Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 390: Treaty of Blanca

After sitting idly at the ceremony site for two hours, King Zheng Guohui of Chu reluctantly boarded the royal chariot and returned to the city with a group of ministers.

That afternoon
Various urgent transoceanic telegrams sent from Manila were scattered like snowflakes to countries around the world. The next day, the British "Times", the French "Lyon Daily" and the German "Observer" all published this important news.

Another day passed

Heavyweight news media in the United States, such as the New York Daily and the Washington Post, also published this news in important positions on the front page and published commentary articles, which is enough to show the strategic deterrent power of the "Zhendong" class ironclad ships.

An ironclad ship of more than 2,000 tons is nothing, but a main ironclad ship of 6,500 tons has reached the world's first-class level, which means that the dominance over the ocean is rapidly increasing. Who dares to ignore it?

Even world-class powers like Germany and France only have this level of naval ironclad ships as their mainstays.

On the way up

That is the British Empire Royal Navy, which is unique in the world. No one can match it or rival it. It is the global hegemon.

Just over a month later
The State of Chu and Argentina formally reached an agreement on the demarcation of the southern border of South America, known in history as the Treaty of Blanca.

Argentina basically accepted all of Chu's territorial demands, taking the vast plains of Patagonia in the south into its possession, and extending north all the way to the southern tip of Buenos Aires Province, cutting off thousands of square kilometers of Bahía Blanca and surrounding areas and making them the property of Chu.

The northern border line was drawn to the Pampas Province of Argentina, and a long piece of the southern part of the Pampas Province was cut off, obtaining a total of 92.39 square kilometers of territory.

In response to Argentina's losses in the Blanca region, the Chu State gave Argentina 20 silver dollars as land purchase compensation, which was considered as compensation to Argentina and left the hardliners in the country speechless.

For just a few thousand square kilometers of land, plus a total of 1.62 square kilometers of disputed land, 20 silver dollars in compensation is already a lot.

The successful signing of this border demarcation treaty was another important victory in the diplomatic history of the Chu State.

This, combined with the 31.67 square kilometers of land obtained by Chile through the border demarcation treaty, brings the total territory to about 124 million square kilometers, extending as far south as Tierra del Fuego.

This caused the territory of Chu to suddenly increase from 183 million square kilometers to 307 million square kilometers, a 67.7% increase in territory, and it slowly entered the ranks of the world's colonial powers.

When the news came out, the whole country celebrated enthusiastically. This was the latest major achievement in the expansion of the kingdom's territory, representing the kingdom's growing national strength and colonial influence, and more in line with its status as a second-rate world power.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu originally planned a tug-of-war negotiation that would last for one and a half to two years, but he saw the result in just over a month. This was one of the potential benefits brought by the "Zhendong" class ironclad ships, but not all of them.

It can be seen from this that the development of main ironclad ships has a huge deterrent effect, which is completely in line with the original intention of investing heavily.

at the same time
It also created enormous regional pressure on the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which has long had territorial disputes.

The direct impact of this is

James Louden, Governor of the Dutch East Indies, apparently gave up his unwise regrets and lowered his tone on the issue of Kalimantan. He no longer publicly and strongly accused the Chinese of illegal immigration to the southern part of the island. These nonsense words were useless.

The Dutch were very upset, the British did not help, the French sat on the sidelines and watched the fight, and the State of Chu continued to do its own thing. The possibility of changing this predicament became increasingly slim.

The Chu Navy was equipped with main ironclad ships with a displacement of 6500 tons. As long as the Royal Netherlands Navy's East India Fleet was not equipped with warships of the same level, it would not be able to change the regional situation or restore its colonial rule in the Dutch-occupied areas in southern Kalimantan.

Instead of continuing to chatter and annoy others, it is better to shut up wisely.

No matter what, everything must be backed by strength. Without strength, who would take you seriously?
Ten days later
The Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies issued a decree, quietly abolishing the "Three Evil Laws" of the previous governor-general. This was also the focus of the conflict that caused strong criticism from the Chu government. Now it has changed its course.

The ban on Chinese in Java purchasing land, real estate, shops, and engaging in plantation economy was also relaxed, but it only applied to Chu expatriates.

The definition of Chu expatriates is new Chinese who have cut their braids and have identity papers issued by the Chu embassy. They are not affected by the ban in the Dutch-occupied area, enjoy equal national treatment, and will not be subject to heavy taxes.

This was different from some old-school Chinese who still stubbornly insisted on keeping their braids, and it also prompted the local Chinese community on Java Island to cut off their braids and go to the Chu Embassy in Batavia to apply for identity documents.

The reason for this change

Because the Governor of the Dutch East Indies, James Loudon, clearly felt the pressure, the Chu State publicly threatened:

We will never tolerate the Netherlands’ discriminatory and suppressive policies against Chinese compatriots and will firmly safeguard their interests, including taking all possible options.

These included importing weapons to Java Island, cultivating pro-Chu forces, supporting local Chinese people in their armed resistance, and supporting overseas Chinese in forming local industry associations to use collective strength to safeguard their own rights and interests.

Until the worst case scenario, the possibility of military intervention is not ruled out.

What can the Netherlands do now?
First, they insist on claiming sovereignty over the former Dutch-occupied colonial area in southern Kalimantan and will never give in easily. This is a more sophisticated diplomatic approach used by the old European colonizers.

Even if it drags on for decades, Governor James Loudon will not be held responsible for it as long as the Dutch-occupied area in southern Borneo was not lost during his tenure as governor.

Such a serious historical crime will surely be cursed by the Dutch people for generations to come and be hung on the pillar of shame as a "traitor". No one can bear it.

The current historical stage
That is, try your best to ease the sharp contradictions with the State of Chu and prevent the State of Chu from finding an excuse to start a war. However, the possibility of this happening is less than 10%, and we cannot take the risk.

If he could safely complete his term as governor and return to the Netherlands with the huge wealth he had plundered in the colonies, he could also seek a decent job.

Sir James Lowden was extremely experienced and adopted the strategy of "setting aside disputes, cooling down and extinguishing fires".

Instead of being like the Argentines, who signed an unfair border demarcation treaty after being intimidated, demonstrating their immaturity in foreign policy.

This situation is very common in today's world.

Wasn't the Northern Shenzhou court intimidated by the Russians and signed several humiliating border treaties, losing 150 million square kilometers of land?
The Kingdom of Siam gave up the seven princely states on the Himalayas when it was intimidated by the British, and gave up Cambodia and Cambodia when it was intimidated by the French. These are just a few examples among many.

As a South American country with a small population, Argentina was not much more confident than the Kingdom of Siam when facing the aggressive attitude of the Chu State.

"Bullying the weak and fearing the strong" is a true portrayal of this.

In fact, the Argentines do not feel that they are at a disadvantage.

In the southern border demarcation
Argentina did lose Bahia Blanca, in the southernmost part of Buenos Aires Province, and thousands of square kilometers of surrounding territory, as well as a long strip of disputed territory in Pampas Province.

But after the victory in the Paraguayan War, Argentina obtained more than 7 square kilometers of land in Paraguay, and it was located in the fertile Asuncion River basin. Wasn't that a huge profit?

As for the vast Patagonia Plain in the south, it did not originally belong to Argentina. Now it has been occupied by the Chu State, so Argentina can only give it up with regret.

The Paraguayan War that broke out in 1864 lasted for five years and caused severe damage to Argentina, which had a total population of only 5 million. The casualties reached tens of thousands, accounting for almost one-thirtieth of the country's population.

A large number of young white men died in the war. It is a bit of an exaggeration to say that every family had a white flag, but it is not an exaggeration at all that one out of every three white families was killed or injured in the war.

It is not worthwhile to fight a war with the more powerful Chu State for a small piece of territory in southern Blanca.

This choice is a wise one.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu happily accepted the gift package, and immediately sent envoys to Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Venezuela and other countries in South America, and strengthened relations with the above-mentioned South American countries to promote the infiltration of Chinese forces in South America.

Today, immigration to Paraguay requires permission from Brazil and Argentina, which occupy the country, and this long-term occupation will continue for more than a decade.

Anyway, the State of Chu was not in a hurry. It would be enough to send a few thousand people to Paraguay every year. After all, the country lacked men and was even more seriously short of labor.

Paraguay had a population of 54 before the war. After an unprecedentedly brutal war, only 23 people were left in the country, with only more than 2 men left. As many as 31 people died in battle, from hunger, or from disease.

Any Chinese man arriving in Paraguay will have at least four or five young wives. No matter how beautiful a woman over 25 is, she's no match for them. That's just how awesome it is. Now that we've acquired a large tract of territory in southern South America, we can't just let Chinese adventurers divide up ranches at will; we need to impose necessary restrictions.

For example, each Chinese immigrant family is capped at 200 acres, and any excess land will not be considered for granting.

A dozen or so Chinese families, who are bound by clan ties and blood ties, can form a small or medium-sized ranch, with each family taking charge of grazing, feeding and farming, which seems more reasonable.

After all, human energy is limited. In this era when farming and machinery are underdeveloped, occupying too much land will not be able to make full use of it.

Specific restrictive measures require the government to propose a specific plan from the Colonial Office, which will be reviewed and approved and then submitted to the King for approval before implementation.

As long as the King of Chu showed a hint of his intention, his subordinates would handle it properly.

It is still necessary to continue to subsidize immigrants from South America. After all, the distance is too far, and even if large immigrant ships of 10,000 tons travel back and forth, the profit is extremely small.

Several large copper mines have been discovered in southern Chile, which belonged to the Chu State.

Most of the tens of thousands of captured Native American convicts were now thrown into copper mines, doing the arduous work of mining.

The refined copper ingots were brought back to Panama by the returning immigrant ships. The local Chinese Chamber of Commerce was a major customer of the American-funded Panama Railway and would organize mule and horse carts to transport the copper ingots from the port to the station.

After passing through the 68-kilometer Panama Fjord, these Chilean copper ingots will be transported to the city of Colón on the Atlantic side, from where they will be loaded onto Chu cargo ships and shipped to North America or Europe.

This route, known as the "brass trade line," was the main export mineral within the Chu State's territory along the Pacific coast.

Compared with shipping Chilean copper ingots thousands of miles back to China, exporting them to North America and Europe is more cost-effective.

Current stage
The State of Chu is about to send a governor to the southern part of South America. This area is famous for the Patagonia Plain, so it is also called the Governor of Patagonia, who will be responsible for a vast area of ​​​​the exhibition hall with an area of ​​​​124 million square kilometers.

The candidate currently in the spotlight is Deputy Prime Minister Marquis Zheng Shouxin. The Patagonia Governor's Office is located in the city of Blanca, which has natural geographical advantages and can easily develop into an important port city on the Atlantic coast, radiating to the vast inland areas.

It is precisely because of the importance of the Blanca region that the Chu State is determined to take it into its possession.

The ending was perfect, and I finally got what I wanted.

Among all the countries, Chu State signed boundary treaties with Chile and Argentina successively, and once again swallowed up a vast land of 124 million square kilometers, which caused the greatest waves in Fuso State.

A classical manor in Kyoto
This is the residence of Minister of Works Hirobumi Ito. On this day, the core elites of the Meiji Restoration gathered together to hold a tea party in a traditional Japanese-style room in Fuso. The focus of the topic was "Chu's new achievements in foreign colonial expansion."

Among these participants
They included Yoshida Shoin, Takasugi Shinsaku, Ōkubo Toshimichi, Kido Takayoshi, Saigo Takamori, Yokoi Shonan, Ōmura Masujiro and others, and were also the backbone of the Meiji Dynasty's reform policy of "enriching the country and strengthening the military, developing industry and commerce, and promoting civilization and enlightenment."

"It is indeed the former suzerain state. Even though he was once a Chinese general, he is extraordinary at first sight. In just a few years, he has made such a big scene. Compared with my Fuso country which is trapped in a corner, the difference is like heaven and earth." Takayama Jinsaku's face was full of jealousy, all of which was written on his face.

As he finished speaking, the whole room was filled with sighs.

Saigo Takamori said in a muffled voice:

"I have studied the King of Chu very carefully. He is a military powerhouse forged in the brutal civil war of China. He possesses a strong sense of aggression and a thirst for control. The policies he pursues bear many similarities to my reformist policies. This once again proves that the path we are on is the right one."

"Please don't boast that Chu's policies are the same as ours. Such brazen statements are truly shameful." Yoshida Shoin refuted Saigo Takamori's statement. He straightened his face, looked around at everyone and explained:

"The King of Chu's expedition to the South to establish his cause began in 1865. Preparations for this had been made long before, dating back to early 1861, when he dispatched His Excellency the Marquis Zheng Shouxin to Southeast Asia to gather intelligence from various regions and formulate a reasonable conquest strategy, targeting the Spanish.

Facts have proven

This strategy was extremely wise and correct. It took advantage of the chaos in the Spanish royal family and won the battle in one fell swoop, thus establishing the initial foundation of the Chu State.

At that time, we had just begun to develop the grand ambition to revitalize the Yamato nation. We had very little understanding of international affairs and relied entirely on our passion.

As the colonial expansion strategy of the Chu State gradually became glorious, it also allowed us to see the way forward and strengthened our confidence in "enriching the country, strengthening the military, and developing industry and commerce."

All these development concepts originated from the step-by-step success of His Majesty the King of Chu, which awakened us reformists and helped us find a bright path for development.

from this point of view

His Majesty the King of Chu should be our teacher, instead of shamelessly saying that there are many similarities. This is really shameful.

Fusang has been

By practicing and inheriting the essence of Confucian culture and Buddhism, the people were enlightened, got rid of their original state of ignorance, and embarked on a path unique to Fuso culture.

To deny these is to deny history and all the achievements of our predecessors.

Therefore, we should learn from the Chu State sincerely. This is an authentic Chinese country. Their many experiences in developing industry and colonial expansion are worthy of in-depth understanding and learning.

Please remain humble, please!"

After saying this, Yoshida Shoin knelt down on the tatami, touching the ground with his head as a great ceremony, with an extremely pious attitude.

Other reformist elites also kowtowed and said:
"Yoshi, Yoshida-kun sees clearly that we went too far."

"I'm really ashamed. Please give me a chance to make amends."

"After all, the Chinese nation is always learning. The Chu State's successful global expansion and development has truly inspired us. 'Teacher' is a very appropriate title."

A group of people kowtowing on the tatami looked extremely bizarre, but this was the normal way for the Fuso people to discuss matters, with a strong flavor of the old feudal lords.

Most of those who were able to gather here were social elites born in powerful southwestern domains such as Choshu, Satsuma, Tosa, and Hizen. Taking advantage of the victory of the royalist party, they occupied important positions in the court.

Ito Hirobumi was the main aide who accompanied the Right Minister Iwakura Tomomi on his visits to Europe and the United States. He was also a core figure of the reformists and now held the important position of Minister of Works.

In his hand

He borrowed 100 million pounds from the British Bank of Toyo, built the first railway from Yokohama to Tokyo, promoted and implemented compulsory military service, issued the new yen, implemented thorough Westernized education throughout the country, established a series of industrial enterprises, and established Fuso's initial industrial system.

After listening to everyone's discussions, Ito Hirobumi had a lot of feelings.

He picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, sighed and said:
"The current reform strategy should take Western learning as the core, listen to the experience of the Chu State in colonizing and developing industry, and integrate it for our own use. This is the right path.

What a pity!
Such vast territories spread across the world have unexpectedly fallen into the hands of the Chu State. The abundance of its resources is outrageous. Could this be God's will? "

"What Ito said makes a lot of sense. After all, it was once a continental kingdom. Even in Southeast Asia, it is not ordinary. It still has the blessings of countless gods and Buddhas. How can we compare with them?" Kido Takahiga said the discouraging words directly, and his words could not hide his envy and jealousy.

And his words were actually echoed by many people, who nodded in agreement.

Even Ito Hirobumi could not refute these words and sighed again with a lonely look on his face.

So many resource-rich territories were snatched away by the Chu State, leaving very few places for the Fuso State to plan its colonial expansion. It felt really unwilling to accept this.

If you're slow, you won't even be able to eat hot shit...

(End of this chapter)