Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 376 The Leader Behind the Scenes

After dismissing the court in the morning, King Zheng Guohui of Chu had lunch in the Purple Palace, rested for a while, and then walked to the Imperial Study to handle government affairs.

After moving into the new Chu Palace, the palace became very large. From the Purple Palace, one had to pass through several palaces and the Taiye Lake to reach the East Palace, a distance of about 1,300 to 1,400 meters.

It would take more than ten minutes to walk, and about the same amount of time to ride in the royal chariot (a golden carriage pulled by two horses) that travels through the palace. After all, there are dozens of people accompanying the carriage, so the royal majesty is still necessary.

It takes even longer to reach other palaces.

Therefore, King Zheng Guohui of Chu lived in the Purple Palace on a daily basis and did not go to the harem at noon. He often went to the harem in the evening and returned early the next morning.

The Chu Palace is centered on the "Heavenly Palace" of the former three main halls. Behind the Heavenly Palace is the vast Taiye Lake, which covers an area of ​​more than 1800 acres, 13 times the size of the Taiye Lake in the Jianzhang Palace of the Tang Dynasty in history, making it even more magnificent and vast.

There are rows of palace buildings along the lake, and there are flowers and weeping willows blooming all year round, and tall coconut trees, which are reflected in the water layer by layer, presenting a beautiful scenery.

On the shore of the lake
There are artificially carved stone barges, stone ships, stone whales, stone turtles, stone pavilions, waterside pavilions, winding stone bridges, rockery such as Yingzhou, Penglai, Fanghu that symbolize fairy mountains, and a towering seven-story stone pagoda. It is a palace garden like a scroll painting.

Daily time

The queen and a group of concubines would surround the old queen and listen to the famous actors on the stage perform the love and hatred of ancient emperors and generals in the pavilion by the water. This has now become a regular program in the harem.

Queen Zheng Li often summoned noble ladies from the court to listen to operas and enjoy the garden, and held palace poetry and singing competitions with spring flowers and autumn moons, which greatly enriched the daily lives of the concubines in the harem and made them colorful.

In the Imperial Study
King Zheng Guohui of Chu walked to a side hall, where a huge floor-to-ceiling world map was hung. It was 4.6 meters high and 8.8 meters long. It was made of six carefully crafted polar bear skins, and the raw materials were extremely precious.

This map was drawn by the famous French painter Paul Cézanne. The scale of the map is extremely accurate, and local specialties are depicted on the map, such as the Indians of South America, wild bears and bison in Oregon. With such a large scale, it is itself a rare masterpiece.

In the French and Italian regions, churches and Catholic Jesus were painted, while in the Tsarist Russia and Western Slavic regions, the Orthodox Virgin Mary and angels were painted. The pictures are lifelike.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu came here and sat on the soft couch covered with white tiger skin. He leaned his body relaxedly on the brocade cushion and looked deeply at the huge map more than ten meters away.

He likes to think about global strategic issues here, which gives him a clear sense of overlooking the world and can trigger many inspirations.

On the map

The Hainan Islands in the Nanyang region, the four continents of East Malaya, the Shangri-La Islands, the Sulawesi Islands, the Maluku Islands, the Solomon Islands and a series of dotted islands in the Pacific Ocean were all painted bright yellow, symbolizing that they became the territory of the Great Chu Kingdom.

This vast territory occupies a central position in the South China Sea. The westernmost state of Lan Fang is only 380 kilometers away from Malacca, making its geographical location quite important.

There has always been a dispute between the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies and the State of Chu over the sovereignty of the Sulawesi Islands and the Maluku Islands, but Chinese immigrants in the State of Chu have already gained substantial control over the two archipelagos.

The Chu State's 300-ton iron-hulled cruisers have been cruising around the above-mentioned islands to maintain maritime borders.

On these two islands

There are currently about 2.7 Chinese immigrants. Although the total number is not large, it is enough to change the local mainstream social population and become the masters of the archipelago.

From this map

The territory of the Chu State greatly compressed the colonial scope of the Dutch East Indies, digging out a large piece of its belly, and its heart was Kalimantan Island.

Kalimantan is the third largest island in the world, with a total area of ​​74.33 square kilometers. It has a tropical rainforest climate, lush vegetation and abundant sunshine.

The situation on Kalimantan Island is very clear today, divided into two parts by the Chu State and the Netherlands.

The Chu State occupied a large area of ​​land in the northern part of Borneo Island with a long history of development. It once had an ancient culture, experienced several indigenous feudal dynasties, and had an agricultural civilization that lasted for hundreds of years.

The northern part of Kalimantan is mainly composed of plains and hills. It has large fertile river alluvial plains and dozens of island rivers that extend deep inland, with a total length of more than 2,300 kilometers, making it extremely suitable for the development of inland shipping.

Pontianak, Lan Fang State is an important inland port city. Located at the mouth of the Kabuas River (also known as Pontianak River) in West Borneo, it has a developed shipping industry and is the economic and political center of the region.

The city is crisscrossed with waterways, and the Kun River extends hundreds of kilometers inland. The river is wide and calm, with excellent water depth conditions. Most sections of the river can accommodate thousand-ton cargo ships and can directly reach important towns such as Daiyan and Xigalo upstream of the river.

After incorporating the Lan Fang State, the area of ​​East Malaya expanded to more than 40 square kilometers, which also increased the territory of the four islands of the Chu State to more than 70 square kilometers (Note: the total area of ​​the Hainan Islands is 30 square kilometers), further increasing the depth of the mainland territory.

If they are connected by undersea tunnels in the future, they will be no less prosperous than the mainland?
Including the mainland and the Pacific islands, the total territory of the Chu State reached 185 million square kilometers, which was already the foundation for a regional power.

The entire southern part of Borneo Island is a colony of the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, with a total area of ​​about 44.3 square kilometers and a population of about million.

The southern colonies of the island were occupied by the Dutch for about two to three hundred years, but because the Netherlands was a small and weak country, the level of development was extremely low and the infrastructure was very backward.

Only some plain towns in the coastal areas have traces of white colonists, while the vast inland hinterland is a vast tropical jungle that has been ignored for thousands of years and can be described as a green desert.

Depending on the location

The Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies divided it into three territories: East Borneo, Central Borneo and South Borneo, while the Chu State called them East Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan respectively, with each region having only a few hundred thousand people.

Of the total population of more than 130 million, indigenous people account for 2%, Chinese account for nearly %, and there are more than % immigrants from the Pacific and Indian regions. There are less than Dutch whites and their descendants.

To be more precise, there were about 17,000 to 18,000 people, mostly white plantation owners who, relying on their advantages as colonists, enslaved the Chinese and local indigenous people.

These extremely familiar data flashed through the mind of King Zheng Guohui of Chu. His eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a dangerous and sharp look.

The ministers were willing to send troops to resolve the issue because they saw the Dutch as an easy target.

The local population and geographical conditions were obvious, and almost everyone in the kingdom knew that it would be difficult for the Dutch to deploy too much military force to the island.

The Dutch colonists mainly gathered on the island of Java, which is one of the most densely populated islands in the world today and in later generations.

This is because there are dozens of active volcanoes on the island. The large amount of volcanic ash produced by the volcanic eruptions is rich in nutrients, which nourishes the farmland on the island and gives birth to ancient civilizations.

Java is one of the earliest islands to have indigenous civilization, dating back thousands of years.

As early as 1815, the population of Java exceeded 500 million. By 1871, the island's population was still growing rapidly, with a total population of more than 1240 million, making it the most densely populated place in the East Indies and even in the world's islands.

Java Island, with a total area of ​​only 13.87 square kilometers, is also the core area of ​​the rule of Dutch white colonists. The Governor's Palace is located in Batavia. There are also important cities such as Bandung and Surabaya on the island.

The Dutch have been operating the city of Batavia for more than 300 years. It was the center of colonial rule in the entire East Indies and the base camp of Dutch colonists.

Almost 28% of the Dutch white colonists and their descendants live on the island of Java. The total number of this group is about 30, less than .

The remaining 4% of Dutch white colonists and their descendants live on the island of Sumatra, with a total population of about .

The Dutch white people and their descendants living on the island of Kalimantan only account for half of the total population, about 17,000 to 18,000 people.

On the remaining inhabited islands
The presence of Dutch white colonists was almost zero, with a few hundred people at most and dozens or just a few at least. This was the case with the original Sulawesi Islands and Shangri-La Islands, which were easily occupied by the Chu State.

The Chu State did not need to look at the white residents on the island, nor did it need to seize the assets and plantations of the white colonists. It only needed to flood them with a large number of Chinese immigrants.

This was a completely unsolvable conspiracy. It was also because of this that the Dutch issued a new ban, prohibiting Chinese people from migrating to Java Island. They became cautious after suffering a great loss.

On the island of Sumatra, it is now a key area of ​​attack by the Dutch white colonial army.

Starting in 1838, during the reign of Governor-General van den Pos, Dutch colonial forces launched massive invasions of Sumatra, successively destroying several indigenous kingdoms in the southeast, occupying key towns such as Palembang in the center, and briefly occupying most of the Kingdom of Aceh in the northwest. The Dutch imposed a heavy tax of 25-30% on British merchant ships in Sumatra, sparking widespread and strong opposition from British merchants, who appealed to the Prime Minister's residence in London, demanding British intervention.

The British immediately took decisive diplomatic action, threatening the Dutch with war to force them to back down.

After careful consideration, the Kingdom of the Netherlands appointed Baud to notify the Dutch army led by General Michels to withdraw from the occupied territories of the Kingdom of Aceh and retreat to places such as Palembang in the central part of the island, which was equivalent to dividing the island into two.

The northeast was occupied by Dutch colonists and the southwest by the Kingdom of Aceh.

After 1869
The Chu State Singapore Expeditionary Force retreated to the Tanjung Kap area in central Sumatra Island, which was originally the battlefield of fierce fighting between the Dutch army and the Kingdom of Aceh, and was also a no-man's land.

The sudden invasion of the Chu State also disrupted the original situation on Sumatra Island, turning the tense confrontation between the two sides into a three-way competition.

Back to topic
After the Dutch colonial army withdrew, in order to ease the conflict between Britain and the Netherlands, Baudet also announced that the Netherlands would repay the unreasonable taxes levied on British merchant ships since the occupation of Aceh, and reduce the tax rate to 12%, which was half of the original amount.

It took many measures to calm the resentment of British merchant ships, but this happened more than 20 years ago.

At the end of September this year
Seeing that Duke Zheng Guoliang of Mindoro took over Lan Fang Prefecture with almost no effort and achieved such great feats, who wouldn’t be jealous?

Throughout history, the greatest military achievement is to expand territory.

Based on this achievement alone, Duke Zheng Guoliang of Mindoro is firmly seated among the top nobles of the kingdom, and no one dares to question it anymore. This achievement is real.

So, how great an achievement would it be if we seized the 43 square kilometers of territory in the southern part of Borneo that was stolen by the Dutch?

The Duke didn't dare to think about whether he could confer one or two marquises and a few earls.
King Zheng Guohui of Chu was not as simple-minded as his ministers. Although the competition over Sumatra Island seemed to be between two parties, there were actually three people sitting at the table.

The British are always the ones in control. If they allow the Chinese forces to invade the south by force and occupy the southern part of Borneo, then nothing will be a problem.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu had full confidence in responding to the Dutch's military counterattack.

The State of Chu was the first country in the entire Nanyang region to train an ironclad fleet. The 12 ironclad ships that were put into service were not just for fun, but the guarantee of maritime power in the South China Sea.

Before the first half of next year
A second batch of four 4-ton Huashan-class ironclad ships will be launched and put into service one after another. This will be a powerful maritime force that even the British Royal Navy's Third Fleet dare not underestimate.

It can be said that victory is certain when dealing with the Dutch Navy's old sailing warships.

With the Royal Bright Oil Company making a killing, the royal treasury was overflowing. The Chu State also began construction of its 5,000-ton "Zhen"-class main ironclad warships, with the lead ship, the "Zhenhai," currently under intense construction.

All of this is a guarantee of the strong confidence of the Chu State.

What cannot be ignored is
The British were also strengthening the Third Battleship Fleet stationed in Kolkata. With the arrival of the first batch of three British ironclad ships with a displacement of 5,000 to 6,000 tons, the second batch of more powerful British ironclad ships would also pass through the Suez Canal to the Indian colonies and join the Third Battleship Fleet of the Royal Navy.

The British Royal Navy's annual armament budget is as high as more than 9000 million pounds. The abundant military budget allows it to start building more than a dozen to -ton ironclad heavy ships at the same time.

In just a few years
The British Royal Navy is equipped with more than 40 heavy ironclad ships, and more than 20 are under construction on the slipway, which is far beyond the reach of other countries' naval forces.

The arrival of this batch of new ironclad warships is intended to replace the old armored sailing warships and add fresh blood to the British Royal Navy's Third Strategic Fleet.

at the same time
It also demonstrates the untouchable majesty of the British Empire, and implies a warning to the Chu Navy to consider whether it has the permission of the British Empire before taking any action.

so
There are two people at the card table in Kalimantan, one is the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the other is the State of Chu.

In fact, it was the British who were always the bankers and the driving force behind the situation in the entire Nanyang region. No one could bypass them and act recklessly.

Some hardliners in Chu believed that there was no need to pay any attention to the British. That was simply simple-minded and courageous, but irrational.

The same situation

There are three people at the poker table on the island of Sumatra, with the addition of the Kingdom of Aceh, which is also the weakest party.

Actually there are four people, and the UK has always been pushing for changes in the regional situation behind the scenes.

If it weren't for British intervention, the Dutch colonists would have swept across the island long ago, and the current Kingdom of Aceh would have been destroyed and become a thing of the past recorded in history.

If Britain does not allow it, then the Dutch colonists can only obediently spit out the fruits of victory they have swallowed, and there is nothing to discuss.

Some people question whether Britain has such a great influence?

In the Crimean War of 1853, the intervention of the British and French forces completely crippled Tsarist Russia and left a deep psychological shadow in its heart.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was well aware of the history of later generations:

Tsarist Russia's character was hard to change, and it was probably six years later that Tsar Nicholas II found an excuse to launch the tenth war to conquer the Ottoman Empire and achieved an absolute victory.

Tsar Nicholas II had every opportunity to avenge his previous humiliation and take back everything he had lost from the Ottomans.

They could even march directly into Constantinople, destroy the Ottoman Empire, become the overlord of the Black Sea, and achieve the ultimate strategic goal that the Tsarist Russian royal family had been pursuing tirelessly for more than 300 years. Why didn't this happen?
The reason is simple: the UK doesn't allow it.

At the critical moment, the British sailed their warships to the Bosphorus Strait and declared that they would rather fight Tsarist Russia than allow it to march into Constantinople.

Britain was probably not prepared for war and may not want to fight this war at all, otherwise it would not have sent only warships for deterrence.

Even so, the Tsarist royal family did not dare to take the risk.

Nicholas II still chose to admit defeat. After all, he was already content that he could avenge his previous humiliation and get back everything he had lost.

However, Britain did not want to see Tsarist Russia benefit so much, and Austria-Hungary also strongly opposed it. Therefore, Tsarist Russia had to take another step back and negotiate with the great powers to amend the Treaty of San Stefano.

The revised treaty was named the "Berlin Treaty". Tsarist Russia lost the qualification for its warships to pass through the Bosphorus Strait. The Greater Bulgaria advocated by Tsarist Russia was also divided into three parts, becoming Little Bulgaria, and the results of the victory were greatly reduced.

It was basically impossible for Tsarist Russia to make further moves in the Balkan Peninsula, as the country's strategic path westward into Europe was completely blocked.

Britain and Austria-Hungary did not work for nothing. Austria-Hungary got Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Britain got Cyprus.

Just ask, is Britain of this era powerful or not?
Out of consideration for national interests, King Zheng Guohui of Chu treated the British response with caution. It was not because he was afraid of the British, but it was a strategic choice based on national interests.

If you can achieve your goal without confronting a strong enemy, why do you have to do it head-on?

Prime Minister Li Hezhang's proposal is very good. The best way is to support, incite and arm the Chinese forces in southern Kalimantan, initiate internal struggles, and thereby expand the power of the Chu State.

Don't ever expect the British to uphold fairness and justice and safeguard the interests of Chinese expatriates.

After all, the Kingdom of the Netherlands is a white country in Europe and has extremely deep historical roots with the British royal family. They have intermarried frequently and even had a period of sharing the same ruler.

There is no need to deny that the British are inclined towards the Dutch white colonists in terms of religion, history, blood and emotion.

Although bilateral relations are good, the British certainly do not want the Chu State's influence in Southeast Asia to grow, but rather hope to maintain the status quo.

It is a good move to bring about qualitative change through internal strife.

(End of this chapter)