Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 465: The June trip to Europe begins.

Preparations for King Zheng Guohui of Chu's visit to Europe began two years ago. One of the most important preparations was to build a royal cruise ship that matched the royal status of the Chu family to accompany the king on his travels around Europe.

This 15200-ton royal cruise ship with a displacement of more than 1300 tons was built by the Manila Royal Naval Shipyard. It uses dual power of sails and coal. The coal storage capacity is as high as more than 11 tons, which is enough to power two huge horizontal triple expansion steam engines to run at full power for 6700 days and support a voyage of more than kilometers.

This royal cruise ship was built in a magnificent and luxurious manner, with every detail meticulously crafted and made of expensive materials.

In March 1884, the royal cruise ship named "Ocean Shuttler" officially started its sea trial. During the sea trial, it reached a maximum speed of 3 knots and an average speed of 21 knots, which is rare among 18.5-ton ships.

All this is thanks to the ship's eight high-efficiency fuel-fired high-pressure boilers, which can generate more powerful power when burning heavy oil.

The ship is therefore equipped with two fuel tanks, one main and one auxiliary, which can carry a total of more than 420 tons of heavy oil fuel, mainly for emergencies.

At the same time, the Royal Navy was preparing to accompany His Majesty the King on his visit to Europe. By 1884, five Manila-class battleships had been commissioned and one had been launched. A total of six first-class battleships would be in service by the end of 5.

At this point, the king's fleet visiting Europe has been completely formed.

The task force will be led by the Ocean Shuttler, accompanied by two main ironclad ships, the Manila and the Shangri-La, as well as two 8-ton fast coal carriers, two -ton cargo ships, and one -ton immigration ship of the Royal Navy, a total of giant ships.

Accompanying the trip were not only more than 360 elite Royal Guards, but also more than 573 women's guards from the Imperial Household, more than accompanying personnel sent to Europe by various cabinet departments, and outstanding students studying in various European countries this year, for a total of more than accompanying personnel.

Among them, the Royal Mail Ship Ocean Shuttle carried 679 crew members, and the rest boarded the immigration ship Dongting Lake to embark on this journey to Europe.

September 5th, 2025

With Prime Minister Li Hezhang stationed in the kingdom's homeland, the 16-year-old Crown Prince Chu Zhengyuan is acting as regent, and Lieutenant General Zheng Shan, commander-in-chief of the Royal Guard, is in charge of the defense of the capital. All matters related to the visit have been arranged.

Early morning at the Manila Port

Thousands of aristocratic carriages gathered, and the gentlemen and ladies who came to see him off were all dressed in their best, making the scene grand and magnificent.

When King Zheng Guohui of Chu appeared in a white handsome uniform, he caused cheers from the whole audience that lasted for a long time. This sincere respect could not be faked.

After a brief worship of heaven and earth, and the gods of rivers and seas, King Zheng Guohui of Chu boarded the Royal Mail Ship Ocean Crosser surrounded by a crowd of people. He waved to the people who were seeing him off, once again triggering waves of cheers that were louder than the last.

A long whistle sounded, and the Ocean Shuttle untied the cable and slowly sailed towards the exit of the bay, drawing a clear semi-arc track on the blue sea.

At this moment

The towering Fubo Gate rang with a melodious bell, Dang... Dang... Dang...

This is a farewell to the royal fleet. The bell sounds contain deep blessings. May Your Majesty have a safe journey!
King Zheng Guohui of Chu stood outside the royal luxury cabin on the top floor, which was equivalent to the height of a seven-story building. He looked down at the Greater Manila metropolitan area that almost covered the entire bay, and a great sense of pride suddenly rose in his heart.

From 1865 to present

After 20 years of continuous construction, Manila has become the most central and important international metropolis in the Western Pacific and the fourth largest super city in the world.

From afar
Countless urban buildings stretch out to the horizon, tall skyscrapers stand in rows, and bridges across the river are under construction, creating a scene of rapid development.

at the end of 1883
Manila has crossed the 200 million population mark, with the city's total population reaching 208.94, further consolidating its position as the fourth largest city in the world, and its development momentum remains unabated.

The emerging automobile and agricultural machinery industries grew rapidly in the new industrial wave, becoming a new driving force to support the in-depth development of Chu's industrialization and a new business card for Chu in the world.

With these two pioneering mechanical industries, the Chu State's industrial sector had its own high-quality products to show off, and was no longer just following and imitating others. The reputation of its products rose invisibly.

"Your Majesty, the strong wind at sea makes it easy to catch a cold. I, a humble official, dare to make a request and respectfully request Your Majesty to return to the cabin and rest." Li Jinghui, the royal secretary-general who accompanied the royal carriage on the trip, respectfully asked for instructions.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu withdrew his gaze from the distance and glanced at the bottom of the royal cruise ship.

Many accompanying officials stood by the ship's side, gazing at the increasingly distant Metro Manila Harbor, filled with reluctance to leave.

It is hard for Chinese people to leave their homeland!

The journey to Europe and back is tens of thousands of miles, almost to the other side of the world. The deeply rooted traditional ideas have not only gone through many hardships, but the fear of the deep sea and the ocean has always lingered.

It is inevitable that there will be a touch of tragedy, and it is also very funny to think about it.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu nodded calmly and replied, "The journey is long, and one day one will tire of it. Let's return to the cabin."

As he said this, he walked ahead, and Li Jinghui followed closely behind him, with a very respectful look.

He is the senior royal secretary of the King of Chu, and has held this important royal position for more than 10 years. He is only 46 years old now, and it is time for him to move.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lost an important figure in charge of the overall situation in Europe, the center of the world stage. He is the special representative of Chu State to Europe, and it is expected that Li Jinghui will take up this position.

It will last for about one and a half years until the new cabinet is formed, and he will take over as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the new government.

Li Jinghui agreed immediately. This trip to Europe to attend the diplomatic summit was a rare opportunity to expand his international vision, and he would definitely benefit a lot from carefully experiencing it.

With more than a year of service experience in Europe, I have come to understand the complex conflicts of interest and historical grievances among European countries, which has laid a good foundation for me to be in charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the future.

There is constant speculation among high-ranking nobles about the next candidate for Prime Minister of the Chu Cabinet, and the candidates are mainly three.

One is the Deputy Prime Minister, Marquis Zheng Shouxin, who also serves as the Governor of Tongzhou. The prefectures on Tongzhou Island are now developing very well and are an important part of the kingdom's local economic sector.

This is an old minister who founded the country. No one can match his qualifications and political experience, and he should be a popular candidate for prime minister.

The other was the Minister of the Colonies, Wu Qingfeng. During his tenure in the Colonial Office, he repeatedly opened up colonies. Hawaii, the provinces in Central America, the Governorate of Costa Rica in South America, the former Dutch-occupied area in southern Kalimantan, the former territory of the Kingdom of Aceh in Sumatra, including the Congo River Company and the East Africa Company, were all annexed by the kingdom during his tenure.

The orderly infiltration and settlement of these remote overseas colonies consumed a great deal of energy from the Ministry of Colonies. Its contributions are obvious to all and cannot be erased.

Because of his outstanding political achievements, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Wu Qingfeng, stood out among the cabinet ministers and became a popular candidate for the new Prime Minister.

Another one is Earl Zheng Jiabao, the governor of Shangri-La. He is also an old minister of the King of Chu. He is a kind person with many friends and has a very good reputation among the high-ranking nobles of the kingdom.

But compared with the first two, its competitiveness is undoubtedly much weaker.

Public speculation is just speculation after all. Who will eventually ascend to the throne of Prime Minister?
That all depends on the King's intentions. As the founding monarch who built this emerging South Seas power, the King of Chu has always been known for his thunderbolt-like decisive means of colonial expansion and his gentle and persuasive policies. He can be said to be a wise ruler who has not been seen in thousands of years.

The position of Prime Minister can be decided by a single word.

The Royal Cruise Ship "Atlantic Shuttle" has a total of 5 passenger cabins, living cabin and cargo cabins. The top three floors are royal cabins, which are extremely luxurious.

The royal luxury suite on the top floor is only for His Majesty the King to live in, and is also accessible to the concubines, palace maids, female guards officers of the Royal Guards, and royal secretaries who serve in shifts.

The front of the Royal Package is an observation cabin with a spacious and comfortable royal seat. In front is a large glass porthole. The view is wider than that from the cruise ship's bridge, and the scenery ahead is unobstructed.

Behind the observation cabin, there are the secretary duty room and the guard room. The Royal Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General take turns to serve on a daily basis and stay here waiting to be called.

The female guards in the guard room also take turns. Every 20 minutes, a patrol team consisting of three female guards conducts routine patrols.

After completing the patrol mission, they return to the guard room and wait for orders, and then the next group will take over, and this cycle repeats.

There is a guard room in the front and a guard room in the back, plus a higher-authority chief guard on duty on the side. Around the top-floor royal luxury suite, there must be no less than 10 guards patrolling and guarding at all times.

Continuing further back is the duty cabin for the palace maids, which contains many royal items, including toiletries and changing supplies, etc., in large quantities and complete.

Continuing to the back is the royal luxurious cabin which is completely isolated from the front cabin. The interior is magnificently decorated and consists of a royal study, a large conference hall, a small conference hall, a dining room, an extra-large bathroom and three master and auxiliary bedrooms, with a total area of ​​more than 1200 square meters.

Coming to the Imperial Study, this mobile Imperial Study on the sea has a ceiling height of 4.2 meters. The tall rosewood bookcase reaches all the way to the ceiling. Every detail is meticulously crafted and inlaid with gold and jade, which invisibly reveals the royal richness and elegance.

There is also a large-scale, exquisitely drawn world map that can be seen by looking up while sitting behind the imperial desk. It is a high-level map with extremely detailed proportions, and even has the scale, annual rainfall, precipitation and contour lines for various places, so it is no problem to use it to command large-scale military operations.

This has just started, so there isn't much to do.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu asked Secretary General Li Jinghui to go and have a rest and prepare for the fleet's stop at the port of Aceh in two days. This was an important and comprehensive supply.

The Port of Aceh is located on the east side of the Indian Ocean. If you continue sailing from here, you will go deep into the Indian Ocean route. It is inevitable that you will need to go through the Port of Cochin under the jurisdiction of the British Indian Colonial Governor's Office for comprehensive supply.

The next supply port is Dinghai Port of the East African Company near Asmara, which is an ocean supply port belonging to the Chu State.

The British Port of Cochin plays an irreplaceable role in the entire Indian Ocean route. Cargo ships from all countries must pass through this important port for comprehensive replenishment.

only this

This demonstrates the dominant position of the British Empire in the world's important ports and shipping routes, which no country can bypass.

(End of this chapter)