Black Flag Army

On the morning of September 10, , at Sanxuantang, No. Bangui Street, Qinzhou City, the residence of Liu Yongfu, Liu Xi, who was guarding the gate, noticed that several strange men were accompanying a woman in white. The woman had beautiful eyebrows, red lips and white teeth, and was very eye-catching. Liu Xi hurriedly went up to greet them.

Liu Xi said, "What business do this young lady and the gentlemen have in Liu's residence?"

The woman in white wiped the sweat off her face and asked, "Excuse me, does General Liu, who was once the chief of the Guangdong militia, live here?"

Liu Xi said: "This Sanxuan Hall is the residence of General Liu. Of course General Liu lives here. I am the gatekeeper of the Liu Mansion."

The woman in white was Tian Mengxue. Because Di Xiong got the time wrong, he mistakenly believed that Liu Yongfu was still the commander-in-chief of the militia in Guangzhou. In fact, due to the serious lack of funds for the militia and his disappointment with Governor Hu, Liu Yongfu had already resigned and returned to his hometown. As a result, Tian Mengxue, Liu Zhendong and his party traveled thousands of miles from Guangzhou, Guangdong Province to Qinzhou (Qinzhou later belonged to Guangxi Province, but was still part of Guangdong Province at this time), and were exhausted.

Tian Mengxue breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Finally found it. We came from Beijing to meet Liu Shuai. Could you please let this big brother know?"

Liu Xi said: "Our General Liu is not feeling well and will not receive any guests. The last time the governor of Guangxi came to visit in person, he did not see him. You should all go back."

Tian Mengxue took out a small cloth bag and handed it to him, saying, "It's not easy for us to come all the way here. Here is a letter and a check. Big brother, take them to Liu Shuai to have a look. He will definitely meet us after reading them."

Liu Xi hesitated and said, "If Liu Shuai gets angry, I will be scolded."

As he was speaking, Liu Xi suddenly felt his hand sink. There were five more silver dollars in his hand. He quickly changed his words and said, "You are indeed too far from Beijing. I will risk being scolded and inform you."

In the backyard of Sanxuan Hall, a thin old man with white hair and beard looked at an old locust tree in the yard and sighed: "The locust tree is old, and I am old too. It's a pity that I can't get rid of the regret in my heart. I will die with regrets!"

This person is Liu Yongfu, the founder of the Black Flag Army.

Liu Chengliang on the side said: "The son is incompetent and cannot help his father solve the problem."

Liu Chengliang has been fighting with Liu Yongfu since Vietnam and is already over 50 years old.

Liu Yongfu said: "The national situation is like this, how can my father and I change it? I am just complaining."

As he spoke, Liu Yongfu's thoughts seemed to go back to the past. During the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, the Taiping Rebellion broke out, affecting the Guangdong and Guangxi regions. The Tiandihui uprisings also occurred one after another. In order to survive, he also joined the ranks of the rebels, but his life did not get better because of this. The rebels were not very enthusiastic about resisting the Qing Dynasty, and there were many gunfights. Liu Yongfu also joined different rebel leaders many times, but he was not reused. So he simply set up his own business and founded the Black Flag Army, a private army. However, the Qing army in Guangdong and Guangxi was powerful, and the Black Flag Army could not gain a foothold. So Liu Yongfu turned his attention to Vietnam, and led the army to station in northern Vietnam on the grounds of helping the Vietnamese government "suppress bandits". He fought with local separatist forces many times and stayed in Vietnam for many years.

Later, the French planned to occupy Vietnam and sent troops to invade. In order to gain more strength to resist the French, Liu Yongfu accepted the Vietnamese court's amnesty and led the Black Flag Army to fight the French army many times. He successively killed French Lieutenant Colonel An Ye, Li Weili and others. However, the continuous support of the French army gradually put him in trouble and he was eventually defeated by the French. After the Vietnamese government surrendered, Liu Yongfu was forced to accept the Qing court's amnesty. Although he won the subsequent Sino-French War, Liu Yongfu was forced to withdraw from Vietnam and return home due to the compromise of the Qing Dynasty in the negotiations.

During the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, Japan had a tendency to invade Taiwan. Liu Yongfu was ordered to lead the Black Flag Army to Taiwan to guard against the Japanese. After the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki. The Qing Dynasty ceded Taiwan and the Penghu Islands to Japan. The Taiwanese military and civilians refused to accept the Japanese enslavement and resolutely resisted. Japan also sent a joint naval and land force. The army invading Taiwan increased from a small number to about 100,000 troops. Liu Yongfu's Black Flag Army also fought fierce battles with the Japanese army many times, and successively killed high-ranking Japanese brigade commander Yamane Nobunari, Lieutenant General Kitashirakawa Norihisa and other senior officials. Together with other righteous armies, they caused more than 30,000 casualties to the Japanese army, but they also suffered heavy losses. The 3,000 Black Flag Army was almost wiped out. His subordinates Wu Pengnian and Wu Tangxing died bravely in battle. Even his daughter Liu Xiurong died heroically. In the end, he gave up Taiwan when he ran out of ammunition and food, and fled back to the mainland with dozens of people including his adopted son Liu Chengliang.

Liu Yongfu looked back on his life, lamenting that his life was full of twists and turns. His anti-Qing, anti-French, and anti-Japanese campaigns all ended in failure. He could not help but sigh. Suddenly, the servant Liu Xi hurried in and said that someone wanted to see him.

Upon seeing this, Liu Liangcheng angrily shouted: "My father is upset. Are you trying to make him angry by being so reckless?"

Liu Xi said quickly, "I am reckless, but I have something important to tell you. Someone sent you a check for 50,000 yuan and a letter, hoping to meet you." Liu Yongfu thought that the revolutionaries in the south wanted to see him, so he asked Liu Xi to give him the letter. Since the beginning of the 20th century, Liu Yongfu has been deeply influenced by Mr. Sun's revolutionary ideas and has supported the revolutionaries in the south many times, so he has close contact with them. After reading the letter and the check, Liu Yongfu sighed, "Time flies. I thought the world had forgotten me. It's rare that someone in the north can remember me and is willing to support me with so much money. Hurry up! Please come in!"

Seeing this, Liu Chengliang asked Liu Xi to go with him and invited Tian Mengxue, Liu Zhendong and others outside the door into the backyard.

After Tian Mengxue and others came in, Liu Liangcheng asked them to find a place to sit down. Liu Yongfu then asked: "I have lived in Guangdong and Guangxi for a long time, and have been in seclusion for many years. Mr. Di is far away in Beijing. How can he know about me?"

Tian Mengxue immediately replied: "Although Mr. Di is far away in Beijing, he has close relations with revolutionaries in the north and learned about some of Marshal Liu's deeds from them. He also went to the Peking University Library many times to consult archives, so he also had a simple understanding of you. He compiled your story of resisting the French and Japanese into a storytelling and gave it to storytellers in Beijing to tell it, in order to spread the story of the Black Flag Army throughout the world."

He then went on to say: "Mr. Di also knows that you have never given up your support for Taiwan. You often dispatched small boats to transport supplies to support the Taiwanese rebels. Moreover, you tried your best to give money to the families of your Black Flag Army who died in those years. It cost a lot and you were heavily in debt for it. That check was to support your righteous act. In addition, our boss also lamented that you gave so much to the Chinese nation but did not receive fair rewards, and he felt sorry for you"!

Hearing Tian Mengxue mention Taiwan, Liu Yongfu couldn't help but say: "It doesn't matter whether the court rewarded me or not. It's just a pity for my old subordinates. They fought against the Japanese invaders until they ran out of ammunition and food, but the court not only did not support them, but even withheld the support from mainland merchants, causing them to die isolated and helpless. This is the most hateful thing! After I returned to China, those court officials also criticized me. Some scolded me for being greedy for life and afraid of death, and deserting in the face of the enemy. Others said that I disobeyed the order and resisted Japan, damaging relations with Japan. Didn't I want to defend Taiwan to the death? It's just that the court didn't have any reinforcements at the time, and there was no point in defending, so I fled back. Supporting Taiwan is also very difficult now. There are more than one hundred brothers who stayed in Taiwan, but now there are less than ten people left. The Taiwan issue may be a big regret for me."

Tian Mengxue said: "You can also use part of the money given to you to support the rebel army in Taiwan. I will give you 50,000 oceans every year in the future. To be honest, Mr. Di has heard about your deeds. He plans to form an army in the north to deal with Tsarist Russia in the north and recover the lost territories in Outer Mongolia and Outer Northeast China from them. After becoming strong, he will form a navy to recover Taiwan. This process is naturally very long and difficult, but Mr. Di said that he will never give up halfway. The flag of this army will be a black flag. He wants to tell the world that the Black Flag Army has not perished and will surely regain its former glory! This is now his wish."

Liu Yongfu was shocked when he heard this and said in surprise: "Mr. Di wants to fight against the Russians and wants to use my name. This is a rare thing. If the North is going to form a Black Flag Army, it cannot be without the old Black Flag Army. Cheng Liang, let you go with them to the North to see the world. You have fought in wars and can also help Mr. Di train his soldiers." Then he whispered in Liu Liangcheng's ear: "Take the black flag with gold edges at home, and go with Wu Pengnian's son Guozhu to see whether what Mr. Di said is true or not. If it is true, give the black flag to him and help him form a real Black Flag Army."

The Guozhu he mentioned was the son of Wu Pengnian, a famous general of the Black Flag Army who was killed in Taiwan. Prince Kitashirakawa Norihisa was killed by Wu Pengnian. Wu Guozhu was 20 years old this year. He was raised by Liu Chengliang and recognized Liu Chengliang as his adoptive father. He called Liu Yongfu grandpa. He was determined to go to Taiwan to avenge his father. Liu Chengliang naturally opposed it. He sneaked away several times, but was caught and brought back every time.

When Liu Chengliang called Wu Guozhu into the living room, Tian Mengxue and Liu Zhendong were both dazzled by the sight of him. He was a sturdy, eight-foot-tall man with a long beard, a yellow face, and a pair of bright eyes. He didn't look like a 20-year-old boy at all, but more like a 30-year-old strong man.

Liu Yongfu introduced them one by one, and then said, "But I am already old. If I were 20 years younger, I would go to meet Mr. Di in person. Now my children and grandchildren can only go on my behalf."

Wu Guozhu looked down on Tian Mengxue and Liu Zhendong. He sneered and said, "You guys want to form the Black Flag Army. Are you qualified? The honor my father and his men earned with their blood cannot be given to anyone to cheat and ruin their reputation."

Liu Chengliang was furious and kicked him to the ground, saying sternly: "You ungrateful person, you must not be rude to our guests. They are here to help us. This is the first guest who has paid to help us in 17 years."

Liu Yongfu also apologized to Tian Mengxue and Liu Zhendong, saying, "It was Cheng Liang's wife who spoiled him. I'm really sorry. I'll teach him a lesson later and make him apologize to you."

After Liu Chengliang drove Wu Guozhu away, he repeatedly apologized to Tian Mengxue and others. Tian Mengxue smiled and said, "Young people tend to be impulsive. He doesn't know us well, so it's normal for him to be wary. It's okay, we understand."

She said this as if she were middle-aged, but in fact she was only twenty-four years old.

In Nanyuan District, Beijing, the headquarters of the Ghost Shadow Gang, acting gang leader Xu Ying convened a meeting of his branch gang leaders. The Ghost Shadow Gang has five branch gang leaders, each controlling five districts of Beijing. Four of them have the surname Duan, all of whom are brothers or cousins ​​of Duan Zhixiong. Only one, Ping Dabao, does not have the surname Duan, and it was Ping Dabao who was late for the meeting today.

When Ping Dabao walked into the magnificent conference room, he saw Xu Ying sitting behind the rosewood table and his eyebrows raised.

Xu Ying said sternly: "Ping Dabao! Why are you late again? Did you gamble all night in the casino again?"

Ping Dabao quickly smiled and said, "Boss Xu! I really didn't gamble this time. I was sick with a fever last night and didn't sleep all night. I took a nap this morning and was late."

Xu Ying angrily said, "You still dare to lie. Last time you went to the Jingbei Hotel to collect protection money, you had a conflict with the White Eagle Gang. As the leader, you were as cowardly as a mouse and fled at the last minute, bringing shame to the gang. Now you are late and lying again. You don't have to be the leader anymore. Give it to Xu Wen."

She ordered the bodyguards at the door: "Come here, drag Ping Dabao out and beat him up, demote him to a small leader, and never allow him to enter the meeting room for meetings again."

Two strong bodyguards dragged Ping Dabao, who was begging desperately, out.

A fair-faced young man sat down in Ping Dabao's seat and greeted the two hall masters with the surname Duan on his left and right with a smile. His actual surname was not Xu, nor was he called Xu Wen, but Xu Ying, who had a strong personality, insisted that his surname was Xu, so he had to admit that he was Xu Wen.

Duan Gang whispered to Duan Ren beside him: "Another pretty boy has taken over, most likely he is her lover. Now that the old gang leader is in jail, this woman has become lawless."

Xu Ying said loudly: "Recently, our gang has received a big business, attacking a small profit company in Nankou Town. If it succeeds, we can make a lot of money for the gang, and you can also get a lot of bonuses."

At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, there were four large-scale gangs in China, namely the Hong Gang, the Qing Gang, the Gelaohui, and the White Lotus Sect. The predecessor of the first largest gang, the Hong Gang, was the Tiandihui, also known as the Hongmen. Because its purpose was to "reverse the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty", it was severely suppressed by the Qing court, so it kept changing its name and location. The main force gradually moved from the north of the Qing court's ruling center to the south, and many branch gangs were split out. The Sandianhui, the Triads, the Dadaohui, and the Xiaodaohui all originated from the Hong Gang. The second largest gang, the Qing Gang, originated from the spontaneous organization of the canal boatmen and trackers. Because they were employed by the government, they did not have any anti-Qing slogans. They had conflicts and conflicts with the Qing court, and also had collusion of interests. The Qinglonghui and the Guiyingbang are actually branches of the Tianjin Qingbang. The first leaders of the two gangs were brothers, but later they turned against each other because of conflicts of interest. After Xu Ying controlled the Guiyingbang, the Guiyingbang completely became a lackey of the Japanese. The Qinglonghui was not much better. For money, they worked for the royalists and killed many revolutionaries.