Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 348 Stab on the head
The unprecedentedly grand May Day Victory Parade and Parade ended after noon, but the crowds, still reluctant to leave, continued to sing and dance on the Avenue of Glory and were reluctant to leave for a long time.

At that time, the King of Chu ordered a banquet to be held in the Grand Hall of the Cabinet's Zongli Yamen, with more than a hundred tables set up to entertain princes and nobles from various countries, as well as representatives from powerful European countries and domestic military and political representatives who participated in the celebration, to enjoy the feast to their heart's content.

Those noble princes and representatives of the great powers were arranged in more than 20 small halls with more luxurious decorations, and officials from various departments were arranged to accompany them for banquets.

In the evening, a luxurious banquet and grand ball were held at St. Francis College in Intramuros, Manila. The upper class celebrities and socialites of the Chu State gathered together, and the air was filled with fragrance.

Countless candles illuminated the Spanish palace-style dome hall with golden splendor. The guests were all dressed in their best. Accompanied by elegant dance music and upper-class socializing, it was another luxurious sleepless night of debauchery.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu only appeared for a short while at the beginning of the night banquet, delivered a speech to express his welcome to the guests, and then left after saying a few words.

He didn't want to stay in such a boring place any longer.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. The way of socializing that the upper classes of Europe and the United States use is very popular in Southeast Asia and is also an activity that many aristocrats and celebrities flock to.

These new nobles in the Chu State also thought it was fashionable and were very enthusiastic about participating.

It is an indisputable fact that holding dinner dances has become a trend in Manila's upper-class aristocratic circles.

In this magnificent occasion

A group of short people from Fuso attended the party in traditional kimonos, which seemed out of place in this grand dinner and attracted many condescending and contemptuous looks.

This made the people from Fuso feel very uncomfortable and like clowns.

This magnificent palace-style hall is filled with elegantly dressed gentlemen and ladies, and there are all kinds of rich fruits and meats piled up like mountains, which are dazzling to the eyes, and there is also fine wine for everyone to enjoy.

Such extravagant behavior shocked the Fuso people who were usually poor and frugal, and they behaved even more unbearably.

"My dear commanders, these ridiculous Japanese slaves have never seen such a grand scene. Look at the way they eat, they are no different from starving ghosts. It's really embarrassing." Xiang Dehong, the purple-scarf official from the Ryukyu Kingdom, was in high spirits and said loudly and sarcastically.

His voice was loud and clear, without any reservation at all, attracting the attention of people around him.

At this time, several members of the Fuso delegation were standing by the dining table. Two younger Fuso people were holding plates and stuffing delicious cakes into their mouths. Their faces were covered with cake crumbs and a lot of cream traces.

Xiang Dehong's words put these people in an embarrassing situation where they were doomed to fail.

After coming to terms with it

Sanjo Sanetomi and others were so angry that their faces turned purple on the spot. Saigo Takamori and Kido Takayoshi were so ashamed that they almost found a table to crawl under. It was too embarrassing to make a fool of themselves in such an occasion.

Ito Hirobumi remained calm. He bowed respectfully and said apologetically, "I'm so sorry. One of our people saw the delicious cake and couldn't help himself. We've caused you trouble."

Xiang Dehong and the Japanese were sworn enemies, and he deliberately exposed the truth loudly in order to embarrass the Japanese pirates. How could he let them go so easily?

He clung to the support of the State of Chu and personally led his troops to wipe out the three major pro-Japanese families of the Ryukyu Kingdom, massacring them from top to bottom with great brutality.

This person has long been included in the list of Fuso's mortal enemies. In order to continue the inheritance of the Ryukyu royal family, he is willing to hurt himself at all costs. He is a person who gives King Zheng Guohui of Chu a headache.

At this time he spoke sarcastically again and said;
"What a poor, arrogant, and despicable people! When they heard that the Emperor ate a rice ball with a small fish, they were moved and called it a sumptuous meal. How could they care about their table manners when attending such a sumptuous banquet? What ignorant country bumpkins!"

Saigo Takamori could no longer suppress his anger at Xiang Dehong's harsh words. He rushed forward and cursed, "What nonsense are you talking about, you ugly bastard? It's absolutely abominable. I will not allow you to slander the Supreme Emperor of the Yamato Nation. You deserve to die."

This level of intimidation could not frighten Xiang Dehong, who was considered a ruthless man. He just smiled contemptuously and said to the group of celebrities and nobles;
"Everyone, look at the despicable behavior of these mad dogs. They are poor, arrogant, and yet they won't let anyone say anything. You self-proclaimed elites of Fuso, the most sumptuous meal you can have is just white rice with a two-finger-wide fish and a bowl of stale soup. Am I wrong?"

"That's miso soup, not rotten soup. It's absolutely disgusting!" Saigo Takamori's face turned pale with anger as he argued loudly.

But he was just a military man, how could he win the debate with Xiang Dehong in terms of eloquence? This man would do anything to achieve his goals, and his words were sharp, which made the Fuso people furious with ridicule.

Fusang has a small territory, poor resources and a large population. Coupled with the continuous wars and destruction, it has become increasingly difficult to get enough food.

Ordinary people had millet and two pickled radishes for every meal. During the lean period, they also had to eat wild vegetables to fill their stomachs and get through the most difficult times.

The daimyo's meals were just rice, a small fish two fingers wide, a small dish of pickled radish, a bowl of boiled wild vegetables, and a small bowl of miso soup. It was very simple.

Xiang Dehong's words were not exaggerated, but they exposed the Fuso people's fig leaf and humiliated the Fuso nobles who were very concerned about their reputation. How could they not be furious?

When Deputy Foreign Minister Zheng Yulan heard the commotion, she came over with a champagne glass in her hand to check. She saw Xiang Dehong, who was talking in the middle, and was full of energy. He was fighting against several members of the Fuso delegation alone and was not at a disadvantage.

Duke Sanjo Sanetomi of Fuso received a Chinese etiquette education since childhood, which taught him not to speak ill of others. He could only say "It's really too much" and "It's really embarrassing!" These words had no fighting power at all.

Saigo Takamori and Kido Takayoshi were not good at verbal debate either. They were actually suppressed by Xiang Dehong's sharp ridicule, and their faces turned red and blue, and they were extremely embarrassed.

Zheng Yulan was so worried about Xiang Dehong's killing spree that she felt a headache. She quickly called a few people and secretly instructed them to get rid of Xiang Dehong. This was a royal banquet, and he couldn't be allowed to disrupt it.

This time, the organizers of the Chu State took action. Several people persuaded Xiang Dehong away, and the Fuso delegation, feeling ashamed and angry, quickly left.

Shortly thereafter
Another big incident happened. The two young Japanese men who ate cake crazily committed suicide by cutting their stomachs in the street to restore their honor, leaving blood all over the floor.

The various events that took place at the banquet soon spread to Ganquan Palace.
After dinner, King Zheng Guohui of Chu was talking with the Queen Mother in the pavilion in the backyard. After listening to the report from his staff, he shook his head helplessly.

Today, the Ryukyu Kingdom borrowed the power of the Chu State and carried out a bloody massacre of pro-Japanese factions in the country, causing tensions with the Fuso Kingdom, and the relationship was once on the verge of a war.

After the war negotiations between Chu State and Britain and France, the hard-line forces of the Ryukyu Kingdom, led by Xiang Dehong, once again launched a new round of suppression and persecution of Fuso residents.

It is said that as many as 17000 people were forced to work in mining labor camps, most of whom were descendants of Japanese.

This move was obviously learned from the experience of the Chu State.

This purple-scarf official Xiang Dehong had eight regiments under his command, each with a total of more than 800 elite soldiers, all of whom were Chinese soldiers. They were equipped with American muskets and 12-pound Napoleon field guns, and their combat effectiveness was unmatched in the Ryukyu Kingdom.

With six or seven thousand elite soldiers in his hands, Xiang Dehong, who hated the Fuso people, showed no mercy. Thousands of Japanese were persecuted and tortured to death, and more than 3 were expelled.

This guy is a typical example of a fox relying on the power of another.

However, after the civil war, Fuso was in ruins. Faced with the Ryukyu Kingdom backed by the Chu State, it had to swallow its anger and become a Ninja Turtle.

The Japanese people have a deep understanding of the meaning of the word "forbearance".

Zheng Guohui knows

The people of the Ryukyu Kingdom were madly testing the edge of death. Fuso's Meiji Restoration had begun, which would be a path to rapid industrial revitalization.

The rapid growth of Fusang was an inevitable historical trend. The Chu State might be able to delay it for a while, but it was powerless to change this historical process.

Therefore, we will not do useless work.

The reason
After all, Chu was a small country in Southeast Asia with a population of only 650 million. At that time, Fuso's population exceeded 3300 million, which was more than the population of Britain with a population of more than 2600 million.

As the saying goes; poor mountains and bad waters produce unruly people.

Never underestimate the Fuso Kingdom. These people are cruel to their own people and even more brutal when expanding abroad. They will fight to the death without regard for their lives.

After a small meal, they turned their attention to the expansion of the Korean Peninsula in the north.

The current national policy of the Chu State was to vigorously introduce Chinese immigrants to focus on development, strengthen national strength, continue to promote the process of steam industrialization, and launch large-scale settlement and colonization, which continued for more than ten years.

At this juncture, it is impossible to take the blame for the Ryukyu Kingdom and clean up Xiang Dehong's mess.

Don't think that Xiang Dehong is jumping so happily today. He will have to pay the debt within ten years. He may die a very ugly death and his ending will definitely not be good.

The main reason why the Chu State was willing to protect the Ryukyu royal family was for strategic considerations, to prevent Fuso's rapidly expanding power from developing southward. The Ryukyu Kingdom was a barrier.

The existence of the Ryukyu Kingdom strategically blocked the possibility of Fuso expanding southward after it became stronger.

As a strategic buffer zone between the Chu State and the Fuso State, the existence of the Ryukyu Kingdom has its value, and there is no doubt that the Chu State needs to do its utmost to protect it.

But it does not mean that the State of Chu will endorse people like Xiang Dehong. This person's life or death has nothing to do with the State of Chu. He will be a sacrifice when necessary.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu made a decision in a flash.

He waved his staff away, then turned to the Queen Mother and said gently, "Your Majesty, the old prince is failing. I plan to travel north to visit my relatives and return to my hometown in Tongzhou to tend to him. What do you think?"

"My son has so many things going on. Can he leave?"

"That's all right. Now we have telegraph communication. Even if it's thousands of miles away, we can get there in a moment."

"Okay then, my son, if you can spare the time, please go and take a look. If I can't withstand the storm anymore, I won't cause you any more trouble." The Queen Mother nodded.

She now eats well and sleeps well in the palace. When she has nothing to do, she looks after her grandsons and granddaughters playing in the garden. The people around her serve her attentively, which can be said to be meticulous.

The Queen Mother has a rosy complexion and is in excellent health. The Taoist priest who entered the palace said that this is a sign of longevity and good fortune, so there is no need to worry.

(End of this chapter)