Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 479 Kinshasa is a good place
The Chu King's Palace in Kinshasa is a manor with unique Portuguese architectural features. It is small in scale but quite exotic.

The King of Chu was wearing a loose-fitting linen shirt and sitting in a rocking chair beside a rattan tree. He took a couple of sips of French champagne and said with a smile:

"Lord Zheng, your idea of ​​concentrating all our efforts on building Kinshasa into a major inland city is a good one. It will complement the coastal city of Cabinda. We can confidently and boldly pursue this goal of becoming a leader in the development of inland cities."

"I thank Your Majesty. This matter will require the strong assistance of the Colonial Office to achieve success."

"Don't worry. The Colonial Ministry's large-scale immigration plan for the Congo River Company's territory has already received preliminary approval. Starting in the fourth quarter, it will be supported by fiscal grants and bank funds. You can simply make your plans early."

"I have observed that large-scale immigration requires more experienced colonial officials and graduates of the School of Public Administration. I implore Your Majesty to grant me such support. The millions of colonists will be deeply grateful and bow down to me."

"This has been considered long ago. The Colonial Department will draw 220 experienced colonial officials from various regions to fully reinforce the frontier colonies. Every year, a certain number of new graduates from the Cebu Administrative College, approximately %, will go to the frontier colonies for training. You, as well as Patagonia, Colombia, and East Africa, will all receive special attention."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I am now more confident." Governor Zheng Shouxu said with great joy.

His official appointment has been made, and he is currently handing over the responsibilities to the former Governor-General, Lieutenant General Pan Tianshou. The two have a close relationship and often stay together for half a day.

Among the King of Chu's entourage on this trip were more than 170 experienced officers selected by the Royal Army to be deployed to towns and settlements in the Gangu River Basin to serve as middle and senior military commanders and security personnel.

There were also some internal control personnel from the Ministry of the Interior who were secretly deployed in the administration and various government offices to strengthen control over the colonies.

Perhaps among the strengthened colonial officials there were also spies from the Ministry of the Interior.

There is no need to list all these overt and covert actions in detail, as they were common in all the colonies of the Chu State.

Graduates of the Chu State Normal School and educational forces supporting the border areas will implement unified Chinese language education in schools established in border colonies, with the same standards as in the mainland.

It was required to comprehensively promote Huaiyang Mandarin, with strengthening the concept of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism as the top priority. History, geography, physics, chemistry, foreign languages ​​and military training courses should be added to education, and all should be taught in Huaiyang Mandarin.

Only in this year

103 primary schools will be set up in the Congo River Basin, and as many as 719 Chinese teachers from the mainland will arrive to teach in this frontier colony for more than 6 to 10 years to encourage them to take root in the frontier colony.

After the meeting, the new Governor of the Congo River, Baron Zheng Shouxu, left in great joy. He was full of confidence in the future development of the colony.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was in high spirits. He put down his champagne glass, stood up from the rattan chair, and strolled along the path of the manor.

The sky in Kinshasa is so blue, with a few pure white clouds floating in it, and the sunlight shines down unobstructed, brilliant and warm.

The average temperature here is 26 degrees Celsius, the air is humid and there is a lot of rainfall, which always gives people a feeling similar to early summer in the south of the Yangtze River.

At night, you can always hear the high and low roars of animals, which makes people realize that this is still the wild West African continent.

Even in the densely populated areas around Kinshasa, there are vast expanses of wasteland outside the town. When you see stretches of farmland, you know you are not far from the Chinese settlements.

The Congo River Basin has vast tropical forests, swamps and wetlands, and the fertile plains formed by river alluvial deposits over millions of years are simply a treasure land for farming.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu strolled with his hands behind his back, thinking about something as he walked.

Today, the farthest Chinese settlement has advanced to the hinterland, more than a thousand kilometers inland. The suppression of local black tribes is still continuing, but on a much smaller scale.

from now on

The Congo River Company's mission shifted from military suppression of colonization to comprehensive colonial development, entering the second stage of deepening colonization.

In Kinshasa
The economic structure was mainly composed of collective farms and Chinese plantations. The collective farms were owned by Chinese immigrants who had taken out loans, while the plantation owners were early Chinese groups with certain economic strength, adventurers and small and medium-sized landlords.

In the farmlands and plantations, black slaves can be widely seen working under the scorching sun, while the Chinese mainly serve as supervisors.

The more than 1100 tractors brought on this trip have been completely sold out and are widely used in farmlands and plantations, and are warmly welcomed by local Chinese immigrants.

These tractors were not powered by diesel, but by small steam engines, which were much more clumsy than internal combustion engines.

The advantage is that steam engines can use coal, firewood and water tanks as power, unlike diesel internal combustion engines which must use diesel and are greatly restricted by fuel.

West Africa cannot yet afford the diesel that has been transported from thousands of miles away.

In the Chu state

Diesel is very cheap, but anything that is transported from a long distance becomes extremely expensive and no longer cost-effective.

So this batch of specially customized tractors, powered by small steam engines, can also work in the fields, but they are a bit clumsy.

This gave the agricultural machinery produced by the Chu State a wider market.

In Europe and North America, tractors powered by internal combustion engines can be promoted, while in South America, India, the Near East and Africa, tractors powered by steam engines can be promoted, covering a more comprehensive market.

After inspecting the coastal areas and inland towns under the jurisdiction of the Congo River, King Zheng Guohui of Chu felt more confident about the development of this colony in West Africa.

Generally speaking, there are still too few Chinese people.

This piece of land is vast beyond imagination. It takes 5 days and 5 nights to take a small steamer up the river from Kinshasa to the farthest Chinese town, deep into the central hinterland of the African continent, and not far from Zambia.

Now it seems
Focusing on the development of inland waterway transportation is very consistent with the geographical conditions here. With the support of the Dongsang Steel Plant, Cabinda and Kinshasa can vigorously develop the inland shipbuilding industry and use convenient inland waterway transportation to connect people and logistics.

These inland shipyards can also produce some flatbed ferries, which are feasible options for traveling between the two sides of the river.

Zheng Guohui stood with his hands behind his back, his deep eyes looking into the distance.

In his eyes
The vast expanses of lush forests and grasslands surrounding the city seem to have evolved into countless urban buildings many years later, with tall buildings standing in rows, stretching far to the end of the sight.

Such a bright future made King Zheng Guohui of Chu couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth.

This trip to the Congo River lasted about one and a half months, and the gains were indeed huge.

This will be of great help in the formulation of future colonial policies and long-term planning, and will give us a clearer idea.

A comprehensive tour of this vast and fertile West African land further strengthened Zheng Guohui's confidence in permanently occupying this land, thus kicking off a wave of large-scale colonization of West Africa.

The sacred territory of the Chu State extended as far as 755 million square kilometers, and not an inch of it was redundant. The colonial policy of "emptying the cage and replacing the bird" must be implemented, and the remaining tens of millions of black indigenous people could not be kept.

We must still firmly implement the colonial policy of separating men and women, strictly prohibit black indigenous people from marrying and reproducing, and allow them to grow old and die naturally.

Thinking of the turmoil and chaos that occurred in Africa in later generations, one can't help but sigh.

A large amount of mineral resources have been discovered in the land under the jurisdiction of the Congo River Company, including rich copper, cobalt, zinc, diamonds, tantalum, niobium, gold, tin, manganese, chromium and other mineral resources, as well as a large amount of coal and iron resources. A large amount of asphalt sand resources have also been discovered in the Chinese settlements in the central inland, with confirmed reserves of millions of tons.

These asphalt sands can be refined into oil vapor, and the remaining asphalt mixed with gravel can be used to pave roads. Both are extremely useful resources, but they are in an undeveloped state.

Such a prime piece of land must belong to the Chu State for generations. Originally, King Zheng Guohui of Chu held a nonchalant attitude, thinking that by the end of this century or the beginning of the next, a wave of national consciousness would rise throughout the Middle East, Near East, and Africa, and he might lose this West African colony.

nowadays

It has transformed into a firm defense of every inch of the West African colonies, which is an integral part of the sacred territory of the Chu State, and no one can get a piece of it.

Therefore, I also feel a little regretful.

They were not bold enough at the time. If they had known earlier, they would have annexed Portuguese Angola in the south and Tanzania in the east, and then they could have formed a contiguous colony stretching from East Africa to West Africa.

It was too late to regret now, because the German fleet had already landed in Tanzania in East Africa and Namibia in Southwest Africa, launching large-scale attacks from two directions.

A total of about 2.6 German troops and hundreds of German colonial officials were advancing into the interior of Africa in more than ten routes, conquering the indigenous black tribes with rifles and artillery, and the progress was quite rapid.

These two large colonies were also the future German West Africa (Note: Namibia region) colony and German East Africa (Note: Tanzania region) colony.

If the Chu State wanted to expand its Congo colony, it could only start with its southern neighbor, Portuguese Angola.

Because the neighbor to the north is the French Northwest African colony (note: a super-enlarged version of Algeria), which is not far from Europe, France can easily deploy a large number of army and naval forces.

If a colonial dispute arises, the Chu State may not be able to gain any advantage from France.

It is based on this clear understanding

King Zheng Guohui of Chu hoped to confirm the colonial border of northern Congo with the French side at the Berlin International Conference to be held in November. This was one of the important agendas of this trip.

The southern border with Portuguese Angola has been confirmed through international treaties, and the unwarranted and blatant violation of it is untenable from any perspective.

So, all that is left is regret.

Even with the broad mind of King Zheng Guohui of Chu today, he had to admit that colonial development was really addictive and quite addictive.

This reminded King Zheng Guohui of the planned colonization of Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world.

If it succeeds, the Chu State will have gathered the world's second largest island, Shangri-La Island (Note: New Guinea Island), the world's third largest island, Kalimantan Island, the world's fourth largest island, Madagascar Island, and the world's sixth largest island, Sumatra Island. It will have four of the world's ten largest islands and become a veritable country of 100,000 islands.

When he thought of this, King Zheng Guohui of Chu couldn't help but smile happily.

After this visit to Europe is over, we will launch the military invasion plan for Madagascar as soon as possible.

After all, it is the fourth largest island in the world with an area of ​​59 square kilometers. If it is successfully taken into its possession, the territory of Chu will magnificently break through the 800 million square kilometers mark and become one of the world's major territorial powers.

Adding the 47 square kilometers of Sumatra Island (note: including the area occupied by the Dutch) which has not been included in the territorial area so far, the total territorial area will reach 862 million square kilometers.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu felt very happy when he thought of this astonishing number.

As for Australia, which covers an area of ​​768 million square kilometers, King Zheng Guohui of Chu can only drool and occasionally think in his heart that the time is far from ripe.

It was probably 30 years later, around the time of World War I.

"Your Majesty, London has sent an inquiry telegram questioning our military action to occupy the Maldives Islands in the Indian Ocean and demanding a reasonable explanation." Foreign Minister Zheng Xin, one of the accompanying cabinet officials, came to ask for instructions with a respectful look.

This is also the cabinet member who will be rotated after the end of this cabinet. King Zheng Guohui of Chu plans to let him serve as the Speaker of the House of Commons to continue to contribute his remaining energy.

It’s just that these ideas are not clear.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu turned around with his hands behind his back, frowned slightly, and asked, "What is the response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?"

"Our official response is that the military has taken concrete action to further safeguard national security. I believe the British side should be able to understand the subtext, which is the aftermath of the standoff in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait."

"Well, yes."

"London has also sent a formal invitation to Your Majesty to visit. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded that the Chu King's fleet will arrive in the British Isles around September 9th, officially starting the state visit to the UK."

"Okay, let's arrange it this way."

"Your humble servant will obey the imperial decree."

"Any thing else?"

"Lieutenant General Robin van Mittelstadt, commander-in-chief of German operations in Namibia, has learned that His Majesty the King is touring the Congo River Colony and wishes to meet with Him. What is Your Majesty's will?"

"Just deal with it. You don't have to report everything."

"The minister obeys the order."

After the report, Foreign Minister Zheng Xin took the order and left to act according to the King of Chu's wishes.

Looking at his departing back, King Zheng Guohui of Chu frowned slightly.

After all, the State of Chu was established not long ago, and there were too few diplomatic talents with international vision. Foreign Minister Zheng Xin could only be said to be mediocre, and far from outstanding.

Deputy Foreign Minister Zheng Yulan has good abilities and talents, but unfortunately, due to the exploitation of Weiyang salt merchants more than 20 years ago, there is inevitably a rift in her heart and she cannot be of great use.

After this cabinet, there will be major personnel adjustments, and Deputy Foreign Minister Zheng Yulan will also be adjusted and placed in a less prestigious and leisurely position.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu intended him to be the Attorney General. This position was mainly responsible for prosecuting domestic subjects who were guilty of corruption, bribery and serious crimes, including numerous officials and politicians, and perhaps a small number of nobles. In any case, it was a hot potato.

The rank is relatively high, but the real power is not great, so it is almost like retirement.

After serving one term as Attorney General, it is time to retire to the mountains.

The King of Chu's arrangement was considered to be affectionate and righteous, but he was still cautious in arranging personnel with some people who had grudges and entanglements with him.

For example, Wang Xuemao, who is also the son of a salt merchant, is also quite talented. Now he is the prefect of Mingyue City in the East African Company, and is building this city bit by bit.

I will be transferred to the Governor's Office as a deputy in the future, and it's about time for me to retire to the mountains.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu never believed that time would eliminate all grudges and entanglements. Some talented people, due to various reasons, could not be entrusted with important tasks.

For cabinet ministers and governors placed in important positions, talent is not the most important thing, loyalty and reliability are the first priority. This is also the main reason why he is willing to use his trusted men such as the Secretary Party and the Tongzhou Guards.

After keeping them by my side and observing them for so many years, I have a deep understanding of the temperament, character and talents of these trusted people, and I feel more at ease when using them.

(End of this chapter)