Nanyang Storm 1864

Sitting in the pavilion

The Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire and the Prime Minister Fan Zhicheng were chatting, and what they talked about were national affairs that concerned the lives of thousands of people.

suddenly

Zheng Guohui stopped talking and looked towards the horizon with a frown.

A faint buzzing sound came from the high sky. Prime Minister Fan Zhicheng also heard it and his face turned pale.

At this moment

Several strong female guards suddenly rushed in, shouting "Protect the emperor" loudly, and immediately grabbed the hand of the Great Chu Emperor Zheng Guohui, and hurriedly ran towards the main building of the palace not far away.

The alarm bells rang rapidly, and the palace was in chaos. A large number of guards rushed out, climbed up the high points and checkpoints in a hurry, and turned the muzzles of their heavy machine guns towards the sky.

Teams of imperial guards came out armed with live ammunition, quickly set up several lines of defense, and were on full alert.

Just a few minutes

The black dot in the sky has appeared. It is a biplane hovering above the valley. Under the influence of the mountain wind, it is drifting uncontrollably towards the palace.

"Your Majesty's instructions: Responsible for defense. Don't panic excessively. Don't fire into the air. Just defend yourself reasonably."

The female chief of the imperial guards ran out quickly from the main building of the palace, loudly conveyed the imperial decree, and calmed the emotions of the extremely nervous imperial guards.

As the biplane got closer and closer, it turned a few hundred meters away and was blown away by the swirling mountain wind near the mountain, gradually moving away.

Hundreds of guardsmen finally breathed a sigh of relief and released their fingers from the triggers of their heavy machine guns.

If His Majesty had not given the order just now, the heavy machine guns stationed at high points would have already opened fire as warning shots.

Maybe if I'm lucky, I can knock this broken thing down.

At this time, Prime Minister Fan Zhicheng's face had turned pale. It was common sense that all cities where His Majesty passed through were off-limits to the air.

Although he didn't know what this biplane was, hot air ballooning had a long history and was nothing new.

The no-fly zone rules mainly target hot air balloons.

In the various prefectures of the Great Chu Empire

There are dozens or even hundreds of clubs promoting hot air ballooning, and many wealthy aristocratic children and the middle class are quite keen on this novel sport that allows them to go up into the sky.

For the safety of the royal carriage, a no-fly zone order has been issued during His Majesty's inspection tour.

Local hot air balloons are not allowed to take off. Violators will be treated as treasonous and will be severely punished. This is the no-fly order.

The mood of Zheng Guohui, the emperor of the Great Chu Empire, was normal. He squinted his eyes and watched the biplane flying farther and farther away. There was a glint in his eyes, which became sharper and sharper.

He said casually, "Lord Fan, could this be the steam-powered aircraft that was featured in European newspapers?"

"This... I am ashamed that I don't know what a steam aircraft is?" Prime Minister Fan Zhicheng bowed and replied.

The Great Chu Empire's Emperor Zheng Guohui turned around and asked Li Jingxi, "Lord Li, do you know?"

Li Jingxi really knew it. He thought about it carefully and realized that it was published in a European newspaper five or six years ago.

At that time, the Great Chu Emperor Zheng Guohui specially commented on it, saying that this novel European invention demonstrated mankind's courage to challenge the sky and was extremely valuable.

He paid special attention to it and studied it, and then answered:

"In reply to your Majesty's words
I understand that about a decade ago, the German Otto Lilienthal drew a concept map of an aircraft, which was published in German newspapers at the time and caused quite a stir.

in October 1896

The Smithsonian Institution in the United States successfully tested a steam airplane model. At that time, Professor Otto Linenthal, a Chicago engineer and authority on flight research, successfully tested several airplane models in the Michigan dunes and lakeside.

In recent years, there have also been related experiments and test flights at the University of Manila and Cebu Institute of Technology in our country, all of which were unmanned flights.

In my impression

The relevant scientific research institutions of our Great Chu Empire use gasoline internal combustion engines instead of bulky steam engines.

In this regard
Our Great Chu Empire ranks first in the world in terms of the quality, variety and production scale of internal combustion engines, which is difficult for other industrial countries to achieve.

Only then could we clearly see that there was a person sitting on the biplane. This might be a successful test flight, but it was unclear why it disturbed the Holy Chariot?

This matter is of great importance, and I believe it should be investigated promptly and rigorously to determine whether there are any sinister ulterior motives behind it."

"There's no need to make such a fuss. Don't scare these engineers who are willing to take risks. It might just be an accident." Zheng Guohui, the emperor of the Great Chu Empire, waved his hand indifferently and said in a gentle tone.

If he hadn't made it clear, this person would have died for sure.

This is already a level one alert danger for the Royal Guards. If an incendiary bomb is dropped from the aircraft, or a few shots are fired from above, things will be very serious.

If the response measures are not effective, many people will lose their lives.

Any negligence of the Royal Guards would be magnified infinitely at this time.

This is no joke. If you look into it carefully, if you take a nap while on duty, go to the toilet, or slack off somewhere, it will be a fatal matter if you are held accountable.

"Your Majesty, it's probably not appropriate to let it go so lightly." Prime Minister Fan Zhicheng replied with a frown.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu felt a surge of admiration for talent. This man who flew a biplane was even earlier than the Wright brothers and could be considered a pioneer in the field of aviation.

Although it is a bit reckless, it can be treated as an exception to the law.

So he said;
"It was just a false alarm. If it can be confirmed that there was a human pilot aboard the biplane, it would be unprecedented. We shouldn't make hasty judgments about such a courageous explorer!"

Prime Minister Fan Zhicheng, noticing His Majesty's growing interest in talent, replied hesitantly, "This...if we let it go, we'll probably be criticized!"

"Talents are rare, just give them a warning." Zheng Guohui, the Emperor of Great Chu, said with a tolerant smile.

Prime Minister Fan Zhicheng was about to agree when he saw a burly officer of the Imperial Guard coming to him, kneeling down on his knees like a jade pillar, taking off his military cap and putting it aside.

The man prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowed loudly, and muffledly reported, "I, your humble servant, have failed to protect Your Majesty, causing the Emperor's carriage to be disturbed. This is a capital offense. I shall be executed at the foot of the steps. I am speechless and willing to accept the punishment."

This man was about thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, with a broad build, a leopard head, round eyes, and a thick beard on his big face. He was wearing the uniform of a major general of the Royal Guards. He was none other than Major General Zheng Daqiang, the deputy chief of the guards on duty.

The several guards following behind him all knelt down in unison.

This man is the eldest son of General Zheng Shan, the commander-in-chief of the Royal Guard, and the son-in-law of the Fifth Princess arranged by the Emperor of Great Chu, Zheng Guohui. He will inherit the title of Marquis from General Zheng Shan in the future.

His younger brothers, Zheng Erqiang, Zheng Sanqiang, Zheng Siqiang and Zheng Xiaoqiang, all served in the Royal Guards and could be said to be typical generations of slaves.

Seeing Zheng Daqiang, a stubborn man, kneeling down to pay his respects, the Great Chu Emperor Zheng Guohui frowned, looking somewhat helpless.

But he still said gently, "I have seen all kinds of storms. These are just minor incidents. My dear, there is no need to blame yourself or delve into it."

"Your Majesty is lenient, but I must not take advantage of your favor and become arrogant. I can escape the death penalty, but I cannot escape punishment for my crimes. I will accept the punishment of military law." Major General Zheng Daqiang raised his head, his forehead flushed red, and his tiger eyes blazed with anger as he reported.
"Anyone who dares to offend His Majesty will be put to death! Bandung's local officials who fail to enforce air control will be severely punished as an example to others. As a guilty minister, I request an investigation into this case and I beg for His Majesty's judgment."

"This..." Major General Zheng Shaoqiang asked for permission, but this made it difficult for the Emperor of the Great Chu Empire, Zheng Guohui, to deal with it. He hesitated and did not speak.

This person doesn't tolerate any injustice and has the same stubborn temper as his father. If we really investigate, it will affect many people.

It goes without saying that some people will die miserably.

Prime Minister Fan Zhicheng had served as the royal secretary general to the Great Chu Emperor Zheng Guohui for many years. He was also a very discerning official and immediately understood His Majesty's intentions.

So he stood up and said;

"General Zheng, this matter involves dereliction of duty by local officials and should not be handled by the Imperial Guard.

Let me put it this way. I order Mr. Yu Jingshan, the Deputy Minister of Police, to investigate this case and arrest all the criminals within 3 days and punish them severely.

The Royal Guards can send personnel to supervise the case, and anyone involved in this case..."

Prime Minister Fan Zhicheng secretly glanced at His Majesty's expression and said, "We should punish them all and serve as a warning to everyone. How about this?"

Major General Zheng Daqiang's face darkened and he was unwilling in his heart.

There is a special gendarmerie in the Royal Guard that is responsible for investigation and inspection. It has full authority to detain and then try officials below the rank of prefect and major general in the army. Once you enter the gendarmerie, it is rare for you to come out intact.

If you specifically ask for grace, the above restrictions do not apply.

Major General Zheng Daqiang replied gruffly, "This matter involves the duties of our Imperial Guards, so there's no need for the Prime Minister to do it. The Imperial Guards will investigate and arrest the perpetrators themselves.

The villains involved in the case are so arrogant and rebellious that they dare to place themselves above our emperor and offend his majesty. Even a thousand deaths cannot atone for their crimes.

The Royal Guards have a mission and dare not delegate it to others."

After he said this, Prime Minister Fan Zhicheng had no choice but to shut up.

He knew that General Zheng Shan's son was a stubborn person, and once he made up his mind, nothing could change his mind.

If he is not allowed to arrest the murderer, he might bite his tongue and commit suicide on the spot.

The Great Chu Emperor Zheng Guohui had no choice but to agree and said, "In that case, you can do it, but don't spread it too far."

"I obey your command." Major General Zheng Daqiang stood up and gave orders to several imperial guards behind him, gritting his teeth and protruding his cheek muscles.
"You all must be extremely alert and serve His Majesty with all your heart. If you make even the slightest mistake, I will tear your heads off without mercy."

"Yes, sir. We dare not do that." Facing the ferocious-looking commander, several guards officers lowered their heads and responded.

After giving the order, Major General Zheng Daqiang left quickly and soon led a team of imperial cavalry away.

Seeing this situation
The Great Chu Emperor Zheng Guohui could not help but remain silent. His subordinates, Zheng Shan and Zheng Daqiang, were the sons of the Great Chu royal family. They were loyal servants for generations, and their family motto was;
They have been loyal to the Great Chu Empire and His Majesty the Emperor for generations.

As the saying goes; when the master is humiliated, the minister dies.

To disappoint generations of loyal servants just for the sake of an engineer who invented the airplane is to put the cart before the horse.

Nowadays, airplanes don't require much technical skills. Just tell an engineer to make one in minutes.

The key is that this is the first time, and it has groundbreaking historical significance.

The Great Chu Emperor Zheng Guohui looked at Prime Minister Fan Zhicheng with some helplessness and said;

“It’s come to this

I think this man's fate is already determined. Given General Zheng's temper, he will never let him go.

The fact that biplanes are a means to mankind's freedom to soar into the sky is of great significance and cannot be interrupted.

Fan Aiqing needs to pay special attention to this matter. The government should allocate special funds and mobilize a group of elite troops to focus on research and development, and come up with a manned aircraft as soon as possible.

With the goal of "higher, faster, farther", we have embarked on a unique path of scientific and technological development.

If it develops well, it could be a new industry comparable to the automobile industry, and it's worth investing in research and development!"

"I will follow up on this matter as ordered."

The Emperor's personal instructions were of utmost importance, and Prime Minister Fan Zhicheng bowed solemnly in response.

After giving the order, Zheng Guohui, the emperor of the Great Chu Empire, put the matter behind him.

in this era

Due to the limitations of technology and new materials, aircraft developed ahead of others cannot be of very high quality and must develop step by step.

As long as we can maintain the world's cutting-edge level, that's enough.

Even if we invest heavily in research and development 20 years in advance, it would be impossible to develop an aircraft that is ahead of its time. That is pure fantasy.

We must wait for overall technological progress and the emergence of new materials and new technologies before we can push the level of development of aviation technology. This is a process.

With the foresight of King Zheng Guohui of Chu, he knew that no single weapon could conquer the world.

Modern warfare tests a country's comprehensive national strength and competes on the overall military level and military will. Today, Chu's submarines and tanks are still under development, and no revolutionary breakthroughs have occurred.

In the field of cutting-edge weapons, the Great Chu Empire has reached world-class level and is not lagging behind others.

Being able to focus on aircraft research and development has already put China ahead of European and American countries.

After that, he talked with Prime Minister Fan Zhicheng for a while and let him go.

Return to the Imperial Study in the Palace
The Great Chu Emperor Zheng Guohui sat down, opened a memorial and read it, putting the incident that had just happened behind his mind.

Since the signing of the Australian Transition Treaty, the Chu royal family has basically emptied out all their cash and borrowed some from the bank to pay off the first installment of 30 million pounds.

This huge sum of money went through the British government's finances, and more than half was allocated to the South African Expeditionary Force. The South African Expeditionary Force repaid part of the debt, and then it went back to the hands of several banks in the Great Chu Empire.

As the major shareholder of these banks, part of the bank's debts were offset in the quarterly dividends.

When funds circulate in this way, the pressure is greatly reduced.

When doing business with the British, you really don’t have to worry about them defaulting on your debts. These British are very trustworthy and know how to be grateful.

The British reciprocated the Great Chu Empire's timely assistance by not delaying the payment of supplies to the South African Expeditionary Force for a long time and tried to raise funds from all sources.

After the treaty was signed, relations between Chu and Britain quickly returned to normal, and the customs tariffs imposed during the trade war were successively canceled.

Due to financial austerity considerations, the Chu State directly reduced the construction of 8 of the 6 main battleships originally planned, leaving only two to be built.

From a certain perspective, it is also a gesture of goodwill to the British side.

In the next three years, the royal family of the Great Chu Empire had to tighten its belts in all expenditures and foreign investments due to the huge compensation it had to pay, and even had to take on some debts.

But it was all worth it. The huge influence created by Australia's submission to the Great Chu Empire would be difficult to fade in the next few decades or even hundreds of years, which won great glory for the Great Chu Empire.

This is the most profitable deal that Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire has ever made. Whenever I think about it, I feel secretly happy! (End of this chapter)