Chapter 31: Formation of the Army! Down!

A typical Qing army battalion consisted of 500 men, divided into four outposts. The Black Flag Army followed a similar structure, but each battalion joined the Black Flag Army as a complete unit, generally retaining its original organization, thus allowing for more flexible formations. Larger units could reach up to 1,000 men, with correspondingly more outpost commanders, while smaller units of 300 men also had four outpost commanders.

Everyone was most curious about how the nearly 300 soldiers in the Xiliu Battalion were organized and who would serve as the outpost commanders. Even if Commander Deng remained silent, they would still try to find out.

Liu Yu already had a plan for this issue of widespread concern. Ignoring the curious gazes around him, he bowed to Sima Tai and said, “Sima, I’ll take one of the two outpost positions myself, and I hope you’ll accept the other.”

The crowd was in shock. No one expected Liu Yu to assign only two outpost positions. Although they didn’t know the exact organization, each outpost should have been a large unit of at least 130 to 140 men. In the Xiliu Battalion, Sima Tai was considered an outsider who had joined relatively recently, yet Liu Yu entrusted him with half of the command responsibilities.

At this thought, Commander Deng felt immense admiration. His initial impression of the Xiliu Battalion was limited to the phrase “excellent weapons and equipment.” As for Liu Yu, the commander of the entire battalion, he was merely curious about his young age.

He always assumed that such heroic deeds as breaking through Haiyang, capturing Guang’an, setting fire to French churches, and trampling on the tricolor flag could not have been accomplished by one person alone—there must be a superior behind the scenes guiding everything. However, after interacting with Liu Yu over time, he found no such superior. When Liu Yu spoke those heartwarming words, he thought, “This young commander is truly remarkable. He must be exceptionally intelligent and guided by a wise mentor to achieve such great things.”

Yet Liu Yu’s quick decision made Commander Deng realize that there was no mentor guiding him—this young man was naturally gifted, like Gan Luo, a born genius who would surely achieve great things in the future.

What he didn’t know was that Liu Yu’s decision was purely based on tactical considerations. In his understanding, the military system of the Qing army, which had risen from Hunan and Huai regions, had fatal flaws. But the main problem wasn’t at the battalion or company level—the system of having several outposts under each battalion was sufficient for now. The biggest issue with the Hunan-Huai military system was that the “battalion,” which served as both a basic tactical unit and a strategic unit, was also the smallest and largest combat unit. Above the infantry and cavalry battalions, there were no fixed organizational units. Even a governor with the highest rank could only command two or three battalions directly, lacking the fixed combined-arms divisions of Western armies.

In times of war, several infantry battalions could only be temporarily combined for combat. This was sufficient for suppressing internal rebellions, but in the face of foreign invasions, command would be ineffective, control would be lost, and the army would collapse.

Liu Yu wanted to implement a Western-style organizational structure, but with limited troops, having several outposts under each battalion was enough for now. As for assigning only two outpost positions, it was due to considerations of personnel and command. Having spent some years in the military, he knew there were far too many qualified candidates for outpost officer positions in the Xiliu Battalion. With his authority, he could even promote ordinary soldiers to outpost officers.

But no matter who was suggested, there was always someone dissatisfied. So he simply suggested only Sima Tai as the signal officer, while taking on the role himself, which actually made command more convenient. More importantly, he had decided to place the company composed of the Liu family elders under Sima Tai’s command, while personally leading the company with more new recruits. This way, not only were there fewer command layers, but he could also control both companies with ease. As for the ranks below the signal officer, Liu Yu said, “We’ll discuss the specific organization once Signal Officer Deng is gone!” Although they couldn’t get the position of signal officer, everyone in Liu Yu’s battalion was even more energetic. The ranks below the signal officer seemed quite good, especially for such a fully breech-loading force—just sending out a group of soldiers could clear an area of a hundred miles. But since Liu Yu didn’t explain the organization, everyone could only wait until Signal Officer Deng left to find out more, their attention fixed on Deng Shichang. At that moment, Signal Officer Deng also sorted out his thoughts. Seeing everyone’s gazes, he stood up again: “I spoke carelessly earlier and caused trouble for my younger brother. Let me help you out to settle this matter!” Though a bit dull, he was indeed an honest man. After taking another sip of wine, he continued, “As you know, the Black Flag Army consists mostly of people from the Western Province, who came to Vietnam during the Tongzhi era—so it’s been ten years now.” This situation was similar to that of the Xiliu Battalion. Deng then added, “Although we live in the southern lands, eat southern rice, and hold southern official positions, we always cherish our homeland and never forget that we are Chinese.” Hearing this, Liu Yu glanced at Deng Shichang. He looked no different from the other members of the Black Flag Army—shaved heads with braids, wearing Chinese clothing, the standard appearance of what the southerners called “Tang people.” But Signal Officer Deng laughed broadly and said, “Needless to say me—even Brother Yuanting often regrets not being able to return to his homeland to pay respects to his ancestors. He often says he would rather be a minor officer in the Qing Dynasty than a high-ranking official in Vietnam. All of us in the Black Flag Army firmly remember that we are Chinese and dare not forget our roots.” Liu Yu felt a bitter smile. It had been two hundred years since people shaved their heads and changed their attire; the Chinese had long forgotten what constituted Han-style clothing and what was considered barbarian fashion. Vietnam and Korea, after the Jia Shen Incident, stopped shaving their heads and wearing braids, and women stopped binding their feet. For hundreds of years, they continued to wear Ming-style clothing and follow Ming rituals, preserving a trace of Han culture. Yet after two hundred years of their homeland’s decline, they had forgotten everything about their past. Even the Black Flag Army regarded shaving their heads and wearing braids as a symbol of being Chinese. Whether it was Huang Shouzhong or other leaders of the Black Flag Army, if they wore Qing military uniforms, they looked like standard Qing soldiers. The Xiliu Battalion, being located in Haiyang, was slightly different—no one wore braids, and everyone dressed in southern clothing. Later, when some new recruits joined, Liu Yu also asked them to cut off their braids. But now, Signal Officer Deng said kindly, “All of us in the Black Flag Army wear Chinese clothing and keep our heads shaved with braids, so as not to forget that we are Chinese.” He was deeply moved by a sense of powerlessness—this was not history, but reality. The cruel reality that required him to fight hard for a way out. He let out a long sigh: “Does Brother Shichang want me to shave my head and wear braids?”