Nanyang Storm 1864

After an 18-day voyage, the small fleet arrived at the coast near Abu Dhabi on November 29, 1904.

On a high plateau of Gobi Desert
The advance team, who had been waiting there, lit more than a dozen bonfires, and thick black smoke rose into the sky, visible from more than ten kilometers away.

This is a concave bay.
The pristine white sand contrasts beautifully with the azure sea, while sparse shrubs line the shore of the bay. Vast expanses of gray-brown Gobi Desert stretch out, appearing desolate yet exuding a primitive wildness.

Three huge ships anchored more than 10 kilometers from the shore, and then launched more than a dozen small boats, fully loaded with personnel and equipment, and began transporting goods back and forth.

More than a hundred Chinese cavalrymen descended from the hilly highlands. They all wore wide-brimmed sun hats, checkered scarves around their necks, and were dressed in typical armored cowboy attire, carrying two rifles (one long and one short). They also had leather water bags and rolled-up blankets, and looked travel-worn.

Among the early arrivals, the leader was Major Mo Yuanhang, the eldest son of Mo Xingli, a large Chinese rancher in the Congo River Governorate. He had previously served in the Royal Army Military Observation Group of the Great Chu Empire stationed in South Africa and was a very thoughtful young officer.

He didn't want to inherit his father's ranch; instead, he preferred to work hard, hone his skills, and make a name for himself.

A young officer like him, without any background, family support, or military achievements, would find it difficult to stand out in the elite royal army.

With his extensive experience in combat operations in Africa and the Middle East and his keen military acumen, Major Mo Yuanhang gained the favor of Colonel Feng Shuwen in the military observer group, who earnestly invited him to join.

Colonel Feng Shuwen was the commander of this expeditionary force and a trusted right-hand man of the 33rd Prince.

"This humble subject, Mo Yuanhang, pays his respects to His Highness the Thirty-Third Prince." Major Mo Yuanhang had already resigned from his military post, so he dismounted and clasped his hands in a salute.

Prince Chu-Zhengtao walked over from the beach, looked at the burly man with a thick beard, laughed heartily, patted his shoulder twice, and said;
"Hahaha... You must be Colonel Mo. I've heard Commander Feng mention you before. You're indeed a tough and valiant man. I heard you're from the 11th class of the Royal Manila Military Academy, and I'm from the 16th class. You're my senior."

"How dare I, a mere nobody, presume to act arrogantly before Your Highness? Have you lost your mind?"

"Stop calling me Your Highness, call me Commander. From now on, we're all brothers in arms. As long as you brothers wholeheartedly assist me, I will share wealth and honor with you all."

"I will serve my superior with my life, even at the cost of fire and water."

"Good, good. I hereby appoint Mo Yuanhang as Major Battalion Commander of the Dubai Expeditionary Force, in charge of the cavalry, and as the vanguard of the entire army."

"Yes, sir," Major Mo Yuanhang snapped to attention and gave a standard military salute.

From now on
He was a major battalion commander in the makeshift Dubai Expeditionary Force, leading a force of over 360 cavalrymen, including the more than 100 cavalrymen he brought with him. They were also equipped with three 10-pound field guns and three heavy machine guns, making them quite formidable in combat.

Each 10-pound Parrot field gun could be disassembled into three parts, carried by three horses, with an additional six horses carrying ammunition, each horse carrying 12 shells. It was mainly used to attack enemy fortified areas.

It took two days for the entire army of more than 2200 people (note that there were also more than 660 management, logistics and other support personnel on the ship) to land ashore, and the corresponding combat supplies were also ready.

After a little preparation

The entire army immediately marched towards Dubai, launching its first military operation after the landing...

At that time, Dubai was a coastal port with a population of less than 10,000 and was not well-known along the Persian Gulf.

As early as 1833, the Nasta family, the chiefs of Abu Dhabi, and the Banias tribe, led by the Maktoum family, totaling more than 800 people, left Abu Dhabi due to being ostracized and migrated to Dubai, which was then a small fishing village, and established the Dubai Tribal Emirate.

In 1835, Dubai, along with the rest of the Emirate of Trusir, signed a "perpetual truce" with Britain and accepted British protection.

In 1852, Maktoum became the ruler, establishing the family's sole rule in Dubai. From then on, Dubai, the new independent emirate, formally separated from the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

In March 1892, the Emirate of Trusir was established, and Britain used this land as a transit point for the British East India Company, setting up a trading office there.

In the 20th century, due to the free trade policies promoted by successive sheikhs, Dubai became a gathering place for merchants from the surrounding areas, and gradually developed into a transit trade port that it remains to this day.

December 3, 1904, early morning
The expeditionary force of over two thousand men led by Prince Chu-Zheng Tao has arrived on the outskirts of Dubai and is hiding behind a hill, taking a short rest before the battle.

His Highness Chu-Zheng Tao, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Colonel Feng Shuwen, First Regiment Commander Lieutenant Colonel Wang Zhonghua, Second Regiment Commander Lieutenant Colonel Mei Fushan, and Cavalry Battalion Commander Major Mo Yuanhang gathered together, using the light of a kerosene lamp to illuminate the map and discuss battle plans.

Dubai City

The Arab tribal soldiers, numbering 1,300 to 1,400 and armed with advanced weapons such as rifles, belong to the Maksim family, the Nasta family, and the Trudell family, which are the three major families that control Dubai.

Among them, the Maxim family was the most powerful, accounting for about half of the city's troops.

The entire city of Dubai is surrounded by an earthen wall, which has collapsed in many places due to years of disrepair, with more than a dozen gaps, and it cannot serve as an obstacle to an attack at all.

These Arab tribes were not good at maintaining their positions. Instead, the group was discussing how to control the gaps in the earthen walls and wipe out the Arab soldiers inside the city to prevent them from escaping and causing further trouble.

Once they escape into the vast Gobi Desert, they become extremely difficult to track down.

These remnants of the army would occasionally launch surprise attacks, which was a real headache and required a great deal of effort to wipe them out.

After careful discussion

The west and south are key control areas. From Dubai, one can escape south to the Kingdom of Oman, west to Abu Dhabi, and north to the vast sea.

Those who escaped to the east faced endless Gobi Desert and sand dunes. Without adequate preparation, they would either die of thirst or exhaustion in the desert.

The expeditionary force ambushed west of Dubai, severing the connection between Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The battle plan was for Lieutenant Colonel Wang Zhonghua's First Regiment to maneuver to the south of the city, and after the battle began, to advance and control the breach in the earthen wall leading out of the city, and to send no less than three companies into the city to participate in the encirclement and suppression.

Lieutenant Colonel Umeyama led the 2nd Regiment as the main force of the attack, launching an offensive from the west of the city. Carrying a field artillery company, they advanced step by step, sweeping away and eliminating all resisting enemies.

Major Mo Yuanhang's cavalry battalion ambushed behind the hills east of the city. Once they discovered any enemy fleeing, they would pursue and attack from both sides, annihilating them completely.

The east side of the city was essentially left open, leading the Arab tribes in Dubai to mistakenly believe it was a path to survival.

When they fled for their lives, the cavalry battalion pursued them, which was exactly what the cavalry did best.

Prince Chu-Zheng Tao immediately made the decision to launch a full-scale attack during the morning prayer, signaled by gunfire.

So under the cover of night
The Dubai expeditionary force split into three groups and began its final preparations before the battle. Under the moonlight, the soldiers' expressions were resolute, and they also contained an barely suppressed excitement, full of confidence in the battle.

The Royal Army of the Great Chu Empire is an invincible army. Since its establishment, it has been undefeated in battle and has cultivated a strong sense of honor and self-confidence among its soldiers. It is a conqueror's army.

The Dubai expeditionary force included a large number of recruited retired officers and soldiers, who naturally carried on this tradition. Watching the army move silently in the night, Chu-Zheng Tao got goosebumps with excitement. This supreme power over the lives of millions and the thrilling adventure deeply captivated him.

By this time

Only then could he deeply feel his father's early military experiences and truly experience the thrill of a life of iron-blooded warfare, the thrill of being a conqueror.

Standing on the high ground of the hill
The city sleeping soundly under the cover of night was the starting point for Chu-Zhengtao to realize his grand ambitions. His heart was surging with emotion, his face flushed in the moonlight, and his eyes shone even brighter.

more than an hour later

Reports came in one after another that the first regiment that had made the detour had been deployed and the cavalry battalion had been deployed. By this time it was already around 4 a.m., the bright moon in the sky was setting in the west, and the moonlight was getting dimmer.

Some of the soldiers lying in ambush behind the hills were fast asleep, some were whispering among themselves, and some veterans were lying on the sand dunes with their guns in their arms, their eyes closed, slowly chewing on beef jerky.

There was no tense atmosphere at all, but rather a relaxed demeanor.

These retired officers and soldiers of the Great Chu Empire had experienced at least dozens of mopping-up operations during their service, and were immune to the tension of military operations.

Three years after the end of the Second East Indies War, the current royal army of the Great Chu Empire continued to carry out military security operations on Java and Sumatra, blockading, isolating and clearing out indigenous villages and towns in remote rural areas and inland hinterlands.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of indigenous women are transported to other native islands, and millions of male indigenous laborers are captured and forced into hard labor in mines. Local indigenous people will inevitably resist to some extent, and suppression is unavoidable.

However, the relevant information has been strictly blocked, neither publicized nor allowed to be disclosed, so it remains unknown to the outside world.

The waiting time always seemed long. Prince Chu-Zhengtao kept glancing at his Swiss gold watch, his body trembling with tension, and he had to pace back and forth to calm himself down.

Compared to the composed and confident Deputy Commander-in-Chief Colonel Feng Shuwen and the Second Regiment Commander Lieutenant Colonel Mei Fushan, who were leisurely drinking coffee, they appeared much more naive.

This was, after all, his first major military operation, and it involved his entire fortune; he could only win, not lose.

Time slipped by quietly, and another 40 minutes passed.

The crescent moon was already below the horizon, and a glimmer of dawn was appearing on the eastern horizon—a harbinger of the rising sun.

"Commander Feng, what do you think about the timing of the attack?" Prince Chu-Zhengtao couldn't help but ask.

Colonel Feng Shuwen and Lieutenant Colonel Mei Fushan stood up, saluted, and said, "Commander-in-Chief, we believe we should wait another incense stick's time. The current dim lighting is not conducive to our military operations."

“Alright then, we’ll wait a little longer,” Prince Chu-Zhengtao replied in agreement.

He couldn't sit still, so he walked to a high point on the hill, picked up his binoculars, and looked towards Dubai.

Under the morning light
Dubai City is beginning to take shape, spreading out like a flattened pancake along the bay, but the details inside are not yet visible.

Beyond the clear coastline, the boundless ocean, dark in color, is visible, and the morning sea breeze brings a refreshing, salty scent that clears the mind.

Dubai was originally a pearl farm, but it suffered a major blow after the rise of the artificial pearl industry in Japan, and has since shifted to coastal fishing as its main industry.

Near the pier by the sea
Dozens of fishing boats of all sizes were moored there, and almost every household was drying salted fish and other salted seafood. The strong fishy smell mingled with the sea breeze and blew in gusts.

Prince Chu-Zhengtao not only didn't find the smell unpleasant, but became even more excited, frequently raising his hand to check the time.

Colonel Feng Shuwen, standing behind him, glanced at Lieutenant Colonel Mei Fushan with a somewhat helpless expression. Seeing the affirmation in Mei Fushan's eyes, he stepped forward, raised his hand in salute, and said, "Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, we can proceed."

"Oh, then let's launch a full-scale attack."

"Yes, sir! All troops, attack!" Colonel Feng Shuwen quickly issued the order, and the officers immediately ran and scattered, waking up some sleeping soldiers with punches and kicks.

"Stop sleeping, get up and prepare for battle!"

"Men of the Seventh Company, line up and prepare for battle."

"Hurry, hurry up!"

The soldiers were herded into ranks and quickly began to form lines. The officers issued a series of orders: "Companies, form ranks, report numbers, check weapons and equipment." "Load bullets." "Prepare for attack."

Under the officers' orders, the more than 800 soldiers of the Second Regiment quickly assembled and formed an offensive skirmish formation, pressing towards Dubai.

The artillery established positions on the high ground of the hills, ready to launch fire strikes at any time.

The distance from the ambush site to Dubai City was about two thousand meters. The large group of people approached like a dark cloud and were discovered within minutes.

Screams echoed through the city, and people scattered in panic.

Seeing that the time was almost right, Colonel Feng Shuwen waved his hand sharply downwards and shouted, "Fire! Give it your all! Full speed bombardment for 5 minutes!"

Give an order

"Boom boom boom boom..."

The booming sound of cannons shattered the quiet dawn sky, echoing loudly as they exploded violently around the earthen fortress.

The explosion instantly leveled the earthen enclosure and surrounding houses, sending thick smoke billowing into the air, with wisps of yellowish-brown smoke rising and carrying fragments of corpses into the sky.

A platoon of nine Parrot 9-pound cannons bombarded the earthen fortifications and surrounding houses in western Dubai at a rate of one to two rounds per minute, collapsing large sections of the fortifications and leveling the surrounding houses.

At this point, the attacking soldiers had closed to within about 600 or 700 meters.

When the cannon fire stopped, they all shouted and rushed forward, entering the city in just a few minutes, catching the Arabs in Dubai, who were awakened from their sleep, completely off guard.

A series of dense gunshots rang out as the more than 800 officers and soldiers of the Second Regiment, dispersed into company and platoon-sized units, advanced all the way and reached the central square of Dubai City in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Many Arab tribal warriors who rushed out were shot down by the dense gunfire, with virtually no chance to resist.

Some Arabs who had taken refuge in mud houses and picked up guns to resist were met with a few grenades thrown by the approaching soldiers. The grenades exploded instantly, creating a cloud of smoke, and then fell silent. (End of Chapter)