Chapter 58: The Parade

The rain poured down relentlessly. With strong winds and fierce storms, the rain even seeped in through the cracks in the curtains. Thus, Liu Yongfu’s first thought upon getting up was, “It seems today’s parade at Xiliu Camp is off.”
That was good—so as to avoid further trouble. “Notify Cheng Lin and say the heavy rain has forced a postponement of the parade.”
Ye Chenglin had been sleeping restlessly these past few days, waking up every morning to the violent storm outside, unable to calm down at all.
A trap had already been set for him, ready to crush him completely. At the thought of this, he felt a shiver run down his spine. “I wonder if anything will happen to the old camp?”
He now had a family to take care of—unlike before when he could fend for himself while his family went hungry. Back at the old camp were his wife and children, who mattered most to him. “Should I inform the old camp to step up security?”
As he pondered this, Wu Fengdian came in, drenched. “Brother Cheng Lin, I’m sorry, but today’s parade has been canceled due to the rain.”
Ye Chenglin, preoccupied, merely responded casually.
“The wind is so strong, and the rain so heavy!” Liu Suiyun put on his rain gear and tried stepping outside, only to be blown back. “Ayu, it seems we can’t go today.”
At his words, several officers nodded in agreement. “The rain is too heavy; it’s impossible to go out.”
With strong winds and heavy rain, the roads were slippery. The planned parade site was on top of a mountain, making it even harder to reach. “Ayu, I didn’t bring any rain gear.”
Apart from conical hats, Xiliu Camp hadn’t brought much rain gear this time. So Liu Yu also looked at the torrential rain outside and said, “Sigh… It seems it’s canceled. All this effort wasted—how frustrating!”
Just then, the north wind brought more raindrops in. Zhang Biao and Cai Yunnan stepped back, only to see Liu Yu raise his conical hat and stand at the threshold.
“Those who want to go, follow me!”
He stepped into the storm. His slender frame seemed swallowed by the heavy rain and winds. “Proceed as usual. It’s up to you whether to go or not!”
Liu Suiyun glanced fearfully at the storm but saw Zhang Biao and Cai Yunnan, two men with a strong sense of adventure, already stepping over the threshold ahead of Liu Yu. “We’ll follow the leader!”
He quickened his pace. “I’m going too!”
The rain was cold. Liu Suiyun’s rain gear couldn’t protect him properly, and half of his body got wet immediately.
“Gather! Gather!” he ordered loudly. “Form up immediately! We’re going to the parade!”
This time, it took much longer to gather than usual. Many veterans hesitated, looking at the muddy ground. Falling would be common if they went out now.
Liu Yu called out to them, drenched by the rain, “Will you go? Those who want to follow me, let’s set off!”
He took his first step, with the rain still pouring down.
He didn’t know how many people followed him.
After Wu Fengdian left, Ye Chenglin began to ponder the meaning behind his words. Gradually, he felt there was something hidden in Wu Fengdian’s statement.

Who would go to the military parade in such heavy rain today? There’s no need to ask—could it be that Liu Yongfu is hiding murderous intent and wants to target him? For this reason, he specially summoned a bodyguard: “Be careful. Go back to the camp and make sure the men keep watch over their homes.” This was a prearranged signal; he even left orders that if there was no news from him for two days, these subordinates should immediately break through. Thinking of the spies watching him these days, Ye Chenglin still felt uneasy: “What should I do? Watch the parade?” Suddenly, he said, “Come with me to see the formation at Xiliu Camp. Let’s go.” He disliked the feeling of being spied on and didn’t want to be at someone else’s mercy. Whether it was Liu Yu or others, their rain gear was useless—they were all drenched. Even though they had drunk ginger soup and eaten before setting out, none of them could tolerate the cold. But following Liu Yu were almost all the men from the left flank of Xiliu Camp. They would slip sometimes but quickly get back up from the mud and keep moving forward, filling Liu Yu’s heart with warmth. He hadn’t expected that after ordering them to act freely, he could gather so many people—almost the entire left flank was here, with all the squad leaders present; only a few new recruits from the Yellow Flag Army stayed at home. Holding Spencer in one hand and signaling downward with the other, he said, “Good! Hurry up and follow!” “Follow me!” The wind was strong and the rain heavy; the mountain path was difficult. They climbed upward along a small trail. Liu Suiyun felt cold all over, uncomfortable in the rain, but seeing Zhang Biao and Cai Yunnan walking happily ahead, he could only grit his teeth. Zhang Biao, acting as if he didn’t feel cold at all, was even more enthusiastic than Liu Yu at this moment: “Protect your rifles! Protect your rifles!” They used metal-shell bullets, which had a natural advantage over flintlock guns that couldn’t be used in rain. Spencer was also renowned for its ability to function in harsh conditions, but Zhang Biao’s enthusiasm for rifles seemed even greater: “Take good care of your rifles!” They continued forward, with the wind and rain hitting them. Liu Yu himself stumbled and his brand-new military uniform almost turned into half mud, but the entire team kept moving. Shen Sheng shook his head among the group—why go through all this? He had a family; why endure such hardship? Even if they reached the top of the mountain for the parade, it would be like showing off to the blind. With such heavy rain, how could anyone come to watch the parade at Xiliu Camp? When they reached the top, Liu Yu felt he had come a long way, but there were people there. Squad leader Deng Shichang stretched out his hand and said with a smile, “I knew you would come!” Since Ye Chenglin had decided to return to the camp to take shelter from the storm, he put on his rain gear and rushed out with two bodyguards. He ran fast, and before those spies could react, Ye Chenglin had already disappeared into the heavy rain. It had been many years since Ye Chenglin had worked so hard. He panted as he searched for the way back to the camp: “Follow me!”

He had been around this area for ten years and could make his way back to the old camp even with his eyes closed. But things didn’t go as planned—after just a dozen steps, he saw someone coming with an umbrella and a raincoat: “Isn’t that Cheng Lin? Where are you going?”
Ye Chenglin glanced through the rain and saw it was Yang Zhenen, the commander of the Right Camp he had met the previous day: “Commander Yang, I came out to watch the drills at Xiliu Camp.”
He lied without even blushing: “I heard the soldiers at Xiliu Camp train well.”
Yang Zhenen had come out to inspect the camp with his personal guards. He was an impatient man: “They’re still holding drills in such heavy rain today? Strange. Let’s go and take a look.”
Ye Chenglin wanted to slip back to the old camp to check on the situation. Hearing Yang Zhenen’s words, he inwardly groaned but said under the rain, “Let’s go together. I heard Old Yang is also from Qinzhou?”
Only then did they find out they were both from Qinzhou, though different counties—so they were sort of fellow townspeople. Yang Zhenen had come from a military examination background: “Don’t believe what’s in the operas—passing the military exams in the Qing Dynasty isn’t the proper path. Only those like Cheng Lin, who started in the military, can rise steadily…”
He was very talkative and impatient, so Ye Chenglin found it somewhat boring. All he could think was, “How should I break away from him later?”
Before long, they reached the foot of the mountain where the parade was supposed to take place. Ye Chenglin looked up and saw torrential rain, making it impossible to open his eyes. Despite the storm, there was no sound from the top of the mountain.
“It seems the rumor was wrong—the parade at Xiliu Camp has indeed been postponed!” Ye Chenglin wanted to part ways and sneak back to the old camp. “Let’s part here.”
But Yang Zhenen, braving the rain until his eyes blurred, shouted, “There are footprints—very fresh. They must have gone up to Xiliu Camp!”
“Let’s go! We’ll go up and take a look.”
Ye Chenglin complained bitterly.
Meanwhile, Prince Yunping was furious and snapped at Vietnamese officials like Wu Zanxiang: “With so many spies, how could you not even keep an eye on Ye Chenglin? How am I supposed to explain this to the governor?”
He was extremely angry: “If Ye Chenglin isn’t killed, he’ll be a great threat to the dynasty. Tell me—what kind of loyalty and patriotism do you have if you can’t even handle such a simple task?”
His words were harsh, but officials like Wu Zanxiang didn’t dare confront this cold-blooded member of the royal family. They simply said, “Hurry up and have Liu Er kill Ye Chenglin.”
“And surround Ye Chenglin’s old camp. The Black Flag Army won’t fight—we will!”
Just then, someone rushed over, drenched in rain, with urgent news: “My lords, I bring orders from the governor.”
When they opened the document, Prince Yunping was overjoyed: “The governor orders Ye Chenglin to be executed on the spot. I’ll go find Liu Er right away to see what they plan to do! If Ye Chenglin is let go, he can’t bear such a crime!”
With excitement, he shouted, “Follow me all!”
Amidst the sound of wind and rain, the top of the mountain was eerily quiet. It wasn’t until Ye Chenglin and Yang Zhenen reached the top that they understood why it was so silent.
On the leveled ground before them, a few people including Shen Sheng and Deng Shichang were watching Liu Yu’s speech.
That land had originally been flat mountain terrain. Xiliu Camp had spent days removing crops from it and bringing in carts full of fine sand and gravel to level it into a flat surface.

Fourteen hundred soldiers, arranged in ten columns, stood motionless in the rain, row after row.
Liu Yu was unaware that two more spectators had joined the parade, which originally had only five or six viewers.
Facing the pouring rain, he shouted, “Officers of the Xiliu Camp, soldiers of the Xiliu Camp, we have accomplished another glorious feat! I am proud of myself, and I am proud of our unit!”
He took off his hat and waved it, adding, “Let me say one more thing—please remember Captain Deng. Even if he were the only one to watch this parade, it would still deserve to be recorded in history.”
“Because the name Deng Shichang will surely be celebrated through the ages!”
Deng Shichang clearly liked Liu Yu’s words. Standing there, he carefully observed their formation, not even giving Yang Zhenen and Ye Chenglin time to salute. “You two came just in time; it hasn’t started officially yet.”
The soldiers stood tall in the rain, their military postures as firm as mountains and seas.
Ye Chenglin tilted his body to avoid the rain, feeling as though his old bones might be shattered by it, yet he saw that the team of over a hundred people remained motionless.
They stood neatly and respectfully, listening to Liu Yu’s orders, as if the rain didn’t exist at all.
Ye Chenglin sighed, thinking of his own unruly old soldiers.
The rain was heavy, and visibility was poor, but he could see that this unit was like one person—the heavy rain hadn’t changed anything. Such military discipline and appearance were beyond comparison to his own unit.
These soldiers wore uniform military uniforms and carried guns not seen in Ten Continents, but in his eyes, there was only that overwhelming sense of military discipline.
“Has Ye Chenglin left? To watch the Xiliu Camp parade?” Now Liu Yongfu was also confused. “Nonsense! How could the Xiliu Camp hold a parade in such terrible weather? And when did he leave?”
Just as he was troubled, Zunshi Yunping arrived with Huang Zuoyan’s orders, demanding an explanation. “Admiral Liu, for letting Ye Chenglin, a criminal of the dynasty, go free, what crime shall you be charged with?”
He was smug, not even bothering to tidy his wet clothes. “This is the order of the governor. Do you dare disobey the governor’s orders?”
Liu Yongfu knew some of the Vietnamese government’s rules, so he calmed down immediately. “Ye Chenglin is still in my camp. He went to watch the Xiliu Camp parade. Once it’s over, I’ll bring him back. But is this really the governor’s order?”
“It’s an order sent by fast horse from Xinghua!” Zunshi Yunping became even more aggressive. “How dare you disobey?”
At this point, Liu Yongfu could only stall. “Let me take a look.”
He carefully read Huang Zuoyan’s handwritten order, then played hard to get with Zunshi Yunping. “I know this is the governor’s order!”
“I know some things I know, I know some things the governor knows, I know some things I don’t know, and I also know some things the governor doesn’t know. Of course, I also know some things I know that the governor doesn’t know, and I know some things the governor knows that I don’t…”

He just brazenly pushed his way forward with Junshi Yunping, ignoring his furious outbursts and insisting, “Let’s continue…”
Junshi Yunping could only shout in rage, “Execute Ye Chenglin immediately! Otherwise, you’ll bear all the responsibility!”
Just then, another messenger, drenched in rain, arrived and reported, “My lords, orders from the commander-in-chief!”
Liu Yongfu’s expression changed.
The old camp of Shi Zhou Ye Chenglin.
Now the entire camp was filled with a tense atmosphere. From time to time, people would shout, “Watch your doors! Prepare to break out during this heavy rain!”
“The boss ordered us to keep watch at home. If we don’t hear from him, we must break out right away.”
“The boss said to be ready to avenge him.”
With such continuous rain, neither the Black Flag Army nor the Vietnamese troops, nor Ye Chenglin’s men could fight. It was the perfect time to break through. As long as they didn’t hear from Ye Chenglin, they would break out and fight to the death against those Black Flag Army and Vietnamese soldiers.
At this moment, Ye Chenglin even put down his conical hat and stared at the troops parading in the rain.
That young officer was full of vigor; the Xiliu Camp he commanded was truly strong.
He saw Liu Yu walking at the front of the troops, head held high, completely unfazed by the heavy raindrops hitting his eyes: “Xiliu Camp, follow me!”
He had never seen such skilled and magnificent formations before. His heart trembled as he heard Liu Yu’s order, “March in step!”
This was the sixth order.
“Execute Ye Chenglin!” Junshi Yunping’s pride and anger reached their peak.
“I know. The commander-in-chief has shown me and the Black Flag Army great kindness.”
Liu Yongfu felt that another difficult choice lay ahead after entering Vietnam.
“I refuse!”
With that, he put on his conical hat and raincoat and stepped outside, saying, “Where is Ye Chenglin? Take me to him. I’ll protect him!”
Junshi Yunping, furious, followed with Huang Zuoyan’s written order, reminding him at the end, “This is the commander-in-chief’s order…”
Liu Yongfu had already taken Huang Zuoyan’s order.
“Even if it were twelve imperial orders, I’m not Yue Fei.”
He stepped into the heavy rain, shouting, “All of you, go find Ye Chenglin!”
Junshi Yunping never expected such a setback. It took him a long time before he, as if soulless, stepped out of Liu Yongfu’s residence in the rain. He felt everything was as terrible as this rainy day.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of horse hooves. He looked up abruptly and saw a group of horses speeding toward him. On the horses was Commander Huang Zuoyan.
Hope flared in him.
“Where is Liu Yongfu? Where is Ye Chenglin?” Huang Zuoyan, the most powerful man in Northern Vietnam, gripped his sword tightly. “If Liu Er doesn’t kill Ye Chenglin, I’ll do it in his place. Who dares stop me?”
His murderous intent was overwhelming, and his sharp sword was already half drawn.
“Has the Xiliu Camp gone mad?” Liu Yongfu couldn’t believe the news. “With such heavy rain, what are they doing with a parade? Don’t they fear lives being lost?”

Yet the news that reached them was absolutely true—the Xiliu Camp had indeed held a parade in the heavy rain, and Ye Chenglin was among the onlookers; this was what many people had seen with their own eyes. Liu Yongfu gritted his teeth and said, “Let’s go up and take a look too.”

Liu Suiyun felt that if it weren’t for the ginger soup he drank in the morning and the hearty snacks that left his mouth greasy, he might have collapsed already. Floating in the water, he longed for a fire, a bowl of hot soup, and dry clothes. But seeing the respectful looks from the spectators, he still performed every movement in the most standard manner. He thought he was amazing—better than Zhang Biao and Cai Yunnan. Of the three platoon leaders of the Left Flank, no, of the six platoon leaders and one signal officer in the Xiliu Camp, he was definitely the best.

By the time Liu Yongfu reached the top of the hill, the parade was nearing its end. Although the hill wasn’t packed with people, it was still filled with many spectators who watched as the Xiliu Camp repeatedly changed formations, earning rounds of applause. They couldn’t imagine how, in such rain, Liu Yu could still control the troops’ movements using gestures, commands, whistles, and other methods. He cheered for the Xiliu Camp once again, “One more time! I’m proud of all of us!”

But Liu Yongfu found it uninteresting. A forty-year-old man’s body wasn’t like that of a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy; he just wanted to get things done quickly. He spotted Ye Chenglin among the spectators at a glance, rushed over, grabbed his hand, and said, “Chenglin, why did you come here in the rain without even an umbrella?” He immediately told Ye Chenglin all the good news: “Huang Zuoyan wants to kill you. Who does he think he is? It’s not his place to speak. Chenglin, I’ll protect you—go to Xuan Guang with confidence.”

By now, the rain had eased, and the parade was reaching its final stage. Liu Yu saluted everyone in a standard military manner despite the rain, and all the soldiers raised their guns. Ye Chenglin kept his eyes on them, not turning around even at this moment. “Yuanting, I’m sorry.” He slapped the back of his head, which was now bare. “I’ve made up my mind!”

Liu Yongfu was stunned. Following Ye Chenglin’s gaze, he looked ahead. Unlike most units of the Black Flag Army, which still wore queues, the Xiliu Camp had given them up and switched to Han-style clothing. Aside from them, only a few people in the Black Flag Army, like Deng Shichang, had cut their queues and changed their attire. Ye Chenglin had borrowed a bayonet earlier to cut off his queue; he had already found a path for himself and his men.

Liu Yongfu saw that Ye Chenglin still hadn’t turned around, stepping forward without hesitation toward Liu Yu, who was far away, talking with Huang Shouzhong. Liu Yongfu’s face turned pale with anger. He turned away in frustration. The rain was cold, and he snapped, “If it’s going to rain, then let it! Let him go!” By now, Ye Chenglin was already in front of Liu Yu, bowing deeply in respect. “Ye Chenglin of Shizhou earnestly requests that the commander recruit my troops!”