Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 211 Thirty-six strategies are the best

"Oh! Mr. Shang's wound is not light. Please sit still. I will urgently summon the imperial physician to treat him. I hope there is nothing wrong." King Zheng Guohui of Chu looked concerned.

He had just sat down when he suddenly stood up and walked out, speaking worriedly as he walked.

Before the two princes could react, the figure had disappeared outside the East Pavilion, running faster than a rabbit.

It’s impossible not to run!
These two companies are both troublesome, and the twists and turns involved cannot be explained clearly in a short time. The struggle for power and profit among the tiny countries gives outsiders the opportunity to intervene.

The Great Chu Kingdom was just established and it had a lot of troubles on its own, so it would not care about these trivial matters at all.

This basket of goods is half rotten peaches and half rotten apricots. Whoever touches it will get into trouble.

The situation of the Ryukyu Kingdom is very clear. It was always bullied by the Japanese. The Japanese have always been greedy and never satisfied with taking advantage of others.

He was always thinking about the Ryukyu kingdom, women and royal property, and wanted to take everything he had.

The situation in the Sultanate of Selangor is a little more complicated. It is a power struggle among royal brothers, and the intervention of the British has made things even more complicated.

The Sultanate of Selangor is located in the middle of the west coast of the Malay Peninsula, bordering Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south, and the Strait of Malacca to the west.

It has an area of ​​8104 square kilometers and a total population of about 71. It is a typical small regime with many affairs to deal with.

If you have no impression of this place, then when it comes to Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, most people know that these two places are located in Selangor.

Today, there are more than a dozen indigenous princely regimes of varying sizes on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra, and the Sultanate of Selangor is one of them.

The thirteen states of Malaysia in later generations were a federal constitutional monarchy with nine royal families taking turns in ruling, which are the nine princely states on the Malay Peninsula today.

The remaining four states do not have royal families, so the details are complicated.

This is not unrelated to the Siamese Kingdom's invasion of the south in the late 17th century, which we will not elaborate on for now.

Today in the palace
The sudden kneeling action of Prince Abdullah Said and Prince Shangjian of Yijiang shocked all the staff of the Prince of Chu's Palace and caught the Royal Guards off guard.

There is no lowest limit, only lower.

Confucian scholars from the Shenzhou Continental Empire have always believed that "national dignity and honor are above all else", "people who offend the mighty Han will be punished even though they are far away", "do not deceive others, do not harbor the intention to harm others, and do not avoid things that benefit the country even if it means death", etc., emphasizing that national dignity and honor are above all else.

The actions of the two indigenous kingdoms' dignitaries, who fell to their knees in the palace, are truly shocking.

Speaking of here
The officials of the Kingdom of Chu made the mistake of "Why not eat meat porridge?" In their view, national dignity was above everything else.

These nobles of the kingdom represent the state system and dignity. How can they kneel down at every turn? Wouldn't that bury the dignity of the kingdom?
Actually

In this brutal age of the survival of the fittest, how can small and weak nations have dignity? How can they have glory? When even survival is a luxury, isn't it ridiculous to talk about such things?
A big country has the dignity of a big country, and a small country has the wisdom of a small country to survive.

If they could prostrate themselves and kneel, they would gain the mercy and support of the Great Chu Kingdom. I believe these two princes would be willing to kneel every day, and it would not be humiliating at all.

for a long time
The mainstream officials of the Great Chu Kingdom still adhere to the old thinking of the Celestial Empire, and regard the maintenance of national dignity, national system and honor as more important than life and above everything else.

This cannot be said to be wrong, but it is too extravagant for these small indigenous Malay countries, and they really cannot afford to maintain it!

The kingdom’s territory and people are about to be destroyed, so what is the point of clinging to such intangible things as dignity and glory?

What happened in the palace today taught a good lesson to all the court staff, making them realize that the strength of a kingdom plays an absolutely overwhelming role in the interactions between countries.

If you don’t have the ability, don’t talk about anything.

After receiving the invitation letter, most of these indigenous princely regimes also sent envoys to Manila with the intention of making friends. Who doesn't want to be friends with a powerful kingdom?

In the eyes of these indigenous princes, the newly emerging Great Chu Kingdom was a powerful country that could defeat the Western white colonists and was worthy of reliance.

In today's era, information is extremely closed. When many princely kingdoms in Southeast Asia received invitations to the founding celebration of the Great Chu Kingdom, they had no idea that such a powerful kingdom had suddenly risen in Southeast Asia.

Many princely states had the idea of ​​just taking a look first, since it wouldn't cost them anything anyway.

When these kingdoms' envoys arrived in Manila one after another, they were shocked to see the four dark ironclad ships docked in the Manila harbor. They all exclaimed, "God, is this true?"

The huge sailing warships that returned to the port one after another, with masts like forests and white sails like snow, refreshed the cognitive limit of these kingdom envoys again and again, thus generating a strong desire to cling to them.

From being indifferent at the beginning, it became unprecedentedly passionate.

These changes were originally expected by King Zheng Guohui of Chu.

In the recruit camp on the Cavite Peninsula, more than 8200 Chinese recruits are undergoing intensive training, and more than 4000 representatives of meritorious troops will also be reviewed by His Majesty the King of Chu at the ceremony.

This army parade team of more than 12000 people will be the highlight of the National Day ceremony.

The main reason for setting up the main ceremony venue of the founding ceremony in Manila Port was also a little trick of the Great Chu Kingdom;
That is

It allows the armored fleet and the sailing fleet to easily flex their muscles and demonstrate the abundant martial virtues of the Great Chu Kingdom.

This was a show for European powers such as Britain, France, the United States and the Netherlands, and also a show to demonstrate strength to the various princely kingdoms in Southeast Asia, thereby winning the respect of all countries.

In order to subsequently carry out trade and exchanges with other countries, develop friendly and neighborly relations, and gain real benefits.

The most important thing is to show our strength to the British gentlemen.

The subtext is clear;

The Kingdom of Great Chu regrets the breakdown of previous cooperation intentions. We highly respect the global leadership of the British Empire and are seeking possible cooperation.

I know you have a big stick in your hand, but I also have a sharp knife in my hand. Before we become enemies, it is better to think carefully.

The world today is so realistic that if you don’t have the ability, no one will even look at you.

As the old saying goes, to defeat the enemy without fighting is the best strategy.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu also had hidden worries in his heart

He offended Governor Ord in an impulse. These days, the British have been finding fault with him everywhere, acting as if they are unhappy and looking for trouble. This has really troubled him and kept him awake for many days and nights.

The army and navy parade at the founding ceremony clearly conveyed the message of "I am not to be trifled with." It was not that they were afraid of the British, but the fledgling Great Chu Kingdom was still immature and how could it withstand the ravages of a violent storm?

What is the British Empire like now?
To give an example, it is like a tyrannical boxing champion who is invincible. He will just punch anyone he doesn't like without any reasoning.

It has only been sixty years since the 19th century.

The British Empire launched nearly 20 wars throughout Asia, including two Opium Wars, three Burmese Wars, two Afghan Wars, the war against France on the Indian mainland, the war to conquer the princely states, various wars in the Middle East, and the Anglo-Satsuma War in September 1862, which was a war between the British fleet and the Satsuma Domain of Fuso.

As for the world, there are too many.

All the famous countries in the world, including France, Russia, Spain, the Netherlands, the Ottoman Empire and Prussia in Europe, have been conquered by the British.

The British are like crazy now. No one can be provoked or touched. They are also extremely unreasonable.

Um what?
Just like the people sitting around the conference table, the British man finally walked in and pointed to the entire conference room and said, "Gentlemen, I am not targeting any one of you, but all of you. Whoever is not convinced will be beaten, and I will keep beating him until he is convinced."

At this time, King Zheng Guohui of Chu deeply understood the difficulties faced by capable kings throughout the ages. He was now the king and father of more than two million Chinese people and had a promising empire. How could he bear to see them destroyed?
If it was originally during the Tongzhou militia period
Damn, what’s the point of considering that?

Just pick up the knife and fight to the death. Who is Zheng Guohui afraid of?
There were 1500 Taiping bandits, and the Tongzhou militia had men to fight against them.

There are 1500 Taiping bandits, but the Tongzhou militia still has people to fight against them, because this is all the capital I have.

But I am not afraid of you. Even if there are 100,000 Taiping bandits, Zheng Guohui still dares to charge in without frowning. Otherwise, how could he have the nickname "Crazy Zheng"?
Now it is no longer possible. The heavy responsibility of the country and the people rests on his shoulders, and the happiness and well-being of more than 200 million Chinese people rests on his shoulders. He cannot help but think more and cannot act on impulse.

throughout Southeast Asia

Only the British Empire's Third Royal Sail Battleship Fleet stationed at the Indian Viceroy's Office in Kolkata poses a fatal threat to the Great Chu Kingdom's naval fleet. The others are not a concern.

There is certainly a profound truth behind the fact that the British Empire has been able to dominate the world's oceans for more than 150 years.

This truth is the British Empire Royal Navy, which has many warships, large caliber, strong firepower, and a lofty sense of honor, fearless dedication and rich combat experience.

The Royal Navy of the British Empire has achieved victory after victory, moving from one glory to another, and has never disappointed the proud gentlemen of the British Empire, not even once.

Zheng Guohui is not stupid, but he doesn't want to become a new stepping stone for the British.

The four ironclad ships prefixed with "Zhen" (Zhen), "Dongnanxixi" (Dongnansixi), and the four sailing battleships prefixed with "Jianghehuhai" (Jianghehuhai) are the foundation of the entire kingdom, like eight stable pillars, and none of them can be lost.

But in front of the British Royal Navy, all advantages turned into disadvantages.

The four thousand-ton sailing battleships of the Great Chu Kingdom, "Jianghe Huhai", can definitely dominate the Southeast Asia region, but they are nothing compared to the Royal Navy of Great Britain.

By British world-class standards, this was only the level of a third-tier sailing battleship.

In the main sailing fleet of the Royal Navy of Great Britain, it is just a small supporting role. The large sailing battleships of level 1 and 2 with three-layer fire decks are the main force.

The flagship of the British Royal Third Squadron stationed in Kolkata, the Pearl of Calcutta, has an astonishing displacement of 3215 tons. It is a five-masted sailing battleship equipped with 168 guns of various calibers, like a monster spewing fire.

The gap in strength is so huge.

That is
The British Royal Navy can crush the Chu Navy to the point of suffocation just by extending a little finger.

Not to mention four heavy ironclad ships, even if the number was doubled, it would be useless. This is an absolute crushing defeat in terms of strength.

Facing such a super heavyweight player, Zheng Guohui felt regret for the first time. His attitude was indeed reckless at that time.

He clearly understood

The British Empire's Royal Navy is the maritime hegemon that traverses the seven seas. For a long time to come, the Great Chu Kingdom, as a country of thousands of islands, must never attempt to challenge this global monopoly.

The wisest approach

If you can't beat them, then join in and become a part of the British pound's business empire, integrate into the international efforts that the British Empire is now vigorously promoting to eliminate global trade barriers, and build the role of a close friend.

Before that, it was necessary to prove that the Kingdom of Chu had the strength to be a junior partner of the British Empire.

Common saying in Europe

The Dutch are merchants, the Spanish and Portuguese are lazy and passionate, the Italians are very stylish, and the French are a romantic country.

The Anglo-Saxons of Prussia and the South German Confederation were stiff and unromantic soldiers, and the army was the best fit for them.

The Russians were plunderers with an insatiable appetite for land, while the British were labeled gentlemen and implicitly considered "Europe's troublemakers."

have to say
The wisdom of the people points directly to the essence of European nations, which is indeed very reasonable.

Zheng Guohui can more clearly understand the nature of the British from the perspective of looking at history.

What a fucking gentleman?
These are a group of speculators who are driven by practical interests, true utilitarians. There is no such thing as faith and persistence, which can lead to continuous success.

In the Anglo-Satsuma War in September 1862, the British launched a war of revenge without any explanation because of the personal criminal behavior of a samurai from the Satsuma domain, who killed one British and seriously injured two British.

The outcome of the war put the British in a dilemma, and they finally sought a way to step down with dignity. From then on, they looked up to the Satsuma clan, and the relationship between the two sides became even closer.

According to the Chinese saying, this is called "serving different dishes to different people".

Because of this unexpected incident, the Satsuma clan gained the favor of the British and became a direct disciple of the British Royal Navy, and the two sides had constant exchanges.

The Satsuma Domain fully accepted British naval education and inheritance, thus laying the foundation for the rise of the modern Fuso Kingdom.

An accidental event like the "Anglo-Salvatore War" is the best entry point. Regardless of whether they win or lose, both sides will not lose face.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu would not interfere in such trivial matters as those between the Kingdom of Selangor and the Kingdom of Ryukyu, and would leave it to Prime Minister Li Hezhang to deal with them.

After the founding ceremony
Zheng Guohui will start his inspection of the kingdom's islands soon. He won't be back for several months. Just wait if you want. He won't meet them when he comes back anyway.

Thirty-six strategies, walking is the best.

(End of this chapter)