Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 501 Ten Years Later

One month later

In October 1885, Britain launched the second invasion of Burma, sending a large number of troops from British India. After more than two months of war, it captured the Burmese capital Mandalay and captured the Burmese king.

At this point, the Burmese Kingdom was destroyed.

The Chu government has always paid close attention to the situation in the Indochina Peninsula. Domestic media have also provided continuous follow-up reports and made relatively comprehensive and objective analysis.

Regarding Indochina affairs
The foreign policy of the Chu State was to pay attention but not to participate. As long as the legitimate interests of Chinese businessmen in Myanmar were not involved, it would not take the initiative to negotiate, but would wait and see how the situation developed.

The main purpose of the British army's second invasion of Burma was to prevent the expansion of France's colonies in Indochina and to establish a sufficiently large isolation zone to the east of the British Indian colony.

This quarantine zone is Myanmar.

The Chu government was not indifferent, nor was it unconcerned about the situation in Indochina. It simply did not have the power to intervene, so it simply sat on the sidelines and watched.

On January 1886, , Britain announced that Upper Burma would be incorporated into British India, and further demanded that the northern court recognize its annexation of Burma, which was also one of the vassal states of the Qing Dynasty.

After several rounds of negotiations, on June 23, Yixin, the Minister of the Zongli Yamen of the Qing Dynasty, and O'Glenar, the former British Minister to China, signed the Sino-British Burma Treaty in Beijing, meeting the British conditions.

There are five clauses in total, the main contents are:
Britain allowed Burma to pay tribute to the Qing Dynasty once every ten years, and the imperial court recognized all the privileges Britain had obtained in Burma. The Qing and British countries should send personnel to survey the Sino-Burmese border and establish a special chapter on border trade affairs.
At the beginning of the new year
The State of Chu issued a royal decree, officially announcing that Madagascar would be included in the colonial scope and establishing the Governor-General's Office of Madagascar, which was directly governed by the royal government.

at the same time
A royal decree was issued to abolish the East African Company and establish the East African Governor's Office, which was directly governed by the royal government.

The Congo River Company was abolished and replaced by the Congo River Governor's Office, which was directly governed by the royal government.

The nine governorates directly under the Chu government were expanded into ten governorates.

The wheel of history rolls forward, time passes like water, and in a blink of an eye, ten years have passed.

In early 1895, in the new British cabinet, Joseph Chamberlain became Colonial Secretary and South African mining magnate Cecil Rhodes became Prime Minister of the British Cape Colony, which was no different from previous history.

In the Chu state

Marquis Li Hezhang, former Prime Minister, Speaker of the House of Peers and a founding minister, died of illness at the Marquisate in Cavite at the age of 71.

The Great Chu Kingdom held a grand and high-level funeral for this. King Zheng Guohui of Chu personally attended the memorial service, and brought his crown prince Chu-Zheng Yuan, as well as the current Prime Minister Fan Zhicheng, Speaker of the House of Nobles Wu Qingfeng, Speaker of the House of Commons Dong Huanzhang and other high-ranking officials of the kingdom, to bid a final farewell to this founding father.

Holding the coffin frame, King Zheng Guohui of Chu couldn't help but shed tears as he recalled the ups and downs he and Li Hezhang had gone through over the past decades.

The ministers were deeply shocked and bowed down, saying, "Your Majesty, we respectfully ask you to take good care of yourself and your health. Your Majesty's fate is linked to the country and the people, and you must not allow any mishaps to happen to you!"

"Your Majesty, we are extremely apprehensive and beg you to take care of your health." Li Jingxi, who was dressed in heavy mourning, said with red eyes. He led all the descendants of the marquis' mansion to kneel down and kowtow repeatedly.

Li Jingxi is now the Minister of Colonies. After his father died of illness, he petitioned for three years of mourning, but was rejected by King Zheng Guohui of Chu.

He was given a four-month vacation to deal with all matters after Li Hezhang's death.

At the request of his ministers, King Zheng Guohui of Chu suppressed his sadness and went to a quiet hall to rest. He waved his hand to send the others away.

At this time, you need to be alone and quiet.

From 1882 to 1895, during these 13 years, the total population of Chu State doubled from 1882 at the end of 4685, rapidly growing to the current 9377.53 million, not far from a population of over million.

The world has changed dramatically, and the mountains and rivers have undergone tremendous changes.

All the glorious development is inseparable from the efforts of the generation of founding fathers. Now they are all dying. How can we not sigh in our hearts?

The total economic output of Chu State surpassed France and Germany, and was second only to the world powers of the United States and Britain. It had developed industry and commerce, and prosperous foreign trade. The tonnage of Chu State's ocean-going fleet ranked first in the world, and it had a complete range of industries. New technologies and inventions emerged like mushrooms after rain.

The voices of the ministers in the kingdom suggested that the King of Chu be crowned as the emperor of the empire, but they were suppressed by King of Chu Zheng Guohui and were not considered for the time being.

There was still one shining pearl missing from his imperial crown, and that was the island of Java.

These ten years
The State of Chu calmly developed its industrial economy and did not insist on further colonization to expand its already vast territory. Instead, it chose to digest, absorb and accumulate the foundation of the kingdom.

In the second industrial wave represented by chemistry and electricity, the State of Chu has always kept up with the hot spots of scientific and technological development, and has also made many inventions and creations with many highlights.

Looking back on the more than 30 years of development since going to Southeast Asia, King Zheng Guohui of Chu was filled with emotion.

Industrial development has achieved fruitful results over the years, and education and culture have also begun to take off, which has played a vital role in expanding the external influence of the Chu State and promoting Eastern culture.

The five mainland islands are becoming more and more beautiful. Basically, the main roads are paved with asphalt concrete, and the urban roads are asphalt-paved, giving the urban and rural landscapes a new look.

Around Metro Manila

Many rural roads were also paved with asphalt concrete, which further promoted the development of the automobile industry and provided strong support for Chu's developed automobile manufacturing and agricultural machinery industries.

The biggest construction project in recent years should be the acceptance of the half-built Panama Canal by the French, which is also a masterpiece that the Chu State is extremely proud of.

Just as history had unfolded, the French suffered a major setback in the construction of the Panama Canal. The halo of glory accumulated over the years collapsed in an instant, making them an international laughing stock.

The Panama Canal project was presided over by the Interoceanic Canal Company, which was centered on French capital. The general manager was Mr. Sereb. He presided over the construction of the Suez Canal, which was officially opened to navigation on November 1869, 11.

This great project of the century has opened up key bottlenecks on the Eurasian route.

Cargo ships traveling between the two continents no longer need to go around the Cape of Good Hope at the southernmost tip of Africa, shortening the originally almost hopelessly long route by more than 1.6 nautical miles and winning great honor for Mr. Sereb.

The successful construction of the Suez Canal brought Mr. Lesseps' reputation to its peak. He became a member of the French Academy and the French Academy of Sciences, was awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor and the Order of the Star of India, and the British royal family awarded him the title of Honorary Citizen of London.

These successes made Mr. Sereb feel proud and become extremely conceited and arrogant, which laid the biggest disaster for the failure of the Panama Canal project.

At the Interoceanic Canal Engineering Company, Mr. Sereb acted dictatorially and dismissed the concerns raised by his French engineers, dismissing them as "stupid ideas."

Without a detailed geological survey, a construction plan was hastily drawn up and construction was hastily started.

The Isthmus of Panama has a tropical rainforest climate, which is humid and hot, with dense jungle, poor transportation, complex terrain, backward infrastructure, and a lack of basic construction conditions.

When the canal project started
When a construction team of more than 55 people from 4 countries arrived there, they discovered that it was a hell on earth.

The dense forests were filled with poisonous insects, making the environment unbearable. The hot weather caused terrible diseases to spread, claiming the lives of a large number of workers and technicians and repeatedly delaying the progress of the project.

Fortunately, the Chu State provided strong support and escorted a large number of prisoners from Columbia to the canal construction site, solving the urgent problem of insufficient construction manpower.

Of course, these prisoners are not given for free, they cost money.

Construction of the entire canal
Except for a brief pause of two months during the Chu State's military operation to conquer Columbia, the rest of the campaign was carried out smoothly without any interruption.

What is more terrifying than the hot climate and harsh environment is human error, and in this regard, Mr. Sereb bears the main responsibility that cannot be shirked.

French and European investors were mesmerized by Mr. Sereb's enormous success and chose to ignore the fact that he was a diplomat by profession.

His official status as a French diplomat played a great role in his ability to preside over such a grand project as the Suez Canal. At best, he was just a half-baked engineer.

The construction of the Suez Canal involved contributions from other French, German, Austro-Hungarian and British engineers, which were intentionally or unintentionally ignored in publicity.

Mr. Sereb has always believed that "strong power can make bricks fly". As long as the funds are in place and the construction workforce is sufficient, any century-long project can be tackled. He can just push forward with all his might.

So

A large number of construction workers and engineers died in the tropical jungle of Panama for various reasons.

The Interoceanic Canal Company did not take it seriously at all and used a large number of Colombian prisoners of war, totaling up to 2.73 people, and about half of them died in the vast jungle.

Initially, Mr. Lesseps copied the Suez Canal's experience and planned to build a sea-level canal using the numerous lakes of the Isthmus of Panama. He did not conduct any careful and detailed geographical surveys. He simply built wherever he could reach, using a crude and rudimentary construction method.

Who would have thought that after four years of construction, the arrogant French discovered:

The sea level on the Pacific side of the Isthmus of Panama is more than 20 centimeters lower than that on the Caribbean side, making it impossible to build a sea-level canal.

This belated discovery was like a bolt from the blue, dealing a fatal blow to the French Interoceanic Canal Company.

After the news came out

There was an uproar in France, and the stock price of the French Interoceanic Canal Company plummeted from 17.2 francs per share at its peak to 33 centimes, which is about 1/3 franc, in just half a month.

The market value fell by 98%, and many desperate French investors walked up to the high-rise buildings and jumped out.

The violent fluctuations in the stock of the French Interoceanic Canal Company dealt a heavy blow to the Paris stock market. 27.63 investors lost all their money, including investors from neighboring countries such as Britain, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. There was wailing everywhere.

After investigation
The French Canal Company also had problems in its operation and management. The senior management, headed by Mr. Lesseps, embezzled funds on a large scale when the project was unsustainable.

In order to cover up the truth and continue to issue bonds, the company used large sums of money to bribe officials. 150 ministers and parliamentarians of the French government accepted bribes. Finally, the truth was revealed and a huge joke occurred.

By the end of 1886
In fact, the construction of the Interoceanic Canal Company has been completely stopped. The Americans couldn't wait to jump out and expressed their willingness to take over France's unfinished project for 5400 million US dollars.

This act of taking advantage of the situation immediately angered the proud French.

The Toulouse Observer angrily pointed out: "This is the second time the United States has attempted to rob the Panama Canal project. The calculations revealed are chilling. This casts a heavy shadow on the century-old friendship between France and the United States. This is a naked betrayal."

The anger of the French is completely understandable.

In order to help the Americans win the War of Independence, France really tried its best, and Louis XVI of the Bourbon Dynasty was even guillotined for this.

In today's world
France and the United States are the two largest liberal democracies. They support each other on the international stage and agree on many major international issues, including the Colombian, Madagascar and Red Sea fortress issues involving the Chu State, which really caused a lot of trouble for the Chu State.

On the occasion of the centenary of independence

France spared no expense in building the Statue of Liberty, which stood on Bedloe's Island in New York in 1886. It has become a symbol of the American democratic spirit and an iconic monument in the United States.

It can be said that France is kind to the United States with all its heart, but what has it got in return?

During the construction of the Panama Canal by the French Interoceanic Canal Company, the Americans were uncooperative in various ways.

The American-funded Panama Railway set up all kinds of obstacles to the distribution of canal materials and took a negative attitude, almost writing "I'm unhappy" on its face, which gave the French a hard time.

In the end, the French Interoceanic Canal Company was forced to buy the railway, which was worth only $2550 million, at a sky-high price of $750 million. This was what French newspapers called the "first robbery."

However, the retained American employees continued to cause trouble, sabotage and slow down work, making it impossible for the railway to operate normally and seriously slowing down the progress of the project.

Now the Americans have offered a price of $5400 million, intending to buy the French Panama Canal project at a low price. Isn't this naked robbery?
The Americans have no good intentions. Firstly, they are eager to start the half-baked Panama project, which is a canal project with great geostrategic significance and is particularly important to the United States.

Secondly, it was to drive up the price to prevent the Chu State from taking advantage of the situation. The calculations were quite profound.

No one knew that behind the French newspaper "Toulouse Observer" was a public opinion storm instigated by the Chu State Ministry of Internal Affairs, aimed at severely attacking and shaking the foundation of relations between France and the United States.

In fact, the Ministry of the Interior's actions were extremely successful.

The professional reporting of the Toulouse Observer is based on in-depth interpretation of news based on detailed information. However, there is suspicion of inciting French national sentiment, but it is not obvious.

This heavyweight professional report was widely reprinted in news media in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and other countries, which further amplified the anger of the French people.

The American ambassador to France was recognized while walking along the Seine and was beaten by several French youths. He broke five ribs and was almost beaten to death.

Many American imported goods were boycotted, and American businessmen in France had to keep a low profile. The surge of public opinion led to Paris' tough stance towards the United States.

Not only did it flatly reject the US offer, but it also issued a stern warning: "Forget this idea, Washington. Proud France will never succumb to blackmail. Paris does not want to see this happen again."

The changing situation in the international community is far from as simple as it seems.

Don't think that the French are good-tempered. If you ask around the world, you will find that there is no other country except Britain that can bully the French again and again.

Don't think that just because the US economy surpassed that of the UK last year, it has become a world power. It is still far from qualified.

At best, it is just a regional power.

The British contemptuously called Americans "country cowboys with huge sums of money, a group of nouveau riche with black fingernails", which was extremely insulting.

A giant in economy, a dwarf in military.

This is the general perception of the United States among the world's people, and their evaluation of the United States is naturally far lower than that of the world's powers.

Although Russia, Germany, France, Chu and the Austro-Hungarian Empire had economic output far less than that of the United States, they were still able to rank among the world's great powers because of their strong military capabilities.

Only by defeating any world-class power militarily can the United States enter the innermost circle of the world stage.

The entire Panama Canal incident from beginning to end

The State of Chu showed an aloof attitude, and during the period when Mr. Sereb was in charge of the Interoceanic Canal Engineering Company, the Governor-General's Office of Central America provided a lot of help.

Provide people when needed, provide things when needed, and provide all possible conveniences.

After the canal project was completely suspended, they helped with the aftermath and never made any excessive demands. This performance earned them high praise from the French.

There is no doubt that this was the highest instruction from the power center of the Chu State.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was extremely patient. He knew that the French could not accomplish anything, so why should he rush to show his greed? It would only make people look down on him.

This project will sooner or later fall into the hands of Chu.

More haste makes waste. The ancients were right.

The Americans' scheming only made them look like clowns, causing a serious setback in Franco-US relations, but they were unable to hurt the Chu State in the slightest.

Simply put, both face and dignity are lost.

In fact, as the Chu State had expected, after the collapse of the Interoceanic Canal Company, Parisian investors had become terrified of the project.

No one wants to throw precious money into the water without even hearing a sound.

In order to clean up this mess, the French government took the lead in setting up another company to take over the canal project and decided to convert the original sea-level canal into a lock-lift canal.

The biggest problem is
The hole dug by Mr. Lesseps was too big. Only one-third of the Panama Canal project was completed, but the budget was more than double the original plan, and the total investment had exceeded 11.2 billion francs.

The remaining two-thirds are the most difficult sections, and there are only six years left before the original completion date. There will be a huge fine if the deadline is exceeded, and the longer the delay, the higher the fine.

Even the company organized by the French government to clean up the mess will not be able to win the favor of European investors and raise enough funds for the project if the government cannot promise to provide full coverage.

The French usurers were not stupid either. After a professional assessment, they determined that the remaining project would take at least ten years to complete, assuming everything went smoothly.

After more than a year of capital market operations, the canal company led by the French government has raised a pitifully small amount of funds, only 7.1% of the expected total funds.

As the situation became unsustainable, in July 1892, the French government secretly negotiated with the State of Chu and finally handed the mess over to the State of Chu for 7 million silver dollars.

Therefore, the Panama Canal project successfully returned to the hands of the Chu State, and both France and the United States became losers, especially the Americans, who were very angry.

(End of this chapter)