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

Chapter 127 Three-pronged Approach to Capture the City

The night was as dark as ink, and the city of Marolos slept in the drizzling mist of Luzon's rainy season.

The dirt road in the west of the city was muddy from the previous night's rain. Kong Yunfei and his brothers from the Second Regiment lay prone in the grass, each with two bundles of explosives on their waists and their gun muzzles wrapped in cloth. They even suppressed their breathing.

On the distant city gate tower, an Independent Army sentry dozed off, rifle in hand, the dim oil lamp swaying in the wind, casting a crooked shadow.

Unbeknownst to them, in the Chinese shops inside the city, more than twenty spies had already lit matches and poured kerosene onto a pre-prepared pile of firewood, waiting for the sound of a cannon firing outside the city.

Qian Biao's intelligence department contacted them through secret channels a day earlier, agreeing to coordinate an attack from the inside and outside to cause riots inside the city.

"There's still a quarter of an hour until dawn."

Kong Yunfei pulled out his pocket watch and glanced at it. His rough, hoarse voice was barely audible as he said, "After the cannon fire, blast open the gates and charge in! First, seize the high ground on the city wall! The brothers inside will provide support!"

At the same moment, in the rice paddies south of the city, Tian Gang steadily set up ten 75mm field guns behind an earthen slope, aiming the muzzles at the weak points of the southern city wall.

He personally led a main force, traversing the paddy field ridges to a point a hundred meters outside the city gate.

In the dense forest north of the city, Zhang Xiuwu's Fourth Regiment was using the tree trunks as cover to slowly approach the Independent Army's barracks.

The camp was filled with deafening snoring, and patrolmen yawned, kicking pebbles as their rifles swayed at their waists.

These soldiers were mostly newly recruited soldiers, many of whom hadn't even mastered the basics of bolting a rifle. Little did they know that death had already crept up to the camp gates, following the shadows of the trees.

At four in the morning, just as the sky began to lighten, Tian Gang suddenly swung his arm down!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Ten 75mm field guns opened fire simultaneously, and shells whistled as they crashed into the southern city wall.

The first shell hit the watchtower on the city wall, and bricks and broken wood flew everywhere. The dozing sentry didn't even have time to scream before he was buried in the ruins.

After three rapid shots, the machine gun nests and firing ports on the city wall were completely destroyed. The independent soldiers fled in all directions, crying out for their parents, and some even fell directly off the city wall.

"Blow up the door!"

Kong Yunfei roared and lit the fuse of the explosives. The soldiers quickly pushed the two bundles of explosives to the front of the city gate, followed by a deafening explosion.

The heavy wooden door was instantly shattered, with wood chips and gravel flying everywhere.

"Charge! Take the city wall!"

Kong Yunfei leaped up, sparks flying from his mud-covered face. The Second Regiment brothers charged through the city gate like tigers descending the mountain, stepping over pebbles and broken logs.

At this moment, the Chinese informants within the city had already launched their attack; kerosene and firewood piles roared to life, illuminating half the street, and they brandished kitchen knives...

The man with the pistol shouted, "The Chinese Free Army has entered the city! Surrender and you will not be killed! Those who resist will die!"

Upon seeing this, many Independent Army soldiers immediately threw down their rifles and ran into civilian houses, not even bothering to pick up their helmets.

At the same time, the regiment in the south of the city also launched an attack. At Tian Gang's command, the soldiers charged through the gaps created by the shells. The remaining independent troops on the city wall had already been stunned by the artillery fire. They either knelt down to surrender or turned around and ran away. They could not organize any decent resistance at all.

In the barracks north of the city, a classic case of catching a turtle in a jar unfolded.

Following the route marked by the intelligence personnel, Zhang Xiuwu avoided the patrols and led his soldiers to kick open the camp gate, shouting in unison, "Surrender and you'll be spared! Anyone who moves will be shot!"

The sleeping Independent Army soldiers instantly erupted into chaos. Some ran outside shirtless, while others touched the wrong bolt and were kicked over by the soldiers, who then knocked them unconscious with the butts of their rifles.

Only the command post deep inside the barracks was still putting up a stubborn resistance, with several officers using tables and chairs to set up machine guns.

Zhang Xiuwu's eyes narrowed, and he shot the oil lamp on the table, shattering it in the darkness. He leaped inside, snatched the Independent Army flag with his left hand, and pressed the muzzle of his gun against the commander's temple, his voice booming like thunder: "Why aren't you surrendering? The cannons outside the city are already aimed at your command post!"

Gunshots, explosions, and shouts of battle awakened the entire city of Malolos.

Rivera, the commander of the Independent Army who was left behind, hurriedly got out of bed in his pajamas and rushed to the city wall without even putting on his shoes properly. He saw that the west, south and north of the city were engulfed in flames at the same time, and the streets were filled with Free Army soldiers waving red flags and shouting inside agents. He immediately turned ashen-faced.

"Quickly! Send the reserve forces to block the breach in the west of the city!" he roared, issuing the order.

In the chaos, orders couldn't be passed down. The new recruits scattered like headless flies, while the veterans fought on their own. Many of them were cut off from their retreat by ambushing moles as soon as they reached the street corner. The entire defense line was in complete disarray.

"General! The east side of the city is undefended! The brothers all want to break out from the east side!" A staff officer ran up, panting.

Rivera stomped his foot hard, feeling as if a boulder had struck his chest.

He knew perfectly well that the Chinese Free Army was surrounded on three sides but lacked a strong front, but at this moment, morale was low and there were inside agents everywhere in the city, making it impossible to organize resistance. He could only grit his teeth and roar, "Retreat! Break out from the east of the city and go to the Marikina River to find the main force!"

When the news spread, the Independent Army soldiers surged towards the east of the city like a tidal wave, and no one thought of resisting anymore.

Some soldiers even threw away their weapons, only caring about escaping. Under the crowded city gate, many people were trampled to the ground, and cries of pain rose and fell.

Chen Feng stood on a high slope outside the city, watching the battle inside the city through binoculars, a smile appearing on his lips.

Kong Yunfei's Second Regiment had taken control of the main road in the west of the city, Tian Gang's field artillery was shelling the scattered strongholds that were putting up resistance, and Zhang Xiuwu's Fourth Regiment had taken control of the military camp and was advancing towards the city center along the street. Everything was proceeding according to plan.

"General, the Independent Army has fled east of the city. Should we give chase?" Qian Biao asked.

"Need not."

Chen Feng put down his binoculars and shook his head, saying, "Our goal is to take down Malolos, not to wipe them out. Letting them escape is a good way to send a message to Luna: if he won't pay compensation, I'll come and get it myself!"

Pang Li whispered, "It's a pity that old bastard Aquinado has already run away!"

"It's alright."

Chen Feng waved his hand dismissively, saying, "He's just a clown; whether he exists or not doesn't affect the overall situation."

From today onwards, the Chinese Free Army finally has a stable foothold. Once the US military takes over the Luzon colony from Spain, they will be able to establish themselves legally and gain enough time to develop.

At seven o'clock in the morning, the sun pierced through the thin mist and shone on the city walls of Marolos.

The Chinese Free Army has completely taken control of the Barasoy Church, the Provisional Commander-in-Chief's residence, and Aguinaldo's luxurious private residence, which he built by plundering the people's wealth.

Covered in gunpowder and mud, Kong Yunfei strode up to Chen Feng, his voice booming: "General! Marolos City has taken!"

Tian Gang and Zhang Xiuwu also arrived one after another, reporting in unison: "Reporting to the general! The barracks in the south and north of the city have been completely captured. With the help of field artillery and inside help, a total of 837 independent soldiers were captured, and more than 600 rifles, 30,000 rounds of ammunition, and a certain amount of food and fodder were seized!"

Our casualties were less than 100!

Chen Feng nodded slightly and ordered: "Qin Yuzhou is in charge of escorting the prisoners to the labor camp for reformation; Qian Biao and Pang Li, take over the order in the city."

Any natives who venture out without permission are to be shot on sight! The rest of you, immediately begin repairing the city defenses, reinforcing the walls and gates; Luna's main force could launch a counterattack at any moment!

Meanwhile, at the Independence Army camp on the northern front of Manila.

Luna's eyes were bloodshot, and his eyeballs were frighteningly red from staying up all night planning.

Last night, he was still strategizing in front of the sand table how to take over the defense of Manila when the Spanish colonial army surrendered. He didn't get to sleep until the early hours of the morning, but was abruptly awakened by the soldiers' urgent shouts.

"General, something terrible has happened!"

Soldiers rushed into the tent, their faces pale and their voices trembling with sobs, "The Spanish colonial army... has surrendered! The defenses of Manila are now completely under American control. Our advance troops tried to enter the city, but were stopped by American machine guns!"

"What?!"

Luna sprang from the bed, his gold-rimmed glasses nearly slipping off. He grabbed the soldier by the collar and roared, "Say that again! Who surrendered? What about the American promise? They promised to surrender with us!"

"It was the Spanish...who secretly surrendered to the American army!"

The soldier, struggling to breathe, stammered, "The American flag has been raised over Manila, US patrols have taken over all the city gates, and they've warned us to evacuate the area immediately or they'll open fire..."

'

Luna abruptly released his grip, staggered back two steps, and bumped into the table behind him.

Immediately afterwards, he rushed out of the tent and looked south.

Several kilometers away, the outline of Manila was clearly visible in the morning light, and the city wall, which symbolized colonial rule, was indeed now adorned with the blue, white and red Stars and Stripes, fluttering in the wind so brightly that it was hard to open one's eyes.

"Traitors! A bunch of shameless scoundrels!"

Luna was so angry that she trembled all over, her hands clenched into fists so tightly that her nails almost dug into her flesh.

For the sake of the agreement to surrender together, he mobilized the main force of the independence army to contain Spain on the outskirts of Manila, suffering thousands of casualties. However, he never expected that the US military would secretly make a deal with the Spanish and take all the spoils of victory!

"General, what do we do now?" The staff officer beside him asked cautiously, seeing his furious expression.

Luna took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes behind his glasses.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said in a deep voice, "Pass on my order: the main force must assemble immediately! I'll personally go find the American troops and get to the bottom of this!"

Just then, a cavalryman came galloping from the north, panting heavily. Before his horse had even come to a complete stop, he tumbled off and shouted, "General! Something terrible has happened! Marolos... Marolos is lost! Commander Rivera's garrison has been completely wiped out, and the city has been captured by Chen Feng of the Chinese Free Army!"

"What?"

Luna was struck dumb, his whole body stiffened, his vision went black, and he almost fell to the ground. The staff officer next to him quickly supported him and barely managed to steady himself.

Manila was seized by the US military, and Malolos, their rear base, was taken by Chen Feng. The independence army was instantly caught in a desperate situation, attacked from both sides!

Upon hearing the news, the officers in the camp erupted in chaos. Some roared that they wanted to settle scores with the American troops, some were eager to turn back and recapture Malolos, and others looked fearful and privately discussed their escape routes. The situation was utterly chaotic.

"Shut up, all of you!"

Luna suddenly raised his hand and shouted, and the camp fell silent instantly.

He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, and a hint of calm gradually settled into his gaze behind the lenses amidst his rage.

At this moment, morale is wavering. If they rashly launch a counterattack on Malolos, the US military is very likely to launch a surprise attack from behind, and the northern independent army will be completely annihilated.

"Don't panic, everyone! The situation is dangerous, but it's not without hope!"

Luna's voice was calm and powerful, gradually stabilizing the crowd. "Everyone, stay put, maintain the defensive line, and do not act without authorization!"

He turned to his adjutant and ordered, "Prepare the horses immediately. I will personally go to the southern front to discuss countermeasures with Commander-in-Chief Aquinado and Mr. Mabini!"

Malolos cannot be lost, and the US military's debt cannot be left unresolved, but now is not the time for impulsiveness; we must plan carefully!