Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 332: Tanjong Kap Area
Since it is a diplomatic negotiation, bargaining is inevitable. If Chu wants to give up the occupation of Singapore, one or two exchange conditions are obviously not enough.

Adding one more condition of exchange seems reasonable.

After washing up, King Zheng Guohui of Chu took a sip of hot tea and went into his room to prepare for bed.

Lying in bed, thoughts from the day were still swirling in my mind.

For this newly added exchange condition, King Zheng Guohui of Chu already had a clear target, which was a weak principality on the island of Sumatra - the Kingdom of Tanjung Kap.

The Tanjong Kap Kingdom was located just south of Singapore, with the two states facing each other across the Strait of Malacca.

This place is located northwest of Palembang where the Dutch were entrenched, not far from the Jambi area where the Dutch colonial army and the Aceh Kingdom army fought fiercely, and was an area affected by the war.

The Jambi region is the birthplace of the ancient Malay kingdom and the cultural and trade center of the historical Srivijaya Kingdom, covering an area of ​​approximately 5.3 square kilometers.

As early as 671 AD, the Tang Dynasty monk Yijing traveled to ancient India by sea to study Buddhism and learned Sanskrit here.

During this period, the Srivijaya Kingdom maintained close pilgrimage relations with the Chinese feudal dynasties of Tang, Five Dynasties, and Song, and regularly sent envoys north to China.

Until the Islamic Mapahit dynasty from Java expanded westwards, leading to the downfall of this Buddhist dynasty and thus ushering in another period of history.

Since the 17s

The alliance of the Netherlands and Britain expanded its colonial battlefields in Asia, conquering cities and territories, and continuously expanding its sphere of influence among the indigenous kingdoms of Southeast Asia, encroaching on the colonial territories of the old colonizer Portugal in the Persian Gulf, Ceylon (Note, Sri Lanka), Java and other places.

Among them, due to important geographical factors, Sumatra, located in the westernmost part of the South Pacific Islands, is the most important strategic springboard for the new British and Dutch colonists.

Jambi, once the cultural, political and trade center of the region, also opened its trade market in the process and was unable to stop the invasion of the fierce new colonists.

For this reason, the Battle of Jambi River broke out between Portuguese and Dutch colonists, and became one of the hot spots of regional hegemony.

The final result is self-evident. Today, the Kingdom of Jambi exists in name only and has become a vassal of the indigenous nobles under the protection of the Dutch colonists. It has neither power nor soldiers and is just an auspicious symbol used to rule the indigenous people.

This area
It is a marginal area of ​​Dutch influence and also an area where the Sultanate of Aceh and Dutch colonists are heavily armed and in confrontation. It is the intersection of three forces.

The Sultanate of Aceh and several of its subordinate indigenous kingdoms had vast territories and large military forces, but their outdated rule and extremely backward military strength put them in a passive position and were vulnerable to attacks.

The Dutch colonists were well-equipped, had flexible tactics, and controlled the Jambi River and important inland ports. However, they were weak and had few troops. Due to the deliberate containment by the British, they were unable to completely eliminate the rebellious Aceh Sultanate.

As a third-party power in Sumatra, Britain's interests are mainly in the field of commercial trade, which is their focus.

The Jambi River, which has excellent navigation conditions, is located inland and is at an important crossroads in central Sumatra. It has been a prosperous commercial trade throughout history.

This attracted trading ships from various regions to replenish fresh water, food or trade locally, and the river was used as a natural shelter. It was an area frequently visited by British merchant ships.

Britain and the Netherlands have been long-term allies since the 17s, but the Dutch were also ruthless in imposing trade taxes on British merchant ships.

This repeatedly aroused strong opposition from Britain, and the British Foreign Secretary even directly warned the Netherlands that they could use force to resolve disputes if necessary, thus forcing the Dutch to make concessions.

Therefore, the Kingdom of the Netherlands was founded on commercial trade, valuing profit over morality. It did not even think about who it could rely on to expand its colonies throughout the South Seas.
Britain was really nice to the Kingdom of the Netherlands after it won the crucial Battle of Waterloo against French Emperor Napoleon.

Considering that the Kingdom of the Netherlands should be rewarded for taking the lead in the anti-French alliance, Britain directly withdrew from the East Indies, including Java Island, and handed over a large piece of land to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

On the other hand, the Dutch also wanted to impose heavy taxes on British merchants, which made the British very angry.

It is based on this

The British, who have always been far-sighted, have always maintained a significant influence on Sumatra, secretly influencing the direction of the regional situation.

The Tanjung Kap State Kingdom that King Zheng Guohui of Chu had his sights on was a descendant of a kingdom that split from the Jambi Kingdom and had occupied a piece of land in the northwest of Jambi Province.

The total area is about 7300 square kilometers. Although the area is not large, it has a population of nearly . It is considered a relatively prosperous coastal area with a long history of development.

Because it is located in the north of the Strait of Malacca, it has the ability to exert a certain influence on the strait.

Judging from the British’s current attitude, they must take back Singapore.

Then the Singapore Expeditionary Force does not have to withdraw to the mainland. It can temporarily withdraw to Tanjung Kapung to rest and then decide on the next move.

After all, this is not British territory. From a legal or moral perspective, Britain has no sufficient reason to stop it, especially at this critical juncture of the armistice negotiations.

The Chu army could withdraw from Singapore, but as long as its specific destination was not a British colony, both sides should maintain a tacit understanding of mutual respect.

Avoid falling out again over trivial matters.

As for rest and recuperation, if you stay here, you won't leave.

As for whether Tanjung Kap welcomes it?
That was not at all what King Zheng Guohui of Chu considered. As long as the British acquiesced, the strong opposition of the Dutch colonists would be useless. This was a matter of strength, not voice.

Go further

If the Dutch kept complaining, the Singapore Expeditionary Force, which had retreated to Tanjong Kap, could take their anger out on them, seizing Jambi and Palembang and showing these downtrodden, third-rate Europeans their own worth. Sometimes, if they didn't beat them up, the Dutch always thought they were pretty tough.

Not knowing

That's because the Netherlands, backed by the invincible halo of the British Empire, was covered in a golden armor that was immune to all poisons.

Generally speaking, no one is willing to provoke them. They are little brothers protected by their boss, and beating up the Dutch would mean not giving face to their boss.

Of course, before that, we must reach a tacit understanding with the British and not act rashly...

All kinds of thoughts kept popping up in King Zheng Guohui of Chu's mind, and he fell asleep while thinking.

In a deep sleep

The corners of his mouth still curled up slightly. This time, he was able to force the British and French powers to sign the armistice treaty. This was undoubtedly a great achievement that proved the strength of the Chu State and greatly enhanced the international status of the Chu State.

The benefits that come from this are numerous and can no longer be underestimated.

War is indeed the most brutal and simple way to achieve success, and it works very well. In the future, the State of Chu will become one of the world's great powers.

Even in the eyes of Europeans
The State of Chu was only a third-rate power that was not worthy of attention, but it was still a power. Wherever it went, people would look up to it and win invisible respect.

In March 1869, the whole world was in turmoil. Wars were raging, smoke was everywhere, and the bloody scenes and turbulent situations of war were everywhere.

In the Northern China

The Nian Rebellion, which lasted for more than ten years, finally came to an end and was completely suppressed under the heavy siege of the imperial court.

At that time, the Hui Rebellion in Shaanxi and Gansu became the main target of attack. In 1866, the imperial court dispatched the decisive and ruthless Zuo Zongtang to serve as the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, and launched an encirclement and suppression campaign against the Hui Rebellion in Shaanxi and Gansu from multiple directions.

In order to alleviate the problem of insufficient food and wages, Zuo Zongtang adopted the measure of military farming and purchased grain from other places and transported it to Shaanxi and Gansu to supplement logistical supplies.

His army was equipped with a large number of Western-style guns and artillery, which played a decisive role in the encirclement and suppression of the Hui army.

After March 1869, the Hui army in Shaanxi was almost completely wiped out, and some fled to Jinjibao, Ningxia to join Ma Hualong.

Zuo Zongtang immediately mobilized a large force and sent Liu Songshan's troops to attack Jinjibao. Because there were many fortresses around it, many of which were surrounded by mountains on three sides and faced water on one side, they were easy to defend but difficult to attack.

This resulted in heavy losses for the imperial attacking troops and little progress.

During this period
The Xinjiang Aguibo rebels were rampant in the north and south, with the secret support of the Tsarist Russian forces behind them. Their arrogance was uncontrollable for a while. The imperial court was suffering from frequent internal strife and had no spare energy to march west to quell the rebellion.

In Fuso
The Boshin War was drawing to a close, and the Emperor's army launched a massive eastward expedition, forcing Tokugawa Yoshinobu to surrender Edo Castle on May 1868, 5, thus greatly boosting his prestige.

After this, the Emperor's army won victory after victory, and by early November, they had put down the rebellious feudal lords in the northeast region, laying the foundation for victory.

In the spring of 1869, the Emperor's army marched into Hokkaido and besieged Goryokaku (note: Hakodate), the last stronghold of the remnants of the shogunate, with heavy troops. Although the remnants of the shogunate struggled desperately, the situation was already hopeless.

It is estimated that it will not take long before the Imperial Army will wipe out this last resistance force, unify the entire country, and implement the Meiji Restoration policy nationwide.

in Europe

Because the Spanish throne was vacant, not only did rebellions break out in Spain, but the atmosphere between France and the Kingdom of Prussia became unprecedentedly tense, and the clouds of war loomed.

This is a powerful powder keg that can explode at any time with a spark.

The seemingly calm Europe is undercurrent, and the major powers, like African spotted hyenas smelling blood, are pushing the situation forward based on their own interests, making the situation increasingly complicated.

General Moltke the Elder, Chief of the Prussian General Staff, had already drawn up a plan for a full-scale war with France, submitted it to King William I for approval, and locked it in a safe.

Once the situation changes

Then this war plan could be taken out of the safe and implemented across the country immediately, including the mobilization of an army of more than one million people in wartime to engage in a full-scale war with France for land hegemony.

The French naturally also smelled danger. Even though the war situation in the South Seas was quite unfavorable, they did not dare to withdraw European reinforcements at will, but instead actively stationed troops to prepare for war.

There is a measuring stick in the minds of the French

The Saigon colony was far less important than the North African colonies of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, at least one level lower.

In the above-mentioned North African colonies, France invested heavily in their construction based on local standards and adopted direct colonial rule to promote large-scale immigration to the above-mentioned regions. Its governance has been very effective.

However, the importance of these North African colonies is one level lower than that of France's most remote and backward provinces.

I would rather have a bed in Puxi than a room in Pudong.

This proverb can very well illustrate the values ​​​​of the French towards their homeland and overseas territories, especially the extremely remote South Seas region.

(End of this chapter)