novelhk Chapter 41 Rewards
Chapter 41 Rewards
The Governor's Palace had been transformed. The dragged and mangled body of Governor Juan had been taken to a coffin by Zhu Jiheng's orders, the bloodstains had been washed away, and all the decorations symbolizing Spanish rule had been removed.
Zhu Jiheng sat in the large governor's chair, while soldiers were still busy removing Spanish-related ornaments.
He appeared to be deep in thought, resting his chin on his hand, but in reality, he was checking the rewards distributed by the system.
Congratulations on successfully conquering Intramuros, Manila!
This city was the Spanish capital in the Luzon Islands and one of the major trading hubs in Southeast Asia. Taking it was tantamount to taking over the entire Luzon Islands!
[Settling your victory reward.]
You have acquired 4 line infantry (480)
You have obtained 4 skirmishers (240)
You have acquired 4 local cavalry regiments (240)
You have obtained 2 Tier VI ships.
You have obtained two Tier 1 ships.
You have acquired a military building—the Barracks. You can choose to convert any building within the city into a Barracks to recruit troops loyal to you.
[You have acquired the military building – Artillery Foundry. You can choose to convert any building in the city into an Artillery Foundry to recruit loyal artillerymen.]
[You have acquired a military building—the Shipyard. You can choose to convert any shipyard around Manila into a Shipyard to recruit a loyal fleet.]
Looking at the series of generous rewards that appeared on the system screen in front of him, Zhu Jiheng was excited, but remained calm on the surface.
This time, the system rewards are much richer than before. Not to mention the regular army, the three military buildings that can be converted at any time are the biggest reward.
All three military buildings are classified as Level 2 buildings, with the barracks and shipyard being the next level down from the military barracks and the port shipyard, respectively.
Zhu Jiheng looked at it and realized that this building did not need to be a first-class building to be converted; it could be converted like it was in Lin Jiayan.
However, barracks and artillery foundries can be directly converted, but shipyards cannot be converted at present.
Because the Cavite fortress and shipyard were still under the control of the Spanish colonial army, and the area was a natural harbor, separate from the trading ports of Intramuros Manila.
Zhu Jiheng still remembered the intelligence he had received earlier: although the Cavite fortress only had two companies of soldiers stationed there, the sailors on the ships stationed in the harbor could come ashore to provide reinforcements at any time.
Taking Cavite fortress would require a fairly comprehensive plan.
After thinking it over, Zhu Jiheng decided to summon all the soldiers he had been rewarded with by the system and bring them into the city as reinforcements.
This move was intended to demonstrate strength to the tribal coalition. Currently, the tribal coalition already constitutes the majority of the army in the city. If Zhu Jiheng were to further demand strict military discipline and punish those who violate it according to military law, it would certainly cause dissatisfaction among the tribal leaders.
They could fight side by side and be as close as brothers when they had a common enemy, but now that the Spanish have been defeated, he has to be careful that the natives turn on him.
Thinking of this, Zhu Jiheng pondered for a moment and tried to summon the nearly one thousand soldiers he had rewarded to the camp outside the city.
Most of the people in the camp had already entered the city, and since it was Zhu Jiheng's territory, the next second, the troop tokens in his system disappeared, indicating that the army had been successfully summoned.
Upon hearing the prompt, Zhu Jiheng nodded in satisfaction, then casually summoned a guard and ordered him to go out of the city to guide the reinforcements into the city.
As it turned out, Zhu Jiheng's concerns were not unfounded.
As night fell, although the Ming army patrols gradually suppressed the chaos in Manila, sporadic disturbances did not completely subside.
Especially in the streets and alleys near the Palian district and the trading market, some warriors from Bangbanya and other tribes began to lose their desire to plunder.
In small groups, under the cover of night, they kicked open the doors of seemingly affluent shops or residences—many of which belonged to Spaniards or people of mixed race, and some to relatively wealthy Chinese. Shouts, cries, and the sound of shattering porcelain could be heard from time to time.
"Get out! What do you want?! I'm Chinese!"
Upon seeing the intruders suddenly burst in, the middle-aged man shouted repeatedly in Hokkien, spreading his arms to try and protect his wife and daughter behind him, as well as the shelves that were vaguely visible inside the house. He was well-dressed, but his face was contorted with fear and anxiety, trying to show that he was not with the Spanish.
However, the natives who broke in couldn't understand him at all; all they could see were the valuable-looking utensils, cloth, and terrified women inside the house.
The lead soldier grinned, revealing his blackened teeth, and roared in the local dialect, "With so much good stuff, they must be Spanish lackeys!"
After saying that, he roughly pushed the man away. The man staggered backward, knocking over a porcelain vase by the door. The sound of shattering was deafening. The other soldiers rushed in and began to loot indiscriminately.
The screams and cries of the women and girls further aroused their nerves, and some men lewdly reached out their hands to the women.
"No! These goods... these are from Fujian! They're not Spanish! Let them go!" The man's eyes were bloodshot as he struggled to his feet, trying to rush forward to stop them, but another soldier struck him hard on the forehead with the hilt of his sword, causing him to bleed profusely and collapse to the ground, groaning incessantly.
Similar scenes were playing out on the streets outside. Not all tribal warriors were so indiscriminate; some leaders restrained their men, targeting only clearly defined Spanish assets, or hesitated and observed.
But chaos is like a plague; once it begins to spread, coupled with language barriers, long-standing grievances, and the desire for spoils, it becomes difficult to control.
After a minor Spanish leader robbed a shop that was clearly run by Spaniards, he stood at the street corner and frowned as he watched the Igorrot people from northern Luzon committing violence in a Chinese residence not far away.
He recognized some Chinese people and knew they weren't part of the Spanish group. Most importantly, the Ming dynasty ruler was also Chinese. He hesitated for a moment, then called out in his native tongue, "Hey! That family might be Chinese!"
The Igorod warriors didn't even turn their heads, waving impatiently and shouting, "The Chinese have money! Working for the Spanish is all the same!"
The foreman spat and didn't interfere any further. Some of his own men were starting to envy the profits elsewhere, so he had to keep his men from touching those seemingly poor local indigenous shantytowns and Chinese. He didn't want to be held accountable later.
He and his men had just turned the corner and hadn't gone far when a series of hurried and orderly footsteps came from the alleyway. The flickering firelight illuminated the newcomers' uniforms, which were completely different from those of the tribal warriors, and their straight bayonets.
It's the Ming army's military police!
The squad leader felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively shrank into the shadows, signaling his men to be quiet. They had just looted a Spanish shop, and although they believed they had a "just cause," they were still somewhat uneasy when they saw the Ming army patrol.
He peered out and saw a group of about ten military policemen moving swiftly and heading straight for the Chinese shop from which the commotion and cries had just been heard.
"They're in for a world of trouble."
The squad leader muttered to himself, and before the military police could spot him, he quickly led his men away from the area.