Chapter 23: Haiphong (Part 2)

Twenty minutes passed.
Deng Cunyu stepped out of his small warehouse full of enthusiasm, only to be immediately surrounded by a crowd of merchants: “What are your conditions? Just mention them, and we can find you a steamship.”
“We want your rice.”
“The price can be negotiated.”
“Considering…”
In just that short time, more good news arrived—the Vietnamese government forces had suffered another setback, neither major nor minor.
Meanwhile, Li Yangcai officially proclaimed himself emperor in the provincial city he had captured. According to eyewitnesses, there was widespread celebration, with heroes from all over flocking to him.
Since the fall of the Tian kingdom, various heroes from Guangxi had retreated to Vietnam. Moreover, the Nguyen dynasty was indeed unpopular in Tonkin, so his uprising met with immediate support. As a result, this war could not end in a short time.
Latest reports also indicated that local authorities were recruiting food, personnel, and all kinds of essential supplies, leading to skyrocketing prices. Thus, the shipload of rice brought by Deng Cunyu was in high demand.
But news spread fast. Before Deng Cunyu could start negotiations, someone brought word: “A message from Broker Liu—the consul is very concerned about food supplies in Haiphong.”
This was robbery! Deng Cunyu cursed inwardly, though he still felt a hint of pride.
Who was Broker Liu? He was the agent of the Banque de l’Orient in Haiphong—a foreigner from Tianjin with ruthless tactics. It was said he had amassed a fortune of over a hundred thousand silver dollars, and no one in Haiphong dared underestimate him.
Even the French feared him, and the French consul regarded him as a trusted ally, entrusting him with managing the opium trade in Haiphong. There was no profitable business in Haiphong he hadn’t gotten involved in.
Now that Broker Liu had stepped in, Deng Cunyu had to play his cards carefully.
He still remembered the vast piles of valuable goods in Haiyang: “Don’t worry! This time when I return to Haiyang, I’ll bring a shipload of food. After that, we’ll have a serious talk with everyone.”
He believed he would make a huge profit this time—more than Broker Liu even.
……
Haiphong Port.
Deng Cunyu was in high spirits.
In over thirty years of business, none had been as profitable as this.
With a check from the Banque de l’Orient in hand, he commanded two steamships, each loaded with boxes of Mexican silver dollars. Once in Haiyang, he could exchange these dollars for more valuable goods.
These two steamships were far superior to his own sailboat—faster and capable of carrying twice as much cargo. Imagine the grandeur when those two steamships sailed downstream!
But before they set off, he suddenly saw three steamships coming down the Red River. Seeing the red, white, and blue flag on their masts, Deng Cunyu’s heart tightened.
That wasn’t the French flag—it was the Russian flag. He ordered the captain, “Send a signal to greet them!”
The other side returned a greeting signal. Deng Cunyu continued, “Shout to them and ask where they’re coming from.”
Their reply almost made him collapse: “From Haiyang!”

“Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Set off right away!” Deng Cunyu ordered loudly, “Set off immediately—to Haiyang!”
Haiyang.
Everything was calm in the city.
The Liu Army continued to control the entire city, while Vietnamese officers tried every means to catch deserters, and Vietnamese soldiers worked hard.
Jingshiyi was very interested in the repair tools purchased by Liu Shouhua for 700 eagle dollars. He was naturally quick-witted and had the makings of a craftsman, but he didn’t know how to use these tools, so he constantly asked Lian Jincheng, who had more experience, for advice.
Jiang Linyang continued to extort Fan Fushu along with Sima Tai and Liu Suiyun. Fan Fushu was quite skilled at plundering, and he even suggested raising taxes to satisfy the endless demands of the Liu Army.
Liu Yu, on the other hand, was very cautious. He personally assembled a unit of fifty veterans from the Liu Army, almost all equipped with breech-loading guns, ready for battle at any time.
But instead of French retaliation, they received excellent news: “Report to the commander! Boss Deng has returned from Haiphong, bringing two large ships.”
By the time Liu Yu led his men to the dock, Deng Cunyu was already there, smiling broadly, directing his trusted men to oversee the unloading of crates of ammunition from the ships. As for the crates of eagle dollars, Boss Deng wasn’t comfortable leaving them unattended, so he personally supervised their transport with two of his men.
“Sigh…” A whole shipload of rice was exchanged for just over a hundred crates of goods, yet everyone was overjoyed.
Who would ever complain about having more eagle dollars and foreign guns?
Liu Yu had been eagerly waiting for these twenty foreign guns. He patted Deng Cunyu’s hand and said, “Boss Deng, I owe you so much this time!”
“I want to buy on credit—more credit!” Deng Cunyu replied right away. “Look what I’ve brought you this time!”
“What is it?”
Deng Cunyu was proud this time: “Seventy Spencer rifles—fifty more than before!”
The crates containing the ammunition were opened, and each Spencer rifle drew gasps of admiration from the Liu Army’s veterans.
Liu Yu’s eyes almost blazed with excitement. Besides the Spencer rifles, there were also over ninety crates of rifle bullets: “Forty-six thousand Spencer bullets—I took a huge risk for this.”
This time, Deng Cunyu was extremely lucky in acquiring foreign guns.
He had collected a deposit of a hundred Spencer rifles from Liu Yu but, fearing too much risk, only ordered sixty.
His supplier in Hong Kong sent a ship to deliver the goods, carrying a large amount of ammunition. The original delivery was supposed to take place near Bailong Island, but Deng Cunyu’s accomplices were cautious and insisted they pause and wait for further instructions.
When news of Haiyang’s fall reached Haiphong, these shrewd men immediately sent a small boat, loaded with bribes, to smuggle the remaining ammunition into Haiphong Port.
Spencer rifles didn’t sell well in Asia, so their supplier had accumulated a large stock. This time, they sent over a hundred rifles to see if they could find a buyer, and unexpectedly, they got a major client.
Now, Deng Cunyu said with a smile, “I’ve done a good job, haven’t I? That’s why I still want to buy on credit!”