Nanyang Storm 1864

After the imperial edict, Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty kept Foreign Minister Li Jingxi behind.

Amidst the envious gazes of the crowd, Li Jingxi's expression remained completely unchanged. Instead, he stood with his eyes lowered and his body slightly bowed, as if he were an old monk in deep meditation.

He showed neither a trace of impetuosity nor any smugness that would inspire envy; he appeared extremely mature.

After the officials had left, Foreign Minister Li Jingxi was led into the Imperial Study for an audience, where he respectfully bowed and reported.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects and wish Your Majesty a long and peaceful life."

"Well, no need for formalities. Tell me, how have the major European powers behaved since our two countries declared war?"

"Your Majesty, please allow me to report." Foreign Minister Li Jingxi bowed deeply again, carefully selected his words, and then replied.

"Since the declaration of war"
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received formal statements from various major powers. Britain was surprised, France was disappointed, Germany opposed, Tsarist Russia supported, Italy and Austria-Hungary remained neutral, and the United States has not yet expressed its opinion.

Given the intense arms race atmosphere in Europe today, and since Britain and Tsarist Russia signed a military alliance treaty this year, a new military bloc has formed between Britain, France, and Russia against Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary, making the situation increasingly tense.

With the shadow of war looming over Europe, no major power could spare a large number of troops to intervene in the war in the Western Pacific.

The only variable is the United States, which is also what I am most worried about.

The United States and Japan have always been trying to challenge the Pacific hegemony held by the Great Chu Empire. On this core interest, the United States and Japan have a natural need for an alliance.

Furthermore, anti-Chu sentiment is rampant in the United States. Recently, California, Utah, and Texas have successively introduced local laws restricting Chu expatriates from purchasing land, houses, and doing business, resulting in numerous incidents of hatred, exclusion, and suppression of Chu expatriates.

American reports on the Chu state also tend to be negative, aiming to incite public sentiment that is unaware of the truth, create an atmosphere of confrontation, and exacerbate conflicts.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has responded swiftly, issuing several serious warnings to the United States to "be cautious in its words and actions, and not to take imperial magnanimity for granted, lest it go further down a dangerous path."

We solemnly warn the US to immediately change course and do more to ease tensions between the two countries…

"Um……"

As Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu listened to the report, a chillingly sharp glint flashed in his eyes from time to time, and he merely gave a perfunctory response.

The relationship between Chu and Mei is quite complex; they have been locked in a love-hate relationship for decades, with almost no peace.

The earliest honeymoon period was at the beginning of the establishment of the State of Chu. However, just one or two years later, the relationship between the two sides deteriorated rapidly due to the Hawaii incident.

From then on, they embarked on a turbulent and thorny path, with the relationship deteriorating, breaking down, and then being repaired, only to deteriorate again and be repaired once more... in an endless cycle.

The occupation of Hawaii, the launch of the Patagonian Desert Expedition, the invasion of three Central American countries, the subsequent expedition to Colombia and the occupation of Costa Rica along the way, the dispute over the Panama Canal, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Spanish-American War, and the Second Pacific War.

At almost every crucial historical juncture in the expansion of the Great Chu Empire, the United States played a role of opposition, but unfortunately, their opposition was futile.

With the deepening of the Second Industrial Revolution, the United States rapidly recovered and grew stronger after the Civil War, rising to become the world's largest economy.

His political ambitions have also expanded, no longer content with being confined to his small territory in North America, but hoping to play a more active role in Central America, South America and even the Pacific region, rather than being seen as a "nouveau riche with dark fingernails".

Americans also have oceanic ambitions and aspire to play a role in the Northeast Pacific region.

Unfortunately, due to the restrictions imposed by the Great Chu Empire, American battleships and heavy cruisers exceeding 10,000 tons were not allowed to pass through the Panama Canal and the Strait of Magellan, leaving the United States helpless.

at this time

The maritime hegemony of the Great Chu Empire was thus demonstrated. Separated by Central and South America, the United States could not transfer its naval forces from the East Coast to the West Coast, and could only form two regional fleets that fought independently.

Even if they take another route, that is, starting from the east coast of the United States, crossing the Atlantic Ocean, entering the Mediterranean Sea, passing through the Strait of Malacca, and entering the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

This route was also blocked; without the permission of the Chu Kingdom, large American warships could not pass through the Red Sea fortress.

Even if they manage to get through, what will happen once they reach the Strait of Malacca?
East of the Strait of Malacca lie the eight islands of the Great Chu Empire, stretching for tens of thousands of kilometers from east to west. How could they pass through in a hostile situation?

Even heading north wouldn't work; five thousand kilometers north from the Strait of Malacca to the Ryukyu Kingdom, all of which were under the actual control of the Great Chu Empire.

To this day
The U.S. Navy is still divided into two parts: the Atlantic Fleet, the main force of the U.S. Navy, is located in the east, while the Pacific Fleet is indeed weak in the west.

In order to change this situation, the United States could only develop its shipbuilding industry in California, and in recent years, more than twenty sizable shipyards have been established.

However, in the financial crisis that swept through this year, at least half of the West Coast shipyards were plunged into bankruptcy and liquidation, and the rest were in a very bad situation.

why?

This is because West Coast shipyards face intense competition from the East Coast and the Great Lakes heavy industrial region centered on Detroit, and are at a disadvantage in terms of cost and efficiency.

The construction of large-tonnage civilian ships, on which West Coast shipyards rely for their livelihood, is simply no match for East Coast shipyards in terms of scale, experience, or efficiency, so their bankruptcy and closure are to be expected.

The Panama Canal, controlled by the Great Chu Empire, only restricts the passage of large American warships exceeding 10,000 tons, but does not restrict the passage of American ocean-going merchant ships.

This has resulted in West Coast shipyards being highly dependent on U.S. government warship orders.

The severe financial crisis that erupted this year led to a significant reduction in US government spending and the cancellation of numerous warship orders, which is one of the main reasons for the large number of shipyard closures on the West Coast.

Even so, the United States has never given up the idea of ​​challenging the dominance of the Pacific.

at this point
This coincided perfectly with the ambitious Fusang Kingdom, as the two sides shared a great deal of common language and interests, and had a potential tendency to form an alliance.

Becoming a regional leader is not easy, and it's even harder for a world superpower like Britain that has existed for two centuries.

From defeating the Spanish, to the Dutch, then the French, and teaching the Russians a lesson, they are now preparing to deal with the Germans.

Throughout modern European history, the British have never been idle; they've been as busy as a spinning top being whipped...

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty snapped out of his reverie and asked again, "What's the situation on the Russian side?"

Foreign Minister Lee Kyung-hee replied;

"In reply to your Majesty's words
Upon receiving His Majesty the Emperor's personal letter, Tsar Nicholas II was overjoyed and, accompanied by his ministers and Empress, personally received the Chinese delegation, granting them a high-level reception. During the meeting...

Tsar Nicholas II harbored deep resentment over the defeat in the Russo-Japanese War and made little attempt to conceal it, revealing his intense hatred for the Japanese.

It even indicates;

If the Great Chu Empire is willing to provide maritime transport and naval protection, Tsarist Russia is willing to send troops to participate in the landing operation against Japan, providing no less than 50,000 to 60,000 troops, with the possibility of increasing the number later.

Since we did not have authorization from the Empire, our delegation politely declined the Russian suggestion.

During the meeting, Tsar Nicholas II stated
At the Emperor's request, I will send letters to the high-ranking officials of the governments of our allies, Britain and France, expressing my full support for Chu's just act of punishing Japan and urging our allies, Britain and France, not to do anything that would harm our traditional partner.

He will also send Foreign Minister Count Fedoroshevsky on a visit to various European countries, with a focus on Britain, France, Germany, and Italy, to express Tsarist Russia's position on the situation in the Far East.

It did its utmost to restrain the European powers, thus buying enough time and space for the Great Chu Empire.

Nicholas II also hoped to further develop trade relations with the Great Chu Empire, especially by importing a considerable amount of grain through the Trans-Siberian Railway, in order to alleviate the social tensions exacerbated by food shortages.

"Hmm, well done. Continue to work hard. The delegation to Russia can stay there for now, in case of any unforeseen circumstances." Emperor Zheng Guohui of Great Chu nodded in approval.

In 1907, Britain and Tsarist Russia formally signed an alliance treaty, which, together with the previous Anglo-French alliance treaty, formed the Allied military bloc. This was the most important event in Europe that year.

This is precisely why Tsarist Russia wielded considerable influence over its British and French allies.

By skillfully leveraging the influence of Tsarist Russia and its deep-seated hatred for the Japanese, Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire effortlessly defused the pressure from the European powers.

The arms race in Europe is now intensifying, and the German Empire has risen rapidly since its unification in 1871, taking the lead in the Second Industrial Revolution.

Industrialized Germany far surpassed established powers like Britain and France in both productivity and potential. Its organization and discipline were even more commendable, making it the world's undisputed strongest military power.

Of course, this only applies to the German Army.

After Wilhelm II came to power, the German Empire displayed great ambition for the expansion of its overseas colonies, pursuing "land under the sun," which implicitly meant pursuing the glory of the British Empire on which the sun never sets.

Kaiser Wilhelm II invested heavily in the navy to build a "high seas fleet" capable of challenging the British Royal Navy, and the number of German capital warships increased dramatically.

All of this has caused deep concern in Britain.

The British Royal Navy began to worry;
The German fleet was seen as a potential threat to disrupt Britain's North Sea shipping lanes or to engage in a decisive battle with the British fleet, thereby threatening the British mainland and posing a substantial challenge to Britain's global hegemony. This gave rise to the "British Naval Panic."

The British First Lord of the Admiralty warned the Prime Minister of the threat posed by Germany.

The British Cabinet held more than a dozen seminars to discuss this thorny naval issue.

At each meeting
The Conservative cabinet, led by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, highlighted the serious imbalance in British spending and emphasized the promises made to Parliament and voters during the general election to cut naval spending.

Naval Secretary Winston Churchill was not to be outdone, repeatedly emphasizing the growing threat from Germany and even using media and public opinion to put pressure on the cabinet.

British newspapers such as The Daily Telegraph, The Observer, and The Times rushed to publish articles supporting a major expansion of the military, and many civilian and semi-militarized organizations also voiced their opinions, strongly urging the Cabinet and Parliament to pay attention to the naval issue.

The British are currently preoccupied with the challenge posed by the German High Seas Fleet and have no time to attend to the war in the Western Pacific.

The Royal Navy would never abandon its home fleet and travel thousands of miles to the Western Pacific; that would be utterly insane.

If the British Empire were to be raided by the menacing German High Seas Fleet, its prestige could be completely destroyed overnight, with consequences too severe for the British to bear.

This is not impossible, but rather an event with a very high probability.

think about it

A wealthy landowner not only has beautiful wives and concubines, but also mountains of gold and silver that he can never spend, and he wields immense power.

The nouveau riche living next door to him was strong and healthy, but he could only struggle to cultivate his small plot of land. He had been single for over thirty years, and his complexion was pale and flushed, with a burning sensation in his body.

Suddenly
Some of the strong men who guarded the house for this wealthy man left, leaving the house vulnerable.

Do you think this nouveau riche will be tempted?

What if they suddenly launch an attack?
As wealthy landowners, the selfish British would never gamble with the fate of their nation.

This was something Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu was certain of, which is why he dared to devote the entire nation's strength to launching a war against Fusang.

The biggest variable now is the Americans. Given the current situation, the war between Chu and Japan is unlikely to be resolved quickly, which gives the Americans an opportunity to stir up trouble.

The State of Chu was well prepared for this. Given the weakness of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, although its army had expanded to some extent after the Spanish-American War, it still did not have the capability to conduct transoceanic operations.

Without gaining control of the sea, sending a large number of troops across the ocean to fight is tantamount to suicide.

After declaring war on Japan on December 2, the Central American Military Region under the jurisdiction of the Great Chu Empire entered a state of high combat readiness.

This also includes the Hawaii State Command, the Pacific Fleet, and the Caribbean Fleet, all of which are now fully equipped and have recruited a large number of reservists into training camps for rearmament.

These forceful measures are a warning to the Americans not to act rashly.

The Americans also picked up on these signals, and in recent issues of mainstream newspapers such as the *New York Times* and the *Washington Post*, they smeared the Chu state's defensive actions as...

"A military buildup with strong aggressive characteristics; the Chu people have been, are, and will continue to be the biggest destabilizing factor in the entire Americas..."

"The Chu state's unbridled ambition for aggression stems from its emperor's insatiable appetite for overseas territories, creating a warlike and highly aggressive nation that Washington observers are deeply concerned about."

"It's hard to imagine that two completely different behaviors could exist in one nation, one gentle and modest, the other aggressive..."

"The Great Chu Empire has once again bared its fangs, conducting numerous large-scale military exercises in Central America, with constant gunfire echoing in the Caribbean, severely impacting regional peace and tranquility." (End of Chapter)