Chapter 85 Diplomatic Mission From the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Please Subscribe!)

Time passed and soon it was June 1901.

After waiting for several months, Arthur thought that there was no hope for buying immigrants from the Netherlands.

But what was unexpected was that the fleet from the Netherlands quietly arrived in Australian waters from the Dutch East Indies.

If the Dutch fleet had not used flags to indicate its intention early in the morning, the Australian Navy would have really thought that it was an invader.

The leaders of the Dutch fleet were Dutch Foreign Minister Helbert von and Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies William Rosborne. There was also a more distinguished guest accompanying them, that is, the mother of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, the late Queen Emma of King William III.

The reason why Queen Mother Emma was distinguished was that in addition to being the mother of the current Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, she was also the regent of the Kingdom of the Netherlands before.

Arthur was very surprised to receive this news, and immediately ordered Prime Minister Evan to go and greet her immediately.

At the same time, he asked people to prepare a welcome banquet and invite his mother, Princess Louise, to attend and entertain Queen Mother Emma with the same identity.

Soon, Prime Minister Evan invited Queen Mother Emma, ​​Minister Helbert and Governor William to the manor.

As the first official residence of Arthur and the royal family, this small manor almost replaced all the functions of the palace. It can not only hold temporary cabinet meetings, but also hold banquets to entertain guests.

At the banquet, Arthur finally met Queen Mother Emma, ​​Foreign Minister Helbert of the Netherlands and Governor William.

It can be clearly seen that the long sea journey brought several people to a state of fatigue. Governor William was fine, but Queen Mother Emma and Minister Helbert were not in a good mental state.

The banquet was divided into two main bodies. Queen Mother Emma and Princess Louis stayed aside, and Margaret and Patricia followed them.

On the other side of the banquet, Minister Helbert and Governor William were talking seriously about international affairs with Prime Minister Evan, and they did not forget their identities.

This also made Arthur a little embarrassed sitting in the middle. His identity was not suitable for joining the conversation between the two sides, so he could only find a suitable time to leave.

This also led to Arthur not knowing the conversation between the two sides. Prime Minister Evan was fine, and all important matters discussed needed to be reported to Arthur.

But it was different for Princess Louise. Topics between women were not something Arthur could participate in, and they were definitely not something Arthur could know.

However, from the expressions of the two after the conversation, it can be seen that the two were still very happy about the conversation with each other. The two people with similar identities and circumstances had some words, and they felt like confidants.

After the banquet, Queen Mother Emma was arranged to live in the manor, while Minister Helbert and Governor William lived in the best hotel in Australia.

Although it was just a hotel converted from several independent apartments to entertain important guests, because the guests were almost all princes, nobles and dignitaries, the decoration inside the hotel was also very luxurious, and it also had hot springs, fountains, gardens, private meeting rooms, and offices.

After letting them rest for a whole day, Arthur invited Minister Helbert and Governor William to attend the meeting in the afternoon of the next day.

After all, the fact that the Netherlands could send such a grand diplomatic mission meant that there must be important things to discuss.

Although Prime Minister Evan, Minister Helbert and Governor William seemed to have a good chat at the banquet last night, these old political foxes would not reveal their true purpose at a small banquet.

In the meeting room of the government building, Arthur met Minister Helbert and Governor William again.

After a long rest, the mental state of the two people has obviously improved. Especially Governor William, he has swept away the previous fatigue and is in excellent mental state.

"Dear Duke of Australia!" As soon as the two saw Arthur, they immediately saluted respectfully.

Arthur was stunned. He didn't expect that the two high-ranking officials of the Kingdom of the Netherlands would respect him so much. But he quickly reacted and nodded to the two people with a smile.

"Minister Helbert, Governor William. I wonder what your government has sent you here for? If it is for the immigration purchase plan we proposed before, you only need to send us a telegram across the ocean. There is no need to go through so much trouble." At the conference table, Prime Minister Evan smiled and tried to test Minister Helbert and Governor William.

A diplomatic visit team composed of a cabinet minister and a frontier official, plus the blessing of the Queen Mother, is equivalent to a formal diplomatic visit to any country.

But it is surprising here. Although the Netherlands and Australia have no hatred or disputes, they also have no common interests and good relations.

Even Australia has a certain competitive relationship with the Netherlands in Southeast Asia. Although the relationship between the two countries is not bad, it is definitely not very friendly.

On this basis, the Netherlands quietly sent a very formal diplomatic visit team, and its purpose left everyone confused.

"Your Highness, Prime Minister Evan, and all the lords. Please rest assured that Governor William and I only aim to establish a good cooperative relationship with Australia. After the government and Her Majesty the Queen learned of Australia's plan, they quickly agreed to your country's plan to buy immigrants. We are happy to assist Australia in purchasing immigrants and are happy to reach a treaty for this." Minister Helbert stood up and said very sincerely.

Seeing that Minister Helbert was very sincere, Arthur also fell silent.

Although it was a bit strange that the Kingdom of the Netherlands mobilized a large number of troops for such a small matter, it was not bad for Australia after all, so the meeting continued.

"In that case, Minister Helbert. I wonder how many immigrants your government is willing to sell to us every year? What is the price of each immigrant? How about the capture, transportation, and handling of international affairs of immigrants?" Prime Minister Evan nodded and continued to ask.

Purchasing immigrants is not as simple as it sounds. To transport immigrants from the Dutch East Indies to Australia, not only must they be captured with great effort, but they must also be successfully transported as low-key as possible.

The manpower and material resources consumed in this process are not enough. For Australia, which has a very scarce number of soldiers and warships, there is no extra manpower to capture the natives and then transport them to Australia.

"We are willing to undertake the capture and transportation of the natives." Minister Helbert said with a smile: "We can transport them to any port in Australia, and you only need to be responsible for receiving them."

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