Chapter 158: Counterattack

The whistles blared as the remaining warships and gunboats retreated to Hanoi at top speed, yet more explosions rocked the narrow river channels.
Lacking most of their artillery, the ships could only fire desperately, with few hits recorded, as explosions rang out one after another.
Gobat closed his eyes and said to his staff, “We are repaying our debt to Count Baliqiao!”
Wiping away tears, the staff replied, “We are a whole generation away from Count Baliqiao’s era!”
“But just as the Chinese will never forget Baliqiao, today’s battle will also be forever remembered by the French. My soldiers, there is only one thing I can do now.”
“Then end this war meaningfully.”
This had always been Gobat’s resolve—if he couldn’t capture Shanxi City, he would end the war with his own hands. It seemed his decision was wise.
“Soldiers, prepare to retreat!”
As darkness fell and gunfire intensified, the staff refused to retreat. “We still have strength! We still have reserves—send them all in! We will plant our flag on the enemy’s positions.”
He referred to the tattered tricolor flag planted on the Black Flag Army’s positions—farthest the French had reached in Vietnam. Just as the Germans advanced near Moscow, it was the farthest French flag had flown.
“At the very least, we must keep our soldiers alive. Even if we must abandon the dead, we must save the wounded.”
Among the piles of corpses before them were hundreds of severely injured soldiers fighting against death, emitting low moans.
“There’s no time! Order the troops to prepare an attack on Hanoi!”
“Attack Hanoi!”
This was his last act to preserve France’s dignity on paper. Meanwhile, the Black Flag Army’s gunfire grew denser as they launched a fierce assault. Many artillerymen picked up rifles to fight against them.
In the earlier battles, the French had lost most of their infantry. Though they still had seven to eight thousand men, they had to protect hundreds of wounded, most of whom were artillerymen, supply troops, and Annamese indigenous infantry—no real infantry core remained.
When the Vietnamese saw their frontline infantry wiped out, they made the wisest and fastest decision possible. On all fronts, they fled in panic. In the trees and bamboo groves, many indigenous soldiers changed out of their uniforms for pre-prepared civilian clothes, turning into ordinary Vietnamese farmers.
Some Annamese soldiers were so terrified by the battlefield that they vomited and dared not resist, surrendering directly to the Black Flag Army. As time passed, not only were small units surrendering but entire companies and platoons as well.
The battle grew increasingly chaotic. The Black Flag Army ignored casualties, exhaustion, and the difficulties of coordinating troops at night, deploying all their forces: “Annihilate the enemy!”
“Annihilate the enemy!”
With the front lines intertwined, the French felt despair.

“After repeated failed attacks, the French invading forces resolved to launch a massive assault on our core position at the Xiliu Infantry Regiment. They assembled 42 infantry companies, totaling 3,900 infantrymen, organized into three infantry regiments, to attack our core position, which had already suffered heavy artillery damage. They also launched artillery fire using 100 pieces of light and heavy artillery. According to enemy captives, they fired approximately 6,000 shells in a short period.”

“The artillery units I had hidden in the snowy positions, under General Liu Yu’s orders, began firing at full speed the moment the enemy entered our positions, using their pre-positioned powerful artillery force (including six 100-mm mortars, two machine guns, and one breech-loading steel gun). They fired 972 shells within ten minutes, achieving an accuracy rate of 83%, completely destroying the enemy infantry formations.”

“According to the enemy’s own war records, out of the 3,900 enemy soldiers who participated in the battle, more than 3,000 were killed on the spot by our forces, with only 364 escaping (including 120 seriously wounded). According to our military statistics, the enemy abandoned over 3,200 corpses, and 416 enemy soldiers were captured alive (half of them seriously wounded; 172 of them died after being taken care of).”

“The success of this pre-emptive artillery ambush changed the course of the entire war. The successful experience gained from this battle provided valuable lessons for future operations…”

Excerpt from *Cases of Our Army’s Pre-emptive Artillery Attacks* by the Changsha Xiliu Artillery Command School (archived and sent to regiments), 1912.

……

“The morale of the French army was low due to their defeats in the battles in Shanxi. After this battle, the French General Staff mistakenly believed that there were many lessons to be learned from it and applied certain principles derived from this battle to the French army as a whole.”

“Due to inadequate artillery support and poor troop organization, the French army suffered heavy losses in its massive assaults during this battle. However, according to military simulations conducted by the General Staff, this defeat could have been completely avoided. As a result, the French army lost its will to launch infantry regimental assaults, and the command guidelines recommended using company and platoon formations for attacks, with battalion-level assaults taking the form of scattered lines.”

“The French army faced attacks from a large number of small artillery pieces in this relatively minor conflict. As a result, they became overly reliant on the experience gained from this war and began developing a series of small mortars and rapid-fire guns. Yet these weapons could be easily overwhelmed by any 75-mm artillery. In future wars against France, just as they had boasted about their light rapid-fire guns before the Franco-Prussian War, they would hold little practical value in combat.”

“The Vietnam War had a negative and profound impact on the French army. However, since this battlefield was in a unique environment, its war experiences were not universally applicable. The General Staff closely monitored and studied this war, concluding that we would prepare for a new war against France in accordance with our established military preparation plans.”

……

Excerpt from *Materials for Assessing the French Army* by the German General Staff, 1889, top secret.

……

But no matter what changes this battle might have brought, by that night, the situation had slipped beyond the control of the two highest commanders.

The battlefield was filled with the sounds of fighting and blazing flames as soldiers from both sides engaged in a life-and-death struggle.
“The Tigers Battalion is out of contact…”
“The Xiliu Infantry Battalion is out of contact…”
“The Xiliu Infantry Regiment’s headquarters is out of contact…”
“The Hanhai Battalion is out of contact…”
The two sides were exchanging fire along the front lines, and it was now extremely difficult for any commander to control their troops. The Black Flag Army created one breakthrough after another, sending troops in—either to push forward or to engage in final, desperate battles with the French forces.
The French army’s combat effectiveness had declined significantly; they had even lost some heavy weapons. With the loss of most of their core infantry and naval support, their morale was low, and the local Vietnamese forces had begun to abandon them.
“We’ve captured about a thousand enemy shells…”
“My company launched a fierce attack and broke through an enemy artillery battalion’s position, seizing four 65-mm guns and two 37-mm multi-barreled autocannons…”
“I’ve captured one 90-mm gun; urgent support is needed…”
From Liu Yu’s position, he could see the trajectories of bullets from both sides, like fireflies. The French forces were now launching full-scale assaults.
But with every step forward, they paid a heavy price. The Black Flag Army was also extremely exhausted. Just moments ago, Liu Yu had sent in his last reserve troops, yet all he could hear was the deafening noise of gunfire.
The cries of battle shook the sky, and the troops had completely lost command. Not only could he not control the front-line units, but neither could the individual infantry regiments, battalions, or companies manage their subunits—they were all fighting on their own.
Liu Suiyun stood beside him and asked, “Should we take control of one or two companies? Otherwise, if the French launch an assault, we’ll be in danger!”
“No!” Liu Yu shouted. “We still have at least thirty people here, enough to form a platoon to handle any situation.”
He looked up at the night sky filled with fighting and said to Liu Suiyun, “Order all units to carry forward the glorious traditions of our army. From now on, the entire army shall advance toward the sound of gunfire!”
“Advance toward the sound of gunfire!”
Amid the chaos, many frontline commanders also issued similar calls: “The entire army, advance toward the sound of gunfire!”
The two sides fought in the darkness, relying only on faint starlight and sounds to identify each other. The fighting in the dark was especially brutal, with both sides using every means at their disposal.
Artillery, bullets, bayonets, entrenching tools, rifle butts, stones, fists… The French forces desperately tried to escape, only to find the Black Flag Army surging forward like a tide.
The Black Flag Army also realized that even with their sharpest bayonets, after breaking through layer after layer of defenses, they were once again surrounded by countless French soldiers.
The fighting between the two sides was so intense that even the isolated headquarters suffered over a dozen attacks. The commander himself took part in the battle with a pistol: “We need to take control of our troops!”
Several officers looked grim. Just moments ago, an entire artillery battalion had been cut off by the Black Flag Army. Although a major led a skirmish force in an attack, before they could reach the enemy, more than a dozen Black Flag Army units emerged, nearly annihilating the rescue force.

Twelve 40-mm mountain guns, along with four thousand shells—what a terrifying weapon this would be in the hands of the Black Flag Army!
But the disasters continued; enemies were everywhere. Gobat knew that if things went on like this, they would never reach Hanoi in their lifetime. “I order! Except for necessary light artillery, all other artillery must be destroyed as appropriate… especially the heavy artillery!”
“We will abandon our heavy equipment and retreat to Danphong. Major Bisselle’s garrison will be there to meet us!”
“Soldiers, we believe in your ability to do this!”
“Destroy the artillery, abandon the baggage—French soldiers, charge toward heaven with bayonets and rifles!”
What greeted him was the rare cheers of his soldiers.