Within the dense forest, more than ten completely armed Filipino soldiers and workhorses travelled on a long-trodden path towards the beach. 

“Hurry, hurry. The sun is setting soon. We must bring these back to the base. The Americans say this is very important,” urged the Filipino commander for his troops to speed up. 

“Are these American weapons going to be used against the Chinese ships?” asked a soldier. 

“These are military secrets, you are not allowed to ask questions like that,” said the commander. 

“It must be. With the Americans supporting us, the Chinese ships are nothing,” said another with contempt. 

“We will definitely take Dagua Island down this time,” said the Filipino commander. “I’ll let you in on a secret. The American Seventh Fleet will be travelling from Malacca, then straight towards Dagua Island. That will be our time to shine, we must take Dagua I...