xymnovel Chapter 106 Undercurrents of Military Strength
Chapter 106 Undercurrents of Military Strength
Chapter 106 Undercurrents of Military Strength
"Bring it in!"
Chen Feng gave a cold shout, and before he finished speaking, two soldiers dragged a middle-aged indigenous man, who was tied up, into the stone house as if he were a chicken.
The native was short and stocky with dark skin. He wore a coarse linen shirt covered in mud and grass clippings. His wrists were tightly bound, with the rope digging deep into his flesh, yet he still held his neck straight, his eyes defiant, looking like he would never yield.
"Who are you? Who sent you?" the soldier beside him shouted sternly.
To everyone's surprise, the local was quite tough. Instead of answering, he suddenly raised his head, glared back with a venomous look, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.
"court death!"
A hint of impatience flashed across Chen Feng's face, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes.
He stood up and stepped forward, not giving the other party any chance to be arrogant again. He suddenly raised his right foot and stomped heavily on the native's knee with a whoosh of wind!
"Snap!"
A crisp, cracking sound of bone breaking rang out in the quiet stone house, extremely jarring!
The mockery on the middle-aged indigenous man's face froze instantly, replaced by excruciating pain.
He suddenly opened his mouth wide and let out a scream that was not human. His forehead was instantly covered with cold sweat, and his body curled up on the ground like a shrimp. His originally arrogant eyes were instantly filled with fear.
"I don't have the patience to argue with you."
Chen Feng looked down at him, his foot pressing down slightly, producing a creaking sound of bones grinding together. "Speak! Who sent you? What are you doing lurking around outside the camp?"
The middle-aged indigenous man was in excruciating pain, his whole body convulsing, tears and snot streaming down his face. He dared not show any stubbornness anymore, and pleaded in broken Mandarin, "Please don't step on me... I'll talk to you..."
'
Chen Feng loosened his grip on his foot, but still kept his foot on the man's knee: "Hurry up! Don't waste my time!"
'
"The Commander-in-Chief sent me!"
The middle-aged indigenous man was panting heavily, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "He sent me to scout out the camp's troop deployment."
"Just you?" Chen Feng raised an eyebrow, his tone tinged with suspicion.
"Really... just me..."
'
Before the middle-aged indigenous man could finish speaking, Chen Feng waved his hand to interrupt him: "Drag him out and give him to the new brothers to practice shooting and build up their courage. Don't dirty my land!"
Two soldiers immediately stepped forward and dragged the native out like a dead dog. The native's wails gradually faded into the distance and soon disappeared outside the door.
Chen Feng sat back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.
I thought Aquinas would be quiet for a few days because of his serious injuries, but I didn't expect him to be so quick to take action against the Free Army.
Behind this, the big landowners who support him may not be happy, but this is a gamble that cannot be taken and precautions must be taken early!
"Qian Biao!" Chen Feng called out.
Before long, Qian Biao rushed into the stone house, sweating profusely, and asked breathlessly, "What are your orders, General?"
"Send men to Malolosga immediately!"
Chen Feng's tone was grave. "I need a troop movement of at least one company from Aquinado's side, and you must report it to me within 12 hours! Furthermore, do everything possible to plant spies around him. Not a single detail can be missed: who he meets, what he talks about, what he eats!"
"Yes! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Qian Biao accepted the order with a bang, turned around and left quickly, without even wiping his sweat.
He had just stepped out of the room when a burst of gunfire erupted outside, a continuous barrage of shots. It seemed that the foolish spy had been riddled with bullets.
As evening fell, a gentle knock came at the stone house door, and Qin Yuzhou's voice was somewhat hesitant: "General..."
Chen Feng put down his pen, rubbed his sore fingers, and looked up with a smile: "No need to be so nervous, I'm not a man-eating demon king."
Qin Yuzhou couldn't help but recall the bloodied corpse of the indigenous people he had just passed by the shooting range, and he quickly shook his head to dispel the thought.
He stepped into the house, bowed, and reported: "General, the resettlement of immigrants has been initially completed. About six hundred people volunteered to join the army, fifty were selected to work in the bicycle factory, and the rest were either assigned to the mines or assigned to the reclamation areas to farm."
"Those who immigrate with their entire families will be given priority in being assigned to farm."
Chen Feng pondered for a moment, tapping his finger lightly on the table, "Yesterday we cleared out quite a few indigenous villages. There's enough idle land. We'll settle them nearby first, and reserve the more distant plots for the next batch of immigrants. Also, provide each farming household with enough farming tools and seeds, so they don't lose heart."
""
"Yes!" Qin Yuzhou nodded vigorously, keeping the instructions in mind.
"Oh, right!"
Chen Feng added, "You should learn more Spanish and English when you have time. You'll need them when dealing with foreigners and local forces in the future."
"Understood!" Qin Yuzhou nodded again, his eyes full of respect.
Seeing his reserved demeanor, Chen Feng lost interest in continuing the conversation. He waved for him to leave, then picked up his pen and continued writing "The Rise of a Great Power".
Three days later, before the first draft of the Dutch chapter was even finished, Zheng Mingsong's messenger rushed over to urge him to finish the draft, and also brought a thick letter containing several pieces of good news, as well as some bad news that infuriated him.
The first piece of news: The Portuguese and Spanish chapter of "The Rise of Great Powers" has caused a huge uproar in the Qing court!
Major newspapers sent telegrams urging readers to submit their articles, and also settled the first payment for the article.
Upon seeing the amount, Chen Feng immediately frowned and his face darkened.
The manuscript, totaling 70,000 words, cost just over 10,000 silver dollars across all newspapers and periodicals combined, which is less than 5,000 US dollars!
"Damn it!"
Chen Feng cursed under his breath, slamming the letter onto the table with such force that the table shook. "They can even lose money copying books! These Qing Dynasty newspapers are truly corrupt to the core!"
This amount of money isn't even enough to cover the cost of two international telegrams, let alone support factory expansion or military supplies.
He shook his head, suppressing his displeasure, and turned to the next page.
The second piece of good news: all the raw materials for mining and factory construction purchased by the Zheng and Shi families have been prepared and are being transported from Kravite to Guiyan Beach. They were delivered to the camp this morning, and now only the crucial rubber vulcanization equipment is missing.
The third piece of good news: the Cavite merchant ship repair depot has officially started operations, and business is booming beyond expectations!
After the US military blockaded Manila Bay, most merchant ships were unable to go to sea and came here for maintenance and repairs, resulting in a full order book.
The only drawback is that the more than 2,000 dilapidated merchant ships need to be repaired first, and there is an urgent need to expand the shipyard, increase manpower, and increase operating funds.
"This is indeed a good way to make money." A smile flashed in Chen Feng's eyes. He immediately picked up a pen and wrote a grant slip, intending to hand it over to Qian Biao for processing later.
But when he turned to the last page and saw the news about Uncle Yang, the smile on his face vanished instantly, and his anger flared up!
Those damn Japanese devils!
They didn't ask for a ransom, and instead used the Independent Army's smuggling channels to send Uncle Yang out of Luzon!
Chen Feng rubbed his forehead hard, his knuckles turning white from clenching his fists.
For a moment, he was at a loss.
Should we go directly to Aoki Nobuyuki and ask him for the person?
Should we find out where Senior Uncle Yang is first, and then make a plan?
Just as he was pondering this, Peter shouted from outside, "Boss! Come out and see! I've successfully copied the bicycle! The first one! It's a success!"
Suppressing his anger, Chen Feng strode open the door.
Outside, a circle of soldiers and immigrants had already gathered in the open space, their faces filled with curiosity and amazement, and their voices rose and fell.
Peter stood in the center of the crowd, his hands gripping a brand-new bicycle, his face flushed, his voice trembling with excitement: "Boss! Look!"
Upon seeing Chen Feng emerge, he immediately pushed his bicycle forward, his tone full of self-satisfaction, "As per your request, the frame has been thickened by 30%, the handlebars have been wrapped with burlap for anti-slip, and the tires have been widened! Although they're solid tires without vulcanized rubber, they'll be absolutely stable to ride!"
"Let's take a look!" Chen Feng chuckled, flipped himself onto the bike, and with a gentle push of his feet, the bicycle glided steadily forward.
The wheels rolled smoothly and steadily, the handlebars were easy to control, and the thickened frame provided excellent stability. Even when he deliberately shook the bike, there was no sign of it tipping over.
After completing the lap, Chen Feng was extremely satisfied.
This quality fully meets the requirements of the US military's order, and is even more durable than the prototype!
"Good! Well done!"
Chen Feng stopped the car, patted Peter on the shoulder, and said with great approval, "Your salary will double from now on! Produce at this standard! Pass the word down, the bicycle factory is to go all out, 500 bicycles by the end of the month, not a single one less!"
"Double salary?"
Peter's eyes instantly filled with emotion, and his voice trembled with tears, "Thank you, Boss! I will definitely live up to your trust!"
""
He now manages a factory with dozens of employees, holds core technology, and is highly regarded in the Free Army camp. Compared to being just an insignificant technician in the United States, the sense of accomplishment and treatment here are worlds apart, and for a moment he doesn't even want to go back to the United States.
From a distance, Marilyn saw this scene, curled her lip in disdain, and cursed inwardly: Idiot! Even if I paid you more, would you have anywhere to spend your money in this lousy place?
The soldiers and immigrants watching applauded and cheered, their eyes filled with envy and pride as they looked at the bicycle. The applause and cheers echoed throughout the camp.
As Chen Feng looked at the lively scene before him, the knot in his heart gradually dissipated.
The Japanese devils' schemes and Aguinaldo's probing are certainly troublesome, but as long as the industrial foundation is solid and the Free Army is strong enough, there is no problem that cannot be solved!
He turned to Qian Biao, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, and instructed him: "I have already written the grant slips. The funds for the expansion of the merchant shipyard and the mass production of the bicycle factory should be given priority!"
Furthermore, regarding Master Yang's matter, the intelligence department should intensify its efforts, focusing on investigating the Independent Army's smuggling channels. They must find out where Master Yang was sent and what kind of deal he made with the Japanese!
"Yes, General!" Qian Biao immediately accepted the order and turned to leave.
Chen Feng got back on his bicycle and rode around the open space in the evening breeze before turning back towards the stone house.
As soon as they returned to the stone house, Qin Yuzhou followed them in.
He held several neatly handwritten copies in his hands, bowed, and said, "General, this is the Three Character Classic that I transcribed from memory."
I checked it word by word against the "Thousand Character Classic," so there's definitely no mistake.
The private school has been built, and the desks, chairs, writing brushes and ink are all ready. The school is scheduled to officially start tomorrow. Will you be attending the opening ceremony?
'
If I have time tomorrow morning, I'll go take a look.
Chen Feng nodded in agreement, his tone tinged with exhaustion; he had been incredibly busy lately.
I just received intelligence yesterday that the Independent Army is gathering troops in the city of Malolos, and their numbers have now exceeded 20,000!
This number made Chen Feng wary; no one could say for sure whether this guy's target was the Chinese Free Army or if he was taking advantage of the chaos to attack Manila.
But in any case, we must be fully prepared!
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