Chapter 220: Pirates
Arthur acted quickly. After Einstein agreed to temporarily stay in Australasia, the Royal Physics Research Association of Australasia was already in preparation.
To attract talent, every member of the Royal Physics Research Association would receive a salary surpassing that of professors at well-known European universities. Each member would also be able to apply for at least 50,000 Australian dollars in research funding annually, and would have access to all top-tier laboratories in Australasia.
High salaries and research funds were the most effective ways to attract scientists.
Arthur then appointed Einstein as the vice president of the Physics Research Association and entrusted him with recruiting new members. These physicists all had their own networks, and utilizing those connections to bring talent to Australasia was an excellent strategy.
By March 1907, the situation in East Asia had worsened, and many regions were already experiencing rice looting. The number of merchant ships traveling back and forth between East Asia and Australasia was increasing, bringing food from Australasia, and the profits for each shipment were several times, even ten times, higher than before.
Some of these merchant ships were organized by the government, while others went on their own initiative. Arthur did not stop this, as the royal consortium had already taken the majority, and allowing others to benefit was not an issue.
But problems soon arose.
In early April, a message from the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau was handed to Arthur, which completely changed the peaceful situation in Australasia.
The problem stemmed from the East Asian famine. This famine spread over a vast area, affecting not only China but also Southeast Asia and the Philippines. The widespread and severe famine also forced some malevolent forces hiding in these areas to surface.
In the South Seas region, there had once been a notorious pirate gang called the Moro Pirates. At their peak, they had affected all of Southeast Asia and the surrounding regions and were one of the biggest threats on the seas.
During the glory days of the British Empire's navy, the Moro Pirates had even attacked British merchant ships. A British sailor named Edwards, captured by the pirates near the islands of Malacca, wrote with great fear while imprisoned in a bamboo cage: "Forty-five people were captured by them. Some had their arms cut off, others had their legs severed, and I had my tongue cut off."
These ruthless pirates, who dared to attack the merchant ships of the world's greatest power, had dominated the region for over a century.
The pirates did not have fixed targets. Anything that could be exchanged for money was fair game for them. Whether it was sea cucumbers and bird's nests sent to East Asia, pepper and cloves bound for India, silver coins headed to Batavia, or Western weapons, all were within their grasp.
Their love for raiding people turned the Moro Pirates into a hated scourge of the South Seas.
Since the 1840s, both the British Empire and the Kingdom of Spain had been trying to suppress and eliminate the pirates, but the Moro Pirates never stopped their activities in Southeast Asia.
It wasn't until after the Spanish-American War, when the United States gained control of the Philippines and began using steel-hulled boats and small patrol boats to establish regular patrols, that the pirate threat in the region was significantly reduced.
Historically, the Moro Pirates resurfaced after World War II, as the worsening regional security situation led to a resurgence of pirate activities.
What Arthur didn't expect was that the East Asian famine had forced these pirates to emerge and begin attacking the merchant ships carrying food to Australasia.
According to intelligence from the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau, at least two merchant ships had been hijacked, and at least ten Australasians had been captured.
Though it was not clear if these pirates had attacked ships from other countries, for Australasia, this was the largest crisis the country had faced since its founding, and Arthur had to act quickly.
Within ten minutes, Arthur arrived at the meeting room of the Government Council, and other cabinet officials hurriedly joined him.
Without wasting time, Arthur briefly explained the situation about the two hijacked ships and asked for the opinions of the cabinet members.
Upon hearing the news, most of the officials' faces turned grim.
The timing was not favorable for the cabinet members, as the general election for the Australasia government was just over two months away. If this issue wasn't resolved properly, many officials would lose their seats in the upcoming election.
"Your Majesty, regardless of the circumstances, I believe we must protect our citizens and their property. If necessary, we should deploy the military to protect our people," Prime Minister Evan said after thinking for a while.
"But the problem is, we don't know where these pirates are stationed. Even if we knew their location, can we just launch an attack? What if those damned pirates decide to execute our citizens without hesitation?" Defense Minister Kent immediately voiced his opposition.
The current situation was indeed tricky. Not only was their exact location unknown, but sending in the military blindly could provoke the pirates into desperate measures, resulting in a worst-case scenario.
"Oh, shit! These damn pirates, if we find them, we should skin them, tear them apart, and throw their remains to the sharks," Interior Minister Thomas cursed angrily.
The situation was difficult for the cabinet, as the election was approaching, and they needed to handle the issue swiftly.
However, with so little intelligence, using force to ensure the safety of the captured Australasians could not yet be considered.
"Your Majesty, the most notorious pirates in this area are the Moro Pirates, located west of the Philippines and east of Borneo. The United States has a solid patrol system around the Philippines, and most of the pirates near there have been cleared. Therefore, I believe the pirates' base must be located to the west of the Philippines, either in the Dutch East Indies or around the Sulu area," Defense Minister Kent said, after taking out a map of Southeast Asia and analyzing it carefully. He then respectfully addressed Arthur.
Arthur nodded. Minister Kent's analysis was reasonable.
After the United States established a strong patrol system along the Philippine coast, the pirates had to move westward and southward, either towards the Sulu Sultanate or further west to Borneo.
At this time, Borneo was under the control of two powers: the northern part, which belonged to the British Empire as the North Borneo Protectorate, and the southern part, which was Dutch East Indies.
The British Empire had always been very effective in cracking down on pirates, so the chances of piracy in British-controlled North Borneo were small.
However, the Dutch East Indies was a different matter. The Netherlands, a second-rate European power, had already been surpassed by Australasia in terms of population.
Moreover, the distance from the Netherlands to the East Indies made their control weak. Had it not been for the approval of other great powers, especially the British Empire, the Dutch East Indies would have likely lost its sovereignty long ago.
Currently, there were more than ten indigenous factions in the Dutch East Indies. Some of them officially submitted to Dutch control, while others lived in areas that the Dutch could not reach.
These Moro Pirates could be hiding in these remote areas, developing their activities quietly.
"Your Majesty, if these pirates are hiding in Borneo or other regions, I believe the local indigenous factions must know about their movements. Perhaps the best breakthrough point would be with these indigenous factions. Once we know where the pirates are hiding, we can deploy a large military force to quickly wipe them out and save our citizens," Minister Kent continued, offering his suggestion.
In the height of piracy in Southeast Asia, most of the indigenous rulers had participated in pirate activities. Whether due to labor shortages or lack of resources, piracy was an easy way to get what they needed.
Minister Kent's suggestion was simple: start by questioning the local indigenous factions one by one about the pirates' whereabouts. If they refused to talk, then their existence would no longer be necessary.
With the election day approaching, and these pirates daring to strike at this critical time, it seemed the use of force was unavoidable.
"That's a good idea, Minister Kent. Does anyone else have anything to add?" Arthur nodded in approval, highly recognizing Minister Kent's suggestion.
This seemed to be the most feasible and reasonable solution given the lack of information about the pirates' whereabouts.
Afterward, Arthur continued discussing the specifics of the operation with the officials for some time, and the meeting finally concluded under Arthur's command.
This incident was a crisis for the government, but it was also an opportunity for re-election.
If the government could solve this crisis effectively, it would earn the public's favor, and the next re-election would be much easier.
But if the crisis wasn't handled properly, not only would the re-election be in jeopardy, but the political future of many officials would be at risk.
After all, protecting the lives and property of citizens was something Arthur always emphasized in his speeches. If the government failed to handle this well, even Arthur's reputation would suffer.
At that point, the government officials would likely have to shoulder the blame.
(End of Chapter)
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