Chapter 68: The Guangxi Defense Forces (Part 1)

Once the appointments were finalized, Liu Yu set out to lead his troops on the campaign the next day. He once again took Ye Chenglin and Sima Tai with him, and entrusted Liu Qing with all matters related to the Black Flag Bank. As the new manager, Liu Qing worked extremely hard, assuring Liu Yu, “There won’t be any problems. I’m very familiar with the methods of the Oriental Union Bank. I guarantee we can secure another loan to serve as our issuance reserve.”

Liu Yu’s only concern was Jiang Ningxue. She had handwoven a new garment for him and gave him numerous instructions, like a caring mother, fearing something might happen to him.

However, the journey proceeded without any incidents. Troops from various units of the Black Flag Army gathered in the Gao Ping area under the direct command of Liu Yongfu. But this time, the overall commander was neither Liu Yongfu nor Huang Zuoyan—it was Huang Guilan, the leader of the Guangxi Defense Forces.

These Guangxi Defense Forces were the only combat-effective troops in the western province. Historically, the Guangxi Green Standard Army had a quota of 24,000 soldiers, but only 14,000 were actually present. They were notorious for collapsing at the first sign of enemy attack and were utterly incapable of withstanding pressure. During the Taiping Rebellion, troops from Weining in Guizhou were sent to assist Guangxi, but when seven Taiping soldiers fought back bravely, over a thousand Weining soldiers refused to engage, abandoned their artillery positions, and fled in disarray. Even such weak soldiers were still considered more combat-effective than the local Guangxi militia.

As a result, more than 10,000 soldiers were cut from the Green Standard Army, leaving only 12,000. The main force of the Qing army in Guangxi then became these newly recruited Guangxi Defense Forces.

Formed from the brave battalions, these troops had been engaged in fierce battles since the rise of the Taiping forces. They continued to fight against remnants of the peasant armies entering Vietnam outside Zhen Nan Pass. Initially, there were twenty such units on both the left and right flanks, but now only twelve units remained, stationed throughout Vietnam.

Therefore, Liu Yongfu led the officers to Liangshan to meet Commander Huang Guilan. Along the way, he instructed them, “We must be aware of our place. We are just ordinary people from the countryside, not as important as the great figures in China. Commander Huang is a veteran of the Huai Army—we must show him respect.”

After several days of travel, they arrived at Qiongshan and saw a large military camp outside the city. Liu Yongfu pointed out, “That’s Commander Huang’s central army, with three elite battalions stationed there.”

From a distance, the camp appeared well-organized. Huang Guilan was from Feidong. Not only had he fought alongside Li Hongzhang and Liu Mingchuan’s Huai Army against the Taiping and Nian armies, but he had also learned many Western military tactics from the foreigners in the Ever-Victorious Army. Thus, his camp was exceptionally well-structured, with several multi-sided fortifications built.

The Qing soldiers moving around inside were different from the Vietnamese soldiers Liu Yu had seen before. Wearing tasseled hats and uniforms, they carefully inspected passersby. Though they were experienced veterans, they still possessed some combat capability.

Upon getting closer, it became clear that their uniforms were somewhat worn, and they carried various weapons—some with bird guns, some with smoothbore or rifled guns, and a few equipped with several types of rear-loading guns, including Sniders, Remingtons, and single-shot Mausers—though in limited numbers.

The most eye-catching were several brand-new Mauser guns. Those holding these new guns were tall soldiers. Wu Fengdian, who was well-informed, said, “These are the ‘Nine-Child Guns,’ the latest type of repeating rifle. There are only dozens of them in all the two-flank defense forces.”

Liu Yu recognized this type of rifle—it was the famous Nine-Child Mauser. It was the latest version of the Mauser 1870, equipped with a magazine holding eight bullets. This rifle was extremely famous; during the War of Resistance, it was already considered outdated, yet it continued to be used until the founding of the nation. The Red Army encountered this rifle countless times from its early days to the end of the war. In Guizhou, they seized thousands of Nine-Child Mausers, and they had to send people to burn them all. Later, when facing the Ma family’s army, they also captured Nine-Child Mausers and Winchester 1873 rifles, and again sent people to burn them all. But now, this was the latest model of bolt-action rifle, which made Liu Yongfu and the others secretly drool: “It’s said this gun is even better than the Remington.” Just then, two Qing soldiers came over with rifles, asking, “Who are you?” Liu Yongfu politely stepped forward and greeted them personally, saying, “I am Liu Yongfu from Vietnam. I seek to meet Commander Huang Guilan for military advice.” Although he and Huang Zuoyan were both top warriors in Northern Vietnam, in front of the Qing generals, they were as meek as cats. Even the King of Vietnam humbly referred to himself as a second-rank prince of the Qing dynasty, and in his letters to the governor of Guangxi, he positioned himself as a subordinate. The two Qing soldiers were not polite either; they immediately reached for their guns, demanding money. Liu Yongfu was prepared and said, “Please inform Commander Huang Guilan first.” “Wait here.” Now Liu Yu could observe up close this army considered the strongest in Guangxi. His conclusion was that, similar to their uniforms, it could be described in four words: “half new, not old.” Having gone through wars, they had improved greatly compared to the Green Standard Army. They were equipped with some modern weapons, and their military discipline and style had also improved. They could defend camps, fire artillery, and occasionally engage in field battles. But at their core, they were still not a modern army. They were merely mercenaries recruited for service. They had the latest Nine-Child Mausers as well as the oldest types of guns like flintlock rifles and cannon. Their morale was neither too poor nor too high. This matched Liu Yu’s impression—that this was a typical brave army. He believed that in terms of combat strength and equipment, his Xiliu Camp and Wuya Camp were superior to this Qing army. However, he was also aware that the Guangxi defense forces were among the weaker among the brave armies. By this time, the Huai Army had largely adopted breech-loading weapons, and many brave armies elsewhere also had units capable of fighting several battles. More importantly, the Qing court could procure military equipment much more easily. The money needed to buy one breech-loading gun could buy three in Hong Kong. After the Sino-French War began, the Qing court issued over seven thousand breech-loading guns and several advanced cannons to the defense forces. Therefore, when he entered the command tent, he didn’t make a big show of it, though it was impossible for him not to draw attention. Sitting at the center of the tent was a military officer in his forties. Though he seemed indulgent in wine and women, he was shrewd and capable. Next to him were two elders in their sixties, lacking much vigor. On either side stood a group of bodyguards. As soon as they saw Liu Yongfu leading his men in, they all stood up together, saying, “Welcome, Brother Yuanting.”

The military general at the center was Huang Guilan. He had been a close friend of Zhang Shusheng, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, for many years, which allowed him to command these twelve battalions of defense troops. “This time, following Zhang’s orders, we are here to suppress Lu Zhiping’s bandit forces, so the Black Flag Army has been specially called in to join the campaign.” He immediately mentioned his relationship with Zhang Shusheng. Most commanders of the Huai Army were from Hefei; Zhang Shusheng was from Feixi, while Huang Guilan was from Feidong. Although they came from different counties, they were related. “This time, we really rely on Yuan Ting.” Saying this, he pointed at the elderly man on the left, who was dressed in a civil official’s attire. “This is Zhao Wo, the commander of the right-wing defense forces. You two have known each other for years; he will oversee your battalion.” Like Huang Guilan, Zhao Wo was also a highly influential figure in Guangxi Province. Last year, Feng Zicai, the governor of Guangxi, accused him of claiming credit for others’ achievements, but because of his close ties with Liu Kunyi and Zhang Shusheng, he escaped unscathed. However, he was not very close to Huang Guilan. Huang Guilan came from the Huai Army, while Zhao Wo came from Zuo Zongtang’s Chu Army; there was always a certain distance between the Hunan and Huai forces. Still, Zhao Wo politely said, “Yuan Ting, it seems we can work together again this time.” Liu Yongfu disdained Zhao Wo, as he was a scholar who couldn’t command troops. It was strange that he was now serving as a commander of a defense force despite being a mere district official. But he knew when to be cautious and said, “Please give orders, Commander Zhao. The Black Flag Army will fully cooperate.” Although he looked down on Zhao Wo, Zhao Wo also viewed Liu Yongfu as a bandit, though he still pretended to be polite. “Excellent! If we work together, Lu Zhiping’s bandits will be defeated soon.” But then he glanced behind Liu Yongfu and saw Liu Yu. “Who is this battalion officer? I’ve never seen him before. He seems like a young hero.” Liu Yu stepped forward and bowed. “I am Liu Yu from the Xiliu Battalion.” Being young and without a topknot, dressed in Han-style clothing, he stood out among the crowd. Huang Guilan also glanced at him. “Why is he dressed in southern fashion? Could he be from Vietnam?” Just as Liu Yu was about to reply, the civil official to Huang Guilan’s right spoke up. “Commander, that’s not necessarily the case. As far as I know, when the Qing Dynasty was established, people from the previous dynasty fled to Vietnam, where they were called Mingxiang people. This officer Liu must be one of them.” He tried to save Liu Yu’s face, but his tone was condescending, as if he thought he was better than Huang Guilan and Zhao Wo. “Officer Liu, since the Holy Empress Dowager rules the Qing Dynasty now, and the country is peaceful and prosperous, it would be a good thing for you to shave your head, change your clothes, and return to your homeland.” Liu Yu glanced at the man, who appeared to be in his sixties and was also a district official, but his background was unknown. He immediately asked, “May I know your name?” The old man was quite proud. “I am Xu Yanxu, styled Xiaoshan, from Linqing, Shandong.” Zhao Wo added, “Xu is very familiar with Vietnam. He has entered Vietnam many times to investigate key routes and has written books such as ‘The History of Vietnam.’” Liu Yu inwardly sighed. “What bad luck! I thought I’d only see one defeated general, but instead, I met three in one go.”