Chapter 95: April 25 (Continued)

1883. April 25. Saigon.
The Governor’s Office. Unlike his predecessor’s militaristic style, Governor Tien Chau placed more emphasis on relations with colonial officials. As a result, the spacious office had an Annamese touch, yet its core style remained distinctly Marseille-inspired.
The office was now filled with people—the highest-ranking officials of Indochina—excitedly passing around a confidential report held by the governor. It was a telegram sent from the Naval Colonies Department in Paris. Several French merchants had long awaited this message: “Your Excellency, I will submit a request for funding for Tonkin to the House of Representatives tomorrow or the day after. Here are the measures I plan to take once the request is approved.”
Someone read out the contents excitedly: “The Annamites and the Meiho will soon sail to Toulon for final preparations to carry 2,100 troops, including about 400 artillerymen, over 1,600 Marines, as well as more than 50 officers, non-commissioned officers, soldiers, administrative staff, and medical personnel.”
They were eager to conquer Annam, especially those French merchants, who hoped to reap even greater profits from this conquest. Last time, each of them had made tenfold profits. The colonial government had seized millions of square meters of fertile land from the Vietnamese and given it to them at rock-bottom prices.
Governor Tien Chau knew well that this telegram should not be spread widely, but he also understood that the conquest of Tonkin required strong support from these oligarchs, who were already familiar with every detail of the expedition.
“700–750 Marines will travel to Saigon via transport ships; in exchange, the colony must provide 550–660 soldiers to accompany them to Tonkin.”
“The Annamites and the Meiho will each carry a 27-meter-long torpedo boat, equipped with crew, food, special coal, fuel, etc. The troops departing from France will bring weapons, gear, and camping supplies, while the two transport ships will carry all their belongings and the expeditionary forces’ food.”
With the support of 2,100 troops from home, Governor Tien Chau declared firmly, “Our expedition can achieve complete victory.”
Back in March, he had sent four entire native infantry companies to Le My Duyet. But since Le My Duyet had taken Ninh Binh by force, he needed those 400 men to defend it. Now, across all of North Vietnam, aside from sailors, Le My Duyet had 1,100 French infantrymen, well-trained native infantry, and hundreds of newly recruited native troops from Tonkin. Yet he had to spread his forces across Hai Phong, Ninh Binh, and Hanoi, leaving him with only about a thousand troops directly under his control in Hanoi.
But with this additional force, things would be different. The minister’s message also outlined the final deployment plan: “1,366 people will be sent from France to Tonkin, 732 from France to Indochina, and 617 from Indochina to Tonkin.”

What concerned these colonial elites was not the 732 men sent to Cochinchina, but the 2,000 armed soldiers dispatched to Tokyo: “Your Excellency the Governor, we must address you as the conqueror of the entire Kingdom of Vietnam—this is the most exciting event in French history.” It would be an easy expedition, just as easy as the expeditions to China and Vietnam thirty years earlier; French forces would easily defeat all enemy troops: “We will contribute our part to this expedition.” “No! Not yet,” said Governor Qin Chong, who was extremely optimistic about finances: “Colonel Li Weiyeh seized over a hundred thousand piastres in Haiphong, Hanoi, and Nam Định. In the past year, our customs have collected another four hundred thousand piastres in Bắc Ninh. Relying solely on these revenues, we can fund this expedition.” Just to conquer an unknown country, he had to rely on these oligarchs: “But I need your help in many other areas.” “No problem!” The elites nodded: “We greatly appreciate the decisive action taken against the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company on the 14th.” The incident they referred to was the military action taken in Haiphong on April 14th, during which the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company suffered heavy losses—large amounts of rice were confiscated, and its warehouses and docks were occupied. This was what pleased these elites the most. Over the past few years, the expansion efforts of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company had terrified them. Though controlled by a group of merchants with strong feudal tendencies, it had outperformed the laziest colonizers in the world, especially by severely damaging French interests in rice exports. Thus, the colonial elites joined forces to pressure the governor. With reinforcements and the capture of Nam Định, the French finally took action, determined to maintain normal trade order: “This is a necessary action. Our prices must protect French interests and prevent illegal merchants from disrupting the market with unfair prices.” Governor Qin Chong expressed his determination to all the elites: “In this expedition, entire Annam, the entire southwest of the Central Dynasty, will open up to our French influence—it will all be open to us.” There was one thing he didn’t say, but everyone understood: “We will establish our trade order with bayonets and cannons, and maintain it with bayonets and cannons.” They didn’t know that at that very moment, on the Red River, normal trade order was being maintained with bayonets and cannons. “Given that my Black Flag Army and France are at war, your cargo ship has become our prize and is hereby requisitioned!” This morning, instead of the three expected steam cargo ships, an additional large cargo ship, loaded with picric acid, appeared by chance. All four cargo ships were now under the control of the Xiliu Camp, and on the docks, its soldiers were installing various smoothbore cannons with forward barrels. These cannons were already severely outdated, but the Xiliu Camp was determined to load them densely, hoping to win through numbers.

Throughout history, after going to war with the French, the Black Flag Army established a river fleet, using only small inland boats equipped with numerous small cannons to fight against the French forces. Although they had no record of victories in battles against the French’s most advanced river fleets, they sometimes suffered minor setbacks and other times managed to draw even.

The conditions today are far superior—these steamships are larger and offer more room for modification. Those small boats could usually only be equipped with one or two small cannons, whereas the Xiliu Fleet was planned to be fitted with a full dozen, and further modifications including mortars were also planned. Such modifications took more than a day and would require a long time to make the ships combat-ready, but the modified sailors were filled with pride: “This is our own navy of the Black Flag Army!”

Liu Suiyun stood to the side and shouted to everyone, “Don’t be fooled by our few ships. One day, the oceans of this world will all be under the Black Flag!”

“Good!” These sailors, who had suffered greatly at the hands of foreigners, responded in unison.

Liu Suiyun asked again, “With so few ships, what should we do next?”

“Steal!” came the unanimous response. “Seize all the ships flying the tricolor flag; if we can’t take them, burn them!”

They saw through the so-called order of this world, which was built on bayonets and cannons. They never expected that seizing so many French ships would be so easy. Those once arrogant French people softened in the face of bayonets, proving that all truths are based on bayonets and cannons.

“Steal! We must take all of France’s ships! We must build our own new navy!”

“Take them all! Take them all!” The excited sailors shouted, “We promise to equip the ships with cannons by tomorrow and charge down with rifles. We can’t afford to fight France’s warships, but with the support of the army, we’ll seize their cargo ships right in front of them!”

Liu Suiyun simply roared, “Sailors, it depends on you then.”

1883. April 25. Thanh Hóa.

Since the New Year, Emperor Tự Đức’s health had been declining day by day. Despite his illness, he continued to review documents and asked, “Has Nguyễn Thân returned?”

Nguyễn Thân was a renowned general from the north and a close relative of the imperial family, so the emperor had entrusted him with important tasks, sending him to the border to command troops and gain experience. But as death neared, Tự Đức was forced to recall him to the capital.

The entire Khiêm Palace was filled with a strong medicinal smell, yet all the concubines still had to wear faint smiles, maintaining a festive atmosphere. Yet deep down, they felt a sense of loss. After Tự Đức passed away, although the empress could become the empress dowager, these young and beautiful concubines were doomed to spend their lives in solitude.

They knew this Khiêm Palace was the emperor’s mausoleum, and once he died, they would spend their lives alone in it.

When they heard the old emperor say this despite his illness, they quickly replied, “Nguyễn Thân will return to the capital soon. Your Majesty, please rest assured.”

Decades of political struggles had exhausted this emperor’s body. Though he still wore the dragon robe, his whole body was covered in cold sweat. Still, holding onto hope, he said, “It’s good that Your Highness has returned! Have the renowned doctors we invited from various places arrived?”
At this moment, these concubines finally gained some power to convey orders, but it was obvious to everyone that this old emperor wouldn’t last much longer.
Even women could tell that this man was neither a good husband nor a good emperor. If he had any merits, it was his diligence.
He should have been a supreme emperor, but in this country, he played the role of a hardworking laborer. He never let go of his power and was constantly striving for the throne.
Si De recalled the ups and downs over the past thirty-odd years and said with deep emotion, “It’s a pity! Your Highness isn’t my Twenty-Eight Generals of Yuntai. It’s unfortunate I have no one useful in the Southern Kingdom; otherwise, I could have revived it like Emperor Guangwu.”
The stunning concubines knelt down together and said, “Your Majesty, you are the one who will revive the Southern Kingdom—why humble yourself?”
Hearing these flattering words, Emperor Si De’s face turned slightly redder, but soon he began to cough loudly. Yet he was satisfied with these daughters more delicate than flowers. “That’s right! I should be a revivalist like Emperor Guangwu. The Great Qing Dynasty could be revived like the Tongzhi era, but what does that child Tongzhi know? He’s not as diligent as I am.”
“A revivalist!” he evaluated himself. “I am a revivalist, only…”
The scent of sandalwood couldn’t overpower the strong smell of medicine. The head of the bed was covered with yellow fabric, and a golden mosquito net hung above it, though somewhat worn. “I’ve worked so hard and been so frugal, yet I lack good ministers!”
His favorite quote was from Emperor Sizong of the Ming Dynasty: “It’s not the emperor who brings ruin to the country—it’s the ministers! It’s the ministers!”
He felt his own experiences were similar to those of Emperor Sizong—taking over a mess filled with internal and external troubles. Over the more than thirty years since his ascension, he had never had a single day of peace, always dealing with problems as they arose and facing criticism.
At the thought of these criticisms, he remembered countless grievances in his life. Waving his hand, he told the concubines to get up.
The concubines remained kneeling, not daring to say another word. Only after a while did some stand up. Si De shook his head and said, “I’ve endured all the criticism in the world, yet I still need the Ruan family to protect this legacy. Though you may not receive favors, you are my closest people. When one is dying, they should speak kindly. Share any plans you have for revival.”
These concubines were all daughters of high-ranking officials, including many highly insightful women, but now they were all terrified, afraid to say even a word more.
Finally, one concubine said, “I’ve heard that Cao Cao once shared his incense and sold his shoes. I hope Your Majesty will do the same.”
Cao Cao sharing his incense and selling his shoes showed heroic magnanimity, but Si De’s face turned ashen instantly. Swinging his right hand, he shouted, “Get out all of you!”
Then, forcing himself to stand, he drove all the palace concubines out. Angrily, he said, “Everyone in the world criticizes me, saying I have hundreds of thousands in hidden wealth that I refuse to release. You are my wives—why do you criticize me too? Go out! Go out!”
“Enough! You are also concubines of a ruined country.”

During these over thirty years of his reign, it was precisely because of disputes over the imperial treasury that he was constantly troubled. At this moment, he lost complete control of himself. In his extreme excitement, black blood gushed out of his mouth. He felt everything go dark before his eyes. “There really is no imperial treasury in this dynasty! Stop criticizing me!” Those were his last words before passing out. Meanwhile, Liu Yongfu began the most passionate period of his life. All the soldiers were neatly lined up; whether in the Xiliu Camp or other units, they now mastered the basic drill movements, with their formations resembling mountains. “Brothers! I, Liu Er, have told you the truth!” With that, he knelt before the soldiers of the Black Flag Army. “Brothers, we rely on you all in this battle.”