Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 440: The Government of William Ewart Gladstone
"The damn Boers actually dared to slap the British in the face. This will inevitably sow disasters in the future. Both the Boers and the Dutch will pay a heavy price for this. We will help collect some interest first. The good days are yet to come." After hearing the outcome of the First Boer War, King Zheng Guohui of Chu said to Li Hezhang with a gloating smile.

In South Africa, the short war launched by the Boer guerrillas killed the British General Collie, resulting in more than 170 British soldiers killed and more than injured, which severely slapped the British Army in the face.

News came
The British people far away in the British Isles were shocked, and public opinion quickly turned extremely unfavorable to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

A large number of extreme and hateful remarks have appeared in society, expressing extreme dissatisfaction with the descendants of Dutch white farmers and venting their anger.

As a result, the Gordon government fell, and William Ewart Gladstone, who had served as Chancellor of the Exchequer for more than 20 years, re-formed the cabinet. This was an absolute blessing for the State of Chu.

Sir Gladstone was a moderate liberal and belonged to the moderate wing of the Tory Party. He fully advocated global free trade and strongly condemned the "imperialist policies" pursued by the former Prime Minister Disraeli.

One of his famous campaign slogans was "Do you approve of or condemn Disraeli's domestic and foreign policies? Does that make you an ally or an enemy?"

Disraeli, on his sickbed, sarcastically mocked him as "a cowardly little Englander sitting under the insults of Majuba and Khartoum," who "stared at the pile of boiled beans on his plate and couldn't even see the bread that was within reach."

The Gladstone government was indeed not good at diplomacy or foreign aggression and expansion. The new Prime Minister Gladstone was a sworn enemy of the former Prime Minister Disraeli, whose political views were incompatible with his own. One was a liberal and the other an imperialist.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu liked the Gladstone government very much. After it formed a cabinet, he immediately sent a warm congratulatory letter through transoceanic diplomatic mail, saying that Chu was willing to stand closely shoulder to shoulder with Britain and fully promote the process of global free trade.

This is a king's promise to always stand with Britain no matter how many difficulties and obstacles there are.

This congratulatory letter was published in the British newspaper The Times and was one of the Gladstone government's outstanding diplomatic achievements. The new Prime Minister often mentioned that he regarded Chu as a "trustworthy and close trading partner in the Western Pacific region."

The core demand of the Gladstone government has always been to safeguard the interests of British industrial capitalists and to promote free trade over all difficulties, rather than colonial expansion.

They have formulated a free trade budget plan for the bourgeoisie, reduced the protective tariff system, renewed further trade treaties with France, Belgium, Italy and Austria, strengthened European trade ties, etc. These are all policies that this government is keen to promote.

Some people laugh, and some people cry.

The actions of the current British cabinet have brought tremendous pressure to the United States, which has serious tariff barriers, making it almost breathless.

In stark contrast to the Chu State's long sigh of relief, the Gladstone government imposed even harsher sanctions on the United States, which had serious trade protectionist tendencies, and listed it as one of its major trading rivals.

High tariffs were imposed on U.S. industrial products and raw materials exported to Europe, which was an important reason for the increasing depression of U.S. industrial development.

The closing of the European market made the United States more urgently in need of the Eastern market, which made the international environment of Chu State unprecedentedly friendly.

The Chu State brazenly swallowed up three-fifths of the territory of Sumatra Island, but it did not cause much waves in the international community, and was accepted calmly.

When the Fusang Kingdom far to the north saw this scene, the jealousy in their hearts was about to overflow from the screen.

why?
Why was the Chinese expansion in Southeast Asia unimpeded? Why didn't any European or American power regard it as a serious threat and take any concrete measures to stop it?

The Chu State destroyed several local indigenous kingdoms and carried out heavy slaughter, but it was ignored intentionally or unintentionally. What is wrong with this world?
At this moment, the Meiji Restoration's leading figures, who prided themselves on being elites, experienced a complete mental breakdown. Their collective defenses were broken, yet they also seemed to have discovered a formidable opportunity...

Perhaps if you are strong enough, your actions will not be condemned.

When meeting with the British envoy Henry, Saigo Takamori expressed his dissatisfaction with the Chu State's colonial expansion in the Western Pacific region, saying in a sour tone:
"Shouldn't the civilized Western world bravely stand up and stop the Chu State's atrocities against those pitiful indigenous nations? This is truly unacceptable."

"Nanyang is now so full of Chu people that people have forgotten its original appearance."

"This world cries out for justice. Please don't let the Nanyang region, rich in indigenous culture, become a region dominated by the Chu State. This prospect is truly terrifying. Please stop them, please!"

"Only Britain possesses such great power! Please do not allow the Chu people to expand recklessly any further."

The Chu State occupied large tracts of fertile land in Southeast Asia, and all of it was done in an irreversible way of "changing the cage for a new bird". This made the Fuso people jealous and their eyes turned red, and they couldn't help but speak with sour emotions.

They really don’t understand why Amaterasu is so kind to the people of Chu. Are the people of Chu her own sons?
In contrast, Fuso's infiltration and expansion in the Korean Peninsula was extremely difficult. Not only did the emperor and his subjects of the Kingdom of Korea resist it, but the Korean garrison of the Qing Dynasty in the north also cracked down on pro-Japanese elements.

The Tsarist Russia has been keeping a close eye on the Korean Peninsula and interfering in the actions of Japan, which has brought all kinds of tangible and intangible pressures.

To say it was a hellish start is an understatement.

Look at the smooth colonial expansion of the Chu State in the Nanyang region. To the east, its influence even extended to Central and South America, and to the west, it now entered the Indian Ocean and took possession of a large number of fertile islands. It was as easy as eating and drinking.

Comparing people with others will lead to death, and comparing goods with goods will lead to throwing away.

Today, the Chu State still forcibly occupies the Dutch-occupied area in southern Borneo and has massively immigrated to the region and to Australia through Shangri-La Island, which has greatly changed the demographic structure of Australian society. The British have turned a blind eye to it.

Add to that the island of Sumatra on the northwest side of the Strait of Malacca, oh no... no, I feel so depressed, I can't eat anything because it's so sour, this is really too much.

The domestic media in Japan are full of jealousy, envy and sour grapes, and in turn blame the government for doing nothing, saying it is a bunch of good-for-nothings and fools.

It was extremely lively for a while, and everyone from top to bottom was envious.

Public opinion within Chu was naturally enthusiastic. The successful colonial expansion on the island of Sumatra was considered another major victory for the kingdom. The Royal Army was highly praised and its status was greatly elevated.

If we really want to capture cities and territories, we have to rely on the power of the Royal Army, which is undoubtedly the pillar of the country.

Along with overseas colonial expansion, the reputation of the Chu royal family reached another peak, which invisibly strengthened the self-confidence of the Chinese people, as well as their cohesion and identity with the Chu State, and made them proud to be a Chu citizen.

The series of strong social responses caused by the victory of the colonial expansion war were undoubtedly positive and constructive.

The State of Chu successfully achieved colonial expansion on the island of Sumatra once again and achieved great military success. So who would be the next target?
no doubt
The next target must be the Dutch-occupied area on Sumatra Island, which is the Dutch colony with Palembang as its core. This part occupies a full 18 square kilometers, half of the southeast end of the island, and is almost 2/5 of the size of Sumatra Island.

The previous military expansion of the Chu State did not lead to direct military conflict with the Dutch white colonists. It mainly suppressed the indigenous sultanates on the island, mainly the indigenous residents of the Kingdom of Aceh and the Kingdom of Jambi. It was a typical big fish eat small fish type of colonial expansion.

This is also the main reason why the UK has not responded much, as it does not have the time to uphold justice for the weaker ethnic groups.

The next step in Chu's military expansion was directed at the Dutch white colonists, a reality that was unavoidable. The British and French were ambivalent about this, while the Americans expressed opposition and condemnation, but their opposition was ineffective and no one listened to their nonsense.

In today's world stage

The Americans have relatively low international influence and presence, and their voice is not strong. They are probably on par with the Chu State, and are much worse than the European powers.

A country with a dangerous consciousness that advocates for civil democracy and freedom encountered obvious resistance and exclusion in the European society dominated by feudal kingdoms.

Most of the fair words and policy proposals expressed by the United States are ignored and not many people care.

The United States was excluded due to institutional and geographical reasons, and the Chu State was also excluded in both visible and invisible ways simply because the skin color, language, and beliefs of its mainstream population were very different. It was extremely difficult for it to integrate into the mainstream international community of Europe, which was dominated by white people.

This is the current reality, and there is no effective way to solve it for the time being.

In response to the increasingly dangerous situation, the Dutch East Indies Governor-General adopted a policy of covering up the truth and publicly declared in a policy white paper:

"The centuries-old colonial rule of the Kingdom of the Netherlands over the East Indies is becoming increasingly consolidated and deepened."

"The colonial governor-general made remarkable and unremitting efforts to widely spread Western civilization, enlighten the indigenous people, educate the people, and spread the Christian faith."

"Under the effective management of the Colonial Governor's Office, he firmly maintained colonial rule, promoted trade with various regions in the South, and contributed approximately two-fifths of the kingdom's tax revenue to the kingdom, continuously feeding back to the mainland..."

The constant praise completely ignored the imminent danger.

As long as the One-Day War does not break out, who cares about the future floods after the current Governor of the Dutch East Indies leaves office?

The Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies had no intention or ability to stop the Chu State's infiltration of immigrants into the Dutch-occupied areas. He was even more worried that this would intensify the conflict between the two sides and give the Chu State an excuse to expand its colonial military adventures.

It was in this complex mood that the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies adopted a policy of turning a blind eye.

I will just pretend that I didn't see it, and then the incident didn't happen. Everything is under the control of the Governor's Office.

This can whitewash the surface of peace, and the songs and dances can continue. The warnings issued by Dutch colonial officials are alarmist and must be dealt with severely.

The most important thing is not to offend the Chu people and not give them any excuse to get angry.

Under this strange tacit understanding, the migration of Chinese immigrants from Chu State to important towns such as Palembang in the Dutch-occupied area was as smooth as silk, without any hindrance.

On average, there were as many as five to six thousand people per month. The colonial officials of the Dutch Governor's Office remained silent, performing a ridiculous act of covering their ears and stealing the bell, which made the people of Chu feel relieved.

Since you don't care, I will continue to immigrate.

September 15th, 2025

The second "Manila" class 10,000-ton ironclad ship "Tongzhou" from the Jinsha Shipyard was successfully launched and installed. The Chu Royal Navy held a grand launching ceremony to celebrate this milestone achievement in naval construction.

The "Tongzhou" ironclad ship has a displacement of more than 12700 tons and is the second top-class main ironclad ship of the Manila class. It is equipped with 6 305mm main guns and 12 152mm level 2 main guns. It is a combination of sail and steam power and has a maximum speed of 17.5 knots.

The launch of such a powerful main ironclad ship shocked the surrounding forces, who sent people to observe and secretly raised the strength of the Chu State to a higher level.

The "Manila" class ironclad ship is a battleship developed by the Chu Royal Navy that is comparable to the world's top level. It is at the same level as the battleships of the British, French and German navies, showing new achievements in naval construction.

The State of Chu was a regional power, but its economic strength was far less than that of Britain and France.

Therefore, only the "Manila" class of 1-ton ironclad ships was developed, and subsequent warships were steadily built with a construction cycle of 2 to years.

Starting in the second half of 1878, the first steel plate was cut from the ironclad ship "Manila".

The State of Chu insisted on allocating funds every year to build the main ironclad ships. In May 1880, the ironclad ship "Manila" was completed and launched into the water, the ironclad ship "Tongzhou" was under full construction in the slipway, and the third ironclad ship "Cebu" was in the preparation stage.

Today
The ironclad ship "Tongzhou" was officially launched and put into operation. The third ironclad ship "Cebu" is being built in the slipway. The fourth ship "Shangri-La" has started cutting the first steel plate. The construction progress is accelerating.

Basically, it takes 14 to 16 months to build a new -ton main ironclad ship.

In the equipment plan of the Chu Royal Navy, six "Manila" class ironclad ships will be built, namely "Manila", "Tongzhou", "Cebu", "Shangri-La", "Brunei" and "Lan Fang", and all are expected to be completed and put into service by the end of 6.

The entire construction period was 7 years, and 6 -ton main ironclad ships were successively put into service, which made the strength of the Chu Royal Navy reach a higher level and proudly ranked first in the region around the Western Pacific.

Together with the four "Zhen"-class ships, namely "East, South, West and North", the two "Wei and Yuan" ships, and the four "Jiang, He, Hu and Hai" ships, totaling 10 old main ironclad ships, the size of the entire ironclad fleet reached 16 ships, firmly entering the ranks of the world's second-rate naval powers.

The strength of the Royal Navy is almost the same as that of the Tsarist Russian and German navies, slightly stronger than the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, and ranks fourth behind Britain, France and the United States.

The British really can't compare. The British 14200-ton Warrior-class ironclad ship and its sister ships were retired from active service in 1875 and are now used as training ships on the second line.

Britain has retired seven or eight of these powerful main ironclad battleships in the past few years. It is so arrogant and wealthy that other countries can't envy it and can't keep up with the pace of equipment of the British Navy's main battleships.

For such a global hegemon, the sensible approach is to follow its footsteps and disguise itself as a close and docile regional partner. There is no shame in that.

By doing this, the State of Chu gained many practical benefits. Although it lost some tariff sovereignty and intensified domestic industrial competition, it also successfully integrated into the world's largest pound trading circle.

They made a lot of money through differentiated competition and special products from tropical countries.

Don't always think about singing a different tune from the British and French powers. The United States has such strong economic strength, but it has been suppressed like a gray grandson and has not been able to make a breakthrough for many years.

The smart thing to do is to reap the benefits, and that is exactly what the State of Chu did, quietly making a fortune.

(End of this chapter)