Chapter 30: Resentment in the South (Part 1)
North Vietnam, near Bắc Ninh.
In North Vietnam, aside from Hanoi and Nam Định, Sơn Tây and Bắc Ninh were considered prosperous regions. Yet now, they had turned into battlefields where fighting had shattered mountains, and the smell of gunpowder could be sensed everywhere.
The Vietnamese troops had suffered repeated defeats on these battlefields until Zhao Wo, a high-ranking official from the Qing dynasty, led nine battalions of the Guangxi army to assist. Liu Yongfu’s Black Flag Army also deployed all its forces, finally stabilizing the situation. However, Zhao Wo was no match for the veteran general Li Yangcai in terms of military strategy. Though he achieved two small victories at first, he soon suffered a major defeat, losing hundreds of soldiers.
Three bodies still warm with blood lay on the ground. Two negotiators screamed in terror, “Li Yangcai, you wretch! Have you forgotten the kindness of the military authorities and our twenty years of friendship?”
A crowd surrounded an old man in his sixties. With his hair shaved and tied into a bun, wearing a dragon robe and imperial beads, he exuded an air of dominance. He was the instigator of this chaos—the former Qing dynasty general-in-chief and former deputy commander of Xunzhou, Li Yangcai.
He glanced at these two old friends he had met during his campaigns in the south but sneered, “Stop mentioning that heartless man.”
“General Feng was the one who nurtured you,” they said. All five were negotiators sent by Feng Zicai, former colleagues of Li Yangcai’s from their time in the south. They had thought everything would go smoothly, but unexpectedly, Li Yangcai became murderous, killing the three of them and binding the remaining two.
“Have you forgotten the general’s kindness?” The two negotiators couldn’t understand why Li Yangcai would rebel in Vietnam. In their eyes, Li Yangcai had already reached the rank of a second-rank official, nearly the pinnacle for a professional soldier. Why would he rebel? “Why refuse to see reason?”
Hearing this, Li Yangcai laughed bitterly. “The general’s kindness? His kindness?”
Recalling the past, he was on the verge of tears. “What kindness did General Feng ever show me? I spent twenty years in the military fighting for him. Look at this…”
As he spoke, Li Yangcai untied his dragon robe, revealing dozens of wounds on his torso. “I risked my life for him, earning him wealth and status. What did I get in return? When I was stripped of my title, did General Feng even offer any explanation?”
Others might think a second-rank military officer held the highest position, but under the Qing military system, such a rank meant nothing.
During Zuo Zongtang’s campaign in the west, there was a famous case: a seventh-rank civil official killed a nominal general without authorization. The civil official was of seventh rank, while the nominal general was second rank. Yet the seventh-rank official faced no consequences.
This example showed just how low the status of nominal generals was. In the Qing bureaucracy, it was often said there were too many officials, too many donkeys, and too many pending appointments. But these nominal generals were even worse off than those in pending appointments.
Any county magistrate or pending appointment with connections could treat a nominal general without a real position like a servant, ordering him around at will. Li Yangcai had endured countless insults.
What was the value of a second-rank military officer? He couldn’t even secure a real position. Even nominal generals had to fight for a mere battalion command, let alone higher-ranking nominal positions.
Three years ago, he finally managed to find a way forward and spent a fortune to secure a position as deputy general in Xunzhou Town. Though it wasn’t a highly lucrative post, it was still a position at all. Unexpectedly, it was taken away from him in less than a year and a half, and he didn’t even get his money back.
From then on, Mr. Li endured countless hardships, shuttling between Guangdong and Guangxi, at the mercy of local officials who treated him coldly. In Guangdong, they said he was originally a military officer from the Western Province, so he should return there; in Guangxi, they claimed he was from the Eastern Province and should wait there instead. It was as if he was passed around like a ball.
Those in power who held positions as deputy generals or guerrilla commanders never offered fair prices. They either gave such positions to their own people or demanded gold and silver. Even if one begged for a minor role like a battalion officer or personal attendant, those in charge would coldly say, “That’s too humble. You’d better wait a bit longer.”
He also sought help from his former superior, Feng Zicai, several times, but Feng remained stern and said, “Zhao Wo has already taken away nine of my battalion commanders—how can I help you? You’re already a second-rank official; you should be satisfied.”
Thirty years of friendship ended with such cold words. Li Yangcai could only sigh, “Feng Tang may grow old easily, but Li Guang finds it hard to be honored.”
Unbeknownst to him, all his bravery and talent would be useless in old age, even worse than those who became officials through bribery. Other than taking these old bones to the grave, he had to leave something behind for future generations.
“Feng Tang may tolerate age, but Li Guang finds it hard to be honored.” Thirty years in the military left him with only half-white hair. Li Yangcai was no longer afraid of anything: “Tell Feng that if he wants me to change my mind, should he see my father’s funeral coffin?”
This time, as Li Yangcai sold his assets to go to Vietnam, his father passed away. He brought his father’s funeral coffin with him to Vietnam, showing a spirit similar to Zuo Zongtang’s journey west with his coffin: “If he wants me to change my mind, Feng only needs to bring my father back to life—just two or three bowls of rice will suffice.”
Li Yangcai was also very dignified: “Otherwise, I, Li, am determined not to return and be exploited by these clerks.”
His voice grew louder: “I went to Vietnam to secure a future for myself and my comrades, and to reclaim our ancestral lands. I also wanted to defend the Qing Dynasty in the south. It’s tragic that the Qing won’t even let me do this—they instead send troops to attack me. This is a great grievance!”
He remembered another matter: “The Haiyang Liu Regiment tortured Shi, the guerrilla officer I sent to recruit soldiers, broke one of my arms, and ruined my plans. That’s also a great grievance.”
“…That’s also a great grievance.”
Having served as a military officer for a long time, he knew about the seven grievances that led the founding emperor of the Qing Dynasty to rise in rebellion. Listing those seven grievances, he finally roared, “I won’t let go of any of them!”
…
Haiyang.
A platoon from the French Marine Corps, supported by a small patrol boat, successfully landed and recaptured the city. The tricolor flag flew once again over the city, greeted by the still-stiff smiles of Vietnamese officials.
Ruan Youming’s hands trembled uncontrollably. The church before him was completely burned to ashes; not even a trace of its former existence remained.
A few church members watched the burned church in fear, hesitating whether to rebuild it. Their hearts too had been burned to ashes.
Ruan Youming was on the verge of kneeling down and crying. He would never forget the scenes of that day in his lifetime!
Those detestable bandits, that Liu clan gang—they really managed to escape. They avoided punishment from their lord and France. Thinking of the humiliation and suffering he endured back then, he roared in anger, “Liu clan, wait for it! I won’t spare a single one of you!”
Note: The “Seven-rank official executing a Two-rank official” case refers to the incident where Wu Shimai (a seventh-rank official in the Central Secretariat) executed military officer Zhu Deshu (a second-rank officer actually in charge of the Chuzhou garrison) under military law. It was a notable case during Zuo Zongtang’s campaign in the west.