Chapter 59: The Crow Camp

“Ye Chenglin from Ten Continents earnestly requests the commander to accept our surrender!”
Liu Yu was talking with Huang Shouzhong when he heard someone approaching and bowing before him, speaking those words with great seriousness. He quickly turned around and saw that the person was also drenched by the rain. “Ye Chenglin from Ten Continents?”
He had heard of this name many times; he had traveled thousands of miles to Ten Continents just for this man. Shen Sheng had already arrived and said, “This is the heroic Ye Chenglin from Ten Continents. He was once a trusted general of Panlun’s Four Huangs and has ruled Ten Continents for ten years. He is a rare and formidable warrior.”
Ye Chenglin then said solemnly, “I have 270 soldiers, along with guards and families totaling a thousand people, all willing to surrender to the commander.”
Huang Shouzhong’s expression darkened. He had old grudges with Ye Chenglin, but since the Front Camp and Xiliu Camp had always been on good terms, he merely said, “Ye Chenglin has chosen the best course. Huang Zuo Yan wants your head. Aside from the Xiliu Camp, no one can protect you fully.”
By mentioning Huang Zuo Yan, he inadvertently helped Liu Yu. Ye Chenglin still bowed and said, “Please advise, commander. There’s no need to consider my future. I’m fine as a squad leader or even a common soldier—as long as my men have a way out, I have no complaints. I’m ready to be killed at will.”
Liu Yu quickly took Ye Chenglin’s hand. Despite the rain, the middle-aged man still exuded sharpness. He pulled Ye Chenglin’s hand to shake it with Huang Shouzhong’s. “I know there’s some tension between you two, but let’s put it aside for Liu Yu’s sake.”
“Agreed!”
“Agreed!”
Both agreed, and Liu Yu smiled, “You’re all soaked! Let’s go back and take shelter from the rain.”
He didn’t know that Ye Chenglin would later become a prominent figure in history.
There were many people with the same name in modern Chinese history. For example, the Black Flag Army had a Deng Shichang with the same name as a famous Beiyang general. In Republican China history, there were two Zhang Chongs and two Liu Changys, and in modern history, there were also two Ye Chenglins.
The other Ye Chenglin was a general from Yunnan during the Republican era, with long-standing experience. After the founding of the People’s Republic, Zhu De would bow deeply even from over a dozen steps away when meeting him. This Ye Chenglin too left a significant mark in history.
He later served as a squad leader in the Black Flag Army. During the Battle of Huaide, he defended Sizhu Temple with just his squad. The French forces attacked using both land and sea forces, giving Ye Chenglin’s troops a complete disadvantage in terms of firepower and numbers. Moreover, his men were armed only with muskets, and the heavy rain made combat extremely difficult. Yet he lured the French fleet into an ambush, dealt heavy blows to their infantry units, and fought bravely for 14 hours. Had their equipment not been so poor, they might have wiped out the French forces entirely. Both sides involved recognized his outstanding performance.
After the Sino-French War, he led his troops away from the Black Flag Army and returned to Ten Continents. Historically, the Black Flag Army gained little by planning their retreat this time, but it inadvertently delayed the fall of Ten Continents by a long time.

Ye Chenglin fought against the French forces in Shizhou for ten years, with a force of over a thousand men. Even in remote areas thousands of miles away, he remained loyal to the Chinese imperial authority. As a result, some maps made after the Sino-French War marked the entire Shizhou region as an undetermined border between China and France. It was not until after China’s defeat in the Sino-Japanese War that he was forced to return to China in 1895, and his troops were organized into three battalions. Yet the history of Shizhou’s resistance against the French did not end there; Ye Chenglin’s remaining forces continued to defend this lost Chinese territory until the French finally took control of Shizhou in the tenth year of the Republic of China.

In Liu Yu’s eyes, Ye Chenglin was a man of great magnanimity. “Thank you for your hospitality. Ye Chenglin has 270 combat soldiers and over 120 guards, along with his family, totaling about a thousand people. He is willing to follow you back to Shanxi. Please make the arrangements ahead of time.”

He had just learned a bit about the organization of the Xiliu Camp and knew that people like Shen Sheng and Cai Yunnan were all platoon leaders—a unique structure of the Xiliu Camp. “Ye Chenglin only asks to be a platoon leader. If that’s not possible, even a squad leader or a personal attendant will do.”

What he cared about was the development of his group, not his own gains or losses.

Looking at Ye Chenglin in his new clothes, Liu Yu felt that this man was truly a hero and grew even more fond of him. “There’s no need for such formality. Since you’ve come to join me, we are brothers. There’s no such thing as me eating meat while my brother drinks soup.”

He thought for a moment. “The Qing Dynasty’s brave camps often had distinctions between main and deputy camps.”

This kind of structure was very common in the Xianghuai Army. After the Sino-French War, Huang Shouzhong’s main camp, due to its large size, also had a main camp and a deputy camp. When Ye Chenglin heard that Liu Yu offered him the position of a camp commander with generous benefits, he immediately clenched his fist and said, “Thank you, sir. I am willing to lead the Xiliu Deputy Camp for you.”

“The name ‘Xiliu Deputy Camp’ isn’t very good. Let me think of a name for it.” Liu Yu remembered his earlier idea of using an ancient poem to name the second camp. “Let me think!”

“What about ‘Crow Camp’? Crows are considered ominous birds; everyone fears them!” Liu Yu seemed to understand Ye Chenglin’s thoughts. “Once the crow flag is raised, the enemy will immediately see it as an omen of disaster, falling into panic.”

“Good! Everything will be arranged by you, sir.” Ye Chenglin knew this was truly unexpected good fortune. “I will follow your orders.”

After learning a bit more, he realized clearly that the Xiliu Camp had excellent equipment, luxurious supplies, and strong combat power. Although he had joined them with his own troops, even someone like Shen Sheng could only get a platoon leader position. For him to become a camp commander was already a stroke of luck, and to lead his own camp would be pure fortune.

Meanwhile, Liu Yu grew serious. “Camp Commander Ye, let me be upfront. Our Xiliu Camp operates differently from other brave camps—we use rear-loading weapons and receive generous salaries each month. You’ll need to adapt to this.”

“Please explain in detail, sir. I will obey without question.”

Liu Yu then said directly, “In our Xiliu Camp, military authority, financial control, and personnel appointments are all in my hands. It’s not the soldiers who serve the commanders; it’s me who makes all decisions.”

Since the rise of the Xianghuai Army, there had been a system where commanders had their own sub-commanders, who selected camp officers, who in turn appointed squad leaders. Authority was assigned step by step, with no one allowed to bypass ranks to give orders directly.

The squad leader is only accountable to the battalion officer directly under him, while the battalion officer can fully control all matters within his battalion, with no higher-ups allowed to give orders bypassing him. This system had many advantages at the beginning of the Xianghuai campaign, as it allowed various connections to bind everyone together. However, as time went on, its weaknesses became apparent—even the army commander had little say in the appointment and dismissal of officers in his subordinate battalions. This was unbearable for Liu Yu from the 21st century: “In my Xiliu faction, all military orders come from me. If Chenglin can’t do this, our business deal won’t hold.” Ye Chenglin, however, was very sensible: “This strategy of yours is truly brilliant. Only with harmonious governance can we command troops as if they were extensions of our own arms.” Liu Yu continued, “You’ve seen with your own eyes today the effectiveness of my Xiliu tactics—they’re truly ingenious. My Xiliu Battalion was able to defeat 800 soldiers of the Huangqi Army with just 37 men, and that’s all thanks to these tactics. Since you’ve joined my Xiliu faction, I won’t hold back and will teach you all these Western tactics, but you’ll have to endure some hardships.” “I’m not afraid of hardship!” “Since the Crow Battalion is new, to quickly build its combat strength, I plan for the two battalions to exchange one-third of their personnel for mutual officer exchanges. All the former officers and soldiers from Xiliu Battalion will bring rear-loading guns with them. This way, even if training isn’t complete, the Crow Battalion will still maintain a strong combat capability.” This still required Ye Chenglin’s approval, but he knew this was a golden path ahead: “I’ll follow your advice, sir.” Liu Yu was very pleased: “That’s good. Once the tactics are mastered, I’ll have your entire battalion switch to rear-loading guns.” He calculated that only the combat troops of the Crow Battalion were truly combat-effective, as the guards were mostly old or weak soldiers who didn’t need to be equipped differently. Equipping the entire new Crow Battalion with rear-loading guns was quite difficult given his current stock of weapons, and he would also need to rely on revolvers—still, there would likely be a shortage. Yet, such a battalion would be extremely powerful in Beiqi: “By then, when Xiliu and Crow Battalions unite, who can stop us?” As he was basking in pride, someone outside said, “Where is that scoundrel Ye Chenglin? I must kill this traitor for the empire!” Outside, Liu Suiyun, dressed in dry clothes, came in and said, “Commander Huang Zuoyan has arrived. He’s riding a horse with a sword, saying he wants to kill the officers of Ye’s battalion. I couldn’t stop him.” Ye Chenglin became nervous. After finally finding a golden path, he couldn’t just be killed by Huang Zuoyan’s sword: “Sir, what should we do?” Liu Yu looked at Liu Suiyun, who was about his age, and felt he still lacked experience: “I don’t need to get involved in this.” He glanced at Zhang Biao, who was now pretending to be a civilized man, but his thuggish appearance couldn’t be hidden: “Sergeant Zhang, leave this minor task to you.” “Thank you, sir!” Zhang Biao was thrilled: “Guys, get the bayonets ready! Those without bayonets, use shovels!” His platoon had two more Remington rifles than other platoons, along with eight shiny bayonets, plus a bunch of pickaxes as weapons. They charged out in the rain again.

“Where is Ye Chenglin? Have you all lost your courage?” Huang Zuoyan rode on horseback, wielding his sword with great arrogance, “Bring him out quickly!”
“Where is Huang Zuoyan? This scoundrel has lost his nerve!” Zhang Biao was the first to charge forward, “Who is it? Who is it? Make him come out!”
He was extremely fierce, followed by a group of terrifying soldiers. Even though Huang Zuoyan was experienced in warfare, he had no choice but to stop speaking.
Zhang Biao ignored Huang Zuoyan on horseback and simply picked up his shovel, waving it around several times, “Who is Huang Zuoyan? Who is Huang Zuoyan?”
Judging from his attitude, it seemed that anyone who dared claim to be Huang Zuoyan would be struck dead with the shovel.
As the most important figure in Northern Vietnam, Huang Zuoyan had gone through countless trials, but facing Zhang Biao’s fierce demeanor, his confidence waned. He thought, “How brutal!”
But upon reflection, the Xiliu Camp had many instances of such brutality. From Governor Fan Fushu of Haiyang to foreign missionaries, no one had ever managed to get along with them. Rumor had it that they even intended to kill a foreign missionary.
With his noble status, he softened slightly in the face of this situation. “What a bunch of barbarians… Ah, it’s better to plan carefully.”
So he gave Zhang Biao a fierce look before turning and riding away.
Seeing Huang Zuoyan leave through the window, Ye Chenglin was overjoyed. “Commander, Huang Zuoyan’s gone!”
Liu Yu was also pleased. “Right, send someone to inform Captain Deng in the front camp. When we return to Shanxi, have him bring twenty rear-mounted guns.”
One Crow Camp, one Ye Chenglin, and 270 veterans—worth those twenty rear-mounted guns.
But just thinking about those guns made him shake his head. He had barely managed to smuggle in thirty rear-mounted guns through connections with Deng Cunyu and Liu the merchant. Now most of them were gone.
Meanwhile, Liu Yongfu returned to his official residence in a fury. By then, Huang Shouzhong had already delivered a letter: “What? This loyal subject wants to turn hostility into friendship with Ye Chenglin? This is clearly meant to embarrass me.”
Wu Fengdian and Liu Chengliang both said, “General, it’s still possible to act now. Why not wipe out Ye Chenglin’s old camp in one go?”
Liu Yongfu sighed deeply. “Enough! Enough! Shanxi is the gateway for the Black Flag Army. If the French launch an attack from Hanoi, Shanxi will be the first to suffer. The strength of the Xiliu Camp is indeed weak, so let them take care of these people.”
He glanced at Wu Fengdian. “Of course, your Left Camp will still be funded by the Xiliu Camp.”
Meanwhile, Liu Yu and Ye Chenglin had already made plans: “Yun Nan, take a platoon to help Ye Chenglin defend the old camp.”
Now, Ye Chenglin’s old camp was tightly surrounded, with 3,000 Black Flag Army soldiers and 3,000 Vietnamese soldiers outside. It wasn’t a problem to convince the soldiers in the front camp, leaving only the Vietnamese soldiers.
With 270 combatants, 80 guards, plus Cai Yunnan’s reinforced platoon, even 30,000 Vietnamese soldiers might not be able to take it.
Sure enough, as soon as Cai Yunnan led his troops into the old camp, the Vietnamese soldiers retreated. But Huang Zuoyan sent word: “Ye Chenglin and his men must be taken to Shanxi by the Xiliu Camp of the Black Flag Army. No one is allowed to lose them.”

“We’re one family now! From now on, we’re the Crow Camp!”
“We’ll be one family with the Xiliu Camp from now on!”
Cooperation between the two camps after joining forces was even more pleasant, especially when they saw the equipment of the Xiliu Camp, which earned them even more admiration: “Training over? Are you really equipped just like them?”
This was indeed true. Ye Chenglin followed Liu Yu back to Shanxi to establish the Crow Camp, and the two camp leaders exchanged officers and soldiers, making their relationship even closer.
Winter gave way to spring, and time passed swiftly.
The year had shifted from 1879 to 1880, and Liu Yu felt a deep sense of urgency—time was running out. Yet, upon seeing the Crow Camp’s battle flag, he smiled knowingly.
Over there, Ye Chenglin said cheerfully, “Sir, our Crow Camp is hardly inferior to the Xiliu Camp. When shall we have a competition?”
Liu Yu laughed, “With your new camp leader? Not yet.”
Now both the Xiliu Camp and the Crow Camp were subordinate units. The Xiliu Camp had already fully adopted breech-loading guns, even those new recruits transferred from the Crow Camp had completed the equipment upgrade.
The Crow Camp was slightly weaker; only one-third of its soldiers from the Xiliu Camp had been equipped with breech-loading guns, and some more were issued under the pretext of training guns, leaving only half of them equipped with such guns. Yet this ratio still represented extremely powerful firepower in northern Vietnam. Ye Chenglin even joked, “Our Crow Camp dares to challenge a large camp like the Front Camp.”
But in reality, Ye Chenglin wasn’t confident enough to compare its combat strength with that of the Xiliu Camp. By saying this, he was actually reminding Liu Yu that it was time to fulfill his promise.
After exchanging officers and soldiers between the two camps, both made rapid progress. Especially since the Crow Camp had many veterans with a lower starting point, adding officers and soldiers from the Xiliu Camp led to astonishing improvement.
Such exchanges of soldiers and officers between old and new units were only possible in the Xiliu Camp. In other camps, soldiers followed their officers—how could there be any exchange of officers and soldiers? This system was even exaggerated to the point that if a camp officer died, the entire camp had to be rebuilt. Sometimes, the death of a camp officer even led to the cancellation of that capable camp’s designation.
But more importantly, this system allowed Liu Yu to successfully take control of the Crow Camp. Now, even if Ye Chenglin wanted to take his old troops away, he wouldn’t be able to command the Crow Camp. So Liu Yu laughed and said, “Let’s have a competition to show the new camp leader just how strong the old one is.”
With two camps at his disposal, he no longer faced the risk of being stretched thin when facing large enemy forces, as he had before with just two units. With as many as four infantry companies and six direct platoons, Liu Yu even dared to send troops into Hanoi to assist the Huajian Sect’s missionary efforts.
He was also satisfied with the progress of the Crow Camp—this was the advantage of being a time traveler.
If the Qing army had used traditional recruitment methods, they would never have adopted such an approach. Historically, the Qing army expanded its forces during the Sino-Japanese War by appointing some officers to leave their units and return to their hometowns in Hunan to form new troops, rallying them through personal influence before bringing them back to the front lines after a long journey.

Such troops—without even considering their combat effectiveness—would alone take countless hours just to move back and forth. Many battalions hadn’t returned to the front line by the end of the Sino-Japanese War.
He also planned to take matters a step further this year, expanding each of the two infantry battalions by another company, bringing each to three infantry companies capable of fighting independently in any direction.
As for the method of expansion, it would still be a mix of old and new units: one old platoon from each of the two old companies would be drawn to form new companies. Thus, all three companies in a battalion would have two combat-ready infantry platoons, with the remaining platoon quickly becoming combat-effective as well.
The plan with six infantry companies gave him considerable confidence, but resource constraints remained a major issue—otherwise, he would have already equipped the Crow Battalion with complete weapons.
He glanced at Ye Chenglin’s anxious expression. “Anxious, are you? Let me tell you the truth—wait another half month. Let them compete with the older battalions to see where the gap lies, and then I’ll equip your battalion fully.”
“Thank you, Ayu!” Now, Ye Chenglin would occasionally call him affectionately “Ayu.” “When a battle comes, let the Crow Battalion go first so they can know what the Crow Battalion is capable of.”
Over the past few months, the Crow Battalion had been busy with training but hadn’t had the chance to engage in battles. For Ye Chenglin, it was like having wealth without returning home or wearing fine clothes in secret.
With such excellent equipment and strong combat capabilities, the Crow Battalion needed to prove itself against enemies.
Liu Yu grew solemn upon hearing this. Given the current situation, there wouldn’t be any major battles in the near future—indeed, he would need to find an enemy force willing to fight him. Now, whenever his Double-Leaf Flag was raised, the enemy forces would flee at the sight of it.
The Sino-French War broke out in 1883, but that didn’t mean things could remain peaceful until then. He strongly suspected the war would start earlier, in 1882.
Historically, the Sino-French War began in 1882 when French Colonel Li Weiyeh led his troops to capture Hanoi. At that time, the Xiliu Battalion and the Crow Battalion would be the first to face pressure from the French forces in Hanoi.
In other words, he only had two years left to prepare.
At this thought, he sighed again and said to Ye Chenglin, “Go and inform them about the competition.”
Think of something happy!
Liu Yu became cheerful again. Before the storm arrived, he had at least one thing to be truly happy about—he was getting married.
His wedding with Jiang Ningxue would surely be the happiest moment of his life.
He always felt that Jiang Ningxue was far more important than Luo Yanqiu, even though Luo Yanqiu could sometimes bring him ultimate joy.
As he was thinking of Luo Yanqiu, someone over there said, “Our Master Luo invites you.”
Liu Yu smiled—he would get to experience that ultimate joy again.