Chapter 91: Retribution

Wu Fengdian’s sudden declaration caught even Liu Yongfu off guard, but he quickly expressed his opinion: “I wish to take command of the left flank, to fight alongside my Black Flag Army and contribute my share to the battle.”
While everyone was still pondering his intentions, Wu Fengdian spoke plainly about his goal: “As you all know, our Black Flag Army became famous precisely because we defeated that scoundrel An Ye. But back then, when the French invaded, they numbered just over a hundred, with only a few dozen actual soldiers. We defeated them despite fighting with dozens of our own men.”
He made his point clear: “Today, I’ve heard that Li Weiyeh is leading troops, and the actual French forces number five or six hundred. They’re also actively recruiting people from the Yue tribes. This time, the French will not withdraw hastily. Our Black Flag Army must be prepared to fight to the death; if we fail, there will be no other way out.”
Having personally slain An Ye, he knew it was merely a lucky victory. He remembered clearly that only about twenty French soldiers were involved, while hundreds of our men fought, resulting in nearly half being killed or wounded—yet they weren’t completely defeated.
Moreover, over the years, listening to Liu Yu discuss the global situation, he realized that the French withdrew from Vietnam so quickly after that minor defeat because they had just lost the Franco-Prussian War and had to pay a huge indemnity of five billion francs. They had no time to start another war in the Far East.
But now was different. France had recovered from its defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, and there was a strong desire for revenge within the country. Yet opportunistic politicians like Ferri knew well that France still lacked the strength to launch a campaign to reclaim Alsace and Lorraine, so they turned their attention to expanding their colonies.
The British were the best example. The French were determined to follow their example and establish a “French Republic that never sets sun,” expanding their colonies around the world, with Vietnam being the most precious part of their imperial empire.
Wu Fengdian from another timeline might not have known all this, but this Wu Fengdian was different. He understood that this war would determine the rise and fall of the Black Flag Army, and the army had to mobilize all its strength to win.
He stated his purpose: “Once the battle begins, every member of our Black Flag Army, regardless of their origin, must unite as one and fight to the death. Everything must revolve around military strategy. Therefore, my troops on the left flank must be ready to reinforce at any time. As soon as Liu Yongfu gives the order, they will immediately be under his command.”
Everyone immediately understood—he was asserting his position, that he was different from the commanders in the front lines, even from Huang Shouzhong, the commander of the rear forces. In other words, he was creating a status for Liu Yu second only to Liu Yongfu’s, openly acknowledging a rule that had long existed.
Huang Shouzhong also smiled: “As long as Liu Yongfu gives the order, my thousand-plus soldiers in the rear will immediately head to Shanxi to follow the front-line command.”
Now it was Liu Yongfu’s turn to make a move—though he was indeed getting angry.

What on earth is this from Wu Fengdian! He didn’t even give any notice in advance, leaving him in a very passive position now. But after thinking for a moment, he realized that Wu Fengdian was indeed calm and composed—this plan had been carefully considered many times over before finally being finalized.

Indeed, Shanxi was indeed the second core area for the Black Flag Army besides Baosheng. Rather than hiding this fact, it was better to acknowledge it outright: “Good! I’ll entrust the military affairs in Shanxi and Henei to Commander Liu!”

He said calmly, “The Xiliu Camp has nearly a thousand rapid-fire guns and over a thousand combat soldiers, enough to fend off Li Weiyeh’s attacks. If the French launch a full-scale war, all our Black Flag camps will immediately head to Shanxi upon hearing news of the battle.”

After careful thought, he realized that Liu Yu was now the best shield for the Black Flag Army. As long as he remained in Shanxi, all the core areas of the army would be safe. For the Henei troops to advance upstream along the Red River, they would have to capture Shanxi first.

Moreover, Liu Yu had performed well in this regard, and nearly half of the army’s pay, weapons, and provisions came from Shanxi. “Let me add one more thing: from now on, everything for our Black Flag Army should focus on military affairs, on Shanxi, and on supporting the front lines. If I return to the country for reinforcements, you must all follow his orders.”

He didn’t say the underlying implication, but everyone understood—it meant that from now on, Liu Yu would be the second-in-command of the Black Flag Army, second only to Liu Yongfu. Among the army’s officers, the other two independent commanders also held a slightly higher status.

After saying this, Liu Yongfu couldn’t help but sigh in relief. This had been his concern all along—he feared that Liu Yu might grow too powerful. But now that he had become the second-in-command, Liu Yongfu realized that having such a shield was only beneficial for the Black Flag Army and for himself.

Liu Yu immediately stood up and expressed his gratitude to Liu Yongfu, saying, “Thank you, Commander, for your trust. Thank you, colleagues, for your appreciation. I, Liu Yu, have no other skills but to guard our Black Flag Army’s defenses and defend them with all my strength. If you have any instructions, just give them.”

Liu Yongfu was straightforward as well. Since Liu Yu had become the second-in-command, he needed to be given clear instructions. He immediately said, “Does Commander Liu have any extra breech-loading guns? Allocate another two hundred.”

Liu Yu happened to have such stock on hand, originally reserved as weapons for mobilization. Hearing Liu Yongfu’s request, he promptly replied, “Yes! Two hundred Snider rifles. I’ll bring them all for everyone on this trip back to Shanxi.”

Compared to two hundred rifles, the full support of the entire Black Flag Army was even more important. Guns could be reproduced, but the more than two thousand battle-hardened soldiers of the Black Flag Army were priceless.

Wu Fengdian and the others were also happy to have two hundred rifles to distribute, as the Snider rifle had now become the mainstream equipment of the Black Flag Army.

Although these rifles were far inferior to Remingtons, they were still centuries ahead of the black-powder guns previously used by the Black Flag Army. Their reliable performance and sufficient power satisfied everyone.

Yet behind this satisfaction lay a sense of amazement.

As soon as Liu Yu spoke, he mentioned 200 rifles without giving any discount—so just how many high-quality weapons did he have in hand? Everyone gasped in shock, but having such an ally was indeed a good thing. A very good thing. However, out of the Mauser rifles sent by Liu Yu, Liu Yongfu only allocated half of them; the remaining 100 were used to arm his own bodyguards. Now, his two groups of bodyguards, just like the Xiliu Camp, were fully equipped with breech-loading weapons. But this was just an aside; what everyone was concerned about was the future of the Black Flag Army. At present, both the entire Black Flag Army and the Xiliu Camp were under immense pressure. Liu Yu was arguably the one under the greatest pressure—he couldn’t understand the Vietnamese way of thinking. They always jumped from one extreme to another. The day before, they sent envoys to declare a fight to the death against the French and demanded that the Xiliu Camp immediately march on Hanoi. The next day, they changed their tone and announced that they had reached a friendly agreement with the French, allowing Vietnam to reclaim Hanoi—so should the Xiliu Camp withdraw from Shanxi? With conflicting orders and fierce struggles between pro-French factions and traditional forces in the court, Liu Yu wasn’t good at handling such conflicts. What he was good at was solving everything through violence. Moreover, as time passed, Li Weiyeh’s rule in Hanoi gradually became more stable. The saying “an old teacher with no achievements” refers exactly to this situation. Now that the Vietnamese had exhausted all their strength, Li Weiyeh grew even more arrogant. Damn it, after giving you a taste of your own medicine, you actually start a dye shop! Liu Yu never expected Li Weiyeh to be so uncooperative. His troops even penetrated 10 kilometers deep into Shanxi, and they were small units made up of Annamese natives. Now in Hanoi, Li Weiyeh had recruited a large number of colonial police and native infantry, commanded by French soldiers. These Vietnamese were even more aggressive than the French; they just charged ahead recklessly, completely ignoring the Xiliu Camp. The situation had gone too far, to the point where even the Vietnamese were disappointed with the battles between the Xiliu Camp and the French. Someone like Governor Huang Zuoyan went to negotiate with Liu Yongfu, demanding a different team willing to fight the French. It was time to prepare and let the French taste some hardship too. Hu Pingjia was a typical Vietnamese Catholic. He wasn’t loyal; he converted purely for personal gain. This scoundrel was despised by everyone in the village before he converted and embraced his faith. Once he did, he could act tyrannically in the village—those were his proudest days. But with the arrival of the Hoa Kien religion in Hanoi, his good days never returned. Initially, relying on his status as a Catholic, he thought he could act arbitrarily, untouchable by the government, the village, or foreign missionaries. He roamed around the village, flaunting his cross. But with the rise of the Hoa Kien religion, the power of Catholicism was greatly diminished, and he was nearly beaten by their forces. Such hard times lasted for over a year until finally, good times came again—under the glory of Lord Li Weiyeh, he became a proud Vietnamese native soldier.

The French imposed their own rules on these indigenous infantrymen. As a result, Hu Pingjia could barely endure the first half month of training. But after getting through those tough days, he once again enjoyed the best of times. Now, carrying a rifle, he could go to the countryside alone, visit several villages, and if he came across fat chickens or ducks, he would simply hang them on his rifle and carry them back to the camp. As long as he paid off the French officers, he could do whatever he wanted—even touch a widow without any problem. The troops trained by Hua Jian began to engage in guerrilla warfare against themselves, constantly circling around each other without being able to catch the opponent. But that didn’t matter—runaway monks can’t escape the temple. Hu Pingjia was the bravest of them all; he even ventured twenty li deep into Shanxi and boldly confronted hundreds of Black Flag Army soldiers, starting a fierce argument. It was like living in a fairyland. Hu Pingjia used a toothpick to pick out food scraps between his teeth and said to the indigenous infantrymen in blue uniforms with red belts behind him, “Let’s go to Shanxi!” After all, it was enemy territory, and they didn’t dare walk around with their rifles upside down, so they kept their bullets loaded, ready for battle. But such battles wouldn’t happen—the Liu bandits didn’t have the courage. About seven or eight infantrymen, forming a group, arrogantly crossed the provincial border under Hu Pingjia’s leadership for another reconnaissance mission. Hu Pingjia yawned and said, “Let’s catch a chicken today to drink with.” On the other side, a group of civilians had gathered in front of Liu Yu, crying out about the misdeeds of the Annamese indigenous infantrymen: “General, please stand up for us!” “Yes, they keep coming here to steal our stuff and food!” “They also often harass young girls!” “They even collect taxes for the French!” Whenever these civilians thought of the extra burden, anger surged in them—why should they bear double taxes? More importantly, these Vietnamese were even more ruthless in plundering than the French. Liu Yu turned around and addressed his soldiers, “This is our territory!” “Know what these French and their lackeys have done?” “They stole our wine, our food, our money, and all our girls. Such behavior must not be tolerated!” “Let them taste our strength!” The one in charge of this task was Zhang Biao, still full of banditish spirit. He opened his mouth wide and shouted, “Brothers, everything in Shanxi belongs to us! Chickens, ducks, cattle, sheep—everything is ours! Food is ours! Money is ours!” He was truly furious. He had been acting along with the French, who at least knew some limits, but these Vietnamese scoundrels had no sense of propriety at all and didn’t even take Zhang seriously. “Now that they dare to steal our stuff, they’re showing us no respect—no respect for me, Zhang Biao, or our commander. We must chop them to pieces again and again!” This time, not all new recruits were used; instead, over a hundred veterans were selected from the Crow Camp and mixed with more than a hundred capable new recruits to form a large unit. The soldiers’ morale was extremely high as they shouted, “Chop these scum to pieces!”

Shanxi is the territory of Xiliu Camp, and Hanoi should also be under Xiliu Camp’s control. Those scum who dare to stretch their hands so far should be chopped to pieces again and again. The soldiers shouted, “Chop them! Put them in pig cages! Burn them! Execute them!”
Liu Yu even brought several telephones, both for communication and for torture: “Tackle them and make them know our strength!”
“Tackle them!”
Just as they were talking, someone reported from over there, “My lord, those lackeys have set out—two teams, seven men in each team. They’re extremely arrogant and have already crossed the provincial border.”
Liu Yu roared loudly, “Brothers, chop them! Chop them!”