1890 King of Southeast Asia

It was not until December 11 that the Dutch reconnaissance troops arrived in Tangerang. At this time, Wang Xu had already evacuated, leaving the Dutch with only ruins and corpses that had not yet been cleaned up.

The first Dutchman to enter Tangerang was Sergeant Bell. If nothing unexpected happened, he was released after being excluded. As for why the East Indian army was not used? The fact is that the Dutch no longer dared to let the natives out.

Since the news of the South China Army's victory over Hertz came out, the natives were no longer unified, but they were all anti-China. The only difference was that they would rather be dogs for the Dutch or hide in the mountains and jungles than to be dogs for the Dutch. More people were willing to grab a vote and then hide in the mountains.

This situation caused the combat effectiveness of the East Indian vassal army to decline sharply, and they were always thinking of running away. The Dutch, who were strengthening the city defense, obviously did not want to lose this batch of cannon fodder...

"Ugh~" Sergeant Bell, who stepped into the city gate, vomited while holding the city wall, but his hands felt slippery.

After vomiting for a long time, Bell, who had just finished vomiting and felt better, had time to notice what his hand had pressed.

It was greasy, red, and mixed with many tissue fragments. Combined with the scene, Bell's hair stood up.

"Ah!" He fell to the ground and roared in fear at the wall.

"What's wrong, squad leader?" A soldier in Bell's squad asked him, and then experienced what Bell had experienced.

"Ugh~" The sound of vomiting is contagious, especially in this environment.

Bell walked into the city gate with a strong spirit. What he saw was a completely charred corpse, curled up in a ball, and he could only know that it was a person.

On that day, Tangerang City was full of vomiting...

After a long time, Bell counted the number of casualties and returned with his troops. Even if he wanted to do something, it was not something that his dozen scouts could do, let alone other things.

"Report to Batavia, ask them to send reporters, we want to make the behavior of those barbarians public!" Bell said with hatred.

On the same day, Liu Yiming received an invitation to negotiate from the Netherlands, as well as mediation from the British.

Sishui, Liu Yiming's headquarters.

"Are you teasing me?" In the headquarters, Liu Yiming stared at several telegrams and said to Pinak and Charles.

"The Dutch are fine, but does the British Empire think it's reasonable to do so?" Liu Yiming turned to Charles and said.

Yes, Charles had just been appointed to mediate the war between the two sides on behalf of the British government. But Liu Yiming didn't know what the British meant for a while.

"Since it is a negotiation, there should be the most basic sincerity. Why did the Kingdom of the Netherlands choose a captured former governor as a negotiating representative?" Liu Yiming was very surprised by the result and had already thought about how to resist the subsequent attack.

Yes, resist. The Kingdom of the Netherlands looked like it had no sincerity to delay time, which made Liu Yiming think that the Netherlands was preparing to mobilize troops from Europe, which would take about two months.

"The British government mediated the war at the request of the Dutch government. Considering the situation in the Far East and the long-term peace of the world, the British government agreed to this request. Of course, the British Empire adheres to the principles of fairness and justice and will not favor any party!" Charles was almost full of holy light on his face.

Liu Yiming heard that the British government hoped to maintain the current situation. Liu Yiming didn't believe that Britain was so stupid that it couldn't see that the Dutch couldn't hold Batavia. What did this mean?

"Mr. Pinak, you have been in frequent contact with the Dutch government these two days. What is the result?" Liu Yiming spread his hands and asked Pinak.

"The Dutch government hopes to have friendly talks with Chinese forces and seriously consider the demands of the Chinese, but the premise is to immediately provide humane treatment to Dutch citizens." Pinak said these words tremblingly. He knew that this would anger Liu Yiming, but he had no choice.

"Then there is no room for negotiation?" Liu Yiming said calmly.

Chinese forces, that is to say, this time is at most a national movement for ethnic minorities to fight for their rights under the rule of the Dutch government, which is no different from workers' marches. This erases the legitimacy of Nanhua and the premise of Nanhua as a country.

"Commander, the Dutch government is far away in Europe, and Her Majesty the Queen has no idea of ​​the current situation. I am trying my best to deal with it, but I beg you to restore the food supply! The food in the settlement is almost exhausted!" Pinak pleaded.

"Surrender can be discussed, but the Dutch government has no sincerity at all, at least I don't see it. Governor, I need to see sincerity before I can give you some of the precious food from the army and citizens!" Liu Yiming said.

"Ahem!" Charles coughed, looked at Pinak and then looked at Charles.

"The British Empire believes that both parties should have greater sincerity in the negotiations," Charles looked at Pinak when he said this, and he was secretly angry in his heart. He had already applied for mediation by foreigners, but you told me this when I came? Is this mediation?

"But prisoners should also be given due treatment." Charles said this to Liu Yiming.

"The premise for taking prisoners is that both sides are fighting. Are we just rebels now? We have no legal status, so there are no prisoners. Excuse me for being frank, but I am very sincere in the negotiations. I have already raised the first tens of thousands of Dutch people for three months, until the Dutch acted cruelly against the Chinese, without considering our feelings at all!" said Liu Yiming.

Not only were there three people present, but there were also quite a few reporters, all from Singapore, with the purpose of making big news. After all, this might be the first independent colony in Southeast Asia, and it was a big deal.

After a conversation, Liu Yiming was forced to agree to continue to provide food to the Dutch. The power of the British Empire was at its peak, and Liu Yiming wrote it down one by one.

Pinak was also willing to talk to the Dutch government as soon as possible and reach an agreement as soon as possible on the treatment of prisoners, war relations, and so on.

After Pinak left, Liu Yiming took the opportunity to hold a press conference, emphasizing the atrocities of the Dutch and the justice of Nanhua, and arranging a hundred pounds per person for justice. In Europe, public opinion is still very useful.

After sending everyone away, Liu Yiming sat down and waited for Charles to come back.

"My friend, this is not like you. This approach is too irrational!" Charles pushed open the door and said to Liu Yiming.

"Maybe I will become a cold-blooded politician in the future, but not yet!" Liu Yiming's answer was beyond Charles's expectations.

"Maybe you are angry, but I hope you can stay rational. The dead are dead. If you cut off the supply to the Dutch, public opinion will make it difficult for you to move forward in Europe. Reporters are always annoying and difficult to deal with." Charles spread his hands and said.

"What if I don't agree to this?" Liu Yiming asked.

"I don't know!" Charles replied.

"I don't know?" Liu Yiming asked.

"Yes, this will make your reputation very bad, and the parliamentarians will also oppose continuing to cooperate with you, but who knows how huge this force is? Maybe it is big, but maybe it is small." Charles said easily.

"Okay, tell me, why did the British Empire suddenly intervene at this time, or at this time." Liu Yiming asked angrily.

"The British Empire has its own interests. Parliament believes that Java should not be monopolized by the Chinese. The Admiralty doesn't care, and the Colonial Affairs Department doesn't want to take over. Then the best plan is to keep the Dutch in Java." Charles said sarcastically.

"Charles, you know that I can attack Batavia at any time. The reason why I have been restrained until now is to reduce casualties, whether it is Chinese soldiers or Chinese civilians." Liu Yiming said.

"I also think that the people in the parliament are whimsical. They can only issue orders from 10,000 kilometers away and will not consider the current situation at all!" Charles also complained.

I clearly came to discuss cooperation with Nanhua with a mission, and now the cooperation is halfway through, and it suddenly changed to international mediation. I haven't learned it!

"I want to know the attitude of the British Empire." Liu Yiming went straight to the center.

"The British Empire is still the British Empire. The Prime Minister doesn't have so much time to manage this. This time it was just a few members of parliament. If nothing unexpected happens, it was the nobles of the Kingdom of the Netherlands who contacted the British nobles?" Charles could only guess, "But don't worry, the Admiralty will not intervene in this matter. The Straits Settlements have submitted reports to the upper level. The Ministry of Land Affairs, the Governor-General of India, and the Indian Fleet have all reported to the upper level and supported the removal of the Dutch forces from Java Island."

"What do I need to pay?" After listening, Liu Yiming first gave Charles a check for two thousand pounds, and then asked.

"Business! The navy wants new armor, merchants want to make money, and the Colonial Affairs Department hopes that the colonies can be quieter. The Dutch have been active in recent years?" Charles said.

"It just so happens that I have a purchase order. I wonder if the British Empire can provide it?" Liu Yiming took out a piece of paper from the drawer and handed it to Charles.

"Too little!" Charles said bluntly after reading it, "and all of them are processing equipment, you may not be able to buy them."

"What about adding these?" Liu Yiming took out the naval plan.

"Six ships, you are really generous, and only the Qing court has such a generous amount, but they haven't had a new plan for a long time." Charles said.

"But I'm curious, do you have so much money to pay!" Charles said.

"Don't worry, here's another one." Liu Yiming took out another one.

Three thin slips of paper represent goods with a total value of more than five million pounds, from warships to mechanical equipment to cotton cloth, which Liu Yiming was originally planning to buy.

The reason is very simple. A few years ago, our country was still using it. Whenever there was a problem, a purchasing group would fly to the United States. A large order of tens of billions of dollars would be placed, and the problem would soon disappear, and we would also get part of what we wanted.

This is Liu Yiming's idea. If he wants to avoid being completely controlled by the British and tied to the chariot by the British, there is only one way, that is, Liu Yiming is not begging the British, but the two sides have normal trade exchanges!

"Oh my God! This!" Charles didn't know what to say.

Five million pounds!

The Sovereign-class battleships that began to be built in 1892 cost 1.1 million pounds each, which can build four and a half. Think about four and a half Fords, although it is not quite right, but it is also a reference.

Some people may not understand, so let me explain this concept a little bit.

Before 1894, the exchange rate of the Kuping tael to the British pound was 4:1, equivalent to 20 million taels of silver, and the Beiyang Fleet spent only 35 million taels of silver in 20 years, which included all the costs of maintenance, use, officers and soldiers' salaries, etc.

"Are you sure you are not kidding? What are you going to pay with?" Charles blushed. If it was true, then Charles would become the biggest winner!

With his connections, he could easily get hundreds of thousands of yuan in agency fees, plus his own family's industry or industry with shares, such as the shipyard!

Now Charles hopes Liu Yiming is richer than Liu Yiming himself.

"The South China government will issue bonds, which can at least raise three million pounds. So far, the value of the spoils I have seized is also three million pounds. If I attack Batavia, I can at least seize so much." Liu Yiming said.

This money not only comes from the Dutch government, but also from merchants and high-ranking officials. In addition, there is another one million pounds that the Dutch prisoners have spent on purchasing supplies.

"When will we attack? Attacking Batavia requires cannons. I know the Ottomans have them, but there is no time. To the north, the Qing Dynasty to the north has 250-pound cannons! They can be shipped in half a month!" Charles suddenly started to say this.

"Calm down, calm down, Charles, I don't plan to attack Batavia by force. Maybe the wealth inside is very tempting, maybe more than five million pounds." Liu Yiming said while looking at Charles's eyes.

The British Empire Navy is not easy to deal with, and this money cannot be shipped back to Europe...

"You know, only heavy artillery can conquer their walls, and they also have heavy artillery. The casualties of a strong attack are too great. I prefer to solve it in a gentle way." Liu Yiming was afraid that the Dutch would jump over the wall and attack the Chinese in the city.

Those Chinese are the essence of South China. They have been oppressed for a long time and have received a good education. Adequate nutrition also makes them strong and healthy. No matter what they do, it is very scarce.

"I want to know whether the British Empire will have the idea of ​​leaning towards the Netherlands in this negotiation. After all, if there is no Batavia, South China needs to consider investing more wealth in the army and food production." Liu Yiming asked.

"By the way, after the unification of Java, Surabaya will start industrialization. The government will encourage industrial construction and commercial development, and invest 500,000 yuan in industry every year for ten years to build Surabaya's own industry, and encourage private construction of factories..." Anyway, Liu Yiming said nonsense because he didn't want to talk.

But Java is really rich. It was originally a mineral base, rich in gold and silver mines. It is also a tropical country with a large output of food and cash crops, such as quinine, sisal, palm oil, coconut, etc.

The Surabaya Industrial Zone now only has two industries: military industry and chemical industry. The by-products of the chemical industry produce a lot of light chemical products, which are shipped to the north and are very easy to sell. They are all money!

"I will report this matter. Don't worry, your request will be met." Charles tidied his clothes, took a deep breath, and left.

"I obviously have a lot to say." Liu Yiming was a little speechless...