Chapter 198: The Start of the War

At the thought of this, Huo Qiu couldn’t contain his pride. Even without considering the final outcome, it had been a perfect offensive campaign—at least ten regiments had been shattered in this assault.
As for the ultimate results, they were even more tempting. Didn’t everyone see why Liu Suiyun was so popular now? It was because he had captured a beauty from Thanh Hóa, which allowed him to rise rapidly to the position of acting Chief of Staff.
His own qualifications might be slightly less prominent, but his ambition was just as great as Liu Suiyun’s. Whatever Liu Suiyun could do, Huo Qiu could do just as well.
Thinking of this, he grew even more proud: “Brothers, let’s show the French some color…”
……
Like Saigon, Taiyuan was also a city under heavy siege. Dozens of infantry battalions from Bắc Ninh had tightly encircled this provincial capital.
They built camp after camp on the outskirts of Taiyuan, advancing slowly like fortresses, but no one dared underestimate their offensive power.
During the Taiping Rebellion, countless famous cities such as Anqing and Nanjing were taken by the Hunan Army using this kind of defensive strategy.
They claimed to have dozens of miles of defensive lines and hundreds of thousands of troops. After building a fortress, they would roll forward in waves, attempting to completely block all exits from the city.
At first, the defenders inside the city were panicked, especially the small group of newcomers who almost rebelled and wanted to return to the Qing dynasty. It was only after Tang Jingsong killed over thirty of them that the situation inside the city was stabilized.
Next, dozens of battalions launched fierce attacks on the city. Although Taiyuan was nominally a provincial capital, it was actually the size of an inland county town. Despite temporary fortifications, it faced several crises under the Qing army’s assault.
These Qing soldiers lacked the courage to defeat the French, but now they surged forward like a tide under their banners, only to be shattered by incoming mortars. Yet they kept appearing on the battlefield stubbornly, unwilling to change their tactics.
Their offensive methods hadn’t improved much since the Taiping Rebellion. They simply received massive supplies from the French, resulting in overwhelming barrages of gunfire even before their main attack arrived.
They fired at any suspicious target, shooting hundreds of thousands of rifle rounds and shells in just one hour before the infantry launched their attack—only to be defeated by the Black Flag Army within half an hour.
Yet they seemed to have an endless supply of troops. Wave after wave of attacks found gaps in the Black Flag Army’s defenses, prompting even more intense assaults.
They hired commandos at great expense, launching several raids that were repelled by the Black Flag Army’s bayonets.
In a short time, the area around Taiyuan was filled with the corpses of Qing soldiers who had failed in their attacks. In fact, many Qing soldiers simply collapsed under the artillery fire.

“General Ding, the battle isn’t going well…” Su Yuanchun said with a frown, “That Wang Debang keeps sending his subordinates to attack the city walls. So far, nearly a thousand of them have died or been injured before even seeing the walls. How is this war supposed to be fought?”
Pan Dingxin, an old general from the Heavenly Kingdom era, had his own thoughts: “So what? Yuanchun, if it were you to lead the attack, could you be sure of success?”
For these Qing army commanders, their siege techniques were entirely at a medieval level—ranging from battering rams to scaling ladders. Twenty years ago, their only way to capture fortified cities was by digging tunnels for explosions, aside from cannons brought from the West.
Yet the Black Flag Army defending Taiyuan had even more and stronger cannons than them. As a result, many Qing troops never even set up their camps before being killed or injured by shells flying in from nowhere. The artillery units also dared not advance to attack.
As for digging tunnels, it was too time-consuming, and it didn’t seem like a viable strategy in northern Vietnam. So Su Yuanchun frankly said, “I never expected Tang Jingsong to build up such a strong force. If we knew more about the Black Flag Army, our army should plan carefully!”
He regretted it—he had regretted it since arriving in Taiyuan. He never imagined that the defenders could hold off the massive Qing army with just this simple county town.
Judging from the progress of the battle, even in the best-case scenario, it was nothing more than a scaled-down version of the Siege of Jinling. Their only advantage was endurance.
Endurance! For them, it was a nightmare—far from home, with aging troops achieving nothing. So Su Yuanchun suggested, “General Ding, let’s retreat for now!”
But Pan Dingxin hesitated not at all. After years in obscurity, he had finally gotten the chance to take command again. How could he give up power? “Tell Wang Debang to put in more effort! At critical moments, it’s still you, brother Yuanchun, who’s needed!”
Gritting his teeth, he added, “Prime Minister Li won’t abandon us! He definitely won’t!”
Once the arrow is shot, it can’t be recalled. Seeing Taiyuan City standing firm amidst the gunfire, he said, “Besides, we have troops spread over dozens of miles. We can gather forces in one place—more than enough to make a big move in Yunnan!”
“Yunnan?” Su Yuanchun thought for a moment. “Yunnan is sending reinforcements?”
“That’s right!” Pan Dingxin had already made a comprehensive plan before setting out. “I and Governor Cen had agreed to act together. Now that I’ve entered Taiyuan, Governor Cen should also take action.”
“But Governor Cen of Yunnan and Guizhou?”
Su Yuanchun had heard Pan Dingxin boast about his long-standing friendship with Cen Yuying, but no one had expected them to have such an agreement.
“The Black Flag Army is extremely harmful—almost a repeat of the Taiping Rebellion. If we don’t eliminate them while they’re still weak, it will cause endless trouble. That’s why, though we’re separated by thousands of miles, Governor Cen and I share the same goal.”
Su Yuanchun, being an experienced military strategist, immediately guessed Pan Dingxin’s next move: “But Baosheng?”
“That’s right! Exactly Baosheng!”

Baosheng is Laojie, located at the very upper reaches of the Red River, facing Yunnan across the river. It was originally Liu Yongfu’s most fundamental base. It was only after Liuziying joined the Black Flag Army that Shanxi gained prominence.
Nevertheless, Laojie’s importance within the Black Flag Army is obvious to everyone. With a population of tens of thousands, it is stocked with countless military supplies, as well as many small workshops belonging to the Black Flag Army. Even a large portion of their families reside here.
There used to be a considerable number of troops stationed here, but as the war continued, the Black Flag Army gradually moved these troops south to join the battles against France, leaving the area with very few defenders.
Pan Dingxin’s strategy involved launching attacks from two fronts simultaneously, delivering decisive blows. Even if the battle near Taiyuan turned into a stalemate, a huge victory could still be achieved in Yunnan.
…
The Black Flag Army was unaware of a massive conspiracy looming, and the Xiliu Second Regiment, advancing bravely through the mountains, was equally uninformed.
Full of fighting spirit, though still covered in dust from the journey, they had absolute confidence.
The ongoing battles near Hanoi had cost this elite infantry regiment many soldiers; each infantry company was understaffed. Yet both commanders and soldiers maintained an optimistic attitude.
“Report: The main enemy forces have been spotted ahead. The vanguard platoon has already come into contact with the enemy. Their strength is about one battalion of infantry, with makeshift fortifications in place…”
“The first platoon of the second company has spotted about two battalions of enemy troops, equipped with numerous breech-loading rifles and a few breech-loading cannons…”
“About two battalions of enemy troops are assembling in the right front!”
The enemy forces ahead of them were the seventy infantry battalions under Pan Dingxin’s command, while only one vanguard battalion of the Xiliu Second Regiment served as the vanguard for the entire regiment.
Jeken was also an old hand from the Xiliu Regiment era. This American officer might have a weakness for alcohol and could sometimes be too stubborn, but his experience and skills were now sufficient to command the battles of an infantry battalion.
“Request support from the regimental headquarters!”
Ahead of them were rows of gunfire—there was their destination, the city of Taiyuan. The Black Flag Army inside the city was repeatedly repelling the enemy.
In front of them lay the sturdy fortifications built by the Qing army, with construction standards comparable to those of the Napoleonic Wars or even the Civil War. More importantly, within these fortresses were countless Qing troops.
Without strong support from the French, the Qing army could not maintain seventy infantry battalions, totaling nearly 30,000 soldiers—almost the entire force this corrupt empire could deploy on a battlefield.
Jeken watched the dense, honeycomb-like fortifications with grave concern and knew he had to proceed carefully.
The troops at his disposal consisted of three infantry companies and one mortar unit, along with two 40-mm mountain guns. In total, they numbered just over 500 men.
Faced with these labyrinthine fortresses, these 400 soldiers seemed like a drop in the ocean, utterly insignificant. “Order: A short rest for the entire battalion!”

“All vanguard units, immediately assess the enemy’s strength!” Jeken had been in charge of military production during the war against France, which affected his promotion. But when he resumed his military duties, his former subordinates held great respect for this American willing to yield his position. As the troops made their final preparations, Jeken issued battle orders: “Request reinforcements from the regimental headquarters—at the very least, give me half a company of infantry and one 40-mm mountain gun!”
“My vanguard platoon will scatter half a company of enemy infantry…”
“The troops’ short rest is over!”
“The second company, move to the starting positions!”
Jeken waved his battle flag! “Fortress of Willpower! Crush everything in front of us—let it become our medals!”
Before him lay seventy Qing battalions.