ATPnovel Chapter 37 Unwavering Courage in Chaotic Times
Chapter 37 Unwavering Courage in Chaotic Times
"Oh? Tell me about it."
Chen Feng turned around and saw a boy of about fifteen or sixteen standing behind the stall in the far corner. He was wearing a coarse cloth shirt covered in patches and blue shorts. He was thin and sallow, but had bright eyes. What was most striking was his hair, which looked like it had been chewed by a dog.
"Fight for the freedom of Chinese people!"
The boy's voice wasn't loud, and it even trembled slightly, but it was extremely penetrating.
Who among the Chinese present hasn't heard the bloody and tearful history passed down orally from their ancestors?
As early as the Song Dynasty, Chinese people came to Luzon with great difficulty, exchanging silk, porcelain and tea for local spices and minerals.
With Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean in the early Ming Dynasty, the scale of Chinese migration expanded, making them the core force of Luzon's trade.
By the end of the Ming Dynasty, the total population had reached around 100,000.
But with the arrival of the Spanish, the good days for the Chinese came to an end.
In 1603, the 31st year of the Wanli reign, the first large-scale massacre of Chinese people broke out, with more than 25,000 Chinese falling in pools of blood.
In 1639, the twelfth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, the second massacre occurred, and another 2.4 Chinese perished in Southeast Asia.
In 1662, after Zheng Chenggong recovered Taiwan, Spain became enraged and turned its sword against the Chinese, massacring them until only about 6000 remained.
In 1686, the Chinese population slowly recovered to about 10,000, but Spain once again wielded its sword, and only a small number of people fled to remote mountainous areas.
A history of migration spanning three hundred years, half of which is a book of blood and tears.
Since the Spanish arrived in Luzon, the Chinese have been treated like lambs to the slaughter and have never had freedom again.
Even the Chinese army that Liu Hengfu raised was nothing more than a lackey of the independence army composed of natives. It never raised a flag for the Chinese, and those natives played the role of executioners in the several massacres against the Chinese.
"Freedom? Can we Chinese people have freedom in Luzon?"
"Even if the Spanish are driven out, there will be Americans, and eventually there will be the indigenous independence army."
"Freedom is nothing but a beautiful dream!"
......
The crowd murmured amongst themselves, their faces filled with confusion.
Chen Feng looked at the upright young man, smiled, and encouraged him, "Do you believe that Chinese people can be free?"
"I believe it!"
The boy straightened his back and his voice gradually grew louder: "We Chinese have lived in Luzon for hundreds of years, and no army has ever fought for the freedom of the Chinese like the Free Army. I may not live to see the day when the Chinese live freely in Luzon, but I believe that as long as someone fights for it for their entire life, that day will surely come."
These words were like a spark, reigniting hope in everyone's hearts.
"That's right! Freedom isn't something the Spanish give away; we have to fight for it ourselves."
"This Chinese Free Army is good. I have no ties and I'm going to join right now. Anyone want to join me?"
"Count me in! Damn it, I still have a brother. Even if I die in battle, someone will take care of my mother."
......
"Kid, come with us, I'll protect you from now on."
Suddenly, half of the thirty-odd Chinese present wanted to join the army, and some even extended invitations to the young man.
"I went to register the day before yesterday, but Brother Tian said I was too young and told me to go next year." The boy looked shy, and his ears turned bright red.
"What a pity! We'll have to see you next year then."
The dozen or so people immediately packed up their things and left the market in a large group. The boy squatted down again, a look of disappointment on his face.
Chen Feng walked up to his stall, glanced at the mountain produce on it, and asked softly, "What's your name? How many people are in your family? Why are you setting up a stall here all by yourself?"
The boy lowered his head and replied, "My name is Pang Li. I only need to eat my fill, so my whole family isn't hungry. I'm only able to set up this stall because of the kindness of the guys at the surrounding stalls."
"Where are your parents?" Chen Feng also squatted down.
"My father was conscripted by the Spanish to fight the indigenous people and died the year before last, and my mother was killed by the rebel soldiers of the independence army last year." Pang Li said lightly, but he rubbed his eyes and became lifeless.
Chen Feng's heart sank. He began to pack up the mountain goods on his stall and said in a low voice, "Since you're only concerned about yourself, then come with me."
"Why should I go with you?" Pang Li was stunned and forgot to stop Chen Feng's actions.
"My name is Chen Feng! You should have heard of me." Chen Feng lowered his voice.
"Chen Feng?"
As Pang Li muttered the name, his eyes lit up instantly, and his mouth opened wide, as if he was about to shout it out.
"Shh~"
Chen Feng, not wanting to expose his whereabouts, quickly stopped him.
Pang Li quickly shut his mouth and helped pack the mountain goods.
After the two left the market, he asked in a low voice, "General Chen, is that really you?"
"Genuine, no doubt about it!" Chen Feng smiled and patted his head.
Pang Li exclaimed excitedly, "So now I'm a fighter in the Chinese Free Army too?"
"Of course! However, the city is still occupied by the Spanish, and there are spies from the independence army everywhere. You must not leak any information," Chen Feng instructed.
Pang Li nodded vigorously: "Don't worry, General!"
When we got back to the hotel, it was already noon.
There weren't many people in the restaurant, except for a middle-aged man with brown hair wearing a white shirt who was dining there.
Upon seeing this person, Chen Feng was immediately taken aback. After letting Pang Li return to his room, he walked straight over and whispered in English, "Mr. Connor, I didn't expect to see you here."
Connor was startled and looked up instantly. After recognizing Chen Feng, he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly lowered his voice, "Chen, you have a lot of courage to come to Marolos City."
"Mr. Connor, you're not lacking in courage either!" Chen Feng chuckled and sat down opposite him.
Connor lowered his voice: "I was just about to look for you, but I didn't expect to run into you here."
"What do you want?" Chen Feng casually picked up an empty wine glass and, without any ceremony, filled it with wine for himself.
Connor said with a half-smile, "Of course I'm here to cause you trouble. Your Free Army only has a few dozen people, yet you dare to say you have one or two thousand. If General Dewey finds out, he definitely won't let you off the hook."
Chen Feng showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, he chuckled softly, "Looking for trouble with me? I think Vinar was sold too cheaply."
This guy is actually the biggest contender for the next Governor-General of Luzon under the Spanish colonial government. The ransom his family paid alone must have been no less than $50,000, right?
Connor was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then burst into laughter: "You've found out quite a lot, but there's no going back now."
"There's an old Chinese saying, 'Once a move is made, there's no going back.' I, Chen Feng, am a man of my word, and I will never go back on my word." Chen Feng raised his glass.
"Cheers!" Connor raised his glass in response.
After they finished their drinks, Connor put down his glass and asked in a low voice, "Chen, what are you doing in Marolos?"
"I've come to gather intelligence and see if there's a chance to take this city," Chen Feng said with a playful glint in his eyes, half-jokingly bragging.