Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 622 Is this a coincidence?
美国东海岸

The American merchant ship "May Blossom," with a deadweight tonnage of 2.85 tons, was sailing in the eastern waters of the United States, carrying 4.8 bales of cotton and more than 5100 bales of linters, heading towards Europe across the Atlantic.

The port of destination is Messina, in the Kingdom of Italy.

Messina occupies a unique geographical location. It is situated at the eastern end of Sicily, at the narrowest point of the strait, serving as a gateway for mainland Europe to enter Sicily.

From here, goods can be easily transported to Milan by coastal ships and land-based railways, and then, via Milan, into the heart of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Germany.

The Apennine Peninsula is shaped like a boot, and Messina is located at the toe of the boot, very close to North Africa.

American merchant ships could use the pretext of transporting goods to Greece, Albania, Serbia, or other countries in the Aegean Sea to evade the naval blockade by the Allied warships of Britain and France.

Captain Hughie was very experienced in this route and could easily escape even if he encountered interception by British and French ships.

Italy is one of the naval powers in Europe, and in the waters surrounding Italy, Allied warships will not approach too closely.

The sea conditions were fine, and American warships were patrolling the coast in the distance. Captain Hughes, with a briar pipe between his teeth, chatted happily with his first mate.

"Hey buddy, if all goes well this time, we should be able to get to Messina soon. I'm already starting to miss the passionate Italian girls."

"Captain, there shouldn't be any surprises. We're an American merchant ship, so the British and French won't go too far."

“That’s right. I heard that Russian soldiers are so hungry they’re eating grass and even adding sawdust to their bread. The situation doesn’t look good.”

"That's a headache for Europeans; we just need to focus on making money."

"Look... what's that?"

Captain Hughes picked up his binoculars and carefully observed the two ships, one in front of the other, that appeared on the distant sea. His expression suddenly changed, and he couldn't help but mutter a complaint:
"Damn it, it's an Eastern warship. We're in big trouble."

"Quickly, pressurize the engine room, accelerate to five speeds. We must speed up and try to shake off these Eastern warships."

"Understood, Captain, speed up to five."

"Turn left by 20 degrees, approach the US ship, and haile the radio to request naval protection."

"Understood, Captain. Request protection via radio."

The cargo ship's bridge immediately became a hive of activity as the massive vessel made a noticeable turn and headed towards the coast.

ten minutes later

The two Chu warships approached at high speed, one after the other, and warned the cargo ship "May Pear Blossom" via radio, ordering it to slow down immediately and wait to board for inspection.

"This is the 'Qingshuihe' fleet of the Caribbean Fleet of the Great Chu Empire. The cargo ship ahead must immediately slow down and cooperate with the boarding inspection. I repeat, cooperate with the boarding inspection."

“My ship is the May Pear Blossom cargo ship, which is currently operating on the route from Oakland, Mississippi to Europe. It is located in the eastern coastal area of ​​the United States and is not under your jurisdiction.”

"A warning again: immediately slow down and stop the ship, and accept boarding inspection. Otherwise, our fleet will take coercive measures, and you will be responsible for all consequences."

"This is the May Pear Blossom cargo ship, we are carrying out our normal shipping route..."

Captain Hughes refused to surrender and instead ordered the cargo ship to speed away while urgently calling for help from nearby U.S. Navy ships. However, he soon began to curse and swear.

U.S. Navy ships that were previously visible have suddenly disappeared.

The warships were very fast, and in just over ten minutes, the two Chu ships that had caught up had already revealed their clear shapes.

This is a cruiser named "Shimizukawa" and a destroyer named "Palembang," speeding towards us at a speed of up to 27 knots. The gun covers on the ships have been removed, which is a very serious omen.

If the order to stop is not obeyed, the ship may be shelled.

"Captain, what should I do?"

"These damned Easterners, and those damned navy men, we've been abandoned." Captain Hughes had finally broken down. His face twitched, and his eyes were filled with near madness as he made a decision he would regret for the rest of his life.

"Speed ​​away from here. We are only a little over an hour's flight from the coast. Once we reach the coastal baseline, we will be safe."

"Captain, the other side has issued a threat of shelling. If we do not stop for inspection, those Easterners will really open fire."

"Shut up, you idiot! The Easterners have seized so many ships, and we haven't heard of any of them being released yet. If they are taken back by the Easterners, it's not just the cargo on board that will be lost; they might have to stay there for the next year or two, and every day they wait will cost them a lot of money."

"Okay, you're the boss, keep speeding up."

The May Pear Blossom cargo ship sped away on the high seas, which angered the Shimizukawa naval formation. Two warships split up and surrounded the ship, issuing a final warning with stern words.

Seeing that the cargo ship was still fleeing, after receiving authorization to open fire, the Palembang-class destroyer took the lead in using its two Manila 37mm secondary guns on its sides to strike.

"Thump thump thump, thump thump thump, thump thump thump thump thump..."

The 37mm secondary guns relentlessly spat fire, the barrage shooting from the stern of the May Pear Blossom ship all the way to the bridge. The shells left a trail of destruction, creating dozens of dark holes in the cargo ship.

Seeing that the American cargo ship was still escaping, the Palembang destroyer was so angry that it almost laughed, and immediately increased its firepower to bombard the ship.

Not much time

At this point, the American cargo ship was riddled with holes, thick smoke was billowing from the cargo hold, and the speed of the entire cargo ship suddenly slowed down.

As the Palembang destroyer was preparing to approach, it received an order from the fleet flagship: "Cancel the boarding plan and maintain distance and vigilance."

Just minutes later, thick plumes of smoke billowed from the American merchant ship "May Blossom," accompanied by visible flames, with the billowing smoke completely engulfing the bow area.

The shell ignited the cargo in the hold. At this time, the cargo ship was about 30 kilometers away from the American coastline. The fire was soaring into the sky like a giant torch on the sea.

Tens of thousands of bales of cotton caught fire; even a god couldn't save it.

Not long after
The US light cruiser USS Yorksh also arrived and was extremely angry when it saw the situation on the sea. It removed its gun cover and confronted the Qingshuihe naval formation, negotiating and protesting through radio.

The Qingshuihe naval formation was the first to withdraw, leaving only the US light cruiser USS Yorksh raging there, and the cargo ship May Blossom engulfed in flames and thick smoke. This American cargo ship burned on the sea for two and a half hours before finally sinking 34.5 km from the eastern coastline. This is the "May Blossom Incident," which sparked a huge dispute between the two countries.

The news shocked American society, and people from all walks of life were outraged, unanimously condemning the barbaric behavior of the Great Chu Empire.

The Great Chu Empire gave the reason that the American merchant ship was transporting prohibited goods: the 5100 bales of American cotton linters transported by the Pear Blossom in May were essential for making explosives and fell under the strict embargo.

The Imperial Royal Navy was merely upholding its commitment to the embargo against neutral nations, and it was perfectly justifiable to take necessary action against American cargo ships that refused to be inspected and insisted on fleeing.

Tensions between the two sides have reached a breaking point, instantly escalating the situation in the Atlantic region.

Britain and France expressed their regret, while Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy strongly condemned the conflict. Opinions were divided, overshadowing the front-page news of the European war.

Following the May Pear Blossom incident, the amount of cotton shipped from Mississippi and Florida in the United States decreased significantly, by approximately 30% to 40%.

Southern American farmers switched to transporting cotton by train to New York Harbor, more than 2700 kilometers to the east, where it was loaded onto ships and shipped across the Atlantic to Europe.

Although this greatly increases costs, European users are willing to pay good prices, which can basically cover this expense.

Germany and Austria-Hungary were the most furious. American cotton linters were an essential raw material for making explosives. With the actions of the Great Chu Empire, the cost of raw material sources increased significantly, while the import volume decreased drastically.

Britain and France, standing in the middle, found it difficult to express their opinions. Although the Great Chu Empire was the main supplier of European demand, the supply of American products was also indispensable.

In such matters, one can only try to smooth things over.

The Americans felt extremely humiliated that the naval fleet of the Great Chu Empire had actually come to the east coast of the United States to patrol, and had sunk the May Pear Blossom cargo ship and seized dozens of American cargo ships.

Following this incident

The Great Chu Empire's Caribbean Fleet continued to frequently conduct patrols, often detaining and inspecting American merchant ships with an overbearing attitude that infuriated the Americans.

However, faced with the recent reinforcement of the Great Chu Empire's six Kunlun Mountain-class battleships, two from the Caribbean Fleet, two from the Atlantic Fleet, and two from the Pacific Fleet, the US Navy simply disappeared.

These six first-class battleships, equipped with 343mm main guns, could assemble in the Atlantic in just one week and launch a devastating attack on the American fleet.

When necessary, the Great Chu Empire's home fleet can also be reinforced with 3 to 4 powerful warships of the same class, making it far more formidable than the US Navy could withstand.

The first and second Texas-class battleships of the US Navy, equipped with 356mm main guns, are currently undergoing sea trials and will not be commissioned until at least the middle to late part of next year.

It will take another year or two to develop full combat capability.

By that time

The Great Chu Empire's 381mm super dreadnoughts have been commissioned into the Royal Navy, giving it a completely overwhelming advantage in terms of strength.

For at least the last decade or so, the U.S. Navy has been completely unable to compete with the Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire.

However, the American public was unaware of this. Fueled by strong white supremacist sentiments, public opinion put enormous pressure on the White House and the Navy, demanding that they shoulder the responsibility of defending American interests.

Beginning in April 1915, large-scale mass demonstrations erupted in major cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New Orleans.

The government is urged to stand up, not be a coward, and defend America's legitimate commercial interests, and not yield an inch to the bullying of the Great Chu Empire.

Manila

The Great Chu Palace
"Good, good, good. Since the reaction in American society is so strong, let's give it another push and make the situation as big as possible." Emperor Zheng Guohui of Great Chu smiled like an old fox, extremely satisfied with the current situation.

He originally wanted to cause trouble, to cause a huge mess.

Now that the opportunity has come knocking, he would feel it would be a waste not to make a difference.

Over the years
The capital of the Great Chu Empire has deeply penetrated European and American societies, and has a following in Europe and the United States, cultivating many "egg people" who yearn for Eastern culture.

This opportunity allows them to establish their persona as white nationalists, incite the emotions of a large number of uninformed lower-class white people, exacerbate conflicts, and incidentally sow discord among the American government.

Upon hearing His Majesty's words, Minister of the Interior Zheng Guotai immediately understood and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your humble servant obeys the decree. I will immediately mobilize all available resources to create a new high tide in public opinion in the United States. The White House will surely be in a state of chaos."

"That's exactly what I mean. Let them continue their strikes, marches, and protests, and don't let them have a moment's peace," Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire replied with a half-smile.

These large-scale social movements will inevitably affect the United States' full-scale production, indirectly benefiting the Great Chu Empire; of course, the more the better.

If any prominent American politician were to act rashly and decide to teach the Great Chu Empire a lesson...

Hehehe... Isn't this a coincidence?

The Great Chu Empire was just looking for a suitable opportunity to take action. As long as the Americans dared to show their faces, the Great Chu Royal Navy fleet would go out in full force and wipe out the American Navy.

core purpose

The goal was to seize America's national destiny, interrupt the continuation of America's golden age, and prevent the Americans from vying for the enormous profits generated by the European war.

For every extra bite he takes, the Great Chu Empire takes one less bite.

For such a competitor, the most straightforward and effective way is to break one of his legs. This is exactly what Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire has always wanted to do.

By July
The incident of a warship of the Great Chu Empire ramming and capsizing a fishing boat off the coast of the United States was like adding fuel to the fire, once again igniting the emotions of the American people, and serious violent incidents such as demonstrations, riots, and looting occurred in dozens of cities.

Many prominent figures have spoken out, demanding that the White House respond positively, retaliate with force, and resolutely defend America's interests.

Some military and political figures in the United States, who saw through the sinister intentions of the Great Chu Empire, called for a calm approach to the bilateral conflict in newspaper and news agency interviews, urging people to avoid falling into the sinister schemes of the Easterners.

But these calm voices were quickly swallowed up by the angry roar that was like a vast ocean.

The angry American public doesn't need these things; they need an outlet for their pent-up emotions. The inaction of the White House and the Navy has brought civil society to a boiling point.

This manifested in the constant riots in major and medium-sized cities, attacks on police stations and police cars, and burning of tire shops, creating utter chaos.

(End of this chapter)