I want to be emperor

Chapter 782 Chu people are not sheep but bears and tigers
In the autumn of Chengshun's 30th year, the Gulf of Aden and its eastern waters were located at the junction of the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean. The geographical location is very important.

Many years ago, the Great Chu Empire rented a small port in the Djibouti area, 'Hongkou City', from the local aborigines under the pretext of trade.

This is also the first official foothold of the Great Chu Empire in Africa, and then began large-scale construction in the city, building port facilities, forts, military camps, warehouses and other facilities, and successively sent more troops here garrison.

Of course, the actions of the Great Chu Empire here in the early years were still very cautious. In order to avoid excessive stimulation to the Ottoman Empire, the Great Chu Empire did not expand rapidly around, but only managed Hongkou City, and honestly Do business with the Ottomans who control Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula.

Back then, the Great Chu Empire did not make any big moves in the Indian Peninsula, which made the Ottoman Empire in West Asia less vigilant, and even made them think that they could join forces with the Great Chu Empire to expel the Portuguese.

Therefore, the relationship between the Great Chu Empire and the Ottoman Empire was actually pretty good in the early years. The staff of the Western Trading Company once became the guests of the Ottoman Empire's Egyptian Governor.

On the basis of this friendly and cooperative relationship, the Great Chu Empire then leased Pilin Island, and then leased a small coastal area on Socotra Island as a supply base.

As a result, the military presence of the Great Chu Empire in this triangular area was formed.

After the Battle of the Indian Peninsula, the Great Chu Empire expanded to the Arabian Peninsula and the coastal areas of northeastern Africa based on Hongkou City, and repeatedly fought with the Portuguese, the Dutch, and even the English in the local area, which lasted for several years. Colonial scramble.

In the end, the colonists of these European countries were completely expelled from the Arabian Sea area, and the route control over the coastal area of ​​the Arabian Sea was completed.

Taking advantage of the trend, it also occupied a number of coastal ports from the hands of European colonists and several local indigenous people. Among them, it occupied a piece of coastal area in the east of Oman, and built new large-scale garrisons, trade, and supply ports. , Anxi City.

As a result, a route across the Arabian Sea was formed from Mumbai to Anxi City and then to Hongkou City.

In this area, the Great Chu Empire sent the Ninth Task Force under the Pacific Fleet to station, patrol, and escort for a long time, and its fleet headquarters was stationed in Hongkou City.

But on the whole, the overseas expansion of the Great Chu Empire in this region was mainly aimed at the three European colonists of the Netherlands, Portugal, and England, and not at the local indigenous forces.

Even in order to avoid the local natives, mainly Persia and the Ottoman Empire, being vigilant or even guarded against the overseas expansion of the Great Chu Empire, the Great Chu Empire treated them more positively before.

There are no harsh conditions for trade, and the export authorization of many advanced weapons has been released. It was during this period that the Ottoman Empire obtained a large number of export-oriented flintlock guns from the Great Chu Empire, and the Persian Dynasty also obtained from the Great Chu Empire. The Chu Empire imported about 2 flintlock guns.

Then these two countries also purchased a large number of various plate armor, swords and other cold weapons from the Great Chu Empire.

Not to mention, although the Great Chu Empire itself has entered the era of full-scale guns, countries in West Asia and Europe basically use a lot of guns to fight, which belongs to the transition period between matchlock guns and flintlock guns, but the use of cold weapons is still very high. big.

When armies in West Asia and Europe fight, armor is still very important equipment, and swords and spears are also essential weapons.

In fact, let alone them, even the Great Chu Empire itself is equipped with a large number of waist knives and bayonets. Generally, officers and non-commissioned officers will have sabers, and soldiers will be equipped with bayonets. This kind of bayonet is actually a short knife in normal times. Come to chop and stab, and can be put on the barrel of the musket through the buckle when fighting.

Not to mention armor, the Great Chu Empire has always been equipped with a large amount of armor, and decides whether to use it according to the situation. The soldiers who fought in the army had always been wearing light half-body armor and holding flash caps and firing guns to fight.

If they encountered that kind of pure firearms troops, the Chu army would throw away the armor directly and fight lightly with only guns.

Therefore, whether the armor is used or not depends on the level of enemy firepower that the Chu army faces.

The Great Chu Empire itself is still using armor and cold weapons, not to mention the armies of other countries. Therefore, although the importance of cold weapons and armor has dropped significantly in recent years, in some cases, weapons and equipment are still just needed .

The weapons and equipment of the Great Chu Empire are good, which is not only reflected in the exported guns, but also in cold weapons and armor.

Those export models of plate armor are all directly smelted steel plates. They are made by machines.

Therefore, the export-type plate armor of the Great Chu Empire is still very popular in the world, and it brings a lot of profits to the Great Chu Empire every year.

The Ottoman Empire and the Persian Dynasty also purchased a large number of export-type plate armor produced by the Great Chu Empire. Although this export-type plate armor is not as good as the one used by the Chu army itself, it is also better than theirs.

Coupled with the trade of artillery and flintlock guns as military weapons, this made the trade relationship between the Great Chu Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Persian Dynasty very good, which also greatly reduced the impact of these two countries on the Great Chu Empire. Be wary of expansionary moves.

Without these two powerful factions in West Asia, the overseas expansion of the Great Chu Empire in the above-mentioned direction appeared to be relatively smooth.

In the past, through trade and physical coercion, the Yariba Dynasty in the Oman region was forced to recognize the leasehold of the Great Chu Empire in its eastern region of Cape Hard, allowing the Great Chu Empire to build a trade base in the area, and the local and Trade in the surrounding area.

That's how Anxi City came into existence.

However, after acquiring Anxi City, the Great Chu Empire did not continue to carry out large-scale colonial expansion targeting the local aborigines in this area for a long time, but continued to focus on trade cooperation.

Even the acquisition of colonial strongholds is mostly obtained by attacking the Dutch, Portuguese, and English.

On the whole, the Great Chu Empire pursued the same strategy as it had in India in the past: only attack European colonists. As for the local natives, if you want to do business with me, do business, and if you don’t want to do business, wait. Wait, if you dare to make a move, I will put you down.

For the overseas expansion of the Great Chu Empire in this region, the main enemy in the early stage was not the local aborigines, but the European colonists who were also outsiders.

What the Great Chu Empire wants is to expel the European colonists first, and put the meat into their own bowls first. As for how to eat it later, that is of course optional.

It can be eaten roasted, stewed, or soup... There are many ways, and you can do whatever you want.

Therefore, the overseas expansion of the Great Chu Empire was actually very confusing at the beginning... It doesn't mean that it was a fool who ran over and shouted that I was going to colonize here.

When we first went there, they would shout that we were just here to do business, we only needed a very small trade supply station as a foothold, and we were willing to give generous returns... such as sending them a batch of guns!

The export-oriented matchlock guns, flintlock guns and iron cannons produced by the Great Chu Empire are of high quality and excellent performance, and have been very popular with overseas countries in the past 20 years.

When the aborigines got benefits through trade, such as obtaining powerful 'advanced weapons' and exquisite industrial products, and then allowed the Chu people to go ashore and rent a small warehouse.

The Chu people will increase their requirements step by step, and finally rent a small port, a barren land, etc. Don't worry, we will pay, and the price is very good!

But when you actually lease the place to them, the Great Chu Empire will build a fortress in this small fishing village and small port, and it will not take long for hundreds of thousands of troops to be stationed.

At this time, it will be too late for you to regret the expulsion.

Even at this time, the Chu people will start to intervene, stir up local disputes, or adjust the disputes between local indigenous people and other European colonists.

Further expand the economic benefits obtained locally, and often use the threat of force.

During this process, the natives will be lured or simply coerced by force to sign various unequal treaties, such as extrajudicial power, full market opening, bilateral agreement on tariffs, and so on.

Then a full-scale economic plunder was carried out.

The Great Chu Empire followed such a very standard process in the Yariba Dynasty in the Oman region.

When they first came here, they were all smiles, and the people from the Yariba Dynasty thought that there was a group of friendly and kind people who came to give them money.

As a result, the Chu people stopped at their ports, opened shops, and gradually increased armed guards, and then began to ask for more step by step.

Finally, in the 27th year of Chengshun, the Aliba Dynasty realized that the Chu people and the Portuguese were no different, both greedy and threatening, it was already too late...

At that time, the Chu people had already stationed hundreds of soldiers here, began to show their fangs, and built basic fortifications, hoarding enough food, weapons and ammunition.

In the end, more than 600 soldiers of the Chu army beat up the army of the Yariba Dynasty who came to forcibly expel them.

These indigenous troops of the Yariba dynasty thought that the Chu army was the same as them, using matchlock guns, spears and plate armor...

But I didn't expect Chu Jun to pull out a fire cap firing rifle with water, and pull out a bunch of artillery that fired grenades.

Under the cover of gunfire, the indigenous army was dumbfounded on the spot...

At first, they thought that the Chu people were sheep, docile and friendly.

Then they thought that the Chu people were rich wolves, greedy and scheming, and the previous friendship was just to trick them into opening the house.

In the end, they found out that the Chu people were Xionghu... When they really did it, they slapped them to death.

The operation of the Yariba dynasty is a standard take the tiger home...

Then... Naturally, he obediently signed a series of unequal treaties, and officially gave the permanent concession of Cape Hard to the country. The Great Chu Empire also established a large military supply base in this area: Anxi City.

Fortunately, the purpose of the Great Chu Empire during this period was not to engage in large-scale colonial expansion in West Asia. For now, the strategy of the Great Chu Empire is to first control the entire Indian Ocean and drive away the European colonists on the coast of Africa , and even seized South Africa, and finally brought the entire Indian Ocean region under its control.

Come back and slowly colonize and expand in this area.

That's why the Yariba Dynasty was not destroyed, but according to the step-by-step colonial expansion policy of the Great Chu Empire in this area, it is estimated that it will soon...

After the coastal area of ​​West Asia was settled, the Europeans in the area were expelled, and after gaining the large foothold of Anxi City, the overseas expansion of the Great Chu Empire aimed at the northeastern part of Africa, that is, the Somalia region.

The situation in this area is more complicated, with local aborigines and Portuguese. In addition, the Dutch and English will often come to meddle.

In response to this complicated situation, the overseas expansion strategy of the Great Chu Empire continued to target the local Portuguese, Dutch, and English.

As for the natives, naturally ignore them first.

Taking advantage of this east wind, in the autumn of Chengshun 30, the Ninth Task Force of the Great Chu Empire covered a large number of Marine Corps soldiers, and of course there was the indispensable vanguard of the Great Chu Empire's overseas colonial expansion: the Western Trading Company.

A total of dozens of ships carried thousands of ground fighters to the coast of Somalia, and then swept southward, crushing all the ports occupied by European colonists along the way and occupying them.

When some local indigenous people heard that the Chu people were going to attack the Portuguese and other European colonists, they were quite happy.

But when they saw the huge fleet of Chu people, they were all dumbfounded...

Huge mountains-like ships filled the entire bay one after another, which directly exceeded their imagination.

This is more terrifying than any European colonists!
In the past, when the Portuguese and the like came over, they, the natives, were able to mount a resistance, and sometimes they were even able to repel the European colonists.

Although the European colonists are strong, this kind of strength is still within their cognitive range and within their acceptable range.

But these Chu people... are so powerful that they are beyond their cognition. They can't imagine with all their brains what those thousands of tons of huge steel warships that spray white mist and have no wind are automatic.

One or two is okay...but that's dozens of ships!

The natives in Somalia were desperate when they saw it, and they didn't even dare to approach. They could only watch helplessly as the Chu people captured the many coastal colonial strongholds occupied by the Portuguese and other countries like the autumn wind sweeping away the fallen leaves.

Even when the Chu people came to Mogadishu, the local aborigines ran away after hearing the news, and they didn't even dare to resist...

(End of this chapter)