Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 201 Guam Camp and Saipan Camp

After settling down in Guam, his subordinates sent twelve young and beautiful native girls to serve the general.

Major General Pan Tianshou was satisfied with the results and stayed. After the mission was successfully completed, he would take them back to Manila and keep them at his disposal.

This little benefit is nothing.

A maidservant of this level would cost a little over a hundred silver dollars in the market, and all of her worth would be about a thousand silver dollars, which was a few months' salary for Major General Pan Tianshou.

When I return to Manila Royal City in the future, I will need to interact with the upper echelons of the military and political circles. Sending two indigenous girls as maids will be a cost-effective and face-saving thing to do.

This is not considered a bribe to officials. It is just some small things brought back from the colonial expedition, which can barely be classified as local specialties.

When Pan Tianshou thought that Major General Zhou Laonian would also bring back some native girls, he couldn't help laughing in his heart.

Please... they are indigenous cannibals. Will they suddenly go crazy at night and bite me to pieces?

"General, Captain Zheng Min, commander of the 113th Infantry Battalion, has arrived. Please give us your instructions."

"General, Captain Wu Zuoxian, commander of the 116th Infantry Battalion, has arrived. Please give us your instructions."

"General, your humble servant Tan Wen is at your service."

When three of his capable men came forward, Major General Pan Tianshou waved his hand gently and said, "Please sit down and chat. Bring some tea."

"Thank you, General."

The three of them bowed and thanked him, then came in and sat down on the left and right, their backs straight and their expressions respectful.

The indigenous girl brought out freshly opened coconut milk. This drink is refreshing and thirst-quenching. Many Chinese immigrants like it very much and it has become the most commonly consumed drink in daily life.

Captain Zheng Min and Captain Wu Zuoxian were both officers temporarily assigned to the command of Major General Pan Tianshou. They were also responsible for commanding the militia that would cooperate in the battle, namely the sword and shield soldiers.

Tan Wen was a clerk and a section chief in the Colonial Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to Major General Pan Tianshou's understanding
The section chief is almost equivalent to a clerk of low rank, responsible for presiding over the colonial construction, material allocation and other matters in Saipan, Guam and other places, and has seven clerks under him.

Tan Wen was subsequently responsible for allocating land to the soldiers and militia, dividing the village settlements, allocating indigenous women, and providing farming tools, seeds, livestock, and other items.

Major General Pan Tianshou had no intention of getting involved in the specific matters of colonial construction, nor did he want to bother with these trivial matters.

After the three of them sat down, Major General Pan Tianshou got straight to the point and said;

"For this colonization expedition, we are following the reclamation plan issued by the provisional government. Guam is the focus, and more immigrants will be moving in later.

This General has decided..."

The three men stood up immediately. The two officers snapped their feet to attention and replied in a deep voice, "Here are your humble servants. Please give your orders, sir."

As a civil servant, Tan Wen just stood up and listened without taking any other action.

Major General Pan Tianshou nodded in satisfaction, and then continued to give orders;

“According to the authorization of the Kingdom’s Provisional Government, this General has decided;
All officers and soldiers of the 113th Battalion, led by Captain Zheng Min, will be stationed in Guam from now on to guard the kingdom's borders, strictly prevent any invasion by hostile forces, and will resolutely fight back.

The 113th Battalion has been officially reorganized as the "Guam Battalion." Your battalion will be transferred to the military reclamation area from today onwards. All officers and soldiers in the battalion will be treated according to the military reclamation treatment. The specific arrangements will be made by Section Chief Tan.

"I will resolutely carry out the orders from my superiors, guard the border for the kingdom, and fight back against any invading enemy. I will have no regrets even if I die." Captain Zheng Min replied in a sonorous voice.

Major General Pan Tianshou smiled and nodded in appreciation, saying, "Very good! You must have this spirit of not fearing hardship. Hold on here for a few years, and after returning to Manila, I will guarantee you a career as a major."

"Thank you, General. I am very grateful." Captain Zheng Min's face showed excitement, and it was not fake at all.

Young officers like him are different from ordinary soldiers and will not be stationed on remote islands for a long time.

After working here for three to five years and returning to the Manila Military Academy for further studies, you can be promoted to the rank of major and serve as the deputy commander of the main division, taking your military career to a new level.

His Majesty the King of Chu has relocated the Jinling Military Academy to Manila, located in the former Holy Trinity College in the royal city. The original Holy Trinity College of Thanksgiving of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit was renamed the Manila Army Infantry College and is located on the south bank of the Pasig River.

According to Royal Decree No. 29 issued by His Majesty the King, all army officers who are promoted in the future will need to study at the Manila Army Infantry Academy for six months and graduate with qualifications before they can receive new appointments.

The Jinling Military Academy held two sessions and was the cradle of senior officers in the army of the Great Chu Kingdom.

Today, at the Manila Army Infantry College, many soldiers and junior officers who performed outstandingly in the war have entered the academy for further studies in preparation for the next expansion of the army.

This was no secret; even the army's lower-level officers knew about it. After arranging Captain Zheng Min, Major General Pan Tianshou turned around and instructed Captain Wu Zuoxian:

““According to the authorization of the Kingdom’s Provisional Government, this General has decided;
All officers and soldiers of the 116th Battalion, led by Captain Wu Zuoxian, will be stationed on Saipan Island from now on to guard the borders of the kingdom, strictly prevent any invasion by hostile forces, and give a resolute counterattack.

The 113th Battalion has been officially reorganized as the "Saipan Battalion." Your battalion will be transferred to the military reclamation area from today onwards. All officers and soldiers in the battalion will be treated as such. The specific arrangements will be made by Section Chief Tan.

"We will resolutely follow the commander's orders. The Saipan Battalion will guard the borders of the Kingdom and will strike back at any enemy that attacks us. We will not retreat a single step."

"Very good. The majority of the Saipan Battalion will be stationed on Saipan Island. Another company will be assigned to follow the expeditionary fleet to Midway Island and stationed there for reclamation. There must be no mistakes."

"I will resolutely carry out the order and make appropriate arrangements."

"Well, guarding the border for the kingdom is a glorious and arduous task. I hope you are fully prepared. With a lofty sense of military honor and responsibility, you must be firmly rooted here like a nail. Dedicate your youth and blood to the great cause of expanding the living space of the Chinese nation."

"Resolutely carry out the orders of the superiors, listen to the teachings of the superiors, complete the mission with a lofty sense of military honor, be loyal to Your Majesty, and live up to the trust of the people." The young officer's answer was very firm.

From the moment they boarded the expedition fleet's sailboat, they knew the important mission they were shouldering.

The Saipan Battalion needed to dispatch a company to be stationed at Midway Island, more than 4000 kilometers away.

They were accompanied by some militiamen and several hundred indigenous women, who settled down and multiplied in the area.

The conditions on Midway Island are much better than those on Wake Island. It is very close to Honolulu. The island is not only large in area, but also has forests and lakes, and hundreds of thousands of albatrosses.

what does this mean?
It means there will be no shortage of meat, and there will be abundant guano resources. The cultivated land will have very good yields, and people will be self-sufficient in grain, oil, and vegetables, and even have surplus, so living conditions will be much better.

The worst conditions are on Wake Island, which is located 3700 kilometers west of Tanxiang Mountain. It consists of three connected coral islands with a total area of ​​only 6.5 square kilometers.

Wake Island is composed of three small coral islands, forming a huge lagoon that can provide shelter from storms for passing fleets and provide fresh water supplies.

The island has dense vegetation and tropical forests, but little arable land.

The Provisional Government of the Kingdom of Great Chu conducted an in-depth study of the materials left by the Spanish navigators and made targeted arrangements, as follows:
First, no less than 180 militiamen and more than 300 indigenous women were sent to the island as the working population to settle on the island, and village houses and port piers were gradually built.

Secondly, the small sampans brought by the expedition fleet will be left on Wake Island. There are a total of four sampans and they will be used as fishing boats.

Secondly, after the expedition fleet successfully arrives at Midway Island, it will cut down 500 trees on the island, collect 700 to 800 tons of guano, and bring it to Wake Island on the return journey.

500 trees were used to build a simple pier, which will allow Wake Island to play a greater role as a transit point, receiving transoceanic cargo ships traveling across the Pacific Ocean and providing much better conditions for transporting water and other supplies.

Guano is used to improve the soil conditions of cultivated fields on the island, making it possible to grow vegetables and grains.

Finally, the expedition brought the most supplies to Wake Island, with the most complete categories, including three steam engines, some bricks for building houses and brick kilns, and poultry and livestock such as chickens, ducks, pigs, cattle, and sheep. It was very thoughtful.

Major General Pan Tianshou kept the three of them to chat for a while, then served them tea and sent them away.

The final destination of his trip is Guam. Next week, he plans to land on Saipan with the Saipan Battalion, thus completing all the missions.

The rest of the time is spent sitting here, waiting for the fleet from the Midway expedition to return, and then returning to Manila together.

Wake Island and Midway Island are both uninhabited islands. The expedition task force plans to send the large sailing ship "Zhenjiang" and three sailing cargo ships to the islands, mainly to transport personnel and supplies.

This long voyage is expected to take about one and a half months round trip.

More than 140 transport officers and soldiers, more than 500 militiamen, and about indigenous women carried out substantial occupation and colonization of Wake Island and Midway Island, which was of great significance.

The task force commander, Rear Admiral Robert, was not planning to carry out the voyage himself, but instead sent his deputy.

There is no possibility of fighting on this voyage, and the vast Pacific Ocean is the biggest difficulty.

Occupying Wake Island and Midway Island, the maritime territory of the Great Chu Kingdom extended over 7,200 kilometers from the Hainan Islands (note: formerly the Luzon Islands) to the central Pacific Ocean, reaching near Honolulu.

Honolulu is the most important city in Hawaii. It is 3700 kilometers away from the North American continent, 8000 kilometers away from the Chinese mainland, and 9000 kilometers away from Australia. It is the largest archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean and has very strong supply capabilities.

The Hawaiian Islands are located in the center of the Pacific Ocean, crossing the Tropic of Cancer from north to south. They consist of 8 large islands and 124 small islands, with a total land area of ​​approximately 1.67 square kilometers.

Of the Pacific Ocean's total area of ​​18000 million square kilometers, this one is only one ten-thousandth of it, as tiny as a grain of sand.

But no one can deny the role of the Hawaiian Islands, which is the most important support for the Pacific route, without a doubt.

(End of this chapter)