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

Chapter 129 Wings Growing Stronger

A conflict was easily quelled by the cunning old fox Mabini, but instead it planted a seed of trouble for the Chinese Free Army.

But Chen Feng had no choice; he had to swallow this sugar-coated bullet whole.

The Northern Independent Army still has over 10,000 elite troops waiting to pounce. If it comes to a fight to the death, the defenses of Malolos might hold, but the Chinese Free Army would suffer more than half of its casualties.

The Americans' apprehension can be dealt with gradually; the immediate survival crisis is the most pressing and urgent matter.

The next day, just as dawn broke, Luna's compensation arrived as promised.

Two 120mm howitzers were steadily mounted on the mule cart, their barrels gleaming with a cold, metallic light, their heavy weight making the wheels sag slightly.

Along with two hundred artillery shells and a small mountain of five thousand US dollars in cash, they were all delivered to the gates of Marolos.

"Count them! Count them all carefully!"

Qian Biao rubbed his hands together, his mouth stretched almost to the back of his ears, and his voice was so loud it could be heard across half the city gate.

This is not an empty promise; it's a real piece of work that can be immediately added to the arsenal, more effective than any alliance!

When Qian Biao led his men to count and deliver the supplies, his mouth was practically stretched to his ears with a grin. This was a real replenishment of military equipment, more effective than any empty promise.

Before everyone could even process this generous gift, in the afternoon, Connor, accompanied by two guards, stormed into the city in a huff and headed straight for the command center meeting room.

As soon as he sat down, he slapped the table in a sarcastic tone: "Chen, congratulations! You've gained a new ally in just one night?"

'

Chen Feng had anticipated his arrival to demand an explanation, so he didn't even raise an eyelid. He simply waved for Pang Li to serve tea and said in a calm tone, "My friend, this is no laughing matter. The Chinese Free Army has only ever had one ally, but my relationship with the Independent Army is nothing more than a mutually beneficial trade."

"Trade exchanges?"

Connor slammed his hand on the table, splashing hot tea all over it. "You let the Independence Army's supplies flow freely, and you call that trade?"

Ha, you American troops didn't even dare to formally declare war on the Independence Army, yet you come to question me?

Chen Feng sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm. He slowly rose and looked directly at Connor: "Colonel Connor, you should understand the predicament of the Chinese Free Army. We've just captured Malolos; our foothold is not yet secure, and our forces are limited. How can we withstand a full-scale counterattack from over ten thousand elite troops on the northern front?"

His tone suddenly hardened: "If your American forces were to formally declare war on the Independence Army right now, I would immediately cut off all supply lines, personally lead my troops into battle, and cooperate with you to raze the Independence Army camp to the ground! Do you dare?"

Connor's face darkened, clearly not expecting Chen Feng to refute him so directly.

He originally thought that Chen Feng would be afraid of the US military force and would obediently admit his mistake and back down, but he did not expect that the other party would not only be neither humble nor arrogant, but also turn the tables on him and kick the problem back to him.

Chen Feng didn't give Connor a chance to refute and continued, "Last time we attacked the San Juan del Monte defense line, our Chinese Free Army suffered heavy losses. Just treating the wounded and transporting supplies delayed the bicycle factory's work schedule for several days."

As you know, the losses from a factory shutdown are substantial.

Upon hearing this, Connor's eyes visibly flickered.

He owns a full 40% stake in the bicycle factory.

The factory's monthly output has now exceeded 800 vehicles, and he receives a monthly bonus of $9600. This income makes Commissioner Smith extremely envious, and it is a core interest that he is unwilling to give up.

Chen Feng caught the greed and hesitation in his eyes and pressed his advantage: "I know you have an anti-Chinese law in your country, which is why you only gave the Free Army 500 square kilometers of territory and limited the scale of post-war immigration. But have you forgotten my original purpose for coming to Luzon?"

"You mean counterattacking the Qing Dynasty? That's too far-fetched!" Connor shook his head, forcing a smile.

There's an old Chinese saying: "Where there's a will, there's a way!"

Chen Feng immediately retorted, his eyes resolute, "If you can provide a landing fleet now, I can immediately lead the Chinese Free Army to land in the Fujian and Guangdong areas and stir up the situation in the south of Qing China."

"At that time, you will not only be able to weaken the Qing Dynasty through my intervention, but also take the opportunity to expand your interests in China. Isn't that a more worthwhile deal than containing the independence army in Luzon?"

Connor's anger subsided considerably, and he chuckled dryly. "General Dewey has already given you an answer: you'll have to build your own troop transports and assemble your own fleet. The U.S. military will at most help you coordinate among the major powers to prevent their interference."

Chen Feng shrugged, feigning helplessness: "That's all the support you have, what can I do?"

"Um.

'

After a moment's hesitation, Connor, still reluctant to part with the bicycle factory's profits, softened his tone and said, "I will explain your difficulties to General Dewey and General Merritt, but once we officially go to war with the Independence Army, you must recognize the situation and fully cooperate with the US military's operations!"

"certainly!"

Chen Feng nodded slightly, but secretly chuckled to himself.

The US military and the independence forces would not officially go to war until after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which would be at the end of the year.

This period is a golden window for the Chinese Free Army to recuperate and build up its strength, giving him ample time to do many things.

Watching Connor leave, full of resentment and helplessness, Chen Feng's cold smile grew even more pronounced.

Ultimately, this game of chess must be played according to one's own rhythm.

In the days that followed, Malolos returned to a period of relative calm.

Mabini was indeed not up to any tricks. The Independent Army's logistics transport team strictly adhered to the passage agreement, always passing through on time. The soldiers kept their heads down and hurried along, never contacting anyone in the city, and certainly not daring to cause trouble.

Chen Feng had already seized this brief period of peace, propelling the Chinese Free Army onto a fast track of rapid development.

Wang Liang's fleet and Zheng's fleet took turns traveling between Luzon and Fujian and Guangdong, taking advantage of the time when the Qing Dynasty's coastal defenses were lax and the US military and the independence army were in a standoff to frantically transport Chinese immigrants.

By the end of August, the Chinese population under the control of the Free Army had surged to nearly 40,000.

Chen Feng immediately began to arrange resettlement: young and middle-aged men were given priority to be incorporated into the regular army and sent to arsenals to learn skills.

The remaining people were responsible for logistics and reclaiming farmland to ensure food self-sufficiency.

The children were sent to temporary schools where they were required to learn to read and write, and also to undergo rigorous military training.

The foundation of the Chinese Autonomous Region is becoming more and more solid with each day of construction.

As for the native farmland around Malolos?

All of them shall be taken over by the Free Army!

Young and able-bodied indigenous people were forced to work in mines and on roads as unpaid laborers; the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled were simply driven out of the area.

Chen Feng had no interest in promoting ethnic integration; in this chaotic world, only fellow Chinese could be relied upon.

In the industrial sector, there has been a string of good news.

Wu Yangzeng led the craftsmen to study day and night, and finally succeeded in replicating the first 75mm field gun!

Although its craftsmanship and durability are not as good as the original, its range and power are almost the same, which is sufficient to meet the needs of the battlefield.

While the 120mm howitzer has been limited by alloy technology and precision machining technology and has not been able to make breakthroughs in a short period of time, the supporting shells have been produced domestically.

The only regrettable thing is that Chen Ronggui's gasoline engine R&D team still made no progress.

This thing is an industrial gem of our time, involving many cutting-edge technologies such as materials, mechanics, and thermodynamics. It would be almost impossible to make a breakthrough in a short period of time.

"General, this is the latest population and arms statistics report!"

Qin Yuzhou strode into the command post, his face beaming with excitement. He handed a thick document to Chen Feng. "We now have 5,000 regular troops, 1,000 militiamen, two 120mm howitzers, twelve 75mm field guns (two of which are replicas), 9,700 rifles, and 600,000 rounds of ammunition. That's enough to handle a large-scale battle!"

Chen Feng took the report, his eyes scanning the rapidly increasing numbers, and a sense of confidence welled up inside him.

With this capital, even if the Independent Army attacks again, he is confident that he can hold Marolos, or even turn against them!

The telegram contained only a few words: "Wang Shizhengyi, because of your involvement, you have been arrested in Tianjin, and the Qing court intends to escort you back to Beijing for questioning."

Chen Feng held the letter in his hand, feeling a mix of nervousness and amusement.

His cheap master had asked him to bring Wang Muning to Luzon to avoid trouble because he was worried that his involvement in the reform would implicate his family. But he never expected that in the end, his master would be implicated because of Wang Muning's mockery of the Qing court in the Hong Kong newspapers.

For a moment, Chen Feng was also caught in a dilemma.

If he were to return to Qing China to rescue people, would Luzon be able to leave him?

"The round trip will take at least a month." Chen Feng gripped the letter, his mind racing with calculations.

This period of time is not too long, and historically speaking, there will not be any major changes in the situation in Luzon.

The independence army will not rashly start a war with the US military, while the US military is also waiting to sign a formal peace treaty with the Spanish government so that it can rightfully obtain colonial rights in the Philippines.

Time is not the key; the key is how to save them!

He had no connections in the Qing court, no official channels, and no powerful local gentry to rely on.

My master was arrested for "colluding with overseas rebels." Nominally a serious criminal of the Qing court, he was now in the hands of the Qing government officials and was likely already dead.

They were labeled as death row inmates.

In cases like this, let alone offering bribes, even if someone found a way in, no one would dare risk losing their head to release a serious criminal.

In the Qing Dynasty's officialdom, the prevailing attitude was to avoid trouble. Who would risk their official position for a sum of money that was not clearly legitimate?

"Are we just going to stand by and watch our master be executed?"

Chen Feng frowned, thinking that the original owner of this body was a helpless orphan. If it weren't for his kind-hearted master taking him in, raising him with all his heart, teaching him to read and write, and passing on his martial arts skills, that child would probably have starved to death on the streets long ago. There would be no Chinese Free Army today, and no land in Marolos.

His master was like a father and a teacher to him, a second parent who gave him life. He had to repay this kindness!

So regardless of whether or not they can be saved in the end, I have to go, otherwise I will never be at peace with my conscience for the rest of my life!

If it's truly impossible to save someone and there are no other options, then I've done my best!

As Chen Feng thought about this, his gaze gradually hardened.

If asking directly doesn't work, and bribery fails, then only one last option remains.

A prison break!

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