Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 420 Extraneous problems
It was more than ten days later that Li Jingxi went to Dongsang City to take up his post with the colonial authorization letter issued by the Congo River Company. It was already January 1876, 1, a morning when the sun rose as usual.

Looking at the wide and calm river flowing before my eyes, it is hard to imagine that
When the battlefield was being cleaned up more than ten days ago, the surface of the nearby river was filled with corpses, floating up and down with the waves. The scene was like hell.

The corpses floating on the river surface were washed into the Atlantic Ocean along the river, and the river returned to its original shimmering color, as if nothing had happened.

After experiencing all this, Li Jingxi grew up almost overnight.

He left the dock on a returning immigrant ship with his entourage, Lieutenant Tang Yingyuan, who was also going to Dongsang City to take up his post, and several other colonial officials, and soon sailed into the vast Atlantic Ocean.

The returning immigrant ship carried more than 4,000 healthy black captives.

These high-quality goods are extremely popular in Port Said. There are no slaves that are difficult to sell, only slaves that are not priced right.

Neither the British, the French nor the Ottoman slave traders who had a special liking for the slave trade would miss this opportunity to make a lot of money.

The Congo River Company would take two-thirds of the profits from the slave trade, and the remaining one-third would belong to the ship-owning company, with each company getting what they needed.

By exporting large numbers of slaves, the Congo River Company earned considerable profits, which were used to build colonial cities. On the other hand, it significantly reduced the population of black tribes in the Congo River basin, which was better than killing them all.

Shipowners could make a certain profit by smuggling slaves on the return journey, thereby balancing operating costs.

All the black slaves were held in the fifth and sixth class cabins. These two lower-class cabins were large general cabins and large compartments, located at the bottom of the immigrant ship. Two or three hundred people could be crammed into one large cabin.

These black slaves could only sit down in a curled up position and could not lie down at all.

In each large cabin, there were several large wooden barrels for the black slaves to use for defecation and urination.

When meals were served twice a day, a dozen Chinese crew members armed with guns would come over, escorting several black laborers, and open the cabin door.

First empty the accumulated toilet bowl, clean it, and then put it back to its original place.

Then all the black slaves came out one by one and walked along the side to the bow, where there were steamed buns and water, which were distributed by black laborers, one steamed bun per person.

Fresh water is stored in a large basin, and if you want to drink water, you can only lie down and stick your butt up to drink.

After dinner, the slaves would be driven back to the cabin and the door would be locked with a heavy iron bolt.
Then it's the next cabin's turn, and so on.

Every time when meals were served, everyone on board was on high alert, and everyone, including the captain, was armed with guns and live ammunition in case these black slaves suddenly attacked.

With forty or fifty fully armed people against two or three hundred people, even if a riot occurs, it can be suppressed quickly.

In the evening
Li Jingxi and others successfully arrived at the simple wooden pier in Dongsang City. After getting off the boat, the hurried immigrant ship sounded a long whistle to pay tribute to the colonial pioneers who stayed in Dongsang City.

Then it quickly left the dock, headed north along the Atlantic coast, and slowly disappeared from sight.

At this time, Li Jingxi suddenly felt that "I was left at the end of a desolate world". The melancholy in his heart filled his chest, making him feel uncomfortable.

Fortunately, Uncle Fu is a very experienced person. He knows that the more books you read, the more sentimental and sad you become.

The best way is to give him no time to think about random things and keep him busy every day.

Uncle Fu then stepped forward and whispered, "Master, Dongsang City is still more than ten miles away from here. We must arrive before dark. Otherwise, if we are attacked by the indigenous blacks on the road, there will be no help from heaven or earth."

"Oh... yes, let's grab our luggage and go. Let's try to get to Dongsang City as soon as possible."

"I will follow the Master's orders."

After more than an hour's arduous journey, everyone arrived outside Dongsang City, and their hearts sank.

Dongsang City is much smaller than Cabinda. The earthen city is only about one-third the size of Cabinda. On the tall wooden watchtower, the flag of Chu and the unique flag of the Congo River Company are flying.

Is this the place?
Li Jingxi has experienced great ups and downs in his mood during this period and has become accustomed to the harsh environment. He looked around at the location of Dongsang City and nodded with approval.

Dongsang City is located on the banks of the Dongsang River. It is a vast plain between the mountains with slightly undulating terrain. It is covered with half-human-high grasslands and lush tropical forests.

The area has strong sunlight, abundant water resources and flat terrain, making it suitable for developing large areas of farmland. It has great potential to become a rice-producing area.

Since we have traveled halfway around the world to get here, we might as well calm down and do our best.

at this moment

Li Jingxi's eyes became deep and firm. He grew up listening to the great achievements of his parents, and he had a grand ambition to achieve great things in his heart.

When it encounters suitable soil, it will thrive and grow unstoppably.

September 22th, 2025

The European delegation led by Zheng Yulan, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, completed a series of visits to Portugal, Britain, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria-Hungary and Russia, and achieved a series of results in the fields of cultural exchange and economic and trade.

The last stop is still Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, to complete the negotiations that broke down earlier.

At the beginning of the year, it was no secret in Europe that King Leopold II of Belgium planned to host the International Congo Basin Conference with the intention of getting involved in the region.

Belgium is also a third-rate country in Western Europe. The reason why it dared to take action in the Congo River Basin, known as the "green lung of Africa", is because it relied on its close relationship with the British royal family.

Otherwise, with Belgium's little strength, it would not even be able to defeat the declining Portugal, let alone compete with powerful countries such as Britain and Germany.

In the original history

The most advantageous treaty that enabled Belgium to seize the fertile territory of the Congo River Basin, which covers an area of ​​more than 200 million square kilometers, was the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty signed in 1884.

On February 1884, 2, Britain signed a treaty with Portugal, in which Britain recognized Portugal's sovereignty over the territory at the mouth of the Congo River.
The Anglo-Portuguese Treaty aroused strong dissatisfaction among other powers. It was a typical case of back-and-forth, especially among France. The Congo River issue provoked conflicts and struggles among the major powers.

It is in this context

From November 1884 to February 11, with the support of France, Otto von Bismarck convened an international conference in Berlin with representatives from 1885 countries to mediate the conflicts and struggles among the great powers in the Congo Basin, setting off a frenzy of further division of Africa.

More than ten days later
Lisbon, the capital of Portugal
Deputy Foreign Minister Zheng Yulan led several diplomatic attachés in a carriage and arrived at the Chinese Embassy in Portugal, which was established just last year. They all looked tired and had a strong sense of frustration.

It was originally thought that the negotiation would be a smooth process, but who would have thought that it would drag on repeatedly for more than four months, exhausting the diplomatic mission from top to bottom.

This once declining colonial empire with a population of only 150 million is far more difficult to deal with than imagined.

The Portuguese Embassy is an independent two-story building. Usually, there are only six or seven people on duty. However, it can also host events with dozens of people when necessary, and the hall downstairs can be flexibly changed.

This is a rented property with a 6 year lease.

Zheng Yulan was the first to get off the carriage and hurried into the embassy. Upon entering, she asked the diplomatic counselor, Huang Wenrui, who came to greet her, "Do you have any encrypted telegrams from China?"

"Your Excellency, there is a secret telegram that I just received this afternoon. I will go get it right away."

"Send it to my office, right away."

"Yes, my lord."

As soon as Zheng Yulan walked into the office, Huang Wenrui ran over to present the secret message, which was a series of garbled numbers.

If you can't find the key, it's useless to scratch your scalp.

Zheng Yulan waved her hand to let Huang Wenrui leave. When he left, he closed the door with a vigilant look.

After seeing the person leave, Zheng Yulan quickly took out a copy of "Dream Pool Essays" and began to translate by comparing the garbled code. She soon translated a telegram.

The gist of the message is

The areas north of Cabinda are mostly undisputed and can be handled as agreed. Haimen and Hai'an, two areas south of Cabinda covering over 440 kilometers, can be given an additional one million.

If you can sign, sign it. If you can’t sign, there’s no need to argue about it.

After reading the telegram, Zheng Yulan let out a long sigh, took out a match and lit a cigar, and burned the small note and threw it into the ashtray.

The Portuguese colonized the Congo River Basin for more than 400 years, but their colonies were limited to parts of the Atlantic coast and the Congo River, including the important inland white colonial outpost of Kinshasa, which was equivalent to two narrow strips of land.

In previous negotiations

Because the two countries' colonies overlapped and were prone to conflicts and disputes, the Chu State expressed its willingness to pay a certain price to purchase the territorial rights in this area from the Portuguese.

The final bid reached 170 million, and the Portuguese reluctantly agreed, but they wanted to exclude the Atlantic coast area of ​​Haimen and Hai'an, about 440 kilometers south of Cabinda, from the transaction.

The reason was that the area belonged to Angola and the Portuguese wanted to keep the Angolan colonial region intact.

As the saying goes, the buyer is never as smart as the seller.

Just by relying on a few Portuguese white colonial settlements on the Pacific coast, they exchanged 170 million silver dollars from the Chu State. This business was very profitable in any case.

If we really provoke the State of Chu and send troops to forcibly occupy the Portuguese colony, we will gain nothing.

In addition, Belgium and France have now expressed great interest in the Congo River Basin, but these European powers will not pay and will not occupy it by force.

It’s better to sell it as soon as possible while you can still get some money.

Originally, this consideration was correct. Both Chu and Portugal were willing to reach a reciprocal treaty. One took the money and left, and the other paid money to ensure safety.

never thought

The Portuguese parliament once again sent out hard-line members to oppose the move, adding drama to their own story by saying things like "we must ensure the regional integrity of Angola", "oppose the treasonous act of selling out colonies", and "defend the colonial interests of West Africa".

A good thing was ruined, making this European trip no longer perfect.

(End of this chapter)