Chapter 43

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In mid-June, the patriarchs of several major Chinese families in Zamboanga rushed to Feiyu City to negotiate with the Feiyu Company. Long Yufei, representing the Feiyu Company, assured the patriarchs of these major families that the Feiyu Army would not forcibly conscript Chinese people into the military. Whether the young people joined the Feiyu Army would be entirely voluntary. However, after Zamboanga joined the Feiyu Company, it would have to pay taxes to the Feiyu Company, and the Feiyu Company would dispatch troops to Zamboanga to ensure its safety. In addition, the rights and obligations of both parties were specified.

"Commander, we have no problem paying taxes to the Feiyu Company. However, what is the tax rate? Will it be heavier than it is now?" a middle-aged man asked. He was Lin Zifeng, the elder brother of Lin Zihao and the patriarch of the Lin family. The Lin family was the largest Chinese family in Zamboanga, and the other families generally followed their lead.

Upon hearing Lin Zifeng's question, all the patriarchs of the major families looked at Long Yufei. If joining the Feiyu Company meant they would have to bear heavier taxes, it would be a huge loss for them.

"Mr. Lin, you are overthinking it! According to our information, the current tax rate paid by Zamboanga to the Sultanate of Maguindanao is 30% of profits! The Feiyu Company will not increase the tax rate. We will maintain this rate! However, I know that to reduce losses, all Chinese factories or shops try to evade taxes. This will not work with the Feiyu Company! I have only one requirement: pay the taxes you owe. If anyone tries to use tricks, our agreement will be null and void! You will bear the consequences!" Long Yufei warned. These Chinese people were quite cunning. He didn't care about their tricks against the natives before, but if they tried to use these tricks on him, he wouldn't mind letting the bayonets of the Feiyu Army taste blood!

Lin Zifeng's face turned slightly unnatural, but he then said, "Commander, please rest assured. How could we treat our fellow Chinese like we treat the natives? The taxes we owe, the Lin family will not fall short by a single cent!"

The other patriarchs of major families also expressed that they would not evade taxes. Although they might have had such thoughts before, now that Long Yufei had raised the issue, if they continued to resist and tried to deceive the Feiyu Company as they did the Sultanate of Maguindanao, it would be suicidal. When they arrived in Feiyu City, Long Yufei specially held a small live-fire drill, which greatly shocked these patriarchs!

A live-fire drill by an infantry battalion of the Feiyu Army, with dense rifle fire and mortar attacks, made these patriarchs truly feel the strength of the Feiyu Army. In this era, strong military power was the fundamental guarantee of everything. Although Zamboanga was very prosperous and wealthy, they lacked strong military power, so they naturally dared not offend the Feiyu Company.

Moreover, these patriarchs were very interested in the Feiyu Company's extensive use of native slaves in mines and farmlands. Some of the major families had already privately contacted the Feiyu Company's leadership to inquire if they could buy some slaves. These families had many mines and factories, and if they could use slaves, their costs would definitely decrease further!

Long Yufei did not prohibit the sale of slaves to other Chinese factories and mines. However, Feiyu City was still under construction, and the steel mill and non-ferrous metal smelting plant were expanding, requiring more and more slaves. The Feiyu Army had already captured over 60,000 slaves, but it was still not enough. There were no spare slaves to sell to other Chinese for the time being. However, the Feiyu Company assured these Chinese that the Feiyu Army would continue large-scale operations against the natives, and once more slaves were captured, they would be sold to them after the Feiyu Company's needs were met. This made the major families very satisfied. They chose to cooperate with the Feiyu Company not only to ensure their own safety but also to gain greater benefits!

On June 18th, Long Yufei, representing the Feiyu Company, reached an agreement with the Chinese in Zamboanga. From now on, Zamboanga would officially join the Feiyu Company and become a city under its jurisdiction, with Lin Zifeng serving as mayor. The taxation and defense of Zamboanga would be taken over by the Feiyu Company, while other affairs would be handled by the Chinese in Zamboanga. After reaching an agreement, the Feiyu Army would dispatch two infantry battalions to Zamboanga within a month to strengthen its defense and deal with the threat from the Sultanate of Maguindanao.

At the same time, Long Yufei proposed that Zamboanga send shipbuilding craftsmen to Feiyu City to enhance the shipyard's capabilities and train skilled workers and craftsmen for the Feiyu Company. The major Chinese families in Zamboanga immediately agreed to Long Yufei's request. The Lin family, which specialized in shipbuilding, and another family immediately stated that they would send their best craftsmen to Feiyu City. They fulfilled their promise, sending hundreds of craftsmen and skilled workers to Feiyu City, which fundamentally solved the labor shortage in the Feiyu Company's shipyard. The construction progress of the 'Shark-class' cruiser was greatly accelerated, and it could be completed within the deadline set by Long Yufei!

Meanwhile, the Feiyu Army continued its operations against the native forces on Mindanao Island. As the Feiyu Army's strength grew, after the completion of new recruit training, newly formed infantry battalions were sent to the forest to fight the natives. Although this caused some casualties, soldiers who had seen combat would grow and become excellent soldiers, which was essential for improving the army's combat capability! Under the Feiyu Army's attacks, one native tribe after another was destroyed, and large amounts of gold, gems, and slaves were brought back.

The large-scale attacks by the Feiyu Army caused panic among the natives. Although the natives were numerous, the past few months of fighting had proven that their numerical advantage was useless against the Feiyu Army's powerful strength. The natives' bows and spears were weak against the Feiyu Army's firearms and artillery.

Mindanao Island has an area of about 90,000 square kilometers, roughly the size of Zhejiang Province in China. The island is covered with vast primeval forests, where countless natives live. Among them, the Muslim Moros established two sultanates: the Sultanate of Maguindanao in the western and southwestern parts of the island, and the Sultanate of Buayan in the south. The Sultanate of Maguindanao has about 150,000 people, while the Sultanate of Buayan has about 100,000 people. The remaining hundreds of thousands of natives live in the forests in uncivilized tribes. The northern coastal areas and the Zamboanga Peninsula in the west are inhabited by Chinese. Initially, the Chinese were often oppressed and plundered by the natives. However, after the establishment of the Feiyu Company, the Chinese united and destroyed many native tribes, making the natives feel a real threat and realizing that the Chinese were no longer easy targets. Moreover, with the aggressive attacks of the Feiyu Army, the survival and reproduction of the natives were severely threatened.

The native tribes on Mindanao Island were often hostile to each other, fighting for territory. However, in the face of the great threat from the Feiyu Company, these native tribes knew that if they continued to be fragmented, they would eventually be destroyed by the Feiyu Company.

At the end of June 1836, Santos, the patriarch of the largest native tribe, the Rosa tribe, called on the native tribes to unite and jointly deal with the threat from the Chinese. His call received support from many native tribes. The patriarchs of the major native tribes gathered at the Rosa tribe's base in the upper Agusan River to discuss how the native tribes could unite and fight against the Chinese.

Santos was a middle-aged native, around forty years old, which was considered old age among the natives due to harsh living conditions. The Rosa tribe was the largest native tribe, occupying the vast forests in the upper Agusan River, with over 50,000 members. Additionally, many smaller tribes were dependent on the Rosa tribe, bringing their total controlled population to 100,000. The Manguang tribe was one of the top five tribes on Mindanao Island.

This time, the other major tribes also responded to Santos' call and came to the Rosa tribe.

"Gentlemen, we have lived on Mindanao Island for generations; this is our land. Hundreds of years ago, those damned Chinese came to Mindanao Island and set foot on our land. They plundered our wealth and oppressed our people! This is absolutely unacceptable to us. Now, these Chinese are becoming more and more aggressive. The Manguang tribe was one of the largest tribes on Mindanao Island, but those damned Chinese destroyed the Manguang tribe, and Chief Manguang was brutally killed. All the members of the Manguang tribe became slaves to the Chinese. If we do not unite, the fate of the Manguang tribe will be our future! Therefore, all our tribes must unite and fight against the Chinese together!" Santos declared loudly!

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