ears. Before I did so, Chang-wei stopped me with a hand on my wrist.

  “Stay safe,” he implored softly.

  “You stay safe,” I commanded, not as softly.

  The surrounding sounds became muffled and distant once I inserted the knobs of wax into my ears. The next roar of cannon fire shook the deck and I was grateful for the plugs. The volley had come from our own guns. I looked up to see the steamship lined up along our port side, exposing its own array of weapons. The thing was massive, rising high above us like a fortress. The wooden hull was plated with iron armor and steam shot from its exhaust pipe like an angry breathing monster. No wonder our sailors called them devil ships.

  Pale faces peered down on us from the bridge. Yingguoren. Gun crews assembled behind the cannons as they prepared to fire.

  Our two convoy ships had maneuvered to either side of the steamship to sling fire bombs on to the deck. Hanzhu was bringing the fight to them before their larger cannons came within range. All the while, the engines below continued to rumble and grind. I could imagine Liu Yentai shouting at the engine crew below as they shoveled gunpowder into the combustion chamber.

  The chase was on, with Hanzhu steering the ship to present the rear aft as we tried to retreat. It was a smaller target for certain.

  Black ceramic shells resembling wine jugs launched from the convoys to smash against the attacking ship. Fire fanned out over the armored plates as the bombs hit, the flames spreading briefly before dissipating. Some of the bombs managed to clear the gunwale to land on deck, catching onto the wood and rigging there and igniting.

  As the foreign crew rushed to tend to the flames, a shot came from the steamship directly at us, tearing through our main sail. I threw my arms up as a shield and ducked down. Another cannon blast roared, followed by the sickening thud and crunch of wood. The impact tossed me onto all fours. Vaguely, I became aware of Chang-wei crouched beside me. I braced my hands against the deck, feeling splinters of shattered wood and bamboo stabbing against my palms.

  The devil ship was tearing us to pieces.

  Black smoke clogged the air, stinging my eyes. Squinting through it, I struggled to my feet. Strong hands reached out to help me up. It was Kai. He coughed, doubled over, then searched through the smoke just as I was doing, trying to take stock of the damage.

  Part of the gun deck had been shot through and one of the cannons destroyed. The gunner crew lay sprawled beside it, some barely moving, others not moving at all. The steamship was again positioning alongside us, looming even larger than before.

  Something was amiss. The crewmen, who had mounted a coordinated defense before, were flailing and unable to regroup. Cannons remained unmanned, the injured staggered as they searched for cover. Smaller shots rang out now from the opposing deck, forcing us to take cover. Without the gunners, there was nothing to hold them off.

  I searched across the gun deck and found a body laying crumpled out in the open. My stomach sank when I realized it was Master Yim. Chang-wei followed my gaze and came to the same realization.

  He met my eyes for only a moment before springing forward. Running at a crouch, Chang-wei shouted instructions at the gunners as he moved down the line.

  “Kai!” I tugged on the big man’s arm and gestured toward the unmoving figure behind the line of cannons.

  Satomi was organizing a round of return fire from the crew. I ran forward as the volley started, ducking and praying amidst the noise and smoke. When I reached the barge master, Yim turned his head weakly toward me. Kai scrambled up beside me to grab hold of Yim beneath his arms and tug him toward the rail. Scant cover, but it was what we had.

  I knelt beside Master Yim, searching for his wound while Kai hunched over the both of us, using himself as a shield. It wasn’t a feat of bravery or even loyalty for him to be there. It was just who Kai was at his core.

  I’d found where Master Yim was hit. A bullet had stricken the barge master’s lower leg, shattering bone. He howled as I pressed against the wound. Hot blood seeped through my fingers and I fought a wave of nausea. There could be another injury. We needed to check before moving him.

  Gesturing for Kai to take over at the leg,
I examined Master Yim for other wounds and found another shot on his left side, hidden by his dark tunic. I pulled at the tear in the cloth to rend the edges open. The bullet had hit him low on his chest. Not near his heart, but near a hundred other vital parts.

  I couldn’t think of how bad it might be. He was still alive right now.

  I peeled off my jacket to use it over the chest wound, allowing myself a glance across the deck as I pressed down. Chang-wei had reformed the gun line and was returning fire. Satomi ran to me. Leveling the rifle against her shoulder, she took aim at someone and fired up at the opposing deck. The shadow of the ship engulfed us, heralding doom. Steam rose like a great black ghost from its exhaust port.

  Just beyond the plume of smoke, I saw a shape that made my heartbeat stutter. Master Yim had fallen unconscious while we tended to him and I gestured for Kai to apply pressure to the second wound while I fumbled for the barge master’s field glasses. They had fallen to the deck. I lifted them with blood-stained fingers and directed the eyepiece upward and into the distance. One of the lenses had cracked and my hand shook so badly that it took a long time to center on what I’d seen.

  My body went cold. I shouted at Chang-wei, but he was focused on the battle. There was wax in his ears, wax in mine. He couldn’t hear me.

  Without time to explain, I left Master Yim and ran to the helm. Hanzhu was at the wheel, grim determination on his face. I had to tug hard on his sleeve for him to notice me.

  Once again, I shouted out what I’d seen, pointing to the sky and handing him the field glasses.

  “An airship!”

  He found it much faster through the glass than I had. “Yangguizi,” he muttered.

  Before long, the devil ship would have air support.

  I didn’t catch what signal Yang gave, but a moment later the ship’s drum began to beat. From the helm, I could see the convoy ships as they circled and pointed their bows toward the steamship like the tips of twin daggers. Suddenly both of the ships ignited, becoming engulfed in orange flames. I gasped as the engines fired and both ships shot forward. Were they sacrificing themselves?

  The convoys picked up speed as they neared the steamship. The fire at their bows spread, licking down half the length of the hull. Then, at the last moment, the vessels snapped in half. The foremost sections continued to shoot toward the looming steamship while the aft section veered away to turn back toward the war junk.

  I held my breath as the fire ships crashed into the hull of the foreign vessel. One stab after another, doused in flame. The impact was enough to penetrate the armored shell to feed on the wood beneath. The convoys continued to burn while our flagship cut away to make its escape.

  Chapter 15

  For the rest of the day, the crew remained on the lookout on the water was well as out over the skies. The battle might have been over, but our escape was far from the end of it.

  What remained of the convoys had enough power to return to the main ship, but didn’t possess the engines to be seaworthy. The skiffs were tied down and their crew welcomed back onto the junk. Among them was the young engineer Benzhuo, sometimes Congming, who received a scolding from Liu Yentai for sacrificing two perfectly good vessels. But instead of cuffing his young apprentice on the head, Old Liu cupped his soot-stained hand gruffly over the back of Benzhuo’s neck and kept it there for a long time before letting ago.

  Yang Hanzhu set about inspecting his ship and determining what repairs were required. The port side had been badly damaged. The gun deck torn to shreds. Holes in the hull that needed to be patched immediately.

  Three crewmen perished in the battle. Their bodies were solemnly relinquished to the sea. Many more were seriously injured, including Master Yim who went under the surgeon’s knife. The surgeon, who also happened to be the cook, was able to dig out the bullets lodged inside Yim.

  Dig was the appropriate word, as there was little in the way of skill and much in the way of determination to the endeavor. Kai held Yim down throughout the operation as there was no amount of opium that could completely dull the pain.

  Kai and I helped where we could, cleaning and sewing wounds. Setting and wrapping bones. Like we’d done at the Five Factories.

  We’d escaped. We’d survived.

  The crew remained watchful of the sea as well as the air. It was possible we were being tracked from the skies now. We didn’t know if there were other naval ships coming to exact revenge.

  Night came as it did, but tonight the watch detail was doubled. All lanterns on deck were to remain dark.

  Sick bay was set up in a section of the sleeping berths. I stayed there late into the evening until Kai urged me to get some rest. He would sleep nearby and come find me if I was needed.

  I didn’t fight it. My body was merely hanging from my bones by that point.

  Hanzhu intercepted me as I was making my way back to my bunk.

  “Walk with me,” he said cryptically, his sharp features ragged with exhaustion.

  As depleted as I was, Hanzhu looked even worse. I followed behind him, watching the bob of the lantern he held, while I waited for whatever Hanzhu had in mind to reveal itself.

  Wordlessly, he moved to the hatch and climbed down to the lower part of the ship where the cargo hold and engine rooms were located. The engines were silent at the moment, though the air below remained stuffy with residual heat. The burnt sulfur smell clogged my throat and I had to wrap a silk scarf over my face to filter it out.

  Our destination was the cargo hold. Yang stepped into the bulkhead and beckoned me in after him. He set the lantern down and I could see the large wooden crates arranged inside, most of them standing taller than me. There was an assortment of tools laid out on top of one of the crates, which led me to believe that someone had already been in here.

  “When we were loading these containers onto the ship, I did a cursory inspection. Firearms, Chang-wei claimed. Indeed, that’s what it looked like to me initially. In this trade one learns not to ask too many questions in any case. And since Chen Chang-wei and I are old friends—” His lip curled on the last word.

  I wasn’t certain I liked where this was going. “If Chang-wei knew we were down here—”

  “He won’t be disturbing us,” Yang said, taking up a pair of goggles. “Satomi’s distracting him. With her journal,” he added, seeing my odd look. He tossed the goggles to me which I caught, agitated.

  “I didn’t know you were the jealous sort,” he said with a chuckle.

  “I’m not jealous. I just—” I had nothing. It had been a difficult day. I’d had to clean blood from my hands not too long ago and now Yang Hanzhu was taunting me. I didn’t have any patience left.

  “What are these for?” I asked, dangling the eyewear from my fingers.

  “Put them on.”

  I did as he asked, using the leather strap in back to adjust the goggles so that the lenses fit over my eyes. He donned a pair himself before throwing a pair of work gloves my way. They were thick, molded from rubber, and over-sized by far.

  “Do you know what’s in these crates, Soling?”

  “Firearms,” I replied weakly, a knot forming in my stomach.

  It was what Chang-wei had told me.

  Yang Hanzhu looked at me as if I were a child. There had been a time when I was a child in his presence, but that was long ago.

  “I’m sorry I brought you into this,” I said, pained.

  Hanzhu waved it away. “I accepted the silver,” he said brusquely. “I understood the risks.”

  “Your ship was under fire today. You lost men.”

  His mouth formed a grim line. “They knew the risks as well. Come help me.”

  He pulled a set of gloves on over his hands and kicked two stepping stools over beside the nearest container. Then he handed the lantern to me before gathering his tools.

  “That devil ship could have blown us out of the water today,” Hanzhu began. “But they were reluctant to fire directly at us, almost as if they were afrai
d to damage my ship too badly. Of course, I’m quite grateful. I’m attached to this thing, it being my only home for the last ten years.”

  “But they did fire on us.”

  “At the gun deck. The masts. That’s not how you disable a ship.”

  He climbed onto the first stool and I followed his lead, climbing up on the second one. All the while, a seed of doubt grew inside me.

  “The airship was what really made me wonder. We may have just happened to encounter a naval ship patrolling these waters. The Yangguizi have been vigilant around the treaty ports lately. Even though we’re currently outside of the established shipping lanes, it’s still possible this steamship was sweeping a wide area. But to have an airship also circling nearby?”

  Yang had my complete attention now.

  “It was as if they were protecting something. Surely it wasn’t my life that anyone cared to spare. I thought, for a moment, it was a double-cross and Chang-wei had come up with this elaborate scheme to have me apprehended.”

  “He wouldn’t do that.”

  “You know, I believe that as well.” Hanzhu gestured toward me with what looked like a long iron spike. “So, I wondered if the Yangguizi had received some information. You know there are just as many spies around as pirates, nowadays. If the foreign navy somehow believed there might be something valuable in the cargo hold that they wanted to confiscate.”

  “Weapons are valuable,” I suggested, my throat dry.

  “Yes, my dear Soling. We are at war and weapons are valuable. Some more than others.”

  There was a large metal hinge lock over the crate. Hanzhu tapped a spot beside the lock to indicate where he wanted the lantern. Then he inserted the spike into the lock and appeared to shift the length of iron this way and that.

  “Chen Chang-wei was trying to be clever,” Yang said quietly, a look of intense concentration on his face. “There’s a special design on these locks. A glass vial on the inside holding a strong corrosive. If the lock is tampered with or not opened properly, the vial will break, spilling the acid over the contents and destroying whatever is inside. But, if you know how the acid trap is constructed, it’s fairly easy to manage.”