The Wind Rises in 1898: Becoming a Warlord Starting in Southeast Asia

Chapter 123 Nanyang Strategy

Chen Feng strolled back to the bedroom, the glow of the kerosene lamp casting a flickering shadow on the world map on the wall.

His gaze was fixed on the location of Luzon Island, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

After the United States took over the Philippines through the Treaty of Versailles, the number of US troops stationed in the Philippines will continue to increase. Given the current strength of the Chinese Free Army, let alone plotting to conquer the whole of Luzon, it will be difficult for them to even have a foothold.

To truly grow stronger, we must find new breakthroughs beyond Luzon!

His gaze followed the coastline westward, first landing on the map of Vietnam.

The waterways of the Red River were faintly visible, but when Chen Feng thought of France's thirty years of operation there, with more than 15,000 troops stationed there, as well as the fortified Hanoi fortress and the Mekong River fleet, he shook his head slightly.

The Free Army doesn't even have a decent navy, and less than thirty artillery pieces. At this moment, their attempt to invade French Indochina is nothing short of a futile endeavor!

The finger continued south, eventually stopping on the outline of Borneo.

This vast island is like a sliced ​​cake, marking the spheres of influence of Britain and the Netherlands.

The Netherlands controlled most of the south, including the ports and plantations of West Kalimantan and South Kalimantan; Britain occupied the north, with the North Borneo Company controlling Sabah, Sarawak belonging to the Brooke family, and Brunei being a British protectorate.

"It's difficult."

Chen Feng muttered to himself, his finger tracing a sharp line across the British territory.

Britain is the British Empire on which the sun never sets, and its navy is all over the South Pacific. To provoke it now is no different from an old man eating poison!

Let alone attacking Sarawak, the Free Army's troop transport ships would probably be intercepted by British patrol ships as soon as they left the Luzon Strait, and sink to the bottom of the sea along with the crew.

But the Netherlands is too far away.

The sea voyage from Guiyantan to Pontianak would take more than ten days. The supply line was too long, and if the Dutch navy blocked the waterway, the soldiers on the front line would be trapped and have no way to retreat.

He turned and sat down at the table, his fingers tapping heavily on the surface as his thoughts churned: To fight the Netherlands, we need the backing of the great powers, at least Britain's tacit approval, but how could the British Empire tolerate others disrupting the situation in Southeast Asia?

After much deliberation, no perfect solution was found.

Chen Feng suddenly stood up, walked to the door and called to Qian Biao in a deep voice: "Immediately select two thousand elite brothers, disguise them as merchants and sailors, and infiltrate Borneo and the Indochina Peninsula in two batches!"

Go to Sarawak and Pontianak to investigate the deployment of British and Dutch troops, the situation of the Chinese community, and also to find out the attitudes of the local indigenous people towards the colonizers; in Vietnam, focus on investigating the French army's supply lines, fortresses, and mineral distribution!

He paused, then his tone suddenly turned stern: "Tell them to act discreetly and not to reveal their identities."

"yes!"

Qian Biao readily agreed, his heart filled with turbulent emotions.

The general suddenly turned his attention to areas outside Luzon, clearly indicating that he had a bigger plan!

He dared not ask any more questions, and turned around to stride off to carry out the order, afraid of wasting even a moment.

Time flies like an arrow, and August has arrived in the blink of an eye.

During this month, Zheng's fleet and Wang Liang's fleet took turns traveling back and forth, sending a batch of immigrants every ten days.

Today, the number of people under the rule of the Chinese Free Army has exceeded 20,000.

Half of them were impoverished people recruited by the Qing government, who crossed the ocean with the hope of survival.

The other half consisted of the local Chinese in Luzon. Since the Free Army force broke through the Spanish colonial army's defenses and demonstrated the prowess of the Chinese, they finally had a backbone and fled from the war-torn land to this relatively peaceful haven with their families.

The promised compensation from Luna has yet to arrive.

Knowing he was in the wrong, and with his main force tied up on the front lines in Manila, and having never given up on his idea of ​​winning over Chen Feng, he turned a blind eye to the Free Army's expansion of territory and dared not interfere in the slightest.

Today, this vast area, from the outskirts of Malolos to the Free Army camp, is completely under their control.

The able-bodied locals were either captured and forced into labor or had already fled. The remaining elderly and weak also fled one after another. The Free Army simply set up three observation posts outside the west gate to monitor the movements of the Independent Army in the city day and night.

Looking at the clearly outlined city of Malolos in the distance, Chen Feng instructed Kong Yunfei, who was in charge of the garrison there: "Your Second Regiment's core mission is to monitor the Independent Army inside the city. There are only one or two thousand remnants in the city, they can't cause much trouble, but remember not to launch an attack on the city to avoid creating unnecessary complications."

After expansion, the Chinese Free Army now has nearly 4,000 soldiers. All four former battalion commanders have been promoted to regimental commanders, each leading a unit. The army is strong and well-equipped!

"Don't worry, General! I, Kong Yunfei, know what I'm doing!" Kong Yunfei patted his chest and assured him, his voice booming like a bell.

As the two were talking, a fast horse suddenly rushed out from the distant Marolos city gate, its hooves beating rapidly like drumbeats, heading straight for the watchtower.

Chen Feng squinted and looked into the distance. When he saw the person clearly, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. It was Shi Lingxi, whom he hadn't seen for a long time!

She was dressed in a red outfit that accentuated her tall and agile figure. Her long, black hair was tied high in a ponytail, which drew a neat arc in the air as the warhorse galloped. Her eyes still carried a hint of crispness.

Chen Feng stepped down from the watchtower and joked, "Miss Shi, didn't you call me a disgrace to the Chinese people before? How dare you venture into my den of dragons and tigers alone today?"

Shi Lingxi dismounted swiftly and decisively, her voice clear and melodious: "General Luna sent me to ask you what you're up to. I just happened to run into you here, so I decided not to bother going to your camp."

"What are you doing?"

Chen Feng chuckled, his gaze sweeping over the neatly cultivated fields around him. His tone was somewhat casual: "You see? The natives ran away. Such good land can't just be left to lie fallow. I'm planning to have the Chinese immigrants tend to the crops first. If the natives want to come back in the future, we can return the land to them."

Shi Lingxi knew, of course, that this was just an excuse.

It's no secret that the Chinese Free Army has been arresting able-bodied indigenous people to work as laborers.

Many within the independence army are clamoring for a ceasefire with Spain, and wanting to turn their guns on the Chinese Free Army first.

If Aguinaldo hadn't suffered a significant loss of prestige, while Luna had withstood the Spanish onslaught on the front lines, gaining immense prestige and suppressing the momentum, the two sides would probably have already broken off relations!

She took a deep breath, her tone became serious, and she said in a long voice, "General Chen, I know that everything you have done is for the Chinese in Luzon."

But if you make enemies with the natives like this, you will surely be purged after the war!

I know you now have four thousand soldiers, but the Independent Army has tens of thousands!

And having strength alone is useless; once you turn against the independence army, you won't even be able to buy supplies.

"Do you think the grain you eat can be transported all the way from Qing China?"

"certainly!"

Shi Lingxi's eyes were firm, and her tone carried a hint of arrogance. "The American army is well-equipped, and together with the Southern Independent Army, they have more than 20,000 elite troops. Even if they joined forces, they could not break through the Spanish defenses. On the other hand, the Northern Independent Army, commanded by General Luna, not only successfully broke through the defenses but also withstood the Spanish counterattack. It seems that the strength of the American army is not all that great."

Is that all?

Chen Feng sneered inwardly.

She probably doesn't know the terrifying power of the 330mm guns on the Indiana-class battleships, nor does she know the fierce firepower of the Spanish coastal defense guns!

The intensity of the fighting on the southern front far exceeded that on the northern front.

If the Chinese Free Army had faced such intense artillery fire, he would never have led his troops across the river!

He gently shook his head and said firmly, "I'll say it again: let's go our separate ways and see who can truly bring freedom to the Chinese in Luzon."

"snort!"

Shi Lingxi snorted coldly and looked at the tall young man in front of her again.

It must be admitted that this person truly possesses genuine talent!

Leading troops to break through Spanish defenses, gathering 20,000 Chinese in just a few months, and managing the Free Army effectively—this ability is truly rare among the Chinese in Southeast Asia.

But he was so focused on currying favor with the US military that he couldn't see the great powers' wolfish ambitions to covet Luzon. It's a real shame that he was so talented!

There was no point in arguing further, so Shi Lingxi swiftly mounted her horse, tossed the reins, and prepared to depart.

As Chen Feng watched her departing figure, he suddenly spoke, his voice low yet penetrating, clearly reaching her ears: "Miss Shi, remember to tell General Luna when you get back to be careful of Aquinado, and not to repeat the mistakes of Pennyfaxiu."

Upon hearing this, Shi Lingxi didn't even turn her head, her clear voice carrying a hint of impatience: "You're overthinking it! With a formidable enemy at hand, how could we afford such internal strife!"

Before she finished speaking, the warhorse kicked up a cloud of dust and carried her straight towards the city of Malolos, quickly becoming a small red dot in the distance.

Chen Feng withdrew his gaze, the smile in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by a coldness.

A formidable enemy is at hand?

Aquinado wouldn't care, otherwise he wouldn't have killed Punnis.

Just wait and see!

Once the independence army truly witnesses the power of the US military, they will naturally realize who truly understands the situation!

Chen Feng mounted his horse and, instead of heading straight back to camp, went straight to Guiyan Beach.

Today, Guiyantan Wharf is no longer the simple place it once was.

With the tireless efforts of hundreds of indigenous laborers working day and night, a winding approach bridge built of massive stones extends steadily into the deep water.

This means that cargo ships of one or two thousand tons no longer need to rely on small boats to transfer goods and can directly dock at the pier to unload, greatly improving efficiency.

The dock was bustling with activity. Cranes hummed as laborers, drenched in sweat, carried wooden crates—the latest batch of industrial equipment brought in by the Japanese.

Chen Feng could see from afar that Wu Yangzeng was leading several technicians on the ship, carefully inspecting the equipment. He was holding a list and checking the quantity and model of each piece of equipment one by one, and occasionally bending down to check the interfaces and nameplates of the instruments.

Aoki Nobuzumi did not come in person to collect the interest this time. It is said that he had already set off for the Qing court and sent only a Japanese representative dressed in a suit with an arrogant expression to the scene.

It wasn't until Wu Yangzeng disembarked from the boat, nodded to Qian Biao, and said in a deep voice, "The quantity is correct, the equipment is in good condition, the key components are undamaged, and interest can be paid."

Qian Biao then stepped forward, opened the wooden box he was carrying, counted the prepared US dollar bills, and handed them to the Japanese representative.

After repeatedly checking the money, the other party finally showed a satisfied expression, bowed, said a word in Japanese, and then hurriedly boarded the ship with the money.

Wu Yang wiped the sweat from his brow, his eyes brimming with excitement: "That's enough! These hydraulic drilling rigs and refining furnaces are the latest models, far more advanced than anything I've seen in the Qing court. With these, we'll soon be able to smelt steel suitable for casting guns and cannons!"

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