Chapter 220 Pirates

Arthur moved quickly. After the new Einstein agreed to stay in Australasia temporarily, the Royal Physical Research Society in Australasia was already making preparations.

In order to better attract talents, all members of the Royal Physical Research Society will receive a salary exceeding the level of professors at famous European universities.

And each member of the Royal Physical Research Society can apply for at least AU$50,000 in research funding each year and has access to all top laboratories in Australasia.

High salaries and increased research funding are the most effective ways and means to attract those scientists.

Subsequently, Arthur appointed Einstein as vice president of the Physical Research Association and gave Einstein the job of recruiting new people.

These physical scientists all have their own unique connections, and it is also a good way for them to use their connections to attract talents for Australasia.

Time has entered 1. The disasters in East Asia have become more and more serious, and there has been a trend of rice grabbing in many areas.

There are also more and more merchant ships traveling between East Asia and Australasia, carrying grain from Australasia. The profit of each ship is several times or even ten times that of before.

Some of these merchant ships are organized by the government, while others go there spontaneously. Arthur didn't stop him from doing this. After all, the royal family had already eaten the bulk, so it didn't matter if he let others drink some soup.

But the problem also arises from this.

In early April, when a message was passed to Arthur from the Royal Security Intelligence Service, the peaceful situation in Australasia completely changed.

The cause of the matter also starts with the famine in East Asia.

This famine in East Asia affected a wide area. In addition to the mainland of the Qing Dynasty, even Southeast Asia and the Philippines were also affected to a certain extent.

The great famine, which covers such a wide area and has such serious impact, also forced some evil forces that were originally hidden in these areas to surface. new˙ɔoɯ

In the Southeast Asian region, there once was a notorious pirate group called the Moro Pirates.

In their heyday, this group of people once affected the entire Southeast Asia and nearby areas, and was one of the biggest scourges on the Southeast Asian seas.

When the British Empire's fleet was majestic, Moro pirates attacked British merchant ships.

A British sailor named Edwards was once discovered by Moro pirates on an island near Malacca. He squatted in a bamboo cage and wrote in horror: "Forty-five people were captured by them. Some had their arms cut off, some had their legs cut off, and I had my tongue cut off.”

These ruthless bandits who dare to attack the merchant ships of the world's most powerful country have been running rampant in this area for hundreds of years.

These pirates have no fixed target for robbery, and they will not let go of anything that can be exchanged for money.

Whether it is sea cucumbers and bird's nests shipped to East Asia, peppers and cloves shipped to India, silver coins or Western weapons shipped to Batavia, they are all in their pockets.

Coupled with their love of robbing people, Moro pirates have become a scourge in Southeast Asia that everyone hates.

Since 1, the British Empire and the Kingdom of Spain have carried out a large number of suppression and suppression of pirates, but the Moro pirates have not stopped their piracy activities in the Southeast Asia.

It was not until after the Spanish-American War that the Americans gained control of the Philippines and used some steel-armored speedboats and small patrol boats to establish a regular cruise system that the local pirate threat was reduced.

The Moro pirates reappeared in history after World War II. At that time, due to the deterioration of the regional security situation, piracy had a resurgence in these areas.

But what Arthur didn't expect was that the famine in East Asia forced these pirates to jump out and choose to attack merchant ships transporting food in Australasia.

According to the intelligence obtained by the Royal Security Intelligence Service, at least two merchant ships have been hijacked, and at least a dozen Australasians have been arrested. new

Although it is not known whether these pirates have attacked other countries, for Australasia, this is already the biggest crisis since the founding of Australasia, and Arthur must make plans immediately.

More than ten minutes later, Arthur had arrived at the meeting room of the Government Affairs Council, and other cabinet officials also arrived non-stop.

Without too much nonsense, Arthur directly and briefly explained the situation of two Australasian merchant ships being robbed by pirates, and asked the cabinet members for their opinions.

After hearing the situation, most people's faces turned a little livid.

The timing is not very friendly to all cabinet members, with cabinet elections in Australasia just over two months away.

If this matter cannot be properly resolved, I am afraid that many people will lose the election this time.

"Your Majesty, no matter what, I think we should protect our citizens and their property. If necessary, we should send out the military to protect our citizens." Prime Minister Evan thought for a while before saying.

"But the problem is that we don't know where these pirates are stationed. Moreover, even if we know their station, can we still attack by force? If those damn pirates desperately execute our citizens What should we do?” Defense Secretary Kent immediately raised objections.

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The current situation we are facing is indeed very difficult. We neither know the specific location of these pirates, nor can we blindly dispatch troops, lest the pirates become desperate and have a mentality of perishing together.

"Oh, shit! These damn pirates, if you find them, they will be skinned and cramped, chopped into pieces and thrown into the sea to feed the sharks." Thomas, the Minister of Public Security, scolded angrily.

The current situation is a dilemma for the cabinet government, because the election date is approaching, and they must properly handle this matter as soon as possible.

However, there is currently very little intelligence. In order to ensure the safety of the captured Australasians, some barbaric methods cannot be used for the time being.

"Your Majesty, the more famous pirates in this area are the Moro pirates west of the Philippines and east of Kalimantan. The United States has a good patrol system for the coast near the Philippines, and the pirates near the Philippines have been basically eliminated. Therefore, I think The pirates should be stationed west of the Philippines, either in the Dutch East Indies or near Sulu in the middle area." Defense Secretary Kent took out a map of Southeast Asia and analyzed it carefully for a while before he respectfully said Said to Arthur.

Arthur nodded. Minister Kent's analysis is very reasonable.

After the United States conducted a large number of patrols on the Philippine coast, those pirates could only flee to the west and south, that is, Sulu in the west, the Sultanate and Kalimantan further west.

At this time, the island of Kalimantan was ruled by two powers, one was the North Borneo Protectorate belonging to the British Empire in the north, and the other was Borneo in the Dutch East Indies in the south.

Of these two countries, the British Empire has always been very aggressive in cracking down on pirates, and the chances of pirates appearing in the North Borneo Protectorate are also very small.

But the Dutch East Indies in the south were different. The Netherlands was originally a second- or third-rate European country, and its current population has been surpassed by Australasia.

Coupled with the fact that the Netherlands is too far away from the Dutch East Indies, the rule of the Dutch East Indies is actually not strong.

If it were not for the fact that the Dutch rule in this area had the consent of the great powers, especially the consent of the British Empire, the Dutch East Indies would have changed hands long ago.

Currently, there are more than a dozen local indigenous forces throughout the Dutch East Indies.

Some of these indigenous forces openly submitted to the rule of the Dutch East Indies, but naturally there were also areas beyond the control of the Dutch East Indies.

The group of Moro pirates is also very likely to be hiding in these areas beyond the jurisdiction of the Dutch East Indies and developing quietly in secret.

"Your Majesty, if these pirates are hiding in Borneo or other areas, I think it is impossible for the indigenous forces in these areas to not know their whereabouts. Perhaps the best breakthrough point is with these indigenous forces, as long as the specific hiding place of the pirates can be known , we can dispatch a large-scale army to quickly eliminate these pirates and save our captured citizens." Minister Kent then suggested.

During the period when piracy was most rampant in Southeast Asia, almost most of the princes of the indigenous forces participated in piracy operations.

Whether it is lack of labor or lack of money and food, it is one of their excuses for participating in piracy.

Minister Kent's suggestion is also very simple. Start with these local indigenous forces and interrogate the pirates one after another about their whereabouts.

If you don't say it, it would be very simple. If the pirates are really found to be near the indigenous forces, then there will be no need for this force to exist.

Now that the election day is getting closer and closer, if these pirates dare to hit the gunpoint, they can only use some force to make them disappear.

"That's a good idea, Minister Kent. Does anyone else have anything to add?" Arthur nodded with satisfaction, fully approving of Minister Kent's suggestion.

This is currently a relatively complete and reasonable solution when the whereabouts of pirates are unknown.

Next, Arthur discussed the specific plan of the operation with the officials for a long time, and the meeting ended under Arthur's order.

This incident is a crisis for the cabinet government, but it is also an opportunity to seek re-election.

If the cabinet government can properly resolve this crisis, it will also gain the favor of the people, and it will not be so difficult to be re-elected next time.

But if it cannot be properly resolved, not only the re-election plan may be ruined, but also whether the political career can be continued will be a problem.

You know, protecting the safety of citizens' lives and property is what Arthur vows to say every time he gives a speech. If the government cannot solve this matter well, even Arthur's reputation will be affected.

At that time, we will have no choice but to kill fellow Taoists rather than poor Taoists, and let these government officials take the blame.

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