The Rise Of Australasia
Chapter 546: Chapter 429: Collapse, Negotiations

On December 10th, 1915, it was the second day of the attack on Batavia.

Although the native collapse led to the rapid loss of the first line of defense in Batavia, these numerous natives also delayed the Australasian army's attack on the second line of defense in Batavia.

At present, the ratio of the Dutch army to the Australasian army has become 1:2, with the Dutch not only losing their numerical advantage in an instant, but now being significantly outnumbered.

Currently, the second defense line is only manned by a single Dutch division and a few reserve forces, the combined number of which will not exceed 20,000 people.

Meanwhile, Australasia has a fully-staffed First Division and a Colonial Division with relatively few casualties, meaning that Australasia still has over 32,000 combat soldiers.

Although the Dutch army is somewhat more elite than the native army, it is very limited in comparison to the First Division, which has undergone extensive training and has access to more luxurious equipment.

Despite having an absolute advantage in terms of numbers, Brigadier Silvio maintained the principle of firepower being supreme, using numerous aircraft and firearms to suppress the enemy, and launching an attack only after a massive bombardment.

The Dutch army was left at their wits' end by the Australasian strategy of continuous bombardment and attack, yet there was nothing they could do about it.

Once troops appeared on the battlefield, enemy planes circling in the sky and numerous artillery would unleash their firepower, dealing fatal blows to the soldiers on the battlefield.

However, if soldiers remained hidden in their positions for too long, enemy attack forces would approach quickly, making the position vulnerable at any moment.

These Dutch soldiers weren't the best of the Netherlands, making it almost impossible to expect them to hold the line to the death.

If it wasn't for Ambassador Raynor's 'high-pressure' policy in the rear, keeping a strict watch over all Dutch soldiers, some would probably be thinking of surrendering by now.

Of course, no matter how strict the policy, it cannot prevent the Dutch from being ultimately defeated.

Having experienced more than half a day of intense bombardment and offensive-defensive battles, the Dutch army on the second defense line had suffered over 50% casualties and was forced to raise the white flag of surrender.

On the evening of December 10th, the Australasian forces successfully occupied two defense positions, detained all the Dutch soldiers, and confiscated their weapons and military equipment.

The following day, under the watchful eyes of many natives, the Australasian army officially entered Batavia and took military control of the entire Dutch East India Colony Government.

But that was not the end; Batavia was not the only city on Java Island. Brigadier Silvio planned to briefly regroup in Batavia and then send his main forces to take control of the entire Java Island.

It is impossible for an army of over 30,000 men to control the entire Java Island, so instead, Australasia aimed to gain control of several key cities and native tribes on the island.

Upon occupying parts of the Dutch East Indies, Australasia would also face the same problem as the Dutch: dealing with the numerous sultanates and native forces on this land.

Due to the weak status of the Dutch, they could not effectively control these native nations. This has allowed over ten native forces to fester in the Dutch East Indies, becoming a hidden concern for the Dutch governance of this colony.

Firstly, the existence of these native forces means that many natives could flee to these sultanates.

Furthermore, the negative sentiment against colonizers from the native populations would not disappear as long as these native forces exist.

Not only do these native forces serve as a pillar of hope for the natives, but they could also provide arms and equipment support to some of them, in an effort to subvert and overthrow colonial rule.

In summary, at least within Australasian territory, these native sultanates posed a significant threat.

Even if they could temporarily submit to Australasian rule through the use of military force, these native nations of different origins would never truly align with the Australasian government.

Therefore, the invasion forces attacking the Dutch East Indies had a secret mission – to eliminate, as much as possible, the upper echelons of these native sultanates, allowing Australasia to easily control them and incorporate them into their future colonies.

At present, there are two sultanates on Java Island, both of which are tributary states of the Dutch East Indies: the Sultanate of Sulu and the Sultanate of Yogyakarta. While originally unified under the Matla Sultanate, this nation was gradually fragmented under colonial rule, forming two relatively weak native nations dependent on Dutch East Indien rule.

Though these two sultanates only occupy about one-twentieth of Java Island, the combined population of the Sultanate of Sulu and the Sultanate of Yogyakarta has long exceeded one million.

That is the characteristic of Java Island: any small piece of land has a shockingly large population.

If we consider Java's post-era population of more than 140 million, the area governed by these two sultanates could accommodate at least five million people.

It is hard to imagine that this land of just over 100,000 square kilometers can accommodate nearly 150 million people.

And the entire Australian region can accommodate a population of only about two hundred million.

Even if all the land in Australasia is combined, within a reasonable range, the maximum number of people it can accommodate will not exceed three hundred million.

A sufficient population is a prerequisite for becoming a strong country and a manifestation of a country's strength and development.

Resource exploitation, industrial development, economic growth, domestic construction, and even aspects of people's lives such as medical care and education, all require a large population and talent.

Only with a population can there be talent, and only with talent can a country develop and become stronger.

This also determines a truth: a country with a sufficient population does not necessarily have to be strong, but a strong country must have a sufficient population.

If a regional power's population limit is more than ten million, then a regional hegemon's population should be at least more than thirty million.

To maintain a position among the powers for decades or even hundreds of years in the future, a population of over fifty million, or even hundreds of millions, is a basic condition.

If the indigenous peoples of the Dutch East Indies can be assimilated, Australasia will definitely develop stronger in a short period, and even compete with the United States for the top three in the world when Britain and France are greatly damaged by the war.

Unfortunately, the population of the Dutch East Indies is basically difficult to assimilate indigenous peoples. These indigenous peoples have beliefs that are completely opposite to those of the Australasians, and with differences in skin color and culture, they cannot be assimilated in a short time.

Only with a country with a population of hundreds of millions and decades of hard work can these indigenous peoples be completely assimilated.

But the question is, if the population is already in the hundreds of millions, why assimilate these indigenous peoples?

Compared to the Western Front's attack on Java Island, the Eastern Front's attack on New Guinea was actually more successful.

A significant part of the more than 100,000 troops in the Dutch East Indies were deployed on Java Island. Many others were deployed on Sumatra Island, Kalimantan Island, and Sulawesi Island.

This also led to the fact that although New Guinea Island is not small in size, there are not many Dutch troops, even the indigenous armies, adding up to only about one colonial division.

Facing the Australasian Second Division and a colonial division with a comprehensive inferiority in numbers, soldier combat power, and equipment, the fate of this Dutch colonial division can be imagined.

Although the number of guns and planes in the Eastern Front was far behind the Western Front, the Dutch colonial divisions had even fewer guns and even uneven rifle quality.

After two consecutive days of strong attacks by the Australasian Army, the Dutch colonial division soon could no longer support it and officially surrendered to Australasia.

On December 12, 1915, the Australasian Army began landing on Sulawesi Island, Kalimantan Island, and Sumatra Island.

If there is a map of the Dutch East India Colony, it can actually be found that the most important area in this colony is these large islands.

The area of the large and small archipelagos and island chains distributed around these islands is not as large as any of the four major islands.

At present, the Australasian Army has already controlled Java Island and New Guinea Island, and it can be said that it has controlled more than half of the Dutch East India Colony.

The Dutch government is believed to be unable to sit still soon after they receive the news, after all, if the Australasian Army continues its offensive, the Netherlands will lose more than just half of the Dutch East Indies.

On December 15, 1915, after a colonial division on Sulawesi Island was annihilated by the Australasian Army, the government finally received a request for peace talks from the Netherlands.

So far, the Australasian Army has initially controlled Java Island and New Guinea Island, and carried out landings on Sulawesi Island and Sumatra Island.

If the Dutch telegram arrives a few days later, I am afraid that the entire Sulawesi Island and Sumatra Island will be controlled by Australasia, and there will be only more than half of Kalimantan Island left in the Dutch East Indies.

As for the Dutch request for peace talks, the Australasian government naturally agrees.

After all, more than half of the Dutch colonial army has been wiped out by Australasia, and the Netherlands has no ability to resist in the Dutch East Indies.

In such a situation, even if peace talks are held, Australasia will still have the final say. As long as there is no intervention from the powers, the Netherlands can only become a fish on the chopping board for Australasia to slaughter.

After discussions between the two governments, it was finally decided to formally launch peace talks on the issue of the Dutch East Indies after the new year arrives.

And before the peace talks arrive, the current situation in the Dutch East Indies will be militarized management according to the areas occupied by both sides.