Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 443 The Development of the Black Flag Army Territory
Throughout the entire year of 1882, the rulers and ministers of Chu State closely followed the changes in the war situation in Indochina. They were almost watching the whole year's war and felt very excited.

The French army suffered a terrible and decisive defeat, with almost no excuse to cover it up. They lost a great man.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu never expected that a casual move he made would actually cause history to take a small turn, directly blocking the French invading army in northern Vietnam, making it impossible for them to advance northward.

As for whether the French Third Republic's Jouffry cabinet would be resigned to this and whether it would continue the Northern Invasion War, King Zheng Guohui of Chu could not say for sure due to the lack of historical reference.

France originally failed this time, but got what it wanted at the negotiating table.

But the trajectory of history has changed
France lost the war so decisively that even if the northern court wanted to offer benefits, it couldn't.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu estimated

Judging from the nature of the Rouféry cabinet, it is estimated that it will never accept defeat and will most likely make a comeback and fight North Vietnam again.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was not optimistic about the French army's military adventures because in northern Vietnam, there was a Black Flag Army that was determined to resist the French and its strength was growing stronger.

"How much money have the French allocated in the past year or so?"

"Your Majesty, the French cabinet has allocated funds four times: the first for 4 million francs, the second for 260 million francs, the third for 350 million francs, and the fourth for 500 million francs. The total amount invested in the war is 250 million francs."

"Well, you're really willing to invest money, but it's a pity that you didn't get anything and instead got a disappointment."

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. The Black Flag Army is quite resilient. They fought the French army quite well and held their own."

"As long as we dare to fight, there is nothing to be afraid of the white army."

"Your Majesty, that's right. This is the new Royal Army garrison plan." Royal Secretary-General Li Jinghui replied respectfully and presented a memorial.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu responded, took it and started reading.

After the expansion of the Chu Royal Army, it had 12 division-level infantry combat units, from the 10st Division to the 5600th Division, plus the Manila Guard Division and the Royal Guard Division, with a strength ranging from 3200 to people.

The 5600st to th Divisions are all fully equipped and staffed, and are Class A divisions with a strength of people, excluding the baggage regiment and the replenishment corps, which are auxiliary forces that are temporarily needed in wartime.

From the 3200th Division to the th Division, they are all understaffed Class B divisions with a strength of about people. Each division has two infantry regiments, plus a division headquarters battalion, a guard company, an engineering company, and other configurations.

According to the new Royal Army garrison plan, the Royal 2st Division is stationed in Davao Province, Tongzhou, the Royal Devil 3nd Division is stationed in Aceh, Sumatra, the Royal Shield 4rd Division is stationed in Bandar Seri Begawan, the Royal th Division is stationed in Donggang Province, the Royal th Division is stationed in Cebu, and the Royal th Division is stationed in Tanjung Kap area on Sumatra Island.

The Royal 9th Division is stationed in Hawaii, the Royal th Division is stationed in Patagonia, the Royal th ​​Division is stationed in Nicaragua, the Royal th Division is stationed in Guam, the Manila Guard Division and the Royal Guard Division are stationed in the Greater Manila area, guarding the palace and protecting the security of the capital.

From the above military deployment, it can be seen that the focus of Chu's military defense was on the surrounding outer islands, especially in the direction of Sumatra. Two fully equipped Class A divisions were deployed, namely the Second Division and the Sixth Division, with a total strength of nearly 1.2 people.

The Chu State's local garrison put heavy pressure on the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, forcing it to maintain heavy troops in places like Palembang and maintain a white colonial force of nearly 10,000 people.

This accounted for almost two-thirds of the total military force of the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies. The remaining forces were all huddled around Batavia and Bandung on Java Island, which were the top priorities of Dutch colonial rule.

Actually

In recent years, the State of Chu has not had any intention of going to war with the Dutch. After years of encroachment, the territory of the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies has been oppressed to the extreme.

If we continue to go deeper, we will inevitably touch upon the core interests of the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies.

It is precisely based on such considerations that the strategic situation in the Nanyang region has become very clear. As the saying goes, there can't be two tigers in one mountain, and one of them is bound to fall.

The Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies therefore regarded the State of Chu as its number one enemy. Due to the incompetence of the Royal Netherlands Navy, it put forward the slogan of "using the city as a fortress, holding on and waiting for help, decisive battle on land, and national defense", and based on this, it carried out large-scale construction projects.

Nowadays, in a series of important cities such as Palembang and Bengkulu on the island of Sumatra, Batavia, Bandung, Surabaya on the island of Java, fortresses, artillery batteries, bunkers and defense walls are being built everywhere to turn these cities into fortress-type cities.

Fighting in the city, refusing to retreat, waiting for a turnaround in the regional situation and the intervention of the British and French powers, this was the strategy of the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies.

Knowing they were no match for the enemy, they completely gave up fighting at sea and dragged the war into a battle for cities on land.

I have to say, this is a wise decision.

The Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies could not pin his hopes on the mercy of the Chu State and that it would not launch an invasion war in the future. That was completely unrealistic and a pure pipe dream.

The Dutch saw clearly that the Chu State was picking on the weak.

They did not dare to touch the sphere of influence of the British and French powers at all, and always kept their greedy eyes on the Dutch.

They occupied a little here and a little there, and in more than ten years they had completely eroded the East Indies, leaving only the core area of ​​today.

In addition to the 12 divisions, the Chu Royal Army also had 22 regiments and more fortress defense battalions, mainly distributed on the mainland and surrounding islands.

Each Class A regiment has more than 150 soldiers, each Class B regiment has more than 200 soldiers, and the fortress defense battalion has between and soldiers.

In wartime, the army can be flexibly deployed according to needs. The total strength of the entire Royal Army is more than 9.8 people, less than .

Such a troop deployment meets the overall needs of Chu's current national strength. Compared with the British Army of more than 27 people, the French Army of more than 44 people, and the German Army of more than 70 people, the Chu Army's overall troop size is relatively small.

But don't forget that the Chu State also had a powerful Royal Navy of more than 4.5 people. Its strength was second to none in the Western Pacific region and no one could shake it.

Considering that the security environment around Chu State is relatively good, there are no countries or forces that can pose a substantial threat to Chu State's security. It is not in Europe where the security environment is extremely harsh.

Maintaining a royal army strength of more than 9.8 people is generally suitable and does not impose a heavy burden on the royal finances.

The Chu State had a national defense mobilization mechanism with a traditional militia system. In villages, towns and cities, ordinary militiamen undertook very important guard and daily patrol tasks. They were mostly composed of retired soldiers with a high level of training.

The highest level of militia organization is the militia company, which usually consists of less than 150 people and is mostly organized in villages, while in cities it is organized in streets or factories.

The militia of a certain street will patrol the security of that street. Crossing the line is a violation of the rules. This has become a common practice.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu carefully reviewed the new plan for the Royal Army's garrison, which was no different from the original agreement. He picked up a brush and wrote the word "approved" in a flamboyant manner on the memorial, and handed it to the Royal Secretary-General Li Jinghui to pass it on to the Army General Staff Headquarters for processing.

All the armed forces of the Chu State, including the army, navy and militia, belonged to the Chu royal family, and the royal family also allocated funds to pay salaries and subsidize the militia. The territories conquered by the royal army also belonged to the Chu royal family.

Therefore, the Chu army's first priority is to be loyal to the royal family, then to the country, and then to the nation. This order cannot be messed up.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu firmly controlled both military and political power in his hands. The operating system of the entire country was more similar to Germany's constitutional monarchy, and the cabinet and parliament were merely tools for the king to govern.

This is at the current stage
Under the leadership of a wise monarch, the Chu State could quickly shift to in-depth industrialization, with its economy and people's livelihood developing rapidly and its national strength growing rapidly.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu also knew the drawbacks of this system, which was that it relied too much on the king's personal governing ability. If a mediocre person was replaced, the country would inevitably be seriously affected.

But this is also the optimal solution for the State of Chu at present. If someone else were to take over, things might go awry and lead the future of the State of Chu in an unknown direction.

Instead of doing this, it is better to work harder.

Inside the Zichen Hall, the scent of sandalwood is faint.

After the royal secretary general Li Jinghui took the order and left, King Zheng Guohui of Chu began to read the secret regional inspection report submitted by the Ministry of the Interior, which was mainly an analytical report on the situation in Indochina Peninsula.

After winning the war against France, the Black Flag Army was incorporated into the official army by the imperial court. Its 20 battalions, with about officers and soldiers, were given food and wages, and it was transformed into a regular army.

After putting on the Green Camp uniforms, the list of relevant generals was submitted and they were all rewarded.

The core generals of the Black Flag Army, such as deputy general, lieutenant general, guerrilla general, garrison commander, thousand-man commander, etc., all got official positions and received official salaries.

This is undoubtedly a great reassurance for the Black Flag Army.

From now on
Fighting is fighting for the court, not to find a way out for poor brothers. It is obviously different.

Military Advisor General Huang Qifan also received the rank of second-rank deputy general, second only to the commander-in-chief Liu Yongfu, a second-rank general, ranking second only to the commander-in-chief of the Black Flag Army and above ten thousand men.

The Northern Court's strategy of recruiting local forces was indeed a brilliant one. This was also an important reason why the court was able to survive to this day despite internal and external troubles. That is, knowing that its own official army was not good enough, it vigorously employed the armed forces of local landlords and Han people.

For example, the Hunan Army, the Huai Army, the Yunnan Army, the Guangxi Army, and now the Black Flag Army, as long as they are brave and good at fighting, the court will not hesitate to reward them and recruit them for their own use.

As the northern court acted in this way, the Chu State also increased its secret support, mainly by providing personnel and exporting colonial experience to help the Black Flag Army stabilize the area and build the economy.

Military Advisor General Huang Qifan had two assistants from Guangxi, both of whom were once juren (imperial candidates) and had official experience. On the surface, they had no connection with the State of Chu.

Actually

One of these two men was named Chen Moting and the other was named Wang Jin. Both were colonial officials who had been in Southeast Asia for many years. They had extremely rich grassroots colonial experience and were officials at the level of colonial commissioners in the Ministry of Colonies.

All records of this period have been erased.

The meaning inside

The reason was that they did not want the French colonists to associate themselves with the Chu State, which would cause various suspicions and dissatisfactions, and might also cause concerns among the British.

The collusion of Chinese forces is something these white colonists have always been wary of.

Speaking of the men of the Black Flag Army, they are no slouch in fighting. They are brave and good at fighting, and are ready to die. On the battlefield, they are definitely tough guys.

The Black Flag Army generals Wu Pengnian, Wu Tangxing, Wang Debang, Wang Debiao, Xiao Sanfa, Wu Rongbang, Lin Yinan, Xu Ji, Bai Zhengcai, Lin Yicheng, Wang Delin and Jian Jinghua were all fiercer in battle. They beat the French without a frown and led the charge by personally leading the troops. Their skills were truly outstanding.

Take the French army in Xinghua Province, for example. They galloped over 140 kilometers at night in just one day and one night to attack the French army. These Black Flag Army generals, like the soldiers, relied entirely on their own legs to cross mountains and rivers, and caught the French army off guard.

But when it comes to economic governance and developing the colonial economy, these Black Flag Army generals are no match.

Everyone was confused and dumbfounded.

It was precisely in response to this weakness that the idea of ​​developing a base for the Black Flag Army was considered. The Ministry of the Interior's think tank came up with the idea, which was then handed over to Huang Qifan for implementation, and he was also equipped with two capable assistants.

One was Chen Moting and the other was Wang Jin, both were senior colonial officials.

After defeating the French army, the Ministry of the Interior's think tank facilitated the rapid expansion of the Black Flag Army's territory. After originally occupying Shanxi, Bac Ninh and Haiphong provinces, it moved north to occupy Bac Giang Province.

To the south, they occupied Thai Binh Province, Ninh Binh Province, Thanh Hoa Province and Anyi Province, pushing the territory southward by more than 210 kilometers, and the defense front reached Vinh City.

A good way to do this is

Vinh City is located in a narrow area in the central part of Vietnam, with a range of only more than 170 kilometers on both sides. The defensive front is greatly reduced, which is conducive to concentrating military forces to defend against the French invasion from the north.

But do this

The Black Flag Army's territory expanded from the original three provinces to eight provinces in Tonkin. The edge of the territory was close to Hanoi, and it became an undoubted major warlord force in the north, growing stronger and stronger.

As a result, the Black Flag Army obtained a large area of ​​plain land, which could be used to settle more Guangxi compatriots, further strengthen the strength of the base area and enhance its foundation.

It could expand southward to Rong City, and shoulder all the pressure of the French army's northward invasion, which evolved into a situation where the Black Flag Army had to fight the French army alone.

The original 40 battalions of the northern court's garrison, after being defeated successively by the French Western Army, had retreated from the Red River Delta area and retreated towards the Zhennan Pass border.

But later, the sudden arrival of the Black Flag Army completely changed the situation on the battlefield in North Vietnam, reversed the French army's winning momentum, and defeated them easily.

The 40 battalions of officers and soldiers originally stationed in the Red River Delta, including the Yunnan Army, the Guangxi Army and the Guangdong Eight Banners Army, returned to their original bases to regroup and stabilize the people's hearts.

As for the troops lost in the war, the official troops that entered Vietnam quietly made up for them and soon their forces were complete again.

The government troops found this kind of covert work easy and appropriate, and there was no hindrance at all.

They originally reported 700 or 900 casualties, but later they withdrew and only reported to casualties, while the rest were killed.

Now that the vanguard of the Black Flag Army has reached Rong City, the officers and soldiers in the Red River Delta are completely in a safe rear area, and they are really happy.

With the Black Flag Army leading the way, garrisoning in northern Vietnam became a good job. The army was safe and risk-free, so how could we not be happy?

As for the five provinces that the Vietnamese royal court lost control of, that was not the business of the officers and soldiers stationed in Vietnam. The commander of the Black Flag Army, Liu Yongfu, also had the title of Coastal Defense Governor, which was awarded by the Vietnamese royal court.

It is other people’s own business, and foreign troops should not interfere.

Chen Moting and Wang Jin joined the army as cousins ​​from Guangxi, and were soon valued by Huang Qifan, who used them as his right-hand men and vigorously promoted the new base construction policy.

There are three main

The first is to vigorously promote immigration. After all, Guangxi and northern Vietnam are only separated by a border line. Life in the mountains is not easy for the people there, so they just immigrate.

This extended to Yunnan Province and Guizhou Province. Anyway, the more Chinese immigrants the better, and almost everyone was accepted.

Once there are people, mining and farming are necessary. After years of war, there are a lot of abandoned and barren lands in the eight provinces of northern Vietnam, and many of them are ownerless lands.

The Black Flag Army was distributed to Chinese immigrants. With output, there was tax revenue, and their family wealth quickly grew.

The second is to develop industrial and mining enterprises. There are not many resources in the northern part of Vietnam. Apart from the several large coal fields controlled by the Black Flag Army, other resources are mostly scattered and small, not suitable for large-scale development.

Based on local resource conditions, Chen Moting developed rice processing, oil pressing, quarries, timber mills, offshore fishing, etc., focusing on increasing local residents' income and enriching local grain and oil supplies.

On this basis, the breeding industry was developed, including raising pigs, chickens, and ducks, which led to the rapid development of the Black Flag Army's territory and initially solved the problem of food and clothing.

But don’t underestimate the importance of solving the problem of food and clothing. This consolidated the Black Flag Army’s rule, gained widespread support, and won them a good reputation that was widely praised.

The Black Flag Army took advantage of the situation to build many warehouses and store large amounts of food. With food and fodder, the morale of the army was stabilized, and they were no longer afraid of going hungry during battles.

The third is to vigorously develop foreign trade.

The Black Flag Army, based in Haiphong Port, vigorously exported coal, rice and oil, imported large quantities of cloth, various industrial products and steam engines. Its main trading partners were the State of Chu and Singapore.

By vigorously developing foreign trade, the Black Flag Army territory met the people's needs for food, clothing, and a good life. It systematically introduced Chinese education from the Chu State, enhanced openness and exchanges to the outside world, and made the territory prosperous.

It is an ironclad fact that we can never develop if we close our doors.

The Black Flag Army imported a large number of iron farm tools, which improved farmers' farming efficiency and increased production. This is a very convincing aspect.

A large amount of British fabrics were imported, allowing the people in the territory to buy cheap fabrics at lower prices and make a few new clothes, which greatly increased their sense of happiness.

What do the people want?
Isn't it all about having enough food to eat, wearing new clothes, getting married, having children for the family, and living like a decent human being with your head held high? These are the basic needs of the people and their most ardent desire.

As long as these are met, the rule of the Black Flag Army base will be consolidated, and the Vietnamese royal court will be of no use. The contrast is very clear.

The rule of the Vietnamese royal court was corrupt and dark. The official class generally oppressed the people. People's lives were difficult. They often had no food to eat and going hungry was common.

When the two are compared, the gap becomes apparent.

Therefore, many refugees from the Vietnamese royal provinces flocked to the Black Flag Army's territory with their families, hoping to live a good life here.

Many Vietnamese people speak Chinese and write in Chinese characters. In fact, the customs there are not much different from those in Guangxi.

Therefore

The Black Flag Army opened its doors wide to accept more people. Only when the population increased could the army become stronger. By cultivating more barren land, the foundation of its rule would be more solid.

(End of this chapter)