Chapter 28 of 43

Chapter 28

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"Brothers, follow me! Don't let a single native escape!" After the native army collapsed, the military officer Niu Meng immediately issued the order to counterattack and led the charge with a steel sword in hand. He was originally one of the most courageous pirates on Feiyu Island, and even after becoming a military officer, he found it hard to change this habit, often getting carried away in battle. Long Yufei had talked to him multiple times, but it didn't help much. When the Feiyu Army was still relatively weak, this wasn't a problem. However, if the Feiyu Army continued to develop, this could have a negative impact. To be precise, Niu Meng was a warrior, not a strategist!

"Charge! Kill all those natives!" The Feiyu Army soldiers had been firing mechanically, slaughtering the natives. Although they had killed many, it didn't give them the exhilarating feeling of battle.

After receiving the order to counterattack, the Feiyu Army soldiers immediately pursued. The Feiyu rifles could be equipped with bayonets, eliminating the need for soldiers to carry a steel sword on their waist, effectively reducing their burden and helping to conserve energy. With the bayonet attached, the Feiyu rifle's total length increased to 1744 millimeters, making it suitable for use as a spear. The bayonet, made of fine steel, was much sharper than the natives' spears, and the specially added blood grooves ensured that once pierced, the wound would bleed profusely, causing significant harm.

"Bang!" A Feiyu Army soldier shot a fleeing native soldier and quickly pursued. The bayonet-equipped rifle stabbed into another native's back, killing him instantly.

"Drop your weapons! Surrender and you will be spared!" The Feiyu Army soldiers shouted as they pursued. Among the Chinese in Mindanao, many understood the native language. Long Yufei specifically required the soldiers to learn some native phrases, such as "surrender" and "drop your weapons." This ensured that the Feiyu Army could capture more prisoners. The development of Feiyu City was mainly constrained by a shortage of labor, and prisoners of war were an important way to address this issue!

The situation of the native army could be described as a complete rout. Although the natives fought bravely, once their morale was low, the soldiers only cared about fleeing, making it difficult to organize a counterattack. This was the case with the remaining soldiers of the Mangabang and Buena tribes. They wished their parents had given them extra legs to run faster!

The natives of Mindanao, due to their genetic makeup, were mostly dark-skinned and short, resembling wild monkeys. They had been able to bully the Chinese for the past two hundred years mainly because the Chinese were too gentle and did not unite. In terms of individual combat ability, the native army was no match for the Chinese, let alone the systematically trained Feiyu Army!

The Feiyu Army's four main battalions, plus two newly formed battalions, totaling over eight hundred people, demonstrated an unstoppable force in the counterattack. Many natives were killed when caught, which further terrified the others. Hearing the Feiyu Army's call for surrender, those who realized they couldn't escape threw down their weapons and knelt to surrender.

Although the natives were fearless, they also made the right choice when faced with adversity. As more and more natives surrendered, most of them gave up resistance and chose to surrender. The natives revered the strong, and when they realized the Feiyu Army was unbeatable, surrender became the best choice!

Seeing the situation was not good, the chief of the Mangabang tribe, Sangton, was the first to flee. However, out of the eight thousand people the Mangabang tribe and its affiliated tribes had committed, only a few hundred managed to escape. The rest were either killed by the Feiyu Army's sharp rifles or surrendered. The chief of the Buena tribe, Enado, had more experience. As soon as he saw the Feiyu Army counterattack, he immediately fled, not following Sangton. He knew that this crushing defeat would make Sangton very angry, and he might take it out on him!

The Feiyu Army pursued to the edge of the forest before stopping. According to the orders of their superiors, they did not rashly enter the forest. The dense trees in the forest were not conducive to the Feiyu Army's powerful firepower, and with their limited numbers, fighting in the forest would not be advantageous. There was no reason to abandon their strengths to fight the enemy.

In Feiyu City, the Chinese were already celebrating. The battle did not last long, but the Feiyu Army, despite their small numbers, achieved a glorious victory against over ten thousand natives, shocking all the Chinese. They also deeply understood that from this moment on, their safety was truly secured!

"Heaven has opened its eyes! We finally defeated those damned natives, and our good days are coming!" Some of the older Chinese were already in tears. Throughout their lives, they had suffered greatly at the hands of the natives. Now, they finally saw hope!

Feiyu City had become a sea of joy, with almost all the Chinese celebrating the victory. The adult men, led by their superiors, went outside the city to assist the Feiyu Army in clearing the battlefield. The steel factory had already prepared shackles, which would now be put to use. With the large number of natives captured, these shackles would turn them into the best slaves. This would help to fill the labor shortage in Feiyu City, accelerating the development of the Feiyu Company!

"Yuhua! We won, we won this battle! From now on, no one in all of Mindanao will dare to underestimate us!" Long Yufei excitedly grabbed Luo Sangu's hand, completely ignoring her blushing face. Although their relationship had become closer, being held by Long Yufei in public still made her want to find a hole to hide in.

The civil affairs officer Li Decheng, the logistics officer Zhao Yi, and the deputy civil affairs officer Wu Yongxing, standing beside Long Yufei and Luo Sangu, turned their heads as if they hadn't seen anything. The easy victory of the Feiyu Army excited them as well. Although the Feiyu Army was still not the largest in Mindanao, with any larger tribe having more soldiers, in terms of combat power, there was probably no one on the entire island who could defeat the Feiyu Army. As the reputation of the Feiyu Army spread, more and more Chinese would join the Feiyu Company, rapidly increasing its strength. Eventually, the Feiyu Army would dominate all of Mindanao, creating a haven for the Chinese!

Liu Mingde and his grandson Liu Wu, who were still in Feiyu City, were completely stunned by the battle. They had originally thought that although the Feiyu Army was strong, they would not be a match for the natives. After all, over ten thousand natives were not easy to deal with! However, they never expected the native army to be so weak, or rather, the Feiyu Army to be so strong, far exceeding their expectations!

"Grandpa! The Feiyu Army is too strong, even stronger than the regular Spanish army. If they continue to develop like this, soon no one in all of Mindanao will be a match for them!" Liu Wu said somewhat dejectedly. The strength of the Feiyu Army had shattered his pride. He had thought that with over two thousand people, Balan Village was one of the strongest among the Chinese. But compared to the Feiyu Company, Balan Village seemed insignificant. Balan Village could only barely survive under the harassment of the natives, while the Feiyu Company could easily defeat large native tribes!

Liu Mingde nodded. He was now somewhat regretful and understood why Wu Yongxing had advised him to join the Feiyu Company. The Feiyu Company had the strength to become the leader of the Chinese in Mindanao. The sooner Balan Village joined the Feiyu Company, the more benefits they would gain from its development. If they waited too long, Balan Village would not get as many benefits. Liu Mingde was almost certain that after news of this battle spread, more and more Chinese forces would join the Feiyu Company!

"I will go find Brother Wu right away. Balan Village should join the Feiyu Company!" Liu Mingde made up his mind.

Liu Wu did not object. He also knew that joining the Feiyu Company would only bring benefits to Balan Village, not harm!

The work of clearing the battlefield continued until nightfall. The Chinese in Feiyu City, holding torches, buried the dead bodies, and the prisoners were shackled and guarded. Because they hadn't expected so many prisoners, the steel factory had not prepared enough shackles. The remaining prisoners had to be tied with ropes until the steel factory could produce more shackles.

In the evening, Long Yufei received the detailed battle report. In today's battle, the Feiyu Army killed over five thousand natives, including the injured, for whom the Feiyu Company had no medicine to treat. Additionally, they captured four thousand natives!

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