Chapter 10, Into the Tiger's Den

Lin Fei said: "Let us keep his son Chen Fu on the ship. If Chen Jinguai dares to be disobedient tomorrow, we will castrate his son!"

Lin Fei nodded, and Chiyo Mikasa thought for a moment before saying: "Alright, I agree. Is there anything I need to prepare?"

Chiyo Mikako hesitated for a moment and asked, "What do you need my help with?"

Before us lies a lush green sugarcane field, surrounded by a fence over three meters high. Occasionally, a few bare-chested indigenous laborers can be seen working within the sugarcane grove. Chen Jinguo pointed at the sugarcane field and said: "Good sir, ahead is the sugarcane plantation, and the sugar factory and distillery are located at the southeast corner"

Lin Fei smiled slightly and pointed to the people beside him, saying: "This British man is my secretary whom I brought back from the British Empire; he has been with me since my studies in the British Empire. This is my wife, whom I married in Japan; the person behind is my bodyguard. As you know, the situation in Katipunan, Manila, is quite severe, and I have to be cautious, so my bodyguards are all armed with knives. If you do not like them bringing knives inside, I can have them leave their knives behind."

Chiyo Mikako shook her head repeatedly, and Lin Fei said: "It's very simple, just follow me tomorrow, and you don't have to do anything."

Lin Fei nodded, and Chen Jinguo led the group forward, gradually making their way deeper into the woods, where the light became dimmer. Chiyo Mikako felt a bit scared and instinctively tightened her grip on Lin Fei's arm, leaning her body closer to him. The group walked in the woods for about ten minutes, and suddenly, the view opened up before them.

Lin Fei, holding Chiyo Mikasa's arm, walked gracefully to Colonel Dennison, extended his hand elegantly, and said in English: "Mr. Dennison, hello, I am Lin Feiya, a businessman from Manila, and it is a pleasure to meet you"

Chiyo Mika's eyes lit up as she said, "Really?"

Chiyo Mikako said: "No, I am already engaged to Aoki-kun, I cannot be someone else's wife, not even in a false sense"

Li Mingbai asked: "But will that Chen Jinguo behave obediently tomorrow?"

Chiyo Mikako emerged from under the quilt, wrapping it tightly around herself. Lin Fei, sitting on a chair nearby, said: "Miss Chiyo, I would like to ask you for a favor tomorrow"

Lin Fei scrutinized Chiyo Yoshika, thinking to himself: "There are no women's clothes on the ship, so she can only wear this kimono. That’s fine; I can say she is my wife from Japan. She hasn’t left the captain's cabin, and her clothes are not dirty, showing no signs of flaws. It’s just her hair... She hasn’t washed her hair since boarding the ship; it’s dry and messy, all tangled up. As a wealthy businessman, how can my wife’s hair be so disheveled?"

Lin Fei smiled and said: "I have already made a deal worth 200,000 pesos with your boss, Mr. Cadro Fernandez. I traveled for over ten hours by boat from Manila just to see the condition of the plantation. If I am satisfied with your factory's sugar and rum, I will increase the order amount. Colonel, you will certainly have your share at that time"

Yu Xier nodded, and Lin Fei pointed his hand towards the cabin, saying: "There is also a woman inside; I had her pretend to be my wife, as women are the easiest to make people let their guard down. Didn't I also capture a Chen Jinguo? He is originally a merchant, and I had him introduce me to the Spanish guards. With these few points, the Spaniards will definitely not be suspicious."

Lin Fei pointed at Chiyo Mikako's hair and said, "Could you please wash your hair?"

Lin Fei let out a gentle sigh and thought to himself: "It is possible to use threats against a greedy scoundrel like Chen Jinguo, but I certainly cannot use threats against this innocent girl. I should try to coax her instead." Thus, Lin Fei said: "How about this, if you help me tomorrow, I will send you back to Japan."

Lin Fei nodded and said, "Take us inside"

Chen Jinguo heard these words and kowtowed loudly, repeatedly saying, "I dare not make a mistake." Lin Fei, seeing that Chen Jinguo was frightened, allowed him to return to Ibayat Island. As for tonight's events, Chen Jinguo would absolutely not dare to speak carelessly.

After a night of preparation, the next day finally arrived. In the afternoon, Lin Fei took everyone on a small boat to the beach in the north. Chiyo Mikasa sat beside Lin Fei, having washed her hair, which made her look even more beautiful. Everyone on the boat was looking at her, causing her heart to race.

When Lin Fei spoke these words, he deliberately used some advanced vocabulary from English, words that are not commonly used and are typically employed only by well-educated individuals. Lin Fei did this to showcase his own nobility. Colonel Denison indeed appreciated it; upon hearing those words he had never encountered before, he immediately regarded Lin Fei with a higher esteem and politely said, "Please, everyone, take a moment to rest in the plantation, and we will arrange for your tour shortly"

Lin Fei finished assigning the tasks and then asked everyone to go back and prepare. He then called Chen Jinguo over and said with a smile, "Brother Chen, how many sons do you have at home?"

Lin Fei arrived outside the captain's cabin and could only hear a low sobbing sound coming from inside. He knocked on the door and walked in, only to see Chiyo Mikasa hiding under the blanket, quietly crying. Lin Fei approached her bedside, gently patted her shoulder, and said softly: "Miss Chiyo, please get up. I need to talk to you about something."

Colonel Dennison smiled, extended his hand to shake with Lin Fei, and said in halting English: "Hello, Mr. Lin Fei, what brings you here?"

The Spanish soldier said to Chen Jinguo in Spanish: "What are these people doing?"

Lin Fei lightly coughed to stop Chen Jinguo's pleas and said: "Tomorrow, wait for me at the northern beach. After you see me, introduce me to the Spanish guard, and say that I am Mistizo, a wealthy merchant from Manila. Do you understand?"

Chen Jinguo smiled and said, "They are wealthy mestizo merchants from Manila, looking for our Colonel Denison." A Spanish soldier walked up to Lin Fei, and Yu Xier stepped forward to block him, speaking in a pure London accent, "You cannot see my master; my master only discusses matters with your Colonel Denison."

Chiyo Mikako blushed, hesitatingly linking her arm with Lin Fei's. Lin Fei joined the others to meet Chen Jinguo. Upon seeing Chen Jinguo, Lin Fei spoke in a cold tone: "Chen Jinguo, your son is doing well now"

Chen Jinguo smiled and said, "Rest assured, good sir, I guarantee that there will not be a single mistake!"

Chen Jinguo saw Lin Fei suddenly smiling and did not know what mischief Lin Fei was up to. When he heard Lin Fei mention his son, he thought Lin Fei's wicked scheme was aimed at his son. His legs went weak, and he fell to the ground, pleading: "Hero, I will agree to whatever you ask, please do not harm my son. Our Chen family has been passed down for five generations..."

"Katipunan" is an organization that resisted Spanish rule through armed violence during this era. In the time of Lín Fēi, this organization ultimately defeated the Spaniards; however, they did not gain national power due to the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, which led to the American occupation of the Philippines. When Lín Fēi mentioned it, Colonel Dennison became even more convinced that Lín Fēi was a wealthy merchant in Manila. Colonel Dennison laughed and said: "It's alright, it's alright, please, all warriors, carry your swords."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Lin Fei said, "Now I will arrange the tasks. Old Liu, you select twenty of the best and most capable brothers. Tomorrow, they will disguise themselves as my servants, and prepare the machetes and other tools. Also, pick out some good clothes from the whaling crew for them to wear tomorrow. Old Li, you ensure the ship is secure tomorrow. In case the plan does not succeed, the Pangu will be our escape route"

Chen Jinguo nodded and bowed as he led the way, quickly arriving at the entrance of the plantation. Upon seeing a group of people approaching, the sentinel at the entrance took off his gun from his back and walked over. Lin Fei recognized at a glance that the weapon used by the guard was the Spanish-manufactured Mauser M1893 rifle, which utilizes a magazine for feeding and has a capacity of five rounds.

Chiyo Mikako was afraid that Lin Fei's subordinates would have ulterior motives, so she had always refrained from washing her face and hair. Upon hearing Lin Fei's words, her face immediately flushed red, and she nodded slightly. Seeing that Chiyo Mikako agreed, Lin Fei then walked out.

Lin Fei said solemnly: "I want you to pretend to be my wife"

The soldier, upon seeing Yu Xier's appearance, hearing his English, and noticing Lin Fei with a beautiful woman resembling a flower, who was dressed in peculiar clothing, felt that Lin Fei was not an ordinary person. He hurried to find Colonel Dennison. Before long, a muscular man with a face full of freckles emerged from the plantation. Chen Jinguo quickly introduced him to Lin Fei: "This is Colonel Dennison"

Chen Jinguo nodded repeatedly, and Lin Fei said: "It's good that you understand. We will keep your son on the ship. If you comply with my wishes tomorrow, your son will be safe. If you dare to make even the slightest mistake, I will castrate your son and send him to Java to serve as a eunuch for the chieftain"

Lin Fei led the group to the beach and saw Chen Jinguo standing in the distance. Chen Jinguo also spotted Lin Fei and hurriedly ran over. At that moment, Lin Fei said to Chiyo Miyako, "Miss Chiyo, please hold my arm with your hand; this will make it appear more genuine."

Lin Fei smiled confidently and said, "This is precisely the most ingenious part of my plan. Tomorrow, I will personally disguise myself as a wealthy businessman. There are several well-fitting suits in the captain's cabin, and they will fit me perfectly." At this point, Lin Fei pointed at Yu Xier and said, "Old Yu, you will play the role of my secretary. Your golden hair and blue eyes, along with your authentic London accent, will serve as excellent cover for us. Our builds are quite similar, and you can wear the captain's clothes as well."

Denison spoke as he led Lin Fei and the others on a tour of the plantation, winery, sugar factory, ammunition depot, and the warehouse where slaves were held. Lin Fei took note of the guard situations at each of these locations, planning the actions for the evening.

After Lin Fei finished his visit with Chen Jinguo, he went to find Chiyo Mikasa. For the past ten days, Chiyo Mikasa had remained silent. Initially, she felt a deep-seated fear of Lin Fei; every time he came to see her, she would curl up in the corner of the wall, trembling all over. However, after observing Lin Fei's courteous demeanor towards her, her fear began to diminish.