Nanyang Storm 1864

From the end of 1896 to the beginning of 1897, after the South American country of Colombia lifted martial law, the Colombian president and parliament responded to the enthusiastic calls of the masses and sent a high-level delegation to the Kingdom of Da Chu.

The hope is to welcome a young prince as the King of Colombia and restore the monarchy. This is the unanimous demand of the whole country.

In view of this
The King of Chu led a group of princes and important court officials to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth in the royal temple, announcing to the ancestors that he would officially enthrone the Seventh Prince Chu-Zheng Su as the Grand Duke of Colombia, and he would soon leave for South America to take up his post.

At this point, His Majesty the Seventh Prince Chu-Zheng Su held the two supreme titles of Grand Duke of Colombia and Grand Duke of Cebu, leaving the eldest son of His Majesty the Seventh Prince to inherit the title of Grand Duke of Cebu.

The Seventh Prince Chu Zheng Su led a group of his family members and servants, as well as a large number of colonial officials and young officers, on the cruise ship "Ocean Shuttler", accompanied by two immigrant ships and six cargo ships carrying a large amount of property, and headed towards Colombia in South America.

On March 1897, 3, Chu Zhengsu was officially crowned King of the Principality of Colombia in the Cathedral of Colombia and announced the No. 3 Royal Reform Decree.

The content of the first reform order is very complex, and it requires all government operation systems in Colombia, including judicial, military, industrial and commercial, cultural and police affairs, to be fully aligned with the motherland.

Except for the name, its core remains unchanged and the Chu system is fully applied.

It cannot be said that they are exactly the same, but it can be said that they are exactly the same.

Royal Decree No. 2 issued by the new king of Colombia clarified the relationship with the State of Chu, that is, Chu is the father and Colombia is the son, which is a vassal relationship between the father and son countries.

These two royal decrees were very important. They publicly clarified the vassal relationship between Chu and Columbia before the world, and Columbia was dependent on Chu in both diplomacy and military.

from beginning to end
Europe's response seemed to be a beat slow, and it seemed indifferent to what was happening in South America and displayed complete arrogance.

Similar operations are common in Europe. In recent decades, kingdoms such as Greece, Spain, Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro have followed suit.

At different times in the 19th century, Mexico and Brazil in the Americas successively welcomed kings from Europe, and were no strangers to this kind of operation.

Following the Chu State, Colombia's original suzerain, Spain, was the first to recognize the legitimacy of the Colombian king's enthronement, and the Governor-General of Cuba sent a high-level delegation to attend the king's enthronement ceremony.

The Kingdom of Spain cooperated so well because it felt the real pressure of the US invasion and was eager to improve its relationship with the State of Chu.

Throughout the Caribbean

The only country that can resist the power of the United States is the Chu State. The other South American countries are weaklings and cannot be relied upon at all.

At the coronation ceremony of the King of Colombia, neighboring South American countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, as well as the United States, Mexico, and Guatemala in Central and North America, sent government delegations to attend the coronation ceremony held in Bogota, and many envoys from European countries also attended.

The newly born Kingdom of Colombia soon received official recognition from the royal families of major European countries, including Britain, except Germany and the Netherlands.

Strangely enough, the United States did not jump out to sing a different tune during the entire development of the incident. When President McKinley discussed this matter with his cabinet members, he just sighed helplessly and said:

"Gentlemen, face reality. We can't stop a galloping horse. Instead of doing meaningless things, it's better to focus on the present..."

Cabinet members all know that this is the only viable approach at the moment.

The State of Chu and the United States held secret consultations on the current tense situation. Signs of war could not be hidden, and the two sides needed to reach some kind of tacit understanding.

Since the beginning of 1897, the United States has been carrying out a large-scale military expansion, with the goal of expanding the existing U.S. Army of more than 2 people by six times to at least 6 people.

Domestic public opinion fiercely criticized the Spanish for their brutal colonial rule, their indiscriminate and bloody suppression of native-born white Cubans, and their establishment of inhumane concentration camps, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent people.

Declaring war on Spain had become a consensus in the American government and opposition, with supporters comprising an overwhelming majority.

Theodore Roosevelt, Under Secretary of the Navy in the William McKinley administration, was an enthusiastic promoter. After taking office in early 1897, he began to formulate a war plan against the Spanish.

Theodore Roosevelt put it bluntly in a letter to his friend John D. Long:
"We must eliminate interference from the Chu State and prepare to take preemptive action immediately...

There was a great chance of success if the main American force was placed in Cuba, under the command of General Walker, and a fleet commanded by Evans or some similar figure was used against Spain.

If the Chu State can be effectively appeased, the United States believes that things will not be too difficult..."

The key lies in the last sentence

This is also the most important reason why the United States had to grit its teeth and admit the current situation when Colombia experienced a decline in democratic politics and welcomed an Eastern king.

This period of time is too sensitive. The State of Chu has also sensed the United States's tendency towards war, and secret talks are underway between the two countries.

For the United States, this important secret meeting can only succeed, not fail.

why?

Over the years, due to Colombia's long-term military control, the country's mainstream social population has been replaced by the Chinese population, while others have been suppressed, trafficked, exiled, or spent the rest of their lives in bleak labor camps.

The Chu State has full control over the situation from Central America to Colombia. Even if the United States intervenes, it will only be a strong protest at the diplomatic level and will not have any effect.

It was also impossible to prevent the Chu State from changing Colombia's system and becoming a constitutional monarchy in South America, just like "it is impossible to stop a galloping horse."

On the other hand, Chu had the ability to seriously threaten the United States' war operations.

The total strength of the Chu Royal Army has reached more than 29 people, and the total strength of the Royal Navy has exceeded 14 people, ranking fourth among the world's naval powers, second only to Britain, Germany and France, and stronger than the United States.

Reaching a private tacit understanding with the State of Chu was a prerequisite for the United States to launch a war.

The Chu State put forward four demands

First, the interests of the Chu State in Cuba and Puerto Rico must be effectively protected, and it must have equal rights to trade, commerce, cultural exchanges and property ownership, and its personal safety and property must be protected by law.

Second, the United States must abolish unequal laws, give Chinese Americans fair national treatment, and ensure that their personal safety and property are protected by law.

Third, the two countries have negotiated on reducing trade tariffs and have reached mutually acceptable reciprocal tariffs, strengthening commercial and cultural exchanges, and creating a good atmosphere for easing relations.

Fourth, the US should strengthen its control over domestic public opinion, strictly prohibit irresponsible remarks that offend the dignity of the Chu royal family and damage bilateral relations.

This posed a difficult problem for the McKinley administration, and it required serious attention. Over the past few months, the US has significantly reduced its harsh tone toward Chu, while calls for greater cooperation between the two countries have gradually grown louder. This is a subtle shift.

June

Chu State, Manila Palace
"It is better to be still than to move. Forget it. Madagascar will still remain under the direct jurisdiction of the kingdom and no other considerations will be made." King Zheng Guohui of Chu rubbed his brows and made the final decision.

During this time

The news about the intention to establish a country in Madagascar caused great turmoil among the upper echelons of the kingdom. The princes became more eager to show off and competed for favor, causing unrest in the harem.

Those princes, qualified and unqualified, all want to get involved. What if they succeed?

King Zheng Guohui of Chu only regretted at this time that he had not considered it carefully at the beginning and had ended up making things worse.

Forget it, forget it. Prime Minister Fan Zhicheng still has to bear the blame, and his proposal was rejected by the Zichen Palace.

Stop making a fuss and just be quiet.

Minister of the Colonies, Li Jinghui, has been very successful recently. Large orders from the British have come one after another, which has directly driven the economies of the two major governorates of Patagonia and Congo River to take off, and money has been rolling in.

Recent period
The two colonies transported more than 70 sheep, about 8 horses and more than 3 cattle to southern Africa, in addition to a large amount of food, oil, soybean meal, barbed wire, cement and other materials, making a huge fortune.

These large orders have boosted the agricultural and pastoral economies of the two places. The Dongsang Steel Plant is operating at full capacity and will also put into production capacity in the near future, adding four more steelmaking blast furnaces.

In addition to the restructuring of the Kingdom of Colombia, the civil engineering facilities of the Panama Canal have been basically completed, and equipment commissioning will begin at the end of September. These are all outstanding achievements of the Ministry of Colonies.

In August 1896, the total population of the Chu Kingdom officially exceeded 8 million, achieving a historic achievement. This will be an important milestone in the development history of the kingdom.

32 years after the establishment of the Chu State, it grew into a towering tree with luxuriant branches and leaves, capable of sheltering overseas Chinese from wind and rain.

same period
The population of Tsarist Russia reached 1.13 million, and the population of the United States was over 7930 million, just one step away from the 8000 million mark.

After achieving the historic achievement of a population exceeding 100 million, the State of Chu officially abandoned policy-based immigration and switched to autonomous immigration, implementing the "naturalization upon arrival" system.

In other words, the original policy incentives for immigration have been cancelled, and immigration points established on the mainland have shifted to focusing mainly on charitable relief.

The main recipients of charity aid are women and children. Some refugee children and orphans are taken in and sent to the Chongming Island Charity School for closed-door study.

Chinese groups willing to immigrate to Southeast Asia can purchase boat tickets through commercial flights and go through naturalization procedures after arriving at Batangas Port.

Throughout 1896, the number of immigrants from the mainland dropped to 63.3, a record low.

Chinese immigrants are not without places to go. Chinese workers are now recruited all over Southeast Asia. The conditions are much better than in history, and there is not such harsh exploitation.

Basically, you can be free after working for 5 years.

There are large numbers of Chinese immigrants in the British Straits Settlements, the French Saigon Colony, the Kingdom of Siam, Burma, North Vietnam, and Ryukyu.

Of course, the largest immigration destination was still the State of Chu.

There is nothing wrong with Chu's move. After growing to a certain size, it is time to wean.

The current Chu government is focusing on strengthening national consciousness, establishing a sense of pride in being Chinese descendants of the Han and Tang dynasties, and strengthening a sense of belonging to the Chu royal family and government, which is a top priority.

It is planned that through the efforts of one generation, the national imprint will be deeply imprinted in the hearts of every Chu citizen.

Under the guidance of this overall idea
The second and even third generation of immigrants who have grown naturally in the country have received a complete education in loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, and are naturally given more attention.

The State of Chu had developed a relatively complete education system. There were primary schools in villages and towns with a population of more than 5, and middle schools in towns and small cities with a population of more than . The coverage rate of five-year compulsory education reached more than %, which was a very high level.

Looking around the world, it is second only to Germany.

There are three forms of education in Chu State:

One type is a public school established with government subsidies, which focuses on popular education for the general public and charges only a small amount of tuition and miscellaneous fees each year. The shortfall comes from special education grants from the governor's office, prefectures, and counties.

The second type is charitable education, which is a school sponsored by the royal family, dignitaries, temples and Taoist temples. It accepts children from the lower classes to receive free education and also provides a meal at noon.

The third type is private education, which is established by gentry, wealthy businessmen or clans who are passionate about education. It must have at least 12 investors and be subject to government and private supervision.

Aristocratic schools are a form of private education, but there are very few of them, the tuition is very expensive, and the courses taught are very different from those in public schools. They are standard elite education.

Overall
The construction of the Chu State's education system was quite successful. Compared with European schools, it lacked theology, which took up at least one-third of the class time, and the difficult European history and art. It added physics and chemistry courses, making it closer to reality.

In Europe, in schools run by churches and countries with a strong religious atmosphere, from middle school to university, theology takes up more than half of the class time, forcing students to spend a lot of time studying this useless knowledge.

After graduating from university, how many people can become priests?
In the Chu State

After completing five years of compulsory education, 5% of students will enter secondary school for further education.

After these students graduate from high school, about 6.2% of the outstanding students are able to enter different universities for further studies, forming a tiered talent education system and providing a continuous source of power for social development.

In this era of inherent inequality in social classes, studying and learning has become the most equal channel for social advancement.

The Civil Service Law promulgated by the Chu State in 1896 clearly stipulated:
Newly recruited civil servants each year must have a diploma from a top university as the entry qualification, and admission is based on examinations.

Applicants with outstanding academic performance will be selected for admission after review.

There are currently 12 first-class universities in the State of Chu, including the Royal Manila School of Advanced Infantry, the Royal Naval Academy, the Manila Polytechnic University, the Cebu Administrative College, the Royal National University, the University of Davao and other institutions of higher learning, all of which are leaders in higher education.

At the end of this century
The Chu State entered a new stage of development, and major domestic and international policies were adjusted, shifting from a focus on quantity to a focus on quality. The demand for illiterate laborers was greatly reduced. (End of this chapter)