Chapter 14: United We Stand! Advance!

A group of over a hundred armed men suddenly appeared on the road leading to Haiyang City.
Although they marched in two columns, few dared to investigate them.
Among them, one could clearly see a whole squad of riflemen. Though they bore the banners of the Liu Regiment, only the Black Flag Army likely had such strength.
Twenty rifles alone were enough to make them retreat, and most of the official troops had gathered in Haiyang.
This armed force swept forward like a fire, growing larger and larger. At departure, there were only 120 men, but by the time they reached the outskirts of Haiyang City, the number had risen to 150.
From time to time, people joined this group: “Commander Liu, if I join now, can I still get a rifle? If not, even a good foreign rifle will do!”
The French arms embargo left the firearms level in the Red River Delta far behind the world’s standard. A single foreign rifle could often enable a man to live a good life.
Liu Yu even remembered a novel he had read, written by an author who experienced life among bandits in the 1920s.
In the early 20th century, bandits divided loot based on the number of rifles they had. Some could only carry others’ rifles and fight desperately for little reward, while others owned several fast guns and could reap benefits without fighting—just like the relationship between tenant farmers and landlords.
The long-term arms embargo led to an exaggerated desire for fast guns among various armed groups in the Red River Delta, as evident from the storm Liu Yu had unleashed.
Haiyang was almost in sight!
Sima Tai, who was at the front acting as a scout, shouted loudly, “Give me a Remington! I’ll take a few men to scout the area!”
The scenery around them changed as well—riverbanks, tides, reeds, and occasionally small streams. From time to time, young people could be seen catching crabs and shrimps by the river, their faces still full of innocence.
“It’s ready!”
Liu Yu also grew nervous. Haiyang was almost reached, and everything needed to be prepared.
“Are the ladders ready? The door planks? And the quilts? Also, those two barrels of gunpowder must not fail us.”
After all, being a true military enthusiast, he knew something about siege tactics. The French used advanced equipment like field guns and machine guns when conquering Vietnam, but the two most common and effective methods they used were simple: ladders and explosive charges.
It was with such basic equipment that they managed to breach strong castles. Ladders could be found readily, but explosive charges were hard to come by. Only two barrels of black gunpowder were obtained. As for door planks and quilts, they were still siege tactics commonly used even during the Liberation War.
The men below were united in their efforts: “As commanded by the commander, we’ve prepared everything thoroughly.”
Liu Yu stretched his neck to look into the distance, hoping to find more men to bolster his forces for the siege of Haiyang.
But after searching everywhere, he found nothing, only the smile of Mr. Lian: “Mr. Lian!”
“Amen!”
Liu Yu valued this military advisor greatly: “Hmm! Does Mr. Lian have anything to say?”
“Dear Commander Liu, Haiyang is in sight. I think it’s time for us to part ways!”

“Are you leaving?” Liu Yu was truly surprised at this moment. He had never thought he would want to hold onto someone so much: “Please stay! The Liu Army needs you!”
He bowed deeply to Lian Jincheng—once, twice, and again. It was the first time he had bowed three times to someone: “The Liu Army really needs your help!”
Lian Jincheng’s role in the Liu Army was far more than just that of a military advisor. He could easily get along with everyone. Sometimes, Liu Yu would issue certain military orders in his name. But Lian Jincheng just smiled and said, “Our business is over. I take a neutral stance on your adventures. And even if you wanted to hire me, you can’t afford to pay me anymore!”
All the resources the Liu Army had accumulated had gone with those two ships to Shanxi Province. Now, Liu Yu really didn’t have any money either. Lian Jincheng continued to smile and said, “I also suggest our boss stay neutral in this matter… Well, goodbye!”
Without paying attention to Liu Yu’s furious expression, he simply waved his long sleeves and walked away.
“Mr. Lian, please stay!”
“Stay!”
Liu Yu and the others’ attempts to keep him didn’t work. After he walked far away, Liu Yu could only curse, “Get lost! Has Sima returned?”
Sima Tai hadn’t returned. Liu Yu grew anxious. There were three thousand soldiers in the city, and no mistakes were allowed: “Wipe your guns clean! If anything goes wrong in battle, I’ll take your heads!”
Even Jiang Ningxue’s persuasion couldn’t calm him down: “Keep your eyes sharp!”
Sima Tai still hadn’t returned. Just as Liu Yu was growing desperate, someone suddenly called out, “Is this the Liu Army?”
“Who is it?”
Liu Yu rushed out almost at lightning speed, with over a dozen riflemen following closely behind him: “Who are you?”
“We’re men from the grasslands. We’ve come to deliver a message to your Liu Army on behalf of the foreigners!”
It was a group of twenty-odd men from the countryside. The leader had strong arms and a narrow waist. He glanced at Liu Yu and then knelt down immediately: “Please accept us, leader. I, Zhang Biao, thank you.”
“Huh?”
“The Grassland Raiders no longer exist. We’ve volunteered to join the Liu Army. That foreign missionary, Ruan Youming, treated us terribly, not even considering us human beings. This time, he sent us to deliver a message to your Liu Army. Hehe!”
“That’s when we learned that in our Haiyang Province, there’s also a heroic young man like you, with such great achievements. After discussing it, we decided to break up. Those who don’t want to follow me will follow the commander-in-chief to seek fortune!”
They had originally come to deliver a message to Liu Yu. Unexpectedly, as soon as they arrived at the old camp, they heard rumors that the Liu Army was planning to attack Haiyang. No matter how much experience they had, they had never heard of such bold actions. Moreover, they heard that the Liu Army had many rifles and two foreign military advisors. Although their chances of capturing Haiyang were less than 50%, they were still quite promising.
Zhang Biao was also someone who could make decisions in critical moments. He simply decided to break up and volunteer to join the Liu Army: “If we capture Haiyang, we want rifles too!”

“Great!” With twenty more loyal subordinates at his disposal, Liu Yu was full of confidence: “Let’s take advantage of the situation today!”
Just as he spoke, news arrived: “Sima is back, and he’s brought back over ten people too!”