Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 438 Zhanbei Incident
The Chu State attached great importance to the large-scale military operation on Sumatra Island and conducted a careful overall calculation. It was estimated that 2.6 troops would be needed to ensure victory, which was about the strength of four divisions.

The Chu government used various channels to gather information from the upper echelons of London, England, to test the will of the new British Liberal government and see if it was willing to punish the Dutch.
Needless to say, the State of Chu was willing to do the job.

Coincidentally, at this time, an incident occurred that allowed the Chu government to see the opinion orientation of Gordon Chapman's new cabinet, thus strengthening its colonial military operations on the island of Sumatra.

In the Sudan region of Africa, the British governor at the time was also named Gordon. He was called "Chinese Gordon". He once led a foreign rifle team to help the Qing army fight and was a very famous British general.

Later, during the Suzhou prisoner-killing incident, Gordon, who had once acted as a mediator, had a complete falling out with the Huai Army leader Li Hongzhang. He once went around looking for Li Hongzhang with a pistol, vowing to make him pay the price for breaking his promise.

In Sudan

The British army was followed by a group of Chinese slave mercenaries. At that time, this group of more than 70 Chinese armed mercenaries were escorting more than 2400 black slaves to Khartoum and were intercepted and captured by the British army.

The British Governor Gordon was very angry and, regardless of the negotiations of the Chu State's diplomatic envoys, wanted to severely punish these Chinese slave mercenaries and sentence them to prison.

The British Gordon-Chapman Cabinet, far away in London, ordered the removal of British Governor Gordon from his post and sent someone else to replace him after the Chu State negotiated with it.

The next British governor took a completely different approach from Gordon. He not only released the Chinese slave traders, but also went a step further and began to cooperate with Chinese armed mercenaries to make money.

The comparison between before and after is simply shocking.

Not all British people have their own persistence and beliefs like Governor Gordon, who is not greedy for fame and fortune, does not care about wealth and glory, is upright, and wants to establish an ideal and fair government.

When the former Governor Gordon left Sudan in disappointment, the State of Chu saw an opportunity.

If we were to choose the most radical colonial leader, King Zheng Guohui of Chu would undoubtedly be number one. He cleverly used his life skills to seize any opportunity for colonization and development.

To date, the success rate is an astonishing 100%.

During an audience with the ministers in the Purple Palace, King Zheng Guohui of Chu said to the cabinet ministers with great emotion:

"Every country and nation has a window of opportunity for revitalization and expansion. Opportunities are extremely precious. If you hesitate and watch them slip away, such a good opportunity will never come again.

in this world
No one ever tells you that it is 100% feasible. As long as there is more than a 50% chance, you must seize it firmly and invest decisively.

Believe in my judgment. This world will never disappoint those who work hard. All your efforts and hard work will be rewarded.

When everything is settled, looking back on the risky decision, it may be the most correct decision in life, something worth being proud of for the rest of my life..."

These words deeply touched the cabinet ministers, and many of them took them as their life motto.

This is also the policy of the Chu government. The real reason why it has always been radical and adventurous in development lies in the King of Chu. He is the big backer of the colonial development faction.

The ambiguous attitude of the new British government made King Zheng Guohui of Chu see the dawn of colonial expansion. He had been waiting for this day for too long.

Today, the Chu State actually occupies the world's third largest island, Kalimantan, with a total area of ​​74.3 square kilometers.

At the same time, the territory of Chu State included Shangri-La Island (New Guinea Island), the second largest island in the world, with a total area of ​​78.8 square kilometers.

Sumatra Island, located northwest of Malacca, is the sixth largest island in the world with a total area of ​​47 square kilometers. It is an island with rich cultural history.

The current situation is divided into two. After decades of war, the Dutch white colonists occupied the territories of several indigenous kingdoms in the southeastern end of the island. The core of their rule is in Palembang, which occupies about two-fifths of the island's area.

On the other side, there is the indigenous force headed by the Sultanate of Aceh in the northwest of the island. It includes three local indigenous kingdoms, all headed by the Sultanate of Aceh, forming an indigenous resistance alliance.

Due to the brazen entry of the Chu State's Sixth Division, after 1869, the Dutch white colonists cautiously stopped the colonial war on the island of Sumatra, and were fully wary of the Chu State's garrison on the island, regarding it as their number one enemy.

This is because the Chu army was well-equipped and had strong combat capabilities, which was far beyond the reach of the local indigenous armed forces who mostly used cold weapons such as swords and arrows.

This pause lasted for more than ten years.

After the armistice agreement was signed in April 1869, part of the Singapore Expeditionary Force was withdrawn to the territory of the Tanjung Kap Sultanate of Sumatra on the island of Sumatra and reorganized into the 4th Expeditionary Division.

Twelve years have passed in the blink of an eye
The Tanjung Kap Sultanate has long become history, and even the ashes of its bones cannot be seen now. The area has become a relatively prosperous Chinese town with nearly 26 new Chinese immigrants, filling every town in the Tanjung Kap area.

This is also the reason why the Chu State made the local kingdoms deeply wary. They were afraid of the Dutch white colonists because these Dutch white colonists wanted to rule and enslave them.

But these local kingdoms were more afraid of the Chinese colonists. The Chinese colonists, led by the Chu State, not only wanted the territories of the indigenous peoples, but also their lives.

All the history, language, beliefs and heritage of the indigenous peoples were reduced to ashes and completely disappeared after the arrival of the Chinese colonists, even the roots were dug out.

Looking back at the history of the Aceh Dynasty, in the early 16th century, Portuguese colonists came to Malacca on the sails of the Age of Discovery and overthrew the Malacca Dynasty in one fell swoop.

The last Sultan of the Malacca Dynasty fled to the Malay Peninsula. His descendants established the Johor Sultanate, also known as the Hurong Sultanate, and the Perak Sultanate in 1528 after the death of the last Sultan of Malacca, which later became Johor and Perak in West Malaya.

exactly at this time
The Sultanate of Aceh rose on the Sumatra Peninsula, and with the decline of Portuguese power, it occupied the entire island of Sumatra and entered a period of great power.

Unfortunately, this period of time did not last long.

The Sultanate of Aceh and the Sultanate of Johor on the other side of the Strait of Malacca were the two major leaders of Islamic religion. The struggle for hegemony and war between them were the mainstream of the times on both sides of the Strait of Malacca.

The good times did not last long. Soon, white Dutch colonists came across the sea. They were more powerful than the Portuguese, posed a greater threat, and were more deadly.

By 1775, the Dutch invasion reduced the Sultanate of Aceh to the northern tip of Sumatra. After the 19th century, the Sultanate of Aceh further disintegrated, with feudal aristocrats ruling their own territories and leading to a situation where each local prince dominated.

Due to the interference of the Chu State, the Kingdom of the Netherlands did not continue to launch the Aceh War in 1873 as originally planned in history, capture the royal palace, and occupy the capital, Greater Aceh.

So to this day

The Sultanate of Aceh is still alive, but due to internal strife, corrupt rule, and numerous internal and external troubles, it is like a dilapidated house that is swaying in the wind and rain.

If you kick it hard, it will collapse.

The Chu State made careful preparations for several months. After finding out the details of the new British cabinet, it spent hundreds of thousands of pounds to bribe important cabinet officials and finally found someone to speak for Chu State.

It was only on September 1880, 9 that the expansion and colonization strategy of Sumatra was officially launched.

Jambi City

Jambi City is the capital of the Jambi Kingdom and the largest city in Jambi Province. This ancient city has a population of more than 8.3 and is a prosperous place for trade.

This place is located between the three forces of Aceh, the Netherlands and the Chu State stationed in Tanjung Kap. There are also a large number of British, French and American businessmen in the city, and of course there are also Chinese businessmen, so it seems to be a mixed bag and presents a distorted scene of prosperity.

In the capital of this indigenous kingdom, the local white people of Jambi and the Chinese cannot afford to offend anyone, but they are very exclusive to the Aceh Kingdom in the north. It can be said that they are fighting against each other.

The Kingdom of Jambi was one of the forces that emerged after the split and decline of the Sultanate of Aceh. It was both wary and cautious of its former sovereign, and sought to survive between the white and Chinese colonists.

this day

After finishing their prayers, the believers were attracted by the noisy commotion and came to a house on the side of the mosque. There, two disheveled Chu soldiers were dragged out, and the sound of women crying could be heard from behind.

Seeing this scene, how could you not understand what happened?
The angry believers, instigated by some people with ulterior motives, instantly lost their minds, swarmed forward, and started beating up the two Chu soldiers with fists and kicks. For a while, fists and feet were flying everywhere.

By the time the old man, who had shown some common sense, separated the crowd and hurriedly stopped the violence, the two Chu soldiers were already covered in blood and had been beaten to death.

Seeing this scene, the imam and his followers turned pale with fear.

The Chu people's brutality is not just talk. They act arrogantly in the South Seas. Even the French, Dutch, and American whites have to give them some ground and are unwilling to make enemies with them easily.

This is because Chu's diplomatic negotiations were very effective and its protection of the interests of overseas Chinese was very comprehensive.

This time, he accidentally killed two Chu people, and they were Chu soldiers. Everyone knew that the matter was serious and that even the Zhanbi Kingdom might not be able to cover it up.

This vicious incident was quickly reported to the Jambi Palace, which really scared the King of Jambi so much that his face turned green. He hurriedly took his people to the Chu Embassy to apologize, but saw a large number of Chu soldiers entering the city fully armed with murderous looks on their faces.

He was so frightened that he fell off his horse and didn't even dare to think of resisting.

The entire Jambi Kingdom had only more than 10,000 officers and soldiers, and it was not easy to deal with the Sultan of Aceh, a powerful local force.

But if they want to deal with the Sixth Expeditionary Division of Chu, they are no match at all. They are far inferior and will be wiped out in minutes.

Since the Chu State reorganized its military, the Royal Army's strength has increased to more than 9.8 people, with the addition of multiple division-level and regimental-level organizations, from the 7th Division to the 10th Division.

some of

The original 5600st to 7200th Divisions were all fully equipped and staffed, with a total strength of approximately people in each division, not including the baggage regiment and the replenishment regiment. If all were added together, the total strength of the division would exceed people.

The four Class B divisions, the 8th, 9th and 10th, have a staff of more than 3,000 people, which is only equivalent to the newly formed regiments during the Anglo-French War. They are mainly focused on maintaining the framework of core officers and sergeants.

After the vicious incident in which a soldier was beaten to death, the 6th Expeditionary Division stationed in Tanjung Kap was dispatched urgently, occupied Jambi City without bloodshed, and launched a bloody purge against the rebels in the city. For a time, the sky was filled with the sound of gunfire.

From the scene

It was a completely one-sided massacre. The officers and soldiers of the Sixth Expeditionary Division launched a ruthless and bloody revenge on the local natives who dared to attack the Chinese, killing them so many people that corpses and heads were everywhere!

The local British, French and American businessmen were speechless for a moment and wisely lowered their heads. No one dared to go up and cause trouble at this time.

The enraged Chu army was truly terrifying.

(End of this chapter)