Chapter 115: Supreme Power

“Who opposes me taking this position?”
As Liu Yu spoke, there was a loud thud from the table. The Remington revolver he carried hit the table as well. “Who is it?”
At his words, everyone fell silent. No one expected Liu Yu to resort to force at this moment. In Wu Fengdian and Huang Shouzhong’s minds, although Liu Yu seemed domineering, he was essentially a humble gentleman—a mature young man by standard.
By “mature young man,” they meant someone who lacked the sharpness typical of youth. To Wu Fengdian, Liu Yu wasn’t reckless but preferred to handle things methodically before revealing his true strength to overwhelm his opponents.
But when the revolver slammed onto the table, they saw this young man clearly.
Liu Yu was like the sun, his brilliance so intense it blinded them. They remembered many things—this young man had once led over a hundred hastily assembled infantrymen to capture Haiyang City, defended by thousands of soldiers; he had trampled the French flag underfoot, dismissing all foreigners as insignificant. This young man…
Yet over the years, Liu Yu had been quietly working in Shanxi, causing everyone to forget how dazzling his brilliance once was. Standing under the direct sunlight, everyone fell silent.
Huang Shouzhong was the first to back down. Seeing Liu Yu’s face filled with anger and determination, he resolved to yield. His smile turned innocent. “I meant, I want to be the regiment commander, but we only have one main battalion and one auxiliary battalion—not even three.”
Liu Yu paid no attention to his reply. His gaze shifted to Wu Fengdian, blazing with intensity.
Wu Fengdian saw that Huang Shouzhong had already backed down, while he faced immense pressure from Liu Yu. Whether it succeeded or not, he had to confront Liu Yu’s brilliance. This young man was already the second-in-command of the Black Flag Army, second only to Liu Yongfu as the supreme leader, and his strength surpassed that of all other battalion commanders combined.
Feeling scorched, he sat down. “I’ll follow Yuan Ting’s decision. If he has no objections, I have none either.”
Now back to the starting point—would Liu Yongfu keep his promise and hand over supreme power to the Black Flag Army?
This meeting was attended by all officers above the infantry company level. Dozens of company commanders immediately turned to Liu Yongfu, awaiting his response.
Liu Yongfu was in a difficult position. Tang Jingsong gave him an encouraging look, and he immediately said, “As long as the Black Flag Army’s legacy continues, its strength grows, and all battalions and companies are treated fairly, I…”
He shook Liu Yu’s hand firmly, unafraid of being burned by this young sun. “I entrust the entire Black Flag Army to you!”
Tang Jingsong quickly pushed Liu Yu forward. “My lord, haven’t you met your godfather yet?”

What he meant was that Liu Yu regarded Liu Yongfu as his adoptive father. Following the story of Guo Wei from years ago, Liu Yu also bowed deeply and said, “As my adoptive father wishes, I, Liu Yu, will ensure that the legacy of the Black Flag Army continues, that its name is celebrated forever, and that all units and companies are treated fairly…”

Liu Yongfu, however, let out a long sigh. The events of over twenty years ago came back to mind, yet he was no longer the supreme commander of the Black Flag Army. Back then, he was young, leading a group of about a hundred men to seek fortune. Too poor even to make a flag, they temporarily took down a seven-star black flag from a wall. The men swore by the seven-star flag under the sky, only for a sudden storm to blow, which they considered an omen of bad luck. Fortunately, he was quick-witted and shouted to the sky, “This is the will of heaven! If heaven favors my Black Flag, this flag will never fall!”

That black flag was planted deeply, and despite the strong winds, it never fell. Thus, the Black Flag Army rose to prominence, and he, Liu Yongfu, served as its commander for twenty years. But times had changed; he now had more white hairs, many of his former comrades had passed away, and even his former enemies, like Huang Chongying, had turned to dust. Only he remained, striving to maintain the Black Flag Army from afar. Yet the battle at Hanoi made him realize just how weak his forces really were.

He looked fondly at that black flag. From tomorrow on, he would no longer have complete control over it. Half a lifetime of effort and dedication turned into just this sigh. He couldn’t think of any gains or losses; he simply said, “The Black Flag Army is now in your hands!”

He turned to Wu Fengdian on his left and said, “Yalou followed me in the tenth year of the Tongzhi era and is also my brother-in-law. Though he cares about personal gains and losses, he is the most steady person around.”

“Cheng Liang is my adopted son. You can call him brother. His strength lies mainly in his bravery in battle, but he always obeys orders obediently…”

“Jin Chen is the backbone of my Black Flag Army. He joined us in the twelfth year of the Tongzhi era. He is resolute and brave, always at the forefront. So you need to make sure their weapons are replenished…”

…

He introduced each of the army officers and company leaders of the Black Flag Army to Liu Yu, surprisingly without shedding tears. “From now on, you are the leader of our Black Flag Army. You can no longer think from the perspective of the Xiliu Camp. But I still suggest that you consider the interests of the Xiliu Camp as well.”

With that, he turned away and secretly wiped away his tears. “From now on, it’s up to you to make decisions!”

Liu Yu immediately stepped forward to support Liu Yongfu. “My adoptive father, there’s no need to be modest. There will still be many things where I need your guidance. Please take your seat first; I’ll encourage everyone.”

Huang Shouzhong also shed a few tears. After years of being together, how could he not understand Liu Yongfu? Though he was a heroic figure, he wasn’t one of extraordinary magnanimity. Sometimes he was petty and overly calculating, showing the shrewdness and simplicity of an old Chinese farmer. But now, he hadn’t thought of anything for himself. His gaze was fixed on the hanging black flag—perhaps it was his affection for that flag that made Liu Yongfu act so emotionally.

As he was lost in thought, he heard thunderous applause beside him and then remembered that Liu Yu was standing there, delivering a speech to the officers of the Black Flag Army. In the past, it was usually the officers from the Xi Liu Camp who would applaud first, followed by a collective response, but this time, thunderous applause erupted from the entire venue as Liu Yu spoke. “Everyone, quiet down!” Liu Yu shouted. “Quiet down!” But what met him was still thunderous applause, with no sign of calmness—everyone was eager to see what he would do. In fact, since the day Liu Yu took over as the commander, the entire Black Flag Army had understood that it was only a matter of time before he took full control, but they never expected it to come so soon. The scorching sun brought endless hope to these soldiers from distant lands. “Quiet down!” Yet again, thunderous applause. Huang Shouzhong finally understood the reason for the applause and recalled Liu Yu’s earlier words. “Brothers of the Black Flag Army, today we are fortunate to stand under this Seven-Star Black Flag. I’ll say just this: as long as I, Liu Yu, can afford to feed myself, I won’t let any of you go hungry.” “…I’ll say this—regarding the new camps to be established, I won’t interfere. As for the existing old camps, I’ll do my best to take care of them, ensuring that everyone can have enough to eat.” “Each old camp will receive two hundred rapid-fire guns, four small mortars, a thousand grenades, and twenty four-kilogram explosive packs. Since we don’t have that much military equipment now, we’ll take half for now, with the rest to be replenished later.” These were Liu Yu’s conditions. “As for the number of soldiers, each camp must rely on its own efforts.” At the thought of Liu Yu’s conditions, Huang Shouzhong became excited. He temporarily set aside his focus on Liu Yongfu and reassessed the pros and cons. According to Liu Yu, the existing old camps—meaning the front camp and its deputy commander—could obtain two hundred rapid-fire guns, four small mortars, a thousand grenades, and twenty four-kilogram explosive packs at once, with more supplies to follow. The front camp had captured a great deal in the Battle of Hanoi. Although it couldn’t achieve full breech-loading like the Xi Liu Camp, it could proudly claim that most of its soldiers were already breech-loaded. With this additional equipment, especially the powerful mortars, grenades, and explosive packs, the entire front camp could not only achieve full breech-loading but also save some equipment for the new camps. Huang Shouzhong’s heart warmed. Although it was just one camp, if the resources were distributed among the three camps, plus the second-phase equipment allowed by the Xi Liu Camp, it seemed that a complete infantry regiment—with over 1,500 well-equipped combatants—was within reach. He estimated that such a regiment could annihilate a full French infantry battalion in a field battle. After the upgrade, a new infantry battalion could at least match the strength of three old ones. As for Wu Fengdian, Liu Chengliang, and the others, they were also very satisfied with Liu Yu’s promises. Even though they only received half of the equipment at first—100 rapid-fire guns, two 60-mm small mortars, 500 grenades, and 10 explosive packs—they were already extremely pleased.

It should be noted that before the war, a Black Flag Army infantry battalion usually consisted of only about 300 men. With such equipment, it might not be possible to fully adopt breech-loading firearms, but they could at least be on par with the French forces. Of course, everyone had their own ideas, especially Wu Fengdian and Liu Chengliang, who had even more thoughts, but at this moment they were satisfied. Liu Yu invested all his savings; now it depended on everyone’s performance. “Brothers, I, Liu Yu, have no other talents—only the ability to lead you all to win this battle at all costs.” “If we win this battle, we’ll enjoy wealth and honor for life; if we lose, we’ll be left with nothing,” Liu Yu said bluntly. “We’ve spent five years operating in Shanxi and only managed to save this much money. Now we’ve put it all in. We must strive for a decisive victory and drive the French out of Vietnam.” After saying this, he gave Tang Jingsong a meaningful look. “As for what happens next, I can only say it—cannot speak about it.” Hearing this, Tang Jingsong became excited. “Great! You should be the Zhao Tuo of this era.” Zhao Tuo was the ruler of Nanyue, but Liu Yu thought calmly, “I should be the Cao Mengde of this era.” Everything needed to be done while the opportunity was ripe; since it was a transition from the old to the new, there were many procedures to follow. But Liu Yu lacked such enthusiasm. He simply smiled and said, “Father, I still have a few things to say. You too, stay!” At his words, everyone wisely stepped back, as no one wanted to offend Liu Yu right at the start of his tenure. Even Wu Fengdian, who considered himself the fourth most important figure in the Black Flag Army, left, though he was somewhat puzzled. Liu Yongfu sat there, looking somewhat disheartened, and asked, “What’s the matter? I founded the Black Flag Army myself and invested countless efforts into it. If you need any help, just speak up!” Liu Yu calmly sat down before saying, “There’s nothing special—just want to discuss with Father the future power structure of the Black Flag Army.” Liu Yongfu had his own bottom line on this issue: “We have about twelve battalions, plus three more I plan to form—totaling fifteen battalions and five regiments. Isn’t that clear?” He had handed over the highest authority of the Black Flag Army to Liu Yu in exchange for two regiments of his own troops, which was also why Tang Jingsong could persuade him. Liu Yu smiled and said, “Look at the three of us…” Liu Yongfu began to understand. Earlier, Liu Yu had managed to send away Tang Jingsong, a high-ranking official sent by the court, leaving only these three men behind—Liu Yu, Huang Shouzhong, and Liu Yongfu. These three were the commanders of the three existing or future infantry regiments of the Black Flag Army; in other words, all of its troops were under their control. Realizing that Liu Yu wasn’t arguing over the equipment for those new battalions, he felt pleased and said, “Go ahead and share your thoughts!” Liu Yu smiled and said, “The three of us could just take control of the Black Flag Army. I have some ideas and would like to discuss them with Father and you.” Huang Shouzhong agreed with him: “Is it because there are some vacancies in the equipment to be distributed? That’s not urgent.”

Liu Yu also revealed his cards: “There’s no rush. Although there are some vacancies, the Black Flag Armory can produce Snider rifles, various types of mortars, as well as handmade grenades and small explosive packs. As long as the armory keeps producing, there will be no shortage of equipment.”
Hearing this, Liu Yongfu asked, “Then when will the equipment for my three battalions be ready?”
Liu Yu replied straightforwardly, “It’s June now. To produce equipment for these three battalions, we’ll need to wait at least until September. But this is a minor issue. I have another matter I’d like to ask your help with.”
Liu Yongfu said calmly, “Go ahead! In front of me, I’d prefer you to call me general. As long as it’s within my power, I’ll definitely help you.”
Liu Yu simply said, “Then how about the three of us taking control of all the power in the Black Flag Army?”