Chapter 166: China and Vietnam

Huế.
In the port, several warships sounded their shrill whistles, while on the walls of Huế, alarm bells echoed throughout the city. Distant gunshots could also be heard outside the city.
The people of Huế—men, women, and the elderly—were all forced to defend the city walls. The French brought a whole shipload of rifles from Hong Kong, and every able-bodied man on the walls was given one to use as a cannon fodder.
Several Catholic churches in the city had been turned into fortresses. A curfew had been in place for three days, and French soldiers in blue uniforms could be seen patrolling every passerby in the barricades at any time.
Paris had always had a tradition of revolution, thanks to its ability to easily build barricades and engage in fierce battles. However, after the Paris Commune, the French lost this glorious tradition until it was revived in 1968—partly because the Third Republic destroyed all conditions conducive to building barricades during urban renovations.
But in this city, the French soldiers could find countless ways to build barricades, which meant they were prepared for the worst in the event of an attack by the Black Flag Army.
Looking out from the city walls, no signs of the Black Flag Army could be seen—only one or two black banners and a few gunshots. Yet for professional soldiers, this was even more terrifying than the Black Flag Army overwhelming the city like a tide.
In fact, the Black Flag Army had already launched a massive offensive. In places unseen by them, thousands of soldiers were attacking, and bloody battles were taking place.
As for the situation outside the city, Huế knew little beyond the fact that some strongholds were still resisting. They only knew that the Black Flag Army had swept through the areas around Huế like a storm.
Over the past few days, Huế’s land connections to the outside world had been almost completely severed. At least a dozen strongholds the size of companies had been captured, and many more were in fierce combat.
The defenders inside Huế also tried to launch an attack to deal with the Black Flag Army outside, but when they sent over a thousand French and Vietnamese troops ten kilometers outside the city, they were attacked by two entire regiments of the Black Flag Army. One French battalion managed to retreat only by sacrificing the Vietnamese local troops as cannon fodder.
After that, the French troops in Huế no longer had the courage to attack. They heard of terrible disasters: a stronghold near Hengshan, supposedly defended by two cannons and an entire French company, along with hundreds of Catholics and local infantry, was easily defeated by the Black Flag Army in a field battle. The cannons and most of the company were destroyed, and the stronghold could not be held.
Many of the strongholds and local troops that had been painstakingly established over the past few months were easily taken by the Black Flag Army. The French rumored that Liu Yongfu was leading them this time.

Liu Yongfu was the former supreme leader of the Black Flag Army and a prominent figure who gave the army its strength and prestige. This time, he led an entire division of the Black Flag Army southward. At the gates of Thanh Hóa, the army gathered nearly twenty infantry battalions, dozens of cannons, and tens of thousands of soldiers.
“Any carelessness could cost us Thanh Hóa…”
Over the years, Liu Yinggong had repeatedly lured small French forces out of Thanh Hóa, chasing them into the mountains before launching a massive attack to defeat or annihilate them. As a result, the French preferred to risk losing their outlying troops rather than leave Thanh Hóa.
In Thanh Hóa, their forces were still quite strong—over a third of the more than five thousand defenders were French citizens, along with thousands of armed Catholics mobilized by the Catholic Church. All this made Thanh Hóa impregnable.
They were waiting for reinforcements.
In the camp of the Black Flag Army, there was also a festive atmosphere.
Liu Yinggong said with a smile, “Old general, you’re still as vigorous as ever. Upon arriving in Central Vietnam, you’ve already given the French a tough start.”
Liu Yongfu felt as if he were a dragon soaring across the sea; he had never felt so confident in the past few years. “Let’s strike the French again. By the way… do we have any extra shells for these 40-mm cannons?”
Lian Jincheng replied softly, “We don’t, but Commander Liu does have some extra.”
“Good! Send a letter to him asking for a hundred shells.”
Liu Yongfu was overjoyed. In Central Vietnam, everything seemed so full of hope that he felt as if he had returned to his twenties.
Not to mention, he now commanded over ten thousand soldiers, eight thousand guns and cannons of various types, with complete equipment. His core forces consisted of seven infantry battalions, plus no fewer than four thousand troops under his direct command.
As for Liu Yinggong’s forces, they included seven independent infantry battalions as the main force, along with dozens of local units and companies, totaling six thousand troops. All the troops in these more than ten provinces in Central and Southern Vietnam were under Liu Yongfu’s control.
After entering Central and Southern Vietnam, Liu Yongfu had done quite well. After expanding his forces, he immediately gathered all his main forces—twelve infantry battalions and over ten local companies—and struck at Thanh Hóa before the French could react.
This attack created a real gap for the French, causing them great pain. They had been in Central and Southern Vietnam for half a year, controlling five or six provincial capitals around Thanh Hóa and establishing more than thirty strongholds using these cities as bases.
But Liu Yongfu’s sudden attack resulted in the capture of three provincial capitals and even more county towns and prefectures. There were not many French troops in these outer areas—usually just one company of French or Foreign Legion troops, supplemented by Vietnamese irregulars.
Once the battle began, their forces collapsed like an avalanche. So far, the weapons captured were enough to arm an entire regiment: “1,300 breechloaders and two cannons.”
What delighted Liu Yongfu even more was the scene of his crushing the French at the gates of Thanh Hóa. The French saw his flag and turned to flee, leaving behind more than fifty corpses. As for the more than six hundred local troops, they were almost completely wiped out.

“How exhilarating! How wonderful!”
In high spirits, he found Liu Yinggong even more pleasing to look at: “Yinggong, what do you think we should do next to attack Hanoi?”
Lian Jincheng quickly replied, “There are still six or seven major French strongholds outside the city. Without capturing these, it will be difficult to attack Hanoi.”
These six or seven strongholds had not been taken in this attack—they were either provincial capitals or prefectural towns, with exceptionally strong fortifications and significantly larger garrisons.
Especially the French forces in the three provincial capitals, after gathering troops from nearby towns, were very strong, with each force numbering over a thousand men. Although the Black Flag Army had twelve battalions, capturing any of these provincial capitals seemed extremely challenging.
Liu Yinggong naturally had his own views: “Though they’re not easily frightened, we can use local troops to monitor them and then try to annihilate part of their forces, thereby completely changing the balance of power between China and Vietnam.”
Such a lucrative target surely couldn’t be missed. Lian Jincheng, on the other hand, had his own idea: “My suggestion is to first take control of the larger county towns, then move on to the prefectural towns, and finally the provincial capitals.”
Like Liu Yongfu, he too felt revived after a long period of hardship, but compared to Liu Yongfu, he seemed somewhat disheartened. Given that he had returned half a year earlier, Liu Yinggong’s position would surely have been his.
Liu Yongfu was also observing these strongholds. The French forces there weren’t many, but they were very stubborn and not easy to defeat. Fortunately, he had some steel cannons at his disposal, along with two captured French mountain guns and 82-mm mortars, which made them valuable siege weapons.
“Jincheng’s idea is good,” he said, setting the tone for the discussion. “But in my opinion, we first need to capture one of these strongholds. Once we take a provincial capital, the enemy will naturally collapse without a fight. This attack…”
Liu Yinggong spoke up first: “We can take on this task. I’m willing to give my word as a commander!”
“Good!” Liu Yongfu said with a grin. “All five of your battalions will be used for the siege. I’ll also reinforce you with all my artillery… How much explosives do you have?”
Liu Yinggong replied, “Six hundred kilograms in total, including large and small packs.”
“That’s too little. I’ll add another four hundred kilograms,” Liu Yongfu said generously. “I’ll also send Lian Jincheng’s infantry battalions to reinforce you. An entire brigade will be assigned to provide support, ensuring no enemy forces can get in.”
His mindset still carried the spirit of the brave troops. Though he wasn’t willing to risk his allies at all costs, he was more than happy to see Liu Yinggong use his main forces to tackle such a tough challenge.
Since joining the war, his main forces had lost over 300 men, making this a good opportunity for rest and replenishment. Liu Yinggong had done a good job recruiting new soldiers, allowing for immediate reinforcements during battles. Thinking of this, he continued, “Yinggong, if you need anything else, just say it!”
“I don’t need anything!” Liu Yinggong said with a smile. “Let this battle be a good opportunity for them to train hard!”
He knew well that all the best weapons were stored in the French-controlled provincial capitals. He had already chosen his targets.
Whether strong or weak, a half company of Frenchmen, backed by one mountain gun, along with over 400 Vietnamese natives equipped with Remington rifles and nearly a hundred armed missionaries—what a huge target!

Not to mention that this was also a storage site for the French army, with plenty of ammunition and supplies. If he could seize them, he could have meat to eat. Whether according to the rules of the Black Flag Army or the Xiliu Camp, Liu Yongfu could only content himself with plain soup. As for casualties, he was well aware that any army is forged in the furnace of battle. Without engaging in a fierce fight, how could his troops compare to Liu Yongfu’s strong and capable soldiers? After all, Liu Yu had given him special instructions.