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

Chapter 11 Bloodshed on the Training Ground

As darkness fell, the torchlight illuminated the face of the person in the center of the platform.

"This is Colonel Vinal," Juan whispered a reminder.

By the light of the fire, Chen Feng saw a burly man, about forty years old, with a full red beard, sitting upright in a chair.

This man would occasionally glance at the able-bodied men in the training ground, his gaze extremely fierce, like a tiger about to devour its prey.

"This man is extremely lecherous and cruel. He is almost insatiable when it comes to women. The number of indigenous girls who die at his hands every month is too many to count on two hands." Old Zhou lowered his voice and shrank his neck.

Old Cao simply hid in the shadows, his chest heaving, clearly terrified.

Zhang Xiuwu was quite bold, constantly looking up and whispering, "So, he did rid the people of a scourge."

"What nonsense about eliminating a scourge for the people! This guy used to prey on Chinese girls too, but after word got out, public resentment grew so much that even the governor couldn't stand it anymore, so he had no choice but to target the indigenous people." Old Zhou gritted his teeth, clearly there was more to the story.

At that moment, Vinal suddenly stood up from his chair and pointed into the distance.

Chen Feng then saw a group of Spanish soldiers suddenly surge out from behind the high platform and rush towards the able-bodied men who had not yet entered the training ground.

Before these people could even process what was happening, the Spanish soldiers opened fire.

bang bang bang...

Gunfire rang out in a dense barrage, and the conscripts fell in droves, like wheat fields blown down by the wind.

"Brother!"

A heart-wrenching cry suddenly rang out from the crowd, and a dark-skinned indigenous strongman rushed out, only to be taken down by a second wave of gunfire.

Hearing the continuous screams of agony, Chen Feng's face turned deathly pale.

So cruel!

This is nothing short of a massacre!

More than a hundred living people were turned into corpses in less than half a minute.

"Hiss..." Juan couldn't help but gasp, clearly this scene was also beyond his expectations.

Zhang Xiuwu took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on Vinal on the high platform, his eyes blazing with anger, and muttered, "He really doesn't treat us Chinese... no... he doesn't even treat the natives as human beings."

"Luckily we left quickly!" Old Cao slumped to the ground, his back covered in cold sweat, filled with relief.

"Ahem!"

Vinal coughed lightly, his gaze sweeping over the hundred-odd corpses once more, his eyes filled with satisfaction, as if he were admiring his spoils.

When the drill ground was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, he slowly spoke: "This is the consequence of disobeying military orders. If you dare to cause trouble again, don't blame the ruthlessness of military law."

Chen Feng couldn't understand Spanish, but fortunately there was a Chinese translator on the platform who relayed it word by word.

The able-bodied men all lowered their heads, their shoulders trembling slightly, none daring to look directly into those fierce eyes.

Vinal glanced around, quite satisfied with the effect, and continued, "I heard about today's events. So what if the food was a little lacking? Once the battle begins, there will be plenty of food and drink for you. Everyone must be back in the barracks in three minutes, or we'll notify your families to come and collect your bodies..."

boom!

Before Vinar could finish speaking, a gunshot suddenly rang out in the training ground.

The Spanish soldiers were stunned when they heard the gunshot, thinking it was an accidental discharge by one of their own.

Most of the able-bodied men were so frightened that they squatted down and covered their heads with their hands, while only a few remained standing stiffly.

Chen Feng, having practiced martial arts for many years, possessed the ability to pinpoint locations by sound. The moment the gunshot rang out, his gaze locked onto the shooter.

A strong indigenous man with snake tattoos all over his arms was using a revolver, and his target was Vinal on the high platform.

It was definitely premeditated.

First, they stirred up unrest to draw out the leaders of the Spanish colonial army, and then they carried out a secret assassination.

But what exactly is the purpose of the person behind this?

The governor couldn't possibly handle the unrest in the conscripted troops personally. Even if he killed one or two high-ranking officers, it wouldn't have a significant impact on the situation!

What should we do next?

Staying here would surely lead to the Spanish taking their anger out on us and killing us, just like those unfortunate conscripts before us.

Does that mean we have no choice but to follow the people behind the scenes?

No, since we can't escape this mess, we should try to take the initiative!

As Chen Feng's mind raced, the Spanish soldiers noticed that their leader had been shot. They immediately loaded their guns and aimed at the able-bodied men in the training ground.

Suddenly, someone in the drill ground shouted, "The colonial government is going to kill us all! Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?"

He first shouted it in Mandarin, and then switched to his fluent indigenous language.

The able-bodied men were all stunned when they heard this.

The massacre was still vivid in my mind, and fear and anger were intertwined in my heart.

A strong Chinese man suddenly cried out, "My brother just died from their gunfire! Fight them to the death!"

"My elder brother was killed by this corrupt official, and today is my chance for revenge!" Another strong local man stood up, his eyes bloodshot.

Sun Qinglin stood up at this moment and shouted loudly, "Brothers, let's fight them!"

"They only have one company, while we have over eight hundred men. What are we afraid of!"

"The Spanish can't beat the American army, are we just going to follow them to our deaths?"

......

A series of shouts rang out; these people were clearly actors arranged in advance, but at this moment they precisely ignited the anger of the conscripted men.

Many able-bodied men clenched their fists, eager to fight, including Zhang Xiuwu, whose breathing became heavy.

However, he still had some sense, and asked in a low voice, "Brother Chen, what should we do?"

"What to do? Let's take action!"

Chen Feng had barely finished speaking when he suddenly moved.

He arrived early, less than twenty meters from the platform, and rushed up in a single breath.

boom!

Gunshots rang out.

It was Vinal's guard who pulled the trigger.

Chen Feng was prepared and rolled over the moment he jumped onto the platform, narrowly avoiding the bullet.

"Protect me as I retreat!"

Vinar was not dead. He struggled to retreat, but because he had been shot in the thigh, no matter how hard he struggled, he could not reduce the distance between himself and Chen Feng.

"Where can we escape to?"

Chen Feng smiled coldly, his muscle memory activated instantly, and he pounced forward with a somersault.

Vinal seized the opportunity and raised his right foot to kick Chen Feng hard in the chest.

"snort!"

Chen Feng grunted, not only taking the kick head-on, but also getting even closer.

At this moment, the able-bodied men in the training ground also erupted completely.

Led by tattooed strongmen and Sun Qinglin, they charged in groups of three or five toward the Spanish soldiers who were on guard nearby.

Zhang Xiuwu shouted to Li Chenghua and the other two, "You guys go grab the gun, I'll go help Brother Chen!"

After he finished speaking, he picked up a stone from the ground and rushed towards the high platform.

Bang bang bang!

Gunfire continued, but Chen Feng had no time to pay attention to anything else.

Two guards blocked his way, drew their scimitars, and pounced.

"court death!"

Chen Feng gritted his teeth, completely ignoring the blade aimed at him, his eyes fixed solely on Vinal.

Pfft~ Pfft~

Two blades simultaneously sliced ​​across his back, sending a searing pain through him, but he seemed oblivious, gripping Vinal's arm tightly with both hands and pulling hard!

Vinal's nearly 200-pound body flew up like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the stone slab of the high platform with a dull thud.

Chen Feng dared not delay. Despite the excruciating pain in his back and waist, he pounced on the man, drew the curved knife from his waist, and held it to his neck.