Nanyang Storm 1864

1930 January 6

After several rounds of parliamentary debates, the U.S. government's push for the "Restriction of Potential National Security Investments Act" was surprisingly passed by the House of Representatives, causing a huge uproar worldwide and sparking outrage in European public opinion.

Such legislation targets a wide range of countries and does not specifically target any particular country.

This gives the US president a great deal of discretion, allowing him to target sanctions at the State of Chu or a particular European country, making them feel a real threat.

European public opinion was immediately abuzz with criticism of the United States' retreat towards unilateralism. Given the current global economic downturn, European countries are extremely sensitive to related policies.

The reaction in the State of Chu was not significant. They were still immersed in grief over the emperor's death. For the past month or so, the front page of related news media reports was filled with news of high-ranking officials and dignitaries visiting the imperial tombs.

With the Holy Emperor Taizu residing in the heart of the empire, the undercurrents and undercurrents caused by the change of imperial power were reduced out of thin air. Everything was smooth and seamless, and no member of the royal family dared to stand up and challenge the succeeding emperor.

Because of the death of Emperor Gaozong of Chu, the order of succession to the throne in the entire Chu royal family underwent a dramatic change.

The current emperor has four legitimate sons, who are ranked first, second, third, and fourth in line to succeed him, from eldest to youngest, ahead of all his uncles and other imperial brothers.

Duke Zhengxuan of Chu, the second son of Emperor Gaozong of Chu, was granted the title of Prince Monroe and became the fifth in line to the throne of the Great Chu royal family. His wife was Princess Mary, the eldest daughter of the Duke of York, and they had three children: two daughters and one son.

Prince Monroe is currently the Under Secretary for Colonial Affairs and has been nominated by the Prime Minister's Office as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, to take office at the end of June.

Duke Chu-Zhengyan, the third son of Emperor Gaozong of Chu, is the sixth in line to the throne of the Great Chu royal family. He was granted the title of Prince of Bali and promoted to the rank of General of the Royal Army. He is currently the Commander-in-Chief of the Central America Military Region.

The imperial uncles of Emperor Gaozong of Chu were ranked in order of kinship, with the highest ranking being 100th, and there were no more after that.

For example, Prince Chu-Zheng Hui (Note: the 41st prince), the Chief of Staff of the Royal Army, who is quite influential in the court, was originally ranked 17th in the line of succession to the throne (Note: According to the Great Chu Royal Succession Code, all princes of fiefdoms automatically lose the qualification to inherit the throne of Great Chu and are not included in the royal succession order), but now he has been ranked 30th or lower.

It would be a complete lie to say I wasn't disappointed.

There were many imperial uncles and grand-uncles who coveted the throne of Great Chu. Many members of the royal family felt that they were more capable and more qualified to inherit the throne, but their father or grandfather just didn't see it.

As we can see, with the Holy Emperor Taizu in charge of the central government, not a single member of the royal family dared to cause trouble; they were as obedient as little lambs.

Davao Offshore
The tall and slender Emperor Taizu Zheng Guohui, dressed in the white imperial marshal's uniform, stood upright with his white hair contrasting against his ruddy face, looking remarkably energetic and showing no signs of being an elderly man.

He held binoculars in his hand, watching intently as torpedo bombers took off from the aircraft carrier, diving down like locusts and dropping torpedoes one after another along their attack path.

Huge bursts of fire erupted from the target ship ahead, a scene of being hit by torpedoes. The flashing flames illuminated the eyes of the Holy Emperor Taizu, which he watched with great interest.

The high-ranking officers of the Imperial Army and Navy standing beside him dared not even breathe loudly. As long as the Holy Emperor Taizu stood there, that invisible royal aura enveloped the entire area, exuding authority without anger.

after a moment
Emperor Taizu Zheng Guohui then put down his binoculars, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Your Majesty the Holy Emperor, do you think this drill is acceptable?" Admiral Gu Weijun, Chief of Staff of the Royal Navy, asked cautiously.

This man was a typical aircraft carrier advocate. He studied in the United States in his early years and was attracted by the prosperity of the Great Chu Empire. He then went to study at the Royal Naval Academy in Manila and graduated first in his class in 1903. He served in the Royal Navy for more than 27 years and participated in dozens of maritime military operations.

During World War I, he served as commander of the 3rd Mediterranean convoy, carrying out a two-and-a-half-year escort mission, and was highly regarded.

As a result, he gained the favor of the Holy Emperor and was greatly promoted, successively serving as the principal of the Royal Manila Naval Academy, the commander of the Home Fleet, and the deputy chief of staff of the Royal Navy. He just became the highest-ranking officer of the Royal Navy at the beginning of last year.

During his tenure, he developed two types of aircraft carriers, totaling four.

Currently, the 3.2-ton HMS Furious aircraft carrier is under construction at the Royal Navy's Manila shipyard, a development project strongly promoted by Admiral Gu Weijun.

Within the Royal Navy, the battleship faction, which adheres to the principle of large ships and heavy guns, remains the mainstream. Advancing the development of aircraft carriers faces numerous obstacles and is by no means an easy task.

Without the support of the Holy Emperor Taizu, General Gu Weijun didn't know if he could have persevered.

Emperor Zheng Guohui did not respond immediately. He calmly looked at the noisy training scene in front of him and said after considering it for a moment.

"Judging from the exercise, the torpedo bomber's bombing was still somewhat chaotic. The timing of the bombing was not well controlled, and the probability of hitting the target ship was relatively low."

This is actually still a training issue, and a matter of opening up combat thinking.

Following this exercise, the naval air force must work together to further refine its torpedo attack tactics and fully utilize the power of its existing equipment.

As a new trend in the development of world navies, how to organically combine the power of main battleships, aircraft carriers, submarines and air forces is a major challenge facing the Royal Navy.

In this field
I hope that you will be courageous in taking on challenges, constantly pushing your own limits, and breaking through old constraints to develop and strengthen your naval aviation capabilities, making them a powerful force of the Imperial Navy.

Modern aircraft carriers are constantly being improved, but the international situation waits for no one…

Speaking of here
Emperor Taizu turned around and swept his unprecedentedly stern gaze across the group of high-ranking officers before him. The officers bowed respectfully, not daring to raise their bodies to meet Emperor Taizu's gaze.

The aura of royal authority was simply too strong, like a heavy mountain pressing down on me, making it hard to breathe.

Emperor Taizu Zheng Guohui continued;
"The Americans have been provoking us to the point of pushing the limits of imperial tolerance. The Royal Navy and the Royal Army must be fully prepared to launch an unprecedented war to defend the dignity of our Great Chu Empire, which is sacred and inviolable."

Under the sun and moon, all is Han territory.

My sword of kingship has been dormant for too long, causing people to forget their fear. It's time to remind them.

Although I am already eighty years old, I am still as sharp as ever and as ambitious as ever.

Those who openly offend the Great Chu, no matter how far away they are, shall be punished.

"My esteemed ministers, would you be willing to join me in spreading the might of our empire beyond the vast oceans, and in achieving new and glorious feats?"

"We are willing to die ten thousand deaths to obey the orders of the Holy Emperor and the Great Ancestor. We are ready to be the vanguard and swear to slay the enemy chieftain with our swords." The senior officers responded in unison, their oaths resounding and powerful.

Emperor Taizu Zheng Guohui nodded in satisfaction and said, "More than 60 years have passed since the founding of the nation, and the passion between us, ruler and subject, has not cooled. Good, good, good... Then let me go a little crazy in this old age. You all listen to my decree."

"Chen is here!"

"By the decree of the Holy Emperor Taizu, we shall immediately enter a period of war preparation against the United States, and within six months, send no less than 200 million mobilization troops to Lower California, to begin armed training and intensify preparations for war." "Your subject respectfully obeys the decree of Taizu and shall immediately begin preparations for war against the United States."

"The Royal Navy is working day and night to ensure that no fewer than six aircraft carriers are completed by the end of the year, to be put into service with the existing fleet in preparation for combat against the United States. So be it."

"The Royal Navy will obey the Emperor's decree and enter the pre-war preparation phase to train naval officers and men to live up to the Emperor's high expectations."

"Use me in the first battle, and victory is assured! Victory ...!"

The senior officers of the army, navy and air force present were inspired by the words of the Holy Emperor Taizu and their blood was boiling. An irrepressible passion for pioneering arose spontaneously, and many of them were so excited that their hands trembled.

how many years?

The empire had never encountered such a massive force. His Majesty the Holy Emperor Taizu ordered an army of 200 million, clearly intending to swallow the west coast of the United States whole.

It is possible that the Emperor Taizu's ambitions did not end there.

The people of the Great Chu Empire were martial and its glorious colonial achievements over the decades had earned the country high approval for its foreign expansion policy, from which tens of millions of people had benefited greatly.

Every war of foreign expansion creates a large number of wealthy nobles and small and medium-sized landowners.

Inside the Great Chu Empire

The small and medium-sized landlord class has become a stable middle class and a conservative faction that fervently supports the Great Chu royal family. Their numbers number in the millions and they are extremely influential in various regions.

In Australia, for example, the political and upper echelons of society are now largely dominated by the descendants of expeditionary soldiers.

For all those who are ambitious
The expedition to North America was not only a huge opportunity for soldiers to make a name for themselves, get promoted, and even join the ranks of the nobility. From minor nobles to major nobles, and from major nobles to royalty, anything was possible.

Ordinary soldiers and civilians could achieve land freedom and obtain generous rewards based on military merit, thereby achieving upward social mobility and living a wealthy and stable life.

The imperial family never hesitates to reward military merits. Of the veteran military officials who followed His Majesty the Holy Emperor in founding the country, less than one in a hundred remain.

Their second, third, and fourth generations grew up and became the backbone of the imperial ruling class.

Subsequent generations of pioneering and colonization spread the flame of Chinese civilization to the world, greatly expanding their living space and causing an explosive growth in the power of overseas Chinese.

In Europe, in East Africa, in the Arabian Peninsula, in Central and South America, in Australia, and in other imperial territories, it was a place of great prosperity.

Therefore, after the Holy Emperor Taizu issued the war order to launch an expedition to North America, none of the dozens of senior generals present hesitated. They all bowed and accepted the order, their hearts surging with excitement.

At this moment

The senior generals selectively forgot about His Majesty the Emperor and unconditionally accepted the decree of the Holy Emperor Taizu.

This was a single command, and the masses obeyed without question, truly demonstrating the supreme status of the Holy Emperor Taizu in the Great Chu Empire.

Such a significant strategic move was something that Emperor Taizu Zheng Guohui felt the young emperor couldn't handle and that he had to personally oversee it.

Even in his old age, he still has to plan for his royal children and grandchildren; what a busy life!

At a single command, the massive war machine of the Great Chu Empire was set in motion.

From late June
One large fleet of immigrant ships after another sailed to the eastern coast of the Pacific Ocean, arriving in Hawaii, three Central American states, and Baja California, delivering large numbers of mobilized reserve soldiers to their destinations.

Each large immigrant fleet transported a total of 30,000 to 40,000 officers and soldiers, with a fleet departing almost every 3 to 4 days.

November 14st

The U.S. Senate has once again passed the "Restrictions on Potential National Security Investments Act" and sent it to the White House for final approval.

U.S. President Herbert Hoover signed the bill into law on July 17, making it enforceable nationwide.

This sparked a wave of crackdowns on Chu investments within the United States. From mid-July to September, hundreds of large investment cases were placed under regulatory scrutiny, with state or federal independent prosecutors requesting judicial intervention, involving hundreds of millions of silver dollars.

The sealing and seizure of large amounts of real estate in major cities has drawn discontent from various European countries, many of which involve corporate assets representing capital outflows from Europe.

It is difficult to ascertain who the real shareholders behind the scenes are under the current constraints.

For example, a very low-profile European noble family, though only a minor baron, secretly possesses astonishing wealth and has invested heavily in fixed assets and industrial enterprises in the United States.

Who can say that this European nobleman's assets originated from the Great Chu Empire?

The early investments date back decades, and with the previous generation gone, what can this heir of European nobility offer as proof?

There are far too many points of contention; it's not as simple as it seems on the surface.

Through decades of secret planning, cross-shareholding, and the establishment of various subsidiaries and sub-subsidiaries through intermediaries, the eight major funds under the Royal Household Department of the Great Chu Empire have formed a hidden and vast asset kingdom.

Moreover, each person manages their own area and is only aware of matters within their own fund.

The icebergs hidden deep beneath the sea are so difficult to uncover, even with the utmost effort from the United States, that many cases have reached a dead end after investigation.

It could involve various European countries, the vassal states of the Great Chu Empire or the empire itself, or the Divine Continent or a certain European shareholder. To investigate it thoroughly, it might require traversing the entire world and making dozens of trips.

In reality, such transnational investigations are extremely difficult and practically impossible to conduct.

This has inadvertently dealt another blow to the already dire economic recession, causing further damage to the economy and people's livelihoods.

The massive capital flight from North America and the proliferation of rumors have severely damaged capitalists' confidence and made them hesitant to invest in North America.

U.S. President Herbert Hoover faced intense scrutiny as a result, his domestic approval ratings plummeted, and the situation triggered significant political turmoil. (End of Chapter)