I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 208 It’s not up to you whether to sell it or not

Schiff used his own channels to help Vladivostok sell bonds, risking his own credit and must be held responsible for these funds.

From this point of view, it seems logical that Schiff would send people to Vladivostok to supervise the use of this fund.

That's the problem.

The Hebrews are best at using many seemingly reasonable requirements to achieve an unreasonable goal.

If George agrees to Schiff's request, let Schiff send someone to Vladivostok.

Then George believes that Schiff will make more equally reasonable demands in the future.

If George is unprepared, then by the time George realizes that the situation is not good, Vladivostok, the entire Amur, and even the entire Russia will have no secrets left for Schiff.

Schiff has not yet made clear his hostility to Vladivostok.

The British attitude is even more obvious.

The British seized a set of steel equipment ordered by Dolgolu Company and a mixed ocean-going passenger and cargo ship on the pretext of unclear purposes.

Moreover, of the 11 information leakage cases that have occurred this year, 9 of them came from technical personnel hired from the UK.

George was not polite and threw all the people involved in these 9 cases into the mines to mine.

For this reason, Vladivostok encountered strong opposition from the British government.

The British government claimed that if the Governor of Amur could not guarantee the safety of British people in Amur, then the British government would refuse all Amur merchant ships and immigrant ships from obtaining supplies in British ports.

This threat has little effect on George, because most of the merchant ships and immigrant ships traveling between Vladivostok and Europe are French and have nothing to do with the Amur Governorate.

British tactics were more than just threats.

In April this year, the British government and the Japanese government reached a loan agreement, and the United Kingdom will provide Japan with a loan designated for the purchase of warships in the United Kingdom.

Japan is a small country with no overseas interests to protect, so what's the use of having warships?

Also in April, the British army fulfilled its promise and began to evacuate from Juwen Island in batches.

The Shiga family stated that after the land lease in Nagasaki expires, the land will no longer be leased to the Siberian Fleet, which means that the Siberian Fleet will lose its only wintering place.

George has nothing to say. He is stepping up his deployment in Southeast Asia. In at least two years, the ships in Vladivostok, at least in Southeast Asia, will be free from British control.

The Russian Empire had no ports in Southeast Asia, not to mention military ports, not even civilian ports.

This means that if the United Kingdom refuses Russian ships to enter British ports, Russian ships will lose supplies in Southeast Asia.

Without supplies, Russian ships would have to make more space to load coal and water, and both capacity and efficiency would be seriously affected.

Britain has a powerful Royal Navy, which George cannot afford to offend yet.

The once powerful Sea Coachman has been reduced to a third-rate country, and George can still touch it.

Last winter, George and Mikhail strategized in Vladivostok to purchase plantations from the Dutch East Indies to provide Vladivostok with natural rubber and tobacco.

This work has already begun. In the early spring of this year, Mikhail sent people to the Dutch East Indies to purchase plantations.

This work did not go smoothly. The plantations in the Dutch East Indies were either controlled by the Dutch or run by Chinese. They either asked for too high a price or refused to sell.

There were many desert islands that the Dutch East Indies were willing to sell, but those islands were completely uninhabited and did not even have fresh water, so there was no possibility of running plantations.

"What are you going to do?"

Milyutin knew George very well and heard an unusual meaning in George's words.

"I don't care about this, Misha is in charge."

George did not respond directly for fear of scaring Milyugin.

not for sale?

Haha, it’s not up to you whether to sell it or not.

In March 1873, the Netherlands sent warships to invade Aceh and provoked the Aceh War.

In January 74, the Dutch army occupied the capital of Aceh, and the Sultan of Aceh was forced to retreat to the mountains. He died of illness soon after.

Subsequently, the Netherlands announced its annexation of Aceh.

The Acehnese did not give up their resistance and continued to resist the Dutch invasion under the leadership of the new Sultan.

Although the Dutch colonial government announced that the Aceh War was over, in fact the Dutch army only controlled the main transportation lines and did not go deep into the interior. Moreover, as the Aceh War had already consumed hundreds of millions of dong in military expenditures, it caused increasing controversy in the Netherlands. .

Although the Acehnese people are still resisting, smart people know that if there are no accidents, the Acehnese resistance will eventually fail. Therefore, more and more Acehnese plantation owners choose to sell their plantations, leave Aceh, and go to other places. Make a living in a place of war.

During the war, the price of plantations in Aceh was extremely low. Molana, the largest plantation owner in Lansha, sold his 2000-hectare plantation to Ivanov from the Russian Empire for 3000 pounds. The family moved to the Lion City.

Morana still had some conscience. After completing the transaction, he reminded Ivanov that the Dutch would confiscate all the plantations in Lansha in one month.

"You don't have to worry about this. I wish you a safe journey."

It doesn't matter to Ivanov. If the Dutch are willing to pay ten thousand pounds, it doesn't matter if they sell the plantation to the Dutch.

This business is profitable.

3000 hectares is about 30 square kilometers.

Such a large area is only sold for 2000 pounds, which is a good deal no matter how you calculate it.

For the Acehnese, the Dutch threat is still very intimidating.

So in just one month, Ivanov bought almost all the plantations in Lansha.

In mid-May, the Dutch arrived as expected.

"Confiscate? What confiscation? Are you sure you want to confiscate my plantation?"

Ivanov's sinister smile made Lieutenant David, who was leading the team, feel terrified inside.

"Who are you?" Lieutenant David had one last glimmer of hope.

The Slavic characteristics of Ivanov are still very obvious, and his proficiency in Russian clearly shows Ivanov's identity.

"Russians, what do you think?"

Ivanov's words made Lieutenant David's heart sink to the bottom.

The Dutch could confiscate Acehnese property with impunity.

But when it comes to the Russians, the Dutch are very cautious.

So the next day, two Dutchmen in casual clothes came to the Ivanov plantation.

"Do not sell!"

Ivanov's reply was crisp and clear, with no usual offers or counter-offers at all.

The next day, a tax official from the Dutch colonial government came to visit.

"Pay taxes? What taxes should I pay? Even if I pay taxes, they will be given to the Aceh Empire and have nothing to do with you."

Ivanov's attitude was arrogant and he did not recognize the Dutch colonial government's rule over Aceh.

"The Aceh Empire no longer exists. If you want to keep your plantations, you must pay taxes to the East Indies or your property will be confiscated."

The tax officer's attitude was equally firm. All the plantations in Lanza belonged to Ivanov. If Ivanov refused to pay taxes, Lanza would become a state within a state.

The Netherlands spent hundreds of millions of guilders on military expenses to conquer Aceh. If they did not get corresponding benefits, then this war would be meaningless.

"Haha, you just said it was confiscated, did I hear you correctly?"

Ivanov couldn't believe his ears.

"Yes, you heard it right, if you refuse to pay taxes, your property will be confiscated!"

The tax officer looks stern but feels sad. How will he know if he can receive the tax if he doesn't try?

Ivanov looked up to the sky and smiled.

After laughing, he punched the tax collector in the face.

The tax official fell to the ground without saying a word, and was knocked unconscious by Ivanov's punch.

Another tax official saw that the situation was not good and ran away.

"Come back and drag this guy away."

Ivanov only cares about killing, not burying.

A week later, Lieutenant David led a group of Dutch soldiers to Ivanov's plantation.

"Stop, the front is private property, please don't enter unless you want to."

I don’t know when a warning sign was erected on the roadside at the entrance to the plantation.

Lieutenant David waved his hand and ordered the troops to move forward.

"Are you sure you want to infringe on the property of citizens of the Russian Empire? No matter who you are, you will be fully counterattacked by the Russian Empire!"

There was another warning sign on the roadside. Lieutenant David became irritated and ordered the soldiers to pull out the warning sign.

As soon as the warning sign was pulled out, Lieutenant David suddenly heard a "bah, bah, bah" sound.

Danger!

Lieutenant David had no time to warn and jumped directly into the ditch nearby.

boom--

boom boom-

The opponent has a lot of experience in using explosives, and he still has a series of mines.

After several violent explosions, more than a dozen Dutch soldiers fell in a pool of blood. The remaining Dutch soldiers dispersed in a hurry, not even taking care of their companions.

Lieutenant David waited for a long time, but couldn't hear any movement. He climbed up from the ditch tremblingly, and then froze.

In the woods across the ditch, Ivanov and a dozen of his men were looking at David with smiles.

David didn't offer any resistance and simply raised his hands in surrender.

After Lieutenant David was taken to the manor in the center of the plantation, he discovered that the manor had been turned into a military camp.

Lieutenant David alone saw at least 30 strong young men.

Although they are not wearing military uniforms, their military temperament cannot be concealed.

There was a guard tower at the entrance to the manor, and Lieutenant David discovered at least four circular positions made of sandbags.

Although David couldn't see what the weapons were in the middle of the circular position, the soldier's intuition told David that if he wanted to attack this military camp, he would probably have to pay an unbearable price.

David was taken into a gloomy house. There was a stove burning in the middle of the house, and the soldering iron in the stove was already burning red.

The table next to the stove is filled with various tools such as tweezers, hooks, and knives.

A guy who was missing one eye, but was not wearing an eyepatch, and who was missing two front teeth when he opened his mouth, turned back to David and said with a smile.

"Tell me what you know, cooperate with me, and I will let you go, otherwise you know the consequences."

Before David could speak, he suddenly felt a little hot in his crotch.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, can't you be more brave without being intimidated? Otherwise, wouldn't all my preparations be in vain?"

Antonov is very disappointed, you Dutch people can't do it.

(End of this chapter)