Chapter 217: Whispers of Wind

If the British consul before him were to learn that both Hanyang and Hankou had fallen into the hands of the Black Flag Army, he would surely explode in fury and draw his sword against Liu Yu. Even so, he still declared in a stern warning tone, “The Yangtze River holds special significance for the British Kingdom. The normal navigation of British citizens on this river, as well as their rights to trade, consular jurisdiction, and missionary activities along its banks… shall not be violated under any circumstances. Otherwise, the British Kingdom will deal the heaviest blows to any who dare to infringe upon its interests…”
This was a common tactic used by old imperialists. Back then, Li Yucheng abandoned Wuhan and Li Xiucheng stood helplessly outside Shanghai, leading to the destruction of the Heavenly Kingdom—all because of British threats: “If you can fulfill the above terms, then the British Kingdom will recognize you as a belligerent party in China’s civil war, though it cannot grant diplomatic recognition…”
Liu Yu looked at the British consul dressed in a suit and suddenly smiled.
In this era, there were such Europeans who claimed to be civilized yet committed the most barbaric, tyrannical, and rude acts, while still pretending to be friendly allies. Liu Yu remembered a saying from after the Korean War:
“The days when imperialists could conquer a country by placing a few cannons on the eastern coast are long gone!”
Let me bring such historical moments decades earlier!
Liu Yu shook the British consul’s hand, a faint smile on his face: “I am very grateful to you, Mr. Consul. Here, I must convey my reply…”
“Yesterday, at the request of the people of Hanyang and Hankou, our army successfully liberated these two cities. Currently, our army has liberated the three towns of Wuhan and continues the great task of liberating the entire country. Regarding all the conditions you’ve proposed, our reply is as follows…”
Liu Yu was almost reprimanding the British consul: “Before guns and cannons, all truths are useless. Your personnel within our controlled areas must obey our management. Out of humanitarian considerations, we may grant certain conveniences, but we do not recognize any treaties between Britain and the Qing Dynasty!”
“Our army enjoys freedom of navigation throughout China. Any military or civilian ship sailing within Chinese territory must obtain our permission. If they act without our consent, we have the right to attack them, and all responsibility lies with you…”
“You must guarantee that all actions of your personnel within China are subject to our army’s control. Any actions that violate our interests will face severe punishment from us!”
Liu Yu had already placed his sword against the British consul’s neck—in other words, the two sides were now at odds.
Liu Yu had his own advantages on the Yangtze River. In fact, this was thanks to the British. Yesterday in Hanyang, the Black Flag Army captured dozens of heavy cannons and fortress guns that the governor of Huguang had just purchased. These were the latest models of British artillery, originally intended to fortify the Yangtze River defenses to prevent the Black Flag Army from crossing it. Among them were super-large-caliber fortress guns over 200 millimeters in diameter, which greatly strengthened the Black Flag Army’s artillery strength on the Yangtze River.

Due to the limited draft of the Yangtze River, the British could not send large-tonnage warships into it and could only dispatch some shallow-draft gunboats and artillery vessels. The Black Flag Army had already fought against these vessels several times on the Red River. In those battles, the Black Flag Army achieved remarkable victories, sinking no less than ten French gunboats and artillery vessels. Although the British had larger-tonnage gunboats and artillery vessels in the Yangtze River, the Black Flag Army’s artillery firepower had also improved significantly compared to the war against France—especially with the addition of several large-caliber guns over 100 millimeters, along with the use of many captured breech-loading guns, which gave Liu Yu great confidence. Given the rapidly deteriorating situation in Guangdong, the Black Flag Army could no longer avoid a confrontation with the British forces, so Liu Yu was not afraid to go to extremes: “From now on, you’ll have to deal with me!” “Remember, I’m a very easy partner to deal with. I’m always happy to negotiate when you think it’s necessary!” The British consul’s face turned pale red. He had served in China for fifteen years but had never encountered such rude Chinese before! He openly challenged British authority; he felt like vomiting blood, but in the end, he swallowed his anger: “I’ll convey your kind words to the Foreign Office and the Minister! But I must say one thing…” The British consul felt his suit was soaked through. In extreme anger, he threw out one last sentence: “Without the support of the British Empire, you won’t last a month in Wuhan!” Without British support, the Black Flag Army indeed faced considerable difficulties defending Wuhan. Especially the Qing troops who withdrew from Wuhan, with British loans and military supplies, quickly regained their footing and were trying to find an opportunity to counterattack Wuhan. For the Black Flag Army, the three towns of Wuhan were a huge burden. When they set out from Changsha, they had only fifty regiments. Due to urgent battles, they formed another dozen regiments and incorporated six old battalions, but maintaining defense in the wider Wuhan area was still beyond their capabilities. Just for the three towns of Wuhan, the Black Flag Army needed at least four battalions for defense. In the areas south and north of the river, there were vast fertile lands that needed to be conquered, requiring even more troops. Hubei province had nearly a hundred counties, and even if one regiment was stationed in each county, the province would need around a hundred regiments. In addition, the Black Flag Army needed thirty to forty regiments as mobile forces for field operations. Even including the newly incorporated old troops, the Black Flag Army currently had only seventy or eighty regiments. Moreover, the old troops were poorly combat-effective and unreliable, which made the British think it was only logical for the Black Flag Army to abandon Wuhan and consolidate their front lines. Since capturing Wuhan, battles near the city had taken place almost day and night—either the Black Flag Army concentrating forces to wipe out remaining Qing troops or the Qing troops attempting to counterattack Wuhan. There had been nearly thirty major and minor battles between the two sides.

The Black Flag Army even brought in the four old battalions. In the battle, although some officers and a small number of soldiers from these old units defected, they dealt a heavy blow to the Qing forces and local militia launching a counterattack, capturing over 600 enemies on the spot and killing nearly 100.

The Qing forces couldn’t understand how these units, which were just as weak as them—even considered second-rate among the brave battalions—could completely transform under the Black Flag Army’s command and become a fierce fighting force.

This battle also boosted the Black Flag Army’s confidence. They now mostly adopted a tactic of coordinating one of their old regiments with one of the old battalions, covering each other’s flanks and enhancing their combat effectiveness. Sometimes, an old battalion, with the support of a Black Flag Army platoon, would dare to launch a large-scale attack.

The old battalions were now a mix of old and new. Although only a small number of Black Flag Army core members were assigned to them, they had absorbed many practices from the Black Flag Army, especially in terms of organization, logistics, and tactics—improving their combat strength rapidly.

As a result, the situation near Wuhan stabilized. The Black Flag Army first advanced simultaneously from both the east and west sides of the Jiangnan region, attacking along the river, and achieved considerable success.

Most of the Qing forces in Jiangnan had been annihilated by the Black Flag Army. Although a few loyal Green Standard Army units and local militias launched several resistance attempts, overall, it was as if they were operating in an unoccupied area, almost allowing for a peaceful takeover.

But time was of the essence. Just as they captured Yichang, news came that Japanese forces had landed in Korea. Then, telegraph lines reported that Japanese vanguard forces had landed in Hong Kong.

This news forced Liu Yu to take it seriously. He had originally thought the British were acting alone, possibly with one or two allies, similar to during the Second Opium War in 1860, but he never expected Japan to get involved as well.

According to urgent intelligence from Guangdong, the size of the Japanese landing force was limited, roughly equivalent to an infantry battalion. It seemed they had concentrated most of their troops in Korea, and there were reports that they planned to send forces to defend Lushunkou as well.

This was likely an excuse. But now, in an effort to win over the Japanese, the British would disregard their pride and probably force the Qing government to give up a large portion of its rights in the Northeast. The most critical question was: how many Japanese troops had been deployed in the battlefield in Guangdong?

After all, it was difficult for the British to maintain even an infantry brigade in the Far East, yet it was relatively easy for the Japanese to deploy an infantry division on the Chinese battlefield.

Currently, field forces in Guangdong had been assembled. The latest news was that the Black Flag Army was approaching Guangzhou. Unconfirmed rumors claimed they had already captured Guangzhou, and Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, had retreated to Shenzhen.

However, this news did not come from field telegrams in Guangdong but via a still-functional telegraph line between Shanghai and Wuhan. The Black Flag Army could not confirm whether this news was true.

Still, another crucial message came from Shanghai: the Japanese reinforcements had boarded ships, preparing to resupply in Shanghai, reportedly involving as many as a regiment.

It is said that there are still several regiments of Japanese troops following up. It seems the Japanese are betting everything they have. There are also reports that the British are planning to draw on their experience from intervening in the Taiping Rebellion by forming a mixed foreign and local militia to march along the river and capture Wuhan directly. Some reports suggest the British might intervene militarily outright, but they clearly did not expect Wuhan to fall so quickly. News from Shanghai indicates that there is still some debate among them regarding direct military intervention in Wuhan. After all, Hubei is inland, not as accessible for supplies as the coastal areas of Guangdong. With their previous defeats in Afghanistan, the British have not yet reached a final decision on fighting deep in the interior. However, due to this intelligence, a few members of the Black Flag Army have already proposed abandoning Wuhan, and Liu Yu has also made his crucial decision.