Yin Feng lamented that he was really working hard. He had just breathed a sigh of relief because of his victory over the Spaniards. But immediately a myriad of things piled up on him like a mountain.
After the Chinese Company occupied Manila, it first took over the wealth of Spanish colonial officials at all levels. It collected a full amount of real gold and silver worth one million taels of silver. This was the accumulation of the Spanish who had been plundering the Philippines for 60 years. It was enough for Yin Feng and Hu God spent money recklessly. However, these are all private properties. The Spaniards in Luzon are all rich. But there is almost nothing in the warehouse of the Governor's Palace. This is no wonder. The Spanish colonial government in the Philippines has always been full of wealth. The government relies on trade with the Chinese to keep the government running. It has a serious fiscal deficit and often needs economic support from Mexico.
At the beginning of their invasion of the Philippine Islands, the Spanish colonists expected to make huge profits through the spice trade. But they were soon disappointed. They also found that maintaining colonial rule was a loss-making business. The Philippines does not produce cloves in large quantities like the Moluccas. Mindanao Island Although cinnamon is produced, selling cinnamon is not very profitable. In addition, the Philippine island's precious metal production is not abundant due to a lack of labor and technology. Agricultural production also lacks technology and manpower and is only self-sufficient. Although the colonial authorities tried their best to increase exploitation, tax revenue is still It was so limited that it could not make ends meet and was often in deficit. Galleon trade was considered the only way out. At that time, the natural resources of the Philippines had not yet been developed. Only a small amount of gold, pearls, cotton, yellow wax, ropes, etc. could be shipped to Mexico for sale. However, the total annual value does not exceed 30,000 pesos. Most of the goods shipped to the Americas by large sailing ships are goods from Asian countries - mainly China.
Occupying Manila does not count as controlling all of Luzon. Yin Feng continued to dispatch troops to various places to suppress indigenous unrest. Because the Spanish ruling class almost entirely relied on churches and missionaries to control the bottom society of Luzon. After the Chinese captured Manila, many missionaries Scholars encouraged their own parishioners to rebel in their mission areas; there were also tribal communities that had been disobedient during the Spanish rule. Taking advantage of the collapse of colonial rule, they jumped out to rebel and cause trouble for their own power or interests. The most troublesome province is Pampanga. The Pampanga natives are the most valiant allied fighters of the Spaniards. They are also the tribe most thoroughly brainwashed by the Catholic Church. Manila has just fallen into the hands of the Chinese. Several chiefs of the Pampanga people Instigated by Dominican missionaries, they raised the flag of holy war for God and prepared to attack Manila.
Yin Feng still needs a large number of manpower to take over the farms in various places. He also needs to take over the firearms factories, gun factories, shipyards, etc. run by the Spanish. At the same time, he also needs to fully take over the Spanish military strongholds and facilities. Fortunately, Zeng Jingshan brought the second The fleet arrived in time. It brought with it several children of the Zeng family, clerks from business stores from various places, more than 30 bookkeepers, and more than a dozen recruited poor scholars from various places. They served as temporary civilians under the protection of the army. Officials go to various places to do business.
Zeng Jingshan actually set sail on the day the Chinese Company troops landed at Bashikou. He brought not only supplies but also more than 1,000 landless refugees recruited from the mainland. They were the first batch of Chinese to immigrate to Luzon collectively.
…
The construction work of Anping Port and Castle opposite Taiwan Port is reaching its climax. As a large number of manpower and material resources are transferred to Luzon, local labor is in short supply. The company's engineering department recruits students from military schools, technical schools, etc. to work with high salaries. At the same time, Recruited a group of students' teachers to manage paperwork and cashier work on the construction site. Under Yin Feng's strong promotion and influence, the company pays attention to rules and regulations. All projects must have someone responsible for managing paperwork and files. Therefore, the fortress There is a lot of paperwork required both on and off the dock site.
Chen Dong volunteered to work at the construction site at Anping Port in the southern part of the Gulf; in fact, he had almost nothing to do these days. A large number of students were absent from classes at the Enlightenment School, Military Primary School, and Sailor Literacy School. The whereabouts of the personnel were unknown. Moreover, it used to be that every night Evening literacy classes for soldiers, which were all scheduled to start, were also stopped. The excuse was that the escort had to prepare for the expedition to Luzon and was intensifying its training and had no time to attend classes.
Chen Dong was very doubtful about this statement. However, he was unable to enter the military camp because of this. He did not know the situation inside the military camp at all and could not judge what happened.
On this day, he responded to the call and went to the construction site of Anping Port. However, he found that there were very few warships on the coast. The guards at the warehouse and the temporary military camp were all members of the Zhuang Ding reserve team wearing gray uniforms. There were almost no regular infantry guards.
This is a rare situation. Chen Dong, who has been in Taiwan for three years, knows that most of the time the Zhuang Ding Reserve Corps is guarding farms and plantations in the mainland of Taiwan Island. The port has always been guarded by the Sailor Musketeers and the Infantry Guards. of.
A few days later, Chen Dong returned to the headquarters of the Taiwan Hong Kong company for work. By chance, he met Rui'er, the maid of the "big lady" of the Yin Feng family, outside the company door. While walking, he chatted with the family members of a wealthy businessman with a relaxed expression: "...next time . Let Mr. Qi go to Fuzhou to get some rat poison. Our wife was frightened last night. The rat was so big and scurrying all over the house. My wife didn’t know what to do. She could only jump all over the floor. I went to bed. Haha. I still have to ask us to go there..."
"Alone." Chen Dong lowered his head and walked back to his residence. He always felt that there was something wrong with Rui'er's words. It is true that Yin Feng may not be in the eldest lady's house; however, it does not mean that Yin Feng was seriously injured and could not get out of bed for a month. Moreover, The eldest lady Zeng Jing was also injured. How could she be jumping all over the floor in just ten days?
Chen Dong linked up one by one such things as many military school students missing classes and missing their whereabouts, the suspension of night school in the military camp, and the replacement of port guards with reserve teams. He suddenly realized this and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
In the evening, a small fishing boat that had been docked at the pier set sail. At the mouth of the bay, the patrolling naval vessels briefly inspected it and then let it go.
Quanzhou fisherman Guo Yi and Fujian Dusi, Wuyu Shuizhai's exclusive spy, General Shen Yourong, carefully drove the boat. He hurriedly reported to the Fujian government that the main force of the Chinese company's armed forces had gone to Luzon.
Yin Feng barely slept during the first three days of occupying Manila. He was very busy. Fortunately, the Spanish did not cause much trouble for him. The troublemakers were all indigenous people. Governor Acuna showed great performance on the day the city fell. He had the aristocratic bearing of a bachelor. He sat behind a chair in the governor's office and waited for the escort soldiers to arrest him. He did not need to be escorted. He even walked out of the governor's palace on his own initiative. In contrast, the commander-in-chief of the army, Don Fernando, was knocked unconscious by Chinese soldiers. Dragged out of the Governor's Palace.
Even in his busy schedule, Yin Feng did not forget to agree to Li Lihua's promise. He sent people to Cebu to find Li Dan's whereabouts. Mai Xiaoliu led five three-masted warships and 10 two-masted warships to go south to Cebu. However. Mai Xiaoliu had to turn to Leyte Island midway.
The 60 soldiers of the third team of Zhuang Ding's reserve team sent to take over the Spanish stronghold on Leyte Island were attacked by the natives of Leyte Island. More than half of them were killed or injured. When they returned halfway, they encountered Mai Xiaoliu's fleet. Mai Xiaoliu immediately sent someone to inform Yin Feng led a large group of troops to attack Leyte Island.
The main tribal chief on Leyte Island is called Bancao. He was originally the chief of Limasawa Island when the Philippine conqueror Legazpi first arrived in the Philippines. He has always been friendly to the Spanish and has embraced Catholicism. The Spanish colonists settled in Lu After the defeat of Song Dynasty, although he was almost 50 years old, he still announced that he would avenge the Spanish and led six villages to revolt.
In the water cell of Cebu Castle, a large number of Muslims captured by the Spaniards from the southern Sulu Islands were imprisoned. In the most hidden dungeon, there was a mysterious physiological criminal who was imprisoned after offending the governor and the bishop. Li Dan, who has been imprisoned for nearly four years, has been without food for four days. The jailer Ming Ming mysteriously cut off his food. After the Chinese captured the castle, the native jailers escaped. Because Li Dan was at the bottom of the cell, there was almost no one. He knew the location of the secret door. He could vaguely hear the sounds of gunfire and gunfire outside. But he was almost in a position where he couldn't help but face the situation of starving to death in front of his own eyes.
After Colonel Cutre and Roaquan's special forces captured Cebu Port in a surprise attack, due to the lax military discipline of the large number of Chinese pirates who cooperated in the operation, they were busy rectifying and maintaining law and order in the surrounding areas. They never went to search the water prison. They just released all the prisoners. Roaquan was in Li Dan was not found among the prisoners, so they put the Muslims on a boat and sent them back to Mindanao.
At noon that day, a large number of Chinese pirates were carving up the property in the castle. Luo Aquan was supervising. A Chinese ship came with a messenger and a red flag. Luo Aquan saw it from a distance with the eyes of a sharpshooter. Not long after, the messenger informed Luo Aquan. The shipowner's army had a great victory under the city of Manila and had already occupied the royal city. Mai Xiaoliu, who was originally going to occupy Cebu, temporarily changed his route to Leyte Island to suppress the rebellion. Yin Feng ordered him to find Li Dan quickly and send him safely to Manila.
Luo Aquan said distressedly: "We have already checked the cells in the fortress. We did not find Brother Li Dan. Okay. Let's look for him again."
This time, he dug three feet into the ground to search, alarming the dying Li Dan. He used his last strength to knock on the wall, attracting the attention of Zhonghua Company personnel outside. Finally, he found Li Dan, who was half-starved to death. Li Dan was released from prison for the first time. In one sentence, he cursed: "Damn it, you want to starve me to death. You are all blind. Don't you know how to look carefully?"
In the second sentence, he asked: "Are you from Yin Feng? Where is Brother Yin?"
Luo Aquan didn't know Li Dan. In the past few years, he had traveled all over the country, fighting in the east and in the west. He was no longer the ordinary boy in Zeng's shop. He said to the angry Li Dan tepidly: "I am a member of the China United Captain of the company's special escort team. Our commander is Yin Feng. He asked us to rescue you. We have already occupied Manila."
Li Dan was startled for a moment. He looked at Luo Aquan, who was clean and tidy all over. He laughed: "What a Yin Feng. He should be my brother-in-law now. Not bad. It's really good that he has someone like you under his command."
Because the indigenous people near Cebu also rebelled, the Maixiaoliu fleet went to Leyte Island to suppress the indigenous rebellion. The islands along the coast were not peaceful. Therefore, Li Dan stayed in Cebu for more than half a month before taking a boat. to Manila.
When Yin Feng learned that Li Dan had escaped safely and was on his way back to Manila, he was receiving a group of missionaries in the office of the former Governor's Palace - now the Luzon Governor's Palace of China Company.