Nanyang Storm 1864

Regardless of the pressure and threats from the Allied military bloc members, the new Tsarist regime was determined to end the war, and no one could sway it.

In March 1918, Tsarist Russia formally acknowledged its defeat and unilaterally signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany, agreeing to give up almost all of its European territory, approximately 1.2 million square kilometers, as well as 6 billion German marks in war reparations, in order to extricate itself from the quagmire of war.

Tsarist Russia was no longer able to continue its military campaigns; people were starving to death every day in major cities across the country, and the situation was extremely dire.

Shortly thereafter
The new Russian government concluded the Treaty of Kiev with the State of Chu, formally recognizing the cession of Crimea and placing the Odessa, Nikolaev, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions under Chu's trusteeship, thereby obtaining Chu's understanding regarding Russia's withdrawal from the war.

The new Tsarist government is in dire straits, and the Allied powers, including Britain, France, the United States, and Italy, are furious as the international situation becomes extremely unfavorable for Tsarist Russia.

The number of Chu's expeditionary force, which was nearby, was growing rapidly, from over 117 million to over 165 million, and the momentum of growth had not slowed down.

This was tantamount to a bomb buried at the gate of the courtyard, ready to shatter the newly established Tsarist regime into pieces at any moment.

How many Russian soldiers would it take to withstand the 165 million fully armed and well-trained expeditionary force of the Great Chu Empire? How much military expenditure and food would it take to withstand them?

The outcome is still uncertain, and the thought of this real threat is chilling.

Driven by immense fear, the new Russian government had no choice but to go to great lengths to satisfy the appetites of the Chu state, readily handing over any territory it desired without hesitation.

The new Tsarist government also had another goal: to incite a hostile conflict between Germany and Russia by relinquishing the trusteeship of four provinces.

"Two peaches kill three warriors"—let the two bandits fight over them.

The State of Chu was fully aware of the new Russian government's ulterior motives. Originally standing on the side of the Allied military bloc, it was impossible for Chu to compromise with the Germans, making a new war inevitable.

One more case won't make a difference, and one less case won't make a difference either.

The Treaty of Kiev was orchestrated behind the scenes by the Emperor of the Great Chu Empire. From negotiation to signing, it took no more than a week, and not a word of it was leaked.

After the treaty was formally signed, it sparked great dissatisfaction among the military bloc of the Allied Powers, who accused the State of Chu of signing a treaty with a traitor without authorization, deeming such behavior utterly intolerable.

The Times of London even ran a front-page headline: "Judas and Peter have appeared in the Allied camp. Where will the war go?", sharply criticizing the betrayal of the Allied camp.

As we all know, it was Judas who betrayed Christ. Peter disobeyed the Lord's will three times, but later repented with tears in his eyes and was used by the Lord again.

The Times of London likened Tsarist Russia to Judas, and while another country was not named, the pungent reference was clear to everyone, reflecting the anger in British society.

Leaving aside the raging anger among the European populace, the Allied Supreme Command behaved more rationally. They knew that these bigwigs in the military alliance, especially the State of Chu and the United States, could not truly feel the pain Europe was experiencing in the war.

You can only try to appease them; don't let things fall apart, or you'll ruin what was originally a great situation.

Russia's defection has already made the Allied military alliance extremely anxious.

The most direct manifestation of this was that Germany immediately withdrew 17 German divisions from the Eastern Front, where it was confronting Tsarist Russia, and returned to the Western Front, launching the Second Battle of the Marne at the end of March.

The German offensive, which came back with great force, put immense pressure on the British and French forces, who desperately urged American reinforcements to join the battle lines to jointly resist the German onslaught.

The Allied Supreme Command knew very well
If the Great Chu Empire's army had not been stationed on the eastern front, Germany could have deployed as many as 43 divisions, in addition to the 57 divisions of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. If all of them had been committed to the western front, it would have been a complete disaster.

On the Eastern Front today
It was the powerful Great Chu Empire that stood out, almost holding back hundreds of divisions of the German-Austrian military bloc, making it difficult for them to look westward. Otherwise, the overwhelming Great Chu Empire expeditionary force would have conquered Austria-Hungary and Poland, and then advanced into Germany.

At this time, how can we be too demanding of the Great Chu Empire?

Transoceanic telegrams crisscrossed the globe, and the heads of state of the Allied military bloc expressed their understanding and support for the Great Chu Empire, not daring to utter a single harsh word. They formally declared that Crimea belonged to the Great Chu Empire and recognized its trusteeship of four southern Ukrainian provinces.

In particular, the Great Chu Empire's administration of four southern Ukrainian provinces—Odessa, Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia—was extremely advantageous to the Allied military bloc.

Just look at the map

These four southern provinces, along with Crimea, almost completely enclose Ukraine's 1720-kilometer coastline along the Black Sea, turning the vast Ukrainian plain, covering an area of ​​over one million square kilometers, into an inland region with no outlet to the sea.

Under normal circumstances, the Tsarist Russian Empire would absolutely not tolerate the continuation of this situation.

Now that the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk has been signed, can the German Empire, which is overjoyed throughout the country, tolerate foreign countries stealing the fruits of victory from its hands?
the answer is negative.

Germany has proven its strength through five years of war, and it will not tolerate any dissent. Even if this European war ends, a war between two powerful nations will break out over the future ownership of the four southern states.

The thought of this prospect secretly delighted the European countries currently suffering from the hardships of war.

I'm both afraid my brother is suffering and afraid he's driving a Land Rover; that's just my nature.

The Prime Minister's Office of the Great Chu Empire, which is currently in the eye of the storm, has been extremely busy replying to letters from heads of state of various countries. It is truly a bittersweet experience.

The secret signing of the Treaty of Kiev caused a global uproar as soon as it was revealed, drawing pressure from countries and various sectors around the world, and even raising questions within the empire itself.

However, the decision came from the supreme ruler of the Great Chu Empire and was implemented unconditionally.

The Imperial Cabinet and its various departments were unconditionally subservient to Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire. Every imperial edict issued from the palace was regarded as the ultimate rule and implemented like a golden law.

Countless facts have proven that His Majesty's wisdom and brilliance are unparalleled.

Living deep within the imperial palace
Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty couldn't hear these clamoring voices. It was normal for him to have some differing opinions. After all, once the empire had developed to a certain extent, it began to appease the people, emphasizing openness and righteousness, spreading benevolence to all corners of the land, all for the sake of a good reputation.

The original intention of signing the Treaty of Kiev was to put the benefits in writing.

Once you miss this opportunity, you'll never have another chance.

A massive civil war has broken out in Tsarist Russia. The negotiators are incredibly agreeable, and in secret negotiations, they even offered to formally annex the four southern provinces of Ukraine into the territory of the Chu Kingdom.

If you want more states, that's just a matter of saying the word.

The Russians' calculations were very clear: they were going to cede the land to either Germany or the State of Chu, so what difference did it make whichever they gave it to?

If the State of Chu were to ask for territory, these Russian negotiators would be willing to cede 15 states, including the one they had been bullying, and let the two states of Germany and Chu fight over them.

It's not like we can't negotiate with Belarus in the north; we can take whatever we want.

Fortunately, Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty did not fall for this trick. Instead, he used the pretext of international trusteeship to first secure control of these four states. As for the future, he would take it one step at a time, depending on the situation.

He was a typical pragmatist who did not value the intentions of the Allied military alliance members, nor did he expect the arrangements made at the Paris Peace Conference after the war.

This moment, that moment.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire had no habit of waiting for others to reward him. The British and French were no good people; they could turn on you faster than flipping through a book. He would rather get real benefits first.

Once Tsarist Russia ends its civil war and gradually grows stronger, the four states held by the Great Chu Empire will become a very valuable bargaining chip.

Do you want it?
We can talk about that, but you can't take it without giving anything in return. So what do you have to give in return?

It all depends on the contest of strength between the two countries and the deals made behind the scenes. In any case, we can drag it out as long as possible, even until World War II breaks out.

If all else fails, give them one or two states first, and leave the rest hanging like carrots in front of them.

This extremely dangerous game could only be played by the Great Chu Empire, which was comparable in size to Tsarist Russia. It was also a crucial bargaining chip in balancing the situation in Europe.

The role of these four states was to form a sufficiently broad buffer zone around the Crimean territory that the Great Chu Empire truly cared about.

Within this buffer zone, the Great Chu Empire could even support several White Russian forces to establish separate states, becoming the Great Chu Empire's European puppets.

There are many ways to play the game; that's international politics.

The more chips you have, the more composed you will be at the poker table. Chips that the Great Chu Empire doesn't care about are coveted by Tsarist Russia and other major European powers.

Then we can lead them by the nose and always maintain the dominant position.

The weakness of the Allied military bloc fueled the ambitions of Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire. After carefully studying the map, he decided to make slight changes to his original plan.

That is to swallow up all six provinces along the eastern coast of Bulgaria in one fell swoop, and extend its influence all the way to Moldova, forming a European territory totaling 122,500 square kilometers.

This vast area is equivalent to 1.2 times the size of Jiangsu Province, and it is all fertile coastal land.

It has far exceeded the traditional concept of Thrace, including Thrace, Clercralelli and Suman (note, eastern Bulgaria), plus Greater Moldova.

Bulgaria will therefore become a landlocked country, but so what?

As a member of the Allied military bloc, it would inevitably be purged after the war, so who would advocate for this small Balkan country?
In the original historical trajectory

The Ottoman Empire disintegrated after its defeat, as did the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Germany also ceded territory and paid reparations. Did the Kingdom of Bulgaria not have to pay any price?
As one of the victorious nations, what's wrong with the Great Chu Empire taking some benefits... what's wrong with that?
The total size of the Great Chu Empire's expeditionary force in Europe has now reached over 165 million, and the subsequent fourth batch of reinforcements will reach a total of one million, basically consisting of young men with little training who are being prepared to be sent to Europe.

The students were mainly patriotic students. These were the seeds that the Great Chu Empire had sown in Europe. They were sent to Europe with no intention of letting them return. They were to stay and settle down, get married, have children, and put down roots.

The empire has spent a fortune sending these young patriotic students to Europe; are they really going to spend a fortune bringing them back as well?

That's definitely not possible. By the time these million-strong fourth reinforcements arrive in Europe, the war will probably be almost over.

They were perfectly positioned to replace the large-scale demobilization of European expeditionary forces, undertaking military guard duties and other tasks, and maintaining a strong military presence in Europe.

Those soldiers who distinguished themselves in the war would be allocated land, houses, and women in Europe, which would greatly reduce the empire's expenditure on rewards and allow the newly acquired European territories to be further developed.

It can be described as a win-win-win situation, and the Great Chu Empire has already mastered this skill, so there is no need to elaborate.

The more than 260 million young and middle-aged Chinese who went to Europe represent more than 260 million Chinese families. If all of them get married and have children, the population will reach tens of millions in the next ten years.

If we loosen the immigration policy a little more, without requiring much additional administrative expenditure from the Great Chu Empire, these European territories will be secure, without a doubt.

The entire western part of Tsarist Russia, Poland, Ukraine, as well as countries such as Romania and Bulgaria, were the hardest-hit areas of the war, with tens of millions of people dying in this unprecedented war.

This led to a severe imbalance in the local male-to-female population ratio. The well-off soldiers of the Great Chu Empire's expeditionary force were very popular, and it was not difficult for them to get married and have children locally, so the imperial government basically did not need to worry about them.

Early September
Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu received a request from the Allied Supreme Command to delay the German reinforcements heading west in order to alleviate the pressure on the western front.

The Allied Supreme Command requested the Great Chu Empire to put the Thracian campaign, which had been postponed for more than five months, back on the agenda and launch a full-scale attack no later than April 15.

In this way, a large number of German and Austro-Hungarian troops could be tied down.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire did not shirk his responsibilities. Since he had received enough benefits, he still had to do his job when it was time to do it, and he could not let others gossip.

Thus, an imperial decree was issued from the empire's homeland, and the imperial expeditionary force stationed in Bulgaria immediately sprang into action, assembling a large number of troops to the front lines.

This development immediately drew the attention of the Allied military bloc led by Germany, which simultaneously began mobilizing troops to reinforce the region.

The Ukrainian plains are now like a sieve, allowing the German army to move around at will. The main force of the Tsarist Russian army has withdrawn and returned to fight a brutal civil war.

To avoid a direct confrontation with the German forces, the headquarters of the Great Chu Empire's expeditionary force moved from Kiev to Bucharest, the capital of Romania, to direct the new round of the Thracian campaign from there.

With both sides deploying troops, a heavy war cloud hangs over the Balkans, and a new round of bloody fighting is about to begin.

In order to launch this large-scale campaign, the Great Chu Empire mobilized three army groups to Bulgaria and Romania, totaling 58 infantry divisions, 6 artillery divisions, 4 tank divisions, and 5 air wings, with a total force of over 76 men. The frontal battlefield stretched for 372 kilometers.

at the same time
Fighting broke out across the Eastern Front as German and Austro-Hungarian armies attempted to alleviate pressure in Thrace and support the Ottoman Empire, which was already struggling in the war.

The Central Powers, led by Germany, had a small membership, consisting of only four countries: Germany, the Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria.

Bulgaria's unconditional surrender was a huge blow to the Allied military bloc.

In contrast, the Allied Powers included almost all of Europe, as well as 28 countries led by the Great Chu Empire, plus the United States, the Northern Divine Continent, Japan, Siam, and other countries, totaling as many as 83 allies, making it an extremely powerful force.

The Allied military alliance consisted of only a handful of people; if the Ottoman Empire also surrendered, the war would be impossible to continue.

Therefore, the Central Powers, led by Germany, did everything in their power to save the Ottoman Empire and keep the war going.

Everyone knew that this unprecedented war in human history could not be lost; to lose would mean losing everything, even the future. (End of Chapter)