En el Nombre de la Libertad y la Patria (TLIAFW Ver.)

Mercenarius

Banned
A shorter version of this TL.

Because of my busy schedule, I'll have put all my ideas in before I forget them.

Expect the first parts to be posted soon.

By the way, TLIAFW means Timeline in a few weeks.
 
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Mercenarius

Banned
Part I

For more than 300 years, Spain ruled over the Philippine Islands. Under the pretext of spreading Christianity, they converted the natives. But religion isn't the primary reason, but commerce and politics. Not so soon the colonial authorities exploited their new subjects for labor and religious works. Several instances of abuse and mistreatment by the Spaniards lead the Indios, as the natives are now called, to rise in revolt. But these were easily crushed in the face of guns and cannons of the European colonizers.

The system went on until the 19th century when Manila, the Philippines' capital, was opened to world trade. This moment paved way for the ideas of Enlightenment to arrive in these parts of Asia. The effect, a new class of people emerged from the Indios - the ilustrados. These people who came from wealthy families had the chance to study in Europe, which in turn made them proponents of liberalism. As the ilustrados return to their homelands, they began to demand reforms from the Spanish colonialists, aiming to improve their fellowmen's standing within the then-declining Spanish Empire.

But the colonialists detest any liberal ideas, seeing it as threat to their hold on power. So are the clergy, fearing the decrease of their influence (not to mention their lands). These two factions began to attack the liberal movement, accusing them of heresy, treason and, worst of all, rebellion. Little by little, the hopes of reform began to shatter away. And in return, the Indios' resentment over their Spanish masters increase. Radicalism is on the rise.

One of these disillusioned intellectuals is Andres Bonifacio, a self-taught warehouse clerk. Inspired by the American and French Revolutions, he made a resolve that only independence via armed revolt can solve his motherland's grievances. And so in 1892 he founded the Katipunan, a secret society aiming at the overthrow of the Spanish colonial government and the establishment of an independent nation. They began to issue periodicals containing radical ideas, which successfully increased the organization's membership from a few hundreds to several thousands. But by mid-1896, an incident in a newspaper factory* led to the discovery of the Katipunan by the Spanish authorities. Thir results into mass arrests, torture and execution of several men being suspected as rebels. This measure only increased the anger of the people. By then, Bonifacio finally decides to start the uprising.

In August 23rd 1896, at the general meeting of the Katipunan's regional leaders, Bonifacio formed a revolutionary government, with him as its President. He requested a mass mobilization of every Katipunan chapters to start the revolt. They ended the meeting with the tearing of their cedulas (tax certificates), symbolizing their secession from Spanish rule. The Philippine Revolution has begun.

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*the Diario de Manila incident, where one of the two workers fighting for promotion confessed about the Katipunan to his sister, which in turn confessed to a priest, who then reported it to the authorities, violating the "secrecy rule" of Sacrament of Confession. Google it for additional info
 
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Mercenarius

Banned
Part II

After the Cry of Pugad Lawin, a minor skirmish occured between the Katipuneros and the Guardia Civil around Pasong Tamo, forcing Andres Bonifacio to relocate to the hills of Mandaluyong to elude the pursuing authorities. It was then that Bonifacio revealed his plan; it calls for a direct attack at the heart of Manila, expecting to trigger a massive revolt. But sevaral members like Geronimo Cristobal, a corporal, expressed concerns about the Katipunan's capability to fight which forced Bonifacio to postpone the strategy for a while and concentrate on acquiring sufficient weaponry. Luckily, there are Katipunan members with connections inside the Spanish government to which the rebels used to a great degree. In a span of a few days, firearms and ammunitions started to pour in at the same time as the would-be insurgents then started to train in the ways of warfare.

On August 29th 1896, a ~5,000-strong Katipunan force launched a surprise attack against the Guardia Civil encampment in Pasig resulting in a minor victory for the rebels. They immediately proceed to Mariquina, aiming to capture a water treatment plant which could threaten Manila's water supply. As they crossed the Marikina River, the insurgents engaged several Spanish platoons igniting a brutal slugfest which saw several hand-to-hand engagements and street-to-street shootouts lasting for more than 3 hours. In the end, the Katipuneros lost ~1,700 men while the Spaniards lost only over 800 while they retreated in good order. The Battle of Mariquina will be the first of several pyrhic battles the revolutionaries are going to experience.

At the same time another rebel army, this time over a 20,000-strong unit, marched to San Juan del Monte with the objective of capturing its powder magazine. The insurgents are only a few meters away from the town's outskirts when they suddenly encountered a Spanish regiment, resulting into a close quarters battle. Outnumbering the defenders (but not actually outgunning since several Katipuneros are still without rifles), they slowly throw back the Spanish onslaught as they advanced deeper into the town. San Juan del Monte's second-line units were caught unprepared to counterattack, resulting in a rout. Several minutes later, the remaining colonial troops surrendered. The casualties on both sides are estimated from 2,000 to 5,000.

These significant victories inspired the other municipios to rise against the colonial government. Additional thousands of men from Las Piñas, Taguig, Pateros, Parañaque and Muntinlupa joined the Katipunan's cause.

The next morning in Malacañang Palace, numerous reports about the recent uprisings reached Governor-General Ramon Blanco y Erenas. Despite anticipating the upcoming hostilities, several Spanish divisions are still caught with their pants down. Frustrated at the current predicament, he ordered General Bernardo Echaluce y Jauregui, Manila's military governor, to quell this rebellion immediately before things started to get worse. Echaluce amassed an over 27,000-strong contingent under his personal command to deal with the Katipuneros. This force immediately marched out of Intramuros to San Juan del Monte. However this also made Manila more vulnerable to attack. By noon Bonifacio, now leading an over 40,000-men army, entered the capital city to give the Spaniards a rude awakening. The Battle of Manila is about to start.

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Note: In OTL, Bonifacio wants to attack Manila first but, obviously, he failed. Then the Katipuneros attack San Juan del Monte, which also failed. But ITTL, Bonifacio was persuaded to launch diverisionary attacks before proceeding to Manila. A large butterfly already.
 
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