"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, how should we deal with the Italians' blackmail?"
In the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, King William III of the Netherlands was asking Prime Minister Himskohl for his opinion.
This 68-year-old old king is also tragic. The three sons he gave birth to have passed away long ago. Currently, only his five-year-old daughter Princess Wilhelmina is alive. It can be said that his population is withering. But he can still be alive at the age of 63.
If I have a daughter, I have to admit that she gets stronger with age.
"Your Majesty, there are not many options we can use at the moment."
The Christian prime minister said depressing words with a helpless expression.
Some people will definitely say that we should seek help from Britain, France and Germany at this time, especially since the Netherlands has close relations with Britain and Germany, and it is easier to obtain their support.
This is very true. Asking for help from both countries can indeed gain the support of both countries, but what next?
Will Britain and Germany force Italy to withdraw its fleet for the Netherlands?
If not, what's the point?
Besides, there is no free lunch in the world. If you ask others to help, do you need to pay for it? But don’t forget that the Spice Islands owned by the Netherlands are even coveted by the British Empire. The two countries have fought many times over this before. In the end, the Netherlands
It took a lot of hard work to save this treasure land. Although Britain later became more and more powerful, the Netherlands finally opened an opening and allowed British ships to obtain trading permission.
If the Netherlands asks for help, Britain will definitely further pursue its interests in the Spice Islands. So will the Dutch agree or not?
Of course, it is inevitable to seek help from Britain, France and Germany on this issue, but to what extent we need help, we need to talk to the Italians before we know.
Prime Minister Himskirk has already had preliminary ideas for this.
"Your Majesty, I have sent Foreign Minister Becchio as plenipotentiary to Rome to discuss with the Italians."
But then his voice changed. "However, it is impossible to let Italy withdraw just like this. We will all pay some price."
Obviously, Prime Minister Himskirk knew very well that the Italians were so aggressive that it was impossible to send them away without paying some benefits.
As for how much it will cost, it depends on the achievements of Foreign Minister Becchio.
Of course, as Prime Minister, he did not do nothing. He still had to send telegrams asking for help from Britain, France and Germany. I believe that Britain and France, which have huge interests in Southeast Asia, would not want to have more power there.
As for Germany, which has no interests there, it is also a very suitable mediator due to its good relations with the two countries involved.
As for the Spaniards occupying the Philippines, Prime Minister Himskirk has no hope for them. Now that Spain is in serious decline, it would be good if it can hold on to its few colonies. If it wants to express its opinions to the outside world, it is completely powerless.
Of course, before that, in order to avoid any uncontrollable situation due to any accident, Prime Minister Himskork also sent a telegram to the Dutch Spice Islands, asking them to exercise restraint.
In fact, there is no need for Himskirk to worry, Governor Luton has done a good job in this regard.
"Are you all ready?"
Governor Luton stood in the loading and unloading area of the port and asked a Dutch official.
"It has been installed. There are more than 300 tons of various fruits, vegetables and meat. I have personally inspected them and carefully selected them."
Facing the answer of the official in front of him, Governor Luton nodded with satisfaction. "Very good, then send it to the Italian fleet. Don't make the Italians wait too impatiently."
Doesn’t this scene look funny? Governor Luton actually sent supplies to the Italians who were threatening him, and he was also worried that the Italians would be dissatisfied if the goods were not good. This is quite a cool thing like me.
It sounds like this was just a helpless move by the Batavia officials. Amsterdam's order made it impossible for them to deal with it. They had to argue with arguments and avoid conflicts. So after thinking for a long time, the Batavia officials decided to do something
Two-pronged preparations were made. The first was to mobilize troops from surrounding areas to assemble outside the city to prevent possible conflicts with the Italians. The other was to appease the Italian fleet and show that they had no ill intentions, so they sent some living supplies to the Italian officers and soldiers.
Of course, Dutch officials were not sure whether such preparations would be effective.
First of all, many of the troops gathered around Batavia were indigenous soldiers, and their combat effectiveness was really doubtful. Currently, the number of white troops around Batavia does not exceed 3,000. And sending some living supplies can
How effective it is is unknown.
Of course, in this case, Governor Luton made a wise decision.
In the Lanfang camp located by the Kun River, Liu Enguan, the commander-in-chief of Lanfang, was listening to the reports from the brothers below.
"Commander, the Dutch in the Natu River have really withdrawn. I took my brother all the way deep into the area for nearly a hundred miles, and the Dutch didn't see anyone at all."
"The situation is the same when we investigate in Quentin Village. The Dutch have retreated."
"It's the same thing we saw in Mount Biele."
Several spies were sent out to report the situation one after another, making the leaders who were stranded here smile happily.
After the spies reported the situation, Chief Zheng Zhengxin stood up.
"The commander-in-chief is really wise. With the help of the Italians, he allowed the Dutch to escape obediently without spending a single soldier. It is really like that... that... that Zhuge was alive."
Leader Zheng racked his brains and finally succeeded in flattering him. This was really embarrassing for this big boss.
And as Chief Zheng started, a burst of rainbow farts singing praises came to his face.
"Old Zheng is right. I, the big boss, are very supportive of the president's decision. As long as the president asks me to go west, I will go west and never east."
"Yes, I admire the chief's decision. From now on, everything will be subject to the chief's decision."
"..."
Liu Enguan looked at the scene in front of him and found it very interesting. You must know that these people made all kinds of weird complaints two days ago, but today they immediately showed all kinds of loyalty.
If anyone really believed what they said, they would still count the money after being sold.
"Okay, everyone knows this news, so you don't have to worry about the Dutch. After a few days, everyone can go back. After all, the whole family needs you to support them."
Liu Enguan's words did not make these people stop flattering him, and a wave of more flattering people immediately rushed towards him.
"Commander, if you are somewhere, it is a blessing for us to be able to watch the commander drink the Dutch away here."
"Yes, yes, we admire the commander-in-chief very much and hope that we can follow him for a few days."
This person is like this. When he is not allowed to leave, he wants to leave, but he is unwilling to let them go.
It's not that these leaders are confused, these people are as smart as monkeys. Before, the situation was unclear and it was not safe here. Now that everything is clear, they want to stay here to see what benefits they can get.
Chief Liu has already seen through these tricks.
After sending all the leaders away, Liu Enguan asked a person around him, "Has Leader Liang come back?"
"I just came back and was resting in his room."
"I understand, go and do your work."
After sending the others away, Liu Enguan came to Liang Luyi's house alone.
"who?"
"It's me."
Liang Luyi opened the door with a tired look on his face. After Mr. Liu closed the door, he thanked him quietly. "Lu Er, thank you and the brothers below for your hard work this time. You have made great contributions to our Lanfang. I will not forget it."
.”
"Commander, no matter what, this is all for the future of everyone. The only thing is that it is a pity for the people of that village and the two foreigners."
"Lu Er, this matter will be kept in your stomach. Don't let anyone know about it."
"Don't worry, Commander, I, Liang Luer, know this well and will never tell anyone."
"Then you rest first, I'll leave first."
After receiving a satisfactory answer, Chief Liu left, leaving only Leader Liang who looked tired.
