Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 219 Everything is Ready
These Europeans never imagined that in the attic upstairs from them, a group of secret agents were writing down their words and handing them over to a serious-looking man for review.

In this small attic, there are as many as five copper speakers connected, the floor is covered with thick carpet, and everyone moves silently.

This serious-looking man is Major Pan Changfu. He is affiliated with the Fifth Department of the Ministry of the Interior. The official internal name is the Southeast Asia Investigation Office, but this official name is only known by a very small number of senior officials.

The Fifth Department is known to the outside world. According to the strict rules of the Ministry of the Interior, the Fifth Department has no contact with other departments and is directly responsible to its superiors.

The fifth monitoring point set up in the State Guesthouse was a result of the Minister of the Interior Dong Huanzhang's help to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It happened that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had no chief at the time, so the Ministry of the Interior took advantage of the opportunity.

In fact, after Zheng Yulan, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, took office, she learned through the highest level of confidentiality that there was such a monitoring point and was furious at the time.

This thing is like a big bomb hidden in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and no one knows when it will explode.

Once it is exposed, it will be a major scandal that will affect the reputation of the kingdom.

From the perspective of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is absolutely correct that the State Guesthouse was originally a place to entertain distinguished guests from various countries. It is also an important channel for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote cooperation with various countries. It can demonstrate the majesty and hospitality of the Chu State, not a place for espionage.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should not bear this responsibility for both moral and legal reasons. It will not gain any benefits at all, but will be blamed for it.

Minister of the Interior Dong Huanzhang went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs several times and said all the nice things he could before he managed to keep this monitoring point.

This monitoring point is really useful. It can monitor the real thoughts of representatives from various countries, and it is full of explosive information!

With it, there is no need to worry about not having important information to provide to His Majesty the King of Chu. It is all full of useful information and is also the achievement of the Ministry of the Interior.

But at the same time, the Minister issued a strict order to the Fifth Department
If any mistakes are made, all those who know about it will be executed without mercy.

Major Pan Changfu sat on a low stool and carefully reviewed the translated intelligence, which was signed by the monitoring team leader and the translator.

He took out his pen with a solemn expression and signed his name in the back column.

Then he gestured to the others, meaning, "This monitoring team, please come with me and rest for a while. The next team will continue to hold their posts."

In this narrow attic, no sound is allowed, no talking is allowed, going to the toilet during shifts, no drinking water, no eating, and there are many strict rules.

Even if you can't help but pee, you can only pee in your crotch.

Everything has to wait until after the shift is over to rest, then you can relax, drink some water, eat something, and take a nap to relax.

Major Pan Changfu came out first and walked down the attic stairs lightly. The place where he came down was a small space blocked by cabinets.

Sneaking through the gap between the cabinet and the wall, I found a storage room where all kinds of mops and sundries were piled up, located in the corner of the entire corridor.

Major Pan Changfu looked at the mark on the door. It was the mark left when the door was closed. A small yellow ball was stuck at the top of the door crack.

If someone accidentally pushes the door open, the yellow ball will fall to the ground without making any sound or attracting any attention.

Seeing that there was no problem, Major Pan Changfu straightened up and adjusted his clothes. When they came in, they were all wearing the uniforms of the cleaners of the State Guest House, which matched the utility room very well.

Looked back

The four monitoring team members who were on duty all followed behind in turn. No one made any sound, and all information was conveyed through gestures.

Major Pan Changfu calmed himself down, gently turned the door lock, opened the door, and saw a pot of flowers placed opposite the porch, right next to the door.

If the flower pot moves away from its position, it means that there is an abnormal situation and everyone must immediately return to the attic and stay there until the abnormal situation is resolved.

Seeing that the pot of flowers had not moved, Major Pan Changfu walked out naturally.

Come to the porch

You can see a waiter in white clothes flashing in front of you. He is a staff member of the Fifth Department, responsible for monitoring abnormal situations in the stable.

Seeing that everything was normal, Major Pan Changfu walked over with a rag in his hand and went down the stairs to the second floor. The room where they were resting was in the corner of the first floor.

Others also came out one by one, 1 or 2 people at a time, and quietly left along the edge of the porch with their heads lowered.

In the afternoon
This fresh report was delivered to the East Pavilion of Ganquan Palace and placed on the desk of the King of Chu.

This document is marked top secret and sealed with the wax seal of the Ministry of the Interior. Even the Chief of Staff of the King of Chu cannot view it and must be presented directly to Your Majesty.

Upon seeing this top-secret document, King Zheng Guohui of Chu opened it immediately and read it carefully.

after a long time
He put the top-secret documents into a rosewood box. The top-secret documents in the box will be handled by Dongmei and classified and archived according to the level of secrecy.

Dongmei cannot read, but she is very careful in her work. She classifies and archives documents and letters according to the confidentiality level and number indicated on their surface.

American?

Zheng Guohui leaned comfortably in his chair, thinking about the current trends of political forces in various countries, and soon came to a conclusion.

He was familiar with the course of future history, which undoubtedly gave him a cheat, making his judgments extremely accurate.

in the original history

The United States' attempt to extend its hand across the Pacific was not realized until more than 30 years later during the Spanish-American War. What does this indicate?
This shows that the European colonial powers, mainly Britain and France, did not want to have another guest at the table. In the underground competition with undercurrents, the United States was forced to give up this idea.

It’s not that America doesn’t want to, but it lacks the strength.

First of all, if we clarify this issue, we can exclude the American factor in the current situation in Southeast Asia and just not take it seriously.

The countries that dominate the situation in the region are still Britain and France, and the Netherlands has the right to participate. Originally, the Spaniards also had a seat at the table, but now it is Chu that has taken over.

If Britain and France wanted to achieve free flow of trade in the Nanyang region and implement free trade policies that removed barriers, they could not do without the full cooperation of the Chu State, which was located in the center of the Nanyang region.

Just look at the map

The Dutch East Indies were too far south, and Australia was considered the end of the world in the eyes of Europeans.

The Hainan Islands, located in the South China Sea, are not only an important node on the circum-Pacific route, but also a must-go place for trading merchant ships traveling north and south. Going north to the Chinese mainland, Ryukyu, Fuso and the Korean Peninsula, and going south to Singapore, the Kingdom of Siam, the Malay Peninsula and the indigenous kingdoms of Sumatra, they must pass through the Hainan Islands.

Therefore, its importance becomes increasingly prominent.

Judging from the information revealed in the secret report, the British did not have a strong desire to use force against the State of Chu, but were more concerned about trade issues. Other trades were fine, but the opium trade would be a focus.

Thinking of this, Zheng Guohui took out a cigar, cut off the cap, struck a match to light the cigar, and took two deep puffs.

He exhaled a large cloud of smoke, and the strong light blue smell of tobacco quickly enveloped his entire body, making him hazy.

in the middle of the 19th century
The opium trade is an issue that cannot be avoided. Rampant British merchants planted large quantities of opium in India and trafficked it to the northern continent, making huge profits.

Its historical background

Due to the long-term trade imbalance between China and Europe, porcelain, tea, silk and brocade produced in China can be sold at very high prices in Europe and are luxury goods that the wealthy class flocks to.

Conversely, Europe has nothing decent to sell to the mainland.

If this continues, a large amount of silver from Mexico will flow into the Chinese mainland, but there will be no return of the money.

However, inhaling addictive opium is a powerful weapon to break the deadlock.

So why did the opium trade decline later?
The answer is very simple. Opium was not a rare thing. It could be grown in large quantities in areas with warm climates on the mainland, such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Sichuan, etc. Not only was the output high, but the quality was also good.

Later, the famous Yunyan referred to the opium produced in Yunnan. It was much stronger than Indian tobacco, purer and stronger, and was once exported in large quantities to various parts of Southeast Asia.

The quality of Sichuan cigarettes is a bit lower, but the quantity is large and the price is low.

In this way, Indian opium was driven out of the Chinese mainland market and eventually disappeared in the long river of history.

Really can't do
Then choose a small island specifically for growing opium. Anyway, people in the country are not allowed to smoke opium, and the grown opium can also be exported back to Southeast Asia in large quantities.

It's free trade. You can sell to my market, and I can sell to your market. It all depends on the quality and price of the goods.

But before that, it is better to delay it for a while and strive for greater concessions from the British in trade, taxation and other aspects.

With a plan in mind, Zheng Guohui felt much more at ease, and a confident smile appeared on his face.

The shipyard in Jinsha County has already started production. Unlike the shipyard in Manila, this shipyard produces small steel steamers and has 107 technicians from the United States.

The factory will initially produce steam tugboats for transporting rafts between islands, towing barges, etc., and the demand is very large.

Whether it is the Tongzhou Islands (Note, formerly the Mindanao Islands), the Cebu Islands, the Hainan Islands (Note, formerly the Luzon Islands), or the Shangri-La Islands (Note, formerly the Guinea Islands), the surrounding islands are densely populated and very close.

This unique island terrain is very suitable for steamship travel.

For example, large amounts of mined ore are loaded onto barges and towed back and forth by steam steamers, often over a distance of tens or even dozens of kilometers, which has the highest cost-effectiveness.

This situation has now occurred. In large-scale mines across the country, ore is piled up like mountains, but transporting it out has become a problem.

From mines to smelters, steamers are a good solution to this problem.

The existing shipbuilding capacity of the Jinsha Shipyard has not yet been fully utilized. Hundreds of Chinese workers are still learning, and the work is mainly done by white technicians.

It is expected that after several months of instruction, some Chinese workers will begin to build steamers under the supervision of white technicians.

Production capacity is gradually increasing in the initial stage
每个季度能生产2~3艘排水量在50~80吨的蒸汽小火轮，大约需要1~2个季度过度。

By the second half of next year, the production capacity of Jinsha Shipyard will experience a significant explosive growth, with output reaching 7 to 8 ships or even more per quarter.

When in full production, it will have the capacity to produce 15 to 16 small steamers every quarter, an average of 5 per month.

In Zheng Guohui's expectations
The Jinsha Shipyard should have started producing steam gunboats with a displacement of 1868 to 300 tons in early 400. This level of steam gunboats was a type of combat ship that was in great demand by the Chu Navy.

Although its tonnage is not large and its operating cost is not high, it is of special significance in maintaining the maritime security of Da Chu, a country with thousands of islands.

This type of 300-400 ton steam gunboat does not require a long range and usually patrols the waters around the archipelago, leaving in the morning and returning in the evening, and rarely enters the deep sea or ocean.

It can also play an important role in foreign naval battles and is one of the auxiliary combat fleets.

The process of picking up some cheap warships from North America to equip the Kingdom's Navy was almost completed by the end of the year.

All that could be picked up was picked up, and there was still some that could not be picked up. Most of the American ironclad warships were on the east coast of the United States, and were the food in the bowls of European countries. The Chu State definitely could not pick them up.

In order to develop the kingdom’s navy and army in the future, it will need to rely on its own industrial strength.

At the same time as the Jinsha Shipyard was put into production, Manila Heavy Industries' production equipment was being installed, including advanced gun production equipment, steel casting equipment and various machine tools.

Its scale is much larger than the Mawei Shipyard established by Zuo Zongtang in Mawei, Fujian, and its equipment is much more comprehensive, so its production capacity is naturally stronger.

In Manila, relevant industrial layout is progressing in an orderly manner.

The Manila First Cement Plant and the Manila Second Cement Plant, the Royal Coin Mint, the Manila Steam Machinery Industry Company, as well as steel foundries, rolling mills, wire rope factories, anchor chain factories, canning factories, canvas factories, textile factories, etc. are all being continuously laid out in the industrial zone.

In the future, a heavy industrial base will be formed with Jinsha County in the south and Manila in the north, and Manila's development prospects will be broader.

Thanks to its inherent geographical advantages, the entire Greater Manila area is more densely populated and more maturely developed, making it very convenient to pick up and resettle Chinese immigrants after they come in.

The cultivated land and villages are ready for settlement and production. Now the rice in the fields has begun to ear and become starchy, and will be ready for harvest in a month or so.

The vegetables, fruits and melons produced by Chinese farmers who immigrated to Manila have already supplied the city in large quantities, and the supply of eggs and other meat products is gradually increasing.

Once the first crop of rice is harvested, the pressure of food imports from the Tongzhou Islands will be greatly reduced, and a strong self-sufficiency capacity will be formed.

This is the advantage of occupying mature areas on a large scale. There is no need to work hard to open up new land. Just give a piece of land to Chinese immigrants to cultivate. It is simple and convenient.

After sorting out his development ideas, Zheng Guohui stood up in a good mood and looked out from the oval European-style window.

The buildings of different heights in the royal city had a unique exotic charm in his eyes, as if a painting was unfolding before him.

If you appreciate it carefully, you will feel like an old farmer looking at the thriving farmland, and you will feel very contented.

Tomorrow is the National Day celebration and everything is ready.

(End of this chapter)