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

Chapter 20 Blood Returns to the Beach

After handing over the supplies, the two sides agreed on a time to meet again. Connor did not delay and took Vinal aboard the merchant ship.

The setting sun, like blood, dyed the sea a golden-red hue.

Chen Feng stood by the sea, his right hand tightly gripping the cloth bag, worry welling up in his eyes.

They gave him guns if he wanted them, and money if he wanted them; of course, the US military couldn't just ignore it.

According to Connor, at the latest, a Chinese-speaking observer will be sent over within a month.

If they can't muster a team of a thousand people by then, they will not only lose support in the future, but also anger George Dewey.

"Still no news from Zhang Xiuwu?" Chen Feng's eyelids kept drooping. He threw the cloth bag at his feet and slumped down on the beach.

From yesterday morning until now, he has barely slept for thirty-six hours. Even a body of iron couldn't withstand that.

Qian Biao, also yawning, rubbed his red eyes and replied, "Not yet. The squad leader has already sent someone to meet us. We should have news soon."

Chen Feng rubbed his throbbing forehead and turned to look at the woods behind him.

Flocks of birds are returning to their nests, their chirping echoing throughout the surroundings, which only makes the quieter place seem even more peaceful.

The soldiers, divided into squads, sat in a circle at the boundary between the woods and the beach, chatting in hushed tones.

"General Chen is indeed impressive; he managed to get so many weapons from the Americans."

"I told you following him would be the right choice. You were worried before that the military pay was just a lie."

"Eight silver pesos a month in military pay is more than you could earn working in Manila!"

"I'm worried that the American troops won't be able to defeat the Spanish, and then we'll be in big trouble."

"Yes! The indigenous people can hide in the mountains, but we Chinese have nowhere to hide."

"Don't worry, the American forces crippled the Spanish fleet the day before yesterday, their chances of winning are definitely high!"

"Hard to say... Sigh, my stomach is growling. When will Class Six be able to bring back some food?"

......

Chen Feng's body had been practicing martial arts for many years, and his hearing was extremely acute, allowing him to clearly hear everyone's conversation.

If I weren't a time traveler, I wouldn't be so sure that the US military was the victor.

Right now, we need to give the soldiers more confidence.

Thinking of this, Chen Feng let out a soft breath, picked up the cloth bag, and walked towards the group: "Assemble!"

"gather!"

"Get up right now!"

"Damn it, didn't you hear the general's order?"

The class leaders reacted very quickly, immediately getting up to line up their classes.

The soldiers quickly formed neat rows, all within a minute.

Chen Feng, filled with satisfaction, walked to the neatly stacked wooden crates, turned his back to the setting sun, and asked loudly, "Brothers, do you know what's in here?"

Squad leader Kong Yunfei answered first: "I know, there are guns inside!"

"That's right!"

Chen Feng nodded slightly, put down the cloth bag, bent down and grabbed the lid of a wooden box. With a few clicks, he forcefully pried open the nailed wooden planks.

With a casual tilt, he dumped more than a dozen gleaming rifles onto the beach with a "whoosh".

"Those who can use guns, take one step forward!"

"I!"

"I've used a homemade gun to hunt wild boars!"

"I've seen foreigners fire guns in the conscription camp; they know how to use them!"

......

In an instant, nearly twenty soldiers stepped forward, their faces full of eagerness.

Chen Feng smiled, picked up the cloth bag, pulled out a wad of US dollars, and held it high: "Does anyone recognize this?"

Qian Biao immediately stepped forward and whispered, "General, this is US dollars! One US dollar can be exchanged for 2.8 silver pesos, and you can exchange them at banks in Manila."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Kong Yunfei shouted, "General, I've seen it before! I used to deliver goods for foreign bosses, and he received one of these. It's really hard!"

"This is a US dollar? It looks like a piece of paper."

"You know nothing! This paper is worth more than a silver peso!"

"I saw someone in Manila exchange this for a whole bag of silver dollars!"

......

Seeing that most people recognized US dollars, Chen Feng secretly breathed a sigh of relief and declared loudly, "I, Chen Feng, always keep my word. If I promised to pay military salaries and provide reimbursement for resettlement this month, I will never go back on my word!"

He had barely finished speaking when he called out, "Tian Gang!"

"arrive!"

Chen Feng counted out five dollars, picked up a rifle from the ground, and handed it over: "This is your pay and resettlement allowance for this month. Remember, a gun is a soldier's second life, more important than life itself!"

"yes!"

Tian Gang accepted it with both hands, his back ramrod straight.

"Kong Yunfei!"

"arrive!"

"Here you go, practice your marksmanship well, don't waste this good gun!"

......

Chen Feng first distributed the cards to the five squad leaders, and then called out the names of the soldiers one by one.

As darkness fell, the soldiers' pay was finally distributed.

At this moment, Qian Biao and his men had already gathered dry firewood from the woods and lit a huge bonfire on the beach.

With rifles in hand and dollars in their pockets, the soldiers had long forgotten their hunger and exhaustion, and gathered together chatting and laughing.

Only Chen Feng had a solemn expression, staring blankly at the flickering flames.

Given Zhang Xiuwu's personality, even if he couldn't get the food, he wouldn't just leave without giving a reply; something must have happened to him.

Could it be that they encountered the Spanish pursuers?

Chen Feng shook his head, dismissing the idea.

The US fleet has already captured the Cavite naval base and is poised to attack Manila at any time. The Spanish are too busy to send a large force out of the city.

Just then, three urgent bird calls suddenly came to my ears.

Kong Yunfei immediately grabbed his rifle and stood up: "General, something's happened, I'll go check it out!"

Go ahead, but be careful!

Chen Feng watched his retreating figure disappear into the woods, his face growing increasingly grim.

The soldiers by the campfire also sensed something was wrong. They stopped talking, gripped their rifles tightly, and stared intently at the dark entrance to the forest.

Before long, Kong Yunfei's voice rang out from the woods: "General, it's Squad Leader Zhang Xiuwu! He's back!"

The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief and began to discuss among themselves.

"Finally back! Now we have something to eat!"

"I'm starving! I haven't eaten for two days."

"I can't even poop!"

......

Unlike the joy of the others, Chen Feng's heart sank. Kong Yunfei's voice contained no joy, but rather a heavy feeling.

Fifteen minutes later, a dozen or so people carrying torches stumbled out of the dark woods.

They were all hunched over, some carrying huge sacks on their backs, others carrying iron pots, their steps unsteady, looking extremely disheveled.

"Brother Chen... I almost didn't make it back." Zhang Xiuwu's voice was a little hoarse. He could no longer support himself as soon as he walked out of the woods and staggered to grab a tree trunk for support.

By the firelight, Chen Feng saw that Zhang Xiuwu had a new, deep wound on his right cheek, with blood flowing down his jaw and staining his clothes red. He was clearly badly injured.

Looking further back, half of the people accompanying him were the able-bodied men who had gone with him to collect grain, and the other half were villagers from Zhangjia Village. Everyone was injured, and some of their wounds were still bleeding.

Further away, another person was being carried on a makeshift stretcher, barely breathing.

Chen Feng quickly stepped forward, helped Zhang Xiuwu unload the sack from his back, and asked in a low voice, "What happened? Where is the others?"

"call......"

Zhang Xiuwu gasped for breath, clenching his jaw. Sweat soaked the fresh wounds on his face, making the veins on his forehead bulge with pain. "It's all those damned Balangai barbarians' fault! They ambushed us on the way. I brought eight strong men, plus Li Chenghua and two others, eleven in total… Three were killed, and two others were scared out of their wits and ran away!"

"Don't you have guns?" Chen Feng pointed to the Mauser 1893 on his shoulder.

Zhang Xiuwu wiped the blood from his face, instantly turning it into a hideous, grotesque mess: "Damn it! Those natives had guns too! At least a dozen! One of my brothers was killed by a sniper shot; he didn't even see where the enemy was!"