1890 King of Southeast Asia

Ten days later, Major Henry found that the natives in the city had not taken any action, and then he remembered the news of the disappearance of the Hassan tribe.

He could not understand why the Hassan tribe migrated, and he was at a loss. He was just promoted to the position of colonial major by virtue of his status as a down-and-out nobleman, and he had never attended a military school.

So he found the political officer and told him the current situation. The political officer was rarely furious.

"What should we do now? Our port throughput has decreased by two-thirds in the past two months, and the tax revenue of the entire Surabaya will definitely not meet the requirements. We need to act according to the plan and obtain the wealth of the Chinese. Otherwise, the best outcome waiting for us is to return to Rotterdam and become a down-and-out sailor!" said the political officer.

Henry also knew the outcome, and the two began to discuss.

"Now we don't know where those damn natives have gone, and we don't have so much time to wait for them. Can we find other native tribes to do this?" Henry said.

"Hassan is the largest tribe nearby, and the rest are small tribes. They can't cause much chaos and panic, not to mention that the Chinese are already prepared."

"What should I do? How about I send troops to block the whole city and ask them to hand over their property? Will they hand it over?"

"Based on my understanding of the Chinese, they will hand it over, but the premise is that you want to go to the military court. The Dutch Army is like a bandit, kidnapping and asking for ransom. Henry, the Netherlands will become a joke!"

"Then massacre the city! Don't let anyone know. And put all the wealth into your pocket!"

"What about Surabaya? Those shops, plantations, and various industries in Surabaya cannot do without the Chinese. If you really want to do this, I guarantee that you can't live to Batavia. You are letting all your investments in Surabaya go down the drain, you idiot!"

"What should I do? Waiting to die drunk in Rotterdam one day?" Henry has been accustomed to the luxurious life of domineering and extravagant. It is better to kill him than to let him return to his days of desolation!

After hearing this, Henry walked around the office of the political officer in a rage, smashing two sets of tea sets, a bronze vessel, and two gold vessels.

"Enough, this is my office!" the political officer said angrily.

The two were silent for a while, and the political officer took a puff of cigarette and said slowly.

"There is a last resort."

"What is it?"

"Pirates!" the political officer said with an ugly face.

"Pirates? If the higher-ups know that we are cooperating with pirates, we still can't escape the military court."

"Who said we are cooperating with pirates? It's the natives who can row boats!" The political officer glanced at Henry, who had no political sense. Whether many things can be done depends on how you say it. "Talk to these "natives" who can row boats, allow them to plunder in Surabaya for three days, and then split it 50-50."

"More splits?" Henry said loudly in confusion.

"Then the navy will be dispatched to eliminate the pirates!" The political officer looked at Henry and snorted before saying.

"Perfect! My friend! What a perfect plan!" Henry said excitedly after hearing it.

"I will contact the natives, you let the navy prepare."

On the other hand, after a month of training for new recruits, they are already in good shape. They can form combat groups under the leadership of the squad leader, and the squad leader can advance or retreat in an orderly manner under the command of the platoon leader.

After recruiting soldiers, Liu Yiming had three understaffed infantry battalions and an overstaffed artillery battalion of nearly 700 people, a total of about 1,900 people, all of whom have undergone non-professional basic training.

A little bit of British Army training standards, a little bit of militia training standards in the 1950s, but in this era, the Qing Dynasty and the United States are still using militias, which are also important armed forces.

Ten days have passed since the Dutch discovered that the Hassan tribe disappeared, and the Dutch in Surabaya still seem to have not discovered it. There is no movement, and it is terrifyingly quiet.

Liu Yiming felt a little strange. Liu Yiming, who was uneasy and couldn't sleep, talked to Liu Wanhua in a casual manner.

"Yiming, the Dutch have not had anything for so long, do you think they have given up?"

"No, Dad, if they really gave up, the troops in the inner city should return to the barracks, and the port should be opened. Now the Chinese ships have been parked at the port for more than a month, and there is no sign of release."

"Then what exactly are they planning? They don't fight, and they don't let go. There is no news, and there is no one in the government affairs bureau. When will this day end?" The Liu family is mainly engaged in plantations, and trade is a sideline. Some large-scale plantations grow sugarcane, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, cinchona, and a large number of spices. Basically, all Chinese in Surabaya have plantations, but the Liu family's plantation is the largest. Now a large amount of output cannot be shipped out, and Liu Wanhua has a headache.

"The longer we delay, the better it is for us. We still have money at home, so we don't have to worry. Once we take Surabaya, we won't have to face so much exploitation. Business will only get better then!" Liu Yiming was not talking nonsense. This was an era when the demand for materials far exceeded production, especially sugar, spices, oil palm, quinine extracted from cinchona trees, etc., which were all in short supply.

In this era, sugar and spices were luxury goods, bought by tael. Quinine was a drug for treating malaria, and oil palm was a good industrial raw material. In addition, coffee and cocoa also had a broad market.

On the other side, the political officer found a businessman who sold stolen goods to pirates. This was a yellow man.

"My dear friend, long time no see!" The political officer obviously knew this man for a long time.

"What do you want to talk to me about?" The businessman did not agree with the political officer.

"Oh! You are still so straightforward. I have a big business to discuss with you!" The government official said with a smile.

"What business?" The merchant still answered in a plain way.

"Surabhai!" The government official seemed to be talking about something irrelevant: "We will open Surabhai for three days. You can do whatever you want during these three days, as long as it does not involve the inner city. After three days, the wealth obtained will be divided into 50-50. How about it?" The government official seemed to be ordering dishes casually.

"Do you want to use my hand to kill people? What about your natives?" The merchant asked.

"Those natives are not reliable. They can only destroy and are not controllable. This time we want to try a new partner. If the effect is good, we can even settle it!" The government official threw out the bait.

"Why do you think I will cooperate with you?"

"In the whole Surabaya, the Chinese have millions of pounds of wealth."

"I can't make the decision on this matter. I will convey it to my superiors. I will notify you when there is news." The merchant was tempted and stood up and said.

"Okay, my friend, but my patience is limited. I hope you can do it as soon as possible."

"Got it!" The merchant left after saying that.