Nanyang Storm 1864

In the city of Bandung, there are almost no traces of the past wars. The streets are bustling with people, the newly paved asphalt roads are flat and wide, and lush shrubs and trees are planted on both sides of the road.

Careful observation will reveal

On one side of some roads there are large areas of demolished low-rise shanty towns, the leveled land is divided into plots, and some large buildings are under construction.

With the influx of a large number of Chinese businessmen from the empire, the land plots for sale in these new areas became extremely expensive because they could be used to build street-facing storefronts.

A piece of land for a private residence covering half an acre can easily cost thousands of silver dollars. The better the location, the more expensive it is.

The Bandung Provincial Office regularly puts several plots of land up for auction, attracting many local wealthy businessmen and capital. Under fierce bidding, the land prices rise sharply.

Ninety percent of the proceeds from the sale of land was turned over to the treasury of the Imperial Household Department of the Great Chu Empire, and ten percent was used by the local provincial government.

Besides
The Bandung State Government can collect a 6% deed tax from the transaction, a house construction approval fee, a monthly management fee for shops along the street that will be built in the future, urban construction cleaning fees and other miscellaneous fees.

The more land you put on the market, the higher the daily taxes you can collect.

After all, land transactions are one-time deals, while collecting taxes and fees in a steady stream is a good deal.

The vast majority of residents in Bandung are of Chinese descent, but occasionally you can see some white men and women. According to the promise made by the Dutch when they surrendered the city, they can enjoy national treatment.

When Major General Zheng Daqiang of the Royal Guards led a battalion of cavalry through the street, the patrolmen who saw them from afar immediately blew their whistles and directed cars, carriages and pedestrians to get out of the way.

This movement
This attracted many Chinese people from shops and teahouses along the street, who appeared one after another and gathered along the street, looking out, as if they were watching the commotion but afraid of trouble.

This is the typical mentality of the people of the Celestial Empire. The Great Chu Empire has always been invincible and has been expanding its territory for decades, creating unprecedentedly strong national confidence.

Especially those second and third generation immigrants, who are simply overflowing with self-confidence and a strong sense of superiority, and don’t even know what fear is?

If the indigenous people or the people of conquered countries, such as the former South American country of Colombia, had seen the imperial cavalry, they would have been scared out of their wits and would have fled in panic.

At the intersection of Ladoya Street in the old town, in a bar with a strong Dutch style, the lazy music coming from the Western gramophone creates a leisurely atmosphere.

There were more than a dozen Chinese men and women and a few white men sitting around in the store drinking and chatting. They were all dressed quite decently.

"Believe me... man, the situation can't be any worse than it is now. The bravery of the Vikings flows in the blood of the Germanic people. With the blessing of King Odin, we will definitely succeed."

The person who spoke was Dwayne, a white young man in his twenties. He had a stern face, thick green stubble, and gray-blue eyes that revealed a fierce and resolute look.

The shorter, fatter young man sitting next to him, named Archie, became determined at Dwyane's encouragement, nodded vigorously, and whispered;
"Don't worry, Dwayne. We will attract the attention of the guards. May the great god Odin protect us! Those who fight against tyranny with their lives and blood will have their spirits live forever."

As Archie spoke, he glanced at the three white people, two men and one woman, at another table. They were all in the same group.

This is the "Odin Society", a secret Dutch organization that is resisting the tyranny of the Great Chu Empire. It is composed of radical white youths from schools and society, with a total of about two to three hundred people.

These Dutch whites were different from the indigenous people who had suffered from colonial oppression throughout history. They had always been arrogant and could not tolerate the humiliation of being enslaved.

Even if they enjoy full national treatment, in the eyes of these white youths, they have been cast from the clouds to the mortal world and become extremely lowly.

The huge psychological gap created resentment that was about to erupt like a volcano, causing the white society to secretly form various resistance groups, and the "Odin Society" was just one of them.

The rebellious nature of these Dutch white people will not be eliminated by the iron conquest of the Great Chu Empire.

The greater the pressure, the stronger the rebound.

The heroic and outstanding resistance of the Boers in South Africa was an invisible inspiration to these white youths, motivating them to continue to pursue the former glory of the Temple of Odin.

In the tavern

They spoke in Dutch in a low voice, not afraid of being overheard at all, without the most basic sense of confidentiality, like a newborn calf fearless of a tiger.

Just talking
The noise outside attracted the attention of several Chinese guests near the window. They became excited and left their seats, walked quickly to the door, and rushed to the street.

Seeing this action
Aqi was a little confused and asked casually, "What's going on? These lowly Orientals are making a fuss over the slightest noise."

Before he could reply, the sound of horse hooves came from far away on the street, like dense rolling thunder, making the wine glasses in the tavern tremble and the wine in the glasses fluctuate constantly.

Dwyane's expression froze, and he felt as if an electric current had passed through his body. In an instant, he revealed a look of surprise and joy, and blurted out, "Could it be..."

His eyes quickly met Archie's, and almost in an instant, he understood from the other party's surprise to sudden realization that he had the same guess as himself.

They came here to find an opportunity to assassinate the tyrannical emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire, and this southern inspection tour was the best opportunity.

Normally, he lives in the inner palace of the Great Chu, and it is harder than climbing to the sky to see him, let alone other things.

More than a dozen young members of the "Odin Training Society" have been ready to go since they learned about the news of the Emperor of Great Chu's southern tour in the newspaper.

It has been more than twenty days since we found every possible way to gather in Bandung City.

However, they had no way of knowing the route of the Emperor of Great Chu's inspection, so they divided into several groups and waited at the main intersections of Bandung, looking for opportunities to assassinate him.

As long as the dog emperor of Da Chu does not leave Wanlong, there is a possibility of encountering him.

Compared to assassinations in the wilderness, cities have large populations and densely packed buildings, making it easier to hide the assassin's location and approach the Emperor of Chu's convoy and cavalry.

Generally speaking

On the inspection routes of the Emperor of Great Chu, local garrisons would generally be on guard along the routes, and patrolmen and militiamen would be dispatched to block the corresponding roads and intersections, prohibiting outsiders from crossing at will.

Especially bridges, tunnels and intersections will be heavily guarded.

On the move
In front were the leading cavalry of the Royal Guards, on both sides were the escort cavalry, and in the rear were fully armed Royal Guards officers and soldiers riding in trucks, equipped with heavy machine guns and 37mm rapid-fire cannons, making the defense impenetrable.

In the wilderness, the long line of royal sedans sped past, and the opportunity to assassinate was fleeting.

I'm afraid that before I get close, I will be discovered by the guards outside.

Almost at the same time
Dwyane and Archie quickly stood up, signaled their companions with their eyes, and said hurriedly as they walked, "Hurry up, our moment of glory has arrived."

They quickly squeezed out of the door and came to the street on the side of the road. They looked eagerly in the direction of the cavalry, and the murderous intent in their eyes was difficult to conceal.

These men all carried revolvers hidden in their clothes, and Dwyane also brought two small bombs, each weighing 6 pounds, specifically for blowing up vehicles.

On the road

Major General Zheng Daqiang led the Royal Guards Cavalry forward. The speed of their horses' galloping was not very fast, about the same speed as riding a bicycle.

But more than 200 war horses gathered together, and the chaotic hooves hitting the road made an astonishing sound.

Major General Zheng Daqiang also calmed down. As he rode forward, he felt a little guilty for his tough rejection of Prime Minister Fan Zhicheng's goodwill, but he had no regrets.

What does it mean to be stubborn?

That is, once he decides to do something right, Major General Zheng Daqiang will definitely stick to it.

As a general of His Majesty's personal guard, he does not need to please anyone, whether it is the Prime Minister, the Grand Councilor, or the imperial nobles, in his cognition, they are all nothing.

According to General Zheng Shan

We are descendants of the Zheng family of Tongzhou, generations of loyal servants. As long as we serve Your Majesty well, there is no need to ask or worry about anything else. We will enjoy a life of endless wealth and glory.

The cold wind blowing towards him made Major General Zheng Daqiang's mind clear. He shook his head to remove all distracting thoughts, and his eyes became firm again.

Riding forward all the way, when passing through the Ladoya interface.

Major General Zheng Daqiang's attention was attracted by several white people gathered together. He sensitively sensed a murderous aura, which made him immediately alert.

These white men were only more than ten meters apart. They were obviously half a head taller than the Chinese people watching. They stared at the cavalry with cold eyes. This feeling was too familiar.

"Enemy attack..."

Major General Zheng Daqiang whipped his whip forward, and the cavalrymen all looked in the direction of the whip, immediately circling out several white youths.

Like a candlelight at night, it is too conspicuous.

It's too late to say it, it'll be soon

Just as Major General Zheng Daqiang shouted the order, all the cavalrymen looked over.

Dwayne sensitively realized that he was exposed, and without thinking, he reached into his arms, quickly pulled out a revolver, and took out a black round bomb, opening his hand to throw it.

With a flash of cold light, a flying knife instantly crossed a distance of more than 20 meters and pierced his wrist with a bang, knocking the round bomb in his hand out of his hand.

The three cavalrymen nearby let out strange cries, and flew up from their saddles like rocs spreading their wings. They relied on inertia to cross a distance of more than ten meters and suddenly pounced on several white youths.

One of the officers' hand shook violently, and the rope dart in his hand was fired first. The sharp steel dart head pierced Dwayne's right arm holding the gun.

Like a snake, Dwyane rolled and pulled, and rushed forward, dropping the revolver in his hand.

"Leave them alive and don't kill them." Major General Zheng Daqiang, who was at Juhou Street, shouted when he saw this.

The three guards who were shouting strangely pounced down one after another and subdued the three white men in an instant.

The guards in the rear were a beat slower and also jumped off their horses, controlling the remaining two white people, a man and a woman, as well as a large group of Chinese people who were watching the melons nearby. In the blink of an eye, they were surrounded.

from beginning to end
The five white men who attempted to assassinate him were captured without even firing a single shot.

There are certainly many sons of noble families in the Royal Guard, but there are even more guard masters and the best of the best military elites, each of whom has some extraordinary skills.

If the deputy steward had not warned them loudly, how could these five white men have survived?

Among the Royal Guards, there are many masters of spearmanship who never miss a shot, and there are also many quick shooters.

In less than a second, they could fire 3-4 shots, each hitting the target. It can only be said that Dwyane and his gang were too reckless.

The Royal Guards of the Great Chu Empire are far from being as simple as imagined, and it is not a taboo that can be violated by three or five hot-blooded young people.

This is delivered to my doorstep, it's like a walking achievement!
Five revolvers and several bombs were found on the five white youths, four men and one woman. Everything became very clear. They were a group of traitors who tried to assassinate the king.

Major General Zheng Daqiang dismounted, glanced around with a cold expression, circled his whip and gave an order:
"Immediately block off the three surrounding streets and order the local police chief to report to me immediately. Report this to His Majesty immediately and urgently. Order the mobilization of the Imperial Guard and local military and police forces. A city-wide curfew will be imposed. No suspicious individual will be spared."

"As you command, sir."

After receiving the order, several guards officers immediately mounted their horses and galloped away to convey different commands.

Major General Zheng Daqiang turned and looked at the five restrained white youths, a cruel smile flashing across his lips as he shouted in a cold voice, "Where is Captain Yan of the Military Police?"

"I'm here." A guard officer with a military police badge on his shoulder pushed aside the crowd and bowed to receive the order.

Major General Zheng Daqiang ordered with a gloomy expression;

"No matter what means you use, I will only give you one stick of incense.

I want to know who these people are? Where are they from? What organization do they belong to? How many people are there? Where is their base? And what are their parents' names?
I want to know everything I need to know. As for these people, just keep them alive and don't kill them.

Can it be done? "

Captain Yan, a tall, thin man with a pale complexion and a thin tongue, wore a confident expression on his face. He replied in a cold tone, "Don't worry, sir. We have plenty of time."

Captain Yan obviously did not have the curiosity and sense of humor of ordinary people. He did not ask his superiors why he wanted to know the assassin's father and mother?
He was like a mechanical executor, relying on the torture skills passed down from generation to generation in his family, enjoying the cruel pleasure of torturing the prisoners, and was cold and without any sympathy.

Captain Yan turned around and waved, saying, "Brothers of the Military Police, it's time to get to work. This is a big job, so don't mess it up."

"Don't worry, sir. We can squeeze oil out of even an iron man."

Then, seven or eight officers with cold auras came out, carried the five white youths like chickens to a nearby tavern, and began to interrogate them separately.

As soon as the person was brought in, there was a sound of incomprehensible groaning in pain, which was creepy to hear.

That was the painful cry of someone being tortured with something stuffed in his mouth.

I couldn't shout, and all the moans and screams were stuck in my throat, like the painful cries from hell...

The other guards were also busy. They quickly led their teams to take control of several nearby streets, blocked the intersections and drove out all the people in the shops along the street.

They began to search one by one and soon made new discoveries.

After a period of commotion, new news came from there that seven more white people were captured, one of whom was killed, six were captured, and five were injured.

As expected, this was a premeditated, comprehensive operation. (End of this chapter)