Hue, the capital of the Nguyen Dynasty in Vietnam, Vietnam was divided into three parts at this time: Nam Ki, Nak Ki, and North Ki, ten provinces of Nam Ki, sixteen provinces of North Ki, and five provinces of Central Ky, a total of 31 provinces, of which six provinces of Nam Ky have been annexed by France, and Cochin China was established.

Tang Jingsong was in the Honglu Temple where he was staying at this time, silently looking out the window. As an insignificant principal, the emperor was able to appoint him as ambassador plenipotentiary, in charge of all affairs of Vietnam, and this was his long-standing dream, and he was grateful for the kindness of his encounter, and there was really nothing to repay except for his desperate service. If this errand is messed up, I will have to hang myself to apologize when I go back.

But it has not been a short time since he came to Hue, but there is no progress in the matter, which really makes him anxious.

For several months, Tang Jingsong tried his best to persuade Emperor Nguyen Phuc to send officers from China to train the army, and China to send people to help manage the finances, telling him that only by relying entirely on China could he resist the French advance step by step, and that this was the only way out.

But Nguyen Phuc Thi neither said he agreed nor disagreed, and he was always hesitant.

Tang Jingsong couldn't see it, so he retreated to the second. It is hoped that Nguyen Phuc Thi will agree to the decree and ask China to intervene and expand the road between China and Vietnam, and that China will send people to lay the telegraph line.

But no matter what Tang Jingsong said, his lips were dry, Ruan Fushi still had an ambiguous attitude and looked noncommittal.

In desperation, Tang Jingsong lobbied the ministers of the DPRK and China again, especially Ruan Wenxiang, the secretary of the Criminal Department, and the Shang Shuzun Office of the Ministry of War. But these two are also humming haha and making a big official tone. It's always the same set of "My Great South is a state of the Heavenly Empire, and I will serve and be obedient, and my descendants will be for generations." "But there is no relaxation at all in terms of specific measures.

After a few tosses, Tang Jingsong was completely helpless. At this time, he also understood in his heart that although the Vietnamese court was afraid of France, it also did not trust China, and needed China to check and balance, and was afraid of being controlled by China and provoking France. But these words could not be pronounced, so they had to adopt the trick of procrastination. Thinking about it, the key is these two important ministers, if one of them changes his attitude, things may take a turn for the better.

A few days later, Tang Jingsong finally received a reply from the emperor in Honglu Temple. He read the letter carefully, and couldn't help but be surprised, I don't know how the emperor knew about these palace secrets, is it really "holy candlelight, insight into thousands of miles"?

The next night, Tang Jingsong prepared a valuable gift and came to the mansion of Ruan Wenxiang, the secretary of the military department. Nguyen Van Xiang was dressed in civilian clothes and wore a crown of gold silk wings. This wing crown is only worn by the royal family according to etiquette, but Ruan Van Xiang wears it in a grand manner, and his power and arrogance can be seen.

Tang Jingsong went straight to the point, hoping that Ruan Wenxiang would come forward to persuade Emperor Duc and decide on cooperation with China as soon as possible. Ruan Wenxiang was still the same, smiling, and drinking his tea unhurriedly. Vietnamese tea is not quite the same as China's, first bitter and then sweet, and the taste is stronger, which makes Chinese scholars find it a bit vulgar. Tang Jingsong, who is used to drinking tea, doesn't like to drink either, so he put it down after sticking his lips slightly.

Looking at Ruan Wenxiang's leisurely appearance, Tang Jingsong gritted his teeth and said, "Lord Ruan, although Jingsong is here for the first time, he has heard a lot about the customs and customs of your country before he came. One of the things, Jing Song also listened to what other ministers said, it was very bizarre, and I didn't know if it was true or not. ”

Ruan Wenxiang still smiled faintly, and did not ask, looking carefully at the tea leaves in the cup, as if flowers had grown on them.

Tang Jingsong continued: "This matter is funny, it is said that there is a minister, and the favorite concubine of Emperor Bixia, secretly communicates with each other, and Lang is a concubine, and it is not a day." ”

Speaking of this, Tang Jingsong found that Ruan Wenxiang's face was still impassive, as if he was indifferent. But the hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, and the tea rippled. If it weren't for Tang Jingsong staring, he really wouldn't have found it.

Tang Jingsong immediately made up his mind, because there was no absolute certainty in the holy decree about whether this matter was or not. Now that he suddenly said it, as soon as he hit it, he firmly pinched the handle, and he was not afraid that Ruan Wenxiang would not be honest.

At this time, Tang Jingsong stopped talking, and also picked up the teacup, blowing the hot air gently.

After a while, Ruan Wenxiang couldn't hold back a little, and asked in a low voice, "What Lord Tang said just now must be just a rumor in the market, and it can't be true." It's just that which one of the rumored ministers and concubines is? As he spoke, he stared at Tang Jingsong.

"Oh, Lord Ruan is also interested in the rumors in the market?"

"Where, where. It's just that at this point, I can't help but be a little curious. Since Lord Tang has said nine points, the remaining one point will not be to hang the old man's appetite, right? Still biting the question.

"In the opinion of Lord Ruan, who should this minister be?"

"Lord Tang laughed, how did the old man know, and I hope Lord Tang will say it clearly."

Tang Jingsong put the teacup on the table, stood up, and looked up more than hahadaxiao.

Ruan Wenxiang's hand holding the tea trembled slightly, and his face finally changed color: "Why is Lord Tang daxiao?" ”

Tang Jingsong said sharply: "Why does Lord Ruan ask knowingly. The fornicating concubine is the adoptive mother of the prince Ruan Phuc Yinghu, the concubine's wife. As for that lover, of course, it is Ruan Wenxiang, the secretary of the Criminal Department, Lord Ruan! ”

With a "boom", a teacup fell to the ground and shattered.

The next day, Nguyen Van Xiang entered the palace to meet Emperor Duc, and bitterly stated that the French occupied the six southern provinces, and sent many merchants to the north, called trade, but in fact, reconnaissance, only for fear that a catastrophe was coming, and at this moment only by cooperating with China wholeheartedly could it be possible to protect the temple of Sheji Zong. He also said that he was obedient to China and could be a vassal king. If it is annexed by France, it is only afraid that "I will not be able to get a rich man".

Then, through Tang Jingsong's contact, Fan Shenshu, the secretary of the household department, who has always been close to China, and Chen Jiancheng, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, also wrote one after another. Huang Zuoyan, the imperial historian Pan Dinh Feng, and the cabinet attendant Ruan Shu also advocated asking for help from China.

The situation was like this, and Emperor Side had no choice but to make up his mind and no longer waver.

On December 29, 1878, in Hue, the capital of Vietnam, in the palace of Qin Zheng, Tang Jingsong and Nguyen Van Xiang signed the "Sino-Vietnamese Consultation on the Aftermath of Water and Land Affairs" on behalf of both sides, referred to as the "Sino-Vietnamese Charter", with a total of 4 core contents:

1. Vietnam has been a vassal of China since ancient times, and its foreign affairs should be handled by China on its behalf.

2. Widening and repairing the highway transportation facilities between China and Vietnam, and the corresponding costs shall be borne by both sides.

3. A telegraph line will be laid from Nam Pass in Guangxi to Hue, and a telegraph station will be set up in Hue. The Chinese side will bear the expenses and dispatch the necessary jishu personnel. After completion, it will be managed and maintained by Chinese personnel.

4. China will lend 400,000 taels of silver, give away 600 rifles, 30,000 rounds of ammunition, and 6 steel cannons, and select officers to train a new army for Vietnam.

After signing the charter, Tang Jingsong finally breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly wrote the full text of the charter and the process together into a secret letter, sent it to Guangxi, and then made a telegram and sent it to Beijing.

Almost at the same time, the telegraph line of Baosheng City, where the Black Flag Army was stationed, was finally connected to Zhennanguan.

The Black Flag Army was also completely reorganized, and the main force was an integrated regiment with more than 1,600 people. It has three battalions, plus an artillery company and a guard company. The armament is basically the same as that of the domestic military training, and all Enfeld rifles are used. Plus 8 light Grusen guns.

Liu Yongfu served as the regiment commander with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Huang Shouzhong, Yang Zhuen, and Wu Fengdian respectively served as the battalion commanders of the three battalions, with the rank of major.

In addition, there were more than 1,000 auxiliary troops, armed with knives, guns, clubs, arquebuses, carrying guns, etc. They are used as patrol teams, reconnaissance teams, logistics teams, guard teams, and so on.

The total number of troops was about 3,000 men, and the name was still retained as the Black Flag Army.

A few days later, the two telegrams were placed in front of Ding Yuntong together.

In general, the purpose has been basically achieved.

The Black Flag Army has become a card that can be used at any time, and senior officers are awarded military ranks, promising glory and wealth, these people were originally the remnants of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom who escaped, and they are not honest and obedient to orders with such a future?

The best thing is that the Black Flag Army is not China's regular army, and if it clashes with the French army in the future, China can retreat from 625 without any political responsibility. This is quite similar to the volunteer army of the Celestial Empire in the previous life.

At the same time, it also controlled Vietnam's diplomacy to a certain extent, and through the formation and training of the new army, it was able to meddle in Vietnam's internal affairs. Of course, these were because Vietnam was forced to accept under the threat of France. Letting China handle diplomacy on its behalf is also to transfer pressure to China when negotiating with France. Moreover, China's refusal to intervene financially shows that it is wary of China.

If France is co-opted and bought in the future, it cannot be ruled out that Vietnam will defect.

Thinking of this, Ding Yuntong sneered in his heart, don't worry about these things for the time being, when the French are dealt with, Vietnam wants to change its mind and regret it, but they can't help it.