Chapter 125: Strangulation

Countless gun muzzles spat flames as bullets traced trajectories through the rain, killing any enemy in sight. The entire battlefield was shrouded in thick white mist.
“Fire!”
The French troops advancing along the road remained unaware until the Black Flag Army opened fire. They continued chatting and laughing as if nothing were wrong. Though nervous, they saw it as a hunting operation.
“Lieutenant, I’ll treat you to a meal when we return to Marseille!”
“Corporal, can your sister really introduce me to her?”
“Lieutenant, I heard my request might be approved by the general?”
But in the next instant, the lieutenant saw people around him falling into the mud. Cries and screams filled the air, shocking and helpless him: “Enemy attack!”
“The enemy! There are so many—tens of thousands!”
“It’s the Black Flag Army! They’ve ambushed us!”
“Artillery! Request artillery fire!”
At that moment, the battlefield became chaotic. The French troops’ long lines made them easy targets for the Black Flag Army. Though the rain reduced rifle accuracy, over a thousand rapid-fire rifles firing simultaneously was like a storm sweeping through wheat fields—soldiers fell in groups under the hail of bullets.
Rifle fire followed mortar shells by just a moment. Sixty-millimeter mortar shells exploded in the air or on the ground, scattering hundreds of fragments that swept through the dense formations.
“Oh my God! Lieutenant, Lieutenant Cailong has been hit!”
If the heavy rain prevented soldiers from avoiding attacks, the bullets and shells were even more intense, tearing huge holes through the formations.
“Great! This is how we, the Black Flag Army, deal with the French!”
Over a thousand rapid-fire rifles and Minié rifles, along with six sixty-millimeter mortars, caused French soldiers to fall in rows. They screamed, desperately begging for help. This pleased Liu Yongfu greatly: “Our Black Flag Army has fought for over twenty years; our soldiers are elite and truly formidable.”
Tang Jingsong’s face turned pale. The once-long road was now red with blood. The French soldiers’ red breeches turned even brighter from the blood before disappearing into the yellow mud.
He had never seen such a battle or such slaughter. Even on the battlefield of Zhiqiao, he had never witnessed so many people knocked down in an instant.
He was just a civil official. Though he had witnessed some battles, he had never seen anything so intense.
The French army, known as “infinitely elite,” was utterly destroyed by a single volley from the Black Flag Army. Corpses and wounded filled the road. His face turned deathly pale as he forced calmness: “It’s mainly due to deception.”
But another thought crossed his mind—if the Black Flag Army was already so terrifying, then, according to his conversations with Huang Shouzhong, their strength was still far less than that of the Xiliu Camp. What kind of terrifying scene could the Xiliu Camp, far stronger than the Black Flag Army, create?

But he didn’t know that the French forces in front of him had already reacted; those who were now at a loss were merely the native infantry of Tokyo. As one of the strongest infantry forces in the world, the French army, after being subjected to intense musket fire, performed flawlessly aside from a brief moment of panic. “Spread out! Spread out! Form a combat formation!” An officer of an infantry platoon was killed or wounded by the musket fire, and an enlisted man immediately stepped forward to take command: “Let’s deal with these barbarians!” The next moment, he was knocked to the ground by concentrated fire from the Black Flag Army, but he still shouted orders: “Spread out! Form a combat formation!” The Black Flag Army continued to fire, turning the road ahead into a bloodshed as countless rifle bullets and cannon shells rained down on the French forces. “Let’s break through!” Without General Bohua’s command, the tricolor flag still flew among the soldiers. Bullets whizzing past their ears and the cries of their comrades around them couldn’t shake their resolve: “Soldiers! Advance!” The French forces had formed a combat formation; bullets passed through them, and cannon shells exploded above, but they remained unshaken. Inspired by this example, the native troops of Tokyo also calmed down: “Charge forward with the French army.” But this time, the charge only went a few meters forward—before even reaching the hedge—they were forced to retreat: “Withdraw! Withdraw! We need to regroup.” They left behind many corpses and wounded, with rifles, flags, food bags, and other supplies scattered across the road. It was only after retreating a long distance that they finally moved out of range of the rapid-fire rifles. Historically, Liu Yongfu’s ambush achieved significant success, but he lacked enough rapid-fire rifles and only had a large number of flintlock guns. As a result, the French forces couldn’t enter the effective killing range of the rifles. In this timeline, even the Snider rifles were highly lethal. It was only then that General Bohua regained his composure. He carefully observed the Black Flag Army’s position. Through his telescope, he immediately saw that the forces hidden behind the hedge stretched for two kilometers, completely blocking the Shanxi Highway. Although the position was hidden 400 meters behind the hedge, it could be easily detected with careful observation or by sending a small number of infantrymen. This failure was entirely the responsibility of General Bohua. He also realized that this was a standard Western-style fortress, with bastions and parapets built on the position, along with numerous wooden stakes, bamboo fences, and trenches in front of it. The flat area in front of the position had clearly been carefully cleared by the Black Flag Army—without a single blade of grass or any cover. In other words, if the French forces wanted to attack, they would have to charge through this 400-meter-wide open area under heavy artillery fire to reach the Black Flag Army. The Black Flag Army lacked the experience to construct such fortifications, while the Xiliu Camp preferred to build permanent or semi-permanent wooden fortifications, a skill inherited from the Guangxi army that entered Vietnam.

Huang Guilan was an expert at constructing defensive fortifications. Despite being marginalized by Xu Yanxu and indulging in women day and night, as the governor of Guangxi, he could still exert some influence over the Black Flag Army.
“They have ten thousand men! Ten thousand Black Flag bandits!”
“Thousands of rapid-fire rifles, dozens of cannons, and even a large number of machine guns.”
A few French officers were panicked by the enemy positions, but Bo Hua himself was not among them. He observed the Black Flag Army’s positions again and felt utterly confident. Although they had lost many troops in the previous raid, their side still had about twenty regiments, outnumbering the Black Flag Army, and they had a decisive advantage in firepower. After all, some of the participating battalions were new units like the Personal Guard Battalion and the Wulie Battalion, which naturally didn’t have enough rapid-fire rifles. Even the older units, such as the Rear Battalion and the Left Battalion, only had a small number of front-loading rifles. In contrast, the French were equipped in an extravagantly advanced manner. The best rifles available to the Black Flag Army were Remingtons, while among the French, they were just standard issue for the Yellow Flag Army and the native infantry of Tokyo. The native infantry of Annam was equipped with even better 1874 rifles, and the French themselves used the world’s finest 1878 rifles. Although the Black Flag Army had some 60-mm mortars, their range and power were far inferior to those of the four cannons in the French artillery units. Moreover, there was an additional artillery platoon in the reserve forces at Zhiqiao that could be deployed.
“Prepare for the attack! This is the entire main force of the Black Flag Army. After wiping them out, we can have lunch in Shanxi City!”
General Bo Hua had experienced many battles, but as a prisoner of Sedan, he believed he could break through this defense line. “It’s 10:40 a.m. My generals, I give you twenty minutes to prepare. We’ll launch the attack at 11 o’clock sharp.”
On the opposing side, the battle flags of the Black Flag Army continued to flutter. Aside from some wounded troops who retreated, the French left more than four hundred wounded and dead on the roads of Shanxi, including many Frenchmen wearing red breeches.
At 11 o’clock precisely, accompanied by orderly military music, the French launched another attack, this time targeting the main forces of the Black Flag Army holding their positions. Now, the battalion officers were personally commanding their troops. Even Tang Jingsong had to stay in trenches up to his knees.
The French deployed all their forces—ten regiments of the Yellow Flag Army, two French regiments, one native infantry regiment from Annam, and two native infantry regiments from Tokyo, totaling fifteen infantry regiments, participated in this attack. The artillery units advanced to seek support positions, while the remaining regiments, having suffered heavy losses, served as reserves.
Although their formation was dispersed, the large group of fifteen infantry regiments could be described as magnificent and spectacular. The artillery soldiers pushed the cannons forward through the fields with great effort. Qiao Erchi, the second-in-command of the Yellow Flag Army, was eager to show off in front of the French: “Brothers of the Yellow Flag Army, this is your chance to rise in rank and become rich! Follow me! Hurry up!”

The Yellow Flag Army had gathered together primarily to seek promotion and wealth. Although there was a desire to avenge themselves on the Black Flag Army, they also began to advance under Qiao Erchi’s urging. However, the French forces suffered the first losses due to the flood, which made the ridges extremely slippery. Their horses, untrained for such conditions, cried out in pain as one horse dragged a cannon into the paddy fields, with both the horse and the cannon disappearing beneath the water. “Cannons!” With such cries, another cannon vanished into the paddy fields. Soldiers rushed in to search for the trapped artillery pieces. “Boom!” Almost at the same time, the Black Flag Army’s artillery also began firing. Having advanced too far, their rifles, cannons, and even the recently recovered front-loading guns could all hit their positions. The artillery units became the most obvious targets, and the paddy fields were covered in blood. “Captain! Captain, something’s wrong—the company commander is injured!” After this round of artillery fire, nearly one-third of the artillery troops and Vietnamese laborers were killed or wounded, but the cannons that had fallen into the paddy fields were eventually pulled out. Meanwhile, the fifteen infantry companies at the front line, without any artillery support, fired back at the Black Flag Army while advancing. With each step forward, more soldiers fell victim to the Black Flag Army’s firepower. The Black Flag Army, on the other hand, seemed quite at ease. After all, they had spent over a month building their positions, which were extremely strong. They could fire from their positions with ease, while the 400-meter open area offered no cover. Yet the French forces remained very brave. Regardless of which unit, they continued to advance over corpses, but their opponents were even braver. Every battalion commander and sentry went to the front line to fight alongside their soldiers. Tang Jingsong even encountered an unexpected visitor in his own elite battalion. “General Liu, how did you come here?” Liu Yongfu personally inspired his soldiers in the elite battalion. These new recruits had no combat experience, but Liu Yongfu and Tang Jingsong’s presence gave them great confidence. On the other side, the French forces had only advanced 100 meters when over 300 of them were killed. The closer they got to the Black Flag Army’s positions, the greater their casualties and the more intense the fire. They were forced to lie in cover and fire back at the Black Flag Army. They no longer had the strength to advance. Even if they could, they would need to charge another 300 meters to engage in close combat. Many soldiers had already used up their 120 rounds of ammunition. The Yellow Flag Army was extremely fanatical. Qiao Erchi kept shouting, “Those who want promotion and wealth, charge forward! Hurry up!” They tried several times to charge through the hail of bullets, but each time they advanced about 10 meters before being pushed back by machine gun fire and artillery shells. Their casualties were the highest among all units. There were over 80 dead and nearly 200 wounded. Qiao Erchi’s trusted commander, Huang Si, was killed, many veteran Yellow Flag Army soldiers were slain, and the overall commander, the Greek George, suffered minor injuries.

“Brothers! Forget our deep hatred for the Black Flag Army. Raise a yellow flag and shout loudly: ‘The French will remember us!’
“As long as we charge forward, everyone will get a year’s salary! A year’s salary!” Qiao Erchi waved his battle flag and charged ahead. “Anyone can take my place today.”
He led a few of his personal guards forward six or seven meters. The Black Flag Army responded with a volley of gunfire, and Qiao Erchi fell to the ground with a thud; his yellow flag landed in the mud.
The Black Flag Army retreated like a tide. Without a leader like Qiao Erchi, they could never organize any attacks in the short term.
Anyone could take his place—he kept his promise.
Bo Hua saw that the French offensive had been completely halted. Apart from firing back from the ground, they had no other options, suffering heavy casualties.
The dead could be considered lucky, but the groans of the wounded greatly demoralized the French troops. The Black Flag Army lost nearly a third of its soldiers. “Retreat! We have no other choice but to retreat.”
Meanwhile, in the direction of Neicun, the battle between the Xiliu Camp and the Central Column also reached a fierce intensity.
Although the Central Column had fewer troops, their defense of the village made it extremely difficult for the Xiliu Camp to advance.
Yet, whether it was the Xiliu Camp, the Hanhai Camp, the Crow Camp, or even the Zhiqiao Camp in Anzhai Village, they were all among the strongest units within the Black Flag Army. After several attempts to attack, the Black Flag Army concentrated all their mortars to bombard the area, eventually creating a large gap in the east of Neicun.
A company of local Tokyo infantry defending there completely collapsed under the barrage of bullets. They abandoned all throwable supplies and fled in chaos.
Although Major Corona sent in reservists to counterattack, the 100 French-Vietnamese mixed troops were quickly defeated by the Xiliu Camp. Sima Tai made the French experience what true strength of the Xiliu Camp entailed.
But the battles that followed were even more brutal. Both sides fought in the mud, with the French refusing to yield and the local Annamite infantry launching several counterattacks.
Yet for the French, the situation became increasingly difficult. They never expected to be in such a disadvantageous position.
Without any artillery support, facing a huge enemy force, heavy casualties on their side, and repeated bombardments from the enemy’s artillery, every time they repelled an attack by the Black Flag Army, their next attack became more effective.
It was a nightmare, just like Napoleon’s nightmare in Russia. The reason they could continue to resist was purely due to the spontaneous discipline of the French soldiers.
These marine soldiers proved to be the best in the mud, but facing the strength of three Black Flag Army camps, Major Corona grew increasingly overwhelmed.
The local Tokyo infantry was on the verge of collapse. They dared not engage in any offensive battles. Many knelt in the muddy water and surrendered to the Black Flag Army. Even the local Annamite infantry was on the verge of collapse.
Another round of bombardment!

Now even Liu Yu has gone to the village to take command. The three battalion commanders are exerting all their strength, organizing wave after wave of small-scale attacks. Although only a small number of troops serve as the vanguard, these assaults by a single squad or even just a few men leave the French forces utterly unprepared to cope.
The Black Flag Army gradually tightened their encirclement, seizing almost half of the village, while gunfire from Anzhai Village in the rear never ceased.
The staff officers’ clothes were completely torn; they had returned covered in mud, soaked and cold, with only one suggestion: “We can only keep fighting.”
Major Corona made the hardest decision with pain: “I need the bravest battalion commander.”
He already knew clearly that it was impossible to evacuate the entire force—the severely wounded and the corpses of soldiers could only be left on the battlefield.
“I think I must take most of them back, whether they are French, Annamese, or Tokugawa!”
“I need to leave the bravest battalion commander here.”