roccoschili Chapter 86 The Temptation of Profit
Chapter 86 The Temptation of Profit
During this period, Chen Feng crammed on the history of the Luzon colonial period and became well aware of the entanglement between the church and the colonial government.
The church was never an appendage of the colonial government; on the contrary, it shared power with the Spanish monarchy and even wielded real power in Luzon that surpassed that of the governor.
The foundation of this system is the union of religion and state, but it is by no means dominated by the political power.
Since the Spanish landed in Luzon in the 16th century, the Church has been more than just a tool of spiritual control.
The Augustinian Order, the Dominican Order, and other religious sects controlled more than 70% of the high-quality plantations in Luzon, monopolized the sugar and tobacco trade, and accumulated wealth far exceeding that of the colonial government.
Locally, priests also served as administrative officials, in charge of taxation, justice, and education, while archbishops held the power to impeach the governor.
If the governor's policies harm the interests of the church, the church can directly petition the royal family to dismiss the governor. Historically, three governors of Luzon have been recalled and held accountable due to conflicts with the church.
They do not need to rely on the governor's name; they possess independent negotiating rights and leverage.
Having figured this out, Chen Feng felt the situation before him was even more complex, so he took the document and started flipping through it.
Lara picked up the hot tea and said sincerely, "This is the church's promise."
The right of passage to the Manila Bay church-owned sugar cane wharf was opened, allowing Chinese caravans to freely load and unload goods.
The three church estates in Batangas province, along with their attached farmland and sugar mills, were leased to the Liberal Army for twenty years at a nominal rent. Simultaneously, the church was tasked with coordinating trade channels in Macau and Manila to ensure the sale of Chinese goods.
He paused, then pointed to another document: "This is a handwritten order from the Governor's Office: promising to establish an autonomous government after the war, granting 15 seats to Chinese members of parliament, and formally recognizing the legitimate political status of Chinese in Luzon."
The general can serve as any minister with real power in the autonomous government except for the Minister of Defense. All industrial bans imposed on Chinese people during the colonial period will be abolished.
Chen Feng opened the documents; one bore the religious emblem of the church, and the other the administrative emblem of the governor's office. Clearly, the church and government had reached an agreement.
"Bishop Lara".
Chen Feng slowly began, "The Spanish Church and colonial authorities ruled Luzon for three hundred years, and the oppression suffered by the Chinese goes without saying. The Church and the Governor's Office were the masterminds behind the massacres of the Chinese back then. Now that the American army is on the border, they've only just thought of trying to win over the Chinese. This sincerity comes far too late."
Lara's smile remained unchanged, but his tone became more serious: "What the general said is all history. The church and the governor's office admit that there were indeed oversights in colonial rule, but now we have a formidable enemy at hand, and the ambitions of the American army are far greater than those of Spain. They have already implemented a land confiscation policy in Cuba. If they occupy Luzon, the church's estates, the Chinese's commercial properties, and the governor's office's foundation of rule will all be reduced to nothing."
This guy appears gentle and refined on the surface, but in reality he uses coercion and enticement. He has no compassion whatsoever of a clergyman; he is clearly a shrewd and calculating politician!
Chen Feng chuckled inwardly, but outwardly remained calm as he asked, "Bishop Lara, what do you want us to do by making so many promises to the Chinese?"
"Our demands are much simpler than those of the United States!"
Lara smiled faintly, as if everything was under control, and slowly said: "First, the Chinese must not sign the Declaration of Independence, so that the idea of complete independence by some members of the Independence Army will be shattered, and they will instead form an autonomous government with Aguinaldo and accept the supervision of the Church and the Governor's Office."
Secondly, Chinese people can retain their freedom of religion, but they must not obstruct the church's missionary activities among Chinese refugees. The church will provide land and relief to converts, which is also to stabilize the order in Luzon.
Third, U.S. Special Envoy Connor is in the nearby military camp; I know you have a good relationship. General, please take action and eliminate Connor, cutting off the U.S.'s internal support in Luzon. This is a pledge of loyalty to the tripartite alliance.
"What did you say?"
Chen Feng's expression suddenly turned cold: "I, Chen Feng, am an upright man who would never betray a friend. The third point is absolutely impossible. Missionary work should be voluntary. If it's linked to relief efforts, how is that different from forced conversion? The important question is, did Aquinas agree to renounce independence and accept conditional autonomy?"
Lara's smile faded, and her tone lost its enthusiasm: "Aguinaldo will surely give up independence; we've offered him terms he can't refuse. Missionary work can be discussed further, but Connor must be killed! Otherwise, we have no basis for cooperation."
This guy's got a good plan!
Killing Connor would be tantamount to making a blood feud with the U.S. military, leaving no room for maneuver.
Chen Feng, tired of further arguing, said bluntly, "If you absolutely must kill Connor, then please leave!"
"You'll regret this!"
Lara's expression suddenly turned cold, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, he abruptly picked up the documents on the table, slammed them into his leather briefcase, and stood up to walk towards the door.
As he reached the door, he stopped, turned around, and said coldly, "General, you should think carefully. If you refuse us, the Chinese will lose their only chance to gain legal status. After the American troops land, you will have neither military support nor a secure rear. The Free Army will soon be ordered to disband!"
Chen Feng remained unmoved and coldly replied, "No need for you to worry about it."
Lara snorted heavily, said no more, and stormed off with two guards.
The atmosphere in the room froze instantly. Qian Biao and Pang Li looked at each other, neither daring to utter a sound.
After a long silence, Qian Biao cautiously spoke, "General, are we really going to refuse? What about the parliamentary seats...?"
Chen Feng waved his hand to interrupt: "Those are just bait. The church doesn't really want to cooperate. They're just using us as pawns. Otherwise, they wouldn't have insisted that I kill Connor."
Qian Biao's eyes sharpened, and he nodded vigorously: "I understand! It was my mistake that I failed to see through the conspiracy behind this."
"It's not that you're confused, it's that their offers are too tempting."
Chen Feng's tone softened slightly, then he said in a deep voice, "Immediately mobilize all intelligence personnel in the city to keep a close watch on Lara's movements; also, find a way to infiltrate and verify whether Aguinaldo has agreed to the Spanish people's autonomy conditions."
"yes!"
Qian Biao bowed and accepted the order without delay, immediately turning around and walking quickly out of the room.
Chen Feng walked to the window and gazed at Lala's receding figure carrying a kerosene lamp in the drizzle, his eyes deep.
According to the original course of history, Aguinaldo did not agree to Spain's conditions for autonomy, but now with the Chinese Free Army as a variable, things are hard to say.
However, Luna's demand is complete independence. If Aguinaldo really accepts autonomy, wouldn't the independence army be forced to split up prematurely at the critical moment of the US landing?
Furthermore, the Japanese have always maintained close ties with the independence army, and it's hard to guarantee they won't take this opportunity to stir up trouble!
Chen Feng looked at the U.S. Marine Corps barracks diagonally in front of him and thought for a moment that he still had to remind Connor first thing tomorrow morning.
If Aguinaldo were to accept the conditions for autonomy, he would likely have to offer a pledge of allegiance in order to gain the trust of the Spanish, and Connor, the US military envoy, would undoubtedly be the best target.