Chapter 222: Actions in the Night
On April 7, 1907, it had been four days since the pirate hijacking incident occurred.
Eventually, the incident could no longer be hidden. Rather than letting the citizens speculate, it was better to reveal the truth and rally the unity and anger of the Australasians.
The Victoria Times and Australasia Daily extensively reported on the hijacking of two Australasia merchant ships by pirates. This quickly became the talk of most Australasians and successfully sparked public anger. There was a loud demand for the government to immediately dispatch the military to resolve the pirate situation and rescue the captured Australasians.
For peaceful Australasia, such news was enough to shake the entire country and nation.
The day after the news broke, Prime Minister Evan organized a public meeting, announcing that action would be taken immediately to protect the lives and property of Australasians.
At the same time, the royal family and Arthur also made statements, vowing to spare no effort to safeguard the lives of Australasians and to retaliate against everyone involved in the hijacking, promising the deployment of the Imperial Guard and the navy.
Australasia's navy, though insignificant compared to other great powers, was among the best in Oceania and Southeast Asia.
The deployment of the Imperial Guard and navy was the strongest guarantee Arthur could provide. Even if the pirates had support from other countries, they would undoubtedly be no match for Australasia.
The prompt response from the government, the royal family, and Arthur calmed much of the anger from the Australasians, but it only heightened their focus on the pirate incident.
The government, the royal family, and Arthur were all waiting for the outcome of the handling of this pirate situation.
If the captured Australasians could be rescued, it would prove that Arthur's promises to protect the lives and property of the citizens were real, and that the government would use national strength to deliver on those promises.
However, if there were significant casualties among the captured Australasians, even with the deployment of large military forces, it would severely damage the reputation of the royal family and the government.
Minister Kent understood the gravity of the situation. After obtaining detailed information about the pirates' location, he immediately led the fleet and army to the area where the pirates were believed to be based.
The pirates' stronghold was located south of Sulawesi Island and north of the Makassar Strait, right on the eastern coast of the Sultanate of Kutai in British Borneo, and the western part of the Kingdom of Borangmongondo.
Because this area was at the intersection of two seas, and both coasts belonged to different indigenous forces, many rebellious factions had taken root here. The two sides' indigenous forces couldn't control the area, and the Dutch East Indies had no resources to investigate the small islands at the junction, which allowed pirates to make their base here.
After traveling westward for several hours from the Borangmongondo Kingdom, the fleet had already approached the Sultanate of Kutai in Borneo.
Of course, the fleet's objective was not the Sultanate of Kutai, but several small islands on the eastern coast of the Sultanate.
The eastern coast of the Sultanate of Kutai had a small peninsula that formed a small bay. Inside the bay were several small islands that made up a small archipelago.
The pirate forces usually set up base on these islands. When their harvest was good, they were simple fishermen, but when the harvest was poor, they turned into deadly pirate gangs.
Because they did not know the exact location of the captured Australasians, Minister Kent did not dare to act rashly, to avoid unnecessary casualties.
To prevent the Kingdom of Borangmongondo from alerting the pirates, Minister Kent ordered the army to eliminate all the nobles of the Borangmongondo Kingdom and destroy their fishing boats and small vessels.
The lives of the indigenous fishermen were of no concern to Minister Kent, but if any Australasians were harmed, the reputation of both Kent and Arthur would suffer.
To be cautious, Minister Kent also ordered the navy to form a narrow encirclement, preventing any ships from approaching the bay.
"Everyone, speak up! The pirates' location has been confirmed, but we still don't know where the captured people are," Minister Kent said, gathering all the naval and army commanders for a brief meeting before the operation began.
"These small islands shouldn't be the place, sir," said a navy captain. "The islands are too small, and their capacity is limited. This suggests that these pirates are likely from smaller pirate gangs, and they probably don't have the courage to attack our merchant ships."
Although Australasia's merchant ships were not equipped with any escorts, Australasia was not defenseless. Ships typically carried at least one gun for self-defense.
These Southeast Asian indigenous pirate gangs mostly relied on old guns and cold weapons from over a century ago.
To successfully hijack a merchant ship, they would need at least dozens of pirates surrounding the ship, otherwise the guns aboard would be enough to deal with them.
Minister Kent nodded, then turned his attention to the largest island in the bay and ordered, "The Imperial Guard will infiltrate the island tonight to find the whereabouts of the captured Australasians. Once found, your task is to protect their safety and prevent any casualties."
"Understood, sir!" The commander of the Imperial Guard nodded calmly, showing no hesitation or doubt.
"Once you find our citizens, you are free to shoot. After we hear your gunfire, we will immediately land on all the islands. Not a single pirate will be left alive. I don't want to see any survivors on these islands," Minister Kent said, nodding in satisfaction.
What Minister Kent was most concerned about was the safety of the Australasians on the island. If their safety could be ensured, the attack would proceed.
It was now time to test the army's training effectiveness since the recent expansion. Minister Kent not only brought the Imperial Guard but also led over a thousand men from the Third Defense Division.
At around 11 PM, a team of Imperial Guard soldiers, under the cover of darkness, quietly approached the island's coastline on small sailboats.
The pirates' defenses were quite lax, and since the Imperial Guard soldiers didn't use any light sources, they weren't detected.
As they quietly landed on the island, the Imperial Guard soldiers realized that the coast had no defense at all.
This was expected. These natives, who had just turned to piracy, were in a geographically advantageous position and had many small islands around them for defense, so it was normal for them not to set up defenses.
The soldiers landed on the back side of the island, closer to Borneo, where they were less likely to be spotted by the pirates.
As they quietly moved toward the interior of the island, the soldiers were surprised to find no one around.
However, despite their surprise, they maintained their caution. The soldiers continued moving carefully toward the interior of the island, keeping a sharp eye out for any sign of life.
Their caution turned out to be unnecessary. As they reached the pirate fishing village, the soldiers were shocked to find no sentries or patrols.
Once inside the village, the soldiers saw all the natives gathered in celebration, with over ten Australasians tied up nearby.
By the level of celebration and the amount of food being consumed, it was clear that the pirates were very excited.
It was easy to understand. These natives, suffering from famine, had suddenly received hundreds of tons of food from two merchant ships, along with various vegetables and meats, enough to feed them for several years without worry.
"Squad leader, what should we do?" One of the Imperial Guard soldiers cautiously asked.
Now that most of the pirates were gathered in the fishing village, and the captured Australasians were not far off, the situation became more complicated. The soldiers would have to kill all the armed pirates to prevent casualties among the captured Australasians.
The squad leader observed the village carefully and noticed that there were not many pirates with guns, at most only a dozen.
With the pirates near the captured Australasians, the soldiers only needed to deal with fewer than twenty men to ensure no harm came to the Australasians.
"Each of you will be assigned a target. Even if you can't take them out in one shot, make sure the target is incapacitated. First, second, and third squads will take positions by the bonfire, with those holding the guns moving toward the hostages. Remember, if your first shot misses, immediately fire a second shot and close in on our citizens." The squad leader instructed.
The Lee-Enfield rifles equipped by the Australasia army were some of the fastest-firing rifles in the world, allowing the soldiers to quickly reload and fire again after their first shot.
Of course, just in case, the squad leader also ordered that if the first shot missed, the soldiers should quickly move toward the hostages and risk their lives to protect them.
This was the loyalty of the Imperial Guard; to accomplish all tasks given by Arthur, they would sacrifice themselves without hesitation.
Once the soldiers had their assignments, they readied their weapons, loading their rifles, and began to carefully aim at their targets.
"Everyone, when you hear my gunshot, fire immediately. After the second shot, you must move toward all the hostages. Understood?" The squad leader asked one more time before the operation began.
"Understood!" The soldiers responded in low voices.
(End of Chapter)
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