Nanyang Storm 1864

Kagoshima is an archipelago with 27 inhabited islands. Sakurajima is one of the larger islands, located right outside the bay of Kagoshima Port.

According to pre-war intelligence, there was an understrength infantry regiment of over 2,000 men stationed here, and the Sakurajima Fortress had an additional 1400 officers and soldiers, for a total of about 3500 troops.

Even if it increases later, it shouldn't exceed five thousand.

The intense artillery fire this morning almost turned the Sakurajima Fortress into a sea of ​​fire, wiping out the 1400-plus troops. What's left is just a regiment of soldiers.

More than two hours after the shelling, around 1 p.m.

The landing fleet arrived late, early in the morning before dawn. The first batch of Imperial Army soldiers, who had boarded the ships in Ryukyu, arrived under the protection of the 7th Cruiser Squadron.

This is the 9th Expeditionary Division, totaling more than 6,000 officers and soldiers, who were aboard seven troop transport ships with a displacement of four to five thousand tons. Five cargo ships carrying equipment and ammunition followed behind, lagging far behind.

Sakurajima has a small supply pier, which is also a traditional fishing port. The air is filled with a fishy and salty smell, mixed with the lingering smell of gunpowder and blood.

The island's fishing village buildings had been thoroughly searched by artillery fire, and any suspicious areas were destroyed by the destroyer fleet patrolling at close range.

As the troop transport ships gradually approached the dock, the Japanese troops hidden in the shadows could no longer hold back. Several heavy machine gun positions suddenly opened fire, and together with the firepower of the Japanese infantry, an immediate firefight broke out.

Gunfire erupted in an instant, creating quite a scene.

A dense hail of bullets enveloped the troop transport ship, making it clang like pearls falling onto a jade plate. The high-speed projectiles grazed the thick steel plates, sending sparks flying.

It looks dramatic, but the damage is actually limited.

Troop transport ships weighing three to four thousand tons often have outer steel plates that are 10 to 12 millimeters thick, or just over one centimeter. At a distance of one to two thousand meters, neither heavy machine gun bullets nor rifle bullets can penetrate them; it's just a futile exercise.

Once these land-based firing positions were exposed, they immediately attracted artillery fire from destroyers on patrol at sea. The destroyers, primarily armed with 75mm and 37mm rapid-fire guns, responded very quickly.

Immediately, a barrage of artillery fire was launched at the exposed firing points. The crisp and dense sound of the artillery exploded, filling the exposed firing points on the shore with smoke and silencing them in the blink of an eye.

Within just five or six minutes, the destroyer's guns ceased firing.

The troop transport ship continued to dock, and the Japanese army made no further moves, seemingly resigned to their fate.

The troop transport ship docked smoothly at the small pier, and then some Chu soldiers poured out and quickly advanced, occupying nearby high points and hidden mounds and ruins, and further expanding to the vicinity of the fishing village. The progress was quite smooth.

Immediately, more Chu soldiers poured out of the ship's cabin, carrying heavy machine guns to reinforce the landing site. They used the ruins of the fishing village to establish a solid landing bridgehead to cover the follow-up troops.

The more soldiers that land, the larger the landing zone will be as far as it can extend.

After being subjected to repeated artillery fire, the Sakurajima garrison suffered heavy casualties, and even when battles occurred in some areas, their intensity was not high.

After unloading four troop transport ships, the first cargo ship began to dock, unloading trucks, Scorpion tanks, artillery, and other combat supplies, creating a bustling scene.

Around 3 p.m.

The more than 4000 Chu troops who landed on Sakurajima split into two groups and began to penetrate deep into the island's villages and towns to carry out a purge and conquest operation. More intense battles took place at this time.

The Japanese commanders suffered heavy losses and realized they could not fight the landing forces head-on. The naval gunfire from the sea was too fierce, and they would only suffer losses in vain.

The only way to avoid the devastating artillery fire is to allow the Chu army to land, enter the cities and villages, and engage in a battle that takes place village by village and house by house.

They had made a mistake in thinking against them. When the Scorpion tanks led the Chu infantry into the villages, the Japanese soldiers hiding behind the rubble only needed one shot to blow them up, causing smoke and debris, tearing apart flesh and blood, and leaving the dead and wounded in a mess.

If they were to charge, they would be facing concentrated fire from heavy machine guns and rifles, getting riddled with bullets like bloody sieves, with absolutely no power to resist.

This terrifying iron contraption is something I've never even heard of, let alone seen. It's impervious to bullets and swords, yet its firepower is incredibly fierce.

Whether the 37mm shell hits an earthen wall or a brick wall, it will knock down a whole area with one shot, providing absolutely no cover.

The only problem is that these walls are too thin. They are not the kind of earthen walls that are two or three meters thick. How could they withstand the bombardment of artillery shells?

The battle progressed very smoothly. More than three hours later, as dusk fell, the two forces that had been sweeping around Sakurajima had successfully joined forces and wiped out the remaining enemy.

Sakurajima is a volcanic island with a high-altitude active volcano at its center, reaching a height of 1117 meters. It consists of more than 10 large and small active volcanoes forming a continuous mountain range, all exhibiting a typical circular volcanic structure.

The island slopes down gradually around its perimeter, with large areas of hills and plains surrounding the coast, dotted with more than twenty villages and towns, home to tens of thousands of islanders.

The battle resulted in the deaths of over 7930 enemy soldiers, a number far exceeding that of the island's garrison. It's certain that many young Japanese soldiers were accidentally wounded, something we couldn't avoid.

The army of the Great Chu Empire has a rich history of colonial suppression and has always adopted a strong approach, adhering to the principle of "killing the innocent but not letting the guilty go free."

In the heat of battle, who has time to discern the truth?
Young Japanese women captured in the battle were then crammed into the returning troop transport ships, which then sailed away under cover of night toward the Ryukyu Islands.

In the plan
This Sakurajima is to be completely cleared out. It is only 4 kilometers away from the outskirts of Kagoshima City. If it is occupied by the Chu army, it will be like a sharp knife pressed against the heart of Kagoshima.

Although the island had a small population, the Chu occupying forces did not want to waste their efforts on governing the local population, so they simply cleared it out.

Regardless of the women's weeping and wailing, more than 20,000 young women were crammed into troop transport ships and taken away under cover of night.

The remaining elderly, women, children, and able-bodied male villagers were held captive together and starved for five or six days before being dealt with according to the situation.

The commander of the Ninth Expeditionary Division was Major General Chu-Zheng Hui, the 42nd son of the Emperor. He was a top student who graduated from the Royal Manila Senior Infantry Academy. He was well-rounded in both civil and military affairs and had accumulated rich experience in the military over the past twenty years. He had participated in the Second East Indies War.

Nightfall
In the command post near Sakurajima Wharf, the tall Major General Chu-Zheng Hui stood with his hands behind his back, coldly watching a large number of weeping Japanese women being driven toward the troop transport ships docked at the pier, unmoved by their presence.

He knew His Majesty's landing plan, and Kagoshima was of paramount importance.

All landing forces had to transit through Sakurajima, which was a very important landing springboard. All landing forces would assemble here and then take assault boats, speedboats, or fishing boats to the other side.

For such a short distance, there is no need to use large transport ships.

Such an important place cannot be left with any local Japanese people except for those being held captive in hard labor; it must be emptied out.

Starting from Sakurajima, it's also very close to the twenty-odd inhabited islands nearby.

These troop transport ships will be shuttling back and forth between Ryukyu and Kagoshima, carrying back the Japanese women they have plundered—perhaps the greatest bounty of this war. Overall...

Despite the many years of development, the Great Chu Empire still has a male-to-female ratio, with an overall population ratio of 56:44, and the male ratio is 12% higher overall.

This is partly due to the traditional Chinese preference for sons over daughters, but it also stems from inherent problems in immigrant societies. Of the one to two million Chinese immigrants each year, men make up more than 70% and women less than 30%.

If it's like this for one year, what about the cumulative effect over 10 or 20 years?

After the demographic dividend from conquering the East Indies was exhausted, the Great Chu Empire soon faced the problem of population imbalance.

Therefore, young women were in high demand in the Great Chu Empire and had no trouble finding a place to go.

Major General Chu-Zheng Hui didn't care where these women went; that wasn't something he should worry about.

His deep gaze swept across the sea, and he took a deep breath of the mixed smells in the air, while faint cries reached his ears.

As far as the eye could see, on the moonlit sea, some huge dark shadows were moving about – the fleet that was lingering outside the bay.

Nearby were destroyer fleets on guard, while battleships and cruisers lurked in the depths of the ocean, waiting for those unsuspecting Japanese to take the bait.

At this moment, Major General Chu-Zheng Hui felt a surge of pride, the pride of a conqueror, which made him admire his father's foresight even more.

My father is not the rigid type; he has always believed in nipping danger in the bud.

It was not a mistake for Fusang to develop its navy; the mistake was that it made the Fusang Combined Fleet too powerful, which aroused the Empire's suspicion and thus brought disaster upon itself.

The royal family members of the Great Chu Empire have all done well, with six or seven establishing their own kingdoms overseas. This includes the eldest prince, who has been granted the title of Duke of Madagascar. It is said that the emperor plans to separate the southern part of Madagascar and grant it to the eldest prince to establish an independent kingdom.

More than a dozen princesses married into various overseas countries, including Bulgaria, Spain, and Serbia in Europe, the Ryukyu Kingdom in East Asia, the Quang Nam Kingdom in northern Vietnam, West Malaya, and the Siam Kingdom, and all of them were highly regarded.

There are more than a dozen people who have developed in the Imperial Army and Navy, including myself. The lowest rank among them is colonel.

In this war against Japan, everyone could gain some merit and be promoted one or two ranks in their peerage.

The key is
Because the titles obtained through military merit can be inherited indefinitely, and the family will live and die with the nation, there's no need to worry about becoming commoners after three generations. This is incredibly lucrative.

Those born into royalty start with the title of earl, and if they rise one or two ranks further, they become marquises or dukes, whose titles are hereditary and last forever, sharing the fate of the nation.

This is something others can't envy, nor can they criticize.

Many princes also pursued political, business, or academic pursuits, and they too had the opportunity to receive special favors from their fathers, though the rewards were far less significant than those for military achievements.

For example, Prince Chu-Zheng Hui's 26th brother is a biological son of the same mother.

The 26th Prince was the chairman of the Royal Southern Telegraph Bureau and the chairman of the Royal Charitable Hospital. His annual salary was as high as 360,000 silver dollars. He held a high and prestigious position and had great influence in both the political and business circles of the empire.

Several sharp gunshots suddenly rang out in the night sky, interrupting Major General Chu-Zheng Hui's thoughts. He frowned and looked over.

Colonel Hu Junchen, the chief of staff of the Ninth Division behind him, quickly stepped forward and explained, "Report, sir, it may be the remnants of local resistance forces being suppressed. I will immediately send someone to investigate the cause."

"Yes, the military needs to keep a close watch on them and prevent those brats from getting too out of control."

"As you command, sir."

The division commander, possessing royal blood, was shrouded in a royal aura, earning him exceptional respect from his officers.

As a member of the royal family, the circle that the Commander-in-Chief belongs to is unimaginable to ordinary people and is beyond the reach of ordinary middle and lower-ranking military officers.

If you want to advance further, gaining the appreciation of your teachers and mentors is essential.

Major General Chu-Zheng Hui looked back at Sakurajima under the moonlight, a strong ambition to make great achievements rising in his heart, and said with emotion;

“Brother Junchen, our campaign has only just begun. The Ninth Division will surely leave a deep mark on this conquered land, a testament to our achievements.”

"It would be my greatest honor to follow Your Excellency General in your campaigns across the north and south and to achieve great deeds."

"Hahaha, good! With you and me, brothers, joining hands, what great things can't we accomplish?"

Major General Chu-Zheng Hui knew that once he landed on Kagoshima, he would face an unprecedentedly fierce battle, but he remained full of heroic spirit and fearless.

Today, the mixed tank force tested its skills in the Sakurajima operation, achieving an astonishing result of killing thousands of enemies at the cost of only a few dozen casualties.

At least one-third of them were genuine Japanese soldiers, skilled in combat and tenacious in their fighting spirit, but under the combined attack of tanks and infantry artillery, they were simply throwing their lives away.

Tanks bore the brunt of the damage during the offensive, and the Japanese army had no effective means to stop them for the time being.

The moment their artillery fire appeared, it was immediately covered by the overwhelming artillery fire of our side, and blasted into a pile of broken metal.

Without artillery support, the Japanese troops who held out were nothing more than lambs to the slaughter.

Tested in real combat

This new tactical attack is extremely effective and can greatly reduce casualties on our side. It can be described as a powerful weapon in land warfare, giving officers and soldiers great confidence.

Accompanied by this rumbling, advancing steel beast, the attacking soldiers were filled with fighting spirit, conquering cities and seizing territory as easily as eating and drinking.

Whenever they encountered Japanese positions, the tanks would first fire their artillery to pick off the enemy's heavy musket positions one by one, break through the broken walls and ruins held by the enemy, and then sweep them away with heavy machine guns.

By the time the tanks led the infantry charge, resistance was minimal.

The infantry's final task was simply to clear the battlefield and completely wipe out the remaining enemy forces.

(End of this chapter)