Chapter 623 Do more and make more mistakes, do less and make fewer mistakes

1The Palace of Amsterdam, Kingdom of the Netherlands.

There were still familiar scenes and characters, but both Queen Wilhelmina and Dutch government officials looked much more solemn at this time, and there was an atmosphere of despair in the conference room.

"Everyone, what should we do now?" Holding the telegram just sent from the Dutch East Indies, Queen Wilhelmina looked at the Prime Minister and the others with a sinking face.

The government is silent, and there is no good countermeasure at this time. The first person to speak will undoubtedly be held accountable by Queen Wilhelmina.

"Prime Minister, tell me, what should we do now?" Seeing that no one stood up to reply, Queen Wilhelmina set her sights on the number one person in the government, the current Prime Minister.

"Her Majesty the Queen." After hearing Queen Wilhelmina's question by name, the Dutch Prime Minister also knew that he could no longer remain silent, otherwise he would be dismissed.

Although Queen Wilhelmina does not have much real power, she can still remove a prime minister in accordance with public opinion.

"Your Majesty, it is impossible for those indigenous people to have so many weapons and equipment for no reason. There must be some secret planning that we don't know about." The Dutch Prime Minister said bravely.

"Then what? Are we going to blame Australasia without any evidence?" Queen Wilhelmina sneered and said: "No matter whether there is support from Australasians behind the indigenous people, as long as we don't have any evidence , there is nothing you can do about them.

Besides, what if there is evidence? Is it possible to start a war with them?

Prime Minister, I want an answer to this matter, not an explanation of how it happened.

If the government doesn't have a good solution to the problem, then it will be held accountable by all Dutch people! "

Not making a decision is Queen Wilhelmina's smartest decision at any time, because this also means that Queen Wilhelmina has no fault at all.

To use a popular saying, if you don't do it, you won't make a mistake. If you do more, you will make more mistakes. If you do less, you will make fewer mistakes.

That is the case right now. The decision made at the last meeting was made by the Prime Minister. It was also the Prime Minister's decision to encourage veterans to return to the army. Queen Wilhelmina just complied with the government's decision and did what she should do.

If we really want to hold people accountable, the biggest responsibility must lie with the government, and the government's best scapegoat is the current prime minister.

This is why Queen Wilhelmina said this. Even if things are really irreversible, at least she will not put the responsibility on the royal family.

As for the government's final fate, that is not something Queen Wilhelmina can consider.

Anyway, the previous cabinets were not selected by Queen Wilhelmina. Queen Wilhelmina was just a familiar stranger who could be abandoned at any time in the face of power and status.

Hearing what Queen Wilhelmina said, the Dutch Prime Minister's face turned red and flushed, but in the end he had no choice but to do anything.

This is indeed the case. In theory, he is the head of the Dutch government and the most powerful person in the Netherlands.

He must be the culprit of anything that happened, and he couldn't get rid of it even if he wanted to.

"Your Majesty the Queen, the most important thing now is to solve the problem." After a moment of silence, the Dutch Prime Minister said: "If there is no good way, I am afraid that the Dutch East Indies will not be far away from being lost."

Whether indigenous or Australasian, the greatest threat to the Netherlands was the loss of the Dutch East Indies.

There will be almost no threat to the Dutch mainland, which is determined by many factors.

This also represents the fact that as long as the Dutch mainland is not threatened, Queen Wilhelmina's throne is very stable.

But the position of Prime Minister is different. If the Dutch East Indies were lost, the government would have a great responsibility.

It is very difficult to change a monarch or even depose a monarch, but if it is just to change the prime minister and the government, it is not difficult for any European country.

Queen Wilhelmina looked at the Prime Minister, waiting for the Prime Minister's speech.

The current situation in the Dutch East Indies is already difficult to recover, which made Queen Wilhelmina quickly make a decision to let the government make decisions and try to get rid of the impact of this matter.

Regardless of whether the Dutch East Indies can be saved in the end, it has nothing to do with Queen Wilhelmina.

As for whether the government could turn the tide and retake the Dutch East Indies from Australasia, Queen Wilhelmina abandoned this unrealistic idea considering the huge power gap between the Netherlands and Australasia.

"Although the indigenous people have certain weapons and equipment, the number of these weapons and equipment should not be too much, at least it cannot be an unlimited supply." The Dutch Prime Minister said: "This also means that we still have a chance. If we can Put down the rebellion as soon as possible."

"On the other hand, I think we should also negotiate with Australasia. If things are really irreversible, then we must try to recover the losses as much as possible." The Dutch Prime Minister continued.

Seeing Queen Wilhelmina's silence, the Dutch Prime Minister also understood that the royal family wanted to get out of it. He no longer asked Queen Wilhelmina for her opinion. Instead, he turned his attention to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and demanded: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Australian Government will contact Australia as soon as possible." The Australasian side got in touch and inquired about the specific demands of the Australasian side.

If there is no hope of countering the rebellion, then use one of Sumatra or Kalimantan in exchange for peace between us and Australasia! "

This is not a bold statement, because it means that the Dutch colonies are destined to be divided.

But if you think about it carefully, there is really no way around this. When a medium-sized country like the Netherlands faces the threat of a powerful country like Australasia, it really has no room for resistance without external help.

What's more, the main location of the conflict between the two countries was in the Dutch East Indies, which was very far away from the mainland of the Netherlands. The Netherlands was at a congenital disadvantage.

Australasia can easily gain the initiative to negotiate with the Netherlands by relying on the indigenous people who support the Dutch East Indies.

But what can the Netherlands do? Although there were colonies in Australasia, all the indigenous people were driven out of Australasia.

The only island where there are still indigenous people is Sulawesi, but this was once the land of the Dutch East Indies. These indigenous people are very hostile to the Dutch. Australasia is also very strict against the Dutch. It is impossible to have them. Opportunities to connect with those indigenous.

This is actually a dead end. Australasia can easily sanction the Netherlands, but the Netherlands has no means of counterattack.

However, this kind of sanctions is the most fatal for the Netherlands, because it allows Australasia to easily achieve its goals.

As for the cession of Sumatra or Kalimantan mentioned by the Dutch Prime Minister, this is actually a helpless choice.

Compared with Java, Sumatra and Kalimantan, although larger in area, have smaller populations and correspondingly smaller values.

Even if we look at population alone, the combined population of Sumatra and Kalimantan is no greater than that of Java, which was also the center of gravity of the Dutch East Indies.

If the existing Dutch East Indies is equivalent to more than half of the complete Dutch East Indies, then the island of Java plus Sumatra or Kalimantan is equivalent to more than half of the existing Dutch East Indies.

This may be the best ending for the Dutch. At least the name of the Dutch East Indies is still there, and the people's anger will not be so fierce.

Hearing the Prime Minister's bold statement, Queen Wilhelmina looked at the Prime Minister with slight surprise, but did not express any opinion.

Colonies are also part of the country. When it comes to ceding land, people are definitely very concerned about it.

What's more, it is a land like the Dutch East Indies that can bring in a lot of income every year. If it is lost in the hands of the government, the consequences and consequences can be imagined.

Even if only one of the islands or part of the land is lost, I am afraid that the best outcome for this government will be a happy ending.

"Does the recruitment still need to continue? Mr. Prime Minister." The Minister of Defense stood up and asked.

“Of course we need to continue.” The Prime Minister explained: “No one can guarantee how the current situation will develop, and we must be prepared to deal with all problems.

Even if we reach a compromise with Australasia, we still need to deal with the rebellious indigenous people ourselves.

No matter how we strengthen our military strength, it is still useful. This may also be our last chance to preserve the Dutch East Indies.

How prepared is the Ministry of Defense? Have the first batch of supporting troops been gathered? "

"The first batch of support divisions and regiments, totaling 40,000 people, have been prepared, Mr. Prime Minister." The Minister of Defense said: "It is expected that we will be able to take a transport ship to Batavia within three days at the earliest, and it may take a month to arrive. Later."

Batavia is the capital of the Dutch East Indies. This name is relatively unfamiliar.

If you mention Batavia's other name, Jakarta, it is more famous.

This is actually normal. What a colonized country wants to get rid of most is the influence of the colonial period, so it becomes natural to change the name of Batavia.

The Dutch Prime Minister nodded, quite satisfied with the speed of the army gathering and the time it took to arrive in Batavia.

Although it still takes more than a month, it is a journey that spans half of the world after all, and this speed is no longer slow.

"Let the soldiers prepare for battle. This battle is likely to cause heavy casualties." The Dutch Prime Minister sighed and said: "After arriving in Batavia, we will launch a counter-insurgency as soon as possible and pacify the entire Dutch East as soon as possible. Rebellion in India, which is a matter of whether we can preserve East India.

The government will do its best to provide corresponding weapons and equipment, logistical supplies and material support. The navy must also fully assist the army in attacking. Ladies and gentlemen, you are all members of the Cabinet, and we share weal and woe. For your and my future, for the Netherlands, and for the East India, please do your best! "

The third update of 3,000 words, completed in 10,000 days, please support!