Chapter 122: Sending Troops

Qiongshan.
As the new governor of Guangxi, Xu Yanxu was in high spirits—though utterly clueless. His rise to power relied entirely on his reputation as the most knowledgeable about Vietnam and the support of the reformist faction, especially his familial ties to Lu Chuanlin, which propelled him to the top. Within a year, he advanced from a local official to a provincial governor, and then to governor general—three promotions in just one year, a rare occurrence in the Qing dynasty. Yet only when faced with such heavy responsibilities did he realize his own lack of knowledge; he didn’t even know much about Vietnam. His understanding of Vietnam came partly from books and partly from personal experience, but the evolving situation now left him completely bewildered.
“The central government hesitates between war and peace, leaving us to bear the brunt,” he said to Zhao Wo, his face filled with resentment. “Keeping troops stationed abroad only leads to exhaustion without any achievements.”
This promotion benefited not only Xu Yanxu but also Huang Guilan, who successfully displaced Feng Zicai and became the military commander of Guangxi—all thanks to Zhang Peilun’s influence. However, when it came to military matters, Xu Yanxu believed Huang Guilan was inferior to Zhao Wo. Huang Guilan, coming from the Huai Army, had a strong background and understood tactics well, often criticizing Xu Yanxu for his recklessness. In contrast, Zhao Wo tended to agree with him, so Xu Yanxu soon began to sideline Huang Guilan.
Huang Guilan was also a playboy-like figure; upon realizing Xu Yanxu was competing with him for power, he immediately stepped back, though he still spoke coldly when necessary. Now, Zhao Wo had become his military advisor. “Your Excellency is absolutely right. Since French reinforcements haven’t arrived, we should send troops sooner. The central government’s indecision is a weakness.”
Xu Yanxu sneered. “With just dozens of battalions, we keep troops stationed outside the pass, with irregular pay and plummeting morale. If this continues, the situation will become unbearable! Look—those Black Flag Army forces have only a dozen battalions, their firearms are inferior, and their combat strength is weak, yet they keep defeating the French. We, as the elite troops of the nation, are ten times stronger than them, yet we sit here wasting money on troops.”
Though he lacked real talent, his points were valid. The Qing dynasty hesitated between war and peace, while countless battalions of the Guangxi army were idle outside Zhen Nan Pass, wasting funds. Indeed, some preparations had been made—more battalions were recruited, and the Guangxi defense force now numbered 20,000, equipped with 7,000–8,000 breech-loading rifles. Yet pay was irregular, especially for the newly added battalions, which often went months without payment. Moreover, the pay for the Guangxi brave troops was the lowest in the country—only 1.4 fen per day, or 4.2 liang per month, after deducting food expenses. This meager pay was often delayed by a month or two, leaving them with little choice but to rely on local support.
Thus, Zhao Wo agreed with Xu Yanxu. “We must act soon; we can’t keep delaying! Also, instead of sending more breech-loading rifles, they sent many Mauser, Remington, and Snider rifles—how frustrating!”
As a staunch believer in the supremacy of breech-loading rifles, Zhao Wo always believed that these weapons were invincible, far surpassing all other breech-loading firearms by a hundred times.

To support this half-hearted war, the Qing Dynasty also provided a considerable amount of ammunition, including both front-loading and back-loading guns, with about seven to eight thousand back-loading guns. Yet Zhao Wo still preferred his shoulder-mounted guns. “There are already over a thousand guns in the camp, but it’s still not enough. As for rapid-fire guns, we can keep some, while the rest can be sealed away or given to the Vietnamese,” Zhao Wo believed. “Though rapid-fire guns are good, they’re far inferior to shoulder-mounted guns.” In history, those seven to eight thousand back-loading guns never saw any use. The Guangxi army preferred to use outdated flintlock and shoulder-mounted guns, while the modern back-loading rapid-fire guns—many of which were high-quality weapons distributed by Li Hongzhang to support Huang Guilan—remained unused. Zhao Wo and Xu Yanxu had an unselfish internationalist spirit; they preferred to equip their own troops with outdated firearms, but under the flattery of Vietnamese officials, they handed over thousands of back-loading firearms to the Vietnamese army. As a result, after the Battle of Binh Ninh began, many Vietnamese troops equipped with these firearms defected and surrendered to the French forces, causing the Qing army to collapse under dual attacks. But in this timeline, history took a slight turn: “Zhao Dao, Tang Jingsong has asked for our help!” “Xiantai!” said Zhao Wo, “Since the Black Flag Army has stolen all the glory, let them enjoy it!” He and Xu Yanxu were both resentful of the Black Flag Army’s repeated victories, yet they had to put on a smile and report good news to Beijing. Deep down, however, they harbored resentment toward the Black Flag Army, believing that only they deserved such honor. Thus, their support for them was barely there. In history, the Black Flag Army could still count on some sporadic support from Xu Yanxu, but in this era, they fought against the French forces entirely on their own. To date, the Black Flag Army hadn’t received even a single silver coin, bullet, or rifle from Xu Yanxu. Xu Yanxu merely said, “Sigh… At least they’re holding off for us. I don’t think the French are that formidable. Aren’t the Black Flag Army just a bunch of remnants of the Taiping rebels? They’re easily defeated. I have 20,000 brave troops; I can easily take Hanoi, capture Haiphong, and seize Shunhua. It’s a shame the central government made mistakes in coordination.” Zhao Wo agreed with him, saying, “Then let them fight. We’ll just watch the show!” “I was promoted by the Qing reformists!” Xu Yanxu said with a bitter smile. “Zhang Youqiao has turned the Black Flag Army into a hero. If I’m not sensible, the reformists can still push me down. Besides, what Tang Jingsong said makes perfect sense.” “Xiantai, what did Tang Jingsong say?” Xu Yanxu didn’t answer Zhao Wo’s question. “Liu Yongfu wants to establish three new battalions and only has 100 rapid-fire guns. He wants to buy military equipment here. The South has always lacked modern weapons, so he’s willing to pay a high price.” “How high?” “Guns that cost eight taels of silver in Hong Kong, he’s willing to pay sixteen taels!” Xu Yanxu said seriously. “And he’s willing to pay first and receive the guns later, using real money to exchange for guns from us.”

In history, Zhao Wo was deceived by Vietnamese officials’ flattery, mistaking a group of Vietnamese officials who had long colluded with the French for allies, and even supplied thousands of rifles to the Vietnamese army. But in this timeline, at the mere mention of money, Zhao Wo’s heart was stirred.
“The Black Flag Army fighting against the French is no easy task, let alone the fact that their mutual destruction will only benefit our army,” Zhao Wo continued. “Besides, the troops have been unpaid for a month or two and are suffering from food shortages. Selling military equipment to the Black Flag Army is a win-win solution.”
In history, the Black Flag Army had neither money nor weapons, but in this timeline, they had at least a considerable amount of silver, and Xu Yanxu was also tempted.
Feeding and sustaining tens of thousands of people was a huge problem. Although the silver from Liu Yongfu couldn’t solve everything, it could at least provide temporary relief.
Of course, he knew that he and his subordinates would get little share of it—out of ten taels of silver received from Liu Yongfu, three taels might reach the troops, but at least it gave them a pretext.
“Let’s follow Zhao Dao’s suggestion!” Xu Yanxu said immediately. “Among the guns in the camp, the Mauser 9mm rifles are the best. Send a hundred of those first, and have Liu Yongfu hurry up and pay the remaining amount. If he can settle it, I’ll sell him the weapons for three battalions.”
Zhao Wo thought to himself, “What excellent advice from the magistrate!”
“Tang Jingsong also mentioned sending more reinforcements, saying the Black Flag Army has only twelve battalions and has suffered heavy losses from prolonged battles. He hopes I can send one or two battalions to fight. I think one or two battalions is too much; we’ll decide based on the situation and join the fight when it’s advantageous.” He added, “During the battle, we must not reveal our identity—remove our uniforms and fight under the Black Flag.”
Zhao Wo understood clearly: “I’ll make sure the French don’t notice anything and leave us no weakness. I’ll be extremely careful!”
Xu Yanxu then changed the topic: “Choosing which battalion to support also matters. Do you know what Tang Jingsong said?”
“Please enlighten me, magistrate.”
Xu Yanxu picked up Tang Jingsong’s request letter meaningfully: “Should our army support the Black Flag Army instead of Xiliu?”
August 14, 1883.
Haiphong.
The warships were set sail—one after another. They were some of France’s finest, including the most advanced ironclads, cruisers, and battleships. This massive naval fleet, with thousands of crew members and sailors, headed toward the southern seas.
The Southern Cross shone brightly in the sky.
Gubao stood on the captain’s deck, filled with such thoughts.
“We will conquer this country,” He Luoheng said beside him. “Shunhua will open its doors to us!”
He was full of confidence. No fierce battle was needed—just one combat sortie would suffice to conquer the country’s capital. Once the capital fell, France would win the war.
According to the latest reports, Shunhua was in chaos with rival factions vying for power, making it the perfect opportunity.
This powerful fleet had no equal in the Far East. Among them were ironclads that could withstand the bombardment of fortress guns even when brought close to the fortifications, remaining unscathed.

The other warships also had excellent performance, and the Resident-General even felt an urge to send this fleet north to conquer the capital of that central dynasty. If Paris had given authorization, he would definitely have tried it. “I’ve brought in eight hundred infantrymen from Cochinchina!” Due to the heavy losses in battles, General Beauregard had no troops at his disposal; all the landing forces had to be assembled by Gobat himself. In history, he had been able to form some landing companies. But in this timeline, his sailors had suffered severe losses due to fighting on paper bridges and in Hanoi, so these eight hundred infantrymen were almost all the troops he had for landings. Yet both Gobat and the Resident-General maintained an extremely optimistic attitude. “I will conquer this country.” For General Beauregard as well, there was a glorious mission ahead. After another batch of infantry arrived in Hanoi, his forces had grown quite strong—now there were over six thousand troops gathered there, including many French forces. The Yellow Flag Army had performed exceptionally well in previous patrol battles; this Chinese force remained loyal to France, with its two commanders, the Greek George and the Chinese Qiao Erchi, showing absolute loyalty to the tricolor flag. The native Annamese infantry not only made up for all their losses but also added several companies, performing outstandingly in several encounters with the Flower Sect. The native Tonkinese infantry were also noteworthy—they had grown rapidly and could now carry out independent missions. Just a few days ago, a platoon of Tonkinese infantry had repelled an attack by over a thousand Flower Sect members. All of this indicated one thing: the day to decide victory or defeat had arrived. For this day, he was even willing to offend the Resident-General of Tonkin and the commander of the Tonkin fleet by concentrating all his troops in Hanoi. He would go all out to defeat the Black Flag Army occupying Hué. No matter what challenges arose, he would surely achieve victory. “We will deploy four thousand five hundred soldiers, including most of the French forces and Annamese native troops, the entire Yellow Flag Army, and a considerable number of native Tonkinese infantry, to attack Hué and defeat the main forces of the Black Flag Army.” Beauregard pointed to Hué, occupied by the Black Flag Army, on the map: “The Black Flag Army has about five to six thousand soldiers, but we have the support of our inland fleet, an advantage in artillery, and our infantry are far superior to theirs. Victory is in our hands.” In history, Beauregard’s offensive was led mainly by French forces, with a total of only two thousand eight hundred troops. But this time, the force numbered four thousand five hundred. The size of the French forces had increased slightly compared to history, with the main additions being the Yellow Flag Army, Annamese native infantry, and the native Tonkinese infantry, which did not exist at that time. With such a force of four thousand five hundred, it could be said that Beauregard was already full of hope for victory. He was well aware that the French had advantages in naval power, artillery, and infantry firepower, and his force size made it impossible for the Black Flag Army to repeat the ambush at Paper Bridge.

Four to five thousand Black Flag troops could ambush Li Weiyeh’s eight hundred men, but facing an army of four thousand five hundred, they had no other choice but to engage in a head-on battle.
And such head-on confrontations were exactly what Bo Hua favored. The French army was not afraid of direct battles, whether it was artillery fire, rifle fire, or close combat—they had absolute confidence.
He was even confident in the Yellow Flag troops and the Annamite indigenous forces. As for the Tonkin indigenous infantry, though his confidence was somewhat lower, Bo Hua believed they would become trustworthy after this battle.
“My officers, my soldiers! This is history in the making!”
“This is the greatest chapter in the history of conquering protectorates! Frenchmen, I will lead you forward!”