Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 199 Two Expeditionary Teams (Please vote for the monthly ticket and recommendation ticket to support, thank you!)
Wang Dali didn't know the relationship between Aurora and his woman. They were actually mother and daughter, so he should be considered Captain Charlie's cheap father-in-law.

There were thousands of captured Spanish women in total, and the expeditionary force could not execute them all, as that would cause an uproar in the Western world.

The deaths and injuries in war are understandable, as the world today is one where the strong prey on the weak.

More than 20,000 Spanish white colonists died in the resistance. These were casualties of the war, so naturally they do not have to bear any moral responsibility. Can't white people die?

But we can't kill all these white women. The truth will come to light one day.

Killing thousands of women together would be an outright massacre, which would inevitably lead to unanimous condemnation from European and American societies and would carry a heavy moral responsibility.

This is definitely a big bomb, so we can't act rashly.

So after much thought, I decided to just divide it up as spoils of war.

As long as the military merits reached a certain level, you could choose a white woman to be your wife or maid, and the provisional government would not interfere anyway.

In this way, thousands of white women were divided up.

This is a good thing, and it is easy to explain.

These white women who lost their loved ones in the war were taken in by responsible middle-class families with a certain economic status through the provisional government, so that they would not be displaced and helpless for the rest of their lives. This might be a good place to go.

As for having children, that's even less of a problem.

Which family gets married without having children?
in the middle of the 19th century
The average number of children per European family is 6 to 7. The average number of children per British family is 5.4. The average number of children per couple in the Kingdom of Prussia is 7.1. The average number of children per French family is 6.3.

Italian families have the most children, with an average of 7.4 children per couple.

Many officers and soldiers want to try these foreign women. This is human nature. Who doesn't have curiosity?
Wang Dali was naturally one of them. After the officers greeted each other one by one, he also went up to greet them with a fist salute and said, "Good night, Madam." This was a typical Han Chinese behavior.

Aurora could not communicate with the Han officers, but she could speak English and, through Captain Charlie's translation, she showed the temperament of a very graceful hostess.

In the past, as the Governor's beloved daughter, Aurora absolutely looked down upon a minor officer like Captain Charlie and wouldn't even bat an eyelid at him.

But the situation is stronger than people
Looking around at the final destinations of those white women, Aurora actually felt a sense of superiority and quickly adjusted her mentality.

In this very private small gathering of officers, Aurora performed with ease and had an outstanding temperament, which earned Charlie a lot of face for his promotion.

Manila Port Terminal
The task force that was about to set off was quietly docked at the pier. Soldiers boarded the large sailing ship one after another and waved goodbye to the crowd who were seeing them off.

The four battalions that had not performed well in previous wars were deployed to the expedition to Saipan and Guam. Among the more than 4 soldiers, there were only more than 800 veterans, and the rest were new recruits from the Sword and Shield.

The more than 1500 militiamen who assisted in the combat were all from the newly arrived Chinese immigrant community. They were selected from the enthusiastic registration and were strong and experienced. Most of them were Hakka men.

These Hakka people either served in the imperial court's Green Camp or participated in countless clan fights and had rich combat experience.

The conflict between the natives and the Hakkas in Guangdong Province affected almost millions of Hakka people. Over a period of seven or eight years, most of the strong Hakka men experienced countless brutal attacks and battles.

Its intensity is no less than that of war.

The militia selected from them can fight as long as they put on military uniforms, and their combat effectiveness is quite strong.

In addition to the necessary individual equipment, such as military uniforms, belts, water bottles, leggings, etc., each of these militiamen was issued a rattan shield and a sheathed sword.

The rattan shield is made of old mountain vines that are a local specialty. It is woven after being repeatedly soaked in oil, exposed to the sun, and then heated to soften. It is then soaked in oil again, exposed to the sun, and finally painted with lacquer. It is light and hard, and cannot be damaged by knives.

Even when facing muskets, it has a certain degree of protection.

This protective power does not mean that it can completely block the round iron bullets fired by the musket, but it only serves as a buffer.

In actual combat
Many sword and shield fighters holding rattan shields were shot. The stray bullets were too weak due to the long distance and were embedded in the rattan shields.

When a musket is fired directly at close range, the iron bullet will greatly weaken its force after breaking through the rattan shield. It will hit the leg and penetrate the body shallowly, so it can be dug out with a knife.

Although it is a wound, it is not fatal and is an excellent protection for soldiers.

Of course, if the distance is too close, the rattan shield will not provide good protection against direct fire from a musket within 20 to 30 meters.

The waist knife is made of high-quality iron produced by local traditional iron smelting furnaces and forged by private blacksmiths, with an extremely sharp blade.

As the officers and soldiers boarded the troop transport ships one after another, Major General Robert, commander of the task force, and Pan Tianshou, deputy commander of the Second Division who led the troops, came to the dock together, followed by more than a dozen officers.

Now that the battle in Manila has basically ended, the commander of the Second Expeditionary Division, Major General Zheng Shun, has confirmed that he will soon take up the position of Director-General of the Provisional Government Police Administration, and the King of Chu's decree has been issued.

He Ruolin, the former garrison commander of Xuzhou, guerrilla general, and former deputy commander of the Second Expeditionary Division, was promoted to the position of commander of the Second Division due to his merits and finally sat on the throne of division commander.

Pan Tianshou, the deputy commander of the Second Division, was less accomplished and lost the competition. This expedition to Saipan and Guam was personally ordered by His Majesty the King of Chu. It was the final act in the complete acceptance of the legacy of the Spanish white colonizers and required the dispatch of a capable general.

According to reliable information revealed by the Chu Palace
At the beginning of the next year, the Great Chu Army will be expanded to include four main field divisions, namely Expedition 1, 2, 3, and 4, and three garrison divisions.

The goal of Pan Tianshou, deputy commander of the Second Division, was to strive for the position of commander of a main division.

To do this, you need to continuously accumulate merits.

Other army commanders also saw this valuable opportunity. Zhou Laonian, deputy commander of the 1st Expeditionary Division, volunteered to lead a team to Shangri-La Island (Note: The King of Chu had issued an imperial decree to change the name of "New Guinea Island" to "Shangri-La Island").

Its purpose is also to strive for the position of commander of a main division.

Major General Zhou Laonian is indeed a bit listless and doesn't talk much, but that doesn't mean he is not smart. This guy is very cunning.

This guy hung a full-length portrait of the King of Chu in the middle of his lobby, offered incense and fruits, and worshipped three times a day, every day until now.

When the news came out, the King of Chu was very happy and called him "my most trusted minister."

As a result, senior generals now hang a full-length portrait of the King of Chu in the middle of the lobby of their homes, offer incense and fruits, and kneel down to worship every day. No one wants to fall behind others.

This trend has now spread to the Provisional Government, and many ministers have followed suit...

If you are not of a high enough level, you won’t have the chance to pay homage.

The instigator is this listless-looking Major General Zhou Laonian. Is he smart enough?

No more small talk
Major General Robert and Major General Pan Tianshou boarded the ship one after another. At a command, the sailboats of the task force cast off and set sail, heading towards the depths of the bay.

On the azure sea, white sails dotted the sky, forming a clear column and gradually drifting away.

According to the dispatch plan
Tomorrow, Major General Zhou Laonian will lead officers and soldiers to follow the "Zhenhu" task force (note: the task force is named after the ship of the formation commander) to expedition to Shangri-La Island. This is a tough job.

Shangri-La Island (Note: formerly New Guinea Island) is the largest island in the Pacific Ocean and the second largest island in the world, with a total area of ​​78 square kilometers, which is two and a half times the 30 square kilometers of the Luzon Islands.

According to geographical information provided by the Chu Palace, an expedition to Shangri-La Island (Note: formerly New Guinea Island) requires the occupation of two areas.

One is Jayapura Port, located in the north of the western end of the island, and the other is Port Moresby, located in the southeastern end of the island.

Although it is a port, the entire Shangri-La Island (note: formerly New Guinea Island) is almost in its original undeveloped state, sparsely populated, and covered with lush tropical rainforest areas.

The island's huge central ridge stretches across thousands of kilometers, with the highest peak at about 4884 meters. The snow never melts all year round, so it is called the Snow Mountain Range.

What is even more terrifying is that the indigenous people on the island are extremely primitive, they can be called uncivilized savages, and they retain the terrible tradition of cannibalism.

The process of conquering such a savage and wild archipelago was undoubtedly arduous and thrilling, and its difficulty was no less than a war.

The task force brought with it a large amount of quinine, many medicines for treating tropical diseases, and a wide range of tools and supplies in case of emergency.

Shangri-La Island is so huge, more than 2400 kilometers from east to west. If the detour is included, the number is no less than 3000 kilometers.

At the sailing speed of the "Zhenhu" formation, it would take 8 to 10 days of sailing day and night without taking any detours to arrive safely.

If the wind direction is unfavorable and you get lost, there is no way to tell how long it will take to sail from west to east.

The biggest difficulty in colonizing Shangri-La Island was that there was nothing here and everything had to start from scratch.

Therefore, Major General Zhou Laonian has grabbed a very difficult task, and he might even lose his teeth if he is not careful.

But if it is successfully completed, he will definitely be able to take the position of a main division commander.

This is what a smart person does. The favor of His Majesty the King of Chu is a royal favor, which must not be squandered easily in order to maintain long-term wealth and glory.

Every step of promotion must rely on solid achievements, leaving others with nothing to say.

The two task forces launched expeditions one after another, which was a new attempt by the Kingdom of Chu to colonize other countries on the basis of consolidating its existing foundation.

First occupy the uninhabited islands, expand the territory, and minimize the conflicts. The European powers will not have any objections.

Old European powers such as Britain and France simply looked down on barren places like Shangri-La Island (Note: formerly New Guinea Island). They occupied too many good places and sneered at the above-mentioned areas.

They dislike it, but Zheng Guohui doesn't. Now the plate is full of dishes, the more the better.

(End of this chapter)