Nanyang Storm 1864

Starting from the end of July 1914, the Great Chu Empire was like a tightly wound spring, with industrial and agricultural production accelerating across the board, and large cargo ships heading to Europe every month coming and going in an endless stream.

Early September
Dubai Kingdom
A magnificent palace has been built in Dubai, featuring unique Han and Tang dynasty palace characteristics. It is situated on a hilltop, overlooking the entire emerging city.

A grand banquet was being held in the royal palace. The thirty-third son of the king, King Chu-Zheng Tao of Dubai, was 34 years old. With a beard on his temples, he exuded an even more dignified and refined aura. At this moment, he greeted the royal guests from the empire's homeland with a smile, inviting them to enjoy delicious delicacies and displaying the host's magnanimity.

In the center of the main hall were two roasted camels and various local fruits, roast beef, and roast mutton, which were continuously served. There were more than 200 tables around the hall, hosting hundreds of distinguished guests.

The dozen or so people on the inner side were of illustrious status, including King Chu-Zhengfa of Jeddah (the 21st Prince), King Chu-Zhengbing of Yemen (the 13th Prince), as well as Prince Chu-Zhenghuai (the 8th Prince), Prince Chu-Zhengyuan (the 15th Prince), Prince Chu-Zhengliu (the 22nd Prince), Prince Chu-Zhengsha (the 34th Prince), Prince Chu-Zhengqing (the 36th Prince), Prince Chu-Zhengzhu (the 48th Prince), and other nobles from the empire, as well as representatives of some of the empire's top merchants. It was a gathering of distinguished guests.

Today, on the Arabian Peninsula, the kingdoms established by the princes of the Great Chu Empire have formed the "Peninsula Alliance," known to outsiders as the "Four Wolves of Great Chu," and are an important political and military force in the region.

These four countries are the Kingdom of Jeddah, the Kingdom of Sana'a, the Kingdom of Yemen, and the Kingdom of Dubai, all founded by descendants of the royal family of the Great Chu Empire.

Cavalry from the aforementioned four kingdoms frequently invaded neighboring countries, plundering people, cattle, and sheep, and seizing land and towns. The neighboring kingdoms of Oman and Saudi Arabia in the peninsula region were subjected to this horrific bullying.

If it weren't for Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire forcibly suppressing them, the Kingdom of Yemen and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would have been wiped out long ago.

"Bing-ge'er, Fa-ge'er, Tao-ge'er, the three of you are more courageous and decisive than us, and you established your family business at a young age. We royal brothers all admire you. From now on, we will occupy the northern lands and never disturb the borders of our own brothers. Let's all live in peace."

"Hmph, His Majesty the Emperor has already made it clear that anyone who dares to quarrel with his brothers will surely die a swift death."

"What use are your lives to your father? With one imperial decree, you've been stripped of your titles and fiefdoms. You'd be so destitute you'd be a nuisance even if you begged on the streets. You've lost the emperor's favor, do you really think you're so great?"

"Qing-ge'er, what did you say?"

"Hey, everyone, stop arguing. The young royal uncle is here and will make the decisions. Don't make people dislike you," said King Chu-Zhengfa of Jeddah.

The princes who came today are as obedient as docile kittens in front of their father. If they are told to go east, they will never go west; if they are told to climb a tree, they will never chase chickens.

But once they leave the empire's homeland, they become like wild horses, untamable by anyone.

When King Chu-Jongpha of Jeddah uttered these words, everyone fell silent, and all eyes turned to Duke Zheng Guotai of Pontianak, who was sitting at the head of the table. He was the Emperor's youngest brother.

Fifth Imperial Uncle Zheng Guotai is a plump old man. He has always been quiet and unassuming, and currently serves as the Minister of the Interior of the Empire.

The Fifth Prince put a piece of crispy, tender lamb chop into his mouth, chewing it with a look of enjoyment. He then picked up a hot towel to wipe his greasy mouth and hands, and calmly took a sip of tea.

Then he said to the princes, whose faces were full of anxiety and anticipation, "Don't fight, don't snatch. If you break the rules, you'll get nothing. You can't just do whatever you want here."

I know you have all brought troops and guns, but you must not start fighting amongst yourselves; you must unite against external threats.

Before coming here
I am honored to be summoned to the palace by His Majesty for personal instruction and to bring with me a map of the peninsula for Your Highnesses' reference.

It was agreed beforehand that none of you could touch the Kingdom of Oman; it was left to His Highness the Eighth Prince.

If the Eighth Prince fails, then all the princes can fight over it, and whoever gets it can keep it.
The map of the peninsula establishes the northern borders of the Kingdom of Jeddah, the Kingdom of Sarawak, and the Kingdom of Dubai, as well as the southern borders of the five countries, including the Kingdom of Oman.

Unquestionable and unchangeable, this matter was decreed by His Majesty the Emperor.

As for the area north of the border line

You princes can discuss and divide the area into east and west lines.

Whoever is willing to cooperate in taking towns along the western border of the Red Sea, then the territory will be divided along the western border, and the boundary can be agreed upon by both parties.

If you are willing to cooperate with towns along the eastern coast of the Persian Gulf, then the territory will be allocated to the eastern coast.

Towns such as Riyadh in the central desert region of the peninsula belonged to the princes who were advancing on the western front. Whoever made the greatest contribution would take the territory first.

Does anyone have any objections to this arrangement?

After the Imperial Uncle Zheng Guotai finished speaking, all the princes below fell silent, their minds racing.

Now that they've arrived in Dubai, everyone naturally has their own preferred location for establishing their kingdom. Good places are in high demand, so it's inevitable that they'll run into other princes.

Such an arrangement was made by imperial decree, and no one dared to raise any objections.

The remaining task is to discuss with the princes later how to form an allied army on two fronts, east and west. But should we choose the eastern or western front?

Dubai's King Chu-Zheng Tao had no such worries and chatted happily with his uncle, Zheng Guotai, in an excellent mood.

The Kingdom of Dubai, as the main base for smuggling to the Allied powers of Germany, Italy, and Austria, has been making a fortune in the past few months and is living a very comfortable life.

In the 11 years since its founding, the Kingdom of Dubai has developed into a powerful nation in the peninsula region with a total population of 137.55 million. Its main industries are textiles and offshore fishing and processing.

The most profitable activities were smuggling and trade transit, which led to the rapid expansion of Dubai's urban scale, increasing it by more than ten times.

What was once just a small village has now become a bustling and vibrant emerging city on the Persian Gulf coast, with wide roads, numerous buildings springing up like mushrooms after rain, and trams, cars, and horse-drawn carriages traveling back and forth on the streets.

The entire Kingdom of Dubai consists of only three cities: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Al Ain, which borders the Kingdom of Oman. These three cities account for more than 80% of the kingdom's population, along with a dozen or so coastal fishing villages and towns.

Dubai has a hot climate, and most of its territory is vast desert and Gobi, which is unsuitable for growing crops or grazing livestock, resulting in a very low population carrying capacity.

On the limited oasis land

They leveraged the industrious nature of Chinese immigrants, cultivating large tracts of land primarily for growing fruits and vegetables to meet the needs of their home country's population—nothing more.

More than 90% of their grain needs to be imported, which is similar to the situation in the Kingdom of Sana'a and the Kingdom of Jeddah, where the food self-sufficiency rate is slightly higher.

Because of their proximity to large cotton-growing regions like Egypt and Sudan, the four Chinese kingdoms all developed cotton textile industries, varying in scale but all doing quite well.

Firstly, the domestic demand of the Great Chu Empire is a huge market, and it can also export to surrounding areas and Europe, so there is absolutely no fear of not having business.

"Young Imperial Uncle, the eastern and western fronts in Europe are in full swing, but there's been no movement in the Near East. Do you think the Ottoman Empire will join the European war?"

"There's no need to hide it from you. According to the assessment of the Empire's high command, the chances of the Ottoman Empire joining this European war are about 80 or 90 percent, and it won't take too long."

"These Turks are incredibly audacious. The thought of a war of this scale in Europe sends chills down my spine. They dare to get involved? They're courting death!" "Your Majesty's insight is brilliant. It's only a matter of time before the flames of war spread to the Near East and the Middle East, even North Africa. Once it starts, it won't be able to stop. Several will fall. Look around, will the French fall first, or the Germans? Or perhaps the Russian Empire?"

"I dare not think about it, I really dare not think about it. With our small stature, it's better to stick to the local empire and not join in the fun."

"That's right, that's what you call wise."

"Hey, little royal uncle, I've heard that the Empire has been having a lot of friction with the United States lately. I'm wondering if we should plan to do something to those Americans?"

"The Imperial high command does have this idea: to temporarily refrain from engaging with the Americans and put things on hold. Just take this with a grain of salt and don't spread it around for me."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," King Chu-Zhengtao of Dubai replied with a relaxed smile, though he secretly regretted it.

The Kingdom of Dubai has developed to a point where it possesses considerable strength.

He originally wanted to expand northward, take over places like Qatar and Al Mamah, and increase the territory of the Dubai Kingdom by more than ten times. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Unfortunately, Dubai's every move was anticipated by the local authorities, and a single strict order completely extinguished the Dubai King Chu-Zheng Tao's hopes.

There's no way around it; the empire's homeland is like heaven itself.

The King of Dubai could not possibly go against the will of the empire. Compared to a behemoth like the Great Chu Empire, the Kingdom of Dubai was nothing more than a tiny insect.

Upon seeing these princes and nobles approaching, King Chu-Zhengtao of Dubai understood the situation.

These imperial brothers each brought their own troops and guns. Depending on the closeness of their relationship with the princes, some were stationed in Dubai, and some in Jeddah.

They are waiting for an opportunity, an opportunity for chaos in the Near East and the Middle East.

According to the latest news
On October 29, 1914, the Ottoman Navy, under the command of German officers, launched a surprise attack on Russian Black Sea ports with the battleships "Goben" and "Midily" as its main force. This event had a great impact.

This is the biggest variable in the situation in the Near East, and it may be the opportunity that the princes have been waiting for.

Fortunately, this opportunity did not keep them waiting long. On November 2, the Ottoman Empire officially declared war on Tsarist Russia.

On November 5, Britain, France, and Russia jointly declared war on the Ottoman Empire. This long-standing empire, riddled with problems, stepped headlong into the quagmire of war, ushering in a new era of chaos on the Arabian Peninsula.

On November 8, the five princes formed a western expeditionary force, together with cavalry from the Kingdom of Jeddah and the Kingdom of Sana, totaling about 11 men, and advanced northward along the plains of the Red Sea coast.

On November 11, the four princes of the Great Chu Empire formed the Eastern Route Expeditionary Army, which gathered a total of about 13,300 cavalrymen from the Kingdom of Dubai. They advanced northward along the Persian Gulf coast, sweeping away and eliminating several Arab chieftain tribes like a whirlwind, and marched northward in great strides.

On November 19, Qatar fell.

On November 27, Riyadh fell.

On December 6, Medina fell.

On December 18, Manama fell.

On December 28, Kuwait fell.

On January 12 of the following year, Hail fell.

The Kingdom of Oman is in crisis, Iraq is in crisis. Syria is in crisis, and the situation across the entire peninsula is in chaos.

Imperial Homeland Ministry of Foreign Affairs

British Ambassador Hughes stormed over, hurling insults at Vice Foreign Minister Tang Shaoyi, and shouting in a frenzy:

"Watt, I want you to explain what's going on here? Why is there a coalition of seven princes at this critical moment?"

Do you know what they did?

"They have destroyed more than 10 Arab countries and occupied traditional British-held areas of interest in the Arabian Peninsula. This is an unacceptable offense and must be stopped immediately."

“These Chinese troops have crossed the Nevad Desert and are already threatening the security of the Kingdom of Jordan. They are approaching the sensitive holy city of Jerusalem, which is absolutely unacceptable.”

“I request an audience with His Majesty the Emperor of Great Chu. Your country must restrain the behavior of these princes, instead of them roaming the world grabbing land. This is utterly absurd.”

Ambassador Hughes sprayed saliva all over Tang Shaoyi's face, and he kept grumbling like a complaining woman, showing how much resentment he had.

Tang Shaoyi listened to Ambassador Hughes venting with a rather helpless expression. They had already taken so much of their territory, how could they not be allowed to say a few words?
After a long while, Ambassador Hughes finally shut up, huffing and puffing.

Tang Shaoyi produced a military intelligence report, which showed that the allied forces had entered Amman, the former King of Jordan and his family had been lost in the war and were in danger, and the Kingdom of Jordan had been completely destroyed.

Ambassador Hughes turned green with shock, his lips trembling as he was unable to speak.

These Chinese armies advanced too quickly, conquering cities and seizing territories like a whirlwind. How could those poorly equipped Arab chieftains and tribes possibly withstand them?
What does the occupation of the Kingdom of Jordan mean?
This means that Chinese influence has suddenly entered the Mediterranean Sea. How can we possibly accept that?

Tang Shaoyi said comfortingly:

"Mr. Hughes, my dear British friend, the Empire has always responded positively to British concerns and will never harm the interests of our close friend."

But you must understand that His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Chu Empire has more than a hundred princes, not just two or three. Children grow up and become uncontrollable!
But we will definitely give the British side an explanation on this issue.

In particular, in the Jerusalem area, British troops will be invited to be stationed in the sensitive religious core area, while Chinese troops will only be retained in the surrounding non-sensitive areas.

Other problems can be solved step by step.

I believe that as long as there is a sincere desire to solve the problem, none of this will be a problem.

It took a lot of persuasion to calm Ambassador Hughes down.

He also faced difficulties, receiving a strongly worded written inquiry from the British Cabinet, which ordered him to negotiate with the Great Chu Empire.

When a child makes a mistake, they should definitely talk to an adult. (End of Chapter)