Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 198 Guys

"Hey... Dali, Wang, stick your damn head out! Look at what good stuff I got."

"Hey, man, I got a big fresh steak."

Captain Charlie just stood at the street corner, holding a large piece of beef in his hand and shouting with his head raised, attracting the attention of people around him, but he didn't care.

Captain Charlie from California is cheerful, straightforward, passionate and unrestrained. He is very kind to his brothers and has the wildness of a western cowboy.

He was the captain of the main battery on the front side of the ironclad ship "Zhennan". He was promoted to captain for his merits. His monthly salary was 21 silver dollars. With various officer allowances, he made more than 320 silver dollars a year, which made him a high-income earner.

According to the rule of the Great Chu Kingdom's army that "lieutenants are not granted titles", Captain Charlie's military merits can be converted into houses, shops, women and fields, or into silver and US dollars, and paid in kind.

His Majesty the King of Chu led his army to the north and captured the Cebu Islands and Hainan Islands (note: formerly the Luzon Islands), receiving more than 300 years of colonial wealth from the Spanish white colonists and making a fortune.

It is said that the gold, silver and treasures amounted to tens of millions, as well as various high-value cultural relics, mansions and palaces, spice stocks, and countless silk fabrics. In addition, they also took over the Spanish white colonists' real estate, shops, farms and other fixed assets, the value of which is incalculable.

He was also generous in rewarding the meritorious soldiers in the army, and now everyone is happy.

The ironclad fleet to which Captain Charles belonged played the role of a path-breaking hammer in the Northern Expedition, laying the foundation for the final victory and making great military achievements.

More than 170 people in the entire armored firepower strike formation were rewarded for their merits. Most of them were grassroots officers below the senior level. There were only 16 middle-level officers above the colonel level, generally officers such as captains, first mates, second mates, and boatswains of armored warships.

The configuration of ironclad ships is relatively high. The captain is at least a lieutenant colonel, the first mate, second mate and boatswain are basically majors, and the third mate is generally a captain, which is a big difference from the former.

More than half of the people who received these military awards settled in the Binondo neighborhood, which is very close to the naval home port and is a better neighborhood in Manila, making it particularly popular.

Many meritorious officers of the sailing fleet and the army also lived nearby, forming the majority of residents in several nearby blocks, and the security conditions were relatively better.

The rewards for the officers were even higher, so they would try their best to live in the royal city if they could.

His Majesty the King of Chu lives there, as do important officials of the court. Most of the nine ministries and three offices of the court are also in the royal city, not to mention the gathering of the top businessmen and gentry in Manila. Naturally, it is the highest-end residential area.

Lieutenant Charlie also visited the residence of Lieutenant Colonel Fu Hongyu, captain of the "Zhennan", located in the royal city. It was a typical Spanish-style building with three floors and no courtyard.

It is not as spacious as the house that I was rewarded for my merits. The only difference is that one is in the royal city and the other is outside the royal city, that's all.

After standing downstairs and yelling for a while, Wang Dali finally stuck his head out of the second-floor window and shouted, "Sir, I'm sorry, I was asleep and didn't hear anything. What's the matter?"

"Come to my yard and grill steaks. I've also called a few other guys. Let's eat steaks and drink beer. Even if a god came, I wouldn't change it."

"Okay, I'll be right there. I have half a roast goose, perfect for an extra dish."

"What are you dawdling for, you bastard? Hurry up."

"Got it, I'll be right down."

Wang Dali came running down from upstairs, carrying half a roast goose, looking disheveled. Captain Charlie looked at him with some confusion, then looked upstairs and asked, "Wang, it's not dinner time yet, are you already at the table?"

"Sir, what are you talking about? I, Wang Dali, am the kind of person who doesn't know the rules. I got up early today and felt sleepy, so I took a nap." Wang Dali flatly denied it.

These days, engaging in promiscuity in broad daylight is not a good thing. You will be criticized and your reputation will be greatly damaged.

Captain Charlie handed the beef to Wang Dali with some doubt, and said with a pout, "Wang, your cooking skills are superb. This steak depends on you today."

"Don't worry, sir, we will complete the mission resolutely." Wang Dali looked serious as if he had been ordered to go into battle, and raised his hand to salute.

This made Captain Charlie laugh. He liked the lively look of his men. The atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant. The two of them walked forward talking and laughing.

The Chu Navy's ironclad fleet is different from the sailing fleet. It is a heavy hammer of attack, suitable for bearing the brunt of naval battles and for breaking through the enemy's solid fortress defenses.

It was not suitable for use as a long-distance voyage or patrol fleet, so after the victory in the naval battle, it spent most of its time anchored in the port of Manila on standby.

They would go sailing every three to five days without starting the steam boiler, but just practice sailing to save money.

The captain would always record in the logbook the date and time of departure, the subjects of the exercise, any discoveries made during the voyage, any shortcomings revealed, areas for improvement, and so on.

The time and moment when the sails were raised and the time and moment when the sails were lowered are all recorded clearly.

Whether to start the steam engine for navigation is even more indispensable.

This logbook needs to be signed by the first mate, second mate and boatswain, and finally by the captain, and then recorded in the file of the Navy Department.

If the superiors discovered that the captain of an ironclad ship had started the steam engine without authorization, the captain would probably have to pay for the coal burned out of his own pocket.

After entering peacetime
The Chu navy and army cannot act as they would in wartime, they must follow the rules.

The ironclad fleet usually operates in the bay, but the sailing fleet has more duties.

The cruiser fleet and the vanguard fleet, each with several warships, returned to Davao more than 20 days ago and will be stationed in Davao Port in the future to be responsible for daily patrol and surveillance tasks.

Two other sailing cruisers arrived in Cebu Province and were stationed in Cebu Port, responsible for daily patrol and surveillance tasks in the waters.

The main sailing battleship fleet was also not idle. Except for the large sailing ship "Guangming" which was the King of Chu's ship, the others all had important tasks on their shoulders.

The "Zhenhu" and "Zhenhe" sailing fleets will soon lead a task force consisting of seven sailing cargo ships, carrying two battalions of troops and more than 7 militiamen, to the island of New Guinea for colonization.

It is said that this colonization mission will take a long time, at least 3 to 4 months, and the mobilized troops will be stationed in New Guinea Island for a long time in the future, which is a new colonial hotspot.

The name New Guinea Island sounds very confusing. It was rumored within the navy that it would be renamed "Shangri-La Island". Before receiving the king's order, no one knew whether it was true.

Another "Zhenhai Formation", composed of the battleships "Zhenhai" and "Zhenjiang", also led a task force of 7 to 8 sailing cargo ships. It was about to set sail eastward to expedition to Saipan and Guam, the remaining Spanish strongholds in the Pacific, and take them into its possession.

The troop configuration for this trip is also two battalions with more than 800 people, plus more than 1500 militiamen, most of whom are selected from recently arrived refugees.

Compared with these busy sailing fleets, the ironclad fleet had a much more comfortable life.

If nothing major happens, it will stay in Manila Bay all year round and will not sail very far.

The army troops have been carrying out missions all the time and are now gradually advancing into the inland hinterland. They also undertake the heavy task of guarding mines, which is more tiring and difficult than the navy.

The two men arrived at Captain Charlie's courtyard, where several officers were already sitting and chatting. They greeted each other warmly. Wang Dali began to work, mixing the sauce on the table in the courtyard. He then used a sharp skewer to rub the steak densely, spreading the sauce all over it and kneading it repeatedly to infuse the flavor.

After finishing these, he went to light a fire and burn charcoal to prepare for grilling the steak.

Captain Charlie and several officers sat there drinking tea and chatting, while several native maids in the house brought fruits and snacks, set up the dining table in the yard, and were busy in an orderly manner.

In recognition of Captain Charlie's military achievements, in addition to being awarded this yard, he could also choose to receive some cash, or two white women, or one white woman and three native women, or six native women.

Captain Charlie chose the third option, which was to have a white woman as his wife and three native women as maids who could be used to quench his thirst when he was hungry.

His woman was a blonde, blue-eyed white girl named Aurora. She was an aristocratic and well-educated girl, exactly what Captain Charlie wanted.

With property, women, and a respected social status, Captain Charlie no longer considers returning to North America, but instead settles down here with peace of mind.

There were many white officers and sailors like him, and they accounted for the vast majority.

In the yard
The topic of conversation between Captain Charlie and several other officers was naturally inseparable from the current in-depth military operations. They had heard something about the army.

"Hey, man, have you heard? The major deputy commander of the Second Expeditionary Division got drunk and talked nonsense, so he was shot by Division Commander Zheng."

"I know about this. That major, the deputy regimental commander, got drunk and boasted, 'The army brothers toiled and died on the front lines, and in the end, vast tracts of land, women, and wealth were all handed over to the higher-ups. And now they reward us with these little bits and pieces of favors. Are they just giving away beggars?' Hehehe... What a guts!"

"People like this are everywhere. They don't even know their last name after drinking two ounces of cat urine. They're ungrateful, white-eyed wolves. They deserve to be killed."

"I heard that Commander Zheng took this man to the river in the name of military action, questioned him a few times, and then shot him in the head, accusing him of disobeying military orders."

"Of course. After all, he's the deputy regimental commander, Lieutenant Colonel Major. Even with the respect of Division Commander Zheng Shun, Major General, he can't just be killed. He has to have a reason."

"So, you're saying that Commander Zheng of the Second Expeditionary Division was reprimanded by the king for his retirement?"

"What criticism? Master Zheng has now been promoted to Director General of the Kingdom's General Police Department. All police officers across the country are under his jurisdiction. From now on, he has direct access to the central government. He is extremely valuable. This must be what the emperor likes."

"That makes sense, and I agree."

"Hmm...yes, I think so too."

"Hey, guys, let's not talk about politics, okay? The topic you're talking about is worrying. We have wine, meat, and women, why don't we talk about something happy?" Captain Charlie is a very smart man and knows what not to talk about.

It looks like a gathering of friends in this courtyard, chatting and laughing, nothing special.

You never know, someone might tell tales about you the next moment.

Wasn't it that the major deputy regiment commander who was shot dead, that he was drunk at a party with friends, and spoke his mind without restraint, and was shot dead?

Captain Charlie has traveled half the world and has extraordinary vision and knowledge.

He cherishes his life in the Great Chu Kingdom and enjoys everything here, but he is unwilling to be a fool and act recklessly.

After his reminder, several other officers also came to their senses.

His expression changed slightly, and then he changed the topic and started chatting about women and food. The atmosphere seemed quite harmonious.

Wang Dali extinguished the flame of the wood that had been burning for a while, allowing it to continue to emit high temperature and heat, then cut the marinated steak into pieces and grilled them on the iron wire mesh.

Brush with a little oil and sprinkle with some spices from time to time.

But a little longer
The tempting aroma of the steak spread out, attracting several officers to watch and they all expressed admiration.

"Wang Dapao is quite good. His cannon fires accurately and powerfully. He is also very good at roasting beef. He roasted this steak to such a charred aroma that it makes me very hungry just by looking at it."

"Do you even need to tell me that? Everyone on our Zhennan ship knows that Wang Dapao is a great cook."

"Hahaha... I'm in for a treat today."

"Then quickly serve the wine and some side dishes so we can start drinking. Oh... by the way, Wang Dapao brought half a roast goose."

"Well, Dapao is a man of character."

"I brought two bottles of French wine for everyone to try. They were trophies from a fellow soldier in the army. They're said to be quite good."

"French wine is very famous, this is good stuff."

The officers' enthusiasm was aroused and they stood aside and talked about it in a buzzing voice.

Charlie's rise to power is a typical North American style. The women in the family will not hide themselves, but let his wife Aurora dress up beautifully and appear in front of the guests.

Her appearance naturally won everyone's flattery and praise.

As for the real evaluation of this Fanpo, that is a matter of opinion, and not everyone may think it is good.

Among Han military officers, very few chose white women as their wives, as that would affect their superiors' evaluation and their future careers.

They would rather exchange the reward for a house, a shop or an indigenous woman, and then pay a hefty dowry to marry an authentic Chinese girl from a Chinese immigrant family.

For officers
The indigenous women who received the reward could be concubines or maids, but not wives, so as not to be looked down upon by their colleagues and considered to have tarnished the authentic Chinese bloodline.

This view quietly became popular in the military and soon spread to government departments, winning many voices of support.

Those senior military officers at the general level have even higher demands.

It is best to marry a noble lady from a prominent family in the mainland. This will bring you face in the upper class society and highlight your status. Many people do this.

These senior military officers are rich, powerful and influential. If they want to marry a Chinese woman from a scholarly family, they will offer a generous dowry and often succeed.

Those ordinary soldiers don’t have so many concerns. As long as they have a wife and children, a warm bed, fields to farm, and a house to live in, they can’t stop smiling.

Because of different positions and abilities, the pursuits are naturally different.

(End of this chapter)