Chapter 952

“Bring Miguel over.”

In the Governor-General’s office, Yue Yun’s face was grim. If this letter from Spain was true, then they were in trouble.

Eric was also startled by his own conjecture. The number of Spanish warships was incorrect. There could only be one possibility: when they ambushed the Spanish royal city, the combined fleet of British, French, and Spanish was also carrying out a surprise attack plan on the Great Yu Empire’s military port.

Soon, Miguel was brought to the Governor-General’s office by soldiers. Yue Yun threw the letter in Miguel’s face and angrily said, “What in the world is this?!”

Miguel suddenly burst into mad laughter. He shouted, “Hahaha! You finally found out, but unfortunately, it’s too late! While you were basely ambushing us, we and the combined fleet were also preparing to attack you! People of the Great Yu Empire, do you think you can surpass us maritime powers with just ten short years of development? Dream on! Our cannons will make you understand that you are forever only fit to be ruled by us!”

Yue Yun’s expression remained unruffled. After Miguel finished speaking, he said coldly to Liu Chen, “Execute all Spanish in the city by firing squad in the square we just passed.”

“Yes, General.”

Liu Chen responded excitedly. He had long disliked this Miguel; the man was simply like a bandit and a tyrant. This time, he would personally execute him.

Miguel, hearing this, stared at Yue Yun with bloodshot eyes. He cursed, “We Europeans will not let you Great Yu Empire people take away the foundation we have built over centuries!”

Then he looked at Eric, “Wake up, Eric! You are Dutch, but you are also European! We are all white. This world should inherently be ruled by us white people. You will not cooperate forever!”

Eric’s expression shifted slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. He angrily retorted, “Even so, we would not massacre unarmed common people! Miguel, you are not fit to be a Spanish Governor-General! You are nothing but a murderous demon!”

Miguel laughed even more brazenly. However, he no longer had a chance to speak. Two Great Yu Empire soldiers dragged him towards the square in front of the Governor-General’s office. There, they would be executed by firing squad by Great Yu Empire soldiers.

“General Yue Yun, it seems you are in trouble now,” Eric said with a hint of worry. “Your main fleet is not in the military port. If they succeed in ambushing it, your military port will become a sea of fire. What will you do next? Counterattack?”

“Of course!” Yue Yun’s words were forceful. “Do you never hit back when someone punches you?”

A hint of anxiety appeared on Eric’s face. He said, “General Yue Yun, our agreement is only to attack our common enemy, Spain. If we fight the combined fleet, I need to consult the Dutch Parliament, after all, this is a matter of great importance.”

Liu Chen immediately frowned, but he said no more.

Yue Yun chuckled lightly. He said, “Governor-General Eric, you needn’t be nervous. This war belongs to the Great Yu Empire. We will not force you to join.”

With that, he had soldiers escort Eric back to the Dutch warship.

After Eric’s figure disappeared, Liu Chen said, “His Majesty was absolutely right. The Dutch are unreliable.”

“It’s not that the Dutch are unreliable; it’s that all nations are unreliable. Those not of our kind are surely of different hearts. We are friendly with the Dutch now because we can gain tangible benefits, and the Dutch can also gain benefits from us. Everyone is merely taking what they need. They still dare not attempt adventures that risk national security.”

“If that’s the case, why does His Majesty insist on helping Prussia? What if Prussia learns the Great Yu Empire’s technology and grows powerful, then turns against us? Wouldn’t that be counterproductive?”

Yue Yun helplessly shook his head. Liu Chen was skilled at tactical command, but he tended to neglect strategy. He explained, “Cooperation between nations is often short-term. The situation changes constantly according to national needs. Now they are enemies; the next moment they might be allies. If Prussia grows strong, we might cooperate with Britain to deal with Prussia. This is balance of power. So, whether it’s Prussia, Britain, or France, His Majesty’s only consideration is to gain maximum benefit and at the same time curb regional hegemons. This is also how Britain deals with us.”

Liu Chen nodded. “Now I only hope the Netherlands won’t stab us in the back.”

“You needn’t worry about that. Our purpose in garrisoning Zeelandia is to hold the Dutch on the island as hostages. The Dutch won’t dare to act recklessly,” Yue Yun said calmly.

Liu Chen sighed. “Then what should we do now? If the combined British, French, and Spanish fleet truly plans to ambush Dengzhou military port, that would be troublesome. The remaining twenty warships in the military port might not be their match. Most importantly, our shipyards—those are paramount.”

“It’s too late for us to return now. If we go by time, they must have already reached Dengzhou waters. The most appropriate course of action now is to continue our offensive and capture Malacca in one fell swoop! Completely cut off their east-west shipping routes! This is also called ‘you fight your war, I fight mine.’ Moreover, Dengzhou military port’s coastal defenses are much stronger than here, and there are troops stationed there.”

Liu Chen suddenly understood. “You’re right. After all, it only takes six hours to transport troops from Qingzhou to Dengzhou for reinforcement. And now, Malacca certainly has no warship protection. As long as we seize the artillery positions on both sides of the strait and capture their bases, they either have to detour via the Bering Strait or die in our hands.”

“That is precisely my idea. That’s why I decided to kill all the Spanish, to prevent chaos here when we attack Malacca,” Yue Yun’s eyes flickered.

Liu Chen admired Yue Yun more and more. Yue Yun’s foresight on this point was truly meticulous. When a large army advanced, the greatest fear was trouble in the rear.

Now that they had occupied the Spanish royal city, this place would become the Great Yu Empire navy’s first supply base in Nanyang. Whether they could continue to control other Nanyang countries depended crucially on this place.

So, no mistakes could be made. Otherwise, one wrong step, and they would be doomed forever. For this, killing all Spanish prisoners was the best choice.

After all, war was indeed that brutal. Moreover, this was a life-and-death struggle.

“How many marines should we leave behind?” Liu Chen agreed with Yue Yun’s idea.

“One thousand men are enough. Now, we only need to hold the royal city. The natives on the island can be dealt with later. It’s not appropriate to clash with them now.”

“Yes, General.”

Liu Chen responded, then turned to the officers beside him and said, “Commander of the 5th Regiment, Commander Liu of the 6th Regiment, leave your soldiers behind. Commander of the 1st Brigade, you are responsible for defending this place; no mistakes whatsoever!”