Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 473: Excited
London government's official statement

We warmly welcome the King of Chu's delegation to London and look forward to exchanges on various issues between the two sides, further enhancing understanding and deepening cooperation in various fields such as culture, trade and economy.

at the same time
The London government expressed regret over the standoff in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, apologized for the incident, and dealt with those responsible.

News came that King Zheng Guohui of Chu was on horseback inspecting the outskirts of Asmara. He felt uncomfortable sitting in a car for too long, so riding a horse would give him some exercise.

It has been nine days since the standoff in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. King Zheng Guohui of Chu inspected the Fjord City, Mingyue City and the surrounding areas of Asmara on the Red Sea coast, and his stay was obviously too long.

Before receiving accurate information from Europe, the accompanying ministers all disagreed to continue moving forward. After crossing the Suez Canal, everything was in the hands of others.

You can retreat but you can't go back, and you will also have many concerns if you advance.

Just from this point of view
The potential strategic significance of controlling and controlling important strait channels is so great that it cannot be overemphasized.

This incident deeply stimulated King Zheng Guohui of Chu, causing him to change his original ideas and become radical.

After visiting Europe

The East African Company will take action to occupy the islands of Perim and Sowabi, located at the throat of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and gradually infiltrate Chinese forces into the Yemen region, and its actions are becoming increasingly radical.

The Red Sea is a must-pass place for sea transportation connecting to the Indian Ocean and has an important strategic position.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is about 26-32 kilometers wide and 150 meters deep on average. There are some volcanic islands scattered throughout it. The largest of them is Perin Island, with an area of ​​13 square kilometers, which is the gateway to the southern end of the Red Sea.

The island divides the strait into the Small Strait and the Large Strait. The Small Strait is about 3.2 kilometers wide and 30 meters deep on the Asian side. It is the main waterway in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The Grand Canyon is on the African side, about 25.95 kilometers wide and 333 meters deep. It has many reefs and some small volcanic islands. It is extremely dangerous for ships to navigate and is generally not considered.

Near the coast of Africa are the Sowabe Islands, also known as the Seven Brothers Islands, not far from Fjord City.

The underlying meaning of Chu's occupation of Pilin Island was to win the same voice as Britain and France.

The importance of Perin Island lies in

It is equivalent to the tonsils in the throat. Merchant ships traveling between Europe and Asia must pass through here and cannot avoid it no matter what.

By occupying this place, the Chu State will have the same voice as the British and French powers, and the ability to block the Eurasian shipping routes at any time. Its role should not be underestimated.

Of course, this will certainly cause a strong counterattack from Britain and serious dissatisfaction from France.

Originally, King Zheng Guohui of Chu did not want to provoke Britain and France, but after this incident, he knew that he had to have a cane to beat the dog, and there was no room for negotiation on this point.

It is not necessary, but it is necessary.

Otherwise, the interests of Chu State might be violated at any time, the dignity of the country might be trampled upon, others could provoke it at will without punishment, and no one would take it seriously.

Once the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is in hand, who would dare to be so presumptuous?

It is precisely based on such strategic considerations that King Zheng Guohui of Chu has made up his mind to control the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, even if it means falling out with Britain and France. No one can stop him.

Standing on a hill on horseback
King Zheng Guohui of Chu looked around with great enthusiasm. The surrounding plateau terrain was undulating, smoke was curling from the mountain villages in the distance, and there were endless green forests and grasslands.

Grazing cattle and sheep are walking in the vast hilly area, creating a peaceful and tranquil scene.

This area is located in the far suburbs of Asmara and has hundreds of Chinese ranches where they not only graze cattle and sheep, but also breed and raise expensive Arabian horses.

Excellent breeds such as the British Suffolk Draft Horse, the French Serra de France Thoroughbred Horse, the American Quarter Horse, and purebred Arabian horses that flowed in from Europe can all be found in this area, and it has developed into a major industry.

During his inspection, King Zheng Guohui of Chu also saw cultivated fields in many Chinese villages and towns, and the development of apple, pear, date and other orchards. The local people were generally wealthy, and most families had built unique brick and stone houses.

Some are typical Chinese flying eaves structures, some are French, British Victorian and Spanish style houses, dotted in the villages and towns on the coast of the Red Sea, looking beautiful and quiet.

By the end of 1883, the total population of the entire East African Company had reached more than 162 million, including 73 households, and more than 7 million children under the age of 255, a considerable number.

Among local Chinese families, Arab women are the majority, followed by Chinese women, with a ratio of about 3:1. Only respectable and wealthy Chinese residents can afford to marry a Chinese wife.

This is also a major headache for Chinese immigrants, that is, the ratio of male and female immigrants is seriously unbalanced, and local Arab women have to be added to form the unique Chinese family structure of East African companies.

More than ten years of colonial history had rapidly expanded the strength of the East African Company. In addition, smuggling was rampant locally, and hundreds of Chinese armed mercenary teams were produced, large and small.

Smuggling has become a common practice, ranging from small groups of a dozen people to large groups of hundreds or thousands of people, to Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula and countries around the Persian Gulf, which are the blank areas where the Ottoman Empire's power is declining.

After another ten years of development, the population reached more than four million, and the East African Company's territory became increasingly powerful. Chinese mercenaries were known for their bravery and fighting skills, and even the European powers did not dare to underestimate them.

it's here

Horses are absolutely indispensable for travel, especially for the operations of Chinese mercenaries in the Arabian Peninsula and the surrounding areas of the Persian Gulf, which require the support of war horses and camels.

According to the tradition of Chinese mercenaries providing their own weapons and war horses, this has created a fairly large market.

Normally they are used for grazing and managing plantations. When needed, with a shout, they will jump on their horses with all their weapons and equipment and become tough warriors.

Even the usually strict King Chu couldn't help but say "good" about the current development momentum of the East African company.

The choice of colonial official Corning as governor of the East African Company was indeed a stroke of genius. He was very good at developing the economy, and the cities under the East African Company were well-organized.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was also quite proud of himself, which showed that he had a good eye for treasures.

In the next cabinet, King Zheng Guohui of Chu intends to reserve a position for Corning, but whether it will be the Minister of Colonies or the Minister of Agriculture remains to be considered.

Kang Ning rode behind the King of Chu and introduced him as he walked: "Your Majesty,
Wei Chen’s East African company focuses on developing agriculture, animal husbandry and fruit planting, introducing the relatively mature local canning industry, and deeply processing agricultural products for export.

Locally produced canned beef, various canned fish, canned tangerines in syrup, canned chickpeas and canned soybeans are selling very well in the European market and are in short supply.

We have focused on developing ports, docks and warehouses, and improving road facilities. With this advantage, we have formed a cargo distribution center in the Red Sea region, radiating to the surrounding inland Ethiopian Plateau, Arabian Peninsula and East Africa, solving the employment problems of a large number of people.

This area is close to the vast cotton-producing regions of Egypt and Sudan. My next focus is to develop the cotton textile industry in Asmara, establishing a cotton textile factory to further process North African cotton. This industry will provide employment for tens of thousands of workers, further expand the core city, create significant demand, and maintain the stable and rapid development of the colony.

"Well, the idea is feasible. Have you considered the possibility of British interference? Developing the cotton textile industry touches the British's cake and they can't help but take action."

"Your Majesty, the Chinese mercenaries of our East African Company are truly unique in the entire Red Sea region. As long as we pay for cotton, we will definitely offer a higher price than the British can desperately bargain for. Both Egypt and Sudan are willing to sell to us, and no one can stop us."

"Well, we need to be careful about our methods and avoid simply escalating conflicts of interest, which benefits no one."

"I have made note of this and will follow it with caution."

"I remember that Lord Kang has been working at the East African Company for ten years, right?"

"Your Majesty, I have been in office for ten years, and not a single day has passed without my thoughts wandering to my homeland. However, I bear such a heavy responsibility that I dare not slack off for even a moment."

"It's time to make some moves. I'll reserve a position for Lord Kang in the new cabinet. You can also recommend one or two future leaders for the East African Company."

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace. This is a matter of great importance. Please allow me to consider it carefully before reporting to you." Governor Corning replied with a happy expression.

No matter how good the East African Company is, it is just a frontier colony of the Chu State. If you want to make further progress in your career, you must return to your homeland to find a job.

The information revealed by His Majesty was obviously a reward for Governor Corning's ten years of hard work in frontier construction. Happiness came so quickly that even the usually steady Governor Corning could not hold back.

Isn’t the highest ideal in a career path to become a prime minister?

Being among the cabinet ministers means being an important official in the kingdom. Any motion made by them will affect tens of millions of common people and they are at the pinnacle of power.

Not to mention Governor Corning who was standing happily on the side, digesting this exciting news.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu gave him a brief hint in order to make orderly arrangements for the next step of the East African company so that the transfer of power would not be too abrupt.

A few months of transition would be the most appropriate.

As for the next selection of the Governor of the East African Company, considering that the occupation of Perin Island and the Sowabe Islands will inevitably lead to sharp conflicts and confrontations, a calm and steady general is needed to take the helm.

After the Chu State occupied Pilin Island, it would have carried out large-scale construction, dug fortifications deep into the mountain, secretly built artillery fortresses, and hollowed out the entire Pilin Island hill.

This is a huge project, and nothing unusual can be shown on the surface, so as not to provoke a strong backlash from powerful countries such as Britain and France, or even send troops to intervene.

In the plan of King Zheng Guohui of Chu
Pilin Island will be built into another Corregidor fortress, which will be difficult to capture with ordinary troops and become an important part of Chu's international influence.

The excavation of the mountain will last for 5 to 6 years, but there will not be much abnormality on the surface.

When Britain was facing difficulties in Europe, the Chu State seized the opportunity and sent a large number of laborers to the island. In a short period of time, they built the superstructure of the Pilin Fortress and installed artillery batteries, forming a formidable coastal defense fortress.

To do so would be to create a fait accompli.

The way to avoid war is also very simple, that is to sign a convention on unimpeded free passage with the United Kingdom, promising that the coastal defense fortress of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait will never target any British cargo ships and warships, and allow them to pass freely under any circumstances.

This can eliminate the British people's doubts to the greatest extent and soothe their uneasy mood.

The premise is
The Suez Canal must also be promised to be freely open to Chu's warships and cargo ships without obstacles. Under any circumstances, Chu's warships and cargo ships can pass freely and smoothly.

The two sides restrain each other, thus achieving a delicate balance.

The increasingly powerful East African Company was the source of confidence for the King of Chu to make this risky decision.

Arab women in East African corporate families are not inferior in giving birth to children. Many Chinese families that have married several Arab women already have twenty or thirty children.

Even most Chinese families who marry an Arab woman have four or five children at most, and two or three at least.

This is because the time is still short. In another ten or eight years, there will definitely be more and more children.

Given the current size of the Chinese population in East African companies, even if no more Chinese immigrants are imported, there will inevitably be a window of explosive population growth.

The King of Chu allowed the Chinese forces to invade the Arabian Peninsula based on the opportunity of the population explosion, and took advantage of the situation to further expand the Chinese forces. Anyway, all the large and small Arab towns including Jeddah, Jizan, Liss and Yemen along the Red Sea coast are now motherless children.

The power of the Ottoman Empire declined sharply, while new kingdoms did not rise, resulting in a regional power vacuum.

Whether intentionally or not, they could at least occupy a piece of fertile land on the Arabian Peninsula.

This can only be said
The standoff in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait had a significant impact on King Zheng Guohui of Chu. He made a 180-degree turn from his original attitude of being content with the status quo and became radical and pioneering.

In any case, the State of Chu is now a world power with a population of over 50 million. It has ranked among the second-rate powers in terms of both economy and military. The dignity of the kingdom cannot be trampled upon.

Every imposed humiliation would lead to a strong backlash from the State of Chu, and the aftermath was far from over.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu had done extensive research on Africa and abandoned all his original plans to colonize places like Madagascar.

Now, he has changed his mind and is not going to give up easily.

Why should we give it to the French?

Damn it, whoever grabs it owns it. The large-scale occupation of Columbia did not cost the Chu State much military expenditure. The wool came from the sheep, and there was even a slight surplus.

The subsequent colonial interests made the funds under the Chu royal family earn a lot of money, and basically took over Colombia's important seaports, tea mountains, and coffee plantations.

Therefore, King Zheng Guohui of Chu has telegraphed the Royal Army General Staff to study the specific military plan for occupying and colonizing Madagascar and to begin preliminary military preparations.

This includes increasing the number of new recruits, postponing the retirement of veterans this year and the next year, establishing two new expeditionary divisions, sending a large number of intelligence personnel to Madagascar to collect local geographical, cultural, population and military distribution information, increasing orders for the Manila Arsenal and planned immigration ships and supplies, etc.

This is an expedition of thousands of miles, and the preparatory work involves all aspects. The problems are numerous and complicated, so we must prepare early.

(End of this chapter)