Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 621 Too Domineering
Tang Shaoyi was fully aware of the matter, but could only feign compliance with the British and wait until the situation became clearer.

The main tactic is to stall, since the world is in chaos and Europe is embroiled in conflict, so the British have no time to attend to their peripheral interests in the Middle East.

Tang Shaoyi knew that His Majesty had relaxed the restrictions, and some princes couldn't sit still. They called on their friends and went to South America and West Africa together. This was all thanks to the financial support of their maternal relatives.

The Kingdom of Colombia doesn't count; it was territory conquered by the army dispatched by His Majesty the Emperor of Great Chu, and was specially granted as a fiefdom to the seventh son of the legitimate line. The other princes did not receive such imperial favor.

The tremendous success of the four Arabian Peninsula kingdoms has become so significant that it is not surprising that the princes are eager to emulate it.

Of the more than one hundred princes of the Great Chu royal family, fewer than 20 have devoted all their resources and wealth to developing their careers in the Middle East, South America, and West Africa.

His Majesty the Emperor once said: "Man proposes, God disposes."

The other princes either held high positions and titles in the empire, had no interest in such things, or had prestigious and well-paid positions, such as directors of major financial institutions in the empire, senior executives of multinational corporations, or chairmen of various universities. They lived comfortably enough and did not want to travel and work hard outside.

Princes who are willing to give up everything are all ambitious and ruthless individuals.

The number of people sent overseas ranges from four or five thousand to over a thousand. Working together, they can accomplish a great deal.

The last group of princes who were heading to West Africa were gathering at docks across the country, but had not yet departed.

Their target was the German West African colonies, as well as the German East African colonies, which represented the last opportunity to expand their colonial territories in Africa.

Of course, it's not easy.

The British had already attempted to launch an attack on German colonies in Africa, but under the leadership of German generals, they suffered more than a dozen defeats and endured great hardship.

The German commanders were indeed highly skilled, inflicting heavy losses and suffering numerous defeats on the British, French, and other colonial armies in Africa.

A total of six princes were willing to go to West Africa to develop their careers. His Majesty the Emperor assigned each prince a reinforced infantry regiment to strengthen the colonial expansion forces. The rest was up to them.

Such treatment was not even given to the princes who went to South America and the Middle East.

These princes heading to Africa were going to face tough challenges, confronting colonial troops commanded by German officers and undergoing a severe test of war—it was by no means an easy task.

Fortunately, these six princes are also very capable. Three graduated from the Royal Army Higher Military Academy in Manila, and two studied at the Munich Military Academy in Germany. All of them are professional officers who have served in the Great Chu Empire's army for many years.

The leader was Major General Chu-Zheng Hui, the 42nd son of the Emperor, who had participated in the Kagoshima War and was the commander of the Ninth Expeditionary Division. He retired from active service before the upcoming expedition to West Africa, but was still elected by the princes as the military leader.

The six princes gathered a total of 16,200 troops, which, together with the six reinforced infantry regiments granted by His Majesty the Emperor, brought the total strength to 27,800, well-equipped and well-trained.

This was not good news for the commanders of the German African colonies.

When news of the British negotiations reached the palace, Emperor Zheng Guohui of Great Chu remained silent and ignored it completely.

Given its current exalted status, it has no need to explain itself to the British.

The Arabian Peninsula was part of the Ottoman Empire's territory, which included parts of the Middle East such as Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, although British and French influence was more extensive in the region.

The Ottoman Empire had joined the German-Italian-Austrian military alliance and participated in the great war that raged across Europe.

Logically speaking
The allied forces of the princes' conquests in the peninsula region supported the main battlefield in Europe, which to some extent relieved the military pressure faced by the British, French, and Russian allies, and should be a good thing.

Why were the British so eager to oppose it?
The reason is that the British were quite wary of the Great Chu Empire and were very worried about the invasion of the Mediterranean by the Chinese imperial forces. Moreover, the Great Chu Empire's assimilation policy was very effective, and the territories it occupied would soon be completely assimilated.

With war raging across Europe, anti-colonial and anti-oppression movements were also emerging in the British colonial empire, and resistance was breaking out all over the world, keeping the British colonial army busy.

There are Germans, Americans, and even people from the State of Chu who are secretly sabotaging things. If you really think these countries are kind-hearted people, then you're crazy.

The British would rather the Arabian Peninsula be in the hands of the corrupt and backward Ottoman Empire, rather the Arabian Peninsula be decadent and backward, than see it controlled by a vassal state of Chu.

It's so close to Europe, separated only by the Suez Canal.

What really broke the British people's defenses?

Over the course of fifty years, the Great Chu Empire essentially transformed itself into a monolithic entity, with its subjects being nearly homogenous, and the majority of its population being of Chinese descent.

This made the internal environment of the Great Chu Empire as stable as a rock. Even in Victoria, the Australian Special Administrative Region with the highest proportion of white residents, the proportion of white people in the state's population has decreased from 36.7% in the early days to 27.5% today.

Furthermore, intermarriage between Chinese Americans and local white people is frequent. Due to the high social status of the Chinese American population, many white girls are willing to marry into Chinese families and enjoy a wealthy life.

Furthermore, more Chinese immigrants have moved to Victoria, while the number of white immigrants is relatively much smaller.

After the outbreak of the European war
Because Australia was a region of special interest to Britain, Britain launched a large-scale recruitment campaign in Australia and New Zealand, with more than 85% of the recruits being white young men.

More than six months
Britain has recruited a total of 5.33 volunteers in Australia and New Zealand to form the ANZACs, which are being sent to Europe through various channels to participate in the unprecedented European war.

The total number of young and middle-aged Chinese who applied was only 7749, which is seriously inconsistent with their proportion in the local population.

This is also one of the main reasons for the rapid decline in the white population in Victoria; they are being subjected to excessive blood transfusions.

Although the Great Chu Empire did not participate in the war, it did not refuse the British's offer of generous conditions to recruit soldiers. There were always some young men who were eager for adventure and loved war, and they were eager to try their skills on the European battlefield.

The Imperial government adheres to the principles of not supporting, not advocating, not taking responsibility for, and not hindering such volunteers, respecting their individual choices.

The numerous reports of the brutal battles from Europe effectively curbed the enthusiasm of young people within the empire to participate in the war, keeping the overall number under control.

Since the outbreak of war in Europe
In just six months, both sides paid a heavy price with millions of casualties. A major battle could easily result in hundreds of thousands of casualties. The brutality and scale of the war truly made many young Chinese people realize the gravity of the situation.

As the newspapers often say, this is "a war between European whites," "a challenge from a strong male wolf to its leader," and there's no need to get involved.

However, the princes' actions overseas, after being reported by the news media, quickly ignited the enthusiasm of the people at home, and many were willing to follow the adventurers.

This operation, dubbed the "Prince's Expedition," instantly became a hot topic of conversation among the empire's subjects due to its whirlwind victory on the Arabian Peninsula. Benefiting from this...
The princes' entourage subsequently grew considerably larger as they headed towards South America, with many Chinese adventurers joining in and significantly increasing their momentum.

The princes who are currently gathering and heading to West Africa are the biggest beneficiaries, and there is a constant stream of people coming to sign up.

The European war also caused a huge reaction in the United States, with a considerable number of young Americans volunteering to go to Europe to participate in the war, many of whom chose to join the armies of Germany and Austria-Hungary.

This is because in the United States, immigrants from the aforementioned German-speaking countries make up a large proportion, accounting for more than 35% of the total immigrant population.

This phenomenon caused a huge reaction in the United States, exacerbating domestic divisions and fueling growing discontent. German immigrants faced widespread suppression, exclusion, and contempt from society; many German-language schools and churches were closed; speaking German resulted in beatings and verbal abuse; and a large number of German-American workers were laid off.

In the unprecedented total war in Europe, all countries chose to take sides.

While keeping a close eye on the war in Europe, Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire happily counted his banknotes, his mood couldn't be better.

The war caused the stock market of the Great Chu Empire to soar. From financial institutions and factories to millions of ranches and farms, everyone enjoyed the huge benefits of the war, and their living standards improved rapidly.

The Great Chu Empire ushered in a true "golden age of development," with tens of thousands of factories springing up every month, cities expanding rapidly, and commerce booming.

Everyone is now focused on the huge demand in Europe. In restaurants and teahouses, excited customers are talking about European wars and businesses, with amounts often reaching tens or even hundreds of thousands.

Driven by the huge demand from the European war, the total national economy of the Great Shu Empire surged by 26.7% in 1914, creating the most astonishing increase since the founding of the nation.

This is the world's second largest economy. On top of its already enormous size, it has achieved more than a quarter of economic growth. How amazing is that?
The merchant fleets of the Great Chu Empire heading to Europe were all fully loaded, transporting plenty of grain, oil and other food, with the main destination being southern France.

The unprecedentedly brutal war on the Western Front in Europe took place mainly in France, where General Junker, commander of the German Second Army, led more than 30 German troops who came as close as 15 kilometers to Paris.

The entire northeastern part of France was in ruins, with millions of troops fighting desperately on this land, firing hundreds of thousands of shells every day.

The entire agricultural base of France was destroyed. Tens of millions of people needed to eat and drink, and they also had to fight desperately against the German army. The total amount of supplies required was staggering.

The total number of British expeditionary forces fighting across the sea has exceeded one million, with even more British troops fully equipped for combat, all of whom are able-bodied laborers from factories and farms.

The loss of these young and middle-aged men has severely impacted agricultural harvests in Britain, reducing them to less than 62% of previous years.

All these gaps need to be filled by importing enormous amounts of grain, and the Great Chu Empire is the best major grain exporter, even more so than the United States.

Because the Great Chu Empire's homeland and core territories are mostly located in the south, agricultural output can be harvested at least twice a year, and in many areas three times a year.

With its large output, stable supply, superior quality, wide variety, and reasonable prices, the United States, located in the Northern Hemisphere, can never match this.

When you can get rich just by farming, it's like picking up money off the ground!

The farming genes ingrained in the Chinese people, when given the right soil and environment, quickly unleashed tremendous energy, causing the agricultural output of the Great Chu Empire to rise steadily.

Entering 1915, it was the 49th year since the founding of the Great Chu Empire, and only one year remained until the 50th anniversary of the ascension to the throne.

At this moment, Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty was extremely satisfied with the prosperous development of the empire.

Nowadays, the affairs of the empire are almost entirely controlled by the Crown Prince Chu-Zheng Yuan and the Prime Minister's Office. They don't concern themselves with anything except major matters related to the development of the empire.

After the 50th anniversary of his ascension to the throne next year, Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty plans to retire to the background and become a retired emperor, passing the throne to Chu-Zheng Yuan.

The constitutional reform of the Great Chu Empire, passed last year, has greatly enhanced the power of the parliament, forming a tripartite structure of the imperial government, the imperial parliament, and the imperial courts, thus weakening the emperor's autocratic power.

This was also a power transition undertaken by Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire for a century later. He couldn't expect the royal heir to have an extraordinary life and always be on the right track.

The disastrous consequences of autocratic imperial power are already evident, as exemplified by figures like Wilhelm II, Emperor of the German Empire, and Nicholas II, Tsar of Russia—both typical negative examples.

He single-handedly dragged a vast empire into the abyss of decline; the lesson is profound.

Before stepping down from the political stage, the Great Chu Emperor's government would naturally make appropriate arrangements to ensure that the empire moves forward along a path of steady development, rather than taking a major policy turn.

After Kaiser Wilhelm II came to power, he completely overthrew the "Three Emperors' League" led by Chancellor Bismarck, pushing Tsarist Russia into the enemy camp, which can be described as his biggest mistake.

With a population of 1.7 million, Tsarist Russia was able to mobilize an army of over ten million, making it a decisive and massive military force at all times.

Ignoring these things will inevitably lead to bitter consequences.

In February 1915
The matter personally overseen by the Emperor of the Great Chu Empire was the dispatch of two Kunlun Mountain-class battleships each to the Atlantic Fleet stationed in Blanca, Patagonia, and the Pacific Fleet stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

In this way

In Central and South America, the Great Chu Empire possessed six front-line battleships equipped with 343mm main guns. Its formidable strength caused even greater concern in the United States, sparking various conspiracy theories in North America.

The military actions of the Great Chu Empire strengthened its military presence in the Atlantic and Pacific regions.

If relations between the two countries deteriorate, the U.S. Navy will face a real threat, potentially incurring attacks from naval forces, which could then impact the thriving transatlantic trade routes.

these few months

The Great Chu Empire's Caribbean fleet intercepted American merchant ships on several occasions and seized as many as 17 American merchant ships on the grounds that they violated their neutrality commitments by transporting prohibited goods.

This infuriated the Americans, who were so angry they were practically fuming, yet dared not retaliate, their faces turning red with embarrassment.

There was nothing they could do; the Great Chu Empire's fleet was just that arrogant.

Their own merchant ships were thriving on trans-European trade routes, daring to transport and sell any kind of goods, yet they detained American merchant ships with such flimsy pretexts; it was utterly outrageous.

However, being slightly weaker, they ultimately lacked the courage to overturn the table.

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(End of this chapter)