Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 466 Consideration
After Secretary-General Li Jinghui left, King Zheng Guohui of Chu lit a cigar, leaned comfortably on the throne and puffed out smoke, his eyes naturally falling on the map opposite.

His eyes scanned the route of this trip. The royal fleet would not stop in Singapore, but would stay in Aceh Port at the northwestern tip of Sumatra for 4 days.

It does not take that long to resupply the fleet. This also includes sufficient time for the King of Chu to inspect the resettlement of Chinese immigrants in the areas around Aceh and investigate the local social and cultural development.

This trip will take you through the Port of Cochin to the Port of Dinghai on the Red Sea coast. After crossing the Suez Canal, you will resupply at Port Said along the way. After another long journey, you will arrive at the Grand Gulf City to inspect the colonies in the Congo River Basin.

It will take about twenty days, and the 573 Chinese students studying in Europe on board the fleet will disembark at Port Said on the Mediterranean coast and reach their destination on scheduled ships bound for Europe from other countries.

Some went to the UK to study law, humanities and politics, some went to France to study European history, engineering and art, some went to Germany to study military, science and medicine, and some went to Vienna, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to study music and architecture. Their destinations were different.

Every year, the State of Chu would select government-sponsored students to study abroad in Europe and the United States. In the early days, the total number was about 700 to 800, and in recent years it has expanded to 1,200 to 1,300 people.

These outstanding international students came from at least middle-class or higher families in the State of Chu, and half of them were aristocratic students. The government had fixed funding for their study abroad and daily living expenses.

The Royal Fund also provides special subsidies in the form of scholarships for outstanding students.

This can maintain the basic living standards of overseas government-sponsored students. They can eat enough and wear warm clothes, but it is impossible for them to eat well and dress elegantly.

these years
The proportion of government-sponsored students returning to China after completing their studies is as high as over 90%, and less than 10% remain abroad. It goes without saying that their families are also punished with corresponding high fines.

It is precisely because of the strict control of official background checks that the government-sponsored students can achieve a return rate of over 90% upon completion of their studies. This is not an easy task.

If the government-sponsored overseas students are expanded to include ordinary families with little assets and new immigrants, those young people will be dazzled by the glamorous world of Europe, and the proportion of them returning to serve in China will probably be reversed. It would be good if 10% could return to serve in China.

The system of the Chu State has always been like this, using the system to constrain people in a practical way rather than relying on testing people's hearts.

The human heart cannot stand the test at all.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu took a deep look at the Indian subcontinent, which was shaped like a pointed cone and extended deep into the Indian Ocean, and quickly turned his gaze to the Horn of East Africa and the coast of the Red Sea.

The northeastern coast of the Red Sea is now under the jurisdiction of the East African Company, including the vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait, all under the strong control of the Chu Overseas Colonial Governor-General's Office.

This is also what makes King Zheng Guohui of Chu feel satisfied. His attitude towards colonizing Africa is to "control the key points and colonize large tracts of fertile land."

The East African Company completed its first task very well, taking control of the key point on the Eurasian route... the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and becoming one of the important supply ports on the Eurasian route.

Although its jurisdiction covers only 12 square kilometers, it has shown good development momentum in recent years.

The Congo River Company devoted all its efforts to completing the second task, "colonizing large tracts of fertile land." This was the highlight of the Chu State's colonization of Africa and required decades of unremitting and continuous investment.

Judging from the current situation in West Africa

The problem of overpopulation among the indigenous black tribes that worried King Zheng Guohui of Chu the most has been well solved, making him full of confidence in colonizing this fertile land in West Africa.

If we immigrate another two or three million people there, it will be stable.

Two to three million Chinese immigrants may seem like a lot, but if divided into the sixteen years until the end of this century, the population would be about fourteen or fifteen thousand per year, a little over ten thousand per month, and only four 4-ton immigration ships.

The fundamental reason why European countries have been unable to completely assimilate their colonies in history is that they invested too little manpower, and a good cook cannot cook without rice.

Knowing this problem, the Chu State has always adhered to a vigorous immigration policy towards these colonies.

On the one hand, the government vigorously reduced the population of local indigenous peoples, implemented slavery and oppression, and on the other hand, it opened the door wide to Chinese immigrants, encouraged and supported continued immigration to remote areas with preferential policies, and strengthened control over these colonies.

The effect of this increase and decrease now seems very obvious.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu took a deep puff of the cigar. The red light of the cigarette butt lit up for more than ten seconds, and then the fragrant tobacco mist spread and gradually dissipated.

His eyes turned towards Europe through the fog, and a hint of anticipation flashed in his eyes.

What would Europe be like in this era?

Hearsay is never as impressive as experiencing it in person. King Zheng Guohui of Chu is looking forward to this. During this trip, he will visit many important European countries and meet most of the European royal family members.

After learning that King Chu's trip to Europe was confirmed, European countries such as Britain, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Tsarist Russia, and Italy all sent formal invitations for visits. He had to visit all of them.

The Ottoman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Nordic countries did not send a formal invitation and are probably still weighing the options.

Not to mention the Ottoman Empire. After its defeat in the 10th Russo-Turkish War, the Russian army drove the Ottoman Empire all the way to the vicinity of its capital, Istanbul. The people inside and outside the palace were in a panic like a chicken whose roost had been blown up.

If the British ironclad fleet had not arrived at the Bosphorus Strait, and had not sternly stated that it would fight the Tsarist Russian army at all costs, and ordered it to withdraw from the occupied coastal areas.

If things go wrong, the Ottoman Empire will be completely destroyed and its capital will be occupied by the Tsarist Russian army.

The possibility of this happening is at least 70%.

In just four or five years, the Ottoman Empire changed four sultans in succession, from the incompetent to the mentally ill, from the mediocre to the weak. Now the internal and external situation is difficult, and disputes are constant. It is a time of great anxiety.

The British were overwhelmed by these problems and chose to stand aside and only provide policy advice.

Whether they listen or not, and to what extent they can do so, only God knows.

The reason why several Nordic countries did not send formal visit invitations was because of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The economic and trade ties between Chu and these small countries were also weak, and there was not much interaction between them on a daily basis.

in Nanyang region

The powerful army and navy of Chu State put great pressure on the Dutch East Indies. Every move made them extremely nervous. It is no exaggeration to say that they were like a frightened bird.

Because of its small size and weakness, the Kingdom of the Netherlands was unable to compete with the State of Chu in the field of naval equipment and simply collapsed.

Today, in the main island of Java and the southeastern part of Sumatra, which are under the jurisdiction of the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, fortresses are being built day by day, solid artillery batteries, defense lines and bunkers, and deep trenches are being built to prepare for the enemy.

The combat strategy of "luring the enemy to the island, defending the city to the death, burning it to ruins, and then fighting a decisive battle on the main island" greatly enhanced the strength of the indigenous vassal army.

Because of these changes, the Dutch East Indies' annual contributions to the Dutch treasury were significantly reduced, to approximately 150 million Dutch guilders per year, representing one-sixth of the profits submitted. This greatly displeased the Dutch Kingdom and severely impacted its financial operations, yet it was a necessary investment that could not be saved.

In this situation
King William III of the Netherlands had an extremely bad impression of the State of Chu. As a king, he always has his own pride, so it is understandable that he is unwilling to serve the enemy.

After taking a few more puffs of the cigar, King Zheng Guohui of Chu placed the remaining half of the cigar on the gold and jade inlaid ashtray and let it smolder and go out.

He waved his hand to clear away the accumulated smoke in front of him, thinking in his mind that the current situation in Europe was roughly the same as in history.

German Chancellor Bismarck enjoyed high prestige in Europe and held great power at home, dominating the domestic and foreign policies of the German Empire, the core of which was the Triple Alliance, which was established with great effort.

Today, a deep rift has appeared in the Triple Alliance, that is, the relationship between Tsarist Russia and Germany.

As allies, the covenant stipulates that once the homelands of the two allied parties are attacked by foreign enemies, the allies must provide unconditional military, political and economic support and join the war.

In the 10th Russo-Turkish War, the Tsarist Russian army crossed the border and invaded the Ottoman Empire. Such a unilateral war of aggression did not meet the basic conditions for triggering the alliance treaty.

Germany therefore did not provide military support and did not violate the alliance.

The problem was that when the British fleet arrived at the Bosphorus Strait, it openly blackmailed the Tsarist Russian army into committing war, forcing the Tsar to give up most of the war interests and only regain the territory lost in the Crimean War.

I originally won 10 candies, but in the end I only got back two or three.

From the beginning to the end, Germany did not provide any favorable support for Tsarist Russia's military actions. German Chancellor Bismarck called himself a "responsible middleman" and presided over the Treaty of Berlin, which greatly reduced Tsarist Russia's interests.

Tsarist Russia felt deeply betrayed by such an ally, and the alliance was in vain after a long time.

Is it only when Germany is invaded that the conditions for activating a military treaty that facilitates "mutual defense" are met?

If that's the case
Signing such a Triple Alliance Treaty was just a unilateral effort. What real benefits did it bring to Tsarist Russia?
When thinking about the international events that had just happened, King Zheng Guohui of Chu couldn't help but smile. It was so damn interesting.

The Germans were able to fool the Tsarist Russia, so it was no wonder that the Tsarist Russia suffered losses and was restricted in every way by the British for hundreds of years.

His brain isn't working well, so it's useless to use brute force.

The Tsarist Russians were typical people who only cared about eating and not about fighting. They suffered heavy losses in the 9th Russo-Turkish War (Note: the Crimean War) and suffered heavy losses again in the 10th Russo-Turkish War.

The Russian royal family has always suffered a great loss by trying to fit into a circle they cannot fit into, but they have never changed their original intention and are complete bootlickers.

It was precisely because of this that the royal family of Chu maintained a close yet distant relationship with the royal families of Europe. There were connections, but not many.

It is mainly based on the needs of economic, trade and national exchanges, and there is nothing special about it.

Chu's main interests were in the areas surrounding the South China Sea and the increasingly busy Eurasian shipping routes, and its secondary interest was in maintaining the Pacific shipping routes.

As long as it does not affect its own interests, it does not care much about the disputes in Europe and other parts of the world, including the current carnival plan to divide Africa.

Just divide it up, it has nothing to do with the State of Chu anyway.

Today, the kingdom is focused on development, continuously and steadily settling Chinese immigrants, deepening its control over existing territories, and constantly consolidating the foundation of the kingdom.

The core essence of current policies is to accumulate strength and then release it.

A good blacksmith must have strong tools. The State of Chu hopes to catch up with and surpass European powers such as France and Germany in the economic field by focusing on development. This is the most practical goal at present.

Judging from the current situation

There should be a good chance that Chu will catch up with and surpass France's overall economic scale within 3 to 4 years. After all, Chu has a clear population advantage.

The per capita income cannot catch up with France's level, but it is certain that it will surpass France in terms of total volume.

It was somewhat difficult to catch up with Germany's total economic output. Since the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, the huge war reparations of 50 billion francs were injected into the German economic system, which directly contributed to the take-off of the German economy.

The industrialization process accelerated sharply, with thousands of companies springing up in Germany every year. While political influence greatly expanded, the industrial economy, infrastructure construction, education and culture also took off.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu estimated
The biggest advantage of Chu State over Germany is its steep population growth curve. In a dozen years, it will probably be able to catch up with Germany's total economic output.

It’s hard to say exactly how many years it will be.

Germany's industrial economy is developing rapidly. In the past 10 years, it has surpassed the industrial development growth rate of Chu in 6 years, and it has great potential.

In the new industrial wave that emerged in Europe, mainly based on chemical and electrical inventions, the inventions of German scientists blossomed, which was inseparable from their long-term in-depth exploration in the fields of science and engineering.

Its research level is among the best in the world.

After the advent of the Chu State's hand tractors and cars, the corresponding inventions of German companies followed closely, but most of them were the work of private enterprises and individual inventors. They were slightly inferior to the Chu State in terms of large-scale production and heavy investment in factories.

In time, it will surely occupy an important market in Europe.

Comparison
Traditional industrial powers such as the United States, Britain, and France were a step behind, and are now also important markets for Chu's hand tractors and automobile exports, especially the former.

Walking tractors are on the verge of explosive growth in the U.S. market. In the first quarter of 1884, more than 7600 walking tractors of various brands were exported to North America, winning the market with their high quality and reasonable prices.

The average price of a walking tractor is around $2100, depending on the configuration.

Factory-based mass production has greatly reduced the cost of walk-behind tractors. Even with such a price when exported to North America, the company can still earn more than 30% in net profit, which is a considerable profit margin.

It only takes one planting season, and these 7600 walk-behind tractors will be like 7600 sparks burning the wasteland, which will inevitably ignite the North American market.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was very confident about this.

The local market of Chu State has already verified this judgment very well. When sales reach a certain volume and the coverage is wide enough, market demand will experience explosive growth.

(End of this chapter)