Chapter 212: Annihilation (Part 2)

When the Black Flag Army resolved to launch an attack northward, a truly spectacular scene unfolded across the Hunan battlefield. Though it paled in comparison to the Taiping Army’s earlier campaign, during which hundreds of thousands of troops swept through Hunan only to be halted at Changsha, the arrival of sixty combat regiments—nearly fifty of them infantry—made any resistance futile.

This formidable army was equipped with every weapon the Hunan forces knew of or could imagine. In particular, the thirty-six Maxim machine guns were incredibly powerful; a single volley from them could penetrate formations of hundreds of soldiers. Wu Dacheng wrote in his requests for reinforcements, “The rebels possess hundreds of rapid-fire cannons. Their fire is like rain, capable of firing tens of thousands of rounds at once. A single cannon is equivalent to hundreds of our cannons and tens of thousands of rifles. There have been instances where eight hundred local militia were completely wiped out by just one of the rebels’ rapid-fire cannons. These cannons are beyond comparison to Green Gun models. It is said to be the latest advanced weapon from the West. To defeat the enemy, we must have these cannons!”

Now, the Black Flag Army had established a multi-layered firepower network—ranging from long-range heavy artillery and portable mountain guns to machine guns, mortars, and rapid-fire rifles—creating a firepower that no opponent could withstand. Often, just a few rapid fireshots from their artillery would cause their opponents to collapse entirely. Their opponents’ equipment was not fundamentally different from that of the Qing troops during the Taiping Army’s passage through Hunan. Back then, the Taiping Army unearthed old-fashioned cannons buried after Wu Sangui’s defeat in Yueyang, and these cannons outperformed all Qing artillery for a long time. Now, facing the same types of guns, the Qing troops had little chance against the powerful enemy forces.

The biggest problem facing the Black Flag Army was, in fact, the same as Wu Dacheng’s dilemma when retreating north: they simply couldn’t figure out who their enemies were. Were they the Green Standard Army? The Eight Banners? Secret societies? Or local militia? All of these seemed like enemies, yet the Manchu and Han Eight Banners actually showed the least resistance and were the most willing to surrender. The local militia, once expected to be the strongest opponents, were now deeply divided. Some welcomed the Black Flag Army’s arrival, while others remained neutral. Only a tiny fraction dared to openly resist them. Secret societies and various rebel groups posed the greatest challenge, their stances as erratic as those of the militia, with no fixed position. Yet many of these groups, despite fighting against the Black Flag Army in practice, sympathized with them ideologically.

Given this situation, Liu Yu issued an order: “Anyone who dares to challenge our authority shall be treated as an enemy and attacked!” These scattered armed groups soon realized the Black Flag Army’s strength. Part of the forces from the Xiliu Camp confronted two thousand members of a secret society. Seeing that the Black Flag Army consisted of only sixty or seventy men, the rebels hoped to take advantage of the situation. Unexpectedly, an officer among the Black Flag Army raised his arm and asked, “What kind of army are we?”
“The Xiliu Camp!”
“Our history teaches us that if the enemy has a thousand soldiers with complete arms and artillery, how many troops does our Xiliu Camp need?”
The soldiers replied in unison, “One platoon of infantry and one cannon!”

“How many troops do we have now?”
“One and a half platoons of infantry, two cannons, and one heavy machine gun!”
“Then what are we waiting for?”
After this astonishing mobilization, the Black Flag Army immediately launched an attack. Under the fire of the machine guns, dozens of rebels were killed at once. Then mortars fired, and the infantry attacked. These 2,000 rebels collapsed within half an hour, with over a thousand captured, while the Black Flag Army suffered only two minor injuries.
With such brilliant results, the Black Flag Army quickly subdued any armed forces that dared to resist their authority. In fact, whenever any armed group showed signs of opposition, they were completely eliminated by local militias or rebel forces, even without the Black Flag Army intervening.
The Black Flag Army advanced northward, growing larger with each step. Although eight companies were left behind to defend the rear and expand locally, the main force consisted of seventy companies.
Among those triumphant in the northern advance was Tian Deming, the former governor of Hengyang. When the Black Flag Army found him, he only had less than a hundred troops left. Liu Yu even had to send two full platoons to reinforce his forces.
Now, however, he was once again powerful. He now commanded a force the size of an enhanced battalion, already structured along Black Flag Army lines—with officers, weapons, and regulations all in line with those of the Black Flag Army. Moreover, people gave him a new title: “Pan Dingxin of Central Hunan!”
But he felt that Pan Dingxin couldn’t be compared to him. Pan Dingxin had risen in rebellion after failing to resist, under pressure from the Black Flag Army. He, on the other hand, had launched his rebellion before the Black Flag Army even entered the region and had managed to preserve his forces after the rebellion failed.
With the Black Flag Army’s promising future, Tian Deming also exerted great effort. He recruited a group of people for the Black Flag Army and reorganized these forces into local military units, which could serve as leverage for him to compete for the position of governor of Hunan.
As the Black Flag Army advanced northward, they engaged in over 200 battles, killing, wounding, or capturing more than 18,000 enemy soldiers. Additionally, over 24,000 enemy soldiers joined their ranks, with thousands of them being integrated into the Black Flag Army. The Black Flag Army’s own losses were only slightly over 200.
By the time the Black Flag Army reached the outskirts of Changsha, Wang Debang could no longer hold out.
Wu Dacheng insisted on defending Changsha at all costs and fighting to the death against the Black Flag Army. But since he had made such a foolish decision, Wang Debang wasn’t willing to die with him.
Since Wu Dacheng retreated northward, he had gathered weapons from various sources and brought in several reinforcements from Hubei, raising the city’s troop strength to nearly 20,000. However, their combat effectiveness was poor. Wang Debang realized he was like a monkey king in a land without tigers—powerful in name only.
He was well aware of the combat strength of his own troops. He immediately resolved to ignore Wu Dacheng’s orders and withdraw under the pretext of conducting guerrilla operations outside the city.
The Gong Sui Army had already advanced far, and Wang Debang’s forces were Wu Dacheng’s main asset in defending Changsha. He never expected this famous general from Central Chu to be so determined to leave without even giving face.
Wang Debang retreated before the Black Flag Army arrived in Changsha, under the guise of guerrilla operations, leaving behind one battalion of new recruits as scapegoats inside the city.

They also advanced northward, and it was not until they retreated to Yangliudong that the people in Changsha learned that Wang Debang had fled again!
“How am I supposed to defend this city of Changsha?” Upon hearing this news, Wu Dacheng was utterly desperate. “Wang Debang is far too untrustworthy, far too lacking in loyalty!”
With those five thousand men joining Wang Debang, Changsha’s defending forces lost their backbone. Neither the auxiliary troops nor the main army could field a combat-effective force now, and the reinforcements sent from Hubei were the worst troops available.
Thus, when the Black Flag Army arrived outside the city, not a single soldier inside dared to go out and challenge them. Then, one of the vanguard units of the Black Flag Army immediately took position in front of the Qing troops, attempting to attack the city while advancing.
Two heavy machine guns wiped out a large number of defenders on the city walls, and a French-made mountain gun blasted the defenders atop the walls. Then two advance squads, carrying ladders and explosive charges, climbed onto the walls—so smoothly that even the Black Flag Army members doubted something was wrong, which led to problems in organizing subsequent attacks and delayed reinforcements.
Wu Dacheng now risked everything, mobilizing the remaining troops of his largely depleted Gonggui Army and offering huge rewards to recruit hundreds of desperate men. A fierce battle ensued atop the city walls.
The two squads from the Black Flag Army, still unsteady and suffering heavy losses, engaged in a prolonged struggle. Wu Dacheng heard reports firsthand: “The Tianzhi Battalion has fallen… The Dizhi Battalion has fallen… The Fengzhi Battalion has fallen…”
By the end of the battle, the Black Flag Army was pushed to just one corner of the city walls, but the Qing troops could no longer advance.
Yet for the Black Flag Army, this incident held special significance. From Liuzhou to Guilin, in such famous cities, even with the greatest advantages, the Black Flag Army had never succeeded in seizing a foothold without first attempting an attack during their advance.
The assault teams of the two infantry squads on the city walls fought tenaciously, using grenades, rifle butts, bayonets, and explosive charges—yet they were not driven out as before.
So, the two battalion commanders and one regiment commander who had arrived first at Changsha held a joint meeting: “The enemy is weak!”
“That’s right! This time, the enemy is weaker than in Guilin or Liuzhou!”
“I don’t think it’s the enemy being weak; it’s that their commanders are incompetent. Two infantry squads can hold their ground on the city walls without being pushed back!”
“If we add one reinforced company, we can definitely break into the city!”
“One reinforced company isn’t enough. I think we need two!”
The officers of the Black Flag Army were confident, but the forces currently at Changsha’s gates consisted of just over half of their infantry regiment. In terms of individual infantry companies, they belonged to three different regiments. Even if the Black Flag Army officers decided to take initiative to achieve maximum victory, it was still a daunting task.
“I think the problem now isn’t how to capture Changsha as quickly as possible, but how to prevent the enemy from escaping!”
With just over half of an infantry regiment, surrounding Changsha was nothing but a fantasy. Moreover, the Qing troops inside Changsha could escape at any moment—this was the biggest challenge facing these officers.

“I think we must inform the commander that at least one battalion needs to be sent around to the enemy’s rear! Yes, at least one battalion; two would be needed to hold them off!”
“Other than providing fire support for the attacking forces, we should suspend our attacks to avoid alerting the enemy!”
For the Black Flag Army, the problem was that they hadn’t expected the defenders and commanders of Changsha to be so weak. After all, everyone in the Black Flag Army, including Liu Yu himself, believed that capturing Changsha would require at least 600 to 1,000 casualties.
While they were discussing the situation, bad news came from the front line: “The enemy has abandoned Changsha! They are fleeing north in large numbers. The troops are asking for the next course of action!”