Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 142 Chu Army
Three days on the island
Zheng Guohui, along with generals He Ruolin, Huang Shan, Zhou Laonian and others, went deep into every camp to inspect, encouraged the grassroots officers, and mingled with the soldiers.

This is his usual practice. Whenever he has free time, he will visit military camps stationed in various places, listen to the cheers of officers and soldiers, and deepen his image of loving his soldiers like his own sons.

In Tucheng
Zheng Guohui was carefully reviewing the list of supplies to be sent to Southeast Asia and listening to a report on the recent situation in Jiangnan. This matter was mainly under the charge of Zheng Shouye (fourth uncle), the lieutenant general stationed in Nanjing.

Going to Southeast Asia is the top priority at the moment. After Zheng Guohui successfully plans to capture the Luzon Islands, he will bring Li Hezhang to Southeast Asia to preside over the overall work of the Luzon colonial government.

The two have discussed this in detail. Li Hezhang's children and family members will go to Southeast Asia one after another, and bring a large number of Li clan members from northern Anhui.

The affairs of Jiangnan Province were then taken over by Zheng Shouye.

Fourth uncle Zheng Shouye was originally an experienced merchant. After being promoted to lieutenant general, he became the core force representing Zheng Guohui and led the main force of the Green Camp soldiers in Jiangning Town.

Actually

The Green Camp soldiers who are still staying in the vicinity of Nanjing are all new recruits who were recruited no more than a month and a half ago. They are currently undergoing military training step by step, and it will take at least another four months to form an army.

Zheng Shouye was just a puppet in name only. If he wanted to mobilize troops, he had to get a military order written by Zheng Guohui, otherwise it would be difficult to mobilize a single soldier.

The only high-ranking official in the imperial court who could mobilize the troops of Jiangning Town without going through Zheng Guohui was Li Hongzhang, the Governor-General of Liangjiang.

The elite troops in Jiangning Town, totaling more than 7500 soldiers, have now all been drawn out and gathered on Chongming Island, preparing to march south.

"Reporting to the commander, we just received news from Zhenjiang Prefecture today that a consignment of salt being transported there was robbed by a group of bandits from Maoshan, resulting in the loss of over 800 dan of salt."

"Well, there is no action to be taken after reporting it?"

"The local authorities have already dispatched bailiffs and detectives to apprehend the bandits. Our Jiangning Town garrison has also dispatched two teams of soldiers, totaling over 300 soldiers, to assist the authorities in clearing out the bandits."

"Fourth Uncle, what are you going to do?"

"I've read the report submitted by the lower levels and personally feel that this is an accident. Besides, 800 stone of salt is not a lot. Zhenjiang Prefecture has handled the situation properly and can urge them to suppress the bandits and see how it works."

"Hmm...Okay, but we can't be too lenient with our subordinates. And here's another rule: if we can't recover the salt and eliminate the Maoshan bandits within the specified timeframe, the Zhenjiang Prefecture's commission will be deducted, and the local garrison will be given a warning to see how things go."

"This... Jinghai, isn't this a bit too harsh?"

"Fourth Uncle, you don't understand. When managing an army, rewards and punishments must be clearly defined. This isn't business. We can't blindly pamper them; that would only breed bad habits. Reward those who have merit, punish those who have committed mistakes. All the troops, from top to bottom, must obey orders with awe."

"Then I understand. I will do as the commander-in-chief wishes."

"Any more?"

"There was another incident. A small group of over 20 cavalrymen from Hu Zuqing's cavalry stationed in Xuzhou were on a routine patrol and camped overnight in a village in Liuzhuang Town, Pei County. Seeing the beautiful daughter of a wealthy local family, Tian, ​​they became malicious and brought disaster upon her. They later murdered six members of the family to silence them."

Zheng Shouye shook his head when he said this, and after sighing, he continued;
"The truth cannot be hidden. When the newly appointed Xuzhou Lieutenant General Hu Zuqing learned about this, he was furious and had the three leaders imprisoned. The rest were punished with 20 blows of the military stick as a punishment.

The cavalry was under the command of the general of Jiangning Town and was an independent battalion. It was a foreign army assigned to the Xuzhou garrison, and Lieutenant General Hu Zuqing had no direct authority to dispose of it.

Therefore, I submit a petition requesting the execution of these three men to restore military discipline."

"So what?" Zheng Guohui stopped writing and looked at his fourth uncle Zheng Shouye, with a testing look on his face.

Zheng Shouye, encouraged by his gaze, paused for a moment, and then said, "We should authorize the Xuzhou garrison to handle the matter, enforce military law, and let the entire army take this as a warning."

"Um……"

Zheng Guohui nodded, and said nothing more. Instead, he turned his attention back to the list of materials in his hand and reviewed them one by one.

Zheng Shouye stood up, clasped his hands together and saluted, saying, "Your Excellency, I will take my leave."

"Well, go ahead."

"As ordered."

Zheng Shouye took two steps back, turned around and left the study. After walking outside, he slowed down his pace and looked back with a complicated look.

Now, this eldest nephew has become more majestic and has the air of a king.

Elders like him felt invisible and powerful pressure in front of Zheng Guohui.

Zheng Shouye shook his head, his eyes became firm again, and he strode away.

He knew that these people were all mediocre.

If it weren't for this brilliant nephew who supported and promoted him all the way, he would have been just an ordinary businessman until now. How could he have become so powerful today?
The wisest approach

Just abide by Zheng Guohui's instructions, take Zheng Guohui's will as the core of everything, do your job well, and don't do anything messy.

When Zheng Guohui ascended the throne, would his own position as Duke be missing? With a passionate heart, Zheng Shouye's enthusiasm grew, and even his efficiency improved a lot, which was amazing.

Three days passed quickly
September 9th, 2025

early morning
The army that marched south gathered at the dock of Guangming Town. The scene was truly spectacular with flags flying, swords and spears like a forest, and formations like a dragon.

After twelve cannon shots, the bloody head fell to the ground.

The ones who were sacrificed were naturally the criminals. There were not enough death row prisoners on Chongming Island, so 11 more death row prisoners were escorted from Jinling and Changzhou, a total of 15 people, who were executed on the spot.

The bloody head was placed on the altar. Zheng Guohui, dressed in military uniform, led the crowd in burning incense and praying to heaven and earth, and laid out three animal sacrifices to honor their ancestors.

On the altar
A royal flag with a yellow border, a red flag and the word "Chu" written in black ancient official script is fluttering in the wind. This is the flag of the army today.

"Respectfully inform the gods of the three mountains and five peaks, and our ancestors, today Zheng Guohui, a descendant of the Zheng family, has raised a large flag with the word "Chu" on it. Originating from the land of Chu, we declare to the world that our army is the Chu Army..." Zheng Guohui declared loudly, with a sacred look flashing across his face.

"Chu army, Chu army, Chu army will win!"

Thousands of soldiers under the altar waved their swords and guns and shouted in unison. They took out their uniforms from their waists and put them on. The huge words "Chu Soldiers" on their chests looked particularly different.

After offering sacrifices to heaven and earth and sacrificing blood to the flag, the formal flag-raising ceremony begins.

Zheng Guohui had a total of more than 7500 soldiers under his command, divided into six regiments, namely "A, B, C, D, E, and F". Each regiment had more than 1200 soldiers, divided into three battalions, with more than 400 soldiers in each battalion.

There are more than 300 personal soldiers, forming a separate battalion.

Zheng Guohui appointed himself as the commander-in-chief of the Chu Army and awarded a military flag to each regiment. There was a line of vertical words written on the flagpole of the military flag, such as "Chu Army Expeditionary First Division A Regiment."

The flag-raising ceremony was grand and solemn. After the ceremony, it was completed amid the cheers of the crowd.

Zheng Guohui waved his hand and ordered, "The army will march... to Southeast Asia."

In an instant, gongs and drums sounded, and the sound of firecrackers was deafening. The onlookers in Guangming Town performed dragon and lion dances to see off the soldiers who were going to the battle.

Each team boarded the large ship in turn. There were 47 large ships heading south this time, 8 of which were large Western sailing ships, but only one, the "Guangming", was fully equipped with artillery, and the others were just cargo ships.

There are two or three cannons, which can be completely ignored.

A total of more than 7500 soldiers and more than able-bodied men marched south. Zheng Guohui led an entourage of nearly people, including the Cao brothers, Fan Zhicheng, Kang Ning, Zhang Jinxiu, Mu Qing, Wang Jianping, Hou Yucun and their families, totaling more than people.

9 a.m.

The fleet sailed away from the Guangming Town Pier in a mighty manner, and headed towards the river mouth under the expectant gaze of the crowd. The fleet stretched out for more than ten miles and was extremely imposing.

The normal South China Sea route has been running for a year and a half. The fleet is very familiar with the route from top to bottom and does not need to assemble together.

After leaving the estuary

The fleet heading south was divided into three parts. The sailing fleet, with Zheng Guohui's ship "Guangming" as its flagship, hoisted full sails and sped all the way under the push of strong winds, leaving the other two fleets far behind.

The second part is the troop transport fleet. In addition to the troops carried by the sailing fleet, there are more than 22 soldiers and able-bodied men on the troop transport ships, totaling ships.

These troop transports were large ships in good condition, lightly loaded, and fast, and they followed the sailing fleet closely all the way.

The third part is the cargo fleet, which consists of 17 cargo ships of different sizes, all of which are piloted by experienced captains and sailors. These ships are fully loaded with heavy cargo and are struggling to sail at the end.

After the 311 incident, the Mindoro Strait became a restricted area, and the fleets heading south would detour through the Palawan Strait to avoid the blockade and attack of the French fleet.

The French fleet had only seven gunboats capable of carrying out blockade missions, with only two or three rotating daily to blockade the strait. Navigating the Mindoro Strait was already a struggle, leaving them unable to cover the vast Palawan Strait.

The so-called Palawan Strait, located between NSQD and Palawan Island, is a narrow strait extending from the northern tip of Kalimantan Island to the western tip of Luzon Island.

It is also an important channel for shipping between the northern and southern parts of the South China Sea. All routes heading north to Shenzhou Continent, North Korea, Fuso and other places must pass through this route.

The Palawan Strait is named after Palawan Island, an unusually long and narrow island in the western part of the Luzon Archipelago.

It is about 434 kilometers long and only 39 kilometers at its widest point, with an area of ​​11785 square kilometers. It is home to more than indigenous people and is a remote place far away from civilization.

The island separates the South China Sea from the Sulu Sea and is located on the western edge of the Luzon Islands.

The southern expeditionary army followed the Palawan Strait route, avoided the attack of the French fleet, and arrived safely in Zamboanga.

This route only takes a day and a half longer than the Mindoro Strait, but it is much safer.

With the strength of the Franks' tiny sailing fleet and the backward method of searching by sight in today's era, they are simply unable to cover the vast South China Sea.

The army that went to Southeast Asia arrived at the port of Zamboanga smoothly without any accidents. It can be seen that God was blessing this army.
(End of this chapter)