Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 330 Peace Negotiations Begin

September 10th, 2025

The British and French allied forces, which had initiated the war against the State of Chu, officially declared a ceasefire. The armies of both sides disengaged and returned to their respective camps, waiting for the final conclusion of a peace agreement.

In Manila
The sixth round of peace talks on stopping the war officially kicked off, and Sir Harry Phillips was authorized by the British government to become the chief negotiator of the British side.

The chief negotiator of the French side was still Viscount Jean-Pierre Belmondo. This time, he no longer focused on the issue of holding the culprit of the Saigon massacre accountable, and behaved quite low-key.

Follow the pace of the British representatives step by step.

The Chu State's negotiating representatives were led by Zheng Yulan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Starting from March 10th, the two sides began to bargain fiercely over the terms of the armistice, and the arguments were endless.

Manila's World Weekly gave a comprehensive report on the armistice negotiations and published a major commentary article.

In the commentary article
The World Journal placed this war in a very high position, saying: "In the all-out war with the world's top powers, Britain and France, the Chu State won the respect of the world's powerful with its strength, which is of great significance worldwide."

"It foreshadows the rise of a powerful Chu State, which has the right to engage in equal dialogue with the world's top powers."

"All these brilliant achievements stem from the far-sighted planning of His Majesty, the King of Chu, a wise monarch unseen in a century. He established national prestige, promoted righteousness, and spread his reputation throughout the world, thus winning a great victory against aggression."

……

The endless reports and publicity filled the entire Chu State with the joy of victory. The ecstatic people took to the streets singing and dancing to celebrate the upcoming great victory!

In negotiations
The negotiating representatives of both sides of the war argued very fiercely. The negotiations were carried out tensely and overtime. The differences between the two sides were still huge, and progress could only be made on some armistice terms that were easier to reach consensus on.

As both sides were fixated on details and trying hard to secure their due post-war rights, the negotiation progress was relatively slow.

The negotiations lasted for three days, and the two sides talked until late at night every day, arguing endlessly over some terms that were easy to reach, and their faces were red with anger.

"The Chu State's agreement to unconditionally release merchants and cargo ships detained during the war, and to release white prisoners, does not mean that you can seek compensation from the Chu State for property losses. These are two completely different matters."

"I'm sorry, but I cannot agree with you. When the British and French merchant ships were seized, a large amount of valuable cargo disappeared. Seventeen opium ships alone lost cargo worth nearly 17 pounds. You must be held responsible for this."

"I want to remind the British and French representatives that this is a war and collateral damage in war is acceptable."

"Objection. I would like to remind the Chu representatives that war should not harm ordinary people. Your side has an unquestionable responsibility to keep the property of the seized merchant ships. We strongly demand the recovery of the large amount of seized property that has been lost."

"I'm sorry to hear that. If the British and French representatives strongly request it, we can conduct a comprehensive and hassle-free investigation. Your merchant ship should provide the corresponding cargo manifest, indicating the type and quantity of the cargo, and proving when it was loaded. We will also need cargo records from the port of loading, as well as witnesses and physical evidence. We will then investigate the specific warships seized by the relevant military and the personnel involved in the seizure at the port. Only then can we identify the specific cargo ship losses of the British and French representatives. We can then discuss this loss. I suggest that the peace talks be put on hold until this issue is resolved."

"Put it on hold...how long will that take?"

"That's hard to say. First, you need to provide all the evidence we need to prove that your cargo ship is indeed loaded with the corresponding cargo. If there are any missing or incomplete documents, they still need to be supplemented. Judging from the current situation, completing this process will take at least 8 months to a year. Only then can we initiate the subsequent investigation."

"Damn it, you're deliberately delaying the peace talks."

"You're wrong. We respect the rights and interests of British and French merchants and have made comprehensive arrangements for this purpose. The problem is that it's not just a matter of how much goods you say you'll get. This requires a thorough investigation and is based on a position of responsibility for the facts."

"Oh, my God! This is completely wrong. We cannot agree to this arrangement. We can continue to negotiate on this issue in the future. Even after the peace talks are over, Britain and France will still retain the right to claim the lost goods."

"Then there's no room for negotiation. If we're going to talk, it should be a comprehensive solution. Otherwise, there's no point in talking. The Chu State will not sign any peace treaty that carries consequences. The British and French representatives are also advised not to have high expectations."

"You... this is simply an act of robbery. Britain and France strongly protest against this."

"Regretfully, we cannot accept your protest. The truth is, what cannot be achieved in war, do not dream of obtaining at the negotiation table; that is far beyond your capabilities. You can fantasize about it, but don't take it seriously."

"Please don't talk to us in a victorious tone. Don't forget that the United Kingdom in front of you is the ruler of the world today, and everyone has to dance around our baton."

"Well, I don't deny that there are indeed many countries surrounding the Kingdom of Great Britain, but Chu is not one of them. If you are willing to engage in equal negotiations, we will open the door. If you are unwilling to negotiate and still try to treat Chu with a tyrannical and bullying attitude, then we can continue. We have been doing this for the past six months, and we can continue for another six months or even longer."

"Can I understand this as the Chu State challenging the majesty of the British Empire?"

"Think of it this way. The worst that can happen is a new war. The Chu State is not easily frightened. Adjust your attitude, Mr. Phillips, otherwise I can declare this round of peace talks a complete failure."

"you……"

"What do you mean? If you're willing to continue arguing, we can do so for three months. Don't even think that Chu will make any concessions. Cease-fire negotiations are pure wishful thinking."

British negotiator Phillips was so angry at the tough attitude of the Chu State that he blushed and looked like he was about to go crazy, but his helpless rage was of no use.

His chest heaved up and down violently like a bellows, and he had to swallow his anger, said "sorry", and then pulled the French negotiating representative, Viscount Jean-Pierre Belmondo, downstairs to discuss the matter.

after awhile
The two men approached with unhappy faces. Sir Phillips's expression was as grim as if he were constipated. He said sullenly, "Yes, we can agree on the unconditional release of prisoners of war, captured ships, and ordinary civilians. As long as they are released, we will not pursue the issue of cargo losses in the future."

"Yes, this is the correct attitude for negotiations. After all, we are experiencing a brutal war, and collateral losses are inevitable." Baron Zheng Yulan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and the chief representative of the Chu State in charge of negotiations, said tolerantly. This made the British and French representatives raise their eyebrows in anger, but they forced themselves to hold back.

The negotiation time was short and the task was heavy. After three days of arduous negotiations, only some insignificant consensus was reached.

On important terms

The debate between the two sides was extremely heated, with their positions diametrically opposed, and it was almost impossible to see any possibility of compromise.

For example, sensitive issues such as the Singapore issue, the East Malaya issue, the Australia issue, the post-war compensation issue, etc., are all difficult to make breakthroughs.

Although the superiors have given the bottom line for the negotiations, as the front-line negotiating representatives, we must strive for more benefits for our side at all costs and not suffer a major defeat right from the start.

Both Britain and France are old colonizers in the world. They have experienced countless post-war negotiations in their national history and are the biggest beneficiaries of post-war negotiations, so they are experienced in this regard.

But the problem is

The British and French forces hastily ended the brutal and fierce Second Battle of Singapore, which in itself exposed their biggest trump card...their eagerness to end the war.

In that case
Well, you are anxious, but I am not. At least we cannot let Britain and France see that Chu is also eager to end the war, so that we can squeeze out more benefits bit by bit.

Negotiations continued on the 7th day

Ganquan Palace

At the outset of the peace talks, King Zheng Guohui of Chu hurried back to Manila from the Tongzhou Islands. He took command of the palace, constantly receiving reports from the front lines and overseeing the negotiations from behind the scenes. Thus far, he was very satisfied with the progress of the negotiations. Britain and France were gradually ceding their interests in the face of Chu's assertive stance.

The war lasted for more than half a year, mobilizing millions of forces at home and abroad and costing more than 27 million silver dollars. Of course, when the harvest season came, we could not be soft-handed.

In this war

Up to now, a total of more than 2700 million silver dollars have been spent, and at least tens of millions of silver dollars will be needed for follow-up treatment, which is another huge expense.

This includes follow-up treatment for disabled soldiers, pensions and rewards for all soldiers, as well as some other related expenses.

If all is added up, the total cost of the war is nearly 4000 million silver dollars.

This does not mean that the Chu royal family spent so much money. According to the 2800: principle, the Chu royal family had to spend at least million silver dollars to deal with this hole.

The Chu government's fiscal expenditure was another 1200%, about million silver dollars.

The above is the total expenditure, and the gains have not been calculated.

One of the biggest gains was the more than 30 indigenous women in East Malaya. In the human market, the least they could be sold for was 45 to 50 silver dollars. For example, women who were thin, too young or too old could not be sold at a high price.

The expensive ones are worth 300, 500 or even 700 silver dollars. Young indigenous women with big breasts and thick buttocks are the most popular. Such women can work and give birth, and are very popular in the market.

If she were prettier, even 700 silver dollars wouldn't be enough to buy her.

Based on the average value of 80 silver dollars per woman, these more than 30 indigenous women were worth up to 2400 million silver dollars. The government collected a 700% tax, which could earn more than million silver dollars in human transaction fees.

Only this one

The Chu State's finances could cover 1200% of the 2.2 million silver dollars in military expenses. Add to that the more than white women abducted from Australia, whose unit price was higher, and basically % of the military expenses were covered.

The remaining money was mostly used in the name of supporting local construction in East Malaya, but in fact it was used to fill the huge hole in the royal military expenditure. The funds available for local construction in East Malaya were very limited.

The funds allocated to the construction of the East Malaya Special Zone, totaling several installments, amounted to only two to three million silver dollars, and the rest was used to fill the military expenditure gap.

Of the total war expenditure of more than 4000 million silver dollars, the rewards from His Majesty the King of Chu accounted for the bulk.

A lot of this part was amortized using land, pastures, residential houses and shops, and no money was actually taken out. It was mainly assets in the occupied areas.

For example, in Australia and East Malaya, King Zheng Guohui of Chu did not reward his soldiers with much money, but mainly used land and pastures to offset their merits.

Others were to print some battle medals and give one to every officer and soldier who participated in the war, plus some lifetime knighthood honors.

It mainly relies on spiritual encouragement, so it doesn't cost much money.

In fact, officers and soldiers prefer to obtain fixed assets such as land, houses and shops, and they also value military honors, and are not so obsessed with money.

It would be even better if I could give you a woman.

The second major war gain was the goods looted during the conquest of Australia, especially wool, cattle and sheep.

The war lasted for more than half a year, and Australia went through three sheep shearing seasons. The mountains of wool could not be transported out and were all piled up in ports and warehouses across the country.

After the Australian Expeditionary Force occupied the towns along the eastern coast like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, they immediately transported wool on a large scale. Each returning immigrant ship carried tens of thousands of tons of wool, as well as large herds of cattle and sheep.

Make a rough estimate

The total amount of wool shipped back has exceeded 7.21 tons. At the price of 9 pounds and 15 shillings per ton of wool, it is roughly equivalent to 49 silver dollars, and the total value of the goods is about 360 million silver dollars.

In addition, there were more than 600 cattle and sheep, especially young and strong adult beef cattle and calves, with a value of two to three million silver dollars. The two together exceeded million silver dollars.

This is not even including the large amount of gold and silver wealth looted from Australia. In this gold-rich region, the gold alone amounted to 37 ounces, which is worth a lot of money.

The third major war gain was the looting of cities such as Singapore, Saigon, Brisbane and Sydney. The fleets were all fully loaded with goods and transported back, plus the seized opium and cloth cargo ships, with a total value of more than 25 million silver dollars, which was a huge return.

This war greatly strengthened the foundation of the Chu royal family and further increased its strength.

The various companies, large enterprises and banks controlled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs under the royal family have extended their tentacles to Australia and East Malaya, occupying a large number of local port terminal shares and gold mine shares, and owning vast pastures and fields, making them the biggest beneficiaries.

In terms of military spending

The Royal Navy and Royal Army belonging to the Chu royal family were mostly recruited from refugees from China. More than 90% of them were homeless and had no relatives or family members. Naturally, there was no compensation for those who died in battle.

Invisibly, a lot of expenses were saved.

Taking all aspects into consideration

The Chu royal family was the biggest winner in this war because the strong cohesion created by the foreign invasion made the Chinese people in Chu feel an unprecedented sense of crisis, and thus they stuck together tightly.

Effective propaganda also played an important role. When the news of victory in the war came, the whole country was plunged into a frenzied atmosphere of celebration, and a strong sense of confidence and pride arose.

This is an effect that no amount of publicity can achieve. In just half a year, Chinese immigrants in the motherland have highly recognized this Southeast Asian country and have a strong sense of belonging.

This saves at least 20 years of painstaking education, and the potential benefits are enormous.

The war negotiators from Britain and France continued to be stubborn and refused to give up on the issues of Singapore, East Malaya and Australia.

Actually

But it's just a pointless struggle, it's useless.

A peaceful ceasefire was not something Britain and France could achieve. If they could not satisfy the Chu State and obtain the desired East Malaya region, deeply infiltrate Chinese forces into Australia, and effectively control the four northern states of Australia, how could they give up?

Looking back on the entire war, King Zheng Guohui of Chu could only say it was truly wonderful.

(End of this chapter)