Arthur was quick to act. After Einstein agreed to stay in Australasia temporarily, the Royal Society for the Study of Physics in Australasia was already preparing.

In order to be able to better attract talent, all members of the Royal Society for the Study of Physics receive a salary that exceeds the rank of a professor at a prestigious European university.

And every member of the Royal Society for the Study of Physics can apply for research funding of at least $50,000 per year and have access to all of Australasia's top laboratories.

High salaries and higher research funding are the most effective ways and means to attract those scientists.

Subsequently, Arthur appointed Einstein as vice president of the Physics Research Association and handed over the recruitment of new recruits to Einstein.

These physical scientists have their own unique connections, and it is also a good way for them to use their connections to attract talent for Australasia.

After March 1907, the disaster situation in East Asia became more and more serious, and there was already a trend of rice grabbing in many regions.

There were also more and more merchant ships traveling between East Asia and Australasia, and they carried grain from Australasia, and each ship made several times or even more than ten times the profit of the previous one.

Some of these merchant ships were organized by the government, and some were spontaneous. Arthur didn't stop this, after all, the royal consortium had already eaten the lion's share, and it was nothing to let others drink some soup.

But that's where the problem arises.

In early April, a message was handed to Arthur from the Royal Security Intelligence Service, which completely changed the calm in Australasia.

The cause of the incident begins with the famine in East Asia.

The East Asian famine spread widely, not only in the Qing Dynasty itself, but also in Southeast Asia and the Philippines.

The Great Famine was so widespread and so severe that some evil forces that had been hiding in these areas had to come to the surface.

In the South Seas, there used to be a notorious pirate gang called the Moro Pirates.

At their peak, this group of people once affected the entire South Seas and nearby regions, and was one of the greatest scourges in the seas of Southeast Asia.

At the height of the British Empire's fleet, the Moro pirates attacked British merchant ships.

An English sailor named Edwards was once spotted by Moro pirates on an island near Malacca, and crouched in a bamboo cage, writing in horror: "Forty-five men were taken by them, some had their arms cut off, some had their legs cut off, and I had my tongue cut off." ”

These bandits, who dared to attack the merchant ships of the world's largest power, have been rampant and domineering in this region for hundreds of years.

These pirates don't have a fixed target for raiding, and they won't let go of anything that can be exchanged for money.

Whether it's sea cucumbers and bird's nests destined for East Asia, pepper and cloves destined for India, silver coins destined for Batavia or Western weapons, they all have in their pockets.

This, combined with a penchant for predatory populations, has made the Moro Pirates a scourge of the South Seas that everyone hates.

Since the 40s of the 19th century, the British Empire and the Kingdom of Spain have carried out a lot of suppression and suppression of pirates, but the Moro pirates have not stopped piracy in the South Seas.

It was not until after the Spanish-American War, when the Americans gained control of the Philippines and established a regular patrol regime using a number of steel-armored speedboats and small patrol boats, that the threat of piracy was mitigated.

The reappearance of the historical Moro pirates was after World War II. At that time, due to the deterioration of the security situation in the region, piracy was resurgence in these areas.

But what Arthur didn't expect was that the East Asian famine forced these pirates to jump out and choose to attack the merchant ships transporting grain from Australasia.

According to the information held by the Royal Security Intelligence Service, at least two merchant ships have been hijacked, and at least a dozen Australasian people have been arrested.

Although it is not known whether these pirates have taken action against other countries, for Australasia, this is already the biggest crisis since the founding of Australasia, and Arthur must make plans immediately.

More than ten minutes later, Arthur had arrived at the conference room of the Government Council, and other cabinet officials had also arrived non-stop.

Without much nonsense, Arthur gave a brief account of the two Australasian merchant ships that had been looted by pirates, asking the cabinet members for their opinions.

After hearing this, most people's faces turned a little blue.

This is a time that is not very friendly for all Cabinet members, as there are just over two months to go before the Cabinet elections in Australasia.

If this matter is not properly resolved, I am afraid that many people will lose this election.

"Your Majesty, no matter what, I think it is important to protect our people and their property. If necessary, we should send the military to protect our citizens. Prime Minister Evan pondered for a moment before speaking.

"But the problem is that we don't know exactly where these pirates are stationed. And, even if we knew where they were stationed, would we still be able to storm them? What if those damned pirates were desperate to execute our citizens? "Defense Secretary Kent immediately raised objections.

The current situation is indeed very tricky, and it is not clear where these pirates are stationed, nor can they blindly dispatch troops, lest those pirates be desperate and have the mentality of dooming together.

"Oh, shit, these damn pirates, if you find them, be sure to skin them and cramp them, chop them up and throw them in the sea to feed the sharks." The Minister of Justice, Thomas, scolded.

The current situation is a dilemma for the Cabinet government, as the election date is approaching and they must get the matter right as soon as possible.

However, there is very little information at present, and in order to ensure the safety of the captured Australasians, some barbaric methods cannot be used for the time being.

"Your Majesty, the more famous pirates in this area are the Moro pirates west of the Philippines and east of Kalimantan. The United States has a good patrol system for the coast near the Philippines, and pirates near the Philippines have been basically cleared. Therefore, I feel that the pirate base should be west of the Philippines, either in the Dutch East Indies or near Sulu in the middle zone. Defense Secretary Kent took out a map of the vicinity of Southeast Asia and carefully analyzed it for a while before he said respectfully to Arthur.

Arthur nodded. Minister Kent's analysis is quite sound.

After extensive U.S. patrols of the Philippine coast, the pirates fled west and south, namely Sulu in the west, the Sultanate, and Kalimantan in the west.

At this time, the island of Kalimantan was ruled by two powers, the protectorate of North Borneo under the British Empire to the north, and Borneo in the Dutch East Indies to the south.

Of the two countries, the British Empire has always been very aggressive in its fight against piracy, and the chances of piracy in the North Borneo Protectorate are also very small.

But the Dutch East Indies in the south were different. The Netherlands is originally a second- or third-rate country in Europe, and its current population has been surpassed by Australasia.

Coupled with the fact that the Dutch mainland was too far away from the Dutch East Indies, the rule of the Dutch East Indies was not solid.

Had it not been for the consent of the great powers, especially the British Empire, for Dutch rule in the region, I am afraid that the Dutch East Indies would have changed hands long ago.

At present, there are more than a dozen local indigenous forces in the entire Dutch East Indies.

Some of these indigenous forces were openly subject to the rule of the Dutch East Indies, and naturally there were areas beyond the control of the Dutch East Indies.

It is also very likely that the Moro pirates are lurking in areas beyond the jurisdiction of the Dutch East Indies, and are quietly developing in the shadows.

"Your Majesty, if these pirates are hiding in Borneo or elsewhere, I don't think it is possible for the indigenous forces in these areas not to know their whereabouts. Perhaps the best breakthrough lies in these indigenous forces, as long as we can know the exact hiding place of the pirates, we can send a large army to quickly eliminate these pirates and save our captured citizens. Minister Kent then suggested.

During the period when piracy was most rampant in Southeast Asia, almost most of the princes of the indigenous powers participated in piracy.

Whether it is a lack of labor or money and food, it is one of the excuses for them to participate in piracy.

Minister Kent's advice was also very simple, starting with these local indigenous forces, and interrogating the pirates one by one.

If it weren't said that it would be very simple, if it was really found that the pirates were near the indigenous forces, then there would be no need for this force to exist.

Now that Election Day is getting closer, these pirates dare to run into the muzzle of their guns, and they can only use some force to make them disappear.

"It's a good idea, Minister Kent. Is there anything else anyone else would like to add? Arthur nodded in satisfaction, very much in favor of Minister Kent's suggestion.

This is a relatively complete and reasonable solution for the current situation when the whereabouts of the pirates are not known.

Arthur then discussed with the officials the specific plan of the operation for a long time, and the meeting ended under Arthur's orders.

This incident is a crisis for the Cabinet government, but it is also an opportunity to seek re-election.

If the Cabinet government can properly resolve this crisis, it will be able to win the favor of the people, and it will not be so difficult to be re-elected next time.

But if it is not properly resolved, not only may the re-election plan be ruined, but even whether the political career can be continued is a question.

You must know that ensuring the safety of people's lives and property is what Arthur swears every time he speaks, and if the government can't solve this matter well, even Arthur's reputation will be affected.

At that time, they can only die and not die, so that these government officials will be blamed.

The first update of 3,000 words, ask for support!

(End of chapter)