Episode 32 The Storm

At two p.m. on February 24th, .

In the past 20 hours, the passengers on the ship have been listening to radio reports of the bloody events in Batavia, and with the attack on "Voice of the South Seas" and the female anchor Zhou Rumei being forced to commit suicide by jumping off the building, there is no longer a Chinese-language broadcast from the first scene. However, there are broadcasters from other countries that are based on Batavia radio stations and report to the world in many languages. In addition, there are a number of Chinese-language radio stations based outside the Dutch East Indies, and people also organize people to listen to foreign language radio stations in Batavia, which are then compiled into Chinese-language news broadcasts.

Newspapers from all over the country, especially the major newspapers in the Ming Dynasty, sent reporters to form a press corps and quickly contacted a chartered boat to Batavia to conduct on-the-spot interviews.

Several large broadcasters in Daming, mainly the "Jinling Broadcasting Company," also reported 24 hours a day, and as soon as any latest news came out, they would be urgently inserted. In the middle of the news, the radio station also rushed to invite some commentators and some leaders of civil political organizations to sit with the anchor at the microphone and analyze and comment on the spot:

“…… Why do the aborigines of Batavia Island have been bloodbathed by the Chinese again and again? I would say that this is first and foremost a hatred of the rich...... The vast majority of the local social wealth is concentrated in the hands of a small number of Chinese, while the majority of the aborigines are poor and poor...... Poverty is not terrible, but poverty combined with barbarism and the deliberate connivance of the colonial authorities is......"

“…… The indigenous people of Batavia are mostly Muslims and believe in Islam, and the spirit of Islam is extremely exclusive and narrow-minded, and Muslims are always aggressive and united in all parts of the world...... Most Chinese people believe in Buddhism and Confucianism, pay attention to benevolence, righteousness, tolerance, and even spit on their own faces, and everyone has no secret of the unity of the Chinese people...... It's not hard to imagine what it would be like for people of these two faiths to be together......"

“…… Some people say that the social wealth of Batavia Island is concentrated in the hands of the Chinese, which leads to the poverty of the local people and intensifies social conflicts...... How can this be...... Then I have to ask, why is the money concentrated in the hands of the Chinese? Why can't it be concentrated in the hands of the locals? I also have to ask rhetorically, the United States is also a place with a large number of Chinese, why is the local wealth not concentrated in the hands of the Chinese? ”

“…… Our Chinese nation is an agricultural civilization of thousands of years, and the characteristic of agricultural civilization is that if you want to eat, you must work hard. If you don't work for a day, you won't have anything to eat, you miss the solar terms, and you won't have anything to eat for a year...... This has created the characteristics of our Chinese diligence...... But the locals are not, the tropical climate, the abundance of nature, the abundant gifts of nature, and the abundance of fruits and wild things make the locals stay in the relaxed food gathering stage for a long time, pay very little, harvest a lot, and can eat a full stomach without much hard work...... The tradition of the locals is laziness, and there is no concept of being ashamed of laziness...... It was like that hundreds of years ago, and it still is like this ......"

“…… Note that the locals don't have much time to go from slash-and-burn savages to now...... Laziness, ignorance, and barbarism are still their habits...... When the Chinese got up early and worked greedily to do business, the locals stood by with their hands and belly touched, looking lazily like a smart man looking at a fool...... When the Chinese had factories, shops, and enjoyed a prosperous life, the locals couldn't stand it anymore and began to shout that the wealth of the Chinese was plundered from them...... What they will do at this time is not to work as hard as the Chinese, compete, and earn money back with their ability, but to make it simpler: steal Chinese, rob Chinese, kidnap Chinese, and even massacre and loot Chinese ...... on a large scale."

“…… Why have Chinese people been discriminated against, oppressed, and massacred in Nanyang for hundreds of years, and still emigrated in large numbers? Because Nanyang's money is so easy to make! With the same hard work, you can only barely make ends meet in Middle-earth, and when you reach the South Seas, you can quickly accumulate wealth...... A hard-working person is in the middle of a group of hard-working people, and he has to sweat several times more to get ahead...... But a hard-working man can easily excel in the midst of a group of lazy people......"

……

In the port, there are vehicles arranged by the Ming Consulate in Singapore at the wharf, and the consulate has contacted several hotels in Singapore to let the passengers on board temporarily settle down, and all the expenses will be paid by the Ming government. The passengers were disembarking in an orderly manner and were very happy to be gathered at the designated location of the pier. The high-class people in suits and leather shoes, especially the ladies and ladies who led the puppies and held the kittens, also stood quietly without complaint, and no one complained. Occasionally, there are children who make a lot of noise, and mothers are also gentle and coaxing.

Xiang Xiaoqiang and the captain stood at the window of the command cabin, looking down at all this. The captain sighed:

"We have a lot of good things about our nation. The two best are hard work and kindness. Also, very sensible, compassionate, and have a sense of justice...... They did really well today. I thought it would take a lot of trouble to persuade them to get off the ship, but now, alas, ......"

Xiang Xiaoqiang nodded in agreement.

Because this time he was going to pick up expatriates, but he was in Hong Kong, and he didn't need to go deep into the urban area of Batavia, so there should be no danger, so Xiang Xiaoqiang let Qiu Yu stay by his side. After the expatriates get on the ship, they will definitely organize people to take care of the women and children, and as Qiu Yu, she can take on this responsibility.

There is no doubt that their own guards want to be with themselves. There are also three old consultants, Xiang Xiaoqiang originally considered that they were old and wanted them to rest in a hotel in Singapore for the time being, but considering his special identity and representing the Ming Empire, he must have to deal with the Dutch colonial authorities in Batavia Port, and it is safer to have three old fritters by his side.

Alfred Krupp talked to Xiaoqiang and wanted him to stay in Singapore as well, and then take him away when the Princess Yongan brought the expatriates to Singapore. But Alfred didn't want to stay, and was very active in going to Batavia together, saying that he would personally help save lives. Xiang Xiaoqiang knew that he probably wanted to show himself in front of reporters from all over the world, to show the kindness and humanity of him, the heir of Krupp, and the Germans.

Xiang Xiaoqiang felt that Alfred Krupp was also an important figure, and appearing in Batavia together would add a lot of weight. And whether he wants to show his face or whatever, having this heart is very valuable. Xiang Xiaoqiang also let him stay on the ship.

The consulate has also contacted a team of doctors and nurses, all of whom are volunteers from several hospitals in Singapore, mostly Chinese, but also some British. They also had to board the Princess Yong'an and prepare to go to Batavia, where they would rescue the wounded directly on board.

Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at the doctors and nurses on the ship, as well as the various equipment they carried, and asked the captain:

"How many people can we transport this time?"

"The total number of passengers carried in peacetime is 735, and if it is requisitioned as a troop carrier in wartime, it can carry 6,000 soldiers......

Xiang Xiaoqiang was pleasantly surprised: "So many? ”

The captain shook his head and smiled bitterly:

"It was after the wartime modification, and all the luxurious equipment, decoration, and furniture had to be dismantled, and basically dismantled into empty cabins, and even the dining room, dance hall, and cinema were filled with marching beds, so that the capacity of 6,000 people could be reached. Now in this way, it can hold up to 2,000 people. ”

In other words, the "fine decoration" must be dismantled into a "rough house". But 2,000 is not a lot. If there are a few more such ships, the number of evacuated expatriates will be considerable.

On the wharf of Singapore Port, a large number of local Chinese have gathered. Many of them are people in suits and leather shoes, and there are many ladies, wearing shirts and long skirts and parasols, and they look like Chinese in high society. There are more Chinese students, clerks, and workers, and there are more and more people, and there are more than 2,000 people at this moment. Even so, he waited quietly, looking at the boat. The surrounding British policemen wore helmets and clutched batons at their waists, staring nervously.

They saw that the passengers on the ship had finished getting off and had already begun to join the medical team, and the crowd gradually became noisy, asking each other questions and talking. A student suddenly took the lead and shouted:

"We want to see General Xiang!"

Suddenly, like a volcanic eruption, hundreds of students shouted in unison: "We want to see the general!" We're going to see the general! ……”

The slogan quickly spread throughout the wharf, and more than 2,000 Chinese, regardless of their status, were shouting:

"We want to see the general! We're going to see the general! ……”

The surrounding British police officers were nervous, blowing whistles and increasing police presence. But the sound of the whistle was simply drowned out by the shouting. They clenched their batons at their waists and stared at the crowd as if they were facing a great enemy. In normal times, such a large-scale Chinese gathering, they would have dispersed a long time ago, but today it seems that they can't.

In the middle of the crowd was a black sedan with a diplomatic license plate and a small Ming Empire flag on the front of the car. A forty-year-old man in a suit, with his elbow against the door, also stared anxiously at the ramp of the cruise ship.

This is the Consul General of Daming in Singapore. He came to greet Xiang Xiaoqiang, the minister of his country. With the presence of the Consul General, the British colonial authorities could not treat it as an ordinary political rally.

Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at the scene below from the porthole, and his heart was a little bottomless. It stands to reason that he is on his honeymoon and has no intention of staying in Singapore, so he can not show up. But now that he has been named a messenger by the empress and has full authority to deal with the evacuation of overseas Chinese on behalf of the Ming Dynasty, it seems inappropriate not to show up on this occasion.

He looked at the almost fanatical crowd below, and suddenly understood what a great opportunity this was. At this moment, the Chinese compatriots in the East Indies are being slaughtered, and the anti-Qing heroes of the Chinese homeland have come to Singapore......

Xiang Xiaoqiang's heart moved and decided to take advantage of this opportunity. Whatever you can accomplish, at least go out and say a few words.

I, Xiang Xiaoqiang, want to use my own name to inject a shot of strength for the Chinese in Singapore and the whole of Nanyang.

Xiang Xiaoqiang reorganized his appearance: a tropical explorer-style shirt, shorts, big scalp shoes, a wide-brimmed yang hat, dark and strong arms, and a strong neck...... What else is missing.

He asked the captain for a cigarette, lit it, and held it to his lips. …… Yes, very ruffian, very wild, very awesome.

-- Xiang Xiaoqiang, commander of the People's Guard of the Ming Empire, general, and anti-Qing hero on vacation.

Xiang Xiaoqiang pushed open the hatch under the captain's surprised gaze and went down the gangway.

As soon as Xiang Xiaoqiang appeared on the deck, the dock suddenly boiled, and more than 2,000 people cheered feverishly, and soon shouted wave after wave:

"Xiang Xiaoqiang! Xiang Xiaoqiang! Xiang Xiaoqiang! ……”

Xiang Xiaoqiang stood on the deck, leaning on the railing and beckoning downward, with a serious and cold expression.

The more than 2,000 Chinese below cheered and shouted like crazy.

Xiang Xiaoqiang raised a hand, and the scene quickly fell silent.

He took a full breath and shouted with all his strength:

"Compatriots - !!"

Although they haven't said anything yet, it was these three words that made the scene frenzied again, and many students cried on the spot.

……

At this moment, the streets of Nanjing are also boiling, and after the New Year's coup, the largest parade began.

This time, not only the students participated, but also many more citizens. The citizens of Nanjing have just experienced a battle to defend themselves, and the national mood and patriotic enthusiasm are unprecedentedly high, and at this moment the traffic in Nanjing has been completely paralyzed, and the whole city has fallen into a sea of slogans and banners.

In any place and in any building in Nanjing, you can clearly hear the earth-shattering slogans outside.

The Dutch embassy was already blocked, and the police of the Ministry of the Interior could no longer protect the Dutch embassy, so the 14th grid sent two companies of People's Guard soldiers to protect the Dutch embassy, forming a blockade with deer wood and even barbed wire, and more than 200 soldiers formed a human wall to block the angry people with their bodies.

But even then, the Dutch embassy was miserable enough. Stones and bricks smashed all the glass, and bloody dead cats, dead dogs, and dead rats were thrown into the fence from time to time. Every time one was thrown in, there was a thunderous roar outside.

One of the walls of the main embassy building was still blackened and smoking. It was hit by a Molotov cocktail and had just been extinguished.

At the main entrance of the embassy, the Dutch flag was being lit and burned.

Countless slogans with blood-red red lacquer in large characters:

"Blood debt and blood payment!"

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!"

"Arson and murder are intolerable!"

"The Royal Dutch Cannibal Tribe!"

There is also a slogan that is even more thunderous:

"The tiger is not powerful, when I am a sick cat!"

A portrait of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands has been transformed into a cannibal with a blue face and fangs. A bespectacled college student is pointing to the portrait and shouting desperately:

"Batavia Island is raw, and the Netherlands is even more raw!"

……

If the Dutch embassy is the worst, then the second is the official residence of the first and auxiliary ministers. At the moment, this place is also blocked.

Shen Rongxuan was convening several core ministers to convene an emergency meeting.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Shen Rongxuan's face was gloomy, and he looked around the table and said quietly, "We must make a decision before tonight. …… Xiang Xiaoqiang is now giving a speech at the port of Singapore and has said a lot of irresponsible things. Now the local Chinese are almost crazy about him. …… I'm going to give a speech on the radio at 8 p.m. to tell the people about our decision. Before that, I'd like to hear your opinions. ”

Then, he added meaningfully:

"Everyone understands that this time is so different from the one in 1912."