Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 269: A Blacksmith Must Be Strong Himself

After returning to the palace

King Zheng Guohui of Chu took a nice bath and changed into light home robes with the help of several pretty maids.

He came to the elegant pavilion by the water, sat down and listened to the beautiful maid playing the piano, leisurely sipping tea and eating some exquisite cakes to pass the time.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was a lively person who couldn't stand loneliness. As he was young and energetic, he didn't want to be confined to the small palace of Ganquan Palace and liked to walk around and inspect.

It's nice to stay in the palaces located in various parts of the kingdom every once in a while.

The maids in the pavilions were playing the song "Spring River Moon Night". The leisurely guzheng music echoed in the pavilions, creating a leisurely and comfortable atmosphere.

Just as he was enjoying himself, Chief of Staff He Xian, who had accompanied him on the inspection, arrived to report, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Earl Li Hezhang and Minister of Foreign Affairs Viscount Zheng Xin have arrived and are awaiting an audience outside the palace. Your Majesty, please give us your instructions."

"Oh... I summon you to the main study to see you."

"Your humble servant shall obey the Majesty's order." Chief of staff He Xian did not even raise his head, avoiding the palace maids and concubines in the pavilions and towers, took a few steps back, turned around and left quickly.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu did not stand up immediately, but leaned back and lay on the cushion.

The beautiful maid behind him immediately stretched out her jade-white fingers, placed His Majesty's head between her white breasts, and gently kneaded and massaged to relieve the feeling of fatigue.

Zheng Guohui doesn't just want this little bit of time, he also wants to enjoy himself.

Prime Minister Li Hezhang and Foreign Minister Zheng Xin came together, and they must have come from Manila by steamer, which would take only one day to arrive. What they did was definitely not a trivial matter.

He could roughly guess that they were most likely here for the "Second Bendigo Incident in Australia".

I made some harsh words at the beginning
If the Australian colonial authorities fail to treat the rights and interests of Chinese expatriates fairly and fail to protect the safety of Chinese businessmen and expatriates, the Chu State will take tit-for-tat countermeasures.

It’s almost the end of June, and it’s time for the promise to be fulfilled.

The negotiations over the past three months have basically been a waste of time.

The British Foreign Office did not take the active negotiations of the Chu State seriously at all, and arrogantly believed that;

Matters related to the Australian Dominion are internal affairs of the British Empire. Even if there are many unreasonable aspects, outsiders have no right to criticize or interfere with the laws and decisions of the Australian colonial authorities.

All the requests for negotiation from the Chu State have been read but not responded to.

Not to mention that London's administrative efficiency has always been known for its slowness and procrastination, the size of Chu's cash and the strength it demonstrated were far from enough for the British to take it seriously.

This is roughly the situation. King Zheng Guohui of Chu has already made his words known.

Now the time has come
Or they could be tough to the end and implement all the countermeasures issued by King Zheng Guohui of Chu, which would inevitably lead to the deterioration of relations with Britain and may have major unpredictable consequences.

Or just keep quiet and never mention the matter to anyone else, and swallow the bitter fruit of being slapped in the face.

Who makes me weaker than others?

This concerns the prestige of His Majesty the King of Chu, and will invisibly make the State of Chu lose face and lead to secret ridicule from the countries in Southeast Asia. It is common to flatter the powerful and bully the weak in today's international affairs.

Prime Minister Li Hezhang did not dare to make this difficult decision on his own, so he hurried to Batangas on a small steamer to respectfully ask His Majesty for instructions.

What Zheng Guohui was thinking about at the moment was

If Chu and Ying become enemies, will the British launch a large-scale attack?

From the sea or by land?

What are the chances of relations deteriorating or even leading to violence?
Can the State of Chu withstand this severe test?

No one could understand how much pressure King Zheng of Chu was under at this time.

Now he is no longer a warlord who controls a certain area. His troops have been wiped out. The worst that can happen is that he can run away. The world is so big that he can go anywhere.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu presided over a thriving kingdom with an increasingly strong development momentum and a bright future.

Is it unwise to rashly provoke such a powerful enemy?
Hit with one punch to avoid hundreds of punches coming.

When Zheng Guohui thought of this, his eyes suddenly opened, revealing a resolute and sharp look, which frightened the beautiful maid who was massaging behind him.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu immediately stood up from the couch, opened his arms, asked several beautiful palace maids to change out of their light home robes and put on slightly more formal casual clothes, and then strode out of the waterside pavilion.

After passing through the moon-shaped gate, the imperial guards on duty outside the gate immediately gathered around and led the way towards the imperial study.

Come to the front yard

Prime Minister Li Hezhang and Foreign Minister Zheng Xin had already lowered their hands and were waiting here respectfully.

Seeing His Majesty coming, he hurried forward to pay his respects.

A simple greeting
The two of them followed His Majesty into the imperial study one after another.

After King Zheng Guohui of Chu took his seat, he invited his two trusted ministers to do the same. After thanking him for the meal, they respectfully sat on the brocade stools. A palace maid served them tea, and then they quietly withdrew. "Brother Xianqie, what brings you so much trouble from Manila?"

"Your Majesty, it is the end of June and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a daunting matter to deal with. It has come to my attention. The matter is of such magnitude that I am at a loss as to what to do. I can only ask Your Majesty for permission to issue an imperial decree."

"Oh...what's the matter?" Zheng Guohui asked indifferently. He raised his hand to pick up the teacup and took a sip.

Upon seeing this, Prime Minister Li Hezhang signaled to Foreign Minister Viscount Zheng Xin with his eyes, the meaning of which was self-evident;

Please report any troubles you may have at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yourself. Don't expect me to handle them all for you.

Foreign Minister Viscount Zheng Xin smiled bitterly, stood up, bowed, and then said:

“Report to Your Majesty;

This time, the Prime Minister has come to visit us to discuss the issue of the Australian colonial authorities' poor treatment of Chinese compatriots. There has been no progress so far, and this is the fault of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

However, during repeated negotiations, the British adopted a tough and arrogant attitude, ignored our requests, and often showed ridicule and sarcasm, which was extremely unreasonable.

From March to June, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs negotiated with the British side as many as 3 times, but unfortunately, all efforts were in vain..."

After stating this, Viscount Zheng Xin's face showed shame. He bowed deeply to the ground again and said with a choked voice, "I am incompetent. Your Majesty, I respectfully request your punishment."

"Get up! This is not your fault." King Zheng Guohui of Chu sighed lightly and pushed the cigar on the table forward.

Prime Minister Li Hezhang also often smoked this kind of top-grade Cuban cigar. Seeing this, he bowed and stood up.

He first picked up a cigar, cut off the cap, and presented it to the king with both hands. King Zheng Guohui of Chu took it and put it in his mouth.

Li Hezhang then took a cigar for himself, cut off the cap, struck a match, held the fire with both hands, and lit the cigar for His Majesty the King of Chu first, and then lit his own.

She took a puff, turned around and sat on the brocade stool, her expression becoming relaxed.

Foreign Minister Zheng Xin did not have such a big face in front of His Majesty the King of Chu, so he could only make the excuse that he "doesn't smoke" and sat obediently aside after getting up, pretending to be an invisible person.

Zheng Guohui and Li Hezhang took a few puffs of smoke, letting the fragrant smell of cigar tobacco spread. Their figures appeared and disappeared in the smoke, like gods.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu then spoke up, "These days, if you don't have the strength, people won't even look at you. Don't say you're looking down on others; the British and French powers do have reason to be proud."

"Knowing this, Your Majesty was rather rash in making those remarks so early on. How will this end now?"

"What's the point of ending it? Once the arrow is shot, there's no turning back. Once I say something harsh, I must follow through with it. Don't I have any dignity left?"

"But... then we have to fight."

"Let's fight, and rebuild what was broken. Our Chu State has developed into its current prosperity in just three years. Even if it is reduced to ruins, it will only take a few more years to recover. This will not be underestimated by the great powers."

"This... Your Majesty, war is a matter of great importance to the state, and you should think twice before acting." After hearing the decisive words of King Zheng Guohui of Chu, Prime Minister Li Hezhang also lost his composure.

He took a deep puff of his cigar, and began to think with an unfathomable expression, probably counting his belongings.

His Majesty's attitude is tough, and the British over there are all looking down on him. It is highly likely that this situation will collapse. Li Hezhang has to consider how to end it?

At this moment, he felt a bitter taste in his heart, and the cigar no longer tasted fragrant.

Everyone knows
The English are notoriously arrogant and unreasonable. All the powerful countries in the world have been beaten by them. Now the French are following them and acting as their minions. They are extremely difficult to deal with.

Foreign Minister Zheng Xin also had a solemn expression on his face. He had imagined such serious consequences, but he never expected that one day he would really face the British troops approaching.

Zheng Xin had lived in North America for a long time and had a deeper understanding of the British colonial power. This was a huge empire with colonies all over the world, and its strength was so great that it was terrifying.

Can the State of Chu withstand the pressure?

Although Zheng Xin didn't dare to say it explicitly, he was somewhat pessimistic, but he didn't dare to show it.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu took a few puffs of his cigar before speaking in a deep voice;

"A blacksmith must be strong himself. Why do the English look down on us?

After two failures in foreign wars, the vast Chinese Empire was left to the two robbers, Britain and France, who came and went as they pleased, burning, killing, and looting without any scruples.

Unfortunately, the imperial court had long been corrupt and decadent, and had lost support, which further aggravated the arrogance and dominance of the British and French powers.

Today and Today
When I led the Chinese to Southeast Asia to develop and build a nation, we had to get rid of the decadent spirit and be upright Chinese. It was of vital importance to safeguard the interests of overseas Chinese, as they were all our blood brothers and sisters.

If you want others to respect you, you must rely on your iron fists to prove your strength, and rely on the Chinese people's fearless courage and bravery, and their fearlessness of sacrifice.

Instead of being humble and serving as a slave, you will always be looked down upon.

This king has made his decision.
The relevant countermeasures will be implemented nationwide from June 6th, and violators will be executed immediately without mercy."

Prime Minister Li Hezhang and Foreign Minister Zheng Xin's blood boiled with passion as they listened. They stood up silently, bowed respectfully, and replied, "Your Highness, we will obey His Majesty's instructions and will not dare to disobey."

(End of this chapter)