Chapter Twelve: Opportunity! Here It Comes!

“Pity me!” Shi Yujie finally spoke up, “I have…”
Spit still remained on Liu Yu’s right cheek as he smiled mysteriously, “Is that so?”
“I need… help…” Shi Yujie managed to utter those two words with all his strength. He seemed to see Liu Yu lower the gun barrel and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
With a thunderous crack, Liu Yu pulled the trigger, hitting Shi Yujie’s vital spot. At that moment, Shi Yujie’s eyes widened in shock as he refused to die willingly.
“It’s too late!” Liu Yu handed his Spencer to Jiang Ningxue. “Remington!”
Jiang Ningxue had already turned her face away, loading bullets into the carbine while fully turning around.
Compared to the Spencer carbine that used pistol bullets, the Remington appeared more rugged, also using standard 13-millimeter military rifle bullets.
Liu Yu casually pulled the bolt and pulled the trigger. The 13-millimeter high-caliber military rifle bullet created a bloody hole in Shi Yujie’s body. “Who still disagrees that I should be the head of this family?”
So satisfying!
In games, this is called “chaining a corpse.” It’s a shame he didn’t have a rocket launcher at hand—otherwise, it would have been even more spectacular.
Yet Liu Yu’s actions evoked different reactions among the people of Liu’s camp.
This was a high-ranking third-rank guerrilla—how could he be killed so easily? In the blink of an eye, it was faster than killing a chicken!
What kind of foreign gun was this? Its power was so great, its firing rate so fast—like lightning and thunder. Seven shots were fired in an instant!
At the thought that Liu Yu had brought back a full twenty such guns, everyone was secretly terrified.
The gun barrel glinted, his tone casual.
No one spoke.
Liu Yu nodded and said, “It seems I’ll have to reluctantly take on the role of head of the family!”
This time, thunderous applause answered him: “Long live the leader!”
Even Liu Haohao, now in the shape of a panda, was clapping his injured hands. As for Shi Yujie’s two bodyguards, they wore smiles on their faces, patting their heads nonstop, fearing further accidents.
Liu Yu closed his eyes.
It was like a dream.
1878 was a very ordinary year in history, but history would begin a new chapter from this year.
Internationally, there were no major events, while domestically, the Qing Dynasty was in a state of stagnation. It had temporarily forgotten the most important event of that year.
1878 was indeed an ordinary year in history.
From his memory, Britain went to war with the Zulu people and ultimately won, but people only remembered Britain’s defeat at Isandlwana.
Thousands of barbarians, carrying spears and letting out deafening roars, charged through dense gunfire into an entire British column and massacred them. 1,329 British soldiers were killed, including 800 Europeans.
The Tenth Russo-Turkish War between Russia and Turkey ended that year. Turkey was defeated, and Bulgaria gained independence. Yet the war between Russia and Turkey was destined to last another 241 years, with their final conflict completely destroying both empires.

Other than that, Liu Yu had no other memories of the changes that took place in world history that year. As for the changes in China that year, he had forgotten the most important and crucial matter; he only had a vague recollection of it. That year, China was to trial-run a postal service and issue the first set of stamps issued by the Qing postal service—the Great Dragon stamps. This memory did not come from his knowledge of military history but from his obsession with collecting stamps in his youth. Thanks to Shi Jueyi, he remembered this matter; if he could turn the situation around, he truly owed Shi Jueyi his gratitude. Amidst the applause, Liu Yu woke up from the noise. “With one hand, one can defy heaven; fate is in my own hands.” Haiyang City. Fan Fushu took on the position of governor of Haiyang as a virtuous minister, but like many other “virtuous ministers” trusted by Emperor Tự Đức, he did nothing at all. In later historical records, the only impression he left was his proficiency in Chinese literature and his skill in writing classical Chinese poetry. “In peace, one meditates on the nature of the mind; in crisis, one dies to serve the king”—this perfectly described such people. Yet Emperor Tự Đức chose him for the important position of governor of Haiyang. Haiyang was not only a large province governing several smaller ones but also located at the mouth of the Red River. The customs revenue from Zuo Jin (the coastal defense area) alone amounted to 300,000 taels per year. When the Sino-French War broke out, the prosperous province of Haiyang was occupied by French forces, which continuously provided funds, supplies, and troops for the invading French. The subsequent governor of Haiyang became a notorious traitor in Vietnamese history and also a key factor in the outcome of the Sino-French War. For such a strategically important place, Annam could not even send a dog but only a pig to watch over it. Now, he respectfully asked, “FatherRuan, what are your suggestions? If you have any questions, I will convey them to Thanh Hóa as soon as possible!” FatherRuan Youming, still dressed in his priestly robes, held the Bible and said, “I must issue a solemn warning on behalf of the French government. Servants of the Lord have been attacked by the Liu clan bandits near Haiyang, and you must take responsibility for this!” He knew well how powerful foreigners could be. In the past, Li Weiyeh had almost conquered Northern Vietnam with just 200 men, so caution was essential. “If you have any questions, I will convey them to Thanh Hóa as soon as possible!” FatherRuan Youming spoke in a calm tone, but everyone could hear the seriousness in his words. “Servants of the Lord, believers of the Lord, have been threatened without reason. The French navy has already swept through the Red River under the protection regulations!” “If you have any questions, I will convey them to Thanh Hóa as soon as possible!” FatherRuan Youming had a gentle nature. As a French missionary in Asia, he had enough patience. “I hope that His Excellency the Governor will send troops to eliminate these bandits in accordance with the protection regulations!” “Very good! If you have any questions, I will convey them to Thanh Hóa as soon as possible!” Haiyang was not only under French influence but also had a huge number of pro-French supporters. The only thing Fan Fushu could do was to muddle through as much as possible. “In peace, one meditates on the nature of the mind; in crisis, one dies to serve the king”—even the best Vietnamese ministers of that era could only manage to muddle through like this.

Nguyen Vu Minh’s expression grew even more serious. He had already experienced such bureaucratic attitudes back in his home country. “I hope the governor will send troops to eliminate these bandits. Under French artillery fire, the Lưu clan’s bandits have been completely defeated and scattered in all directions; there are already as many as seventy corpses left at the scene!” This clearly served as a boost to Governor Pham Phu Thuc, but he still repeated the same words: “Very good! If you have any further questions, I will convey them to Thanh Hóa as soon as possible.” Nguyen Vu Minh’s tone became even more solemn: “I must make it clear here that I hope the governor will do everything in his power to send troops to fight—this does not harm the interests of the Vietnamese emperor! Because I have solid evidence proving that the Lưu clan’s bandits attacked the government troops!”