Chapter 205: Determination (Part 1)

“I am willing to lead the vanguard and sweep away such traitors and rebels!” Pan Dingxin was overjoyed. “Qin Xuan is returning to Liuzhou alone to serve under the commander!”
Liu Yu merely nodded slightly. “Very good! There are thousands of rebels outside Liuzhou. How many troops does Qin Xuan wish to lead?”
Pan Dingxin had handled military affairs for the Black Flag Army with great diligence, all in anticipation of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Thinking of seizing this chance, he resolved firmly, “Just one guard company, supplemented by two French rapid-fire cannons, will be enough to defeat them!”
Though he boasted boldly, upon reflection, he felt confident that a single infantry company could overwhelm those thousands of loosely organized rebels.
His guard company was directly under Liu Yu’s command. The company commander was an experienced officer from the Xiliu Camp, and each squad had at least three or four veterans who had fought in the wars against France. There was even an entire infantry platoon made up of former Black Flag Army soldiers.
With such an experienced unit and two rapid-fire cannons, they might not be able to conquer entire Guangxi, but defeating those thousands of rebels near Liuzhou was certainly within their power. After all, the combat strength of both sides differed by more than just one level. Realizing this, Pan Dingxin felt relieved. “Commander, just one company is enough!”
“Good! Just one company. I’ll give you one Hotchkiss machine gun—make sure you use it well!” Liu Yu turned to his subordinates and asked, “Given the enemy’s strength near Liuzhou, how many troops do you need to defeat them?”
“Like Pan Fu, our Crow Camp only needs one infantry company and one rapid-fire cannon to defeat them!”
“We too need one infantry company, using our standard guns and cannons, supported by one mountain cannon!”
“One reinforced infantry company, along with two captured French mountain cannons…”
Everyone’s answers were similar to Pan Dingxin’s, but only Sima Tai’s response differed. “Our Xiliu Camp is the best among all camps. We only need one reinforced infantry platoon and one mountain cannon!”
“Excellent!” Liu Yu praised loudly. “No matter what, the Xiliu Camp remains the finest unit in our Black Flag Army!”
As the oldest and most combat-effective unit in the Black Flag Army, the Xiliu Camp had evolved into several infantry battalions. Yet, the core of Sima Tai’s brigade still originated from the Xiliu Camp, and Sima Tai and his men possessed an unmatched fighting spirit.
Against those thousands of disorganized enemy troops, other units dared to launch attacks with only a reinforced infantry company, but the Xiliu Camp was confident that “one reinforced platoon would suffice!”
They were the invincible Xiliu Camp—defeating everything from the French Foreign Legion and Vietnamese government forces to French colonial troops, French Marines, and North Vietnamese bandits.
At that moment, Liu Yu was equally spirited. He declared loudly, “The enemy is in Liuzhou, numbering in the thousands. Yet we are confident that we can annihilate them with just one company, or even one platoon. So why can’t we take Guilin?”
Before his subordinates could explain, Liu Yu already had the answer: “All responsibility lies with me. I bear the greatest responsibility. If Guilin isn’t taken, it’s my fault!”

“Although Guilin City has a large garrison, the number of troops inside is at most 20,000. In open combat, our two reinforced battalions could fight them to a standstill. Add another battalion, and they might collapse altogether. But why is it so difficult to fight?”
“It’s not that they’re too strong or skilled in battle!” Liu Yu said loudly. “We are still the invincible Black Flag Army. With just one infantry battalion charging, the Qing forces would need at least five battalions to hold back!”
Indeed, the Qing army had great confidence in defending large provincial capitals. Even during the Taiping Rebellion, only a few provincial capitals fell to the enemy—Wuchang, Hefei, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and a few others.
Deep in their hearts, the Qing believed that bandits like those in Guilin could never break in, so they were extremely confident in their defenses. Moreover, Guilin had ample food and supplies, no shortage of weapons, well-maintained fortifications, and a steady stream of reinforcements. Thus, the Qing forces in Guilin were in excellent form.
“That’s why the responsibility lies with me, with Liu Yu. It’s not that the enemy is strong—it’s that we’re exhausted!”
“The Zuo Zhuan says, ‘War depends on courage. With one charge, one’s spirit is high; with a second, it wanes; with a third, it’s exhausted.’ It was my mistake in command—I’ll take responsibility!”
“Since our Black Flag Army advanced from the north, we’ve fought hundreds of battles, losing over a thousand soldiers. We’ve captured more than thirty cities, taken Nan Guan, attacked Liuzhou, and recaptured Nanning. Who doesn’t say our Black Flag Army is the invincible force in the world? Yet why are we stuck outside Guilin City? It’s because our troops have marched thousands of miles without rest, utterly exhausted. Attacking Guilin while on the move is beyond our strength!”
“Right now, outside Guilin City, our entire force amounts to just one reinforced regiment. More than two-thirds of our artillery is behind, with less than a full supply of shells. Most of our medical teams are still behind, and some units have just left Nan Guan. So…”
“We are still the invincible Black Flag Army. We…”
“Remain invincible!”
“Order all units to rest here for one to two days, replenish ammunition, take care of the wounded and those who fell behind, and restore their combat strength to the fullest extent possible!”
“Anyone who dares to attack us shall be utterly annihilated!”
“During the rest period, organize reconnaissance teams and sniper units to strike the enemy hard, especially focusing on killing enemy officers!”
“Any attempt to reinforce Guilin City must be completely destroyed. Use a siege-and-aid strategy during the rest period, with reserve forces under the command ready to engage at any time!”
In just a short while, Liu Yu had made comprehensive arrangements: “Once we’re rested, we’ll use all our firearms to break into Guilin City. All units must take Guilin at any cost!”
“How many casualties there are, I’ll replenish you with that many troops! Don’t worry about high losses. If we capture Guilin, you’ll have what you need—meat, fish, whatever! If we can’t capture it…”
“I’ll see if you still have any guts!!!”
“Don’t even think about going back to Vietnam to hide in some ditch. If we fail, we won’t even have a place to die!”
The troops were filled with anger. Pan Dingxin, who had once been a provincial governor, saw this and immediately knelt before Liu Yu: “I am willing to share honor and disgrace with you!”
“I am willing to share honor and disgrace with you!”

“Willing to share honor and disgrace with Your Majesty!”
“Willing to share honor and disgrace with Your Majesty!”
Roaring voices echoed in succession; Liu Yu had already bet his own fate, the fate of the Black Flag Army, and the fate of entire China on this.