Chapter 221: Sulu Pirates
The next day, almost all of Australasia's fleets were deployed, carrying outstanding soldiers who had been trained for over a year, heading towards the northern part of the Dutch East Indies.
The destinations were numerous, including most of the indigenous forces in the Dutch East Indies, including the Sultanate of Sulu, which had been half-controlled by the United States.
This operation by Australasia was grand in scale, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already given prior notice to both the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies.
Because the situation was urgent, the response from the Dutch was not particularly important. Arthur believed that even if the Dutch were unhappy with Australasia's actions, they would have no choice but to reluctantly agree.
The closest "Western nation" to the Dutch East Indies was Australasia, and if relations between the Netherlands and Australasia deteriorated, whether the Dutch East Indies could survive would depend on how much support the great powers were willing to give the Netherlands.
However, few great powers had influence in Southeast Asia. Apart from the traditional powers like Britain and France, the only other countries with some influence were Germany and the United States.
Previously, the Netherlands had close relations with Britain and Germany and had a decent relationship with France.
But the problem was that Australasia also had good relations with both Britain and Germany, and if a conflict broke out between Australasia and the Netherlands, it was likely that Britain and Germany would choose neutrality.
Not to mention the alliance between Australasia and Russia, in Southeast Asia, the Netherlands was not necessarily a match for Australasia.
In terms of population and industrial capacity, Australasia had already overtaken the Netherlands.
The Netherlands' current advantages were mainly based on its legacy as an early prosperous European country.
But the vast distance between Europe and Southeast Asia meant that the Netherlands' influence in the region was limited, far less than that of Australasia, which operated at a much closer range.
The fleet's first stop was the Sultanate of Gowa, the strongest and most successful kingdom in the Sulawesi region, with considerable influence over the area.
The fleet made its intentions clear, as the transport ships slowly docked under the protection of warships, and the army disembarked openly onto the southern peninsula of Sulawesi.
This move caused panic among the people of the Makassar tribe. The Dutch had made a similar landing in the past and subsequently ruled the entire Sulawesi region.
The Sultan immediately ordered his men, who spoke both Dutch and English, to approach and understand the intentions of these European invaders.
Bang!
Before the translators could approach, Minister Kent immediately showed his authority.
"Stay back, monkeys. Where is your chief? Tell him to come out. If he doesn't listen, your tribe may not have a reason to exist," Minister Kent said in a calm tone, uttering terrifying words that sent the natives into fear.
The translator quickly stepped back and relayed Kent's words to the Sultan.
The arrogant attitude and forcefulness of these Europeans made the Sultan uneasy, but in order to protect the lives of his people, he had no choice but to cautiously approach.
"I am..." The Sultan began to introduce himself carefully but was immediately interrupted by Minister Kent.
Pointing at the translator, Kent said, "Tell your chief that I'm not here to chat. A few days ago, pirates hijacked two of Australasia's merchant ships and captured over ten Australasians. Ask your chief if he knows about it; it concerns the survival of your tribe."
The translator quickly nodded and then translated Kent's words to the Sultan, word for word.
The Sultan pondered, finally shaking his head and saying, "We really don't know where the pirates are. But the people from the north, the Wadjah people, might know. There have been many rumors about pirates in their area recently."
Minister Kent believed that these natives, under the threat of firearms, would generally not fabricate lies.
However, before leaving, he issued one last threat: "I hope everything you've said is the truth, monkeys. If I find out otherwise, I'll make sure your entire tribe disappears."
For European colonizers, the lives of indigenous people really didn't matter much.
Even if Australasia wiped out a native tribe, the Dutch Kingdom would never say anything.
In the following days, similar questioning and threatening scenes occurred in many Sultanates. Most cases were like the Sultanate of Gowa, but one Sultan's response was clearly hesitant.
This was the Sultanate of Borangmongondo, founded by the Wadjah tribe, as mentioned by the Sultan of Gowa.
Minister Kent noticed that the king of this small kingdom hesitated when answering, so he directly ordered the king to understand the consequences of angering the people of Australasia.
With the sound of gunfire and screams from behind, the king of Borangmongondo finally understood his situation and quickly revealed all the truth.
It turned out that after the Americans took control of the Philippines, they began to plan for the islands and indigenous forces surrounding the Philippines.
Due to its proximity to the Philippines, the Sultanate of Sulu naturally became a target for the Americans.
After the Americans took over the Philippines, despite several wars, they had never fully captured Moroland.
Eventually, the Americans had to resort to diplomatic means, negotiating with the Muslims of southern Philippines. They signed the Jim-Byts Treaty with the Sultan of Moro and the Sultan of Maguindanao.
The treaty stipulated that the Americans could not enter the southern Philippines, and that everything in southern Philippines would be governed by the Moros.
But the good times didn't last long. In 1903, after the Governor of the Philippines announced the Philippines Land Act, the lands in southern Philippines that were not under American control were considered illegal in the eyes of the Americans.
The new land law also allowed Catholic settlers from northern Philippines to claim 16 hectares of land once they moved south. Meanwhile, the Muslim inhabitants of southern Philippines were limited to a maximum of eight hectares of land.
One year later, the Americans completely tore up the treaty with the Muslims and further encroached on their living space.
As large amounts of land were taken by Americans and Catholics, many indigenous people lost their livelihoods and had no choice but to return to piracy, a quick way to make money.
However, the coasts and islands surrounding the Philippines were patrolled by American warships, forcing these Moro and Sulu pirates to retreat westward and southward.
The East Asian famine, with many merchant ships carrying food to East Asia, made these newly-formed pirates eager to strike.
And the frequent merchant ships traveling to East Asia with little to no naval protection from Australasia became prime targets for these pirates.
It wasn't the fault of the Australasia government. To the north of Australasia was the Dutch East Indies, and further north were the British Empire's colonies, as well as France and the United States' colonies.
After passing through these colonies, ships reached their destinations without encountering chaotic regions.
But who would have thought that these Filipino natives, under the pressure of the Americans, would once again choose the path of piracy and establish their base further south and west?
They positioned themselves to block Australasia's trade routes to East Asia, making it no surprise that their merchant ships became targets.
No matter what, those who dared to target Australasia's merchant ships would have to pay the price.
Of course, the primary goal now was to find the pirates' exact base and then plan more detailed operations based on the terrain of that base.
As Minister Kent had thought, these pirates were indeed connected to this chief.
What the chief hadn't expected was that these pirates had the nerve to provoke nearby Australasia, and the quick action by Australasia, with warships and soldiers arriving in just a few days, caught them by surprise.
Realizing that the only way for his tribe to survive was to cooperate, the chief quickly spilled everything he knew.
At present, the pirates in Southeast Asia mostly came from the Moro and Sulu people of the Philippines. These pirates were stationed on the islands off the coast of Borangmongondo Kingdom in the west and Kutai Sultanate in the east.
These pirates were divided into several groups, with the largest group consisting of more than 200 Sulu pirates, stationed on the biggest island in the region.
The pirates who had hijacked the Australasia merchant ships were likely from this largest pirate group.
After obtaining the necessary information, Minister Kent nodded in satisfaction and ordered the soldiers to eliminate all these natives.
(End of Chapter)
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