Chapter 189: The River of Blood

Thank God! The Qing army has finally arrived! Thank God! Amen!
A group of French officers and missionaries crossed themselves, sharing the greatest joy of their lives!
Months earlier, they had celebrated triumphantly as they drove the Qing forces out of Binh Ninh, and now they welcomed the Qing army’s return with equal enthusiasm, as if those barbarians from months ago had suddenly turned into angels—the best friends of the civilized world!
This was entirely due to the circumstances. After General Nigri’s failed attempt to lead his troops back to Hanoi, the remaining French forces in Binh Ninh were reduced to just one reinforced battalion—only seven hundred men—along with a few hundred local infantrymen and Catholic militias.
In history, French forces of similar size had held Xuan Guang against the entire Black Flag Army and twenty thousand troops from Yunnan. But in this timeline, they were so outmatched by the Black Flag Army that they dared not even leave their homes, fearing defeat. Such forces were utterly incapable of securing Binh Ninh.
In fact, given the changing situation, the expeditionary command even considered abandoning Binh Ninh entirely and transferring all troops back to Hanoi for defense, only to realize they would be of no use.
Now, the angelic Qing army had arrived—bringing with it over a dozen powerful infantry battalions—that forced the Black Flag Army to cease offensive actions and switch to a defensive posture.
“Thank God! The Qing army is our best friend! General Wang will be welcomed with the greatest enthusiasm!”
For Wang Debang, they had prepared gifts a hundred times richer than those given to the Black Flag Army—150 fat pigs, 400 bags of flour, ten fat cows…
“As long as General Wang acts quickly, we can provide him with 100,000 Mexican silver dollars as special military funds!”
…
“Wang Debang’s vanguard has already entered Binh Ninh? What a reckless man!”
Pan Dingxin disapproved of Wang Debang—this man was too arrogant, ignoring everyone else, especially Pan Dingxin himself.
But since things were already decided, Pan Dingxin saw it as a good thing: “Since Wang Debang’s vanguard has entered Binh Ninh, we must go as well. Yuan Chun, what do you think?”
The one who spoke was Su Yuanchun, a famous general from Guangxi and a key figure in the Qing army during the Sino-French War. In history, his contributions could be compared to those of Liu Yongfu, as he dealt heavy blows to the French forces, far surpassing Feng Zicai, who only participated in the final battles at Zhen Nan Pass.
Even in the battle of Zhen Nan Pass, Su Yuanchun was listed first in reports of achievements, though he later lost his integrity and was overlooked by historians. Now, he was Pan Dingxin’s lifeline.
Yet deep down, Su Yuanchun also looked down on the Black Flag Army, those remnants of the Taiping rebels: “Though reckless, it’s still a good thing!”
His father had formed a militia and was killed by the Taiping forces, prompting Su Yuanchun to vow revenge. He joined the Hunan Army and fought under Xi Baotian, but his relationship with the Hunan Army wasn’t as close as Wang Debang’s. Being from outside Hunan, he was able to get along well with Pan Dingxin.

Since he despised the remnants of the Taiping rebels in his heart, he harbored a sense of contempt. The elite five battalions under his command also considered themselves a formidable force, so there was little resistance to advancing troops to Beining. His only grievance was that Wang Debang had sent troops to Beining without consulting him or inviting Pan Dingxin, which seemed like a complete disregard for him. But given the urgency of the situation, he could only make do with temporary pragmatic decisions. “Beining is prosperous. In the past, tens of thousands of troops from the two defense forces entering Vietnam relied on its resources. If we lose Beining, our army will have to rely on supplies from the interior, wasting resources needlessly. Now that our army has sufficient funds, our soldiers are willing to risk their lives, and we also have access to Beining’s granaries—how can we not succeed?” What he said was true. Apart from the coastal areas, Vietnam’s granaries were mainly located in Hanoi, Shanxi, and Beining. Hanoi was in French hands, Shanxi was under the control of the Black Flag Army, and in the past, the Qing army had only Beining as a source of supplies. If Beining remained under Qing control, the army could easily obtain supplies locally. Once it fell, all supplies would have to be transported from the interior, incurring enormous costs. Now, Wang Debang’s recovery of Beining was indeed a fortunate development. Moreover, for Pan Dingxin, re-entering Beining meant that the army’s funding issues could be completely resolved. In fact, Pan Dingxin hadn’t expected funding to be so easily obtained. Although he had secured 700,000 taels of silver through his connections in his previous role and obtained large amounts of military equipment from Li Hongzhang and Zhang Shusheng, the Qing dynasty’s success in warfare always depended on funding—having funds meant victory, while lacking them led to defeat, a truth that had remained unchanged for 200 years. Although 700,000 taels seemed substantial, it wouldn’t last even a few months once expenses started. For the remaining funds, Pan Dingxin could only rely on contributions from various provinces. The Qing dynasty’s financial system lacked concepts of budgeting or accounting. Once war broke out, aside from drawing out a few tens of thousands of taels from the imperial treasury for emergency use, the usual approach was to order certain provinces or customs offices to send funds to military camps. Not only were there countless complications involved, but time was also at a premium, and provinces often tried every means to avoid such obligations, delaying matters for years. Yet this time, Pan Dingxin’s departure was extremely smooth. Even before leaving the border, the Oriental Bank of Hong Kong had sent him a promissory note for 100,000 taels through connections, with the funds withdrawn through banks affiliated with HSBC in Guangdong and Guangxi. To outsiders, it seemed strange that the French were sending Pan Dingxin silver while they were at war with him. But in the eyes of Qing officials, this was a display of power and favor, allowing Pan Dingxin to accept the money legitimately. Once the troops crossed the border, the French relied on Pan Dingxin once again, sending 100,000 taels in funding and promising an additional 200,000 taels once the Qing army entered Beining. If they fought against the Black Flag Army, they would provide another 400,000 taels. In addition, they offered to supply Pan Dingxin with weapons purchased from Hong Kong. What Pan Dingxin regretted most now was those 200,000 taels: “It’s a shame that the biggest benefit this time went to Wang Debang. Any news from the French?”

Su Yuanchun was also indignant, as Pan Dingxin had originally intended for him to take the lead—after all, the larger share of those 200,000 taels should have gone to him. “I heard the French have already prepared a million taels of silver, just waiting for Wang Debang to collect it. Well, he’s just an old man in charge of a few battalions; whether he’ll even live to get it is doubtful…”
Fearful of external battles but brave in internal conflicts—this was the biggest flaw in the entire Qing military system. The Eight Banners and Green Standard Armies were originally meant to function like military police, and even the later-formed Xiang-Huai Army was similar in nature to a mobile military police force. They could manage in internal conflicts, but when it came to external battles, they would scatter like ducks.
It’s no wonder—internal battlefields offered plenty of opportunities for profit. Even if faced with tough opponents, they could kill innocents to claim credit and plunder the region. Countless cities were looted over and over again by these Qing troops. But external battles were completely different—there was no profit to be made, the enemy was stronger, and they would admit defeat before even fighting.
Thus, when Pan Dingxin realized his mission had changed, he accepted it without hesitation.
Tribes like the Black Flag Army were originally remnants of the Taiping rebels, still harboring malicious intentions. The imperial court had entrusted them with defending against the French, yet they were half-hearted and even ignored orders to invade Taiyuan and Beining on their own—this was a grave threat to the nation, and it was time to eliminate them in the name of heaven.
The only thing that displeased him was that the reinforcements from various provinces he had called for had not yet arrived in full. According to his original plan, he needed 40 elite battalions. Now, including his newly recruited Ding Army, Su Yuanchun’s army, Wang Debang’s army, and some scattered troops, there were barely over 20 battalions in total.
He had also planned to recruit the scattered Guangxi troops, but so far only a few small groups had shown up—far from his expectations. It was said that most of them had been lured away by heavy rewards offered by the Black Flag Army in Taiyuan.
Thinking of this, he added more charges against the Black Flag Army. But before all these accusations could be proven, he needed to make plans.
“Yuanchun, what do you think are our chances of winning if we go to war with the Black Flag rebels?”
Su Yuanchun was skilled in military affairs. “The Black Flag Army is said to have 80 battalions in the south, 20 in the center, 20 in the north, and 40 in the north—of which the 40 in the north are said to be the most combat-effective and a serious threat to our army. But right now, along the Taiyuan-Beining front, they only have six or seven battalions. With our 20 battalions, we have a strong chance of winning.”
“But the main force of the Black Flag Army is currently gathered in Hanoi, said to number no less than 25 battalions, all elite soldiers. They are extremely powerful, having defeated the French several times and are still besieging Hanoi. Such a large force—each battalion is said to be equivalent to 1.5 of our Qing defense troops…”
He overestimated the combat strength of the Qing army but refused to acknowledge the fact that, under similar conditions, the Black Flag Army was definitely stronger. After all, the Black Flag Army had several times defeated the French, while the Qing army had no such record. Yet he still dared not face reality and used the assumption that one Black Flag battalion could match 1.5 regular Qing battalions in his calculations.
“Of course, these battalions are all tied up fighting the French and won’t all fight against us. Even if they do, it will be after the French suffer heavy losses…”

But for Pan Dingxin, such an approach didn’t sit well with him. What he preferred was a steady strategy that ensured a certain victory. The only major risk he took in his life was leading troops into Shandong to seize Ding Baozhen’s military authority seal. Even then, he relied on Li Hongzhang’s support and only ventured in believing he had a 70-80% chance of success—only to lose completely in the end! Thus, he expressed his long-held thoughts to Su Yuanchun: “Support can be sustained continuously, but it may not be available in the short term. Most of Guangxi’s elite troops have been lost in battles. Although troops from the eastern provinces can be mobilized, there are only a few battalions. In my opinion, we must come up with a clever plan!” He calculated that he could at most have forty to fifty battalions, while his opponent, the Black Flag Army, was said to have eighty battalions. The mere thought of facing them filled him with immense pressure. These days, with the country in turmoil, all armies were expanding, but which army could match the Black Flag Army’s scale of eighty battalions? Even if all the Huai Army forces were combined, taking advantage of the Sino-French war for expansion, they would still number only seventy to eighty thousand. The largest army in the country was the Ming Army. Even when it annexed several larger armies like the Shu Army to seize military authority in Shaanxi, it had only fifty battalions. Over the years, even this largest army had shrunk to thirty battalions. Yet the Black Flag Army, despite being located in a remote area, easily had eighty battalions, with more reportedly still available. Fighting them with just twenty battalions, even with French support, would only give him a 60-70% chance of success. Su Yuanchun could see he already had a plan and asked, “Sir, do you intend to borrow French troops? That’s not possible. Some actions will leave a stain on one’s reputation forever!” Using some French money might be a minor issue, but allying with the French to attack the Black Flag Army would cast a lasting stain on Pan Dingxin’s name in history. Pan Dingxin smiled slightly. “I know. That’s why I need a foolproof plan. Are you familiar with Cen Xiantai?” The Cen Xiantai he referred to was Cen Yuying, the current governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, a highly influential figure at the time. Su Yuanchun nodded immediately. “I’ve met him a few times, but not very well…” Pan Dingxin’s smile deepened. “I and Cen Xiantai were colleagues in the past. I know he is deeply concerned about those bandits.” He had served as governor of Yunnan in previous years and was an old colleague of Cen Yuying. Due to conflicts between the Hunan and Huai factions, he had a very poor relationship with the then governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, Liu Changyou, and was eventually removed from office, though he got along well with Cen Yuying. Su Changchun understood most of it. “Sir, could it be that…” … “God! The world is changing too fast…” The governor of Indochina couldn’t comprehend how dramatically events had turned. The Qing army, which had been enemies just a few months ago, was now receiving support from the French army. “We need to provide another sum of three million francs to the Qing army. But we must make it clear that this is only part of the military assistance given to the Celestial Empire’s army, not the whole of it…”

The Governor of Indochina had grown numb to such reports. War was the best opportunity to make money; many people went bankrupt in this war, but a very few became wealthy overnight. Among them was Mr. Craig from the Oriental Bank of Commerce. This man had once been heavily criticized for providing large amounts of secured credit loans to the Black Flag Army, but he soon escaped such accusations and became an indispensable and powerful ally to the French forces. Over the past year or so, he had provided huge military loans to the French forces throughout Indochina, to the point where the French forces and the Oriental Bank of Commerce had become inseparable. Although the terms imposed by the Oriental Bank of Commerce were extremely unreasonable, causing huge losses to the French Republic, and the bank itself was on the verge of bankruptcy due to speculation in the war, every government official now understood that the war could not continue without the Oriental Bank of Commerce. Therefore, last month, the Republic took on all of the bank’s bad debts with a credit guarantee of 120 million, while Mr. Craig took the opportunity to make millions of francs in the stock market. At the thought of these things, the Governor of Indochina lacked the courage to resist: “I just want to know if all these loans will safely reach the hands of the Chinese army’s commander.” Craig always believed that anything given should be reciprocated, and providing interest-free loans to Pan Dingxin was no exception—he simply knew when to be generous, taking only a small advantage in exchange rates. “Rest assured, after receiving our checks, Beining has already been relieved!” “Hm?” The Governor of Indochina had not yet received such a report: “Beining relieved?” “That’s right. Ten infantry battalions of the Qing army, with the help of allied forces, have entered Beining. Thanks to this, our situation there has improved significantly…” “Well then… I’ll continue to provide interest-free loans to the Qing army, as long as the government supports me!” The entire French cabinet unconditionally supported any actions taken by the Qing army. As a capitalist empire, the French Republic possessed impressive financial strength, allowing them to easily mobilize huge sums of money. Upon learning of the new terms, the entire cabinet fell back into war fever. Although they were well aware that this war could doom them, they still bet everything on the Qing Dynasty. “As long as the Qing army can hold them off for three months, we can send an entire legion, three complete infantry armies, to Vietnam. I believe no force in the Far East can stop a legion!” After World War I, to suppress the Republic of Rif in Morocco, the French had invested heavily, sending 700,000 troops under Pétain on a cross-sea expedition. But the French cabinet of this era ignored all objective constraints, mobilizing every available ship and transporting every infantry unit they could—whether from the home country, colonies, or the Foreign Legion—to Vietnam.

But their actions did not gain the approval of some commanders.
“I think this is the biggest mistake I’ve made in my life…”
Countless body bags were neatly stacked at the dock—this was the price the French paid in just a few days of fighting. “In a few hours, we’ll face the same attack again!”
General Gobat looked much older; as an excellent commander, he bore an astonishing amount of pressure on his shoulders.
The Black Flag Army did not deploy all its forces and used the Hanoi battlefield as a grinder to wear down the French forces—a far from ideal battlefield.
At the thought of this, Gobat couldn’t help but imagine countless young soldiers falling in pools of blood, while the terrifying demon lord Liu Yu laughed maniacally…
Hanoi was not a good battlefield for the French, but it was hell chosen for them by Liu Yu.
After the initial battles, Gobat realized that defending the city was a nightmare. Against the Black Flag Army’s huge numerical advantage, he needed continuous support from the water to hold Hanoi.
But the Black Flag Army used every means to stop French reinforcements—gunboats, fortresses, secret artillery positions, grenades, explosive charges, rifles…
Even artillery ships traveling at night arrived in Hanoi battered and damaged, with bullet craters everywhere.
The bureaucrats in the Navy Ministry only saw that nearly 30% of the troops were injured or killed during transport—they only saw such simple figures, while Gobat witnessed the tragic scenes of blood coagulating in pain.
And 30% casualties were not even enough to describe the severity of the situation. The Navy Ministry officials didn’t see another terrifying statistic: due to various factors, about 40% of the warships were forced to return to Haiphong after each transport mission.
Together, these two figures represented a deadly blow. Gobat sighed upon seeing the towering piles of body bags.
The Navy Ministry bureaucrats told him that as long as Hanoi was held, everything would be hopeful, and reinforcements would always arrive.
But now he felt despair—holding Hanoi was the root of all evil.
If they could abandon Hanoi outright and retreat to the coastal areas, the French could fully leverage their superior firepower, especially their armored ships and cruisers from the Far East Fleet, which were beyond the Black Flag Army’s reach.
But he had to painfully admit that he was not the decision-maker.
The Navy Ministry bureaucrats completely ignored the facts. They simply believed that holding Hanoi would boost the Republic’s morale, and sending a whole legion to the Vietnamese battlefield meant victory.
Yet Gobat believed that sending a whole legion to an unfamiliar battlefield would be a complete disaster, both militarily and financially.
The Republic saw this war as nothing more than a police operation, but after exhausting all means, France couldn’t even ensure the safety of Indochina.
“God! This is the biggest mistake I’ve made. I should have stopped this war last year…”

If this war were halted after failure in Shanxi, thousands of French citizens’ lives would be saved. At the thought of the blood-red waters of the Red River, the major general felt immense regret. He would rather the Qing troops never appeared near Beining than continue to suffer such pain. But as the supreme commander of the expeditionary force, he had to persevere; he must hold this city like a nail, even at the cost of heavy casualties among his soldiers. “There is not a glimmer of hope for victory—only despair awaits…” The major general felt his heart grow cold. A messenger shouted, “Major general, the enemy has launched another attack! We’ve suffered heavy losses…” “Enough…” He could only do his duty: “Bury our young men properly!” The waters behind him remained stained red with blood.