1850 American Gold Baron

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 wartime, Umbrella Company had actually gained control of the sea after two naval battles.

Therefore, compared with Batavia, where supplies are scarce 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 more lively 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 it is a racial museum.

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

"The US$8 million in military compensation is too much and we cannot afford it."

"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.

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

As long as West Borneo, that was the old almanac.

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

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.

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

Even if Britain and France want to intervene, they still have to weigh the costs of getting involved in this war.

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

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.

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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.

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 area. It is difficult to say that they will be willing to help the Netherlands.

After all, by driving the Dutch away, he would lose a strong competitor in Borneo. In the future, he would be able to slowly penetrate into South Borneo and East Borneo, and then effectively manage these enemies.

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

"Whether my appetite is good or not is not your concern," Liang Yao said.

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.

In addition to the complete withdrawal of the Dutch and Indian authorities from the island of Borneo, the military compensation of US$8 million was also unacceptable to Tevez.

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."

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.

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

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

Although taking into account the cost of governance, Liang Yao currently only wants to directly rule and manage the West Borneo area where the Chinese are concentrated and the oil-producing areas of North Borneo. East Borneo and South Borneo are not yet within the goals of direct rule and management.

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West Borneo will definitely not be taken back. When setting off from Batavia, Tevez was already ready to give up West Borneo.

But Liang Yao would not let go of the opportunity to drive the Dutch out of Borneo.

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.

Tevez sat down at the negotiating table and wanted to hear the terms of Liang Yao's peace talks.

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

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.

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

In the current war situation, unless the Dutch government comes to an end personally, the Dutch colonial government alone cannot win this war based on its capabilities.

Tevez only had to consider redeeming the more than a thousand European soldiers of the Dutch and Indian Army, and both sides kept silent about the treatment of the indigenous soldiers in a very tacit agreement.

As for giving up the entire island of Borneo, this is not within Tevez's psychological expectations, nor is it within the psychological expectations of the Dutch and Indian authorities.

In addition, we need to have a land of no less than 3 acres in Batavia City to set up Umbrella's office to facilitate our future communication and dialogue. In this land, our staff are not subject to your control.

Legal constraints. These are all the conditions for my peace talks." Liang Yao said after sitting down.

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.

Tevez read the documents provided by Liang Yao. Liang Yao had no plans to release the Dutch and Indian prisoners free of charge after the war. That is to say, except for those Dutch and Indian soldiers who were designated as war criminals and executed and those who voluntarily employed Liang Yao.

Apart from the crew, the Dutch and Indian authorities still had to spend money to ransom Liang Yao before releasing the remaining prisoners of war.

Liang Yao's ransom for an ordinary prisoner of war was 300 US dollars per European soldier. Officers' asking price would be much higher. Rough calculation shows that it would cost about half a million US dollars to redeem these prisoners of war.

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

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

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

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

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

After all, curbing Tsarist Russia's westward expansion is now the top priority for Britain and France. Compared with Tsarist Russia, the Netherlands and the United States, these messy things in the East Indies seem to be less important.

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

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

At present, stopping losses in time is the only option for the Dutch and Indian authorities.

After meeting Liang Yao, Tevez asked Liang Yao sharply.

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

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

"What? Isn't South Borneo part of Borneo Island?" Liang Yao asked rhetorically.

From Tevez's point of view, Liang Yao's conditions were more acceptable to him, except that all final business dealings would remain as usual.

"All Dutch and Indian troops will withdraw from Borneo Island. Batavia will compensate our military expenses of 8 million US dollars. Dutch and Indian prisoners of war will be allowed to be redeemed at our preferential price. All trade exchanges after the war will continue as before.

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

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.

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

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

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

"You have such a big appetite, the whole island of Borneo? Can you eat it and digest it?" Tevez sneered.

Now it's better. Liang Yao just kept silent about these indigenous prisoners. Even if the indigenous soldiers in the Dutch and Indian Army had emotions, they couldn't vent them on him. Tevez could also explain to the Dutch and Indian Army: It's not us.

They don't redeem people, but those damn Americans don't let them go.

"You must know that, not counting the compensation for the deceased and injured, our expenses in the past eight months have reached a huge amount of 10 million U.S. dollars. Setting the compensation at 8 million U.S. dollars is already what we can ask you for.

The greatest kindness released." 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 not prepared to sign the agreement.

Of the 10 million US dollars previously prepared for this war, Liang Yao still had more than 3 million US dollars left. Even if he did not raise military funds from California, he could easily spend half a year with the Dutch and Indian authorities.

After gaining control of the sea and settling the battle, subsequent military expenditures will be much less.