Fu Shanhe

Chapter 474 Undercurrent
"150,000"—this astonishing number left everyone speechless.

The competitors are too ruthless; they've sent so many immigrants over at once that they can't keep up.

Not to mention the Netherlands doesn't have the capability, even several major European powers would find it extremely difficult to do so.

"This is impossible!"

"God, 150,000 people! That's a tenth of the kingdom's population!"

Alex said, almost roaring.

Things that defy common sense are often the hardest to accept.

Even though he had been in Batavia for several years and knew that there was a behemoth, the Great Yu Empire, in the East, the only great power he could imagine was the Holy Roman Empire.

The existence of the Great Yu, which surpasses the entirety of Europe, is something he simply cannot comprehend.

"Mr. Alex, please accept reality."

According to the information we have gathered, the registered population of the Great Yu Dynasty exceeded 60 million.

Of course, this data is unreliable.

Our neighbor, the Marquis of Hanshui, alone had a population of over 30 million, of which 20 million were in the Annam Protectorate and over 10 million in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions.

In the eyes of the Yu Dynasty people, both the Annam Protectorate and the Guangdong and Guangxi regions were considered barbaric lands.

The people of the Yu Dynasty habitually referred to these places as Lingnan, which was a place of exile for criminals.

At least 200,000 criminals were exiled from the Central Plains region every year.

The above data was compiled by the Marquis of Hanshui and is highly accurate.

In the state governments under his administration, annual reports include population data, which is publicly available within the country.

If the data is falsified, it will be easily exposed.

Based on this, it can be inferred that the population ruled by the Great Yu Empire was approximately between 1.4 million and 2 million.

The colony population was approximately ten million.

However, their culture had a profound influence in East Asia, and everyone was proud to be a member of the Yu Dynasty.

After being conquered, the local natives quickly identified themselves as people of the Yu Dynasty and forgot about the previous regime.

The Marquis of Hanshui's stronghold was the Annam Kingdom, which he destroyed.

In just a few short years, the locals abandoned the exiled King of Annam and pledged allegiance to him.

Even the previous language and writing system were abandoned.

No major bloodshed occurred during this process; the local indigenous people integrated on their own.

Rodriguez said with a helpless expression.

He didn't believe this intelligence at first either.

To verify its authenticity, he not only communicated with merchants from the Yu Dynasty, but also sent people to verify it within the territory of the Great Yu.

There are some differences in the details, but the general content is almost the same.

Annam has indeed become stable.

Apart from the year the country was destroyed, there have been no major rebellions since then.

The locals not only did not support the King of Annam's restoration of his kingdom, but they also arrested the people he sent to cause sabotage and sent them to the government to receive a reward.

There was no other way, so the Marquis of Hanshui came and allocated land to everyone, and they didn't have to pay taxes.

When the King of Annam returned, he not only imposed heavy taxes but also seized their land.

After careful consideration, everyone felt that following the Marquis of Hanshui was the best option.

As for cultural integration, many people haven't felt it.

Most of the people were illiterate and had no interest in national affairs.

Children who have the opportunity to go to school receive education based on the Dayu culture from the very beginning.

Not only did the Annamese succumb to temptation, but people in other conquered territories also succumbed to it.

The integration of Chinese culture was completely unimaginable to European colonists.

The European continent alone could not be unified, let alone its colonies.

Many countries are rife with regional and ethnic conflicts.

"Your Excellency, the Great Yu Empire you speak of is truly terrifying."

If the news is true, then such an enemy is simply beyond our ability to deal with.

Nathan Neil said, frowning.

The Netherlands is a small country and has always been a target of bullying on the European continent.

The most important factor in a company's continued existence is its ability to adapt to changing times.

Only when they reach overseas and encounter weaker indigenous people will they unleash their full power.

The strength displayed by the Great Yu Empire clearly exceeded their limits.

"Don't worry, the Great Yu Empire also has enemies, so it's impossible for it to go all out to the south."

The Tatars in the north, and the Guifang people who established the Mongol Yuan Empire, were their mortal enemies.

Two years ago, the emperor of the Yu Dynasty personally led an expedition but suffered a major defeat, losing more than 200,000 regular troops.

The only one we need to deal with is the Marquis of Hanshui in the south.

This governor has already sent men to persuade the Spanish, Portuguese, and English to form a coalition against him.

If possible, we will also involve some indigenous kingdoms.

Seeing that his men were frightened, Rodriguez quickly tried to salvage the situation.

The main reason for saying all this is to make everyone take the enemy seriously.

During its colonial past, the Kingdom of the Netherlands conquered too many regions, and many people developed an arrogant and disdainful attitude.

They only have eyes for the powerful European nations, regarding all other powers as natives.

If you go to the battlefield with this kind of thinking, you will suffer a great loss if you encounter a strong enemy.

Unexpectedly, they overdid it and frightened their own people before the war even broke out.

The power structure in the colonies was very complex. While he was indeed the head of the colonial government, the colony's armed forces were not entirely under his control.

Compared to official forces, the numerous civilian settlement groups, large and small, were the main force behind colonization.

Many colonies were established by civil society groups that spontaneously organized themselves.

The most famous example is the Dutch East India Company, a joint-stock colonial group composed of domestic dignitaries, merchants, and the government.

The company paid salaries for war, could sign treaties with foreign countries on behalf of the Dutch government, and had the right to mint currency and establish colonies.

The Batavia colony also belonged to this behemoth corporation.

In a sense, everyone is an employee of this company; he just has an official title.

"Your Excellency, would the country agree to cooperating with the Spanish?"

Alex asked, frowning.

The relationship between the Netherlands and Spain has always been very tense due to the issue of the throne.

A private collaboration is fine, as long as it doesn't escalate into a big deal; it's just a private matter.

The need for domestic troops and the formation of a coalition of nations could not be concealed.

Given the relationship between the two countries, it would be good enough if they didn't stab each other in the back, let alone cooperate wholeheartedly.

For the domestic elites, while Asian colonies were important, homeland security was even more crucial.

If Spain could be severely damaged and forced to relinquish their right to the Dutch throne, abandoning Asia would not be unacceptable.

After all, no matter how many powerful figures the East India Company had allied with, it was impossible to bring all domestic interest groups onto its ship.

Those who didn't board the ships didn't care whether the Asian colonies were lost.

"I was only responsible for the preliminary preparations; the decisions made domestically were not within my control."

However, considering the overall situation, the probability of domestic support for joint military intervention should be quite high.

Spain is too strong; to defeat them, we need to give them more opponents.

Besides the European continent, other strong rivals in other regions also count.

"Drawing their main force to Asia to fight the Yu Dynasty at a loss is in the kingdom's interest," Rodriguez replied calmly.

The Netherlands is a small country, so it's normal for them to send fewer troops; it doesn't matter if they can't defeat the enemy.

In continental Europe, they only have so much influence, so there's no shame in it.

But Spain was different. As the British Empire, even after being defeated by the British, it remained a top power in Europe.

Thanks to the wealth plundered from its colonies, Spain's naval power had long been fully restored.

The pro-war faction within Spain was already plotting revenge against the British.

A new round of Anglo-Spanish war did not break out, but the Kingdom of the Netherlands certainly felt the pressure.

Besides the conflict between Spain and the Netherlands, England and the Netherlands, Portugal and the Netherlands, England and Spain, and Portugal and Spain are also competitors.

In recent years, the Netherlands and Portugal have fought many battles over West Africa.

Friction between Britain and the Netherlands was increasing due to trade issues, and the Anglo-Dutch War was just one spark away from breaking out.

A bourgeois revolution is underway in England, and Portugal supports the royalists; there are now signs that Portugal may intervene militarily.

There are many similar conflicts between countries.

Although enemies can become allies when faced with interests, politicians are human, and humans cannot be completely rational.

Moreover, we are currently in an era of monarchy, where the king's personal will can influence the final decision.

Amid a series of contradictions, Rodriguez had no idea whether he could organize the coalition forces.

He was more concerned about whether he could persuade other countries to form an anti-Yu coalition than whether they would agree domestically.

As long as a coalition is formed, it is better than doing nothing, regardless of the outcome of the war.

……

Sumatra Island.

The Dutch malice was not only manifested in diplomacy, but also in their support for indigenous forces.

"General, the number of muskets in the hands of the natives is much higher than that of the previous tribes."

Judging from the weapon's design, it was clearly not forged by our Great Yu.

It's almost certain that the Dutch on the island are behind this!

Ma Boliang said indignantly.

After so many years of fighting in the north and south, there are very few forces that dare to openly oppose the Great Yu.

Apart from the Northern Barbarians, all other forces that dared to openly oppose the Great Yu Dynasty have now perished.

A Dutch kingdom of unknown origin has now dared to openly support indigenous forces and resist the government army's conquest.

"Besides us, the only other people on the island equipped with large numbers of firearms are the Dutch."

All the firearms in the army were strictly recorded, and no one dared to sell them to the rebels.

What the rebels are holding now is naturally what the Dutch sold to them.

However, these are things I can only remember for now.

The Marquis has ordered that we refrain from provoking the Westerners for the time being and prioritize ensuring the smooth flow of immigration.

Li Sanqi shook his head and said.

Given his personality, if he had discovered the Dutch were up to something, he would have sent troops long ago to wipe them out.

The few Dutch soldiers on Guang Island are enough to be sent over by a single guard.

However, a general must consider the overall situation.

Defeating the enemy on land is easy, but eliminating the enemy at sea is not so simple.

If the threat cannot be completely eliminated, maritime transport routes will be threatened.

Unless the navy is deployed to escort them every time, immigration operations will definitely be affected.

Once cut off from the homeland for an extended period, with powerful enemies surrounding them and indigenous rebellions raging within, life will be difficult for an isolated army.

Li Mu's decision to immigrate to the island was essentially driven by a desire to save time.

If 1.8 million people can be sent to the island before the outbreak of the war, victory will be secured.

If you're lucky, you can pressure the Dutch through diplomatic negotiations and get them to give up the colony on their own.

From the perspective of the Annam Protectorate, simply expelling the European colonists from Asia was sufficient; there was no need to create a deadly feud.

The current maritime trade is monopolized by these few colonial empires, and it would be impossible to do business with them if it all became enemy business.

Without the support of Europeans, the cost of industrialization had to be addressed internally.

"General, this is far too humiliating!"

"My lord, you only told us not to provoke the Dutch, but you didn't say we couldn't retaliate."

If they can do it on the first day of the month, we can do it on the fifteenth.

The indigenous people can cause us trouble, and they can also cause us problems.

They decided to secretly plan an anti-Dutch movement among the natives in Batavia.

The Dutch had only a small army, and if the natives started a disturbance, even if they couldn't drive them away, they could still inflict heavy damage on them.

If the natives are insufficient in strength, pirates can be brought in.

Seeing that the commander was showing dissatisfaction with the Dutch, Gu Hetong immediately offered a suggestion.

When it comes to stirring things up, the reputation of the Da Yu people is much more effective than that of the Dutch.

The reputation built up over the past few centuries is something a group of treacherous colonists cannot match.

Despite the fact that Yu Jun had been conquering cities and seizing territory in Sumatra for so long, many people still believe that it was because of the destruction of the Old Port Pacification Commissioner's Office.

Apart from the occasional raid by indigenous tribes deep in the mountains and forests, the local people did not have much resistance to the Yu army, which was known for its strict discipline.

The smooth progress of the previous war was also inseparable from the support of the collaborators.

If certain conditions are promised, some indigenous elites are willing to cooperate.

"We should arrange for locals to do it, and not involve us directly."

Tell the natives of Batavia that the Dutch have been driven away, and that I will distribute land to them.

Those who make great contributions, regardless of their status, will be recommended for an official position.

Make more contact with pirates; the island's natives have been domesticated for too long and may not dare to fight the Dutch to the death.

In addition, some people were assigned to specifically hunt down lone Dutchmen to put pressure on them.

Li Sanqi said with great interest.

Just because you can't do things openly doesn't mean you can't do them secretly.

First, they instigated an uprising among the natives, then they brought in pirates to take advantage of the chaos.

If it doesn't work the first time, try it a few more times.

Even if we can't drive the Dutch out, we should at least make them uneasy.

"Don't worry, sir. There is a prison camp in the gathering point, which is mostly filled with prisoners of war from the Central Plains."

They have extensive experience when it comes to rebellion.

"If the guards are even slightly negligent, it's quite plausible that some prisoners of war could escape and join the indigenous rebellion."

Ma Boliang then offered his advice.

Using prisoners of war to infiltrate enemy lines and cause trouble was something Li Mu pioneered, and his subordinates naturally followed suit.

The reason they weren't used earlier was because the indigenous forces were too weak to warrant such measures.

Now that they've encountered the Dutch, who are inconvenient to act directly, these hidden methods have once again found a place to be used.

"Ok!"

"Then let's run a thousand!"

Too much of it can easily cause the situation to spiral out of control.

Weapons should be captured spoils of war, to avoid leaving any evidence against us.

……

(End of this chapter)