Amsterdam Palace, Kingdom of the Netherlands, September 6, 1925.

The scenes and characters were still familiar, but whether it was Queen Wilhelmina or the Dutch government officials, their faces were much more solemn at this time, and there was a hint of despair in the conference room.

"Guys, what should we do now?" Holding the telegram that had just arrived from the Dutch East Indies, Queen Wilhelmina looked at the Prime Minister and the others with a sinking face.

The government was silent, and there was no good response at this time, and there was no doubt that the first person to speak up would be held accountable by Queen Wilhelmina.

"Prime Minister, tell me what we should do now?" Seeing that no one stood up to reply, Queen Wilhelmina set her sights on the first person in the government, the current Prime Minister.

"Her Majesty." Hearing Queen Wilhelmina's questioning by name, the Dutch Prime Minister also knew that he could no longer remain silent, otherwise he would not be far from being deposed.

Although Queen Wilhelmina does not have much real power, it is still possible to remove a prime minister if she follows the will of the people.

"Your Majesty, it is impossible for those natives to have so many weapons and equipment for no reason, and there must be a secret plan in this that we don't know about." The Prime Minister of the Netherlands said bitterly.

"And then? Are we putting the blame on Australasia without any evidence? Queen Wilhelmina sneered and said, "Whether or not the natives are behind the Australasian support, as long as we don't have any evidence, there is nothing we can do about them."

Besides, even if there is evidence, what can it be? Can we still go to war with them?

Prime Minister, I want answers to the resolution of this matter, not to hear from you about how this happened.

If the government doesn't have a good way to fix things, wait to be held accountable by all the Dutch! ”

Not making a decision is the smartest decision made by Queen Wilhelmina at any time, and it means that Queen Wilhelmina is not at fault.

In layman's terms, it means that if you don't do it, you won't be wrong, if you do more, you will make more mistakes, and if you do less, you will make fewer mistakes.

At the moment, the decision made at the last meeting was made by the Prime Minister, and it was also the Prime Minister's decision to encourage veterans to return to the army, and Queen Wilhelmina just complied with the government's decision and did what she had to do.

If there is really to be accountability, the biggest responsibility must be the government, and the best person to blame the government is the current prime minister.

This is also the reason why Queen Wilhelmina said this, even if the matter is really irreparable, at least it will not put the blame on the royal family.

As for what will happen to the government in the end, that is not something that Queen Wilhelmina can consider.

In any case, the previous cabinets were not elected by Queen Wilhelmina, who was just a familiar stranger and could be abandoned at any time in the face of power and status.

Hearing Queen Wilhelmina say this, the Dutch Prime Minister's face turned red and swollen, but in the end he was helpless.

This is also true, theoretically he is the head of the Dutch government and the most powerful person in the Netherlands.

The culprit of what happened must be him, and he can't get rid of it even if he wants to.

"Your Majesty, the most important thing now is to solve the problem." After a moment of silence, the Dutch Prime Minister spoke: "If there is no good way, I am afraid that the Dutch East Indies are not far from being lost." ”

The greatest threat to the Dutch, both indigenous and Australasian was the loss of the Dutch East Indies.

There are many factors that make the Netherlands almost unthreatening.

This also represents the fact that as long as the Netherlands itself is not threatened, Queen Wilhelmina's throne is secure.

But the position of prime minister is different. In the event of the loss of the Dutch East Indies, the government had a great deal of responsibility.

It is difficult to change a monarch or even abolish a monarch, but it is not difficult for any European country to change the prime minister and government.

Queen Wilhelmina looked at the Prime Minister and waited for the Prime Minister to speak.

The current situation in the Dutch East Indies was irreparable, which made Queen Wilhelmina quickly make a decision, that is, let the government make decisions and try to get rid of the influence of this matter as much as possible.

Whether or not the Dutch East Indies can be redeemed in the end, it has nothing to do with Queen Wilhelmina.

As for whether the government could turn the tide and retake the Dutch East Indies from Australasia, considering the huge power gap between the Netherlands and Australasia, Queen Wilhelmina abandoned this unrealistic idea.

"Although the indigenous people have a certain amount of weapons and equipment, the number of these weapons and equipment should not be too much, at least it cannot be supplied in unlimited quantities." "It also means that we still have a chance, if we can put down the rebellion as soon as possible," the Dutch prime minister said. ”

"On the other hand, I think we should also negotiate with Australasia. If things really can't be recovered, then try to recover the losses as much as possible. The Dutch Prime Minister continued.

Seeing that Queen Wilhelmina did not say a word, the Dutch Prime Minister also understood that the royal family wanted to get out of it, and no longer asked Queen Wilhelmina for advice, but looked at the foreign affairs department and requested: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will contact the Australasian side as soon as possible to inquire about the specific demands of the Australasian side."

If there is no hope for counterinsurgency, then exchange one of Sumatra or Kalimantan for peace with us and Australasia! ”

Such a statement would be bold, as it would have doomed the Dutch colony to be divided.

But if you think about it, it's really not a thing to do. When a medium-sized country like the Netherlands is threatened by a great power like Australasia, there really is no room for resistance without outside help.

What's more, the main site of the conflict between the two countries is in the Dutch East Indies, which is very far away from the Netherlands itself, and the Netherlands is congenitally at a disadvantage.

Australasia could easily gain the initiative to negotiate with the Dutch by supporting the natives of the Dutch East Indies.

But what can the Netherlands do? Although Australasia also had colonies, Australasia expelled all the indigenous people.

The only indigenous island is Sulawesi, but it was once the land of the Dutch East Indies, and these natives were already hostile to the Dutch, and Australasia was very protective of the Dutch, so it was impossible to have contact with those natives.

This is actually a dead end, Australasia can easily sanction the Netherlands, but the Netherlands has no means to fight back.

However, this kind of sanction is the most lethal for the Netherlands, because it allows Australasia to achieve its goals easily.

As for the Dutch Prime Minister's remarks about ceding Sumatra or Kalimantan, in fact, this is also a helpless choice.

Compared to Java, Sumatra and Kalimantan are large in size, but they have fewer people and less value.

Even in terms of population alone, the combined population of Sumatra and Kalimantan is not comparable to that of Java, which was the center of Dutch East Indian rule.

If the existing Dutch East Indies are equivalent to most of the complete Dutch East Indies, then the island of Java plus Sumatra or Kalimantan is also equivalent to most of the existing Dutch East Indies.

This may have been the best outcome for the Dutch, at least the name of the Dutch East Indies would still be there, and the anger of the people would not be so fierce.

Hearing the Prime Minister's bold statement, Queen Wilhelmina looked at the Prime Minister with a little consternation, but did not express any opinion.

The colony is also part of the country, and when it comes to ceding the country, it is definitely a matter of great concern to the people.

What's more, if a land like the Dutch East Indies, which can bring in a large amount of income every year, is lost in the hands of the government, the result and outcome of this can be imagined.

If even one of these islands is lost, or a part of it, I am afraid that the best outcome for this government will be a good end.

"Then does the conscription still need to continue? Mr. Prime Minister. The Secretary of State for Defense stepped forward and asked.

"Of course it needs to continue." "No one can guarantee how the current situation will develop, and we have to be prepared to deal with everything," the prime minister explained.

Even if we reach a compromise with Australasia, the rebel natives will have to be dealt with on our own.

In any case, it is useful to strengthen our military strength, and this may be our last chance to save the Dutch East Indies.

How is the Ministry of Defense preparing? Have the first units for support already gathered? ”

"The first batch of 24,000 men of a division and a regiment have been prepared, Mr. Prime Minister." "It is expected to be possible to travel to Batavia by transport ship as soon as three days, and it may be a month before it arrives," the defense secretary said. ”

Batavia is the capital of the Dutch East Indies, and the name is relatively unfamiliar.

If you mention Jakarta, another name of Batavia, it is more well-known.

This is actually normal, and the most important thing a colonized country wants to get rid of is the influence of the colonial period, and it becomes natural to change the name of Batavia.

The Dutch Prime Minister nodded, pleased with the speed with which the troops had gathered and the time it had taken to arrive in Batavia.

Although it will still take more than a month, this is a journey that spans more than half the world, and this speed is not slow.

"Prepare the soldiers for battle, there is a high probability of heavy casualties in this battle." The Dutch Prime Minister sighed and said: "Launching a counterinsurgency as soon as we arrive in Batavia and quelling the rebellion in the entire Dutch East Indies as soon as possible is a matter of whether we can preserve the East Indies."

The government will do its best to provide the corresponding weapons and equipment, logistical supplies and material support. The Navy should also do its best to help the Army attack. Ladies and gentlemen, you are all members of the Cabinet, and we share the same weal and woe. For the sake of you and my future, for the sake of the Netherlands, for the sake of the East Indies, please do your best and mine! ”

3000 words for the third update, 10,000 days are over, ask for support!

(End of chapter)