Nanyang Storm 1864

"Hahaha...This child is remarkably like me!"

In the Zichen Palace
Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire held a report on the recent developments of the Kingdom of Dubai in his hand, and laughed heartily with a gratified expression, giving it extremely high praise.

Others may not know, but Zheng Guohui is very clear in his heart: this Dubai kingdom has become prosperous.

Within its surrounding vast deserts and coastline lies immeasurable wealth, with an astonishing total amount of oil and natural gas resources, making it a veritable treasure trove of oil and gas.

Although Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty knew this, he did not intend to interfere with the original course of history. These massive amounts of wealth would not be available for development for another half a century.

It's better to expose it too early than to let it go.

Like a child carrying gold through a bustling market, it will inevitably attract a frenzy of competition from the world's great powers. Even with the current strength of the Great Chu Empire, it cannot stop mad dogs from snatching food.

The less trouble, the better.

The Bandar Seri Begawan oil field of the Great Chu Empire was located at the heart of the empire, beyond the reach of European powers, who could not afford a protracted war of attrition.

They had no choice but to put aside their greed and honestly do business with the Great Chu Empire.

The geographical location of the Kingdom of Dubai places it on the periphery of the European sphere of influence.

Whether it's Britain, Germany, or France, they are all capable of deploying large numbers of troops to the Middle East, often numbering in the hundreds of thousands, just to seize oil and gas-rich regions.

This is not a possibility, but a necessity.

Decades later, during World War II, the German mechanized corps launched a massive invasion of Soviet Russia. One of its important strategic objectives was to seize the oil and gas-rich Caucasus oil fields to satisfy the enormous appetite of the German mechanized corps.

Once the oil runs out, the German Empire, which is on a path of rapid expansion, will completely collapse.

German factories will have to shut down, cars, ships and other means of transportation will have to stop operating, and Germany's powerful mechanized forces will be reduced to scrap metal.

The ultimate solution lay in the Caucasus oil fields of Tsarist Russia, which were the lifeblood of the German Empire and of decisive strategic importance.

Therefore, it's best to remain silent for now.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire was pleased and summoned the Royal Secretary-General Gu Huaiyu, giving him instructions.
"The imperial decree states that the 33rd prince, Chu-Zheng Tao, has established a kingdom overseas, displaying his power in foreign lands and spreading Chinese civilization on the Arabian Peninsula."

He is truly capable of undertaking important tasks and is very much like me.

"By imperial decree, Zheng Tao of Chu is hereby granted the title of Duke of Dubai of the Great Chu Empire, awarded with a golden book and jade seal, to be inherited by one of the emperor's grandsons, granted one million mu of land, a palace, and one hundred servants. This is the imperial decree."

After thinking about it for a moment

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu felt that bestowing the title of honor only upon the King of Dubai was somewhat unfair, so he added:
"The titles of Duke of Jeddah, Duke of Sara, and Duke of Yemen shall be conferred upon the vassal states of the Arabian Peninsula. They shall be ordered to be self-disciplined, respectful, and diligent in building their nations, and to serve as role models for the world. This is my decree!"

"Your humble servant obeys." After bowing, Gu Huaiyu hurriedly went to the public room outside the palace to make the imperial edict, the golden book and the jade seal.

This is an official decree issued by His Majesty the Emperor of Great Chu. It is neither a decree nor an oral edict. It must be recorded in the royal archives and transmitted to all departments of the court for implementation.

Among these four Arab countries, the Kingdom of Jeddah also contains abundant oil resources. The famous Jizan oil field of Saudi Arabia is located within its territory and is a world-class onshore oil field.

Comparison
The Kingdom of Yemen and the Kingdom of Sara are less developed, but fortunately they can develop other industries and don't have to rely solely on resources.

Children and grandchildren have their own destinies, so let's not worry about them.

After decades of hard work, the Great Chu Empire gradually established its own close-knit trade network, with its main markets being the northern continent, as well as Japan, Korea, Ryukyu, the Kingdom of Siam, and various countries in South America.

Chinese and American capital compete fiercely in South America, each cultivating a group of close political forces, and it is also one of the dumping grounds for industrial products.

South America is no longer America's backyard. Thanks to its geographical advantage of proximity, the Great Chu Empire is more powerful in South America, roughly on par with American capital.

Chinese capital accounts for 60% of the market, while American capital accounts for 40%.

Britain, a traditional world trading power, has declined. In its most prized industry, textiles, it has faced challenges from countries such as the United States, Germany, and Italy, resulting in a significant reduction in its market reach and influence.

Today, the influence of Chinese people in Southeast Asia is unique. In places such as the French Saigon Governor's Office, the British Straits Governor's Office, the Kingdom of Siam, and British Burma, Chinese capital has firmly controlled the local economic lifeline and most of the commerce.

This led to the formation of a pan-Asian commercial empire, which greatly boosted the foreign trade exports of the Great Empire, spreading its enormous influence and Chinese civilization to the Indochina Peninsula like a dense spider web.

Mandarin is widely spoken in major commercial ports in the Indochina Peninsula. Even some European white merchants doing business in the region need to know some Mandarin to communicate.

1905st January 3

The Black Flag Army, which was entrenched in the Haiphong region of Vietnam, sent envoys to request investiture, acknowledging the Great Chu Empire as the Celestial Empire and willingly becoming a vassal state, presenting tribute annually and coming to court every year.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire conferred upon Liu Yongfu the title of Duke of Guangnan and bestowed upon him the name "Guangnan," which governed sixteen prefectures in northern Vietnam, with a total population of over 173 million and an army of tens of thousands.

During this period, the Black Flag Army had the secret support of the Great Chu Empire, and unlike in history, it did not suffer a defeat in the Battle of Beiqi, leaving only a few hundred remnants to retreat back to the country in a miserable state.

After establishing a base centered on coastal defense, the Black Flag Army developed its economy primarily through coal and rice exports, built ports, and repeatedly defeated French invasions. At the founding ceremony of the Quang Nam Kingdom, the Great Chu Empire sent a high-level delegation to offer congratulations, which drew protests from the French and strong opposition from the Kingdom of Vietnam in Hanoi.

Today, the Kingdom of Vietnam is confined to the northern region, centered around Hanoi, and is a puppet state under the rule of French Indochina, having lost much of the support of the local population.

The core of French rule in the Indochina Peninsula was Saigon in the south. French colonies included the northern region, headed by Hanoi, the southern region south of the Angkor Thué, and the former territories of the Kingdom of Laos and Cambodia.

Its geographical location borders the Kingdom of Siam, and to the north it borders the Kingdom of Quang Nam and the Qing Dynasty.

Despite strong opposition from the French colonists, the Kingdom of Guangnan was successfully established, and a fleet of the Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire was stationed in Haiphong Port.

This is tantamount to a blatant statement.

No one can invade the Kingdom of Guangnan from the sea. This vassal state is under the wing of the Great Chu Empire, and any country must think twice before acting on it.

This infuriated the French, but there was nothing they could do about it.

During the Russo-Japanese War, the French side with Russia, providing strong support for the Russian army's purchase of military equipment and its war efforts, which caused serious friction in Anglo-French relations and led to many unpleasant incidents.

On the matter of the Kingdom of Guangnan, Britain unexpectedly adopted the same stance as the Great Chu Empire, believing that the new regional kingdom would help curb the ever-expanding ambitions of the French.

It was actually meant to annoy the French. Whenever the British saw the French getting furious, they felt a secret sense of satisfaction.

The French have long harbored colonial ambitions to unify the Indochina Peninsula, but due to the tense situation of the European arms race, France's ability to project power into the Indochina Peninsula was very limited, and its grand colonial plan was hampered by setbacks.

The Kingdom of Guangnan was just a minor episode; the focus of the world's attention is still on the Russo-Japanese War in the north.

After the Liaoyang Campaign, Shahe Campaign, and Lushun Campaign at the end of last year, the Japanese army gained a certain advantage on the battlefield despite suffering heavy casualties.

some of

In the Battle of Liaoyang, the Japanese army launched the main attack and won the battle after suffering tens of thousands of casualties.

In the Battle of Shahe, the Russian army, which had a greater troop strength, launched continuous counterattacks, while the Japanese army mainly defended and waited for an opportunity to counterattack.

Both sides suffered significant losses, so the final outcome was roughly even.

The greatest victory was the Battle of Port Arthur, a fierce battle that lasted nearly a year, which ended on January 2, 1805, when the Russians officially signed the surrender document.

At this time, the Russian army still had 3.24 officers and soldiers, 610 artillery pieces, and 20.3 shells.

During the entire Battle of Port Arthur, the Russian army claimed to have lost more than 4.4 men, while the Japanese army claimed to have lost about 6 men. In reality, even doubling those numbers would not be enough.

Fortunately, the Japanese army achieved a final victory in the Battle of Port Arthur, thereby completely annihilating the Russian Pacific Fleet, achieving a milestone and seeing the dawn of final victory.

The news of victory acted like a shot in the arm, igniting a surge of fervor across Japan. Countless citizens took to the streets to demonstrate and vent their emotions, and Japan seized the opportunity to launch a new round of military mobilization.

This is the ninth general mobilization of the military, with a total of over one million troops mobilized.

By mid-February
The Japanese and Russian forces amassed a large number of troops on the outskirts of Mukden, thus beginning the Battle of Mukden.

In this battle, the Japanese army amassed more than 29 troops. If the troops from Lushun, Liaoyang and other places are included, the total number exceeds 42.

Excluding the nearly 20 Japanese pirates who were killed or wounded in the war, the Japanese have sent more than 62 troops to the central and northern regions, and are still sending reinforcements.

With the addition of over 100,000 troops from the Korean Peninsula and mainland Japan, as well as reinforcements undergoing intensive training in training camps, Japan plans to mobilize another 200,000 people to participate in this crucial battle that it must win.

compare with

Tsarist Russia amassed nearly 40 troops in the area surrounding Mukden, giving it an absolute advantage in terms of manpower and artillery.

However, due to successive defeats and untimely supply of materials, the morale of the Russian troops on the front lines was extremely low, and they suffered from severe "fear of Japan," with countless desertions and suicides.

The two armies faced off on the front lines, and the final battle was about to break out.

It is worth noting that
As early as the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, Tsar Nicholas II decided to draw ships from the Baltic Fleet (later joined by the Black Sea Fleet) to form the "Second Pacific Squadron" and send it to the Far East to provide reinforcements.

This mixed fleet consisted of 38 main warships of various types and about 20 auxiliary ships, organized into three naval squadrons, under the unified command of Vice Admiral Rozhestvinsky.

Due to insufficient preparation, the journey of the 2nd Pacific Squadron to Asia was repeatedly postponed, and it did not set sail until November 1904.

This was a full four months later than originally expected.

At this time, the Russian Pacific Fleet, which was holed up in the Lushun Fortress, was facing the fate of being completely annihilated, which was a significant blow to the morale of the reinforcement fleet.

Because the Suez Canal, maintained by Britain, prohibited the passage of major warships of belligerent nations, the main fleet of the Russian Second Pacific Fleet had to round the Cape of Good Hope, the southernmost point of Africa, and embark on a long voyage of more than 3 nautical miles to reach the South Pacific region.

The officers and men of the Russian fleet truly suffered greatly along the way. (End of Chapter)