Chapter 123: The Four Pillars Temple

A violent storm blew in, with the river waters surging downstream. On the narrow riverbank, French troops in red breeches formed a long line, advancing through the mud. Raindrops struck their faces, and the strong wind made it impossible for them to keep their eyes open, yet they continued to move forward in silence. Officers stood on both sides, shouting orders to guide the troops along the riverbank.

This march was not the sunny and triumphant advance Bo Hua had imagined. From dawn, torrential rain poured down, forcing many soldiers to struggle forward while rolling in the mud. He divided his forces into three columns, each consisting of a French infantry battalion, a French engineer platoon, and a French medical platoon, along with a local infantry battalion from Tokyo and a local infantry company from Annam. Colonel Bi Shuo’s left column, supported by the fleet, would attack the Four Pillars Temple position, while the other two columns would encircle Huai De Prefecture in an attempt to annihilate the enemy.

To this end, he strengthened the right column, with a thousand soldiers from the Yellow Flag Army accompanying it. He himself would lead the reserve force as a general backup, following closely behind the right column. However, the heavy rain turned the entire Hanoi area into a swamp, forcing the French to advance slowly along the long embankments.

It was still dark. Liu Yu stood on the Four Pillars Temple position, wearing a raincoat, and ordered Lian Mei loudly, “The Four Pillars Temple is a key stronghold at the front line. The Wu Wei Battalion must hold its ground here to resist the main French forces, creating opportunities for our main forces to encircle and annihilate the enemy.”

Lian Mei was unafraid of the storm, but the roar of the rain made Liu Yu’s voice barely audible. “We will hold our ground here.”

Liu Yu agreed. The horrible weather had turned the plain into a swamp, with rivers overflowing, leaving the troops’ mobility limited to the embankments. Ignoring the rain, he said, “We will abandon Huai De Prefecture!”

As Liu Yongfu’s personal bodyguard captain, Lian Mei was willing to face the challenges of the storm. He stepped forward, looking at the rushing river, “Our Wu Wei Battalion is determined to hold its ground here.”

The Wu Wei Battalion was a new unit, with less than four hundred soldiers and decent equipment, but they had not yet faced fierce battles. Yet Lian Mei was confident in himself. “I have built strong defensive positions, especially the Four Pillars Temple battery. With the help of the reinforced engineer platoon, concrete fortifications have been constructed to withstand enemy ship artillery. We have over a dozen guns, enough to resist the enemy’s overwhelming strength.”

“The enemy will attack by land and sea, with more troops and better weapons, plus the support of warships—so they are a formidable force.”

“But our battalion has four hundred soldiers with excellent equipment. Our commander has provided us with many mortars, grenades, explosive packs, and Mauser rifles, enough to defend against them.”

Lian Mei declared his determination aloud to the river. The rain soaked his body, but his heart remained fervent.

Liu Yu repeated his orders, “Although Huai De Prefecture is a prefecture, it’s actually just an ordinary town. There are no natural defenses or city walls to rely on. Near the paper bridge, the flooding makes it impossible to set up ambushes. Therefore, our army will voluntarily abandon Huai De Prefecture.”

“Lure the enemy to the well-prepared positions along Wangcun Line,” Liu Yu said with confidence. “Take advantage of the moment when the enemy’s two columns separate and concentrate our main forces to annihilate them.”
He glanced at the stormy weather and then at Lian Mei. “Your mission is to completely pin down the enemy’s left column, ensuring not a single soldier can participate in the battle near Wangcun.”
With that, he stepped forward and looked down at the river. “I specifically order that one 65-mm cannon from your battalion be reinforced, along with three shells—use them only in critical moments.”
Lian Mei’s joy was evident even in the rain. After all, the 65-mm cannon was a gun from French warships, and compared to the dozen or so bronze and cast-iron cannons at the Sizhu Temple fort, it was a world of difference. Even his own two prized 60-mm cannons paled in comparison.
Though there were only three shells, Lian Mei felt he could even halt the flow of the river. “If I can’t deal a heavy blow to the French, I have no face to show up.”
Liu Yu immediately mounted a warhorse, which was rare in northern Vietnam. “Then I’ll go to Wangcun to command the battle!”
As Liu Yu had predicted, the battle began at Sizhu Temple first.
One thousand one hundred enemy soldiers, supported by a small Chinese fleet, rushed toward Sizhu Temple. The paddlewheel gunboat “Hurricane” and the gunship “Military Music” were the first to arrive and began firing.
The bombardment started at 6:10. The large warships could unleash their full firepower at will. Every few minutes, accompanied by a howling sound, a deafening explosion would reverberate near the Sizhu Temple fort.
Yet neither warship dared get too close. Not long ago, they had suffered a significant loss here. This secretly built fort had already damaged a French gunboat on its first day of combat on July 26.
Explosions occasionally drowned out the sound of wind and rain. The sailors fired at their perceived targets under the torrential rain. Their breech-loading steel cannons were more advanced than those of the Black Flag Army, with greater range and power, but their firing rate was unsatisfactory—only about a dozen shells were fired in an hour of bombardment.
Even the shells that did land in the wet mud sometimes failed to explode, while the Black Flag Army’s artillery remained completely silent.
Not entirely silent—two artillerymen had already spotted the incoming shells. “Those are our 65-mm cannons!”
Outside, in the mud, lay several unexploded 65-mm shells. “Follow me!”
Though aware that these shells could explode at any moment, the artillerymen still held onto hope. After all, the two 65-mm cannons captured by the Xiliu Battalion had very few shells, so much so that…
Currently, Shanxi was trying to remanufacture shells using spent cartridges and casings, but progress was slow. Though these unexploded shells were useless to the artillerymen for now, they might prove useful in the future.
But before they could leave the fort, Lian Mei was already waving his hand. “Let our Wuwei Battalion take over!”

A dozen commandos from Wu Wei’s battalion leaped over shell casings amid the howling projectiles. They rolled in the mud, gathering unexploded shells one by one and carefully transporting them to safety. Above them, French shells streaked by every few minutes. Without even time to wipe the mud from their faces, these infantrymen jumped into the next crater. An accident occurred when an unexploded shell exploded, injuring two commandos seriously. The artillery was held back by Lian Mei: “Brothers in the artillery, let us take on the dangerous tasks; you rest! Can you fire one or two more shells?” At this point, what more could the artillerymen say? “Thanks. We’ll fire a couple more 65mm shells—these aren’t easy to come by.” The bombardment by the “Hurricane” and “Military Music” ships lasted for an hour and a half, during which they fired over forty shells. They saw signal flags sent from the embankment. “Colonel Bi Shuo will launch an attack on Si Zhu Temple. To avoid accidental casualties, suspend firing until the main fleet arrives, then carry out a close-quarters attack.” The person who issued the order stood on the embankment, looking proudly at this powerful army: “Soldiers, we will easily capture Si Zhu Temple.” As the commander of the left wing column, Colonel Bi Shuo was a proud and status-conscious officer. “We’ll use 1,100 soldiers to attack Si Zhu Temple. I hope we can have afternoon tea in Huai De Fu.” A staff officer cautiously asked, “Should we wait until the entire fleet arrives before attacking? With the support of naval artillery, it will be easier for us to attack.” “That’s the dignity of a soldier,” Colonel Bi Shuo replied outright, rejecting the staff officer’s suggestion. “What we need is an attack. Now I firmly believe that even the native infantry of Tokyo are better than those bandits of the Black Flag Army.” The native infantry stood on the riverbank, braving the wind and rain, listening to Colonel Bi Shuo’s speech: “Annamese people, I promise you that after capturing Si Zhu Temple, each soldier will receive an extra month’s salary. Those who are injured will get two months’ salary. Those who perform well will be promoted to sergeants, or even second lieutenants or lieutenants.” The native infantry cheered loudly. They had witnessed the power of the gunboats and the strength behind them—a whole battalion of French infantry and a French artillery platoon ready to support them at any time. Meanwhile, Si Zhu Temple remained silent; the Black Flag Army seemed to be taking no action. Coupled with generous salaries and the promise of promotions, the enthusiasm of these native soldiers soared beyond measure. Even the rain couldn’t dampen their courage. It should be noted that in the history of the Annamese native forces, only a very few who were extremely loyal to France and performed exceptionally well were promoted to lieutenants. Yet now, Colonel Bi Shuo had opened a door for them. “Soldiers! Let’s have afternoon tea in Huai De Fu!” Colonel Bi Shuo checked the time. “It’s 7:40 now. I hope we can capture Si Zhu Temple in ten minutes.”

But the attack along the riverbank was quite narrow; it was impossible to form columns at any point, so troops could only charge in batches. As a result, Colonel Bi Shuo assigned a Tokyo native infantry company, an Annam native infantry platoon, and a French platoon as the first line of defense. Fortunately, the Four Pillars Temple was not far away, and a brave charge would suffice to take control of this quiet position.
“Attack!”
The French troops, dressed in blue uniforms, shouted loudly and charged bravely with bayonets in hand.
Fifty meters, a hundred meters! One hundred fifty meters! The artillery platoon had already taken position on the riverbank, ready to provide support. Their bayonets were almost at the Four Pillars Temple, yet the temple remained motionless under the rain.
“Fire!”
Suddenly, all the firing positions at the Four Pillars Temple came alive. The dozen or so Tokyo native infantry soldiers at the forefront became the most obvious targets, and countless guns opened fire.
Bullets aimed at the blue uniforms rained down like a storm, instantly causing mass casualties among the dense ranks of infantry. After one round of gunfire, over twenty native soldiers were killed or wounded.
“Move forward!” Faced with such a strong defensive position, the native soldiers had no choice but to advance. This round of gunfire didn’t completely crush their already low morale, especially with the French troops’ bayonets right behind them.
“Charge!”
Taking advantage of the moment when the Black Flag Army was reloading, they rushed into the Four Pillars Temple’s defenses.
But once inside, real trouble began. The Wu Wei Battalion had built a narrow defensive line along the riverbank, centered around four fortresses, to defend against French naval attacks. The entire defensive line stretched two kilometers along the riverbank, and attacking any position meant facing crossfire from surrounding positions.
Although the defenders were deployed with lighter forces in the front and heavier forces in the back, deadly bullets could strike at any moment in the storm. The native soldiers in blue uniforms fell to the ground with thuds, adding countless bloodstains to the gray muddy ground.
“Fight!” Colonel Bi Shuo hadn’t expected such resistance. Despite capturing a few defensive positions, casualties continued to rise. His staff members urged loudly in the storm, “Pull back and regroup—these losses are too high.”
Although the defenders used Chassepot rifles, these breech-loading rifles proved extremely effective, killing and wounding many French soldiers. Yet the colonel insisted on his plan: “Wait for the navy to launch an attack with their ship guns, so we can evacuate the wounded.”
After another five minutes of exchange fire, Colonel Bi Shuo finally received reinforcements from a small fleet. The flagship was the paddlewheel frigate “Ju Jiu,” equipped with 85 sailors. It was accompanied by the gunboat “Short Gun” and the gunship “Leopard,” along with an unarmed steamboat “Sea Defense.” Together with the already arrived “Hurricane” and “Military Music,” the French naval forces charged toward the Four Pillars Temple against the current.
“Order! Close-range bombardment!”
There was no need for the army to issue orders for reinforcement—the small fleet could clearly see that the army’s attacks were ineffective. The ships headed toward the Four Pillars Temple without even forming a proper formation.

They had a frigate, two gunboats, and two cannonboats—enough powerful naval forces to navigate any inland waterways in Tokyo. The current was strong, and the French ships had to fight their way upstream against the waves. However, the narrow waterways couldn’t accommodate so many ships, leading to collisions and chaos. Yet their artillery fire successfully suppressed part of the Black Flag Army’s firepower. Colonel Bischoff abandoned his plan to reorganize the attack once again: “Send a company of native Tokyo infantry to reinforce us; we have naval support.” Indeed, the intense artillery fire from the gunboats greatly boosted the morale of the native Tokyo infantry, who rushed forward again with their Remington rifles. But just as the French ships got close enough to fire, the Black Flag Army’s artillery also opened fire. “Fire!” “Fire!” With these loud commands, over a dozen guns of the Black Flag Army began firing simultaneously, while the 65-mm guns also fired from close range—dragging their cannons to makeshift positions along the riverbank and aiming them at the lead gunboat, the Hurricane. Bullets traced arcs through the wind and rain, flying toward the small fleet with a sound louder than thunder, creating countless huge waves on the water’s surface. The Hurricane, at the forefront, was the primary target: one shell hit its bow, another struck its starboard side, and a 60-mm mortar shell hit the deck. It tried to retreat, but unfortunately, another shell hit the coal brick wall protecting the powder magazine, allowing floodwater to rush into the cabin. The sailors, despite being under fire from the Black Flag Army’s rifles, tried desperately to seal the leaks. Yet another 65-mm shell successfully hit the position of the 90-mm gun, causing an explosion that destroyed the entire gun position almost instantly. The 90-mm gun was reduced to pieces, and the sailors there were torn to shreds. “Retreat! Retreat!” Everyone knew this was the most dangerous moment—the huge waves knocked the Hurricane off balance, with more and more shells targeting this prominent ship. The War Horn, behind it, was slightly luckier, taking only two shells, but the shield of its 90-mm gun was shattered by solid projectiles, injuring two sailors. The flagship, the Mandarin Duck, was also a prime target for the Black Flag Army; a mortar shell exploded on the deck, injuring several sailors. “Retreat!” Faced with the enemy’s close-range artillery fire and the relentless firing of those 65-mm guns, the French ships refused to stay in that area even for a moment. “Turn!” Making a sharp turn in the raging currents was extremely difficult. Just as they turned, the War Music gunboat took three more shells, causing casualties among the crew. But the most deadly threat came from the 65-mm guns. These boats, captured from the French, posed a deadly threat to these inland vessels. Although one shot missed, the next hit the Leopard gunboat, allowing floodwater to flood the cabin, instantly turning the gaps red with the blood of the wounded. “Turn! Turn!” Faced with the howling shells, they had no choice but to retreat out of range. “Turn!”

They even ignored the Army’s signal flags and retreated directly. But during the retreat, the gunboat Leopard was hit by another shell, its entire left side devastated as it tilted to the left, with crew members desperately trying to control the damage. On the gun deck, cheers rang out as Lian Mei watched five 65-mm shells hit their targets, each dealing heavy damage to the French warship: “Well done!” The moment the small fleet stepped out of range of the Black Flag Army’s artillery, it also meant they had completely given up artillery suppression of Si Zhu Temple. Now, the advancing French forces faced a shifted artillery attack. Even though many 60-mm mortars failed to explode in the muddy terrain, it was enough to prevent the French from holding their ground. “Retreat! Retreat!” Colonel Bi Shuo could no longer hold on: “Order the troops to withdraw—don’t abandon the wounded or corpses!” In the fierce wind and rain, the already muddy French forces had no choice but to leave some severely wounded and corpses behind as they retreated in disarray. The naval ships dealt with damage control while providing minimal support from the maximum range of their 90-mm guns, but they lost seven or eight more corpses during the retreat. The offensive was repelled, but Colonel Bi Shuo wasn’t unhappy. He shouted, “Soldiers, you’ve done well! You entered battle earlier than the naval forces, faced more enemies, and retreated later despite the heavy gunfire!” What he was proud of wasn’t the scale of the victory but the fact that his troops held out longer than the naval forces—a feat he could boast about. At Si Zhu Temple, the position stood firm through the storm, returning to its usual silence. The staff suggested, “Let the troops take a long rest to recover some strength. They’ve been marching since dawn—let them have breakfast.” “No!” Colonel Bi Shuo objected, “We’ll have morning tea at Huai De Mansion, communicate with the naval forces, and launch another attack.” This was a matter of his pride. … Meanwhile, on another part of the battlefield, the French central column had already taken control of Huai De Mansion. It must be noted that although there was no heavy gunfire, it was an extremely difficult march. The Black Flag Army had successfully altered the terrain so that everything except the paper-bridge road was submerged in floodwaters. The heavily equipped artillery units were forced to stay behind in An Zhai Village, leaving a French infantry platoon and a Tokyo native infantry company to defend them. They had to trek through difficult terrain to reach Huai De Mansion. But there wasn’t a single person in this town—everything was eerily silent. After a brief pause, the French forces moved forward again, heading toward Nei Village. Not long after they left Huai De Mansion, General Bo Hua arrived there with his strongest right-wing column. His planned flanking maneuver hadn’t succeeded, and he was unaware that the left-wing column had also suffered setbacks. “The central column has launched a thorough search in the direction of Nei Village to cover the deployment of the right-wing column.” General Bo Hua was very pleased. Among the three columns, his force had encountered no problems, aside from the warhorses refusing to pull the artillery properly due to lack of training.

“The enemy has abandoned Shanxi! We must pursue them while they’re weak!” Major General Bohua ordered loudly, “We must reach the gates of Shanxi City. I hope everyone can dine there tonight and end this war.”
The Black Flag Army retreated from Huaide Prefecture without a fight, which boosted Major General Bohua’s confidence even further.
He was convinced that from Huaide Prefecture all the way to the gates of Shanxi City, the Black Flag Army would not put up any serious resistance. “Advance the entire column!”
“Should we send scouts?”
“No need! I’m sure the Black Flag Army won’t offer any effective resistance before we reach the gates of Shanxi City.”
Unbeknownst to him, he had already made the same mistake as Li Weiyeh. Although he had changed the timeline, he still repeated the same error as in history.
He didn’t realize that ahead of him lay ten infantry battalions of the Black Flag Army, their most elite forces.
Liu Yu rushed back from Sizhu Temple in the rain. The four infantry battalions under the Black Flag Army had already targeted the central column advancing toward Neicun, while Bohua’s right-wing column was tasked with holding off Liu Yongfu.
The battle broke out immediately.