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

Chapter 77 Civil Struggle and Military Preparation

Chen Feng, far away in Luzon, was completely unaware of the uproar in China caused by the documentary "The Rise of Great Powers".

At this moment, he was sitting around the stone house with Liu Hengfu, Zheng Mingsong, and Wu Tingchen, exchanging toasts and gradually becoming intoxicated.

Wu Tingchen put down his wine glass, a worried look on his face: "General, if you write a book in vernacular Chinese, I'm afraid there will be a lot of criticism from scholars in the country. Perhaps we could discuss a version in classical Chinese?"

Chen Feng raised his glass and smiled: "The preservation of our cultural heritage lies not in classical or vernacular Chinese, but in the principles of saving the nation and strengthening the people. If it can be understood by ordinary people and awakened by the younger generation of Chinese, what does it matter if there are a thousand criticisms?"

"Well said!"

Liu Hengfu slapped the table and applauded, only regretting that he was not well-educated and could only offer these polite words.

Zheng Mingsong, his tongue already slurring, leaned forward, holding his wine bowl, and asked, "Brother Chen, how do you plan to refuse Aquinas's marriage proposal?"

"I'll say it again: if you can give me 50% of the parliamentary seats for Chinese people, I, Chen Feng, will naturally not refuse this marriage." A glint of light flashed in Chen Feng's eyes.

He has practiced martial arts for many years, and his body's metabolic rate is far beyond that of ordinary people. Even if he drinks all night, his mind will never be confused, so he can easily cope.

Wang Muning, who was standing to the side, felt a sudden tightness in her heart when she heard the word "marriage".

She knew this was a major event concerning the Chinese Free Army, so she couldn't interrupt and could only clutch her clothes, feeling anxious inside.

Liu Hengfu, a blacksmith by trade, also possessed an astonishing capacity for alcohol. He said in a deep voice, "General Chen, shall I reply accordingly?"

"nature."

Chen Feng nodded slightly, then changed the subject and joked, "With General Liu's excellent example before me, there will probably be far fewer people mocking me in the future."

Marrying Aquinas's cousin had always been a source of anxiety for Liu Hengfu.

A hint of embarrassment flashed across his face as he explained in a low voice, "If we hadn't acted this way, the Independent Army wouldn't have even given me this empty title of brigadier general."

Chen Feng's smile faded, and he said seriously, "General Liu, I am not joking. I truly admire you. If it weren't for your perseverance and hard work, which led both the Spanish colonists and the independence army to vie for the Chinese, our situation in Luzon would probably have been even worse."

"well……"

Liu Hengfu's face turned pale and then flushed, his lips moved several times, but he couldn't say anything and let out a long sigh.

"Let's not talk about these unpleasant things!" Zheng Mingsong broke the silence with a slurred speech, raising his wine bowl again. "As the saying goes, a thousand cups are not enough when drinking with a bosom friend, let's keep drinking!"

Chen Feng picked up his wine bowl, tilted his head back, and took a large gulp. He then asked casually, "Brother Zheng, what exactly is Jewell's identity?"

Zheng Mingsong's voice was muffled: "He's from the British Military Intelligence Service... Last time he came to me to buy firearms, he specifically told me to keep it a secret..."

"Military Intelligence Agency?"

Chen Feng nodded slightly, his thoughts racing.

Luzon has historically been a Spanish colony and is now being eyed by the United States.

Britain's strategic focus in the past two years has been entirely on Europe and Africa, competing with France, Germany, and Italy for African colonies while confronting Russia in Central Asia and the Far East.

Faced with the rise of Germany, Britain has been deliberately courting the United States, even openly emboldening it, and tacitly approving and even condoning the United States' seizure of Spanish colonies.

Therefore, it is likely that Jerwell's actions were largely driven by his personal greed for gold.

Even if he were indeed a member of the British Military Intelligence Service, he would not be on an official mission and would not need to worry about retaliation from the British authorities.

Having figured this out, Chen Feng felt enlightened and once again invited everyone to drink. They drank until the moon was high in the sky and the night was deep before everyone stopped, having had their fill of drinks.

Liu Hengfu shook his throbbing head, got up and walked out of the stone house: "General Chen, I'll head back now. See you at Marolos."

Chen Feng stood up and tried to persuade him to stay, saying, "It's getting late, why don't you stay the night?"

"The Commander-in-Chief is waiting for my reply!" Liu Hengfu chuckled, a hint of helplessness in his voice, and walked out of the camp.

Seeing that he was determined to leave, Chen Feng escorted him all the way to the camp gate, saying, "Have a safe journey!"

"Wait! Farewell, Malolos! You'll negotiate with Aquinado yourself later!"

Liu Hengfu mounted his horse, cracked his whip, and quickly disappeared into the night with Hu An.

Chen Feng stared at his back and shook his head inwardly: This guy really wants to form a coalition government with Aguinaldo. He won't turn back until he hits a brick wall!

When they returned to the stone house, Wang Muning was already fast asleep in the bedroom.

Chen Feng tiptoed over and noticed that her blanket had slipped down a bit, so he bent down to tuck the corner of the blanket back in for her, and then slowly walked out.

Wang Muning wasn't actually fully asleep. In her hazy state, she felt that familiar warmth, her eyelashes fluttered slightly, but she ultimately didn't open her eyes.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Zheng Mingsong and Wu Tingchen got up to say goodbye.

The two planned to start a newspaper in Manila as a mouthpiece for the Chinese community in Luzon, as agreed yesterday, and also recruit teachers to prepare for the children of immigrant families who would soon arrive.

Inside the stone house, the battalion commanders arrived one after another and sat around the oval conference table, all with a hint of curiosity on their faces.

Upon hearing that everyone had arrived, Chen Feng emerged from the inner room.

"stand up!"

Pang Li shouted loudly.

He was finally able to read the Analects fluently and resumed his position as a bodyguard.

"Greetings, General!"

The men, dressed in brand-new military uniforms, stood up straight and spoke in booming voices.

"sit down!"

Chen Feng nodded slightly and walked to the head seat to sit down.

"Fight for the freedom of Chinese people!"

The crowd shouted in unison again, then straightened their backs and sat upright in their chairs.

Chen Feng got straight to the point: "Aquinado issued a declaration of independence on the 12th of this month and also invited me to attend the meeting."

These words shocked everyone present.

"General, you mustn't!"

"That Aquinato is a despicable man; how could the general risk his life?"

"General, please reconsider!"

Everyone tried to dissuade him, and even Kong Yunfei, who was known for his boldness, hurriedly spoke up to stop him.

Chen Feng shook his head slightly, and everyone immediately fell silent.

He continued, "There are compelling reasons for this trip, which you need not elaborate on. Now, I will explain the follow-up tasks."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qian Biao took out a huge map and hung it on the blackboard behind the main seat.

Chen Feng stood up and pointed to the map: "This is a topographical map of the area within fifty kilometers north of our camp. This area was previously almost entirely occupied by indigenous tribes, but many of their young men died in the city of Malolos, becoming cannon fodder for the independence army."

"General, are we going to seize this area?" A hint of excitement flashed in Zhang Xiuwu's eyes. The scabs on his face had fallen off, leaving two hideous scars.

"General, let me, Kong, take charge! I guarantee we'll take these places with ease!" Kong Yunfei shouted, afraid of falling behind.

Chen Feng raised his hand to stop Tian Gang, Ren Dayong, and Ding Junkai, who were about to speak, and said loudly, "First, second, third, and fourth battalions, that's enough."

"General, what about me?" Zhang Xiuwu asked hurriedly.

Since Wang Liang stepped down from his military post, the Sixth Company has been disbanded, and all the soldiers have been reassigned to other companies. He was reassigned as the company commander of the Fifth Company, and with the last reorganization, he was also promoted to battalion commander.

Chen Feng said in a deep voice, "You stay at the camp and guard the important supplies."

Upon hearing the words "important supplies" emphasized, Zhang Xiuwu immediately realized that they were going to guard the gold.

He instantly felt a great responsibility and stopped rushing to attack.