Nanyang Storm 1864

Two months later
Star Moon Lake
Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu was dressed in a light gray Taoist robe, with his hair simply tied up in a bun and adorned with a jade hairpin. He wore no other ornaments.

He was holding a small hoe and was enthusiastically digging for wild vegetables in the woods, such as shepherd's purse, toon, wild onions, and water celery. He had already filled two small baskets with them.

Behind him, the royal secretary-general Gu Huaiyu and deputy secretary-general Zhou Qing followed closely, each carrying a small basket filled with wild vegetables selected by His Majesty.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu straightened up, looked at today's results with great satisfaction, and casually handed the small hoe inlaid with gold and jade to Zhou Qing beside him, and said;
"You lot, don't look down on these wild vegetables. Back in our homeland in the northern continent, many families survive the spring famine by relying on wild vegetables. They are life-saving food!"

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. Although you hold a high position in the imperial court, you still cherish your homeland and its millions of people. This is the compassion of a sage for all things in the world."

"There's no need to flatter me so much. You'll find that eating some wild vegetables occasionally has a unique flavor, which is quite enjoyable."

"Your Majesty is wise; we were the foolish ones."

"Let's go see if there's anything good ahead. Picking a few fruits to take back wouldn't be bad."

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu did not answer them, and instead walked into the depths of the forest.

Gu Huaiyu followed closely behind, her expression somewhat anxious as she tried to dissuade him.

"Please forgive my boldness, Your Majesty, but we beg you to stop here. The terrain in the mountains is uneven, and if we were to slip and fall, even death would not be enough to atone for our sins. We respectfully request that Your Majesty stop here."

"We respectfully request Your Majesty to stop here," the other attendants also urged.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty was good at listening to people's opinions. He stopped in his tracks with a somewhat displeased expression, then sighed and said, "Since that's the case, then send a few nimble men to the forest to see if there are any wild fruits. Freshly grown ones are the best, with a unique flavor."

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will arrange for someone to do it immediately."

"Alright, since we've dug up a lot of wild vegetables, let's have the cooks prepare some for us to try, and we'll share some with you too."

"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty. We are unworthy of it."

"Let's go back."

We quickly returned to the hot spring palace halfway up the mountain, and after a bath, we felt refreshed.

After his hair dried, Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu ordered the windows on the lakeside to be opened, letting in the fresh, moisture-laden air, which immediately made him feel refreshed and relaxed.

Listening to the melodious music, I sat barefoot on the cloud couch, gazing at the vast, misty lake in the distance, my thoughts already wandering far away.

He thoroughly enjoyed this leisurely vacation life, visiting Xingyue Lake twice a year, once in the middle of the year and once at the end of the year, staying at the resort palace for two or three months.

At the foot of the mountain
It features a series of palaces, pagodas, pavilions, temples, and even a 300-meter-long commercial street selling various goods, including local snacks.

It is mostly filled with restaurants and teahouses serving various local snacks, dishes from both the north and south, and custom-made clothing shops; there is only one true department store.

This commercial street is lined with powerful imperial merchants, and even the humble snacks are meticulously prepared by experienced chefs.

Operating on this commercial street, the customers were mostly palace maids, concubines, and princes and grandsons who came to enjoy an exceptionally leisurely time, which was quite interesting.

His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Chu Empire would also dine here frequently, and the shops here were not concerned with making a lot of money; the honor of doing so was in itself.

To be honored by His Majesty's presence is something to boast about for a long time.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty liked to live in the mountainside hot spring palace, from which he could overlook the surrounding beautiful scenery and have everything in sight.

Living here is peaceful and quiet. You can read books, write calligraphy, enjoy tea and play chess, listen to melodious music, and have beautiful maids and concubines serving you while you bathe in the hot springs. It's incredibly enjoyable.

This stay exceeded the original estimated time.

Fortunately, the imperial court was well-organized, so Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire was not too troubled. He was happy to spend his days leisurely in the mountains, rivers and forests.

Sure enough, His Highness Crown Prince Chu-Zheng Yuan and the cabinet ministers arrived at the Xingyue Lake Resort Palace last night and are staying in the pavilions and towers at the foot of the mountain.

A report has already been submitted, stating that a country cannot be without a ruler for even a day, and respectfully requesting Your Majesty to return to court.

After receiving the report, Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty shook his head with a wry smile and put it aside, ignoring it further.

What were the Crown Prince and his officials thinking?
As the emperor of the Great Chu who had ruled for nearly half a century, Zheng Guohui was naturally very perceptive and knew exactly what was going on.

The crown prince was afraid of being accused of clinging to power, being disobedient and unfilial, and lacking discretion. The cabinet ministers also had various concerns, which led to the "welcoming the prince back to court" incident.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty, having long resided in the imperial court, saw things clearly but chose not to speak of them.

In terms of political power
He can delegate power to the crown prince and important court officials, but they cannot ask for it or take it for granted. The balance must be struck very precisely.

Such a thing as "welcoming and returning to the capital" is acceptable.

"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince and the ministers of the Cabinet request an audience, begging to welcome Your Majesty back to the capital. This is something that hundreds of millions of subjects have been longing for day and night. We respectfully request Your Majesty's wise decision!"

"Well, we can't have some peace and quiet. Let them stay for now. Oh, and for lunch, let's have some wild vegetables to change things up. How does that taste?"

"Your humble servant obeys, but..."

"Ok?"

"Your humble servant dares not say more and will take his leave now." Secretary Gu Huaiyu obediently withdrew, not daring to utter a single word in the face of His Majesty's immense pressure.

With no one to disturb him, Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty once again returned to his leisurely state.

He propped one leg up and lay comfortably on his side on the cloud couch, enjoying the refreshing mountain breeze, but his thoughts were on the Balkans, tens of thousands of miles away.

Although on vacation, the Royal Secretariat has compiled a special internal report on the latest developments in Europe and at home and abroad, which is a "World Affairs Overview" that has been published for decades.

When Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty became interested in a particular issue, the Royal Secretariat would provide him with detailed background information and investigative data for his decision-making.

Recently, I've been provided with information and background on the Balkans, as well as professional explanations and interpretations of the regional situation from the Royal Secretariat.

They unanimously believe that a large-scale local war will inevitably break out in the Balkans by the end of this year or early next year.

The current trend is quite clear: Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, and Montenegro have formed a Balkan alliance to jointly oppose the colonial expansion of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with the intervention of Tsarist Russia behind the scenes.

The Ottoman Empire, on the other hand, was arrogant and unreasonable, relying on its powerful military and not taking the few small Balkan countries seriously at all.

The Balkan League demanded autonomy for Macedonia and Thrace from the Ottoman Empire, but this was rejected without hesitation, and a regional war was imminent.

As early as March 1912, Serbia and Bulgaria formed an alliance, and by May, Montenegro and Greece had joined, forming the Balkan League, with its sights set on the increasingly weakened Ottoman Empire. In the eyes of Zheng Guohui, Emperor of the Great Chu Empire…
These were a few fledgling wolves who, seeing their former sect leader gradually decline, harbored strange thoughts and wanted to take a big bite out of the Ottoman Empire.

Several small Balkan countries have their own goals, which are nothing more than territorial expansion.

Macedonia, formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, has attracted the attention of Serbia, Bulgaria, and Greece, all of whom want a piece of the pie.

Thessaloniki, formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, was then targeted by Greece, which wanted to acquire it.

Albania, formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, was a coveted prize for Serbia, while North Carolina and Bulgaria also wanted a piece of it. After all, it would be foolish not to take advantage of such a bargain.

It can be seen that
These Balkan states were no pushovers; they wanted to tear a large chunk out of the Ottoman Empire to satisfy their own greedy appetites.

There's no right or wrong in this matter. These regions were originally seized by the powerful Ottoman Empire and enslaved for hundreds of years, so they've already gotten their due.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu picked up a cigar and took a leisurely puff, pondering how the evolution of the Balkan situation differed from the original historical trajectory.

His biggest concern was whether World War I would break out as scheduled.
How does it differ from the original historical context?

In this momentous world event, what advantages could the Great Chu Empire possibly have?

It is now clear

The Great Chu Empire would not covet Germany's colonies in Jiaodong, nor would it venture onto the mainland, nor would it alter the historical course of the northern lands.

But in West Africa, it seems like it could work for a while.

Today, West Africa consists of Portuguese West Africa and German West Africa, and further south lies the British South African colony.

If World War I were to break out smoothly, the Great Chu Empire could consider annexing both of them, since few world powers would consider the interests of the Portuguese.

As for Germany, they couldn't afford to worry about it at all.

It's perfectly acceptable to swallow this piece of meat that's right in front of your mouth.

In this way

The Great Chu Empire's West African colonies could expand by two or three more states, connecting from north to south all the way to South Africa, thus reducing the number of West African states that were originally created in history.

With South Africa as a backing, the number of black people in West Africa will be greatly reduced in predominantly black African regions, thus forming a stable rear area.

This is of great significance to the stability of the Great Chu Empire's West African colonies for the next decades or even centuries.

South Africa, ruled by descendants of British whites, together with the vast West African region ruled by the Great Chu Empire, formed a contiguous area of ​​great strategic significance in today's era of rising national independence sentiments.

The West African region belonging to the Great Chu Empire connected to the French Albanian colony to the north.

As long as Chu, England, and France cooperate, and without the Americans stirring up trouble, maintaining the status quo for the next few decades or even centuries should not be a problem, which would also strengthen the power of England and France.

This indirectly weakens America's influence.

From this perspective, it aligns with the strategic interests of the Great Chu Empire and is a decision worth making.

Besides West Africa, Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire also hoped to have a greater presence in the Arabian Peninsula, mainly in oil and gas-rich regions, with Kuwait as a prime example, which could also be targeted during World War I.

If Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu hadn't suppressed the restless thoughts of the princes and grandsons in the royal family, the Arabian Peninsula would already be engulfed in war, and at least several more vassal kingdoms would have emerged.

Don't assume that new kingdoms won't emerge besides Jeddah, Yemen, Sana'a, and Kuwait.

Over the past ten years

These four vassal kingdoms of the Great Chu Empire bullied the Kingdom of Oman terribly, causing Oman's territory to shrink by 4% as it was gradually eroded.

Today, apart from the area surrounding the capital Muscat, the rest of Oman has fallen into the hands of the Kingdom of Yemen and the Kingdom of the United Arab Emirates, suffering greatly from constant invasions.

The British had no interest in meddling in the affairs of the Kingdom of Oman; they were content as long as things were going well.

Inside the royal family of the Great Chu Empire

However, many ambitious princes and grandsons of the emperor have their eyes on the Kingdom of Oman, as well as the northern Kuwait region and other places, and some are even trying to get their hands on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

These indigenous kingdoms on the Arabian Peninsula were weak and looked like easy targets.

The population is at most two or three million, and some have as few as six or seven hundred thousand, two or three hundred thousand, or even more than one hundred thousand. They are simply easy targets. Why not use them as a scapegoat?
Many princes came from wealthy families, and their relatives also had considerable economic power. They not only wanted to make a name for themselves in the Arabian Peninsula, but also wanted to expand further into South America.

For example, South American countries like Peru and Ecuador seem easy to bully.

If Peru is too large, then a coalition of princes could easily swallow it whole, and then divide the spoils afterward.

Most of these restless ideas were suppressed by Emperor Zheng Guohui.

If these princes and grandsons were to act according to their own nature, it could easily lead to chaos. At the very least, Ecuador and Peru in South America would be in danger, and Guatemala in northern Mexico would also be in peril.

These places are being watched; the outcome is unlikely to be good.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty has not yet fully considered these regions and must wait for the chaos of World War I to arrive.

At that time, we will decide whether to let the little ones run wild, depending on the actual situation.

As I was pondering these thoughts, a gentle voice reached my ears.

"Your Majesty, lunch has been prepared, including refreshing wild vegetables that Your Majesty personally discovered. Please give us your feedback."

"Oh, do you have any refreshing wild vegetables? I definitely have to try them."

After listening to the report from the palace maids, Emperor Zheng Guo of the Great Chu Dynasty immediately perked up, leisurely sat up from his cloud couch, and walked barefoot to the dining room.

On the restaurant table, a variety of exquisite dishes were already laid out, including lush green shepherd's purse. Its vibrant green color, enhanced by chicken broth, made it taste quite delicious.

There was also scrambled eggs with toon leaves. I took a bite and chewed it slowly. The wild flavor was extremely rich, which made Emperor Ren Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty exclaim with great satisfaction.

Eating some wild vegetables occasionally is truly wonderful. (End of Chapter)