Chapter 9: A Shocking Change (Part 1)
The air was scorching and humid, making breathing feel like inhaling fire. Yet no one dared be careless; they watched each other warily. In this war-torn land, strength meant everything, and power was the law. Bandits could devour unsuspecting victims at any moment, and the victims might turn into fierce aggressors themselves. Even the Vietnamese government troops could become ruthless bandits.
They were now observing this small group, accompanied by mules and horses—seemingly an easy target. But nearby troops didn’t dare take chances; scouts were sent out to gather information. The group bore the flag of the “Liu Zi Camp,” a somewhat famous force in Haiyang, and the presence of women among them seemed to stir both excitement and caution.
The Liu Zi Camp was formidable. Several illegal armed groups considered joining forces to strike at them, sending scouts while awkwardly forming an alliance. With substantial wealth and nearly a hundred men, they could easily overwhelm this small group of twenty. Just as they grew bolder, the scouts rushed back in panic: “It’s the Black Flag Army! The Black Flag Army!”
In North Vietnam, there was one group best left unprovoked—the Black Flag Army, known for their seven-starred black flags! The strongest army in North Vietnam, invincible, even the Yellow Flag Army, numbering nearly ten thousand, was destroyed at their hands.
Yet a few refused to believe it: “How could it be the Black Flag Army? They never come to Haiyang. I saw clearly—it must be the Liu Zi Camp’s flag!”
“Everyone has a backgun with a full magazine. Tell me, who else but the Black Flag Army has such power?”
The scout almost shouted, “Let’s retreat! This is something the Black Flag Army handles—nothing for us mere mortals to deal with!”
A small Black Flag Army unit, equipped with breech-loading guns and bearing the Liu Zi Camp’s flag, appeared in Haiyang, a territory under French control…
Putting these three facts together, everyone thought the same: “Scatter! This is too big—better avoid getting caught in the fallout.”
Among this small group, Jing Shi Yi carried his beloved Spencer carbine at all times, standing on tiptoes and straining his neck to spot enemies in the distance, hoping to use his Spencer to crush them. He wasn’t the only one with such thoughts.
Everyone knew the road back to the camp wasn’t safe, with frequent acts of banditry. But they longed for such a chance to test their skills. Right now, the Liu Zi Camp couldn’t have been better—Liu Yu had kept them in Haiyang for a whole day of training. Each person fired ten shots, experiencing the smoke-filled chaos firsthand. Even Jin Cheng had fired three bursts with Jing Shi Yi, leaving him numb from the recoil.
Next came an even more spectacular scene. Liu Yu personally demonstrated the tactics Turkey used against the Russians. To do this, they managed to find a desolate shooting range. The powerful Remington rifles started firing from 500 meters away, successfully hitting multiple targets. Then, at 200 meters, the Spencers opened fire in unison, creating a dense barrage of bullets, with scattered casings covering the ground.
Jingshiyi completed a round of firing smoothly. When seven casings fell to the ground, he fell completely in love with this feeling. It was exhilarating beyond description—the sensation of firing in rapid succession was simply amazing!
The only thing that annoyed him was that this was just a training exercise, not actual combat. So he kept hoping some foolish thug would show up. That way, he could experience how the Spencer barrage could blow enemies away. But why wouldn’t those thugs show up?
He never imagined that with such a powerful force equipped with twenty breech-loading guns, which thug would dare to provoke them?
Just as he was feeling frustrated, he saw Sima Tai, also carrying a Spencer, which made him even angrier. Why could he, during training, enjoy using both the Spencer and the Remington to his heart’s content?
He admitted that Jiang Ningxue deserved special treatment. When others tried the Spencer, they would just fire three shots each, but Liu Yu always let Jiang Ningxue use an entire magazine. It made sense to show favoritism to his fiancée. But why could this outsider, Sima Tai, fire two magazines and even take a few shots with the Remington? He was also proud and refused to admit he was inferior to Sima Tai in this regard.
He wanted to vent his dissatisfaction, but seeing Liu Yu walking beside Sima Tai, he lost his courage and could only carefully fiddle with his Spencer.
By now, Liu Yu had completely become the backbone of this team. From Sima Tai to Liu Suiyun, no one failed to admire him—those twenty breech-loading guns were living proof of that. At that moment, Liu Yu was talking to Sima Tai: “I think the firing range for the Remington should be shortened further. 400 meters should be enough to improve accuracy.”
Sima Tai was utterly impressed by this young leader and almost treated Liu Yu’s words as gospel. He nodded repeatedly, saying, “Exactly! Exactly!”
On the other side, Lian Jincheng remained silent but pricked up his ears, listening carefully to Liu Yu’s words. As he waited for Liu Yu to continue, he heard someone shout, “Brother Ji is here! What a coincidence! Xinghui, are you here to see us too?”
The person they met across from them was also from Liu Yu’s camp. He greeted Liu Yu warmly, “Ah Yu, you’re back! Did you bring any good stuff?”
Liu Yu also greeted him, and Ji Xinghui immediately pulled Liu Suiyun over and said, “Your mother has something to tell you.”
“What is it?” Liu Suiyun, truly a filial son, asked, “Third brother, what happened?”
The two stood aside and talked. After a few words, Liu Suiyun suddenly shouted, “The leader! Something serious has happened in the old camp!”
Liu Yu was surprised and casually asked, “What is it?”
Over there, Liu Suiyun took Ji Xinghui’s hand and said, “That old scoundrel Liu Haohao is unscrupulous; he wants to seize the position of the head boss!”
Ji Xinghui added, “That’s right! I can testify that as soon as our third uncle left, Liu Haohao colluded with the government officials and insisted on taking the top position.”
“Who is it?”
Ji Xinghui replied quickly, “It’s a guerrilla officer, surnamed Shi. He has ulterior motives; with a blank appointment letter, he wants to let that scumbag Liu Haohao take the top position, waiting until the younger boss comes of age to make a decision…”
“From the Qing Dynasty?”
“The boss is wise!”