Nanyang Storm 1864

Seven years later

Early 1930
Melbourne Palace, Australia

Despite his advanced age, Emperor Emeritus Zheng Guohui remains remarkably energetic. He has been living in Victoria for over six months and particularly enjoys the pleasant climate and magnificent scenery of the vast ocean and sky.

In Victoria
It boasts the largest royal horse farm in the entire Great Chu Empire, housing tens of thousands of thoroughbred horses from all over the world, with almost everything imaginable, and is known as the "World Thoroughbred Horse Museum".

More than half a century ago
Melbourne is the largest city in Australia, with a population of over 500,000. It is a city with a strong British influence and a large number of European-style buildings.

Today
Melbourne has developed into a modern metropolis with a population of 137 million, ranking 14th among imperial cities. Its wide roads are bustling with traffic, the city's built-up area has expanded several times over, and skyscrapers abound.

In this modern metropolis, nearly 70% of the population is of Chinese descent, making it the city with the highest proportion of white people among the top 20 cities in the Great Chu Empire.

Originating from the Great Depression that broke out in the United States in October 1929, this South Pacific metropolis also had a significant impact, and its once bustling scene appeared much more desolate.

This economic depression initially broke out in the United States and then spread to the rest of the world in just over six months, triggering a global economic recession that is showing signs of worsening.

Since the beginning of the 20th century
The relationship between the Great Chu Empire and the United States has always been strained, with numerous frictions between them. They are direct market competitors, both in the international market and in the competition for the Western Pacific market.

For this reason, the trade volume between the two countries has always been low, hovering between four and five hundred million silver dollars each year.

Compared to the massive economies of Chu and the United States, which rank among the world's top economies, this amount of trade accounts for only a few percent of their respective economic and trade proportions.

Imports from the United States account for more than 80% of the total trade volume between the two countries.

The Great Chu Empire was the only developed industrial country in the south of the world, and it undoubtedly held a dominant position in the world's major agricultural markets in sugar, natural rubber, coffee, cocoa, spices, palm oil, rapeseed oil, tobacco, wool, pork, beef and mutton, and other southern specialty products.

In this field
Both Europe and the United States are deeply dependent on the agricultural commodities of the Great Chu Empire, and even when their economies are in dire straits, they still have to purchase them in large quantities.

The Great Depression, which originated in the United States, was transmitted to the Great Chu Empire via Europe, but its power was not as great as before.

Even as the Great Chu Empire launches a new wave of large-scale infrastructure construction, it is still able to maintain national economic growth at around 3-4% per year, showing a slow and stable development trend.

Compared to the US economy, which plummeted by nearly 20% in just over a year, with millions of urban residents unemployed and large-scale starvation deaths occurring in New York and Philadelphia, the situation is much better.

The Great Chu Empire, led by the royal family and the government, has seen its charitable endeavors flourish in recent years, with thousands of charitable organizations emerging throughout the country to provide relief to the unemployed at the bottom of society through various means.

This includes various aspects of food relief, poverty relief, and employment relief.

For families living in poverty, the government will try its best to arrange suitable jobs, such as construction bricklayers, dockworkers, or city cleaners, to at least ensure that the family can make a living.

In contrast to the US government, which is entirely driven by a free market economy, the royal family and government of the Great Chu Empire paid more attention to people's livelihood issues and introduced many effective policies to alleviate the already difficult lives of the lower classes.

In late 1929, the Empire launched a new wave of large-scale infrastructure projects, creating millions of jobs by upgrading and expanding docks, building cross-sea bridges and tunnels, and continuously optimizing railways, highways, bridges and urban infrastructure.

Despite the overall economic downturn caused by the implementation of multiple policies, the empire was still able to maintain a relatively stable situation.

On the one hand, the government stabilizes the main part of agriculture by purchasing and storing grain at a guaranteed price. A large portion of the stored grain goes into strategic reserve warehouses, while some flows into the market.

The portion of the grain that flowed into the market was used to provide food loans to the urban poor, which was also a form of relief.

The so-called "grain loan" is a monthly distribution of a certain amount of grain based on the number of people in an urban poor family.

Meanwhile, able-bodied members of impoverished urban families will repay their "food loans" through labor by maintaining urban cleanliness, pruning flowers and trees, and doing work such as digging, transportation, and repair.

People who are temporarily weak or ill can have their fees reduced or waived after being reviewed by the community.

This ensures that no one eats for free; all food must be obtained through labor. The government provides various conveniences, but ultimately, labor is required to repay the debt.

If even this can't solve the problem of food and clothing, then there's nothing we can do but starve to death.

Through various effective measures, the Great Chu Empire greatly alleviated the impact of the global Great Depression crisis on its domestic economy, and was able to barely maintain its operations.

In 1929
Because the United States suffered a severe blow from the Great Depression, its total economic output plummeted, allowing the Great Chu Empire to seize the opportunity to surpass it and become the world's largest economy.

In the first two quarters of 1930, as the United States was mired in the Great Depression, the economic lead of the Great Chu Empire became more pronounced, steadily widening the gap between the two.

This is like the tortoise and the hare race. It's not that the hare is running fast at the beginning, but that it keeps stopping and starting.

The Great Chu Empire was not as powerful as the United States in terms of industrial economic growth. From a geographical perspective, the United States was closer to the European market and had an advantage in the sale of industrial products.

However, the new industrial economy was the first to be severely impacted by the global economic depression.

The Great Chu Empire possesses world-class competitiveness in both its industrial and agricultural economies. Even during the Great Depression, it was able to stabilize the overall agricultural and pastoral sector, with agricultural output not decreasing compared to previous years but even showing a slight increase.

Industrial products benefit from the domestic market, the Western Pacific market, and the markets of vassal states. Although they cannot make a living, they can still manage to survive.

In terms of market breadth and depth, the Great Chu Empire far surpasses the United States.

Because the northern part of the Great Chu Empire was the land of China with a population of 4 million, plus the Indian subcontinent, the Indochina Peninsula and East Asian countries, it was a huge market with a population of over 10 billion, so the demand for industrial products did not decrease much.

It was precisely because of the support of the empire itself and the large overseas markets that the State of Chu was able to cope steadily during the global depression, with more composure and room for maneuver.

This demonstrates the brilliance of the Great Chu Empire's geostrategic perspective.

The Great Chu Empire over the past few decades

It has consistently created obstacles for the United States to penetrate the Western Pacific market, viewing Central and South America, the entire Western Pacific region, and even the Southeast Asian peninsula and the Indian subcontinent as its own market scope, which also includes the Middle East, Central Africa, and Northeast Africa, thus preserving a sufficiently broad market depth.

Without these overseas markets as a buffer, Chu's industrial development would have suffered a severe blow. In contrast, the United States fared much worse.

The main markets for American industrial products are North America and Europe, which were the epicenter of the Great Depression, with Europe being one of the hardest-hit areas.

This will inevitably exacerbate the already dire situation for American financial and industrial development, making it even more severe than the blows it has suffered in the past.

Bankrupt financiers flocked to the rooftops of Wall Street skyscrapers and jumped to their deaths. Dozens or even hundreds of corpses were seen floating in New York Harbor every day, a stark reflection of this tragic situation.

On the one hand, factory owners were dumping truckloads of flour and milk into the river, while on the other hand, the poor in the city were suffering from hunger and cold, and many of the lower classes were starving to death at home or on the cold streets.

As the second quarter of 1930 approached, the global Great Depression worsened...

Royal Victoria Racecourse
Emperor Emeritus Zheng Guohui, dressed in riding attire, was riding side by side with former Prime Minister Li Jingxi, leisurely strolling amidst the beautiful scenery, followed by a large group of knights.

"Zhongxian, what are your thoughts on the recent world situation, especially in Europe?"

"My Lord, I believe that Europe, in the context of the Great Depression, is in a period of reorganization between old and new forces. The resurgence of Soviet Russia after completing its domestic reunification, coupled with the Germans in a period of confusion, and the post-war disintegration of Central and Eastern Europe into many small European countries, appears even more chaotic and disorderly than before."

"Yes, the painful memories of the World War are etched in our minds, there is a serious lack of trust among European countries, and there is not much the international community can do."

"Your Majesty, I find the Socialist movement that has swept through Germany in recent years unsettling. It is a hardline force in German politics. It enjoys high popularity among the military, government, and the public, and is very likely to win the upcoming chancellor election and come to power."

"Yes, that is indeed a very interesting political party." The retired emperor Zheng Guohui simply commented, a slight smile involuntarily curving his lips.

He certainly knew what this new German political party would bring to the world.
The wheels of history roll ever onward, stubbornly returning to their original course.

The retired emperor Zheng Guohui rode forward, merely observing everything without any intention of actively intervening.

The retired Emperor Zheng Guohui is grateful for the current world order.

This was far superior to the previous historical era. The Great Chu Empire, with its predominantly Chinese population, possessed vast territories worldwide, greatly expanding the nation's living space and global influence.

Having all of this, what more could I ask for?

Emperor Zheng Guohui was not surprised at all by the resurgence of the Socialist Party in Germany. He believed it was an inevitable consequence of the victorious powers' extreme exploitation and deprivation of defeated Germany after the Paris Peace Conference.

From the end of the war in 1918 to the present

Germany has always been in chaos and poverty. Soaring prices and a terrible economy, coupled with the need to pay huge war reparations year after year, have sown deep resentment in the hearts of Germans.

Given the right opportunity, and given someone to ignite the spark, this long-suppressed national sentiment will erupt completely, turning the whole of Europe upside down.

Even without the Führer with the mustache, someone else would have played a similar role.

Everything was proceeding according to the predetermined historical trajectory, which gave Emperor Emeritus Zheng Guohui a strange sense of confidence.

He turned to look at Li Jingyi and asked, "Are the Americans still behaving properly?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jingxi smiled wryly and shook his head.

"The sages are wise and discerning."
The relationship between the United States and the imperial side has always been strained. After the Great Depression, the United States repeatedly manipulated border conflicts and ethnic issues, attempting to blame everything on the suppression by the imperial side.

This has fueled strong anti-China sentiment among the American public, leading to ongoing disputes and a persistent headache for imperial diplomacy.

Over the past ten years

The United States has vigorously developed its naval power, and in accordance with the provisions of the Manila Treaty, it has equipped itself with a total of twelve first-class battleships with a displacement of 35000 tons, armed with 354 mm large-caliber naval guns.

This strength emboldened them to launch a new challenge against the Imperial Navy.

In terms of the Imperial Navy's strength, although it still has the advantage in numbers and experience, it is no longer as dominant as it once was, and various small-scale conflicts and quarrels continue.

Considering the overall situation, disputes between the two countries are primarily resolved through diplomatic means.

"Well, how is the naval air force developing these days?" asked the retired Emperor Zheng Guohui.

This was an area that the Emperor Emeritus had always been concerned about. He expressed his appreciation for the fact that the Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire had tested and equipped the world's first aircraft carrier, considering it an innovative military field.

The Imperial Household Department allocated funds to the navy in favor of this project, and the Empire has successively developed four aircraft carriers of the second class, which are gradually being perfected through continuous trial and error.

The Empire's air power has developed rapidly, and it has developed biplane fighters specifically designed for take-off and landing on aircraft carriers at sea, as well as torpedo bombers capable of carrying torpedoes, placing it at the forefront of the world in this field.

Li Jingxi reported on this, which received frequent nods from the retired Emperor Zheng Guohui, who also gave him instructions from time to time, paying particular attention to the development of new large-displacement aircraft carriers.

The first aircraft carrier was converted from a decommissioned 1.12-ton heavy cruiser. There was only one such carrier, which was mainly used for testing and training pilots.

The aircraft carrier that was officially commissioned was the 1.36-ton Justice-class carrier. A total of three were built: HMS Justice, HMS Ideal, and HMS Freedom. They have been in service with the Royal Navy for more than three years.

In the use of new equipment, the Royal Navy has continuously discovered problems and shortcomings, and has summarized more than 760 areas that require major improvements, all of which will be reflected in the new aircraft carrier.

First, the aircraft carrier's displacement has been greatly increased to 3.22 tons. Now, the first ship has just received funding from the Empire and will soon be built at the Royal Naval Shipyard in Manila.

The Manila Treaty has strict regulations for battleships, battlecruisers, and heavy cruisers, but it does not stipulate tonnage or quantity for aircraft carriers, a new type of warship.

As long as the displacement of Imperial Navy warships remains within the limits stipulated in the treaty, and the displacement of each aircraft carrier does not exceed 3.5 tons, it will not be considered a violation.

To equip itself with new aircraft carriers, the Royal Navy plans to decommission its early experimental carriers and five older light cruisers, freeing up tonnage quotas for carrier construction. (End of Chapter)