All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

Bai Jingqi will only be the nominal leader of the Black Family Army. In reality, it's just a title. Apart from the real high-ranking members, everyone will think that Zhang Li is the leader of the Black Family Army because he now has the title of "Black Seventh Master".

Bai Jingqi knew that Zhang Li was ambitious, but he never expected that Zhang Li's ambition was so great and completely contrary to Bai Jingqi's strategic objectives.

Regarding his three-step strategic plan, the third step was to wait for the foreign powers and the Qing government to reach an agreement to withdraw their troops before launching an attack, mainly by planting explosives and assassinations, and then withdrawing in time to preserve the strength of the Black Family Army.

However, it is clear that Zhang Li ultimately did not follow Bai Jingqi's plan.

In early October, after learning of the situation in Beijing, German commander Waldersee led 30,000 foreign troops aboard more than 40 warships to land in Tianjin, preparing to launch an attack on the Baoding-Zhangjiakou area and advance into the northern region. The casualties in Beijing had caused them to lose face, and they decided to launch a ruthless attack on the Qing court, forcing the Qing Dynasty to completely become a puppet regime.

However, to their utter surprise, on the very night of their landing, the 30,000-strong Allied forces suffered a devastating blow when several landing warships were detonated by explosives planted by an unknown armed group.

In the end, less than a third of the landing troops made it ashore. The remaining thirty-odd warships were all blown up and sunk, and countless soldiers went down to the bottom of the sea with them.

The soldiers who landed were caught completely off guard and were mowed down by hundreds of machine guns and mortars from countless bunkers in the darkness. The 30,000-strong Allied Army was instantly stunned. If Bai Jingqi had been there, he would have gritted his teeth in anger, because Zhang Li had used up all the resources of the Black Family Army this time.

In this battle, Zhang Li deployed over three thousand Black Family Army soldiers and hundreds of new machine guns manufactured by the military factory. These machine guns are similar to the Madsen machine gun, but they are more stable and have a faster rate of fire. Most importantly, these things are incredibly expensive; every minute, money is flowing out of their pockets.

If Bai Jingqi were in command, he would never have sent three thousand skilled assassins from the Black Family Army to fight thirty thousand foreign devils in the dark of night. Although it was a well-prepared battle of annihilation, the risk was simply too great.

Zhang Li was clearly gambling with the fate of the Black Family Army. After this raid, the Black Family Army would become famous and exposed to the world. The elite of the Black Family Army would no longer be the kings who walked the underground.

Clearly, Zhang Li's plans for the Black Family Army were completely different from Bai Jingqi's. The most crucial point is that Bai Jingqi had already planned the third step of the pocket strategy in Tianjin, so Zhang Li pulled off this stunt right under Bai Jingqi's nose.

By the time Bai Jingqi received news of the Black Family Army's surprise attack on the 30,000-strong allied forces, the battle had already ended.

Zhang Li clearly won his gamble! This world-renowned battle completely changed history and the fate of the Black Family Army.

Of the 30,000 Allied troops who landed, apart from a few who escaped, nearly 10,000 were captured and the rest sank into the sea. The Black Army, at the cost of nearly 500 casualties, completed a brilliant annihilation battle, which shocked the world!

On this day, Zhang Li, in his capacity as Chief of Staff of the Black Family Army, sent a telegram to the entire nation announcing the formal establishment of the New China Alliance Government and formally declaring war on the allied forces of various countries. In the telegram, he also encouraged the people of China to rise up against imperialism, stating that the foreign devils were not to be feared and that the Chinese people had the confidence and determination to defeat them!

Zhang Li's telegram shocked the world. On this day, the whole world knew that the great powers had suffered their first defeat in China, with the loss of more than 30,000 troops!

Bai Jingqi was also shocked. At this moment, he fully realized that the history of China would take a different path, and the Black Family Army would also take another unknown path, a path that even he did not know.

The day after Zhang Li sent the telegram, four southern provinces simultaneously declared independence. Yuan Shikai, who was training troops in Xiaozhan, Tianjin, in the north, also quickly contacted the Hei Family Army and expressed his willingness to join the New China Alliance. Thus, the division of China into north and south officially began, and the major powers in each province were now eager to make their moves. A century-long transformation was rapidly taking place.

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Black Family Army is Over.

Upon seeing Zhang Li's statement, Bai Jingqi had only one thought in his mind: Foolish!

In a moment of euphoria, he has now drawn almost the entire world's attention to the Black Family Army.

He could almost guess what would happen next; the great powers would absolutely not allow the Black Family Army to be so powerful and openly challenge their authority.

If he had followed his plan, he would have fired a shot at the Allied forces and left. Even if tens of thousands of foreign devils were killed, as long as he didn't show his face, the foreign devils wouldn't have been able to do anything to the Black Family Army given the vast territory of China.

Once the Black Family Army's prestige is established, all that's left is to wait for the right opportunity to arrive.

If the domestic situation deteriorates further, the people will remember this organization. Based on the Black Family Army's achievements, they can take the opportunity to establish a political party. Taking advantage of the momentum of the anti-Qing and anti-foreign movement, they can develop quietly for more than ten years. With fame and money, they can develop rapidly.

Once the Qing Dynasty has completely fallen, the Black Family Army can raise its banner again. At that time, the Black Family Army will be able to dominate the country and may be able to take over the entire legacy of the Qing Dynasty, thus skipping the period of warlordism and successfully taking power.

He was well aware of Zhang Li's ambition. The reason he gave up the position of Black Seventh Master was because he knew that one day, the Black Family Army would raise its banner, so he gave the position to Zhang Li.

He didn't have the ambition to conquer the world, but he could give this opportunity to Zhang Li. After the Sino-Japanese War, the Hei Family Army entered a period of rapid expansion. At that time, Zhang Li had begun to show his talent, and the morale of the Hei Family Army gradually became less timid.

Because the Black Family Army had made a name for itself after the Sino-Japanese War, it was full of confidence, which provided great convenience for expanding its recruitment in the future. From that time on, the Black Family Army was full of both belief and funds. The establishment of the military factory filled the last gap in the Black Family Army's strength.

At that time, Bai Jingqi already knew that this force would either be completely wiped out by other forces in the future, or it would eventually develop into a powerful military organization that might really have the potential to change the future of China.

Therefore, he had already been planning to select a successor since then, because he did not have the ambition, nor the ruthlessness of "one general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand," and he did not have that kind of belief. However, as the founder of the Black Family Army, he always had a slight reluctance to part with it, so he laid out a ten-year plan for the Black Family Army.

If we had followed his plan, the chances of success would have been over 70%, but unfortunately, it all fell short in the end!

Yes, Bai Jingqi already knows that the Black Family Army, which he has painstakingly built over fifteen years, will be destroyed by Zhang Li.

"Build high walls, store up grain, and delay declaring yourself king"—this has been the strategy of the Chinese people since ancient times. Now that Zhang Li has brought the Hei Family Army into the open, he has completely turned them into sitting ducks.

The annihilation of the 30,000-strong Allied Army triggered a chain reaction that shocked the world. The major powers were also somewhat bewildered. The Black Army's victory this time was a demonstration of national awakening.

The foreign powers quickly reacted, rapidly increasing their troop deployments to China while simultaneously contacting the Qing government.

At this point, they were well aware of their disadvantages: on Chinese soil, foreigners were ultimately outsiders. Without the support of the Chinese people, it would be difficult for the powers to gain a foothold in China. Therefore, they had no choice but to join forces with the Qing government to quickly eliminate the Black Family Army and suppress various forces within China, thus restoring the Qing government's colonial rule.

In reality, the Qing Dynasty's power was not small. In name, the Qing Dynasty's influence still occupied most of China, and its army numbered in the hundreds of thousands. After all, it had ruled for more than two hundred years, and many forces had become deeply entrenched in the Qing Dynasty's side.

This is not 1912 in history, but 1900. At this time, the Qing Dynasty was not completely finished. The Eight Banners soldiers alone numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Although they were a bunch of scoundrels, they were still an army, and there were quite a few truly elite troops.

Many young people who grew up under the Qing Dynasty's rule, especially some from the landlord class, still held a sliver of faith in the Qing government.

Zhang Li still sent a telegram to Bai Jingqi regarding his actions and the situation he was facing. After receiving the telegram, Bai Jingqi locked himself in his room overnight. When he walked out the next day, Bai Jingqi looked helpless, gave a bitter smile, and tore the telegram to shreds.

In the telegram, Zhang Li first apologized to Bai Jingqi, saying that all of this was a decision he made on his own and hoped to be forgiven by Bai Jingqi. He also said that he hoped Bai Jingqi could continue to serve as the leader of the Black Family Army and that he would do his best to assist Bai Jingqi in realizing his dream of unifying China.

He also explained why he did this. The first reason was that he could no longer tolerate the people being double oppressed by the foreign powers and the Qing government. As the chief of staff of the Black Family Army, he had to do something for the people of China.

The second reason is that the Black Family Army will become famous in one battle, demonstrating the prestige and determination of the Chinese people. He believes that as long as he stands up this time, all sectors of Chinese society will surely set off a wave of movements against the Qing Dynasty and foreign powers, causing the colonial rule of foreign powers in China to completely fail.

The third reason is that he also hopes to take this opportunity to bring the Black Family Army to the forefront. With the current strength of the Black Family Army, it is fully capable of occupying a region and starting to recruit new soldiers on a large scale. He predicts that it will only take three to five years for the Black Family Army to gain a firm foothold.

In the end, Zhang Li hoped that Bai Jingqi would put aside past grievances and continue to support the Black Family Army. He said that if Ge Ming succeeded in his mission, he would be willing to give up all his positions and live as an ordinary citizen.

When Bai Jingqi saw Zhang Li's report, he almost laughed in anger. This guy really thought he understood him. Every reason in the letter was actually written to address Bai Jingqi's personality. He knew that Bai Jingqi couldn't let go of the Black Family Army, didn't have much ambition, and didn't want to see the Black Family Army disappear from the stage of history. That's why he wrote this seemingly sincere letter.

Indeed, the human heart is the most complex creature. Even though Zhang Li grew up right under my nose, I can no longer see through his true thoughts.

That skinny boy from back then has now become an ambitious young man.

Unfortunately, Zhang Li, a guy with absolutely no political acumen, never imagined that conquering the world wouldn't be so easy!

However, the Black Family Army did indeed demonstrate the might of the Chinese people this time. As the Black Family Army began recruiting soldiers in several cities, the recruitment points were packed every day.

The Black Family Army, skilled in assassination, quickly took control of several cities in Hebei and began a large-scale recruitment drive.

Zhang Li was confident enough to start his suicide mission with such a small number of people because the Black Family Army had prepared enough supplies over the years to arm an army of tens of thousands of people. This was the source of his confidence.

The foreign powers panicked upon seeing the Black Army's actions and immediately began to rapidly reinforce their troops. At the same time, they started peace talks with Li Hongzhang, as they now had to ensure the Qing Dynasty's rule.

Thus, the Qing government quickly reached an agreement with the foreign powers once again. The foreign powers demanded that the Qing government completely annihilate the Black Family Army. At the same time, to show their sincerity, the allied forces would completely withdraw their troops from Beijing and return the capital to the Qing government.

With the cooperation of the Qing government, the Black Family Army occupied several cities, which were then besieged and attacked by the foreign powers, and a vigorous anti-imperialist war began.

The outcome was almost predictable. In March 1901, the war began, and by the end of June 1901, the last city occupied by the Black Family Army had fallen. Of the 50,000 newly recruited soldiers, more than 40,000 died in battle. In just 100 days, the banner of the Black Family Army fell completely.

This war, also known as the Hundred Days' War, marked the last time the name of the Black Family Army appeared in history.

Throughout the entire process, Bai Jingqi never showed up or made a sound, nor did he provide any further support to the Black Family Army. In fact, he even began to launch a final, fatal attack on the Black Family Army.

This is a small town near Tianjin, on the way to the capital. Three young men, each with a different demeanor and attire, are covered in dust, like merchants heading to the capital. They enter a teahouse one after another. The teahouse is not large, and it is midday. There is not a single customer in the entire shop, except for the waiter sitting in the corner dozing off.

The waiter was awakened by the noise of the group. Seeing that guests had suddenly arrived, he quickly mustered his energy and went up to ask one of the young men who seemed to be the leader.

"Sirs, what kind of tea would you like to drink?"

The young man sat on the stool, looked around the teahouse, then took a look at the waiter. After a moment, he looked away and said slowly.

"Give me a pot of chrysanthemum tea from March!"

After the young man finished speaking, his eyes inadvertently began to sized up the young man in front of him.

The waiter's face twitched slightly upon hearing the young man's words, but quickly returned to normal. He looked around and, seeing no other customers, whispered something.

"Our shop doesn't have chrysanthemum tea for March, only jasmine tea that blooms in April. Would you like a pot, sir?"

The young man had now confirmed the identity of the young man in front of him, and then said with a smile.

"Then let's have a pot!"

The young waiter nodded and then walked towards the backyard. A moment later, he brought over a pot of tea and carefully placed it in front of the young man's table.

The young man nodded, and the waiter casually retreated to the corner to continue dozing off, as if it had just been an ordinary tea customer ordering tea.

The young man picked up the teapot and, without realizing it, took out a slip of paper from under the teapot. He then finished his tea with the three men, paid the bill, and left the teahouse.

The three left the teahouse and went to a secluded spot. The young man quietly opened the note in his hand, read its contents, and his face gradually darkened. He crumpled the note into a ball and flicked it into the ditch across the street.

The other two, seeing the young man's expression, were immediately taken aback and quickly asked him what was wrong.

"General, have the valuables in the capital truly been moved?"

The young man, looking pained, did not answer, but his expression had already told the other two the answer.

These three were Zhang Li and his group. In June, the last city of the Black Family Army was captured by the Allied Forces. Zhang Li and the others were not captured, but escaped. Unfortunately, the Allied Forces knew that the city was the Black Family Army's stronghold. In order to wipe out the Black Family Army, the Allied Forces carried out a horrific massacre in the city. In the end, only a few high-ranking members of the Black Family Army escaped.

Zhang Li, an ambitious man, would never give up the opportunity to make a comeback. As long as the name of the Black Family Army remains, with the resources and wealth they have prepared over the years, they can definitely make a comeback. Besides, they are still so young, not even thirty years old, and have enough time and opportunity.

Unfortunately, Zhang Li had come all the way from the capital to find the supplies and valuables in those warehouses, only to find that, without exception, they had all been moved over the past few months.

As for who was being transferred, they all knew very well.

One of the young men also had a ferocious look on his face. He clenched his fists, and finally couldn't hold back his anger. He roared in a low voice.

"General, since he is so ruthless, we should be ruthless too. Let's expose his identity, and those foreign devils will naturally come looking for him!"

Zhang Li did not answer, but gave the two of them a deep look. In the end, he said nothing and slowly walked away into the distance. The three of them were heading towards the capital.

On this day, the three of them arrived at a village on the outskirts of Beijing. The houses in the village were dilapidated, and the traces of burning were still clearly visible. The village was quiet, and there wasn't even a stray dog. The three of them found a relatively clean house and prepared to rest for the night.

A cold wind swept in at midnight, rattling the door. The three of them opened their eyes almost simultaneously.

Zhang Li's figure, like a wildcat, quietly disappeared from the bed. The other two also silently drew a military dagger specially made by the Black Family Army from their waists and quietly walked towards the door and window.

Just then, the door was slowly pushed open, and a black footprint stepped into the room. The person casually walked to the table, sat down, and although the room was empty at first glance, the person seemed to be talking to himself, slowly speaking.

"I'm giving you a choice: go overseas and work hard there. I'll provide you with plenty of resources. Since the Black Family Army has failed, let it disappear completely from history."

The room was silent, as if the person was talking to themselves, until a sigh came from the rafters, and a dark figure leaped down upside down, landing steadily in front of the table and sitting down opposite.

Zhang Li clenched his fists tightly. In the darkness, he stared intently at Bai Jingqi. If Bai Jingqi could see the expression on Zhang Li's face at this moment, he would see that his face was covered with tears. He tried his best to bite his teeth to stop crying, but the tears could not be stopped from covering his cheeks. It was not until a long time later that Bai Jingqi slowly spoke.

Are you wondering why I'm not helping you this time?

Zhang Li did not answer, but was clearly waiting for Bai Jingqi's reply.

Bai Jingqi's expression was also somewhat bitter, and he sighed helplessly.

"Forget it, you wouldn't understand even if I told you!"

Zhang Li was so enraged by Bai Jingqi's words that he finally exploded and roared at Bai Jingqi.

"How am I supposed to know if you don't tell me! Why didn't you take action? You were the one who built the Black Family Army from scratch. You watched your brothers being slaughtered by foreigners. You clearly had enough power to deliver a fatal blow to those foreign devils, so why didn't you do it?"

Bai Jingqi coldly stared at Zhang Li in the darkness. He did not answer Zhang Li's question. During the period when the Black Family Army was besieged, he did have enough strength to cause the Allied Forces to suffer a defeat and could have saved countless members of the Black Family Army, but in the end he still chose to give up.

Because he knew very well that as long as he took action, the war would completely destroy Bai's Pharmaceuticals. Not only would Bai's Pharmaceuticals be destroyed, but the Hei Family Army would also have almost no chance of rising again. He would have no choice but to go up the mountain to fight as a guerrilla.