Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 417: The Small Town of Cabinda

The other two people in the room also came over and looked out the window. French director Jufeli-Manuel took a sip of champagne and said disapprovingly:
"I don't think so, my dear Sir Joy. For the Soui Canal Company, any shipping company that can generate income is worthy of serious consideration. We have a responsibility to our shareholders.

Your personal likes and dislikes should not affect the overall operation of the canal company.

The passage of this Oriental fleet through the canal will bring us more than 100,000 francs in revenue, which is enough.

As for where they would like to go?
God, who really cares, we have enough troubles of our own."

"That's right. Maintaining peaceful and unobstructed world trade routes is in the most fundamental interests of the British Empire. I agree with Mr. Manuel's opinion," said Frederick Jacob, another British director.

As the new largest shareholder, the British, with the majority of voting rights in their hands, squeezed out the previous French chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, Mr. Pepin, and thus took the lead.

However, France has been operating in the Suez Canal area for many years and has deep accumulation and massive fixed assets. It also has a French garrison of more than 8300 people and still has a voice that cannot be ignored.

The British quickly realized
In the Suez Canal Authority, simply owning a majority stake does not mean anything; it must also be backed by solid military power.

As a result, Britain is deploying more troops from Egypt to the Suez Canal zone, which now number nearly 5,000.

In the next step, the number will gradually increase to no less than 1.5, so that this vital throat of the Eurasian route will be firmly controlled by the British Empire.

The French did not show weakness, even though they faced a tight blockade in Europe from the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Russian Empire, and were in an extremely unfavorable strategic position.

However, France attaches great importance to the important position of the Suez Canal and plans to increase the French garrison in the Suez Canal Authority Area to 2.2 by the end of next year to secretly compete with the British.

Britain and France have been in love and hate with each other for hundreds of years, and their grievances are extremely deep, maintaining a delicate balance of cooperation and mutual vigilance.

more than a hundred years ago
France once had the opportunity to ascend to the top of the world with its vast colonies and strong national strength, and to restore the glory of the Gauls during the Eastern Roman Empire.

Unfortunately, the Seven Years' War between Britain and France caused France to first lose its Indian colonies and later its Canadian colonies. The successive defeats led to domestic turmoil and it sadly withdrew from the ranks of those striving for the top spot in the world.

By the end of the 18th century

With the rise of French Emperor Napoleon, who was invincible across Europe, France once again saw the opportunity to ascend to the top of the world throne.

It is extremely regrettable
Napoleon, the great military genius, ultimately could not escape the fate of being surrounded and defeated in the Seventh Coalition. This marked the beginning of his sixty-year-long career as a French lackey, a pain that will remain in the hearts of every French nationalist.

It can be said

The British have been a nightmare for the French for hundreds of years, and it is truly unforgettable.

The French have suffered too many losses. Not to mention the distant past, just take the Franco-Prussian War that broke out five years ago. Without the covert support of the British, how could the Kingdom of Prussia have unified the North German Confederation and developed a powerful army capable of competing with France?

This was a blatant betrayal of France's allies. Although Britain and France have now entered a honeymoon period again, the French have not forgotten these painful past events.

They were repeatedly defeated, but they could do nothing about the British.

This has made many French people develop the habit of singing a different tune. Whenever the British say to go east, the French will jump up and oppose it, advocating to go west.

French director Jufeli-Manuel did not particularly like Orientals, but simply opposed the British and refuted them almost subconsciously. After all, he could not let the British have their way.

James Joy shrugged indifferently, drank the remaining champagne in his hand, and said to his two colleagues:

"Don't forget, fellows, the Orientals have got another piece of territory in Eritrea, called the East African Company, which is not far from us.

A stranger came to our doorstep. Since our French friends didn't mind, the British side was willing to show a welcoming attitude out of courtesy.

After all, this is a big stage. With Germans and Russians already here, we wouldn’t mind adding an Oriental, as it would make the show even more exciting.”

In response to Chairman Joey's sarcastic tone, Ruferi Manuel snorted and did not retort again.

Today, a Conservative cabinet that is tough on foreign affairs has come to power in the UK. As the chairman of the crucial Suez Canal Authority, James Joy also has a Conservative background and is not to be trifled with.

So, Ruferi-Manuel looked out the window and watched quietly as eight huge ships like hills passed through the locks one after another, rushing towards the Mediterranean Sea as if they were freed from their restraints.

this age
There are not many powerful countries that can own such a large ocean-going fleet. The traditional powers of Britain and France are definitely among them. In addition, there are the emerging powers of Germany, the United States, and Chu, and that's it.

Even the old land powers such as Tsarist Russia, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire found it difficult to put together a steam-powered iron-hulled fleet with such a large displacement, not to mention the declining old colonial powers such as the Netherlands and Spain.

When the fleet sails into the warm Mediterranean Sea with its salty and fresh sea breeze, it means entering the heart of Europe, the center of the world stage. From here, it can reach various European countries unimpeded and experience the different customs and cultures of Europe.

Unfortunately, the destination of this long journey is not Europe.

Soon after leaving the Suez Canal, the fleet docked at Port Said for the third large-scale supply of this voyage, which required a large amount of fresh vegetables and water, as well as almost exhausted food.

Li Jingxi took a few followers ashore to stroll around and experience the unique customs and culture of Port Said on the Mediterranean coast. Among the blond-haired, blue-eyed European whites and the slightly darker-skinned Egyptians, their oriental faces looked quite abrupt.

Here, they also saw many black slaves.

The Egyptian Pasha was a local governor appointed by the Ottoman Empire. Like the Governor of Baghdad in Iraq, he was a vassal minister in the frontier region with heavy military command.

As the Ottoman Empire became increasingly corrupt and weak, these frontier governors gradually formed warlord forces that controlled one side of the country. The power was passed down from father to son, and from son to nephew, continuing the bad habit of passing power from generation to generation.

It cannot be said that it has separated from the Ottoman Empire, but it can be said that it obeys orders and not declarations, and looks like an independent kingdom.

Coupled with the secret instigation and competition of the British, French, German and Russian forces, the situation here has become more complicated.

Traditionally
The Ottoman Empire has always been the largest Mediterranean country in trafficking white and black slaves. They colluded with North African pirates and Arab tribes to continue this ancient trade for hundreds of years.

At the edge of the bustling population market, Li Jingxi wanted to go in to find out what was going on, but was stopped by the vigilant Uncle Fu, who quickly whispered:
"Leave here, young master! I feel like there are many malicious eyes on me. This is not a place for kindness. Leave now!"

"Oh... okay." Li Jingxi was stunned for a moment, then quickly left surrounded by Li Qiang and others, attracting several strong men in Arab robes who chased him for a few hundred meters. Finally, they came back shaking their heads regretfully.

Orientals are a rare species in Europe. If they can be sold to Europe, the price will definitely be very attractive.

Especially in the decadent French upper class and old aristocratic circles, those big guys are tired of playing with white girls. If they can get some fresh stuff, such as young-looking Chinese boys, those French guys will definitely pay a high price.

In the eyes of these human traffickers, everyone has a price, it’s just a matter of how much.

Li Jingxi, with his handsome face and outstanding temperament, is undoubtedly a pile of walking gold coins. How can he not harbor malicious intentions?
Realizing the danger of this place, Li Jingxi gave up the idea of ​​wandering around and stayed on the immigration ship honestly, waiting for the ship to set sail again after replenishment was completed.

Two days later, the resupplied fleet left Port Mandab and headed west along the North African coast to complete this final voyage.

It was half a month later when we arrived safely in Cabinda.

The original fleet of eight ships now only has four left, including two immigrant ships and two cargo ships. One of the immigrant ships will continue to move forward to the Chinese colonies of Haimen and Hai'an (Note: Luanda in Angola) further south.

The total number of Chinese immigrants who arrived in Cabinda was 4059. The other Chinese immigrants landed in four emerging Chinese colonial towns: Grand Bay City, Yellowstone City (Makanda, Equatorial Guinea), Coastal City (Libreville, Gabon) and East Sang City (Kakamoeka), and will then be resettled locally.

The pioneer Chinese immigrants were concentrated in the city for at least 2 to 3 months to replenish their thin and weak bodies after the ocean voyage, and to familiarize themselves with the local geography, climate, and local conditions.

Every Chinese immigrant transported to West Africa costs a lot of money and cannot be lost at will. Safety is always the top priority.

Cabinda
This is a colonial town with a total population of about 7 Chinese (note: statistics do not include blacks). Among the seven colonial towns on the Atlantic coast, it is the largest, most populous, and has the most heavily defended earthen walls.

The residence of Major General Pan Tianshou, the Governor of the Congo River, is located here. There is a 260-man Chinese expeditionary musketeer team stationed here, as well as two black battalions with about 440 people, and as many as six arsenals. The army is quite powerful.

When Li Jingxi got off the ship, he and other Chinese immigrants were warmly welcomed by the early immigrants. They beat drums and gongs to create a festive atmosphere, and prepared delicious coconut rice and fresh vegetables for these extremely tired new immigrants.

The town of Cabinda is a Chinese immigrant town consisting of large wooden bungalows. In the center of the town, there are several two-story stone buildings, which are typical Chinese flying eaves structures.

This included the Colonial Office, Police Station, Customs and Taxation Office, Civil Affairs Office and other institutions under the Governor-General's Office. Li Jingxi was assigned to the Civil Affairs Office as the District Colonial Commissioner.

As to which partition it is, it is not yet clear.

After the simple and warm welcome ceremony, Li Jingxi had a hearty meal, enjoying the long-lost fresh vegetables and coconut rice, then went into the house and slept soundly for a whole day and night, only then did he regain 70% of his energy.

"Young Master, you're up." Zhao Fu looked at Li Jingxi, who looked refreshed after washing his face, and took the initiative to step forward to greet him.

Li Jingxi nodded, then touched his stomach with a wry smile and said, "Uncle Fu, I woke up purely because I was hungry. Otherwise, I could have slept for another half a day."

"I know you'll be hungry when you wake up, so the meal is ready. Please enjoy your meal."

"Uncle Fu, have you eaten?"

"I've eaten, young master. This is all prepared for you. I was worried you'd be hungry when you wake up. You've slept for a whole day and night."

"No wonder, I'm so hungry I feel like I could eat a whole leg of beef right now."

"No hurry, no hurry. Chewing food slowly and thoroughly is the key to good health. After dinner, the Governor-General wants to see the young master. He has already sent word."

"Oh, I'll go after I finish eating."

(End of this chapter)