Chapter 138: Decisive Victory

The palace in Thanh Hóa City.
The setting sun was blood-red, and the sound of guns and cannons from the distant direction of Thuan An echoed incessantly, shaking the earth and disturbing the hearts of these women.
Ruan Menglian held a memorial in her hands—it was one that Emperor Tự Đức had dealt with. Sometimes, the concubines could also play a role by helping to deliver the memorials and organize them.
All of this caused them distress and weariness. They once saw it as the greatest honor, yet also as a source of life’s suffering. But as time passed, these memorials became part of their lives.
It was their only form of entertainment or hope. Tự Đức was a typical Vietnamese emperor—dictatorial, autocratic, and incompetent. Yet he never gave up power, not even when sick or on his deathbed. He handled hundreds of memorials daily, refusing to allow the harem to interfere in politics.
Yet from these memorials, they gained much, including many things they desired—most importantly, power.
She stroked the memorial, as if transported back to the time near Tự Đức’s death, one of the happiest times for these women. Due to his illness, many memorials had to be handled by them, allowing them to reap great benefits.
Even without reading the content, the titles alone could reveal much. Though they had no way to collude with court officials, Ruan Menglian still used these memorials to reach compromises with the eunuchs, gaining benefits and a bit of power.
In this lifeless palace, political struggles had become ingrained in the hearts of these concubines. Court intrigues were no longer just a means but a standard way of life. Yet soon, that time would pass, and they would no longer have their youth.
Tự Đức was an incompetent emperor, failing in everything. As Ruan Menglian touched the memorial, she felt a gentle warmth spread through her body—a sensation similar to that of a man she had never experienced.
“Liu Yu?” she murmured. “This is the biggest gamble of my life.”
She had only heard of Liu Yu’s name; she didn’t know what kind of man he was. But she knew well that life in the cold palace was not suitable for her.
She longed for power as desperately as she longed for a husband of her dreams.
The sound of guns and cannons in the distance continued, and her gamble still had no outcome. But she knew that, regardless of victory or defeat, she would no longer have to live alone in the cold wind and moonlight.
She was destined to leave her mark in history. If she won, she would at least gain much power and the man she desired—a healthy, young, normal man.
She put down the memorial; it belonged to yesterday.
“Go and see if there are any other sisters who want to come with us.”
……
“Xiliu Camp! Advance!”
As hundreds of soldiers charged out from the flanks like a tidal wave, the French artillery didn’t even have time to turn their guns.

They could clearly see large groups of enemy troops pouring down from the mountains at the sound of bugles, seemingly determined to overwhelm any enemy forces in their path. Bullets from the enemy were already hitting the artillery positions, and several artillerymen were unfortunately hit.

Major General Guoba remained remarkably calm. He said to his staff officer, “This is within our expectations!”

So far, the Black Flag Army had deployed about two infantry battalions, and now the third infantry battalion was attacking from the flanks. He knew full well that the outcome of the battle hinged on this final assault.

Yet he was confident in himself. Despite heavy losses, he still had reserves in the rear. Currently, only five infantry companies were in the front, while the rest—comprising all the artillery and three infantry companies, along with some troops that had been forced to retreat and regroup—remained in the rear.

“Reserves, get ready! Order the attacking troops to withdraw!”

There were two companies of French infantry near the artillery, so defense should not be a problem.

He turned to his staff officer and said, “I will become the conqueror of Hue! Cheer for me!”

But the staff officer’s expression changed. He shouted, “Bad news! The landing companies can’t hold on!”

The naval commander turned and saw that the first landing company to encounter the Black Flag Army was already struggling to resist. They were no match for the Xiliu Battalion.

The landing companies were made up of non-essential personnel from ironclad ships and landing teams, including cooks, finance officers, and accountants. Most of them had not received proper infantry training. Even the landing teams tasked with boarding battles and landing operations were not as professionally trained as regular infantry or marines.

Such a composition of troops was almost completely crushed by the Black Flag Army. They collapsed after firing just one round of bullets and fled in disarray, hoping the Black Flag Army wouldn’t move too fast.

In history, it was such troops that Liu Mingchuan led the Qing army to defeat during the Battle of Tamsui. But now they were facing the Black Flag Army—specifically, its Xiliu Battalion.

“Fight on your own!”
“March toward the sound of gunfire!”

The Black Flag Army had lost its regimental structure during this charge, and even Liu Suiyun found it difficult to control his troops. Yet the entire battalion was unstoppable. They shouted and charged forward, and even the new recruits were inspired by this victory and rushed ahead bravely.

Under the combined assault of gunfire, bayonets, and pickaxes, the landing company lost a third of its men almost without a fight before rushing toward the artillery positions, just as the artillerymen had barely finished turning their guns.

“Fire!” The mortars also accelerated their firing. It was the 82mm mortars that fired first. The 60mm mortars would take some time, but they still caused further terror at the artillery positions.

Many artillerymen, seeing the enemy approaching, hesitated no longer. They picked up their rifles and stood in front of the guns, ready to fight at any moment. The retreating landing company finally managed to stabilize itself, and with the arrival of another infantry company from the side, they seemed able to hold off the Black Flag Army’s attack.

“March toward the sound of gunfire!”

But before they could gain a firm footing, the Black Flag Army opened fire. Spencer’s muskets swept down a large number of men in the artillery positions in an instant, after which close combat erupted on those positions. For the landing company, such a battle was nothing short of a nightmare—they had never been trained in close combat. They were cooks and accountants, not infantry! The artillerymen were far braver, but they too were not skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Many of them had come ashore alongside their ship’s guns, and faced bayonets, pickaxes used to take lives, and even revolvers, they could only passively pick up their rifles for self-defense. Many could only rely on their chests to withstand the relentless bayonets. Facing one of the largest close battles in this war, they had been unprepared. Some French soldiers bravely charged forward, while others turned and retreated in the face of bayonets. The battle was so fierce that blood sprayed everywhere. The Black Flag Army was almost unstoppable, capturing cannon after cannon. “Ignore the cannons!” Facing the cannons that usually made them salivate, Liu Suiyun showed firm determination: “Eliminate them!” Within minutes, they fought their way from one side of the artillery positions to the other, with several close battles occurring, each ending in the rapid collapse of the French forces. Even the infantry company sent to reinforce them was crushed by the tide of attackers. Hundreds of French soldiers were driven out of the artillery positions by the Black Flag Army, which had equal numbers. But after just one glance, Liu Suiyun made up his mind: “Follow me!” Twenty cannons represented the greatest temptation for the Black Flag Army, but a huge crisis still loomed. Nearly four hundred French soldiers were retreating from Liu Yin Gong’s position and launching a counterattack. Behind them was an entire French reserve company, with many more French soldiers being mobilized from various directions. “Kill!” He shook the flag of the Xiliu Camp vigorously and charged forward at the five French companies that had just retreated: “Soldiers of the Xiliu Camp, we are invincible!” “We are invincible!” After the initial battle, every soldier in the Xiliu Camp was filled with ambition—the French were so weak! They didn’t realize they were facing sailors and artillerymen who had entered the front lines; at this point, the enemy was at its most vulnerable. But after such a battle, they were full of confidence. Even the equally strong French forces didn’t seem scary to them: “Attack!” The four hundred soldiers ignored the enemy behind them and didn’t chase the defeated remnants. They headed straight for the five French companies retreating. Most of the soldiers in those five companies had been fighting all afternoon. The battles in the village had left them exhausted, and then came more bad news—the enemy had cut off their retreat. But as brave land warriors, they still charged forward bravely despite the bullets flying from all sides. After fierce gunfights, the infantry of both sides collided again. The close combat was so intense that Liu Suiyun ran out of bullets in his pistol and could only wave his flag desperately.

Major General Gobat no longer had his usual grace. He shouted, “God, give me a little hope left! I order that all troops immediately go up to reinforce them!”
The hand-to-hand combat between the two sides did not end right away but continued for a considerable time. The Black Flag Army suffered heavy losses in such battles, but the Naval Commander was already feeling extreme pain.
The siege of Huế was not supposed to go like this. He glanced again at the artillery positions—the artillery and infantry there had not rushed out to support their comrades; they merely prepared to turn their guns around and defend the positions.
“Order them to charge!”
He was extremely frustrated. There were still nearly three hundred French soldiers who had taken back the artillery positions, and a reserve company had also arrived there, yet they did nothing but stay there and defend.
Worse still, many gunners had been killed in the previous battle, making it a long process to turn more than twenty cannons around.
As for the defeated and wounded companies, they stood there, guarding their positions, watching as the five retreating companies engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the Black Flag Army. They didn’t even fire in that direction, fearing they might accidentally hurt their own soldiers!
“God!”
He collapsed helplessly to the ground. Through his telescope, he saw that the Black Flag Army defending the positions had also rushed out and dealt a fatal blow to the French forces from behind.
…
The chaotic retreat brought the battle back to its starting point. Major General Gobat watched as the five retreating companies were reduced to less than two companies upon returning to their positions.
“Reorganize the troops and attack again! Attack again!”
But after issuing the order, he received news that the landing companies had withdrawn first. They had lost nearly half of their men in the battle, and the survivors were now terrified.
“These damned cooks! They only know how to cook fish!” the Naval Commander cursed. “I should have added more Marines!”
He had planned to launch a third major attack starting the next day. The Black Flag Army’s forces had been greatly depleted in today’s battle, so another attack the next day should suffice to capture them.
But the landing companies had withdrawn. He scratched his head in frustration, preparing for further action. Then an officer reported even worse news: “The naval artillery has withdrawn! They’ve all retreated!”
“Damn it! Order them to come back immediately!”
Today’s brutal battle made the naval artillery realize that once the Black Flag Army’s infantry rushed onto the positions, the French infantry could not protect them. They were gunners on warships, not ordinary infantry.
The withdrawal of the landing companies gave them a sufficient excuse, and they retreated along with them, taking away more than two-thirds of their artillery. The officer also brought an excuse: “They won’t participate in any more attacks unless reinforcements from Saigon arrive!”
Reinforcements from Saigon? It would probably take more than a day from requesting help to their arrival. Gobat felt ashamed. “If we have another battle like today, we can achieve a complete victory!”

Honestly, if it weren’t for the cowardice of these artillerymen and sailors, it wouldn’t be the French army that would collapse in close combat today—it should be the Black Flag Army instead.
His forces were far stronger than those of the Black Flag Army, and he could keep receiving reinforcements, but the retreat of the landing company and the withdrawal of the naval artillery turned his plans into mere fantasies.
The last words of that staff officer turned his dreams into despair: “The Marine Corps also believes that continuing the attack under these circumstances is inappropriate.”
“Stop the attack?”
“We can rest at Fort Shun’an, take care of the wounded, and wait for reinforcements. You know, there are plenty of reinforcements in Indochina!”
“What if I don’t do that?”
“We’ll advise the Resident Commissioner to do so!”
“Retreat!”
Gubao’s face didn’t show the distress the staff officers had imagined: “I’ve suffered the greatest blow of my life at Sedan—I can endure this!”
……
Liu Yinguang also showed no signs of joy. Although he noticed that the French forces had retreated all the way to Shun’an, his face remained tense.
In today’s battle, he had lost another family member; his brother was listed as missing after the fight. He knew for sure his brother must have died in battle—right from the start, he had hung himself from a big tree at the village entrance, using its branches to carry out sniper attacks. According to prisoner confessions and observations from comrades, he had killed at least fifty targets that day.
Then another round of intense artillery fire shattered that tree completely. Apart from a mess of flesh and blood, it seemed he hadn’t gained anything.
“I know you’re upset, Yinguang!” Liu Suiyun’s expression, however, was much more relaxed: “Didn’t our commander say, ‘A kind person shouldn’t command troops’?”
“We’ve hurt them badly. I don’t think they’ll come out of Shun’an anytime soon. We have plenty of time!”
For the Black Flag Army, time was more important than anything else. Seeing the French forces retreat to Shun’an, Liu Suiyun also knew they certainly wouldn’t launch another attack in the short term.
Today’s battle had broken their fighting spirit. He wasn’t sure whether the landing company and the naval artillery had retreated to Shun’an only to request boarding ships and returning to the warships. But for the Black Flag Army, they had enough time to solve any difficult problems: “We still have at least two days.”
Saying this, he looked again at the French artillery positions and said with a smile, “Let’s go take a look. Maybe we’ll find something useful!”
The French forces retreated in such a hurry that they left behind a large amount of equipment—rifle abandoned during the battle wasn’t even taken away. But Liu Yinguang wasn’t interested: “Let me stay here for a while.”
“Hmm!”
The Xiliu Camp was already cleaning up the battlefield at the artillery positions. In the darkness, they searched everywhere with torches, occasionally finding things they urgently needed. Artillery lenses, rifles, bullets… The French retreated so hastily that they even left behind an important 40-mm cannon. At the battlefield, the Black Flag Army only found some shells for 65-mm cannons.

But Liu Suiyun quickly remembered that the Black Flag Army had two 65-mm guns. Due to a shortage of shells, only one gun was available for combat at any given time, while the other had to be left behind in Shanxi. The twenty-plus 65-mm shells found now were even more valuable to the Black Flag Army than gold. He continued to search the battlefield, with the soldiers handing him each piece of military equipment they found: “These should be 90-mm shells. It’s a pity we don’t have such guns, but we still need to take them back.” “Hmm! Keep searching—any 40-mm shells?” The soldiers continued their final search on the battlefield, occasionally handing over their finds to Liu Suiyun. Especially the new recruits of the Black Flag Army who were fighting for the first time brought over every item they found. “Two more 65-mm shells! Excellent!” “Platoon leader, I found 40-mm shells!” When he saw what they had found, Liu Suiyun’s eyes shone brightly: “My goodness… this is even more valuable than gold!”