Chapter 83: The Decision

Victory was assured. A festive atmosphere filled the entire city.
This city, later known as “Old Street,” was at that time merely an ordinary-sized market town. Yet over the past six months, trade had flourished, and the population had increased by nearly 200 households—all thanks to the 200,000 in trade funds borrowed by Liu Yongfu.
Many Black Flag Army soldiers could still be seen in the city, though they looked much neater now—wearing new uniforms, new shoes, fully equipped, and most importantly, carrying new rifles. Upon seeing Liu Yu, they would shout, “Officer Liu from the Liu Camp, you’re here!”
“I’m here!”
Liu Yu was surprised to see that the 200 Remington rifles of the Black Flag Army had not been transported by water but by land. Many of the soldiers now carried brand-new Remington rifles, showing off to everyone. It was quite impressive. Some officers on the other side even came over with revolvers, greeting him, “Hello, Officer Liu from the Liu Camp!”
Liu Yu then met Yang Zhenen, an officer from a lesser branch of the army. He smiled and said, “Hello, Officer Yang!”
Liu Yu didn’t like the rituals of the Qing Dynasty, but his military salutation wasn’t suitable for Yang Zhenen either, so both of them kept it simple. “I heard your Xiliu Camp is expanding its artillery unit recently?”
Liu Yu casually replied, “That’s right! There was only one artillery platoon before, which was too weak. We need to expand it into a full artillery unit.”
The Black Flag Army placed great emphasis on artillery power, possessing many high-quality Western bronze cannons from Tonkin. So Yang Zhenen also asked with a smile, “When the army is fully formed, can you give me a favor?”
Yang Zhenen’s unit belonged to a still more distant branch of the army. Out of 300 soldiers, there were only about a dozen breech-loading guns, none of them Remingtons—just Snider guns. Still, this was much better than in history, when he had none at all.
Liu Yu laughed, “How? You don’t even have enough breech-loading guns yet, and you already want an artillery unit?”
“Yuan Ting promised me,” Yang Zhenen said with a smile. “When I return this time, he’ll give me 50 rapid-fire guns.”
Liu Yongfu also smiled at his reflection in the mirror. He seemed ten years younger, back to being that young rogue who roamed the world. After returning home in glory, the day he had long awaited had finally arrived. He had taken time off from Huang Zuo Yan to return to his hometown to enjoy the splendor, but the real purpose was to seek reinforcements.
It had taken him years to plan this return, and now everything was ready—only the right opportunity was missing. He had purchased 200 Remington rifles and 20 pistols from Hong Kong to strengthen his forces, and an extra month’s salary had stabilized the troops’ morale.
Over the past two years, he had realized that everything about these exiles from other lands was illusory—only guns were real. The reason Xiliu Camp could soar so high wasn’t because it had nearly a thousand breech-loading guns. Even with these 200 Remington rifles, the Black Flag Army only had about 460 breech-loading guns—half as many as Xiliu Camp. That’s why Xiliu Camp had always surpassed the Black Flag Army, always more impressive. But those days were gone now, and Liu Yongfu was once again a famous figure.

If it comes to firearms, which nation could compare with the Qing Dynasty? The Guangxi Defense Army was known as one of the worst-equipped military units in the Qing Dynasty, yet it still had a considerable number of foreign guns such as the Mauser. It was said that the entire Qing Dynasty had countless firearms piled up to the point that storage spaces were insufficient. Now, since the Qing Dynasty needed Liu Yongfu to defend Vietnam, wouldn’t they provide him with food, ammunition, and weapons? Liu Yongfu already had a plan: 1,500 breech-loading rifles, four rapid-fire cannons, along with 50,000 taels of salary. This was the most convenient solution for the Qing Dynasty—by providing just some military equipment and supplies, the Black Flag Army would take full responsibility for all combat operations. Liu Yongfu was fairly confident in his ability to fight against the French forces. Moreover, this plan was a drop in the bucket for the Qing Dynasty; if they didn’t use the Black Flag Army, expanding the regular military units alone would cost a fortune. With this mindset, Liu Yongfu was extremely optimistic. He knew that once these weapons and supplies arrived, the entire Black Flag Army would be under his control. After a brief conversation with Yang Zhenen, they learned that Liu Yongfu had already requested several rapid-fire cannons from various units upon returning to the country, and in addition, he had also issued an extra month’s salary. This was the second time salary had been increased that day. Liu Yongfu specifically explained that it was the salary originally scheduled for the Spring Festival, brought forward due to his return, though there had never been a precedent for such an early payment. The distribution of breech-loading rifles and salaries further boosted Liu Yongfu’s prestige among the Black Flag Army, as everyone looked to him for success in Guangxi. Everyone thought that since the Black Flag Army was defending the borders for the Qing Dynasty, the dynasty should at least show some gratitude. Yang Zhenen, in particular, had high hopes. He said to Liu Yu, “You and Huang Shouzhong are the best among our officers. Since Yongfu is returning to handle matters, it will either be you or Shouzhong, but I think your chances are higher.” Just then, Huang Shouzhong called out to Liu Yu loudly, “Officer Liu, great to see you!” “Great!” The conversation quickly returned to its original topic. Yang Zhenen said with a smile, “Since the general is returning home to pay respects to his ancestors, I assume it will be Officer Huang or Officer Liu who takes charge. We’ll need your help then.” What he said was true—within the Xiliu Army, Huang Shouzhong’s Front Camp and Liu Yu’s Xiliu Camp were two massive forces, accounting for almost two-thirds of the Black Flag Army. Both camps had over a thousand soldiers, and more importantly, they had many breech-loading rifles. In particular, Xiliu Camp had nearly a thousand such rifles, giving it strong firepower. It was said that even if two French companies from Hanoi attacked, they could be completely defeated. The Front Camp had the largest number of soldiers, over a thousand, and also many rapid-fire weapons. Huang Shouzhong even had a unit fully equipped with breech-loading rifles. Apart from these two camps, units like Yang Zhenen’s, Wu Fengdian’s, and Liu Chengliang’s each had only 300 soldiers, totaling 900. Thus, Yang Zhenen could make a bold yet reasonable prediction.

Huang Shouzhong, who was also part of the martial world, burst into laughter upon hearing this: “Exactly! Aside from me and Liu Yu, hardly anyone else dares take on this responsibility.” He turned to Liu Yu and said, “If I’m in charge, I’ll send you a hundred soldiers; if you’re in charge, I won’t hold back either—just fifty fast guns will suffice.” Liu Yongfu promised him a hundred fast guns, but after all, it was like an illusion; it paled in comparison to Liu Yu’s ability to obtain all sorts of sophisticated weapons at any time. Liu Yu didn’t hesitate either and added, “I’ll give you twenty more.” Yang Zhenen thought that getting fifty guns from Liu Yongfu was already very generous, but to his surprise, these two battalion officers demanded such large numbers right away. As battalion officers themselves, what a huge difference! “Let’s all go see the general together!” When they arrived at Liu Yongfu’s residence, it was even more lively. The battalion officers, squad leaders, and assistants greeted each other. One personal assistant named Lian Mei left a deep impression on Liu Yu—he was an extremely capable person. As soon as they met, they congratulated each other and talked about their recent gains, especially asking how many new guns they had acquired. Other than that, they discussed whether to return home to pay respects to their ancestors. “I’m an only child, but I’ve been wandering in Annam for over a decade without returning home to light a incense stick. It really makes me uneasy.” Like Liu Yongfu, these people were essentially Chinese peasants. Perhaps they lacked broad horizons and lofty ambitions, but they deeply missed the land that raised them. For them, no matter how well they did in Annam, it wasn’t as good as returning home to become a minor leader. They discussed this topic among themselves, longing for the day they could return home, yet also feeling deep fear. Even though they wore Qing-style clothing and acted like legitimate soldiers, they were still rebels living abroad. Among this group, only Yang Zhenen had an official title, so everyone looked at him with admiration. But he too was someone who couldn’t return home: “Sigh… Let’s think about going home once we’ve achieved something great.” Although he said this, everyone was in high spirits, after all, Liu Yongfu had set a precedent—soon, they too would have the chance to return to their hometowns. They discussed happily, so much so that even Liu Yongfu’s stern expression couldn’t suppress their excitement. Finally, Liu Yongfu said, “If you keep making this noise, I won’t give you an extra month’s salary.” Only then did they calm down, waiting for Liu Yongfu to speak. This middle-aged military officer looked at his subordinates and nodded slightly before focusing his gaze on Liu Yu and Huang Shouzhong. If there were factions within the Black Flag Army, these two were the biggest, even stronger than Liu Yongfu himself. He shook his head slightly again. He then spoke up, “I’m sure everyone knows that this time, the Black Flag Army has double reasons to celebrate. First, all the military supplies purchased from Hong Kong have arrived, and many have been distributed to the soldiers—this is truly a joyous event…” He gave Liu Yu a meaningful look before continuing, “Moreover, I’ve obtained permission from the governor to return home to pay respects to my ancestors. If this path is cleared, then all of you will be able to visit your hometowns as well.”

After saying this, Liu Yongfu shed tears. He was a man of utmost filial piety, and upon thinking of their own experiences, everyone else also wept: “At last, we have the chance to return to our homeland.”

Liu Yongfu continued, “This time, I’m afraid it will take three to five months before I can return to Baosheng.”

Baosheng (Laojie) and Yunnan were separated only by a river, yet they also represented different countries. Liu Yongfu had waited for fourteen years: “I want to return home to pay respects to my ancestors, and I also want to fight for our Black Flag brothers’ honor.”

He then shouted loudly, “Do you all remember what was the most glorious moment for our Black Flag Army?”

At that moment, all the battalion officers, squad leaders, and personal guards shouted in unison, “Beheading An Ye!”

“That’s right! Beheading An Ye! It was a small battle, but it was the most glorious moment for our Black Flag Army!”

“Kill the foreigners! Kill the foreigners!” This was the first slogan shouted by Liu Yu, and it was echoed by everyone: “Kill the foreigners!”

“That’s right, kill the foreigners!” Liu Yongfu was filled with enthusiasm. “The foreigners are pressing hard on us, demanding that we give up Baosheng and the Red River, leaving us without homes or places to go. We cannot give in, nor do we have any choice but to fight to the death!”

He said loudly, “Since we can neither give in nor retreat, the only option is to fight to the death. How glorious was An Ye back then—killed by Ya Lou’s hand.”

This was Wu Fengdian’s proudest achievement, and he couldn’t help but smile. Meanwhile, Liu Yongfu continued, “This time I’m going back to request troops, reinforcements, weapons, and funds. Don’t worry; by the time I return, everyone will have a foreign rifle.”

“At that time, using backdoors won’t be exclusive to your Xiliu Camp,” he said to Liu Yu with a smile. “By then, our Black Flag Army will have countless rifles through backdoors, forcing those foreigners to suffer just as badly as An Ye did at the hands of Ya Lou.”

He smiled and said, “Ya Lou, after I return to the country, I’ll entrust you with full authority over all matters of our Black Flag Army. Everyone here, even though you are battalion officers, should also listen closely to Ya Lou’s advice.”

Suddenly, he changed the subject, catching everyone off guard. No one expected him to choose Wu Fengdian as the leader of the Black Flag Army after his return.

Although Wu Fengdian was Liu Yongfu’s brother-in-law, in terms of strength, the Front Camp had the largest number of troops, while the Xiliu Camp had the best firearms (though they didn’t know that the Xiliu Camp’s troop strength had already surpassed that of the Front Camp). As for closeness, Liu Chengliang, his adopted son, was the closest.

Yet Liu Yongfu still chose the steady Wu Fengdian. Just as in history, everyone’s expression turned serious.

Wu Fengdian’s strength was somewhat weak, especially in this timeline. Liu Yongfu was aware of this, so he added, “The commander of the Xiliu Camp will be in charge of the Front Camp of our Black Flag Army and oversee affairs in Henei, Shanxi, Xuan Guang, and Xinghua.”

Some of these areas were already under the control of the Xiliu Camp, while others were not even part of the Black Flag Army’s territory but belonged to the French or Vietnamese. Liu Yu only held nominal authority there.

He then said, “Huang Shouzhong, the defense commander of Heyang, will be in charge of the Rear Camp and oversee rear-area affairs.”

He couldn’t give Huang Shouzhong the same title as Liu Yu, indicating how fragile Wu Fengdian’s position was as both front and rear commander.

Huang Shouzhong didn’t look good. Liu Yu pulled him aside, and Wu Fengdian bowed to everyone, but he lacked Liu Yongfu’s authority and couldn’t control a military leader like Huang Shouzhong. Liu Yu spoke a few words to him, but there wasn’t much to say. Wu Fengdian insisted on continuing as acting leader, while both Huang Shouzhong and Liu Yu temporarily gave face to Liu Yongfu and the Black Flag Army. Liu Yu sighed inwardly, “Liu Yongfu still lacks magnanimity. Enough, let’s return to Shanxi first. Yan Qiu and Ning Xue are still waiting for me.”