Hija del Sol de Oriente 2.0

Tredecimus

CHAPTER II
THE REVOLUTION BEGINS​

Part 1
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At the same time as the publishment of Kalayaan, Marcelo H. del Pilar founded its Spanish language counterpart, La Independencia [1], with assistance from Antonio Luna who was convinced to join the latter's newfound cause [2]. La Independencia's first issue was released by late March 1896, and the its sudden appearance came as a shock to the ilustrado communities. It later created a wedge between their ranks. On one camp are the conservatives, led by Graciano Lopez Jaena; and the other one are the radicals, led by del Pilar.

By mid-1896, the Spanish authorities finally discovered the existence of the Katipunan. The main reason was traced back to a rivalry of two men: Apolonio de la Cruz and Teodoro Patiño. Both are employed at Diario de Manila a newspaper company that also served as one of Katipunan's base of operations. Historical sources have said that they're locked in a fierce competition for some time, until heated arguments about who would received an increased salary (which led into a small brawl at one point) led Patiño to confess to his sister, and later to an Agustinian priest named Mariano Gil about the secret society. Fr. Gil, violating a rule in the Sacrament of Confession in the name of King and country, reported to the Governor Ramon Blanco leading the latter to order a widescale search and seizure. In a matter of weeks, several suspected rebels were arrested, jailed, and executed.

With the sudden turn of events, Andres Bonifacio began preparations to finally start the armed insurrection. Additionally, Bonifacio sent Dr. Pio Valenzuela to Dapitan in Zamboanga to seek the support of the exiled Jose Rizal. Rizal only gave a vague reply:
"Our people are not prepared for a revolution"
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The statement has confused historians up to this day. It was never clarified whether Rizal may support a revolution under certain conditions, or if he fully rejected it. Nonetheless, Valenzuela returned to Manila empty-handed.

However, as the Katipunan's situation worsened, Bonifacio decided to go on with or without Rizal's consent. On August 23, Bonifacio assembled all Katipunan's major leaders across Luzon at Pugadlawin. There the soon-to-be insurgents tear down their cedulas (residential tax certificates) as a symbolic gesture of defiance against the Crown of Spain. A revolution is about to begin...

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[1] In OTL, it was founded in 1898.

[2] Antonio Luna was the original founder of the newspaper IOTL. Here ITTL, he's a co-founder and he supported the Revolution earlier than OTL.
 
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Tredecimus

CHAPTER II

Part 2

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Battle of San Juan del Monte Monument​

The months leading to the Philippine Revolution, was a series of preparations. Andres Bonifacio led the effort of organizing the Katipunan as a legitimate fighting force, by acquiring large numbers of weapons like bolos, bamboo spears and, the most important, firearms. The latter was the most difficult, due to insufficient funds and tight security imposed by the Spanish authorities. But with the help of Katipuneros working at the Government Arsenal, they managed to smuggle hundreds of pistols and rifles without the Spaniards' suspicion [1]. Marcelo H. del Pilar also contributed to the effort, by purchasing a some rifles and ammunitions from Europe that were then secretly being shipped to the Philippines [2]. Some Katipuneros that served in the colonial army began training their comrades.

Historians suspected that Bonifacio had originally planned to start the uprisings only if the revolutionary had fully reached the entire corners of the archipelago (one lesson he learned from the failed native rebellions of the previous centuries was the lack of unity, which the Spaniards used against them). But the premature discovery of the secret society forced Bonifacio to accelerate his plans.

After the "Cry of Pugadlawin", Bonifacio planned an all-out attack in Manila. Using the failed Novales Revolt as a template, he concluded that capturing Manila would act as a catalyst for a nationwide rebellion.

The Katipunan's baptism of fire came in August 30, 1896. Hundreds of rebels led by Bonifacio attacked San Juan del Monte, capturing the town's powder magazine. However by the next day, Governor Ramon Blanco sent troops led by Bernardo Echaluce to destroy the rebels. Echaluce's forces inflicted serious casualties on the Katipuneros, who fought valiantly despite being outnumbered and outgunned. The Spaniards are on the verge of victory, until an incident turned the tide of battle; the 73rd Native Regiment defected to the rebels, turning on their superiors. Chaos and confusion ensued until Echaluce found his remaining forces on the brink of a rout, forcing him to call a retreat. The battle was a decisive but Pyrrhic victory for the rebels, who suffered 300 casualties while the Spanish lost around 150. But it was enough to stir the nearby towns to take up arms and join the revolt. The next day, Blanco declared Martial Law on the provinces of Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna, Batangas, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac and Pampanga.

The revolution exploded right after the Battle of San Juan del Monte, when Emilio Aguinaldo led the uprising in his hometown of Cavite el Viejo [3]. Simultaneously, Mariano Trias and Mariano Alvarez launched attacks against government positions in San Francisco de Malabon [4] and Noveleta, respectively. In the province of Nueva Ecija, rebel forces led by Mariano Llanera started the rebellion in San Isidro and held the town for three days before being repulsed by Spanish reinforcements, forcing Llanera to retreat to the forests, starting a guerilla war across Central Luzon.

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[1] In OTL, the Katipunan in Manila is poorly armed and poorly trained, a main factor in their initial defeats IOTL.
[2] Never happened in OTL.
[3] OTL Kawit, Cavite.
[4] OTL Gen. Trias, Cavite.
 
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Luuuma

Luuuma

Very interesting. I like that all your alterations are relatively small but building up to have a large impact.
 

Tredecimus

SPECIAL CHAPTER
FORMOSA, THE BEAUTIFUL ISLAND​


Part 1

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The island of Formosa first entered the annals of history in 1544, when Portuguese traders stumbled upon it by chance. Because of its stunning landscape, they named it Ilha Formosa, meaning "beautiful island". Some time later, Portugal attempted and succeeded in establishing a settlement along the island's northern coast, centered around a deep-water port which was later named Santissima Trinidad [1], but never expanded further inland. The newfoud settlement acted as a auxilliary trading post and, more frequently, as a stopover destination for Portuguese merchant ships sailing from India to Macau (and Japan) and vice-versa. The Portuguese were also the first Europeans to made contact with the island's natives, particularly the Ketagalan tribe.

With the unification of Spain and Portugal under Philip II in 1580, Catholic missionaries were sent to Formosa to convert the aborigines to the Christian faith, with some success. The Ketagalan became the first aboriginal people in Formosa to convert, which was followed by several more by the end of the 1500s, as Spain gradually took over the fledgling colony and began the first inland expeditions [2]. As the Spanish explorers reached the central part of the island, they made contact with an entity that would later be identified as the Kingdom of Middag.

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[1] OTL Keelung
[2] ITTL, Spain is more interested in Formosa than OTL, and began exploring it earlier than OTL.
 
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Tredecimus

FORMOSA, THE BEAUTIFUL ISLAND

Part 2

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Flag of the Dutch East India Company​


King Philip II died in 1598, leaving behind Spain as a superpower and owning a vast colonial empire that spanned across the globe. But at the dawn of the 17th century, the Spanish Realm immediately faced a serious challenge in the form of the Dutch Republic.

The Dutch had been at war with Spain since the late 16th century, with the main goal of achieving total independence for their Protestant-majority nation. But they faced an economic crisis when Philip II, then King of Portugal, cut off the Dutch from the lucrative spice trade in an attempt to subdue the rebellious provinces. Realizing that a strong economy is vital for the Republic's survival, the Dutch came to a decision - build their own economic empire.

The Dutch East India Company (or VOC) was formed in 1602 in an attempt to destroy Portuguese monopoly of the spice trade and later, to establish a colonial empire at the expense of Portugal. The Dutch began attack Portuguese shipping and their colonies in South America, Africa, India and the Far East, with mixed results. Nonetheless the VOC succeeded in gaining a foothold in the Asia by capturing Jayakarta, which they later named Batavia.

In the 1620s the Dutch set their sights further north - China - in an attempt to capture more Portuguese colonies and, if possible, destroy Portugal's monopoly of the very profitable China-Japan trade. Several attempts at dislodging the Portuguese from Macau failed so in 1622 the VOC changed tactics by pressuring the Ming dynasty for exclusive trading rights, expulsion of the Portuguese from Macau, and cutting of economic ties with the Philippines, under the threat of force. The Ming government refused the demands, so the Dutch conducted a series of raids off China's coasts. However, the Chinese refuses to give in.

But when the Dutch seized Pescadores Island (called Penghu by the Chinese), the Ming government finally decided to take action against the foreigners.

The following year, another series of attempts by the Dutch to coerce the Chinese to trade with them failed. China on the other hand, were preparing to expel the European from Pescadores once and for all. In 1624, thousands of Ming troops and several warships under Wang Mengxiong successfully invades Pescadores leading to the Dutch's surrender. The VOC then relocated in the island of Formosa the same year, not knowing yet that their sworned enemy Spain already had a presence in the island; ensuring that a conflict in the future is already inevitable.

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Note: Almost all of these were OTL except that Spain is already in Formosa earlier than the Dutch.
 
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Namayan

Timaeus said:
wait. the POD is the Dutch Wars? where are the butterflies?

still, this is very interesting. good luck. :D:D:D
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If the PoD is around 1600s, 1800s Philippine political landscape shouldnt look like OTL nor anything near it as a lot of things can butterfly away due to the fact that Spain is a world power around this time. Any slight variation on their decision would affect world history.

Spain's relationship with China in those period is like US and Chinese relationship OTL present day. Spanish silver passed thru Manila ports and Spain was buying Chinese goods. Cancelling each other's trade is very unprofitable because of Spanish Empire's silver being the only thing that the Chinese wanted and valuable enough as there were severe shortages of silver coupled with an economic crisis in China around this time.

I can only imagine that if the Spanish were in control of Formosa, those Galleons would pass thru Formosa instead of Manila.
 

Tredecimus

Okay, I think I've hit some roadblock here.

I would like to ask some opinion: which colonial power should Formosa end up with? The Spanish, or the Dutch?
 

Namayan

Timaeus said:
i'd say screw the dutch, but that would leave Manila somewhat impoverished.
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I agree Manila would be less prosperous than otl. However, Luzon has something that Formosa cannot provide, abundant natural resources and manpower.

In otl, Philippines was still the best place to produce a wooden navy in Spanish Asia. Had otl Spain industrialize, philippines had abundant resources to produce steel. Therefore, steel/iron navy.

For a Spanish Asian empire to survive you still need manpower, Spain and Americas was very far for a conscription or reinforcement. Philippines was the best place to get recruitment for a day or weeks notice in Asia for Spain.

I think the question of who will control Formosa would be desire. Dutch had no choice since their nearest colony was farther than Manila. Since they are the superpower of the era, Spain can go either decision. So, it comes down to desire of the Spanish leader if want Formosa that badly and reinforce it with more troops from Philippines than OTL. Like in otl, Spain lost Formosa vs a few hundred Dutch defended by a few hundred Spanish and Filipinos. Spain could reinforce Formosa with thousands from philippines had the governor decide to do so. Of course in otl the governor didn't, so he was tried and convicted for losing Formosa. In the long run, Spain has the best chance of defeating koxinga than Dutch due to the reinforcement capability of the colonies in philippines.
 

Tredecimus

FORMOSA, THE BEAUTIFUL ISLAND

Part 3

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Fort Zeelandia​

In 1602, the Spaniards launched their first inland expeditions at Formosa. Their progress were rather slow due to unfamiliar terrain and limited funds (the Philippines was the top priority in Asia at the time by the Viceroyalty of New Spain), not to mention that most of their budget were spent in fortifying their footholds in Santissima Trinidad and Santo Domingo [1]. The missionaries on the other hand were relatively successful, as they managed to convert most of the natives in northern Formosa.

The Spanish explorers made a significant progress in the 1620, when they made contact with several settlements in central-west Formosa, later identified as part of the Kingdom of Middag - a confederation of several tribal villages led by a single monarch with the title of Lelian (Sun King). The conquistadores found out about the native state's existence through the missionaries who met some of Middag's citizens, and later the village chieftains.

The Spaniards initially offered a hand friendship with the aboriginal kingdom, but Middag didn't tolerate the missionaries spreading a foreign religion to its subjects, so they rejected it. The Spaniards nonetheless continued their work despite repeated warnings (and some minor harassment from radical natives), as some of the villages converted to Christianity, and made an alliance with them.

In 1622, things began to escalate. Several missionaries were brutally murdered by some native headhunters, as their headless corpses had proven. The Spaniards took this chance to finally subdue Middag under the Crown. Around 300 Spanish troops and several native reinforcements from the north launched an attack against Middag. The kingdom's forces put up a stiff resistance but against an overwhelmingly superior foe, coupled with the Spaniard's terror tactic of burning villages to the ground, they finally surrendered. In the aftermath, a pact was signed putting Middag under the suzerainty of Spain, while retaining some degree of autonomy and finally allowing Christian missionaries to operate without restrictions.

In 1624, after a humiliating defeat at the hands of Ming, the Dutch sailed to Formosa in search of a new trading post. They found a strategic location in the island's southern part, particularly in the southwest coast. A settlement was established there by the Dutch, which they later named Tayouan. As with tradition, the Dutch erected a fort as their base of operations; it was named Fort Zeelandia.

The Dutch began its expansion by forging alliances with some of the native villages of the Siraya tribe. They began to upgrade Tayouan's econmy by introducing rice and sugar planting to the islands (using imported Chinese labor) and expanding the deer industry (first by a more widescale hunting, and later by breeding deers). The Dutch had also began its own Christianization campaign, but they were opposed by several non-allied villages and Han Chinese immigrants. Because of this, the VOC launched several military campaigns against these "rogue elements", with much success. The end result was the Dutch managed to gain control over Formosa's entire southern coast. Another fort, Fort Provintia, was built to further reinforce the VOC's presence there [2].

As the Dutch began its expansion northward, they had also made contact with the Kingdom of Middag, where the Dutch found out, much to their shock, about the Spanish presence in the northern part of Formosa. The Dutch commanders immediately requested assistance from Batavia, as they planned of expelling the Iberians out of the island. The Spaniards on the other hand was one step ahead. Weapons and reinforcements were gradually arriving, albeit in a slow pace as the Manila is somewhat reluctant to hold on to an island that doesn't give much of a profit to the Empire, as Spain was facing financial (and political) troubles at the time. But all of that outlook about Formosa was about to change because of one thing: gold.

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[1] OTL Tamsui
[2] Built earlier than OTL
 
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Tredecimus

Any comments? Opinions?

I apologize if you guys think I'm begging too much. I just really wanted know how well this TL is going and, if I'm nearing ASB territory already.
 
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