Chapter 57: Storms and Tempests

Ye Chenglin stood on the old camp and looked down, seeing only rolling mountains. Everywhere, seven-star black flags could be seen, and behind them were meticulously constructed camps scattered throughout, all arranged with great precision.

From this vantage point, he could clearly see the layout of the Black Flag Army. They carried many tents and numerous cannons of various sizes.

Wu Fengdian walked ahead of him, “Chenglin, let’s go see the general!”

But Ye Chenglin didn’t respond. He merely stared at those black flags, murmuring, “Our Yellow Flag Army also once had such glory!”

Then he stepped down the bluestone stairs, followed by several fully armed bodyguards. More soldiers watched from behind them, hoping Ye Chenglin would bring good news. “Recruitment! Maybe we can get recruited too.”

“Be careful. Panlun Si was once recruited by the Vietnamese, but he turned against them in the end.”

“That’s right. Keep your eyes sharp. Until we get definite news, defend the camp hard. Even if Liu Er comes in person, don’t open the gates.”

“Even if we’re recruited, life will still be hard. We’d just be able to keep our wives and children safe.”

All their hopes rested on Ye Chenglin’s shoulders.

Before long, another group of people approached, and the soldiers guarding the old camp grew nervous. “Who? What’s going on? Are they trying to ambush us?”

Arquebuses were ready, along with various swords, spears, and clubs. The soldiers at the cannons were already estimating distances. “Who?”

The reply relieved them. “Shen Sheng and Gao Shier from Xiliu Camp are here to see Ye Chenglin.”

“Our boss went with Wu Fengdian to see Liu Yongfu. What do you want? He just left,” said a man sticking his head out from the top of the camp. “Brother Shen, just tell me what it is, and I’ll definitely pass it on to Chenglin.”

Hearing this, Shen Sheng quickly bowed and said, “Thank you. Then we’d better chase after them!”

By then, Ye Chenglin had approached the Black Flag Army’s camp. Now he could see those fluttering battle flags clearly.

Each seven-star flag represented a separate battalion of the Black Flag Army.

“Wu… is the commander of the Left Battalion of the Black Flag Army…” That was Wu Fengdian’s battalion.

“Yang… is the commander of the Right Battalion. Liu… is the commander of the Rear Battalion. Huang… is the commander of the Front Battalion…” Upon seeing this flag, his pace slowed as he recalled many past events. Meanwhile, Wu Fengdian continued to talk about the generous conditions Liu Yongfu had promised: “In our Black Flag Army, Chenglin can also form his own battalion and stand shoulder to shoulder with Shouzhong.”

Just then, one of his bodyguards shouted, “It’s the Double-Leaf Flag!”

“The Double-Leaf Flag! It really is the Double-Leaf Flag!”

“That damned flag—how did it end up in Shizhou too?”

Ye Chenglin looked up. Before him was the Double-Leaf Battle Flag. Although it also featured the Big Dipper, what stood out most were the two willow leaves on the flag.

To Ye Chenglin’s bodyguards, those willow leaves symbolized endless murderous intent. “That’s right! It’s the Double-Leaf Flag. I’m not mistaken—this is the Death Star!”

He saw the large Chinese characters “Xiliu Camp” on the willow leaves and asked Wu Fengdian, “Is this the Double-Leaf Flag?”

The Ten Continents were remote and isolated, so people there were not very familiar with the reputation of the Xiliu Camp. However, the name of this double-sided flag was well-known. Half a year ago, some soldiers from the Yellow Flag Army who had suffered setbacks came to join them, and they recounted the night at the Red River outpost when blood flowed like rivers and corpses piled up like mountains: “If you encounter this double-leaf flag, it’s best to stay away.” The battle they described sounded like a myth to Ye Chenglin and the others—just thirty-seven men held off an onslaught of eight hundred Yellow Flag Army soldiers, who were eventually utterly defeated and fled in disarray, abandoning their dead, wounded, and captives. Could this really be the Yellow Flag Army? It was more like those shameless Vietnamese soldiers, and even Vietnamese soldiers didn’t engage in such a disgraceful battle. Thirty-seven men defeating eight hundred—they swore by teeth that it was all true, or else heaven would nail them to the ground: “It was Old Qiao who commanded this battle; it’s 100% true, not a bit false.” Ye Chenglin still doubted it, even wondering if such a Black Flag Army unit with a double-leaf flag existed. But when the flag was shown before him, he even trembled: “Which camp is this?” “A new camp. They joined our Black Flag Army in Shanxi last year. The commander is unbelievably young,” Wu Fengdian said casually. “Once we meet the leader, I’ll introduce you to them.” “Xiliu Camp?” Ye Chenglin now believed every word Shen Sheng and Gao Shier said: “Zhou Yafu stationed his troops at Xiliu—what a great name.” Wu Fengdian unconsciously quickened his pace. “After meeting the leader, I’ll take you to meet those commanders. Don’t worry about that scoundrel Huang Er; he won’t dare touch you.” “Mm!” But Ye Chenglin slowed down, forcing Wu Fengdian to slow as well. His personal guards were also buzzing with discussion—they truly believed there was such a camp with a double-leaf flag in Northern Vietnam. Was such an achievement of thirty-seven defeating eight hundred really true? They were still skeptical. Wu Fengdian remained calm, walking slowly ahead. “What? Curious? Take your time and look.” Just then, several people rushed up out of breath: “Chenglin! You made us run so hard.” It was Wu Fengdian who greeted them first: “Are you two from Xiliu Camp too? Why haven’t I seen you before? I’m Wu Fengdian.” Shen Sheng and Gao Shier had rushed after them eagerly but were embarrassed to find Wu Fengdian with Ye Chenglin. However, having spent many years in the martial world, Shen Sheng said, “I’m one of the newcomers from Xiliu Camp. I’ve met Commander Wu. This is Lord Gao Shier of Mengde!” “I’ve met Commander Wu.” Wu Fengdian spoke to Shen Sheng calmly and solemnly, “What’s the matter?” Shen Sheng immediately took out the letter he brought: “Our commander has a letter for Brother Chenglin!” After delivering the letter, they didn’t dare engage in any emotional exchanges in Wu Fengdian’s presence and left right away. But Wu Fengdian suddenly grew uneasy. He saw Ye Chenglin find a big tree by the road, lean the letter against it, and start reading it, with several guards surrounding him.

He was indeed patient, waiting until Ye Chenglin had put away the letter before stepping forward and saying, “All the battalions in our Black Flag Army are very close to each other. In the future, our two battalions should also get to know each other better.”
Ye Chenglin was quite disappointed inwardly. Liu Yu’s letter contained no special gestures—just a simple attempt to be friendly. His hopes had been dashed, and it was inevitable that his feelings showed on his face as he replied casually, “Indeed.”
Since Wu Fengdian could tell he was preoccupied, he naturally had to promote Liu Yongfu thoroughly: “By the way, Chenglin, there’s some good news I need to let you know in advance.”
“What is it?”
“The general highly regards you, saying you’re a rare talent for a general. He intends to have you go to Xuan Guang to establish your own command.”
Ye Chenglin felt a mix of joy and confusion, his mind filled with uncertainty.
Meanwhile, the confrontation between Liu Yongfu and Zunshi Yunping also reached a conclusion. He managed to withstand the pressure: “If we kill Chenglin now, more chaos might arise. People like Wen Er and Gao Shier might rebel again. Since he’s willing to bring his wife and children with me to Baosheng, he’s under my control. It would be better if I took him to Governor Huang in Baosheng, and let Governor Huang deal with him, wouldn’t that be better?”
On the other side, Zunshi Yunping, seeing that Liu Yongfu was stubbornly resisting, said, “Are you trying to defy the governor? This is what the governor himself wrote.”
Liu Yongfu remained firm but not aggressive: “The governor is far away in Xinghua and may not know the details of the situation here. If he were aware and still gave orders, I would have no choice but to execute him despite the pain.”
Zunshi Yunping snapped, “Fine! I’ll send fast horses to Xinghua to fetch the governor’s orders. I hope you won’t go back on your word!”
With that, he stormed out angrily. Vietnamese officials like Wu Zanxiang followed him out, leaving Liu Yongfu alone in the room. Looking out the window, sensing an approaching storm, Liu Yongfu thought of Ye Chenglin and said, “It depends on your luck now.”
Back to Zunshi Yunping, after encountering resistance from Liu Yongfu and sending an urgent letter to Huang Zuoyan via fast horses to Xinghua, he was filled with anger. “Detestable! Detestable!” He glanced at the Vietnamese officials around him and asked, “Should Ye Chenglin be executed?”
As the military supervisor, Wu Zanxiang and the others could only say, “He must be executed!”
“Absolutely detestable! That Liu Er insists on protecting such a heinous criminal. Detestable!” Zunshi Yunping’s gaze turned icy. “Since the Black Flag Army still wants to protect him, then we shall execute this scoundrel on behalf of the imperial court.”
With that decisive statement, Wu Zanxiang and the others had no choice but to comply. “Then let’s get ready to act. I imagine Ye Chenglin, when coming to Liu’s camp to surrender, will only bring a few personal guards. With three thousand soldiers, we can kill him anywhere.”
Once the plan was set, Zunshi Yunping focused on setting a trap, waiting for Ye Chenglin to come and surrender. Meanwhile, the front camp couldn’t come up with any solution. No matter how shrewd and capable Huang Shouzhong was, he was utterly confused by the political maneuvers. It was Deng Shichang, the platoon leader, who came up with an idea: “How about I go and investigate the situation at the Fine Willow Camp?”

Huang Shouzhong glanced at the braid he had cut off and realized that he was close to the Xiliu Camp. Among the Black Flag Army, the Xiliu Camp had the best equipment and the largest number of troops. If these two camps joined forces, even Liu Yongfu would find it difficult to suppress them. He immediately nodded and said, “Go then!”
“Chenglin!”
“Sinful Ye Chenglin greets the commander and comes to humble himself before you!” As soon as they met, Ye Chenglin realized his situation: “Ye Chenglin has caused chaos in the Ten Continents; my crimes are grave. Please, Commander Liu, punish me.”
Liu Yongfu quickly helped Ye Chenglin up. “Chenglin, we were once old friends—there’s no need for such formalities!”
He already had plans for Ye Chenglin: “Chenglin, now the Black Flag Army has camps in all directions, plus the new Xiliu Camp. How about you lead the front troops while I take direct charge? I’ll assign you to Xuan Guang, where you can establish your own territory—far better than this barren place in the Ten Continents.”
Although he had heard this news from Wu Fengdian, confirming it from Liu Yongfu still filled Ye Chenglin with great joy. “I am willing to die serving the general.”
Liu Chengliang and Yang Zhenen also came over to congratulate him. “Commander Ye, from now on we’re colleagues. I hope you’ll look out for me in the future.”
Just then, someone brought a visit card. Liu Yongfu opened it—it was from the left guard of the Xiliu Camp: “The Xiliu Camp has scheduled a drill for the day after tomorrow and invites us to attend.”
With everything settled, he wasn’t worried that Ye Chenglin might uncover his plans. “The Xiliu Camp is a new camp with excellent equipment. Let’s go and take a look together.”
No matter what achievements the Xiliu Camp made, in his eyes, it could be summarized in four words: “Excellent equipment.”
Wu Fengdian spoke in favor of the Xiliu Camp as well: “They’re also quite good at organizing their troops.”
Among the Black Flag Army, Ye Chenglin was most curious about this new camp. “Great! I’d like to go and watch the drill too.”
“Fengdian, arrange for Chenglin to stay!” Liu Yongfu added, “Treat him according to my standards.”
Ye Chenglin was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly before staying with Wu Fengdian.
The dinner was sumptuous, and he enjoyed it greatly. As he considered whether to send someone to talk to Huang Shouzhong or write a letter back to the Xiliu Camp, a bodyguard came over and whispered in his ear, “There’s a problem.”
These words snapped him out of his thoughts. He was there to accept amnesty, not to indulge in comfort. Without even going to bed, he glanced out the window and indeed saw some suspicious figures outside, who quickly left as soon as they saw him.
But being an experienced soldier, he wasn’t fooled by these spies. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he thought, “Who did this? Is it Liu Er? Or Huang Er? Or Huang Zuo Yan? Ah, Liu Er once defeated Huang Chongying with his black spear.”
These people were sent by Zunshi Yunping. As soon as Ye Chenglin entered the camp, Zunshi Yunping already knew: “Ye Chenglin only brought five bodyguards—easy to deal with. But since Wu Fengdian is accompanying him, it’s harder to act.”
While sending people to gather information, Zunshi Yunping also sent messengers to Xinghua to hurry things along, determined to find an opportunity to get rid of Ye Chenglin. Soon, he received news: “The day after tomorrow, Ye Chenglin will go to the Xiliu Camp with Liu Yongfu to watch the drill, likely traveling alone.”
Xinghua.

Although separated by several provinces on the surface, the distance from Xinghua to Shizhou was actually just equivalent to a few counties in China. Zunshi Yunping sent letters by fast horse, taking only a day to deliver them. Huang Zuoyan grew increasingly anxious and quickly wrote a third handwritten letter to send back to Shizhou. He hadn’t expected Zunshi Yunping’s efforts to go so smoothly; Liu Yongfu insisted on protecting Ye Chenglin: “Now Liu will escape my control.” Skilled in political tactics, he had spent years trying to control the size of the Black Flag Army. Although its strength reached around three thousand, less than 1,500 soldiers actually received their salaries from him, and he often deducted amounts from them. Occasionally, he would increase the rewards slightly, so that by the end of the year, the army could only raise 50,000 taels on its own and receive another 50,000 taels from him. Ten thousand taels per person meant just over 30 taels per year. This money had to cover not only salaries and the needs of families but also expenses such as purchasing equipment and ammunition, leaving the Black Flag Army in a tight financial situation. Yet now it seemed the army might escape his control. First, Liu Yongfu had accumulated considerable private wealth over the years—even if not ten thousand taels, he surely had seventy or eighty thousand, which he kept for emergencies but could now spend if necessary. What was more worrying was that last year, the Xiliu Camp had risen to prominence taking advantage of the chaos caused by Li Yangcai. This army was exceptionally well-equipped, only comparable to the French forces in Hanoi. If the Black Flag Army acquired Ye Chenglin as well, its strength would be unmatched in northern Vietnam, creating a serious problem. Another batch of messengers arrived from Shizhou, bringing more handwritten letters from Huang Zuoyan, increasing his anxiety. Sigh! In times of turmoil for the country, why is it so difficult to do even a good deed? The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became, unable to sleep. Opening the window, he saw approaching wind and rain. Growing even more anxious, he wrote another urgent order: “Order the commander to execute Ye Chenglin immediately.” But after sending this order with his personal guards, he became even more restless. He quickly got dressed and left his room. A few guards asked, “Commander, where are you going?” “To Shizhou!” Huang Zuoyan ordered loudly. “Prepare the horses quickly! I’ll go in person. I refuse to believe I can’t suppress Liu Er!” In the dead of night, several horses galloped swiftly. Huang Zuoyan held his sword tightly, as if ready to cut off Ye Chenglin’s head at any moment. Shizhou. Liu Yu hadn’t expected to receive a reply from Ye Chenglin so soon, let alone have the former camp commander, who shared the same name as a famous Beiyang general, come to see him personally. “Commander Liu, I have something to discuss. Please ask everyone to leave.” Captain Deng Shichang spoke solemnly, and Liu Yu knew there must be a reason, so he said, “Everyone, go away. Captain Deng and I have important matters to discuss.” Captain Deng asked, “Ayu, have you come to Shizhou intending to bring some gifts home?” Liu Yu replied, “Of course. But I’ve already made some progress.” Deng Shichang got straight to the point: “If the front camp intends to absorb Ye Chenglin, what’s Xiliu Camp’s stance?”

Deng Shichang couldn’t understand Liu Yu’s absolute authority in Xiliu Camp, nor how a young man could gain such supreme power. But he knew that on this issue, Liu Yu couldn’t avoid it no matter what: “The front camp wants an answer.”
Liu Yu wasn’t expecting Deng Shichang to ask about this and was startled. “Does Liu Yongfu know?”
“No. Ye Chenglin has caused chaos in the Ten Continents. Governor Huang intends to punish him, so we plan to act first and report later—to secure things first before informing the commander. Then we can assign some troops to Xiliu Camp.”
As a low-ranking officer and soldier, Liu Yu immediately shook his head. “That’s not right, not right at all!”
He had always advocated solving problems within the system, resorting to the most violent methods only when nothing else worked. “This matter must be approved by the commander under any circumstances; otherwise, many complications will arise.”
“I think it’s better to consider this carefully over time!”
With that, Captain Deng also understood Xiliu Camp’s stance. “Good! What Liu Yu says makes sense. I’ll inform our commander.”
But as soon as he left, Liu Yu thought, “Could there be complications with Ye Chenglin’s surrender?”
“Never mind. That’s a problem for Liu Yongfu to deal with. I’d better focus on the parade the day after tomorrow.”
This parade was the highlight of Liu Yu’s campaign in the Ten Continents. He was determined to shock the various battalions of the Black Flag Army, showing them the discipline and order of Xiliu Camp. Before setting out, Xiliu Camp even practiced their formations again.
The platoon leaders also vowed not to allow any mistakes. They were confident—after a year of training, even a newly captured soldier from the Yellow Flag Army could master the formations in just five months, marching in perfect unison under the drill sticks.
They were confident they could impress the Black Flag Army’s allies, so they distributed notices everywhere, even sending many to the Vietnamese troops.
But fate was against them. Light rain started the next day, turning the leveled ground into mud. Liu Yu glanced at the engineer squad leader. “You’re in charge!”
The engineer squad leader saluted immediately. “I’ll complete the task. Please assign the logistics team to my squad; we’ll level the ground again by tomorrow.”
The parade ground they chose was a flat area on a mountain top, obtained after much effort, though it was a bit elevated.
But no one expected heavy rain that night, and by morning, it had gotten even worse. Standing in the rain, it was hard to keep one’s eyes open.