Chapter 1159 Transactions and Threats
While European countries were fighting to the death, East Africa launched a full-scale attack and quietly expanded in various regions of Asia, Africa and Latin America. In addition to robbing the original European markets and raw material suppliers, it also continued to make small moves against the colonies of various countries.
Among them, East Africa is also very coveted for the Dutch East Indies colony, but it has not taken much action and can only make small fuss around the island of Kalimantan.
September 1914.
The German and British-French forces began the **** Battle of the Marne.
Germany's military operations in Belgium were basically over. Although the Liege Fortress was finally captured, the results did not meet Germany's psychological expectations.
Moltke did not fully implement Schlieffen's plan during his lifetime, and transferred one-third of the original troops from the Belgian battlefield to other areas. The harm caused by weakening the right wing soon became apparent. The war in Belgium on the Western Front, which was originally planned to end within a few days, He was detained in the Liege Fortress for more than ten days.
The Schlieffen Plan was designed as a quick-win plan from the beginning, but Moltke's underestimation of the enemy slowed down the actions of the German army on the entire Western Front. Of course, Germany still has the advantage and has successfully advanced the front into France. As long as it receives If there are no more mistakes, the Schlieffen Plan can still be implemented.
At this time, Britain and France also began to intensify their naval blockade of Germany. The powerful offensive power displayed by the German army was enough to scare any country.
Port of Rotterdam.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Port of Rotterdam had developed into one of the largest ports in Europe, relying on shipping, and it was also one of the main transit ports for cargo transportation from East Africa to Germany.
Before the outbreak of World War I, the Netherlands strictly abided by the principle of neutrality, and was not chosen as a breakthrough point by Germany like Belgium. This made the Netherlands one of the paradises on the European battlefield.
As Belgium became a battlefield frontline, a large number of Belgian refugees fled to the Netherlands, numbering hundreds of thousands, which greatly increased the pressure on the Dutch government.
Now, someone is finally willing to take the initiative to help the Dutch government share the pressure of refugees. At the Dutch Royal Palace, East African envoy Teller is meeting with Queen Wilhelmina and senior Dutch government officials.
Teller went straight to the point: "Your Majesty the Queen, we in East Africa can arrange for these Belgians to take refuge in various parts of East Africa."
Queen Wilhelmina: "Sir Tver, refugees are now a hot potato for many countries. Don't you in East Africa find it troublesome?"
Tver said: "Of course not. As we all know, East Africa is a country of immigrants, so our demand for immigrants is still very large. After all, East Africa is a world power with a land area of over 10 million, and there are many areas in our homeland that do not have access to it." Fully developed.”
This makes sense. After all, although the scale of immigration in East Africa has shrunk a lot in recent years, the annual immigration intensity still lags behind many countries.
Of course, the main destination of these immigrants is most likely not East Africa itself, but mostly the colonies and other areas in East Africa.
The Queen nodded and said: "Of course we will not stop activities in East Africa, but none of this should be based on force. If you can convince these poor people to voluntarily go to East Africa, we can also provide some conveniences for your country."
Belgian refugees are naturally pitiful people. Of course, the Dutch government does not want to take in so many burdens.
"This is natural. We in East Africa are also one of the few big countries in the world, and East Africa is always much safer than Europe, so I believe there are still many people who are willing to develop in East Africa."
Nowadays, the Netherlands serves as a transit point for trade between East Africa and Germany. The tolls alone make the Dutch spend a lot of money. Any leakage is enough to feed the Belgian refugees. But this is obviously not a long-term solution. If East Africa can take in this group of Belgian refugees who are living on their own, the Netherlands will definitely make more money.
And this is not difficult for East Africa. The ships from East Africa to Rotterdam and other Dutch ports are basically empty ships. It will not waste too much energy to pick up some people on the way back to Togoland, Gabon and other places.
After discussing the matter, Teller said: "Her Majesty the Queen's kindness is touching. God will definitely bless you with a long life."
Wilhelmina just smiled at Terrell's compliment.
At this time, Teller said again: "By the way, Her Majesty the Queen, do you still remember the dispute between us and your country over Kalimantan Island?"
After laying the groundwork, Teller finally came to the conclusion that Belgian immigration is a trivial matter to East Africa after all, including the Dutch transit status, which is not very attractive to East Africa. After all, Germany actually has access to the Atlantic Ocean, and now it is just the German Navy. Confined in the Baltic Sea, East African merchant ships could still reach the German mainland.
And Teller's words made Wilhelmina's expression change. The Netherlands has been very aware of East Africa's ambitions for the Dutch East Indies over the years.
The East African government has repeatedly revealed its intention to purchase the Dutch colony on Kalimantan, but has been rejected by the Dutch government.
And this time Teller brought up the old story again, it is obvious that he has ambitions towards Kalimantan and even the East Indies.
If it were peacetime, the Dutch government could naturally reject it directly. After all, East Africa still needs to take face into consideration due to the rules of the international community.
But now is a very delicate time. The European powers have too much to take care of themselves and they can't care about what is happening outside Europe.
Assuming that at this time, East Africa takes a strong stance against the overlord of the East Indies, the Netherlands will not even find a place to cry, such as Britain and Germany, which have the closest relations with the Netherlands.
Indeed, the relationship between the Netherlands and Germany is also good, because Wilhelmina has a very good relationship with the Prussian royal family. Her mother and husband are both German nobles, and it was the Dutch queen who took in the "poor" William II in her previous life.
However, since Teller chose to negotiate with himself, it is obvious that things can turn around. Otherwise, if East Africa really sends troops, then with the military power of the Netherlands in the East Indies, the only thing they can do is to surrender.
After thinking about this, Wilhelmina felt a little relieved, and she asked Taylor calmly: "Sir Taylor, does your country want to take advantage of others' danger? East Indies It is our country’s most important overseas territory and there is no possibility of negotiation.”
Trail retorted: "Her Majesty the Queen does not have to rush to refuse. We in East Africa are only interested in Kalimantan, not the East Indies. After all, we know that among the East Indies, only Java has the most economic value to your country." ”
"But Kalimantan is different. On the one hand, Kalimantan has no other advantages except that it is larger. Moreover, such a barren land is divided between our two countries and the United Kingdom."
"With the power of the Netherlands, it is simply impossible to defend the island of Kalimantan. The final result will be that our country or the United Kingdom obtains other territories on the island of Kalimantan."
"So your country might as well sell the island of Kalimantan to the empire. In this way, without this burden, your country can also focus on developing Java Island. After all, the Dutch national power is limited, and there are so many indigenous people on Java Island, and all kinds of riots The activities are enough to give your country a headache, so it is best for your country to tighten up its efforts and get the benefits. I don’t know if Her Majesty the Queen agrees.”
Tver's words made it clear and contained a threat. Generally speaking, riots in colonies are relatively easy to suppress, but it is different when a third party joins. For example, the United States once planned in the Spanish colonies. Similar actions greatly weakened Spain's control over the Philippines and Cuba.
The same method can naturally be used by East Africa on the Netherlands. Now Teller is trying to persuade him. If he cannot get the desired result, then he cannot blame East Africa for using force next. And once East Africa uses force, then It cannot be solved by the island of Kalimantan.
(End of chapter)