African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1744 Refusal and Discussion

The initial contact and disputes between the two sides in the Dutch East Indies were merely an appetizer. The negotiations that would truly determine the fate of the Dutch East Indies actually took place on Japanese soil, in Edo, where the East African ambassador to Japan, Maher, met with the Dutch ambassador, Pabst.

When Ambassador Maher visited, Pabst was completely baffled; he had no idea why the East Africans were coming to him at this time.

During this period, Pabst and other Dutch diplomats in Japan were extremely anxious and worried.

The situation in the Netherlands was getting worse every day, and recently Japan had openly launched an invasion of the Dutch East Indies, which made Pabst and others restless and unsure of what to do.

Ironically, Pabst and his colleagues learned about Japan's attack on the Dutch East Indies from Japanese newspapers.

After Japan declared war on the Netherlands, the Japanese did not directly notify the Dutch embassy in Edo, so they were kept in the dark for a time.

This is because Japan's declaration of war against the Netherlands was carried out directly by Japanese citizens at the Japanese Embassy in the Netherlands. Japan's "belated" declaration of war meant that the Dutch only realized what was happening after Japan had already captured important ports along the Dutch East Indies coast.

Dutch officials stationed in Japan, including Pabst, were only notified by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the very last minute to negotiate with the Japanese government.

But what could Pabst do? Japan had already made great progress in the Dutch East Indies and had no time to spare for its homeland. Did he expect Pabst to persuade Japan to give up the prize it had already acquired?

Just as he was racking his brains over this problem, Mach came knocking on his door.

“Ambassador Pabst, it seems you haven’t been in a good mood lately,” Maher said bluntly upon meeting him.

Ambassador Pabst said with a wry smile, "Ambassador Mach, your Rhine Empire should also know the current situation of the Netherlands. Wars have broken out on our homeland and in the East Indies at the same time. I have been so worried that I haven't been able to sleep well these past few days."

Upon hearing this, Mach nodded and said, "I came here precisely for matters concerning your Netherlands."

Upon hearing Mach's words, Ambassador Pabst was delighted. His first thought was that the Netherlands might have made contact with the East, asking them to help him negotiate with the Japanese government.

It's no wonder he had this idea. Unlike Governor Stafren, Mach, as a Dutch diplomat, believed that the relationship between the Netherlands and East Africa was still quite good.

The Netherlands is currently in trouble, and Britain and France, two important former arbiters of the international order, have also been dragged into the war. The only countries the Netherlands can rely on are East Africa and the United States.

This can be understood as Britain, France, the United States, and East African countries being third-party dominant forces in the world order, distinct from the Soviet Union representing the Labour Party and Germany representing the Axis powers.

With Britain and France struggling to survive and mired in the war, the only countries in the world not belonging to the German and Soviet camps that could seek help from the international community were the two imperialist powers: East Africa and the United States.

Pabst naturally believed that Mach's arrival was due to the influence of home soil.

He quickly asked, "Ambassador Maher, do you mean that East Africa will act as a mediator between us and Japan next?"

Mach, unaware of Pabst's thoughts, said, "Yes, entrusted by you, we will act as mediators between the Netherlands and Japan as much as possible this time."

The client that Mach is referring to here is naturally the Governor-General of Stafren in the Dutch East Indies.

Governor Stafren directly approached East Africa, so East Africa made two preparations: first, to engage in direct dialogue with the high command of the Japanese army that had invaded the Dutch East Indies; and second, to communicate directly with the Japanese government.

After receiving instructions from his home country, Ambassador Mach could have contacted the Japanese government directly, but he went to the Dutch embassy first.

The reason is simple: since he was acting as an intermediary for the Dutch, it would be best to invite the Dutch to come forward as well.

Maher explained, “After your Dutch East Indies were attacked, Governor Stafren made a deal with us in East Africa, which led to my visit.”

Pabst was overjoyed. Although he didn't know what deal Governor Stafren had made with the East Africans, if the East Africans could support the Netherlands, his pressure would be greatly reduced.

He didn't care whether Mach was commissioned by the Dutch mainland or the Dutch East Indies colonial government; as long as it was helpful to his work, that was fine with him.
“Ambassador Maher, thank you so much!” Pabst said excitedly. “I was having a headache over the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies.”

“You know that the Netherlands is just a small country, and right now our homeland is deeply embroiled in war and we can hardly extricate ourselves.”

"As a result, the Japanese government launched an extremely despicable attack on the Dutch East Indies without declaring war, further worsening our situation..."

Ambassador Pabst began by complaining and denouncing Japan's despicable wartime actions.

"The peaceful and stable international order has been disrupted by Japan and its allies. The world needs a responsible major power like East Africa to uphold justice for us weak and vulnerable nations..."

He seemed to be portraying East Africa as a "savior," which made Ambassador Maher feel somewhat embarrassed.

Ambassador Mach interrupted, saying, "Alright, Ambassador Pabst, it's too late to say such meaningless things. What's most important for you now is to communicate and negotiate with the Japanese government with our cooperation to resolve the issues between the two countries."

“I will speak up for you as much as possible, but you also need to be mentally prepared, because Japan is, after all, a major power and a member of the Axis powers. Your efforts may not necessarily make Japan back down.”

Ambassador Maher made his stance clear from the outset, which also meant that East Africa would not stand up for the Netherlands and offend Japan to the point of no return.

Ambassador Pabst clearly didn't care about that; East Africa was already doing more than enough by "helping" the Netherlands at this time.

"Ambassador Maher, rest assured, I am not a troublemaker and will not make things difficult for your country in the upcoming negotiations. I only ask that you put in a good word for the Netherlands."

Pabst was also somewhat aware of the situation. To be honest, given the current state of the Netherlands, although he was anxious, it was difficult for him to muster any enthusiasm. After all, no one knew whether the Netherlands would fall under the iron heel of Germany.

If the Netherlands falls, and the government collapses or goes into exile, his situation as a civil servant will be very awkward. Pabst does not believe that Germany would offend Japan, its most important Asian ally, for the sake of the Netherlands.

This was also the biggest difference in thought between him and Governor Stafren. For Governor Stafren, the Dutch East Indies were a real interest, and he was practically the "local emperor" of the Dutch East Indies. Therefore, he naturally hoped to prevent Japan from occupying the Dutch East Indies.

But Pabst was just an "ordinary" Dutch diplomat. Even if Dutch interests were truly harmed, he wouldn't be entirely saddened by it; it was just a job.

Even if Germany were to occupy the Netherlands in the future, given his "Aryan" ancestry and upper-class status, as long as he didn't oppose the Germans, he wouldn't fare too badly. Of course, Pabst would still diligently complete the tasks assigned to him by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but only diligently, not wholeheartedly.

Ambassador Maher was unaware of his true intentions, and even if he had, he wouldn't have cared. In his eyes, Pabst was merely a tool.

"Enough with the small talk. I'll be going with you to meet with high-ranking Japanese government officials. Get ready!" Ambassador Mach said to Ambassador Pabst.

Next, Ambassadors Mach and Pabst, along with other members of the Dutch Embassy, ​​formally requested a meeting with the Japanese government.

As Ambassador Maher had predicted, the Japanese government did not give the Dutch a friendly welcome this time, but they were still relatively polite verbally because of the presence of the East Africans.

In Edo, in a meeting room arranged by the Japanese government, Japanese Foreign Minister Hachiro Arita sat opposite the two men.

Arita Hachiro listened calmly to Ambassador Pabst's accusations against Japan and the demands of the Netherlands, and only spoke after Ambassador Pabst had finished speaking.

“Ambassador Pabst, I have heard your accusations against the Empire, but unfortunately, the Empire is not as you describe it.”

"This war between the Empire and the Netherlands is not an invasion, but an execution of the treaty between us and Germany. Germany declared war on the Netherlands, and as Germany's ally, we also have the same obligation to assist in the war."

Arita Hachiro directly shifted the blame to the Germans, leaving Ambassador Pabst speechless. After all, Japan was indeed an ally of Germany, and Germany had launched its war against the Netherlands before Japan.

If that's the case, then even if Japan doesn't declare war on the Netherlands but instead launches a war directly, it would be theoretically reasonable.

Ambassador Pabst was naturally unwilling to accept this, and he said: "Germany is indeed an ally of Japan, but we in the Netherlands have never had any conflict with Japan, and the war that Germany waged against the Netherlands was unjust. We have repeatedly reiterated the neutrality of the Netherlands."

"Therefore, Germany's invasion of the Netherlands was unjust in the first place. Japan's cooperation with Germany was tantamount to becoming Germany's accomplice. Does Japan's alliance with Germany justify launching a war against the Netherlands?"

Ambassador Pabst's words made a lot of sense. The Netherlands had indeed been trying to avoid being affected by the war by remaining a neutral country. In this way, Germany's war against the Netherlands directly constituted aggression, and Japan became an accomplice.

In fact, Japan was not an accomplice at all; it was one of the masterminds, only that Japan acted later than Germany.

Even without Germany, Japan would still have coveted Dutch colonies, and it would only have been a matter of time before it launched a war to invade the Netherlands.

Arita Hachiro naturally refused to admit this, insisting that Japan was simply fulfilling its obligations under the alliance and telling Ambassador Pabst, "If the Netherlands has any objections, they can go to Germany for an explanation, instead of making trouble for us in Tokyo."

Having said all that, Ambassador Pabst was at a loss. If the German and Dutch colonies could be dealt with, how could they possibly be invaded by Japan? He no longer needed to act like a shrew, criticizing and denouncing the Japanese government.

Ambassador Pabst could only look helplessly at Ambassador Maher, hoping that East Africa would put pressure on Japan.

Ambassador Mach then slowly spoke up, saying, "I think both of you have a point. Japan's fulfillment of its alliance with Germany is beyond reproach, but a war with the Netherlands would not be a good thing for Japan itself."

"As is well known, the Netherlands is just an ordinary small European country, and in recent years it has played an important role in maintaining the international order, without committing any major crimes."

"To use an old saying from your Eastern tradition, the Netherlands did not deserve to die!"

"Therefore, for the sake of Japan's international reputation and world peace, I think it would be better for both sides to compromise: the Netherlands should compensate Japan, and Japan should not completely occupy the Dutch East Indies, how about that?"

"In this way, Japan still fulfilled its commitment to Germany, gained benefits, and also helped maintain Japan's international reputation."

Ambassador Pabst gave Ambassador Maher a grateful look; if this could be achieved, it would be quite good for the Netherlands at present.

Arita Hachiro, however, was completely unmoved. For Japan, face and international reputation were meaningless; what was better than annexing and monopolizing the Dutch East Indies? At that time, everything in the East Indies would belong to Japan.

As for the compensation mentioned by the East Africans, Arita Hachiro thought it was nonsense. The Netherlands was about to be conquered by Germany, so what sincerity could they possibly offer to move Japan?
The Netherlands had absolutely no leverage to persuade Japan to relinquish its Dutch East Indies colonies.

Therefore, Arita Hachiro rejected East Africa's proposal without hesitation. Of course, given East Africa's status as a major power, he was also worried that East Africa would continue to support the Netherlands and put pressure on Japan.

Fortunately, Ambassador Mah did not say much more afterward.

Pabst wanted to continue his efforts, but Japan remained adamant that it would not accept the Dutch proposal and insisted on swallowing up the entire Dutch East Indies colony. In the end, the two sides parted on bad terms.

After the negotiations concluded, Ambassador Maher did not leave immediately; he first saw off Pabst, who had come with him.

Arita Hachiro asked warily, "Does Your Excellency intend to continue acting as a lobbyist for the Netherlands?"

At this point, Mach shook his head and said, "The Empire is not very interested in the matters between you and the Netherlands. Next, we will discuss the issues between the Empire and Japan."

“Mr. Arita Hachiro, you should also know that we have reached a territorial deal with the Netherlands, in which the Sunda Strait has been incorporated into the Empire.”

"Therefore, the Empire must emphasize that even after Japan occupies the East Indies, it should not set foot on the Empire's territory there, and the two sides should sign a non-aggression pact for this purpose."

Here, Mach naturally wants to address the issue of East Africa's newly acquired territory in the Sunda Strait. Now that the Dutch are out of the picture, Japan's stance is equally important to East Africa, especially given that East Africa does not want a direct military conflict with Japan for the time being.

Arita Hachiro did not directly agree to his request, but said, "Our government needs to discuss and consider this matter carefully. However, we can agree to the non-aggression of interests between the two sides in the East Indies."

Japan certainly wanted to take control of the Sunda Strait, but it was also wary of the strength of East Africa, so it was in a dilemma. Therefore, Hachiro Arita chose to stall Ambassador Mach on this issue first.

Afterwards, Japanese officials discussed the matter and gave East Africa a clear stance on the Sunda Strait issue.

Mach was not satisfied with the answer, but the Japanese did not explicitly refuse, so he could only wait and see. However, since the Sunda Strait issue could not be resolved at the moment, Mach also had other demands on Japan. He discussed several "minor issues" with Japan.

(End of this chapter)