The Spanish governor in the Philippines, Boravecia, was now restless. yan()kuai

After many days of searching, the Qingxi joint investigation team finally found something in the wreckage of the Jiang Xi. According to various evidences, it can be confirmed that someone detonated a bomb in the ammunition depot, resulting in the detonation of the ammunition depot, and then blew up the Jiang Xi. This was confirmed by the members of the Qingxi Joint Investigation Mission. But the key point is that four days ago, in the corridor not far from the ammunition depot, a corpse wearing a red Spanish military uniform was found. The corpse can be clearly identified as not an Oriental, as the size of the skeleton can clearly distinguish between the East and the West.

So this body became the focus of the corpse debate. The Qing side believed that it was the Spanish soldiers who deliberately sabotaged the Qing warships for reasons unknown to the Qing side. Of course, the Spanish side would not admit it, and Polawechia personally came forward to ask the Spanish soldiers on the dock at the time of the incident if any soldiers had entered the Qing Yankuai ship. The answer was only an attempt to board the warship for inspection, but it was unsuccessful because of the obstruction of the Qing army. So the question arises, how was that photo of an American taken? If there were no Spanish soldiers on board, where did this body come from?

The photo is real, just not taken by the Americans. Instead, they were shot in close proximity using the same type of camera, and then disguised as explosive fragments to kill the American reporter and change the camera, and no one would have noticed the chaos on the dock at that time. The bodies in the boat were indeed Spaniards, but they were kidnapped on the shore in advance, and then sent out overnight, and then slaughtered and dumped there. Anyway, after so many days of blistering, no one could see it. (Of course, don't go around talking about it.) ）

For Polawisa, he has the credit for exterminating the rebels, and the explosion of the Jiang Xi is not a big deal, and it is nothing more than how much money to lose. Moreover, there have been telegrams from China saying that as long as he maintains the rule of the Philippines, it will be a great achievement. As for letting him be careful of the United States at home, it is not a problem in his opinion, and he believes that under the cover of shore artillery it is possible to withstand the attacks of the Americans. The U.S. fleet was not the Qing fleet, and the Qing fleet came up and killed one of his gunboats without saying anything, which still made Bolawechia a little frightened.

So he didn't know how many times he said not to provoke the Chinese, not to provoke the Chinese, for fear of retaliation from the Qing State, and there is a lesson from the Netherlands. He didn't want to repeat the mistakes of the past. But the damned ones under him just got into trouble.

Originally native to South America, rubber trees were brought to Southeast Asia by the Spanish and other colonizers. Huge profits and a wider range of uses, coupled with unique climatic conditions. The rubber industry in Southeast Asia has shown vigorous vitality. Throughout Southeast Asia, more and more large rubber plantations are popping up. With the continuous increase in the purchase volume of the Qing Dynasty, more and more Chinese began to get involved in the rubber industry. Today, rubber has become an important export material and economic source for the Philippines.

Not far from Manila is a large rubber plantation belonging to the Chinese, where tens of thousands of employees work on this rubber plantation. However, the peaceful estate was shattered by the arrival of a group of Filipino rebels.

Hundreds of Spanish soldiers tracked down a group of fleeing Filipino rebels who had fled into the rubber plantation. Of course, the Spanish soldiers had to go in and search. When they broke the fence of the rubber plantation and tried to force their way in, the owner of the rubber plantation came out to stop them. The owner of the plantation did not object to the Spaniards arresting the rebels, but demanded that the Spaniards should compensate for their losses afterwards: "This is my Chinese place, but you Spaniards do not come whenever you want to." This angered the Spaniards, who believed that the Chinese were harboring the rebels. So the Spaniards began to beat the Chinese, and the rebels took advantage of the opportunity to take out their guns. A gunshot rang out, and a Spanish soldier fell in a pool of blood.

The conflict escalated, and the Spanish soldiers engaged in a shootout with the rebels hiding in the manor, and both Chinese and employees on the manor were affected by the fish pond. And it was such a small matter for Polavisha, but it aroused the anger of the entire Filipino Chinese. Because this is just a microcosm of the entire Filipino Chinese. In this conflict in Spain to hunt down the rebels, too many innocent Chinese were killed.

More than a dozen coffins placed outside the Governor's Palace, and the white flags carried by the Chinese of the Luzon Chinese Entrepreneurs Association, with the bodies of these innocent Chinese who died innocently in the rebellion captured by the Spanish soldiers, went to the Governor's Palace to demonstrate, and the Chinese asked the Spanish Governor to come forward to explain in person. The Chinese did not make any noise or make noise, but quietly stood at the gate of the governor's palace, looking at the Spanish soldiers with their guns with angry eyes, and there was no fear in their eyes.

Polawechia lowered the curtain and said to his adjutant, "Go and tell these yellow-skinned monkeys how much compensation they want." As long as it's not too much, I'll say yes. ”

Polavisha was frightened by this move of the Chinese, and originally thought that the Chinese would disperse under the threat of gunfire as before, but this time they did not. A series of actions of the Qing State in Nanyang gave these Chinese more and more courage, and at this moment, both those Chinese outside the door and Polawisha himself believed it. As long as his soldiers dare to shoot, the Qing Kingdom across the sea will definitely come with a fleet to kill him.

"Your Excellency the Governor, the Chinese outside have rejected your request and only want to see you." The adjutant who went to negotiate with the Chinese returned: "In addition, Hu Weide, the consul general of the Qing State in the Philippines, wants to see you." ”

Boravisa frowned, what is he here for? Could it be that the Qing Kingdom is going to stand up for the Chinese? Polavisa was reluctant to see Hu Weide again. But the person must be the consul general, and out of politeness, he still wants to see the other party, but what does it mean that he wants to see at the door of the governor's palace.

"Hello, Mr. Governor. Can you explain why the Guiyankuai team killed and wounded countless Chinese while suppressing the rebellion? After Hu Weide finished speaking, he pointed to the coffins behind him, and then stared at Boravisha with an angry face.

Bolawechia was blinded by Hu Weide's attitude, a young man who seemed a little weak and a little diplomatic immaturity glared at him and demanded an explanation? He was actually questioning himself? A person who still has a pig's tail will dismount himself as soon as he meets?! This is contempt for the great Spanish Empire. I think that when the Spanish Navy was crisscrossing the sea, the Qing Kingdom didn't even have a decent ship. Do you think you can ignore the Spanish Empire after a few victories? Polavisia's face was full of anger in a blink of an eye: "Mr. Consul, please pay attention to your attitude, this is the Philippines, and it is the Spanish Governor General in the Philippines who is talking to you." ”

"Mr. Governor, it is you who should pay attention to your attitude, I am now questioning on behalf of the Great Qing Kingdom. Your country first blew up and sank our Yankuai ship, and then innocently killed our Chinese. I, the Emperor of the Great Qing Kingdom, want to know, is this Spain's contempt for the Great Qing Kingdom? ”

The Great Qing Kingdom? Polavisha wanted to throw Hu Weide into Manila Bay, but he came on behalf of the Qing Dynasty. This has to be considered, because the Qing fleet has returned. Polawechia thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Consul, none of us want this to happen. It was just an accident, and I've already indicated that I can do the appropriate compensation. ”

"Is it possible that a single word of compensation will solve all problems?" Hu Weide was angry and proud. Not long since. As the envoy of the Great Qing Dynasty, how could he dare to say even a tough word in front of the foreigners, if he had been driven away by the foreigners ten years ago. And now the foreigners have to honestly explain and compensate in the face of the anger of the Qing envoys, how can this not make him proud. But the court gave him the will to provoke the Spaniards, who did not expect that the Spaniards would suddenly agree to reparations so weakly, which made him angry. Today is April 2nd. Tomorrow is the day when the imperial court declares war on Spain. If this can't fulfill the will of the imperial court, it is certain that the beheading will be pulled back.

"Then I would like to ask you, Mr. Consul, what do you think should be done?" Although Polavisa was smiling, the pride of being a white man could not be erased.

Hu Weide said with a straight face: "My country hopes that your country will hand over the soldiers who killed our Chinese and those responsible for them to our country for handling. Here is included the commander of the Spanish Far Eastern Fleet, Don? Patricio? Montojo, Army Commander Peña, and—" Hu Weide smiled, pointed to Bolawechia, and said, "And the Spanish Governor in the Philippines, Bolawicia." ”

"Get rid of them all—" Bolawisha roared angrily, and the Qing Kingdom had listed him as a criminal!

"Mr. Governor, you have 12 hours to think about it." After speaking, Hu Weide turned to the Chinese and said, "Folks, let's all go back now." The court will protect us. ”

Watching the Chinese disperse without saying a word, Hu Weide breathed a sigh of relief. So at least the Philippine side will refuse the request of Qingguo, then wait until after dawn tomorrow. The Great Qing State could openly declare war on Spain.

An hour later, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Qing Dynasty formally handed over an ultimatum to the Spanish minister in China, demanding that the Spaniards hand over to the murderers of the bombing of the Jiangxi and the murder of the Chinese in Luzon. The Spanish minister in China was like being smashed and dizzy, and it was not his duty to deal with a governor. However, 24 hours is not enough for this news to be transmitted back to China, and this does not include the time for discussion at the meeting.

Therefore, at 10 o'clock in the morning of April 3, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Qing Dynasty officially submitted a declaration of war to the Spanish ambassador to China. At 10:30 a.m., the Qing Visiting Fleet rushed into Manila Bay without any hindrance, and launched an attack on the Spanish Far East Fleet remaining in Cavite at 11:30 a.m.

Knowing that he could not resist the Qing fleet, Montojo hurriedly ordered shore-based artillery to launch a counterattack. However, it was found that the entire Krabi was full of gunfire, and countless teams under the banner of the Luzon Chinese Autonomous Army were launching a fierce attack on the forts in Cavite. Because the Spanish army, which wanted to capture the rebels, did not have much land here with Ben. Under the strong attack of the Chinese, the shore-based batteries are falling one by one.

"Hell, this is not a Chinese autonomous army, this is a regular army of the Qing Dynasty." Peña, the commander of the Spanish Army in the Philippines, flipped over the table. I have never heard of the autonomous army established by the Chinese. And their marksmanship is very accurate, this can't be a makeshift organization. What's more important is that these Chinese actually have a large number of artillery, and it is also 75 mm large-caliber artillery, in terms of artillery intensity, this is at least the size of an artillery battalion. This must have been deliberately done by the Qing people, otherwise war had just been declared here. That's where the fleet hits, and there are so many regular troops.

"Peña, go and kill all the Chinese and let them know the history of Spain." The roar of Bolawisia could not drown out the roaring cannons outside the city.

Without waiting for Peña to reply, a guard came in from outside the gate: "The Chinese have broken through the city gate and are coming to the governor." ”

"Report, Admiral Montoho of the Navy has surrendered to the Qing State." At the same time, the signal corps reported a bad news.

"We don't have enough troops anymore. What should I do now? Peña asked anxiously.

Polavisia suddenly calmed down: "Peña, you said that these Chinese autonomous troops are actually dressed up as regular soldiers of the Qing State?" ”

"Yes, my Governor. I can confirm that. ”

"Then I understand. Let all the troops in the city gather at the governor's palace, and then order a ceasefire for the army, and I will talk to the Qing representatives. ”

"Talk?" Peña turned to refuse: "No. Bolawisia, have you forgotten that the Qing Kingdom has included us as criminals? ”

"Peña, you are a military man, you don't understand what political language is." Polavisia laughed: "The Qing Kingdom is hiding so many troops in the Philippines, and the visiting fleet is so coincidental that it is rushing into Manila Bay on the day of the declaration of war. This makes it clear that the Qing Dynasty has long been attacking the Philippines, and the reason why we are being included as criminals is that we are refused. It's just an excuse to declare war. As long as we hand over the Philippines to the Qing people, we will naturally be fine. After the initial panic, Bolawechia returned to the sensitivity of a politician who should be a governor, but he quickly became decadent again: "It's just that we have lost the Philippines, how can we explain to the country-"

"Why do you want to confess? His Excellency the Governor had not long ago asked for more troops in the country, and it was the rejection of your request that led to this failure. At least not to put the full blame on His Excellency the Governor. Peña affirmed.

April 3 at 2:27 p.m. Montoho, commander of the Spanish Far East Fleet, saw that all shore-based artillery shells were lost, and he raised a white flag and surrendered. At the time of surrender, only five of the twelve ships were still floating on the water, and the flagship "Rena? The "Christina" has completely sunk. At 3:12, the Spanish Governor General in the Philippines, Palawicia, announced a ceasefire. At the time of the ceasefire, more than 3,000 Luzon Chinese Autonomous Army had already entered the city. The most recent one has arrived just 500 metres from the Doge's Palace. By 4 p.m., when Hu Weide, the Qing consul general in Luzon, entered the Philippine Governor's Palace, the sporadic exchange of fire between the Qing and Western sides had not stopped.

"Mr. Governor, do I now take away the murderers and responsible persons who blew up our destroyer Jiang Xi and killed our Chinese?" Hu Weide leisurely sipped the tea, completely ignoring the black-faced Bolavicia.

Polavisha's face changed back and forth several times, and finally endured: "Mr. Consul General, I heard that there is an old Chinese saying called openness and honesty. ”

"That's a good point." Hu Weide actually applauded: "Then please order a ceasefire and surrender to our Chinese Autonomous Army." In return, I can guarantee the safety of all Spaniards after they are disarmed, and of course your property. ”

"I can not understand that. The Guiyankuai team did not intend to encroach on the property of our Spaniards. ”

"Your Excellency, you can't talk about it. Except for the temporary turn of the visiting fleet, none of our Yankuai team is in the Philippines. However, I would like to remind you that we, the Chinese Autonomous Army, are not responsible for any actions that occurred before the ceasefire. ”

"Then you should get the Autonomous Army to stop attacking our storehouses."

"It's the property of the Spanish government, and all we can guarantee is your private property." Hu Weide slapped Polavisha angrily in one sentence, and then Hu Weide said lightly: "Even if the Autonomous Army kills Your Excellency on the spot, what can it do?" Keeping your private property safe is a blessing. You don't have a choice. Hu Weide laughed and whispered: "We will confiscate all the property that has been discovered and belongs to the Spanish government." ”

At 4:30, as Hu Weide left the Governor's Palace, Bolawexia's order to disarm the Spanish army to the Chinese Autonomous Army was also transmitted. By 5 o'clock, all the fighting between the two sides had ceased, and the Autonomous Army had begun to count the Spanish government's property in the Philippines. Of the nearly 50 tons of gold, 40 tons were packed and sent to warships already docked at the port of Manila, along with countless other supplies.

At 7 o'clock that night, the Luzon Chinese Entrepreneurs Association began to gather Chinese businessmen from all over Luzon, as well as Luzon locals who maintained good relations with Chinese businessmen, to gather in Manila. will be there. Hu Weide, the consul general of the Qing State in Luzon, made it very clear that in order to ensure the safety of the Chinese in Luzon of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty would take over Luzon militarily, but the imperial court would not send officials to Luzon, and personnel from all walks of life in Luzon needed to elect managers at all levels, and the position of the top manager would be confirmed as the governor of Luzon. The cost of the Qing garrison will be negotiated separately with the new governor of Luzon.

The news overjoyed Luzonians who had always wanted independence. Luzon could finally get rid of colonial rule. Although there were still Qing garrisons, the Spaniards could not defeat them, let alone defeat the Qing in Spain in just a few hours. At least they don't interfere with the autonomy of the Luzons, that's for sure.

At 10 a.m. on April 3, 1898, the Qing declared war on Spain, but before Spain could declare war on the Qing Dynasty, the war in the Philippines ended. All the officials of the Spanish Consulate General in the Philippines from the Governor of the Philippines to the rank of Polavicia were captured, and the news reached Beijing, at which time the Spanish ambassador to China hurriedly began talks with the Qing State. At the same time, a Qing destroyer docked at the port of Hele on the island of Hole in the Sulu archipelago, and the young Shi Zhaoji who accompanied the ship formally paid a visit to the king of Sulu on behalf of the Qing state, and at the same time conveyed to the king of Sulu that the Spanish colonists had been defeated by the Qing Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty would formally occupy Luzon, and the people of Sulu would no longer be infringed upon by the Spaniards. While expressing his gratitude, the king of Sulu did not apologize for not paying tribute to the Qing dynasty all these years. He also proposed to go to Dezhou in the Great Qing Dynasty to worship the first king of Sulu, hoping that the Great Qing Kingdom would agree.

"The king of Sulu still understands the matter very well, and he should give preferential treatment to such a people." Guangxu smiled faintly: "Don't stay if you don't understand the matter." It would be nice to find an obedient Luzon to be the governor of Luzon, and the Chinese to be the vice-governor. Since it is said that it agrees to the autonomy of the Luzon people, it is necessary to do enough to save face. This truth must be clearly explained to the Chinese in Luzon, but it is also necessary to let them understand that Luzon can only be grasped in the hands of us Chinese. Go to the foreigners and tell them that the Philippines will change its old name back to Luzon from today. (To be continued.) )