Rise of Australia

Chapter 220 Pirates
Arthur moved quickly.After Einstein agreed to stay in Australasia temporarily, the Royal Society for Physical Research in Australasia was already preparing.

In order to better attract talents, all members of the Royal Society for Physical Research will receive a salary that exceeds the level of a professor in a famous European university.

And every member of the Royal Society for Physical Research can apply for research funding of at least [-] Australian dollars each year, and has the qualification to use all the top laboratories in Australasia.

High salaries and high research funds are the most effective methods and means to attract those scientists.

Subsequently, Arthur appointed Einstein as the vice president of the Physical Research Association, and handed over the job of recruiting new ones to Einstein.

These physical scientists all have their own unique contacts, and it is also a good way for them to use their contacts to attract talents for Australasia.

After the time entered March 1907, the disaster situation in East Asia became more and more serious, and there was a wave of rice rush in many areas.

There are also more and more merchant ships traveling between East Asia and Australasia. They carry grain from Australasia, and the profit of each ship is several times or even ten times that of the previous one.

Some of these merchant ships were organized by the government, while others went spontaneously.Arthur didn't stop him from doing this. After all, the royal consortium had already eaten a lot, so it was okay to let others drink some soup.

But the problem also arises from this.

The tranquility of Australasia was changed in early April when a message was delivered to Arthur from the Royal Security Intelligence Service.

The cause of the matter also starts with the East Asian famine.

This East Asian famine has affected a wide area. In addition to the mainland of the Qing Dynasty, it has also affected Southeast Asia and the Philippines to a certain extent.

The famine with such a wide area and such a severe impact also forced some evil forces that were originally hiding in these areas to surface.

In the Nanyang region, there used to be a notorious pirate gang named Moro Pirates.

In its heyday, this group of people once affected the entire Southeast Asia and nearby areas, and was one of the biggest scourges in the Southeast Asian sea.

When the fleet of the British Empire was majestic, the Moro pirates had attacked British merchant ships.

A British sailor named Edwards was found by Moro pirates on an island near Malacca, and squatting in a bamboo cage, he wrote in horror: "45 people were captured by them, and some Some had their arms cut off, some had their legs cut off, and I had my tongue cut off."

These bandits who dared to attack the merchant ships of the world's most powerful country have been rampant in this area for hundreds of years.

These pirates did not have a fixed looting target, and they would not let go of anything that could be exchanged for money.

Whether it is sea cucumbers and bird's nests shipped to East Asia, pepper and cloves shipped to India, silver coins shipped to Batavia or Western weapons, they are all in their pockets.

Coupled with the fact that they love to plunder the population, Moro pirates have become a Nanyang scourge that everyone hates.

Since the 19s, the British Empire and the Kingdom of Spain have carried out a large number of suppression and elimination of pirates, but the Moro pirates have not stopped their piracy activities in Southeast Asia.

It was not until the end of the Spanish-American War that the Americans gained the right to rule the Philippines and used some steel-armored speedboats and small patrol boats to establish a regular patrol system, which reduced the threat of local pirates.

The Moro pirates in history reappeared after World War II.At that time, due to the deterioration of the regional security situation, piracy in these areas had a tendency to resume again.

But what Arthur didn't expect was that the famine in East Asia forced these pirates to jump out and choose to attack the merchant ships transporting food in Australasia.

According to the information held by the Royal Security Intelligence Service, at least two merchant ships have been hijacked, and at least a dozen Australasians have been arrested.

Although it is not known whether these pirates have attacked other countries, for Australasia, this is already the biggest crisis since the founding of Australasia, and Arthur must make immediate plans.

More than ten minutes later, Arthur had already arrived at the meeting room of the Government Affairs Council, and other cabinet officials also arrived non-stop.

Without too much nonsense, Arthur directly and briefly explained the situation of two Australasian merchant ships being robbed by pirates, and asked the cabinet members for their opinions.

After hearing the situation, most people's faces turned a little livid.

This time point is not very friendly to all cabinet members, because there are only more than two months until the cabinet election in Australasia.

If this matter cannot be properly resolved, I am afraid that many people will lose the election this time.

"Your Majesty, no matter what, I think our citizens and their property should be protected. If necessary, we should dispatch troops to protect our citizens." Prime Minister Evan pondered for a while before speaking.

"But the problem is that we don't know where these pirates are stationed. Besides, even if we know where they are stationed, can we still attack by force? If those damn pirates are desperate and execute our citizens directly What should we do?" Secretary of Defense Kent immediately objected.

The current situation is indeed very difficult. We don't know the specific location of these pirates, and we can't blindly dispatch troops, so as not to make those pirates desperate and give birth to the mentality of dying together.

"Oh, shit! These damned pirates, if you find them, they must be skinned and cramped, chopped up and thrown into the sea to feed the sharks." Thomas, the Minister of Public Security, cursed angrily.

The current situation is a dilemma for the cabinet government, because the election date is approaching, and they must properly handle this matter as soon as possible.

However, there is very little information at present. In order to ensure the safety of the captured Australasians, some barbaric methods cannot be used for the time being.

"Your Majesty, the more famous pirates in this area are the Moro pirates west of the Philippines and east of Kalimantan Island. The United States has a good patrol system for the coast near the Philippines, and the pirates near the Philippines have basically been eliminated. Therefore, I think The pirates should be stationed west of the Philippines, either in the Dutch East Indies, or near Sulu in the middle area." Defense Minister Kent took out a map of Southeast Asia and carefully analyzed it for a while before he respectfully Said to Arthur.

Arthur nodded.Minister Kent's analysis is quite reasonable.

After the United States conducted extensive patrols of the Philippine coast, the pirates could only flee west and south, namely Sulu in the west, the Sultanate and Kalimantan further west.

At this time, Kalimantan Island was ruled by two forces, one was the North Borneo protectorate belonging to the British Empire in the north, and the other was Borneo in the south of the Dutch East Indies.

Among these two countries, the British Empire has always been very aggressive in cracking down on pirates, and the chances of pirates appearing in the North Borneo Protectorate are also very small.

But the southern Dutch East Indies were different.The Netherlands was originally a second- and third-rate country in Europe, and its current population has been surpassed by Australasia.

Coupled with the fact that the Dutch mainland is too far away from the Dutch East Indies, the rule of the Dutch East Indies is actually not strong.

If it weren't for the fact that the Dutch rule in this area has been agreed by the powers, especially the British Empire, I am afraid that the Dutch East Indies would have already changed hands.

At present, there are more than a dozen local indigenous forces throughout the Dutch East Indies.

Some of these indigenous forces were ostensibly subject to the rule of the Dutch East Indies, and naturally there were areas beyond the control of the Dutch East Indies.

The group of Moro pirates is also likely to be lurking in these areas beyond the jurisdiction of the Dutch East Indies, quietly developing in secret.

"Your Majesty, if these pirates are hiding in Borneo or other areas, I think it is impossible for the indigenous forces in these areas to be unaware of their whereabouts. Perhaps the best breakthrough point is on these indigenous forces, as long as the specific hiding places of the pirates can be known , we can dispatch a large-scale army to quickly eliminate these pirates to save our captured citizens." Minister Kent then suggested.

During the most rampant period of piracy in Southeast Asia, almost most of the princes of the indigenous forces participated in piracy operations.

Whether it is lack of labor or lack of money and food, it is one of the excuses for them to participate in piracy operations.

Minister Kent's suggestion is also very simple, start with these local indigenous forces, and question the whereabouts of the pirates one by one.

If you don't say it, it's very simple. If it is really found out that the pirates are near the indigenous forces, then there is no need for this force to exist.

Now that the election day is getting closer, if these pirates dare to hit the guns, they can only use some force to make them disappear.

"It's a good idea, Minister Kent. Does anyone else have anything to add?" Arthur nodded in satisfaction, agreeing with Minister Kent's suggestion.

This is a relatively complete and reasonable solution at present when the whereabouts of the pirates are not known.

Next, Arthur discussed the specific plan of the operation with the officials for a long time, and the meeting ended under Arthur's order.

This incident is a crisis for the cabinet government, but it is also an opportunity to seek re-election.

If the cabinet government can properly resolve this crisis, it will also gain the favor of the people, and the next re-election will not be so difficult.

But if it cannot be properly resolved, not only the re-election plan may be ruined, but even whether the political career can continue will be a problem.

You must know that safeguarding the safety of people's lives and property is what Arthur vowed to say every time he makes a speech. If the government cannot solve this matter well, even Arthur's reputation will be affected.

At that time, it will only be possible to kill fellow Taoists instead of poor Taoists, and let these government officials take the blame.

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(End of this chapter)