novelAbuy Chapter 91 Last Chance
Chapter 91 Last Chance
"Brother Chen, it seems they don't understand you at all!" Zheng Mingsong smiled, picked up his teacup, and put it down again just as he brought it to his lips.
Chen Feng casually found a chair and sat down, smiling helplessly. "There's nothing I can do. They're convinced that Aquinas can bring independence and freedom to Luzon, so let them try. I won't stop them, nor will I interfere. Let each go their own way."
Zheng Mingsong comforted him, "Your trip wasn't in vain. At least you secured a few parliamentary seats for the Chinese. Originally, Aguinaldo wouldn't have given them a single one."
Chen Feng shook his head, not wanting to discuss the topic any further, and instead said, "Brother Zheng, I've already finalized a bicycle order with the US military, but the first batch needs to be delivered by the end of the month. My small iron mine hasn't started production yet, so you'll have to find a way to get me some raw materials."
"So fast?"
Zheng Mingsong looked surprised, but then he remembered that Chen Feng and Connor had a special relationship, so he nodded and said, "No problem, I will arrange for someone to send it over as soon as possible."
Then, a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes, and he asked, "Brother Chen, how many orders did you get this time? What were their purchase prices?"
Chen Feng picked up the now-cold teacup on the table, took a sip, and said calmly, "5000 orders, $45 per order."
"So many?"
Zheng Mingsong's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh, laughing loudly, "Brother Chen, you've really struck it rich! 5000 orders, at $45 each, that's over two hundred thousand US dollars in business! You absolutely have to treat me to a good drink tonight, we won't leave until we're drunk!"
Chen Feng glanced out the window; the rain had lessened somewhat.
He slowly shook his head and said, "No. I refused Aguinaldo's final offer, which is tantamount to completely severing ties. Staying here is too dangerous. Let's talk about drinking another time."
Zheng Mingsong's smile faltered slightly, then he realized what he meant and his expression turned serious: "You're right, Aquinado is very suspicious and even more vengeful. You really shouldn't stay here any longer."
As the two were talking, there was another knock on the door.
Upon hearing Qian Biao's voice outside the door, Pang Li immediately got up and went to open it.
"General..."
As soon as Qian Biao pushed open the door and peeked in, he spotted Zheng Mingsong inside. He immediately stopped talking, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.
Chen Feng waved his hand to interrupt his hesitation and said in a deep voice, "Just tell me! Who did Lara meet? Have you found out?"
Qian Biao then put aside his concerns and quickly went into the house, reporting in a low voice: "Reporting to the general, after Lara left here, he went to Luna's residence first. The two talked for a quarter of an hour, but I don't know exactly what they talked about. However, when Lara came out, his face was ashen, and he looked like he had just had a fight with someone and was furious."
"Oh? Go on." Chen Feng raised an eyebrow slightly.
Qian Biao continued, "After that, he went to see Aquinado again, but came out after less than half an hour. He didn't have much of an expression on his face, but he walked in a hurry and didn't seem very happy. I guess he was also turned down."
Zheng Mingsong chuckled upon hearing this: "Lara certainly knows how to find people. Luna's Katipunan has a blood feud with the Spanish, and the landowners behind Aquinado have long coveted the land controlled by the church! He's wasted his time!"
Chen Feng didn't speak, but waved his hand to signal Qian Biao to continue.
Qian Biao swallowed hard, his tone grave. "Finally, he went to the US military base early this morning. You had just come out when he followed you in. He stayed inside until now, walking with a brisk pace. Clearly, he achieved something and gained a lot of benefits."
"You've reached an agreement with Connor?" Chen Feng's gaze darkened, and his fingers unconsciously tapped the table.
Larra was the archbishop, representing the interests of the Church.
The independence army had always wanted to weaken the church's power, so naturally they were unwilling to negotiate with Larra.
But the US military is different. They are eager to take over Manila completely to prevent the independence forces from seizing control of this core city first. And the cooperation of the church is indispensable for a smooth takeover.
Damn it!
These Spaniards are definitely not trustworthy!
They had just sent people to win them over, saying they wanted to unite the Chinese and the independence army against the US military, but then they turned around and started vying to negotiate terms with the US military and submit a surrender document!
It seems that the previous cooperation proposal was nothing more than an attempt to transfer some of the church's assets through the Chinese community, and incidentally create some trouble for the US military!
Connor is really greedy!
He had just said that Lara wanted to kill him, but now he's turning around and cooperating with him for profit. He's truly a profit-driven person with no bottom line!
Chen Feng cursed inwardly and ordered, "Qian Biao, Pang Li, let's get out of here! We can't stay in this wretched city any longer; Aquinado might already be preparing to arrest me!"
Zheng Mingsong was a little confused and quickly asked, "Is it in such a hurry? I'll have the Zheng family's guards escort you out of the city; I guarantee you'll be safe!"
Chen Feng shook his head, his tone resolute: "Your manpower isn't enough. I've already fallen out with Aguinaldo; only the US military can safely escort me out of the city."
Zheng Mingsong's expression changed. "You're going to find Connor? He made a deal with Lara, what if..."
"It's just an agreement, it hasn't been fulfilled yet." Chen Feng waved his hand to reassure him, his tone full of confidence. "Besides, given my relationship with Connor, and with the war situation still uncertain and other interests tied together, he wouldn't be so foolish as to discard me after I've served my purpose."
After saying that, without waiting for Zheng Mingsong to persuade him again, he quickly walked to the door, grabbed the raincoat hanging by the door, and put it on.
At this time, the rain was still falling, and the fine raindrops brought a chill to the body.
Chen Feng ignored the hotel owner Charles's enthusiastic attempts to engage him in conversation and walked straight out of the hotel.
Pang Li and Qian Biao, carrying their packs and rifles, followed behind with their horses, their expressions wary as they scanned their surroundings.
The three quickly crossed the street and arrived at the American military camp.
Connor was drinking coffee at the office window when he caught a glimpse of the three figures through the glass, noticing their hurried manner. He immediately put down his coffee cup, put on his raincoat, and went out of the room. Just as he reached the camp gate, he bumped into Chen Feng, who was coming towards him.
"Chen, are you leaving already?"
"My talks with Aquinado fell apart."
Chen Feng didn't ask him about Lara's matter, and bluntly said, "Liu Hengfu will most likely sign the Declaration of Independence, so there's no point in staying here. You should get the Marines to send me out of the city as soon as possible."
Connor's eye twitched. As he turned to his adjutant to gather the soldiers, he said in a deep voice, "You didn't do a very good job on this mission. I wanted you to stop all the Chinese from signing the Declaration of Independence and completely extinguish their hopes."
"no way."
Chen Feng shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness, "Our relationship is too close. They harbor resentment towards the US military and don't want Luzon to be controlled by you, so naturally they won't listen to me."
"Hmph! They have no choice but to accept it!"
Connor chuckled coldly, then pondered for a moment and said, "However... I've already given you the ordnance repair shop and merchant ships that I promised you before."
"Didn't I also risk my life to make that trip?" Chen Feng retorted.
"Fine, I won't argue with you anymore! I'll take you out of the city first!" As soon as Connor finished speaking, he called over a platoon of Marines who had gathered, and they escorted Chen Feng and his two companions out of the camp.
Just as they reached the entrance of the camp, they saw Liu Hengfu walking hurriedly towards them, without anyone else following him.
"General Chen, wait a moment!"
Liu Hengfu strode forward, spreading his arms to block Chen Feng's path, his tone urgent, "The Commander-in-Chief has changed his mind and wants to talk to you again in person! Whatever the conditions, we can discuss them!"
Chen Feng paused, a cold smile playing on his lips.
What are we talking about?
Aquinado is narrow-minded and extremely vengeful. He probably wants to use the guise of negotiation to detain me, either to force me to compromise or to kill me to prevent future troubles!
Do you really think I'm a fool?
Chen Feng said calmly, "Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. I have made my choice, so there's no need for the Commander-in-Chief to trouble himself."
"General Chen, please reconsider!"
Liu Hengfu stepped forward, his tone pleading, "This is your last chance! If you agree, we can renegotiate all the previous terms. This is all for the future of the Chinese community in Luzon!"