The Rise Of Australasia - Chapter 340

Chapter 340: Chapter 295: The Batavia Peace Talks (Request for monthly votes!)

On July 4, 1911, the Australasian Government officially unilaterally notified the Dutch East India Colonial Government and the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands behind it, demanding an explanation for the multiple attacks by Indigenous Peoples on businesses owned by the Kingsley Corporation of Australasia within the Dutch East Indies.

The attitude of this announcement was surprisingly strong, and the Australasian Government specifically stated that if the Dutch East Indies Government does not respond within 48 hours, the Australasian Government will take necessary military action to protect the safety of its citizens.

Although 48 hours were given for a response, the time for communication and negotiation between the two levels of government actually took up a considerable part of that time, from Southeast Asia to the European Mainland of the Netherlands.

This also meant that the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which backed the Dutch East Indies, had less than a day to make a decision.

In case of emergency, on July 4th, the same day as the Australasian Government issued the notice to the Dutch East Indies and the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Arthur privately called King George V and William II, clarifying that Australasia’s intention is only to protect its citizens’ safety and promised King George V that the conflict would not extend west of the dividing line between Borneo and Java Island.

Using Borneo and Java Island as the divide is significant, as Java Island is the essence of the Dutch East Indies and the most developed area with the most Dutch colonists.

And Borneo is the largest island in the Dutch East Indies, adjacent to the important Malacca Route.

If these two islands were used as the boundary, the importance of the eastern regions would be less significant, and even if Australasia swallowed them all, the reaction of the Powers would not be as intense under the precondition of an advance arrangement.

Of course, Arthur is not so aggressive. Even if the Dutch have given Arthur an excuse, he does not intend to annex all the territories east of the dividing line.

However, it is necessary to cut a piece of flesh from the Dutch East Indies and make the Dutch understand who should be the master in this region.

The reason for giving George V a separate guarantee was because the most influential in Southeast Asia is the British Empire, and even the German Empire, the second major power in the world, does not have much influence in this region.

As long as the British are willing, the actions of Australasia would not be opposed by other countries.

By the time the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands received the news, it was already the evening of July 4th.

In response, the Dutch Government convened an emergency meeting, but the Cabinet Government had no solution and could only leave the decision to the then Dutch Prime Minister Jim Simms.

Jim Simms, then Dutch Prime Minister, was the leader of the Anti-Revolutionary Party, one of the three major parties in the Netherlands.

And the Dutch Monarch’s power is not high; it is a true constitutional monarchy.

This also led to the Prime Minister having the largest power in the Dutch Government, and the Prime Minister has the final decision on such matters.

After a night of careful deliberation, Dutch Prime Minister Jim decided to seek help from major foreign Powers, mainly targeting Germany and Britain, who have always had good relations with the Netherlands.

But what the Dutch Government didn’t expect was the unclear attitude of the German government, which neither rejected the Dutch proposal nor showed any intention of helping the Dutch people.

As for the British Empire, the attitude was clearer. British Foreign Minister Grey decisively rejected the proposal, claiming that such contradictions were unilateral between Australasia and the Netherlands, and the British Empire would not favor either side.

The problem is that Australasia’s current military strength has completely surpassed the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and its navy has three dreadnoughts, which directly crushed the Dutch navy.

Not helping the Netherlands at all is actually tantamount to watching Australasia invade the Dutch East Indies. In other words, Britain’s attitude is to default to support Australasia’s actions.

After hitting a wall with Britain and Germany, the Dutch Government understood the attitude of the European Powers.

Regardless of who is in the right in this matter, no country will support the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Of course, Germany may help the Kingdom of the Netherlands with some funds due to their good relationship, but this does not make any difference to the huge military gap between Australasia and the Netherlands, and at most lessen the compensation to be paid.

On July 5, after a series of internal struggles, the Dutch Government called Australasia, expressing their willingness to sit at the negotiating table and resolve the current problems through peaceful means.

What made the Dutch capitulate was not only the attitude of the European Powers but also the increasingly large military gap between Australasia and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Because of the great distance between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies, the navy played a crucial role in the conflict between them and Australasia.

However, the problem is that the total strength of the Dutch navy is no match for Australasia’s navy, which indirectly led to the Netherlands’ chance of victory in this conflict being reduced to zero.

Not to mention Australasia’s three dreadnoughts alone, which left the Dutch Kingdom with no chance of victory in naval battles.

Moreover, Australasia has two completed battlecruisers undergoing sea trials. The addition of five main battleships to the military gap is enough to make the Dutch give up.