Chapter 28: Conflict (Part 1)

This group was slightly different from the Vietnamese troops encountered by the Xiliu Camp in Haiyang and Guang’an. Under a large yellow flag stood over 200 somewhat nervous Vietnamese soldiers. About half of them were equipped with various types of muskets, while the rest carried various knives and guns—though this proportion was higher than that of ordinary Vietnamese soldiers. Upon closer inspection, there was also a hint of bravery among them; even the soldiers with muskets carried melee weapons.

They were all lackeys raised by Governor Huang Zuoyan, including some desperate scoundrels. They had seemed brave when facing the enemy, but now, Deputy Commander Qi, who had come up with the plan, calmed himself down and whispered to those on either side, “Don’t be afraid. When we get close, their weapons will be nothing but kindling.”

There were many rear-mounted guns—no one knew where they came from. But as soon as Deputy Commander Qi saw the formation of this group, he realized they were nothing but a ragtag bunch. It wasn’t surprising—in this chaotic era, to boldly carry large amounts of wealth and women in broad daylight in a public market was something only an idiot would do. Perhaps they were just using fake guns to deceive people. Encouraged by this thought, Deputy Commander Qi said, “When we get close, their foreign guns can at most fire three shots—maybe even just two.”

But his comrades were already determined to charge headfirst, their eyes sharp and vigilant. Normally, with just a touch, they could tell how much money was in a wallet—whether it was silver dollars, copper coins, or lead coins—and immediately figure it out. When a carriage passed by, they could tell what goods it carried. Now they could clearly see that there were at least several chests of silver dollars, and the wealth covered most of the beach. Who knew how many valuable items there were in total?

People die for money. Even without bayonets on their guns, and even with them, they would still dare to charge. After all, they knew clearly that only a few rifles in the Xiliu Camp were equipped with bayonets, and those were stationed on the beach guarding the goods. Once they charged, they could use their knives and guns to scatter their formation.

Since they had made up their minds, they weren’t nervous anymore. “We’re government troops—what are we afraid of?” they said. “By order of Governor Huang and Governor Ruan, a foreign ship has arrived at the port. Officer Liu has been sent to inspect it to prevent…”

Liu Yu gave him a signal, and Zhang Biao understood. He took off his shirt to reveal his chest hair and led two of his men forward. “Step back.”

Zhang Biao carried a Spencer rifle, without a bayonet, but this fierce bandit, who had risen from the streets, exuded confidence. “Come talk to me if you’ve got something to say.”

There was nothing to investigate. After all, among these three ships of goods—yellow, white, black—along with military supplies—there was nothing but illegal items. Meanwhile, Zhang Biao had already blocked the Vietnamese soldiers. This thick and strong former bandit leader was visually intimidating. “I’m the boss’s underling—anything goes through me first.”

The Vietnamese soldiers, full of momentum, stopped immediately and began negotiating with Zhang Biao.

Liu, the merchant, also came down from the cargo ship. He glanced over and said, “Do you want me to wave a French tricolor flag over there to negotiate with them?”

Liu Da Maipai made a huge profit this time, but he also endured great fatigue, sleeping only one or two hours a day. For this reason, he wanted to wrap things up and return to Haifang to continue his work as a maipai. However, he had no idea what misfortune awaited him in Haifang.

Liu Yu shook his head. “Carrying treasure brings trouble. What’s the use of raising a tricolor flag?”

The tricolor flag and the cross were highly effective even in the most remote areas of Vietnam. Especially Liu Da Maipai, a Westerner dressed in a suit and tie who could mumble a few words in French and English—even fake priest Deng Yucun could recite the Bible to deceive people. But Liu Yu didn’t need that.

In the distance, a stylishly dressed man watched the conflict coldly. The believers around him frowned. “Is Liu’s camp in trouble now?”

The stylishly dressed man smiled for once. “How could it be in trouble?”

“Judging from the situation, Liu’s camp seems to plan to join the Black Flag Army. They’ve even prepared a new flag. But no matter how powerful the Black Flag Army is, it’s still just a powerful dragon—it can’t overpower the local snakes.”

A powerful dragon can’t suppress local snakes. Vietnamese officials and troops have been plaguing this land for decades. The Black Flag Army has controlled Shanxi City for years without ever thinking of taking over.

“Liu’s camp is new here. They must not offend the Vietnamese authorities. But judging from the current situation, the two sides seem destined to fight.”

Even further away, the hundreds of soldiers stationed in Shanxi City by the Black Flag Army quickly assembled. Armed with various weapons, they charged toward the beach.

But everyone was unsure. They asked Huang Shouzhong, “What should we do?”

Should they go through with this? How? Huang Shouzhong hadn’t given any instructions beforehand. Now, the Black Flag Army was unsure, and Huang Shouzhong hadn’t made things clear either. “Follow me.”

Not to mention his subordinates being unsure—Huang Shouzhong himself was also uncertain. Everything had to be handled on the spot.

Just as he thought this, gunshots rang out from the beach.

On the riverbank, Zhang Biao had already started arguing with the Vietnamese army. He could spout any kind of vulgar language and scolded several Vietnamese officers so badly that they were furious. These officers were usually arrogant and domineering, but they never expected to suffer such a loss.

“Damn it! Are you the official army or are we the official army? If you don’t let us search, it’s a crime of rebellion!”

In their view, with just a little intimidation, this unknown Xiliu Camp should be panicked. How dare they curse back at them?

“Bastards!”

“Damn you!”

After the other side started cursing, Zhang Biao’s side, though fewer in number, wasn’t at a disadvantage. The deputy commander, seeing the stalemate and being cursed by Zhang Biao, became enraged. He shouted, “Charge! How dare they shoot! We’re the official army!”

“We’re the official army! Shooting is a crime that deserves execution!” With such cries, a large group of soldiers rushed toward Xiliu Camp.

They didn’t dare shoot!

They rushed quickly, almost reaching the beach.

Liu Yu glanced over, pulled out his revolver, cocked the hammer, loaded it, aimed it at the sky, pulled the trigger, and fired.

Flames erupted from the barrel.

“It’s time to kill to establish authority,” Liu Yu said to Liu Da Maipai almost smilingly.

Seeing Liu Yu firing into the sky, the deputy commander grew even more confident: “They don’t dare shoot. Wait until they get closer…”
On the other side of him, the sound of bullets being loaded could be heard, with the guns being aimed.
“They don’t dare!”
“Ready! Fire!”