African Nationhood

Chapter 178 Black Flag Army Immigration

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  Vietnam, Hon Gai Port, the "Golden Hook Port" slowly docked at the port.

When the giant ship docked safely, the gangway was lowered.

Wang Zhongyi was the first to run onto the headquarters ship without hesitation. After he breathed in the "native" atmosphere on the ship, he couldn't help but look up to the sky and scream.

"Ah~~~~~"

Zhong Wenyao stood in the captain's cabin and looked at the situation on the deck. He couldn't help but mutter to the first mate next to him: "Isn't this guy crazy?"

……

As the special envoy of Nanhua Company, Wang Zhongyi and Ye Shilong stayed in Baosheng (today's Lao Cai, Vietnam) for less than two months before the French fired the first shot to fully seize Vietnam.

As an independent armed force, the Black Flag Army was equipped with a large number of Martini-Henry rifles, which enabled them to win the first battle.

However, it was difficult to resist the Vietnamese Emperor Nguyen who ordered all the troops to surrender. The situation was so bad that Liu Yongfu could not support himself and could only fight and retreat.

Later, the Qing Dynasty came to aid and recruited Liu Yongfu, who was given salary and official position. Liu Yongfu decided to continue resisting the French and retreated to Hung Hoa and Son Tay provinces in Vietnam (today's Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Son La, Hoa Binh, and Yen Bai provinces in Vietnam). In some areas).

Qing general Tang Jingsong led troops to help, and the two sides joined forces to fight against the French army. At the same time, Tang Jingsong suggested that Liu Yongfu proclaim himself king in Vietnam and defend the territory.

Liu Yongfu didn't dare. Both Ye Shilong and Wang Zhongyi thought this guy was a coward.

On November 1883, 11, the "Battle of Shanxi" broke out between the French army and the three-party coalition forces of Qing, Vietnam and Black.

The coalition forces initially repelled the French attack, but later the French attacked with warship support and heavy machine guns. Facing the powerful French army, the three-party coalition forces could only fail and retreat to Xinghua Prefecture.

What followed was the "Battle of Bac Ninh" that started on March 1884, 3.

In this battle, due to the passive defense of the Qing army, the Beining battle ended in failure again.

The losses suffered by Liu Yongfu's Black Flag Army were not heavy this time. All 2 Qing troops were dumped by the French.

The coalition forces retreated to the front lines of Lang Son and Zhennang Pass, with no way out.

Ye Shilong saw that the coalition forces suffered defeats all the way, and couldn't help but make suggestions, suggesting that the Black Flag Army break away from the large army and use its characteristics of local familiarity and popular support.

Use the Vietnamese people as informants to use harassment warfare and mobile warfare tactics.

Liu Yongfu was hesitant and finally decided to detach a battalion of troops and hand them over to his eldest sons Liu Chengzhang and Ye Shilong to try to attack and harass.

In just one month, this battalion achieved remarkable results, killing and wounding more than 200 French troops.

More than ten French military strongholds were burned down, causing great disturbance to the French, but there was nothing they could do to harass the troops.

In order to end the battle as soon as possible, the French gathered a large army to attack Zhennanguan.

Because of Liu Yongfu's meritorious service in the harassment battle, he discussed with the new guard Feng Zicai that his Black Flag Army would continue to harass the French rear by "organizing and integrating them into pieces".

After careful consideration, Feng Zicai agreed with Liu Yongfu's opinion, and the Black Flag Army dispersed to harass the French rear.

Based on the current enemy situation and the terrain conditions around Zhennanguan, Feng Zicai decided to rely on the favorable terrain in the Guanqian Pass area to build a solid defensive position.

Guanqian Pass is about 4 kilometers inside Zhennanguan. It is the key point from Zhennanguan to the inland. The east and west mountains confront each other. There is a basin valley more than 2 kilometers long and more than 1 kilometers wide in the middle. The terrain is dangerous, easy to defend but difficult to attack.

Feng Zicai personally supervised the soldiers to build a long wall of earth and stone 1.5 kilometers long, 7 feet high and 4 feet wide, spanning between the east and west mountains. A trench 4 feet deep was dug outside the wall, and many fortresses were built on the east and west mountains. The base forms a complete mountain defense position system.

In terms of troop deployment, at that time, the Qing army on the Guangxi frontline had more than 90 battalions and more than 4 people, stationed along the line from Zhennanguan to Longzhou.

At this point, the front and rear lines were formed. After the front and rear attacks by the Qing and Black coalition forces, they finally defeated the French army at the end of March, conquered the Beiqi area of ​​Vietnam, and regained the important town of Lang Son. This was the "Great Victory at Zhennanguan", and veteran general Feng Zicai became a god in one battle. In this great victory, more than 3 French soldiers were killed and injured at Zhennanguan, and nearly a thousand French soldiers died after being harassed by the Black Flag Army.

The exploits of the Black Flag Army were also reported back to the Qing court. Because the Black Flag Army was an anti-Qing force, neither the Qing bosses nor Cixi trusted the Black Flag Army.

The defeat of the French army led to the collapse of the Joubert cabinet, but the French still did not relax their control over Vietnam.

Under the mediation of the British Director of the General Taxation Department of the Qing Customs, Hurd, the Qing and French countries decided to cease war.

Because of the Black Flag Army's great military exploits, the Qing government informed Liu Yongfu that he must disband the Black Flag Army if he wanted to recruit Anhui back to the court. At the same time, his eldest son Liu Chengzhang was recommended to have a future as a state magistrate.

After discussing with his wife Huang, Liu Yongfu agreed to the conditions of the Qing court and entered the court alone.

The other leaders of the Black Flag Army allowed them to choose their own destination. The leaders of the Black Flag Army cursed Liu Yongfu for being unjust and unworthy of a human being.

Ye Shilong and Wang Zhongyi immediately jumped out to persuade the heads of each family to consider Southwest Africa. How are your nephews doing in Southwest Africa? You may wish to get in touch.

After talking through the heads of the various families, Ye Shilong approached Liu Yongfu and asked him to fulfill his previous debt arrears for purchasing rifle bullets on credit.

Liu Yongfu had already agreed to the Qing court's conditions and never mentioned paying back the money. He only said that he would pay the bill with Ding's mouth.

Ye Shilong and Wang Zhongyi were overjoyed to get the promise. They made statistics inside and outside and found that there were more than 3.5 people in Dingkou.

They are all Chinese, of which more than 5% are young adults and 2% are young children.

This was considered an overfulfillment of the task, and then the two met in the name of the British South China Company, Hepburn Zhe, the highest officer of the French army stationed in Vietnam.

Through negotiations, the French readily agreed to the relocation request of the Black Flag Army's soldiers and civilians, and stated that they would vigorously assist the remaining Black Flag Army troops to leave Vietnam as soon as possible.

Fu Tong, from the Immigration Bureau of Nanhua Company, was overjoyed when he heard the news and hurriedly reported the good news to Boss Shi.

After hearing the news, Shi Jintang smiled slightly and ordered a general order to commend Ye Shilong and Wang Zhongyi, and asked Futong to dispatch ships to transport immigrants as soon as possible.

At the same time, Shi Jintang instructed Futong to continue to maintain contact with the French.

After transporting the Black Flag Army immigrants, we can discuss transporting "Mingxiang people" and Vietnamese indigenous women. Nanhua Company can exchange them for black "indentured laborers".

Futong understood immediately upon hearing this and said with a smile: "Don't worry, Mr. Shi, my subordinates will definitely take care of it."

……

Ye Shilong stayed with Baosheng to gather the families of the Black Flag Army, while Wang Zhongyi rushed to Hongji Port with the early immigrants.

Now that the "Golden Hook Port" has arrived first, subsequent ships will arrive one after another to transport immigrants.

After Wang Zhongyi finished venting, Zhong Wenyao, on behalf of Nanhua Company, announced on the spot the company's commendation order to Ye and Wang. He awarded the second-level military merit medal and a bonus of 200 yuan in military coupons on the spot. He also announced that the company had also awarded each of them an additional 50 acres of land.

Wang Zhongyi was naturally happy to receive this honor. After receiving the second-level military medal from Zhong Wenyao, he held it in his hand and played with it for a long time.

After the early immigrants boarded the ship, Wang Zhongyi stood at Hongji Port and waved to the "Golden Gou Port" in the distance, and then began to comfort the Black Flag Army immigrants who failed to board the ship this time.

……

After the immigrants were transferred from Vietnam to Lanfang Company, Ye Shilong and Wang Zhongyi received new orders.

The two of them were ordered to enter the plantation on Sumatra Island. They were to assist the European drilling team in searching for oil deposits in the plantation area.

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  (End of this chapter)