Chapter Seventeen: Barbarity (Part 1)

“Advance toward the sound of gunfire!”
Under this spontaneous command, Liu Yu led his troops to conquer nearly half of Haiyang City. Now they looked completely transformed—almost everyone carried two guns: one was their original bird gun, and the other was a modern rifle they held in hand, both truly imported rifles with bayonets, unlike the bird guns, which offered no chance of defense once an enemy got close. Even a dozen lucky ones had found bloodstained breech-loading rifles among the corpses, becoming the core of the army’s combat strength.

This sense of power was invaluable. Liu Yu kept the breech-loading rifles as the main force, arranged ordinary infantry on the flanks, and had Cai Yunnan from the Tiandihui lead the charge. They also dragged two bronze cannons with them. Those dragging the cannons were newly captured Vietnamese prisoners who worked hard under the threat of bayonets, fearing that Liu Yu’s troops might stab them at any moment. Thus, Liu Yu’s army grew larger and larger, reaching over two hundred men. The Vietnamese government troops collapsed at the slightest contact. Even when they encountered a force willing to hold its ground, before the breech-loading rifles could fire and the two bronze cannons could be positioned, the Vietnamese troops fled again.

They continued searching for enemies, but all they saw were scattered flags, abandoned guns, and discarded military uniforms and equipment—few enemies in sight, who would shoot from afar and then run away.
“Where are the enemies? Where have the government troops gone?”
Everyone had these questions, and Liu Yu remained extremely cautious. Haiyang was a large city with tens of thousands of residents, and there were still over three thousand defenders inside. At most, one-third of them had been scattered and eliminated; their main force was still there. “Attention! Advance toward the sound of gunfire—be wary of a counterattack by the government troops!”

The troops of Liu Yu were also extremely tense. Although they had been fighting smoothly and even captured the powder magazine, it was likely that Vietnamese government troops were gathering somewhere unseen, ready to deliver a fatal blow. As they pursued, white flags were raised on both sides from the front, with Vietnamese soldiers shouting, “We surrender!”
“Feigned surrender! It’s likely a trick!” Before Liu Yu could speak, Jing Shi Yi shouted, “Everyone, be careful!”
“Be careful!”
“Be careful!”

Though cautious, Liu Yu’s troops didn’t dare give them time. The group of over two hundred men dragged the bronze cannons forward. When they reached the front, they saw dozens of Vietnamese soldiers waving white flags, raising their hands and trembling, saying, “We surrender! We really surrender!”
“Our governor wants to negotiate with you. He asks you to come over!”
“The governor has ordered the entire city to stop resisting. As long as it doesn’t endanger the people and officials of Haiyang, he will agree to your reasonable demands.”

Trying to buy time with negotiations? Liu Yu raised his eyebrows and immediately ordered, “Order, Sima Tai—you and Cai Yunnan each lead fifty men to continue clearing the city! The entire battalion, prepare to advance toward the sound of gunfire!”
“Order—Vietnamese government troops, lay down your weapons immediately and protect the key points!”
“Take control of all key points, protect the supplies, and maintain strict military discipline!”
“Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy!”
“Kill!”

Sima Tai was more than willing to take on the role of a vanguard leader. He grabbed Spencer and charged forward, shouting, “Kill! Sweep through the whole city!”
Cai Yunan, the local boss of the Tiandihui, was also eager to act as an insider. Now that Haiyang had fallen and the outcome was settled, he could rally more members of the Tiandihui to join in this venture.
Liu Yu still had a core force of over a hundred men at his side, including guys like Zhang Biao who were eager to make a fortune. But with just one word from Liu Yu, they quieted down: “Follow orders—everyone has a revolving gun!”
“Everyone does!”
As Liu Yu spoke, someone over there said with a smile, “Really, everyone has one?”
Liu Yu glanced over and saw it was Deng Cunyu, the arms dealer. This nouveau riche had arrived quickly—right after he captured Haiyang. “Indeed, heroes emerge from youth. This is a small token of appreciation. Please accept it.”
This arms dealer, with his multiple national passports, was quite bold. Before even handing over the gift, he already said with a smile, “These officials are all my friends. Please look after them, Lord Liu, so they don’t suffer any humiliation!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled Liu Yu aside and said, “A small token of appreciation!”
With that, he took out two revolvers from his waist. “Remington revolving pistols—very popular. I’ll give you two as a gift!”
With his face full of smiles, even if Liu Yu were extremely angry, he wouldn’t be able to shoot back at such a smile. Besides, the man had already brought two expensive revolvers right away.
Liu Yu examined the two revolvers in his hands. They were heavy, brand new, and must feel very comfortable to hold. They were indeed high-quality Remington guns that could fire six shots in a row. Now he had Spencer at a distance and a pair of revolvers up close, greatly boosting his combat strength. “Go ahead! What kind of business do you want me to help with?”
As soon as Deng Cunyu heard about the profits from Lian Jincheng, he rushed over with the two revolvers, cursing Lian Jincheng in his heart: “How could you miss such a good opportunity?”
Liu Yu was involved in a business that could cost his head, but it was also extremely profitable. Deng Cunyu usually claimed to operate conservatively, but everyone knew that in the arms trade, it was all about maximizing profits. Since Liu Yu was using the weapons he sold to attack Haiyang City, he was determined to try his best to make a fortune.
Sure enough, by the time he arrived, Liu Yu had already captured Haiyang, greatly increasing his wealth. He now had many more breech-loading guns, and after hearing Liu Yu’s speech, he was overjoyed. He got straight to the point: “I have plenty of breech-loading guns here, in various types. Part of the arms you ordered last time has also arrived. I…”
He knew this young man was young but had a broad vision and was generous. After pondering for a while, he said, “I’ll give you 70% more than usual price… no, 50% more!”
“70%!” Liu Yu gave a firm price. “I’m not afraid of high prices. After capturing Haiyang City, am I still worried about lacking money? I want breech-loading guns. How many do you have?”
“I’ve got them!” Facing such a customer, Deng Cunyu didn’t care about settling accounts with the French or Vietnamese later. He immediately clenched his fists and said, “Deal! I’ll go get forty for you right away!”

Before Liu Yu could nod, someone said, “Commander, there’s a problem. The French church won’t let us enter to search. What should we do?”