Nanyang Storm 1864

Major General McKent was really unlucky. He was not a good commander and his military ability was very mediocre, but he had a powerful background.

in the original history

General McKent served as Commander-in-Chief of the British East African Expeditionary Force until the end of World War I in 1918.

Under his command, the British army suffered tens of thousands of casualties, an astonishing amount of logistical supplies, and paid a huge price in terms of the deaths and injuries of millions of Black Native laborers, yet still failed to defeat the mere few thousand German troops led by General Paul.

In the end, Major General Paul led the German army to surrender, simply because the war was over, the German Empire had surrendered, and there was no point in continuing the fight.

But nowadays

The allied forces of the princes of the Great Chu Empire intervened and swept through the German-controlled North and West Lakes region with overwhelming force, severely restricting the German army's living space and forcing the German army to launch a major southward offensive.

In this way

This completely changed the situation from a stalemate to a more dynamic one.

The German General Paul's force had to remove Dodoma as a thorn in their side in one fell swoop, and then advance south into British-controlled territory to wage a variety of guerrilla warfare.

Dodoma's existence was like a sharp knife pointed at his back, making General Paul of Germany feel very uncomfortable.

He was not used to having his fate in the hands of the British, especially now during wartime.

Therefore, in the early morning of December 4, 1915, the German army concentrated its forces and launched a powerful attack on Dodoma, sparing no expense, in an attempt to achieve a decisive victory.

General Paul was right to do so. We must never underestimate any enemy and must strike them with all our might.

The outcome of the Battle of Dodoma was not in doubt. When the German King of Africa Infantry Regiment attacked Dodoma from three directions, the British Indian Brigade in the city reacted extremely slowly.

Even when the German army reached the doorstep, the British white commander still couldn't believe it was real.

This included Major General McKent, who styled himself as the savior of East Africa. Even with the dark muzzle of a gun pointed at his chest, Major General McKent still asked in bewilderment:

"What the hell is going on? Can anyone tell me why these Germans have invaded Todoma? Is today April Fool's Day?"

In his stubborn ideas
For more than a year, the German army consistently waged mobile and flexible guerrilla warfare, rather than engaging in head-on confrontations and attrition with the British army, thus forming a habitual way of thinking.

The sudden change was completely unacceptable to Major General McKent.

General Paul was also surprised. He knew that the British Indian Brigade was very weak, but he did not expect it to be this weak, surrendering almost without fighting.

After the Battle of Dodoma, the German army completely captured Dodoma at the cost of only 71 casualties (note: most of whom were black soldiers). A total of 629 British Indian Brigade soldiers were killed or wounded, 7101 were captured, and several hundred British soldiers escaped.

Most of the fleeing British troops were white soldiers from the Lancashire Camp. They were equipped with a large number of horses, as well as cars and wagons, so they could run very fast.

After this battle
General Paul also regretted it. If he could have kept Major General McKent, that mediocre talent, wouldn't he have been able to thrive in the East African theater?

After an internal struggle, Major General Paul treated General McKent and the captured British officers with high honors and returned them all more than ten days later, thus releasing them unconditionally.

have to say
Major General Paul of Germany was not only an excellent military commander, but also had a deep understanding of human nature and knew how to use various conditions to create a comfortable environment for himself.

Officer McKent, a mediocre and incompetent man, and his gang of idiots, should not only be released unconditionally, but also as quickly as possible.

Major General Paul's efforts paid off. As soon as Major General McDan returned to Dar es Salaam, he dismissed several British white colonial officials and regained control of the government.

He was indeed mediocre in military affairs, but he demonstrated exceptional ability in colonial rule and managing his subordinates, and quickly brought the situation under control.

Due to the extremely underdeveloped communication methods in East Africa, reports could only be sent to London via a weekly cruise ship, so there was still time.

A new report was submitted, and the original report on the Battle of Dodoma submitted by colonial officials was urgently recalled after the liner arrived at Portsmouth, England, so that its influence could be kept to a limited extent.

The Battle of Dodoma is described as a tragic and bitter battle fought against a near-total German attack.

Major General McKent, commander of the East African Expeditionary Force, calmly directed operations, maneuvered against the enemy, and repeatedly braved gunfire to rush to the front lines to guide the battle.

In the most dangerous situation, when surrounded by German troops, several Lancashire battalion soldiers around him fought back with their lives, and General McKent personally picked up a rifle to return fire until he ran out of bullets.

"General, you go first, I'll cover the rear."

"No, I want to stay with my brothers and fulfill the sacred honor of a soldier. Death is not scary; what is scary is cowardice."

"General...kill them!"

Under the leadership of Major General McKent, the white soldiers of Camp Lancashire fought bravely against an enemy several times their size, and finally fought their way out...

That's roughly what Qi means.

have to say
There were reasons why Major General McKent was able to hold his position in Africa for four years, until the end of World War I, when Major General Paul finally surrendered.

First of all, he has a solid foundation in literature and is particularly good at writing emotional reports. When he sent them to London, they moved a group of high-ranking officials to tears, who thought they were really good.

What more could you ask for than persevering in such a harsh environment as East Africa?

As for the two lost British Indian brigades, Major General McKent didn't bother London at all. Instead, he wrote a long letter to the British Indian Governor's Office, a friend of his, promising many benefits along with the letter.

Over there

They directly sent over 8,000 Indian soldiers to Major General McKent by ship, and boasted that they would compensate for any losses.

In India, there's not much else, but these cannon fodder can easily number in the tens or hundreds of thousands. What's the big deal?

After the Battle of Dodoma, the situation in East Africa largely stabilized.

As expected, the allied forces of the East African princes of the Great Chu Empire occupied the designated territory, halting their advance and beginning to consolidate their rule over the region.

This is nothing more than building bridges and roads, constructing urban buildings, building canals and dams, etc. These are all basic skills of traditional Chinese people, which they never forget no matter where they go.

None of these African towns are decent; they all need to be torn down and rebuilt.

Fortunately, they captured three to four million Black tribal people, providing a plentiful labor force. Under planned guidance, the East African region underwent a dramatic transformation in just a few months.

One after another, wide and flat roads stretched out, mostly gravel roads.

According to the general pattern of road construction in Africa, such gravel roads need to exist for at least 5 to 7 years to fully compact the roadbed. During this period, they need to be constantly repaired before they can finally take shape.

Tall trees were planted along both sides of the road, and numerous irrigation ditches were built, transforming the previously extensive farming methods into large-scale industrialized cultivation, producing large quantities of grain. For the East African princes' coalition forces...
Now that they have occupied the established territory, all that's left is to share the benefits. There's no need to continue heading south and risk everything, only to benefit others.

At most, we can expand southward and acquire more territory. The most important thing right now is to establish a nation and get the real benefits. Everything else is secondary.

Major General Chu-Zheng Hui, the commander of the Allied Forces, did indeed hope to march south and carve out a vast territory, where he could live a comfortable life as a king behind closed doors.

However, it's impossible to please everyone, and the other princes objected.

In the end, they had no choice but to break up, after all, it is too rare to have a monarch with such foresight as the emperor; only one appears every few hundred years.

So in January 1916

The princes who ventured into East Africa declared the establishment of their own kingdoms, creating six kingdoms that stretched from the western coast of the Indian Ocean to the Great Lakes region, each taking what they needed.

The largest project among the kingdoms was the extension of the Northern Railway, which stretched more than 1300 kilometers eastward from Moonlake City to Pangani Port on the west coast of the Indian Ocean.

This railway connects six kingdoms with seven states in West Africa, forming a major railway artery that enables the unimpeded transport of agricultural and livestock products from various countries, thus securing valuable funds for development.

In an era of war in Europe
As long as a large amount of grain is transported out, there is no need to worry about not being able to sell it; at most, it will just be a matter of buying on credit.

The major royal banks of the Great Chu Empire were doing very well with their loans, mainly to Britain and France, and the rest to other Western European countries in the Allied military alliance, but notably not to Tsarist Russia.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire had already issued an edict forbidding the lending of funds to Tsarist Russia, with severe punishment for violators.

At the beginning of 1916

The European countries involved in the war were already engaged in fierce fighting, with many fighting to the death on the Eastern and Western Fronts. A new southern front was opened in Italy, and the Gallipoli Front was opened in the Ottoman Empire. Tens of millions of officers and soldiers from both sides fought a bloody and desperate battle, turning the conflict into a chaotic mess.

The conflict between Chu and Mei was finally temporarily resolved thanks to the efforts of France, Britain, and other countries, and they enjoyed a period of peace.

During this period,
President Thomas Woodrow Wilson of the United States was so attacked by public opinion and newspapers that he almost became withdrawn. The Philadelphia Free Press gave him the nickname "Weeping Thomas".

It means that when something happens, they panic and have to cry in their mother's arms, unable to stand up straight.

President Thomas Woodrow Wilson was truly suffering in silence; was he simply unable to stand up for himself?
It's simply that the US Navy can't afford to mess with the Royal Navy of the Great Chu. If war breaks out, the US Navy could be completely wiped out.

If you count on your fingers, which navy in the world today has the most combat experience?
Without a doubt, the Great Chu Royal Navy was the most prominent, having fought against the Spanish fleet, the Anglo-French allied fleet, and the Dutch fleet in its early years.

Later, in another battle, the main force of the Japanese Combined Fleet was annihilated, almost causing the Japanese to lose confidence. Isn't this a remarkable achievement?
Don't bring up the fact that the US Navy fought the Spanish fleet in Cuba; those are not even in the same league.
In just a few months

President Wilson's hair had turned completely white, and he was visibly aging. Being president must be incredibly stressful!

He is now afraid of hearing about border clashes and has repeatedly ordered that the US military not make contact with the Chu army. On the border of Baja California Island, the US military has retreated 30 kilometers to avoid direct contact.

Merchant ships in ports in the southern United States have generally received instructions that they must not resist if they are stopped for inspection, otherwise they will bear the consequences.

This greatly reduced the number of merchant ships in the southern United States and severely impacted trade with Europe, yet there was no proper solution.

The higher-ups demanded tolerance and retreat; these merchant ships couldn't very well take up cannons and go to war.

The United States did have some good news: the two Texas-class battleships that had been launched and equipped were finally delivered to the Navy, giving them warships of the same class that could rival the Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire.

However, it will take more than a year and a half to form combat capability, which cannot be rushed.

The bad news is that the Great Chu Empire has also delivered one of its super dreadnoughts equipped with 381mm Zhu cannons, another one will be delivered in April of this year, a third one will be delivered at the end of the year, and another one will be delivered by the middle of next year.

Moreover, at least five other super dreadnoughts of the same class are under construction on the shipyards of the Great Chu Empire.

The U.S. shipbuilding industry is operating at full capacity, continuously producing a large number of new ships.

However, the Great Chu Empire was not to be outdone. Its newly produced warships were not only larger in tonnage and more powerful in firepower, but also had a longer range and overwhelming performance advantages.

This left Americans with a bitter taste in their mouths and a deep sense of humiliation rising in their hearts.

Even setting aside the present, for the foreseeable future of more than 10 years, the US Navy still won't dare to bare its teeth at the Royal Navy of the Chu State. That's the difference.

Manila

In the lakeside resort palace

Last year, Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty celebrated his 50th anniversary of ascension to the throne, receiving envoys from dozens of countries and enjoying a truly glorious occasion.

This left a significant mark on his imperial rule.

All nations came to pay tribute, a scene of unprecedented grandeur.

The massive parade of a million citizens in Manila, the military parade at the coronation ceremony, the tribute ceremonies from various countries and states, and the grand carnival celebrations of the imperial subjects are all worthy of being written about in detail.

Even after more than half a year, Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu still smiled when he recalled it.

The children were enthusiastic, and the people of the empire were equally jubilant, proud of the powerful Great Chu Empire, and able to hold their heads high wherever they went in the world.

This is the goal that Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire has been pursuing, and he feels a great sense of accomplishment in achieving it.

As for the fact that several small kingdoms had been established in South America, he simply ignored it.

The kids are just playing around, don't take it seriously.

King George V of England did not hear these words. If he had, he would have been furious. No one dares to be so smug.

Taking advantage of the historic opportunity presented by the European war, the Great Chu Empire expanded its territory around the world, establishing a series of princely kingdoms, numbering as many as twenty.

If we add the original five kingdoms (four in the Arabian Peninsula and the Kingdom of Colombia), as well as the kingdom granted to the Crown Prince in Madagascar, the number reaches 26.

There aren't that many countries in all of Europe, it's infuriating!

Given the current importance of the Great Chu Kingdom, the entire Allied Powers dare not underestimate it. At this critical juncture, it's best to acquiesce.

After all, the actions of the Great Chu Empire were very measured, and it basically did not cross the red line of the Allied military bloc. It only repeatedly jumped around the red line, which was the issue of the Mediterranean coastal region.

For now, we can only put it on hold for the time being.

(End of this chapter)