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

Chapter 128 Breaking the Stalemate Through a Bypass

The sounds of hammering as the city's defenses were reinforced rose and fell, while the shouts of the soldiers moving artillery were even louder.

Around noon, a light drizzle began to fall again, and the sticky moisture, mixed with the smell of gunpowder, permeated the city walls.

The sentry had just wiped the sweat from his brow when he caught a glimpse of three swift horses galloping from the edge of the plain like arrows released from a bow.

"Stop! This is the Chinese Free Army's defense zone. Do not approach!" The sentry shouted, raising his rifle. Several machine guns on the city wall also quietly turned and aimed at the approaching people.

The horse suddenly pulled on its reins a hundred meters from the city gate, the dust kicked up by its hooves mixing with the rain and spreading out.

In the center was a woman dressed in a light blue outfit, her dark hair tied up in a neat ponytail, and fine beads of sweat on her forehead. It was Shi Lingxi.

She didn't dismount, but simply wiped the raindrops from her face and shouted sharply towards the city gate, "Chen Feng! Come out here!"

The sound was crisp yet filled with anger, echoing across the empty plain.

The soldiers on the city wall looked at each other, and just as Qian Biao was about to order them to be driven away, Chen Feng came down from the city gate tower and raised his hand to indicate: "No need."

The city gate slowly opened a crack, and Chen Feng walked out alone.

He looked at Shi Lingxi on horseback, raised an eyebrow, and said with a hint of detachment, "Miss Shi is certainly well-informed. Your Shi family's roots are in Batangas. Wouldn't it be better to focus on managing your business in the south? Why are you always getting involved with the independence army on the northern front?"

Shi Lingxi's warhorse pawed restlessly as she looked down at Chen Feng, her eyes filled with anger: "What do you mean by stabbing me in the back? Malolos is an important supply depot for the Independence Army. You launched a sudden attack while the American forces occupied Manila and General Luna was attacked from both sides. Aren't you afraid of being ridiculed by the world?"

"Laugh at?"

Chen Feng sneered, "Miss Shi seems to have forgotten that over a month ago, Bardomello led the Independent Army to raid my Free Army's old camp, killing thirty-seven of my brothers. Afterwards, Luna personally promised compensation of two 120mm howitzers, plus Bardomello's head. But over a month has passed, and not only has there been no compensation, but not even a decent explanation!"

His voice suddenly rose, causing Shi Lingxi's warhorse to neigh again: "This isn't me stabbing me in the back, it's the Independent Army that owes me! If Luna won't give it to me, then I'll take it myself! Marolos is just enough to cover the compensation he promised, and I've settled this score perfectly!"

"you.

Shi Lingxi was speechless for a moment, her cheeks turning bright red.

She naturally knew about Baldomero's sneak attack and was also aware of the reason why Luna had not yet paid the compensation.

With the main force of the independence army concentrated on the Manila front, supplies were already tight, so the matter had to be put on hold.

In her opinion, even so, Chen Feng should not have taken advantage of the situation at this critical juncture and ruined the overall situation of the independence movement.

Seeing her speechless, Chen Feng's eyes flashed with a hint of mockery, and he continued, "Didn't you always say it was for the freedom of the Chinese? Now, without having to form a coalition government with Aguinaldo, I've already secured freedom for the Chinese. I've signed an autonomy agreement with the US military, designating Malolos and its surrounding 500 square kilometers as a Chinese autonomous region!"

"What?"

Shi Lingxi was stunned, as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world. The anger in her eyes was instantly replaced by deeper disappointment and indignation. "Chen Feng! You're confused! This isn't freedom at all; it's a conspiracy by the US military to divide and disintegrate the independence movement!"

She abruptly pulled on the reins, and the warhorse reared up with a neigh. Her tone was extremely sharp: "Do you think the US military would genuinely grant autonomy to the Chinese? They've occupied Manila, and their next step is to annex the entire Luzon!"

"By confining the Chinese to this tiny 500 square kilometer area, we were separated from the tide of the independence movement, making the indigenous people feel that the Chinese were accomplices of the colonizers, and then finally defeating them one by one. This is a common trick used by colonizers, and you can't even see through it!"

"Betrayal! This is blatant betrayal!"

Her voice was choked with sobs, “So many Chinese ancestors sacrificed their lives to resist colonial oppression, and so many brothers longed for Luzon to truly become independent so that the Chinese would no longer be marginalized or slaughtered!”

But for your own selfish gain, you colluded with the invaders, trading away the ideals of the Chinese people. How can you face those brothers who sacrificed their lives? How can you face the hundreds of thousands of Chinese in Luzon?

The sarcasm on Chen Feng's face gradually faded, and his brows furrowed.

He hadn't expected Shi Lingxi's reaction to be so intense, as if he had committed an unforgivable crime.

"Miss Shi, don't portray yourself as so noble."

Chen Feng said coldly, "Ideals can't put food on the table, much less protect my brothers. Where were your so-called ideals of independence when the independence army attacked my camp? Where was your talk of Chinese unity when Luna promised compensation but then broke his promise?"

"That's different!"

Shi Lingxi retorted passionately, her eyes reddening, "The independence movement always has its ups and downs, and there are always internal conflicts, but our goal is the same: to drive all the colonists out of Luzon! But what you're doing now is helping the enemy to divide us! Your cooperation with the US military will only leave the Chinese in a helpless and isolated situation. In the future, when the US military breaks the agreement and the natives resent us, the Chinese will truly have nowhere to turn!"

"Hopeless!"

Chen Feng's brows furrowed into a deep frown, and the last trace of patience on his face vanished.

Too lazy to argue any further, he turned and walked into the city: "Didn't Aquinado say he'd let strength decide everything? Then let him use strength to take back Malolos!"

Shi Lingxi watched his retreating figure without a backward glance, trembling with anger, yet utterly helpless.

She gritted her teeth and shouted at Chen Feng's retreating figure, "Chen Feng! You'll regret this! Is it worth putting the Chinese in such a desperate situation for two cannons and one life?"

Chen Feng didn't turn around, but simply waved his hand. The city gate slowly closed behind him, keeping Shi Lingxi and her entourage outside the city.

As night deepened and the rain intensified, the land of Luzon was shrouded in darkness.

Chen Feng was examining city defense maps in what used to be Aquinado's command post when Qian Biao strode in and whispered, "General, about ten horsemen are approaching from outside the city. The leader is Luna, followed by guards carrying a wheelchair. The person in the wheelchair should be Mabini. They say they want to see you."

Marbini?

A hint of surprise flashed through Chen Feng's mind.

He originally thought Luna would lead the main force to counterattack Malolos, but he did not expect that the other party would only bring a dozen or so people to visit in the middle of the night. What is he up to?

"Should we drive them away? Or just shoot them?" Qian Biao asked.

"No need."

Chen Feng put down the blueprints in his hand, stood up and straightened his uniform. "I'm going to meet this key figure in the Philippine Independence Army."

Outside the south gate, Luna, dressed in a dark military uniform with a command sword at his waist, looked particularly gloomy in the moonlight.

The four guards behind him carried a wheelchair. The man sitting in the wheelchair was pale and dressed in a neat white shirt. Although he could not walk due to polio, his eyes were calm and sharp, as if they could see through the rain and understand people's hearts.

This man was none other than Aquinado's chief advisor and the core strategist of the Independent Army, Apollinario Mabini.

The city gate slowly opened, and Chen Feng led Qian Biao and two guards out. The city gate behind them was not completely closed, leaving only a crack, and the machine guns on the city wall were still aimed at the outside of the city.

"General Chen Feng."

Luna spoke first, his voice low and calm, unlike Shi Lingxi's rage during the day. "It is truly unavoidable that I have disturbed you so late at night."

Chen Feng's gaze swept over Mabini in the wheelchair, who was also looking at him with a calm and composed expression.

"General Luna is quite bold, barging into my territory alone. Aren't you afraid I'll detain you and leave the Independent Army leaderless?" Chen Feng said with a half-smile.

Luna said in a low voice, "I am here today not for conflict, but for the situation in the Philippines, and even more so for the fate of the Chinese in Luzon."

He stepped aside, gesturing to Mabini behind him, "Mr. Mabini has something to say to you."

Mabini nodded slightly, a smile on his face, and said in a gentle tone, "General Chen, I am aware of your grievances with Commander-in-Chief Aguinaldo; I am also aware that General Luna promised compensation but has failed to deliver; and I am even more aware of the autonomy agreement you signed with General Dewey."

He paused, his tone growing heavy: "The US military has taken over Manila, broken its promises, and its next step is to mobilize troops to completely suppress the Philippine independence movement. The autonomy agreement you signed with the US military is nothing but a delaying tactic, a conspiracy to divide us, a scheme to completely separate the Chinese from the independence movement, to make us enemies, and then to defeat us one by one."

"Mr. Mabini's words are just as eloquent as Miss Shi's."

Chen Feng sneered and said sarcastically, "But all I know is that the US military gave me real autonomy, 500 square kilometers of land, and I had complete control over administration, judiciary, and taxation. I could also recruit immigrants and develop industry. But your Independent Army only gave me betrayal and lies."

"That's because we have a grander goal!"

Luna couldn't help but interject, her tone instantly becoming agitated, "What we want is the independence of all of Luzon, the freedom of all ethnic groups! Not to be confined to a small piece of land by the American military, becoming their puppets! Do you think these 500 square kilometers can protect the Chinese? Once we are defeated, the American military will tear up the agreement next and exterminate the Chinese!"

"General Luna, please calm down."

Mabini raised his hand to signal Luna to calm down, then turned to Chen Feng and said, "General Chen Feng, I know you are pragmatic and value practical interests. So why don't we make a deal?"

The Independent Army is willing to fulfill General Luna's promise and deliver two 120mm howitzers to you, but Bardomello is an important general in the Independent Army, and killing him would shake morale. We can offer compensation of equal value in military equipment, or a direct compensation of $5000.

His eyes were earnest: "In exchange, I hope you can break the agreement with the US military and ally with the Independence Army."

We can recognize your Chinese autonomous region, and even place some of the Chinese-populated areas in the south under your jurisdiction, making you the representative of the Chinese in an independent government.

"At that time, we will join forces to fight against the American army. After driving out the colonists, there will be a place for Chinese people throughout Luzon. This is far more secure than your 500-square-kilometer gilded cage."

Damn it!

If you had said this earlier, things wouldn't have turned out like that at the Declaration of Independence press conference!

Chen Feng cursed inwardly, but his face remained impassive as he coldly said, "Your conditions are too late! I, Chen Feng, value practical interests and, even more so, my promises. I will never voluntarily tear up the agreement with the US military."

Marbini's earnest expression faltered slightly, clearly not expecting Chen Feng to refuse on the grounds of keeping his promise.

In his view, in chaotic times, agreements are tools that can be torn up at any time, but he did not expect Chen Feng to be so persistent.

Seeing this, Luna suppressed his anxiety and said in a deep voice, "General Chen, Marolos is a strategic stronghold connecting central and northern Luzon, and it is also a logistical hub for our frontline army. What conditions do you want to relinquish Marolos? Open it as soon as possible."

口！

"No conditions!" Chen Feng refused outright.

However, Mabini quickly came up with a solution and continued, "Since you are unwilling to form an alliance or cede the city, let's make another deal: passage!"

"Borrow a passage?" Chen Feng's face showed doubt.

"Exactly."

Mabini nodded, his smile unchanged. "The US military has occupied Manila, and our main force is blocked on the northern front, with our supply lines almost completely cut off. Malolos is the choke point to our southern base. We hope you can allow the Independence Army's logistics forces to pass through Malolos to transport food and ammunition to the south."

In return, the promised howitzers and corresponding shells will arrive tomorrow, and it is also promised that no Independent Army troops will be allowed to enter the city during the passage period; you can arrange for checkpoints to be set up!

Luna listened in stunned silence, clearly not expecting Mabini to propose that they pass through.

Chen Feng frowned slightly, his mind racing as he quickly began to consider the matter.

Mabini's proposal was indeed beyond his expectations. By using the route, he could obtain full compensation, avoid direct combat with the independence army, and use the independence army's strength to restrain the US military. It seemed like a sure-fire deal.

However, allowing the independence army to pass through may also provoke dissatisfaction among the US military and cause them to become suspicious of them.

He looked up at Mabini and asked, "Mr. Mabini, aren't you worried that the Independence Army's northern front forces will be caught in a pincer movement by me and the American forces in Manila?"

Mabini maintained a calm smile, speaking with unhurried ease: "General Chen is overthinking it. Although the eastern mountainous area is rugged and difficult to traverse, making it unsuitable for large-scale transport of supplies, it is more than sufficient for troop evacuation and safety."

It must be said, this old fox is indeed wise.

Chen Feng thought to himself.

The US military wanted to seize Malolos and then immediately turn against the independence army to reap the benefits, but Mabini's move of using a detour to thwart this plan was easily thwarted.

In this way, he not only opened up the supply line but also avoided being attacked from both sides, and also managed to extricate himself from a dead end.

Since the US military hasn't completely broken ties with the independence army yet, it's fine for them to use the route temporarily.

Even if the two sides really go to war in the future, he would not wholeheartedly help the US military suppress the independence army. On the contrary, he would hope that they would fight for as long as possible so that he could take the opportunity to strengthen his strength and reap the benefits.

Thinking of this, Chen Feng immediately nodded and said, "Your logistical supplies can pass through. But I have one condition: all supplies passing through Malolos must have a pre-declared list and be subject to strict inspection by our army!"

Luna's expression showed even greater shock, clearly not expecting Chen Feng to agree so readily.

A barely perceptible gleam of joy flashed in Mabini's eyes, and he quickly added, "General Chen is indeed very generous! The compensation you promised will be delivered in full by tomorrow morning. During our passage, we will strictly abide by your requirements and will not overstep our bounds!"

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