novelSusiti Chapter 102 Returning Geese to Their New Nest
Chapter 102 Returning Geese to Their New Nest
Chapter 102 Returning Geese to Their New Nest (Ten Updates, Seeking First Subscription)
"Yeah?"
Chen Feng chuckled, his gaze sweeping over Aguinaldo, who was still feigning unconsciousness, and said meaningfully, "With Alvarez dead, you've lost your biggest threat, but you've also lost your strongest ally."
"Bardomello is loyal, but you know better than anyone his own capabilities. He's all brawn and no brains, not a shred of military talent!"
He changed the subject, his tone becoming even more sarcastic: "As for you, Aquinas? You've suffered such a humiliating defeat in public today; your prestige has been shattered to pieces!"
Those profit-driven landlords behind him, aren't they all opportunistic bastards? They're probably already considering whether to find a new master!
Before he could finish speaking, Chen Feng abruptly looked up at Luna beside him, his voice suddenly rising: "And you, Luna! You command the elite troops of Katipunan and have the support of the people. You think you can shirk the responsibility of the independence army? You can't get rid of it even if you go to heaven or earth!"
Who is Luna?
A PhD from the University of Madrid, with a brilliant and insightful mind!
As soon as Chen Feng finished speaking, a chill ran down his spine, and he instantly understood the implied meaning!
Aquinado is narrow-minded and vindictive. He has humiliated me so much today, he will surely be wary of my powerful military in the future and will eventually eliminate me like he did with Punni Fassi!
He knew better than anyone what would happen to Penny's show!
Katipunan represents the interests of the common people, and the landowning class behind Aguinaldo's Magdalo Committee is an irreconcilable enemy!
Luna glanced at Aquinado, then quickly looked at Connor beside him, who had a calm expression, and said through gritted teeth in a deep voice: "With a formidable enemy at hand, Luzon is in imminent danger! Only the Commander-in-Chief has the prestige to take charge of the overall situation and unite all forces!"
"I, Luna, have dedicated my entire life to the cause of Philippine independence, and have never harbored even the slightest selfish ambition!"
Seeing his stubborn and unrepentant appearance, Chen Feng could only shake his head helplessly, thinking to himself: Oh well, idealists always have to hit a wall before they turn back!
As long as this kind of person has a breath left, he will definitely lead Katipunan to fight the US military to the death.
But if he dies, Katipunan will lose its backbone and will soon be sold off cleanly by the profit-seeking landlord class, leaving not even a bone fragment!
"General Chen kept his word and released the Commander-in-Chief today. Luna is extremely grateful."
Luna avoided the core topic, changing the subject with a solemn tone, "If needed in the future, as long as it doesn't go against the cause of Philippine independence, I, Luna, will definitely do my utmost to help!"
Chen Feng nodded slightly and said nothing more.
What he wanted was not Luna's verbal promises, but a situation where the various forces in Luzon would check and balance each other.
With Aquinado alive, he could restrain the landowning class; with Luna in power, he could unite the common people; and with the US military watching closely, neither side would dare to easily take action against the Chinese.
A three-way balance of power is the most stable situation at present.
Two attendants carefully lifted Aquinado onto a spare horse, afraid of touching his wounds again.
Isabella quickly followed, reaching out to hold onto the edge of the stretcher. She glanced at Chen Feng with a complicated expression and whispered:
F
Thank you, Mr. Chen.
""
Chen Feng was too lazy to deal with this little brat, so he waved his hand, indicating that they could get lost.
Luna bowed to Chen Feng again, then turned and left with his entourage, Aquinado, and Isabella.
Aquinado lay on the stretcher, not daring to open his eyes, but he had heard the conversation clearly. His back was already soaked with cold sweat.
"General, are we just going to let them go like this?"
Qian Biao remained utterly bewildered, his grip on the gun tightening. "That old fox will definitely seek revenge when he gets back!"
Chen Feng turned his horse around, looking towards the distant city of Malolos, and sneered, "He's more useful alive than dead!"
Connor spurred his horse forward, patted Chen Feng on the shoulder, and laughed heartily, "Chen, you made a wise choice! Unlike that Aquinas, who broke his word and deserved his bad luck!"
"I always keep my word!"
Chen Feng chuckled, then changed the subject, a sly glint in his eyes. He said with a half-smile, "Since I exceeded expectations and caused chaos in Marolos, shouldn't your navy give me some extra rewards? It'll make up for the risks I took!"
Connor pondered for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and said, "The standard of aid we give you will be raised, and I will try my best to get you artillery."
Also, the Cavite naval base has more than twenty steam-powered merchant ships, you can have them all!
"Let me make this clear first: these ships are genuinely dilapidated. Most are abandoned vessels left behind by the Spanish. They leak in the hulls, their engines are old and worn out, and they need major repairs before they can be used again. Don't come looking for trouble then!"
More than twenty steam merchant ships!
Chen Feng was overjoyed and almost burst out laughing on the spot.
A new steam merchant ship is worth a full twenty thousand US dollars! Even a wrecked ship can easily fetch three or four thousand US dollars.
More than twenty ships, worth at least fifty or sixty thousand US dollars.
More importantly, he owns a repair shop.
I had already instructed Zheng Mingsong to find skilled workers and a captain.
These dilapidated ships, which others see as scrap metal, are treasures in his hands.
Once repaired, it will be able to transport more Chinese immigrants and form a fleet to open up trade routes between Luzon and the outside world.
This is an absolute steal!
Blood earned!
"Deal!" Chen Feng agreed without hesitation.
"I will have someone send the ship inventory and handover details to your camp."
Connor's smile faded, and his tone became more serious as he warned, "The US military won't be taking action against the Independence Army anytime soon, so you need to be on guard. Aguinaldo holds grudges very well; he won't let this humiliation go unpunished!"
"Don't worry, I have a way to deal with it."
Chen Feng nodded, already having a plan in mind, his tone full of confidence, "We'll meet force with force! If Aquinado dares to attack, I'll make sure he doesn't leave alive!"
Connor said no more, cupped his hands in greeting to Chen Feng, and then turned and left with the Marines.
Chen Feng turned his horse around and said to Qian Biao and Pang Li in a deep voice, "Let's go back to camp! It's probably getting lively over at Guiyan Beach!"
At this moment, at Guiyan Beach!
That is the beach where Chen Feng and his men first met Connor.
The waves crashed against the rocks in the shallows, splashing up tiny white sprays, and the salty sea breeze swept over us.
Five steam merchant ships, each with a displacement of six or seven hundred tons, were slowly sailing toward the still-under-construction dock on the shore, their sails half-lowered and their whistles blaring.
Several thick logs were laid crookedly in the shallow water, serving as a temporary pier.
Several shirtless men were working under the scorching sun, piling sandbags along the edge of the dock to reinforce the unfinished foundation.
Chu Xiongxing has been promoted to platoon leader, and he looks particularly smart in his new Chinese Free Army training uniform.
He was standing on the open ground of the beach, shouting orders to the thirty-odd prisoners who were still alive: "Move faster!"
What are you dawdling for! Level that open space first, and the tents must be set up tonight! If you delay the resettlement of immigrants, I'll kill you all!
Most of the prisoners were former stragglers of the Independent Army. They had long lost their former arrogance and were now as obedient as grandsons, carrying hoes and shovels, digging through weeds and pebbles in the mud, not daring to even breathe loudly.
They hadn't forgotten that their captured comrades had been killed without a warning simply because they were a little slow!
Not far away, several makeshift wooden sheds were already taking shape, with wisps of smoke rising from them, and the aroma of rice porridge and salted fish could be faintly smelled.
Waaaaah—
The clear, melodious sound of the ship's horn rang out again, breaking the tranquility of the beach.
On the merchant ship, heads were crowded together, all of them Chinese immigrants with their families.
Most of them wore patched coarse cloth clothes, their faces were sallow, and they looked tired from the long journey, but their eyes held an undisguised anticipation and trepidation.
A child, about seven or eight years old, held in his mother's arms, clung to the railing of the boat, tiptoed, and peered towards the shore, calling out in a clear voice, "Mommy! Look! There are houses over there! And people! Have we arrived in Luzon? Do we have a home now?"
The child's voice was like a pebble thrown into the heart of the crowd.
"Yes! Is this the Guiyan Beach that Mr. Wang is talking about?"
"We're finally here! No more drifting at sea!"
"Mr. Wang is right, there really is a place for us to stay! General Chen didn't lie to us."
"But... this place is too remote! Apart from the figures on the beach, all that's in the distance is a dense, impenetrable forest! There's just a narrow path, mostly covered by weeds, winding its way into the woods..."
"Discussions rose and fell, some were overjoyed, others were uneasy."
Many people subconsciously clutched their small bundles, which contained the last handful of soil they brought from their hometown, their last thoughts of their homeland.
Hearing the commotion on the ship, Chu Xiongxing glanced back and immediately said to the soldiers beside him, "Go, bring over the prepared water and dry rations! Once the ship docks, distribute them to the elderly, women, and children first! Hurry up!"
Several soldiers responded in unison and turned to run towards the makeshift shed.
Wang Liang was the first to jump off the bow of the boat, stepping onto the log bridge and landing steadily on the mudflats.
He glanced at Chu Xiongxing's crisp military uniform, a hint of envy flashing in his eyes. Then he turned and shouted to the still hesitant immigrants on the boat, "Don't panic! Don't push! Listen to my advice!"
The sea breeze carried his voice clearly to the ears of every immigrant.
"It's getting late today. After so many days of rough seas, everyone is exhausted. Let's settle down at Guiyan Beach for the night, boil some hot water to wash our faces, have a bowl of hot porridge to warm ourselves up, and get a good night's rest."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the faces etched with weariness and anxiety, his voice growing louder: "Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to the camp via a side path. Everything's ready there! There are clean, bright houses, plenty of food, and..."
""
Wang Liang deliberately dragged out his words, watching the immigrants' eyes light up instantly, then suddenly raised his voice and shouted the words that drove everyone wild: "There's also land to cultivate! Every household has a share! No more being tenants, no more having to put up with landlords!"
These words immediately caused an uproar on the ship.
"Land? There really is land?"
"Great! We can finally have our own land!"
"Thank God! We won't go hungry anymore!"
Wang Liang raised his hand to calm things down, waiting for the scene to quiet down a bit.
He took a deep breath, his voice suddenly becoming incredibly solemn: "All of this! It's all thanks to General Chen! It was General Chen who earned this place where we unfortunate people can live and work in peace!"
The moment the words were spoken, everyone cheered.
"General Chen is benevolent and righteous!"
"Long live General Chen!"
"Long live General Chen!"
Deafening shouts, accompanied by the roar of the surging waves, echoed for a long time above Guiyan Beach.