Episode 36 Great Power Diplomacy

After handing over the ultimatum to Xiaoqiang, he bowed slightly, and then announced solemnly:

"Your Excellency, now that Benchincha's mission has been completed, it is now up to our two governments, where I will be a witness to the events. …… Or, Your Excellency the Governor, we are all fortunate to be witnesses to this momentous historical event. ”

The governor looked at him dumbfounded, then at the ultimatum in his hand, and then at Xiang Xiaoqiang, as if he still hadn't reacted to what he was holding in his hand. He didn't understand that he was sleeping an hour ago, and an hour later, a document containing the threat of war was handed to him.

Xiang Xiaoqiang and his entourage took the car of the Governor's Palace and came to the Ming Consulate in Batavia. It was already dawn, and many of the extremely excited thugs who had been stimulated by the darkness were sleepy at this time and withdrew from the killing fields. However, as the day wore on, more locals began to jump in on the violence.

Two Dutch soldiers and four local policemen stood guard at the entrance of the consulate. Local thugs passed by in droves in front of the consulate, apparently not interested in attacking the military-police-guarded area. Their targets are the unprotected Chinese, their wives and daughters, and their property.

The consulate was crowded with Chinese who had taken refuge. The courtyard, the corridor, and the stairs were full of people. Most of them are women, and they can hear the cries of children at any time.

These were lucky people who either lived nearby or reacted quickly enough to rush into the consulate with their families in the first place of the riots. Now that the whole of Batavia is a place where wild beasts run rampant, for them, this small consulate is Noah's Ark.

Another time and space, the Nanjing International Security Zone in 1937, probably looked like this......

The consular secretary hurriedly greeted him. Xiang Xiaoqiang asked:

"Don't you have any news from the consul's family?"

"No! No news since yesterday! Fear...... Fierce and auspicious are less ......"

Xiang Xiaoqiang frowned and said, "Didn't you say that you went to school to pick up the consul's daughter?" He already knew that there was unrest in the city, and he went there himself? Does the consulate have no local staff? You should let the locals pick it up! ”

The secretary said with a sad face: "Lord Xiang, I asked the driver to pick it up at the beginning, and the driver is a local...... But he came back and said that there was chaos in the school,...... The heads of several Chinese elementary school students were placed at the school gate...... But the consul's daughter could not be found. Mr. Consul was in a hurry, so he went to find it himself. We all advised him not to go out, he said he was a diplomat and no one dared to touch him......"

Xiang Xiaoqiang scolded fiercely: "Damn,! Everyone is red-eyed, who cares what kind of official you are...... I'm still a big Mingqincha, and I don't dare to go on the street like this now! …… What about the consul's wife? ”

The secretary had a wry smile on his face:

"Alas...... She also went out...... She's going crazy, she must go out and find ...... In addition, several local employees in our museum urged her to go out to look for her, and said that they would take her to find her to ensure her safety...... How can our two secretaries stop it...... None of them came back. ”

"Hmph," Xiang Xiaoqiang sneered, "Even the local employees in the consulate have problems......

"yes, we can see it! But Madame, she was already dizzy...... When the city started to make trouble yesterday, it was clear that the local employees here couldn't sit still and were always trying to find an excuse to run out...... It's a runaway......"

"And a consul's wife. Hum. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang sneered fiercely, waved his hand and said:

"Take us to the consular office and open the safe."

The consular secretary was stunned: "My lord? ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang said: "Immediately pack up all the confidential documents, take away all the ones you need to bring, and burn the rest." You two come with us, too. ”

The secretary was dumbfounded:

"Your Excellency...... Could it be...... Already......? ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang patted him, and while letting him lead the way, he said:

"I have just given an ultimatum to the Dutch government at the Governor's Palace, that if the riots do not subside at eight o'clock, all diplomatic relations will be severed, and war will be fought at nine o'clock. …… I told the Governor that we would wait at the consulate, and the ghosts would wait here, and that we would go back to the Princess Yong'an and build our consulate there. ”

When the secretary heard the news, he couldn't believe it, he never expected Daming to be so tough this time. Having stayed in Batavia for a long time, feeling the pervasive hostility every day, they had already held back their anger, and when they heard the news, a burst of excitement spread throughout their bodies.

However, he suddenly asked in a low voice: "My lord, we are leaving, what about the expatriates in the consulate?" ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang licked his lips, patted him on the back and said, "Don't worry. The authorities will escort it. ”

The secretary looked at him with worry and distrust in his eyes. Hundreds of expatriates have taken refuge here, and there are no feet left in the courtyard or in the building. There are only six military police guarding the gate, and four of them are local policemen. The distance from here to the port, not to mention whether these people can protect hundreds of expatriates, first of all, whether they are willing to escort is a question.

Coming to the consular office, the two secretaries and Xiang Xiaoqiang's three old advisers immediately began to sort out the documents, quickly sifting out those that could be taken away, and throwing stacks of documents that were not necessary to take away on the ground.

The key to the safe is only available to the consul, and the secretary cannot open it. Xiang Xiaoqiang asked the guards to open the lock with a gun. The lock of the safe was really not covered, and the twenty-round box gun emptied the two magazines, and the sledgehammer smashed it to open the safe. The codebook and documents inside were also taken out and taken away.

The two secretaries carried the pile of papers to the toilet and began to light a fire.

For a while, there was a fire in the toilet, black smoke and a large amount of paper ash flew out of the window with the heat wave, and the fire attracted strong winds, and the raging flames also escaped out of the window, licking the brick wall outside.

The people of the Dutch Governor's Palace were shocked when they saw the flames and paper ashes below, and immediately thought that the documents were burning in the museum. They immediately ran up to ask, and generously admitted to Xiao Qiang that they were burning documents.

"It's just a matter of taking a little precaution in advance," Xiang Xiaoqiang said with a smile, "but I'm sure we won't really fight." You see, it's only six o'clock, and there's still three hours left, so there's so much time...... The Governor, and a devout Christian, will definitely protect the diaspora, haha. ”

The Governor's Mansion personnel smiled dryly with pale faces, withdrew, and immediately sent someone to report to the Governor.

According to common sense, once the other side's embassy and consulate start burning documents, it will basically be a real war.

……

Ten minutes later, the documents were almost burned, and Xiang Xiaoqiang was leading someone to conduct a final search of the consulate to make sure that nothing important was missed. At this time, the consular secretary came running over and said:

"Your Excellency, the Governor's phone is on Line 1, please go and answer it."

Xiang Xiaoqiang is inspecting the consul couple's room. He held a family photo frame from the consul on the table and silently looked at the consul's family.

The consul looked to be in his thirties, well-mannered, and had a very gentle smile, not at all like a shrewd diplomat, but like a traditional scholar. His wife was of an elegant temperament and good looks, and happily snuggled up to him. Their daughter, who was only a teenager, was holding the bear cub and being hugged by her parents, smiling happily.

Xiang Xiaoqiang didn't look back and said, "Got it, let him wait." ”

He slowly lowered the frame, clapped his hands, and looked around the room. The room layout is basically Chinese, Ming-style furniture, calligraphy and paintings are hung on the wall, and flowers are planted by the window, which is warm and elegant. Xiang Xiaoqiang's fingers slowly brushed on the desk, still spotless.

…… She must be a very neat hostess......

It's still such a living room, but the owners of the room never come back......

"Don't worry," Xiang Xiaoqiang took one last look at the family photo when he went out, and sighed lightly, "I'll avenge you." ”

……

On the phone, the voice of the Governor's interpreter wept:

"Your Excellency, the Governor has already sent people to quell the riot, but the police are insufficient, and Batavia is so big, more than two hours is definitely not enough! Lord Chincha, can you give another two hours? ”

An incomparable pleasure rose in Xiaoqiang's heart. This was the first pleasure in two days since hearing about the anti-Chinese riots. They're feeling stressed. There is no doubt that the Dutch government must have blown up the pot as well, and they must have forced the governor to quell the riots. Once the war began, he, the governor, would surely be miserable. It is certain that he will be transferred back to China, and it is estimated that he will be imprisoned.

Moreover, documents are being burned here. What this means, the Governor also knows.

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and said:

"Please tell Your Excellency the Governor that there is nothing Benchincha can do. The timetable on the ultimatum has been set by our Government, so it would be more appropriate for your country to ask our Government for forgiveness through diplomatic means.

The translator repeated it over the phone, and after a while, he said to Xiang Xiaoqiang:

"Lord Chincha, our purpose is to protect your country's expatriate, and no one wants to see a war happen. Lord Xiang is your country's minister and your country's most qualified observer in Batavia...... What is the situation in Batavia, and what you say your government will believe...... If...... Possible...... In case of...... At nine o'clock, if the situation here is not so ideal, if Lord Chincha can report to your country, he can ...... a little Slightly ......"

Xiang Xiaoqiang had already understood, they thought that if the riot had not subsided at nine o'clock, they would ask themselves to say that it had subsided and avoid war. There is no clear line between the fact that this kind of riot has been put down and when it has not.

They've gotten to this point where they're already begging to release the water themselves. Xiang Xiaoqiang felt the pleasure in his heart getting stronger and stronger.

However, there are no doors.

"I'll tell you, listen," Xiang Xiaoqiang said categorically, "at nine o'clock, if there is a native, there is a Chinese in the city who is not honest, and even if there is a Chinese slap in the face, war will break out as scheduled." …… By the way, tell you the Governor, there are only two people who can help him now, and let him go and ask those two people well. ”

The Governor's interpreter asked in a trembling voice, "May I ask what it is...... Which two? ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled cruelly:

"The first is God, and the second is himself."

"Your Excellency!" The interpreter couldn't stand it anymore and shouted, "No government can completely quell a riot of this magnitude in two hours!" ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang said lightly:

"It can't be calmed down, can it? After nine o'clock, I'll help you calm down. ”

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment, and he hurriedly hung up after a few words of gibberish.

……

Then, Xiang Xiaoqiang found officials from the Governor's Mansion and asked them to send military police to escort him and the hundreds of expatriates in the consulate to the docks.

Xiang Xiaoqiangyuan also thought about letting these expatriates stay here, and if it was resolved peacefully, then their safety would definitely be fully guaranteed. Now that the Dutch authorities have been frightened into doing so, even if they and the consulate staff leave, they will definitely do their part to protect these expatriates. But the possibility of a declaration of war after nine o'clock is very high, and once the two countries are at war, there is no doubt that the situation of the Chinese in Batavia will be even more miserable. Even inside the consulate, there will be no exception.

Therefore, Xiang Xiaoqiang decided to bring them to the port even if he said anything.

Hearing Xiang Xiaoqiang's request, the Dutch official's eyes widened:

"Your Excellency! Now that all the police forces have been put into quelling the riots, how can they still spare the strength to escort so many people! ”

"I don't care about this," Xiang Xiaoqiang found that this sentence had almost become his mantra, "It is your responsibility to suppress the riot, and it is also your responsibility to escort us to the docks." Whichever side can't do it, we'll all declare war on you. If I can't muster the police, I will take the expatriates myself and go to the docks. ”

Then he took the officer by the shoulder, pressed it to his ear and whispered:

"Now, in my personal capacity, I would like to make a few requests to Mr. Governor, which I hope you will convey."

"Yes...... Please speak. ”

"First, even if war is declared after nine o'clock," Xiang Xiaoqiang whispered between his teeth, "until we occupy Batavia, your police will have to protect the Chinese in the city...... Otherwise, when we take the city, I promise you won't find a single local-alive...... You must know that our elite People's Guards have just finished the battle to defend Nanjing, and they have rich experience in urban warfare, and we will be the first to attack the city...... Compared with the tragic Battle of Nanjing and the Battle of Pukou Annihilation, Batavia is just a kindergarten...... Don't think for a second that I'm going to take any international convention in my eyes...... When the time comes, no, from now on, the entire indigenous life of Batavia will be in my hands...... I'm not going to bother finding out who participated in the massacre and who didn't. We would drive all the locals into the sea like garbage and let them feed the sharks. …… What happened to the North American Indians back then, what will happen to the indigenous people of the East Indies today...... If you can't guarantee the safety of the Chinese, we'll do it ourselves. And we're doing it more thoroughly. …… Did you hear me? ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang pinched the back of his neck and shook it twice, and asked with a smile.

The Dutch official, whose face was as white as paper, looked at him like a devil. It took two shakes to wake up and a mechanical nod.

"Can you learn from your Governor?"

He nodded mechanically again.

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled: "Go to your governor and ask him to arrange an escort for us." ”

Half an hour later, several military trucks stopped outside the consulate, and dozens of Dutch soldiers with loaded guns jumped down quickly, and quickly reported the number in two columns at the entrance of the consulate.

At seven o'clock, Xiang Xiaoqiang, with the consulate staff and hundreds of expatriates, slowly left the consulate and marched to the dock under the escort of Dutch soldiers.

The atmosphere in the city is no longer the same as when Xiang Xiaoqiang came. Everywhere there was gunfire, and the locals howled and ran as fast as they could.

"Smack!!

A gunshot rang out, and a man fell at Xiang Xiaoqiang's feet, bleeding from the back. In the distance, a policeman remained in a shooting position, the barrel of his gun still smoking.

The difference is that this time it was not a Chinese who fell, but a local. He also held a long, bloody knife in his hand.