Chapter 220: Chang Gong's Strategy
"It's time for these cannon fodders to do something. Don't just do nothing every day except loosen your belts. Otherwise, the enemy will take advantage of you!" Sheffield looked at the rumbling sound of artillery in the eastern suburbs with a telescope. As expected, he saw nothing except some noises. He put down the telescope and ordered, "Kuwait Guards and Alamo Guards, protect the safety of the city. Our armed forces are so valuable, we must avoid losses."
Sheffield was not lying about this. His private army was definitely more valuable than those of the first and second class. He would never save money on protecting his own wealth. The employees of the Black Gold Company were all risking their lives. Not only them, but also their families had various hidden benefits.
It can even be said that even their children's jobs are provided, and their meals are on par with those of US Navy soldiers. What is the standard of these first-class people? Take the armored cruiser USS New York as an example: breakfast: fresh pears, fried pork sausages, fried potatoes with barbecue gravy, corn porridge, bread, butter, and coffee.
Lunch: boiled barley biscuits, pan-roast beef, cold vegetables, boiled potatoes, boiled cabbage, bread, butter, coffee
Dinner: Fried hamburger steak, fried onions with gravy, baked potatoes, boiled lima beans, jam, bread, butter, tea.
The weekly food cost was about $2,800, with a total of 7,300 meals prepared, and each meal costing about $0.38. Not to mention the army, eating expired canned food was cheap for these cannon fodders. If Sheffield hadn't been so patriotic, the expeditionary army would have had to eat beef jerky left over from the Civil War.
The army can only make two moderate demands during the war: provide food while alive and cover the flag when dead. In fact, covering the flag when dead is also quite excessive.
When army soldiers are alive, they carry loads like donkeys, trek like horses, suffer like cows, and roll in mud pits like pigs. Their wives are rifles, with slender and beautiful figures. Please hold her to sleep every night. No matter whether you are sick or healthy, poor or rich, beautiful or faded, successful or frustrated, you are willing to love her, comfort her, respect her, and protect her, and care for her with antifreeze and dust-proof No. 0 gun oil, until the damn death separates you.
The most basic rule for an army soldier is that no army soldier may be killed in action without the approval of his superiors...
"I feel that after the war, there will be a lot of people applying for jobs at Black Gold Company!" Anne walked to the window and hugged Sheffield from behind.
"There are too many people to support. Black Gold's expenses exceed $10,000 a day. How can making money be that easy?" Sheffield shrugged, unable to help the fate of second-rate people. Although the expenses were not too much, including the bases in the Middle East, Africa and Cuba, Black Gold's profitability must also be considered. Black Gold's model is high investment and high return.
The representative of monopoly imperialism was watching the war from the safe center of Manila. Compared with the desperate struggles of the US military and the Filipinos, this war seemed to have nothing to do with him. He also lamented in front of the woman how difficult it was to make money.
"You have to bend down to pick up money, and you have to risk your life to rob a bank!" Annie sneered in dissatisfaction, just to vent her anger, "The army can't beat the Filipinos, right?"
"That shouldn't be the case, right? The federal government has given the military everything they need, so it shouldn't be that serious. It's okay, we can still hold on to Manila." Sheffield thought about it and felt that it wasn't a big problem, but he corrected Anne on another point, "The key point is that robbing a bank doesn't make money, your example is wrong."
Even if the leader of the Philippine rebels is Wang Teng and has the potential to be an emperor, it is useless because the United States has an overwhelming national strength. The second wave of expeditionary forces is already on the way, and the expeditionary forces have advantages in every aspect.
Besides, with the power of the United Company, the Philippine rebels are definitely no match for the expeditionary army in a head-on confrontation. The biggest casualties of the expeditionary army in the US-Philippines War were because the expeditionary army was vomiting and diarrhea due to beef jerky, and died alive. Now that the United Company has a conscience, casualties will definitely be greatly reduced.
Faced with the sudden attack by the American Expeditionary Force, the Philippine Provisional Government was in chaos, like a headless fly. The weakness of the petty bourgeoisie was fully exposed. Even now, there was still the idea of talking to the generals of the American Expeditionary Force to clear up the misunderstanding and ensure that there was no such thing.
The contrast was particularly stark when compared to the real imperialism in Manila. From private business to the military, even to the Chinese who had been deceived by Sheffield, they all felt that they should fight to the end. Although the Chinese were attracted by the land lease contract offered by the owners of the joint company, it is undeniable that they are now standing with Sheffield.
This was very obvious in the dispute between Emilio Aguinaldo, the interim president of the Philippines, and General Macabros. Faced with General Macabros's request for resistance, Emilio Aguinaldo looked ahead and behind. He knew that the American Expeditionary Force was a more powerful enemy than the Spanish colonial army, which could be seen from the fact that the US Navy and Army defeated them cleanly.
"I think there is still hope for peace, General Macabros!" Emilio Aguinaldo said with a look of concern for the overall situation. "We all know that the friction this time was caused by the attack on the soldiers of the American Expeditionary Force. In fact, we just need to make the right gesture and work with the Americans to figure things out. Then the Americans will have no excuse to start a war."
"Is this friction?" General Macabros asked angrily. "Since I started to resist the colonial government, I have never seen a more violent bombardment than this. Now our bases are under attack, and you actually describe this as friction? At this moment, our soldiers are facing the enemy's slaughter. This is what you call friction, this is what you call a small problem, a small problem that can be figured out. The Americans, like the Spanish, came to colonize the Philippines. The two former Spanish governors have now become guests of honor for the Americans, but have the Americans ever cared about our interim government? Why don't they let us enter our capital? All of this is a conspiracy, a conspiracy of the new and old colonists."
Emilio Aguinaldo was speechless and finally said angrily, "General Macabros, can your soldiers defeat the American Expeditionary Force? Why can't we consider the overall situation?"
"I only know that my soldiers will fight for the independence of the Philippines." General Macabros retorted loudly, "Now I will order our Filipino soldiers to fight back."
In the headquarters of the American Expeditionary Force in Manila, MacArthur pounded on the table and emphasized loudly, "We must wipe out the Philippine rebels completely and without reservation, with the goal of occupying the entire Philippines and destroying the Filipinos' will to resist. At the same time, it is also to prove to the world that the United States is far more powerful than the Spanish Empire. What the Spanish Empire could not do, the United States must do. In this way, both the British and the Germans will look up to us. This is no longer a simple war. People all over the world are watching."
George Dewey was silent for a long time, and finally nodded and said, "Well, these natives should indeed be taught a lesson." The fact that other countries in the world were watching as MacArthur mentioned was the main reason that moved him. When George Dewey commanded the Asiatic Fleet to fight the Spanish Fleet, the British Fleet and the German Fleet appeared around the battle zone one after another. The appearance of the naval warships of these two countries during the battle was obviously ill-intentioned.
To put it in a broader sense, if the United States' naval fleet and the Spanish fleet did not fight well, or both sides suffered heavy losses, who knows whether the naval fleets of these two countries would do something, or even directly intercept the places that the United States had set its eyes on.
"Destroy these stupid natives, Arthur, go ahead and convey the combat order to destroy the Provisional Government of the Philippines." General Merritt slammed the table and formally issued the order to attack.
Not far away, Sheffield was at the United Company's Philippine headquarters and very politely invited two former Spanish governors, Governor Rivera and Governor Polavixia, as well as generals of the Spanish colonial army, the backbone of the Philippine puppet army, and even the Chinese employees of the United Company.
Sheffield held a fine Cuban cigar between his fingers and was at ease in front of everyone, saying different things to different people. "Whether it is the Spaniards who return to their homeland or stay in the Philippines, we are all part of the Western family. We can still talk, but we won't talk to the Filipinos."
"As for General Santos, if our American Expeditionary Force and the Spanish withdraw, then you, the former friends of the Spanish, will inevitably be liquidated. Whether the severity of the situation depends on luck, it may be serious or not. Are you willing to take a chance?" The general of the Philippine puppet army named by Sheffield, although he has an Asian face, his name is indeed a Spanish name. After hearing what Sheffield said, he simply stated, "The Philippines was not mature when it became independent. We still need a lot of time to learn."
"Very good!" Sheffield was very satisfied with the puppet army leader's statement, then looked at Gu Cheng and the other Chinese people, and said in a slow tone, "You are all employees of the United Company, and I am your boss. I believe you don't think I will harm you, right?"
Seeing Gu Cheng and others nod, Sheffield communicated with all parties, returned to his seat, sat down slowly, and said softly, as if possessed by Chang Gong, "My attitude is very simple. I would rather kill three thousand people by mistake than let one go. I personally think that the methods used by the two Spanish governors are good. The concentration camps, the United Company also has relevant talents. For our different interests but common goal, put down the resistance of the Filipinos."
(End of this chapter)
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