When Feng Zicai saw Liu Yongfu asking, he smiled and said, "But the third brother of the Suishun Mansion?"

Liu Yongfu laughed at the ear: "That's right. If Wu Yazhong hadn't been defeated by the general, how could there be the Black Flag Army later? But I don't expect that I could fight side by side with the general today."

In the seventh year of Xianfeng, Liu Yongfu, who was 20 years old at the time, joined the Tiandihui and served as a pioneer under Zheng San, the subordinate of Wu Lingyun, the leader of the Tiandihui. After Wu Lingyun's death, the remaining troops were led by Liu Yongfu and Zhang San to move to the GX Jingxi and Napo area for activities. After that, Liu Yongfu joined the rebel Huang Zehong's troops.

In the fifth year of Tongzhi, Liu Yongfu led more than 200 people to join Wu Kun and became the third "San Ge Head" in Wu Kun's peasant army. However, he soon attracted the encirclement and suppression of the Qing army, and the person responsible for the extermination of them was Feng Zicai, who was then the GX admiral.

In the autumn of the sixth year of Tongzhi, Wu Kun was defeated by Feng Zicai, fled to Vietnam, and surrendered to the Vietnamese Ruan Dynasty. But soon rebeled against the Ruan Dynasty and seized the capital of Gaoping. In the eighth year, the Ruan Dynasty sent Wu Zhongping as the governor of Hening and the second imperial envoy of the Xuan Tailiang Army, and joined forces with GX Admiral Feng Zicai to besiege Wu Kun and regain the capital of Gaoping. The following year, Wu Kun besieged the capital of Beining and was shot and killed by the suppression and pacification envoy Weng Yiqian. His brother Wu Jing was surrounded and his family committed suicide.

After Wu Kun's death, his troops were divided into three branches: Huangqi Army, Blackqi Army and Whiteqi Army, led by Huang Chongying, Liu Yongfu and Pan Wen.

Feng Zicai said at this time: "Everyone was his master, I was an officer and soldier, and you were a thief. Now that the country is in danger, foreigners want to invade our country's homeland, it is time for the wholehearted efforts to serve the country. The general can put aside his prejudice, put justice first, and serve the court. I admire him very much. He also has the military achievements of the Black Flag Army, which makes the legal persons terrified of the flag. He has greatly demonstrated the power of my Chinese military, and I admire him even more!"

Although Feng Zicai fought against the rebel Liu Yongfu for many years as an official army, Feng Zicai himself was born in the Tiandihui and later defected to the Qing court, so he had no prejudice against Liu Yongfu. Moreover, when he learned about the achievements made by the Black Flag Army in Tonkin, he was indeed a little moved, so he took the initiative to show goodwill to Liu Yongfu.

Liu Yongfu was defeated by Feng Zicai many times, and almost all the rebel leaders he relied on died. Although it can be said that his hatred was as deep as the sea, at the same time, Feng Zicai's ability to command troops also made Liu Yongfu secretly admire him. At this time, he also knew that the veteran general was nearly seventy years old and was still in charge of Zhennan Pass in one battle. He even respected the veteran general. He said at the moment: "The veteran general is loyal and brave, and is loyal to the country and the people. He is very respectful to him. I am willing to use it under the old general's account for the advice!"

Tang Jingsong and others naturally knew about Feng Zicai's elimination of the GX rebels back then, and Liu Yongfu was a rebel, so there might be intersections between the two, and everyone was prepared, especially Tang Jingsong, as the ambassador of Guannan, his main job was to coordinate the various armies in Guannan. Of course, he did not want Feng Zicai to have any conflicts with Liu Yongfu at this time. Moreover, these two are the core forces in the anti-France. Even if it is just a estrangement, it will be extremely unfavorable to future combat against France.

Originally, Tang Jingsong was thinking about how to resolve the situation if the two of them met in a tit-for-tat way, but he didn't expect that the two heroes were heroes, and they met with a smile to eliminate their grudges. He was immediately overjoyed: "The court can win the loyal and brave men like Old General Feng and Liu Tishuai, which is really a blessing from the emperor, and the world is very lucky."

The biggest storm that could have occurred was gone invisible, and the rest of things would be much easier to do.

"I would also like to ask Brother Yuanting to introduce military information from Beining, Beijiang, Taiyuan, SX Hanoi and other places one or two."

This was the intention, so Liu Yongfu said: "At the beginning of the month, the total strength of the French army was about 20,000, most of which were concentrated in Beining and Beijiang provinces. After several battles in Taiyuan, Beining, Fulangtang, Langshan, and Zhennanguan, there were casualties and fled. The captured soldiers exceeded 12,000. Now the French army has only about 8,000 remaining. The enemy chief Mile is worried that I will defeat one by one, and now all the troops and supplies are concentrated in Hanoi, preparing to rely on the advantages of the Honghe natural danger and surface gunboats to resist stubbornly."

After Tang Jingsong threw away the bricks and attracted jade, he stopped talking. Asked by Feng Zicai and other familiar military commanders.

"I wonder how many troops the Black Flag Army can have available?"

Liu Yongfu looked at Cen Yubao and Ding Huai, and saw that the two had no objections. He then replied: "The Yunnan Army currently has more than 5,000 soldiers to fight, and another two thousand injured and sick leave will be returned to the team in time. The Black Flag Army left one battalion in Baosheng, Xuan Guang and Yongfu each left one battalion in the garrison. Huang Shouzhong led three battalions and one thousand six hundred people into SX Taiyuan to leave two battalions in Lianmei, and the remaining four battalions followed their brothers in Beining."

"So Liu Junmen has only two thousand troops in Beining now?"

Liu Yongfu nodded: "There are less than 2,200 people."

The Yunnan Army and the Black Flag Army originally had a total of 20,000 troops, but after passing through Taiyuan, Beining, and Fulangtang, the battles were severely damaged. The Yunnan Army died in battle more than 30% and the Black Flag Army was more than 20%. Now the two armies have only about 15,000 troops in total. Moreover, the Black Flag Army is not like the Yunnan Army. It is still guarding its foundation, and the troops that can flexibly mobilize naturally have much less.

This is also the main reason why Liu Shaoqing did not advocate siege and plundering the city before.

Only by knowing yourself and your opponent can you be defeated in a hundred battles. After Liu Yongfu introduced the situation of the Yunnan Army and the Black Flag Army, Feng Zicai also introduced the various military leaders in this regard.

The Gui Army, Guangdong Army, and Hunan Army originally had about 60 battalions in Zhennan Pass. This time, the French army was pursuing the south, and less than half of them could run to Beijiang. The total number of troops was only 12,000 or 3,000 troops.

After saying this, Feng Zicai pondered for a moment, and then said, "To be honest, our army came south in a hurry, and there were shortcomings in food, pay, firearms, and ammunition. If it was released from Guanbei, it would take a long time, so..."

Liu Yongfu had expected this to happen and immediately said: "It's okay. Our army captured Beining and Fulangtang cities, and received a lot of food and fodder. It was enough for the army to use for half a year. Moreover, SX Beining and Beijiang provinces are all grain-producing areas, and Taiyuan and Yongfu provinces also have a lot of fertile land. Vietnam has two seasons of rice a year, and in another two, new rice will come down in three months, so there is no need to worry about food and fodder."

"In terms of ordnance, the Yunnan Army and the Black Flag Army did have some achievements, but because of the large weapon gap before, most of the guns have been replenished with the soldiers below..."

At the beginning of the battle against France, the Black Flag Army had more than 3,000 rifles. Although many of them were captured in the past two years, the damage was also considerable. Although the Yunnan Army was more numerous than the Black Flag Army, the number of foreign guns was not large, and even the quality was not as good as that of the Black Flag Army. Only in this three battles between Taiyuan, Beining and Beijiang, could the two armies truly make their fortunes and basically fill the troops.

What Liu Yongfu said was indeed the truth, and Feng Zicai did not make his soldiers give up the foreign gun to himself with a big knife and a spear. "It's fine for foreign guns, but in terms of artillery, I wonder if Liu Junmen might support some?"

The total force available to the Black Flag Army and the Yunnan Army is only more than 7,000. The total force of the three armies of Guizhou, Guangdong and Hunan is almost twice theirs, so Feng Zicai naturally regarded his troops as the main force of the siege. However, his troops rushed south and almost did not keep up with the heavy firepower. If he wanted to attack the Hanoi City where the French army was heavily deployed, it would be impossible to attack without cannons.

"Please rest assured about this. Our army, Lord Cen and General Ding's troops have some artillery. When the city is attacked, they will naturally do their best. However, brother, I suggest that the army do not rush to attack the city for the time being."

Feng Zicai asked, "How do you say this?"

Liu Yongfu said: "The French army has been stationed in Hanoi for almost two years. The city defense is strong and the troops are now strong. The most important thing is that the French army has natural dangers in the Red River and water gunboats support. Our army is tired from afar, and many soldiers are not adapted to the local conditions. Now the combat power is not the best time. It is better to cultivate for a while. On the one hand, we wait for the ammunition supply from Guanbei to come up, and on the other hand, we also want a complete plan to attack the French army's water advantages."

Hanoi City is south of the Red River. The first thing to do is to solve the problem of crossing the river. To cross the river, it must be consumed - at least to curb the French Tokyo squadron. Otherwise, attacking Hanoi would be empty talk.

Feng Zicai, Su Yuanchun and others have been in the military for a long time, and their command operations are only stronger than Liu Yongfu. How can I not know this? At this time, when Liu Yongfu mentioned it, he immediately said: "Liu Junmen has been in Vietnam for a long time and has a better understanding of the enemy's situation. Could it be that there is a solution?"

This is not the time to hide your own private affairs. Moreover, in terms of military strength, Feng Zicai, Su Yuanchun and others will be the main force in attacking Hanoi in the future. Liu Yongfu did not refuse. He asked someone to take a map and tell what he thought was.

"If you want to capture Hanoi, you must first cross the Honghe River. The Honghe River is from Laojie to Anpei section. The valley is narrow and the water flows rapidly, which is not conducive to crossing the river. Only after Yuechi accepts the two tributaries of Heishui River and Mingjiang River, the water volume increases sharply and the water flows slowly, can it be suitable for the army to cross the river. Therefore, I suggest that the area where the army crosses the river is SX Fushou and Mianyan section of the river."

"This section of the river flows slowly, which is conducive to crossing the river. After the French army gave up SX, our army had taken it in time. SX, as an important Red HN shore town, can be a base for our army to advance."

"I suggest that our army be divided into two parts, one with a small number of elite troops and heavy artillery to cross the Suli River south, attack Hanoi across the river at Longbian Bridge, and restrain the French army. The main force crossed the river in the Fushou River section of the SX, and then joined the troops I left at SX to attack Hanoi."

Longbian Bridge and Hanoi City face each other across the Red River. Although the Qing army now has the 1875 95mm cannon with a range of 10,000 meters seized from the French army, there are only two such heavy artillery pieces. The main artillery is still a large number of two-pound rapid-fire cannons and 65mm battalion cannons. If these two cannons are effective, only Longbian Bridge cannons north of the Red River cannons.

As for the location where the river crosses, there is no doubt that only Liu Yongfu is the most familiar with the local situation, so no one has any objection to the location where he chose to cross the river.

"Who will restrain the French army at Longbian Bridge?"

Liu Yongfu said: "After capturing Taiyuan and Beining, the Black Flag Army obtained some legal heavy artillery. I think it is most appropriate to use my troops in Beining to restrain the enemy. On the one hand, the Black Flag Army and the French army have the most battles, which can easily attract the attention of the French army and help to restrain the main force of the enemy. Secondly, because the captured heavy artillery is all legal, if other troops are allowed to operate, they may not be as quick as our army."

Needless to say, the Dian Army supported Liu Yongfu, and this plan was probably formulated by Liu Yongfu before discussing it with Cen Yubao and Ding Huai.

Feng Zicai, Su Yuanchun, Wang Debang and others looked at each other. Feng Zicai said: "The French army is not fool. They have been operating in Hanoi for two years. How can they not beware of Longbian Bridge, the only area on the north bank that can threaten the city? I believe there must be troops here. You only have more than 2,000 people in your hands. Can you guarantee that you can fight? Why not attack Longbian Bridge with Brother Langqing's troops? The military gate can temporarily borrow the artillery camp from Wang Zongzhen."

There were more than 3,000 people from the Wang Debang headquarters to Beijiang, which was more than 1,000 more than Liu Yongfu in terms of number. Therefore, Feng Zicai believed that Wang Debang headquarters plus the artillery battalion of the Black Flag Army should be more confident.

Su Yuanchun also said on the side: "The troops of Longbianqiao are not only to restrain the enemy, interfere with, and hinder the French navy from advancing along the river westward, but also to ensure that the enemy will not return to the north bank to attack Beining after our army crosses the river. This governor also thought that relying solely on the strength of Lord Liu's troops is indeed a bit thin."

Liu Yongfu smiled and said, "In terms of the number of troops, our army seems to be thinner, but our army has fought with the French army dozens of battles, which is clearer about the French army's tactics and the local terrain environment. As for the military force, according to previous information, the French army deployed about two battalions and more than 1,000 troops on Longbian Bridge. As for the elite soldiers who stayed in Beining, they should be able to compete. So our troops will be responsible for the mission in Jiangbei."

In fact, crossing the river with the main force is a relatively easy task, and Liu Yongfu is unwilling to do the thankless job of staying on the North Bank. However, Liu Yongfu really doesn't believe in Wang Debang's troops. If Wang Debang cannot take the Longbian Bridge after they cross the river, and even the French army will kill a retaliation, just as Su Yuanchun said, "From the North" to do it, wouldn't Beining, who is empty in defense be handed over?
Chapter completed!