Chapter 32: Establishing a Career (Part 2)

Since the governor now understood that the Xiliu Camp was nothing but a group of Tang people equipped with advanced firearms, his courage grew again. In his mind, aside from the exception of Li Yangcai, almost all Chinese military forces that entered Vietnam had been pacified by the Vietnamese kingdom—even notorious bandits like Gao Pinglu had once been brought under control. There were multiple Chinese mercenary groups in Tonkin, such as the Black Flag Army; no matter how sophisticated their firearms, they were still human beings who needed food. Hearing that the commander of the Xiliu Camp was a child, the governor felt that Governor Huang’s orders were utterly wise, and he resolved to pacify the Xiliu Camp. Those who usually resorted to killing and looting yet built bridges and roads without leaving corpses—no matter how heroic they seemed—became caged birds once pacified. What was so special about a child? He had already come up with countless underhanded tactics to deal with the Xiliu Camp, such as poaching their troops, appointing rivals as subordinates, sowing internal strife, and blocking supplies. But before implementing them, he first needed to pacify the Xiliu Camp and offer them a reward, which led to the sending of gifts as a gesture of goodwill.
“Thank you! Thank you!” The soldiers of the Xiliu Camp promptly and appropriately accepted them, saying, “Zhang Biao, platoon leader of the left squad of the Xiliu Camp, thanks you!”
Liu Yu organized the more than 290 people in the Xiliu Camp into two squads—one under his own command and the other under Sima Tai’s leadership—essentially forming two standard infantry companies. The rest, including the elderly and weak, were assigned to the old camp to engage in work suited to their abilities. Below the infantry companies was the three-three system, typical of historical practices: one company had three platoons, each platoon had three squads, and each squad had 14 members, equipped with 12 Spencer rifles and 2 Remington rifles, slightly different from those in the Yong Camp.
Zhang Biao, who had recently been promoted to platoon leader, became even more arrogant. He took the military envoy’s hand and said, “Our commander has already prepared a gift. Please follow me.” His tone was extremely rude, but upon hearing the word “gift,” the envoy quickened his pace and asked Zhang Biao, “What kind of gift has your camp prepared?”
Following Liu Yu’s instructions, Zhang Biao replied, “Our commander has prepared a generous gift for you.”
“Greetings, Commander Liu!”
“Greetings, Lord Ye!”
As Lord Ye walked along, he saw that everyone in the Xiliu Camp had cut their queues and worn Annamite clothing, which made him feel much closer to them. “Good! Good! Good! Our governor has been urging Liu Er to cut his queue and adopt Annamite customs to settle in Nan Guo and enjoy prosperity for years now. I never expected it would be Commander Liu who took the lead.”
Liu Yu hadn’t expected Lord Ye to think in that way. Anyone who traveled back to this era would make the same choice. “It’s just about adapting to local customs!”
“My name is Ye Mengyan. Commander Liu, we’re now colleagues! Please speak well of me in front of the governor in the future.” Ye Mengyan was friendly by nature. “I heard Commander Liu also prepared a gift?”
He didn’t mention Liu Yu’s age at all. Based on his experience, the younger one was, the more pleased they became if treated as an adult. As expected, Liu Yu immediately replied, “Hand over the prepared gift.”
With that, Jiang Ningxue came forward carrying a plate full of silver dollars. Liu Yu introduced her to Ye Mengyan, saying, “This is my wife. This is a humble token of gratitude.”

This time, the Xiliu Camp brought out a large amount of wealth from Haiyang, enough to last the entire camp for several years. To open up opportunities in Shanxi, Liu Yu specially prepared this wealth, intending to use silver as a means to gain influence—these Mexican silver coins were the first wave of such silver.

Ye Mengyan had sharp eyes and immediately noticed that there were at least 180 silver coins in that pile, roughly equivalent in value to the gifts given. He was overjoyed and said, “I thank your colleagues on your behalf!”

So many silver coins couldn’t be consumed by just him alone. Although he held a seventh-rank official position in the Southern Kingdom, which was considered equivalent to a county in China, the number of officials there was not as large as that of a Chinese province. His seventh-rank position came with meager benefits, so he clearly stated, “If Commander Liu could add another hundred or so silver coins, then everyone in Shanxi City, from the governor down to the gatekeepers, could benefit from his generosity.”

Liu Yu was surprised. There were only 120 silver coins in that pile, intended merely to win over Ye Mengyan alone. He didn’t expect Ye Mengyan to ask for another batch to bribe the officials in Shanxi City. But he remained calm, gave Jiang Ningxue a subtle signal, who immediately understood and stepped back. Liu Yu then asked, “Should we prepare a separate gift for the governor?”

Ye Mengyan smiled and said, “I was just thinking of bringing this up with you. It doesn’t need to be much—sixty or seventy silver coins should be sufficient as a gift for the governor.”

He was good at reading situations. Seeing the doubt on Liu Yu’s face, he immediately said with a smile, “Commander Liu is truly generous.”

“I had prepared a bit more,” Liu Yu understood his meaning. “It seems I’ll have to take care of it later.”

“That’s where Commander Liu has miscalculated,” Ye Mengyan said. “Sustained efforts are the best strategy. Besides, our emperor once said that the Southern Kingdom is equivalent to a county in the Tang Dynasty. This is certainly true when it comes to Shanxi.”

Although Shanxi was prosperous in the North, its territory covered only a little over a thousand square kilometers, which in China was equivalent to the size of a county. Its subordinate counties were akin to townships in China, and its governor was roughly equivalent to a county magistrate in China.

Thinking of using just two or three hundred silver coins to win over a county’s government, Liu Yu immediately understood: “Lord Ye has great insight.”

Ye Mengyan smiled. “Shanxi and its surrounding provinces have abundant resources, enough to support your camp. Given time, your unit will surely become like the Liu Camp. That’s why I’d like to ask Commander Liu for a favor.”

“How so?”

Ye Mengyan’s expression became serious. He said gravely, “I want to take full control of the pacification efforts for your camp.”

Liu Yu was surprised. “I intend to lead my troops to join the Black Flag.”

Ye Mengyan thought to himself, “As expected, he still has the mindset of a young man. I can handle everything myself.”

With that thought, he said, “Pacifying your camp doesn’t conflict with joining the Liu Camp.”