Nanyang Storm 1864

1903st January 7

Lord John Kruger, the special envoy of the Kingdom of Great Britain, arrived in Tokyo Bay and, after a grand welcoming ceremony, brought good news to the Fusang Kingdom, which was in a frenzy of preparation for war.

As long as Chu's sensitive interests are not touched, Chu will remain neutral in the Russo-Japanese dispute in the Far East. This is a promise personally made by Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu.

At that time, the entire nation of Fusang breathed a sigh of relief.

Feeling the heavy strategic pressure on his shoulders suddenly ease, he could now completely ignore the threat from the south and concentrate all the Empire's power on dealing with the hateful Russian army.

Nagasaki Concession
The Chu Kingdom's concession in Nagasaki occupied the largest area, which was due to the large number of wealthy Chinese merchants and the fact that the foreign population there ranked first, thus forming a huge Chinese community.

The long-term Chinese population is as high as 7.32, most of whom are engaged in trade with Japan. There are also many shops and a small number of business owners. The overall economic level is far higher than that of the surrounding areas.

The tallest building in the long-term Chinese concession was the nine-story Nanyang Telegraph Bureau building, along with more than ten other high-rise buildings in the surrounding area. The streets were lined with shops, making it the most bustling and prosperous place in the entire Nagasaki.

Tropical specialties from the Great Chu Empire are considered mid-to-high-end products in Nagasaki and even throughout the entire Fusang Kingdom.

The Chinese concession occupied about one-fifth of Nagasaki's urban area, but its population exceeded 42% of the city's total population. In the predominantly Chinese community, there were also a large number of British, French, Dutch, American, and German expatriates as well as local Japanese residents, forming a bustling commercial district.

The earliest Chinese concessions originated from the humiliating treaty signed by the shogunate after the Battle of Hiratako, which granted Chinese merchants consular privileges beyond those of ordinary citizens and allowed them to garrison troops in the area.

For decades
The Meiji Restoration elites, dedicated to national strength and rise, brought about tremendous changes to this once impoverished and backward island nation, leading to an increase in industrial enterprises and a boom in commerce.

By fully embracing Western civilization, enlightening the people, and becoming self-reliant, China embarked on a development path of catching up with industrialized countries.

After winning the Sino-Japanese War

Having received huge war reparations, Japan's rise became increasingly fierce, and it successively terminated unequal concession treaties with various Western powers.

In early 1902, before signing the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, in order to create an atmosphere of friendly relations between the two countries, Britain took the initiative to terminate the original unequal lease treaty and regard Japan as a normal country.

Every victory brought jubilation to the Meiji Restoration elites.

The biggest challenge now is the Chinese concession, and the attitude of the Chu Kingdom is very clear.

If the Fusang Kingdom is willing to voluntarily relinquish its leased interests in the northern Shenzhou, then the Chu Kingdom is willing to follow suit and jointly build a prosperous and peaceful regional environment.

If you are unwilling to give up, then I can only say I'm sorry.

The Chinese concession was forcibly carved out of Japan by the Great Chu Empire through the Battle of Pingtian Lake. This is different from the concessions extorted by countries like Britain and the United States, and therefore cannot be compared.

If you have the ability, take it back; if you don't, shut up.

Such outrageous conditions amount to wiping out decades of achievements in foreign expansion in one fell swoop, and also harbor ambitions for the mainland. Japan could never agree to them under any circumstances.

Neither side was willing to back down, so the situation remained deadlocked.

On the steps of the Nanyang Telegraph Office building
A tall young man stood out, appearing to be at least 1.92 meters tall, exuding a noble air, followed by five strong attendants.

The Japanese people passing by were generally two heads shorter; due to the young man's powerful aura, they all lowered their heads and walked around him.

This is Chu-Zheng Tao, the 33rd prince of the Great Chu Empire. At the time, he is 22 years old, has been granted the title of Earl, and is full of vigor and ambition, eager to make a name for himself.

He currently serves as the Vice Director-General of the East Asia Division of the Ministry of Colonial Affairs and is participating in the 21st round of the third round of negotiations on the concession treaty, which was initiated by the Japanese side.

Japan has frequently and proactively requested negotiations on a lease agreement, intending to keep the topic in the spotlight and drawing pressure from diplomatic envoys from Europe and the United States.

Japanese people are so cunning!

Especially now.

The most opportune time was for Britain, the United States, the Netherlands, Belgium, and other countries to support Fusang's restoration of normal state status, but unfortunately, the State of Chu refused to budge.

"Your Highness, the diplomatic email has been sent back for the Colonial Minister's review. Shouldn't we head back now?" The speaker was a tall major, about 1.8 meters tall, who was half a head shorter than His Highness.

This man was Major Wang Zhonghua, a guard officer of His Highness. He was wearing a crisp woolen uniform as a major in the Royal Guard, with a leather pistol holster hanging from his belt and a standard revolver inserted in it.

Princes ranked tenth or lower now all hold the title of earl, but the hereditary title decreases with each generation, and after four generations they become ordinary people.

The standard for the guards assigned to these adult princes is a platoon, led by a major, who is responsible for their daily escort duties.

Of course, princes with titles such as prince, duke, and marquis are equipped with much higher standards of guards, which will not be elaborated on here.

Chu-Zheng Tao glanced around intentionally or unintentionally. He could see flames of anger and hatred in the eyes of the wandering warriors passing by the street, and numbness, fear and submissive expressions in the eyes of the ordinary Japanese people. He felt very satisfied.

He said to Major Wang Zhonghua, "These Japanese are so boring. They keep demanding that the Empire cancel the concessions, but they don't say a word about canceling the concession privileges in the Chinese mainland. They're just dreaming."

Major Wang Zhonghua responded, "Your Highness is right. The Empire's conditions are there; it's impossible to get anything without paying a price."

"So these negotiations are a complete waste of time. We might as well go to Nanfengtang Department Store and see what new and interesting things they have to bring back for our brothers to enjoy."

"Your Highness, the atmosphere in Fusang has been somewhat chaotic lately. I dare to suggest that you return to your palace to rest, so as to avoid any unforeseen complications."

"Hmph... Let's give them another chance. Let's go shopping." Chu-Zheng Tao naturally possessed the pride of a royal descendant, a hint of contempt appearing on his lips. He took the lead and walked down the steps.

Major Wang Zhonghua offered only a word of advice, but seeing that His Highness did not heed it, he followed him down the steps, instructing the burly men beside him as they walked: "Everyone, be vigilant. If anything goes wrong, we cannot afford the consequences."

"Don't worry, sir." Several burly men in civilian clothes were carrying guns and short knives, which were good for close combat.

There was no restraint in their words.

First of all, this is the Chinese concession, and the area surrounding the concession is occupied by the overseas deployment forces of the Royal Army of the Great Chu Empire, numbering as many as a regiment.

Furthermore, the reinforcements include two heavy firepower companies, one equipped with heavy machine guns and the other with 37mm rapid-fire cannons.

On the other side of the former US concession, there was also a Royal Chu Navy base and warehouse, which was home to more than 360 officers and soldiers of the Chu Navy and had several warships docked there.

Although they are all frigates and destroyers, with only one 3600-ton light cruiser, they are still a real maritime deterrent force.

Behind these ships lies the powerful and awe-inspiring Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire.

In terms of safety, there is still a high degree of security.

When Your Highness goes to the Nanfengtang Department Store, you won't be crammed with locals on the first floor. Instead, you'll go to the second floor, which is reserved for Chinese and Europeans. There are more interesting things there, and it's less dangerous. In places like the concessions, there are many guild halls, teahouses, bars, and high-class brothels that prohibit Japanese locals from entering. This is partly a business strategy to elevate one's own status, and partly a blatant act of humiliation.

Therefore

This is why the outwardly respectful but inwardly ambitious Japanese people regard it as the greatest humiliation and always try every means to remove the concession.

after half an hour
Prince Chu-Zhengtao and his entourage walked out of the Nanfengtang Department Store, chatting and laughing. The entourage carried two brand-new German Zeiss cameras, some American Kodak film, and several bolts of Scottish tartan cloth as they walked toward two cars parked by the roadside.

At this moment

Among the crowd by the roadside, several burly men in kimonos exchanged glances, then pulled out strips of white cloth from their pockets and tied them to their heads. They then drew short swords and charged forward, shouting wildly.

The ferocious expressions on their faces betrayed their intention to assassinate.

There were eight of these wandering warriors in total. It seemed that they had been planning this for a long time. Just now, when His Highness Chu-Zheng Tao came out of the Nanyang Telegraph Office, he was already being followed by two of them.

This attracted other wandering samurai who then launched a fierce attack.

Sudden attack
Prince Chu-Zhengtao showed no sign of panic. He coldly watched the Japanese wandering samurai charging towards him with his sword raised, his eyes revealing a hint of disdain and contempt.

With just a few cats and dogs, how could they possibly carry out an assassination plot? That's far too hasty.

He remained remarkably calm, instead admiring the view with his hands behind his back.

"Protect His Highness; anyone with malicious intent will be killed without mercy."

Give an order

The four plainclothes officers behind Major Wang Zhonghua drew their revolvers and opened fire when the assassins were about seven or eight meters away, causing them to fall to the ground.

In the blink of an eye
Of the eight wandering samurai who were about to assassinate him, seven fell. The remaining samurai was shot in the shoulder and staggered a few steps. Seeing that the assassination attempt was doomed to fail, he raised his sword in grief and anger and charged forward again.

He shouted, "Kill all the Chinese pigs, kill..."

"Clap clap clap..."

Several bullets struck his chest in quick succession, instantly turning him into a bloody mess. He collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

"Your Highness, please get in the car. We must leave this place quickly." Major Wang Zhonghua helped Prince Chu-Zhengtao into the car, and the other guards followed suit. The two cars sped away, honking their horns.

At this moment

Chinese police officers, who were rushing over with their whistles, had arrived. They were on duty nearby and immediately noticed the unusual activity, quickly surrounding the area.

Those who remained were a few wandering Japanese samurai groaning in pain; the others had turned into motionless corpses.

The assassination attempt at the entrance of Nanfengtang Department Store happened very suddenly and ended very quickly, lasting only two or three minutes.

Fortunately, the incident did not lead to any serious consequences, and the reactions from all parties were relatively calm.

Subsequently, the Shanghai Municipal Council of the Chinese Concession conducted a large-scale search and arrest operation throughout the concession, especially targeting wandering samurai and town residents who were found to be possessing firearms and knives. A large number of gang members and petty thieves were also arrested, totaling as many as six or seven hundred people.

Normally, such a big commotion in the Chinese concession would have drawn immediate criticism from the Japanese high-ranking officials and the media, who would have wanted to make the biggest fuss possible.

This time

Both sides maintained a strange tacit understanding, neither publicizing the "Nanfengtang assassination incident" extensively. Even the Japanese newspapers only mentioned it briefly, and public opinion was completely suppressed.

At this time, conflict would be extremely detrimental to the Anglo-Japanese alliance's all-out preparations for war.

Similarly, this was also detrimental to the Great Chu Empire, which only wanted to see Russia and Japan fight to the death, so they chose to handle it quietly.

But in private
The Great Chu Empire issued a stern warning to the Fusang Kingdom, ordering it to control radical anti-Chu sentiments among its people, crack down on unscrupulous nationalist fanatics, stabilize the current situation, and avoid further escalation of conflicts.

As for whether the Japanese will listen or not?

That's no longer a matter for the Great Chu Empire; as the saying goes, good advice is hard to persuade a damned fool.

When the Nanfengtang assassination occurred, Lord John Kruger, the British envoy, was visiting Japan to reassure the Japanese leadership and discuss future military alliance cooperation.

The UK has made it clear that it will not send troops, but will provide assistance on political and economic levels.

This includes during wartime.

If Tsarist Russia were to use its naval power to reinforce its troops in the Far East, Britain promised to close the Suez Canal, leaving the Russian army with nowhere to go. Even if they needed to recruit troops, they would have to detour around Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point of Africa.

The UK has promised not to provide any supplies to the Russian army, not to allow Russian reinforcements to enter the port, and to restrict merchant ships from France, Germany, and other countries from transporting sensitive goods such as munitions and war supplies to Russia. There is still a lot to be done.

The talks were going well, and Lord John Kruger was riding high on the success of the negotiations, thanks to the obsequious flattery of high-ranking Japanese officials.

This unexpected incident completely broke him down, and he unleashed a torrent of abuse on Japanese Prime Minister Katsura Taro and elder statesman Miyamoto Aritomo, berating them as...

"What good will it do you Japanese people to cause trouble at this critical time? You're just idiots with a vision that's only five feet wide!"

“Go and control those muscle-bound brutes, don’t let things get out of control.”

"You must understand that the State of Chu is not a soft target that you can manipulate at will. If a dispute or even war is caused by Fusang alone, it will be a complete disaster, and Britain will not get involved."

"Believe me, nobody will benefit from this..."

Lord John Kruger's trip was also peculiar; while it went smoothly on important issues, it was constantly plagued by problems and setbacks on unrelated matters.

He sternly warned Japan to focus wholeheartedly on dealing with Tsarist Russia.

Don't cause any unnecessary trouble at this time; nobody wants to clean up the mess left by a troublemaker.

This reprimand was ruthless; powerful figures like Katsura Taro and Yamagata Aritomo, who held positions of authority at the top of Japan, were scolded like grandsons, bowing and apologizing repeatedly.

This improved Lord John Kruger's mood considerably; in the Anglo-Japanese alliance, Britain was the dominant party. (End of Chapter)