A Step into the Past - A China AAR

Thanks all for all the encouraging comments. China is my first game and I chose it because someone said was easy.

So far, I have played about a hundred years and most of the time have been spent putting down revolts to the extent that I hardly had time for wars with other nations.

[OOC] Second prologue. Enjoy reading people.


Prologue 2

June 2002, Ming Tombs, Beijing, China


“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Ming Tombs, the burial ground for all but the first 2 Ming Emperors. First built in….” The tour guide continued his narration about the Ming Tombs, but Jimmy did not hear him. In fact he had been in Beijing now for 3 days but had not paid much attention to what was going on. Jimmy was with a group of fellow undergraduates on a study trip of China.

While Jimmy was a Chinese by race, growing up in westernized Singapore had not done much to help his Chinese. While his speaking skills were still passable, his writing skills were… well, the less said the better. Lets just say if he were told to write his Chinese name, it would likely take him a few minutes before he would remember how to write it, if he even remembered at all.

As far as anything had to do with Chinese, Jimmy was usually less than interested. So what made him come for this trip to China, considering his lack of interest in anything Chinese? Well, the answer was because of a girl by the name of Sue. He had like the girl for a few months now. While they were friends, Sue had so far been indifferent to Jimmy’s attempts to get closer. However, he was a determined fellow and when he heard that Sue was going on the China trip, he also signed up much to the surprise of his other friends.

Inside the Tombs, the narrator was still talking,” … are still being excavated and because of this, so far only 2 of the tombs are open to the public for viewing. There are several side tunnels that lead to other tombs but they are clearly marked with ‘No Entry’ signs. Please don’t try to wander off into the tunnels or else you will be spending the rest of your trip in a police station. Furthermore…” Jimmy’s attention wandered off again. Glancing around, he noticed Sue looking absolutely fascinated with the Tombs, so he had to at least pretend to be fascinated as well so as to better get into her good books.

The group continued to wander deeper into the Tombs. Passing another side tunnel, Jimmy suddenly felt very drawn to the tunnel. He could not identify where the feeling came from but for some reason he suddenly had the urge to enter the tunnel. Looking at Sue’s face, he could tell she was drawn to the tunnel as well. They looked at each other. Their eyes came to an unspoken agreement and they went into the tunnel. For a long while, they walked. The tunnel was much longer than Jimmy thought. Finally they came to the end of the tunnel. The tunnel opened up into a huge chamber. In the center of the chamber was a large coffin, with two smaller ones on it’s left and right. The rest of the Chamber was empty. No surprise, Jimmy thought, any treasures here would long have been seized by the authorities.

On the center coffin was inscribed some Chinese words. Jimmy could make out the word ‘Emperor’ but that was all. Sue looked at the inscription (she scored a A for Chinese), than said,” Oh my god, it’s the coffin of Emperor Chongzhen and his 2 wives.”

Now Jimmy may be bad at his Chinese heritage but he knew enough of his Chinese history to know that the Emperor Chongzhen was the last Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, though he would have problems naming the other Emperors of the Ming Dynasty other than Zhu Yuanchang, the founder of the Dynasty and Yongle, one of the greatest Emperor of that Dynasty.

Sue reached out to touch the coffin. At that moment, Jimmy had a bad premonition. “NO! Don’t touch it!” But it was too late. Sue had touched the coffin. Suddenly an unknown source of light filled the chamber and the chamber got brighter and brighter. Sue now very frightened grabbed Jimmy’s arms,” What’s going on?” Jimmy’s face was also pale white but continue to hold on to Sue protectively on his arms, replied,” I don’t know, I don’t know.”

The Chamber continued to glow brighter and brighter until it was so bright that there was nothing that can be seen except the light. Then suddenly all became dark……

Prologue 3

Date unknown, mid afternoon, place unknown

Jimmy opened his eyes. Quickly he closed them again cause the sun was shining straight into his eyes. After a while more, he opened them again and looked around. He was not in the Ming Tombs, that was for sure. Instead, he was lying on a rough country road. On the left and right of the road were woods. Where the hell was he? All he could remember was the light in the Tombs, then a sudden darkness and he remembered no more. How did he end up here? Was he still within the grounds of the Ming Tombs? Was he even still in Beijing?

Beside him, Sue was also stirring. She sat up and also looked around, saw Jimmy and before she could say a word, Jimmy answered her unspoken question,” No I don’t know where we are or even how we ended up here.” Jimmy glanced at the position of the sun, about mid afternoon. He looked back at Sue and said,” No point just sitting here. We better move and see if we can find anyone that can help us.” Sue nodded.

The two of them walked for about an hour when in the distance they could hear shouts in the distance, followed by sounds of metals crashing on metals. Having served in the military before, to Jimmy it sounded like sounds of swords but he did not say anything to Sue for fear of frightening her. Sue clearly was excited about hearing human shouts,” Come on Jimmy, lets go and ask those people for help.” And she hurried off in the direction of the noises. Jimmy quickly followed after her.

As they neared the source of the sound, they could see 2 distinct groups of people apparently involved in a sword fight. The strange thing was that the people were all dressed in ancient Chinese dressing. One group was dressed in ordinary civilian clothing, the other in army armor.

Sue turned to Jimmy here and said,” Well, at least we are still in the Ming Tombs.” Jimmy turned to her with a puzzled look and asked,’ How do you know?” Sue replied,” Well look at those guys staging the fight. Where else other than in tourists attractions will you see people dressed up in ancient clothing and performing sword fights and I got to say, these are some of the best performances I have ever seen. It’s as realistic as I’ve ever seen.”

Jimmy nodded but did not reply. While Sue’s answer was logical, he could not help feeling a little worried and even a little scared. His military eye tells him that the sword fight was a little too realistic for it to be staged. A minute later, his fears were proven true when one of the soldiers deliver a chop that neatly took of one of the ‘civilians’ head off his shoulders. The head flew across the air and onto the ground, taking a bounce before rolling to a stop, right in front of the shocked Jimmy and Sue, it’s eyes still open and staring at them lifelessly. Sue’s face turned death white, gave a loud scream, before turning around and burying her face in Jimmy’s chest, her body shaking violently. Jimmy’s face was also white but he did not say anything other than holding on to Sue very tightly. Actually, Jimmy did not say anything cause he was too stunned to even do anything.

Hearing the scream, a couple of the soldiers had quickly ran over to them and flanked them, one of them saying,” Don’t worry, we will protect you from the bandits.” But Sue and Jimmy did not say anything. In Jimmy’s mind, his mind was now racing very wildly. What the hell is going on? Where was he? What’s this about ancient uniforms, soldiers? There were now many questions spinning through him and no one to answer.

By now, the last of the bandits had fallen to the soldiers. One of the soldiers, probably the commander came up to them and asked,” Do not worry. We have killed the bandits. Pardon me but may I ask which part of China are you from cause I do not recognize the clothing you are wearing.”

It was then Jimmy realized that they were still dressed 2002 clothing and it appeared strange to this soldiers. Where the hell are we, he thought again. Taking a gamble, he replied, “ We are from the south, Yunan.” The Commander nodded, and said,” Ah yes, Yunan, you are from the Miao tribes? No wonder your dressing and speech are strange. Anyway be careful around here. There had been many news of bandits here.”

Sue than asked,” Sir, can you tell us where is the nearest town or city?” “ You are strangers! The nearest town is that way, about a day’s walk from here. Anyway we have to be going now. Take care and be careful.” And with that the soldiers continued on their journey.

Jimmy and Sue looked at one another. A day’s walk? Sue gave a weak smile,” I don’t supposed we will get a cab. Guess we better start walking.” With that, the two of them walked off in the direction the soldiers had indicated.

To be continued...


[OOC] One more prologue to come and I will get to the game proper. Thanks people for being so patient so far and again thanks for the encouraging comments for my first AAR.

Guess u never played China before. It's located in the south of China. It is said that that the most beautiful Chinese ladies can be found there. Is is also home to many minor ethnic tribes, many of whom ethenic dressing are very different from the rest of the Chinese and they also speak differently. To tell the truth, other than these general information, I don't know much else about Yunan.

Maybe any Chinese out there in the forum can update me will also be welcome.

Alexandru,

Thanks for this excellent compliment. For now since i have not gotten to the actual story, it is still easy to write what i want to write. But once i get into the game proper, i will have to fit my story around the game. Have not really thought how I am going to do it but I will do my best to keep you people out there entertained.

Azid,
I've been to Beijing but so far no chance to visit Yunan. Actually my family had planned to visit Southern China this month but the trip had been put on hold because of SARS. Hopefully i will have the chance to visit soon.

Final Prologue

Date unknown, Night, Place unknown

Jimmy sat on the ground observing Sue as she slept. In sleep, she looked so at peace, no worries at all. Such a wonderful girl to have as a girlfriend, Jimmy thought. If not the fact that he had no idea where he was, Jimmy would have been very happy at this moment, being close to the girl that he had been attracted to for the past few months. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he thought back of the day’s events.

Having left the soldiers, they had traveled on in the direction indicated by the soldiers. Jimmy had no problems walking long distances but Sue was not conditioned at all for long walks and because of that, they had to stop frequently for long breaks before Sue can carry on. By the time Jimmy decided to stop and rest for the night, he knew they would not be able to make it to their destination in a day. It would probably take at least an extra day.

Jimmy considered their supplies. He had started his day with a 1000ml bottle of water. Sue had a 500ml bottle. Not knowing how long it would be before they could find a source of water, he had strictly controlled the amount of water that can be consumed in order to ensure they would have enough water for a few days at least. For food, he had the sandwiches he had brought out in the morning from the hotel. He also had some biscuits and a few pieces of ham. Sue had some pieces of bread plus a bar of chocolate.
Again, Jimmy had controlled the consumption of food. He had insisted on only eating the food that will go bad first, leaving the rest for later, again ensuring that there will be enough food for a couple of days at least. Other things that they had included some cosmetics of Sue, a jacket, some new clothing that they had bought earlier in the day before visiting the Ming Tombs, an umbrella and a hand phone that can’t seem to receive any reception at all.

Looking around at their surroundings, the 2 of them had chosen their site on the side of the road. Sue had absolutely refused to enter the wooded areas for fear of wild animals and Jimmy had not been inclined to argue. Though it was a cold night, they had not set up a fire cause they had nothing to start the fire with. The only thing Jimmy could do was offer Sue his jacket. Though he now felt the cold chill of the night wind biting into his body, knowing that Sue slept warmly was enough to allow him to endure the bitter cold.

Jimmy considered his situation. He tried to recall how exactly did he end up here but try as he might, he could not figure out how he could have ended up here. Softly, afraid to wake Sue up, he whispered,” Where are we?”

He nearly jumped out of his skin when from behind his shoulders came a reply,” Actually you are about a day’s walk from Beijing.” Jimmy sprang to his feet, moving into on guard position as he was taught back in the army. “Who said that?” Jimmy demanded in as fierce a voice he could muster though inside his heart was beating very fast. The shout from Jimmy woke Sue up as well.

In a sleepy voice, Sue asked,” What is it, Jimmy?” Looking around but seeing no one, Jimmy replied,” Someone is here but I have no idea who or where he is.”
“ In the first voice you are not supposed to see me so stop looking for me. You won’t be able to see me anyway.” Came the Voice again.
Sue screamed and ran behind Jimmy. In a trembling voice, Jimmy asked,” Who are you?”
“Me? I am Chongzhen.” Chongzhen? That name sounded familiar. Where did he hear it from? Of course!! Now he remembered. Sue touched his coffin and it ended up bringing them here. Sue reacted first,” If you are Chongzhen, then you are a ghost, are you not?” “Of course I am a ghost. Stop wasting my time with stupid questions.”
Now Jimmy asked,” Why are we here?”
“Better question. The answer is simple. As you know, the Ming Dynasty was destroyed in 1644. I brought you here to change the fate of the Ming, in simple terms to ensure that the Ming is not destroyed.”
Jimmy replied,” So you are saying you brought us to the past, to the 1600s to save the Ming Dynasty.”
“Yes, you are correct except that it is not the 1600s. It is the year 1419. Bringing you to the 1600s will not help much. The decline of the Ming had started way before that. So I have decided to bring you back to the height of the Dynasty’s glory, so that you have sufficient time to save the Dynasty.”
Sue asked,” Why us of all people?”
“Well, you are the first in over 300 years to touch my coffin, that’s why I brought you here.” Jimmy now turns to stare at Sue with an accusing eye while Sue look everywhere but at Jimmy. Now I know the meaning of Curiosity Kills the Cat, thought Jimmy.
Aloud he said,” Ok fine. Now that you brought us here, care to tell us what next to do?”
“Er…actually I don’t know. I brought the two of here already. The rest should be up to you, just make sure you save the Dynasty.”
“WHAT!!” Jimmy and Sue both shouted together. “ You crazy manic! You brought us here cause we were dumb enough to touch your coffin and after bringing us here, you expect me to do everything myself?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Chongzhen, listen to me. Even if we spend the rest of our life here, we may still see the end of the Dynasty in 1644 cause what can a man do in one lifetime.” Asked a clearly furious Jimmy.
“That is no problem. Until you have completed your task, you will not die of old age. However, while you are not affected by the passing of time, you are not invulnerable to other causes such as a knife thrust for example, so please take extra precautions. It is very bothersome for me if I have to make a trip down to hell very few years to pluck you back up to the mortal world.”
This was coming to fast for Jimmy to handle. 1419, won’t die of old age, saving a dynasty and god knows what else. He had so many questions he wanted to ask. Before he could say a word, Chongzhen spoke again,” Alright enough talking for now. Go and rest now. You still have a long way to go. I will check in on you from time to time. If you don’t succeed, you will…. Well, just make sure you succeed.”
Now Jimmy cried out,” Wait. I still got questions. Chongzhen! Chongzhen!” But the voice was gone and only the sound of the night wind answered Jimmy. After a second, Jimmy let loose a series of curses at the ghost of Chongzhen. After he had exhausted his vocabulary of curses, he sat back on the ground with a howl of frustration. Sue who remained quiet throughout the time Jimmy was cursing now spoke up,” So what do we do now Jimmy?”

“I don’t know. To tell the truth, I don’t know if we really met a ghost and if we are really in the past though I got to say after all the events of today, I am inclined to believe what Chongzhen said. But if it is really true, then all I can say is now I understand why his Dynasty ended with him. He had absolutely no idea of what he is trying to do. He only knows he got to save the Dynasty, the rest leave it for others to think how to go about it. That’s ridiculous.” Said Jimmy.

Sue replied,” I know. But what can we do now since he had brought us here already?” Jimmy said,” One thing, we carry on walking on tomorrow until we find that city then we find someone to try and help us. I guess that’s the best we can do at the moment. Go to bed now. We have a long way to go tomorrow.” Sue nodded,” Ok. Sounds good to me. You sleep early too.”

Sue returned to sleep but for Jimmy, he spent almost the rest of the night thinking of what to do next until he too finally fell into an uneasy sleep…..


Coming soon... Chapter 1: Meeting Yongle....

[OOC] Ok people, next update will be on the actual game itself. Thanks for all the patience shown so far and hope you guys will continue reading. Cheers.