Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 393 Eurasian Trade Routes
King Zheng Guohui of Chu walked to the edge of the pavilion on the mountain and overlooked the surrounding scenery through the open windows. The palace-style buildings at the foot of the mountain had flying eaves and brackets, and they spread out layer by layer, creating a magnificent scene.

Looking far away, a vast lake appears before your eyes, reflecting the silhouettes of white clouds and green mountains. The shimmering waves spread out, creating a vast and misty scene.

The mountain breeze blows into the pavilion, bringing a refreshing feeling to the body.

The four main islands of the Chu State all have a typical tropical marine climate. The temperature difference throughout the year is very small, and there is a comfortable feeling of spring everywhere. There is only a distinction between rainy season and dry season.

Over the years

The royal family of Chu had accumulated a huge amount of wealth. Of the 3.6 ​​million silver dollars in the internal treasury, about 3% to 4% of the total wealth could be used at any time, which was about million silver dollars.

The rest are either bonds, gold and silver treasures, or large properties purchased at home and abroad, which generate a high income of 20 to 30 million silver dollars each year.

Overseas assets are managed by the Royal Foundation, with income only coming in and not going out, to achieve rolling development and make rights and responsibilities clearer.

This royal foundation is like a reservoir. The Royal Household Department regularly injects water into this large reservoir every quarter. According to the principle of "only in, not out", the accumulated foundation becomes increasingly profound.

As the water in the reservoir increased, King Zheng Guohui of Chu considered a new round of capital increase and share expansion plan, including value-added share expansion of the eight major banks, large backbone enterprises such as Nanyang Heavy Industries, Royal Nanyang Telegraph Office, Royal Post Office, Royal Mines Bureau, Royal Nanyang Transport Company, Royal Guangming Petroleum Company and Railway Company, and at the same time introduced social capital to expand corporate strength.

Only by spending money can it be rolled back and you can earn more and more money.

With grain in hand, don't panic in my heart.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu considered building the "Zhen" class main ironclad ship for the Royal Navy. Its main function was to escort the kerosene resources exported to Europe.

This is a huge income of more than 1.4 million silver dollars per year. There has been no increase in production this year, mainly because of the concern that it will be coveted by others and there is not enough naval force to guard this important trade route.

Therefore, King Zheng Guohui of Chu was considering establishing a colony on the shores of the Red Sea and was in close consultation with the British side on this matter.

He frankly stated all of Chu's concerns in order to gain Britain's understanding and ensure that Britain's global colonial interests would not be affected.

After passing through the Arabian Sea to the west, you will enter the geographically narrow Red Sea through the Strait of Said. The Red Sea is about 2250 kilometers long. The entrance to the southeast is the Strait of Said, and the exit to the northwest is the Suez Canal, which has just opened to navigation.

Since the Suez Canal was officially opened to navigation at the end of 1869, it has become an important route between Europe and Asia, and its importance has become increasingly apparent.

In early 1873

The Franco-Prussian War of 1870 broke the relatively stable balance of power in Europe. The rise of the German Empire and the decline of France changed the balance of power on the European continent and intensified the contradictions between the great powers.

The major European powers are all adjusting their foreign policies. This is an era of adjustment and reconstruction of power.

The French Third Republic, at the center of the storm, ceded Lorraine and Alsace despite the humiliation of defeat, and gritted its teeth to repay the war reparations of 50 billion francs in advance, forcing the German army to withdraw from the occupied French territory.

Germany's Iron Chancellor Bismarck took frequent actions, trying to isolate France and surround the unstable French Republic with a united Europe. The core of this was the "Triple Alliance".

Prime Minister Bismarck coordinated the conflicts with Tsarist Russia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and in 1873, the "Triple Alliance" was formally formed, achieving the goal of isolating and weakening France.

The formation of the European "Triple Alliance" strategy was like an iron chain across France's neck, tightly imprisoning its national influence and sphere of influence, and the impact was indeed huge.

Seeing the weakening of French power, Britain, which adhered to the "Continental Balance of Power Policy", regretted it deeply. After deeply reflecting on its mistakes in its European policies, its ties with and assistance to France became even closer.

At the same time, relations with Germany inevitably fell into coldness and turbulence.

Based on self-interest
France also showed a friendly and courteous attitude towards the powerful Chu State in Southeast Asia. This was the historical background for Chu State's smooth kerosene trade with Europe, and it was also a beneficiary of the current turbulent situation in Europe.

As the highest decision-maker, King Zheng Guohui of Chu had his own considerations on the development of the Royal Navy. After all, it was impossible for him to entrust the important crude oil trade line to the goodwill of Britain and France.

The only way to forge iron is to be strong yourself.

Developing the four ships Zhendong, Zhennan, Zhenxi and Zhenbei was a strategic decision made by King Zheng Guohui of Chu for naval development, which roughly met the current needs of the Chu State.

This 6,500-ton ironclad ship cost about one million yuan and was enough to hold up the sea in the South Seas region. It was also one of the top ironclad ships in the world.

current stage
Having these four main ironclad ships is enough. If you consider opening up a Red Sea colony, you will need to build two more ships to control the important Eurasian sea transport line.

Considering the situation around the Red Sea region, King Zheng Guohui of Chu frowned again. Except for the Horn of East Africa, other places were areas where British and French colonial forces competed.

"Your Majesty, what are you thinking about?" A fragrant breeze came from behind, and a soft and smooth body pressed against him.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu embraced his beloved concubine Mei Fei in his arms, bent down and kissed her on the white forehead.

Mei Fei, who had already given birth to a son and a daughter, now had the figure of a mature young woman. At the age of twenty-six or twenty-seven, she was in her prime and looked charming and attractive.

Mei Fei was one of the four beautiful concubines sent by his second uncle Li Hongzhang. Her original name was Dongmei. She was loved and cherished in the palace of King Zheng Guohui of Chu, and she became more and more charming.

"Tell the Hot Spring Pavilion to prepare. I will be there soon. Relax and enjoy yourself."

"Your Majesty, please come back in a moment." "I understand."

Concubine Mei reluctantly left the King of Chu's arms, bowed gently, and then walked back with light steps to the Hot Spring Pavilion to prepare.

There are many hot springs on the shores of Laguna Lake.

There are dozens of hot springs in the huge Summer Palace alone. Almost every concubine in the harem has a hot spring pool, which is very effective for bathing and beautifying the skin.

Throughout the year, concubines came to the Summer Palace to recuperate.

Especially after becoming pregnant, most concubines would move to the Summer Palace to live and wait for delivery in this beautiful mountain and countryside, which would greatly relieve their mood.

The Summer Palace also has another nickname, "Hot Spring Palace", which probably comes from this.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu comfortably lit a cigar and took a puff. The strong smell of tobacco soon spread.

The current development momentum of the Chu State is very good, and social operations are proceeding according to the established plan. The latest technology from Europe will soon be applied, and the society as a whole is showing a thriving development.

With the two rich mineral resources of crude oil and copper, the Chu government and royal family had sufficient finances and were able to invest more financial resources in domestic construction and vigorously develop infrastructure.

Among the new urban construction projects, the construction of a river tunnel across the Passi River has started, which is the most eye-catching major project.

Compared with the tunnel project across the Thames, the Parsey River Tunnel project is more than twice as large. It uses shield tunneling and requires digging a tunnel more than a thousand meters long under the river.

This is also the first application of the world's latest riverbed shield tunneling technology in the Chu State urban construction project.

The construction period is expected to be one and a half years and will be completed in the second half of next year.

If everything goes well, it will train a group of talents in shield tunneling technology for the State of Chu, and help them master the corresponding construction methods and essentials, which will be conducive to its promotion in the country.

Its ultimate goal
It is also a preparation for the strait project connecting the three mainland islands. After 10 years or even longer of technological accumulation, it will be possible to show its prowess in future undersea tunnel projects, which is of great significance.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu wanted to connect the three mainland islands through an undersea tunnel. More than ten years later, with the increasing maturity of various construction technologies, the dream could be realized.

By then
The fragmented archipelago is connected by multiple underwater tunnels, with extraordinary political, economic and military intentions, demonstrating the strength of a great power.

The Chinese colonial experience in this tropical island shows that this vast island is very suitable for Chinese colonization and development. It is a new space for the future development of the Chinese nation and there is great potential for development!

The systematic promotion of forest burning to open up wasteland is a powerful tool for demanding arable land from the mountains and forests during the process of tropical colonization.

The forest fires reduced low shrubs and ponds that breed mosquitoes to ashes, effectively blocking the spread of tropical diseases and improving the daunting tropical rainforest environment.

With the help of effective sanitary measures and effective medicines for treating tropical diseases, the number of casualties due to various reasons during the slash-and-burn reclamation campaign was greatly reduced.

The most difficult and arduous work was generally undertaken by convicts, such as burning wasteland and destroying forests, felling trees, digging out tree roots, building roads and bridges, and leveling the land, etc. Most of these were done by convicts.

When faced with dangers such as the dangers of wild beasts rushing out of the tropical rainforest, the spread of diseases by flying mosquitoes, mudslides and landslides, the first people to face were the indigenous convicts.

At its peak, the number of convicts in the Chu State reached over 170 million, but now the total number is less than 65, including the 42 newly added indigenous convicts in southern Kalimantan.

Generally speaking

During the long years of hard labor in the hard labor camps, even if these indigenous hard labor prisoners were well fed, it would be difficult for them to survive for six or seven years, and they would only have less than 10% of their food left.

When building a bridge, people were often swept away by the turbulent river, hit by rocks, bitten by crocodiles, and when building a road, they were knocked down by felled trees, fell down, and so on.

When medical conditions are very limited, the wounded are often not treated well.

Every time I think of these
King Zheng Guohui of Chu sighed sadly in his heart. A large number of indigenous convicts were consumed, and they made an indelible contribution to the colonial development.

It can be considered as making the best use of resources. It's because these indigenous peoples are weak. Weakness is the original sin!

"Your Majesty, the hot spring pavilion is fully prepared. Please bathe in it."

A pleasant voice came, bringing King Zheng Guohui of Chu back to his senses from his brief thoughts.

He took a puff of his cigar in a graceful manner and walked towards the corridor on the side. From here, he could see the fragrant mist in the hot spring pavilion in front of him, and a few slim figures were faintly visible in the mist.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu smiled freely. He liked this atmosphere. He could soak in hot springs and relax with massage. Moreover, he was surrounded by beautiful women. It was truly the ultimate enjoyment from body to mind.

No wonder Emperor Taizong of Tang loved taking baths, he was well versed in these three aspects.

(End of this chapter)