April 1899

The imperial capital is Chang'an

Daming Palace, inside the Qinzheng Palace

After listening to the report of Liu Daqing, the minister of the colonial department, Emperor Richard raised his eyebrows and couldn't help laughing, saying;

"Did I hear it wrong, or did the Dutch not wake up?

Who gave them such courage and confidence to withdraw the Imperial troops from the occupied territories as a precondition for armistice negotiations?

If the Germans want to preside over the peace mediation, and if they want to intervene in the situation in the East Indies, you can reply directly to Wilhelm II;

The Tang Empire believed that Germany was not the right person to preside over the peace talks, and could politely decline without provoking this madman too much.

Political considerations between countries should not be a child's play, but should be cautious and important in considering the impact on international politics, economy and trade.

The demands of the Dutch can be rejected directly and forcefully.

The Imperial Royal Task Force in the East Indies has also been idle for so long, it's time to come out and do something.

Tell me the will;

The Royal Task Force was ordered to carry out a new round of strikes against the Dutch forces entrenched mainly on the island of Java, including but not limited to ports and trading merchant ships, and to strengthen a complete blockade of the island to prevent the exchange of merchant ships from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and other countries.

Violators will be arrested and sunk depending on the circumstances.

Give them three points of color, and these Europeans will kick their noses in the face, and it's time for them to remember it for a long time. ”

"Wechen obeys the holy decree." Imperial Prime Minister Pan Shouguo replied with a respectful expression.

"Now that the empire is celebrating the relocation of the capital, the Dutch still have not put themselves in the right position, so there is no need for the government to perfunctory them, and the matter of peace will be discussed after the relocation of the capital." Emperor Richard waved his hand absently.

On May 1 this year, the National Day, the Tang Empire will officially announce the relocation of the capital to Chaoge City (Philadelphia), and the official opening of the new capital will hold a series of grand ceremonies, including military parades, which is the top priority of the imperial government this year.

At the beginning of the relocation of the capital

The functions of the imperial government of Chang'an City were not all transferred to the past, but gradually and gradually moved the functions of the central ministries and commissions in the next 2~3 years.

There are also some central functions staying in the western capital of Chang'an (San Francisco), including major famous universities and the Royal Supreme Military University, the Royal University of Finance and Economics, the Royal University of Administration, etc., as well as the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Culture, Health and Sports, the General Police Department, the Royal Central Reserve Bank, the Ministry of Finance and the General Administration of Taxation and other institutions, which retain some government functions in the western capital of Chang'an.

The relocation of the capital to Chaoge City was the most important government event of the year, and the National Day celebration on May 1 was attended by the emperor and the Imperial Government cabinet.

Seeing that time is running out, we will set off for the east in the near future.

There are so many things to do to move the capital, and now the Royal Home Office and the Imperial Government are so busy that they can't finish every day.

Generally speaking, it is not a matter of vital importance, and it is basically postponed, which also includes the Dutch government's intention to armistice and talks.

Whether it's Germany or the Netherlands, it's a little confusing right now, so it's better for them to calm down.

Duke Pan Shouguo, the prime minister of His Majesty the Emperor, and the important ministers of the cabinet, who had been in regular audience with His Majesty the Emperor, respectfully retired after discussing some important government affairs before the Emperor.

Emperor Richard returned to his study, standing in front of a large, hand-drawn map of the world, his eyes scrutinizing the East Indies with a thoughtful expression.

The launching of a neo-colonial war against the East Indies was a new phase of imperial expansion and was of milestone significance.

53 years to date

The Tang Empire has comprehensively improved the territory pattern of the entire Americas, and strengthened the status of the leader of the Americas through effective means. digested the fruits of expansion and colonization, making the strength even stronger.

The North American provinces and vassal states that were incorporated into the empire continued to optimize their demographic structure, deepened ethnic assimilation was underway, and various powerful measures ensured regional stability and the foundation of continued social prosperity.

After solving the internal troubles, the Tang Empire began to focus more on regions outside the Americas.

Stemming from its prowesss and strength, the Tang Empire was able to emigrate 100,000 people to the new colonies in a single year, while launching thousands of new construction projects that would transform them dramatically.

This was something that the Dutch had not been able to achieve for more than 300 years of colonization, and this small European country did not have enough manpower or financial resources to replicate the successful colonial policies of the Tang Empire.

Emperor Richard's gaze swept over the East Indies, and finally rested on the Sumatra Islands, which he held in high esteem, and folded his hands in contemplation.

If you control Sumatra, you control the Strait of Malacca.

The island of Sumatra, which was originally controlled by the Dutch colonists, has almost zero impact on the Strait of Malacca, because its country is so small that it is difficult to say "no" to almost any European country or East Asian power.

Today, the island of Sumatra, which is in the hands of the Empire, is completely different, with the northwest end of the island bordering the Indian Ocean, which allows the influence of the Tang Empire to radiate into the vast Indian Ocean.

This can be echoed on the other side of the Indian Ocean in the Red Sea Yunzhong Province, Yemen's Sala-dominated interest zone, and the Persian Gulf's Kuwait City-dominated interest zone, weaving a slightly sparse colonial net.

The reason for this slight sparseness is that the Indian subcontinent was the core interests of the British Empire, from Burma in the east to Iran in the west and Afghanistan in the north.

The French can't do it, the Germans can't do it, the Russians can't do it, and the Tang State naturally can't do it.

From the port of Banda Aceh in the Aceh region of the Tang Empire to the port of Fubo in Yunzhong Province, it was necessary to cross the vast Indian Ocean, without the support of a British colonial port.

In this day and age, freighters are largely not capable of transporting such long distances across oceans, so the colonies in South Asia are a little sparse.

But this is a helpless thing, the British have occupied the surrounding area to the full, fire and theft, anti-French and Tang people.

Looking at the important geographical location of Sumatra, Emperor Richard smiled with satisfaction.

The joint control of the Strait of Malacca by the Tang and the British was like the joint control of the Suez Canal by the two countries, which greatly enhanced the international status and discourse power of the Tang Empire.

Besides

The Tang Empire also exclusively controlled the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, the Nicaragua Canal, and the southernmost Strait of Magellan in South America, and controlled five of the seven important strait passages that affected the world, either individually or jointly.

The other two are the Strait of Gibraltar controlled by Britain and the Black Sea Strait controlled by the Ottoman Empire, which includes the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara and the Dardanelles, with a total length of 345 kilometers, which is the only passage of the Black Sea into the warm Mediterranean, and it is also the eternal pain in the heart of Tsarist Russia.

Among European scholars, some people consider the Bering Strait to be an important strait passage, that is, the strait between the province of Alaska and the western Siberian region of Tsarist Russia.

Even from this point of view, the Tang Empire still controls five straits, from Alaska to Beihai Province, all of which belong to the sea areas strictly controlled by the Royal Navy of the Tang Empire.

Nowadays, no oil has been discovered in the countries of the Persian Gulf, and the importance of the Strait of Hormuz has not been highlighted, and it has been directly ignored.

Emperor Richard looked down and paused for a moment on the French baguette-shaped island of Java......

He wanted to hold the island in his hands, but the time was not yet ripe.

British Prime Minister Robert Cecil clearly opposes the invasion of Java by the forces of the Tang Empire, which is a tacit agreement between the two governments, and cannot easily break through the bottom line.

Relations with Britain are the cornerstone of the Tang Empire's foreign relations, and its importance is far greater than that of Java Island.

Therefore, Emperor Richard could only look greedily at it, but could not put it into action.

The Royal Navy task force could strike the coastal ports of Java, capture ships navigable from various countries, and continue to exert strong military pressure on the Dutch colonists in the region to create a greater degree of panic.

But the Imperial Royal Army could not land on the island, and this is the most regrettable place.

At present, the situation in the entire Americas and Southeast Asia has changed, and there are no ready-made examples to follow, only to take one step at a time.

Will Emperor Richard relent, not knowing that the British were about to face unprecedented trouble in South Africa?

According to Emperor Richard's thorough knowledge of the British for decades, even if there is a heavy setback in South Africa, the London government will not easily change course.

If you want to say that the most strategic government in the world today, it is naturally the British.

The life of Richard, the emperor of the Tang Empire, is completely special and cannot be generalized.

If Britain still refuses to let go in the Boer War in South Africa, then the Tang Empire will naturally watch the fire from the other side.

It will not be so closely united around the British periphery, or even send more troops to South Africa, just keep a suitable distance.

Waiting for the next time window, it is estimated that it will be more than ten years later.

Okay, it's patience anyway.

Emperor Richard made up his mind that he must take down the Java Islands from the Dutch, so that the future of Indonesia will be completely stillborn.

In his previous life, he had a very bad impression of this country, and if he did it all over again, he must completely control the East Indies without regrets, and no longer leave a hidden danger.

Only the East Indies, dominated by Chinese society, is a good East Indies, a suitable piece of the Southeast Asian puzzle in the imperial map.

On the eve of the awakening of the world's national consciousness, if all this is done, there will be no more troubles.

This is an irreplaceable role for the Tang Empire to dominate the Pacific Ocean and leave a vast colonial layout in the western Pacific region.

After swallowing the island of Java, European countries will try to stir up trouble in the western Pacific region in the future, and they will lose a solid foothold, and I am afraid that Australia will be left alone.

For this remote British Dominion, the Tang Empire had 100 ways to handle it, which was enough to make it sit on pins and needles and have to surrender.

(End of chapter)