Nanyang Storm 1864

Moonlight Lake City
The state capitol building here is a three-story Han-Tang style palace building. In the large conference room on the third floor, princes and high-ranking officials are gathered together for a high-level military and political meeting to plan the next military operation.

All the doors and windows around the conference room were open, and the cool breeze blowing in from the lakeside was refreshing and soothing.

The people sitting around the table included princes, senior advisors, key officials from nearby states, and officers of the Allied Corps and above, which speaks volumes.

Although the Great Chu Empire has always claimed to remain neutral in the current European war, and that its military operations in the peninsula and Africa are the private actions of its princes and do not represent the position of the Great Chu Empire.

In reality, this is a lie to fools. The princes' military operations on the peninsula and in Africa are inseparable from the overall support of the empire. This includes the most important logistics and military command, as well as the coordination of the fiefdoms. The empire's involvement can be seen everywhere.

They were supported by a coalition of princes from the Arabian Peninsula, and received full support from Eritrea in terms of personnel, supplies, and funds.

The funding includes several parts.

The first part is an allocation from the special fund of the Great Chu royal family, which uses the start-up funds of each prince. This is also the imperial family's support for the princes.

The second part comes from a special fund controlled by the Emperor of the Great Chu Empire, used to supplement the shortage of military operations, with each prince receiving a one-time financial subsidy of 200 million silver dollars.

The third part comes from bank loans, depending on the amount of the shortfall required. These loans are guaranteed by major banks in the empire to facilitate the transaction.

The fourth part is the support from the maternal families of the princes, which is of great help in terms of manpower, funds, transportation and military equipment.

The final part involves a sum of money allocated by the Royal Home Office after the successful occupation of the territory. This money is used for projects such as nation-building and the development of major infrastructure, as well as promoting Chinese immigration. This is a continuous investment every year.

This includes free food aid, which typically lasts for 10 years, just as the Great Chu Empire provided continuous support to the Kingdom of Dubai, the Kingdom of Jeddah, the Kingdom of Sana'a, and the Kingdom of Yemen.

After helping them get on their horses, we'll also see them off for a while.

Specifically regarding the current conflict in East Africa, the West African states have taken on all logistical support, including the delivery of supplies, personnel, and other logistical matters, as a show of unwavering support for the prince's expedition.

That is why Moonlight Lake City was able to gather all the important officials from various states, some of whom provided money, some of them with goods, and some of them with people, enough to allow the prince to go on his expedition without any worries.

Never underestimate these things; the outcome of a war is determined more than 70% by logistical supply.

Major General Mo Yuanhang, deputy commander of the coalition forces, stood in front of a large map of Africa, wearing a crisp military uniform and holding a baton, explaining the current combat plan to a group of princes and dignitaries from various states.

He said:
"Based on the results of the negotiations between Your Highnesses and the British, our allied forces are responsible for capturing the areas around Lake Malawi, Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika along the East African Rift Valley, and advancing eastward to occupy Rwanda, Burundi and other regions, and further eastward to the Pacific coast."

It encompasses the central and northern parts of German East Africa, with a total area of ​​approximately 18.7 square kilometers, which is about 46.6% of the total area of ​​German East Africa.

In the central and southern regions, the British East African Expeditionary Force was responsible for resolving all the problems.

As you can see, the three lakes region along the East African Rift Valley is fed by hundreds of rivers. With its mild climate, abundant sunshine, and ample rainfall, it is an ideal place for nomadic and agricultural activities.

Once developed, its agricultural environment is better than that of the Greater Bay Area and Huangshi Island, making it very suitable for development into a major granary for Europe.

Compared to the vast deserts and Gobi in the south, the northern plateau has a milder climate, which is suitable for human survival and development, making it a more fertile land.

However, we must also recognize that the challenges in reality are quite severe.

The plantations developed in German East Africa were mainly concentrated in this region, totaling more than 270 rubber plantations, 61 sisal plantations and more than a dozen cotton plantations, and all of them were very large.

Sisal plantations alone cover 2.47 hectares, and large rubber plantations can easily span two to three hundred square kilometers. The annual export volume of natural rubber to Germany is approximately five to six million silver dollars, and production is still growing at a high rate of 6% to 70% per year.

As is well known, natural rubber trees take 10 to 12 years to reach maturity. These rubber trees in the German rubber plantations are gradually entering their mature and productive period, which will be a considerable asset in the future.

The British gave up because it was a tough nut to crack.

The German commander, Major General Paul, was cunning and difficult to deal with. He continued to wage guerrilla warfare, avoiding direct confrontation and launching attacks on British troops from plantations and villages, causing heavy casualties.

We should learn from past mistakes.

Our allied forces plan to employ a 16-character tactic of "two-pronged attack, coordinated response, sweeping through enemy strongholds, and cavalry cover" to thoroughly eliminate pro-German forces.

The specific battle plan is divided into two fronts: southward and eastward, both with Moonlight Lake City as the starting point for the attack.

The army split into two routes. One route consisted of more than 7000 troops, mainly composed of six infantry regiments and equipped with more than 800 mule carts. This route was a detachment.

Starting from Moonlight Lake City, they will head south, advance along the East African Rift Valley region, sweep through and occupy all villages, towns, and settlements of Black tribes along the way, and effectively control the three lake regions surrounding the East African Rift Valley.

They captured all the Black tribes along the way, and all the men were conscripted into hard labor camps to build bridges and roads, construct towns, build dams, canals and other agricultural irrigation facilities, and were placed under centralized management.

All Black women were to be either resold or left in the local area, depending on the specific circumstances. It was strictly forbidden for any food or weapons to fall into German hands, and violators would be killed without mercy.

The other force, totaling over 1.1 men, was also equipped with over 2200 West African cavalry, forming the main force of the princes' coalition.

The main force of this eastward advance bypassed Lake Tanganyika and marched eastward, first attacking and occupying Rwanda, then Burundi, and then advancing eastward along the East African Plateau.

Once a town is captured, it is incorporated into and controlled, along with the surrounding plantations. Captured Germans and pro-German tribal chiefs are imprisoned and left for post-war disposal.

Anyone who assists the German army in harassment operations, or provides logistical support and food assistance, shall be executed without mercy.

This was a "sweeping away the enemy's stronghold" strategy, designed to cut off the German army's eyes and ears, cut off their supplies, and eradicate their roots, making it difficult for the Germans to establish a foothold in the north and forcing them to flee south.

The more than 2200 West African cavalrymen who advanced with the Eastern Route Army will be organized into six cavalry units, each consisting of a cavalry battalion of about 6 men. Each cavalry unit will be equipped with a field artillery company, giving them the necessary field attack capabilities.

As the army advanced eastward, they were responsible for concealing the battlefield, eliminating enemy eyes and ears, and covering the entire battlefield.

When necessary, it can penetrate deep behind enemy lines and destroy the German rear command post in one fell swoop, inflicting heavy damage on them.

Infantry should be steady in both offense and defense. Cavalry, on the other hand, should demonstrate the characteristics of flexible warfare, moving like the wind, striking and retreating quickly, and not engaging in prolonged battles.

On the land of East Africa
Occupying a town or a settlement of Black people takes very little effort; the key is to maintain a long-term occupation and completely control the area.

Therefore, I believe that building an earthen city is a very suitable solution.

Using local Black labor to build earthen cities served multiple purposes: it protected against wild animals, effectively controlled the local population, prevented German attacks, and strengthened regional control.

"Using earthen fortifications as a base, advancing step by step," the plan is to completely occupy and control the aforementioned areas within approximately six to eight months, achieving the coalition's operational objectives.

"Then let me ask you something. Now that the Germans have been driven south, can the British handle it?" a prince asked loudly. Major General Mo Yuanhang simply shrugged helplessly and replied, "Your Highness, this is a bilateral agreement reached between the Commander-in-Chief and Major General McKent of Britain. There's a formal copy of the memorandum of understanding. We only need to complete our own tasks. Am I correct?"

"General Mo, you're a bit cunning, but I like it."

"Hahaha... If the British can't solve a problem, they can ask us for help. However, we won't give up the territory occupied by the Allied Forces, even if it's the desert or the Gobi. I want it all."

“If you’re willing to put in more effort, Major General McKent will definitely be willing. His Indian brigades are almost wiped out; they’re a complete joke.”

"Forget about the British, let's take over the territory first. What's the point of having our cake and eating it too?"

"Wow, who are you talking to? Don't you know you're number 79? You don't have many older brothers to play with, and you're probably still out there in the cold wind."

"I'm following Brother Hui, not you, so why are you being so presumptuous?"

"Getting cocky, huh? Don't show off your face! I'll beat you up in a minute."

The high-level military and political meeting was in good spirits, but the princes went off-topic and started arguing on the spot.

They were all arrogant royal sons who were well-behaved in the empire's homeland, but once they came to West Africa, they went wild and became arrogant and domineering.

This kind of thing has happened more than once.

Major General Chu-Zhenghui, commander-in-chief of the allied forces, felt a headache coming on and quickly stood up to smooth things over, saying to the princes:

"Stop, stop! We're not even close to getting anywhere yet. Don't start making trouble. If it gets back to Father Emperor, we'll be in big trouble."

Everyone here wants to make something of themselves.

We must work together with one heart and one mind. We can't let those royal brothers in the Arabian Peninsula laugh at us. That would be embarrassing, wouldn't it?

Once you've conquered the territory and divided the country among yourselves, you can do whatever you want.

But don't act recklessly in the meeting. There are several governors here, all of whom have the authority to present their cases directly to the emperor. You guys should think it over first.

Can I withstand my father's wrath?

This one sentence instantly stunned the several princes who were looking indignant, and they quickly began to soften their tone.

"Brother Hui, don't make a mountain out of a molehill. We were just arguing, what did we do to start a fight? Nothing like that happened."

"Yes, yes, Father is busy with so many important matters every day, so please don't bother him with these trivial things, and don't drag us into it."

"No, that can't be, they're just teasing each other."

All the princes were deeply afraid of their father, the emperor. Although they were born into the royal family, they could only catch a glimpse of their father, surrounded by a crowd, during festivals or grand court assemblies.

I grew up listening to the legends and stories of my father, and I regarded him as a god.

The Emperor's strictness was well known. After the sixteenth prince came of age and left the palace, he indulged in a life of debauchery and soon became addicted to opium.

When the emperor learned of this, he was furious and ordered his men to arrest the 16th prince. The prince was then beaten 20 times and chained to a lakeside pavilion.

The twenty lashes left his skin torn and bleeding. After finally recovering, he was tormented by opium addiction and became emaciated. No one knows how the 16th Prince survived those years.

Why do we say those years?

This is because after His Majesty punished the Sixteenth Prince, he had so many important military and political matters to review every day that he forgot about this matter.

Four years later, Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty was strolling leisurely by the Taiye Pond with his hands behind his back when he heard screams coming from the lakeside pavilion. Only then did he release the sixteenth prince.

Throughout the entire imperial palace, no one dared to plead for the sixteenth prince, nor did anyone dare to release him.

The four years of imprisonment with iron chains nearly drove the sixteenth prince insane.

Fortunately, the lakeside villa had no shortage of food, clothing, or women. There were people to take care of laundry and toileting. You could read, compose poems, or paint as you pleased, so it wasn't too difficult to endure.

So in these four years, the sixteenth prince recovered his health and gave the Great Chu royal family four sons and two daughters, a total of six grandsons, which can be considered the greatest achievement.

After that, no one in the Great Chu royal family, from top to bottom, dared to smoke opium; it was a deadly substance.

At the end of the military and political conference

The seven governors unanimously decided to continue building two railway branch lines, both originating from Moonlight Lake City.

A railway runs eastward through Uganda and Burundi, all the way to the coast of the Indian Ocean.

That railway runs south along the East African Rift Valley, choosing to travel through higher terrain, thus completely solving the problem of logistics and supply transportation.

The East African princes' coalition did not intend to use large numbers of black indigenous people for transportation. Instead, they used horse-drawn carriages and automobiles, and after capturing a town, they began to build roads and continued to extend them.

on the basis of

The construction of two railway branches to the east and south is of great significance. If they can be completed, they will be the first railway line to traverse central Africa, connecting the Indian Ocean coast and the Atlantic coast.

This has profound implications for consolidating existing occupied territories and implementing effective rule.

In contrast, the British relied on Black indigenous people to carry supplies along their long transport routes, and the majority of these supplies were consumed by the Black laborers.

In addition to the harassment and attacks by the Germans, they also had to cross long, uninhabited wildernesses and be attacked by wild beasts, including lions. The environment was extremely harsh, and countless black laborers died or were injured as a result.

It was a waste of manpower and resources, and the results were not good.

In many cases

Major General Mo Yuanhang suspected that the British wanted to use the Germans to drastically reduce the population of the Black indigenous tribes. Otherwise, how could it be explained?
Is he really that dense?

Falling into the same trap again and again, repeatedly feeding kills to the enemy—it's truly inexplicable. (End of Chapter)