1850 American Gold Tycoon

After receiving the telegram, Kruger, who was stationed at the mouth of the Capuas River, personally took Tevez on a small steamer bound for Pontianak City.

Although it was still wartime, Umbrella Company had actually gained control of the sea after two naval battles.

Therefore, compared with Batavia, where supplies are in short supply and all industries are depressed, Pontianak, where production, life and even trade have not been significantly affected, appears to be more dynamic.

Merchant ships that have obtained permission after inspection ply the Kapuas River and head to the port of Pontianak City.

Investors from southern China and California are flooding in.

The largest city in West Borneo is even busier than before the war.

What impressed Tevez most deeply was Liang Yao's strong military strength.

Previously, Tevez could only understand Liang Yao's military strength through battle reports from the front line, but in West Borneo, he had direct contact with various soldiers and officers of the other side.

It was these people who defeated the Dutch and Indian army that he was proud of.

To be honest, the composition of the armed forces controlled by Liang Yao is relatively complex. In addition to the relatively pure composition of the California Infantry Regiment, the Western Brigade also has a relatively pure composition of Arizona Infantry Regiment and Oregon Infantry Regiment. It is not an exaggeration to say that the composition of the Western Brigade is a racial museum.

The officers and soldiers of these infantry regiments include not only Americans, Chinese, English, Scots, French, Germans, Dutch, but also Indians and Japanese.

As for Umbrella's mercenary group, the composition is even more complicated.

Tevez really couldn't understand how Liang Yao could command such a complex army.

The composition of the local Chinese armed forces in West Borneo is relatively simple. However, since Liang Yao intervened in the Dutch-Chinese War, these Chinese armed forces are no longer the main force fighting the Dutch-Indian army, but have been reduced to a supporting role.

"Colonel Krueger, I'm curious, how do you command a group of subordinates of different ethnicities?"

On the way to Pontianak, Tevez couldn't help but ask.

"Different ethnic groups? Mr. Governor, you have misunderstood. My subordinates are all Americans." Kruger smiled lightly.

Although the officers and soldiers of his Oregon Infantry Regiment are very different in appearance, their nationalities are all American. To be precise, they are all Californian officers and soldiers.

All officers and soldiers, including Kruger himself, recognized their Californian identity.

This is fundamentally different from the Dutch-Indian army, which has soldiers and officers of various nationalities who do not even have basic citizenship rights.

Free people who fight for their own interests and slaves who fight for the interests of their slave owners naturally have different morale.

What's more, Kruger's soldiers are equipped with the most advanced light weapons in the world today, and receive generous military pay that can be paid on time. It is natural for Kruger to have such a battle loss ratio with the Dutch and Indian troops. .

But Kruger didn't bother to explain this to Tevez.

After arriving in Pontianak City, Tevez saw the gallows standing on the square as he passed by the square. Several Dutch and Indian Army officers and soldiers were being executed.

The execution of Dutch and Indian officers and soldiers of Dutch and European origin in broad daylight in full view of the public made Tevez very angry.

After seeing Liang Yao, Tevez asked Liang Yao sharply.

"Your Excellency has written several times asking us to spend money to redeem the prisoners of war, and we have also made it clear that we are willing to spend money to redeem the prisoners of war. Why do you want to torture and kill the prisoners of war of our Royal Dutch Indian Army? I now very doubt your sincerity in the peace talks. !”

Liang Yao frowned and said: "Those who were sent to the gallows were not prisoners of war, but war criminals who committed numerous crimes against civilians. They were war criminals designated by the local people and your Dutch-Indian army.

As for my sincerity in peace talks, if you feel that I am not sincere enough, then please go back to Batavia and we will continue to fight until you feel that we are sincere. "

Tevez was speechless. If there were standards for committing war crimes against civilians, I'm afraid not many officers and soldiers in the Dutch-Indian army would be clean.

As for continuing this war? This is even more impossible.

In the current war situation, unless the Dutch government personally ends the war, the Dutch and Indian colonial government alone cannot win this war.

But the Dutch government's personal end will involve another issue, and that is whether the American government behind Liang Yao will personally end it.

Tevez did not dare to bet on this. Once he lost the bet, it would not be a matter of losing Borneo, but a matter of losing Sumatra and Java.

As for placing his hopes on the mediation of Britain and France to force Liang Yao to make concessions, it is not that Tevez has not considered this issue.

It's just that Britain and France are currently busy with wars in the Near East and have sent a large number of troops to the Black Sea region. It is difficult to say that they will be willing to help the Netherlands.

With the combat effectiveness demonstrated by Liang Yao's armed forces in the Borneo region, the problem cannot be solved by sending a regiment of advance troops.

Even if Britain and France want to intervene, they must weigh the costs of participating in this war.

Moreover, Liang Yao's relationship with Britain and France could not be said to be good, but it could not be said to be bad. He also knew some people in the British and French military and political circles.

It may be difficult for Britain and France to reach an agreement within a short period of time on whether to intervene in the East Indies issue.

After all, curbing Tsarist Russia's westward expansion is now the top priority for Britain and France. Compared with Tsarist Russia, the troubles of the Netherlands and the United States in the East Indies seem to be less important.

Furthermore, it is easier to invite God than to send Him away.

Liang Yao is not an easy character to get along with, and Ying and France are not easy to get along with.

Tevez sat down at the negotiating table and wanted to hear the terms of Liang Yao's peace talks.

At present, stopping losses in time is the only option for the Dutch and Indian authorities.

"All Dutch and Indian troops will withdraw from Borneo Island. Batavia will compensate our military expenses of 8 million US dollars. Dutch and Indian prisoners of war will be allowed to be redeemed at our preferential price. All trade transactions after the war will continue as before.

In addition, we need a piece of land of no less than 3 acres in Batavia City to set up Umbrella's office to facilitate our future communication and dialogue. Our staff are not bound by your laws within this land. These are all the terms of my peace talks. Liang Yao said after sitting down.

In Tevez's view, Liang Yao's conditions were more acceptable to him, except that all the final business dealings remained as usual.

The rest of the conditions were very harsh and difficult for him to accept.

"The entire island of Borneo, including South Borneo?" Tevez asked carefully.

West Borneo will definitely not be taken back. When setting off from Batavia, Tevez was already ready to give up West Borneo.

As for giving up the entire island of Borneo, this is not within Tevez's psychological expectations, nor is it within the psychological expectations of the Dutch and Indian authorities.

"What? Isn't South Borneo part of Borneo Island?" Liang Yao asked rhetorically.

"You have such a big appetite, the whole island of Borneo? Can you eat it and digest it?" Tevez sneered.

"Whether my appetite is good or not, I don't need you to worry about it." Liang Yao said.

As long as West Borneo, that was the old almanac.

Now that Liang Yao has won on both the sea and land fronts, he has more and more chips in his hands, and of course he is qualified to ask for more.

Although considering the cost of governance, Liang Yao currently only wants to directly rule and manage the West Borneo area where the Chinese are concentrated and the oil-producing areas of North Borneo. East Borneo and South Borneo are not yet within the goals of direct rule and management. .

But Liang Yao would not let go of the opportunity to drive the Dutch out of Borneo.

After all, by driving the Dutch away, he would lose a strong competitor in Borneo. In the future, he could slowly penetrate into South Borneo and East Borneo, and then effectively manage these enemies.

"The US$8 million in military compensation is too much and we cannot afford it."

In addition to the complete withdrawal of the Dutch and Indian authorities from the island of Borneo, the military compensation of US$8 million was also unacceptable to Tevez.

Tevez read the documents provided by Liang Yao. Liang Yao had no plans to release the Dutch and Indian prisoners free of charge after the war. That is to say, except for those Dutch and Indian soldiers who were designated as war criminals and executed and those who voluntarily employed by Liang Yao. Apart from the crew, the Dutch and Indian authorities still had to spend money to ransom Liang Yao before releasing the remaining prisoners of war.

Liang Yao's ransom for an ordinary prisoner of war was 300 US dollars for each European soldier. Officers' asking price would be much higher. After rough calculation, it would cost about half a million US dollars to redeem these prisoners of war.

As for the local indigenous soldiers who were mainly Javanese among the prisoners of war, Liang Yao had thoughtfully solved this problem for Tevez.

Tevez only had to consider redeeming the more than a thousand European soldiers of the Dutch and Indian Army, and both sides kept silent about the treatment of the indigenous soldiers in a very tacit agreement.

Liang Yao needed plantation slaves to open up rubber plantations, and Tevez was happy to save money and trouble.

After all, if Liang Yao asked him to redeem the indigenous soldiers in the Dutch and Indian Army, if he, the governor, did not redeem them, he would not be able to account for the vast number of indigenous soldiers in the Dutch and Indian Army.

It's okay now. Liang Yao just kept silent about these indigenous prisoners. Even if the indigenous soldiers in the Dutch and Indian Army had emotions, they couldn't vent them on him. Tevez could also explain to the Dutch and Indian Army: It's not us. Not ransoming people, but those damn Yankees not letting them go.

"You know, not counting the compensation for the dead and injured, our expenses in the past eight months have reached a huge amount of 10 million U.S. dollars. Setting the compensation at 8 million U.S. dollars is already what we can ask you for. The greatest kindness released." Liang Yao's attitude was very firm.

Liang Yao did exaggerate the military expenditure of 10 million US dollars. In fact, Liang Yao's expenditure this time was just over 6 million US dollars, even if Tevez was not prepared to sign the agreement.

Of the 10 million US dollars previously prepared for this war, Liang Yao still had more than 3 million US dollars left. Even if he did not raise military funds from California, he could easily spend half a year with the Dutch and Indian authorities.

After gaining control of the sea and settling the battle, subsequent military expenditures will be much less.

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