bullyxtreme Chapter 26 The Smoke of War Has Not Yet Cleared
Chapter 26 The Smoke of War Has Not Yet Cleared
Balangai Village is located on the edge of the indigenous settlement, and the terrain becomes increasingly steep and rugged the further north you go.
Wang Liang had all the soldiers in his squad change into the captured indigenous clothing, and as they walked along the path over two mountain passes, they could vaguely see a young indigenous man running quickly towards them.
He immediately waved to signal the soldiers to hide in the dense forest and ambush, while he himself limped to the middle of the road, clutched his calf, and lay down on the ground.
Before long, the indigenous youth ran over and stopped twenty meters away.
"Quick...help me!" Wang Liang clutched his calf and cried out in the local language, pretending to be a child.
The indigenous youth frowned, stood still, and demanded, "Which tribe are you from? How did you get injured like this?"
Wang Liang groaned in pain, "I...I am from the Balangai tribe. We have been ambushed by the Spanish...Please save me."
"Barangay?" the native youth muttered, his expression still tense. "Why did the Spanish attack you? And why haven't I seen you before?"
"Our contact with the Independent Army has been exposed," Wang Liang casually made up.
The indigenous youth then asked, "Weren't the Spanish surrounded by the American troops in the city?"
Seeing that he kept asking questions, Wang Liang lost his patience and simply waved his hand.
Seeing that the young man was still pressing for details, Wang Liang lost patience and secretly waved his hand towards the dense forest.
The indigenous youth looked puzzled upon seeing this and was about to ask another question when several dark figures suddenly darted out of the forest and pinned him to the ground like tigers pouncing on their prey.
Wang Liang then stood up, dusted himself off, and grinned, "Kid, enough with the nonsense. Tell me, which tribe are you from?"
At first, the local youth was stubborn and refused to confess, but Wang Liang had plenty of methods and soon forced him to reveal the details.
It turned out that this person was from the Cherlo tribe. The tribal chief saw the thick smoke rising from the direction of Balangai and sent him to gather information.
This tribe is very close to Balangai, less than five kilometers away as the crow flies. They are very powerful, with a total of nearly five hundred people, of whom more than three hundred are able-bodied men.
Furthermore, the Cherlo tribe received even more support, with the Independent Army providing them with a full one hundred rifles.
"What is the Independent Army trying to do by giving so much support?" Wang Liang stroked his chin, his eyes cold.
The indigenous youth, already terrified, hurriedly replied, "The Independence Army told us to assemble outside Marolos on the 30th of this month... saying they want to form a coalition army and work together!"
On the other hand, things aren't going so well for Tian Gang.
Heading east from Balangai, the terrain gradually flattens and opens up. After walking for about half an hour, the group emerged from the forest and found themselves in a vast expanse of farmland.
"It looks like an indigenous village ahead."
Tian Gang muttered something to himself, then turned around and headed northeast.
After passing through two villages, I didn't see any trace of Chinese settlement. It wasn't until I arrived at the third village that I saw faded red couplets pasted on the doorframes of every household.
Tian Gang was overjoyed. He immediately ordered his soldiers to put away their weapons and strode towards an old man working on the edge of the field: "Fellow villager, may I ask where your village chief lives?"
The old man pointed to the largest house in the village, then lowered his head and went about his business.
Tian Gang nodded his thanks, then walked towards the largest house in the village, raised his arm, and knocked on the door: "Village Chief, open the door!"
Who is it?
Tian Gang thanked him, quickly walked to the gate of the house, and knocked on the wooden door: "Village Chief, open the door! We are from the Chinese Free Army, we have something to discuss!"
Who is it?
An old voice came from inside the courtyard, followed by a series of rustling footsteps.
The wooden door creaked open, revealing an elderly man in his sixties with white hair. He was hunched over, dressed in faded coarse linen clothes, and his face was covered with age spots.
"Village chief, we are members of the Chinese Free Army. Our mission is to fight for the freedom of the Chinese people and to ensure that we Chinese are not oppressed in Luzon..."
Before Tian Gang could finish speaking, the old man coldly interrupted him: "Here to ask for money again? Our village was ransacked by the Spanish a long time ago, and we don't have a single penny left."
As the old man spoke, he simply opened the door completely, gesturing for Tian Gang to look inside.
The courtyard was empty except for a few chickens pecking at rice in the corner. The main door of the house was wide open, and a few white candles were lit inside. A spirit tablet stood prominently on the offering table.
Tian Gang glanced at the memorial tablet, shook his head, and explained, "Old man, we're not here for money, we're here to recruit new soldiers."
"Recruit?" The old man scoffed, pointing at the memorial tablet. "My youngest son was conscripted by the Spanish a few days ago, and he's like this now. If you want to recruit people, then recruit this old man!"
"Old man, this..." Tian Gang was speechless and could only take a few steps back in frustration, leading his men to other houses in the village.
However, after visiting several households, they were met with rejection each time.
They finally found a young man full of enthusiasm who was willing to join the army, but his parents held him back tightly, crying and begging him not to go and die.
Tian Gang didn't get anything all afternoon.
But going back like that would be too embarrassing for him.
The temporary campsite by the sea presented a completely different scene at this time.
Chen Feng, along with Kong Yunfei, Ding Junkai, and their group, hurried back to the camp before nightfall.
Zhang Xiuwu was training his soldiers when he saw him and rushed over to greet him: "Brother Chen, how did it go? Did you defeat the Balangai tribe?"
"Ha ha!"
Chen Feng laughed loudly, "Not only did we win, but we also annihilated the entire Balangai tribe."
Hearing this from afar, Feng Qinlan covered her face and burst into tears, crying out, "Father, Mother, our revenge has been achieved! You can rest in peace now."
The soldiers cheered when they heard that they had won the battle.
"We won! I told you, with the general in charge, there wouldn't be any problems!"
"Pah! You were just complaining a few days ago that the indigenous people were hard to fight!"
"Great! We've finally avenged our fallen brothers!"
Chen Feng walked up to the soldiers and gestured with his hand, "Brothers! Balangai is our territory now. From today onwards, it will be our Free Army's base! Tonight, we'll move all the camp's supplies there!"
The soldiers immediately split up and began to organize their weapons, ammunition, and food supplies, packing and bundling them up.
However, the camp had far too many guns left. Including bullets and food, the camp's supplies filled more than eighty boxes, which could not be moved in one trip.
After a moment's thought, Chen Feng instructed Kong Yunfei to stay behind with ten soldiers at the seaside camp, while he, along with Zhang Xiuwu, Ding Junkai, and the remaining twenty men, would first move a batch of supplies.
A Springfield M1861 rifle weighs about 4.3 kilograms, and each wooden box contains ten rifles, with a total weight of nearly 100 kilograms.
Chen Feng's body had been practicing martial arts for many years, and his strength far exceeded that of ordinary people. He easily lifted two wooden boxes and moved with incredible speed.
However, the others didn't have that kind of strength and could only carry one box at a time, or two people would carry three boxes.
Aside from those who stayed behind, there were only about twenty people carrying the loads.
The mountain road was rugged and difficult to travel, and it wasn't until the evening of the second day that Chen Feng arrived at Balangai Village with the last batch of supplies.
Having not slept for over thirty hours and carrying a 200-pound load over mountains, even with his strong physique, he was now so exhausted that his eyelids were drooping and his legs felt unsteady.
Despite his drowsiness, Chen Feng walked to the village gate and asked in a hoarse voice, "Tian Gang and Wang Liang... haven't they returned yet?"
Ren Dayong quickly replied, "Not yet, I've already sent people to scout along the way..."
Before he could finish speaking, several staggering figures suddenly appeared on the mountain path in the distance, heading towards the village.