Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 182 Liu Yongfu's Surrender

On the official road in Bac Giang Province, a troop with a yellow dragon flag was marching in neat rows. The troops on the official road were all wearing uniforms made from grey cloth, with wide-brimmed military caps on their heads, foot bandages on their feet, and bulging marching bags on their shoulders. Their steps were neat and orderly, with firm and resolute expressions on their faces, unlike the ordinary Annan troops who were so loose.

"Hey, look at the soldiers on the official road!" An Annan farmer in the paddy field near the official road pointed at the troops.

"It seems to be officers and soldiers from the upper country."

"No, they all have shaved heads, no braids."

"Isn't it the monk army?"...

"Sir, do you see that all the Annan people in the paddy fields are looking this way?"

On the official road, Xiao Zhangsan, who was riding a horse half a step behind Chen Zongbai, glanced at the people of Annan with pride and smiled.

"Perhaps they have never seen our troops before, and they are just very curious."

"Lord Sun is right. After joining the National Defense Army and cutting off our braids, the brothers feel more energetic. We can fight the Tartars again. I am not afraid of them."

"The pig tail on the head is to be a slave to the Tartars. Since we have joined the National Defense Army, we must completely break with the Tartars. Otherwise, we will be like Liu Yongfu, who refused to accept Mr. Sun's kindness and led hundreds of people to live a hard life in the mountains alone, which is not pleasing to both sides."

"Hey, Liu Er is not having a good time now. I heard from other brothers a few days ago that nearly half of Liu Er's big bosses have fled and all defected to our National Defense Army. In addition, Wu Yazhong of Gaoping ordered Liu Yongfu to lead all the troops to Gaoping to assemble and wait. Liu Yongfu must be in a state of panic right now!"

"If you want to blame someone, blame Liu Yongfu for being indecisive and having no opinion. When Mr. Sun first arrived in Annan, he spoke highly of him. But Mr. Sun personally sent someone to send a letter to invite him, but Liu Yongfu refused. If he had made up his mind and surrendered at that time, there would be no situation today."

Chen Zongbai originally had a good impression of Liu Yongfu. Before Sun Bin arrived in Annan, he had even thought about joining him. However, major events occurred over the past month or two, and Liu Yongfu's indecision and wrong decisions made him see Liu Yongfu's fatal flaws.

Liu Yongfu was born into a poor family at the bottom of society. He had a very narrow vision and was unable to show decisiveness and bravery when he had no choice but to face a desperate situation. However, once the danger disappeared and the Qing army showed signs of seeking amnesty, his mentality of living a life of mediocrity and contentment began to take effect, and he lost the ability to make the right decision.

Chen Zongbai said a few words to Liu Yongfu, then remembered the important matter that Sun Bin had told him, and said, "Brother Xiao Zhang, do you still remember what Mr. Sun told you? There are more men than women in South America. We must not forget to recruit more women of marriageable age from Annan during our expedition. The brothers in South America are all waiting for our help to solve their lifelong affairs!"

"I'll never forget this. The Annan rebels occupied several provinces and captured cities. After we wiped out the rebels, it was up to us brothers to decide how to deal with the young girls in the city." Xiao Zhangsan said without hiding anything.

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Without coercion, I'm afraid few Annan women will be willing to follow us."

Chen Zongbai nodded in agreement, but remembering that Xiao Zhangsan had just joined the National Defense Army, he was worried that he would still retain the habits of the peasant army during the battle, so he reminded him: "Using forced means to relocate Annan women is the last resort. In the process of relocating Annan women, officers and soldiers of all units must strictly abide by military regulations and must not insult or kill Annan women, otherwise the military police will not show mercy."

"In Halong, Mr. Sun ordered the military police to kill more than 40 soldiers who violated military regulations. Their heads are still hanging outside the military camp. Brothers know this and will not knowingly commit crimes."

By using fair rewards to motivate soldiers to fight and strict military law to intimidate the troops, the newly formed Guang'an troops improved their appearance and discipline. Some peasant soldiers and leaders who could not stand the strict military discipline chose to leave the army, and the vacancies they left behind were immediately filled by young and strong reserves.

With the continued influx of Chinese from other places, the number of Chinese in Guang'an and Lang Son provinces has exceeded 300,000. Among the 300,000, more than 100,000 young and strong people are queuing up to join the Guang'an army. Sun Bin does not have to worry about not finding suitable soldiers.

There is only one regimental-level officer in the Guangning Army, Chen Xinggui. Although Chen Xinggui is nominally a regimental-level officer, he has actually been staying in the Natuna Islands. Sun Bin has always been the one in charge of the Guang'an Army. Apart from Chen Xinggui, Ye Chenglin, Chen Zongbai and the three newly established independent battalions are the highest-ranking officers under Sun Bin. They have been given high positions as soon as they joined the National Defense Force. Xiao Zhangsan cherishes this very much and will not sacrifice his future for a trivial matter of military discipline.

Three days ago, in the northwest of Lang Son province, Liu Yongfu held the letter in his hand, unable to make a decision for a long time.

"Chief." A scholar-looking man walked in from outside the house. "Chief Wu sent me a letter inviting me to meet him at Gaoping. Brother Fushan, please tell me what I should do." Liu Yongfu hurriedly stood up and handed the letter to the man.

Shen Fushan took the letter and looked at Liu Yongfu with some regret, "Alas, Chief Liu is courteous and kind to me, so I will do my duty and persuade him once more."

Unfolding the letter and taking a quick glance at it, Shen Fushan understood Wu Yazhong's intention.

"The leader used to be a subordinate of Leader Wu. In his letter, Leader Wu invited the leader to return to his side. Are you willing?" Shen Fushan asked tentatively.

"Chief Wu is too ambitious and lacks strength. I left him because I didn't want to sacrifice the lives of my brothers in vain. Now he has sent a letter inviting me to lead the troops to join him. It is clear that he wants to take advantage of the opportunity when the main force of the Gui army is transferred out to counterattack. How can I agree to his request?"

"If the leader does not want to make peace with the leader Wu, he can just write a handwritten letter and send it to him. Why are you hesitating?"

"In Annan today, the most powerful forces are the peasant army led by Chief Wu and the Guang'an Army led by the newly recruited Sun brothers. I did not accept the Guang'an Army's recruitment, and then rejected Chief Wu's invitation. I have offended the two most powerful forces in northern Annan. Even if Liu Yongfu has three heads and six arms, he will not be able to gain a foothold in Annan!"

"Chief, please do not say any more. Chief Wu and the Guang'an Army are two powerful armies. Chief Wu occupies two provinces, and his troops are in a mess. There are only one or two thousand of his direct troops who truly obey his command. The other eight thousand plus are all collateral forces gathered under Chief Wu, and they will not sincerely work for Chief Wu.

On the other hand, the Quang Ninh Army occupied the three provinces of Quang Yen, Ninh Hai and Lang Son. Even though the Hue court merged the small Quang Yen and Ninh Hai provinces into one province, the Quang Ninh Army still occupied the two provinces, and the land area and population in the controlled area exceeded that of the Wu leader.
Moreover, the Guangning Army has been unified, and the troops that defected have been disbanded and reorganized. Governor Sun's control over the troops is far greater than that of Chief Wu. In comparison, Governor Sun will definitely be in charge of the Annan Han armed forces in the end. Therefore, I still mean the same as last time. The chief should immediately lead his troops to defect to Governor Sun. Governor Sun and the chief are old friends. For the sake of their past friendship, he will certainly not treat the chief unfairly. "

"This is a serious matter. Brother Fushan, please allow me a few days to think about it carefully." Liu Yongfu was too embarrassed to surrender to his former staff, so he waved his hand to decline.

"Chief!..." Shen Fushan was about to persuade him when a man with a turban came running in from outside.

"Chief, it's bad! Chief Wang and Chief Zhou are coming down the mountain with a hundred of their brothers!"

"What! Zhou Ming and Wang Si are also going to abandon me!"

Zhou Ming and Wang Si were Liu Yongfu's trusted subordinates. They had been following Liu Yongfu since he started the anti-Qing uprising. Liu Yongfu found it hard to accept that they would leave him at this time.

"The two leaders left a message saying that the leader wanted to surrender to the Manchu Tartars. They were unwilling to be running dogs for the Qing army, so they said goodbye to the leaders." The news that Liu Yongfu was going to defect to the Qing army suddenly spread more than ten days ago. The soldier who reported the news secretly glanced at Liu Yongfu, trying to see from his eyes whether his own leader was going to defect to the Qing court as others said.

"Leader, the brothers in the camp have an irreconcilable feud with the Qing Dynasty Tartars. Joining the Qing Dynasty is unpopular. The leader should explain the truth to the brothers, otherwise once the morale of the army is broken, the army will be finished!"

Shen Fushan spoke excitedly, and without waiting for Liu Yongfu to reply, he turned to look at the soldier who reported the news and said, "General Sun of the Guangning Army and the leader are old friends. The leader has accepted General Sun's invitation and will lead all his brothers to join the Guangning Army soon. You should quickly bring the two leaders back and explain everything to them!"

"Chief, this..." The soldier looked up at Liu Yongfu expectantly.

"Forget it, just do as Brother Shen says."

Liu Yongfu sat down on the chair weakly, and at the same time, the huge rock pressing on his heart immediately fell down.

"As you command!" The soldier looked happy and turned around and ran out of the house.

(End of this chapter)