xymnovel Chapter 8 Cannon Fodder
Chapter 8 Cannon Fodder
The sound of horses' hooves grew closer, and dust rose from the end of the road.
Chen Feng narrowed his eyes and could vaguely see five or six figures dressed in gray military uniforms.
"It's a Spanish colonial patrol! Don't panic, everyone. Just do as my father taught us." Zhang Xiuwu looked much more relaxed as he jumped off the carriage and gestured for his companions to put away their weapons.
Chen Feng felt a chill in his heart, a sense of foreboding creeping in.
Yesterday, the Spanish fleet was attacked by the United States. Now, the patrols they send out will definitely be strictly checking pedestrians. If you're lucky, you might be extorted; if you're unlucky, you might be killed.
I'm penniless and can't afford to pay for my life; it's very dangerous!
Just then, someone in the patrol team suddenly shouted in broken Mandarin: "Hey you, stop for inspection."
The patrol consisted of five men, all of whom were Westerners and equipped with rifles and machetes.
The leader, who appeared to be a military officer, slowly approached, holding the reins, and demanded with a stern face, "Identity? Whereabouts?"
"Sir, we're from Zhangjia Village. We were attacked by the natives yesterday, and most of our houses were burned down." Zhang Xiuwu stepped forward, bowing, and quietly slipped some silver coins into the officer's hand. "This is to sell grain in Manila and exchange it for some ironware to repair the fence. Otherwise, if the natives come again, we won't even have anywhere to hide."
The officer weighed the silver coins in his hand, a cold smile creeping onto his lips. Suddenly, he pulled a crumpled document from his chest and slapped it into Zhang Xiuwu's hand: "The Governor's Office has ordered that half the men from each village go to Manila to defend the city. I've run into you, saving me the trouble of going myself. You men, come with me now."
Defend the city?
He's been conscripted!
Chen Feng's heart sank. He glanced at the Spanish soldiers and his mind raced, trying to come up with a solution.
These five men were tall and well-equipped, and their right hands were always intentionally or unintentionally touching the handle of their guns, clearly seasoned veterans who had been through many battles.
Relying on the original owner's martial arts skills, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to kill them all without getting injured.
As for escaping?
Chen Feng turned his head and looked around. All around him were low hills and farmland, and there was nowhere to hide.
If he were to take Wang Muning with him, he would probably be shot through the body after only a few steps.
"Sir, our village was just attacked by the natives. Our families are waiting for us to sell our grain and exchange it for supplies to take back home. Could you please make an exception?" Zhang Xiuwu tried to play the victim, but his inexperience made his performance quite comical.
The Spanish officer didn't seem to care, and said with a half-smile, "Don't tell me your village only has ten able-bodied men."
"this......"
Zhang Xiuwu was speechless for a moment, unsure how to respond.
Upon seeing this, Wu Dequan hesitated for a moment, then mustered his courage and stepped forward, his face full of flattery, saying, "Sir, our village has just been attacked, and many people have been injured. Only a few able-bodied people are here. Could you please make an exception?"
As he spoke, he winked at Zhang Xiuwu, as if to say, "Hurry up and hand over the silver."
Zhang Xiuwu didn't understand and remained frozen in place.
The Spanish officer's face gradually turned cold. "You Chinese are all cunning. Don't say any more. Go to Manila and report for duty right now."
Immediately afterwards, he turned to look behind him and ordered a young brown-haired, hook-nosed soldier in Spanish: "Orwell, take them to report for duty. If they dare to desert, shoot them dead."
Although Chen Feng didn't understand what he was saying, he guessed what it meant and whispered a reminder: "When a scholar encounters a soldier, there's no arguing with reason. I'm afraid we have no choice but to go."
Wu Dequan, being an experienced man, quickly understood and advised, "Brother Zhang, we have no choice but to defend the city, unless..."
Before he finished speaking, Zhang Xiuwu had already understood.
Unless they kill officials and rebel, they have no other choice.
He hesitated for a moment, then pulled two silver coins from his sleeve and handed them to the Spanish officer: "Sir, could you let the two men drive the oxcart back? It's loaded with grain; the city shouldn't be short of a little bit."
"Grain?" The Spanish officer glanced at the oxcart, drew his scimitar, and slashed at the sacks on it.
Splash...
As the blade sliced through the opening, golden corn instantly poured out and spilled onto the road.
Upon seeing this, a hint of hatred flashed in Zhang Xiuwu's eyes, and his right hand reached for the hilt of the knife at his waist.
Seeing that he was about to make a move, Chen Feng immediately jumped onto the oxcart and pressed down on the gap: "Sir, this is really our life-saving food. It's worthless. Please be merciful and let us go."
The officer stared at Chen Feng for a long time before finally pointing at Wang Muning and Wu Dequan: "These two, after you deliver the grain, go back to the village immediately. Don't wander off."
Wang Muning grabbed Chen Feng's arm, her eyes reddening, "Senior brother... I... I'll go with you."
Chen Feng patted her head and comforted her, "Listen to me, stay with Feng Qinlan after we get back to the village, don't go out alone, wait for me to come back."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Spanish soldiers came over and started shoving him.
The closer you get to Manila, the more densely populated the villages become.
Many villages had conscription notices posted at their entrances, and several Spanish soldiers were shouting and kicking down doors. Chinese laborers were being pushed out, bound, their faces still covered in undried blood.
Zhang Xiuwu said in a low voice, "This isn't conscription, it's clearly taking cannon fodder."
"Let's see how things go!"
Chen Feng responded in a low voice, his gaze fixed on the Manila city wall.
The Spanish flag can be faintly seen on Chengtoushan, and patrol figures flash by from time to time. There are many people carrying things at the city gate, as if they are preparing fortifications.
They were taken to a small town outside the city at dusk.
This place looks like it has been transformed into a temporary military camp, with twenty or thirty small courtyards scattered in a well-organized manner.
The group arrived at a courtyard at the far end, where dozens of people were standing haphazardly, some chatting and others dozing off.
A Chinese man with a thick beard came up to them, bowing and scraping to the Spanish soldiers who had brought them there, and speaking compliments in fluent Spanish.
Only after the soldiers left did he turn around to look at Chen Feng and the others, pulling out a cloth bag: "My name is Juan, and I'll be the captain of your 27th squad from now on. There are some flatbreads in this bag; fill your stomachs first, and you'll start training with everyone tomorrow."
Then, still worried, he warned, "Don't even think about running away. You'll be shot dead, and I'll be implicated too."
"Captain Hu, what's the situation now? Has the US military really blockaded the Gulf?" Chen Feng asked directly, seeing that he was easy to talk to.
Juan looked around and lowered his voice: "It's more than just a blockade. Yesterday, the US fleet sank three Spanish warships. Now the governor's office is in a panic, on the one hand shouting that they need reinforcements, and on the other hand, they are secretly negotiating with the Philippine independence army."
"Will the US military land?" Chen Feng asked again.
Juan paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I'm not an American soldier, how would I know if they'll come ashore or not? Anyway, let's just do our own thing."
Zhang Xiuwu suddenly pointed to the weapons rack in the corner of the yard: "Captain Hu, are those the weapons for us? How are we going to fight the Americans?"
Chen Feng turned his head and saw that the area was full of rusty cold weapons, not even a single musket.