From 1858 to 1862, France launched a war, ceded the three southern provinces of Annan, and forced the Annan court to sign a trade treaty, delimiting nearly half of Annan's territory to France's sphere of influence. Since then, France has gained a stable bridgehead in the South Asian subcontinent, and has
Annan used it as a springboard to annex the southwestern region of the mainland.
After the defeat of the Taiping Rebellion, a large number of remaining forces entered the northern part of Annan through the Guangxi border. Since the main forces of the Annan government suffered heavy losses in the war with France, facing the Han armed forces that poured into the northern border, the Annan government chose to recruit and place them at the border.
Each town exists as an independent armed force with tacit consent.
There are nearly a hundred large and small Chinese forces in northern Annan, and conflicts often break out between them to seize territory. Among them, Liu Yongfu entered Annan in 1865 and captured Gaoping as a base by fighting against the surrounding Han forces. He also expanded his sphere of influence in the surrounding areas.
Liu Yongfu entered Annan relatively late. His troops frequently annexed the territories of other forces, which caused dissatisfaction among various forces. In early 1869, Huang Chongying, who occupied the Baosheng area, summoned other Tiandihui armed forces to prepare to unite to attack Gaoping and completely eliminate Liu Yongfu's armed forces.
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The large-scale transmission of information could not be concealed from those who were interested. After Sun Bin received the news, he was worried that the situation in northern Annan would deteriorate and become beyond his control, so he rushed to Annan impatiently.
Five days later, Sun Bin and his party, sailing at full speed, arrived at Halong, the northern port in the south.
Halong is an excellent port in the northern part of Annam, and due to its proximity to Guangxi, a large number of Han people and ethnic minorities from Guangxi immigrated here, which promoted the prosperity of Halong's maritime trade.
More than 30 people were left to guard the ship, and Sun Bin took the remaining 70 people into an inn in the port.
"Gentlemen, do you want to eat or stay in a hotel?"
More than seventy people came ashore in a mighty manner, which attracted the attention of the innkeeper. He walked directly outside to greet Sun Bin and others.
"Let's take a rest in your shop and ask the shopkeeper to prepare a few meals. We have to hurry and deliver them as soon as possible."
Sun Bin said as he gave away a few silver ingots.
"Master, please wait a moment, I will deliver it to you shortly."
The shopkeeper took the money, flattered him, walked quickly back to the store and shouted loudly: "There are seventy-three guests, eight tables of wine and food, prepare the dishes immediately!"
Sun Bin spent generously. Not only did the innkeeper smile on his face, but other people resting in the inn also looked at Sun Bin and others with surprise and envy.
Ignoring the gazes of passers-by around him, Sun Bin whispered a few words to a subordinate beside him. After the other person heard it, he quickly left, while Sun Bin and others were sitting in the inn to rest.
After about a quarter of an hour, the person who went out came back with two men with braids.
"Sir, the person you want to see is here."
"Well, you go down first." Sun Bin ordered his subordinates and looked at the two men: "How are you, Chief Ye?"
"Thanks to all you heroes, everything is fine with Brother Ye." The braided man said politely and asked directly: "Why did you come to me, sir?"
Sun Bin's group of more than seventy people were full of vitality and blood. They were sitting neatly and quietly in the inn. It was obvious at a glance that they were not good people, so he was alert and asked this question.
"Brother, don't be nervous. I have some friendship with Leader Ye. I came here today specifically to visit Leader Ye. I don't mean any harm."
The two braided men glanced at each other, and recalled that the secret code for the meeting sent by Sun Bin was indeed the slogan of the Tiandihui disciples. They suppressed their doubts in their hearts and said with cupped hands: "Everyone, please wait at the inn. I'll go back and greet you first."
Brother Ye reports the news."
"In this way, we won't leave two more brothers. Come, give each of the two brothers ten taels of silver. We have come all the way to visit. We can't let the two brothers travel in vain." Sun Bin opened his mouth and gave the silver to each of his men.
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"Sir, you're welcome. I will definitely bring the news to you soon." The two of them smiled and took the money, complimented them and immediately ran out.
After seeing off the two messengers, the food was already being served in the inn. Sun Bin said, "Everyone, take the time to eat. Take a rest after dinner, and we have to continue on our way." After the words fell, the people at the other tables bowed their hands.
Then he picked up his chopsticks and ate.
In the afternoon, the group of people who had eaten their fill were led to a village five miles away by two men who came back to greet them.
Although it looks like a village from the outside, once you walk inside, you can see simple fortifications such as watchtowers and defensive fences. Except for the dozens of children running around the house, this place must be a small village.
Military camp.
Sun Bin observed the layout of the village as he walked. When he reached a row of wooden houses, he saw more than a dozen young men.
"Long time no see, Chief Ye."
"I haven't seen you for a few years, but I didn't expect that Mr. Sun would pull up a team again. It's really impressive."
The man in the crowd recognized Sun Bin and exclaimed repeatedly.
"Boss Ye, Miao Zan, I am now working for others. They are sent by the proprietor to protect me."
"Oh, Mr. Sun didn't go to America by ship. Did he meet a noble person there?"
“This matter is a long story, so we’d better go inside and talk about it slowly.”…
After entering the house, Sun Bin motioned for the others to retreat outside. Seeing this, the man also sent away the irrelevant ones.
"Now that there are no outsiders, Mr. Sun can speak freely if he has anything to say, right?"
"This matter is so close that I have no choice but to be cautious." Sun Bin observed that there was no one else in the room and said, "The situation in the south and north is chaotic. Former brothers from various ministries are attacking each other and fighting each other. Leader Ye is in the whirlpool. Think carefully.
How to deal with yourself?"
When Sun Bin came up, he didn't explain his purpose. Instead, he directly asked about the other party's situation, which hit a sore spot for the man.
"There is no place for us and others in the country. Other forces do not want to unite to protect themselves, but attack each other for the sake of immediate small gains. If this continues, the future of the Han forces in Annan will be worrying."
"There are recent rumors that Huang Chongying united all forces to attack Liu Yongfu's Black Flag Army. Has Brother Ye heard about it?"
"A few days ago, Huang Chongying sent someone to invite me to Baosheng to form an alliance. As a member of the Heaven and Earth Society, I couldn't refuse openly. I could only excuse myself from going because I had something to do, so that I could have a few days of peace."
"The various forces in the Annan region are like a piece of scattered sand. If there is a strong person who integrates all the forces, we Han people can do a lot here. However, although there is no shortage of heroes in the Annan region, there is no one who can command the various forces. Therefore,
From this point of view, the various forces are not convinced by each other, and it is inevitable to conquer each other and fight."
As an outsider, Sun Bin analyzed the reasons for the melee between the Han people in Annan, but what the other party heard was a different idea.
The man drank a bowl of bad wine, looked at Sun Bin carefully, and said: "Mr. Sun used to be Liu Yongfu's military advisor. Your Excellency thought that Liu Yongfu could unify the forces in Annan, so he came to recruit me on his behalf."
Li Mingyuan sent Sun Bin to contact Liu Yongfu, but it did not mean to support him as the largest Han influence in Annan. Sun Bin felt that the other party had misunderstood, and explained with a smile: "Chief Ye misunderstood, I am not Leader Liu's lobbyist. Today
I really came to visit Leader Ye because of Leader Ye’s help in the past.”
"Since I am not working as a lobbyist for Liu Yongfu, everything will be easy to talk about."
The man did not want to wade into the muddy waters between Liu Yongfu and other Han forces, so his mood stabilized.
The man opposite Sun Bin is named Ye Chenglin, who is the leader of a faction in northern Annan. During the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement, Ye Chenglin led some members of the Tiandihui to join the Taiping Army. When Ye Chenglin moved to the southwest with the Taiping Army, Sun Bin had a period of friendship with him.
After the failure of the Heavenly Kingdom Movement, Ye Chenglin disguised himself and fled to the Annan area, where he continued to engage in anti-Qing actions as the Tiandihui.
Ye Chenglin, Deng Shichang and others were all from the anti-Qing forces in Annan. Later, the whole territory of Annan fell. Ye Chenglin and other generals were recruited by the Manchu Qing government and became famous generals under the Black Flag Army.
Ye Chenglin showed the characteristics of a brave general during his time in the Taiping Army. Therefore, Sun Bin first contacted him after arriving in Annan, hoping to recruit him into the National Defense Forces.
Ye Chenglin's mood stabilized, and Sun Bin began to persuade: "The French forces are gradually penetrating the whole country of Annan, and their intention to annex Annan is obvious. The huge military power of the Manchu Qing Dynasty cannot withstand thousands of British and French soldiers, and half of Annan is a corner of the country.
It must be annexed by France.
Annan became a French colony, and Chief Ye and other forces would inevitably become the target of eradication by the French. The northern part of Annan was an area ruled by the Manchu Qing Dynasty. The Manchu Qing government would also be happy to see the rebel forces wiped out by France. In this way, the territory of Annan would be destroyed.
The Han Chinese forces will have no foothold and will eventually be wiped out by the French, and Leader Ye will not be spared at that time."
"The times are difficult, so we can only take one step at a time and wait for the next step. As for when we get to the step that my husband has said, we can only resign ourselves to fate."
The role played by hundreds of thousands of Han people in the Annan area in the face of historical trends was extremely negligible. Ye Chenglin did not dare to imagine the scenario where what Sun Bin said would become reality, so he deliberately ignored it and became depressed.