Chapter 1037

When he saw the Dutch-style buildings on the coast of Manila, Eric suddenly felt a sense of relief after a narrow escape. The fear that Zeelandia had brought him that night also slowly dissipated at this moment.

Stephen’s expression was no different from Eric’s. They ultimately did not wait for the soldiers to return to the warships with the Han-style rifles and machine guns to escape with them. Two thousand Dutch soldiers were forever left on the land of Zeelandia.

“We cannot stay here for too long. The Chinese Empire’s fleet carrying the marines will arrive here soon, and Manila is too close to Bohol Island, where the Empire has a garrison.”

Stephen reminded Eric. Now he only wanted to go to Jakarta, because from Jakarta, they could bypass Indonesia from the south to reach India without having to pass through Malacca. But this would make their voyage twice as long.

Eric’s mood was very heavy throughout the journey. Originally, their relationship with the Chinese Empire was very harmonious. He could even go to Qingzhou in his spare time to enjoy a prosperous life for a while, but all of this was ruined by that group of fools in the parliament.

Suppressing his anger, Eric said, “Councilor Stephen, since you dare to go to war with the Chinese Empire, you must understand the consequences you will have to bear. Manila is very dangerous, and Jakarta is also very dangerous. Congratulations, the Netherlands will lose everything in Asia. To hell with the fools in the parliament!”

Stephen’s face turned red and then purple. He was also a member of the parliament, so Eric was basically cursing him to his face.

The shock and frustration he had endured these past two days also erupted at this moment. He shouted, “You could have stayed in Zeelandia to serve the Chinese Empire. Why did you have to come with me? Oh, it’s not too late for you to go back now.”

“That’s because I am loyal to the Netherlands, not to you bunch of fools.” Eric did not back down.

While the two were arguing, six Dutch warships slowly entered the pier. Simon, the administrator of Manila, was looking at them and shouting, “Hey, guys, what are you arguing about? Hurry and get off the ships. I have already prepared lunch for you.”

Hearing this voice, the two stopped arguing, snorted angrily, and got off the ship.

Walking up to Simon, Eric said, “Simon, how are your preparations coming along? We have to leave for Jakarta after lunch. The Great Yu Empire’s fleet will arrive here soon.”

Simon’s expression suddenly changed. He said, “Why? Have you already…”

“Yes, you should ask Stephen about that.” Eric did not want to talk about this topic. To administer the colonies in Asia, the Netherlands had dispatched a total of one governor and two administrators. Eric governed Zeelandia, Simon administered Manila, and there was another one who administered Jakarta. But Eric had the most authority, and the other two had to obey him.

Stephen looked at Simon and nodded. “We don’t have much time to prepare. The British and French will not give us much time.”

Simon’s expression was complex. He said, “But this is too rushed. If we leave now, we will lose a lot. We have been operating Manila for many years, and there are important economic interests here. Just the estates and mines are priceless.”

“Then there’s nothing we can do.” Eric said, “We have already started a war with the Chinese Empire. Staying here is just waiting for death. We will evacuate after lunch. We will not wait for anyone who is too late to withdraw.”

No sooner had his words fallen than Stephen suddenly said, “Simon cannot leave here yet. We need him to stall the Chinese Empire’s advance south. The Allied forces also need time to prepare.”

Eric was completely furious. He pointed at Stephen and shouted, “Is the death of two thousand Dutch soldiers not enough? How many more Dutchmen do you want to see die?”

Stephen was also fed up with Eric’s attitude. He then took out a letter of authorization from the parliament from his pocket and said to Simon in a serious tone, “Simon, the parliament has granted me the right to handle all matters concerning the Asian colonies temporarily. Eric’s immediate departure is questionable. I demand that you arrest Eric now.”

Eric and Simon’s gazes were drawn to the red wax seal under the letter of authorization. It was indeed a letter of authorization from the parliament.

Simon hesitated for a moment, then he finally said, “Eric, I must obey the parliament’s order.”

With a mocking laugh, Eric spread his hands, showing his helplessness. Then he was taken into custody by Simon’s soldiers.

A look of triumph appeared on Stephen’s face. He had had enough of this arrogant governor of Asia. In his opinion, Eric was too inclined towards the Chinese Empire, which was a cowardly act.

After Eric was taken away, Stephen said to Simon, “Immediately mobilize all soldiers in Manila to establish defenses to resist the Chinese Empire’s attack. If you faithfully carry out my orders, I will definitely apply to the parliament to have you return home.”

Simon’s eyes immediately lit up. After being away from his homeland for so many years and living a monotonous life here, Simon had long wanted to return to the Netherlands.

So he said, “Councilor Stephen, I will do my best.”

Stephen showed a satisfied smile. After having lunch in Manila and replenishing their food and water, he once again set off for Jakarta with the fleet in the afternoon.

There, the Dutch had their strongest forces in Asia.

At the pier, after seeing Stephen off, Simon immediately went to the prison and released Eric.

Facing Simon’s strange smile, Eric looked confused.

“Eric, you must help me. Whether I can return to the Netherlands depends on my performance this time,” Simon said calmly.

“That’s impossible!” Eric sneered. In fact, he understood that Simon was sent here only to check him, because the two had always been wary of each other.

Now that he had fallen into his hands, he felt a little sad.

Simon knew that he had no talent for fighting, but Eric had fought on the battlefield before. This was why he needed Eric.

He said, “Don’t be so quick to answer. Think about your family in the Netherlands. We can go back after this battle. If we can thwart the Empire’s attack, your and my contributions will be even greater. Even if we are defeated, we can still escape to Jakarta. The Empire doesn’t understand the nearby seas as well as we do.”

Eric’s expression was a little conflicted. He was already disheartened now, and his only wish was to return to the Netherlands.

Thinking of this, he nodded. “Alright, I will help you resist the Chinese Empire. But before that, you’d better prepare a ship, otherwise, we will all die here.”

“That’s a given. I have already arranged for someone to do that. Now, you should go and see how to establish a defense.” There was a glint in Simon’s eyes.

Compared to Eric, he was even more greedy. One of the reasons he stayed was to secretly take away the gold he had plundered in Manila. At the same time, he wanted to try and get the Empire’s firearms. In this way, his future would be bright.

The novel has already been fully translated up to the final chapter. You can access it free on my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair