Start 1861: I just inherited the Dutch throne

Chapter 784 Four-front battle?

On May 1880, 5, Chu Lalongkorn of the Kingdom of Siam also publicly stated recently that King William IV of the Netherlands had recently launched a campaign against Britain and France to encircle the Kingdom of Siam (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos) at the east and west ends of Southeast Asia. - Laos) expressed concern about the actions.

Loka, the Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Siam, said that Britain and France are trying to contain the Kingdom of Siam and the Netherlands with the help of other countries, but the Kingdom of Siam and the Netherlands have been wary of these tricks.

At a time when the Kingdom of Siam is struggling to survive in Southeast Asia and is suffering from the impact of successive sanctions from Britain, France and Japan, Loka's remarks highlight the strategic importance of the relationship between the Kingdom of Siam and the Netherlands. ,
He said that London and Paris did not have enough strength to control the situation on the two battlefields in the Southeast Asian Peninsula and the Korean Peninsula at the same time, facing the Qing Dynasty and the Netherlands in the north, so the United Kingdom, France, Japan and others were currently sufficiently mobilized to participate in the containment. Netherlands two countries.

According to the "Australian Times" report, Dutch Foreign Minister Joseph Beit said at the 1880 Diplomatic Work Press Conference held in Melbourne on Wednesday (May 5, 25), "At present, Britain, France and Japan regard the Netherlands as a threat in the Far East. At the same time, It seems that the Netherlands is considered a challenger and long-term competitor to the interests of the Netherlands, Britain and France in the Far East. Although the Netherlands does not recognize this positioning, we will not give up the interests of the Netherlands and cause damage to our interests. At the same time, we will not abandon the interests of our allies. Behind the scenes, the interests of our allies will be tied to the interests of the Netherlands, and we will face the upcoming difficulties."

“Just in the first quarter of this year, the Netherlands signed cooperation agreements with the Kingdom of Siam, South American allies, the Nordic countries, etc. Our relations with various countries have reached a new level. In terms of economic and trade relations between the Netherlands and other Western countries, At a time when political relations are delicate and when the balance of European powers is about to be broken, doing this will significantly strengthen our economic and trade interests."

When talking about the future relations between the Netherlands and its allies, Joseph Beit emphasized that the Netherlands and its allies are in the best period in history. The Netherlands is increasing trade volume and arms transactions with other countries and carrying out more activities to reduce its dependence on countries such as Britain and France. and the impact of sanctions.

Joseph Beit said that at the same time, the West is also trying to sow discord between the Dutch-speaking United States and the United States, "but we and the United States have seen these tricks."

“Since the 1860s, with the support of His Majesty, more than hundreds of thousands of Chinese workers have come to the Dutch East Indies and the Australian mainland to engage in the heaviest labor, which has played a significant role in the development and construction of the Netherlands in these remote places. Especially since the early 70s, when the anti-China trend in the United States was getting stronger and stronger, the Netherlands' friendship with China has helped many ancient Far Eastern countries to cross the ocean."

Especially in the third year of Guangxu (1877), the U.S. Congress requested the U.S. government and the Qing Dynasty to revise the "Qing-U.S. Renewal Treaty" signed in the 7th year of Tongzhi (1868). The United States used this treaty to expand its recruitment of Chinese workers. To develop resources in the western region, in the fifth year of Guangxu (1870), American President Douglas Stephen took advantage of the opportunity to mediate the Ryukyu issue between the Qing Dynasty and Japan, forcing the Qing government to allow Chinese workers to go to the United States to change the rules.

In the sixth year of Guangxu's reign (1880), the American Minister to the Qing Dynasty, Anji Li, and the Qing Premier Yamen Minister Bao Yun signed the "Qing-U.S. Renewal Treaty" in the capital.

"But now the United States has enacted a series of anti-hua bills in order to win over the Japanese. Recently, Chinese, British and French members of Congress have proposed an unlimited extension of the anti-hua laws, which has aroused strong opposition from the people within the Qing Dynasty and caused a wave of controversy. A series of patriotic movements against the United States, Britain, France and Japan."

William IV relaxed his brows, looked at Home Secretary David Blanc and said, "How many Chinese workers are there in our country now?"

David Blank: "More than 58 people have been naturalized, and the number of illegal households within 6700 people has moved."

“Absorbing the overseas population will remain a major issue for the Netherlands in the future, and this will not change,” said Mari Philippe, the Minister of Education next to William IV: “The Ministry of Education will follow up the patriotic education of the Dutch overseas naturalized talents throughout the process.”

At the same time, he reported to several intelligence officers next to him: "Supervision must not be relaxed. I don't want a lot of spies to come and steal all our technology."

William IV's Transport Minister Byers said: "With Australia as the core, the Netherlands is now a maritime power, so our business is mainly in the coastal areas, maintaining maritime transportation connections, fully supporting overseas business development, and at the same time developing domestic power. Railway branch lines, development of wide and smooth cement roads, etc.”

Several people should be connected.

Prime Minister Lyndon said at this time: "Currently, the Qing Dynasty's troubles are getting bigger and bigger. Your Majesty, I think my relationship with the Qing Dynasty may need to be reconsidered.

In 1880, when the Qing Dynasty was at its most dangerous, the northwest frontier and the southeastern sea frontier were in crisis at the same time. To the northwest, the Tsarist Empire took advantage of the chaos in the northwest and took the initiative to help the Qing Dynasty "recover" the area from the rebels. , but now they are unwilling to return it to the Qing Dynasty lightly, and they are demanding high compensation and large tracts of land. The military minister surnamed Zuo led the Western Expedition and Counter-Rebellion Army, stationed [-] troops, and faced off against the Tsarist Russian army. In addition, Britain and France are in the south, and Japan is in the east. Now military experts and current affairs commentators around the world predict that Tsarist Russia wants to take advantage of the Qing Dynasty's inability to devote its military power to blackmail, and the Qing Dynasty will again With no retreat, war between the two countries may be unavoidable in the northwest.

If we continue to get too close to China, will this make us an enemy of Tsarist Russia, Europe's hegemon for hundreds of years?

Coupled with the current major enemies, Britain and France, and the ambiguous attitude of the German Empire, if the situation in the United States worsens, we may be dragged into the hostility of the Western powers.

In the southeast of the Qing Dynasty, Japan, which is developing rapidly, has accelerated the pace of annexing Ryukyu. Not long ago, it even boldly proposed that Ryukyu withdraw from vassal and establish counties and change Okinawa. The next ambition is to establish a high Peninsula and tai-island.
At present, the secret envoy of King Louqiu has arrived in the Qing Dynasty, asking for help from the Qing Dynasty, and asking the Qing Dynasty to send troops as soon as possible to fight against the Japanese.
Therefore, the Qing Dynasty was also filled with anti-Japanese sentiment, and memorials flying like snowflakes flew into the Forbidden City.

However, passion is not strength, and words are not fists. The Qing Dynasty currently does not have the strength to fight on two fronts, or even add Tsarist Russia to fight on three fronts. Adding the naval battle on Ryukyu, it becomes a four-front war.Difficult choices are being made in the Forbidden City between land and sea, fortress defense and coastal defense, frontier consolidation and vassal protection, resistance to Russia and resistance to Japan. "

Linden said without hesitation: "Faced with such a Qing country, although it is our Netherlands' strong ally against Britain and France in the Far East, if this ally may pull us out of the vortex, we should probably be more careful."

(End of this chapter)