Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 285 The idea is clear

Seriously speaking, King Zheng Guohui of Chu's unprecedentedly bold battle plan did not go smoothly all the way, and there were many changes.

For example, after originally planning to occupy Singapore, they planned to immediately divide their forces to attack the Malay Peninsula (note, West Malaysia) and set the stage for the war in Penang, Kuala Lumpur and other places.

These areas have a large number of British white plantations and mines, and there are many Chinese laborers who were deceived into signing indentures to work, numbering hundreds of thousands, and are a convenient source of expanding the army.

Killing their way forward, they expanded their ranks along the way. Just like the domestic rebel army snowballing, the bigger the momentum, the better.

In the end, this plan was rejected by King Zheng Guohui of Chu himself.

It’s not that I don’t want to, but I’m worried that it will get too big and out of control, which would go against my original intention.

If the British are really beaten to a pulp, they will never let it go, so the degree of this must be carefully grasped.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu is walking on a dangerous path. If he acts rashly, he will easily fall into an abyss from which there is no return and ruin the current good situation with his own hands.

Although he seemed confident, he was actually very cautious and treading on thin ice with every step he took, and he considered carefully before acting.

In his heart

The hope was that through this war, the world powers such as Britain and France would look at Chu differently, regard it as a powerful partner, and truly pay attention to it.

Instead of becoming completely hostile, that would go against the original intention.

This is like a spirited young man who dares to fight and strive hard. If he wants to stand out, he must show his strength.

If Britain can suffer a loss, then they will naturally pay more attention to this spirited young man, patting his shoulder and saying;

"You're quite capable, so follow me from now on."

King Zheng Guohui of Chu never discussed this secret plan with anyone. He was strategizing behind the scenes and guiding the strategic direction of the future development of the Chu State.

If even a hint of this were leaked, it would surely cause an uproar in the court and raise doubts in society.

The forest is big and there are all kinds of birds.

Some people claimed to be patriots, opposing the Qing Dynasty at every turn, and had many complaints about the Chu State paying tribute to the northern court. They pretended to be loyal to the Chu State and promoted the imperial Han Dynasty, and actually attracted many followers who were unaware of the truth.

Then there must be people who oppose clinging to the British, and they always claim to be self-reliant, but in fact they have evil intentions.

How to correctly evaluate the Northern Court?
This is a big proposition.

From an objective historical perspective

The northern court was like a daughter-in-law marrying into the Central Plains, bringing in the Northeast and Outer Northeast regions, Mongolia, Xinjiang, Qinghai and Tibet, which the former Ming court had never truly controlled, greatly enriching the territory of China today.

This is like bringing a generous dowry, and it is an undeniable and great contribution to the Chinese family.

Of course, there are also disadvantages, such as the policy of enslaving the Han people, which promotes historical regression, the artificial implementation of the ethnic hierarchy system, the implementation of the policy of keeping the people ignorant, etc. These are just like the bad habits brought by the daughter-in-law, and we cannot just let them go.

Compared with the brutal tyranny of the Yuan Dynasty grassland regime, the northern court of today is much gentler and more virtuous. It works hard to manage both internal and external affairs, and has ushered in great population and social development in modern times.

The prosperous situation of 3 million people is unique in all dynasties.

In any case, this is a period in the history of China's development, in which the Manchu and Han cultures are closely integrated and difficult to distinguish from each other.

The Chu State was a Chinese power separated from the Chinese mainland and established an independent country in Southeast Asia, like a son of China.

Sucking on the breast milk of China, China urgently needs immigrants and markets from northern China in order to grow and develop, and face the ups and downs of the outside world independently.

Isn’t the statement of “opposing the Qing Dynasty at all costs” a denial of one’s own past?

How is this different from the various actions of the Korean people in later generations who madly abused the country that had been their suzerain for thousands of years, and were despised by the world?
As for the remarks made by some conservatives such as "clinging to foreigners is something our ancestors would despise", we can just laugh it off.

From another perspective

This means embracing the advanced steam civilization of the West, actively integrating into the current international order, learning to use advanced technology to defeat foreigners, integrating the strengths of China and the West, and developing oneself.

The 19th century belonged to the British, and the power of the British Empire was beyond everyone's imagination.

The so-called international order of today is the law of robbers where the strong take all.

This is the law of the jungle created by the British, where the strong prey on the weak. The winner is not blamed, and weakness is the original sin.

Despite the powerful strength of the United States, it was trapped in North America by Britain and its European brothers for a hundred years, which almost made it autistic.

The current "Monroe Doctrine" national policy prevailing in the United States is the product of being excluded and abandoned by Europe. The United States has created its own small circle in the Americas, vigorously promoting the idea that "America is America for Americans" and doing its utmost to exclude the interference of European forces.

Is it actually useful?

If history had not changed

More than eighty years later, the United States dominates the world and South America is called "America's backyard."

Actually

In today's era, this back garden is a place where European powers can come and go at will.

Even the declining third-rate powers like the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain or Portugal, like the arrogant European bosses, could visit the South American back garden and these women could come and go freely and were highly flattered.

Not to mention the top powers such as Britain, France and Prussia. Just showing up would attract screams from the women in South America, who would be eager to throw themselves into their arms.

Every time

The United States had to put on a brave face, acting like a nagging but well-intentioned neighbor, and pulled out the Monroe Doctrine, saying to the South American countries, "Sisters, we must be self-reliant and independent, and be the masters of our own destiny."

That's roughly what Qi meant. So-called international politics, when viewed through its core, is nothing more than the mundane affairs of everyday life. Both William I of Prussia and Chancellor Bismarck were men of great vision and ambition, determined to unify the German Confederation and compete with France on the European continent.

The first thing they had to do was to form an alliance with the British Empire, and marriage was the best way to do that.

In 1856, the Prussian Crown Prince Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden, held a grand wedding and married Princess Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, as Crown Princess, which caused a sensation in Europe.

This laid a substantial foundation for further strengthening the relationship between Britain and Prussia, and also marked the beginning of Prussia's rise.

Britain consciously supported Prussia, forming a pattern of four powers competing for hegemony on the European continent: France, Prussia, Austria and Russia.

This is in line with Britain's strategic interests and will make British diplomacy more flexible, allowing it to dominate the balance of power on the European continent by supporting or suppressing one party.

The "European balance policy" in British diplomacy originated from this.

In this era, there are pound trade circles and franc trade circles, but there is no dollar trade circle. This novel concept has never been heard of.

This, from one aspect, confirms the monopoly position of Britain and France in the world, and they cannot move forward without them.

If the State of Chu wants to grow and become stronger, it must integrate into it.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu picked up the somewhat cold tea and took a sip, repeatedly weighing in his mind the current world situation and the struggle for hegemony among the superpowers in the Nanyang region.

After a moment, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

No matter from which perspective, the Chu State's military occupation of Singapore and the bloody massacre in Saigon can be regarded as a unique move to break the regional balance, with extraordinary results.

The occupation of Singapore dealt a heavy slap to the British in the face, which made the French secretly feel happy. When they looked at the State of Chu again, they felt much more comfortable.

The bloody massacre in Saigon ruthlessly kicked the pride of the French into the mortal world and trampled it to pieces.

The British would just dance with joy and shout “Great! Great!” “This is something I’ve always wanted to do but never had the chance to do.” “This is so fucking cool.”

The world is so wonderful.

Occupied Singapore, offended Britain and pleased France.

The bloody massacre in Saigon pleased Britain but severely offended France.

A negative can be a positive. After seeing the powerful military of Chu, the two powers of Britain and France will treat them differently, and post-war negotiations will become much easier.

The French attitude is not important; the key lies in Britain.

Therefore, occupying Singapore and slaughtering Saigon are a complete strategy, and neither is indispensable.

Occupying Singapore alone would completely infuriate Britain.

If this was accompanied by a bloodbath in Saigon, the more brutal the better, the British would not feel so offended and might even be secretly happy.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu dared to do this because, on the one hand, the power that the two powers of Britain and France could invest in the Nanyang region was limited, and on the other hand, his confidence came from his familiarity with the course of history.

During the Boer War 30 years later, the British tried several times to resolve the dispute through diplomatic means, but the Boers' tough attitude caused all diplomatic efforts to fail.

Britain is a typical profit-driven animal. It was able to form an alliance with France, with whom it had loved and hated for hundreds of years, to have a pleasant chat with the Tsar, whom it hated from the bottom of its heart, to have close exchanges with the Ottoman Empire, which was incompatible with its ethnicity and religion, and even to send troops to help. It never let its own preferences influence the direction of its policies. All of this was due to geopolitical strategic interests.

Now that I have seen this clearly

King Zheng Guohui of Chu looked back at his own strategic value in the Nanyang region. As a newly emerging regional power, Chu had become a considerable weight.

The stronger the Chu State appears, the greater its value will be.

In the eyes of the British

The Nanyang region is an important and integral part of its global strategy. If it cannot conquer the State of Chu, then it will make friends with the State of Chu and incorporate it into the global pound system.

In this way

It can further strengthen the British Empire's voice in the world, enhance its ability to interfere in the situation in the South Seas, and gain a new powerful brother. It is a win-win from any angle.

As for the fact that this little brother once occupied Singapore, he would probably justify himself by saying, "Ahem... he is indeed a bit rebellious, but that's exactly what I admire about him."

Anyway, the British are thick-skinned and only care about interests, not friendships. They will sell out their allies at any time for the sake of interests.

Just like the current French Emperor Napoleon III, who lived in London, England during his exile. After coming to power, he has been loyally following the footsteps of Britain, acting more British than the British themselves, and was ridiculed by French capitalists as "the loyal dog of the British."

In 1853, the British and French forces jointly intervened in the Crimean War and formed a team to invade the northern China, leaving behind many wars in which Britain and France jointly intervened with force around the world, including this time the British and French jointly declared war on the State of Chu.

But so what?

In Europe, the British acquiesced in Prussia's launching of the Danish-Prussian War and the Austro-Prussian War. They used various forms of tolerance and assistance, both overt and covert, to suppress the anti-Prussian forces in European countries, leaving France helpless and angry.

If it were not for Britain's acquiescence and support, France would have been ready to intervene militarily as early as when Prussia launched the Austro-Prussian War.

But looking back at the gloomy face of Britain, Napoleon III wisely backed down.

This allowed the Kingdom of Prussia to quickly emerge on the European stage and become the leader of the North German Confederation. Its strength increased rapidly, and it was on the verge of becoming one of the emerging European powers that could compete with France.

All these practices are stabbing the ally France in the back. Ultimately, they are due to geopolitical interests and the continental balance policy pursued by British diplomacy, which is not influenced by personal emotions.

After figuring this out, King Zheng Guohui of Chu breathed a sigh of relief, turned off the lights, and went to bed.

There will be a fierce battle tomorrow, so we must stay alert and refreshed.

(End of this chapter)