Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

Chapter 1162 Report from MI6

"The Krakatoa volcano has spewed almost 21 cubic kilometers of rock fragments into the air, and a large amount of volcanic ash has fallen over an area of ​​300,000 acres (about 800,000 square kilometers).

Currently, the large amount of pumice near the Krakatoa volcano is so thick that it is difficult for ships to pass through.

The volcanic ash in the air has caused the surrounding area to be shrouded in darkness for two and a half days, and the dust from the seat has floated around the earth several times, causing the red-orange sunset scene in the past few months.

Our meteorological and geological experts even predict that this state will remain for the next year."

The person who spoke was Interior Minister Seta, who always had a smile on his face, but rarely showed a serious expression.

There is no way, this is a direct death toll of tens of thousands?

Not including the injured, there are also people who have been relocated from the disaster area. As the Interior Minister, he has the responsibility to bring a better life to the victims, but he found that he was powerless to change these.

Prime Minister Jules Darneton glanced at William IV carefully after hearing this. The latter frowned.

Deputy Prime Minister Josephine Beit asked gloomily: "Our Interior Minister, please tell us in detail about the current casualties."

Seta responded with his head down.

The more William IV and others listened, the gloomier their faces became.

The overall atmosphere ended in this atmosphere.

On the afternoon of April 20, 1883, the Dutch Ministry of the Interior held a press conference. Interior Minister Seta painfully announced at the meeting that the death toll caused by the Krakatoa volcanic eruption in the East Indies reached 36,518 people, and a large number of people were burned, scalded, and smashed by volcanic ash and volcanic rocks, with more than 150,000 casualties.

In addition, as the data is updated, the number of casualties in the future will continue to rise.

I don't know if it is to compete with the Netherlands for the credibility of newspapers. The British Financial Times also released information about the volcanic eruption in the Dutch East Indies. The newspaper pointed out that the recent Krakatoa volcanic eruption has caused 36,609 people and 17,259 people were injured.

According to the latest news from the Dutch Ministry of the Interior on April 25, the Australian Daily reported that the volcanic eruption has caused more than 41,034 deaths and at least 18,717 injuries, with more than 500 missing.

Hundreds of thousands of houses and buildings have been damaged to varying degrees.

Dutch Prime Minister Jules Danetang said at the Prime Minister's Office in Melbourne that the current rescue situation is worrying, but he said that the Dutch government will not miss any opportunity to help the people who are staying.

"As citizens of the Netherlands, we will not leave any of you behind. Don't worry, we have dispatched more than 10,000 soldiers to participate in the rescue plan, and we are already studying feasible policies to help residents of damaged houses, help you rebuild your homes and live a good life."

As the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Jules Danetang's words seem to have played a certain role.

Soon after, organizations such as the International Women's Association and the International Red Cross expressed their willingness to support the Netherlands and help the people affected by the disaster.

It seems to have played a good leading role.

On April 27, 1883, the Kingdom of Siam (the predecessor of Thailand), the Netherlands' eastern ally in the north of the East Indies, said it would do its utmost to support the Netherlands in overcoming the difficulties.

At the same time, the members of the Northern European Four-Power Alliance, Sweden, Denmark and Spain, and Greece in Southern Europe also expressed their willingness to help the Netherlands.

Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, Bolivia, Venezuela and the five Central American federations in South America have all joined the team to support the Netherlands in fighting the disaster.

Then, the United States of America followed suit.

Queen Victoria looked at the angry look of her eldest son, Crown Prince Edward. She was so angry.

Looking at Alice constantly winking at Edward, she sighed in her heart, how nice it would be if Alice and Edward talked about their identities.

Europe has the custom of passing on the eldest and not the young, whether it is a noble royal family or a family of ordinary people.

This is basically a consensus among Europeans.

In Europe, the throne is passed down to the eldest son rather than the illegitimate son, especially for illegitimate sons, who have very few chances. Many would rather pass it down to their nephews than to their illegitimate sons.

Therefore, although Queen Victoria has been dissatisfied with her eldest son for many years, as a European, she is no exception.

After all, passing down the throne is not something she has the final say on. Although she is strong, just thinking about the scene of opposition makes her feel guilty enough.

"Mother, the Netherlands is in trouble right now, and it's in the Strait of Malacca, where we compete with the Netherlands for an important waterway in the Far East. I always think that it is in the best interest of Britain to take the life of our opponent while he is alive."

Prince Edward said with a relentless look: "The Netherlands has been operating there for many years, and even deployed a large number of naval equipment and personnel on the island of Sumatra. According to our intelligence, there are at least more than 4 steam battleships and more than 30 naval ships deployed on the island of Sumatra.

If it is expanded to include Jakarta, the political and economic center there, then the Netherlands' dominance there will be weakened in the future, and we on the Malay Peninsula across the Strait of Malacca can take the opportunity to expand our dominance in the strait."

Edward looked up at Queen Victoria. Although he saw her frowning and felt a little uneasy, he still expressed his thoughts and said, "If possible, we need to send more warships to gather there, and even land on Sumatra Island to occupy the frontier position across the strait."

Queen Victoria's face became more and more ugly and said, "What if the Netherlands counterattacks at that time and sends more troops from Australia to occupy the Malay Peninsula, or even attack Burma, which we have just occupied not long ago?"

Then we will send more troops from India to fight back, and even use this as an excuse to attack the Australian continent. At that time, we will even have an excuse to attack the Dutch territory in Europe, such as Amsterdam, and their territory in the Atlantic. At that time, we will completely compete with the Netherlands to see if the Netherlands can afford this war for hegemony over the sea. "

The British army focuses on the sea. Our navy is larger than the Dutch. We will not lose to them."

Queen Victoria sneered, "Do you think we can win the war with the Netherlands in Europe?"

Crown Prince Edward said, "We will definitely win."

Queen Victoria asked again, "Do you think we can withstand the Dutch attack on our territory in the Indo-Pacific?"

"Your Excellency Crown Prince Edward, your optimism seems to be too much. Come and tell me after you take a look at this report provided by MI6." After that, Queen Victoria threw out a document and left with an unhappy face.

Alice moved her mouth and finally said, "The Netherlands is not our best target now."

After that, Alice also left, leaving Prince Edward with a confused look on his face.