Nanyang Storm 1864

Early morning, at dawn

A long convoy of cars drove out of the palace and sped along the empty streets toward the Royal Navy dock in the north of the city.

On the Royal Navy dock in the north of the city
Thick black smoke billowed from the smokestack of the battleship "Coconut City," which was as big as a small mountain. The new steam turbines were running, and they had been warming up for more than two hours.

As dawn broke, the royal convoy arrived, and all the officers and men of the ship stood in formation to welcome it—the highest and final ceremonial honor in the navy.

Accompanied by Admiral He Zhucheng, Minister of the Navy, the Emperor of the Great Chu Empire, along with his accompanying officials, stepped onto the gangway and quickly boarded the warship.

Not long after
The massive battleship Coconut City departed the dock and slowly sailed toward the vast Manila Bay, accompanied by the heavy cruiser Huashan, heading toward the azure ocean one after the other.

At the Royal Manila Naval Base homeport, dozens of battleships, heavy cruisers, and cruisers of all sizes were moored neatly in the anchorage. This was a powerful naval force that was unmatched in the entire Pacific Ocean, and it was also the profound foundation of the Great Chu Empire.

Only one day later

1905年5月14日，金兰湾的沙俄皇家海军主力太平洋第2分舰队和第3分舰队浩浩荡荡的拔锚起航，依次离开了港口。

And at this time

The Japanese Allied Fleet, led by Admiral Togo Heihachiro, was already lingering near Jinhae on the Korean Peninsula, laying its net and waiting for the Russian fleet to crash into it.

After annihilating the Russian Pacific Fleet in one fell swoop, the Japanese Allied Fleet was brimming with confidence from top to bottom, and even became arrogant. Some Japanese naval officers shouted arrogantly.
"Whether it's the First, Second, or Third Fleet of the Pacific, coming here would only lead to certain death. Even the Chu fleet, which prides itself on dominating the Pacific, is no match for the Combined Fleet."

Naha Port, Ryukyu

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire arrived in the Ryukyu Kingdom aboard the battleship "Coconut City". He stayed at the palace there for two days, received King Shotoku of Ryukyu who came to pay his respects, and praised him kindly.

The previous Ryukyu king passed away three years ago due to illness. The current king, Shotoku, is the son of the third princess of the Great Chu Kingdom. He is 17 years old and has just come of age.

King Shangde was somewhat timid and dared not make decisions on his own, always listening to the Queen Mother.

The kingdom's major political affairs were in the hands of the Queen Mother, who was the third princess of the Great Chu Kingdom who had married into the family. King Shangde was, in a sense, his grandson, so they were all family.

The Great Chu Empire had a concession, a naval base, and a garrison in Naha. The concession was particularly prosperous, with a population of over 300,000, and its area covered more than half of Naha.

For a regional power like Japan with its ambitions, concessions were a disgrace of lost sovereignty, a symbol of enslavement, and an unacceptable reality.

For a small country like the Ryukyu Kingdom, this was a classic case of clinging to a powerful ally.

What is the loss of sovereignty? Can it be more serious than the fall of a country?

Small countries naturally have their own wisdom for survival, understanding that being situated between the two powerful states of Chu and Fusang, they have no other choice.

Therefore, actively granting the Naha concession more privileges and requesting the Celestial Empire to station more troops to share the increasing pressure is no joke.

The Japanese Empire had always harbored ambitions towards the Ryukyu Kingdom right under its nose. After defeating its former suzerain state, the Qing Dynasty, its political and military figures made no secret of their desire to "invade Ryukyu, restore the imperial lineage, and use it as a base to expand into a wider ocean."

So over the years

The army of the Great Chu Empire stationed in Naha has expanded from a battalion to a regiment, and now, at the request of the Naha Kingdom, it will be further expanded to the size of an army division, which is tens of thousands of people.

It's impossible to cramm tens of thousands of troops into one place. There would need to be at least twenty or thirty military bases, with training bases, military warehouses, garrison battalions, and dedicated artillery ranges and logistics bases. It's no simple task.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire readily agreed to the request from the Naha Kingdom.

He could understand the precarious feeling of the upper echelons of the Ryukyu Kingdom under the pressure of a powerful and hostile neighbor; life was truly difficult.

Especially seeing that Japan had actually beaten the powerful Tsarist Russia black and blue in the Northeast, with its arrogance and ferocity, how could one not be terrified?
In the Great Chu Empire, no one worried about this.

This is the difference in mentality between the people of the two countries. The total population of the Great Chu Empire has reached 1.37 million, and its territory is as vast as 1657 million square kilometers. It would take half a year to travel from east to west by boat. It is so vast and boundless.

They simply didn't take the tiny Fusang Kingdom seriously.

Although the Kingdom of Fusang was giving Tsarist Russia a sound beating in the north, newspapers, magazines and radio stations within the Great Chu Empire still used derogatory terms like "Japanese slaves," "Japanese pirates," "Fusang little devils," "little Japanese," and "three-inch dwarf."

Especially after the XX Incident in 1895, the derogatory term "Japanese pirates" became even more prevalent, filled with hatred for the country and its people—this is the phenomenon of hating the house because of the crow.

The Kingdom of Fusang lodged countless diplomatic protests, and the diplomatic department of the Great Chu Empire initially feigned concern, claiming that this was a matter of freedom of speech and a symbol of civilized nations.

Later on, I got too lazy to respond and just read the message but didn't reply.

This infuriated the Kingdom of Fusang, who published inflammatory articles in its domestic newspapers and magazines criticizing the Kingdom of Chu for its "imperialist arrogance," "overbearing attitude," and "utterly outrageous" behavior. However, these were nothing more than powerless rage.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire's trip to the north, which included a stopover in the Ryukyu Kingdom, was highly symbolic and served as a clear warning signal to the Fusang Kingdom.
The Ryukyu Kingdom is a subordinate kingdom protected by the Great Chu Empire, and any improper thoughts are absolutely not allowed.

This reassured the entire Ryukyu Kingdom, and their gratitude was palpable.

When King Shotoku of Ryukyu paid homage to Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu, he knelt down directly and performed the highest level of respect.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu accepted the offer without hesitation. He not only allowed the addition of an infantry division to the garrison but also agreed to deploy new battleships to the Naha naval base, demonstrating a clear commitment to protection.

To know

In early January 1905, after a hard-fought battle, Japan captured Port Arthur, which was located opposite Naha Port, at the cost of more than 60,000 lives.

The journey between the two is only two or three days.

This felt like a mountain pressing down on them, making the Ryukyu Kingdom's security anxieties even more pronounced, naturally leading them to rely even more on the security guarantees of the Great Chu Empire.

Under the rule of the Queen Mother of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the Naha Kingdom fully implemented the "Look South" strategy, and from elementary to middle school, national language education was implemented, using textbooks from the Great Chu Empire.

The administrative reforms in the Naha Kingdom are also being implemented, adopting the administrative and supervisory systems of the Great Chu Empire. Cultural and military exchanges have become more frequent, and they can be said to have reached a point of close intimacy.

Retired officers from the Great Chu Empire served as high-ranking officers in the Ryukyu Kingdom's army, and the royal guards were all members of the Chen family. The Chen family held immense power and influence in the Ryukyu Kingdom.

This third princess was born to Consort Mo, whose maternal family was the Chen family of Anhui Province. From Manila to the Ryukyu Kingdom, the Chen family is now becoming increasingly prosperous.

With the encouragement of friends and relatives from the surrounding villages, they crossed the sea to the Ryukyu Kingdom, settling down to do business and politics. Surprisingly, they gained considerable influence within the Ryukyu Kingdom, which was entirely reasonable.

Just like the Mei family's booming development in the Dubai kingdom, it doesn't matter who benefits.
The Zheng family of the Great Chu Empire, and even the imperial relatives, had very high standards and looked down on these remote and insignificant places on the overseas frontier. However, the princes, princesses, and maternal relatives born to these concubines did not look down on them!

That Ba Xing Palace was also located halfway up the mountain.
The emperor of the Great Chu Empire, dressed in a Tang-style brocade robe with dragon motifs, stood in the palace overlooking the Naha Bay. Dozens or even hundreds of merchant ships shuttled back and forth in the bay, and hundreds of small fishing boats were moored on the shore, creating a prosperous scene.

The Ryukyu Kingdom has also developed quite well in recent years, especially Naha Port, which earns a substantial income of millions of silver dollars every year through transshipment trade between the north, south, and west.

This supported tens of thousands of families, whether they were dockworkers, transport workers, warehouse workers, livestock breeders, food vendors, or small business owners in brothels, tea houses, or inns. Almost half of Naha City revolved around the port.

If tens of thousands of troops were to enter Naha, it would generate at least hundreds of thousands of silver dollars in additional revenue each year, further promoting the city's prosperity and providing a beneficial boost to the economy of this small country.

The Ryukyu Kingdom as a whole had little industry; the most prosperous area was Naha City on the southwest coast of Okinawa Island, especially the Chinese concession area near the port.

The population of Naha City is over 440,000, accounting for more than 80% of the total population of Okinawa Island and nearly half of the total population of the kingdom.

The entire population of the Ryukyu Kingdom was just over one million, scattered across more than thirty islands of varying sizes around Okinawa.

Other areas are either rural or fishing villages, mostly characterized by peaceful pastoral life, which is the norm for small coastal countries around the world today.

Even a powerful nation like the Netherlands remained a typical agricultural country.

The Ryukyu Kingdom has achieved its current state through considerable effort.

Due to the tributary relationship between the Ryukyu Kingdom and the Great Chu Empire, many Chinese merchant families operating trade routes in the north preferred to set up transit warehouses here for convenient transportation, goods transfer, and sales.

A similar situation existed in Nagasaki, where the Chinese concession had many warehouses, mainly selling various industrial products and southern specialties to Japan, with a wide variety of goods.

In recent years, plastic basins, plastic buckets, plastic sheets and plastic cups have become popular; telephones, quartz radios, bicycles and cars produced by Ocean Empire; and ubiquitous oil company advertisements and kerosene lamps are all available, representing a wide variety of industrial products.

In addition, imported grains, flour, oil, sugar, milk, coffee, cocoa, canned tropical fruits, etc., are all very sought-after and popular items.

Japan has few exports besides pearls, silk, and women, especially the many women who went to Southeast Asia. Besides being found in brothels and prostitutes throughout the provinces and counties, they were sold to wealthy merchants in the empire to work as maids, concubines, or dancers.

Therefore, many proud Japanese intellectuals cried out in anguish: "If you want to be a truly dignified great nation, please stop making Japanese women serve Chu men! We beg you!"

Unfortunately, no matter how loudly they cried out, it was to no avail.

Fusang has no notable products. The small amount of rice it produces each year is not enough to feed itself, and it has to import rice from the Great Chu Empire every year.

As for good things like wool, sugar, milk, meat, coffee, and chocolate, almost none of them could be supplied in large quantities in the impoverished country of Fusang; they were all in severe shortage.

If we don't let women sell themselves, are we just supposed to let them starve to death?
Don't underestimate the Japanese market. After all, it's a large regional country with a population of nearly 50 million. Even the small group of wealthy people in the upper-middle class number two to three million.

Furthermore, Japan has entered the threshold of industrialization and has hundreds of silk reeling factories, which can export large quantities of raw silk and brocade. This is a huge business worth more than 20 million silver dollars, and its consumption power is not weak.

With British support, Japan is now able to build destroyers of three to four thousand tons, and can independently produce agricultural machinery, cannons, guns, silk reeling machinery, and small and medium-power steam turbines. Its industrial strength far surpasses that of its northern neighbor, the Qing Dynasty.

The results of the Meiji Restoration are becoming apparent, but due to Japan's weak foundation, scarce resources, and poor initial accumulation, its path to industrialization is fraught with difficulties.

This era
Hundreds of thousands of women from Southeast Asia have traveled to the Great Chu Empire and the Southeast Peninsula, and even as far as the United States, using their bodies to exchange for money to support Japan's industrialization process.

Every year, they quietly earn tens of millions of silver dollars, making it the largest source of income for the Kingdom of Fusang, bar none.

That kind of ruthlessness is truly admirable.

Some might say, "Why can't we prohibit women from going to mainland China to make money?" That would be blatant aid to the enemy.

Actually, the problem shouldn't be viewed that way.

The Qing Dynasty was now utterly hopeless; it didn't need any external enemy to invade with the full force of the nation. It would collapse with the slightest push.

When the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded in 1900, Japan, which sent the most troops, was only a division. It occupied the capital city with little effort and suffered negligible casualties.

Even without these Southeast Asian women, people would still have to kneel.

The real loss for Japan is the current Russo-Japanese War, which has already cost 16 billion yen, and there is still no hope of ending the war. It may even destroy the country.

The current yen is pegged to gold, with 1 yen being worth approximately 1.5 grams of gold, giving it very strong purchasing power.

16 billion yen is equivalent to 3.2 million pounds sterling, or 12.8 billion silver dollars, worth approximately 12.8 billion US dollars. This is an absolutely staggering sum, almost equivalent to Britain's expenditure in the Boer War in South Africa. Hundreds of thousands of women in Japan who worked so hard to be exploited by others would need at least 35 years to repay this debt.

in the original history

Following the Russo-Japanese War, Japan faced enormous international debt and was forced to increase its efforts to send women to Southeast Asia, with the number exceeding 130 million at one point. Most of them died far from home, becoming a dark chapter in Japan's history that it prefers not to revisit—but that's another story.

That being said, now that the rampant Japan has encountered a formidable opponent, regardless of whether Sister Nanyang exists or not, they still can't win.

In the eyes of Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire

These hundreds of thousands of Japanese women who went to Southeast Asia were also pitiful people, no different from the grain, oil, tea and rubber traded between countries, and their role was not even comparable to that of steel and machinery.

It neither increases Japan's fighting strength nor weakens the fighting strength of hostile countries. What is being transferred to Japan is just a string of money figures, nothing to make a fuss about.

In the current Russo-Japanese War

Tens of millions of foreign exchange earnings a year are only enough to sustain a medium-sized battle and cannot determine the final outcome of the war.

This is also the main reason why the Great Chu Empire did not prohibit it; the famine caused by the Russo-Japanese War alone was enough for two generations of Nanyang women to repay.

The main problem isn't here; it's that even if all of Fusang's export sources are cut off, it will still rise when the time is right.

This is due to the fate of the nation and the inevitable trend.

After the Meiji Restoration
Japan is undergoing a nationwide reform and revitalization effort, with tens of millions of people united in purpose and effort, from the Emperor to ordinary townspeople. Moreover, with the blessing of national fortune, how could it not rise to prominence?

This is due to the general trend of the world, and it cannot be reversed by human effort.

The rise of Japan coincided with the internal and external troubles of the Joseon Kingdom, the Qing Dynasty's most vulnerable period, and even Tsarist Russia was plagued by internal problems and was not in its best condition.

Every shot hits its mark; isn't that a sign of national destiny?
Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu had long anticipated the outcome of the Battle of Tsushima: the Japanese navy had almost completely annihilated the main force of the Russian navy, with the loss being only a mere three torpedo boats.

Such a result

Not only did the Russian Navy not expect this, but even the navies of the European and American countries watching the battle were surprised. This was just too outrageous.

It's truly outrageous; it's so outrageous it's beyond belief.

Even if it were the Royal Navy of the British Empire that fought, it wouldn't be possible to say that they won so decisively, so thoroughly, and with such minimal losses.

The Second Pacific Squadron of the Russian Navy was quite powerful, possessing six new main battleships, most of which were newly built in the last year or two, with an average age of no more than five years.

This is a Russian-made warship built according to French warship blueprints, supervised by French engineers; it is by no means a shoddy piece of work.

In addition, there were several old battleships from the Baltic Fleet, making them very powerful on paper.

In contrast, the Fusō Combined Fleet had managed to assemble a "6-6 Fleet" before the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, consisting of 6 main battleships and 6 heavy cruisers, all of which were new warships purchased from Britain.

With its current industrial capacity, Japan cannot build a single main warship. At most, it can build a torpedo destroyer or something similar, and that's the limit.

After annihilating the Russian First Pacific Fleet in Port Arthur, the Japanese Combined Fleet's ships "Hatsuse" and "Yashima" were already being sold off in Port Arthur.

The flagship "Mikasa" was also badly damaged in the Battle of the Yellow Sea, riddled with craters from shells, and half of its conning tower collapsed.

Therefore, the biggest headache for the Japanese is how to restore their fighting strength.

There was no time to build them now, so the Japanese hurriedly went to England and ordered two super battleships, each with a displacement of more than 16000 tons, named "Katori" and "Kashima" respectively.

The Kashima was started on February 29, 1904, by the Armstrong Company's Elswick shipyard in the UK. It has just been rigged and is definitely too late to be completed.

The Katori was built on April 27 of the same year by Vickers’ Barlow shipyard. Even with the constant rush to meet the deadline, the new ship in the dock was only 90% complete.

Britain has the world's best shipbuilding technology, but you can't rush things!

The Japanese had no other choice but to buy two new warships from Italy through the introduction of the British. These were the 7700-ton Nisshin and Kasuga, which were roughly the class of armored cruisers, typical thin-skinned and fragile ships.

The heavy cruisers of the Fusō Combined Fleet were still over 11000 tons, making the "Nisshin" and "Murahi" mere little brothers, which was a real headache for Admiral Togo Heihachiro.

This was originally a new ship ordered by the Argentinians and was being built at the Ansaldo shipyard in Genoa.

Its design is clearly Italian, with two thick, round funnels right next to each other on the fore and aft bridges, and a tall mainmast standing between the funnels. All the world's major naval powers have abolished this thing; it's so damn outdated.

Only the Italians still use it, and it's quite good for navigation in the Mediterranean. Although it takes up a lot of space, at least it saves on coal and has low daily operating costs.

By cramming these two small, armored cruiser-class ships into the first squadron of the battle fleet, facing the massive guns of the Russian battleships head-on, their combat power and survivability kept Admiral Togo Heihachiro awake at night.

But miraculously, these two armored cruisers not only suffered no damage, but also achieved the amazing feat of hitting their target on the first shot. How can anyone explain this?

The Russian battle fleet fired so many shells, yet not a single one hit a vital point, and the fragile ships remained unharmed. What else could this be but luck?
After the war, Japanese naval staff officer Tetsutaro Sato commented that the victory at the Battle of Tsushima was "40% due to luck."

When pressed for the remaining factors, he ultimately replied that "60% is still luck" and that it "cannot be replicated at all."

Due to poor visibility caused by the fog, Admiral Togo Heihachiro commanded the Fuso Combined Fleet to make a sharp turn in front of the formation, thus completing the "T" tactic.

The main force of the Russian fleet, which had come within a few nautical miles, fired its cannons but missed. They could only watch helplessly as the Japanese naval fleet achieved its superior position. How could they encounter such a good thing?

Rear Admiral Fokshan, commander of the Third Pacific Squadron of the Russian Empire, died of illness on the 23rd after leaving Cam Ranh Bay, just three days before the major battle.

Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Rozhestvensky, fearing it would affect morale, deliberately kept the news under wraps, and even the second-in-command, Rear Admiral Nobergatov, was unaware of it.

Is this outrageous or not?

This caused chaos in the command and control of some of the main warships of the Tsarist Russian fleet, resulting in serious missed opportunities. Was it just bad luck?

The Russian fleet strictly enforced a light-control rule when passing through the Tsushima Strait, but one hospital ship defied this rule and passed through the most dangerous strait with its lights on.

They lack even the most basic common sense; it's like an old man trying to go to the toilet with a lantern... They're asking for trouble!

Such a serious mistake led to the discovery of the main force of the Russian fleet by the Japanese patrol ship, ultimately resulting in its complete annihilation. Wasn't that just bad luck?

A review of the Battle of Tsushima.

The fierce salvo from the Fusang Combined Fleet soon hit the flagship of the Russian fleet, the "King Suvorov," which was subjected to concentrated and intense fire from the Fusang guns.

Not long after, the flagship's rudder was damaged, the warship went out of control, and the fleet commander, Vice Admiral Rozhestvensky, was also seriously injured, bringing the fleet command to a complete standstill.

With its superstructure destroyed, the flagship "Prince Suvorov" was forced to withdraw from the battle line and drift helplessly on the sea, plunging the entire Russian fleet into chaos without command.

Shortly thereafter
The flagship of the Russian Second Squadron, the "Oslyavya," was subjected to concentrated bombardment by six Japanese warships and was severely damaged after being hit repeatedly.

It sank at around 3:30 p.m., and more than 300 of the 900 officers and soldiers on board survived.

Subsequently, the Russian battleships "Alexander III", "Borodino", "Eagle", and "Sisoy-Viliki", which had lost unified command, were also severely damaged one after another, and no Russian warship's gunfire could pose a threat to the Japanese.

It's utterly absurd; even the most daring novelists wouldn't dare to think of such a thing.

Isn't this situation a matter of national destiny?

Standing at the window of the palace

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire frowned deeply, a cold glint flashing in his eyes from time to time, as he considered an important issue.

He intended to change history, and could not allow the Japanese to develop unchecked.

How can you allow others to sleep soundly on the side of the couch?

As a maritime nation with vast sea areas, the foundation of the Great Chu Empire was undoubtedly its Royal Navy.

The strength of the Fusang Allied Fleet has become a thorn in the side of the Great Chu Empire, which must eliminate it as soon as possible, otherwise it will be unable to eat or sleep in peace.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire is now considering just how miraculous the fate of the Fusang Kingdom really is.

He repeatedly weighed the naval strength of the two countries in his mind, but he was only 60% confident.

If the original history had not changed

Following the Battle of Tsushima Strait, the Japanese Combined Fleet captured several Russian-made battleships and incorporated them into its fleet, further strengthening its combat capabilities.

Once the two large warships ordered from Britain arrive, the Japanese Joint Inspection Team will not only be able to restore its 66-unit structure, but also reach the scale of an "88-fleet," with room for maneuver.

That is, eight main battleships and eight heavy cruisers, and their strength is growing rapidly.

Compared to the Great Chu Empire's fleet of 15 battleships and 22 heavy cruisers, the Chu Royal Navy held a significant advantage.

However, this kind of theoretical strength is unreliable, as too many factors can interfere.

Are the Second and Third Pacific Fleets of Tsarist Russia not strong?

The fleet consisted of 11 ships, both new and old. In the naval battle, they only managed to sink three torpedo boats, but they ruined themselves, almost to the point of total annihilation.

How is this account calculated?

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire wanted to see for himself whether there was some unknown factor behind Admiral Togo Heihachiro's arrogant claim that "one cannon is worth 100 cannons if it hits on the first shot."

Is it due to divine intervention, or is there some hidden trump card?

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty was uneasy until he figured out this problem. This was just too outrageous. Was the Russian fleet really that bad?

If there were no supernatural beings or ghosts, then this explanation wouldn't make sense.

The Russian fleet consisted of 11 battleships, as well as numerous heavy cruisers and destroyers. There was no reason why they couldn't fight a single one; they were all easy targets.

He wanted to see it for himself no matter what.

(End of this chapter)