The Rise of Australasia

Chapter 836: Chapter 625: The Battle of Batavia Defense

The large-scale rebellion in the Dutch East Indies had attracted a considerable amount of attention worldwide and is one of the biggest news stories in the second half of 1925.

But Britain and France, who were in the know, naturally did not take any action, after all, this was part of the compromise between the powers, the interests of the Dutch East Indies had long been ceded to Australasia.

However, this does not mean that aside from Britain and France, no other countries had designs on the Dutch East Indies.

The first to act was the Island Nation. As the country second closest to the Dutch East Indies from its native land, the Islanders had a great ambition for the Netherlands’ colony when it came to land and resources.

All of this was because the native territory of the Island Nation was not extensive and resources were relatively scarce, which fueled the Islanders’ tremendous ambition for land and resources.

Although part of the Dutch East Indies had been annexed, the remaining three islands still held immense economic value, and it was impossible for the Islanders not to be tempted.

However, faced with the threat from Australasia, the Islanders wisely did not confront Australasia directly but chose to contact the Dutch, the owners of the Dutch East Indies, to ask if the Dutch needed support.

Although the Islanders were very sanctimonious when they contacted the Dutch, the Dutch government surely knew what the Islanders were thinking.

The Islanders also underestimated the Dutch resolve to keep the Dutch East Indies, as the Netherlands not only tersely rejected the Islanders’ proposal but even expressed discontent with the Islanders’ actions.

After all, the deterrent power of this Island Nation, which is among the powerful nations, was not that great over the European small and medium nations, and for most European nations, the Island Nation had no deterrent power at all.

This was no joke. The geographical location of the Island Nation, along with its ethnic differences from European nations, made it rather undesirable to the mainstream countries of Europe.

Although the military strength of the Island Nation was indeed at the great power level, the respect it received in Europe did not yet qualify it as a great power nation.

The reason these European nations were so confident was actually because the Island Nation was too far from Europe to possibly launch an attack on Europe.

Not to mention, the European powers would not allow the Island Nation’s influence to expand into Europe, as it would also pose a threat to themselves.

The news that the Islanders had approached the Dutch Government but were swiftly rejected soon reached Australasia. Although the Dutch had not aligned with the Islanders, this did not prevent Arthur’s favor towards the Island Nation from dropping even further.

Of course, since his favor was already negative, there wasn’t much left to decrease. However, this also solidified Arthur’s ambition to destroy this country, or at least to inscribe a significant chapter in the history of the 20th century, marking their indelible contributions to the development of nuclear weapons.

Although the Island Nation’s attempt was unsuccessful, the attention of the other powers forced Australasia to accelerate its actions in the Dutch East Indies, ensuring that the Dutch East Indies would smoothly come under control of Australasia.

On September 23, 1925, after a period of preparation, several Indigenous forces on Java Island assembled more than 30,000 military troops. With the addition of over 10,000 military troops quietly transported from Sumatra Island, a total of over 40,000 troops launched an offensive on Batavia.

It was also on this day that Batavia imposed comprehensive martial law. When the Indigenous rebellion reached Batavia, the colonial capital, it signified that the rebellion was quite severe, and even the colonial government could no longer control it alone.

Despite the martial law, the Governor of the Dutch East Indies was quite satisfied with the defense of Batavia.

Because Indigenous rebellions were common in the East Indies, Batavia, as the capital of the East Indies, had over a hundred firearms, dozens of heavy machine guns, and a sufficient supply of ammunition that could last for several months.

Together with the more than 20,000 troops stationed in Batavia, it was enough to hold off the attack of over 100,000 Indigenous troops for at least three months.

Normally, these three months would be enough for the Dutch reinforcements to arrive, which is why the Dutch East Indies had not faced any major crisis over the hundreds of years of Dutch control.

According to messages from the Dutch side, the reinforcements could arrive in about half a month at the earliest, which meant that they only needed to hold on for half a month, and Batavia would not face any danger.

Thinking of the existing supplies and ammunition reserves in Batavia, the Governor of the Dutch East Indies could even laugh out loud.

As long as they could withstand the Indigenous attack and once the reinforcements arrived, they could launch a counterattack against the Indigenous troops and swiftly quell the rebellion. He even felt that his Title of Nobility could be elevated by one level.

In a small country like the Netherlands, it was quite difficult to raise one’s Title of Nobility. The current Governor Dirk Fok was far from as famous as his previous two governors.

Both Governor Alexander and Governor John had their Titles of Nobility elevated by one level upon their successful return to the Netherlands after accomplishing their missions.

After all, as one of the few large colonies of the Netherlands, the role of the Dutch East Indies for the Netherlands was no less significant than that of India for the British Empire.

Each Governor of the Dutch East Indies also received commendations from the government and the royal family after returning to their Native Land; generally speaking, a Baron title was guaranteed.

Governor Dirk even had the title of Earl in his fantasies. If the rebellion could be successfully quelled, his prestige in the Dutch East Indies would surpass those of the previous two governors, making him the first Dutchman (excluding the royal family) to be granted the title of Earl in the 20th century.

"How are our military preparations? Are all the soldiers ready?” Governor Dirk asked with a smile, looking at the several Brigadier Generals of the Dutch East Indies army during the Colonial Government meeting.

Generally speaking, the Governor of the Dutch East Indies also serves as the Commander-in-Chief, having jurisdiction over the colonial military.

This also contributed to Governor Dirk’s confidence in claiming most of the credit. Under the premise of holding both military and political power, successfully defending the Dutch East Indies would indeed be no small feat.

"Everything is ready, sir,” the Brigadier Generals nodded and said one after another.

Governor Dirk nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze to Fok, who was in charge of logistics, and asked, “Do we still have ample reserves of grain? Can our supply of weapons and ammunition support a large-scale operation?”

"Governor, we currently have enough grain reserves for the government to last over a year. We currently have 20,000 rifles, 55 pieces of artillery, 12 heavy machine guns, 30 million bullets for rifles, one million shells, and 550,000 machine gun bullets.

These reserves of weaponry and ammunition are enough to launch a large-scale operation. At least during the siege of Batavia, we won’t have to worry about the consumption of weapons and ammunition,” Logistics Officer Fok nodded with a laugh, speaking with evident pride.

The weapons and ammunition mentioned here are only the reserves in the East Indies armory, that is, extra weapons and ammunition.

If all the firearms of the colonial military are counted, the Dutch East Indies’ number of rifles has already exceeded 100,000.

"Very good. Gentlemen, did you hear that? Don’t be sparing with the bullets and shells; let those damned Indigenous Peoples understand that the Dutch are the masters of this land,” Governor Dirk said with a laugh. “If we can defeat the natives attacking Batavia before reinforcements arrive, I will personally commend you to Her Majesty the Queen.”

Everyone understood just how important the Dutch East Indies were to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and naturally realized the immense credit that would come with defending the Dutch East Indies.

At the words of Governor Dirk promising to personally commend them to Her Majesty the Queen, the breathing of the officers present became a bit heavier; they were clearly tempted.

Although they too held the rank of Brigadier Generals in the colonial military, Queen Wilhelmina was not someone they could meet at their leisure; one had to be at the level of Governor Dirk at least to have the qualification to request an audience with Her Majesty.

That’s why these officers were so moved by Governor Dirk’s proposal to personally commend them to Her Majesty the Queen.

Although the Monarchy no longer held absolute power, Queen Wilhelmina still had considerable influence, and promoting one or two officers was easy for her.

With the support of Queen Wilhelmina, their military careers would progress smoothly.

Unlike Governor Dirk, who clearly came to the Dutch East Indies to “gold-plate” his resume, these Brigadier Generals of the colonial military were essentially forced to come to the Dutch East Indies.

Who would prefer to be a Brigadier General of a colonial division if they could be one in their Native Land?

Even though they are both Brigadier Generals, there are huge differences whether in terms of rank, salary, or the degree of importance given by the government.

It is the Native Land’s Brigadier Generals who are part of the upper echelons of the Dutch military, and who have the opportunity to aim for higher positions within the Cabinet and the higher levels of the military.

As for these Colonial Division Colonels, other than earning commendations and being reassigned to the Native Land, they could only wait for their term to end and then return to the Domestic front.

But that also meant a great deal of time being squandered. Despite the wealth of the Dutch East Indies, compared to the more developed and perfected infrastructure of the Domestic Netherlands, the Dutch East Indies still were as bare as a wilderness.

"Governor, we also have a battalion of soldiers in Batavia. Should we have them join the defense of Batavia too?” a General from the military suggested.

This General had a rather good relationship with Muhammad and evidently did not want to miss the opportunity to earn merit by slaughtering the natives, which would benefit his good friend.

"Are you referring to Muhammad?” As Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Dutch East Indies, Dirk naturally knew of Muhammad.

However, considering himself a noble Dutchman, Dirk looked down upon Muhammad. Muhammad’s isolation in the government and military was largely a result of Dirk’s discrimination.

"Yes, Governor. Muhammad commands the Dutch Army. We have reason to believe in these soldiers’ loyalty,” the General nodded and said.

Although unsatisfied with Muhammad’s lineage, the General’s statement that these were also Dutch Soldiers could not be more accurate.

No matter how Muhammad was viewed, the loyalty of these soldiers was relatively dependable. Although many of them were Indigenous Peoples or of mixed heritage, after centuries of assimilation, these individuals did not hold any aversion to the rule of the Dutch Government. In fact, many of the mixed heritage people refused to acknowledge their mixed descent, believing themselves to be pure Dutch.

"Then let Muhammad join the meeting. Holding Batavia is the most urgent matter at the moment, and Muhammad’s troops are indeed of use, which would also give him the opportunity to prove his loyalty to the Kingdom through the killing of natives,” Governor Dirk nodded, thereby agreeing with the General’s suggestion.

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