Chapter 173: Gains and Losses

“The Chinese army was fully prepared to mount a strong resistance along the roads, attempting to cross them and reach the west of the canal. They transformed the riverbanks into a series of fortifications, with numerous rifles and trenches. About a kilometer ahead of the canal banks lay open fields, too open even for a dog to hide in. The canal was deep and fast-flowing, with a current speed of at least five knots, and its steep banks served as solid defensive lines. With immense effort, the Chinese army turned the entire bank into a real fortress. The bends in the canal acted as natural fortresses, with gun emplacements dug every twenty yards, protected by low walls for the riflemen. It seemed impossible to capture the Yongqiu defenses without paying a heavy price, but history granted us a glorious victory.”

“At twelve o’clock, our troops began the attack. The artillery fired from a distance of three thousand yards, but soon moved forward to a closer range. Meanwhile, the Chinese army sat quietly in their fortifications or on the mountains, like a group of indifferent spectators. It must have been a striking sight as three thousand French soldiers prepared to attack, with hot air balloons floating high in the sky. Soon, when a shell exploded among the troops carrying white flags, at least one-third of them fled immediately. Twenty soldiers, carrying four flags, did not run and fired rifles from afar (which the Chinese called “bird guns”), but soon they retreated to the mountains, leaving only one man behind. This man stayed for a while, firing fiercely from a distance of one thousand five hundred yards, although the sight distance of his gun was probably only a hundred yards. Four shells were fired at him, with the last one exploding about thirty yards behind him on a mountain. Frightened, he immediately grabbed two flags and ran, even more panicked than his companions earlier. This was likely the fiercest resistance the French encountered at the Yongqiu positions.”

“The artillery bombarded the village for twenty minutes before turning its attention to the fortifications on the mountains. The Annamite shock troops were on the right, followed by the Marines and African guerrillas, who fired volleys of rifles at the village and the wooden fortifications on the mountain tops. But their shots only hit the bamboo. There was nothing more difficult for them than climbing up the muddy paths to the mountains. Yet the Chinese were quick—they were already halfway to the main fortifications at the foot of the mountain. Two of them worked hard together, firing their rifles, but they couldn’t harm our soldiers at all. This was all the enemy’s firepower at Yongqiu. But with just a few decent rifles, it was a position extremely difficult to capture. Defended with Remington rifles and courage, along with their well-designed interlocking fire, it would surely cost our troops dearly.”

“In fact, the French captured seven batteries and over twenty villages without paying any price. In the morning, the Chinese army had eaten there. Our soldiers frequently ambushed people scattered along the roads. Some of them were Chinese, but most were just villagers who became victims of the African guerrillas’ indiscriminate slaughter. It rained, and the troops camped overnight, hearing the thundering artillery fire of the Negro Corps for several hours.”

“Major General Nigri, this general from Algeria fought day and night, capturing one high ground after another, one fortress after another, taking countless villages and temples. Yet he pressed on relentlessly, encountering only slightly more resistance than from the other column. But he advanced so fiercely that he was soon at the heels of the Chinese army. On the last day of the march toward Binh Ninh, seven French soldiers were killed and thirty were wounded. The Chinese army gave up all thoughts of resistance and only wanted to cross the river. At five o’clock, the artillery battery fired at Binh Ninh from the northern hill, but the Chinese army had already withdrawn by then. At six o’clock, we were entering in formation…”
…Excerpted from the reference material “The Last Elegy of Annam – A Record of the French Army’s March into Vietnam” compiled by the Guilin Infantry School in 1916.
Under the salvo of nine guns, Major General Gobat took off his hat and entered Binh Ninh City amidst cheers. He entered the city almost together with his soldiers: “Soldiers, I salute you.” The soldiers repaid this naval major general with tears. How long had they not seen the smile of Victory? It was at this moment that they regained their confidence. Standing on the walls of Binh Ninh City, they felt invincible: “Long live France!”
“Chase after Taiyuan! Chase after Taiyuan!”
The Qing army offered almost no serious resistance. Although the French considered their fortifications to be of high quality, their soldiers were utterly helpless. At the thought of this, everyone felt their blood boil: “Chase after Taiyuan!”
The retreating Qing army split into two groups—one fleeing toward Taiyuan and the other retreating to Qiongshan. But the French officers were more focused on securing victory in Taiyuan. This glorious victory restored their long-lost confidence: “Sir, I wish to be the vanguard of the entire army and plant the flag on the walls of Taiyuan City!”
“Attack! Attack!”
The completely different atmosphere from the battle in Shanxi revived the French troops’ vigor: “We don’t need reinforcements or rest; we can start attacking right away.” Although there were not the claimed ten thousand French soldiers, Major General Gobat still deployed nearly nine thousand troops, the largest force he could assemble under the current circumstances. He also hoped to capture Taiyuan City in one fell swoop and then threaten Shanxi from the flank. But he was now well aware that “the enemy has gathered a large number of troops in Taiyuan…”
He had to leave some troops behind for defense. If he launched an attack immediately, he could deploy less than eight thousand soldiers. Near Taiyuan, it was said that the Black Flag Army had assembled more than ten battalions, including many experienced units. “So is our expedition over here?” Major General Nigri, who had been transferred from Algeria, was a typical Frenchman, though he had long commanded indigenous troops, which had made him somewhat Algerianized in demeanor: “All we need is one thing—attack, attack, and more attacks…”
“Before attacking, we’d better sort out the spoils of war,” Gobat laughed. “This is a major turning point in the entire campaign. We can take a short rest before launching another attack…”

Meanwhile, crowds as numerous as ants were streaming toward Taiyuan, the only guarantee of their safety. Many officers wanted to take their troops to Qiongshan, knowing full well that once they reached Taiyuan, they would be disarmed by the Black Flag Army and all their meager strength would be lost. Yet more soldiers and merchants accompanying them understood that Taiyuan was their best chance of survival. Gunfire rang out from all sides as Catholic believers, long in collusion with the French, attacked this nearly collapsed force. The French’ collaborators launched their attacks almost simultaneously, leaving the Qing army overwhelmed. Even some Vietnamese officials who had always shown respect to the Qing revealed their true colors, backstabbing them ruthlessly. But even without such internal strife, the Qing army’s situation was hardly any better. Neither Xu Yanshu nor Zhao Wo was a capable commander. The French forces discovered many well-constructed strongholds that could be defended with just a few rapid-fire rifles, yet these positions were only equipped with muskets and shotguns, allowing them to be easily breached. Among those heading for Taiyuan, however, many carried advanced rapid-fire rifles, along with boxes of ammunition and two Krupp field guns. Even though they had lost their shoes, they didn’t abandon these heavy weapons. They knew full well that bringing these weapons to Taiyuan would earn them a substantial sum of money. They even brought along the entire equipment of the two garrisons stationed in Vietnam, transporting by hand and on mules all the supplies the Black Flag Army needed, intending to sell them in Taiyuan for a good price. Yet among the crowd, there were few officers: “Hurry! Hurry! We’ll be safe once we reach the border. Lord Tang has already agreed to send troops to rescue us.” They were low-ranking officers, not very prominent, so they quickly aligned with Tang Jingsong. As long as they brought their troops to Taiyuan, Tang Jingsong would offer a fair price—whether to sell the entire force or secure a position, Taiyuan had enough resources. The sound of gunfire grew fainter; the French were still celebrating their victory, too weak to pursue the retreating army. Thousands of troops were marching toward Taiyuan through countless paths, while at the border stood another fierce army. From the moment the battle began, they had sent small units across the provincial border, and now entire companies were ready to launch flanking attacks on the French. Multiple shelters had been set up to accommodate the Qing troops retreating from Beining. Soon, Tang Jingsong was pleased to see groups of Qing soldiers in uniform, carrying various weapons, retreating. “This will all be my capital from now on!” he said triumphantly. “I estimate at least five thousand people will flee to our Taiyuan.”

Unlike in history, the Qing army suffered much fewer losses during their retreat, so more troops and their weapons and equipment made it to Taiyuan. Along various roads, one could see the disheveled Qing troops retreating. As soon as they felt safe, they became arrogant again: “Where’s the money? Where’s my money?” Tang Jingsong said with a smile, “We can at least form two more battalions.” An officer from the Black Flag Army blurted out, “With all that equipment and troops, why didn’t they fight and just run away?”