After delivering the ultimatum to Xiaoqiang, he bowed lightly, and then solemnly announced:
"Your Majesty the Governor, now that the mission of this imperial envoy has been completed, the next step is for our two governments. Now this imperial envoy will go to the consulate of our country to wait. There, I will become a witness to the incident... In other words, the Governor
Your Excellency, we are all lucky to be witnesses of this important historical event."
The Governor looked at him dumbfounded, then looked at the ultimatum in his hand, and then at Xiang Xiaoqiang, as if he still hadn't realized what he was holding in his hand. He was a little confused. He was sleeping an hour ago, and an hour later
, a document containing the threat of war was handed into his hands.
Xiang Xiaoqiang and his party took the Governor's Mansion car and arrived at the Ming Dynasty Consulate in Batavia. It was already dawn, and many of the extremely excited thugs stimulated by the night became sleepy and withdrew from the killing field. However, as the day came,
With the advent of the epidemic, more locals began to get ready to join the ranks of committing violence.
Two Dutch soldiers and four local policemen guarded the door of the consulate. Local thugs passed by the door of the consulate in groups, obviously not interested in attacking the place guarded by the military and police. Their target was the unprotected Chinese. They
wives, daughters, and their property.
The consulate was crowded with Chinese people who had taken refuge. The courtyard, corridors, and stairs were full of people. Most of them were women, and the cries of children could be heard at any time.
These are lucky people. They either live nearby, or they react quickly enough to rush into the consulate with their families as soon as the riot occurs. Now the whole of Batavia has become a place where wild beasts are rampant, and it is difficult for them.
Said, this small consulate is Noah's Ark.
Another time and space, the Nanjing International Safety Zone in 1937, probably looked like this...
The consular secretary hurriedly came up to greet Xiaoqiang and asked:
"Is there no news yet about the consul's family?"
"No! There has been no news since yesterday! I'm afraid... the situation is more serious..."
Xiang Xiaoqiang frowned and said: "Didn't you say that he was going to pick up the consul's daughter from school? He already knew that there was unrest in the city, and he went there in person? Doesn't the consulate have local employees? Local people should be allowed to pick her up!"
The secretary said with a sad face: "Sir, I asked the driver to pick him up at first. The driver is a local... But when he came back, he said that the school was already in chaos... several Chinese primary school students' heads were placed at the school gate... But
The consul's daughter could not be found. The consul was so anxious that he went to look for it himself. We all advised him not to go out. He said that he was a diplomat and no one dared to touch him..."
Xiang Xiaoqiang cursed fiercely: "Damn it, bullshit! Everyone is so jealous, who cares what official you are... I am still an imperial envoy of the Ming Dynasty, and I don't dare to go out on the street like this!... Where is the consul's wife?"
A sad smile appeared on the secretary's face:
"Alas...she has also gone out...she is going crazy with anxiety and must go out to search...In addition, several local employees in our library encouraged her to go out to search, and said that they would take her to search to ensure safety...
How could we two secretaries stop him... None of them came back afterward."
"Hmph," Xiang Xiaoqiang sneered, "even the local employees in the consulate have problems..."
"Yes, we all saw it! But madam, she has lost her head... When the city started to have trouble yesterday, it was obvious that the local employees here couldn't sit still and always wanted to find excuses to run out...
…This time he can be considered as running away…”
"And I'm taking a consul's wife with me. Humph."
Xiang Xiaoqiang sneered ferociously, waved his hand and said:
"Take us to the consul's office and open the safe."
The consular secretary was stunned: "Sir?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang said: "Pack up all the confidential documents immediately. Take away all you need and burn the rest. You two will also come with us."
The secretary was stunned:
"Sir...could it be...already...?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang patted him and asked him to lead the way, while saying:
"I just handed over an ultimatum to the Dutch government at the Governor's Palace. If the riots don't subside at eight o'clock, all diplomatic relations will be severed and a war will begin at nine o'clock... I told the Governor that we will just wait at the consulate. What a devil."
Wait here while we return to the Princess Wing and build our consulate there."
When the secretary heard the news, he couldn't believe it. He never thought that Daming would suddenly be so tough this time. After staying in Batavia for a long time, they felt the hostility everywhere every day. They had already suppressed their anger.
Upon hearing the news, a burst of excitement spread throughout my body.
However, he suddenly asked in a low voice: "Sir, we are leaving, what will happen to the overseas Chinese in the consulate?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang licked his lips, patted his back and said, "Don't worry. The authorities will escort you."
The secretary looked at him, his eyes full of worry and distrust. There were hundreds of expats taking refuge here, and there was no one left in the yard or building. There were only six military policemen guarding the door, four of them were still
The police are local people. It's such a long distance from here to the port, not to mention whether these few people can protect hundreds of expatriates. First of all, whether they are willing to escort is a question.
Arriving at the consul's office, the two secretaries and Xiang Xiaoqiang's three old advisers immediately began to sort out the documents, quickly selecting those that could be taken away, and throwing piles of unnecessary documents on the ground.
Only the consul had the key to the safe, and the secretary could not open it. Xiang Xiaoqiang asked the guard to open the lock with a gun. The lock of the safe was really not covered, and the twenty-shot box gun emptied two magazines, plus a large
The safe was opened after a series of hammer blows. The code book and documents inside were also taken out and taken away.
The two secretaries carried the pile of documents to the toilet and started to light a fire.
Suddenly, a fire burst into the sky in the toilet. Black smoke and a large amount of paper ash flew out of the window along with the heat wave. The fire attracted strong winds, and raging flames also jumped out of the window and licked the brick wall outside.
The people at the Dutch Governor's Palace were horrified when they saw the flames and paper ashes below, and immediately thought of burning documents in the building. They immediately ran up to ask, and frankly admitted to Xiao Qiang that they were burning documents.
"This is just a precautionary measure as usual," Xiang Xiaoqiang said with a smile, "but I believe we won't really fight. You see, it's only six o'clock now, and there are still three hours left. There is so much time...
…The Governor is a devout Christian, so he will definitely protect the overseas Chinese, haha.”
The staff of the Governor's Mansion smiled dryly with pale faces, retreated, and immediately sent someone to report to the Governor.
According to common sense, once the other party starts burning documents in the embassy or consulate, then there is basically going to be a war.
…
Ten minutes later, the documents were almost burned. Xiang Xiaoqiang was leading people to conduct a final search of the consulate to ensure that nothing important was missed. At this time, the consular secretary ran over and said:
"Sir, the Governor's phone number is on line 1. Please answer it."
Xiang Xiaoqiang was checking the room of the consul and his wife. He held a family photo frame of the consul on the table and looked at the consul's family silently.
The consul looked to be only in his thirties, with a gentle manner and a gentle smile. He did not look like a shrewd diplomat at all, but more like a traditional scholar. His wife was elegant and beautiful, and she was happily nestled next to him. Theirs
The daughter was only ten years old. She was holding a little bear and being hugged by her parents. She was smiling happily.
Xiang Xiaoqiang said without looking back: "I know, let him wait."
He slowly put down the photo frame, clapped his hands, and looked around the room. The room was basically decorated in Chinese style, with Ming-style furniture, calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls, and flowers planted by the windows. It was warm and elegant. Xiang Xiaoqiang slowly raised his fingers on the desk
I brushed it and it was still spotless.
...She must be a very tidy hostess...
The room is still full of life, but the owners of the room will never come back...
"Don't worry," Xiang Xiaoqiang took one last look at the family photo before going out and sighed, "I will avenge you."
…
On the phone, the governor's translator said sadly:
"Your Excellency, the Imperial Envoy, the Governor has sent people to quell the riot, but the police force is insufficient, and Batavia is so big, more than two hours will definitely not be enough! Your Excellency, the Imperial Envoy, can you give me another two hours?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang felt an incomparable pleasure in his heart. This was the first pleasure in two days after hearing about the anti-Chinese riots. They felt pressured. There is no doubt that the Dutch government must have also exploded, and they must be forcing
He asked the governor to quell the riot. Once a war breaks out, he, the governor, will definitely be in trouble. He will definitely be transferred back to the country, and he will probably be jailed.
Moreover, documents are being burned here. What this means, the Governor also knows.
Xiang Xiaoqiang chuckled and said:
"Please tell the Governor that there is nothing I can do. The timetable in the ultimatum is set by our government. It would be more appropriate for your country to request leniency from our government through diplomatic means.
The translator repeated what he said to the person on the phone, and after a while, he said to Xiang Xiaoqiang:
"Your Majesty, our purpose is to protect the citizens of your country. No one wants to see a war. Your Majesty, Mr. Xiang is your country's imperial minister and your country's most qualified observer in Batavia.
...What is the situation in Batavia? Your government will believe what you say...if...possibly...in case...the situation here is not so ideal at nine o'clock, if the Imperial Envoy can
In the report to your country, a little...a little..."
Xiang Xiaoqiang had long understood that they wanted to say that if the riot had not subsided by nine o'clock, they would ask themselves to say that it had subsided to avoid a war. There is no difference between this kind of riot that originally subsided and that it did not subside.
A clear line.
They had reached this point and were already begging for help. Xiang Xiaoqiang felt the pleasure in his heart getting stronger and stronger.
However, there are no doors.
"I'm telling you, listen carefully," Xiang Xiaoqiang said firmly, "at nine o'clock, if there is still a dishonest native in the city, and there is a Chinese who even gets a slap in the face, the war will break out as scheduled...Yes.
Now, let me tell you Governor, there are only two people who can help him now, and let him beg those two people."
The governor's translator asked in a trembling voice: "Excuse me...who are they?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled cruelly and said:
"The first is God, the second is Himself."
"Your Majesty the Imperial Envoy!" the translator couldn't bear it anymore and shouted, "No government can completely quell such a large-scale riot within two hours!"
Xiang Xiaoqiang said calmly:
"You can't calm down, can you? After nine o'clock, I will help you calm down."
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment, he mumbled a few random words, and hung up in a hurry.
…
Then, Xiang Xiaoqiang called officials from the Governor's Mansion and asked them to send military police to escort him and the hundreds of overseas Chinese in the consulate to the dock.
Xiang Xiaoqiang also thought about letting these expatriates stay here. If it is resolved peacefully, their safety will definitely be fully guaranteed. Now the Dutch authorities are so frightened that even if they and the consulate staff evacuate, they will definitely
We will do our best to protect these expatriates. However, the possibility of declaring war after nine o'clock is very high. Once the two countries are in a state of war, there is no doubt that the situation of the Chinese in Batavia will be even more miserable. Even inside the consulate, there will be no
There will be exceptions.
Therefore, Xiang Xiaoqiang decided to take them to the port no matter what.
Upon hearing Xiang Xiaoqiang's request, the Dutch official's eyes widened:
"Your Majesty the Imperial Envoy! Now that all police forces are devoted to quelling the riots, how can they find the strength to escort so many people!"
"I don't care about this," Xiang Xiaoqiang found that this sentence had almost become his mantra. "It is your responsibility to suppress the riots, and it is also your responsibility to escort us to the dock. If either side fails, we will declare war on you. If you can't do it,
It's okay to send out police force, I will take the overseas Chinese myself and go to the dock like this."
Then, he put his arm around the official's shoulders and whispered in his ear:
"Now, in my own name, I would like to make some requests to Mr. Governor, and I hope you can convey them to me."
"Yes...please say."
"First, even if war is declared after nine o'clock," Xiang Xiaoqiang whispered through his teeth, "before we capture Batavia, your police must protect the Chinese in the city...or else we will capture Batavia."
After this city, I guarantee that you will not find a single living local... You need to know that my elite People's Guard has just finished the battle to defend Nanjing. It has rich experience in urban warfare. We will be the first to attack the city... and
Compared with the tragic Battle of Nanjing and the Battle of Pukou, Batavia is just a kindergarten... Don't think for one second that I will take any international conventions seriously... Then, no, from now on,
The lives of all the indigenous people on Batavia Island are in my hands...I won't bother to find out who participated in the massacre and who didn't. We will drive all the natives into the sea like garbage and let them
Feed the sharks...What happened to the North American Indians back then, what will happen to the East Indian aborigines today...If you can't guarantee the safety of the Chinese, we will do it ourselves. And we will do it more thoroughly...Listen clearly
No?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang pinched the back of his neck and shook him twice, then asked with a smile.
The Dutch official's face was as white as paper, and he looked at him as if he were a devil. He woke up after being shaken twice on the neck, and nodded mechanically.
"Can you clarify this with your Governor-General?"
He nodded mechanically again.
Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled: "Go to your governor and ask him to arrange an escort for us."
The governor's efficiency was extremely fast. Half an hour later, several military trucks parked outside the consulate door, and dozens of Dutch soldiers with guns and ammunition quickly jumped out. They quickly formed a team to report their numbers and lined up in two rows at the consulate door.
At seven o'clock, Xiang Xiaoqiang, along with the consulate staff and hundreds of expatriates, slowly left the consulate and headed for the dock, escorted by Dutch soldiers.
The atmosphere in the city was already different from when Xiang Xiaoqiang arrived. There were gunshots everywhere, and locals were howling and running fast.
"Snapped!!!"
There was a gunshot, and a man fell at Xiang Xiaoqiang's feet, his heart bleeding. In the distance, a policeman still maintained his shooting posture, and the barrel of the gun in his hand was still smoking.
The difference is that the person who fell this time was not a Chinese, but a local. He also held a bloody long knife in his hand.