Republic Reborn: Against the Stars and Stripes-Chapter 89: Cluttering

Boac had grown very busy. The quaintness I once loved about it was gone. I could no longer hear the birds, drowned out by the shouting and the thumping boots of the recruits in the plaza, and the sound of sawing and hammering from the buildings being constructed.

The town streets had been taken over by roving bands of civilian patrolmen and supply carts cluttering in and out of town.

Nor could I smell the scent of the sea anymore, with all the carabao droppings littering the streets. Someone had paid the town kids to deal with it, but the kids, being kids, weren’t exactly efficient.

It reminded me of Malolos. And perhaps we were the only place in the Philippines, far from the frontlines, that was this busy. I don’t think the other generals had been as aggressive as I was.

Behind all the activity was the spillover of the recruits. Knowing that we couldn’t train all the men who were willing to sign up, we had temporarily stopped accepting new ones. Instead, they were redirected to work for the civilian officers—especially for Señor Grimaldo as collectors, and Señor Madrigal as movers.

"How has it been?" I asked Señor Alcantara as we stood on the same balcony where I had once made my speech.

We watched Rodrigo scold a group of kids below, tasked with removing the carabao droppings right in front of the Casa Real. They didn’t have shovels, so they tried scooping the large turds with scrap planks—and ended up spreading crap all over the place.

With Colonel Abad, Dimalanta, and the cadets on their break, and with me soon leaving for Santa Cruz, I had asked the teniente de navío to take over military command in Boac.

Dimalanta had just finished training the 200 new Boac recruits. Aside from a platoon I had sent with Sargento Tolentino to assist Isidro in Gasan, Señor Alcantara would have the rest under his command to oversee the provincial capital.

I hoped that would compensate for his inexperience and make things easier for him.

"Quite frankly... I don’t feel qualified," Señor Alcantara said, tight-lipped. "I don’t even understand the words some of these recruits have been saying. I don’t even know how to properly salute. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re laughing behind my back."

That, I knew. He hadn’t undergone training—nor had his crew. I hadn’t found the time, although it wouldn’t need to be as intensive as for the infantrymen. Being sailors, they’d be taught just a sprinkling of drills and basic marksmanship. But they would have a specialized lesson on how to use a cannon, and I dearly hoped it wouldn’t be too different from using a mortar—or I’d have nothing to teach. freewebnoveℓ.com

For that reason, I intended to leave Sargento Guzman with him. The NCO, along with Sargento Tolentino, had proven to be reliable and trustworthy. Not to mention, his role in the Kasily battle was widely known, and he had earned the respect of the recruits.

"It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be... but still... it’s awkward between me and Don Contreras," he added.

That, I had not thought through. As Public Order Commissioner, Fidel would have to report to Señor Alcantara. But maybe... it could be a way toward eventual reconciliation. Or it could also lead to further complications.

It wasn’t lost on me that since the battle in Kasily, I had been taking a lot of risks. It could be that the near-death experience had reintroduced some boldness into my usual cautious approach to things.

"I believe you have what it takes—Ronaldo," I said, patting him on the back. "It’s all on your head. The first key to leadership is confidence... and the key to building confidence is by pretending to be confident at first, until you’re no longer pretending."

"And if you’re that worried about how to properly salute or the terminologies, I can have Dimalanta give you a brief lesson," I added.

Señor Alcantara finally smiled. "That would be very much appreciated, Don Martín."

---

On the first of March, I finally left Boac for Santa Cruz to check on how Don delos Santos was faring with the task I had given him. I had sent him ahead to scout for possible locations to build the barracks and drill fields, and to coordinate with Don Suárez to acquire the lands.

Eduardo looked incredibly disappointed when he told me we couldn’t use the Garay due to poor sailing conditions. I could have used the gunboat instead, but I wanted to conserve coal, and I didn’t want Señor Alcantara to be distracted from his duties.

So I chose to take the coastal road, bringing only a couple of escorts. All three of us rode on horseback.

Even on the way there, I could already see Don delos Santos’ handiwork. Parts of the road that had been slowly reclaimed by the forest had been cleared. The slippery and steep portions had been overlaid with gravel. Small makeshift bridges had been erected over the many brooks and streams.

This could have been done a long time ago, and transport and trade would have long improved in the province. I planned to eventually have him build roads further inland as well. People often underestimate the economic value of decent transportation infrastructure.

Our journey ended after four hours of travel—two hours earlier than expected. A large part of that was thanks to the better roads. But it was also because we encountered Don delos Santos before reaching the town proper.

We noticed a group of villagers carrying hoes, shovels, and wheelbarrows near the barrio of Landi, about two kilometers from the town. A little farther ahead, we spotted Don delos Santos by the rice fields.

"We’re building shallow ditches to dry out the field... we’re going to redirect the water to a nearby stream," he explained. "Then we’ll let it dry under the sun for about three days, and work on flattening it."

I remained on horseback, taking in the view of the rice fields on both sides of the road. The paddies were unplanted—perfect for conversion into dry fields. It was vast, but not as vast as I had wanted. Maybe just about 15 hectares in all. I would have preferred at least 20.

"So this is the site you were able to secure. It’ll do, but it’s a little tight," I told him.

"I know, Heneral," Don delos Santos replied in a low voice. "There were wider and better tracts of land further south... but Don Suárez had difficulty negotiating for them."

"No problem... we can manage with this," I assured him immediately.

On second thought, I could make a slight modification to my plans for the land. I had planned for eight training stations to be built, but maybe I could do away with one.

A live-fire range with its long lanes and buffer zones could easily take up 10 hectares. But it wouldn’t be absolutely necessary, since they had already been taught basic marksmanship.

I could just build it somewhere else—maybe alongside the facilities for basic training. If more flatland could be found, we could proceed with the plan of having all training, from Week 1 to Week 4, done in Santa Cruz.

"You’ve done well, Don delos Santos," I said as I dismounted. "And the roads—they’re a lot better now. I actually enjoyed the travel here."

Don delos Santos smiled. "I hope we’re just beginning, Heneral."

"Indeed we are."