Nanyang Storm 1864

Bandung is the second largest city on Java Island, with a permanent population of about 26. During the Second East Indies War, the population once soared to nearly , many of whom were refugees from all over the place.

This city has not experienced any war, and its surrounding villages and towns have remained relatively intact.

When the Emperor of Great Chu arrived, the city of Bandung had already been cleaned and partially rebuilt. Most of the reconstruction consisted of demolishing shanty towns, giving the city a brand new look.

There are about 270,000 to 280,000 Chinese residents in Bandung, which has returned to the pre-war level or even exceeded it.

The city originally had a high proportion of Chinese population, accounting for about 40% of the city's population. Due to the energy cleansing and the subsequent influx of Chinese immigrants, the city's industry and commerce recovered well.

Every day, a large number of businesses and enterprises are established, bringing new changes and vitality to this city in the mountains.

Bandung is located in a basin surrounded by mountains. It is located at a high altitude and has a cool climate and fresh air all year round. The average annual temperature is 23℃, making it a famous summer resort.

The scenery here is beautiful, quiet and elegant, and it is like spring all year round. It is known as the most beautiful city in Java.

The Bandung Palace is located on a high plateau with famous hot springs. It offers a commanding view overlooking the entire city of Bandung with a very broad field of vision.

"My dear Fan, you don't have to accompany me on the next trip. You can do as you please." After taking a bath, the Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu sat refreshed in the open pavilion and said to the Prime Minister Fan Zhicheng.

From the high vantage point they were at, they had a panoramic view of the entire city. The mountain breeze blew gently, and the sound of birdsong echoed in the canyon. It was truly very pleasant.

Prime Minister Fan Zhicheng bowed and saluted, then replied:

"I am deeply honored to be able to accompany Your Majesty and listen to his teachings. I am making progress every day and will be more cautious in my administration.

This trip to Java

The emphasis is on promoting and implementing the administrative setup of the Great Chu Empire, considering the setup of prefectures, counties, and towns in various places, striving to make decisions locally, and solving difficult problems on the spot.

I think... I'll have to stay in Java for four or five months.

I have brought with me a large number of elite soldiers and generals on this trip, all of whom are veterans familiar with colonial affairs.

There were a lot of complicated tasks to be done in Java and Sumatra. Just surveying and clarifying the boundaries of states, prefectures, and counties and creating administrative maps was a huge project.

Being burdened with worldly affairs and unable to serve Your Majesty is truly a great regret for Zhicheng."

Emperor Zheng Guohui of Great Chu nodded in response, "Public affairs are more important. I am deeply gratified by your efforts."

"I am unworthy of this responsibility. This is my duty. I am sorry for the intrusion of Your Majesty. I have failed in my duty." Fan Zhicheng replied.

During the Dutch colonial period

The boundaries between states, prefectures, counties, towns and villages have never been clearly defined. It's a mess and no one cares about it.

Even daily taxation and social governance matters were left to the Chinese Kapitan and indigenous princes and nobles, and the white colonists were only responsible for collecting taxes.

Colonial affairs at that time were managed in a rough and tumble manner.

When it came to the governance of the Great Chu Empire, we could no longer be so careless.

There are many things to do, including the resettlement of Chinese immigrants and the demarcation of new administrative boundaries, the implementation of various administrative departments of the Great Chu Empire, and the promotion of imperial policies, from industry and commerce to education and culture.

because of this

The Imperial Prime Minister Fan Zhicheng simply took charge in person, bringing with him deputy senior officials from various departments and a group of colonial officials, and recruited thousands of recent graduates from colleges and universities to supplement the grassroots official team.

This is a huge and complicated matter, and it is also a process of transition from military control to normal social order.

The situation is urgent and cannot be delayed any longer.

Compared with the newly acquired Australia, the needs of Java and Sumatra, which have experienced a long period of martial law, are more urgent.

Australia has just been incorporated into the territory of the Great Chu Empire and is currently under martial law. Stability is the top priority and it is not advisable to engage in large-scale warfare.

In the Australian Transition Treaty reached between Britain and the Chu State, the British side sent observation groups to Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, where there were large white residents.

Its purpose is to supervise the specific implementation of the Chu State's promise to ensure that white residents can enjoy equal national treatment and their property and personal safety are not violated.

Every six months, the British observation team will prepare a report and submit it to the British Parliament for review.

To put it bluntly, this is a means of checks and balances to prevent the Great Chu Empire from wantonly oppressing the white people, arbitrarily confiscating the property of white gold mine owners and ranchers, robbing and selling white women, taking human lives, and bullying the white people with impunity.

The so-called "transition period".

It was during the period when Britain, the old sovereign state of Australia, gradually transitioned its territorial rights to the Great Chu Empire. This process did not happen overnight.

Understand from this perspective

The British actions did not infringe upon the territorial rights and interests of the Great Chu Empire, because Australia was originally a British colony. Although it was independent, it was still the suzerain state.

This was also one of the British conditions. Although it was suspected of infringing on the sovereignty of the Great Chu Empire, the British insisted on doing so, and what was revealed in their bones was distrust.

After all, the Great Chu Empire has always had a bad reputation for its rough and direct approach to dealing with foreign races and colonial affairs.

This is only a transitional arrangement, and the maximum duration of the British observation mission is 6 years.

On the issue of time limit alone, Britain and Chu had several rounds of repeated negotiations in secret. It was a tug of war, and each step was very difficult to implement.

Initially, the British side was reluctant to set a time limit for the observation mission.

The Chu State had the opposite attitude. They disagreed with setting up any observation group and were hesitant and uncomfortable in doing things.

The two sides have different positions and cannot reach an agreement at all.

Later, after mutual compromise, the duration of the British observation mission was reduced from 20 years to 15 years, and further to 10 years, 7 years, and finally the agreed period was 6 years.

Just like slicing sausages, a little bit of bargaining.

The Chu State continued to make concessions, increasing the duration from two years to three years, then four years, five years, and finally the agreed upon duration was six years.

To say that the British are difficult to deal with, the final conclusion of the Australian Transition Treaty was a major diplomatic victory, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs put in countless efforts, is absolutely true.

Foreign Minister Pan Yuchen said with emotion:

"The difficulty, twists and turns, and length of time involved in this negotiation process are unprecedented in my decades of diplomatic career. It felt like climbing a mountain with no end in sight. It is a truly profound memory that I will never forget."

Based on multiple considerations
Australia's current administrative governance and territorial divisions still adhere to the old practices of the British colonial era and have not been easily changed. As for when these changes will occur?
That was naturally the right opportunity. The Chu State did not make any specific promises, and Britain did not pursue it relentlessly. Both sides tacitly ignored this point.

Otherwise, the positions will be diametrically opposed, which will become another difficulty in the negotiations, and reaching a common understanding will be a distant prospect.

This included New Zealand's independence and the exclusion of Australia. This was also a major decision and concession made personally by the Great Chu Emperor Zheng Guohui in order to conclude a treaty as soon as possible.

The Great Chu Emperor Zheng Guohui will never let go of this small New Zealand.

In the future, we can just gradually bring in immigrants to mix in the population. Anyway, there are not many white people there and the place is not big.

Just wait until the right time to take it back, there is no need to rush.

If you can’t finish it in one bite, eat it in two bites.

In the planning map of the Great Chu Emperor Zheng Hui
The ultimate goal was to unify Southeast Asia, which also included Singapore, Penang, Johor and West Malaya across from Sumatra, including the long and narrow peninsula in southern Myanmar.

Now, there is really no rush!
Due to the close global partnership between the Chu State and Britain, Chinese businessmen from the Great Chu Empire spread throughout Southeast Asia and Indochina, including the British Straits Settlements and the French Saigon Colony, and local Chinese businessmen were important figures in controlling the economic pillars.

Most of them have citizenship of the Great Chu Empire.

In the above areas

The Chinese population generally accounts for more than 6% to %, reaching as high as % in Singapore and over % in Penang. The Chinese population in Western Malaya accounts for more than half.

In major cities such as Bangkok in the Kingdom of Siam, the proportion of Chinese immigrants in the population reached more than 20%, and in Saigon it exceeded 30%, monopolizing local industry and commerce.

Through royal marriages, many West Malayan princes and nobles married princesses of the Great Chu Empire. Some indigenous princesses also married into the royal family of the Great Chu Empire and became the wives of some princes, which made the relationship between them much closer.

These indigenous royal families rushed to marry into the royal family of Great Chu, and their first priority was to have peace of mind.

Being around the giant of the Great Chu Empire, if you accidentally turn over, you will be crushed to death or swallowed by it. It is really dangerous.

The reality is very cruel. Only in the Nanyang region

The rise of the Great Chu Empire destroyed more than a dozen indigenous kingdoms one after another, including the once glorious Kingdom of Aceh, the Kingdom of Tanjung Kap, the Kingdom of Dayili, the Duchy of Lan Fang, the Kingdom of Sarawak, the Sultanate of Brunei, the Kingdom of Kuching, the Kingdom of Bali and many indigenous kingdoms on the island of Kalimantan.

The royal inheritance was cut off, the clan's heirs were wiped out, and in just a few decades even the inheritance of the indigenous tribes was cut off, completely disappearing in the long river of history.

Just ask if you are afraid?
Being able to marry into the royal family of the Great Chu Empire is a psychological comfort, at least it will not be swallowed up.

The most vivid example is the Ryukyu Kingdom in the north. The current king, Shang De, has half the blood of the Great Chu royal family and is born to a princess of the Great Chu royal family.

The wife of King Shangde of Ryukyu was the eldest princess of the ninth prince of the Great Chu Empire. The two were cousins, which could be considered a close relationship.

The Ryukyu Kingdom was therefore brought under the protection of the Great Chu Empire, and even the newly rising Fuso Kingdom did not dare to easily attack the Ryukyu Kingdom.

The benefits of royal marriage are real and simply amazing.

This situation is very common in the surrounding areas. King Chulalongkorn of the Kingdom of Siam asked the seventh princess of the Great Chu Empire to marry his second prince, and the two gave birth to a son and two daughters.

This second prince is the crown prince of the Kingdom of Siam, a prominent figure who will succeed to the throne as king in the future.

By arranging this royal marriage, you can hold on to a big and thick leg.

This was a typical political marriage. The Kingdom of Siam was seeking support, at least to be in-laws with the Great Chu Empire. Both Britain and France had to consider this before invading.

With this relationship
It would be difficult for the Great Chu Empire to attack the Kingdom of Siam at will and divide up its territory, but it must at least ensure that it would not be beaten.

Of course

If the second prince of the Kingdom of Siam, Vajirawud, was deposed as the crown prince and could not inherit the throne, he would be demoted to a marginal role.

Well, this is a blatant slap in the face. The Kingdom of Siam has to consider whether it can withstand the wrath of the Great Chu Empire, which may lead to the destruction of the royal power.

That's no joke, it could really cost lives.

Since he ascended the throne by relying on the power of his mother's family, he must have a warm and friendly attitude towards the Chinese.

Correspondingly, local Chinese immigrants can be treated fairly, even better than nationals, and have better development space.

All of this will trigger greater enthusiasm among Chinese people to immigrate, just as it is natural that 1+1=2.

For these areas
The Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire did not necessarily insist on being incorporated into the empire. He could also take over the throne through other means and let the princes and grandchildren become kings in other places. His method was very flexible.

Today
Zheng Guohui, the emperor of the Great Chu Empire, finally understood what Queen Victoria once felt: she was full and a little overwhelmed, and even a five-spice pork elbow would not taste good.

He was no longer so obsessed with expanding the empire's territory.

In the central and western regions of Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula, that is, the area south of Jeddah, there is a tacit dividing line between the Chu State and Britain, and this area belongs to the Chu State's influence.

The Great Chu Empire has been operating here for more than 20 years, and the local Chinese population accounts for more than 30%, mostly concentrated in towns, mainly engaged in industry, commerce, transportation and handicrafts.

Considerations for this area
The Great Chu Emperor Zheng Guohui does not have to be included in the territory. He can send a few princes and grandchildren he likes to establish a small kingdom that is subordinate to the Great Chu Empire.

The scale does not need to be too big, and the territory does not need to be too vast, as long as it can develop independently.

It's really not enough. Anyway, the Great Chu Empire is powerful, so we can just give it some subsidies.

That's no big deal, just a small thing to do.

From Yemen to the central part of the Arabian Island, at least 4 to 5 small kingdoms could be established, including the area south of Jeddah, which was rich in oil in the Arabian Peninsula in later generations.

Later, when a conflict broke out between Yemen and Saudi Arabia, Yemen launched missiles to bomb Saudi Arabia's oil refineries and storage centers, which were located in this area.

The Chu State's sphere of influence in the Arabian Peninsula was much larger than the territory of Yemen in later generations, extending thousands of kilometers to the southwest.

Of course

This does not include the coastal areas of the Persian Gulf. The British were very cunning and restricted the influence of the Chu State outside the Persian Gulf and strictly prohibited it from interfering.

It must be admitted that in this era, oil resources had not yet been discovered on the Arabian Peninsula.

From a geopolitical perspective alone, the British deliberately restricted the Chu State's entry into the Persian Gulf to prevent the Chu State from radiating its influence to the countries surrounding the Persian Gulf. This was definitely a far-sighted move.

In this regard, I must give a thumbs up. (End of this chapter)