novelAbuy Chapter 76 The Final Ultimatum
Chapter 76 The Final Ultimatum
The meeting room was deathly silent.
Seven pairs of Dutch eyes were fixed on Van der Wiel. He was the governor's special envoy, the highest-ranking civil official here. In theory, he had the authority to make decisions.
But in reality, Van der Wiel just wanted to cry.
He was fifty-three years old and had worked in the colony for thirty years. He rose from a lowly tax inspector to the port authority through caution, tact, and never taking the wrong side. He had handled strikes, suppressed riots, and even participated in several small-scale "suppressions." But those were all different from today.
At that time, the Dutch had guns, while the other side only had machetes and bamboo spears.
Today, the gun is in someone else's hands. And it's not an ordinary rifle, it's a .381mm rifle.
"Captain..." Van der Wiel's voice was hoarse, "I need... I need to consult the Governor."
"Okay," Li nodded. "I'll give you two hours."
"Two hours?!" Van der Wiel exclaimed. "It takes an hour to get to the Governor's residence and back! And then there's a meeting to discuss it..."
"That's your problem." Li Te glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's 10:20 AM now. By 12:20, if I haven't heard a satisfactory answer..."
He pointed out the window, where the "Seven Provinces" was still rocking in the waves.
"The second round of exercises will begin soon. And this time, I will not give advance notice."
Justice Van der Sant suddenly spoke up: "Captain, this is a blatant threat of force! It violates international law!"
"International law?" Li Te laughed. "Mr. Van der Sant, when your military and police opened fire yesterday, did they think about international law? Were those bullets engraved with the Hague Convention?"
"Those are two different things!"
“No, it’s the same thing.” Li Te stood up and walked to the judge. “International law protects those who respect the law. When you yourselves don’t take the law seriously, what right do you have to expect others to obey it?”
He looked around at all the Dutch representatives:
"Two hours from now, I want to hear three things: first, agreement to full compensation; second, agreement to sign a rights protection agreement; and third, agreement to hand over those nineteen people. If any of these are missing, I'll fire."
Van der Wiel closed his eyes and took a deep breath: "We need...we need to contact the shore."
"Use this." Li Te gestured to the communications soldier to bring over the radio transmitter. "Send a message in plain text to tell the Governor that you are guests on the 'Restoration'. Also, remind him that 12:20 is the deadline."
"Plain text..." Van der Wiel smiled wryly, "Then all of Batavia will know..."
"I want them to know," Li Te said. "I want the Chinese on the docks to hear with their own ears how the Dutch governor made his decision: whether to protect the murderer or to protect the port."
Van der Wiel's hand was trembling. He picked up his pen and wrote on the telegram:
[To His Excellency Governor Van der Linden:]
Our side is currently negotiating with Lan Fang's representatives aboard the "Kuangfu" ship. The other side is demanding compensation, protection of their rights, and the handover of the military and police personnel involved. Two hours are allotted.
Additionally: The enemy has already conducted a deterrent shelling attack; eight shells were fired from within 100 meters of the "Seven Provinces" ship. They threatened to directly target the warship in the next round.
The situation is critical; please act quickly.
Van der Wiel, 10:25
After finishing writing, he handed it to Li Te: "Is this okay?"
Li Te glanced at it: "Send it out."
Meeting room at the Governor's Palace in Batavia.
The telegram arrived at 10:32. The routine morning meeting was still ongoing when the translator rushed into the conference room. Governor Van der Linden frowned as he read the telegram, his face turning pale visibly.
"Gentlemen," he pushed the telegram across the table, "the situation is worse than we thought...."
A major named Van Persie was the first to grab the telegram. After reading it, he slammed his fist on the table: "They dare?! Those are Royal Dutch Navy warships!"
"They just did it," said Vander Zanden, the finance minister's deputy—a middle-aged man. "Eight shells, less than a hundred meters from the 'Seven Provinces.' It's not a question of whether they dared or not; they already did it."
"Then we'll fight back!" Van Persie roared. "All coastal batteries, get to combat readiness! Send the 'Seven Provinces' out to meet the enemy!"
"Major," the governor said wearily, rubbing his temples, "'Seven Provinces' is still undergoing maintenance; the boilers are cold. It will take at least two hours to start the fire and set sail. As for the coastal defense guns..."
He looked at the artillery commander.
The elderly officer, in his fifties, looked grim: "Your Excellency, our coastal defense guns have a maximum range of only six kilometers. That 'Restoration' ship is eight kilometers away... We can't hit it."
"Then let it get closer!"
"It won't get close," Van der Zanden shook his head. "The enemy commander is smart. He stays out of our range, but we're within his. That's the simplest tactical advantage."
The meeting room fell silent.
The governor looked out the window. From here, he could see a corner of the harbor and the small outline of the "Seven Provinces." Further away, on the horizon, that gray dot was the "Restoration Ship."
"Van der Zanden," the governor said, "you're the treasurer, you've done the math. If war really breaks out... how great would the losses be?"
Van der Zanden was prepared. He opened his notebook:
"First, the 'Seven Provinces' cost 3.2 million guilders and had 273 sailors on board. If it is sunk, it will be a total loss."
"Secondly, port facilities. The main pier cost 850,000 rupees, the warehouse area about 1.2 million rupees, and cranes and other equipment about 400,000 rupees. If it is shelled, the losses will be incalculable."
"Third, trade will be disrupted. The daily import and export value of goods in Batavia Port is about 150,000 guilders. Once war breaks out, the shipping routes will inevitably be interrupted. Calculated over three months, the losses will exceed 13 million guilders."
"Fourth, casualties. The port area has more than 20,000 permanent workers, merchants, and residents. If the enemy shells the city... Your Excellency, I cannot imagine it."
With each statement made, the temperature in the meeting room dropped by one degree.
After he finished speaking, even Van Persie fell silent.
"There's one more thing," said Trade Representative Van der Berg, the white-haired old man. "If war breaks out, our trade reputation throughout the Far East will collapse. British, French, and German merchant ships will avoid our ports, and insurance companies will refuse to insure our routes. The colonial economy... could completely crumble."
"So we're just going to surrender?!" Van Persie stood up again. "Hand over our soldiers?! What will become of the Kingdom of the Netherlands' reputation?!"
"Is face more important, or the colonies?" Van der Zanden retorted. "Major, tell me, what would happen if we went to war with that ship today?"
"We...we can defeat them!"
"What can we use to repel them?" the artillery commander asked with a wry smile. "Our artillery can't reach us, but theirs can. It's like two people dueling: one stands twenty meters away with a pistol, and the other stands fifteen meters away with a dagger—who do you think would win?"
"We can wait for reinforcements from our own territory!"
"The fastest warships take forty days to sail from Rotterdam to Batavia," the governor finally spoke, his voice weary. "Forty days from now, this place will likely be nothing but ruins."
He paused:
"And even if reinforcements arrive... can we defeat them? That 'Restoration' ship, according to the intelligence we bought from the British, has a standard displacement of 38,000 tons, a speed of 30 knots, and 381mm main guns. What ship in the Dutch Navy can currently confront it?"
No one answered.
Because the answer is no.