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

Chapter 69 Insatiable Desire

But I don't even have two thousand regular troops!

Chen Feng shouted in his heart, his gaze turning to Connor again, his eyes full of questioning.

Connor simply shrugged, as if to say he had done his best, and even quietly shook his head, indicating that he should stop now and not ask any more questions.

Chen Feng glared at him fiercely, then suddenly had a bright idea. He clutched his stomach, looking distressed, and a few beads of cold sweat trickled down his forehead. "Ouch... I think there's something wrong with lunch today. My stomach suddenly hurts terribly, like I ate something bad. Commissioner Smith, you... you didn't eat anything bad, did you?"

Smith, being astute as he was, immediately understood. He frowned, clutched his stomach, and urgently exclaimed in English, "Damn it! My stomach hurts too! The broth must be stale! You all sit with Colonel Connor for a moment, Commander Chen and I will be right back!"

His entourage exchanged bewildered glances, wondering to themselves: why did they feel no discomfort at all when the food was the same? But since their superior had spoken, they could only nod in agreement.

The two men walked out of the stone house one after the other. As soon as they rounded the corner, Chen Feng immediately dropped his disguise and asked in a low voice, "Commissioner Smith, Connor should have explained everything to you, right? How many troops did he exaggerate?"

"He has quite the appetite, daring to falsely report three thousand people."

Smith stood up straight, showing no sign of stomach pain, and spoke with disdain, "According to the Army War Department's aid standards for colonial resistance forces, each person is entitled to at least ten dollars worth of weapons and ammunition, so three thousand people would be thirty thousand dollars. He wants to embezzle all of this aid and only distribute supplies to you based on the number of one thousand people."

You bastard!

Chen Feng cursed inwardly.

This Connor not only wanted to use the Chinese Free Army as cannon fodder, but also used aid supplies as a tool for his own enrichment. He is utterly shameless!

He suppressed his anger and said bluntly, "To be honest, my battalion only has a little over eight hundred regular soldiers at most. I need Commissioner Smith to find a way to stop the Army War Department from assigning the Free Army suicide missions like attacking fortresses or directly confronting the main Spanish forces. We can't handle it."

"There's no way!" Smith replied immediately, his tone resolute.

If there was really no other way, why would they have come out with us?

Chen Feng immediately took out five hundred US dollars from his pocket and handed it over: "It's just a small token of my appreciation. I hope you can make an exception for me."

Smith glanced at the banknotes, still shaking his head, and drawled, "Commander Chen, you don't understand. How can a small armed force of less than a thousand people get the attention of those bigwigs in the Army? Subsequent aid and supplies will naturally be greatly reduced."

"How many specialists do you want?"

Chen Feng spoke frankly, knowing that it was pointless to beat around the bush with this kind of person. "As long as the Free Army isn't used as cannon fodder, I can afford to pay them a reasonable fee for their hard work."

A triumphant smile flashed in Smith's eyes as he held up three fingers: "Three thousand dollars."

I'll reduce your troop strength to two thousand regular soldiers, excluding the militia. This way, the Ministry of War will only assign you auxiliary tasks such as containment and harassment.

In addition, I will have my subordinates coordinate with Connor to distribute aid supplies to two thousand people. You will also receive an additional share of the benefits.

After deducting the $3,000 given to Smith, the aid supplies for 2,000 people still leave a considerable net profit, so it's not a loss.

But how can he just give whatever amount he asks for?

Chen Feng pondered in his heart, but his face showed a pained expression. He slowly took out another thousand dollars, and said with some difficulty, "Mr. Smith, as you can see, this is all the assets my Free Army has. I really can't come up with any more money. Please be lenient and make an exception for me."

Smith glanced around the camp and saw that the soldiers were all training in short jackets, without even a decent uniform. He then nodded reluctantly, "Alright! This amount of money is only enough for three months' salary. You'll have to make up for it when we get more aid."

"Of course! Of course!"

Chen Feng immediately agreed, "As long as the follow-up assistance arrives and I have the financial means, I will certainly not forget your kindness, sir!"

Smith grinned, casually stuffed the $1,500 into his pocket, and turned back to the stone house with a beaming smile.

His entourage was increasingly puzzled. He had just been complaining of a stomachache, how could he be full of energy in the blink of an eye?

"Guys, observation complete, head back!" Smith ordered curtly in English, not bothering with any pretense, and walked straight out the door.

Chen Feng didn't bother to see him off, and stood at the door saying perfunctorily, "Mr. Smith, I apologize for the poor hospitality. If you come to visit again next time, please let me know in advance, and I will make proper preparations."

"The next time we meet will probably be after the Army War Department issues an operational order." Smith's voice faded into the distance, full of impatience. "This damn weather, I don't want to stay a moment longer."

Connor stared at his retreating figure and muttered, "The Army is too greedy. They'll end up in a court-martial sooner or later."

You talk as if you're so clean.

He's in a military court, so you can get away with it?

Chen Feng sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm, and casually asked, "Colonel Connor, is there... disagreement within your U.S. military? From what Smith said, our Free Army will be under the command of the Army War Department in the future?"

Connor strolled back into the house, pulled up a stool, sat down, picked up the tea the guard had just served him, and sighed softly: "The mission to land in Luzon was originally assigned to our Marine Corps, but the Army War Department snatched it away halfway through, saying they were more familiar with ground operations. Now, they've got the benefits, but they want to dump the trouble on us."

"I see!"

Chen Feng felt a sense of relief. This meant that the Free Army would most likely not be assigned any missions before the US military officially landed. He could take advantage of this window of opportunity to expand and train his troops, thus strengthening his forces.

Connor took a sip of tea and changed the subject: "Chen, have you heard? The Independence Army is planning to issue a declaration of independence."

"I've heard a little about it." Chen Feng feigned doubt, but a hint of wariness flashed in his eyes.

Connor didn't mince words, stating bluntly, "Once the Declaration of Independence is issued, they want to form a Congress and elect a president, which contradicts our demands in America. But the consul in Hong Kong had already promised Aquinas that he would support Philippine independence. Now that the situation isn't entirely clear, we can only acquiesce for the time being and can't directly stop them. Do you understand what I mean?"

Chen Feng's heart skipped a beat

Damn it!

Is this a ploy to send me to cause trouble for the Independence Army?

Now the independence army has gathered a large force in Malolos, and even the heavy artillery of the Spanish colonial army has fallen into their hands. With the Free Army's limited strength, what would it be but suicide if they went there?

Chen Feng shook his head violently: "Colonel Connor, you know the strength of the Independent Army. With the manpower and equipment of my Free Army, let alone causing trouble, I'm afraid we can't even get close to the gates of Marolos."

"Who gave you permission to conquer Malolos?"

Connor put down his teacup and said slowly, "Although the total population of Chinese in Luzon is not large, they are a significant force in commerce and the economy."

The naval intelligence department's intention is for you and the Zheng family to contact the Chinese communities throughout Luzon and negotiate with Aquinas.

The primary goal is to delay the publication of the Declaration of Independence; ideally, it should be disrupted. If that fails, we should persuade more Chinese or local forces not to join them, rendering Aquinado's presidency ineffective, which would make it easier for our US military to take over later.