Chapter 9, Plantation

Li Ming said: "But the Spaniards on the island all have guns! Our whaling ship only has machetes and harpoons, how can we possibly fight against them?"

Lin Fei smiled and said: "We can say that we are 'Mestizo', which refers to the mixed race of Chinese and Filipino indigenous people. There are quite a number of such individuals in the Philippines, and they resemble Chinese people as well. The Spanish guards will not pay attention to this."

Liu Daming then called his brothers, and soon everyone gathered on the deck. Lin Fei said: "Brothers, after our reconnaissance, we discovered that there is a sugarcane plantation on this island, along with a sugar factory and a distillery. There are more than 200 indigenous people and about 100 Spanish guards. These indigenous people have suffered greatly under the oppression of the Spaniards, which has led them to rise in rebellion. The gunfire we heard today is the result of the Spaniards killing the indigenous people."

Chen Jinguo shook his head and said: "No!"

Chen Jinguo hurriedly said: "No, my good man, if I go back with you, the bodies won't be able to be moved on time, and failing to move the bodies on time will incur a fine!"

Chen Jinguo hurriedly said: "I am willing, I am willing. Helping a hero is my fortune; how could I possibly have any reason to be unwilling?"

Lin Fei frowned and angrily said, "Nonsense! How many local people can there be? How could they possibly kill for an entire day?"

Chen Jinguo, with a mournful expression, agreed and followed Lin Fei back to the northern beach. Lin Fei brought this father and son back to the Pangu whaling ship and had someone keep watch over them. When Liu Daming saw Lin Fei return, he laughed heartily and said, "You guys are finally back; the brothers thought you were eaten by the monsters on the island!"

Lin Fei nodded and said, "Chen Jinguo, listen carefully to me. I will ask you a question, and you should think it over before answering. If there is even the slightest mistake, I will have you skinned alive! Do you understand?"

The man wore a smile on his face and said, "I just want to earn a little more money to support my family. The Spaniards said they would pay five pesos to transport a corpse, but they consider the bodies of the indigenous people to be inauspicious and are unwilling to carry them"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present showed a look of confusion. It was then that Lin Fei realized that this statement was made by Lenin, who was only fourteen years old this year. How could he possibly have said such a thing! He had inadvertently let this statement slip out.

Lin Fei furrowed his brow and said, "What I am asking for is, of course, a Chinese name!"

Lin Fei smiled and said, "I have come up with a plan. Everyone has probably heard the saying: 'A fortress is most easily breached from within.'"

That person nodded repeatedly and said in a trembling voice, "My ancestors lived in Guangdong."

Lin Fei smiled and said: "I have already investigated thoroughly. This island is isolated from the outside world, with no telephone or telegraph, and ships only come once every three months. If we eliminate these people, no one will know for a short time."

Li Ming asked again: "But on what basis do the Spaniards believe that we are merchants"

Chen Jinguo replied: "Three months"

Lin Fei glared, whispering "Shut up." The man covered his mouth with his hand, not daring to make a sound. Lin Fei stared at the ground, remaining silent, thinking: "The sugar factory, the distillery, and the guns are all things I desire. I should probe this man to see if I can seize them from him." Lin Fei reached out and pulled the man closer, asking: "What is your name? Where are your companions?"

The corpse being carried by the two individuals was very heavy, causing them to breathe heavily, completely unaware that Lin Fei was lying in ambush ahead. As Lin Fei waited for the two to pass, he let the one in front go, then suddenly leaped up and struck the neck of the person behind with a punch, causing the latter to fall to the ground without a sound

Everyone was stunned upon hearing this. At that moment, Li Ming said: "Lin Shangguan, you just mentioned that these guards are all Spaniards. If we eliminate them, will the large group of Spaniards in the Philippines let us off the hook?"

Lin Fei hurriedly changed his tone and said: "The defense of the Spaniards is difficult to breach, but if we directly enter their interior, wouldn't it be much easier?"

Lin Fei asked, "Then what are you and your companions getting involved in? Why are you helping them transport the corpses?"

Lin Fei asked: "How much sugar can this plantation produce in a month? How many laborers are left on the plantation? How many Spanish guards are there? Who are the guards, are they Spanish soldiers? What kind of guns do they use?"

The person said: "I have three names, one in Spanish, one in Filipino, and one in Chinese. Which one do you want to know?"

Lin Feichong gestured towards Niu Dalong and Niu Dahu, and the two rushed out, dragging the unconscious man into the woods. They stuffed a piece of cloth that they had prepared in advance into his mouth. Lin Fei also dragged the captured man into the woods and slowly loosened his grip, allowing him to speak. The man surprisingly whispered in Chinese: "Hero, spare my life"

Upon hearing this, the man spoke with a tone of weeping, saying: "Good sir, those people were not killed by me; it was the Spaniards who committed those deeds"

Lin Fei put down the knife and casually said, "There is no need to call me a hero." However, he then asked, "What are you doing with the corpse?"

Lin Fei smiled and said, "I really did discover a monster on the island. Gather the brothers, and let's hold a meeting on the main deck. I have extremely important matters to discuss with everyone"

Lin Fei nodded, and the man pleaded, "Hero, please let us go back. We haven't done anything wrong; we just transported a few corpses. If you think about it, we are actually doing a good deed. We can't just let those bodies lie in the wilderness..."

Lin Fei was taken aback and asked, "Are you of Chinese descent?"

Lin Fei inquired, "Doing business? What kind of business is good to do on this island?"

The confusion on everyone's faces increased. Lin Fei said, "What we should do is, tomorrow we will disguise ourselves as Filipino merchants, enter their plantations, and then proceed as follows... Did everyone understand?"

Brothers, to conquer the world, we need people, we need money, we need guns, we need bullets. But looking at our current situation, we have a few people, yet we have no money or guns. From the captives, I learned that the Spanish guards on this island are equipped with Mauser M1893 rifles, with one for each guard, totaling one hundred. This is enough for our needs. Therefore, I have decided: we will take action to eliminate the Spanish guards at the plantation and seize this plantation.

Chen Jinguo responded: "In a month, approximately one ton of sugar is produced, and there are still over three hundred indigenous people left. The Spanish guards, about a hundred or so, are merely Spanish thugs hired by the plantation owners; they are not actual Spanish soldiers. However, the leader is a retired Spanish officer, and he is a colonel, quite formidable. As for the guns they use, I don't really understand what kind they are."

Lin Fei was puzzled; what kind of sugar and wine could there be on this small island? He then asked, "What business of sugar and wine?"

The man hurriedly said: "They are hiding everywhere! At this time of year, the sugarcane on the island is taller than a person, making it difficult to find anyone hiding inside. The Spaniards are searching and killing at the same time, and they have only managed to kill for a day."

Everyone nodded in agreement, but Li Ming shook his head and said, "How can we disguise ourselves as Filipino merchants? I have heard that Filipinos look different from us Chinese, wouldn't the Spaniards recognize us at a glance?"

The person hurriedly said: "My surname is Chen, and my name is Jin Gui. The person you have defeated is my son, named Chen Fu."

Lin Fei said lightly: "I did not say that you killed them, so you need not be afraid. I ask you, who are those corpses? Why did the Spaniards kill them?"

The person in front was taken aback and was about to shout when Lin Fei lunged forward, swiftly drawing a bone knife from his mouth with his right hand and pressing it against the man's neck. With his left hand, he covered the man's mouth. Upon seeing the knife pressed against his neck, the man went limp and dared not resist

Lin Fei smiled and said, "If you do not come with me, I will take your life right now"

The man said: "I am a merchant from Luzon, here to conduct business on this island"

Lin Fei felt a stir in his heart and thought, "This is a Mauser M1893 semi-automatic rifle, a fine piece of equipment!" Lin Fei nodded and said, "I understand now. I would like to ask you for a favor. Are you willing to help me?"

Lin Fei asked, "How often do ships travel between this island and Luzon Island?"

The man said: "They are all indigenous people captured from the mountains of Luzon Island, brought here to work on this plantation. Those indigenous people, they toil like beasts of burden, eating what even the animals would not consume. Life has become unbearable, so they contemplated rebellion. However, the Spaniards have guns, and the indigenous people's uprising could not materialize. As a result, the Spaniards killed the indigenous people, and they have been killing them all day long"

Chen Jinguo nodded repeatedly and said, "When we conduct business with the plantations, we must personally take a boat there, unlike dealing with the large merchants in Manila, where we can simply use a telegraph and press a few buttons."

Lin Fei said, "Then tell me if that type of gun has any special features"

Lin Fei said, "Alright, then you shall accompany me on a trip."

Lin Fei asked, "What brings you to this island?"

The man said: "To the south of this island, there is a sugarcane plantation owned by the Spaniards, which includes a sugar factory that processes sugar from sugarcane, as well as a small distillery that specializes in producing rum from sugarcane. We are here to purchase sugar and rum, esteemed hero. We are all of the same ancestry, so could you please lower your knife? If your hand trembles, my life will be lost."

Lin Fei pressed for an answer: "Can you guarantee it?"

Lin Fei finished speaking and pointed with his hand towards the nearby woods. The four individuals quickly concealed themselves within. Before long, sounds emerged from the forest, and the two men from earlier reappeared, carrying a corpse as they walked out of the woods. Lin Fei retrieved a bone-cutting knife he had found on the whaling ship from his waist, held it in his mouth, raised his leg high, and stepped lightly to position himself on the path the two men would inevitably take.

Chen Jinguo thought for a moment and said: "That kind of gun is quite special when loading bullets. They use a clip that holds the bullets, place the clip inside the gun, and with a simple pull, all the bullets are loaded into the gun. Then, pulling the trigger allows it to fire once."

The person said: "The business of sugar and liquor"

Chen Jinguo was so frightened that he trembled all over, nodding repeatedly. Lin Fei asked, "Is there a telephone line or telegraph line connecting this plantation to the outside world"