Chapter 427: War Criminals Are Not Prisoners of War

After receiving the telegram, Kruger, who was stationed at the mouth of the Capuas River, personally took Tevez on a small steamer bound for Pontianak City.

Although it was still during war, Umbrella Company had actually gained control of the sea after two naval battles.

Therefore, compared with Batavia, where supplies are in short supply and all industries are depressed, Pontianak, where production, life and even trade have not been significantly affected, appears to be more dynamic.

Merchant ships that have obtained permission after inspection ply the Kapuas River and head to the port of Pontianak City.

Investors from southern China and California are flooding in.

The largest city in West Borneo is even busier than before the war.

What impressed Tevez most deeply was Liang Yao's strong military strength.

Previously, Tevez could only understand Liang Yao's military strength through battle reports from the front line, but in West Borneo, he had direct contact with various soldiers and officers of the other side.

It was these people who defeated the Dutch and Indian army that he was proud of.

To be honest, the composition of the armed forces controlled by Liang Yao is relatively complex. In addition to the relatively pure composition of the California Infantry Regiment, the Western Brigade also has a relatively pure composition of Arizona Infantry Regiment and Oregon Infantry Regiment. It is not an exaggeration to say that the composition of the Western Brigade is a racial museum.

The officers and soldiers of these infantry regiments include not only Americans, Chinese, English, Scots, French, Germans, Dutch, but also Indians and Japanese.

As for Umbrella's mercenary group, the composition is even more complicated.

Tevez really couldn't understand how Liang Yao could command such a complex army.

The composition of the local Chinese armed forces in West Borneo is relatively simple. However, since Liang Yao intervened in the Dutch-Chinese War, these Chinese armed forces are no longer the main force fighting the Dutch-Indian army, but have been reduced to a supporting role.

"Colonel Kruger, I'm curious, how do you command a group of subordinates of different ethnicities?"

On the way to Pontianak, Tevez couldn't help but ask.

"Different ethnic groups? Mr. Governor, you have misunderstood. My subordinates are all Americans." Kruger smiled lightly.

Although the officers and soldiers of his Oregon Infantry Regiment are very different in appearance, their nationalities are all American. To be precise, they are all Californian officers and soldiers.

All officers and soldiers, including Kruger himself, recognized their Californian identity.

This is fundamentally different from the Dutch-Indian army, whose native soldiers and officers have various nationalities and do not even have basic citizenship rights.

Free people who fight for their own interests and slaves who fight for the interests of their slave owners naturally have different morale.

What's more, Kruger's soldiers are equipped with the most advanced light weapons in the world today, and receive generous military pay that can be paid on time. It is natural for Kruger to have such a battle loss ratio with the Dutch and Indian troops. .

But Kruger didn't bother to explain this to Tevez.

After arriving in Pontianak City, Tevez saw the gallows standing on the square as he passed by the square. Several Dutch and Indian Army officers and soldiers were being executed.

The execution of Dutch and Indian officers and soldiers of Dutch and European origin in broad daylight in full view of the public made Tevez very angry.

After meeting Liang Yao, Tevez asked Liang Yao sharply.

"Your Excellency has written several times asking us to spend money to redeem the prisoners of war, and we have also made it clear that we are willing to spend money to redeem the prisoners of war. Why do you want to torture and kill the prisoners of war of our Royal Dutch Indian Army? I now very doubt your sincerity in the peace talks. !”

Liang Yao frowned and said: "Those who were sent to the gallows were not prisoners of war, but war criminals who committed numerous crimes against civilians. They were war criminals designated by the local people and your Dutch-Indian army.

As for my sincerity in peace talks, if you feel that I am not sincere enough, then please go back to Batavia and we will continue to fight until you feel that we are sincere. "

Tevez was speechless. If there were standards for committing war crimes against civilians, I'm afraid not many officers and soldiers in the Dutch-Indian army would be clean.

As for continuing this war? This is even more impossible.

In the current war situation, unless the Dutch government personally ends the war, the Dutch and Indian colonial government alone cannot win this war.

But the Dutch government's personal end will involve another issue, that is, whether the American government behind Liang Yao will personally end it.

Tevez did not dare to bet on this. Once he lost the bet, it would not be a matter of losing Borneo, but a matter of losing Sumatra and Java.

As for placing his hopes on the mediation of Britain and France to force Liang Yao to make concessions, it is not that Tevez has not considered this issue.

It's just that Britain and France are currently busy with wars in the Near East and have sent a large number of troops to the Black Sea region. It is difficult to say that they will be willing to help the Netherlands.

With the combat effectiveness demonstrated by Liang Yao's armed forces in the Borneo region, the problem cannot be solved by sending a regiment of advance troops.

Even if Britain and France want to intervene, they must weigh the costs of participating in this war.

Moreover, Liang Yao's relationship with Britain and France could not be said to be good, but it could not be said to be bad. He also knew some people in the British and French military and political circles.

It may be difficult for Britain and France to reach an agreement within a short period of time on whether to intervene in the East Indies issue.

After all, curbing Tsarist Russia's westward expansion is now the top priority for Britain and France. Compared with Tsarist Russia, the Dutch and American affairs in the East Indies seem to be less important.

Furthermore, it is easier to invite God than to send Him away.

Liang Yao is not an easy character to get along with, and Ying and France are not easy to get along with.

Tevez sat down at the negotiation table with a humiliated look on his face. He wanted to hear Liang Yao's terms for the peace talks.

At present, stopping losses in time is the only option for the Dutch-Indonesian authorities.

"The Dutch-Indonesian army will withdraw from Borneo Island, Batavia will compensate us with 8 million US dollars for military expenses, and you will be allowed to redeem the Dutch-Indonesian prisoners of war at our preferential price. All trade will continue as usual after the war.

In addition, we need to have a piece of land of no less than 3 acres in the Batavia city to set up an office of Umbrella Company, so that we can communicate and talk in the future. In this land, our stationed staff will not be bound by your laws. These are all the conditions for my peace talks." Liang Yao said after sitting down.

In Tevez's view, Liang Yao's conditions, except for the final condition that all trade will continue as usual, are more acceptable to him.

The rest of the conditions are very harsh and difficult for him to accept.

"The entire Borneo Island, including South Borneo?" Tevez asked carefully.

West Borneo is definitely not going to be taken back. When he set out from Batavia, Tevez was ready to give up West Borneo.

As for giving up the entire island of Borneo, this was not within Tevez's psychological expectations, nor was it within the psychological expectations of the Dutch-Indonesian authorities.

"Why? Isn't South Borneo part of the island of Borneo?" Liang Yao asked back.

"You have a really big appetite. The entire island of Borneo? Can you eat it and digest it?" Tevez sneered.

"Don't worry about whether my appetite is good or not." Liang Yao said.

As long as West Borneo is concerned, that was the old calendar before.

Now that Liang Yao has won both sea and land fronts, he has more and more chips in his hands, so of course he is qualified to ask for more.

Although considering the cost of governance, Liang Yao currently only wants to directly rule and manage the West Borneo area where Chinese live and the oil-producing areas in North Borneo. East Borneo and South Borneo are not yet within the scope of direct governance.

But Liang Yao would not miss the chance to drive the Dutch out of Borneo.

After all, if he drove the Dutch out, he would have one less powerful competitor in Borneo, and he could slowly infiltrate South Borneo and East Borneo in the future, and then effectively manage these enemies.

"8 million US dollars in military compensation is too much, we can't afford it."

In addition to the full withdrawal of the Dutch-Indonesian authorities from Borneo, the 8 million US dollars in military compensation also made Tevez feel unacceptable.

Tevez read the documents provided by Liang Yao. Liang Yao had no intention of releasing the Dutch-Indonesian prisoners of war for free after the war. In other words, except for those Dutch-Indonesian soldiers who were identified as war criminals and executed and the crew members who voluntarily employed by Liang Yao, the Dutch-Indonesian authorities still had to pay Liang Yao to redeem the remaining prisoners of war.

Liang Yao's ransom for an ordinary prisoner of war was 300 US dollars per European soldier, and the officer's asking price would be much higher. Roughly speaking, if you want to redeem these prisoners of war, it will cost about 500,000 US dollars.

As for the local indigenous soldiers among the prisoners of war, who were mainly Javanese, Liang Yao had already solved this problem for Tevez.

Tevez only needed to consider redeeming more than a thousand European soldiers of the Dutch-Indian Army. As for the indigenous soldiers, both sides kept silent about it.

Liang Yao needed plantation slaves to cultivate rubber plantations, and Tevez was also happy to save money and trouble.

After all, if Liang Yao asked him to redeem the indigenous soldiers in the Dutch-Indian Army, he, as the governor, would not be able to explain to the vast number of indigenous soldiers in the Dutch-Indian Army if he did not redeem them.

Now, Liang Yao kept silent about these indigenous captives. Even if the indigenous soldiers in the Dutch-Indian Army had emotions in their hearts, they could not vent them on him. Tevez could also give an explanation to the Dutch-Indian Army: It’s not that we don’t redeem people, but those damn Americans don’t let them go.

"You know, not counting the compensation for the dead and the wounded, our expenses in the past eight months have reached 10 million US dollars. Setting the compensation at 8 million US dollars is the greatest goodwill we can show to you." Liang Yao's attitude was very firm.

Liang Yao did exaggerate the military expenditure of 10 million US dollars. In fact, Liang Yao's expenditure this time was just over 6 million US dollars, even if Tevez was stubborn and did not intend to sign the agreement.

Liang Yao had more than 3 million US dollars left from the 10 million US dollars prepared for this war. Even if he did not raise military funds from California, he could easily fight the Dutch-Indonesian authorities for half a year.

After gaining control of the sea and the battle situation was settled, the subsequent military expenditure would be much less.