ATPnovel Chapter 81 The Tragedy of Ideals
Chapter 81 The Tragedy of Ideals
"If it were allocated based solely on population proportions, I would never have signed the Declaration of Independence," Chen Feng said firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.
The contributions of the Chinese people cannot be measured by numbers. Don't try to appease them with population percentages!
Luna remained silent for a moment, his brows furrowing into a deep frown, his fingers unconsciously rubbing against the table, clearly weighing the pros and cons rapidly.
For half a minute, the atmosphere in the restaurant was extremely oppressive, with only the breathing of the three people remaining.
Finally, he looked up at Chen Feng, his tone softening slightly: "General Chen, why don't you state your terms? As long as they are reasonable, I will do my best to negotiate with the Commander-in-Chief."
"My conditions remain unchanged: the quotas will be allocated based on merit."
Chen Feng suddenly raised his voice, his gaze piercing Luna: "Who led the Chinese army as the main force on the entire southern front, fighting bloody battles against the Spanish? It was us!"
Who bore 60% of the provisional government's expenses? The Chinese!
Who will be the main contributors to future tax revenue? It will still be the Chinese! In terms of contribution, the Chinese deserve more seats!
Luna pondered for a long time, a look of struggle on his face, before finally gritting his teeth and saying, "Five at most! That's the limit I can negotiate! And you must first relinquish command of the Chinese Free Army."
"This condition is non-negotiable," Chen Feng refused without hesitation.
joke!
Without command, wouldn't we become lambs to the slaughter?
The independence army was clearly worried that because they relied on the US military, even if they formed a coalition government, they would only obey orders and not directives.
Thinking of this, Chen Feng suddenly recalled the incident with Punnifa, his eyes sharpening instantly. He added softly, "I don't trust Aquinado. Unless General Punnifa comes back to life and makes a promise to my face, I will never relinquish command!"
The moment those words were spoken, the air around the dining table seemed to freeze, as if time itself had stopped.
Connor paused, a playful look crossing his face, and subconsciously glanced at Luna.
He was very clear about his old grievances against the independence army.
The doctor general before us was once the most loyal follower of Pennyfar, until the independence movement pioneer was murdered by Aquinas, and he was forced to submit.
Chen Feng's words hit Luna's sore spot perfectly!
Luna's composure shattered completely, as if a wound had been ripped open in public.
His fingers tightened around the wine glass, veins bulging on the back of his hand, and a gloomy look instantly settled on his face as long-forgotten memories surged uncontrollably into his mind.
It was a rainy night in 1896, at a jungle camp outside Manila.
Despite wearing a faded homespun military uniform and bearing the scars of battle with the Spanish army, Punni Fai patted his shoulder with burning eyes: "Antonio, what we want is the freedom of the Filipinos themselves, not a life of subservience to any power! Compromise won't bring true independence; there are only heroes who die in battle, not cowards who surrender!"
At that time, he had just returned from his studies in Madrid, filled with the ideal of saving the country, and followed the leader who ignited the flame of independence without hesitation.
Together they trained new recruits in the rice paddies and devised battle plans under the oil lamp late at night. Phani Faxiu always said, "Your knowledge is the Philippines' sharpest weapon."
But this weapon ultimately failed to protect the leader.
Three days after the Cavit conference, he received news of Punnis's arrest, and shortly thereafter, Aquinado ordered a military court to sentence him to death.
When he and his confidants rushed to the execution ground, they found their once spirited leader lying in a pool of blood, with a torn Katipunan party flag stuck in his chest.
He drew his sword on the spot, ready to fight Aquinado to the death, but his men held him back: "General, if you die, who will carry on Mr. Pennywise's legacy? Who will protect our compatriots who are still fighting?"
For the sake of that dying wish, he chose to endure and submit.
Over the years, he endured the stigma of being a traitor's follower, devising battle plans for Aguinaldo, all in the hope of completing the unfinished work of Punniar and truly freeing the Philippines from colonial rule by foreign powers.
"General Chen seems to know our internal affairs very well." Luna's words were low and trembling, as if squeezed out from between his teeth.
Chen Feng met his gaze calmly, his tone composed yet each word piercing: "Living in Luzon, if I didn't even know these things, I probably wouldn't be alive today. I just don't want to repeat the same mistakes! The blood and money shed by the Chinese should not become stepping stones for others to rise to power, much less end up like General Punni Fai, who died after achieving greatness!"
Luna snapped her eyes shut, and when she opened them again, the pain in her heart had been forcibly suppressed.
He took a deep breath and downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.
The liquor slid down his chin and dripped onto his clothes, but he seemed oblivious. He said in a deep voice, "Fine! I'll try to increase the number of seats to six and include it in the draft constitution, with the United States as witness! But you must first relinquish half of the command authority to the provisional government, which will then return it after parliament is established!"
"Even half is not acceptable."
Chen Feng shook his head, his tone still firm, "The gun is the last line of defense for the Chinese. Either I retain all command and the quotas are given according to merit, or this matter ends here and my signature will not be on the Declaration of Independence."
Luna's face paled slightly. He gave Connor a deep look, his lips moved, and a fierce struggle flashed in his eyes.
He seemed to have something to say, but he swallowed it back.
Connor knew he was in the way, but he wanted to ruin the Declaration of Independence press conference anyway, so he pretended not to notice, picked up his glass and slowly sipped his wine, looking like he was watching a good show.
After struggling for a long time, Luna finally looked at Chen Feng and said in a deep voice, "General Chen, may I have a word with you in private?"
Chen Feng turned his gaze to Connor, his meaning clear: Do you want to avoid this?
Connor could no longer keep up the act, so he quickly finished his drink and said with a light laugh, "You guys keep chatting, I'm going to the restroom."
Once Connor's figure had completely disappeared, Luna immediately slammed his hands heavily on the table. His eyes, behind his gold-rimmed glasses, were bloodshot, and his voice was a suppressed roar: "General Chen, people outside say you are a lackey of the American army, but I believe you are not!"
Do you know what will happen once the US military takes over Luzon?
At that time, not only will the quota for Chinese be out of the question, but we will all become new colonies of America! Mr. Penny Faxiu's blood will have been shed in vain!
His emotions gradually spiraled out of control, his chest heaving violently: "I know you don't trust Aguinaldo, and neither do I!"
But for the sake of Philippine independence, we must temporarily set aside our suspicions!
I swear on my life that if independence is achieved, I will push for Parliament to recognize all the contributions of the Chinese! I will not let your sacrifices be in vain!
Looking at the determination and pain in Luna's eyes, Chen Feng felt a ripple in his heart.
He knew Luna was telling the truth; the US military's ambitions were obvious, and they were by no means genuinely trying to help the Philippines gain independence.
But the independence army was already rotten to the core!
Aquinado's confidants sidelined the non-Tagalog generals, the southern Visayan troops refused to obey the orders of the north, and some indigenous leaders even secretly hoarded supplies, preparing to establish their own independent territories after the declaration of independence was issued.
How could such a disorganized mob possibly stand against the powerful U.S. military?
History has already provided the answer: even after the Spanish were driven out, Luzon would still have become an American colony.
Luna's ideals are admirable, yet also tragic!
Faced with overwhelming power and deep-seated internal conflicts, all his efforts will ultimately come to naught.
If it weren't for the dramatic changes in the international situation caused by World War II, this land wouldn't even have nominal independence!
Chen Feng picked up his glass, downed it in one gulp, and said in a long voice, "I see General Luna's sincerity. But a life as collateral is worthless in the face of power and guns."