Chapter 113: Aftermath

“So that means our casualties in Hanoi exceed five hundred?” After listening to Craig’s explanation, Governor Qin Chong finally realized how dire the situation in Tokyo was.
Initially, he had expected that although Li Weiyeh and Major Wei had died in battle, the situation wasn’t that bad. So far, the overall casualties, as reported by Major Mei, were “several hundred,” which he thought meant around a hundred or two hundred deaths.
But Manager Craig, an expert in the field, said, “Just in the battle at Bani Temple on May 19th, over three hundred French soldiers died in Li Weiyeh’s forces. The current figure of over five hundred deaths refers only to the French; it is said that hundreds of indigenous infantry soldiers also died.”
Father Ruan Youming added, “When we left Haiphong, there were hundreds of severely injured people, yet only a few doctors and nurses to take care of them. People were dying every hour.”
This left the governor in a terrible mood. “What terrible news! I never imagined things could be so bad.”
Now he understood why Major Mei, knowing that 1,700 reinforcements were about to arrive in Saigon from the homeland, still decided to dispatch 1,000 French troops and indigenous infantry to reinforce Tokyo. He even went ahead and recruited indigenous infantry in Tokyo without the governor’s permission, sending people to Hong Kong to purchase equipment.
He couldn’t believe that the Black Flag Army could inflict such heavy losses on the French forces.
Manager Craig noticed his expression and said, “The Black Flag Army isn’t that strong. What you just said isn’t true. The frontline commanders have greatly exaggerated their strength.”
Governor Qin Chong glanced out the window. “I believe the Black Flag Army can’t possibly have 100,000 or 50,000 rapid-fire rifles. They must have only about 5,000.”
Manager Craig hesitated before giving a figure that satisfied the governor: “No, they’ve recruited some new soldiers, so at the start of the battle they had 6,300 men. This is intelligence from inside the ranks.”
This was Craig’s guess. He didn’t know much more about the Black Flag Army than the governor, but he urgently needed to send more troops to Tokyo.
He had already caused Orient-États to lose five or six million francs, but after the initial panic, the opportunist Craig realized he still had a chance to recover—since all the loans from Xiliuying were secured by sufficient collateral.
Theoretically, if France won the war, Orient-États could even reap huge profits. After estimation, the value of all the minerals pledged by Xiliuying amounted to 50 million francs.
While transferring assets, Craig rushed to Hanoi to urge Li Weiyeh to send troops as soon as possible, but it turned into a painful failure. However, when leaving Hanoi, he traveled on the same ship as Father Ruan Youming, and they quickly found common ground: to expand the war and completely eliminate the Black Flag Army. The initial failures of the French forces led them to agree that “we need more investment.”

Before making a decision back home, the French in the colony had to take action first and be brave enough to defend French interests. As for the greater losses the Oriental Bank might face, Manager Craig didn’t care at all—since six million francs had already been lost, losing sixty million francs was just another figure.

Manager Craig’s boldness in Haiphong even exceeded Major General Maye’s expectations. He offered a credit line of two million francs, saying, “General, you can use this money to recruit local infantry or to purchase arms in Hong Kong.”

In reality, however, the Oriental Bank’s Haiphong branch only had thirty thousand francs in cash left. To get further support, he and Nguyen Huu Minh went to Saigon to seek help from Governor Tien Chong.

He knew well that France, just like him, wanted to turn things around and completely seize the fertile colony of Annam. Therefore, he couldn’t exaggerate the strength of the Black Flag Army too much: “In the battles in Hanoi, they suffered greater losses than we did, but they’ve recruited some new soldiers. So I estimate they still have about four thousand five hundred men.”

Everything he said was fabricated, but since he had some knowledge of the Xiliu Camp, he spoke as an expert: “It must be noted that the Black Flag bandits still have considerable military potential. They can still recruit new soldiers—about a thousand to two thousand. It’s not much, but it exceeds our troops in the Tokyo region.”

Governor Tien Chong couldn’t understand why the French had failed: “If they only have six thousand three hundred men and less than a thousand rapid-fire rifles, why did we suffer such a heavy defeat?”

Manager Craig replied immediately: “That’s because they lack sufficient troops. They deployed all their forces in the Hanoi area, while the troops led by Colonel Li Weiye and Captain Bissel each had only seven or eight hundred men. Facing an overwhelmingly superior enemy, we were at a disadvantage.”

“They concentrated all their forces, while we could only deploy troops in batches. As a result, at any given point in battle, our forces never exceeded a thousand men—one-sixth or even one-tenth of the enemy’s strength.”

To avoid discouraging Governor Tien Chong, he added, “As for their rapid-fire rifles, according to my information, there are slightly more than you think—about seventeen hundred. As a bank manager, I have thorough knowledge of all illegal forces in the Tokyo region.”

He finally added, “Due to Colonel Li Weiye’s failure, some arms fell into their hands. Now the Black Flag bandits have about two thousand rapid-fire rifles, but no European-style artillery.”

Craig’s judgments were made up on the spot, but they gave Governor Tien Chong great confidence to expand the war. He quickly figured it out.

The Black Flag Army would have about five to six thousand soldiers, along with two thousand rapid-fire rifles and some old-fashioned artillery. With the current size of the troops in the Tokyo region, even if they could defeat them, a complete victory would be impossible.

It is entirely reasonable for them to request support from themselves, but the problem is that we do not have enough troops to reinforce them. If we hastily send a thousand French troops and a thousand indigenous troops, it will affect the security of the colony.
He said to Mr. Craig, “I’ve heard that the Oriental Bank has also suffered heavy losses. I express my concern and approve of the proactive actions taken by the Oriental Bank. I also agree to rebuild our indigenous infantry units in the Tokyo area.”
He added, “The losses among the Annamite indigenous infantry must be replenished, in part, from Tonkin, but mostly from troops in the Tokyo area.”
Several companies of the Annamite indigenous infantry were defeated in this battle. Under normal procedures, active troops from the Tonkin colony would be drawn to replenish these depleted units, but Governor Tien Chau has now decided to use lower-quality North Vietnamese troops instead.
Otherwise, if a thousand fully equipped troops were sent from Tonkin to cover the losses of various Annamite units, the auxiliary forces in the Tonkin colony would be completely depleted.
Manager Craig did not express any opinion. He simply introduced Father Nguyen Vu Minh to Governor Tien Chau: “Father Nguyen Vu Minh, our old friend, a loyal Frenchman, has an opinion.”
Father Nguyen Vu Minh smiled. “I think it’s sufficient to rebuild the existing indigenous units in Tokyo. We need strong troops.”
“If we use troops from Tokyo to replenish the Annamite indigenous units, I believe it will affect their combat effectiveness. But I can establish a powerful non-French force using other methods, at a low cost.”
“Really?” Governor Tien Chau was very interested. “What kind of force?”
“The Yellow Flag Army!” Nguyen Vu Minh promoted this force again. “I’ve introduced it to you before. This force has always remained loyal to France’s cause. Even during the ten years when France withdrew from the Tokyo area, their combat effectiveness was comparable to that of the Black Flag Army. More importantly…”
“They’re also Chinese!”
Nguyen Vu Minh was well aware of the strategy of using one ethnic group to control another. Governor Tien Chau, frustrated by battlefield losses, shared the same interest. “Their combat effectiveness is similar to that of the Black Flag Army? Then, how many people should we arm?”
Historically, the rebuilt Yellow Flag Army consisted of one battalion with ten companies and 500 men. But due to the defeats in Hanoi, Nguyen Vu Minh’s request was much higher: “A thousand men, ten companies, one regiment.”
He added, “Weapons can be purchased from Hong Kong. A Remington rifle costs only eight dollars, and pay is only eight piastres.”
Governor Tien Chau made his decision: “I agree.”
……
The Black Flag Army, which had retreated from Hanoi, had returned to their starting point, Huaidfu. The long battles had left them extremely exhausted, but every soldier was excited.
However, after returning to Huaidfu, only half of the troops stayed there. Most continued upstream, loading the wounded onto steamships to be escorted back to Shanxi City.

Shanxi City had the only field hospital for the Black Flag Army, but its capacity had long been exceeded. Yet, aside from some wounded left in the field hospital and first-aid stations, most seriously injured were sent to Shanxi for treatment. Along with the wounded were large numbers of soldiers and supplies, forming a vast convoy. In contrast to this advancing force, a group of several hundred people was heading downstream toward the Red River. This group consisted of Shen Sheng’s independent company and the Hua Jian Sect, who were also returning with heavy loads. What most people didn’t realize was that this group had an additional important goal. Sister Teresa was pressed against the wall by Liu Yu; her habit had been lifted, exposing her entire body to the air. Every move Liu Yu made caused her to emit soft moans. Her body was completely wet, and Liu Yu’s actions grew more intense. He firmly grasped her breasts, sending her to ecstasy time and again, until she could only submit to his demands. After a long while, Sister Teresa’s body grew limp. She leaned against Liu Yu’s shoulder and said softly, “My dear husband, I really can’t take it anymore…” But Liu Yu continued his assault. It was not until half an hour later that he finally erupted inside her: “My dear Zi Ning, you’re so beautiful today!” Though her body was weak, she still tried to please Liu Yu. Upon hearing him call her Vietnamese name, she left a mark on his shoulder: “You’re such a bad boy! You haven’t come to see me for so long; I thought I wouldn’t get a chance this time!” “I missed you!” Liu Yu carried the exhausted Sister Teresa to the bed and spoke tenderly, “It’s also a way to avoid obligations.” “I’m exhausted! I finally got enough sleep yesterday, but you abused me again!” Sister Teresa complained while asking, “My dear husband, with your current status, why do you still need to hide?” Liu Yu shook his head and leaned back on the bed, saying to the ceiling, “It’s not easy for anyone! You must have reaped quite a lot this time.” Sister Teresa immediately snuggled into his arms: “We’ve got a good harvest—enough to sustain our parish for three years, plus seven rifles captured.” “You’re quite content with little!” Liu Yu replied, “But even though others have more than you, they’re still dissatisfied and trying to get more from me.” “Mortars! I want those too!” Sister Teresa asked immediately. “They’re indeed very powerful.” During the battle in Hanoi, Liu Yu used all his trump cards—whether it was the 60-mm mortars, grenades filled with cotton powder and picric acid, or the highly explosive small bombs—all of which made the Black Flag Army salivate. Among all these weapons, the 60-mm mortar was recognized as the most powerful: easy to move, highly effective, with a curved trajectory that allowed it to hit enemies on slopes, and simple to operate. That’s why every battalion needed several of them. Production of these two types of mortars had begun in bulk, but due to the rush, fewer than twenty were produced by the time the war started. Liu Yu ordered another forty to be made, so that each infantry battalion of the Xi Liu Infantry Regiment could be equipped with 82-mm mortars, and each company could carry two 60-mm mortars.

But now, representatives from each battalion have come in person to negotiate. If their demands are met, it would require at least over a hundred sets of equipment, and the armory couldn’t produce that many mortars even in an entire lunar year. As for grenades and explosive packs, they also demanded large quantities—16,000 grenades and 500 small explosive packs. Even including Xiliu Battalion’s own equipment needs, this far exceeded the armory’s production capacity. Moreover, in the battle at Hanoi, Liu Yu had indeed used up all his resources; nearly a year’s worth of ammunition produced over the years had been consumed. Thus, Liu Yu said with a wry smile, “Besides these, we need 700 breech-loading rifles and 100,000 bullets.” Only by being in charge does one realize how expensive basic necessities are! Liu Yu said with a bitter smile, “It’s hard to refuse them all. The Black Flag Army’s battalions are willing to pay in cash, but Xiliu Infantry Regiment is like one’s own child—it’s difficult…” He couldn’t continue speaking after that. Because Sister Teresa had regained much of her strength; she knelt down, carefully held little Liu Yu, and began to serve him slowly and attentively with her fragrant tongue. Liu Yu no longer had any worries.