Nanyang Storm 1864

Forty years have passed since the army marched south in 1865 and established the Great Chu Kingdom in 1867.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire has transformed from a spirited young general into a nearly sixty-year-old supreme emperor with graying temples. His ambition remains, but he cannot escape the ravages of time.

As he pondered the major domestic and foreign affairs of the empire, a wave of drowsiness washed over him, and he lay down on the Nine Dragons Imperial Bed and fell into a deep sleep, emitting a soft snore.

He Xiuni, a female officer of the Imperial Guard who was on duty outside the Zichen Palace, heard this and peeked out with a puzzled expression, rubbing her eyes in disbelief.

Confirming that His Majesty the Emperor was asleep, she quickly signaled to her adjutant, Lieutenant Wang Zhenzhen, to join her, and instructed the other female officers: "Staying at your posts and not making any noise is strictly prohibited. Anyone who disturbs His Majesty will be severely punished."

"Your subordinate obeys." The remaining four female officers saluted respectfully and complied.

Major He Xiuni carried an embroidered quilt in both hands, her steps as light as a cat's as she led Lieutenant Wang Zhenzhen into the hall. Instantly, an invisible, supreme pressure emanated from her.

This was completely different from when he was on duty outside the palace. In this solemn and majestic Zichen Palace, almost everywhere was permeated with the aura of the supreme emperor. Accompanied by the lingering and rising incense smoke, a sense of reverence naturally arose.

On the Nine Dragons Bed

His Majesty the Emperor, his temples streaked with gray, slept peacefully, the slight rise and fall of his chest revealing the indelible marks of time.

Major He Xiuni witnessed all of this. This supreme emperor had supported the overseas Chinese world, working tirelessly almost every moment. He was a sacred totem worshipped by overseas Chinese, a father and a ruler.

She was instantly overwhelmed with emotion, and tears silently streamed down her cheeks.

Major He Xiuni gently covered His Majesty with an embroidered quilt. Noticing that His Majesty's right arm was being pressed down, she gently pulled it out a little with both hands to prevent discomfort from prolonged pressure.

While fast asleep, Emperor Zheng Guohui casually grabbed Major He Xiuni's fair hand in his large hand and drifted off to sleep again.

Major He Xiuni was initially startled, but quickly recovered and silently shook her head at Lieutenant Wang Zhenzhen beside her, signaling her to step back.

She knelt before the Nine Dragons Bed, one hand holding His Majesty's arm, the other hand held by His Majesty's large hand, her heart filled with happiness.

His Majesty's long, powerful hand completely covered Major He Xiuni's fair palm. The warmth emanating from his palm relaxed her tense nerves, followed by waves of happiness.

Having served His Majesty for over a decade, Major He Xiuni had never been so close to him.

What an honor!
At this moment, even if she were to be instantly shattered to pieces, Major He Xiuni would gladly accept it and face death with a smile.

She knelt quietly before the Nine Dragons Imperial Bed, listening to His Majesty's long snores, seemingly completely absorbed in the moment.

In the Royal Guard's Inner Guard, all the female officers are fervent followers who have sworn never to marry. Most of them are young refugee girls who were taken in when they were young, and a small number come from noble families.

These refugee girls undergo years of education at the Mercy School, then are selected through multiple rounds of screening. After graduating from high school, they enter military academies, and only the best of the best are selected to join the Royal Guard's Female Regiment.

Each one is one in a thousand, with height, appearance, military skills, and loyalty all being indispensable.

Not long after
Royal Secretary Gu Huaiyu rushed in from outside, but was stopped by Lieutenant Wang Zhenzhen, who gave him a brief report in a low voice.

"Oh..." Gu Huaiyu responded with a surprised expression, then stepped lightly into the hall to take a look.

He gave He Xiuni a reassuring look, then quietly went to the side and sat down to wait.

The Royal Secretary-General is the chief steward by His Majesty's side, with a rank comparable to that of cabinet ministers and governors-general. He can enter the Zichen Hall without prior notice and has a seat in front of His Majesty.

During their shifts, they mostly sat in their posts outside the Zichen Hall, and serving in front of the emperor was not the norm.

East Africa Governor's Office

Asmara, the capital city
After decades of development, Asmara has grown into a major regional city with a population of over 37. Among the dozen or so cities in the East African Governorate, it ranks second in population, only after Dinghai City on the Red Sea coast.

Asmara is a typical highland pastoral city. The region is mainly engaged in food processing, leather processing, and agricultural machinery and building materials industries, and has developed many handicraft workshops, mostly for processing firearms and leather.

For example, the city has dozens of gun workshops, some with a dozen or so people and others with three or five. There are many gunsmiths who are famous in East Africa and are good at customizing precision firearms that professional mercenaries like.

For example, mid-range precision rifles and high-powered double-barreled elephant hunting rifles were mostly made by these skilled craftsmen.

In the Governor's Mansion
Dozens of young and beautiful maids carried fruit platters, and wine and food moved back and forth. Governor Cao Yuxiu and Dubai King Chu-Zhengtao sat side by side at the head of the table, with their respective officials arranged in order on both sides, drinking and watching the song and dance.

The King of Dubai, Chu-Zheng Tao, was a frequent visitor, making a trip every seven or eight months. In addition, the East African Governor's Office, following the royal decree, also stationed varying numbers of troops in the aforementioned Arab countries, resulting in very close ties between the two sides.

After a few glasses of fruit wine, the King of Dubai, Chu-Zhengtao, had a blush spread across his spirited young face as he smiled and said;

“Your Excellency, this time we brothers are joining forces to pull off a big heist. Your family is large and your business is vast. If you would be so kind as to lend your assistance, we will present you with a generous gift after the event is accomplished.”

"No, no, no... Your Majesty, please don't make fun of this old minister. I am a humble dog, long past the age of passionate impetuosity. I don't seek merit, but only to avoid mistakes, so I will not participate." Cao Yuxiu shook his head like a rattle drum, directly refusing.

The three kingdoms of Dubai, Yemen, and Sana'a have joined forces and plan to raid Oman from three directions. Each kingdom plans to abduct at least 10 young and able-bodied people, with no upper limit.

To implement this plan, the Kingdom of Dubai expanded its army to over 5400 men and recruited over 2,000 East African mercenary cavalrymen, preparing for a major operation.

The other two kingdoms also took action, agreeing to send troops from all three locations to plunder adjacent border regions.

Whoever takes it, keeps it; there's no doubt about that.

They strengthen their ties and work together to counter the Omani Kingdom's counterattacks. The armies that raid in each direction have a high degree of freedom.

Governor Cao Yuxiu had no interest in such matters and would never mobilize the army to intervene; that would be just asking for trouble.
The troops stationed at the Governor-General's Office in East Africa are responsible for maintaining peace and tranquility in the areas under the Governor-General's jurisdiction. Occasionally crossing the border into the neighboring Ethiopian Highlands is perfectly reasonable.

Deploying troops into the Kingdom of Oman is a completely different matter.

These princes and noblemen are going too far; this old minister from the frontier can't keep up.

King Chu-Zhengtao of Dubai didn't expect the East Africa Governor's Office to send troops. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts to persuade him, he said, "Since the Governor is unwilling to participate, I won't force him. However, my cavalry lacks firepower and I would like to borrow some heavy firepower equipment. Is that possible?" So that's what they were waiting for.

The East African Viceroyalty has enough Chinese mercenaries, and plenty of rifles and pistols. The only problem is the lack of crucial heavy firepower; heavy machine guns and artillery are strictly regulated by the Empire.

Governor Cao Yuxiu did not want to get involved in this matter and was about to refuse.

Chu-Zheng Tao said, seemingly casually;
"In this southeastern Arabian land, only the Kingdom of Oman remains. They are wary of the power of our Great Chu Empire at every turn, which is truly hateful."

His Majesty the Emperor said earlier
While we're young and full of vigor, we can cause as much trouble as we want in this world. Even if we manage to tear the sky apart, it's not a big deal.

Dubai's King Chu-Zheng Tao didn't lower his voice; everyone present could hear him, and each person's expression was different.

Governor Cao Yuxiu also changed her mind instantly, and laughed as she spoke;
"Since His Majesty the King is willing to organize joint military exercises with my East Africa Governor's Office, I am willing to do so, as this is a good thing after all."

However, since it involves military affairs, this governor is not very familiar with them.

Whether it is feasible or not, Your Majesty should consult with the military and make proper arrangements for the joint military exercises between the two countries.

He directly distanced himself from the situation, changing the story from borrowing a batch of heavy firepower equipment to a military exercise between the two countries on the Arabian Peninsula.

As for how the heavy firepower equipment will be used during the military exercise, that depends on the proper arrangements between the two countries.

In any case, nothing can go wrong, and the East African Governor's Office will not take the blame, nor will it send armed forces to participate, leaving people with something to say.

The British aren't as easy to talk to as you might think, and they're not stupid either.

Seeing the governor looking back and forth, the King of Dubai, Chu-Zheng Tao, laughed and stopped pressuring him. He then invited everyone to eat, drink, and watch the song and dance performances, and instead started talking about some unimportant topics.

He was determined to get his hands on this batch of heavy firepower equipment.

Ten months have passed since the establishment of the Kingdom. With the strong support of the Great Chu Empire, the Kingdom of Dubai has overcome its initial poverty and backwardness. The construction of Terminal 1 is also nearing completion, and large ships have begun to be unloaded.

With the construction of Pier 2 and Pier 3 underway, smuggling operations flourished, and everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction.

By the end of June 1904
Dubai's population has grown rapidly to over 34,000. New cement plants and more than a dozen brick kilns have been put into operation one after another, and the city's construction is booming. Street-front houses, mainly two to three stories high, are spreading rapidly, and roads, squares, gardens, and public toilets are appearing in an orderly manner.

Today, Dubai City is no longer the dilapidated place it once was, but a burgeoning city brimming with development.

There are many advantages, but also some disadvantages.

The most critical issue is the severe shortage of labor; there is a manpower shortage almost everywhere, which is a major development problem facing the Kingdom of Sana'a and the Kingdom of Yemen.

Among these, the Kingdom of Dubai is facing the most severe shortage of personnel.

If these Chinese immigrants are to be able to settle down and truly put down roots in the local area, then they also need to be able to buy women, which is a big problem.

When these brothers got together, they couldn't help but focus their attention on the Kingdom of Oman. After all, this backward and ignorant Arab kingdom was right in front of them, so who else would they target?

Even the northernmost kingdom of Jeddah couldn't resist and pledged to send 1800 cavalrymen to participate in the operation, planning to arrive in Yemen in early November to join forces and then launch the operation.

If you think about it, there aren't many days left.

Fortunately, long-distance telegrams are very convenient nowadays, and the relevant orders for war preparations have been sent back to the Kingdom of Dubai. The army has been mobilized to gather in Al Ain town in the south and is undergoing pre-battle mountain acclimatization training.

King Chu-Zhengtao stayed at the Central African Governor's Office to prepare to take back a batch of good stuff. He wanted heavy weapons, as well as some marching tents and cavalry equipment; the imperial armory had plenty, after all.

Bring some food and other necessities back with you if you can.

He's come to terms with it now. The Great Chu Empire is his ancestral homeland, rich and powerful, with a vast territory. Even a little bit of wealth slipping through his fingers would be enough for him to eat and drink to his heart's content.

It's not shameful to ask the Emperor for something; even if it's reported to the Moon Lake official residence, you can still get some benefits no matter what.

His Majesty's support for these small countries on the Arabian Peninsula is obvious. The officials in the imperial center are not stupid; they naturally know what to do instead of reporting everything to the emperor.

Today, these four kingdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, having overcome the difficulties of their early years, are each showing good momentum for development and are gradually developing ambitions.

The Kingdom of Jeddah and the Kingdom of Dubai are actually at the same latitude, except that one is on the Persian Gulf coast east of the Arabian Peninsula, while the other is on the Red Sea coast west of the Arabian Peninsula.

It is separated by a vast desert, making it difficult for ordinary people to pass.

There was a border dispute between the Kingdom of Jeddah and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which had just occupied Riyadh. There had been several minor clashes between them, with the camel cavalry of the Kingdom of Jeddah usually winning.

Both kingdoms were newly established, with a combined history of less than two years. The boundaries between the desert and Gobi were not clearly defined, and interpretations from their respective perspectives inevitably led to disputes.

Therefore, the Kingdom of Jeddah is quite dissatisfied with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and intends to join forces with the Kingdom of Dubai to deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It does not rule out the possibility of overthrowing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in one fell swoop, and then the two sides can sit down and divide the spoils.

During their visit to the Kingdom of Yemen, the Yemeni side also revealed their ambitions toward Oman.

If possible
If we join forces with the Kingdom of Dubai to destroy it, then the territory of the Kingdom of Oman can be divided between the two parties.

It's impossible for family members to fight each other. With the current emperor on the throne, his lofty and authoritative authority has been deeply rooted in the hearts of all the princes. No one dares to quarrel with their brothers, and no one dares to show their teeth.

If things go wrong, you'll be back to square one in no time.

Yemen, being a small country, cannot swallow up the large and lucrative Kingdom of Oman on its own, so cooperation is the best option.

After King Chu-Zheng Tao's tour, he was truly impressed by the ambition of his elder brothers; none of them were content with mediocrity.

It's not surprising, considering they're all of the Emperor's bloodline, and in this era where the strong rule, who wouldn't have some ambition? (End of Chapter)