Hija del Sol de Oriente

Chapter 4

On the first day of September 1896, news of Bonifacio's recent engagements reached the leaders of Katipunan in the province of Bulacan, which had been busy readying their own local forces since the meeting at Pugad Lawin[1]. Deodato Arellano, a former President of Katipunan, had become instrumental in strengthening the movement in Bulacan during the previous years. From there emerged 3 major leaders: Anacleto Enriquez of Bulacan[2], Isidoro Torres of Malolos, and Eusebio Roque, nicknamed "Maestrong Sebio".

Meanwhile Spanish authorities, in lieu of the imposed martial law by Governor Blanco, increased their repressive measures and began to harass suspected rebels. Several arrests occured, along with more tortures and executions. Almost every house was searched for evidences. This turn of events prompted Torres and Enriquez to regroup into the forests in Paombong. Their combined forces grew to 3,000, as they began to build fortifications around their new camp. In mid-September, they began to conduct a series of raids, starting a long, protracted guerilla war across Bulacan.

In the province of Nueva Ecija, the local Katipunan chapter led by Mariano Llanera had also heeded Bonifacio's call to arms. On September 2, 1896 the combined force (numbering around 3,000) of Pantaleon Valmonte and Llanera, now ranked as Generals, along with a young but highly patriotic lieutenant Manuel Tinio, spearheads a surprise attack on the town of San Isidro. The rebels managed to seize the town's government establisments, along with a small amount of firearms. The Katipuneros held San Isidro for several days before being beaten by Spanish reinforcements. To evade capture, Llanera decides to split their group and disperse among the nearby provinces, with a secondary goal of spreading the rebellion all over northern Luzon. Llanera and Valmonte headad to Pampanga, while Tinio went southward near Bulacan.

By the end of September Andres Bonifacio's forces conducted several hit-and-run attacks accross Morong. Since it was never placed under martial law, the province's security forces were underprepared. Nevertheless, they still managed to give a the Katipuneros a bloody nose. Almost every victory won by the rebels were bloody contests, losing more men than those of the Spanish troops they defeated. On September 28, another large Spanish army under Ricardo Monet seized the town of Cainta, poised to strike at Bonifacio's undefended flank. Bonifacio reacted to this by sending a 4,700-strong detachment led by Col. Licerio Geronimo. Geronimo arrived at Cainta's outskirts by September 29, setting the stage for the battle that may decide the fate of Morong.


---

[1] The Cry of Pugad Lawin. On August 23, 1896 Andres Bonifacio assembled all the leaders of Katipunan at Pugad Lawin in Balintawak. This is where Bonifacio officially called for war against Spain. Symbolically, this became the start of the Philippine Revolution.

[2] A town that has the same name as it's province.
 
Last edited:
Chapter 5

Licerio%20Geronimo%20in%20tux.bmp


Licerio Geronimo

The raids across Bulacan continued well into the second half of September, with mixed outcomes. One of Gen. Isidoro Torres' new recruits is a woman named Trinidad Tecson. During her first sorties, Tecson immediately displayed exceptional bravery and tactical and medical skills, which made her rose through the ranks. Meanwhile Doroteo Karagdag, one of the commanders of the Bulacan's rebel forces, presented a proposal to Torres: a daring raid deep into Caloocan. The general is initally reluctant to approve of the plan, citing it to be too dangerous. He finally relented later on.

Tecson, now designated as Colonel, was assigned with 700 armed militiamen for the campaign and placed under the command of Karagdag. On September 21, after a few days of travelling (and eluding Spanish patrols) the rebel brigade reached the outskirts of Caloocan, where they set camp. The next day was spent scouting the whole municipio. Karagdag launced the attack at nightfall, catching the cazadores by off guard. The result was beyond their expectation, as their forces managed to reach as far as the town hall's perimeter. Despite the chance to go further, Karagdag commanded a retreat before enemy reinforcements reach them, as they never prepared for a long battle. Tecson once again displayed her exceptional talent and zeal, when she fought side by side with her comrade-in-arms, and by providing medical treatment to their wounded.

On September 28, Anacleto Enriquez led a 1,500-strong force into San Rafael. Expecting a feeble resistance, Enriquez was shocked when they encountered a Spanish force of 3,200 soldiers led by Colonel Simon Villa[1]. Outnumbered 2 to 1, the insurgents were curbstomped and Enriquez himself perished in combat. Only a hundred rebels managed to retreat back to their camp to inform Gen. Torres of the disaster.

On September 29, as instructed by Andres Bonifacio, Licerio Geronimo lead 2,700 Katipuneros, as they reached Cainta's perimeter facing a Spanish army under Ricardo Monet. Realizing that they're facing a well-prepared force, Geronimo planned to lure the Spaniards out of their artillery's range. The rebels launched a frontal assault and then to switched into a fighting retreat. The Spanish troops grabbed the opportunity to annihilate the rebels and pursued. Geronimo launched a counterassault that almost annhilated a Spanish regiment. But Monet predicted Geronimo's intention, and deployed his cavalry. The Spanish lancers charged and inflicted serious losses to the insurgents, grinding down the battle into a bloody stalemate.

Unbeknownst to Monet, another 2,000-strong insurgent army launched an attack south of Cainta, outflanking the Spanish positions. Although the reserve soldiers managed to hold them off at bay, Monet decided that his position is untenable, and began a slow retreat.

The next day Geronimo finally took Cainta, but at a cost. The Katipuneros lost 1,030 men while the Spaniards lost only 850. However, it was a significant victory for the Katipunan. By the end of October, Morong will become the first province to be liberated from the Spanish Crown.


---

[1] Fictional name
 
Last edited:
Chapter 6

Miguel_Malvar.JPG


Miguel Malvar

General%20Luciano%20San%20Miguel%202.jpg


Luciano San Miguel

In the final weeks of September 1896, the province of Batangas began to show signs of restiveness. But with the martial law already implemented, the Spanish provincial authorities had prepared for any eventuality. The first uprisings began on September 30, on the town of Lipa. Several hundred men attacked key government buildings. But the Guardia Civil had just been mobilized and as a result, they managed to suppress the rebels easily. But it was just the prelude. At the start of October Miguel Malvar, a member of Katipunan, managed to raise a large rebel army with some significant help from the provincial elite, who, unlike in other provinces, had pledged their support for the Katipunan's cause.

Malvar first liberated his hometown of Santo Tomas, before proceding to the nearby towns. Malvar had also managed to link up with the rebels of neighboring province of Cavite and, with assistance from Emilio Aguinaldo and Candido Tirona, attacked Talisay on October 12. Despite the Spanish garrison's tenacious resistance, they were overran by a numerical superior foe in the end.

A few days later, the towns of Bayungyungan, Lemery and Calaca rose in revolt. Malvar took this opportunity to continue the momentum and led a series of engagements along the western part of Batangas. However, the lightning campaign came to a halt at Taal, which was besieged for 3 days.

Unfortunately, Malvar's force didn't prepare for a such scenario. Dwindling supplies, coupled with exhaustion, the insurgents failed to anticipate a counterattack. The Spanish forces in Taal successfully conducted a breakout, and almost managed to push Malvar's forces out of Batangas. The beleaguered rebels fortunately found refuge at Nasugbu, where another rebel army under Luciano San Miguel just recently staged their own rebellion. There, the two rebel leaders planned their next move.

Meanwhile at Bulacan, after weeks of evading Spanish authorities, the rebel group led by Eusebio Roque finally established a camp in the hills of Quinusa, near the town of Pandi, which he now called Kakarong de Sili. While they started to build fortifications, Roque attempted to establish contact with Isidro Torres to plan the next course of action.
 
Last edited:
Chapter 7

During the month of October, fresh Spanish troops arrived in Manila from Spain at the request of Governor Blanco, in response to the growing threat of the Katipunan's rebellion. However, several concerned groups, particularly the clergy, began questioning Blanco's competence, and also for his lenient treatment of Jose Rizal. It was also during this time that the friars began formulating a plan to replace Blanco with a new Governor, which is more sympathetic to their cause.

While the new Spanish contingents began to deploy, Blanco started to enact his next strategy: recapturing Cavite. The Spanish hold on the province has been reduced to the tiny peninsula, the port city of Cavite Nuevo. With the land route now cut off (due to the towns of Las Piñas and Parañaque falling into the hands of the rebels), Blanco concluded that an amphibious landing is the best course of action. Several reports from the field indicated that the rebels began constructing a network of fortifications spanning from Noveleta to Cavite's northeast border with Morong. It's proximity to Cavite Nuevo made Blanco concerned. So he decided to execute his plan. And also, to put these defenses to the test.

On November 9, 1896, after series naval bombardment the previous day, around 15,000 Spanish troops led by Jose Marina landed at the barrio[1] of Binakayan, part of Cavite El Viejo, while 5,000 troops led by Diego de los Rios landed at the barrio of Dalahican, part of Noveleta. Facing them is a combined rebel force of more than 100,000 men. Emilio Aguinaldo, anticipating a breach, attempted to lure the Spaniards by moving westward to Laguna. However to his surprise, the defenses, managed to held back the Spanish onslaught. The situation was also the similar at Dalahican, where Santiago Alvarez led a tenacious defense of Noveleta, characterized by frequent melee charges.

The next day, Rios and Marina attempted another attack, with gunfire support from the Spanish Navy. When a portion of the rebel's defense line was broken, Marina instructed the military engineers to construct a bridgehead to Imus, with the aim of outflanking the defenders. They were initially successful, but later one of the rebels, named Gregoria Montoya, destroyed the bridge, at the cost of her life. Her sacrifice was not in vain, however, as the Colonial troops once again halted their assault, in the face of mounting casualties. The rebels would live to fight another day.

On November 11, the Spaniards successfully broke the defenses, only to fall into deadly trap. As Marina approached the inroads to Imus, an ambush was set up by Aguinaldo, which slowed down the advancing Spanish infantrymen. With their numbers slowly and bloodily being reduced, several Spanish troops retreated. Others, as with the case of some Insulares and native mercenaries, surrendered, along with hundreds of firearms being captured.

Marina, however, managed to rally a significant number of the Spanish infantry to join Rios at Noveleta, in a last attempt to seize a victory, but they failed. Now cut off from Bacoor, Rios and Marina retreated northward to Cavite Nuevo for a possible last stand.

The victory at Binakayan and Dalahican was a morale booster for the rebel forces. The Spanish casualties amounts to around 5,000 compared to the 600 on the side of the insurgents. Candido Tirona was among the dead, being killed in action on the first day of battle. Edilberto Evangelista, the architect of the fortifications, earned not only the respect of his fellow comrades, but also that of his Spanish adversaries.

Days later, during the Siege of Cavite Nuevo, a tragedy struck the revolutionary movement. Aguinaldo was killed in action while besieging Fort San Felipe[2]. Despite this major loss, Cavite Nuevo finally surrendered to the Katipuneros, completing the liberation of all Cavite.


---

[1] Roughly equivalent to a small village. In the Spanish colonial system, barrio is one of the components of a municipio, denoting the most remote part of it.

[2] A major POD. In OTL obviously, Aguinaldo didn't die.
 
Last edited:
Chapter 8

The demise of Emilio Aguinaldo was a serious blow to the Katipunan. He was considered as one of the ablest commanders of the revolutionary movement. Baldomero Aguinaldo took over the leadership of Magdalo, vowing to continue the struggle for freedom that his late cousin started.

The weeks that followed the twin battles in Cavite was pretty much uneventful, except in Bulacan.

On November 20, 1896 a Spanish gunboat entered Masukol River and penetrated deep into the camp of Isidro Torres. The naval vessel demolished its fortifications, precipitating an attack by the then waiting Spanish troops. Torres' forces were almost defeated if not for the timely arrival of reinforcements led by young Katipunero, Gregorio del Pilar. Torres, however, realized the danger of staying at their camp, which now became vulnerable to future assaults, and decides to transfer to Hagonoy, and the began a long retreat inland and ends up at Bustos, just north of Pandi.

After hearing about Eusebio Roque's recent exploits, Torres decided to take refuge at Kakarong de Sili. Arriving there at November 28, they were surprised to see a well-constructed fort. According to del Pilar's own words, "it looked like a small city".

At Montalban, Andres Bonifacio held a meeting, where he expressed his desire to spread the revolution and assist their fellow rebels. They chose Bulacan, after receiving reports about the dire situation in the province. Macario Sakay volunteered to lead the expedition to Bulacan. An army of 12,000 men left Morong on November 26, 1896.
 
Last edited:
I see already 2 major difference between OTL and this timeline. Bonifacio winning Battle of San Juan del Monte along with the turning of 73rd Regiment into the Katipunan's side. Plus, the death of Aguinaldo. Those are already huge butterflies with regards to Philippines.

I was wondering how the Katipunan delegation fared with their meeting with the Emperor of Japan in May 1896 OTL just in case you retained the same meeting in this ATL.
 
I was wondering how the Katipunan delegation fared with their meeting with the Emperor of Japan in May 1896 OTL just in case you retained the same meeting in this ATL.

Still the same as OTL. Although I think they could attempt to solicit Japan's help later on.
 
Chapter 9

On November 27, 1896 right after arriving at Kakarong de Sili, Gen. Torres requested a meeting with Canuto Villanueva, Supreme Chief of the newly-proclaimed Republic of Real Kakarong de Sili, and Gen. Roque. In the middle of the unusual (at the time) festive atmosphere, Bulacan's major rebel leaders extensively discussed about their next major strategy the whole night.

The next day, November 28, the combined forces of Torres and Roque launched a major attack at the nearby town of Bustos. Their sheer numbers overpowered and virtually annihilated the municipio's whole Guardia Civil detachment. The victorious rebels also managed to seize hundreds of firearms. Also on the same day, the relief column of Macario Sakay started attacking Spanish positions at Santa Maria and Angat.

Although still fresh from their victory at Bustos, Torres began to contemplate whether if they split up again with Roque's army or to stay, at the risk of being found by Spanish authorities. In the end, he decided to stay, after receiving news of army fighting in western Bulacan[1].

During the next few days, Sakay's forces won several victories, advancing as far as San Miguel where they accidentally linked up with the forces of Manuel Tinio from neighboring Nueva Ecija, who also attacked the same town. On November 30, Tinio and Sakay advanced to San Rafael, only to find it in the middle of an intense battle between Spanish cazadores and a Katipunan army led by Felipe Estrella. The latter are on the verge of annihilation. It also happened that another rebel force led by Doroteo Karagdag and Gregorio del Pilar (under Torres' orders) arrived at San Rafael to take it and avenge the death of Anacleto Enriquez. The Spanish garrison suddenly found themselves threatened on two sides and decides to retreat, but not without suffering casualties. Karagdag perished in the engagement (known as the Second Battle of San Rafael), leaving the command to del Pilar.

As the rebel forces finally meet, Sakay announced Bonifacio's new directive for all Katipunan commanders: spread the revolution to every province of Luzon.


---

[1] In OTL, Torres decides to split up with the rebels of Kakarong de Sili. Probably to avoid Spanish troops. Another POD.
 
Chapter 10

Andres Bonifacio received news about Jose Rizal's recent arrest and imprisonment at Fort Santiago on late November 1896. After discussing the situation with his advisor Emilio Jacinto and other members of the High Council they decided to one last rescue attempt to save the famed ilustrado. Julio Navarro, who provided critical intel about Fort Santiago's defenses, was chosen to lead the mission.

After a series of defeats in Cavite, Morong and Bulacan, several Spanish colonial administrators and officers (and to a greater extent, the friars), had become increasingly paranoid. The most frequent target of their suspicions are the insulares, which they accused of collaborating with the insurgents, and of course the indios. Several people from the native regiments became the victims of these new wave of persecutions: insular officers were often demoted for "incomptence" and the regiments were put under very tight inspection and supervision inside Intramuros. There were even talks of assigning them to Mindanao to fight the Moros (and also to prevent them from becoming a threat). The regiments had rapidly become fed up with their superiors, and decided to take action. During the last days of November to the first days of December 1896, several members of the 68th, 69th and 70th Native Regiments secretly held a series of meetings, where they finally decided to fight for their independence.

On December 5, 1896 Navarro's group successfull infiltrated Manila (despite the tight Spanish checkpoints) to scout Intramuros and to find any routes into Rizal's cell. But the following events made that day a pivotal event of the revolution.

From their barracks, the planned mutiny of the native regiments was initiated by the 2nd Company of the 69th Regiment, led by Corporal Felipe de los Reyes, by disarming their superior officers and attacking several nearby military installations. It quickly spread throughout the walled city, prompting Gen. Bernardo Echaluce to mobilize the whole Guardia Civil detachment and all remaining Spanish troops to put an end to the mutiny. The mutineers however, had prepared for the eventuality.

At the same time, Navarro's group managed to enter Intramuros, only to find themselves caught under intense fire. The Katipuneros fought their way into Fort Santiago, where they meet some of the mutineers. After a short discussion, the two parties stormed the bastion. Navarro immediately led the Katipuneros to the prisons, encountering some resistance along the way.

The reports about the mutiny reached Malacañang, making Governor Ramon Blanco absolutely furious. He issued a general mobilization order of all military detachements in the whole city of Manila to assist Echaluce's forces.

Meanwhile, the mutineers had set up positions in several abandoned buildings in preparation for the loyalist's counterattack. Moments later, an intense engagement began pitting peninsulares against insulares, mestizo against mestizo and indio against indio. Meanwhile, Navarro's men finally reached Rizal's cell
 
I hope they can get Rizal out safely and avoid his OTL fate
keep it up!

In OTL, Based on his Dec 15 manifesto, he was against the revolt and viewed there was no chance for the OTL Katipunan to win. According to OTL trial testimony of Valezuela in September, Rizal was against premature armed rebellion when he was sent by Bonifacio in Dapitan to get the blessing/approval of Rizal.

In this ATL, revolt is in fullscale which is far from premature with a great chance of winning. It would be nice to see how the OP would interpret this new dilemma of Rizal since it is just Dec 5 with a very different environment.
 
Chapter 11

The battle rages on inside Intramuros. But as the fight goes longer, the more it benefitted the loyalist troops. The mutineers are starting to experience exhaustion, and their momentum slowly came into a halt. The loyalists took this as an opportunity and pressed on the counterattack. They launched a massive artillery barrage against several positions, destroying some of the buildings in the process.

Confident that they've reduced the number of mutineers, the loyalist forces started a rapid advance towards the barracks. However, they received a nasty surprise when the loyalists were met with cannon fire and rifle shots, decimating several companies.

At Fort Santiago, a group of Katipuneros led by Julio Navarro successfully penetrated the prison where Jose Rizal, some members of Katipunan, and several other suspected dissidents are held. Navarro personally opened Rizal's cell. According to the account of one of the infiltrators:
When we opened Sr. Rizal's cell, he was very confused. "Who are you? What is happening outside?"

Sr. Navarro replied, "We are under orders from Supremo Bonifacio to take you out of here alive."

"So all of you are from the Katipunan." Sr. Rizal figured out. "I told them before, I know what I'm doing. I can defend myself against them (Rizal's detractors)."

Sr. Navarro somehow expected that kind of answer, so he revealed something to him "I work for the government as an agent. Believe me whem I tell you this, Sr. Rizal. Your fate is already sealed. The friars will make sure of it."

"Governor (Ramon) Blanco won't allow them to do as they please." Sr. Rizal retorted. But Sr. Navarro didn't back down, "Governor Blanco's days are numbered. My sources had told me your enemies are already pulling some strings back at Madrid to have him replaced." I could see the shock a Sr. Rizal's face. I was also a little bit shocked.

"This is your last chance..." Sr. Navarro said, "...you could either stay here and await your death or come with us and continue your struggle." Sr. Rizal went silent for a few moments. "I'll go with you. But I'm only doing this for my family."

The other released Katipuneros joined Navarro's group, one of them is Benedicto Nijaga, a lieutenant in the colonial army. One of the mutineers accompanying the insurgents identified him and requested his assistance leading rebelling soldiers south of Fort Santiago.

But before the infiltrators and fugitives reached the gates, they were ambushed by a few loyalist battalions, and an intense shootout began. Navarro's group attempted to escape the Spanish soldiers, with one of them aiming his rifle straight at Rizal.
 
Chapter 12

Julio Navarro's group had successfully freed Jose Rizal from his confinement at Fort Santiago. But they were caught in the midst of a crossfire between a group of mutineers and Spanish loyalist forces. Some historical documents claimed that some soldiers of the loyalist army were personally instructed by high-ranking members of the clergy to kill Rizal on the spot should there be an attempt to rescue the famous writer. But this plan was thwarted by the timely arrival of additional reinforcements from the mutineer army, keeping the Fort Santiago garrison occupied.

Meanwhile Benedicto Nijaga was accompanied by some rebel troops when they arrived the mutineers' temporary headquarters. Nijaga held a short meeting with some officers leading with the mutineers. Here, they discussed their strategy. Realizing that they couldn't sustain a long battle inside Intramuros, they decided for an organized evacuation. Later as it turns out, the stalemate that lasted for a few hours began to tip in favor of the loyalists, owing to the newly-arrived reinforcements outside the walled city.

Meanwhile, Navarro and his men managed to reach the banks of Pasig River, where a boat is waiting for them. But two patrolling Guardia Civiles spotted them and began to shoot. In a worst case of bad luck, Rizal was hit on his shoulder. Some of the Katipuneros fought back, killing the two. In the end the group managed to escape.

Back at Intramuros, the mutineers are slowly being beaten back by the loyalists. Seeing their situation as dangerous, the rebels decided to fall back to their headquarters to regroup.

As the rebels arrived at the headquarters, they saw some of their co-mutineers packing up, preparing to leave. They later found out that Benedicto Nijaga managed to persuade the majority of the mutineers to join the Katipunan.

By 3:00 am of December 6, loyalist troops had managed to subdue the rebellion. Several of the mutineers, mostly wounded, were arrested. But the instigators and a large number of mutineers managed to escape through a stolen gunboat, of which its crew also participated in the mutiny, along with hundreds of rifles and large amounts of ammunition.

Aside from Rizal, several other imprisoned ilustrados and prominent people managed to escape[1], and they immediately went into hiding. Some left the country while others went into rebel-controlled provinces.

On the night of December 6, Navarro's group reached Antipolo, where Andres Bonifacio currently resides.


---

[1] The 13 Martyrs of Bagumbayan survives ITTL. Butterflies are coming...
 
So Rizal's out, and injured but alive. Wonder how much of a game changer that is. :rolleyes:
How are the Spanish back in Spain taking this revolution? Any changes to note of yet?
 
Any comments? Don't worry they're welcome (actually, desperately needed).

Im quite surprised on how you convinced Rizal to leave. IMO, based on Rizals character, he wont leave simply because Spain planned to kill execute him. He would have probably left because the Revolution was a point that he recognize Philippines can win via armed struggle and that words/propaganda are not enough.

Although your interpretation is still quite possible.
 
Top