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

Chapter 15 Circumstances Create Heroes

"I believe in General Chen!" Tian Gang roared, clenching his fists.

"I believe in General Chen!" Zhang Xiuwu glared at him fiercely, cursing inwardly: This kid really knows how to steal the limelight, he always has to be one step ahead of me!

"I believe in General Chen!"

The shouts rose and fell, gradually becoming more unified.

Chen Feng's gaze swept over everyone, and he slowly nodded: "Very good! Since you brothers trust me, I will certainly not let you down. I will do everything in my power to lead you all to live a decent life!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his voice: "Tian Gang, Kong Yunfei, Ren Dayong, Ding Junkai, Wang Liang, step forward!"

"arrive!"

The five men stepped forward in unison, chests out and heads held high.

Chen Feng announced loudly, "You have followed me in killing the enemy and rendered meritorious service. Our Chinese Free Army will reward those who have made contributions. I hereby promote you to squad leaders of the First Company, Third Battalion, Independent Regiment. Each of you will select seven men from the able-bodied men present to form your squad. The remaining men will be under the command of Zhang Xiuwu, who will serve as the sixth squad leader!"

The able-bodied men's faces lit up with joy when they heard the words "Third Battalion".

In the distance, when Vinal heard the words "Third Battalion," his heart sank: How did a Chinese Free Army suddenly appear in Luzon, and it already had three battalions?

Zhang Xiuwu was oblivious to the intricacies of the Third Battalion. He only heard that he was going to be a squad leader and would be able to command nine men, and his face immediately lit up with joy.

He muttered to himself, "It doesn't matter if they choose first, since I have a lot of people under my command anyway."

Tian Gang and his five men moved swiftly, quickly selecting their men and re-lining up.

It must be said that the Spanish colonial army's previous basic training had not been in vain, and the able-bodied men quickly lined up in order of height.

Looking at the hastily assembled team before him, Chen Feng couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.

Is this what they mean by "circumstances create heroes"?

When he first transmigrated, all he wanted to do was find his senior brother Yang, use his modern knowledge to make some inventions, fill his stomach and establish a stable foothold. He never thought of leading an army to rebel.

But who would have thought that after only two days in Luzon, they would be inexplicably conscripted and, by a twist of fate, form a team of more than fifty people.

"General, where is our main force? Now that the rain has stopped, shouldn't we head over to rendezvous with them?" Squad leader Kong Yunfei's voice boomed loudly, showing no fear.

Chen Feng's lips twitched, thinking to himself: Where did I get a main force?

He remained outwardly calm and loudly lied, "The Spanish are powerful, and the whereabouts of our main force must be kept secret. We have other missions to complete, and we'll rendezvous with them after that."

"What mission? I, Old Kong, will never refuse!" Kong Yunfei patted his chest.

Squad leader Tian Gang immediately shouted, "General, if you give the order, we will not refuse, even if it means going through fire and water!"

Seeing that the two had gotten there first again, Zhang Xiuwu hurriedly took half a step forward and called out loudly, "Brother Chen! No matter what the task is, you can't go wrong leaving it to me!"

......

Morale is high!

Chen Feng nodded in satisfaction and said in a deep voice, "Squad Leader!"

"Here!" Tian Gang responded and stepped forward with an upright posture.

"Your hometown is near the destination. Lead your team ahead and head towards the Malolos coast! Be careful and make sure the route is correct!" Chen Feng already knew Tian Gang's background, so having him lead the way was the perfect solution.

"Don't worry, General!"

Tian Gang patted his chest again, turned around and waved, "Class One, follow me!"

Immediately afterwards, he set off first with seven soldiers.

Chen Feng called out again, "Sixth Squad Leader!"

"Here!" Zhang Xiuwu's spirits lifted, and his smile widened.

Chen Feng said in a serious tone, "We didn't bring any food when we escaped from the conscription camp. Your squad is responsible for collecting food. You must gather enough rations for more than fifty people for three days and deliver them to your destination before tomorrow evening!"

Since ancient times, emperors have never starved their soldiers.

None of the people present had eaten dinner. They could only hold out for another day at most. If they ran out of food, the group would probably break up before the enemy even attacked.

"what?"

Zhang Xiuwu's smile froze instantly.

He's good at fighting, but he's clueless when it comes to gathering food.

"What? If you can't do it, I'll find someone else to be the class monitor." Chen Feng's gaze darkened; now was not the time to talk about friendship.

"I...I can do it!" Zhang Xiuwu gritted his teeth, still unwilling to give up the squad leader position he had just obtained.

Chen Feng nodded slightly, then called out, "Second Squad Leader Kong Yunfei!"

"Here!" Kong Yunfei responded with a thunderous voice, his eyes full of anticipation.

This person charged the fiercest and was fearless in the previous ambush, making him the most outstanding performer.

Chen Feng pointed to the way they had come and ordered, "Your squad is responsible for covering the rear. Stay two miles away from the main force. If you spot any Spanish colonial troops pursuing you, don't fight them head-on. Just sound the alarm."

"Don't worry, General, I, Kong Yunfei, guarantee that I will take good care of our escape route." Kong Yunfei nodded vigorously.

Chen Feng took a deep breath and continued to deploy: "Squad 3, Squad 4, Squad 5, you follow me. Our main task is to keep an eye on Orwell, this big fish, and not let him escape."

Once the mission was assigned, everyone immediately began to take action and prepare to depart.

Zhang Xiuwu lingered and approached, lowering his voice to ask, "Brother Chen, where am I supposed to gather food? You know the situation in our village."

Chen Feng leaned close to his ear and said, "I know. Tell your father that this grain is a loan from me, and I will pay it back in full within a month at the latest."

"This..." Zhang Xiuwu was still hesitating. Clearly, he valued the village more and couldn't think of where he could get food.

Seeing his expression, Chen Feng was furious and whispered a reminder, "We have over fifty men now, how could we not get food?"

"That's right! We can go and rob the natives!" Zhang Xiuwu slapped the back of his head, suddenly realizing.

Immediately afterwards, he turned around with great interest and led his class hurriedly toward the village.

Despite three hundred years of Spanish colonization and development, Luzon at the end of the 19th century was still covered with primeval forests.

As the night deepened, no one dared to light torches for fear of revealing their whereabouts. They could only grope their way forward through the woods by the faint moonlight.

There was no path underfoot, only tangled tree roots and withered branches and leaves soaked with rainwater; one could easily slip and fall.

It wasn't until dawn that Squad Leader Tian found a small path.

He straightened up and waited at the intersection. As soon as he saw Chen Feng, he immediately said, "General, the brothers are really exhausted. Can we rest for an hour?"

"rest?"

Chen Feng rubbed his sore thighs and asked, "How far are we from our destination, the bay?"

"It's a four-hour journey!" Tian Gang answered truthfully.

Chen Feng pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Let the brothers hold on for another half day. We've walked all night, and if we lie down now, it will be very difficult for us to get up."

Tian Gang looked troubled, but he knew Chen Feng was right, so he could only nod and say, "Okay, I'll go tell the brothers right away!"

Immediately afterwards, he jogged to catch up with the soldiers in his platoon.

Chen Feng was busy throughout the journey.

As the old saying goes, even an emperor won't starve his soldiers.

With the Spanish hanging over their heads, everyone can still unite and follow orders.

However, if there is no replenishment or benefit for a long time, people's hearts will eventually fall apart.

Along the way, he had already found out the income level of able-bodied men in the area and had a preliminary plan to stabilize the team.