Chapter 3027
Just showing some stolen goods is obviously not enough for the diplomats who came specially to verify the results of the war. At noon that day, Kaza and Lopez saw another "result" of the Haihan Army near another coast on the west side of Langkawi Island, a three-masted sailboat leaning sideways on the sea, with the bow part still intact. exposed on the sea.
The water nearby is not deep. Judging from the location of the ship, it has probably been stranded on the beach, and there are still traces of fire burning on the hull. Coupled with the broken masts and broken sails floating on the nearby sea, it can be inferred that a fierce battle must have occurred at that time.
"The pirates on the island tried to escape on this ship, but when we found them they were unwilling to surrender and still resisted, so our warships decisively opened fire and sank them."
Roger pointed to the sunken ship in the sea and said: "More physical evidence should be found on the ship, but it will take a little more time to salvage it. Maybe we will get something in two or three days."
Lopez asked: "This is a shoal. The pirates on the ship jumped into the sea to escape. They should not be drowned. I guess they should be caught alive this time, right?"
Roger nodded and said: "We did capture some prisoners, but their situation involves our army's next action, so it is not convenient to disclose it to the public for the time being. I believe you can understand."
Earlier in Penang, Roger claimed to have sunk a pirate ship, but no one was left alive on the ship due to the explosion. Although the pirate ship sunk on Langkawi Island captured prisoners, Roger was still evaded in the name of confidentiality. This made Lopez, who wanted to learn the truth through the prisoners, quite dissatisfied.
However, Roger didn't care too much about his feelings. The so-called personal and physical evidence were originally created by Haihan. Physical evidence is easy to obtain, just collect a bunch of property and unilaterally prove it is pirate stolen goods.
But witnessing is relatively troublesome. Even if Haihan can prepare some actors, it will still be easier for the Portuguese and Acehnese to insist on participating in the interrogation in person. Therefore, as a last resort, Roger would try his best to find excuses to avoid letting them have access to witnesses.
As for whether Lopez will be dissatisfied, it doesn't matter. As long as the predetermined area is included in the bag, even if the Portuguese comes around later, it will be too late.
Kaza is concerned about another thing: "Since your country has eliminated the pirates here, when will you withdraw your troops from the island?"
Roger shook his head slightly and said: "According to the information we have, the pirates just escaped here temporarily, and may come back again in a while. If we want to ensure long-term peace and order in the nearby waters, there is only one solution, and that is to use garrison and armed forces. Patrol to deter lawbreakers.”
"It is obvious that Kedah has no way to complete such a task. From the emergence of pirates to today, we have never heard of any effective action taken by Kedah. Now there is also a situation of official collusion with pirates, which makes We cannot believe that Kedah is capable of handling this matter.”
"So the safest way is, of course, for our country to station troops here to maintain security and bring the nearby waters into the patrol range of our fleet. Only in this way can pirates be completely eliminated."
Kaza is not an idiot, and of course he immediately understood what Roger meant: "Are you saying that your country will station troops on Langkawi Island and turn it into an area directly under your country's jurisdiction?"
Roger did not deny Kaza's statement: "This is for the overall consideration of regional stability, and it is also the best solution we can think of at present. I think this should be beneficial to the interests of all parties, including your country of course." .”
Kaza suppressed his anger and said: "With all due respect, your actions will harm the relationship between the two countries, and our country will not turn a blind eye to such an approach!" Roger responded expressionlessly: "If your country thinks that I If there is a problem with our approach, you can go to Sanya to raise objections to the Executive Committee of our country. But I would like to remind you that our Executive Committee attaches great importance to the plundering of our merchant ships by pirates. Any behavior that prevents our country from pursuing and combating pirates will be punished. May be viewed as colluding with pirates.”
When Roger said this, he raised his hand and pointed to the Haihan warship on the distant sea and said: "Whoever colludes with the pirates will be the target of our attack!"
Kaza felt a chill go down his spine after hearing this, and his mind immediately calmed down. The military strength possessed by Haihan was not something that Aceh could contend with. If the relationship between the two sides became tense, it would cause huge losses to Aceh. Much larger than one or two islands.
What's more, the Portuguese are watching with cold eyes. Once there is a conflict between Haihan and Aceh, the Portuguese will probably take advantage of it immediately and further drive a wedge between the two countries.
"I will take your opinion back to Banda Aceh and ask the king to make a decision. But before that, I will not approve your country's garrison behavior on Langkawi Island and Penang."
After finishing speaking, Kaza took a deep breath and decided to make a temporary compromise, at least not to take the blame for "damaging relations between the two countries" himself.
Lopez saw Kaza's performance in his eyes and secretly cursed "softhead". But the delicate situation among the three parties present made it impossible for Lopez to seek to join forces with the Acehnese to put pressure on Haihan.
Of course, he can also speak out against Haihan's deployment of troops on these islands, but the problem is that Portugal is not the owner of these islands. If he speaks out, wouldn't he be speaking from the standpoint of the Acehnese? Considering the feud between Portugal and Aceh, such an approach is obviously undesirable and cannot even be attempted, otherwise it is likely to affect Lopez's reputation within the colonial authorities.
While Roger was dealing with the envoys from the two countries, Qian Tiandun had quietly led his troops to leave Langkawi Island and headed for the next target in the north.
Among the three targets scheduled in the action plan, Phuket is the largest island, but its geographical location is also slightly farther from the Strait trade routes.
But if Phuket can be controlled, it can form a clamp on Siam and Myanmar further north, blocking its southward expansion. In the long run, it will also help Haihan control the vast Bay of Bengal on the west side of the Strait of Malacca.
According to the information currently available, the Kingdom of Siam does not have troops stationed in Phuket, so the possibility of a war breaking out is not high. This is why Roger stayed on Langkawi Island to take charge of the aftermath, while Qian Tiandun was left alone. The main reason for operational command.
However, considering that Phuket is very close to the mainland, it is difficult to predict whether Siam will send troops to Phuket afterwards. Qian Tiandun still brought enough people on this trip to ensure that everything was in place.
(End of chapter)