Nanyang Storm 1864

"Crimea and Tunisia, ha... those British and French are so stingy! Like squeezing toothpaste, they only give a little bit every now and then. What do you gentlemen think?"

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu sat on the dragon throne at the head of the table and asked with some lack of interest.

While the Allied military bloc offered enticing benefits, its demands were equally high, like a carrot dangling in front of a donkey.

It is hoped that the State of Chu will promise to send no less than 80 troops to Europe within 6 to 8 months after joining the military alliance, and at least 110 million troops to Europe within one year.

The total number of troops to be sent to Europe in the future should be between 140 million and 150 million, equipped with standard weapons, ammunition and military equipment.

This part of the expenditure alone amounted to about six to seven hundred million silver dollars, not including subsequent ammunition expenditures, compensation for casualties and medical expenses for combat personnel.

Is the Great Chu Empire capable of providing this amount of money?

Of course, we could produce it, even at two or three times the original price, but the cost would be exorbitant, and we could never truly gain the recognition of the European powers.

Many of the ministers discussing matters in the Zichen Hall were eager to try their luck, and their intentions were not wrong:

After nearly a year of fighting in 1916, the two major military blocs each suffered millions of casualties and consumed a huge amount of war materials, which was clearly unsustainable.

If the Great Chu Empire were to join the war at this time, it would be the last straw that broke the camel's back, essentially a free lunch.

In the hearts of these important officials of the empire,

We hope to gain worldwide recognition through our performance in this European competition.

Whether in the 19th or 20th century
Europe remains the center of the world stage, attracting almost all attention and serving as the arena for competition among world-class powers.

No dancer doesn't want to step onto the highest stage and showcase their honed dance skills to the world.

This metaphor is equally fitting when applied to a nation.

Today
The United States, with the world's largest GDP, is still considered a regional power in North America, an economic giant, but a political dwarf.

The Great Chu Empire faced the same bottleneck. It was widely recognized as the regional hegemon of the Western Pacific, but its presence on the world stage was far inferior, and it was still quite a distance from the universally recognized British Empire.

The British Empire was not merely a geographically dominant empire; it aimed to reach the pinnacle of the world in politics, economics, military, and culture, possessing global dominance.

This disparity was what made all the officials of the Great Chu Empire feel uncomfortable.

Having developed to this point, the Great Chu Empire needs to demonstrate a greater presence and influence in international affairs and needs to win more respect, or rather, awe, from European countries.

The debate in the court was fierce, with those in favor of sending troops and those holding cautious opinions on the matter being roughly equal. Several senior officials were even more conservative, their gazes frequently glancing at the composed Emperor Zheng Guohui of Great Chu, who sat at the head of the table.

Made up my mind
Since His Majesty the Emperor has not shown any clear inclination, then we should remain silent. In any case, sticking close to His Majesty's coattails is definitely the right thing to do.

Seeing the deadlock in the court, Prime Minister Lee Kyung-hee felt slightly uneasy. He glanced at Crown Prince Chu-Jung-won, who also seemed to support sending troops to Europe.

the reason is simple

By the end of 1916, the United States had begun domestic mobilization, and its military strength was expected to grow rapidly from the current 13 to more than three million.

Such a move was a harbinger of involvement in the European war.

The relationship between Chu and Mei was characterized by both competition and cooperation. Competition was on the political and military level, while cooperation tended to be more focused on the financial and economic levels, exhibiting a clear characteristic of "cold politics and hot economy".

From the perspective of imperial interests, we cannot let the Americans get there first.

In the court

When the heated debate between the two sides on whether to fight or not came to an end, Prime Minister Lee Kyung-hee coughed twice, which immediately drew the attention of the ministers, who all fell silent.

Seeing that the scene had quieted down, Prime Minister Lee Kyung-hee stepped forward, looked around, and said:
"Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince:"
Your humble servant believes

Both proponents and opponents of sending troops to Europe were motivated by the desire to protect the imperial interests to the greatest extent possible; the only point of contention was the timing.

The European war has lasted for three years, and this year, in particular, is the year of decisive battle between the two major military blocs. The war has been unprecedentedly fierce, with extremely heavy casualties and losses.

According to simulations by the Royal Army General Staff, such a high-intensity war in Europe would be unsustainable by the end of the year, as neither side could continue fighting.

Judging from the current actions of the United States, it also tends to be in this direction.

Those who oppose sending troops to Europe do so simply feel that the Allied military bloc's offer is not sincere enough and the conditions for joining the war are too high, thus making them hesitant and indecisive.

There is a general consensus between the government and the public regarding participation in European competitions.

Your humble servant believes
Major friendly countries such as Britain and France have already shown great sincerity. It is time to make a decision, rather than continuing to argue, hesitate, and bargain for more benefits.

Only by demonstrating responsibility and being a trustworthy and close ally can an empire gain genuine friendship and complete trust from its allies in this major war that will shape the world order, thereby expanding its influence into Europe.

These are my humble opinions; I humbly request Your Majesty's wise judgment.

After saying this, he bowed deeply to the ground.

The Prime Minister's words moved both the pro-war and conservative factions, and their eyes involuntarily turned to the Emperor, awaiting his decision.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty gently tapped the armrest of his chair with his slender fingers, his eyes thoughtful, before turning to look at Crown Prince Chu-Zheng Yuan, who was sitting below him.

At this moment, Crown Prince Chu-Zheng Yuan also looked up and nodded with a firm gaze.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty understood, and without further hesitation, decisively spoke:
"In that case, draft an imperial edict!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the ministers and officials stood up, faced the Nine Dragon Throne with respectful expressions, and clasped their hands together in a salute.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty continued calmly:
"All my ministers, hear my decree:"
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should immediately consult with the Allied Powers, such as Britain and France, to form an alliance and sign the treaty as soon as possible without any delay.

The Imperial Royal Army and Royal Navy are ordered to immediately begin preparations for war, open strategic reserve warehouses, arm and recruit new soldiers, and implement the Imperial wartime mobilization system.

The Prime Minister's Office issued a nationwide military mobilization order, conscripting able-bodied young men into the army. In the first phase, the army was expanded to 300 million men. An imperial edict was immediately drafted and promulgated to carry out a full-scale military mobilization.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Propaganda, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Transportation, Ministry of Health and Culture, Ministry of the Interior, Police Administration, Disciplinary Administration, and all other government offices, prefectures, counties, and subordinate units of the Empire shall fully transition to a wartime system to assist the Empire's comprehensive military mobilization operations without fail.

"Your Majesty, we respectfully receive your decree!" The assembled ministers and officials in the court responded in unison, almost all of them showing expressions of excitement and anticipation.

This moment has been long awaited. For over fifty years, the Great Chu Empire had been virtually invincible in its military expansion, and the glory of its active military expansion and victories was etched into the blood of almost every subject of the empire, creating a widespread atmosphere of martial spirit and warlike behavior in society.

Since the outbreak of the European war

Newspapers, magazines, and news agencies published numerous reports on the issue, and almost the entire population actively participated in the discussions. Many impatient Chinese adventurers had already secretly gone to Europe to join the war.

Everyone is talking about when His Majesty will allow the Great Chu Empire to join the war.

This topic has generated a great deal of discussion, and it has become the focus of attention for almost all subjects of the empire, from the streets and alleys to teahouses and even the imperial court.

His Majesty the Emperor issued an imperial edict for a nationwide military mobilization, instantly igniting the fighting spirit of the 178 million subjects of the Great Chu Empire, and the empire's war machine began to operate at high speed.

Expanding the army to 300 million, the current Royal Army of the Great Chu Empire already has a strength of over 113 million personnel, so it would be necessary to recruit another 187 to 190 million troops, which is roughly more than 1% of the empire's population.

some of

The number of young and middle-aged Chinese immigrants recently received from the Northern China is approximately 38 to 40, the number of veterans who have returned home in the last three years is 30, the number of new imperial conscripts is over 80, and there are approximately 40 black servants.

These 40-plus Black auxiliary troops mostly came from the former German East Africa, where a series of Chinese kingdoms have now been established, totaling nine, with a total of more than 370 million Black natives in the region.

After more than a year of sorting and construction, more than 40 young and middle-aged Black men were selected and sent to Europe after receiving basic military training.

This move would have several advantages: first, it would accelerate regional colonization and integration, eliminating destabilizing factors; second, it would replenish troop strength, allowing them to perform the most dangerous frontline cannon fodder tasks on the battlefield, thus reducing casualties among the Imperial army; and third, it would alleviate war expenditures, as compensation for Chinese soldiers killed or wounded would be a significant expense.

As for those Black indigenous cannon fodder, well, let's not even consider them.

Chinese veterans are the backbone of the newly formed troops, which can ensure the minimum combat effectiveness of the Great Chu Empire's army and prevent it from becoming too weak.

Over the past few decades

The Great Chu Empire has established a comprehensive military reserve system, with a total of over 1470 million registered reserve officers, soldiers, and militiamen. This is an astonishing scale, accounting for slightly less than 9% of the empire's total population.

Recruiting 30 veterans who have retired in the last three years to supplement the army will not have a significant impact on the empire's existing economic operations and industrial and agricultural production, while ensuring the combat effectiveness of the newly formed army.

1916st January 11

The Great Chu Empire formally joined the Allied Powers and declared war on Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria, which gave the Allied Powers a significant boost.

November 27st

The Allied military bloc, led by Germany, formally declared war on the Great Chu Empire, thus beginning the second phase of the European war.

The news caused a sensation throughout Europe and the world.

The people of the Allied military alliance spread the news, finally seeing the first glimmer of victory in the three-year-long dark war. How could they not be overjoyed and weep with joy?

Meanwhile, across the Pacific, in the United States, all was silent, and the local news media were completely overwhelmed.

As a direct competitor, the Great Chu Empire's move once again earned the respect of Europe, brilliantly taking the lead over the United States and seizing a valuable first-mover advantage.

The ensuing changes confirmed the speculations of the American media: the vast majority of large orders from Europe were transferred to the Great Chu Empire, and the American industrial and agricultural sectors felt the chill for the first time.

The massive production of goods has resulted in mountains of unsold goods, yet the company is unable to secure the necessary orders.

The Great Chu Empire is now a close ally of the Allied military bloc, with millions of troops ready to participate in the unprecedentedly brutal European war.

Under this premise
It doesn't matter who makes the money, so isn't it only natural to pass the orders to our allies?
The Americans are now truly in a tragic situation. The formal entry of the Great Chu Empire into the war has greatly weakened Europe's need to court the United States, making it almost irrelevant.

This was mainly because US President Thomas Woodrow Wilson hesitated and missed a good opportunity.

From before the outbreak of the European war to now

The United States has extensive commercial activities with its military alliance led by Germany, which is also a major customer across the Atlantic, purchasing massive amounts of American goods.

The close relationship between the two sides aroused great dissatisfaction among the Allied military bloc, mainly composed of Britain and France, but they had been holding back and had not yet erupted.

That is the reason
This prevents the United States from acting like the Great Chu Empire, which could launch a direct attack on the Allied military bloc without any justification, which would be utterly devoid of military ethics.

Americans want to find an opportunity to turn against each other, otherwise it will look bad.

in the original history

In late 1916, due to the extremely unfavorable war situation, the German Navy announced an unrestricted submarine war against ships of the Allied military alliance and friendly nations transporting supplies, in an attempt to strangle the Atlantic maritime logistics supply lines.

In early 1917, after the German Navy announced unrestricted submarine warfare, it sank a large number of American merchant ships, causing significant losses of cargo and personnel, which was one of the reasons for the United States to enter the war.

Another reason

During the war, the United States provided loans totaling $26 billion to the Allied military alliance, indicating a significant vested interest in the matter.

In early 1917, the February Incident occurred in Tsarist Russia, leading to a significant depletion of forces on the Eastern Front of the Allied Powers, with millions of Russian troops retreating. This made it possible for the Allied Powers to lose this crucial war.

For its own interests, the United States must also help the Allied military bloc win this war, which is the second reason.

But now everything is in chaos. At the end of 1916, the Great Chu Empire brazenly announced its accession to the Allied military bloc and actively transported a large number of troops to Europe, preparing to join the European competition.

This sudden change left the United States completely dumbfounded.

According to the order of the General Staff of the Royal Army of the Great Chu Empire, more than 400,000 young and strong black natives from East Africa were transported by ship to the Kingdom of Jordan and Tunisia from December 3, 1916, for organization and military training.

From late November after the declaration of war to February of the following year, a total of more than 420,000 regular troops from the Great Chu Empire, including the elite First, Third, Fourth and Ninth Expeditionary Divisions, arrived in Tunisia and the Kingdom of Jordan over a period of more than three months to conduct pre-war acclimatization training.

For more than a year thereafter, the Great Chu Empire continuously sent troops to its forward bases in Tunisia and Jordan as part of its final acclimatization training before heading to Europe to participate in the war.

In addition, hundreds of thousands of troops from the Great Chu Empire landed on the British Isles for pre-war acclimatization training, with plans to gradually deploy them to the western front.

The Allied military command was full of confidence and planned to deploy more than 70 troops of the Great Chu Empire to the western front, using this force as a hammer to break the backbone of the German army on the western front.

In addition, more than 10 troops of the Great Chu Empire were deployed to the Italian battlefield in the south to clean up the mess left by the repeatedly defeated Italian army and stabilize the southern front.

However, all these plans to deploy troops were interrupted in February of the following year by the dramatic changes in Tsarist Russia. The collapse of Tsarist Russia came so suddenly and unexpectedly. (End of Chapter)