Chapter 206: Direction (Part 2)

Hong Kong.
The port was always bustling—sailboats, steamships, fishing vessels, and warships from all over the world and the South China Sea came and went in an endless stream. What used to be vast open waters now required great effort from pilots at every step forward.

Especially large steamships, nearly a hundred meters long with deep drafts, faced immense difficulty in finding suitable anchorages. Add to this the frequent inspections by the Imperial Navy, and it made Hong Kong one of the busiest ports in the Far East. This trend became even more pronounced after news of large-scale rebellions in Guangxi Province.

Although the Imperial Navy and maritime police conducted daily checks for contraband, everything from arms to military materials had become almost legal—as long as one paid enough taxes to His Majesty the King. With submarine telegraphs in use, arms dealers reacted swiftly. Cannons, Maxim machine guns, modern rapid-fire rifles, gunpowder, and various military supplies were rushed to Hong Kong from Western ports at top speed. The sheer volume terrified even the Governor of Hong Kong. High-ranking officials from Chinese provinces sent their own agents, with the help of compradors and Western advisors, to acquire whatever supplies they needed urgently—especially those from Guangdong and Hunan provinces, whose required weapons could equip an army of 110,000 men.

Many inferior military supplies and outdated weapons were sold again during this period—the French had done the same in Hong Kong last year and earlier this year, to prevent the Black Flag Army from obtaining weapons. As a result, they were forced to buy large quantities of completely obsolete weapons, even purchasing junk at high prices from firms linked to the Black Flag Army.

Demons was one of the biggest beneficiaries of this trade. Last year, he successfully sold old weapons to the French several times, using the same excuse: “These were ordered by the Black Flag Army!”

In truth, everyone in Hong Kong knew that Demons was the Black Flag Army’s agent there. Every year, arms worth hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars passed through his channels to the Black Flag Army. Yet in Hong Kong, anyone who tried to attack him in this regard was either shot dead or ruined by sudden financial crises.

Today, many officials sent by governors still tried every means to meet Demons and obtain a certain amount of weapons, even if it meant paying less bribes. Their tactics were no different from those of the French—once they bought weapons from Demons, they could shift blame: “If we didn’t buy them, they would definitely fall into the hands of the Black Flag rebels.”

Demons was also willing to make friends in this regard and offered generous bribes: “No problem! My weapons may be old, but they’re very durable!”

In the total arms trade across Hong Kong, Demons & Co.’s share is declining significantly. This is not because Demons & Co. has halted or reduced its trade with the Black Flag Army, but rather because their trade with them has become legalized, eliminating the need to transship goods through Hong Kong.

As a prerequisite for a temporary ceasefire between the Black Flag Army and the French in North Vietnam, Craig from the Haiphong branch of Crédit Lyonnais mainly proposed ending the embargo on the Black Flag Army, neutralizing Haiphong, and allowing their arms ships to freely enter the Red River. In return, the Black Flag Army was required to settle their debt obligations with Crédit Oriental.

As a result, Demons & Co.’s arms ships kept flowing into the Red River, leaving the French fleet in Haiphong in a weak position and unable to stop them. Now he instructed his subordinates, “Make sure nothing goes wrong with this shipment of weapons…”

He didn’t understand why Liu Yu wanted to purchase new Maxim machine guns—hundreds of them at that—each accompanied by 50,000 rounds of ammunition. In contrast, only a small number of rifles and heavy artillery, which the Black Flag Army urgently needed, were acquired.

Moreover, the Maxim guns specified were the latest model using smokeless powder, a type that had only been produced in Europe that year and was very expensive. In his view, it would have been better to buy older models using black powder first as a temporary solution.

He didn’t realize that with the advent of smokeless-powder Maxim guns as rapid-fire weapons, world military history would be completely transformed. The Maxim guns using black powder were highly unreliable, often getting stuck. Yet a hundred of these guns gave the Black Flag Army the strength to defeat larger armies—previous battles in Vietnam against the French had been nothing but a series of well-organized exceptions.

Nevertheless, he had to complete this astonishing large order and take initiative: “How much money do we have left? Use the remaining funds to buy a license for me to authorize the production of smokeless-powder Maxim guns and ammunition. Don’t worry about the cost… And we need to stock up more!”

Demons & Co. seized the opportunity keenly, but his subordinates objected: “Manager… we don’t have a production base. If we set it up in Vietnam, it would belong to the Black Flag Army.”

“And the risks are too great!” said one agent. “We just heard news that three British-Indian battalions have landed in Hong Kong, and the governor is assembling Europeans to form an army, aiming to form at least another brigade in Hong Kong.”

“With the French having failed before, the British won’t interfere!”

Demons & Co. was confident. The French had become a laughingstock across Europe. Thinking that it was his support that had led to the French losing a war they shouldn’t have lost, he felt full of confidence.

The governor of Hong Kong likely viewed the current war as defensive in nature. Of course, during the war, the British would strive to seize Kowloon and the New Territories, which they had long planned to take. But in any case, they wouldn’t engage in a costly war against the Black Flag Army.

If the French had lost, would the British go and serve as cannon fodder?

Besides, no matter how strong they were, the British in Hong Kong had only two brigades, not even fully manned.

He was unaware that the British Cabinet at that time was planning a war in the Far East.
“As Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Bowring seems too conservative; he actually wants us to deploy more than five brigades in the Far East, along with the entire Royal Navy!”
The Secretary of State for War opposed this view: “That’s impossible; the Army cannot mobilize five brigades in the Far East.”
The British Army of that era was the finest in history—well-trained, highly combat-effective, cohesive, and experienced in battle—but it had one fatal weakness: its small size.
The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs mentioned the consensus reached within the Cabinet: “So we must have Japan’s assistance to send troops.”