Chapter 27: Shanxi (Part 2)

As Huang Shouzhong spoke, the men below erupted in chaos.
“Xiliu Camp? I’ve never heard of it.”
“Yes, I only said there was a camp named Liu in Haiyang, but it was just a small unit—nothing like this.”
“At least dozens of rapid-fire guns and three steel ships—how did they get here to Shanxi?”
“Could it be Li Yangcai sent them to trick us? That doesn’t seem likely.”
“It really doesn’t. Li Yangcai is as poor as us—how could he afford such things?”
“I heard he raised money by selling his assets to rebel. But where did these guys come from? Dozens of rapid-fire guns? Must be a mistake.”
“I also heard it from my subordinates. I think it’s a mistake. How could there be dozens of rapid-fire guns? Even our Black Flag Army has only about a hundred. It’s probably a mistake—maybe just dozens of foreign guns.”
“No, Xiao San has been with me for over twenty years—how could such a mistake happen?”
“There definitely aren’t that many rapid-fire guns. It must be just some foreign guns reported incorrectly.”
“Let’s strike! If we do this, we won’t worry about money for a year.”
“Strike! Strike!”
“I heard the goods on those three ships are very profitable!”
“It’s like a giant sheep right in front of us. We have over a dozen rapid-fire guns in the city—we can definitely take them down.”
“That’s right. If our front camp acts, who can stop us?”
“But since they’re coming to join our Black Flag Army, we should consult Brother Liu Second.”
“We can’t afford to look bad.”
Huang Shouzhong remained calm. He smiled upon hearing their opinions, though he also wanted to take action. With such a large front camp, there were many mouths to feed, and running out of food was common. Leaving such an easy target unclaimed would be a shame!
But how to attack them was a professional issue. Just as he was about to make a decision, someone rushed over: “Brother Huang Second, something’s wrong!”
“What is it? Are they trying to trick us?” Huang Shouzhong was a fierce warrior. “Call out all 400 men from our front camp in Shanxi. I’m not afraid of fighting them.”
“No! It’s the imperial army.” The messenger was sweating profusely. “The imperial army has already left the city and is heading toward that target. It seems they’re about to attack.”
At this news, someone voiced what most people were thinking: “Shouzhong, act quickly! If we wait, the loot will go to others.”
“We mustn’t hesitate.”
“The brothers are waiting for food to be cooked.”
Huang Shouzhong quickly removed the weapon from his waist and shouted, “Stop arguing! I have my own plan. Gather everyone and follow me…”
On the sandbank, Liu Yu and Deng Cunyu were still discussing the situation in Shanxi City.
He then learned that the main force of the Black Flag Army, along with Liu Yongfu, had all set out—neither staying in Baosheng nor in Shanxi or Xuan Guang. They had been “ordered” to fight against Li Yangcai.
As foreign mercenaries, they had been paid 35,000 taels as departure fees—a very high price. Thus, Huang Zuoyan, who always tried to cut costs related to rations and pay, remained hesitant and decided to refuse to pay.

But human plans can outdo even divine calculations. Recently, the Vietnamese government troops suffered another heavy defeat at Li Yangcai’s hands, losing many soldiers. To save his position, Huang Zuoyan had no choice but to raise 10,000 taels of funds to support the Black Flag Army’s needs. Liu Yongfu was quick to act—once he received the money, he led his troops into battle. Huang Shouzhong’s vanguard was also part of the planned expedition. If Liu Yu and his men had arrived two or three days later, there might have been only a hundred Black Flag soldiers left in Shanxi. As they spoke, the unloading progress accelerated. Aside from the nearly hundred men left on the ship, almost all soldiers came down carrying rifles, and the defense line expanded slightly outward. The entire sandbank was filled with their goods. The soldiers wore fine clothes, making them obvious targets. The Black Flag soldiers they encountered were sensible enough to offer them convenience upon hearing they wanted to join their ranks, even stepping back about a hundred steps. On the other hand, several Vietnamese commanders clapped excitedly, saying, “Sure enough, they’re a bunch of fools.” In this chaotic era, some people dared to parade around with huge amounts of wealth, and there were even women in their group—wasn’t that seeking death? Their eyes were fixed only on the piles of treasure, almost missing the equipment of the Xiliu Camp. Hundreds of foreign rifles? Was it true or not? From such a distance, it was hard to tell clearly, but they still had basic military knowledge: “Who has a long-range mirror? Get one and we’ll see clearly.” From hundreds of meters away, it was impossible to determine whether the guns were breechloading or muzzleloading. Getting too close didn’t seem like a good idea. “Why not send a few veterans to investigate?” said one of the more ruthless Vietnamese officers. “If we can use them, use them; if not, throw them away for the Black Flag Army to eat.” But the impatient ones were already eager: “What’s there to fear? Some so-called Xiliu Camp? We’ve never heard of it. With all this wealth paraded around, aren’t they perfect targets? We’ll just take it and see what they can do.” “I heard they’re coming to join the Black Flag Army.” “So what if they join them? If they don’t know their own strength, they deserve to die.” These Vietnamese commanders were practically drooling. One of Guan Qi’s deputies glanced at the “fat sheep” on the sandbank and noticed a flaw: “Their guns don’t have bayonets.” The Spencer carbines, the main weapon of the Xiliu Camp, indeed couldn’t be equipped with bayonets, which was one of their weaknesses. But this deputy Guan Qi spotted this critical flaw: “We have few rifles and many swords and spears, which makes battles difficult. But whether their guns are breechloading or not, without bayonets and no melee weapons, up close…” “They’re like tigers without fur,” said the deputy Guan Qi, correct as ever. Guns like these, unable to be equipped with bayonets, were most vulnerable in close combat. “We’ll just go over there openly and claim it’s a government inspection for smuggling.” “Once we get close, everyone will understand.” After discussing their plan, soon a group of two or three hundred Vietnamese soldiers appeared before Liu Yu.