diymy Chapter 78 The Plowing Plan
Chapter 78 The Plowing Plan
Chen Feng looked around at everyone, his tone suddenly sharp: "We are now a regular army. I hope you can sweep through their strongholds and completely wipe out these indigenous tribes. Do not drag your feet and cause unnecessary casualties."
"Don't worry, General! I, Old Kong, guarantee to complete the mission flawlessly and let these natives know how powerful our Chinese Free Army is!" Kong Yunfei spoke up again before everyone else, patting his chest and making a solemn pledge.
Tian Gang retorted, unconvinced, "Talk is cheap! Let's see who eliminates more natives and suffers fewer casualties! The loser has to wash the winner's clothes for a month!"
"No problem! Who's afraid of you?"
"Let's compete then! Do you think I, Ding Junkai, am afraid of you, Tian Gang?"
Ren Dayong and Ding Junkai responded simultaneously, their faces full of competitiveness and their eyes burning with fighting spirit.
Chen Feng waved his hand, silencing the crowd's argument: "This battle is different from the previous attack on the Balangai tribe; not a single prisoner will be killed."
These words caused an uproar in the room.
"General! These natives have a long-standing feud with the Chinese; keeping them alive is like raising a tiger to cause future trouble!"
"Where are we going to get the food to feed so many prisoners? They're just a burden!"
"Why not just burn the village down, drive the people away, and eliminate the threat forever!"
Chen Feng sneered and retorted, "Drive them away? They'll just turn around and join Aguinaldo, then come back armed and dead! Burn down the villages? Are our soon-to-arrive Chinese immigrants going to sleep in the wasteland?"
He slammed his fingers on the table and said loudly, "What I want is not a temporary victory, but a long-term foothold! All the village houses will be preserved for the immigrants to live in; the young and strong prisoners will be organized into labor teams to repair roads, build fortresses, and reclaim wasteland."
Kong Yunfei's eyes darted around, and he instantly slapped his thigh in ecstasy: "General, you're brilliant! This is killing four birds with one stone! We've secured territory, saved manpower, resettled the immigrants, and weakened the indigenous forces all at once—it's ingenious!"
Tian Gang chimed in, "That's right! Young and strong men are just the right fit to be of use!"
Ren Dayong and Ding Junkai then realized that only the young and strong were useful, and the old and weak were naturally left to Aquinas to deal with.
Chen Feng smiled without saying a word, and after everyone quieted down, he continued to give the order: "Operation codename: Ploughing the Court!"
On the night of June 12, we launched a general offensive. On that day, Aguinaldo delivered the Declaration of Independence in Malolos. All the indigenous chiefs in the north would attend the meeting. With the tribes leaderless, it was the perfect time for us to strike!
By the time they realized what was happening, I had already made a clean getaway from Malolos, and the territory was ours for the taking! We had the advantage of timing, location, and popular support—everything was under our control!
"Fight for the freedom of Chinese people!"
The crowd shouted in unison, their morale soaring to its peak!
The operational meeting had just ended when Qian Biao led Marilyn in.
The American female intelligence agent's face was so gloomy it could drip water, and her steps were as heavy as lead; she was clearly burning with anger at the restriction of her freedom.
"Chen, I am your employee, not your slave! You have no right to restrict my freedom!"
As soon as Marilyn entered the room, she slammed the folder on the table with a loud "bang," her anger almost bursting forth.
Chen Feng rubbed his nose and chuckled dryly, "I haven't forgotten your past record of hoarding intelligence. If I let you out, what if you defect to the US or Western Army and sell out my intelligence network? Who am I going to complain to then?"
Marilyn's eyebrows furrowed, and she sneered, "My two brothers are in your hands, how could I possibly run away alone?"
What she said was true.
Jack, a former U.S. Navy sailor, has been transferred to the fleet by Wang Liang. Peter, on the other hand, trains apprentices at the ordnance repair shop in the back mountains, teaching them gun repair skills. Both of them have their personal freedom restricted.
Chen Feng didn't want to get entangled with her any longer, so he changed the subject, saying, "The three-year contract will be up soon. At that time, you will not only regain your freedom, but also leave Luzon with a large sum of US dollars. This deal is worthwhile."
"Hmph! I hope you keep your word this time!" Marilyn snorted, picked up the folder on the table, opened it, and began to read aloud in fluent Mandarin:
"Starting May 15, the price of rice in Manila skyrocketed, rising from 2 pesos to 5 pesos per bushel. The Spanish army shut down three Chinese-owned rice shops and used the rice as military rations, which triggered a strike by the Chinese community."
"On May 18, about 800 members of the Spanish 72nd Visayas Regiment, which was originally stationed in Batangas, withdrew to Manila and moved into Fort San Diego. Along the way, they forcibly requisitioned Chinese horse-drawn carriages to transport weapons, resulting in three Chinese drivers being injured by stray bullets."
"On May 20, Lieutenant Dewey met secretly with Aguinaldo at the Cavite pier, but the details of the meeting could not be ascertained."
"On May 25, the Governor General's Office in Manila held a meeting late at night and decided to reduce or exempt commercial taxes for Chinese, but demanded that the Chinese Chamber of Commerce pay 200,000 pesos in war donations, otherwise the Chinese would be accused of colluding with the enemy."
"On May 28, the Manila colonial authorities melted down the bronze bells of the city's churches to cast cannonballs. Six ancient bells from St. Augustine Church were transported to the munitions factory, where workers revealed that 50 shrapnel shells could be made every day."
"On May 30, the Independence Army captured San Fernando, the capital of Pampanga province, and seized 12 artillery pieces from the Spanish army. That night, four of them were moved to the northern outskirts of Manila."
"On June 1, due to the blockade of Manila Port by the US military, silk and porcelain imported by Chinese people piled up in port warehouses. Some Chinese merchants sold them to Spanish officials at half price in exchange for passage permits."
"On June 3, Chinese business leader Chen Qianshan convened a meeting of more than 10 businessmen in Manila to discuss petitioning the Qing Dynasty's Zongli Yamen (Foreign Ministry) to establish a consulate to protect overseas Chinese. After the meeting, he sent someone to secretly deliver the petition to Hong Kong to be handed over to the Qing government."
"On June 5, the Spanish bishop in Manila secretly met with Connor. We speculate that the bishop proposed that the church's property be guaranteed after the US military took over Manila, in exchange for the church persuading the indigenous militia to give up resistance."
"On June 8, Philippine Army General Antonio Luna convened a military conference in Malolos, attended by 12 tribal chiefs, and decided to dig three trenches around Manila."
After reading the long string of intelligence, Marilyn's mouth was dry, so she picked up the teacup on the table and drank from it.
"That's my cup!" Chen Feng casually reminded him, while picking up the folder and flipping through it.
Compared to Marilyn's oral report in chronological order, the contents of the folder were more detailed and well-organized into four categories: military developments, political secrets, economic anomalies, and social dynamics. The information was clear, organized, and easy to understand.
It even included key information and corresponding solutions, showing that they put a lot of thought into it.
Marilyn, holding the empty glass, blushed instantly, her face a mixture of shame and anger: "How can you be such a boss? You can't even provide a glass of water!"
"Pang Li is in charge of serving tea; you should talk to him," Chen Feng replied without looking up, continuing to flip through the documents.
Pang Li was silently reading the Spring and Autumn Annals in the corner when he heard his name called. He immediately put down his book, stood up abruptly, and bowed deeply, saying, "Master, what are your orders?"
"You brat, can't you even pour your sister a glass of water?" Marilyn raised her foot to kick him, finally finding an outlet for her pent-up anger.
Pang Li had practiced martial arts day and night, and his skills were now vastly different from before. In terms of skill, a casual kick would have sent Marilyn sprawling to the ground in pain. However, he knew that this woman was the core of his master's intelligence department, so he could only hurriedly take a step back to avoid her, not forgetting to explain, "Miss Marilyn, I'll go get you some water right away!"
Marilyn glared at him fiercely, then cursed in English, "You Chinese are despicable! God, punish me!"
"We Chinese are not under God's jurisdiction!"
Chen Feng chuckled, closed the folder, and looked at Marilyn with approval. "Ms. Marilyn, you've done an excellent job since taking over the intelligence department. Keep it up. When your contract expires, I'll double your bonus."
"Really?" Marilyn's eyes lit up, but then she remembered this man's past record and immediately snorted, "I hope you'll keep your word this time."
Chen Feng touched his nose again and chuckled dryly, "I always keep my word."