Chapter 153: Below Shanxi City

The African indigenous infantry charged forward with wild shouts, grouping in threes and fives, attempting to force their way through with brute force. Bullets from rifles flew from all directions, and numerous shrapnel fragments caused heavy casualties among the infantry, yet this did not stop these Africans from charging forward with extraordinary courage from the forests. Holding Arab-style scimitars, they aimed to claim the lives of these defeated soldiers: “Charge forward, and we can end this battle!”

The two battalions based on the Qing army lacked the courage for close combat, but when these Africans charged with remarkable bravery, they began throwing grenades in a downpour. Before the African indigenous soldiers were countless grenades exploding everywhere, producing loud noises and devastating effects. Sharp shrapnel whizzed past, knocking many people down. These soldiers were forced back a few steps by the explosions, but then they charged upward again with screams, advancing in a disorganized manner like countless arrows. However, the Black Flag Army had already organized a volley of gunfire to knock down the leading groups.

Yet the Algerian soldiers were truly fierce. They threw back the grenades at their opponents and engaged in a battle of grenade throwing with the Black Flag Army. Some soldiers raised their rifles and fired at each other. The battlefield was filled with deadly shrapnel, but they did not retreat. It seemed the Black Flag Army had an endless supply of grenades. A white officer picked up a grenade, intending to throw it as a demonstration for the indigenous infantry, but a violent explosion reduced him to pieces.

Both sides were engaging in extreme actions right at the front lines, with people falling constantly. By this point, the Black Flag Army’s 60-mm cannons could no longer fire as the enemy had entered their minimum firing range, so a few artillerymen began throwing grenades instead. Grenades exploded one after another, and gunfire never ceased. Both sides were paying a heavy price. Though this Algerian infantry battalion possessed extraordinary bravery, they could no longer advance an inch. Some of them managed to charge dozens of steps through the hail of bullets, finally breaking into the Black Flag Army’s positions, only to be surrounded and killed by the superior enemy forces. Their small-scale charges were often crushed before they even began.

If it had been French troops, they would have organized their attacks systematically, but these indigenous soldiers lacked such discipline and command. They could only frantically fire and throw grenades at the Black Flag Army. Due to a shortage of grenades, they had already suffered heavy losses.

“Fire!”

The mortars, which had just completed their fire shift, immediately began bombardment. Dozens of mortar shells struck the African indigenous soldiers head-on, spewing blood. Many bodies were crushed on the ground, yet these indigenous infantry still did not retreat, enduring astonishing casualties.

“Boom…”

Another loud explosion rang out, this time from the French artillery covering them. The targets were too close, resulting in both the Black Flag Army and the African indigenous soldiers becoming targets of the artillery attack.

The indiscriminate artillery fire caused staggering casualties; the Black Flag Army lost dozens of men at once. But the African native infantry could no longer endure such combat. They turned and ran, abandoning many wounded and dead behind them. What awaited them was intense machine gun fire and countless shells. The path they took became a veritable blood road, with people falling to the ground one after another. Their losses during retreat exceeded those suffered in battle. Then, the Black Flag Army’s 65-mm guns and mortars launched another round of bombardment, forcing two French artillery companies to suppress them from that direction. Amid the roaring artillery, the soldiers of the Personal Guard Battalion and the Song Character Battalion risked their lives to advance. Wild with fury, they ignored the shells fired by the French. Chen Tiansong shouted loudly, “An eye for an eye, blood for blood!” A native infantryman with a leg injury tried desperately to crawl back, but a group of Black Flag Army soldiers surrounded him and stabbed him to death with their sharp bayonets. Another native soldier was swiftly beheaded. No prisoners were taken; heads were cut off as a public display—this was the revenge of these two infantry battalions. Even under the artillery barrage, they advanced another 200 meters.

…“What a shame! If it had been a bayonet charge, we could have crushed these barbarians!” Guoba had clearly seen the defeat of the Algerian native battalion. He identified the reason: “Insufficient artillery support. Any bayonet charge must be backed by artillery fire. The Black Flag Army’s smaller mortars give them an advantage in this regard…” “A bayonet charge requires a disciplined formation, starting with a determined and orderly advance. The African native soldiers’ charges were too chaotic and disorganized, allowing them to be easily overwhelmed by enemy fire…” Drawing on his military knowledge, he concluded, “We need more courage!” But the retreating Algerian native infantry had lost all courage. In the recent battle, almost the entire battalion had been wiped out. The Black Flag Army’s precise machine gun fire and intense artillery bombardment had thrown the retreating soldiers into chaos. Of a 500-man infantry battalion, aside from a few wounded still groaning on the battlefield, fewer than 100 remained. Their morale was low as they watched the Black Flag Army retaliate with bloodshed. The wounded soldiers were killed on the spot and then beheaded; their bodies were not even left intact. The once-defeated Black Flag Army was avenging itself in the same way, leaving these native soldiers nothing but to weep in despair. The artillery battle continued. The Song Character Battalion and the Personal Guard Battalion finally withdrew under the bombardment, suffering even greater losses than before. Of the more than 400 soldiers who had fought, only 200 could still stand. But each of them held an enemy’s head, with many holding two. Their morale was high; the heavy losses only fueled their determination: “When it comes to dealing with those black devils, let our Song Character Battalion take care of it.”

Chen Tiansong even took the lead in singing a ditty, and the soldiers from the two infantry battalions joined in laughing as they sang that flirtatious tune. They weren’t discouraged by such fierce battles; even the wounded sang with tears in their eyes.

Liu Yu back at the rear had already received reports and witnessed the intense fighting firsthand: “Great job, the Song Battalion and the Imperial Guard Battalion!”

On the other end of the phone, Cai Yunan continued to report, “Chen Tiansong said that if they encounter African native soldiers again, these two battalions will take care of them.”

Liu Yu cursed, “This time, Tang Jingsong is lucky!”

Indeed, Tang Jingsong was lucky. Liu Yu had seen these two infantry battalions fight bravely through gunfire, refusing to retreat. Such battalions would be among the strongest in the Qing army. With enough new recruits and weapons, they could fully unleash their combat strength, and the spirit forged in bloodshed would always remain in this force. “Tell the New Force Battalion to prioritize supplying these two battalions with troops and equipment.”

Chen Tiansong’s face was beaming. Although many of them had died this time—his own nephew among them—on the battlefield—they eagerly inspected the loot, counting heads one by one. “Fellow comrades who died, I, Chen, have avenged you!”

“Commander, what should we do with these heads?”

Each head carried a sense of bloodshed, and cutting them off filled the soldiers with excitement. Chen Tiansong declared loudly, “That’s simple! The French are coming to attack us from Shanxi City, so we’ll hang these heads on the city walls to show them what awaits them!”

“The Song Battalion and the Imperial Guard Battalion are not to be trifled with!”

“Right!” This earned unanimous agreement from the soldiers. “We’re not afraid of foreigners, not afraid of black devils, and certainly not afraid of white devils.”

“Well said! With our two battalions working together, there’s no enemy we can’t defeat!” Chen Tiansong shouted, slapping his thigh. “But everyone must remember how pathetic we were just a few days ago!”

“But today we’ve cut off over 300 heads and captured 400 rifles. Yet in reality, no one has been replaced. What’s the key?”

“It’s the commander. Lord Tang ran away, but Commander Liu sent me dozens of rapid-fire cannons, over a hundred brave men, and 1,200 grenades.”

“That’s why the outcome is different!”

A squad officer nodded. “Everyone understands! We know clearly who’s good to us and who’s not.”

“Good!” Chen Tiansong wasn’t shy about letting Tang Jingsong hear this. “From now on, we must remember whose army we belong to!”

“We’re part of the Black Flag Army!”

“We’re the Black Flag Army!”

The two battalions withdrawing sang and danced, shouting in unison, “We’re the Black Flag Army! We’re the Black Flag Army!”

…

As dusk fell, the French army was still ten kilometers away from Shanxi City. Under the twilight, they could hear the cannon fire coming from the city but couldn’t see it.

The French set up camp immediately in the evening, with all units frantically digging fortifications. Though they weren’t afraid of a counterattack from the Black Flag Army, they knew that solid defenses could save many lives.

In this darkness, the French army’s logistics units were the busiest, whether on land or at sea—the consumption of shells reached astonishing levels; many cannons fired hundreds of shells in just one day. The artillery had run out of shells, with only three left as emergency reserves. That night, the French must replenish all their shells. As for the units that were defeated in today’s battle, they were temporarily withdrawn to the rear for recovery. Guiba assembled these local infantrymen, regardless of skin color, into a single infantry battalion to serve as the main reserve force. The intensity of today’s battle exceeded his expectations; he didn’t see the sunset over Shanxi City as he had anticipated. “I believe the sunrise in this city will be just as beautiful, and our artillery is equally magnificent.” “The original plan remains unchanged—we’ll continue the general attack tomorrow, aiming to capture Shanxi City and resolve the Annam issue that day!” … Meanwhile, in the dead of night, Liu Yu, along with many officers, stayed awake all night. A large-scale map was spread out as everyone calculated the battle plans for the next day. To everyone’s surprise, the French had changed their tactics, using artillery as the core for suppression—a tactical shift that caught the Black Flag Army off guard. Liu Yongfu said loudly, “We can hold the city to the death! We’ve already strengthened the city walls!” Huang Shouzhong suggested, “We should flank them from both sides and try to eliminate one or two of their battalions!” Liu Yu slammed his fist on the map. “It’s pointless to defeat just one or two Vietnamese local battalions—we must hurt them badly! Suiyun…” Liu Suiyun moved his finger across the large-scale map; whenever Liu Yu mentioned a place name, he would point there. “We must fight desperately! How many infantry mines are left in the warehouse? Use them all! Tell the engineers—it’s their chance to prove themselves.” “I suggest using the Second Xiliu Battalion as the core to launch a fierce counterattack!” Liu Suiyun proposed. “The Second Xiliu Battalion will make the French pay a heavy price.” The so-called Second Xiliu Battalion referred to Liu Suiyun’s detachment that had moved south to Shunhua. After the battle of Shunhua, the soldiers in this detachment were not returned to their original units but, after being supplemented with new recruits, became a new infantry battalion. Liu Suiyun had the authority to name this battalion, but after consideration, he chose not to use another name but instead adopted a glorious one—the Second Xiliu Battalion. Indeed, compared to names like the Tiger Battalion, Zhou Chu Battalion, or Crow Battalion, the name Second Xiliu Battalion represented supreme honor, signifying that they were the most combat-effective infantry battalion in the Black Flag Army and the backbone of Liu Yu’s forces—the Second Xiliu Battalion. After the brutal battle in Shunhua, this battalion also had absolute confidence; they believed they could even defeat Sima Tai’s Xiliu Battalion. Clearly, Liu Suiyun was advocating for his old unit to take part in the battle, but Liu Yu did not agree with him. “The enemy’s fighting spirit hasn’t been fully exhausted yet—we must still focus on mobile defense!” He drew a circle on the map, marking the permanent defensive fortifications beneath Shanxi City. “We can defeat the French here and make them remember this defeat forever!”

“Just as they remember Waterloo and Sedan!”
“That’s their Waterloo, their Sedan!”
Liu Yu’s eyes were filled with extreme confidence!
……
Fierce battles broke out between the two sides from early the next morning.
In fact, fighting continued throughout the night, with gunshots echoing nonstop, yet the exhausted soldiers fell asleep immediately.
After dawn, the French forces took action right away. After yesterday’s defeat, their tactics evolved once again—they began using replicated small mortars alongside their native infantry, although these mortars were far inferior in performance to mortars.
They used the best gunpowder of the era, but it still lagged far behind nitroglycerin-based propellants and other advanced compounds. As a result, the French mortars were heavier than those of the Black Flag Army, yet their power and range were much lower.
Still, these small mortars clearly boosted the confidence of the native infantry. Coupled with constant artillery support from the rear, their determination grew even stronger.
However, they still had to face countless landmines and traps. Soon, Guoba realized that his plan to welcome the sunrise in Shanxi City was impossible to achieve.
On the riverbank, the native infantry made faster progress thanks to the close coordination of their naval forces. Although they discovered that the Black Flag Army had a 65-mm cannon, the French quickly realized it wasn’t a deadly threat.
Apart from armed motorboats, all small and medium-sized gunboats, as long as they weren’t unlucky enough to take a direct hit, wouldn’t be fatal. And with several ships working together, it was easy to destroy such a single cannon.
With this understanding, the artillery fire on the riverbank was like fireflies in summer, while the 37-mm cannons mounted on the ship decks also fired intermittently.
The riverbank was a sea of fire—a world ablaze. The French used multiple artillery batteries for bombardment, guided by hot air balloons, while constantly monitoring for reinforcements from the Black Flag Army in the rear.
Under these conditions, the Black Flag Army’s field positions were constantly subjected to devastating explosions, forcing them to retreat from one position after another.
The naval forces advanced faster than the army, and the Black Flag Army fought them desperately. All kinds of rifles, even snipers, targeted any moving target, while various mortars launched relentless attacks.
But the French endured all this with astonishing courage. The casualties among the sailors only fueled their determination. A glorious battle flag was raised on the flagship, and all the ships sounded their horns.
“The Cochinchina Flotilla will be the first French force to enter Shanxi!”
They sent this signal, with all ships pushing at full speed. Even the armed motorboats bravely charged at the forefront, bombarding any exposed positions.
The more active large ships, on the other hand, remained silent—they had to conserve ammunition for the most critical battle.
They sailed through the waves toward Shanxi City, the rising sun reflecting brilliantly on the French naval flag.

The French forces’ advance gave the army courage as well, and their speed of advance increased significantly. Both banks were occupied by the Black Flag Army, who from time to time fired bullets and shells, though most were solid projectiles. These artillery positions of the Black Flag Army had few troops stationed there, yet their solid shells still caused some minor casualties. None of the Black Flag Army’s tactics could stop the brave advance of this fleet; by the time the fleet’s flag was raised, they had no way to retreat. This was a fleet forever marked by tragedy. They were eternal friends of the Goddess of Victory, who granted the French Navy countless “good cards,” leading to repeated tragic sinkings and failures. Yet they lacked no courage. They could see the city of Shanxi. But what they saw first were hundreds of heads hanging on the walls of the city, a demonstration against the French Navy. The flagship raised a signal: “All ships, begin full-speed bombardment!”