In April, the city of Manila seems to be a steamer shrouded in haze, and thick clouds cover the whole island of Luzon, as if to take advantage of the end of the rainy season to vent all the accumulation, the heat and humidity are palpitating and uncomfortable.

More than ten kilometers away in Cavite, the sound of guns and cannons rang out for five whole days, and the gossip was like intermittent rain, which did not give people a pleasant feeling, some people said that the entire Krabi was occupied by the rebels, and some said that the Spanish army fought back, and some people said that the entire inhabitants of Cavite, whether it was Luzon or Chinese, were killed by the Spaniards!

Especially the last news, which made Old Man Jin tremble, and while instructing his family to pack up his things, he was about to send his nephew to contact the Luzon Chinese Chamber of Commerce, hoping to get some exact news.

He has been in Luzon for almost 40 years, from Luzon to Zamboanga, and from Zamboanga back to Luzon, while going around in a big circle, he also opened two lumber mills, and became a well-known timber merchant in the area.

To say that Luzon is indeed full of treasures, especially the perennial verdant old forests, it is simply an inexhaustible treasure, but the Spaniards have levied too many taxes in recent years, and the profits are not as high as before.

Compared to Borneo across the sea, the Chinese in Luzon are already very good, but today's only good thing seems to be getting farther and farther away with the Spanish soldiers who have been coming and going in the streets for a few days.

Old man Jin is almost sixty, he is already half of the loess to the neck, in the land of Nanyang, he has already seen through the world, and has seen a lot of scenes of Chinese being slaughtered as pigs and dogs, so when the Luzon people organized a rebel army, not only did he not sympathize, but remembered the tragedy in Borneo many years ago, and hundreds of thousands of Chinese were not killed alive by the locals?

Whether the locals came to power or the Spaniards continued to sit in charge, it was the same for him and many Chinese businessmen. Because the Qing Dynasty, the biggest pillar that originally stood behind them, is now called Bo Xishan, and even the three northeastern provinces have been occupied by others.

The only fortunate thing is that those natives and Spaniards are still fighting for who to sit in, and they don't have time to care about these Chinese businessmen, but he also knows very well that whether it is a native or a Spaniard, no matter who wins in the end, I am afraid that he will not easily let go of these Chinese businessmen!

For many years, I, the Chinese in Luzon, were not the targets of blackmail by those in power!

In fact, it's not just Old Man Jin, in Luzon today, there are many Chinese who think the same way as him, and some are even ready to leave, just because they are deeply disturbed by the turmoil of the past six months.

Old man Jin glanced at the few boxers who had been invited to protect his family at the gate, and was just about to go back to the house to see if the luggage had been packed, when suddenly a rush of footsteps came, and when he turned around, he saw his nephew who had gone to the Chinese Entrepreneurs Association to inquire about the news rushed in panting, and before he could ask, he had already shouted: "Third uncle, the Luzon people in Cavite have been defeated!" More than 30,000 people were killed, and it was said that the Spaniards had killed the entire Cavite for rebellion! ”

"What!"

Old man Jin's hands and feet were cold, and more than 30,000 Luzon rebels were killed? And Krabi was slaughtered as well! God, there are more than 50,000 people there, and there are hundreds of Chinese alone! And a few of his old friends, don't they ......!

"Third uncle, President Lin of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce has asked everyone to discuss countermeasures immediately, you see?" Without waiting for his nephew to finish speaking, Old Man Jin shouted violently: "Go, go!" ”

When Old Man Jin rushed out of his house, countless Chinese in Manila and even around him got the terrible news, and countless people began to pour into the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, hoping to unite to deal with the coming storm.

The Luzon Chinese Entrepreneurs Association in Manila is a three-storey building with a distinctly southern Chinese style, just like the cage houses in Guangdong, and more than 30 shops on the first floor near the street are all operated by Chinese, which not only witnessed the rise and fall of Chinese businessmen in Luzon, but also fell into artillery fire several times.

The Dutch, the British, and now the Spaniards, everyone who comes here treats this building as fat, sucking it like maggots on tarsal bones, extracting the hard-earned wealth of the Chinese, and shearing sheep in the name of it!

Chinese businessmen have always been the richest people in this cross-land, and with their hard work and sweat, they have accumulated an astonishing wealth from generation to generation, even in the era of turmoil and displacement, which is enough to make many people blush, but after the pillars on the other side of the sea gradually collapsed, their lives became more and more difficult.

Now that Luzon is in turmoil again, will this be the next Borneo?

With confusion, fear and hope, there was an endless stream in front of the Chinese Entrepreneurs Association, and the guys didn't even have time to greet them, just watched a familiar face rush in.

Until......!

The large hall of the Chamber of Commerce was crowded, and the Eight Immortals Table was already unsatisfied, and many people were crowded in the corner, whispering about the war that had occurred in Cavite a few days ago, while their eyes stayed on the president of the Chamber of Commerce who was gray and frowning at the front.

The many cordial Hokkien tones around him not only failed to relieve his tension, but made him more and more undecided, saying that Fujian people love to huddle, but in fact, who knows why they want to huddle, as the first Chinese to step out of the country, if not huddle, how can they resist the wind and waves?

But even if they formed a group, they still couldn't make Chairman Lin, who was known as the richest man in China, feel at ease, because the Spanish army's massacre in Cavite not only targeted the locals, but also hundreds of Chinese everywhere, which also indicated that the large-scale retaliation of the Spaniards was about to begin.

Just when everyone was waiting to speak, a rush of footsteps made everyone's hearts pinch again, and a boxer who went out to inquire about the news hurriedly ran in and shouted: "President Lin, it's not good, Vice President Chen was killed by Spanish soldiers, saying that he funded the rebels, and the whole family ...... more than 100 people!" ”

Before the boxer's words were finished, the chairman suddenly exploded, and everyone was stunned by the news, you must know that to become the vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, all of them are people with a wide range of contacts and funds, and even he was poisoned! Is this a sign that the Spaniards are going to take action against Chinese businessmen?

This news immediately made everyone in the hall gasp, and the anxious ones were even clamoring to leave Luzon, and the younger ones said that they should gather and protest to the Spanish governor.

At this time, there was a sudden sound of footsteps at the door, and everyone turned their heads to look, but when they saw that they were all relieved.

Zhong Wenyao, the Qing ambassador to Little Luzon, almost every Chinese businessman present knew this young man who was studying in the United States, but he didn't wait for everyone to say hello, but suddenly found that he looked extremely strange at the moment, a straight dress was nothing, but there seemed to be something missing.

A few sharp-eyed people who often deal with each other suddenly found that the braids that were neatly combed by Zhong Wenyao in Ping Yue were actually gone, and they were only covered by a hat.

He cut his braids!

Everyone was stunned by Zhong Wenyao, who walked into the hall with a smile on his face and a new Osaka dress, although Nanyang Chinese also have braids, but most of them retain the tradition of braids, but they are not as ugly as the money rat tail in China.

Although the braid is ugly, it is a sustenance for the motherland, but what do you see at this moment? An ambassador of the Great Qing Dynasty to foreign countries took the lead in cutting off his braids, you must know that if this is in China, it is a big crime that can kill your head!

"Ladies and gentlemen, I don't want to say too much, I'm here to tell you just one thing!"

Zhong Wenyao looked around the audience with a smile on his face, and only after stopping on the face of the chairman did he continue: "In the past few days, the Luzon will be chaotic, I hope that everyone can follow the arrangement of this sea captain, he will be responsible for protecting everyone's safety. ”

Seeing Zhong Wenyao introduce himself, the sea harrier lifted his shirt, revealing two shell guns in his belt, and stars appeared in his eyes, in the past, these people were all fat sheep and their sworn enemies, but now they are also officers and soldiers, these people have to be fucking under their own command, how cool!

"Ambassador Zhong, what do you mean?" The president looked at the sea harrier licking his tongue with a puzzled face and asked.

"What ambassador, my Lord Zhong is now the director of the Xinhua Government Council in Nanyang, Honolulu." The sea harrier crossed his waist and his face was full of excitement: "At the same time, he is also the chief representative of my Duke here!" ”

As soon as the Sea Harrier blew out Zhong Wenyao's series of names, the hall suddenly became silent, and everyone's eyes widened and they swallowed.

"Honolulu!"

"Xinhua Government Council?"

"Pacific Force!"

"That young master!"

God, he's coming to Luzon!

Surprise, nervousness, and incomprehension mixed with some kind of excitement suddenly exploded from everyone's brains. At the same moment, a louder protest from the window suddenly came, resounding throughout the four fields! ――

In a Chinese plantation on the outskirts of Manila, Liu Hengzhen squatted on the ground, smoking a cigarette one by one, looking at the charred and curled Chinese corpses not far away, and a sneer in the smoke hooked up from the corner of his mouth.

"Dog, brute!"

Beside him, a soldier who cleaned up the scene had red eyes, turned his head to look at Liu Hengyun, a bloodshot slipped on his lips, and he squirmed twice, as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't speak.

Jiang Tianxiu, who came with him, knew that the soldiers were not so angry that they couldn't speak, nor were they busy all night with a dry throat, but because they all knew that from the moment they put the gun on their backs, they were no longer ordinary people!

Unlike their comrades-in-arms in Liaodong, this is not yet under the control of the Pacific Army, and if they want to hide in this place full of enemies, they must be disciplined and learn to be silent!

Endure loneliness!

Jiang Tianxiu remembered that he had seen by chance a time that there was such a regulation in the form of the Nighthawk's recruitment requirements, which he was not very clear about at the time, and now he thought that they would take going deep behind enemy lines as their main means of warfare, if they were like ordinary people and couldn't hide themselves, I am afraid that Nighthawk would not be able to become the shortest but sharpest dagger in the Pacific Army.

But the newly formed Fifth Division is not a Nighthawk, and since the formation of the troops, it has a clear goal, to control Luzon and protect the Chinese!

Jiang Tianxiu turned his head, and wanted to say everyone's hearts at this moment instead of the soldier, but when the words came to his mouth, he found that he didn't know what to say, the plan was formulated by the General Staff, and it would take ten days to really do it, so this pain must be endured!

Corpses were loaded into the shroud, and the soldiers in civilian clothes put them in the wagons, and the long convoy was covered with white silk inside and out, which was a mourning for the dead.

"Are you all ready?" Liu Hengzhen stood up, threw down the cigarette butt and stomped it out with his toes, then slowly raised his head, the cold light flashed in the red eyeballs under the thick eyebrows, and looked at Jiang Tianxiu, who was already the chief of staff of the Fifth Division.

Jiang Tianxiu knew what Liu Hengzhen wanted to ask, and immediately nodded: "The first group of protesters has been organized, as long as we are there, Tan Wang's side will also cooperate!" ”

"Let's get started!" Liu Hengyun nodded vigorously and waved his hand at the soldiers: "Enter the city!" ”

As the wheels slowly drove towards the city of Manila, dozens of kilometers away, radio waves swept across the entire Luzon with orders, lurking in plantations everywhere, and the soldiers who looked no different from ordinary people quickly assembled, rifles were taken out of secret warehouses, grenades were hung with armed belts, and shiny cannons were dragged out of the carefully hidden places, and the whole Luzon was boiling!

Early the next morning, outside the city of Manila, a funeral procession fluttering white cloth and sprinkled with paper flowers slowly entered the city gate, along the way there were constantly Chinese people joining the procession, they were old or young, they were dressed differently, but each of them looked solemn, holding the coffin, tears in their eyes.

More and more people gathered in the motorcade, but the entire motorcade was silent except for the clattering of footsteps and wheels.

As the convoy drove towards the center of the city, it was lined with onlookers, foreign merchants, locals, and immigrants from other countries in Luzon, and almost everyone gasped when the convoy finally stopped outside the Spanish Colonial Governor's Palace!

The Chinese who have always been submissive are going to do this! Do they want to challenge the authority of the Spaniards here? Don't they know that there are tens of thousands of heavily armed Spanish soldiers on this island?!

Brigades of Spanish soldiers rushed to the Doge's palace from all over the place, and the bright uniforms and cold muzzles formed a red and terrifying wall in front of the funeral procession, and those onlookers thought that the Chinese would retreat under the threat of guns as before, but as time passed, they began to be disappointed, because this time there was a spark in the eyes of every Chinese!

"These damn yellow-skinned monkeys! What do they want to do! ”

Governor Polawechia lifted the curtains, covered his nose with one hand, and looked at the funeral procession standing outside the Governor's Palace, and jumped like thunder!

On the table, there were a lot of celebratory wine glasses, and several officers were burping, and their faces were full of anger, they had just won a great victory in deciding their surnames, and all the Luzon natives were killed, but they didn't expect these yellow-skinned monkeys to suddenly come to this hand again, and they made trouble and protested for several days in a row, what did they want to do? Don't you know that they have ruined the mood of the Governor!

"Jose, send someone to ask them what they want to do! I want to know why these yellow-skinned monkeys are doing this! Bolawicia lowered the curtain in exasperation and shouted.

At the same time that the officer was ordered to go out, Polavisha's assistant had already passed him and walked into the room: "Your Excellency the Governor, someone said that I want to see you immediately. ”

"Who?"

"It's the ambassador of the Qing Kingdom."

After Bolawishia frowned, the corners of his mouth quickly hooked up a sneer, what is he doing here? Do you want to stand up for these Chinese? Did he think that a country that had only known opium smoking could threaten the kingdom of Spain?

Although Polavisa was reluctant to meet the Qing ambassador at this time, and he still had a lot to deal with, he still agreed to meet with him out of politeness.

The living room of the Spanish Doge's Palace is full of traces of the Renaissance, with simple and unpretentious furniture and exotic reliefs, all showing the glory of this old empire.

But in Zhong Wenyao's eyes, Spain is too old, this small European country that rose in the Age of Discovery, and now it is like the Don Quixote on an old horse described in their novels, although he tried his best to maintain his chivalry, but because of his lack of strength, he repeatedly hit a wall, and finally had to face reality.

It's ridiculous that the Spaniards have not yet recognized the reality, and this generation is still quietly living in the glory of the past, even if the national strength is weak, their navy still has to maintain a Far East patrol system, and they have to send tens of thousands of troops to fight in Luzon.

In that case, let go of the last straw that broke the camel's back!

Zhong Wenda's eyes swept to Bolavisya, who had just walked downstairs, the smile on the corner of his mouth suddenly hardened, and he immediately protested without waiting for the other party to speak: "Hello, Mr. Governor, I need an explanation!" Why would the army led by your country appear in our Chinese manor and slaughter it! ”

I didn't expect that this Mr. Ambassador, who seemed to be weak and weak, would immediately come to the horse after seeing him, and dare to question himself loudly, Bolawisha couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, and in a blink of an eye, his face was full of anger!

When will it be the turn of the great Spanish governor in the Philippines, the supreme governor of the lives and deaths of millions of people in this land, to be taught a lesson by an ambassador of a rotten and old third-rate country of the Far East, full of opium and sick men!

Polavisha's face suddenly became gloomy and terrifying, and he lowered his voice and said coldly: "Mr. Ambassador, please pay attention to your words!" This is the Philippines, it's the Philippines of Spain, not your country! ”

"Yes, it is precisely because this is not the Qing Dynasty that I want to know more about why those troops want to kill us Chinese for no reason!" Zhong Wenyao didn't give in: "They are not pigs and dogs!" Not cattle and sheep! What exactly did they do wrong, and why did the Governor order them to be executed! ”

Zhong Wenyao's questions one after another made Bolavicia even more annoyed, and he didn't even notice that the big braid was no longer on the back of his head.

Being questioned by the "clown" of such a third-rate country, the excitement of Bolavisia's recent victory completely disappeared, and he didn't even bother to defend himself, so he simply shouted: "I'm sorry, as the governor of the Philippines, I don't need to explain anything I do to you, I still say the same thing, this is the Philippines!" ”

After speaking, he turned his head angrily and shouted, "Come on, take him out!" He's not welcome here! ”

Soon, several soldiers with big shoulders and round waists rushed into the meeting room, wanting to forcibly take Zhong Wenyao away, but Zhong Wenyao didn't give them a chance, shook his body vigorously, and sneered at Polavisha's back: "Your Excellency, we Chinese have a saying, blood debt must need more blood to pay!" With that, he strode out of the Governor's Palace.

Polavisha's body shook on the stairs, and he looked back at Zhong Wenyao's slender back, only to find that he no longer had that long disgusting braid behind his head, and suddenly a strange feeling rose in his heart as if something was about to happen.

But this feeling soon dissipated with the heavily armed soldiers at the door, this is the Philippines, here are tens of thousands of loyal Spanish soldiers! With them stationed here, what else can happen!

Thinking of this, Polawechia had just put his mind at ease, but he had just walked up the stairs when he heard a bang, a huge explosion suddenly came, and the governor's palace seemed to shake a little, so frightened that he staggered under his feet and almost rolled down the stairs.

"Damn it! What happened? Who's firing! ”

Plavisia roared and rushed to the balcony on the second floor, only to find two huge mushroom clouds rising in the direction of the dock, and he quickly took the binoculars from a general next to him, only to find that the two Hawaiian escort gunboats docked on the dock were sinking little by little!

What the hell is going on!

Plavy Chadu was about to go crazy, how could a Hawaiian escort gunboat explode in Manila? Could it be that something went wrong at the ammunition depot? Looking at the thick black clouds that had not dispersed for a long time, a trace of something bad suddenly rose in his heart.

On the dock, Tan Wang was speechless, looked at the gunboat that was broken into two and quickly sank underwater, licked his lips and secretly said that it was a pity.

It was captured from Yu himself, although he was old and did not enter the stream, but after all, it was a warship, and it was a pity to blow it up like this, but they also completed the final task.

"Has anyone been hurt?"

On the side, Duan Fei, who had arrived in Luzon a few days earlier, narrowed his eyes and asked.

"Boss Duan, don't worry, you don't know what I'm trying to do, except for the few Spanish soldiers who went in to search, only a few cooks from Annan accompanied the funeral, damn! A one-ton explosive ship, it is estimated that even the scum can't be scraped up, and Lao Tzu is going to find a cook again! Tan Wang looked at Duan Fei, but he smiled even more happily with foul language.

"Send someone to the telegraph station of the Spaniards to send a telegram, and send a telegram louder!"

"Let's just say that on 10 April, under the pretext of capturing the mob, the Spanish soldiers blew up two gunboats of our escort formation for no reason, resulting in the death of more than 70 sailors." Looking at the crowded Manila Port, Duan Fei smiled coldly: "Let Mr. Li and them go to protest and make trouble for a while." ”

"Ten days later, we'll be back!"

(To be continued)