Nanyang Storm 1864

The Imperial Palace of the Great Chu Empire
Wanshou Palace

Recently, Emperor Taizu Zheng Guohui caught a slight cold, and the current Emperor of Great Chu has been attending to him every day, a fact that has been leaked out without warning.

This caused an unseen shock throughout the court and the public. More than a dozen kings who came to participate in the celebration, along with a group of princes and cabinet ministers, went to the Wanshou Palace to pay their respects to the emperor.

The celebration was preceded by a cloud of gloom, as nobles and high-ranking officials throughout the capital were unable to pay their respects at the palace. Instead, they flocked to temples and Taoist monasteries to pray for the Holy Emperor Taizu, creating a bustling scene.

in a few days

Emperor Taizu then issued an edict to the entire nation: "I am in good health, suffering only a minor ailment. You need not worry at all."

Once the decree was issued, all the subjects of the empire breathed a sigh of relief, and the lingering gloom was swept away.

Accustomed to the Holy Emperor Taizu's control over the world, even the slightest disturbance would cause anxiety among the people of Chu.

With the Emperor Taizu's longevity ceremony approaching and the 70th anniversary of the founding of the nation just around the corner, the Great Chu Empire has spent a huge sum of money to prepare for the event, and there can be no mishaps at this time.

In the deep courtyards of the palace

Emperor Taizu Zheng Guohui's hair and beard were all white, and his once upright posture had become somewhat hunched. Time waits for no one.

However, he is in good spirits and now basically doesn't concern himself with politics. He spends his days leisurely strolling around, admiring the spring flowers and autumn moon, watching the kings and generals on the stage, and enjoying the company of his grandchildren.

Having won the war in North America, he now has no regrets.

The struggle for destiny that had plagued him for decades finally ended with the victory of the Great Chu Empire, and that was enough.

The timeline has reached the sensitive period of the mid-1930s, allowing the Great Chu Empire to enter a relatively long period of recuperation and observe the ebb and flow of the world.

To this day, nothing can affect the Great Chu Empire's current status in the world.

Overseas

The Great Chu Empire had conquered a vast territory of 1380 million square kilometers from the Zhao state, with as many as 46 vassal states. It maintained relatively close and friendly long-term relations with world powers such as Britain, France, and Germany. The empire had become famous, and whether doing business or studying, it had unimpeded access worldwide.

This was the dream of Emperor Zheng Guohui, and he achieved it.

I did much better than I imagined. Looking back on my life, I can say I have no regrets.

The entire empire is now busily preparing for the grand ceremony, and the Holy Emperor Zheng Guohui merely smiles slightly, letting these royal descendants handle the arrangements.

The era to come will be completely different from the past, a brand new era full of hope.

The Great Chu Empire's continuous expansion over 70 years made it a new empire on which the sun never sets, following in the footsteps of Britain, a fact that has been accepted by more and more countries.

With the emergence of new technologies in the new era, especially the rapidly developing air transport market in the Great Chu Empire in recent years, the distance in time and space has been greatly shortened, which in some ways has strengthened the empire's rule.

Long-haul flights from the Great Chu Empire to North America, Central and South America, the Far East, East Africa, Europe, and Central Africa have been launched one after another, fulfilling people's long-cherished wish to travel across continents.

The Great Chu Empire, combined with the size of North America, already accounts for 70% of the world's emerging aviation market, showing an increasingly prosperous scene.

Flights departing from Manila, the capital of the Great Chu Empire, can reach Melbourne, Australia, within 24 hours by refueling en route.

Heading east, it leads to Hawaii; heading west, it crosses the Indian Ocean to reach the Kingdom of Dubai. From there, one can travel to Europe and the six continents of Central Africa, making transportation even more convenient.

The advent of high-speed ocean liner ships made transoceanic shipping increasingly economical, making it affordable for many families migrating long distances and promoting immigration within the empire.

Inside the Hall of Longevity
After dismissing the group of high-ranking imperial officials who had come to pay their respects, Emperor Taizu Zheng Guohui finally found some peace and quiet and sat on a sofa to the side, slowly sipping his tea.

Although he was slightly hunched over, he was still tall and imposing, exuding the awe-inspiring majesty of an emperor.

Looking up, you can see a huge hand-drawn map hanging in the side hall. This map, known as the "General Map of the Empire of the Great Chu", is 4.8 meters high and 8.2 meters wide. It is made of 12 polar bear skins that were carefully kneaded and pieced together, and was meticulously drawn by the world-famous French painter Cézanne at the end of the 19th century.

This exquisitely hand-painted map is a priceless treasure in itself, surrounded by a gold frame made of cloisonné enamel and adorned with various precious gemstones, making it extremely elegant and luxurious.

Emperor Zheng Guohui looked at the vast yellow territory of the Great Chu Empire, which stretched across the world on the imperial map, and the surrounding vassal kingdoms, and a look of great satisfaction appeared on his face.

This painting was created at the end of the 19th century and underwent more than a dozen revisions by court painters before reaching its current magnificent state, representing the historical process of the Great Chu Empire's overseas expansion.

Today
No one questions the fact that the Great Chu Empire holds a world-class position on par with Great Britain. On this map, vast swathes of British colonies stand out starkly against the backdrop of the Great Chu Empire's expansive territory.

This also reflects the profound foundation of the two great colonial powers, old and new. Compared with the State of Chu, Britain's shortcomings and deficiencies are also very obvious.

In what is now Britain's largest colony, the Indian subcontinent, as well as in African colonies such as South Africa, Egypt, and Sudan, British rule relied more on local indigenous nobles, indirectly implementing colonization.

In these colonies, the number of British white colonists was very small; in the Indian colony with a total population of about 300 million, there were only tens of thousands of British white colonists. This also includes the British colonial army.

The situation was slightly better in South Africa and Egypt, but the number of British white colonists there was only a few hundred thousand.

This number is even less than the number of Chinese residents in the least populated vassal kingdoms of the Great Chu Empire in Central Africa, let alone the overseas prefectures directly under the Great Chu Empire.

Even with the recent occupation of 20 states in North America, the total Chinese population still exceeds 670 million, and is growing by more than a million every year.

In particular, the new residents of North America, with retired officers and soldiers at their core, are gradually strengthening the Great Chu Empire's direct control over the twenty states of North America, just like the old practice of "changing the dragon and replacing the bird".

In time
At most a decade or so later, in the twenty North American states directly controlled by the Great Chu Empire, the Chinese population will hold an absolute majority, accounting for more than 80% of the total population.

This is a very high level of security. The majority ethnic group, mainly of Chinese descent, will firmly occupy the mainstream of society and control the dominant power in various fields such as politics, law, economy, finance, industry and commerce, and the military, thus stabilizing social order and maintaining social stability and unity.

The overwhelming colonial advantage of the Great Chu Empire in terms of population was something that Britain could never learn.

Just over a decade after the fall of World War I, Britain and France had not yet recovered from the devastating loss of young males, and there was a widespread labor shortage from cities to the countryside.

Against this backdrop
Established colonial powers like Britain and France were simply powerless to strengthen their direct control over their overseas colonies.

Unlike the Great Chu Empire, they do not possess an inexhaustible pool of immigrants. Even after the North American War, they continue to send hundreds of thousands of new soldiers to North America every year to fill the gaps left by retiring veterans.

The fatal weakness of Britain and France is their population size, which is also their biggest vulnerability.

If there are any major changes in the international situation, these old colonial powers will face serious trouble, and signs of this are already emerging.

In India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, South Africa, Sudan, and the Indochina Peninsula… As national awakening movements developed, the national independence and self-determination movements intensified, and the vast British colonies faced severe challenges, with the traditional colonial power status potentially in jeopardy.

France faced an equally dire situation, with independence movements sweeping through its colonies.

This forced established colonial powers like Britain and France to strengthen their military presence in their colonies, suppress national independence movements everywhere, and desperately try to maintain this leaky old house.

Year after year, it has consumed a great deal of national strength and energy.

Only the Great Chu Empire has a uniquely beautiful landscape. Although there are some white-organized independence movements in Victoria, Australia, they are completely insignificant.

In recent years, the overseas territories of the Great Chu Empire, which are predominantly populated by people of Chinese descent, have largely stopped introducing immigrants from the northern lands. Instead, they have continuously enhanced the sense of honor, cohesion, and strong sense of identity among the empire's subjects through education and propaganda.

The same applies to the empire's homeland, where population growth largely comes from natural reproduction, with the fourth or even fifth generation of immigrants becoming the main force driving population growth.

The victory in the North American War was like a highly effective tonic, boosting the empire's cohesion to an unprecedented level, and the resulting profound impact would last for decades.

Emperor Zheng Guohui felt a surge of pride, all stemming from his foresight. The Great Chu Empire was now free from the constraints of internal strife and could devote itself wholeheartedly to economic, technological, and industrial development.

By the mid-1930s, it had firmly established itself as the world's leading economic power, and its dominance was unmatched.

This is exactly what is meant by "accumulating knowledge and experience before unleashing it."

During the military occupation of the twenty North American colonies, the expeditionary force also used military measures to forcibly conscript large numbers of African Americans into the army and send them to the United States, the Republic of Chicago, and the Confederate States of America, where they were eventually settled on the spot.

The few remaining African Americans in the country were repatriated to Liberia, Africa, thus completely eliminating the major problem that could have caused social unrest in the future.

Although this move drew a lot of criticism, it quickly subsided.

After all, the United States had done the same thing before. From beginning to end, the Great Chu Empire's expeditionary force did not use violence against the African American population, and the repatriated people were given enough food, necessary medical assistance and humanitarian care. The details were impeccable.

This is also why the public opinion in Europe and the United States was initially a hot topic, but quickly lost momentum.

Emperor Taizu Zheng Guohui was overjoyed whenever he thought of this.

He issued several important edicts, ordering the expeditionary force to handle the details of repatriating the African population, to treat them with sufficient respect, and to ensure good medical care.

If not so
Who knows what kind of trouble those wolves and tigers of the Great Chu Empire's expeditionary force will cause?

That's good. Although it takes a bit more effort, we must not expose any weaknesses that would allow those self-proclaimed democratic and free white people to keep nagging and holding us accountable.

Although it's not a major issue, it's still an annoying thing.

A new house should always be thoroughly cleaned before moving in. Doing so makes you feel comfortable and eliminates any potential problems. Isn't that wonderful?

Emperor Taizu Zheng Guohui stood up and walked steadily out of the palace. The attendants immediately followed, fearing that something might go wrong.

Arrived at the observation deck

Emperor Taizu Zheng Guohui, holding onto the railing, gazed at the vast expanse of Taiye Pond, his mind filled with countless thoughts.

Taiye Lake
The willow branches, as thick as a person's embrace, droop low, swaying in the wind. The reflections of the pagoda and palace on the lake's surface are mirrored in the water. The winding covered bridge, stone boat, stone turtle, and palace stage are arranged in a pleasing manner, and the melodious sound of a zither echoes in the air.

This royal palace, which has been under construction for over 70 years, has witnessed the glorious journey of the empire's growth and will surely witness an even more glorious tomorrow.

Although the Great Chu Empire was vast and its territory was large, its social structure was dominated by people of Chinese descent, who occupied the absolute mainstream of society, no matter where it was on the five continents and seven oceans.

Such a mono-ethnic society, as long as it possesses a strong imperial central authority, is unlikely to disintegrate and descend into internal strife. This is the core reason why the Great Chu Empire has always maintained a separation of imperial power and cabinet government.

With the cabinet and parliament in charge of governance, and the emperor in charge of the military and judiciary, this was the democratic constitutional system established by Emperor Zheng Guohui for the Great Chu Empire, forming a multi-tiered system of governance.

Especially in the judiciary, from the Imperial High Court to the intermediate courts of each state and the municipal courts, it is basically monopolized by noble families, which also includes most independent prosecutors.

Parliament is a democratic system that checks and balances the government, while the judiciary is a system that checks and balances the government, which is a system of checks and balances between the imperial power and the aristocracy. This dual system of checks and balances prevents the abuse of public power, corruption, and inaction, and thus helps to control the government's administration.

Judging from the results of its policies over the past few decades, it has indeed been very effective.

As the core of the empire and the source of cohesion for hundreds of millions of subjects, imperial power undoubtedly played a significant role in building consensus within the empire and ensuring long-term stability.

Emperor Taizu Zheng Guohui believed

From now until the end of this century, the democratic constitutional system of the Great Chu Empire possesses strong cohesion and vitality for this vast country.

The existence of this emerging empire requires a powerful core, which acts as a guiding light.

In the mid-20th century and beyond, the Great Chu Empire had the potential to take over the mantle of the increasingly declining Britain and dominate the new world order.

Of course, this is just hope.

After several constitutional reforms, the current emperor of the Great Chu has greatly weakened his influence in governing the country, while the power of the Yuehu Official Residence has been enhanced, and the power of the parliament has also been strengthened.

This increase and decrease embodies the will of the Holy Emperor Taizu.

This is the inevitable path from feudal imperial power to democracy, changing the ills of the feudal royal authority of the former German Empire and Tsarist Russia, and forming a situation of democratic co-governance.

This is a gift from the Holy Emperor Taizu to this empire. Without foresight, the cabinet consensus on implementing major policies is especially important.

Although the procedures are somewhat cumbersome, they effectively prevent major policy mistakes caused by the arbitrary power of the emperor.

In this way, the future glory of the Great Chu Empire is entirely worth looking forward to.

The End

The first three chapters have been censored. The content mainly covers the production stoppage treaties and the division of interests after the victory in the North American War, as well as the current economic landscape, which I will not go into detail about.

Spending a year with so many dear readers and updating this not-so-successful work is a precious memory for Grape Toothless, and I will cherish it for a long time.

Please look forward to my new work, which is currently in the works and is titled "Starting from the Gulf Storm." It's not a novel about the founding of the People's Republic of China. It's expected to be available in about a week. Thank you for your support, both new and old friends! (End of Chapter)