Nanyang Storm 1864

In addition to its close global operational partner, the State of Chu, Britain's layout throughout the Western Pacific also includes the State of Fuso, which it supports in all aspects based on the Anglo-Japanese Alliance Treaty, and France, which is getting closer and closer to Britain.

The defeat in the South African War directly changed Britain's "glorious solitude" policy that had lasted for more than a hundred years, and it sought military alliances with France and Russia in European affairs.

On Asia-Pacific affairs
Rely on the support of Chu and Fusang to maintain regional stability.

In its relations with the above three countries, Britain undoubtedly occupies a dominant position.

Britain's interests in the Pacific region mainly exist at two levels: trade and the Western Pacific geopolitical strategy.

In the field of trade

Britain and Chu became close partners and jointly put pressure on the French trade circle, closed East Asian countries and North America, seeking to lower tariffs and open up a free trade pattern.

In the geopolitical strategy of the Western Pacific, Britain's main strategic goal was to "ally with Japan to contain Russia". Fuso was a watchdog raised by Britain in East Asia to curb the southward invasion of Tsarist Russia.

In Manchuria, Mongolia and the Korean Peninsula
The contradiction between Russia and Japan had become very acute. During the invasion of China by the Eight-Nation Alliance, Tsarist Russia dispatched 17 troops in the north, brazenly created the Jiangdong 64 Village Massacre, and annexed most of the three northeastern provinces.

Under the interference of Britain, Chu, France, Japan and the United States, Tsarist Russia had to shrink its power, but under the pretext of protecting the Chinese Eastern Railway, it sent a large number of immigrants to Heilongjiang and other provinces.

His obvious ambition has been fully exposed.

In theory, given the strength of the Great Chu Empire, it would have been the best option for it to move north to contain Tsarist Russia, as it was strong enough in both economic and military power.

But Britain has its own concerns

What they feared most was that the already powerful Chu Empire would join forces with the Qing Empire in the north, which was of the same ancestry as them. That would awaken a terrifying dragon, and the foreign powers would basically have no chance of survival.

By the same token, the world's major powers are extremely wary of the interaction between the Great Chu Empire and the Northern Shenzhou. This can be said to be an insurmountable minefield.

Once touched

This could lead to the great powers of the world joining forces to target the State of Chu, and the trade relations with Britain and even the whole of Europe would be completely buried. This is something everyone knows.

Therefore, it was natural to choose Fuso as the watchdog of East Asia.

After reaching the Australian Transition Treaty with the State of Chu, Cecil's London government won unanimous praise at home and abroad, believing it to be "a beautiful home run."

Thanks to this good news, the British Conservative Party's support rate in the polls soared, silencing the Liberal Party, which had been in the upper hand recently, and was extremely happy.

Australia officially became an independent country on January 1900, 1. In fact, it separated and lived separately, just like a daughter getting married.

She wanted to elope with Chu Guo, and no one could stop her.

under these circumstances
The Cecil government squeezed out a huge compensation of hundreds of millions of pounds from the State of Chu, setting an astonishing record in history (note: excluding war reparations). This is the dignity of the British Empire.

Who in any other country can do this?

Prime Minister Cecil, in a parliamentary consultation, explained this important treaty between the two countries;

"We have to see that we have reached the greatest deal ever, which is in the interests of both the UK and Ireland and will help further deepen the close relationship between the two countries.

We are delighted to see that the UK has a close partner in global affairs, working more closely together for our shared values ​​and civilized way of life.

Here, I have a good news to announce.

The Duke of York's eldest daughter, Princess Mary, has entered into a marriage alliance with His Royal Highness Zheng Xuan, the second son of the Crown Prince of Chu. The marriage will take place when Princess Mary comes of age."

His words were met with thunderous applause and boos from the audience. Many Conservative MPs stood up and applauded, their faces flushed with excitement.

Liberal MPs booed in disdain and slammed tables and chairs in an attempt to create noise to disrupt the carnival, as did some die-hard conservatives.

The marriages of the British royal family have strong political purposes. Although Princess Mary, the eldest daughter of the Duke of York, is only 5 years old, she has become a bargaining chip for the marriage. This is the fate of royal children.

The Duke of York is the eldest son of King Edward VII and the first in line to the British throne. His bloodline is extremely noble, as is Princess Mary.

The marriage was between His Royal Highness Chu Zhengxuan, the second son of Prince Manila, the Crown Prince of Chu, who was now 11 years old. The two parties were equal in status, and it also implied strong political implications.

The two sides agreed to marry Princess Mary into the Chu royal family seven years later, in 7.

At that time, Princess Mary was also 12 years old.

After the Australian Transitional Treaty was reached with the State of Chu, armistice negotiations between General Kitchener, commander-in-chief of the British Expeditionary Force in South Africa, and Boer leader Louis Botha officially began.

September 15th, 2025

Boer representatives representing two Boer republics, 165 local militias and guerrilla groups met in Vereeniging to discuss whether to accept the British armistice terms and end the war with dignity.

In the end, the 60 Boer representatives voted 54 to , which meant that the Boers had given up resistance. The British won a bitter victory.

This unprecedentedly fierce war lasted for more than three years. Under the heavy blows of the British Expeditionary Force, the Boers suffered heavy losses, their guns and ammunition were exhausted, and they could hardly continue.

On May 5, Lord Milner arrived in Vereeniging and met with Boer representative General Smuts to sign a formal armistice agreement, thus ending the Boer War.

Coconut City (Note: formerly Batavia)

During the Second East Indies War, the fiercest fighting took place in Coconut City. The war destroyed many buildings in the city and a large number of slums were set on fire and burned to ashes in the raging fire.

After the war, Batavia was renamed Coconut City. It is also the political and economic center of Java Island and has very good conditions for development.

After a year and a half of construction, according to the standards of a large city of the Great Chu Empire, Coconut City has built a well-connected underground canal and pipeline network, flat and wide roads, numerous reinforced concrete bridges, and a large number of houses.

The entire city has a brand new look. Coconut trees sway gently, and shrubs and flowers on the ground floor bloom, presenting a beautiful tropical coastal city landscape.

The emperor of the Great Chu Empire came here and was warmly welcomed by hundreds of thousands of people lining the streets of Coconut City. He finally stayed at the Coconut City Palace.

The Coconut City Palace is a palace-style building with Dutch architectural features. It was later expanded and substantially renovated, retaining the original European architectural features.

It was June 1902, 6, when the Emperor received the news of the armistice concluded in the Second Boer War in South Africa. His Majesty was on his way to tour the southern state capitals.

Zheng Guohui planned to visit cities such as Palembang, Coconut City (note: formerly Batavia), Surabaya, and Bali, then travel east to Xinxian and Donggang. After completing his tour of Shangri-La Island, he would travel south to Darwin, Cairns, Bundaberg, Brisbane, Sydney, and then continue south to his final destination, Melbourne.

As for small cities like Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, there is absolutely no need to go there.

This was a four-and-a-half-month inspection tour of the south. Just over ten days after arriving in Coconut City from Palembang, we received the news that the war in South Africa had ended.

The Great Chu Emperor Zheng Guohui looked a little regretful and said casually, "Tsk tsk...it's over already. It seems a bit sudden!"

Li Jingxi, the imperial secretary serving beside him, was completely speechless. He said with a mixture of laughter and tears, "Your Majesty, the British are exhausted by this war, both physically and mentally, and can no longer hold on. Ending it now, having essentially achieved our pre-war goals, is not necessarily a bad thing."

"Hmph, the war is over. The demand that drove the Congo River Governorate's economy to soar is gone. Those businessmen who blindly invested in steel, cement and food processing plants are likely to suffer considerable losses." Emperor Zheng Guohui said as he strolled leisurely in the palace.

Li Jingxi followed closely behind, about one and a half meters away, about half a step behind.

This position is very exquisite. His Majesty's whispered orders can be heard, and there is also enough space.

This is because Your Majesty is tall, has long strides, and makes large movements. He cannot follow too closely like the Empress Dowager of the Qing Palace.

Although there were no eunuchs in the Great Chu Palace, there were some maids and old eunuchs who came out of the palace to teach the palace maids the rules and ensure that their words and actions were in accordance with royal etiquette.

Hearing His Majesty's words, Li Jingxi politely replied:

"In reply to your Majesty's words
In the second half of last year, the Yuehu Official Residence sent a letter to the Congo River Governor's District, asking it to appropriately control the scale of newly invested factories, enterprises and businesses to avoid unnecessary losses.

The Governor's Office also issued a written warning to local factories and enterprises, warning them not to rely too much on demand from South Africa and to explore more European markets.

Relevant ranches, plantations, and Chinese settlements and towns also issued warnings in the form of notices.

War cannot last forever, so we must plan ahead.

Some people won't listen to advice, and they'll have to hit a wall before they turn back. The Governor-General's Office can't forcefully interfere."

"Well, have the Congo River Governor's Office strengthen statistics, assess the impact of the ceasefire, and report once a month." Emperor Zheng Guohui paused, thought for a moment, and then said:

"Well...if the product backlog is serious, order the Governor's Office to coordinate with large businesses.

Transfer some goods to Europe for sale to avoid large backlogs caused by unsold goods.

The surplus food supplies will be collected and stored as appropriate, and farmers and herdsmen will be guided to adjust production and varieties to effectively respond to changes in demand.

Let Yuehu Official Residence consider the specific regulations and send them to the Congo River Governor's Office and the Madagascar Governor's Office for implementation."

"Your Majesty is wise and enlightened. We, your humble servants, will convey your order immediately." Li Jingxi bowed and replied, his heart full of admiration.

His Majesty the Emperor of Great Chu often inspects various places and has a very clear understanding of the people's livelihood at the grassroots level. The edicts he issues are concise and to the point, and directly hit the pain points.

Under the jurisdiction of the Congo River Governor's Office and the Madagascar Governor's Office, as an important material supply base for the Boer War in South Africa, its development in recent years can be described as taking off on the spot.

The former, in particular, accounted for more than 60% of the British Expeditionary Force's logistical supplies.

Faced with this major opportunity, tens of thousands of merchants, farmers and ranchers became rich and made a fortune.

With the influx of a large amount of Chinese capital, the major towns in the West African colonies developed rapidly. The size of the cities and the population expanded rapidly, showing a momentum of raging fire.

Now that the war is over, everything has come to a halt.

Apart from anything else, almost all orders for steel and cement were cancelled as long as they were not delivered on time, which put a strain on the local steel and cement mills.

In fact, this situation was foreseeable, and the Governor's Office also issued a warning.

The strange thing is that people are greedy. They always think that if they speed up production and send the goods over, they may be able to catch the last train.

As soon as the armistice agreement was signed, everyone was stunned.

Fortunately, the British expeditionary force did not withdraw immediately, and the supply of food and cattle and sheep could continue for a while, allowing for a buffer period for adjustments.

After Emperor Zheng Guohui gave his instructions, he asked, "Has the tractor factory in Coconut City started production?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, the tractor factory has commenced production this month. After technological reforms and the addition of new equipment, the Coconut City Tractor Factory can reach a monthly production capacity of 1600 units, primarily for local supply and Australia."

"Well, the practice of the Manila Tractor Factory is worthy of recognition. They have successively set up branch factories in Asmara in the East African colony, Cabinda in the Congo River colony, Blanca in the Viceroyalty of Patagonia, Panama in the Viceroyalty of Central America, and Coconut City to produce tractors nearby. This is a very good practice." Emperor Zheng Guohui expressed his affirmation and said as he walked.

The "Harvest" brand tractors produced by the Manila Tractor Factory are the largest brand of agricultural machinery today, with annual sales exceeding 8.2 units, and the goal is to break the 10 mark this year.

Several other tractor brands are one step behind the "Shou" brand.

The production technology content of tractors is not high. The core is a diesel internal combustion engine. According to the power size, it has now evolved into four major series, ranging from walk-behind tractors to four-wheel tractors, and it occupies a leading position in the world.

In addition to the core diesel internal combustion engine and some important accessories such as axles and wheels, other simple accessories, such as carriages, beams, etc., can be processed locally, reducing a lot of costs.

Emperor Zheng Guohui expressed his appreciation for this model of going global and ordered its promotion.

As a powerful country with a developed shipbuilding industry, the Chu Empire ranked second in the world in terms of the total number of ships launched each year, second only to the United Kingdom.

The threshold for the shipbuilding industry is not high, and it is suitable for development in coastal cities of the East African Viceroyalty and the Central American Viceroyalty. The core ship steam turbines can be shipped locally to participate in the competition in Europe and North America.

Strengthen its own industrial strength and get a share of the world's shipbuilding industry market.

This marked a new stage in the development of the Great Chu Empire, which gradually relaxed restrictions on industrial development in overseas colonies and encouraged them to participate in international competition.

Without agriculture there is no stability, without industry there is no wealth!

Compared with the booming industrial and commercial development in the mainland of the Great Chu Empire, the overseas colonies were inferior and the overall economic level lagged behind.

(End of this chapter)