Nanyang Storm 1864

The luxurious Tomarbache Palace of the Ottoman Empire

Even with the discerning eye of Prince Chu-Zhenghui of Thrace, he was astonished by the extravagance of the palace, which had once been the residence and ruling residence of Sultan Abdul-Majid II and was now the headquarters of the expeditionary force.

Here, the occupying forces are supreme.

Neither the Allied military bloc nor the Ottoman Empire itself made a final decision regarding the fate of the partition of the Ottoman Empire; they merely used military control to maintain social order for the time being.

The occupying forces have already begun their operations, continuously packing up various cultural relics, treasures, wealth, and beautiful women and loading them onto ships, filling the transport ships returning to the empire's homeland to the brim.

Whether it's ancient Egyptian ruins, Byzantine palace treasures, ancient Syrian civilization relics, or church collections, anything that catches your eye, you can snatch it away.

This is precisely the characteristic of the great powers in the modern era. After entering the occupied territories, how can they not plunder some souvenirs?

More and more troops were continuously sent to the provinces of the Ottoman Empire, and more and more resources would be plundered in the future.

As a vast empire spanning Eurasia, the Ottoman Empire possessed a very deep foundation, and naturally had many valuable possessions, especially in the hands of officials and wealthy families.

With the future of the Ottoman Empire hanging by a thread, the occupying forces naturally showed no mercy to the church and officials who had once possessed vast wealth.

Money or life? You can only choose one path.

Prince Chu-Zheng Hui stood with his hands behind his back in the domed palace, looking out through the 5.6-meter-high Byzantine arched windows, with the Bosphorus Strait, which guards the vital passage between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, right before his eyes.

Such a magnificent sight was extremely awe-inspiring at first glance.

Looking back
If the navy could bombard the city from the Bosphorus Strait while the Great Chu Empire's expeditionary force is fighting fiercely at the Istanbul defense line, it would greatly reduce the pressure on the expeditionary force's offensive.

But this only exists in the imagination and cannot become a real reality.

This legendary city, perched atop seven peaks overlooking the Bosphorus Strait, rises hundreds of meters steeply from the European side of the strait, giving it a commanding view of the entire strait.

After hundreds of years of development, the Ottoman Empire established strong coastal fortifications and gun emplacements on both sides of the Bosphorus Strait, enabling it to block the strait with artillery fire from every angle.

Early stages of the European war
The British fleet attempted to force its way through the strait, but was soundly defeated and forced to retreat at the cost of several warships, thus abandoning any further attempts to force their way through.

It's not that we don't want to do it, but we can't risk our expensive fleet; it's simply not worth it.

As early as the outbreak of the European war
In January 1915, British First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill proposed a grand campaign plan to land troops in the Dardanelles Strait and threaten Constantinople, aiming to relieve pressure on the Russo-Turkish battlefield and shake the corrupt rule of the Ottoman Empire.

The plan, known as the "Garibaldi Campaign," was supported by the High Command of the Anglo-French Allied Forces. However, due to tactical errors and the intervention of German military advisors, the campaign ultimately failed, resulting in a heavy blow to the Anglo-French Allied Forces and the loss of hundreds of thousands of officers and soldiers.

Whether it was the deployment of fleets or attempts at amphibious landings, the Allied military bloc suffered heavy defeats.

Therefore, faced with the impenetrable fortress of the Battle of Istanbul, the Great Chu Empire's European Expeditionary Force had no choice but to fight its way through, and fortunately, it succeeded in the end.

Looking back on those agonizing days of the battle, Prince Chu-Zhenghui could only manage a bitter smile.

If it weren't for the overwhelming air superiority, the overwhelming artillery superiority, the hundreds of thousands of forcibly conscripted Thracian volunteers, the powerful ammunition and material support from the Reich, and the full-scale reinforcements from the German army...

Without any one of these conditions, this ancient European city, which occupies an important position in the history of world civilization, could not have been conquered. There was an element of necessity as well as an element of luck.

Standing here
His Highness Prince Chu-Zheng Hui was filled with pride and honor. Under his leadership, the European Expeditionary Force had achieved remarkable successes that attracted worldwide attention and forged a formidable military might. This would be a significant chapter in the history of the world war.

By the end of August 1918
The Empire continued to send reinforcements to Europe at an unabated pace, with a large number of patriotic young students being dispatched, causing the expeditionary force to swell to over two million (Note: six to seven hundred thousand casualties were lost in the war, a figure greatly reduced in the official statistics of the Imperial military).

Some wounded soldiers and veterans who had served beyond their term of service were awarded honors and are undergoing orderly retirement and resettlement work, with colonial officials assigning them to different groups according to regulations.

As long as the war continues, the effort to send reinforcements to Europe will not cease.

Prince Chu-Zheng Hui was fully aware of his father's decisions and had been tacitly implementing the supreme policy of "replacing old industries with new ones" in Java, Sumatra, Colombia, and all the territories conquered and occupied by the empire.

Everyone in the upper echelons of the empire's military and political officials knew about it, but it couldn't be found in any documents or materials, and no related records were allowed to be kept. All materials involving the hard labor camps were destroyed and not allowed to be archived. There were no official records of it.

So now
Even the most senior colonial officials were unclear about the number of indigenous people conquered and enslaved by the empire; there was no unified account, making it a confusing mess.

On the contrary, the "cultural discovery movement" within the empire is now progressing rapidly.

Significant archaeological discoveries have been made in Java, Sumatra, Hawaii, and Central America, proving the historical ties between early Native Americans and Chinese and providing evidence of the legitimacy and authority of the empire's global territories.

It is said that early Chinese people traveled north across the Siberian plains and through the frozen Alaska Strait more than 12,000 years ago during the Ice Age to reach North America.

Then they moved east and south along the coastline, eventually developing and multiplying in North America, Central America, and South America, gradually evolving into the Native American people.

There's no way around it; Native Americans and Chinese people look so alike—both have black hair, black eyes, and yellow skin. Furthermore, Native Americans still practice primitive totem worship. These are irrefutable pieces of evidence.

This can be verified by historical relics in the early tribal era of Chinese civilization.

According to the Emperor

Once the subjects of the Empire become economically prosperous, they will inevitably pursue cultural and spiritual enrichment. In response to this demand, the Ministry of Colonies, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Propaganda, and other related departments must all work around this core objective.

The Empire's "Cultural Discovery Movement" is in full swing, and with the expeditionary force's successive victories in Europe, it has also stirred up wave after wave of patriotic fervor within the Empire.

The golden age, which began in 1914, has now lasted for five years.

The total economic output of the Great Chu Empire has increased by leaps and bounds in the past five years, more than doubling compared to before the war. This is due to both the high compound growth of the economy and the significant increase in the status of silver dollars in the international financial field.

Due to the stability and strength of the silver dollar's value, it became increasingly favored by wealthy European merchants and the upper class, and was used more and more in cross-border transactions, forming a broad international silver dollar trading circle.

The core kingdoms were the Ryukyu Kingdom, the Guangnan Kingdom, and 25 princely vassal states, all of which used silver dollars as their currency, issued by the empire's major royal banks.

The outer silver dollar trading circle also included a series of countries and regions such as the Kingdom of Siam, Japan, Northern China, the British Straits Exchange Foundation, the French Saigon Government, Guatemala, Mexico, Chile, Venezuela, Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina, all of which widely accepted silver dollars for trade settlement.

Further out are the United States and a series of European countries, mainly the UK and France, most of which use dual-currency settlement.

That is, goods purchased from the Great Chu Empire were paid in silver dollars, while exports to the Great Chu Empire were paid in local currency, such as US dollars, British pounds, French francs, etc.

Because of this unprecedented European war, the use of silver dollars was greatly accelerated and spread more widely in trade with the world's major powers.

Among these, the main loans of the major belligerent countries such as Britain, France, Russia and Italy came from silver dollar loans, and repayment of principal and interest also required silver dollars or equivalent hard currency, such as gold and diamonds.

Reflecting on the earth-shaking changes that have taken place in the empire over the years, His Highness Chu-Zheng Hui couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. He lit a cigar, put it in his mouth, and began to enjoy it.

The habit of smoking cigars among the upper class of the Great Chu Empire was started by Emperor Zheng Guohui. It was very popular among the royal family and high society, and people especially liked to smoke cigars while looking into the distance.

"General, General Hu Juncheng, commander of the Ninth Army Group, requests an audience and respectfully requests your instructions."

"Oh, Juncheng is here, please come in!"

"I humble my duty and obey my orders."

Prince Chu-Zheng Hui stood motionless, a cigar between his fingers, the other behind his back, overlooking the magnificent view of the Bosphorus Strait from the heights of the palace.

Footsteps approached from behind, and General Hu Juncheng spoke up early: "The commander-in-chief has a high vantage point and a broad vision, overseeing the overall situation and making far-sighted plans. We are too foolish to compare with him."

"Hahaha... Junchen, has your Ninth Army been settled? Crimea is a good place, isn't it?" "Thanks to the Marshal's protection, the Ninth Army has been found a good place. The brothers below are extremely grateful and asked me to send a small token of their appreciation to the Marshal."

"Oh, don't be so formal." Prince Chu-Zheng waved his hand dismissively, picked up a cigar, took a puff, and let the thick smoke envelop him, making him appear even more sophisticated.

The current expeditionary force is stationed in Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece, and its territory includes four southern Ukrainian provinces and Crimea, but does not include Poland, Belarus, and the three Baltic states.

The area was originally the territory of the Russian army, but it was ceded to Germany through the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. However, the German army was limited, and although a small number of officials and troops were sent to the area, the original ruling order was still maintained.

The same applies to the army of the Great Chu Empire. Although it includes four southern provinces of Ukraine, it has never truly governed them and has essentially ruled them remotely.

After the Battle of Istanbul, this narrow area could not accommodate a million troops for an extended period.

Therefore, the Third, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Seventeenth and Eighteenth Army Groups that participated in the war began large-scale mobilizations, with the Ninth Army Group being assigned to garrison the Crimean Peninsula.

In addition, four army groups have been stationed in the four southern regions of Ukraine, each with a strength of about 70,000 to 80,000 men, for a total strength of more than 300,000 men.

In addition, the 15th Army was stationed in Moldova, the 3rd Army was stationed in Istanbul, and the 18th Army advanced into the provinces of the Ottoman Empire's Asian territories in multiple directions, playing the role of the occupying force.

The remaining Eighth Army is stationed in Thrace, a territory the Empire is determined to acquire, which will soon house a large number of retired soldiers and needs to be carefully managed.

The aforementioned army

This was only the Imperial Expeditionary Force that participated in the Battle of Istanbul; another million troops were stationed on the Eastern Front, confronting the Allied forces, primarily Austria-Hungary.

Prince Chu-Zheng Hui also commands a strategic reserve force of over 40 men, which can be deployed to any battlefield when necessary.

The Eastern Front is strange now. Germany, through its victory over Tsarist Russia, ceded millions of square kilometers of territory through the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, including most of the Ukrainian plains.

However, the Germans did not have enough troops and personnel to control such a vast area.

They only mobilized some second-line personnel from Germany and stationed them in more than a dozen major cities, totaling only 40,000 to 50,000 people. Their control over areas outside the cities was almost zero.

The Great Chu Empire was the same way before. Only after the victory in the Battle of Istanbul was it able to transfer a large number of troops to the four southern provinces of Ukraine and the Moldova region to achieve true control.

The German-Austrian military alliance also realized

Given the current battlefield situation, it is no longer possible to defeat the Great Chu Empire's expeditionary force, which numbers over two million, and drive it out of the eastern front. The reality of coexistence between the two sides must be acknowledged.

The Great Chu Empire's expeditionary force was not like the Russian army, which lacked everything. This army was well-equipped, well-trained, and had everything from fighter jets and tanks to artillery, making it a very formidable opponent.

After suffering several major setbacks in their offensives, the German and Austrian forces on the Eastern Front became much more cautious and stopped attempting to launch new offensive campaigns.

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk had satisfied the appetite of the German-Austrian alliance, and they were able to accept the current situation on the Eastern Front, with the key focus remaining on the Western Front.

Field Marshal Hindenburg's decision was also based on the current dire situation.

In the palace
His Highness Prince Chu-Zheng Hui and General Hu Juncheng, Commander-in-Chief of the Ninth Army Group, held a long private discussion before allowing him to leave.

After he left, His Highness Prince Chu-Zheng Hui had a thoughtful expression on his face.

His Highness Chu-Zheng Hui readily approved the plan to strengthen the "Tatar Trench" of the Ninth Army and build it into an insurmountable land fortress.

The "Tatar Fortress" will be built according to the terrain of the peninsula, forming a Chinese-style city wall fortress with a front width of about 5 to 8 kilometers, capable of withstanding heavy artillery bombardment, and forming a fortress complex with a depth of more than 20 kilometers.

Any enemy would hesitate before such a formidable defense.

Another matter was that General Hu Juncheng, entrusted by the Special Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Europe, discussed the issue of the 68 Chinese laborers sent to Europe from the northern lands.

Due to the weakness of the northern continent, the situation of these Chinese laborers who went to Europe was not good.

Not only were they concentrated in a very small area, undertaking heavy labor day after day, but they were also not allowed to leave the Chinese labor area to enter local British or French towns, and were subject to great personal restrictions.

In some parts of France, these Chinese laborers who had come to Europe were even used as cannon fodder, forcibly driven into trenches to undertake combat duties they did not need to perform, resulting in a considerable number of casualties.

This situation has occurred repeatedly, drawing the attention of the Special Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Europe.

At this stage

The diplomatic negotiations and protests of the Great Chu Empire were often ignored by countries such as England and France because these Chinese laborers were not subjects of the empire and could not enjoy full overseas consular protection rights.

The Chu state's negotiations were overreaching.

The situation in France is also very difficult now. Almost an entire generation of young people have been sent to the Western Front. The extreme shortage of young and middle-aged people has led the French to make desperate attempts to find a solution.

Fortunately, after numerous diplomatic interventions, this has been greatly curbed.

However, no matter what, it cannot completely solve the problem.

There are three possible solutions now.
The first method was to issue identity documents of imperial subjects to these Chinese laborers through the imperial consulates abroad, thus bringing them under the protection of overseas consulates.

However, such a move would first require approval from the local authorities, or even reach the highest levels of government, before it would have any possibility of being made.

Secondly, it would inevitably face obstruction from the northern government and countries such as Britain and France, and would require strong support from the expeditionary force to make its implementation possible.

The second method was to arrange for these Chinese laborers who needed to be repatriated to imperial territories after the war, namely Tunisia, Jordan, the Arabian Peninsula, or the four southern regions of Ukraine, since these were 68 young and middle-aged Chinese.

To achieve this goal, strong support from the European Expeditionary Force is also needed, requesting cooperation from countries such as Britain and France.

The third approach was to express demands to the Allied military bloc, requesting that these Chinese laborers be given sufficient dignity and rights, be free to choose to remain in Britain or France, be allowed to marry, purchase property and conduct business locally, and have their contributions to this unprecedented catastrophe in Europe acknowledged.

Looking at what the Great Chu Empire did to the people in the occupied territories, one can understand that the situation of these Chinese laborers was far from optimistic.

Prince Chu-Zheng Hui was pondering what General Hu Juncheng had said. Just then, the Supreme Command had been sending frequent telegrams recently, discussing the Hindenburg Campaign, which was scheduled to launch in September.

implied meaning
The hope was that the Reich Expeditionary Force would also launch a new offensive campaign on the Eastern Front, echoing the campaigns of the Supreme Command on the Western Front, thus preventing the German army from covering both the east and the west.

This was not a difficult task for the Imperial Expeditionary Force.

Prince Chu-Zheng Hui still has about 10 cannon fodder troops at his disposal, enough to launch two medium-sized campaigns. So let's find a direction to attack. It should only take about two weeks to mobilize these 10 troops, which should be sufficient.

The Imperial Expeditionary Force now has nearly twice the strength of the German-Austrian coalition, giving it greater flexibility and initiative in its deployment.

Since the Allied Supreme Command has been making repeated requests, it is only natural to take this opportunity to talk about the Chinese laborers going to Europe.

Let's see what the British and French think before deciding on the next steps for resettlement.

If the attitude is positive, then settling in place is the best option.

Don't bother His Majesty with these trivial matters. If they can be resolved in Europe, why bother sending them to Ukraine? Isn't that just a waste of time?

After thinking for a moment
Prince Chu-Zheng Hui had made his decision. He didn't care whether Britain and France were enthusiastic or not. As long as the more than 200 million troops of the Great Chu Empire's expeditionary force were stationed in Europe, no one would dare to ignore the demands of the expeditionary force's commander-in-chief.

What do you call that? You call it having complete confidence. (End of Chapter)