The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 543: Chapter 426: A Huge Disparity in Strength

At the time, Alexander William Frederick Edinburgh, the Count of Edinburgh, served as the Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Dutch East Indies.

Although it seemed that he had a firm grip on both military and political matters, only Governor Alexander himself knew that his days were actually not that easy.

Even though the Dutch enjoyed a superior status in the Dutch East Indies, this meant that Governor Alexander had nearly 40 million slaves to oppress under his rule.

The Dutch barely had to concern themselves with the lives of the colonial natives; they could arbitrarily seize the property and wives of the Indigenous people, trample on their dignity, and deprive them of their lives.

However, the land was not as peaceful as it seemed on the surface. The protection of Britain and France didn't seem to be very effective, and Australasia was eying the territory with great interest.

Moreover, there were more than 40 million indigenous people within the Dutch East Indies, consisting of hundreds of ethnic groups. The relationship between these ethnic groups was very complex, and the relationship among the indigenous forces formed by these ethnic groups was also very complicated.

The Dutch East India Colonial Government's orders were not so effective in some of the indigenous countries, and the areas that the Dutch East Indies could truly control were only the majority of Java Island, Sumatra Island, Kalimantan Island, and parts of Sulawesi Island.

There were more than ten thousand islands in the entire Dutch East Indies, but apart from some larger islands, the other islands were not under the control of the Dutch East Indies.

Although this may seem strange, as the Dutch were a more developed and powerful European nation compared to the local indigenous people.

Moreover, the Dutch had ruled this land for hundreds of years; logically speaking, even if they hadn't completely assimilated these populations, they should have controlled most areas and achieved proper management by now.

However, in reality, if one were to compare the Netherlands itself with the Dutch East Indies, the biggest problem for the Dutch would become apparent – the phenomenon of a snake swallowing an elephant.

There are only more than 6 million people in the Netherlands to date, but the population of the Dutch East Indies has reached more than 40 million, nearly seven times the total population of the Netherlands.

Trying to assimilate more than 40 million indigenous people with a population of merely over 6 million is an impossible idea.

Even now, there are still a large number of Sultanates in the Dutch East Indies, which have considerable autonomy, and some even outright dismiss the rule of the Dutch East Indies.

To govern this land with a population of over 40 million, the Dutch had about 100,000 combat troops in the Dutch East Indies, including more than 30,000 regular troops and 100,000 native troops.

But obviously, such an army is far from enough to properly govern a population of 40 million.

Moreover, the naval scale of the Colonial Government of the Dutch East Indies is very small, even smaller than the combined naval size of the six Australian colonies before.

In such a situation, the Dutch East Indies Government could not properly control more than ten thousand islands within its territory. Rebellions were frequent in the Dutch East Indies, causing headaches for the Dutch, who were powerless to do anything about it.

According to the information from the Royal Security Intelligence Agency, there are as many as 17 indigenous Sultanates within the Dutch East Indies, each with a population of over a million, while the smallest Sultanate still has several hundred thousand indigenous people.

Australasia's rise has been smooth, with the support from Germany, Britain and Russia in succession. Before the European War, their biggest enemy was the Netherlands, and it was a war provoked by Australasia itself.

Then look at the Netherlands, situated in Europe, to rise they must have the consent of Britain, France and Germany.

But clearly, none of these three countries want another powerful country or even a secondary powerful country in the Low Countries. Continue your adventure at m|v-l'e -novelhall.net

The Low Countries can threaten the English Channel and the British coast, the northeast of France, the west of Germany and the Ruhr District. Any movement here will attract the attention of the three major powers and is an area where they compete for influence.

It is no exaggeration to say that any choice of the three could offend one of the powerful countries of Britain, France and Germany.

For the Netherlands, this is a fatal blow. Sandwiched in the encirclement of these three major powers, there is no hope for the expansion of the Dutch homeland, and their colonies are currently coveted by Australasia, with no chance of turning the tables.

Look at Belgium, who claims to be a neutral country, but Germany attacked them at will. Thinking of this, Ambassador Raynor couldn't help but sigh again, envious of Australasia's rise and advantageous geographical location.

"Damn it, immediately send a telegram to our homeland requesting at least 100,000 troops for support.

Otherwise, it will be impossible for the Dutch East Indies to withstand the invasion of the Australasian Army." Governor Alexander didn't pay attention to Ambassador Raynor's sighs; his attention was completely attracted by the fact that Australasia had at least 200,000 colonial troops available for combat.

Although they were just colonial armies, the indigenous people were armed with firearms, which could cause fatal injuries when hit.

Moreover, Australasia also had a large number of cannons and aircraft, and Batavia could still be bombarded by fleets on the sea, which was a deadly blow to the defenders.

It should be noted that the ship guns generally have a caliber of more than 300mm, which can cause huge damage to any defensive fortifications.

Furthermore, the bombings from ground troops and the sky, every day of delay would cause heavy casualties to the Dutch Army.

"Yes!" Governor Alexander's subordinates didn't dare to hesitate and quickly attempted to send a telegram to the Netherlands for help.

In fact, the Dutch government at this time was also very bitter. They had already received a clear reply from the British that they would not allow any fleet flying the Dutch flag to pass through the Suez Canal.

This also means that the journey to the Dutch East Indies has increased by more than half. Even if the Netherlands sends aid immediately, it will take at least two months to arrive.

However, the Dutch government did not reveal the fact that they could not pass through the Suez Canal to the Dutch East Indies, expressing the government's orders to defend Batavia and the entire Java Island at all costs.

The Dutch government also hypocritically claimed that a large amount of supplies had been hurriedly transported and could reach Batavia in less than a month at the fastest.

However, the navigation situation of the Suez Canal and whether the Dutch transport fleet would be besieged by the Australasian fleet in the Indian Ocean were not mentioned by the Dutch government.