On the aft deck of the bridge

Dealing with the Dutch captain with hypocrisy, Colonel George came back with a red wine glass, saluted Colonel Joe Howard's polite chin, and then said with a smile;

"Huh...... It's a ...... that these poor Dutchmen, battered by the harsh realities that I think they will be stuck in self-doubt for a long time Happy results! ”

"Hey, George, don't forget the gentlemanly manners, the Dutch pay for their arrogance, this is a hard lesson, we should release enough compassion." When Colonel Joe Howard said this, he couldn't help but smile a little, and said in a sighy tone;

"I really can't imagine that the Netherlands, which was able to compete with the British Royal Navy for dominating the sea more than a hundred years ago, has now fallen to this point, being severely taught a lesson by the aristocratic lord army of a colony, and being beaten in doubtful life, I doubt that today is April Fool's Day?"

"Allow me to interject, my lord, that the officers in the army of this noble lord were carefully trained by the Manchester Naval Academy, England, and the warships were built by the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and of course, they also have German artillery, which seems to be quite powerful." The pride on Major Spencer's face was hard to hide.

"Huh...... Spencer, brilliantly speaking, is indeed a masterpiece of education and industry in the British Empire. Colonel Joe Howard replied with a smile.

His deep gaze was cast into the distance, where the Queensland fleet departed; "We cannot deny the courage and fearless sacrifice shown by both sides in battle, which is a noble quality that every strong navy must have, and I have seen in them, as an old naval power, the glory of the past still remains in the Dutch, it is not surprising that it can be so performed, it is interesting to ...... I saw this on the Queensland fleet as well, and the sacrifice that followed on was impressive. ”

Speaking of which

Joe Howard paused, looked at the officers in front of him and asked; "What do you think about this?"

"Your Excellency, I still insist on my own opinion, as a colonial subject, these Chinese shine under the glory of Her Majesty the Queen, receive the traditional British naval education, inherit the noble qualities of the Royal Navy, and control the high-quality warships produced by British shipyards, I can only say congratulations to them, these Chinese have learned well." Major Spencer's reply was met with approval.

"Very well said, I agree with the Major."

"I now have great sympathy for the poor Dutchman, who have been defeated by the Manchester Naval Academy, and I have considered sending my nephew to this school for further study, hoping that he will be equally good."

"Seconded, there is no doubt about it."

"Maybe we should raise the tuition fees, or limit some students from the lower ethnic groups, after all, the valuable experience of the Imperial Navy is not so cheap, and it needs to be maintained in a proper way."

"Hell, that's not the topic of the day, I'd love to see the colonial army kick the Dutch in the ass and preserve the glory of the Empire, and at that point, the Queenslanders are doing a good job, they are good students indeed."

The officers unanimously agreed with Major Spencer's point of view, and the atmosphere of the buffet showed unseemly joy, which further reflected the loneliness of the Dutch captain, and the bloody wounds were revealed, and they could only lick the bruises all over their bodies.

In front of the absolute strong, the weak have no right to speak.

After more than a century of maritime supremacy, the Royal Navy of the British Empire was in the heyday of Queen Victoria, and this arrogance and pride that was integrated into the marrow of the people of the empire also existed in the Royal Navy, and it was more serious.

"This war should never have happened, and there was much controversy in the London upper class, and Lord Victor reminded Downing Street several times that the rights and interests of Shangri-La Island, which belonged to the Earl of Queensland, which had been recognized by the Colonial Department, should be properly protected, and Mr. Earl of Queensland also made a formal written request for the intervention of the Royal Navy Task Force in the East Indies, which was regrettable...... All this was ignored. ”

These secrets, which circulated in London's top circles, were merely after-dinner conversations for Colonel Joe Howard, who was born into the family of the Duke of Norfolk.

He didn't mind sharing it with his fellow Royal Navy colleagues, highlighting the superiority of the children of the top nobles.

"Oh, poor Earl of Queensland, he has been abandoned by London."

"This battle has proven the Earl's determination and ability to defend his rights, and I am optimistic that it will be successful."

"Maybe he can solve the problem himself, the Royal Navy is not obliged to help the noble lord solve the trouble, especially since he is only a colonial earl, and he is not a true Englishman."

"The Earl of Queensland has been impressive, it's time to sit down and talk."

The officers were full of arguments, and their words reflected the prevailing opinion in London that it was an innocuous dispute, albeit a more tragic one, that still belonged to the conflict between the Dutch crown and the British colonial aristocracy.

The colonies of the British Empire are all over the world, and Queen Victoria has too many princely kings and colonial nobles, where have the countless contradictions been resolved?

The Earl of Queensland, as an Australian nobleman, is a Chinese, who is ostracized by the London high society from the bottom of his bones, and cannot really fit into it, and has never been recognized as his own.

If a real English nobleman was bullied by the Dutch royal family, I am afraid that the people in society would have been excited, rolled up their arms and prepared to go together.

On the other hand, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom share the same culture, the same religion, and are also English-speaking countries, so they are inextricably linked.

The two countries once shared a monarch, royal marriages and people-to-people exchanges were frequent, and many of Britain's policies in Europe required the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, and Switzerland to wave their flags behind them and make a strong noise.

As a result, a group of Royal Navy officers were able to view the territorial dispute as spectators.

This has nothing to do with discrimination, and it is impossible for a high-nosed and deep-eyed white official to appear in the Qing court to truly accept it as his own.

If you can't do it yourself, why force others to accept it?

"Gentlemen, your words reflect the controversy of the upper class of London, and the opinion of Lord Duke Victor has been refuted by several Lord Dukes, and the Imperial Admiralty is equally reluctant to meddle in this matter."

Speaking of which

Joe Howard spread his hands helplessly, he enjoyed the gaze, looked around at the crowd and continued; "London is optimistic about the Earl of Queensland's efforts to defend its own interests, and will intervene in due course to mediate between the two sides, but not now, I think the best time is for one of the parties to take the initiative to make a request, such as the Dutch, don't you wonder where the cruiser Seven Provinces went?"

Where did the cruiser Seven Provinces go?

This problem is the lice on the head of the bald head, and it is not clear yet!

It must be going to Shangri-La Island, as for finding an opportunity to destroy the enemy, or escorting and landing, it is not in the Strait of Malacca anyway.

No matter what the British officers speculated, the Dutch captain would not have said it anyway to satisfy their curiosity, this was a very high-level military secret, and if it was leaked, it would go to court-martial.

Strait of Malacca

The Taishan fast freighter rendezvoused with the fleet and was transporting wounded officers and men at sea, and sent doctors to treat the lightly wounded officers and men, and dispatched workers to urgently repair the damaged pipelines and equipment of the warship, in an effort to restore part of its combat effectiveness.

Due to the limited conditions, only some simple repair work can be done.

He Fang's head was wrapped in a snow-white bandage, and the red and black blood stains seeped out, with a hint of post-war tragedy.

His face was a little pale, but his eyes were still firm, and he stood quietly on the deck of the Taishan ship with a solemn expression with a group of officers, saying his final goodbye to the sacrificed officers and soldiers.

In accordance with traditional naval etiquette

The 51 corpses were neatly placed on the deck, and the young officers and men closed their eyes tightly, bidding farewell to their beloved warships and brothers, their hometowns, relatives and friends, and spilling their blood into the sea.

Every officer and soldier who attended the farewell ceremony was more or less wounded, and they would spend the long night with their comrades here, and when the dawn came, they would personally send their partners on their last journey.

Footsteps rang out behind him

He Fang turned his head to see that six crew members were carrying three seriously injured officers and soldiers over, their steps heavy and tired.

In a solemn atmosphere, He Fang ordered loudly; "Salute and see off the martyrs."

The sound of a tragic and desolate trumpet sounded, lingering in the air.

Dozens of officers and men saluted in unison, watching their comrades-in-arms who had been with each other day and night leave, becoming part of the neat arrangement on the deck, and the number of officers and men killed rose to 54.

Many officers and soldiers couldn't help but have red eyes, warm tears crawled all over their cheeks, and the deep sorrow of parting tightly grasped their hearts, and they were reluctant to let their good brothers leave.

"Finished."

He Fang put down his hand, turned his head to look at the group of officers and soldiers shrouded in sadness and said;

"Brothers, no one has died since ancient times, but their sacrifice is worth it, these sacrificial brothers used their lives to forge a brilliant victory for the fleet, broke the blockade of the rampant Dutch, won a place for the Chinese in this vast sea frontier, won due respect, won dignity and honor, and won the eternal memory of the people.

It was the officers and men of the fleet, including you and me, who sacrificed their lives and forgot to die, wrote a chapter of victory in the Strait of Malacca with guns and cannons, lived up to the painstaking training of the Earl, lived up to the deep expectations of the compatriots, and proved that the wings protect the sea frontier for thousands of miles, and who else can I be! ”

"Wings protect thousands of miles of sea frontiers, who else can I be!" The officers and men shouted in unison, and the loud oath reverberated in the sky over the Strait of Malacca for a long time.

At this moment, a sense of sacred mission arose in the hearts of every officer and soldier, and the indomitable spirit of sacrifice was deeply integrated into the genes of this rising fleet and engraved in the blood.

"Now, you can say your final goodbyes to the fallen soldiers." He Fang announced in a low tone, and then couldn't help but burst into tears.