Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 497 Reluctant

September 19th, 2025

The Paris government, which had just received the news, went berserk and immediately summoned Qian Weijun, the Chu State ambassador to France, to express its strongest indignation and protest to him.

Demand that the Chu occupying forces immediately withdraw from Madagascar and restore the island's democratic and free status quo. Put an end to its brutal colonial aggression, pledge not to interfere in East and Central Africa, and restrain its own expansionist behavior.

Stop military actions that undermine regional peace, earnestly implement the outcomes of the Berlin Conference, and never allow the Chu State to interfere in Madagascar. This is absolutely unacceptable.

This move seriously damaged the relationship between France and Chu. If they refused to negotiate, all serious consequences would be borne by Chu.

Qian Weijun, the Chu State ambassador to France, had already received instructions from home and firmly rejected all of France's demands, stating:
All of Chu's colonial and development activities were reasonable, legal, and in compliance with the consensus adopted by the Berlin Conference. It fulfilled its obligation to inform all participating countries and implemented "effective occupation" of Madagascar.

In the official letter of Chu State
It clearly shows that the Chu State dispatched 5 troops and 5 armed militiamen, and tens of thousands of Chinese colonists landed on Madagascar Island, overthrowing the feudal and corrupt rule of the Merina Kingdom in one fell swoop and bringing it under the colonial rule of the Chu State.

After a month and a half of intense military operations, the East African Expeditionary Force had effectively occupied the island, taking control of all towns and most villages, and was now implementing various measures of colonial rule.

Every line of the notice was so glaring in the eyes of the French that it almost drove them crazy.

at the same time
The Chu ambassadors to Britain, Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary, Tsarist Russia and the Ottoman Empire were summoned by their host countries and asked to explain the contents of the diplomatic letters and the next steps of Chu's colonial expansion.

The whole of Europe was shocked. This was another heavy-weight military move after Germany's large-scale military deployment to seize African colonies, indicating that a frenzy of colonization of Africa by European powers was about to come.

Originally, the limelight was taken away by the French.

nowadays

The State of Chu naturally grabbed this hot news. Within just one week, the world's mainstream media, including Britain's "The Times", Germany's "Frankfurter Handelsblatt", France's "Paris Journal", "Lyon Observer", the United States' "New York Times", "Washington Post" and other world mainstream media, all reported this big news on the front page.

These European and American newspapers have been writing extensively about Madagascar's location, area, population, and current situation, praising it as "a pearl on the East African coast," "a lost treasure trove of resources," and "another world completely different from black Africa."

For a time, the State of Chu became very popular.

London, England
The Foreign Office on Whitehall Street

British Foreign Secretary Sir Henry summoned Fei Chengzhang, the Chu ambassador to the UK, to his office to question Chu's military operations in Madagascar.

Sir Henry said, "This is truly unbelievable news. Upon waking up, we were shocked to discover that His Majesty the King of Chu, who had solemnly promised us not to seek new colonial power in Africa, had sent troops to occupy Madagascar just a few months after returning home. London demands an explanation. Were all those solemn promises just a joke?"

"Reverend Sir Henry, all of the solemn promises made by His Majesty the King of Chu in the past, today, and for countless days to come will have irrefutable authority. No one in Chu can violate them. This will be the guiding policy that the government must implement."

"So what's going on now? I need a clear explanation."

"Your Excellency Sir Henry, this is not difficult to understand. His Majesty the King of Chu has promised not to engage in new colonial expansion or seek broader colonial interests within the African continent."

"Uh... wait, I think I understand." Lord Henry suddenly realized something. He paced back and forth in his office a few times, then stopped, shook his head, and said with a wry smile, "Damn it, we've all been fooled by your Majesty the King. But given the seriousness of the incident, I will report it immediately to Downing Street and Buckingham Palace. This is... a tricky problem."

The thought of the Frenchman's madness made Sir Henry smile again, and he was indeed very happy.

Don't ask for the reason, this is a simple emotion rooted deep in the hearts of the British and French people.

It's so ridiculous. France has now become the laughing stock of the whole of Europe.

In particular, the speech of German Chancellor Bismarck was the most unpleasant. France and Germany are an irreconcilable feud. Seeing the French being humiliated, the Germans were happier than the British.

Bismarck's original words were

"The proud Frenchman thought all the women in the world were reserved for him, and this time he chose Madagascar.

For this sweet date, the Frenchman took a shower, sprayed perfume, and even took off his pants, but was surprised to find that the black beauty was missing.

My God! Madagascar has fallen into the arms of the Orientals. This is an unprecedented disaster.

Now is the time to pull up your pants and leave through the back door in disgrace. Or bravely challenge the duel, everyone is watching Paris's courage.

The provocative meaning in these words is very obvious, and the person looks like he is not afraid of the big things and just wants to watch the fun.

After the end of martial law on Madagascar, British and French businessmen living there brought news that the situation on the island had become clearer.

The claim by the State of Chu that it sent an army of 10 to capture all the towns and major villages in Madagascar in one fell swoop was not a false threat but a true event.

If the French want to pull the teeth out of the tiger's mouth, how many troops will they need to prepare?

The State of Chu is not a weakling like Madagascar. Sixteen or seventeen thousand people are definitely not enough. It would be a waste if they went there. At least the troops must be equal or have a certain advantage in terms of military strength.

When I think of this
Paris was terrified. How many ships and supplies would an army of over 100,000 men need? How much war funding would be needed? The answer was simple: a military solution was completely ruled out.

At the current time when the two major military groups in Europe are in a tense confrontation, France is already at an absolute disadvantage, surrounded by Germany, Tsarist Russia and the Triple Alliance of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and is under great pressure.

At the beginning of 1885, Germany had an army of 69, Tsarist Russia had over one million, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire had 42 troops, bringing the total number of troops to an astonishing 210 million.

On the other hand, how many troops does France have?
Although France underwent several military expansions after the Franco-Prussian War, its army in mainland Europe still had only more than 53.7 troops, with another 4.15 overseas, mainly in French West Africa and French Indochina colonies.

At this time, 100,000 European troops were mobilized to travel thousands of miles to East Africa to fight for Madagascar Island. Who knows whether the Three Emperors Alliance would steal the tower?

Don’t we want the local area anymore?
This is simply a fatal question!

As long as Paris is not crazy, it will never disregard the security of the European mainland and make such an absurd decision to send troops.

German Chancellor Bismarck was well aware of this, so he used a sharp tone to provoke the French and encourage them to make irrational decisions. What if it worked?

In this kind of situation, never consider who is right, it's a complete waste of effort.

When the strength is equal, calmness and rationality will prevail and reason will prevail.

In most cases, whoever has the stronger fist is the boss.

Faced with this emergency
Buckingham Palace and Downing Street quickly reached a consensus and announced the UK's official position.

Regarding the Chu State's military occupation of Madagascar, the British believed that it was in line with the spirit of the Berlin Conference and did not violate the solemn promise made by the King of Chu to Buckingham Palace. They confirmed and supported Chu's "effective occupation."

This official statement from Downing Street was soon followed by Italy, Germany and other European countries, which recognized Chu's colonial rights in Madagascar at the government level. This was also an initiative to implement the spirit of the Berlin Conference.

After all, Madagascar has nothing to do with these European powers. Wouldn't it be nice to do them a favor?
After France exerted pressure from many sides without success, it had no choice but to disband the task force assembled in the port of Marseille, ordered the 16,000 to 17,000 French expeditionary forces to return to their barracks, and acknowledged the occupation rights of Chu in a communiqué.

But France did not give up and said angrily that the matter was not over.

Sure enough, not long
In early July

Armed conflict broke out between the two sides on the northern border of the Congo River. A French cavalry of 320 people crossed the traditional dividing line and penetrated more than 170 kilometers into the jurisdiction of Grand Bay City.

They plundered indiscriminately wherever they went, killed and injured dozens of Chinese herdsmen, raped women, looted property, and drove tens of thousands of cattle and sheep northward.

it's here

This French cavalry was attacked frantically by thousands of Chinese armed cavalry who had gathered upon hearing the news. They were chased for more than 267 kilometers, with casualties.

Only 53 French cavalrymen were left, and they fled back in a panic, suffering a severe defeat.

Once this incident was disclosed in the Chu newspaper, it was soon reprinted by the British "Times", causing an uproar in Europe.

The French were repeatedly defeated by the Chu State, which made the Germans extremely happy. All kinds of sarcasm and ridicule followed, attracting onlookers from many European countries.

However, Britain remained calm and took the initiative to mediate, convening a peace conference in London on August 8. Diplomatic representatives from Chu and France attended the conference, and representatives from Germany, Russia, Italy, Austria-Hungary, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden and other countries also watched.

This is how European affairs are. Whenever there are disputes and diplomatic mediations, many countries participate as observers and are just spectators.

This is also a way to show presence on the world diplomatic stage. Regardless of whether you are involved or not, the important thing is to participate!
The French initially took a very tough stance, demanding that Chu hand over the murderer and pay 1200 million francs in compensation. Otherwise, they would not give up and would not rule out the possibility of resolving the issue with force.

The Chu State also took an extremely tough stance, ordering France to hand over the real mastermind behind the incident, compensate the ranch and herders for the losses of 800 million silver dollars, and make a formal apology.

Otherwise, "if the army marches north, everything will be destroyed."

It's like two strong men threatening each other. If you threaten me, I will kill you, believe it or not?
This is probably what Qi means.

What a clever Brit!

Having extensive experience in handling disputes arising from armed conflict, he was not troubled by either party at all. Instead, he clearly told both parties in the negotiation:
Stop talking nonsense, this is the only chance for peace.

If you don't want to listen to my advice, then you two can beat each other to pieces and I won't care. Let's see who will be embarrassed in the end.
Chu and France were not originally prepared for a full-scale war, as that was not in the fundamental interests of either side. They were just showing a tough attitude based on their own positions.

With the mediation of the United Kingdom, after several rounds of negotiations lasting more than a month, the two sides finally signed a memorandum of understanding, ending the border armed conflict.

As the party that provoked the incident, France paid a symbolic compensation of 50 silver dollars to the State of Chu. The State of Chu returned the 61 injured French officers and soldiers, and both sides agreed to stop there.

A farce that finally ended with the French unwillingness.

(End of this chapter)