Chapter 41: Deployment in Progress!

At present, the Xiliu Camp had to rely on just 250 soldiers to defend the entire province of Shanxi.
It was the first time Luo Yanqiu had attended such a military meeting, and the large-scale hand-drawn map of Shanxi immediately captured her full attention. She had never seen a map of such size before—every detail of the province was clearly marked, including the locations of various Catholic villages and military installations. A professional soldier could even discern more information from the map’s contour lines.
This map was copied by Liu Yu from a French book purchased in Tudeng Village, enlarged, and remapped. Though he wasn’t satisfied with its relatively low accuracy—due to significant errors that didn’t reflect real-world conditions—it was still the most precise map he could obtain.
On this map, Luo Yanqiu could clearly see the threats facing the Black Flag Army. First were two French companies in Hanoi, only 35 kilometers away from Shanxi. There were also powerful armed groups in provinces like Beining and Xuan Guang. Within Shanxi itself, there were numerous Catholic villages, along with frequent bandit activities.
Much of this intelligence came from Luo Yanqiu, who provided the Xiliu Camp with details about the bandits’ strength—such as notes like “The Yiwén Gang consists of 20 to 40 members, all armed with muskets, and are quite formidable”—and even detailed information about the Vietnamese military’s troop deployments.
It was an excellent map. Upon seeing it, Luo Yanqiu felt that whoever possessed it could control the entire province of Shanxi.
Liu Yu held absolute authority in the Xiliu Camp. Controlling an area of over a thousand square kilometers with just two companies, he was unsure what to do. “Does anyone have any suggestions?” he asked.
Even Liu Yu found it difficult, let alone others. Previously, when the Left Camp and Front Camp were stationed in Shanxi, they could rely on support from the Black Flag Army and the Vietnamese military. Now, with the main force of the Black Flag Army set to attack Heyang and poor relations with the Vietnamese military, the Xiliu Camp had conducted several combat simulations targeting the Vietnamese forces in Shanxi.
Luo Yanqiu gave Liu Yu a cold glance before finally speaking: “With the Xiliu Camp’s military strength, it need not fear petty troublemakers. In my opinion, the main concern should be preventing bandits from taking advantage of the camp’s unpreparedness to invade and plunder the province.”
Liu Yu told her the truth: “After Su Yun went to Heyang, I’m left with only five platoons. Of these, I must use one platoon to guard the key route between Xuan Guang and Shanxi—to ensure supplies for the Black Flag camps and to defend against Li Yangcai’s bandits.”
He now needed her help to reassess the situation: “With four platoons left, one must stay in the main camp, leaving only one company available for deployment.”
Luo Yanqiu understood his point. If they continued to send out a company or platoon each day for field exercises and demonstrations, they would be at a severe disadvantage in case of emergencies.
She was sharp-minded: “I think it’s better for your camp to keep its main force on hand as much as possible.”

After taking full responsibility for defending Shanxi, not only was the established training plan disrupted, but even the regular armed demonstrations were set to be suspended. This was extremely beneficial for Luo Yanqiu’s mission. However, she gave Liu Yu a glance with her deep, clear eyes and said, “I’ve also asked the brothers in the sect to gather information from all possible sources, even if it affects our religious affairs.”

Liu Yu had already organized several small units of officer scouts for this purpose, but having Luo Yanqiu’s support was even better. “Then there’s another issue: who will guard the key routes between Xuan Guang and Shanxi?”

This task had been repeatedly emphasized by Liu Yongfu and several battalion officers. It was also the communication line between the Xiliu Camp and the main forces of the Black Flag Army. Liu Yu had prepared for the worst-case scenario—should the French forces in Hanoi take advantage of the situation and launch an attack, he would resist step by step before retreating to Xuan Guang.

On the other side, Zhang Biao casually took on the task. “There are many sect villages over there. Besides me, who else can suppress them?”

After months of training, he had become less bandit-like, but even from a distance, it was obvious he was a bandit in military uniforms, with a fierce courage reminiscent of a soldier that could be felt even across the mountains.

There were numerous sect villages and bandits in that area, and indeed, only this outcast could control that communication line. “Do you have the confidence?”

“A platoon of us has confidence against anyone. Even if there are 200 bandits, we can subdue them,” Zhang Biao assured Liu Yu. “As long as I, Zhang Biao, am here, this communication line will be absolutely safe.”

But Liu Yu wasn’t as optimistic. There were still several remnants of the Yellow Flag Army in Xuan Guang, with each group numbering nearly a hundred men. If they united and advanced downstream, their force would be terrifying. He assured Zhang Biao, “Squad Leader Zhang, as long as you hold the Red River outpost for one day, if you can’t hold it, I’ll hold you accountable. If reinforcements don’t arrive within a day, it’s my responsibility.”

Zhang Biao was also spurred on. “Commander, rest assured! With a platoon of us and thirty or forty rapid-fire guns, if we can’t even hold a small outpost for a day, I’ll bring my head to you.”

Once the plan was settled, preparations were made immediately. Liu Yu sent several groups of scouts in various directions to gather information. Scouts at the second level and above were deployed in Hanoi, Beining, and Xuan Guang. In Shanxi Province, Luo Yanqiu suspended her religious duties to gather intelligence for the Xiliu Camp.

It was during this operation that Liu Yu realized his forces were relatively weak, and controlling an entire province was beyond his capacity. But he didn’t dare recruit more people either. There was still one battalion and one platoon in Heyang that would return to defend Shanxi after the battle. Moreover, recruiting new recruits now meant starting from scratch since their capabilities were unknown.

He only recruited over twenty skilled professionals such as blacksmiths and carpenters to join the Xiliu Camp. These people weren’t recruited as combatants, nor did Liu Yu intend to use them as such.

The top priority now was to see if it was possible to produce sulfuric acid and nitric acid. Additionally, Liu Yu was trying every means to set up a small blast furnace.

Vietnam had quite a few minerals—copper, iron, coal, tin, etc. Though the quantities might not be large, the Xiliu Camp only needed enough to meet its military needs, and a few small mines would suffice.

Even if some minerals are unavailable, they can be purchased from Yunnan upstream via the Red River. However, with current technology starting from scratch, even sulfuric acid, often called the mother of industries, has failed multiple times in laboratory attempts to be produced. He can’t be involved in everything personally, and aside from Lian Jincheng who occasionally comes to help, there are only a few people available, such as Colonel Jieken and Jing Shiyi. Thinking of this, he could only shake his head. Developing talent is not something that can be achieved overnight.