novelAbuy Chapter 74, if you insist on interpreting it as a threat—that's fine too.
Chapter 74, if you insist on interpreting it as a threat—that's fine too.
"We can discuss the specific amount and method," said de Jong. "The Kingdom of the Netherlands is willing to provide compensation to the families of the deceased and injured out of humanitarian considerations. At the same time, we can promise to handle similar incidents more carefully in the future to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese community."
"More cautious?" Li Te shook his head. "Not enough. Far from enough."
He gestured for Xu Wen to hand him a document. It was a formal note drafted overnight.
"On behalf of the Lanfang Republic, I have three demands." Li Te pushed the document to the center of the table. "First, the Dutch colonial authorities must immediately cease all acts of violence against the Chinese and lift military control over the Chinese community."
"This is something we can discuss," Van der Wiel nodded.
"Second, full compensation will be provided to all the deceased and injured, and their families. This includes funeral expenses, medical expenses, compensation for emotional distress, and living security for the next twenty years. The total amount shall not be less than 500,000 Dutch guilders."
De Jong's lips twitched. Five hundred thousand guilders—that was almost a year's tax revenue for the colonial government.
"This...we need to calculate..."
"Third," Li Te interrupted him, his voice turning cold, "hand over all the military and police personnel involved in yesterday's shooting, including the officers who gave the orders. We will take them back to Lanfang for a public trial."
The air in the meeting room froze.
Van der Heiden suddenly stood up, his chair tipping backward and crashing to the floor with a thud.
"Impossible!" he practically roared. "You have no right to judge Dutch soldiers! This is a trampling of the kingdom's dignity!"
Litte didn't move. He didn't even look at Van der Heyden, but stared at Van der Weir.
"Mr. Van der Wiel, is this your stance?"
Van der Wiel wiped the sweat from his brow. "Captain, we can continue discussing the first two points. But the third... it's truly impossible. Handing over one's own soldiers to be tried by another country is unacceptable under the laws of any nation and according to international practice."
"Is that so?" Li Te leaned back in his chair. "Then let me put it another way—this isn't handing over soldiers to be tried by another country. This is handing over the murderers and letting the victims be judged."
He paused, then said, word by word:
"The 47 people who died yesterday all shared a common identity: Chinese. I am Chinese, and all 1,200 officers and soldiers on this ship are Chinese. So legally speaking, we are not from 'other countries,' we are compatriots of the same ethnicity. When our compatriots are murdered, we have natural jurisdiction."
"That's sophistry!" Judge Van der Sant couldn't help but exclaim. He was a tall, thin, bald man who habitually adjusted his glasses as he spoke. "International law only recognizes national sovereignty, not any so-called 'national judicial rights'!"
“Then let’s talk about international law.” Little turned to him. “Mr. van der Sant, you’re a judge, you should be familiar with the Hague Convention, right?”
"certainly."
"What does Article 2 of the Convention say? What about the protection of civilians during times of war?"
Van der Sant paused for a moment: "That...that's the law of war, we're in peacetime now..."
"Peacetime?" Li Te suddenly raised his voice. "In peacetime, would the military and police shoot at civilians? In peacetime, would a six-year-old girl be shot in the back and die on the dock? If this is the Dutch definition of 'peace,' then I really want to know what your 'war' looks like—with poison gas? Or with plague?"
His voice echoed in the conference room. The Dutch representatives turned pale.
"Let me tell you what happened yesterday." Li Te stood up, walked to the nautical chart on the wall, and turned his back to them. "According to international law, when a government commits systematic violence against a specific ethnic group, resulting in the deaths of a large number of civilians, this constitutes a 'crime against humanity.' And according to the principle of universal jurisdiction under the Hague Convention, any country has the right to try such crimes."
He turned around:
"So we are not 'demanding,' we are 'exercising our rights.' Hand over the murderer and face trial—that is your only option."
A long silence.
Van der Wiel used difficulty to speak: "Captain, are you...threatening me?"
“No, I’m stating the facts.” Li Te walked back to his seat. “But if you insist on interpreting it as a threat—that’s fine too.”
He sat down and gestured to Xu Wen:
"Staff Officer Xu, show them the item."
Xu Wen took a folder out of his briefcase, opened it, and pushed it across the table. Inside were a dozen or so photos—black and white, some blurry, but clear enough.
First image: On the dock, several Chinese people lie in pools of blood, with cargo boxes scattered around them.
The second image shows a woman kneeling on the ground, holding a little girl in her arms. There is a clear bullet hole in the child's back.
Third picture: Dutch military police stand in a line, their guns still smoking.
Fourth image: The bodies are piled up and covered with a tarpaulin, but a small hand is sticking out from under the tarpaulin.
The fifth one...
"Enough!" Van der Wiel closed his eyes.
Van der Hayden grabbed the photos, glanced at them, and slammed them onto the table: "These are forgeries! They're slander!"
"Forgery?" Li Te asked calmly. "Should I bring in the witnesses? The more than two hundred Chinese who were on site yesterday are still in Batavia. Or do you want me to send Marines ashore to investigate the ballistics and collect spent shell casings?"
"You have no right—"
“We do,” Li Te interrupted him. “According to international law, when a crime occurs on the high seas or in unclaimed territory, the nearest and most capable law enforcement agency has the right to intervene. Batavia Port is an international commercial port, and the dock area is a semi-open area. And we are now the nearest and most capable ‘law enforcement agency’.”
He paused, then added:
"Of course, if you insist that we have no jurisdiction, that's fine too. We'll do it another way—send these photos and reports to The Times of London, Le Figaro of Paris, and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of Berlin. Let the whole world see how the Kingdom of the Netherlands 'maintains order' in its colonies."
That statement hit the nail on the head.
Treasurer de Jong's face changed. He knew that once these photos were published, the Netherlands' international image would plummet. More importantly, stocks on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange would crash—the stability of the colonies was directly related to investor confidence.
"Captain," de Jong said with difficulty, "we can talk about the amount of compensation again. Five hundred thousand guilders... it's a lot, but not entirely unacceptable. As for protecting the rights of the Chinese, we can sign a formal agreement. But handing over the military and police... that's really not an option. There would be enormous political pressure within the kingdom."
"Political pressure?" Li Te sneered. "Those forty-seven dead, didn't their families feel any pressure? How is the mother of that six-year-old girl feeling right now? Do I need to describe it to you?"
He stood up again, walked to the porthole, and opened it. The sea breeze rushed in, carrying a salty, fishy smell.
"Look outside."