Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 433 Chinese Mercenaries

During the visit of the Suez Canal Company delegation, Colonel He Zhucheng, the military commander of the East African Company, did not stay in Asmara. Instead, he led a team of more than 360 cavalrymen deep into the Gobi Desert to track down an Arab Papar slave trading force.

This armed slave trading group dared to launch a surprise attack on Chinese villages and towns, causing dozens of casualties among the local people before escaping and being targeted by the East African Company.

After more than a month and traveling nearly 3300 kilometers, the pursuit team led by Colonel He Zhucheng finally wiped out the Papar armed forces of more than people, and captured their old nest tribe in one fell swoop, killing more than people without leaving a single one alive.

When they returned with hundreds of Arabian horses, it was already mid-January 1878, and the New Year was approaching.
The officers and soldiers who returned exhausted were welcomed like heroes. The villagers lined the streets to welcome them with gongs and drums and offered their warmest greetings. The scene was extremely grand.

A funeral was then held for the seven warriors who died in the battle. The officers and soldiers who were ordered to attack were then disbanded and rode back to their homes on horseback, surrounded by their neighbors.

Colonel He Zhucheng came to the Governor's Mansion for an invitation, but Governor Corning insisted on having a meal with him, saying that it was to welcome him and celebrate his return from the victory of suppressing the rebellion.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

Just as they were enjoying themselves to the fullest, Governor Corning waved off his trusted companions. Colonel He Zhucheng, sensing something was amiss, put down his chopsticks and waited for the next words.

After Governor Corning and the others left, he leaned over and whispered, "Brother Zhu Cheng, I have a business deal. Would you be willing to take it?"

"Please give me your orders, Your Excellency. As long as I can do it, I will do it beautifully for you no matter what."

"Alas, this is a private matter, and has nothing to do with the East African Company. Rather, this Governor, at the request of the French, wishes to intervene in a troublesome matter concerning the succession of an Arab chieftain, and I fear that it will involve the use of force."

"Oh, please explain more clearly, Your Excellency."

"The story goes like this: the old chief of the Sahel tribe, who live near the sweetwater wells in Jeddah across the Red Sea, has passed away. Tribal power has been taken over by his uncle, and the old chief's sons are unwilling to accept this fate. They're willing to pay to get rid of this troublesome guy. They originally wanted to contact the French, but the French were not in a position to take action."

"The Sahel tribe is a large one, numbering 20,000 to 30,000 people. It's probably difficult for a few hundred people to overthrow the deeply entrenched traditional forces. This is not going to be easy!"

"Don't worry, the old chief's young followers are quite powerful and can serve as an insider. All we need is a special force of two to three hundred men. The other party has agreed to give us this number."

Governor Corning held up three fingers, indicating three thousand Byzantine gold coins, and continued:

"After the deed is done, I will pay you another 5000 Byzantine gold coins, and I will be free to use women and horses as I please, as long as they don't exceed ."

"Sir Governor, how much can you take?" Colonel He Zhucheng asked after taking a sip of wine.

Governor Corning smiled like a chicken thief and held up a finger, indicating one thousand gold coins, but he did not say whether there were any Arab female slaves.

Ordinarily, there should be some, but just 1000 gold coins is not enough to move Governor Corning to become a lobbyist.

Colonel He Zhucheng actually considered it seriously. He was not interested in these 8000 Byzantine gold coins. They were only worth about silver dollars. He could just divide them among his brothers.

The key is the horses and Arab women promised by the other party. If calculated at one thousand, it is definitely a huge sum of money.

One thousand young Arab women are worth at least three or four hundred thousand silver dollars, and that is the wholesale price. If they are sold slowly, they will be worth at least 50 silver dollars.

A thousand Arabian horses are worth more and can be easily exchanged for millions of silver dollars worth of goods. This job is dangerous, but the money earned is huge!
After careful consideration

Colonel He Zhucheng ate a few mouthfuls of food, then drank a glass of wine. He slammed the glass on the table and said in a rough voice:
"Your Excellency, I have done my duty.

This time, we must recruit at least 500 men. Sir, please equip me with four heavy machine guns and eight infantry cannons. After the mission is completed, I will give a portion to the governor as a gift. What do you think?

"Hehehe... A man cannot get rich without external wealth, and a horse cannot get fat without night grass. That's how it should be." Governor Corning smiled so hard that his teeth were visible and agreed without hesitation.

The East African Company did not have a formal military force, but instead issued mercenary orders in the form of a company to suppress local black tribes and hunt down nomadic armed forces that dared to harass local Chinese villages and towns.

Over the past year, the entire area around Eritrea has been basically cleared out.

Occasionally, there were one or two brave indigenous armed forces, but they were basically killed and sent back to their hometowns. They were completely wiped out without leaving any trace.

The remaining military tasks were mainly daily patrols and guarding black slaves while they worked, which were all routine matters.

However, the Chinese militia of the East African Company occasionally acted as mercenaries as long as the price was right.

This private job is a typical mercenary mission, with high pay and high risk, but there is always someone to bury in the earth.
As the saying goes, money makes the world go round.

During the years of foreign conquest, many of these Chinese colonists developed an adventurous character, and when they found a suitable target in the surrounding areas, they would often take action to grab a piece of the pie.

The 10% that Colonel He Zhucheng promised to Governor Corning was already a lot. He wanted to use the remaining money to recruit Chinese militiamen who were willing to take risks. This task could not be done without enough people.

Colonel He Zhucheng is a Chinese nobleman with the title of baron. He owns tens of thousands of acres of land on the outskirts of Asmara. A total of more than 130 young and strong members of the He family followed him here, where they multiplied and settled down.

The suburbs of Asmara are called Hejiazhuang. There are several villages on the territory of Hejiazhuang, where nearly three thousand black slaves are detained. Large tracts of land are cultivated, and there are thousands of fat pigs and hundreds of horses raised. There are also large tracts of mountain forests.

With the influence of Colonel He Zhucheng, he was able to recruit hundreds or even thousands of people in the vicinity of Asmara. Every Chinese militia household was equipped with horses and weapons, forming a considerable military force. When doing this kind of private mercenary work, any casualties would be the responsibility of the mercenaries themselves.

Therefore, it is very important for the leader to be fair, so that others are willing to follow him regardless of the consequences.

Governor Corning also revealed that a migrant ship heading to the Congo River Company will return in more than 10 days.

At that time, the horses and Arab women obtained from attacking the Sahel tribes can be purchased in full by the immigrant ships. Whether they need commercial goods or cash, these wealthy shipping companies can afford it.

As long as we stop off the coast of Jeddah Port, we can take away as many horses and women as we want without any trouble at all.

Now that it’s settled, let’s do it.

Colonel He Zhucheng made a call from the local people and his followers gathered together. Soon, 500 cavalrymen were gathered. More people would have to wait until next time. This time, there were enough people.

The 500 cavalrymen boarded a passing cargo ship from Dinghai Port and disembarked at a small fishing port near Jeddah. After a short rest, they met the contact person sent by the Arab tribe.

So they set off at night, rushed more than 100 kilometers overnight, and arrived at a date palm grove near the city of Jeddah to rest, drink some water and dry food, and prepare to launch an assault.

Jeddah is a typical Arab earthen city. Its dilapidated earthen walls have been in disrepair for many years and are full of holes. Inside the city are bustling Arab streets, giving it a strong exotic feel.

In the Gobi Desert outside the city
There are large areas of Arab tribal tents scattered around, and many Arab tribal warriors are walking around with scimitars on their waists. These are the main targets to be attacked.

The chief of the Sahel tribe lives in a manor in the city, and we need to break in and capture him.

Colonel He Zhucheng was bold and careful. He first sent forty or fifty Chinese gunmen wearing Arab robes and covering their faces to sneak into the city, preparing to raid the chief's manor.

Heavy machine guns were set up outside the city, intending to teach these Arab tribal warriors a lesson.

When everything is ready, the action is launched.

The Chinese gunman who broke into the city suddenly attacked, took out a pistol and launched a surprise attack on the Arab warriors guarding the manor. Amid a series of dense gunfire, these Arab warriors were shot and fell to the ground, causing chaos in the city.

After the Arab tribes outside the city discovered that they were under attack, they hurriedly blew the alarm whistle and assembled hundreds of cavalry to rush into the city, ready to provide assistance.

As a result, they suffered fatal blows from the volleys of gunfire from the Chinese gunners, and heavy machine guns also opened fire, sweeping away the Arab cavalry and causing many casualties.

Such a fierce attack plunged the Sahelian tribe into chaos and leaderlessness, and there was no obvious improvement until the manor was captured.

The Chinese mercenary team from Asmara easily subdued the Sahelian tribal rebels with swift and deadly strikes, helping the chief's son regain power.

Then they began to plunder young Arab women and Arab horses scattered in and outside the city, and looted a lot of gold, silver and treasures.

They say it's no more than a thousand, but how can it be controlled in reality?
When these Chinese mercenaries quickly withdrew, they took away a large number of people and Arabian horses. This made the chief's son so angry that he broke down and cursed, "They are all a bunch of damn bandits" and "They are simply devils from the other side of the Red Sea."

No matter how much they cursed, they finally regained the power of the Sahel tribes. They had to swallow their anger and finally gained something.

This one and only

The Chinese mercenaries in Asmara have made a name for themselves and are well-known in the Arabian Peninsula and even in Persia.

Chinese mercenaries are quite sophisticated, they will do the job if you pay them, and they are strong enough to be trusted.

These Chinese mercenaries not only had heavy machine guns, but also artillery and iron-hulled steamships. They were able to swagger away right under the noses of the Ottoman Navy's sailing warships, and the Ottoman border patrol troops pretended not to see them.

So what if it’s blocked?

Could there really be a fierce fight?

These Chinese mercenaries were equipped with very advanced weapons and equipment, and fought fiercely. They would often send large groups of cavalry roaring back and forth, making them very difficult to deal with.

If they were provoked, they would often retaliate fiercely, even destroying the entire Ottoman military camp and killing a large number of people.

Unless absolutely necessary
The Ottoman patrols in the border provinces basically would not provoke these Chinese mercenaries. They would do whatever they wanted and pretend not to see them, and everyone lived in peace.

From Jordan to Syria to the United Arab Emirates, Chinese mercenaries from East African companies are very active and are often hired by Arab tribes to deal with hostile tribes.

Over time

A strong mercenary culture was formed in the local area, and they gained a great reputation in the long-term chaotic Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf region.

(End of this chapter)