This was a duel of underworld jargon against underworld jargon.
Simply put, Danderus wanted the Netherlands to retain a semblance of dignity, and the Great Ming to allow the Netherlands to join the Little Broken Pot, and to offer some consideration during the Netherlands' re-establishment.
Liang Chen's stance was that as long as the Old Port Pacification Commission was handed over, the Great Ming would allow the Netherlands to retain a modicum of dignity and offer some assistance without harming the interests of the Great Ming, such as the Netherlands' re-establishment and joining the Little Broken Pot. However, the Dutch interests in Batavia had to be relinquished.
After reaching an understanding through underworld jargon, both sides began reporting to their respective superiors.
Zhu Jinsong was indifferent to the outcome, as war or peace were equally acceptable.
The Great Ming was no longer the same Great Ming as it was immediately after defeating the Great Qing.
At that time, the Great Ming needed victory after victory to prove its status in the martial world. Now, the Great Ming had firmly secured the top position, undoubtedly the leader of the martial arts world, the grand overlord. When necessary, it also had to maintain some prestige.
Moreover, quickly resolving the issue of the Old Port Pacification Commission would be beneficial for the Great Ming.
Although with the current national strength and military power of the Great Ming, opening another front would not have a significant impact, from the perspective of the entire Great Ming, resolving the issue of the Old Port Pacification Commission quickly and focusing energy on the Ottoman front and domestic infrastructure development was clearly more cost-effective than opening another front.
At the very least, it would allow the mice in the national treasury to live a few more days without starving to death at every turn.
However, William I could not tolerate any of this.
Although William I also wished to resolve the Batavia issue quickly, Batavia was the last piece of land truly under William I's control, truly belonging to the Netherlands. If Batavia were lost, then William I's exiled regime would truly be left with nothing but exile.
Unwilling to accept this, William I sought out George III, hoping to persuade him: "Yesterday, when the Ming nation wanted to move against the Ottomans, you chose to act against the Habsburgs. Today, the Ming nation wants to seize Batavia, and you stand with the Ming nation."
"As you can see, the Ming nation is like an insatiable glutton, madly devouring everything it sees! If, tomorrow, the Ming nation wants British East India, who will help you then?"
"Stop the war, stop the war with the Habsburgs. We should join forces. Europa should be our Europa, not one dictated by the Ming nation!"
But George III refused William I: "When the flood comes, all you can do is flee in the direction of the flood, not swim against the current. Even if England is willing to help you, will France help you?"
"You should know that England's core interests are already tied to the Ming nation, and France's core interests have long been tied to the Ming nation. You should also know that eliminating the Habsburgs and partitioning the Ottomans is an irresistible temptation for any country."
"Give up, William. No one in Europa will help you. Perhaps the Habsburgs are willing to stand with you, but the Habsburgs are currently struggling to protect themselves. Apart from verbal support, they can offer you no substantive help."
"Giving up Batavia in exchange for an opportunity to re-establish the Netherlands is a profitable deal; it is not shameful."
This was the fundamental difference between East and West.
The Central Plains halls emphasized that one could not sleep soundly with others lying next to their bed. Peacemaking or marriage alliances could be criticized for thousands of years, and ceding territory and paying indemnities was even more so, almost the greatest shame for everyone from the emperor to the powerful officials in the court, and even the entire realm.
However, for the various countries in Europa, ceding territory and paying indemnities was merely embarrassing, but still far from being a disgrace.
Therefore, George III did not feel it was a big deal to cede Batavia.
William I remained unconvinced: "Without the Ottomans, Europa will be directly bordering the Ming nation. If Batavia is also lost, Europa will completely lose its transit port in the East and its last barrier."
But George III directly mocked him: "Can you still hold onto Batavia? With the meager forces of the Dutch East India Company? Wake up, William. If you don't seek restoration, even the East India Company may not be able to last."
"William, retaining the last shred of dignity for the Netherlands, seeking an opportunity to re-establish the Netherlands, and ensuring the continuation of your family's rule is what you should do. Just like Louis XVI. Of course, that scoundrel Louis XVI knew the Ming nation was not a good person, but he had to consider the interests of the Bourbon family. I do, and you do too."
"You must understand that Batavia is essentially a colony. It is not the core interest of your Netherlands, but Batavia is a core interest for the Ming nation, and they will not give it up."
William I let out a laugh, his laughter filled with unspeakable desolation: "Fine, I agree. I will hand over Batavia to the Ming nation. But George, you will regret this. Louis and Paul will also regret this. You will all regret it!"
"When the Ming nation completely swallows you, you will regret the decisions you made today, regret why you got so close to the Ming nation, regret why you didn't unite earlier to deal with the Ming nation!"
George III was immediately displeased and sneered: "William, tell me, if the Ming nation wants to attack Europa, can Batavia stop the Ming army? Even if all of Europa unites, what good will it do? Actively attack the Ming nation? Or wait for the Ming nation to come and attack?"
"Regret? Alright, we might regret it later, but you have to know, William, after you regret it, you at least have to live to see that day. If you can't even live to see that day, what's the point of saying so much?"
William I was speechless and plunged into despair.
As George III said, let alone the fact that the many countries in Europa could not unite, even if they could, what good would it do?
Furthermore, during his years of refuge in England, William I was not unaware of the outside world. Besides The Times, the Seventeen Gentlemen of the Dutch East India Company had been providing William I with external news.
William I was well aware of events such as the Great Qing being driven to Eastern Siberia and Gurkha, Portugal being forced to pay reparations, and France and England importing large quantities of Ming firearms and the establishment of the Little Broken Pot. He had a good understanding of the Great Ming's power.
Precisely because he was so clear and understood so well, William I fell into despair.
The Great Ming was too far from Europa, but the Netherlands was too close to England and France, and Batavia was too close to the Great Ming.
Being too far apart, wars rarely occurred. Being too close, wars could start at any time.
The crucial point was that they couldn't win.
The Netherlands had long been conquered by France. Could the Dutch East India Company, without the support of France, withstand the Ming nation, which was even stronger than France?
At this moment, George III borrowed the famous quote of Louis XV's mistress, Madame de Pompadour: "After we are gone, there will be a deluge."
After a long silence, William I took a deep breath and said, "I understand. I will make the right choice."
William I chose to give up.
Or rather, William I had no other choice but to give up. Rather than risk the last of the William family's fortune for Batavia, it was better to hand over Batavia outright and exchange it for an opportunity for the William family to rise again.
As the saying goes, "The moment you decide to give up, the world becomes vast."
William I directly published an article in The Times, stating that the Netherlands and the Great Ming had had a friendship of hundreds of years. Although some misunderstandings had occurred, the past was in the past. For the sake of friendship between the Great Ming and the Netherlands, and for the sake of world peace, the Netherlands would withdraw from Batavia, and it was hoped that exchanges between the two countries would become closer in the future.
Concurrently, William I also stated that the Netherlands and France were neighbors. Although there had been some misunderstandings between the two countries, those were also in the past, and they should join hands in the future to work together for the future of Europa.
In short, he spoke a lot of nonsense, with the core message being two words: surrender.
The subsequent events also brought William a great surprise.
First, the Netherlands' application to join the Little Broken Pot received a response. The Little Broken Pot announced that it had initiated the review process, and the Netherlands would be able to officially join the Little Broken Pot by the time the Little Broken Pot conference was held at the end of the year.
Immediately after, The Great Ming Daily also published an article praising William I as an old friend of the Great Ming people, stating that the two sides should put aside past grievances and work together towards the future.
Then, Louis XVI also sent someone to England to inform William I that he could prepare for the restoration of the Netherlands. Because the Habsburgs' territory was too vast, France could not swallow it all at once. If it were forcibly swallowed, England might also cause some trouble. Therefore, places like Luxembourg and Belgium could be considered for the restoration of the Netherlands. As long as there was money, the rest could be considered slowly.
This made William I feel overjoyed and somewhat bewildered. When everyone felt they had gained an advantage, who was at a disadvantage?
The instigating Great Ming merchants had not suffered any losses, Shi Chengzu had not suffered any losses. The Great Ming merchants received rewards, and Shi Chengzu was awarded the title of Marquis of Ju Gang. The Great Ming obtained the Old Port Pacification Commission, and the formation of the first island chain had become a matter of time.
The Netherlands had also not suffered any losses. Although Batavia was lost, it gained Belgium and Luxembourg, and its statehood, which was already considered extinct, was revived.
After much thought, William I finally reached a conclusion: everyone else had gained, and only the Habsburg family had lost.
Of course, William I did not care about the fate of the Habsburg family, because before 1648, the Netherlands was ruled by the Austrian Habsburg dynasty and the Spanish Habsburg dynasty. It was not until the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 that Spain formally recognized the independence of the Netherlands.
...
Zhu Jinsong, enduring the feeling of nausea, casually threw The Great Ming Daily aside and asked, "Where is the fleet sent by the Eagle Dog?"
Ke Zhiming bowed and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, they have reached Qiongzhou, are currently recuperating, and are also awaiting the East Sea Fleet."
Zhu Jinsong hummed, his mind slowly beginning to calculate.
The East Sea Fleet and the South Sea Fleet were not very large. Including all their warships, large and small, there were only about sixty ships. This was already the sum of the Great Ming's desperate accumulation over the years.
However, with the fleet sent by the Eagle Dog, the number of warships would reach about eighty, capable of deploying about forty to fifty thousand people at a time – which should be enough to deal with the Ottomans.
After thinking for a moment, Zhu Jinsong simply ordered, "Prepare yourselves. We are also going to Qiongzhou."