Chapter 160: The Spirit of Spring

New Year’s Day, 1884.
The breath of spring was already approaching this Vietnamese city in Shanxi, a place that seemed far removed from the chaos of war. The front lines were just twenty or thirty kilometers away, yet there were no gunshots or traces of smoke here—only merchants seeking profit. The total mobilization of the war industry that began in March of the previous year had now fully geared up, desperately producing all kinds of military-related goods. Countless mortar shells, rifles, grenades, and bullets were manufactured in this city and sent to enemies in various directions.
Skilled research institutions expanded further as the war progressed, and they were now working on using smokeless powder in rifle bullets and ordinary shells, having made some progress in this regard.
For merchants, however, profit was the only goal they pursued. In mid-November of the previous year, the Black Flag Army achieved a decisive victory, defeating 20,000 French troops and advancing all the way to the gates of Hanoi. The French even had to close the city gates during the day, allowing the Black Flag Army to wreak havoc outside the walls.
All of this filled merchants with optimism about the Black Flag Army’s prospects. Moreover, the Black Flag Army had remarkable payment capabilities—their own currency was even more reliable than the franc. It was said they had stolen tens of millions of silver coins from the palace in Huế.
This was no rumor. Many officers and soldiers of the Black Flag Army had participated in the robbery, and they mysteriously said, “I’m telling you this only to you—reportedly, the 40 million taels of silver from Huế’s palace all went to our Black Flag Army. The convoy carrying the silver stretched over forty li long.”
Merchants were highly sensitive and quickly confirmed the accuracy of this news through other sources. They then brought in large quantities of supplies urgently needed by the Black Flag Army from various places. Whether it was picric acid, sulfuric acid, or nitric acid, after several large-scale purchases, the army had ample reserves. So far, just a little over one-third of the main war supplies had been used—far less than half. But after all, no plan is foolproof, and some strategic supplies can never be too many.
Chinese merchants from Guangxi and Guangdong brought all the supplies the Black Flag Army needed urgently. They even transported tons of picric acid—unknown as to where they obtained it or how they brought it to Vietnam—but it was all good news.
Outside Shanxi city, merchants often visited the old battlefield from two months earlier in search of business opportunities. New units of the Black Flag Army had been formed there, with their camps set up in that area, and they needed all kinds of military supplies. On their way back, they could take back some Vietnamese specialties, at least to avoid a wasted trip. In fact, due to the war, the production of local products had dropped significantly, which made merchants even more inclined to buy as much as possible regardless of cost. As long as it could be transported back inside the country, there would be a good profit—after all, an empty mule caravan was still an empty one.
Meanwhile, Liu Yu was also enjoying a rare moment of leisure in his office as the spirit of spring arrived.

The war situation was extremely favorable; he could easily act as a hands-off leader. Two female attendants carefully massaged his back, while another massaged his legs, making his life very comfortable.

Ruan Menglian held a document and sat beside Liu Yu, who was lying with his eyes closed, enjoying the sunlight. She read in a voice as gentle as spring water, “In this major counteroffensive, our army has achieved brilliant results. It has been confirmed that the enemy’s Algerian indigenous infantry has suffered devastating losses. Three French marine companies were completely annihilated by us. Our army seized 1,700 guns, five breech-loading cannons, eleven military flags, captured 27 French soldiers, 86 Algerians, 7 foreign mercenaries, and 1,262 Vietnamese…”

This major counteroffensive launched by the Black Flag Army yielded unprecedented success. More than twenty strongholds were captured. Aside from the Bissel garrison in Danfeng, which managed to hold its position, most of the French strongholds around Hanoi were taken. In particular, the African indigenous soldiers who had just retreated from Shanxi suffered heavy losses.

The French did not dare to step out of Hanoi until the end of December, when they received some support from home. Only then were they able to reestablish some of the outer strongholds. That’s why Liu Yu could rest peacefully with his eyes closed, enjoying the pleasures of life.

He leaned his head on Ruan Menglian’s knees and asked further, “What’s the progress of the troops?”

“All units are resting. The French are still cowering inside and unable to find a good breakthrough point. There are no intense battles on the front line yet,” she said softly. “The Sino-Vietnamese forces reported their strength statistics from the 20th of last month. We now have 3,800 troops in the Sino-Vietnamese provinces, and we plan to recruit another 2,000 to prepare for the next major battle.”

“Hmm!” Liu Yu didn’t comment on this. He asked about something else, “Any news from the French?”

“There’s a speech by Prime Minister Ferri in the French Parliament. The staff has just finished translating it. Would you like to hear it?”

Smelling the faint fragrance of flowers, he nodded. “Read it.”

“…Distinguished representatives of the French citizens, as Prime Minister of the Cabinet, I must state that the situation in the Tokyo region has always been under our control. In this area, our situation has not deteriorated to an extreme degree. At present, our troops are highly motivated and ready to serve our country at any time.

Some members of parliament have mistakenly heard reports from street newspapers and think our losses are irreparable, even comparing this war to the Second Sedan Crisis. This is utterly incorrect. I would like to clarify that, according to General Gobat’s report, as of December 1st, a total of 2,407 French citizens serving in the land and naval forces in the Tokyo region have unfortunately sacrificed their lives for the Republic. Although the loss is significant, it is an acceptable figure.”

Hearing this, Liu Yu couldn’t help but laugh softly. Prime Minister Ferri was really stubborn. The French citizens serving in the land and naval forces in the Tokyo region naturally did not include those who lost their lives in central Vietnam, nor did they include Vietnamese, Algerians, European mercenaries, or even French civilians conscripted for combat.

It is through such statistical methods that His Excellency the Prime Minister managed to keep the losses within an acceptable range: “As for our voluntary withdrawal from Shanxi City, we must acknowledge that I owe praise to the Navy for their outstanding performance in this battle. They attacked Shanxi City with a very small force, yet the Black Flag bandits had gathered around twenty infantry regiments and more than a dozen artillery battalions in that area. We mistakenly launched a forced attack, but after suffering certain losses, our troops voluntarily retreated and repelled the Black Flag bandits’ attacks.”

“In this campaign, 972 French citizens lost their lives. I pay my respects to them, but our losses are under control. The security situation in the Tokyo region is improving steadily, and more reinforcements are being sent there. We will see a victory in the near future.”

By altering the statistical methods, His Excellency the Prime Minister once again achieved a victory narrative. Indeed, in this battle, the actual number of French soldiers killed, captured, or missing was around a thousand, but both the Foreign Legion and the Algerian infantry suffered losses that could be described as devastating.

Especially the Algerian infantry—France deployed two regiments in North Vietnam, and these soldiers, known as the African Lions, suffered two devastating blows in succession. Now, the French can only merge these two regiments, but they still fall short of even one full regiment. According to internal reports, they barely managed to form one infantry battalion and one direct-support company; the rest will have to wait for hundreds of wounded soldiers to return to join them.

It should be noted that during the Shanxi campaign, Liu Yu estimated the permanent losses of the French army—whether through death, disappearance, or capture—to be at least six or seven thousand, even if not ten thousand. In fact, Liu Yu had underestimated the French losses. These were permanent, irreparable losses. Even with such assurances from the Prime Minister, Liu Yu remained convinced that he would firmly control the initiative in the war over the next six months.

He asked with a smile, “What else did he say?”

“Our troop strength in the Tokyo region remains at a maximum of 15,000, neither exceeding this number to compromise domestic defense nor falling below it to affect regional security. The only thing I want to remind everyone of is that for the security of Indochina, we hope to deploy enough soldiers in the Huế region; otherwise, Indochina will be attacked by the enemy.”

However, upon hearing this, Liu Yu began considering when Liu Yongfu could be sent south. Liu Yongfu’s troops had now been organized into an infantry brigade, with a strength of 2,600 according to reports from the end of last month. Such a force deployed in central Vietnam would pose a deadly threat to the French—Liu Yu even suspected that the French would send all their reinforcements to the area around Huế.

But Liu Yu’s intention in sending Liu Yongfu south was not just that—he wanted to inflict yet another heavy blow on the French: “Are there any movements among the French reinforcements?”

“According to insider reports, it is said that five regiments will be sent from the homeland within a month—two regiments are said to reinforce Bắc Kỳ, and three to Huế. However, many French officers consider this claim utterly untrustworthy.”
Huế has become a key battlefield that the French cannot ignore. Even if this is not true, it represents a trend: the defense of the Huế area will severely strain the resources available to the French forces in North Vietnam.
“Any other news?”
“Hmm! Mr. Deng Cunyu has sent a letter saying that a man named Mr. Lian Jincheng has returned from Hong Kong, and he asks you to make appropriate arrangements.”
Lian Jincheng?