Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 347 Three Points of Strength
More than an hour later

When the parade formations appeared neatly at the end of the road, the atmosphere of the ceremony was instantly ignited. Cheers rolled in like a tide, firecrackers rang, and the sound of drums and music was deafening.

The first to be reviewed was the Royal Guard Division. All officers and soldiers wore stiff dress uniforms made of thin wool and wide-brimmed hats, and walked across the parade platform fully armed.

Swords and spears like a forest, troops lined up in rows, flags fluttering...

This handsome appearance was greeted with excited cheers from the spectators in the square. They waved the Bagua national flags in their hands desperately, their hearts filled with a strong sense of pride.

The officers and soldiers of the Royal Guard Division have the highest level of equipment in the entire army. They are uniformly issued with peaked caps and fur-lined military boots. The ordinary soldiers' uniforms are made of dark blue cotton and tweed blended fabric, which looks more upscale than ordinary cloth uniforms and makes them look very handsome when worn.

Because of its mission of guarding the important area of ​​the capital, together with the Manila Guard Division, it became a solid barrier for the capital Manila, so it walked at the front of the parade.

Then came the Second "Devil Division" phalanx, the Third "Shield Division" phalanx, the First Division phalanx, the Fourth Division phalanx and the Fifth Division phalanx. These were all troops with outstanding military achievements and had left a significant mark in the process of the Chu State's expansion of its territory.

Finally, the Sixth Division's parade formation, the artillery and cavalry formations, and the armed militia formations passed the parade arch one by one.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu and Prime Minister Li Hezhang led a large group of senior military and political officials, and princes and nobles from various countries who came to watch the ceremony stood on the parade arch, waving frequently to the parade formations, their expressions full of joy.

The representatives of the European powers who were invited to watch the ceremony, such as Britain, France, Prussia, Russia, the United States, the Netherlands, Austria-Hungary and other countries, all had serious expressions on their faces and pointed and commented on the parade.

Having experienced bloody battles, the parade formations exuded a murderous aura that seemed to be tangible and could not be false at all.

There is a clear distinction between an elite veteran troop that has fought hundreds of battles and a superficially polished troop.

Seeing the mighty and powerful military of the Chu State, the representatives of various countries felt mixed emotions, with a complex intertwined emotion of fear, envy and worry all revealed.

"There's no denying that resolving issues in the Nanyang region will require another player. Given the current power of the Chu State, I'm afraid no one will be able to resolve regional issues without him."

"Hmm, there's one more person at the conference table. I hope he can be a beneficial force in promoting regional stability."

"Your Excellency Sir Phillips, perhaps my opinion is exactly the opposite of yours. This newly rising Chu State, like its young king, is full of aggressiveness and may be a disruptor of the situation in the Nanyang region and a real source of trouble."

"That's indeed very possible. When a strong person rises, it always takes time to adapt to the new environment and find a comfortable position that suits them. It's a process of adaptation."

"That's where our trouble lies."

"No, it's the Dutch who are in trouble. The British's bottom line is in Malacca, Singapore, and Penang. The French's bottom line is in Saigon and Indochina. This is clear."

"Excuse me, Sir Phillips, I think European countries should unite and set boundaries for this ambitious Chinese kingdom so that it will behave better."

"That sounds great, and I personally support your efforts."

"Then your government..."

"Regional stability is paramount. The war is over, my friend... I suggest that the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies change their mindset and try to coexist peacefully with this Eastern nation. We should find a solution that is acceptable to both sides. The British side would welcome this."

"You mean... that neither Britain nor France plans to participate in future negotiations to define spheres of influence in the South China Sea. The Netherlands is willing to initiate this negotiation process. We need to clarify where the boundary lies?"

"Britain and France can participate, but only in a mediating capacity and will not be heavily involved. Prussia holds a similar position to Russia and the United States."

"Oh, my God, this is unfair. The Chu people occupied the Sulawesi Islands and the New Guinea Islands without consent, and are expanding their influence southward in the Borneo Islands. These are huge problems that need to be solved urgently."

"Here's a piece of advice for you: you have to solve your own problems yourself."

After the British Minister Sir Carly Phillips finished speaking nonchalantly, he picked up the bronze telescope in front of him and looked into the distance on the road.

The military parade was over, and the last logistics unit passed the parade arch.

Behind it
It is a float parade organized by various prefectures and counties in the Manila area. The parade participants, dressed in bright national costumes, hold high flags in their hands and lead the floats singing and dancing.

The dragon dance team, lion dance team, stilt-walking team, land boat rowing team, gong and drum team, and yangko team came one after another. Amid the deafening music, everyone had a smile of sincere joy on their face.

They jumped and danced, expressing their inner joy and pride, and threw themselves into the victory parade celebration, with gongs and drums blaring and flags flying everywhere.

All the Han people in Chu State cut off their braids and wore Tang suits with horizontal buttons of various colors, showing a vitality and vigor that was completely different from that of the northern Shenzhou, and presenting an high-spirited and confident look to the world.

Compared with the silence and numbness in northern China, it seems like people from two different worlds.

The center of the parade arch

It was a large group of high-ranking military and political officials with King Zheng Guohui of Chu as the core. King Zheng Guohui of Chu was still standing by the railing, waving to the celebrating crowd who were singing and dancing.

However, this has nothing to do with the review.

He said, "The Dutch ships' invasion of the Sulawesi Islands must be condemned with a stern attitude, leaving no room for ambiguity. The Sulawesi Islands were first discovered and cultivated by our Chinese ancestors, and are a sacred and inseparable part of the Chu State."

"In compliance with His Majesty's orders, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will strongly condemn this." "The Navy, please send a few ships over there and keep a close eye on them."

"In compliance with Your Majesty's command, I will immediately arrange for the mobilization of several patrol vessels from the Davao Maritime Police District to conduct a nearby patrol of the Sulawesi Islands."

"You guys make the specific arrangements. We must not let the Dutch get their hands on the Sulawesi Islands. Chu will not give up an inch on territorial issues."

"Your Highness, I will obey His Majesty's command and will not give up an inch of our territory."

After giving these instructions, King Zheng Guohui of Chu waved to the crowd in the celebratory parade, with a warm smile on his face, but he was talking about something else.

His tone softened a little, and he gave another order;

"The new daily weather forecast will be published in the Manila World Journal, so that shipowners can understand the weather information and make proper arrangements for shipping to avoid being affected by storms.

After the celebration, the annual retirement of veterans and recruitment of new soldiers will begin.

Prime Minister, please pay more attention. The cabinet must cooperate with the military to implement the rewards clearly stated in advance. Don't let the soldiers feel discouraged."

"Your Majesty's command is obeyed." Prime Minister Li Hezhang and several important military officials bowed and replied.

This is the style of the King of Chu. He gives orders based on his own ideas.

The royal chief of staff, Wu Qingfeng, was holding a small notebook in his hand and recording rapidly. These orders from the King of Chu must be implemented one by one in the future.

Any omission would be a serious dereliction of duty.

Among all the ministers and dignitaries, the new Governor-General of East Malaya, Earl Ho Sin, had a bad look on his face. His eyes turned to the east from time to time, where was the viewing stand of the Lan Fang delegation.

The day before the celebration

Just yesterday afternoon, the Governor-General of East Malaya, Earl He Xian, was summoned to Ganquan Palace. King Zheng Guohui of Chu scolded him harshly, which frightened him so much that his back was soaked with sweat.

The reason was the merger of Lan Fang Kingdom, which triggered a strong backlash from Liu Asheng and others.

The King of Chu issued a strict order to temporarily stop and discuss it later.

Seeing such a great achievement slip away, the Governor of East Malaya, Earl Ho Sin, was so angry that veins popped out on his forehead, but he could do nothing about it.

In my heart, I hated Lan Fangguo and his people.

Objectively speaking
Ho Sin's administration of the three states of East Malaya was quite successful. With the addition of new Chinese immigrants and the original early Chinese residents, the local population reached over one million, with more than 90% of them being Chinese.

Agricultural production recovered very quickly and has reached 80% of the pre-war level.

With the orderly influx of subsequent Chinese immigrants, the three states of East Malaya will be able to restore their former prosperity and even surpass it before the end of the year.

The population of this area will also reach more than 130 million, which is roughly equal to that of the Kingdom of Lan Fang.

Although the Lan Fang Kingdom has a small land area, through nearly a hundred years of hard work by immigrants, mainly Chinese, they have reclaimed large tracts of fertile land, owned gold mines, coal and iron mines, developed fisheries, animal husbandry and transportation industries, and became the most prosperous region in the entire Kalimantan Island.

It is precisely because of this that it attracted the covetousness of the Dutch.

Although the Dutch occupied 3/4 of the land of Kalimantan, the level of development was low and limited to a few plain areas along the coast. The population was sparse and the development was backward.

To date
The Dutch colonists rarely invested resources in the island, and the infrastructure was very backward. The total population of several coastal provinces combined was only about 1.4 to 1.5 million.

If the population

The entire island of Kalimantan is divided into three parts, and the population of the three states of East Malaya, the Lan Fang Kingdom and the Dutch territories is around 1.3 to 1.4 million.

Due to the devastation caused by war, more than 30 indigenous women migrated and more than 50 indigenous men were sent to labor camps and were ignored in population statistics. Therefore, at this stage, the population of the three states east of Malaya is the smallest.

According to the population statistics rules of Chu

Boys and girls aged 7 and above are counted in the household population, and Aboriginal women in the household are also counted in the total population.

As for the head of a household, only adult males of Chinese or white ethnicity (note: in negotiations with European powers, both sides gave each other national treatment) were eligible, and matters such as buying land, purchasing shops and houses, and paying taxes required the head of the household to appear in person.

Other members of the family do not meet the application requirements.

simply put

The rights of men and women are extremely unequal. This is a typical male-dominated feudal social system and is also the mainstream in countries around the world today. There is nothing surprising about it.

(End of this chapter)