France, whose priests were killed in the struggle with Tibetan lamaists in Tibet from 1845 to 1861, mounted invasions against Vietnam and Guangxi-Yunnan provinces of southwestern China since the 1860s-70s. From 1858 to 1862, France obtained the control of Southern Vietnam from the Nguyen Dynasty. In AD 1873, French expeditionary force attacked Hanoi of Vietnam. Vietnamese King requested for relief with “hei qi jun” [i.e., "seven star black flag" army] led by a Chinese rebel called Liu Yongfu. The “black flag army” originated from the Wu Lingyun & Wu Yazhong Zhuang-zu minority rebellion in Xinning prefecture of Guangxi Province, consisting of people from Shangsi, Ningming, Chongzuo, Jingxi, Mubian and Qinzhou. It was part of uprisings conducted by “Tian [heaven] Di [earth] Hui [society]” to echo the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Rebellion. While seeking asylum inside of Vietnam, Liu Yongfu got the opportunity to fight for Vietnam and China. In Dec of 1873, The “black flag army”, about 1000 strong, after trekking through the mountains, suddenly descended upon the outskirts of Hanoi, defeated the French to the west of Hanoi, and expelled them out of the Red River Delta. French lost about 200 soldiers, including commander by the name of Francis Garnier [An-ye]. Vietnamese King conferred the title of “deputy general” onto Liu Yongfu. Vietnamese king was coerced into a so-called 1874 Franco-Annamese Philastre Treaty. French claimed that Liu Yongfu [Liu Yung-fu, spelled Luu Vinh Phuc in Vietnamese], i.e., Vietnamese King’s “deputy general” was to blame for the the Sino-French War because Liu Yung-fu obstructed the “French trade in Vietnam”. In 1875, “black flag army” continued to engage the French around Hanoi, Nanding and Zhiqiao area.

In AD 1882, France attacked Hanoi and northern Vietnam again. French took over Hanoi and Nanding. Vietnamese King called for help with “black flag army” again. In Tianjin, Li Hongzhang held a talk with French minister-envoy Bao-hai and agreed to wthdraw Chinese forces from Sino-Vietnamese border. France then asked its minister-envoy to Japan, Te-li-gu, to have a meeting with Li Hongzhang in Shanghai for another revision of agreements in regards to Vietnam. The next year, 1883, French launched a campaign against the area to the north of Hanoi. At the request of Vietnamese King, Liu Yongfu led his “black flag army” down the Red River. On May 19th 1883, at the western outskirts of Hanoi, “black flag army” defeated the French again, inflicting a casualty of 30 French officers and 200 soldiers. A French colonel by the name of Henri Riviere [Li-wei-ye] was killed. French retreated back to Hanoi. In late 1883, France conferred the commander post onto Courbet, Amede’e Anatole Prospor [Gu-ba, 1827-1885]. About 6000 French attacked Manchu Qing Army and “black flag army”. “black flag army” resisted the French for five days and exited Shan-xi area of Vietnam. The “black flag army”, with soldiers from Yao-zu, Zhuang-zu and Han-ethnic people, would fight against the French in Huaide & Danfeng area of northern Vietnam.

In May of 1884, Li Hongzhang reached an agreement with French Fu-lu-nuo in Tianjin, which basically yielded China’s suzerainty over Vietnam to France. However, French government raised a new demand in having China reimburse 250,000,000 francs [equivalent to 38 million taels of silver] to France via a threat of naval attacks at China’s coastline. In Vietnam, French launched a two prong attack at Manchu Qing Army and “black flag army” in May of 1884. On the sea, France launched a sudden attack at Jilong [Keelung] of Taiwan, and occupied the battery at one time. On August 5, 1884, Admiral Courbet’s fleet bombarded Keelung [Jilong] and occupied the port.

One month back, in mid-July of 1884, 12 French warships and 9 auxiliary ships sailed into Mawei-gang Port in Fuzhou of Fujian Province. Though being equipped with seven batteries, Manchu government allowed the French to moor side by side for 40 days without taking any action other than providing luxury reception to the invaders. Zhang Peilun, i.e., son-in-law of Li Hongzhang, had received instruction that China should not fire the first shot, again using the bookish Confucian mindset against predatory animals. In the morning of Aug 23rd, French consul at Fuzhou suddenly notified Manchu China of a war declaration. Meantime, French warships, within one hour, sank 11 Manchu warships and 19 merchant ships, in addition to the shipyard of Fuzhou Ship Administration Bureau. This is what I called here as a “Pearl Harbor” style attack at Fujian Province Fleet by the French. Manchu China hence officially declared war on France. (Before any Chinese talk about Sino-French friendship, pause for a few seconds to reflect what had happened to China here, termed by Galerie de l’Institut Francais as a Forgotten War.)

In Vietnam, the western prong of the French Army was hindered by the “black flag army”, while the eastern prong pushed the Manchu Qing Army towards the Chinese border. In late 1884, at the western prong, the “black flag army”, in cooperation with Manchu Qing Army, surrounded about 1000 French in Xuanhua city. Additionally, the “black flag army” ambushed about 500 French relief army from Hanoi via buried powder in the path of French army.

By Dec of 1884, eastern French prong took over Mt Liangshan and approached Zhennanguan Pass, at the Sino-Vietnamese border, and sacked the pass on Dec 23rd. In Feb of 1885, Manchu Governor for Guangxi Province fled to Longzhou. To counter French attacks, Manchu government dispatched General Feng Zicai to Longzhou & Zhennanguan Pass. Per Wang Zhonghan, minority peoples, numbering 100 battalions or 50000, joined the anti-French armies. At about 5 kilometer inside of Zhennanguan Pass, Feng Zicai constructed a 1.5 kilometer wall at Guanqianai as well as five batteries on the two ridges overlooking the entry of the mountain ranges. On the early morning of March 23rd 1885, French launched two prong attacks at the eastern ridge and one prong attack at the Guanqianai Wall. French overlook three batteries on the ridge and blasted at the Guanqianai Wall. General Feng Zicai mounted a counter-attack at Zhennanguan Pass. By late afternoon, two batteries were recovered from the eastern ridge. The next day, French mounted another three prong attacks, with 2000 and hundreds of cannons on each front. When the French climbed up the Guanqianai Wall, Feng Zicai and his two sons led the soldiers out of the gate for a wrestling fight with the French. On March 25th, after two days and two nights fighting, Feng Zicai ordered a general attack. French left about 1500 corpses behind. Chinese took over the Zhennanguan Pass, chased the French, and thereafter took over Mt Liangshan. Manchu army killed a dozen French officers and over 2000 soldiers. While General Feng Zicai re-took the pass and chased the French to the east, “black flag army” defeated the French at Lintao to the west. After victory in Lin-tao, the “black flag army” recovered over 10 counties and prefectures. With French Army defeated, French in Paris mounted an anti-war protest. Jules Ferry [Ru-fei-li] Cabinet collapsed on April 6th 1885.

By March of 1885, the French navy had control of the Penghu archipelago and northwestern Taiwan’s Tamsui [Danshui] River. Taking advantage of two victories on east and west sides in Vietnam, Li Hongzhang, on April 7th, issued an order of ceasefire. In April 1885, Courbet died on Penghu Island. In June of 1885, Li Hongzhang, in Tianjin, signed a peace treaty with the French minister-envoy, i.e., Sino-French Vietnam Treaty of 1885, and ordered that all soldiers and troops return inside of China. Manchu China subsequently made Taiwan into a province and dispatched Liu Mingchuan to Taiwan.

NOTES: France occupied Cambodia and Annam in the late ‘sixties and “legalized” its acquisitions by a brief war against China in 1884-85. The next year Britain added Burma to its Indian Empire.