Chapter 1258: Conversation between the Emperor and His Ministers

Kuyper frowned and pretended to be troubled, although the places requested by East Africa were actually not very important to the Netherlands.

But what he is worried about is not this little land. What really worries him is the insatiable greed in East Africa. As the old saying goes, five cities will be cut off today and ten cities tomorrow.

Now East Africa dares to plot these islands. Who can say that East Africa will not be interested in large islands such as Java or Sumatra in the future.

Of course, Kuyper also knew very well that the Netherlands could not refuse and offend East Africa at present. It did not need to dispatch East Africa itself. The East African navy in Lanfang Overseas Province alone could change the flag of the entire Dutch East Indies.

So Kuyper was very embarrassed and said: "Sir Friel, your country's requirements are really difficult for us to handle!"

"Although these islands are not large in size, each of them is one of the most strategic locations. I dare not make the decision without authorization and give these places to East Africa for nothing."

Freer said: "Of course we won't make it difficult for you. We are willing to pay a high price of 10 million Rhine guilders to acquire these islands this time. Of course, unlike East Kalimantan, this time we are buying out these islands. Some ownership.”

Kuyper also calculated in his mind that ten million rhine guilders was definitely not a small amount, because among these dozen islands, the only valuable one was the largest island of Belitung.

All the islands purchased by East Africa total less than 10,000 square kilometers, of which Belitung Island alone occupies more than 4,000 square kilometers.

And how big are the Dutch East Indies! Even after losing the land of Kalimantan, the entire Dutch East Indies still covers an area of ​​more than one million square kilometers.

Therefore, the scraps requested by East Africa are really a drop in the bucket for the Netherlands, and this should not have any impact on its domestic political reputation.

Except for a few islands, most of the islands purchased by East Africa are like no-man's land, and there is no soil to support the majority of the population.

Therefore, after considering all factors, Kuyper believes that this business can still be done.

And even if you don't do this business, I am afraid that East Africa will directly buy and sell by force, or even simply rob the entire Dutch East Indies, which would be a disaster for your political career.

Although Kuyper had made a final decision in his heart, he did not show it. Instead, he said to Freer: "Your Excellency, I have to discuss this matter with the Queen, the Cabinet, and the Parliament, so I can't give you an answer yet. Please give me a few days."

Freer was naturally not worried that this "business" would fail. He said to Kuyper: "Of course, I can stay here for five days. I hope the Prime Minister and your government can make a decision as soon as possible. Whatever happens after five days, I’m going back to East Africa.”

This sentence obviously has a shallow meaning. To put it bluntly, if the Dutch government does not provide an answer within five days, East Africa will skip the negotiation with the Dutch government.

By then, the fate of the Dutch East Indies will no longer be decided by the Netherlands, but by what East Africa plans to do.

This was an obvious threat. Kuyper's heart was ringing with alarm, and he said respectfully: "Don't worry, Your Excellency, we will definitely give your country a satisfactory answer in the next few days."

Kuyper then sent Frere, the god of plague, out of his official residence. He said to the housekeeper: "Get the car ready. I am going to the palace to report this matter to Her Majesty the Queen."

Kuyper reported the situation to Queen Wilhelmina that same day.

Queen Wilhelmina said: "What are the characteristics of these islands claimed by East Africa and what is their purpose?"

Kuyper replied: "Your Majesty, the purpose of the East Africans is obvious. The islands they plot are closely related to shipping routes, involving the Sunda Strait, Lombok Strait, Makassar Strait and other major transportation routes."

"For example, Panetan Island, Sanguiang Island, Belitung Island, and Subi Island. These islands are connected in a line, which is the route from East Africa to the East Indies, to the South China Sea, and finally to the Far Eastern Empire."

"So it can be clearly seen that East Africa's move is to strengthen their voice in the Southeast Asia region and to carry out strategic layout."

Queen Wilhelmina said: "If according to your statement, these areas should be considered strategic locations, they should be very important, right?"

Kuyper shook his head and said: "It is true that they are strategically important places, but Your Majesty, these islands are actually only useful to global powers like East Africa."

"East Africa obviously has plans for world hegemony, especially maritime hegemony, and the Southeast Asia region is a region they value very much."

"Not long ago, East Africa forcibly occupied nearly 50,000 square kilometers of land on the Kra Isthmus from the Siamese."

"Combined with what East Africa has done in the Southeast Asia region in recent years, we can be surprised to find that from the 1970s to the present, in just a few decades, East Africa has become a major country that cannot be ignored in the Southeast Asia region. "The scale of their colonies is second only to my country and Britain in Southeast Asia, and even exceeds France."

Queen Wilhelmina asked: "But the value of these lands acquired in East Africa should not be very high!"

Prime Minister Kuyper agreed: "It is true. After all, although East Africa has been deployed in the Southeast Asia region for decades, they are still latecomers, such as Siam, Vietnam, Myanmar, the Malay Peninsula, and Java that we control. Wealthy areas such as the island have long been carved up.”

"However, the current colonial potential of East Africa cannot be underestimated. Although it has not been effectively developed, the area is large enough."

"Especially in East Kalimantan and Mindanao, the conditions in the Southeast Asia region are not too bad."

"I think it would be a wiser choice for East Africa to conquer these areas first. After all, the African continent was once very unpopular with European countries. As a result, the Hohenzollern family took advantage of it, and East Africa, a monster on the African continent, appeared."

"So even if the East African and South Sea colonies are not highly developed today, no one knows whether these areas will become areas like East Africa in the future."

Queen Wilhelmina also lamented: "The history of the rise of East Africa is indeed a legend, but only the royal family of the Rhine Empire should have the courage to do this. After all, we will not learn from Emperor Ernst and boldly introduce hundreds of people from the Far Eastern Empire. million immigrants.”

"Without such a large initial population, it is naturally impossible to develop East Africa. When we in the Netherlands dominated the world, we suffered from a small population and a small country. Otherwise, the current world hegemony might still be in our hands. Woolen cloth!"

As a once famous "Sea Coachman", the former overlord of the ocean, but now being surpassed by a rising star like East Africa, it really makes the emperor and his ministers sigh.

Of course, now is not the time to remember the past glory of the Netherlands. Kuyper shifted the topic to the territorial issue and said: "East Africa obviously intends to bypass the Strait of Malacca under British control. Although they have obtained the Kra Isthmus, the Kra Isthmus will eventually It’s just a land transit channel, and its strategic significance is far greater than its economic significance.”

"So they focused on the two alternative channels, the Sunda Strait and the Lombok Strait. As for the Makassar Strait, in fact, after the East Africans took control of East Kalimantan, this channel was completely under their control."

The Makassar Strait is between Kalimantan and Makassar Islands, so as long as East Africa controls East Kalimantan, it means that the Makassar Strait is a completely smooth route for East Africa, and East Africa is The Dutch demand for the Parambangan Islands is nothing more than to further strengthen East Africa's control over the islands.

In fact, even if the Netherlands controls part of Makassar Island, it is unlikely to pose any threat to East Africa here.

Kuyper continued: "As for places farther away, Palau, once a German colony, is now also an East African territory. This is also the fifth route from East Africa to the Far East."