Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 467 Aceh Palace
after one day
Around 1888:6 PM on June 6,

Port of Aceh

When the huge Royal Mail Ship "Atlantic Shuttle" slowly approached the dock, the tens of thousands of people waiting at the dock burst into thunderous cheers.

Firecrackers rang out, dragon and lion dances performed with all their might, the local garrison commander and government officials lined up on both sides of the red carpet, and the sound of salutes continued to be heard.

When His Majesty the King of Chu arrived at the port of Aceh, he was greeted with a grand and warm welcome ceremony, which was also tacitly agreed.

This time Wan Li's visit to Europe was a formal state visit to the European countries, not an ordinary inspection tour by the King of Chu, so the etiquette was kept simple.

The ceremonies for welcoming and seeing off guests at the ports of the mainland were more solemn. This was necessary to demonstrate the royal majesty and respected status, to honor the Chu State, and to help educate the people.

When King Zheng Guohui of Chu appeared at the side of the ship wearing a white marshal's uniform, the cheers at the welcoming ceremony reached their climax, with wave after wave resounding through the sky. Many local Chinese residents who were able to see the emperor could not help but kneel on the ground, their faces flushed with excitement.

It is a great honor to see His Majesty in person!
In the newspapers and legends of the Chu people, His Majesty the King has been deified, and the great victories in foreign expansion and colonization have reinforced the inherent impression of the Chinese people.

From legend to reality, being able to meet His Majesty is a huge event for the Chinese who have always lived in a strong feudal traditional atmosphere.

This honor is enough to brag about for a lifetime.

After accepting the greetings of local officials and holding a brief ceremony to worship heaven and earth and lighting three incense sticks on the welcoming incense table, the King of Chu and his entourage boarded the royal customized cars and quickly headed towards the palace.

The people along the way lined the streets to welcome him, and when they saw the Royal Guards cavalry leading the way, they all knelt down to welcome the emperor. This was still a traditional concept in the Northern Shenzhou period.

One person knelt down, and a large group of people around him knelt down one after another.

Although the Chu State abolished the kneeling ceremony long ago, as a typical immigrant country, the continuous arrival of Chinese immigrants from the north in recent years has resulted in some old traditions being perpetuated.

For example, kneeling when meeting an official is a ritual that is more popular in remote places.

In big cities like Manila and Batangas, people are used to seeing carriages of nobles and royal carriages, so kneeling is much less common.

Invisibly, this gave the local residents of Manila a sense of arrogance, making them think that they are superior to the Chinese in other places.

There is no way to talk about this kind of thing, and no way to control it. We can only let it evolve on its own, as long as it is not excessive.

The Aceh Palace, the former Sultan's palace, is not only vast but also built to high standards. Its gilded and jade-inlaid architecture is distinctly Islamic, blending rich Johorese influences for a unique and distinctive look.

Most of the entourage also moved into the palace, and the 2,000 royal guards officers and soldiers in the fleet were allowed to go ashore in batches to stroll around the city of Aceh, taste local food, and spend a short but wonderful holiday.

However, they must return to cancel their leave before 5 p.m. every day and stay on the immigration ship at night. They are not allowed to stay overnight outside, otherwise they will be subject to military law.

On the evening of his arrival in Aceh, King Zheng Guohui of Chu met with local senior military and political officials in the palace hall and listened to reports on the colonial resettlement of Aceh, which gave him a clearer understanding of the area.

The Chu State began its conflict in September 1880 due to the Jambi Incident. It sent troops to destroy the Aceh Sultanate and its affiliated indigenous kingdoms in one fell swoop, and took over more than 9 square kilometers of land.

Count on your fingers

In less than four years, thanks to its proximity to northern China, land and sea transportation has become extremely convenient, with large immigrant ships plying the two regions. Depending on the location of the departure port, a round trip can take anywhere from a week to ten days.

Even to the farthest port of Weihai, a round trip can be made in half a month.

Under the Colonial Office's policy of focused resettlement, the annual influx of Chinese immigrants to the island was between 50 and 60, exceeding 4 million in four years, basically dividing up all the mature towns and rural lands in the occupied areas.

In addition, more than 100,000 Chinese immigrants crossed the border into the Dutch-occupied area along the Palembang line in the southeast and settled down in a brazen manner.

This made the Dutch feel like a thorn in their backs and a lump in their throats. They were full of dissatisfaction but could not negotiate clearly, nor did they dare to suppress or bully these new Chinese immigrants. They just endured it, suppressing their anger.

What can I do if I can’t bear it?

During the frequent negotiations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chu State, the attitude of those Orientals was very tough. They believed that since ancient times, Sumatra Island has been the traditional ancestral home of Orientals, and that they have left behind the brilliant light of civilization.

Chinese immigrants have the right to migrate freely. According to bilateral diplomatic agreements, the Dutch side must give them equal national treatment without discrimination, that is, the same treatment as white people.

Otherwise, don't force me to get mad.

This is probably what it means. The foreign policies and logic of the great powers are definitely different from those of ordinary countries. Being arrogant is only one aspect, and the other aspect is to not give me an excuse to beat you up.

The Dutch understood the subtext, fell silent, and became laissez-faire.

They originally signed a treaty with the State of Chu to give the other party's immigrants equal treatment in doing business, buying property, studying abroad and bilateral exchanges. However, they did not expect that there would be so many Chinese immigrants from the State of Chu, and they flocked there in large numbers.

In just a few years, the number of Chinese immigrants resettled across the border reached more than 100,000, which shocked the Dutch Governor-General.

You should know that the Dutch colonized the East Indies for more than 300 years, and the total number of local Dutch white descendants and their families is only a little over 100,000.

The current Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies feels like a sharp knife is hanging over his head every day, which may fall at any time and cut off the Dutch colonists and turn them into history.

Therefore, a "makeshift policy" of muddling through was adopted.

The so-called "temporary policy" is

As long as no war breaks out during my term as Governor, and I can still pay taxes to the treasury of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and perfectly implement the policy of exploiting the colonies, then everything will be ok.

Much of the money earned in the colonies was sent back to the country by these Dutch governors, who campaigned for a good job in mainland Europe and quickly escaped from this nightmarish colonial environment.

So in just four years, two governors were replaced like a revolving door. This is definitely a hot position.

According to the resettlement destinations of the Chu State's colonial department, such large-scale and high-intensity resettlement will continue for another year until the end of 1885.

By then, the number of Chinese immigrants resettled in Sumatra will be close to 300 million, and the high-intensity resettlement will come to an end.

In the subsequent five-year resettlement plan, the total number of Chinese immigrants resettled to Sumatra each year was about 5, a significant reduction compared to the previous period.

This is also the wave-like resettlement plan pursued by the Colonial Office, which is "resettlement...colonial settlement...output, resettlement again...reclamation and settlement...output", which allows the new colonies to have a process of acceptance and digestion, rather than maintaining high-intensity immigration output.

Aside from the Congo River Company and the East African Company, and perhaps a few remote areas like the Viceroyalty of Patagonia, there were no plans or restrictions on the influx of Chinese immigrants. All other areas receiving Chinese immigrants were managed in an orderly manner under the Ministry of Colonial Affairs' immigration flow policy, promoting self-sufficient agricultural production, developing necessary industries, and improving roads, bridges, and farmland infrastructure.

After a period of digestion and absorption, the immigration resettlement capacity was significantly enhanced, and the next round of high-intensity immigration process was started again, and this process was repeated.

The King of Chu listened to the report on the achievements one by one. Except for industrial products that still needed large-scale imports, the local grain and vegetables had achieved self-sufficiency. Infrastructure construction had been vigorously promoted in various prefectures and counties, and food reserves, postal and telegraph, police and taxation had been built from scratch, achieving remarkable results.

For new colonies, self-sufficiency in food and vegetables is an important criterion.

Not requiring continued financial investment from the kingdom is another very important colonial criterion and a milestone in independence.

The King of Chu expressed his approval of this and encouraged local colonial officials and troops to continue to take root here, build the colony with the greatest enthusiasm, and win solid political achievements.

During the meeting

Most of the important officials from the accompanying cabinet were present, and local officials had the opportunity to show themselves in front of their superiors, which was a real benefit.

If you are noticed by a big boss and get promoted, your future career will be smooth sailing.

As for the favor of His Majesty the King of Chu, it is estimated that no official in the local colonial government of Aceh dares to hope for it, as it is too far away from the reach of ordinary prefecture and county officials.

The meeting lasted for over an hour. Seeing that the King of Chu no longer asked detailed questions, the officials took the opportunity to make a request: "Your Majesty has been on horseback for a long time and should take good care of your health. This is a matter of great importance to the prosperity of the kingdom. We are willing to offer our advice."

The King of Chu granted his request, and all the ministers bowed and withdrew.

After a sumptuous dinner, King Zheng Guohui of Chu was still in good spirits. He took advantage of his mood to stroll around the palace, admiring the exotic architectural beauty.

The Aceh Palace is the main building of the palace, with white buildings and unique Middle Eastern arches as the main line, supplemented by dark onion-style roofs.

Not far from the main building is a tall white minaret decorated with golden patterned borders, reflecting the extraordinary majesty of the royal family.

There is a pond and green space in front, with coconut trees swaying gently, creating a tropical island scenery.

Not far away is the auxiliary building of the palace, which is a square wooden pavilion. The top is shaped like a four-story pagoda, while the bottom is an expanded pavilion structure, which is very characteristic of Johor.

When you get closer, you can see dense bullet holes and faint charred marks on this square pavilion. That was when the Chu army attacked the Aceh palace and the last Sultan Mahmud Shah set it on fire in desperation, trying to drag the invading army to death with him.

Later, the fire was put out, and the entire palace building underwent extensive repairs and painting. The existing traces of war are no longer obvious.

But it is still very difficult to achieve perfection.

"My dear Li, how do you think people will evaluate me hundreds of years from now?" King Zheng Guohui of Chu asked casually.

This was a classic, life-threatening question. However, the royal secretary, Li Jinghui, who was quietly following behind, was confident. He took two steps forward and replied, "Your Majesty, history is written by the victors, and I believe that no one is exempt from this."

"That's a good answer! History is written by the victors, so we should do our best to write it. Let's focus on collecting more evidence and artifacts from the voyages to the West. If that's not enough, don't we have plenty more in the north?"

"I understand. I will ask reliable people to carefully explore the history of the Straits of Johor. This place has been a paradise for the Chinese people to thrive and prosper since ancient times. Now it has simply returned to the hands of its owners."

"Well, this article needs to be written carefully so it can withstand scrutiny by future experts. Otherwise, it will be easily overturned, which would be a huge joke."

"I understand, and I will not be criticized."

"Also, there are fewer Chinese architectural features in Aceh cities. This needs to be instructed and improved. It will be convincing only if it is combined with relevant historical facts. Now it's time to go home!" King Zheng Guohui of Chu said with emotion.

Secretary-General Li Jinghui is an extremely capable official in the inner court. He is capable and calm, cautious and meticulous, and is very handy to have around.

If this were not the case, he would not have served as the royal secretary for more than ten years.

If such matters are handed over to Li Jinghui, he will definitely arrange them properly and nothing will go wrong.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu gave the order directly without beating around the bush, so Li Jing would naturally know what to do.

The so-called historical buildings of China are few and far between, and they are nothing more than pavilions, towers, Buddhist temples, stone statues in tomb passages and the like, which are all abundant in northern China.

Just find some manpower to transport it back and rebuild it. The history of hundreds or thousands of years is something that experts from all over the world cannot deny.

As for cultural relics, it is even simpler. We can look for cultural relics corresponding to various historical periods in the north, bury them in a few tombs, and then slowly excavate them.

The cultural relics are real, they have just been moved to another place. Even if experts rack their brains to verify them, there is absolutely no doubt about it.

The only thing we should pay attention to is the history written by the victors, which must be carefully conceived so that it conforms to the original historical appearance while also being processed and beautified.

The right balance here is very important.

The emperor and his minister seemed to be strolling around the palace, chatting here and there, but in fact they were talking about matters of far-reaching importance, not the nonsense that ordinary people chat about.

During the casual chat, this major event "since ancient times" was arranged.

The Royal Guards who were in charge of the surrounding security quickly set up several cordons when His Majesty the King stepped out of the palace, strictly prohibiting outsiders from colliding with the King.

The night is like water, and the breeze comes slowly.

The temperature in Aceh is cool and pleasant. The sun is a bit strong at noon, but in the evening, the cool sea breeze blowing in from the Indian Ocean takes away the day's heat, making it particularly comfortable.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu took a walk for a while, giving orders wherever he thought of, his thoughts running wild.

Fortunately, Li Jinghui had a good memory and agreed to all of them.

When I get back to the office later, I must hurry and take notes. Otherwise, if I do something wrong or miss something, it will be terrible. Even Li Jinghui, who has always been serious in his work, will not be able to forgive himself.

It was precisely this point that earned him the high recognition of the King of Chu, and he could be entrusted with greater responsibilities in the future.

(End of this chapter)