PS: The first update has arrived! Ask for subscriptions, monthly passes, and referral tickets! Thank you for the commuter pass of Start A! Thank you for the evaluation votes of the book friends!

"Your Majesty! The Spaniards are already on their way, are we going to clash with the Dutch at this time? Logistics Minister Zhao Yi said with a frown. Spain and the Netherlands, although they are only second-rate powers in Europe, are enough to throw off several streets of Xinhua in terms of population and industrial strength. If it weren't for relying on the advantage of weapons to wait for work, Xinhua would really be choking if it wanted to defeat such a powerful country. In Zhao Yi's view, it is undoubtedly very unwise to offend two European powers at one time.

"Uncle Zhao, I don't mean to go to war with the Dutch right away! It's just that I want to prepare for the future invasion of Borneo! Borneo is the largest island in the entire South Sea. To the north of Borneo is the Sultanate of Brunei, and to the west is the country of Lan Phong. The Dutch are fighting with the country of Lanfang for West Borneo. As for the southern part of Borneo, it was in the hands of the Dutch. The eastern part of Borneo, with the exception of the north-east, is dominated by the Malay sultanates, and the power of the Dayaks and natives! The 4th Brigade is now initially forming its fighting capacity and can begin to expand into other parts of eastern Borneo. Once we've dealt with the Spaniards, we'll start fighting the Dutch for control of Borneo! Long Yufei said. He is not yet arrogant enough to offend two Western powers at the same time. However, he believes that the Dutch must be in the same mindset. The Dutch wanted to see the new Chinese and the Spaniards merged, and it was better for the new Chinese to be extinguished. In this way, they can sit back and annex Borneo with peace of mind. Until then, the Dutch will try their best to avoid a direct conflict with Xinhua.

"If there is no all-out war with the Dutch. With the combat power of the 4th Brigade, it should be enough! Niu Meng, chief of the General Staff and commander of the First Brigade of the Xinhua Army, also said. The Dutch had more than 20,000 troops in the South Seas, as well as a sizable navy. Even the strength of the British in the South Seas was not comparable to them. Of course, the British deployed a large army in India, which was close at hand, and could send reinforcements to the South Seas at any time.

"Hmmm! In that case, then give the order to the 4th brigade! Other than that. Let the Second Fleet of the Navy also pass the Strait of Makassar through the Strait of Makassar and enter the Sea of Java to test the Dutch. Long Yufei said. Now the three major fleets of the Xinhua Navy. The Third Fleet is still being formed, and the First Fleet is to defend Manila. The Second Fleet is deployed near Mindanao. After the Third Fleet is commissioned, the strength of the Xinhua Navy will be even stronger. Long Yufei's preparations for the design of the new warship have also begun. For some time, he had been working on the steam engine on board. Up to now. Breakthroughs have been made. After dealing with the Spanish retaliation this time, maybe it will be able to put it into practice. When the time comes, the ironclad ship powered by the steam engine and covered in iron armor will make the entire world tremble!

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Niu Meng nodded. This time, the main force against the Spaniards will be the navy. If the navy could defeat the Spaniards at sea, then. The Spaniards should not want to endanger Xinhua. Just in case, of course. Of the Army's six brigades, four are grouped in Luzon. Once the Spaniards were really capable of landing, these troops would be enough to keep them coming and going!

Sandakan, Semporna, Tawau and Lahad Datu in northeastern Borneo were the important cities of the former Sulu Sultanate in Borneo. It's just that after the Sultanate of Sulu was destroyed by the Xinhua State, it has become the territory of the Xinhua State. Hundreds of thousands of Sulu people living here were either killed or fled for rebelling against the rule of the Xinhua Army. The rest of the people were all reduced to slaves in the Xinhua Kingdom. Under the management of the Chinese overseers, they are engaged in production labor.

Originally, there were only about 20,000 Chinese in the Sultanate of Sulu. As the power of the new Chinese kingdom was revealed, the Chinese from other parts of Borneo migrated here one after another. So far, the number of Chinese living in the territory of Borneo has increased to nearly 50,000. After these Chinese joined Xinhuaguo, they were not only allocated land, but also houses and other production tools provided by Xinhuaguo for free. Those who have a little savings can also buy slaves from Xinhua at a low price. Some Chinese with modest assets have lived the life of landlords here. This also makes Xinhua a paradise in the minds of the majority of Chinese people in Nanyang. When the merchant ships of Xinhua Kingdom were trading with foreign countries, they would often bring back some Chinese who wanted to settle in Xinhua along the way. Of course, the Xinhua government will not treat these businessmen badly, and every time they bring back a Chinese, their taxes will be reduced. It is also very advantageous for these businessmen.

The center of New China's rule in East Borneo is Sandakan, and there is a mayor appointed by New China to handle the affairs of the land. The mayor of Sandakan is named Li Ruiping, who is in his Chinese New Year's Eve and is the son of the Li family in Zamboanga. He was quite capable as the deputy mayor of Zamboanga before, and this time he was appointed as the mayor of Sandakan. The other two deputy mayors of Sandakan are local Chinese. If the rule of the new Chinese is to be stable, it cannot do without the support of the local Chinese. Although, this will inevitably lead to some phenomena of abuse of power for personal gain. But as long as it's not too excessive, it's understandable. After all, when the water is clear, there are no fish, and when people are observed, there are no fugitives! It's so difficult to find a saint who is dedicated to the common good!

The troops stationed in East Borneo are mainly the 4th Brigade of the Xinhua Army, with more than 6,000 people, 6 infantry battalions and 1 artillery battalion, plus the brigade headquarters. Most of the soldiers in this brigade are from the local Chinese in Borneo. After the establishment of the unit, after more than half a year of training, it has initially formed its combat effectiveness. During this time, they also practiced the resistance of the Moros against the forces, and occasionally launched attacks on the Malays or Dayaks. It's just that before getting Long Yufei's order, the scale of the battle was relatively small!

On January 27, 1838, an order from Manila excited the 4th Brigade of the Xinhua Army stationed in East Borneo. King Long Yufei issued an order for the 4th Brigade to attack westward and expand the territory of Xinhua from now on. However, if you encounter a Dutchman, try to exercise restraint. If the Dutch take the initiative to provoke the incident, the 4th Brigade can counterattack with all its might!

At the same time, the Second Fleet of the Xinhua Navy was also ordered. Fleet Commander Lu Haipeng began to send warships through the Celebes Sea through the Makassar Strait and into the Java Sea, the heart of the Dutch. Test the Dutch!

"Deputy Brigade Commander Liu, Your Majesty has ordered us to start advancing westward! You immediately organize your troops, leaving two infantry battalions to guard the Bruneians in the west, and the remaining 4 infantry battalions and artillery battalions, and start attacking south! I'll go to Mayor Li to discuss logistics and supplies! Lu Ming, commander of the 4th Brigade, ordered.

"Yes, Brigadier General!"

Soon, the entire 4th Brigade of the Xinhua Army was mobilized. After the soldiers had completed their assembly, they began to move towards the intended target. After Lu Ming found the mayor of Sandakan City, Li Ruiping, he asked him to form a transport team to transport logistics materials for the 4th Brigade. Li Ruiping immediately assured that the transport team would be formed within three days, and the operation of the 4th Brigade would not be delayed!

Borneo's roads are poor, and with the strength of the 4th Brigade alone, if you have to fight and transport strategic supplies on your own, your combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced. With local support, the 4th Brigade was able to put more troops into operation.

On January 29, the 2nd Infantry Battalion of the 4th Brigade of the Xinhua Army set out from Tawau and took the lead in the vast forests of Borneo. Several subsequent infantry battalions followed. The artillery battalion fell behind the road because of the road. In fact, as long as the Dutch were not encountered, there was basically no need for the artillery battalion to take with them. It's just that, just in case, Lu Ming still decided to bring the artillery battalion!

The dispatch of the Xinhua army immediately stirred up the situation in Borneo. The forces bordering Xinhua, with the exception of the Sultanate of Brunei, are some relatively weak forces. Some Malay sultanates, non-Islamic Dayaks, and some indigenous tribes. These natives are divided into raw and cooked. The people of Borneo are basically less civilized and live a life of drinking blood. It's just that these people basically live in the depths of the jungle and have little contact with the outside world. As for the ripe fan, it is an indigenous person with a certain civilization.

For the Xinhua Army, neither the Malays, nor the Dayaks nor the Bumiputera were their opponents. Wherever the armies passed, there were no chickens and dogs, and all the nations were destroyed. Those who dared to resist were all killed. Those who surrendered were sent back as slaves. The land in Nanyang is fertile, and these natives don't know how to make good use of it, and it is a complete waste to put it in their hands. Although the population of Xinhua is still small, it is not yet able to make full use of these lands. But one day, the Xinhua Congress will emigrate to these fertile lands.

Long Yufei, the king of Xinhua, repeatedly preached to the military and political officials of Xinhuaguo that the ultimate goal of Xinhuaguo was to overthrow the Manchu Qing Dynasty and establish a world-wide power. In China, there are more than 300 million and nearly 400 million people! With so many people, if you move out a little casually, you can fill the entire South Seas. Therefore, there is no need for any other race to stay, except for the Chinese!

The large-scale attack of the Xinhua army made the situation in the whole Borneo unstable, and also aroused the vigilance of another overlord of Borneo, the Dutch! (To be continued......)