Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 469: Jibuti Incident

The visiting fleet stayed in Cochin Port for two days for replenishment. During this period, the King of Chu attended the grand welcome dinner officially held by the colonial governor's office and had contact with relevant senior officials.

Both sides were very interested in further expanding trade. Here, there were cotton, jute, various spices, jewelry and Darjeeling black tea needed by the Chu industry, while Chu had new products such as natural rubber, sugar, tobacco and canned food, which were famous, special and high-quality. They could exchange what they had with each other on a large scale.

As for industrial products, this is entirely a market for British industrial products, so there is no need to count on them.

The labor force in colonial India was extremely cheap and abundant, so agricultural machinery had no advantages here, let alone opening up the market.

Fortunately, both sides are willing to further expand trade. The matter has been handed over to Baron Zhongqiu, Minister of Commerce and Culture, to follow up further, discuss trade categories and details in detail, and open up new categories.

September 18th, 2025

With the farewell of the crowd at Cochin Port, the visiting European fleet slowly sailed into the deep blue and headed towards the depths of the western Indian Ocean. This was the longest transoceanic journey on the European visit.

The fleet used sail power to assist along the way. After nearly 10 days of long-distance sailing, it covered a long distance of 4400 kilometers and penetrated into the western Arabian Sea, only more than kilometers away from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The fleet was divided into two here. Two ironclad warships escorted the Royal Cruise Ship "Ocean Shuttler" and the immigrant ship "Dongting Lake", which turned north and sailed into the Djibouti Bay, which was deeply embedded in the inland.

The two coal ships and two cargo ships continued to move forward and were expected to enter Dinghai Port for repairs, unload some goods brought along, and take some local East African specialties to be exported to Europe.

The visiting European fleet also temporarily changed its destination port because King Zheng Guohui of Chu had been sitting on the ship for such a long time that he was extremely bored and it was a good opportunity to get off the ship and relax.

The Red Sea Highway, which starts from Djibouti and extends northwestward, has been built, passing through Cape Bay Port and Mingyue City under the jurisdiction of the East African Company, and ends in Asmara. The entire coastal trunk road is 1376 kilometers long and runs through the entire colony.

After a walk around, you will have a basic understanding of the local customs, colonial settlements, and economic development.

The Ocean Shuttler cruise ship carries a total of 55 BMW royal customized cars and 31 Harvest convertible trucks. Except for the 36 vehicles that appeared in Aceh, the other vehicles are used as backup.

Such a large royal delegation cannot just use these few cars.

With so many vehicles, it would only take a few days to drive along the Red Sea Highway from Djibouti to Asmara.

The sudden arrival of the Royal Fleet in Djibouti threw the colonial officials of Djibouti into a panic. They hurriedly organized the people to welcome them, but there was no news at all.

The transoceanic telegram sent from Cochin was still destined for Dinghai Port.

The Ocean Shuttler slowly approached the dock and could see dozens of horse-drawn carriages rushing in from the city, hurriedly arriving at the dock to arrange themselves, causing a lot of shouting and chaos.

ten minutes later

When the Ocean Shuttler docked, thousands of local people had rushed to the scene after hearing the news. They beat drums and gongs in celebration, their faces full of enthusiasm.

The King of Chu was a deified monarch in the country, especially among the Chinese people living in remote border areas. The feeling of respect was extremely warm, and the beating of gongs and drums was particularly vigorous.

The "Ocean Shuttler"'s crane pedal slowly lowered down. This was achieved through a steel cable and pulley system driven by an internal combustion engine, which enabled the large crane weighing 17 tons to be lowered steadily.

One after another, shiny BMW cars drove out. A large number of fully armed Royal Guards soldiers disembarked from the "Dongting Lake" immigration ship that had docked on the other side of the pier and began to maintain order at the pier.

These trivial matters took more than half an hour, and at this time, more people gathered at the Djibouti port.

Thousands of Chinese people rushed to the scene upon hearing the news, waving Bagua Tai Chi flags, beating gongs and drums, their faces full of excitement.

The emotions of these Chinese people guarding the border were even more enthusiastic. When the King of Chu appeared at the side of the ship in white uniform, the cheers reached the sky and lasted for a long time.

Faced with such passionate and unrestrained emotions, Major General Zheng Ming, the accompanying deputy commander of the Royal Guard, felt deeply pressured.

This man came from the Tongzhou militia and served as the commander of the first regiment of the first division during the Northern Expedition. He made outstanding contributions in various battles and was a senior and trusted minister.

"Your Majesty, the crowd is too agitated. Please end the meeting as soon as possible and get in the car to go into the city." Major General Zheng Ming advised, looking around vigilantly.

The King of Chu was talking to the Djiboutian officials who came to greet him. He nodded when he heard this, ended the conversation immediately, and got into the car under the escort of the royal guards.

The accompanying Royal Guards officers then boarded the vehicles in front and behind, while the soldiers climbed onto open trucks. Led by local cavalry, they sped towards the city, followed by hundreds of horse-drawn carriages.

Djibouti is located on an oasis in the lower reaches of Lake Arsa and Lake Abbe. It was originally the home of Arab nomadic tribes for generations, and few people have set foot here for hundreds of years.

With the arrival of Chinese colonists, they invested heavily in building docks and cities. In just over ten years, a large town with a population of 2.37 people sprang up.

The town is mainly composed of brick and stone houses, which in Djibouti can block the high temperatures during the hot season from March to October each year, which can reach as high as 3°C, making it more comfortable to live in.

There is no palace here, but there is a relatively spacious government office, which is just right for the King of Chu and his entourage to stay temporarily, as they will only stay for one day anyway.

Tomorrow morning, we will set off for Cape Bay Port.

It is the closest port to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, across the 47-kilometer-wide Red Sea, and diagonally across from it is the Yemeni capital Sana'a.

After sitting down and taking a bath, King Zheng Guohui of Chu changed into a cool and airy linen robe. He sat on a reclining chair in the room, drank a sip of tea, and closed his eyes to rest comfortably.

The accompanying personnel will take care of the reception and farewell for tomorrow's trip.

In a Chinese immigrant town with a population of only 20,000 to 30,000, he didn't have the energy to ask anything.

All the scenes can be seen at a glance. The city streets and buildings, the clothing and expressions of the people passing by, the horses and carriages they ride, and other details all reveal the answers that are closest to the truth.

In the East African city of Djibouti

The proportion of Chinese immigrant families who own carriages and horses is surprisingly high, which shows from another perspective that the local economic level is very good.

Although these are not famous Arabian horses, some of them are indeed good. They are tall, strong and powerful, and meet the standards of war horses.

Many families also raise camels for transportation. These large animals are drought-resistant and feed-resistant, and can last for several days after drinking enough water.

Near Djibouti
The nearest water source is the Carmel River, which was originally a seasonal river. It dries up in June and July every year, and resumes its flow when the rainy season comes in November.

After the arrival of the Chinese colonists, they conducted a detailed survey of the surrounding hydrological and geographical environment and built a stone dam on the Carmel River downstream of Djibouti to prevent the precious fresh water from flowing into the Arabian Sea.

In this way

The Carmel River becomes a long, narrow lake that stores water. It flows continuously from June to November and becomes the main source of water for the city.

It rains almost every two or three days in Djibouti, and the heavy rain causes the Carmel River to overflow.

The Chinese colonists dug a large irrigation canal upstream, which brought a large amount of river water into the low-lying areas, turning the dry low-lying areas into a swamp.

Over the years
The dry low-lying areas covering tens of thousands of acres are lush with vegetation and dotted with lakes and ponds of all sizes, making them a good place for grazing and cultivating farmland.

Today, irrigation canals are continuing to be built, and the river water will be brought into the depths of the Gobi Desert in an orderly manner to form oasis forests and transform the local environment.

The local agriculture in Djibouti is mainly based on wheat production and grazing. The main economic pillar comes from port transportation and transshipment of supplies. Some people are also involved in smuggling and Chinese armed mercenaries, which are all businesses that can make you rich overnight.

Just look at the geographical location and you will know that from Djibouti, across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, you can reach important areas such as Yemen and Jeddah on the coast of the Arabian Peninsula, Jordan, etc.

From here, entering the Arabian Sea and heading northeast, you can reach Oman, and entering the Persian Gulf, you can reach important coastal cities such as Kuwait, Iran, and Iraq.

The entire route is by sea, so it would be best to use small ocean-going ships of five to six hundred tons or even a thousand tons for smuggling.

Cargo ships coming from the Eurasian route carry a wide range of industrial products and daily necessities, which are in great demand in the areas around the Persian Gulf, and their prices increase several times when they are shipped there.

The Ottoman Empire was now so corrupt that it had lost control of many of its border provinces.

For example, the Governor of Baghdad, the Governor of Egypt, the Governor of Yemen, etc., eventually evolved into the hereditary position of Pasha, and became a warlord who ruled a certain area.

Especially in the areas around the Persian Gulf, the most advanced Chinese smuggling steamers are full of loopholes. As long as they collude with local wealthy families, they can form an integrated smuggling and distribution chain.

Both sides were getting richer and richer, and the only ones who suffered losses were the Ottoman Empire and the separatist warlords. However, the emperor was far away and could not intervene even if he wanted to.

In recent years
Djibouti is getting deeper and deeper into smuggling, and a corresponding number of Chinese mercenaries have also developed. Large-scale smuggling operations often require military support to avoid capsizing and losing all the money.

The smuggling transactions were either gold and silver hard currency, or Arab women and horses. The local Arabian blankets were not easy to sell, and many Chinese smugglers no longer wanted them.

Arab women and horses were valuable, as were the famous Damascus scimitars.

In the streets and alleys of Djibouti, women wearing Arab headscarves are almost everywhere. Almost no one can escape, and the locals are not worried.

There are checkpoints on the roads leading to Djibouti. To the north is the vast Arabian Sea, to the east and south are endless desert Gobi, and only to the northwest is a smooth green avenue.

But if you go northwest, you will see Chinese towns everywhere, and there are often no people for tens or hundreds of kilometers.

Even if they escaped, these Arab women who could not prove their identities were walking into a trap, falling from a wolf's den into a tiger's den, and there was no way they could escape.

Accepting your fate is the most reliable choice.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu did not comment on the local economic characteristics and adopted a tacit attitude.

If it is not prohibited by law, it is possible. Although European civilized countries have repeatedly said that they want to ban the slave trade, even in Louisiana, the United States, there was still a large slave market by the end of this century.

The same was true for European countries, and the Ottoman Empire, which had a long tradition of slave trade, was no exception and showed no signs of restraint.

The Chu State strictly prohibited the trafficking of Chinese men and women. Once discovered, the offender would be severely punished, with a fine of up to bankruptcy and criminal prosecution. The offender would either be beheaded or hanged, or forced to work in the mines until death.

There are no clear regulations for other ethnic groups.

Fortunately, those slave traders were not fools. They knew that they could not act rashly against the powerful countries such as Britain, France, Germany and the United States, otherwise they would suffer the consequences.

By evening, the Djibouti summer heat had subsided considerably.

The cool breeze from the Arabian Sea blows continuously, bringing comfort to people from body to mind. The street lights become brighter and more lively.

People who have escaped the summer heat come out of their homes and start strolling in the cool evening breeze. The streets and alleys are filled with the aroma of food and the sounds of hawkers, conveying the strong flavor of the Chinese town.

When King Zheng Guohui of Chu was about to have dinner, Lieutenant General He Ruolin, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Royal Army, walked in with a heavy face. He had resigned as Governor of Patagonia and returned to the Kingdom's General Staff for two years.

"Your Majesty, the coal and cargo ships of my European fleet were intercepted by a British fleet in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. It seems they were sent to humiliate you."

"Oh...how could this happen?"

"I thought the reason was unimportant, but now the facts are clear. Our observation station in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has confirmed that this is the British fleet stationed in the Suez Canal Zone."

"How is the situation now?"

"The two coal carriers and two cargo ships I released have been seized and are now anchored on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. I believe the British are here to stop the Royal Mail Ship."

"Well, this is beyond doubt. Immediately inform London that this is probably the work of the Suez Canal Company. At the same time, send the "Manila" and "Shangri-La" into the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to forcibly take away our ships. If the British try to stop us, they are allowed to fire warning shots and are granted the power to make arbitrary decisions on the spot." King Zheng Guohui of Chu said with a gloomy face as he considered.

"Your humble servant will obey the Majesty's order and convey the decree right away." Lieutenant General He Ruolin did not dare to delay for a moment. After saluting, he immediately turned around and hurried away.

Upon hearing this bad news, King Zheng Guohui of Chu's mood suddenly turned sour.

He had no appetite for the sumptuous dishes on the table. He stood up with a gloomy face and walked out with his hands behind his back.

He came to the courtyard and looked up at the completely dark night sky, which was full of brilliant stars.

The British have always said one thing and done another. The positions of conservatives and liberals within the British are very different. It is not surprising that some people do not like the King of Chu's visit to Europe and deliberately create some friction.

This is the willfulness of the world hegemon. You may not like it, but you have to endure it.

Just like the domineering behavior of the United States in later generations, even with the power of the Tsarist Red Empire, it could only use ship ramming to drive away the enemy, which was already the maximum level of conflict.

If King Zheng Guohui of Chu had not suddenly decided to land at the port of Djibouti, he might have been stopped in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and been in great trouble.

The nature of this incident is so serious that it is enough to cause major setbacks in the relations between Chu and Britain. This may be the situation that the British hard-line conservative figures want to see.

(End of this chapter)