Chapter 34

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On February 25, 1836, the Chinese New Year had just passed a week ago. At this moment, Feiyu City had already taken on its initial form, with a four-meter-high city wall constructed around it. Considering that the enemies of the Chinese were the weak indigenous people, a four-meter-high wall was sufficient to render these natives powerless. Such a scale of the city was unprecedented throughout the entire Mindanao Island.

Feiyu City might not be comparable to some of the major cities in China at the time, but its defensive capabilities were no less impressive. The city walls were built with red bricks and cement, with steel bars added to key areas to withstand artillery bombardment. The base of the wall was two meters wide, and the top was 1.5 meters wide, allowing Feiyu Army soldiers to shoot from a height during defensive battles. Wu Yongxing, who oversaw the construction of Feiyu City, even boasted that without an army of 100,000 indigenous people, no one could threaten Feiyu City. As long as there were enough troops and logistical supplies, no power on Mindanao Island could threaten Feiyu City.

The initial completion of Feiyu City provided the Feiyu Company with a solid base. With the new recruits' training largely completed, the Feiyu Army was finally ready to move on to the next phase of its plan.

On February 25, the Commander-in-Chief of the Feiyu Army convened the high-ranking officers, including the First Brigade Commander Niu Meng, Deputy Brigade Commander Zhang Wei, First Infantry Battalion Commander Zhou Lao Si, Deputy Battalion Commander Li Zhiyong, Second Infantry Battalion Commander Wu Qiang, Deputy Battalion Commander Liu Wu, Third Infantry Battalion Commander Sun Hao, Deputy Battalion Commander Zheng Weiming, Fourth Infantry Battalion Commander Zhao Mingfu, Deputy Battalion Commander Lu Ming, Fifth Infantry Battalion Commander Hu Tao, Deputy Battalion Commander Wu Jun, Sixth Infantry Battalion Commander Zhang Hong, and Deputy Battalion Commander Du Lide. The first four infantry battalions were the main infantry battalions of the Feiyu Army, primarily composed of veterans from the previous major battle. The last two infantry battalions were recruited from the Chinese descendants who joined the Feiyu Company later, having just completed their new recruit training, and their combat effectiveness was still relatively low. The six infantry battalions, totaling over 4,500 people, significantly increased the strength of the Feiyu Army, making it the most powerful force on Mindanao Island in terms of real combat power!

"Everyone! For a long time, we Chinese have been bullied by the indigenous people on Mindanao Island. In the past six months, we have also suffered two large-scale attacks by the indigenous people! However, we repelled their attacks and achieved glorious victories! We cannot continue to let these indigenous people oppress us! We must launch a powerful counterattack against them, making them realize that we are not to be trifled with!" Long Yufei said, looking at these young officers. A large portion of the current battalion-level and above officers in the Feiyu Army were young pirates from Feiyu Island. They were considered to be the more intelligent among the pirates and had shown bravery in the previous two battles. After the infantry battalions were formed, Long Yufei placed them in higher positions. Some others, like Deputy Battalion Commander Liu Wu of the Second Infantry Battalion, were Chinese descendants who joined the Feiyu Company later. After joining the Feiyu Army, he quickly integrated into the army, putting aside his previous arrogance.

"Commander, just give the order! We have long been fed up with these indigenous people! Two hundred years of blood and tears, we will make them pay in blood!" Niu Meng immediately said. He had been waiting for this day for a long time. Now that the Feiyu Army was strong and well-equipped, it was time to enter the forest and eliminate those indigenous people!

"Blood for blood, kill all those indigenous people!" The officers also shouted excitedly. Especially those officers who were Chinese descendants, they were even more agitated, as no one understood the atrocities committed by those damned indigenous people better than they did!

Long Yufei nodded, waiting for them to vent their emotions before saying, "I understand everyone's feelings! From now on, the Chinese have risen, and we will no longer be bullied by the indigenous people! Our target for this operation is the Mangabang tribe, which launched a large-scale attack last time! According to our intelligence, the Mangabang tribe and its affiliated tribes have a total population of over 40,000. They lost nearly 10,000 in the last attack, leaving about 30,000. However, the number of able-bodied men who can still fight is not many, at most 5,000! I hope that through this battle, we can completely eliminate the Mangabang tribe to deter other indigenous tribes on Mindanao Island! Additionally, during this battle, we will try to capture as many prisoners as possible! The elderly, sick, and disabled can all be killed, but able-bodied men and women and children can be kept. We need a large number of slaves for our mines and fields!"

"Haha! Commander, rest assured, this time we will definitely capture over 10,000 prisoners!" Niu Meng laughed. The other officers also laughed. The Feiyu Company's mines widely used slaves. Mining was inherently dangerous, with hundreds of slaves dying each month, either from accidents or from overwork. The Feiyu Company did not treat these indigenous people as human beings; many of the indigenous slaves were malnourished and had to perform heavy labor under the guns of the Chinese guards in the mines. Due to the high death rate of slaves, the Feiyu Company had to constantly replenish the mines with slaves from other places. To solve this problem, they had to launch attacks on the indigenous people and capture more slaves!

"For this operation, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Infantry Battalions will all be mobilized, while the 5th and 6th Infantry Battalions will stay behind to defend! I will also participate in this operation!" Long Yufei said. Long Yufei's knowledge of military command was limited, and he was at best a paper general. He was originally a tech enthusiast and had never had such an opportunity before. Now that he could command thousands of troops, he certainly would not miss such a glorious opportunity. After all, the opponents were indigenous people, and with four infantry battalions totaling over 3,000 people, they could easily handle the situation. He just needed to avoid interfering with the specific command of the troops!

"Commander-in-Chief, I can handle this battle, and you should stay in Feiyu City to oversee the overall situation!" Niu Meng advised. Although Long Yufei was well-versed in knowledge, his small physique was not very useful on the battlefield! Besides, the forest was the indigenous people's territory, and if anything happened to Long Yufei, Luo Sangu would surely skin him alive!

"No need to say more. This is the Feiyu Army's first proactive attack, and as the commander, how can I stay in the rear? As for safety, Brother Niu, don't worry, my guard is not just for show!" Long Yufei insisted! After becoming the leader of the Feiyu Company, Long Yufei's guard had expanded to a full infantry platoon, all composed of experienced veterans. They were skilled in both marksmanship and close combat. Long Yufei believed that with such a guard, if he were to be killed by the indigenous people, he would truly deserve it!

"Alright!" Seeing Long Yufei's determination, Niu Meng could no longer persuade him.

"Alright, everyone, go back and prepare! We will set out tomorrow morning! Each infantry battalion will send out scouts to clear the path, eliminate the indigenous traps, and open a route to the Mangabang tribe!" Long Yufei ordered! The forest was the domain of the indigenous people, and the Feiyu Army's combat effectiveness would be somewhat affected. However, each infantry battalion and its subordinate companies had a scout unit. These scouts were selected from Chinese hunters, skilled in forest activities, and with their new rifles, their combat effectiveness far exceeded that of the indigenous people. Much of the Feiyu Army's intelligence came from these scouts!

"Yes, Commander!" All the officers replied. Everyone was excited, as the Feiyu Army was transitioning from defense to proactive attacks, which was a great opportunity for these military men to establish their achievements!

Watching the backs of these military men as they left, Long Yufei felt a deep sense of accomplishment. After a busy half-year, he had finally built this team. This would be the capital for future competition with the Western world for the South China Sea and the entire East. However, this army was still too inexperienced and needed further training. Time was running out for them!

When Luo Sangu heard that Long Yufei was personally leading the troops, she was very dissatisfied and insisted on going with him. In her view, Long Yufei's combat ability was terrible, far inferior to hers, let alone on the battlefield. Long Yufei repeatedly assured her that he would only command from the rear and not personally engage in battle, and it took a lot of effort to convince her. However, she still called in Long Yufei's guard captain, Li Hu, and gave him a thorough briefing. Only after Li Hu promised not to let a single hair on Long Yufei's head be harmed did she feel reassured!

On the morning of February 26, 1836, at 6:00 AM, Long Yufei led the four infantry battalions of the First Brigade of the Feiyu Army out of Feiyu City and plunged into the vast forest to the west. The senior executives of the Feiyu Company all came to see the army off, knowing that this was the Feiyu Army's first battle to show its sharp claws, and it was very important. They also believed that with the Feiyu Army's combat power, they would certainly achieve victory!

An hour later, the army entered the forest. There were no roads in the forest, and they could only move between the trees. The Feiyu Army's scouts had already cleared this area of the forest, eliminating all the indigenous scouts. Therefore, the indigenous people were still completely unaware of the Feiyu Army's departure.

The conditions in the forest were extremely harsh, with no roads and widespread venomous insects and snakes. Without the guidance of experienced hunters, the Feiyu Army would likely suffer heavy losses before even reaching the Mangabang tribe. This was why the Chinese had always been unable to deal with these indigenous people!

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