World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

Chapter 78 Discharge from Military Service

At 12:10, the transport boat docked at Pier 3.

The dock had been cleared out, except for twenty Dutch military police and an equal number of Lanfang marines, and a few port authority officials. But outside the cordon, the number of Chinese onlookers grew larger and larger. They dared not approach, but were unwilling to leave either, so they just stood there, watching.

Lin Hai was the first to jump ashore. He looked around and said to the Marine Corps captain, "Stay alert. Nobody is allowed to let their guard down until the trial is over."

"yes!"

Van der Wiel followed him ashore, but his legs buckled when his feet touched solid ground, and he nearly fell. A nearby Dutch official quickly helped him up.

"Chief..."

"I'm fine," Van der Wiel waved his hand. "Quick, prepare for the trial. It must start at 12:30!"

The temporary courtroom has been set up in the port authority's conference room.

The judge was Judicial Officer Van der Sant—he had spent the morning aboard the "Restoration" and was still pale. The prosecutor and defense lawyers were both colonial government officials, dressed in formal attire. In the gallery, besides the four observers brought by Xu Wen, there were only a few Dutch officials.

When the nineteen soldiers and police officers were brought in, the scene was somewhat chaotic.

Some struggled, some cried out, and some cursed. Major Van der Heiden stood in the corner, watching all this with a grim face—he was the garrison commander, and these men had all once been his subordinates.

"Silence!" Van der Sant tapped his mallet.

The trial has begun.

The process was surprisingly fast.

The prosecutor read the indictment: illegal use of deadly force, resulting in 47 deaths and over 100 injuries. The defense lawyer argued that the situation was chaotic, the military and police were threatened, and the shooting was an act of self-defense. Witnesses—all Dutch military and police—testified that a mob of Chinese people attacked them.

Xu Wen sat in the audience, taking notes with a blank expression.

At 12:50, all procedures were completed.

Van der Sant and two "jury members"—actually two other officials—left the room to "deliberate." They returned five minutes later.

"This court hereby pronounces its verdict," Van der Sant's voice echoed in the empty conference hall, "that all defendants are guilty of manslaughter. However, considering the special circumstances at the time, a lenient sentence is imposed: discharge from the military and transfer to Lanfang for further processing."

The gavel fell.

The trial has ended.

From start to finish, it lasts twenty-five minutes.

Xu Wen closed his notebook and whispered to the observer beside him, "Go and inform the captain to prepare for takeover."

At 1:20 p.m., nineteen former military and police officers were escorted out of the port authority building.

Their military uniforms had been stripped off, and they had been replaced with ordinary prison clothes. Their handcuffs and shackles rattled with every step. Van der Heyden stood at the building entrance, watching them walk past one by one.

The lieutenant who fired the first shot stopped abruptly as he passed by and looked at Van der Heyden:

"Major...we are acting under orders..."

Van der Heyden closed his eyes and remained silent.

The lieutenant was pushed forward.

At the dock, Lin Hai was already prepared. Two transport boats were moored at their berths, and marines stood in formation with rifles. When the nineteen men were brought in, Lin Hai took out the list and began to check it.

"Hans de Friss".

"arrive……"

They called out names one by one and put them on the ship one by one.

After the last person boarded the ship, Lin Hai walked up to Van der Wiel and handed him a document: "Sign to confirm."

Van der Wiel signed it. The handwriting was still messy.

"Alright." Lin Hai put away the documents. "According to the agreement, the official text of the compensation and rights protection agreement should be delivered to the 'Restoration Ship' within three days. Otherwise..."

"Understood, understood." Van der Wiel nodded and bowed.

Lin Hai turned around and boarded the transport boat. The engine revved up, and the two boats slowly left the dock.

On the shore, Dutch officials watched silently. Van der Heiden suddenly turned around and punched a nearby cargo crate, cracking it open.

"A disgrace..." he murmured, "A disgrace to the Kingdom of Holland..."

But no one responded to him.

Because everyone knows that facing a 381mm naval gun, humiliation is better than death.

At 2 p.m., as the nineteen prisoners were locked in the solitary confinement cell of "Guangfu" (Restoration Unit), another meeting was quietly taking place.

The transport boat did not return immediately. Lin Hai, along with a few others, met some Chinese people at a small teahouse near the dock.

The leader was Chen Jinfu.

The old man was wearing his most presentable long gown, but it was faded from washing and had patches on the cuffs. Behind him were five people, all representatives of the Batavia Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

"Commander Lin," Chen Jinfu tried to kneel, but Lin Hai helped him up.

"Mr. Chen, there's no need for that." Lin Hai helped him sit down. "We don't have much time, so let's get straight to the point."

"Yes, yes." Chen Jinfu wiped his eyes. "Commander Lin, we saw everything that happened at the docks today. Those nineteen beasts...were they really arrested?"

"He's locked up on the ship." Lin Hai nodded. "He'll be brought back to Lanfang and tried according to the law."

"Good, good..." Chen Jinfu wept uncontrollably. "My poor fellow villager, Chen Afu, his entire family of three... all dead. His son was sixteen, his daughter was six... Now, at least... at least the enemy has been caught..."

A chorus of sobs filled the teahouse.

Lin Hai waited a while until his emotions calmed down before continuing, "Mr. Chen, besides picking up someone, I also want to tell you a few things."

"Please speak."

"First, Lanfang is still here. And we have our own navy, our own ships," Lin Hai said. "If something like this happens again, you don't have to tolerate it anymore. Find a way to notify us, and we will come."

Chen Jinfu nodded vigorously.

"Secondly, the Dutch have agreed to compensation. The money will be sent to you, and you will then hand it over to the victim's family. If the Dutch try anything funny, let me know."

"it is good."

"Third," Lin Hai lowered his voice, "the President asked me to tell you: preparations for returning home are underway. Maybe in a year, maybe in two, but it will definitely happen. Until then, you must live, and live with your heads held high."

Chen Jinfu's tears welled up again. He grabbed Lin Hai's hand and held it tightly.

"Commander Lin... please tell the Grand Commander that we will wait. We will wait one year, two years, ten years. As long as we know Lanfang is still here, as long as we know someone remembers us... we can wait."

Lin Hai nodded and took out a small cloth bag from his pocket: "This is some money we raised on the ship. It's not much, but we'll use it to buy some medicine for the injured."

Chen Jinfu took it with trembling hands: "How can I accept this..."

"Take it." Lin Hai stood up. "We're leaving. Remember, no matter what happens, staying alive is the most important thing. Only by staying alive can we wait for the day we can go home."

As he left the teahouse, Chen Jinfu led everyone in kneeling down. This time, Lin Hai did not help him up.

Because he knew that this kneeling was not to him, but to the yellow dragon flag, and to the home that was still on its way.