Chapter 134 The Assassination of the Lantern Festival
The meeting hall of the old camp was brightly lit. All the tables, chairs and benches had long been moved outside. In the open space of the hall, a huge sandbox model was piled up with the sand from the Jishui River; the entire area around Manila was 20 miles away. The terrain was all displayed before people's eyes. Mai Xiaoliu was holding a batch of documents and carefully checking the accuracy of the sand table model based on the last survey data sent to him by spies from China Company.
The commanders of the three arms were present. Lu Shitou, as the head of the logistics department (deputy minister) and director of the reserve force department, was also present to participate in the discussion; there were also a group of Dutch staff officers. Together with An Heping from the company's engineering department, Li Yue and others were also there. They were the director and supervisor of the logistics department of the escort team respectively.
In such an occasion, Portuguese mercenaries are not allowed to participate. It is not a matter of trust, but to avoid the embarrassing position of the Portuguese: although few Portuguese have a good impression of Spain, the Spaniards are, after all, their compatriots.
The Dutch, who had a bitter feud with the Spanish, were very active in helping the Chinese company plan this war.
Yin Feng and Chen Di quietly came to the hall after dinner. No one noticed him. Everyone focused all their attention on the sand table in front of them.
The sharp-eyed Captain Van Leyden is now the director (deputy director) of the Operations Department. He saw Yin Feng. Before he had time to react, Yin Feng signaled him to keep quiet and waved him over.
"Be silent. Let everyone continue the discussion. We must come up with the battle plan tomorrow." Yin Feng said seriously.
"Ship owner, oh, Your Excellency, the general..." Now the foreign mercenaries call Yin Feng the general. After all, he created this army with his own hands: "We have never made such a detailed plan. We have never seen such a detailed plan. Detailed sand table model. You have to give us some time. Or you can give us some inspiration. Please guide us."
At that time, the staff system in the armies of various countries around the world was still in its infancy and very immature. Although the Netherlands was considered a country with advanced military technology in the world at that time, it still relied heavily on the personal qualities and on-the-spot performance of its generals in combat. Yin Feng arrived It’s not that a general’s personal skills and on-the-spot performance are unimportant, but that no one in the entire China Company’s escort team, including himself, can be considered an outstanding general; therefore, Yin Feng wants to wait for a talented general to be cultivated. To fight a war, it is better to arm your own army to the teeth. Do everything step by step. Don't rely on the generals' strategies. To fight the war, rely on the overall quality and military technology of the army. For such a battle, it is very important to investigate and study the enemy's situation in advance. .
Chen Di was very surprised by the big sand table in Manila. He wandered back and forth for a long time. Yin Feng was just a little impatient waiting.
"Old General. We still have to go to the soldiers' night school for inspection."
Chen Di reluctantly left the meeting hall of the old camp. Lin Yue and several black guards led the way with torches in front. The two walked on the playground of the camp. Chen Di sighed and said: "Captain Yin, I know you don't want to answer me. question. But I still want to ask: After you have conquered Manila and occupied Luzon, what else do you want to do?"
"Old General, didn't I show you a map?"
"Is that the map in the book "Travel to the East and West"? The great Western scholar Matteo Ricci of Nanjing also has such a map. It is said to record the geographical locations of various countries in the world."
"The map of Matteo Tessie Ricci should be similar to mine. The foreigners in Atlantic Europe have spread their footprints all over the continents drawn on this map. But we, the Chinese nation, are still limited to our own land and working hard on ourselves. My After the escort army drove away the Qianlu people, we still faced many enemies. There is still such a vast world for us to conquer. Old General Chen, I, Yin Feng, returned to the land of China from overseas. I never thought about going against the imperial court. I just want to protect overseas Chinese and let the Chinese people open their eyes to the outside world."
"The outside world." Chen Di shook his head in confusion: "I don't understand what you are talking about. If anyone has such an army, he does not want to earn a reputation for himself, but he also has to honor his ancestors. You are different from others. I can’t see through you. I can’t understand you either.”
Yin Feng sighed: In the world of this era, how many people are there who truly understand themselves?
He smiled bitterly and said: "Old general, don't worry about anything else. Just remember that we will never rebel unless the government comes to deal with us."
"How different is it from raising a flag to rebel?" Chen Di shook his head. He sighed and quickened his pace. He followed Yin Feng and others and walked towards the night school.
In the past few days, according to the tradition of coastal Fujian, Taiwan Port has been decorated with lanterns and streamers to prepare for the Lantern Festival. After the Lantern Festival, the counterattack on Manila will begin.
Yin Feng's family was finally able to spend the New Year together. Therefore, he went home early these two days. He announced that all employees of the Taiwan Chinese Company would have a three-day holiday. Let everyone have a good New Year. Then... it will be the Chinese Company faced an unprecedented war.
Every year before the Chinese New Year, it is also the time when the company issues stock dividends. Yin Feng wants everyone to have a good time in the first month, but things always go unsatisfactory.
On this day, he was preparing to go to the Liyuan Opera. He changed into a full set of Confucian robes under the service of Zeng Qian and Wan'er. Zeng Qian insisted that he wear this outfit.
Zeng Jingshan, Han Ping, and Zhao Mingcheng, the patriarch of the Zhao family in Zhaojiao, Haicheng, came to the door together and hurriedly pulled Yin Feng out of the door.
Yin Feng's eyes widened. He listened to Zeng Jingshan's report with suspicion: "What? Haicheng, the major families in Anhai are going to withdraw their shares. Why? Our dividend this year is double that of last year."
Zeng Jingshan sneered: "It's not because there are rumors that the government is going to take action against us. Those people are afraid that they will lose all their money by then. They don't want to think about it. The money they make in the company will be recovered in another year."
Yin Feng thought for a while and said, "Is the company short of money right now?"
Han Ping said: "Xu Xinsu's accounts have not been fully settled yet. However, the company's profits from the thirteen provinces in the mainland are definitely higher than last year. There are also bank profits that have not yet been reported. That's it. There are still some items in the company's treasury. There are three million taels of cash in reserve."
"That is to say, the company is not short of money. Even if these dozen big businessmen all withdraw their shares, we still have two million taels of silver to circulate. The ships that went to the Japanese country for trading have not all returned. The Japanese silver brought back is also It's enough for us to fight the war." Yin Feng also sneered. He shook his head and walked back: "You guys can handle this matter. Anyway, the company's articles of association stipulate that the shares can be withdrawn. However, the dividends and some expenses must be accounted for. Shopkeeper Han told me. If those merchants want to buy shares next time, we will increase their share. If they don’t get 200,000 yuan, we will reject them all.”
Zhao Mingcheng, the patriarch of the Zhao family, took a step forward: "Wait a minute. The ship owner, the county magistrate of Haicheng, has been replaced. Mr. Luo Xuri asked someone to tell him that the county magistrate also wants to return the shares given to him by the company."
The Zhao Mingcheng family is now considered a big family living in Taiwan. Many children of the Zhao family join the army in the escort team. Children like Zhao Tie have become commanders of one party; there are also children of the Zhao family who work in the Zhuang Ding team. Therefore, Zhao Mingcheng was appointed as the dock master of Taiwan Port. He has always been very grateful to Yin Feng for rescuing the Zhao family from Manila during the war.
Yin Feng shook his head: "This is to clear up the relationship with us. Leave him alone. Let him retreat."
This incident somewhat affected Yin Feng's mood for watching the opera. Under the stage at the Grand Pier in Taiwan, Yin Feng almost fell asleep watching the Liyuan opera. However, he did not understand the opera very well. This was also the reason: he originally had a strong interest in the traditional opera. He didn't know much about opera. In addition, the Liyuan Opera performed by the Tang Family Troupe was all sung in Quanzhou dialect. Yin Feng wasn't familiar with the story either, so he watched it absent-mindedly.
The performance performed by the Tang Family Troupe was early Liyuan Opera sung in southern Fujian dialect. It is a form of opera mixed with the folk song "Jin Ge" popular in southern Fujian. It was very difficult for Yin Feng, who spoke only so-so in southern Fujian, to listen to the opera. What is sung here is the local tune of southern Fujian. Later generations called it "Xianan dialect". (In the Yuan Dynasty, each province established "roads". Quanzhou people called the area north of Fujian "Shanglu" and called themselves "Xianan people". Shanglu old opera refers to operas from Zhejiang, Jiangxi and other places. The operas sung in Xianan accent are local operas.)
But Zeng Jing was very interested in watching it; on the mainland, she was a housebound young lady and rarely went to the theater; in Taiwan and Hong Kong, she was a respected wife of a big boss, who could make public appearances and sit in the first row in front of the stage. The best seat. Watching the opera sung in her hometown dialect. She felt that she enjoyed it very much.
What was being performed on the stage was the traditional Xiannan opera "Su Qin". A young boy was singing along with a sword on his back. The audience below were all watching mesmerized.
In addition to the Yin Feng family, there were also Zeng Jingshan and Chen Di sitting behind the long table in the first row.
The scenery on the stage flashed. The male and female actors appeared and the male and female actors began to sing duet. Yin Feng finally suppressed the urge to yawn. He looked around and saw that everyone was looking at the stage intently. Only he was looking left and right. It was a bit embarrassing. .
"It's hard to take a day off, but I still have to come here. It's really..." He sighed secretly.
"Su Qin" on the stage suddenly pulled out his sword. He stopped abruptly just halfway through singing the lyrics. The actor in the female role suddenly let out a scream. No one in the audience expected that the literary opera suddenly turned into a martial arts in the middle of singing. play.
"Su Qin" drew his sword and rushed to the edge of the stage. He jumped down from the stage and stabbed Yin Feng with his sword in mid-air.
If Yin Feng hadn't been distracted and not focused on watching the show, he might have been able to dodge the sword. When he turned around and looked around, he didn't see what happened on the stage; thanks to Magaro, Lin Yue, and those few They were all black guards. They knew nothing about Liyuan opera and did not watch the opera at all. Instead, they focused on their own work. Magaro was the first to react. He was not far behind Yin Feng and quickly kicked Yin Feng over. Peak chair.
Yin Feng's body tilted. He felt a pain in his left arm. He immediately understood his situation and rolled on the spot.
"Pa." The chair and table he was using just now were smashed into pieces by a figure falling from the sky. Yin Feng rolled more than ten feet away with his judo-trained skills, knocking over many tables and chairs on one side. Then he stood up. .The left arm was bleeding profusely. A large gash was opened by a sharp sword. Lin Yue had already pulled out two flintlock muskets and stood in front of him. The assassin "Su Qin" was wielding his sword to force back the surrounding men. Black bodyguards. Because they were here to watch a show, Yin Feng only brought these few bodyguards. And none of them brought any weapons such as swords. The black bodyguards just used tables and chairs they picked up to fight with the assassins.
There was chaos under the stage. Everyone was in a mess.