Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 516: Spanish-American War
Governor Vic took office in 1893, and it has been five years since then. It is time for a rotation.

these years
The Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies served a maximum of one term and left office in a hurry after five years. No one wanted to stay there.

What worries him is
There has been no news about the new governor from the Kingdom of the Netherlands so far. It seems that everyone from the royal government to the parliament has forgotten about it, which is obviously abnormal.

In addition, the sudden expansion of the Chu State's army made Governor Vic so anxious that he could not sleep at night.

How can you understand the tremendous pressure he is under if you haven't sat in this position?
The Netherlands colonized the East Indies for more than 300 years. To date, the total population of white people and their descendants is about 2.67 million.

Even if they put all their efforts into it, they could gather no more than 5 male white militiamen.

Over the past 30 years, due to the huge military threat from the rising Chu State in Southeast Asia, the Kingdom of the Netherlands strengthened its preferential policies to support immigration to the East Indies.

Immigrants were offered free shipping and necessary immigration subsidies. As long as they arrived in the East Indies, they could obtain a large amount of land based on their status as white immigrants.

Even with such strong preferential policies, the number of people migrating to the East Indies each year is very impressive.

In good years, there were more than a thousand people, and in bad years, there were three to five hundred. The highest number of immigrants was in 1891, when the number of white immigrants from the Netherlands reached 1631, setting a record.

In the most recent year, 1897, due to the presence of South Africa, the total number of Dutch immigrants was only 376, including 62 women and children.

Since the opening of the Suez Canal
With the increasing number of ships traveling on the Europe-Asia route and the rapid growth of commercial trade exchanges, the long journey that once seemed out of reach has now become much easier.

The State of Chu created a record of migrating more than 400,000 people to West Africa in one year. On average, the number was as high as 35,000 to 36,000 people per month. There were more than a dozen 10,000-ton immigration ships operating on the West African route all year round.

The Dutch could not envy such a grand occasion.

The reason
Or maybe the population of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is too small and the territory is not large. As the saying goes, a good cook cannot cook without rice!

The Netherlands has a small land area. During the Dutch era, the Netherlands' land area was relatively large, but it was only 70,000 to 80,000 square kilometers, about the same size as Ningxia.

This small land area limits the development of the Netherlands and is unable to support the population, resources and economy needed for the Netherlands to become a great power. It is congenitally underdeveloped.

It does not have the island advantage of the United Kingdom, nor can it become a land power like France and Germany.

During the Napoleonic era, the French army invaded the Netherlands on a large scale, greatly weakening its national strength.

The Batavian Republic established at that time had its capital in The Hague and a total population of approximately 206 million. It was a puppet state under the French Empire.

It was not until 1814 that it separated from France, and the following year, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg established the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

By the mid-19th century, Luxembourg and Belgium had successively split from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, dealing another heavy blow to the former Sea Coachman, leaving its territory only more than 4 square kilometers.

The European mainland, which was originally small, became fragmented and the national strength became unprecedentedly weak.

If it were not for the continuous financial support from the East Indies colonies, it would have been difficult for the Netherlands to maintain its status as a third-rate power in Europe.

With such a small size, how could it compete with the giant State of Chu?
Shortly thereafter
At the beginning of November 1898

King Zheng Guohui of Chu, who had just returned to Manila, received the news that Governor Vic's family and most of their wealth had all returned to Europe. He smiled knowingly.

Governor Vic is too sensitive.

this means

Some of the actions of the Chu State could not be hidden from those who were interested. Everyone was just like a dumb person eating dumplings, knowing what was going on in their hearts.

He smiled and said, "It seems that Governor Vic is also a wise man. He knows that a gentleman should not stand under a dangerous wall."

Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Fan Zhicheng interjected, "Your Majesty, the British have also noticed something. In recent days, the British Straits Governor's Office has repeatedly sent letters inquiring about our military expansion. Are we planning to expand our presence in Southeast Asia?"

"It's no surprise that the English have such a keen nose."

"The Cabinet and the Prime Minister's Office are playing coy and getting by for now. I guess the British are aware of this, but they just don't say anything."

"Hehehe... The Germans, Russians, and Americans are all restless, and Britain now has to deal with the Boers in South Africa. London must be in a state of panic."

"Exactly. Less is more."

"The newly expanded troops must intensify their training and strive to be combat-ready by the end of the year. As for when to start? That depends on the situation."

"I understand that all preparations are progressing in an orderly manner. They will be completed by the beginning of next year at the latest."

"Well, yes."

The king and his ministers discussed for a while, and then the topic turned to the current hot topic of the Spanish-American War, mainly reporting the latest news from the battlefield.

In today's focal point, the Caribbean, the battle situation is changing every day.

On May 1898, 5, the Spanish fleet, led by General Sevilla, arrived in the port of Santiago, Cuba from Cape Verde to garrison and strengthen defenses in response to attacks by the US Navy.

Since the Panama Canal had not yet been opened, in order to assemble the fleet.

The Pacific Fleet on the west coast of the United States, led by Vice Admiral Sampson, had to bypass Cape Storm, the southernmost tip of South America, and travel thousands of miles into the Atlantic Ocean.

It wasn't until mid-June that the USS 6 arrived in the Caribbean, where it joined other US warships and blockaded Santiago Harbor, a bottle-shaped port with narrow entrances and exits and heavily mined, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack.

The artillery batteries on the surrounding mountains are high above the ground and pose a great threat to the naval fleet.

The American naval guns were unable to attack because their range was too short, so 13 American ships and torpedo boats blocked the exit outside the harbor and implemented a blockade operation.

The Spanish were able to maintain a long-term confrontation thanks to their vast land area, but the US military found it difficult to persist at sea.

After much consideration, the US military decided to land first, and then make a detour to encircle the Spanish, forcing them to go out to sea for a decisive battle.

On June 1898, 6, more than 10 U.S. Marines under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Huntington finally forced a landing at Guantanamo Bay east of San Diego Harbor after a day and night of fierce fighting and heavy casualties.

Then, Major General Shaft led 1.6 officers and soldiers to rush from Florida in the southern United States by sea to reinforce...

On June 6, the US military successfully landed in Daiquiri, between San Diego Bay and Guantanamo, and then marched toward San Diego from the northeast and east.

Because the tropical rainforest was hot and humid, with mosquitoes and flies rampant, and the American soldiers were wearing heavy woolen uniforms, and the mountain roads were rugged and difficult to travel, many people slipped and died.

The Spanish army had been stationed in Cuba for a long time and had adapted to the climate and environment, so they were able to wait for the opportunity to arrive.

Faced with this predicament, the US military decided to strike a decisive blow. On the morning of July 7, General Lawton led his troops to surround El Cana. The Spanish army, with its powerful firepower, launched a counterattack. After a day of fierce fighting, both sides suffered casualties.

At around 3 p.m., the U.S. military launched a full-scale offensive at all costs. The 24th Black Regiment was particularly brave, rushing to the position under a hail of bullets.

The Spanish army was ultimately defeated, and the American army ultimately captured the high ground and captured El Cala at the cost of 1700 casualties.

With a foothold, the situation of the US military immediately improved.

The next step is to continue to expand the victory...

The Spanish-American War was highly instructive, almost like the Chu-Dutch War in the Caribbean.

Both cases are exactly the same: powerful emerging industrial countries seized the colonies of the declining old European powers.

Because of the under-the-table deal reached with the United States, the Spaniards were unexpectedly betrayed, and the Chu State did not intervene in this local war.

Taking advantage of others' troubles has never been the style of the Chu State.

The Chu Royal Army has been closely following the developments of the Spanish-American War. Based on the latest battle situation from the front, it has organized middle and senior military officers to conduct war game simulations and predictions, which are presided over by senior officials of the Royal Army General Staff Headquarters.

This is no less than a big test for the military.

In the Purple Palace
Prime Minister Fan Zhicheng and other cabinet ministers are reporting to the emperor. This is a routine weekly audience with the emperor to report on military and political affairs at home and abroad and to discuss countermeasures.

When the meeting was about to end, Deputy Chief of Staff Li Jingxi came in hurriedly with a serious look on his face and reported a bad news;

Just yesterday, Lieutenant General Qian Jiang, Earl of Mucheng, passed away at his home in Sydney, Queensland at the age of 72. The Qian family quickly came to the court to report the death.

Hearing this news

King Zheng Guohui of Chu waved his hand, signaling that the court meeting should be stopped.

long silence
The Purple Palace was shrouded in a sad atmosphere. There were some crystal tears in the deep eyes of Zheng Guohui, the King of Chu, who was sitting high on the throne.

This made all the ministers terrified, and they all came forward and bowed deeply, and played in unison;

"Your Majesty, I respectfully ask you to mourn and take good care of your health. This is a blessing for the entire nation and its people."

"Alas, my dear ministers, please excuse your formalities." King Zheng Guohui of Chu sighed deeply, and soon came out of his sorrow. He then issued an edict saying:

"Earl Mucheng was a founding hero, with outstanding achievements and noble character. His sudden passing is a great loss to the Great Chu Kingdom, and we should solemnly commemorate him.

An order has been issued to fly the flag at Yuehu Temple at half-mast tomorrow as a sign of mourning.

The tablet of Earl Mucheng was enshrined in the Zhaolie Temple, where a golden and bronze statue was made and enjoyed the incense of the world. It was ranked after the former cabinet minister Li Hezhang.

Qian Ende, the eldest son of the Qian family, will immediately inherit the title and fiefdom, which will be registered and granted by the House of Nobles.

The imperial court dispatched ministerial-level officials to Sydney to hold a solemn memorial ceremony to honor this founding father who had made great contributions to the country.

"Your humble servant will obey the Majesty's order and will immediately draft an edict to convey it." Li Jingxi, Deputy Secretary-General of the royal family, accepted the order with a solemn expression, turned around and hurried away.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was clearly in a bad mood. He stood up and said listlessly, "Let's stop here today."

"We respectfully bid farewell to Your Majesty. This is a matter concerning the country and the people. We beg Your Majesty to take good care of yourself. It will be a blessing for hundreds of millions of people in the world." The ministers bowed and said.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu didn't say much, turned around and left with a lonely look.

The sudden passing of another founding father made him feel heavy-hearted.

Feeling the power of the passing of time, my heart was in turmoil for a while and I needed to calm down.

(End of this chapter)