Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 231: Guano Business

September 12th, 2025

After more than ten days of sailing, two large sailing ships, one in front and one behind, entered the dock of Niihau Island, but were greeted by more than a dozen white men and women who shouted and shouted angrily at them and drove them away.

"Secretary Zhuo, please take out the documents for leasing the island and show these crazy white people that we now legally own the island." Lieutenant Colonel Wang Haigou stood at the side of the ship and ordered calmly.

Secretary Zhuo Weiting's expression was even calmer than his, but he said something that made his face suddenly change color: "Sorry, sir, we don't have the legal documents to lease this island."

"What? You are kidding, Secretary Zhuo?" Lieutenant Colonel Wang Haigou turned around in surprise and asked quickly.

Zhuo Weiting nodded affirmatively, spread his hands and said, "I was planning to rent a deserted island, but things didn't go as planned.

The island was originally ruled by King Meia IV of Hawaii. In 1836, Mrs. Sinclair, the widow of a Scottish nobleman, bought the island for $1.

Just last year, Mrs. Sinclair died and passed the island to her daughter Maria in her will, who is probably one of these white women in front of us.

These people are very stubborn and don’t want to sell, let alone rent, and we don’t have any interest in other islands.”

"So...that means we have nothing." Lieutenant Colonel Wang Haikou asked.

Zhuo Weiting nodded affirmatively and glanced at the sailors behind him, his meaning was self-evident.

Well, that's all there is to it.

These ferocious sailors rushed off the boat and quickly subdued the frantic white men and women, a total of 13 people, five women and eight men, nine of whom were servants.

There are only these 13 people on the entire island.

Although the process had some twists and turns, Lieutenant Colonel Wang Haigou was quite satisfied with the island with an area of ​​179 square kilometers. In addition to Lake Harari, there are more than a dozen lakes of various sizes scattered on the island like a string of pearls.

The island is picturesque with its lush tall forests and dense shrubs. The towering terraces surrounding Lake Harari have an average altitude of about 107 meters, and the highest peak is an unnamed hill about 276 meters high.

There is a large area of ​​flat land around the lake. Now there are only a few lonely houses and barns of the Sinclair family, three horses, a dozen cows, dozens of sheep, some poultry such as chickens, ducks and geese, and nothing else.

"Secretary Zhuo, what do you think of this place?" Lieutenant Colonel Wang Haigou asked with satisfaction.

Zhuo Weiting knew some inside information. Although no one told him directly, he could make a pretty good guess based on his guesses.

Director Zheng Xin has already said;

Just follow Commander Wang for the next few years and build up your career. You will surely have a day to shine in the future.

Zhuo Weiting is an outstanding student at the University of San Francisco, proficient in English and Spanish. Following Director Zheng Xin for the past two years, he has greatly broadened his horizons and increased his knowledge.

What is lacking is only experience.

He carefully examined the island with a pioneering and colonizing eye, and after careful consideration, he said;

"Commander Wang, in my opinion, this place can easily accommodate 5 Chinese immigrants, and to . There is no need to disperse the population too much."

"Well, you need to put more effort into civil affairs." Lieutenant Colonel Wang Haigou said without comment, looking further away.

He is in a different position, so naturally he looks at things differently from Zhuo Weiting.

Several sugar plantations on Oahu still needed to be staffed. The capital of Oahu was Honolulu in the southeast, which was called Honolulu by the locals. It was also the location of the royal palace of the Kingdom of Hawaii today.

The purpose of laying out the Hawaiian Islands was not just for settlement, but to fully control and occupy the archipelago.

On the island of Oahu, this must be the area where Lieutenant Colonel Wang Haigou and his men focused on infiltrating.

With the help of the two major trading companies, he will use various means to infiltrate the local area, win over people, and instigate rebellion in order to achieve his ultimate goal.

But Zhuo Weiting's suggestion also has its merits. Ni'ihau Island is located in a remote area, in the northwest corner of the entire archipelago, and rarely does a fleet pass by.

If a large-scale settlement is carried out here and 50,000 to 60,000 Chinese immigrants are sent in, it will be difficult for outsiders to get a glimpse of the real situation unless they enter the island. It can be said that the secrecy is extremely good.

In the subsequent report

Lieutenant Colonel Wang Haigou will emphasize this point and hope that his superiors will consider sending a sufficient number of Chinese immigrants to Niihau Island in advance as a strategy to seize the initiative.

As for whether his superiors would adopt it, that was not a question he could consider.

The two cargo ships unloaded a large amount of supplies, left the necessary personnel to guard them, and then set sail again, entering Honolulu Bay in the evening of the next day.

It was the time when the sky was filled with sunset glow, and the scenery between the sea and the sky was beautiful.

Even Lieutenant Colonel Wang Haigou, who was accustomed to beautiful sea views, was shocked by the magnificent sunset and said with emotion: "Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles. The ancients are not deceiving me."

Isn’t Zhuo Weiting shocked?

He looked at the infinitely beautiful sunset, took a deep breath and exclaimed, "I can't find words to describe how I feel right now. Nature's uncanny craftsmanship has created such a magnificent scenery that even my imagination can't even begin to capture one iota."

"Well said, such a magnificent scenery should belong to our Chu State, so that we can live up to this place!" Wang Haigou looked as if it was a matter of course.

Zhuo Weiting turned around to look at him in surprise, but he had to admit that what Commander Wang said made sense. He added with a stiff upper lip, "This vast land can only be inhabited by the virtuous. The indigenous barbarians should be assimilated and obey our king. This is the only right path."

"Secretary Zhuo is right, but you scholars are more reasonable."

"Zhuo Weiting lost his father at a young age and has struggled to survive in the world. Fortunately, Your Majesty saved him and gave him a new life. I will always be committed to repaying your kindness. Commander Wang, please don't be polite. Just call me Weiting."

"In that case, how about I call you Brother Zhuo?"

"Brother Wang, I am honored to be here."

"Hahaha...Okay, then I'll accept you as my younger brother. You and I should work together to build a career in Hawaii, so that we won't be looked down upon."

"Brother, if you have anything to say, please tell me. I will obey you."

"Okay, that's good." Lieutenant Colonel Wang Haigou agreed readily.

He thinks highly of his younger brother Zhuo Weiting and wants to make friends with him.

Zhuo Weiting became one of Director Zheng Xin's secretaries at a young age and was assigned to such an important job, which shows that he was highly appreciated by this noble person.

Young, energetic, and talented, coupled with their authentic background in Tzu Chi schools, these factors combined to ensure their future success. The group arrived at the Honolulu Bay pier one after another, and what they saw was a town with a distinctly exotic atmosphere. Hawaiian thatched houses contrasted beautifully with American-built Victorian architecture, with occasional Chinese-style buildings forming the dominant theme of this city, a fusion of East and West.

On Oahu

Chinese are the second largest ethnic group after indigenous people. There are also thousands of white Americans, and smaller numbers of British, Spanish and French, forming a multicultural society.

In the Bay

There are more than a dozen sailing cargo ships quietly anchored. It is not far to enter the town by following the stone-paved road on the dock.

This is a bay town with a population of only more than 30,000. As an important node on the trans-Pacific route, cargo throughput and supplies are important sources of income for the area.

The most important industry in the Kingdom of Hawaii is sugarcane cultivation. Like Cuba, Brazil and other places, it is a famous sugarcane producing area, and its cattle breeding industry is also quite famous.

Most of the early Chinese workers who went to America were indentured laborers who signed harsh contracts to sell their bodies.

Driven by the needs of white plantation owners, many Southeast Asian immigrants, including Chinese, also came in droves. Their conditions were not much better than those of African slaves.

In 1852, there were nearly Chinese workers in Cuba's sugar factories alone, and even more in the plantations, so the exact number is difficult to count.

Countless Chinese workers crossed the ocean and spread across Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, especially the Hawaiian Islands.

In 1778, British explorer Captain Cook discovered the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean. As the American West was developed, many Americans came to Hawaii, bought land, reclaimed it for sugarcane plantations, and then recruited a large number of Chinese workers.

By the mid-19th century, there were about 30 native Hawaiians. At the same time, the number of contract workers introduced from China had reached more than 7, and this number was still growing.

If history does not change,
In 1876, the United States signed a reciprocal trade treaty with the Kingdom of Hawaii. Over the next 20 years, Hawaii's sugar production would increase nearly 20 times, with almost all of it exported to the United States.

The prosperity of the sugar economy enabled white Americans to basically control Hawaii, becoming the real masters of this land and having the greatest say.

And now, nothing happened.

East Pavilion of Ganquan Palace

King Zheng Guohui of Chu shifted his gaze from the small islands representing the Hawaiian Islands to the confidential report before him. After a moment's consideration, he wrote, "Feasible. Consider sending a steady person to take charge of the overall situation."

This is a report of a large-scale settlement in the Hawaiian Islands in advance, focusing on the now occupied island of Niihau, which is very suitable for settlement, safe and confidential.

The reported number of immigration applications is 5, which Zheng Guohui believes is appropriate.

It was already late April 1867. The concentrated migration to the Pacific Islands had ended in late February, and immigration to Manila and Cebu Island had been restarted.

The current "empty cage and replace bird" immigration policy for the Hainan Islands has reached the final stage of full implementation and has been basically smooth overall.

Although there were dozens of armed rebellions of varying sizes, they were soon suppressed forcefully.

From the perspective of a superior
It is just a small tail factor in the implementation of the comprehensive "empty cage and replace bird" policy. It is not surprising that problems arise. The key is not to let it spread and expand, causing further losses.

It is a gratifying aspect that as Chinese immigrants spread across the island, the hidden danger of large-scale riots has gradually been eliminated.

The military has made unremitting efforts to this end and has performed remarkable well in blocking suburban roads, towns and passes, preventing the spread of news that is detrimental to stability and unity, and suppressing signs of riots and armed resistance.

It is precisely because of the ongoing military operations that the large-scale expansion of the military has been postponed to the end of June.

Zheng Guohui's planned military expansion will double the strength of the original three divisions by adding some local garrison regiments, totaling about 2 people.

The Chu State now has a larger territory and more people, so its economic strength is naturally stronger, and it has sufficient strength to expand its army.

The plan is to expand the 5st Expeditionary Division to the 6500th Expeditionary Division, a total of field forces, and increase the strength of each division by %, reaching a full strength of more than people.

There are also 9 garrison regiments, with direct troops ranging from 850 to 1100 people. They are mainly responsible for local garrison and freeing up the combat effectiveness of the main field forces.

After the expansion, the Chu State's army had about 43000 people and the navy had more than 5500 people (note, including personnel in some naval stations, naval warehouses and naval bases), which is more in line with the current development status of the Chu State and the next ten years.

That is, to maintain an army and navy of limited size but strong combat effectiveness, to maintain the dignity of a powerful kingdom in the South Seas region, without being overly burdened financially.

In order to cut costs, the four heavy ironclad warships are now not allowed to start their steam boilers and consume precious coal unless absolutely necessary when going out to sea for training.

The number of sailors in the sailing fleet was reduced by half, leaving only the necessary sailors. The shipborne artillery was basically stationed on shore for training or assigned to various coastal defense fortresses.

When needed, they can be deployed at any time, or personnel can be drawn from the army artillery regiment, which can save a lot of expenses.

Recent period
The generals in the army also took active action, and good news kept coming. Today they occupied a Pacific island and immigrated hundreds of people, and tomorrow they occupied another Pacific island and immigrated one or two thousand people.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was optimistic about the actions of his generals.

The only requirement

That is, Chinese immigrants sent to the Pacific Islands must be able to meet the basic conditions of self-reliance, and we cannot import too many Chinese immigrants like to the Pacific Islands with poorer conditions.

Especially some coral reefs, which do not have much fresh water and are not suitable for growing crops, so we cannot blindly migrate and should focus on inhabited islands.

The only uninhabited islands currently occupied by the Chu State are Wake Island and Midway Island. Others are not under consideration for the time being.

Among the reports submitted by his subordinates, what deserved Zheng Guohui's attention was the guano resources on Midway Island, for which he made special instructions.

They could develop guano resources on a large scale, mainly exporting them to North America, in exchange for valuable funds for island construction, and further consolidate the Chu State's presence in the island groups along the Pacific Rim.

Zheng Guohui is very clear

In today's era, guano is called white gold and its price has been raised to an extremely high level. One ton of guano is worth ten tons of steel. It's so outrageous.

Taking advantage of the current good price, of course we have to sell it at a discount.

In a few decades, when humans are able to synthesize ammonia fertilizer and urea, these bird droppings will no longer be valuable.

The guano on Midway Island is six or seven meters thick, and the amount is estimated to be hundreds of thousands of tons or even more, which is worth at least millions of dollars.

This huge fortune is enough to develop the Hawaiian Islands. If you don't sell it for a good price now, will you wait until you are old and ugly before getting married?
With such a large quantity, we should start selling now, control the speed and sell it out continuously. It is a good deal with no investment and huge profits.

(End of this chapter)