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

Chapter 84 Power and Desire Lead to Betrayal

The atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

Without any hesitation, Shi Lingxi immediately stood up to take his leave: "General Chen, Brother Zheng, I have important matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now. Please continue your conversation."

Having said that, he turned and walked towards the door, his steps quick and decisive, showing no intention of lingering any longer.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through Chen Feng's mind: the key problem in building a bicycle factory!

He abruptly raised his hand to stop her, his tone urgent: "Miss Shi, please wait! Brother Zheng, please wait a moment! I have a question for you. Where in Luzon can we purchase rubber on a large scale?"

"What do you need the rubber for?" Zheng Mingsong asked, his face full of confusion.

Shi Lingxi also suddenly stopped in her tracks, turned around and looked back, her beautiful eyes full of curiosity, waiting for his answer.

Chen Feng stated frankly: "I plan to set up a bicycle factory to mass-produce bicycles. Right now, the most scarce resource is rubber, which will be used to make tires."

"It's a two-wheeled vehicle!"

Zheng Mingsong was taken aback at first, then nodded in realization, "This object does indeed need to be made of rubber, but we don't have any large-scale rubber plantations in Luzon. There are only a few wild rubber trees growing in the rainforest, and the production is very limited."

Shi Lingxi then added: "That's true. Only a few Chinese merchants go deep into the rainforest to buy rubber in small quantities. The total annual rubber production in Luzon is only about 500 tons, which is far from enough to build a factory for mass production."

Zheng Mingsong, who had studied abroad, knew the ins and outs of the business, and then poured cold water on the idea: "Brother Chen, bicycles aren't so easy to make. Putting aside the frame, the bearings alone require precision machine tool machining, with extremely high precision requirements. Furthermore, the rubber tires require a vulcanization process, a technology that we in Luzon don't even have, and we rarely even see it."

The machine tool issue is relatively easy to handle; the equipment at the ordnance repair shop can be modified and used as is. However, the vulcanization process is indeed the biggest problem at present!

Chen Feng frowned slightly. "I can solve the problems with the frame and bearings, but I have no clue about the vulcanization process for the tires and the raw materials for the rubber."

Upon hearing this, Shi Lingxi's eyes lit up. "What's so difficult about that? If General Chen is in urgent need, my Shi family has a very good relationship with Jardine Matheson and can help us purchase them in Hong Kong or Singapore. They can not only customize ready-made rubber tires there, but also buy complete sets of vulcanization equipment."

Chen Feng's eyes lit up, and he immediately clasped his hands in thanks: "Then I'll trouble Miss Shi to help with the arrangements. It would be best if you could also invite a few experienced craftsmen who understand vulcanization processes to come along. Rest assured, the Shi family will not be wasted their time."

Shi Lingxi waved her hand heartily, her eyes filled with a warm sense of camaraderie. "General Chen, you're too kind! Compared to the freedom and status of the Chinese in Luzon, this is nothing to worry about."

-

At this time, the Provisional Commander-in-Chief's Office of the Independent Army.

This building, converted from a Spanish colonial-era city hall, exudes a sense of haste and simplicity.

Gunshot marks were still visible on the walls, and unorganized weapon cases were scattered in the courtyard. Only the mahogany table in the main hall was still presentable, but it was shrouded in a somber atmosphere.

Aquinado sat in the main seat, in his early thirties, with a handsome face, but his brows revealed a deep-seated sinister ruthlessness and greed.

Unlike the washed-out uniforms of the other Independent Army soldiers, he wore a meticulously tailored dark blue uniform with a pure gold badge pinned to his chest and a large ruby ​​ring on his left ring finger that shone brightly in the dim light.

"Luna, do you really think that Chinese guy Chen Feng can be trusted?" Aquinas's voice was soft, yet carried a subtle but powerful pressure.

Standing at one side of the long table, Luna said firmly, "Commander-in-Chief, Chen Feng's conditions are harsh, but right now, only with the support of the Chinese can we fight against the American army. The Shi family has clearly stated their support for him. If we refuse, the Chinese and the Independence Army will be completely estranged, and once the American army makes its move, we will undoubtedly be defeated!"

"The Shi family?"

Aquinado scoffed and slammed his right hand heavily on the table. "The Shi family is just trying to profit from the independence army! They smuggle weapons for us, but then they dare to collude with the US military. Can you trust the words of a family like that?"

And then there's Chen Feng, leading a group of Chinese, entrenched in the coastal mountains of Malolos. Last time, he even attacked our San Antonio supply depot. He's nothing but a lackey of the Americans.

Luna said urgently, "Commander-in-Chief, we have no other choice. The Philippines cannot fall into the hands of another colonial empire. If we give Chen Feng suitable conditions and give the Chinese sufficient political status..."

"That's enough!"

Aquinado abruptly interrupted him, saying fiercely, "The seats in Parliament should rightfully be controlled by the Gallo people! I must personally appoint one-third of the members, and the rest must be elites from each province. Where are the Chinese? Those Chinese have always banded together. Once they infiltrate Parliament with their wealth, what difference is there between us and being colonized by foreign powers? We'll just have a different master!"

At this point, his tone softened, but his eyes gleamed. "However, you're right, the US military is indeed a major threat. Here's what we'll do: you go and tell Chen Feng that I will allocate five seats from the reserved seats in each province for him. As for the conditions of enshrining Chinese in the constitution and the ministerial position, we'll have to discuss those after he and I are married."

"Five? We can discuss that after we get married?"

Luna nearly dropped his gold-rimmed glasses in shock. "Commander-in-Chief, this is far from meeting Chen Feng's demands. Five seats are less than a tenth of the parliament's quota. Other conditions will be discussed after the marriage, and he will never agree to them."

Aguinaldo slammed his fist on the table and said, "He has no choice but to agree. Don't forget, we still have the main force of the independence army. At worst, we can join forces with the Spanish first, thwart the American landing, and then wipe out the Chinese Free Army."

"This...this is absolutely unacceptable!" Luna exclaimed, taking a half-step back in shock. "We've fought against the Spanish for three years, and countless compatriots have been killed by the Spanish. How can we join forces with executioners?"

Aquinas calmly pulled a letter from his pocket and said slowly, "Read it for yourself."

This is a handwritten letter from Basilio, the Spanish governor-general of Luzon.

He promised that if we changed our flag, he would recognize Philippine autonomy and allow us to retain our military, but only in exchange for control of customs, port privileges in Manila and Cavite, and religious control.

Luna took the letter with trembling hands. Sure enough, it bore the coat of arms of the Spanish colonial government, and the words were full of bait: "But...but the Spanish were already defeated by the American army. Their fleet was completely annihilated in Manila Bay. Why should they honor their promise?"

"Because they still hold the city of Manila, and because they still have tens of thousands of troops in their hands."

Aquinado sat back in his chair, his fingertips tracing the ruby, and continued in a cold voice, "Once I use the Spanish to eliminate Chen Feng, and then find a way to drive out Spain and the United States, won't the whole Philippines be mine to control?"

These words sent a chill down Luna's spine; he finally saw Aguinaldo's true colors.

So-called independence is nothing more than a pretext for seizing power.

For power, this man is willing to betray the revolution, collude with executioners, and even sacrifice the future of the entire Philippines.

But without this person, could the various forces still unite?