Chapter 1250
Compensation After War
Chapter 1250 Compensation After War
As a life-and-death opponent on the battlefield not long ago, Hogg would not easily believe that the opponent's so-called "voluntary release" had any good intentions.It took so much effort for the Haihan people to capture him alive, it is absolutely impossible to let the tiger go back to the mountain so easily, and this Haihan officer named Roger looks very shrewd, and he doesn't look like he is mentally ill at all.
Hogg concluded that there must be a conspiracy, so he replied very cautiously: "What are your plans?"
"Attempt? I should be the one to ask you this question, right?" Roger said unhurriedly: "What kind of idea are you instigating the Johor Army to invade our country? Do you need me to analyze it bit by bit? ? Not executing you intruders is already the greatest kindness of our army, do you still want to live here for nothing?"
"You...are you really going to let me go?" Hogg couldn't figure out Roger's intention, so he continued to ask tentatively.
"Let go, I'm not joking with you." Roger nodded, then changed the topic: "But freedom comes at a price. Before you are allowed to leave, you must first compensate our country for the losses suffered by this war. Just do it."
Hogg's heart sank immediately, he understood what he said, the other party was planning to use this to extort a ransom fee from the East India Company.However, this kind of behavior is not uncommon. The practice of exchanging prisoners of war with ransom has also been used on the European battlefield since ancient times, especially those senior officers and nobles who were imprisoned, often used this method to regain their freedom after the war.It is common practice for the warring parties to hand over money and people, or directly exchange captured personnel.
But since it is a transaction, there is room for bargaining, and if the other party's purpose is really for money, then his personal safety will be guaranteed accordingly.Thinking of this, Hogg's mood relaxed a little, and he immediately responded calmly: "Then please come up with a price!"
"Before you talk about the price, let's sort out what you need to pay for!" Roger calmly took out a notebook, opened it, and showed it to Hogg: "Look, I've already sorted everything out." .”
Hogg saw several rows of words densely written on it, and he couldn't help feeling a little flustered at the moment. The opponent's challenge this time was obviously well prepared, and his own battle plan was controlled by him step by step, and there was no room for him to display it.And this plan of asking for ransom in exchange for freedom after the war is obviously already in the other party's calculations, saying that they let themselves go, in fact, there is no good intention at all, it is just a step by step to lure themselves to accept their arrangement.
"First of all, in order to deal with your sneak attack, the soldiers and civilians on the island stopped work and training in advance to prepare for the war, so the economic losses during this period, as well as the consumption of all personnel and labor costs, must all be recorded on your heads... "
The first indemnity explained by Roger shocked Hogg. Although the number of Haihan soldiers and civilians stationed on the island is not too many, there are two to 3000 people. Roger opened his mouth for a month. How much money was spent preparing for the battle is entirely up to him to say casually.
Then I heard Roger continue to say: "The second major item is the losses caused during your invasion. The outage of the port, the shutdown of the people, the damage to farmland and houses, and the treatment required for our casualties You will also have to bear all the costs of pensions and pensions.”
Hogg's head started to hurt when he heard this, and what the other party said seemed to make sense, but how these costs were calculated was completely impossible to verify in detail.The other party calculated the account in such a detailed manner, I'm afraid it was preparing for the next lion's big opening.
Roger pointed out his third finger and said: "Next is the combat expenses of the troops. The personnel, warships, supplies, ammunition, and post-war rewards we dispatched will all be borne by you. Yes. This account has not been fully counted yet, so I will only list it first, not count it. By the way, we specially dispatched a fleet from Abunna Island to help in the battle. During the encirclement and suppression of you, we blocked the Strait of Johor and dispatched the navy The cost is very high.”
When Hogg heard this, what he was worried about was not what kind of sky-high price the other party would offer in the end, but how much his own life was worth. He had to ask for ransom according to the algorithm of the Haihan people. It is better to die here.
Seeing Roger pointing out another finger, Hogg, who was about to fall into despair, couldn't help complaining, "Why are there more?"
"Of course!" Roger continued with a confident tone: "Fourth, post-war expenses. This includes post-war reconstruction and feeding you prisoners of war. We are not obligated to feed prisoners of war and provide you with living expenses. Necessary conditions, the fee should be considered reasonable? At that time, it will be calculated according to the number of people and the number of days. Of course, the personal expenses of senior officers who enjoy special treatment like General Hogg must be higher than that of ordinary prisoners of war. Finally, because of this This war is because your East India Company and the Johor State initiated the invasion, and we are the final victors, so we will ask for an additional fine as a punishment. Well... roughly these items, what do you think? ?”
Hogg replied angrily: "I heard that the Haihan people are all greedy businessmen. It seems that the rumors are true, but you may think my status is too high. You have listed so many items that require money. East India But the company may not be willing to spend too much money to buy back my life!"
Roger shook his head and said: "No, no, not only your employer, but also your partner Johor. I didn't expect the East India Company to bear the compensation alone, so in the end it will be up to you two Share the related expenses equally. As for whether your boss is willing to pay to redeem you, I don’t think it’s just about how much your life is worth, but also whether it’s worth offending our country for it. Of course, your boss can choose Playing dead and not paying a single silver coin, but doing so is giving up the chance of reconciliation, and you will suffer revenge from our country in the future, so don't have any complaints."
Hogg hadn't considered such a deep-seated problem just now, and after being woken up by Roger, he realized that the other party's scheming was really bottomless, and he had created so many projects to prepare for the lion to open his mouth, but it was not because of himself The prisoners of war are of great value, but they are certain that after the defeat of the East India Company and the Johor Kingdom, they will not dare to further offend the Haihan Kingdom.Roger's words have been made very clear, no compensation is fine, then wait for Haihan to implement revenge measures.As for what Haihan's revenge method will be, Hogg doesn't need to think about it at all. Such a powerful military strength is not a joke. Those indigenous troops in Johor who are still using spears and machetes will definitely not be able to defeat those fully equipped with muskets. Haihan regular army.
As for the East India Company, although the actual control area is still relatively far away from the Haihan territory, if the British merchant ships want to enter the South China Sea in the future, they will have to add another risk. Haihan Navy.This has a negative impact on East India's long-term plans in the Far East, but it is much greater than the defeat in Xingdao this time.This battle was defeated, at most it would be the loss of five hundred mercenaries and a dozen British officers, but he completely offended Haihan without occupying Xingdao, so in the future, British ships want to enter the South China Sea for trade and colonization The possibility of expansion is even more remote.
Comparing the hatchbacks, Hogg felt it was obvious which was more important. If he could buy a trade channel into the South China Sea with money, then he felt that the company's top executives would not mind paying a little for the deal. As long as the price doesn't go too far.Of course, Hogg also understood that the first thing to do was to find out whether the price Haihan offered only included the ransom fee for the prisoners of war, or whether it included the so-called "reconciliation" fee.
Hogg sorted out his words in his mind, and then he said again: "What do you mean by reconciliation? Can I understand it as allowing British merchant ships to pass through the Strait of Malacca and the waters under your country's jurisdiction after reconciliation?"
Roger smiled and said: "The extent of the reconciliation depends on the sincerity of your East India Company. The situation you mentioned is not impossible. If you have the willingness in this regard, it can be negotiated." Slowly communicate to resolve differences. Our country has always advocated peaceful coexistence, if you tried to contact us in a normal way from the beginning, how could this completely unnecessary war break out?"
Hogg was so annoyed by Roger's words, anyone can talk about peace, but Haihan's self-proclaimed advocacy of peace is a bit untenable. It is said that this country was created abruptly by force.Although the East India Company and Johor initiated the war this time, Haihan had already noticed it beforehand, and they did not try to use negotiations to prevent the outbreak of the war. It is a big lie to say that they love peace.
But it is useless to accuse Haihan on this kind of issue. The real law of this era is to speak with force and respect the strong. Hogg is also very clear.He came here with mercenaries and sent troops to attack Haihan with Johor, didn't he also follow this rule?The logic of the coalition forces is that if they win Haihan, they will naturally have the capital to bargain with the South China Sea powers, and the winner will have the right to actively choose to negotiate to solve the problem.
But if according to what Roger said, instead of fighting this battle and directly contacting Haihan for negotiation, will the East India Company have a chance to achieve its goal?Hogg believes that even if there is, it is very slim. Haihan has relevant trade agreements with Portugal and the Netherlands, which probably include some exclusive content. The establishment of trade and even diplomatic relations between Britain and Haihan is not just wishful thinking. accomplished.The East India Company has also evaluated this, and the final conclusion is to rely on force to open the situation, and win the war to gain an active position in the negotiations.But judging from the actual implementation effect, the result of this choice can be said to be disastrous. Instead of achieving the expected results, the coalition forces were completely wiped out, suffered heavy losses, and put their own side into a completely passive state.
Seeing that Hogg was silent, Roger continued to persuade: "The treatment we are giving you now is based on your status in the East India Company. If the East India Company abandons you because of defeat or ransom, then your The status will lose its value to us. At that time, you can only do hard physical labor like other ordinary prisoners of war, and it is very likely that you will eventually die in a prisoner of war camp due to overwork. So I I hope you can cooperate with us on the issue of ransom, which will be of practical benefit to you personally, and to the country and organization you are loyal to."
Hogg took a deep breath and said, "Then what do you want me to do?"
Roger smiled slightly and said, "First, I need you to write a letter in your own hand..."
While Roger was persuading Hogg, Tan Juren was also doing ideological work for Johor General Bapong through an interpreter in another place.Roger had already discussed with him how to deal with these prisoners of war before, so the direction of his persuasion to Bapon was similar to that of Roger.
Compared with the British who only lost a few hundred mercenaries, the Johor Army lost its elite this time. Nearly [-] newly formed new troops almost all fell on Xingdao, and the hundreds of civilians who were captured along with the army , its value is simply negligible.The East India Company provided Johor with weapons and training, making this new army a huge investment. For this reason, the Johor State has even owed a considerable amount of debt to the East India Company.
Originally, most of this debt was expected to be mortgaged through the right to use Sing Tao, but now this plan has completely failed. Not only has Johor lost everything, but it also has to face the sky-high war reparations offered by Haihan.If the indemnity is refused, the group of prisoners headed by Babong will never return home, and Johor will also face Haihan's war revenge.
Speaking of which, Johor is not a country that fears war. It has fought almost all the surrounding countries, large and small. However, Johor itself is limited in strength and belongs to the type of players who have repeatedly fought and failed. Xing Tao, it is very difficult to organize another strong army to fight against the powerful Haihan army.After this fight, Bapong also understood that it is not enough to be equipped with guns and artillery to face the Haihan army head-on. The strength gap between the two sides cannot be filled by a helper from Johor.If there is a war between the two countries, the resistance that the Johor army can put up will be extremely limited. Even if the country is not destroyed, it will inevitably lose its strength.
(End of this chapter)
As a life-and-death opponent on the battlefield not long ago, Hogg would not easily believe that the opponent's so-called "voluntary release" had any good intentions.It took so much effort for the Haihan people to capture him alive, it is absolutely impossible to let the tiger go back to the mountain so easily, and this Haihan officer named Roger looks very shrewd, and he doesn't look like he is mentally ill at all.
Hogg concluded that there must be a conspiracy, so he replied very cautiously: "What are your plans?"
"Attempt? I should be the one to ask you this question, right?" Roger said unhurriedly: "What kind of idea are you instigating the Johor Army to invade our country? Do you need me to analyze it bit by bit? ? Not executing you intruders is already the greatest kindness of our army, do you still want to live here for nothing?"
"You...are you really going to let me go?" Hogg couldn't figure out Roger's intention, so he continued to ask tentatively.
"Let go, I'm not joking with you." Roger nodded, then changed the topic: "But freedom comes at a price. Before you are allowed to leave, you must first compensate our country for the losses suffered by this war. Just do it."
Hogg's heart sank immediately, he understood what he said, the other party was planning to use this to extort a ransom fee from the East India Company.However, this kind of behavior is not uncommon. The practice of exchanging prisoners of war with ransom has also been used on the European battlefield since ancient times, especially those senior officers and nobles who were imprisoned, often used this method to regain their freedom after the war.It is common practice for the warring parties to hand over money and people, or directly exchange captured personnel.
But since it is a transaction, there is room for bargaining, and if the other party's purpose is really for money, then his personal safety will be guaranteed accordingly.Thinking of this, Hogg's mood relaxed a little, and he immediately responded calmly: "Then please come up with a price!"
"Before you talk about the price, let's sort out what you need to pay for!" Roger calmly took out a notebook, opened it, and showed it to Hogg: "Look, I've already sorted everything out." .”
Hogg saw several rows of words densely written on it, and he couldn't help feeling a little flustered at the moment. The opponent's challenge this time was obviously well prepared, and his own battle plan was controlled by him step by step, and there was no room for him to display it.And this plan of asking for ransom in exchange for freedom after the war is obviously already in the other party's calculations, saying that they let themselves go, in fact, there is no good intention at all, it is just a step by step to lure themselves to accept their arrangement.
"First of all, in order to deal with your sneak attack, the soldiers and civilians on the island stopped work and training in advance to prepare for the war, so the economic losses during this period, as well as the consumption of all personnel and labor costs, must all be recorded on your heads... "
The first indemnity explained by Roger shocked Hogg. Although the number of Haihan soldiers and civilians stationed on the island is not too many, there are two to 3000 people. Roger opened his mouth for a month. How much money was spent preparing for the battle is entirely up to him to say casually.
Then I heard Roger continue to say: "The second major item is the losses caused during your invasion. The outage of the port, the shutdown of the people, the damage to farmland and houses, and the treatment required for our casualties You will also have to bear all the costs of pensions and pensions.”
Hogg's head started to hurt when he heard this, and what the other party said seemed to make sense, but how these costs were calculated was completely impossible to verify in detail.The other party calculated the account in such a detailed manner, I'm afraid it was preparing for the next lion's big opening.
Roger pointed out his third finger and said: "Next is the combat expenses of the troops. The personnel, warships, supplies, ammunition, and post-war rewards we dispatched will all be borne by you. Yes. This account has not been fully counted yet, so I will only list it first, not count it. By the way, we specially dispatched a fleet from Abunna Island to help in the battle. During the encirclement and suppression of you, we blocked the Strait of Johor and dispatched the navy The cost is very high.”
When Hogg heard this, what he was worried about was not what kind of sky-high price the other party would offer in the end, but how much his own life was worth. He had to ask for ransom according to the algorithm of the Haihan people. It is better to die here.
Seeing Roger pointing out another finger, Hogg, who was about to fall into despair, couldn't help complaining, "Why are there more?"
"Of course!" Roger continued with a confident tone: "Fourth, post-war expenses. This includes post-war reconstruction and feeding you prisoners of war. We are not obligated to feed prisoners of war and provide you with living expenses. Necessary conditions, the fee should be considered reasonable? At that time, it will be calculated according to the number of people and the number of days. Of course, the personal expenses of senior officers who enjoy special treatment like General Hogg must be higher than that of ordinary prisoners of war. Finally, because of this This war is because your East India Company and the Johor State initiated the invasion, and we are the final victors, so we will ask for an additional fine as a punishment. Well... roughly these items, what do you think? ?”
Hogg replied angrily: "I heard that the Haihan people are all greedy businessmen. It seems that the rumors are true, but you may think my status is too high. You have listed so many items that require money. East India But the company may not be willing to spend too much money to buy back my life!"
Roger shook his head and said: "No, no, not only your employer, but also your partner Johor. I didn't expect the East India Company to bear the compensation alone, so in the end it will be up to you two Share the related expenses equally. As for whether your boss is willing to pay to redeem you, I don’t think it’s just about how much your life is worth, but also whether it’s worth offending our country for it. Of course, your boss can choose Playing dead and not paying a single silver coin, but doing so is giving up the chance of reconciliation, and you will suffer revenge from our country in the future, so don't have any complaints."
Hogg hadn't considered such a deep-seated problem just now, and after being woken up by Roger, he realized that the other party's scheming was really bottomless, and he had created so many projects to prepare for the lion to open his mouth, but it was not because of himself The prisoners of war are of great value, but they are certain that after the defeat of the East India Company and the Johor Kingdom, they will not dare to further offend the Haihan Kingdom.Roger's words have been made very clear, no compensation is fine, then wait for Haihan to implement revenge measures.As for what Haihan's revenge method will be, Hogg doesn't need to think about it at all. Such a powerful military strength is not a joke. Those indigenous troops in Johor who are still using spears and machetes will definitely not be able to defeat those fully equipped with muskets. Haihan regular army.
As for the East India Company, although the actual control area is still relatively far away from the Haihan territory, if the British merchant ships want to enter the South China Sea in the future, they will have to add another risk. Haihan Navy.This has a negative impact on East India's long-term plans in the Far East, but it is much greater than the defeat in Xingdao this time.This battle was defeated, at most it would be the loss of five hundred mercenaries and a dozen British officers, but he completely offended Haihan without occupying Xingdao, so in the future, British ships want to enter the South China Sea for trade and colonization The possibility of expansion is even more remote.
Comparing the hatchbacks, Hogg felt it was obvious which was more important. If he could buy a trade channel into the South China Sea with money, then he felt that the company's top executives would not mind paying a little for the deal. As long as the price doesn't go too far.Of course, Hogg also understood that the first thing to do was to find out whether the price Haihan offered only included the ransom fee for the prisoners of war, or whether it included the so-called "reconciliation" fee.
Hogg sorted out his words in his mind, and then he said again: "What do you mean by reconciliation? Can I understand it as allowing British merchant ships to pass through the Strait of Malacca and the waters under your country's jurisdiction after reconciliation?"
Roger smiled and said: "The extent of the reconciliation depends on the sincerity of your East India Company. The situation you mentioned is not impossible. If you have the willingness in this regard, it can be negotiated." Slowly communicate to resolve differences. Our country has always advocated peaceful coexistence, if you tried to contact us in a normal way from the beginning, how could this completely unnecessary war break out?"
Hogg was so annoyed by Roger's words, anyone can talk about peace, but Haihan's self-proclaimed advocacy of peace is a bit untenable. It is said that this country was created abruptly by force.Although the East India Company and Johor initiated the war this time, Haihan had already noticed it beforehand, and they did not try to use negotiations to prevent the outbreak of the war. It is a big lie to say that they love peace.
But it is useless to accuse Haihan on this kind of issue. The real law of this era is to speak with force and respect the strong. Hogg is also very clear.He came here with mercenaries and sent troops to attack Haihan with Johor, didn't he also follow this rule?The logic of the coalition forces is that if they win Haihan, they will naturally have the capital to bargain with the South China Sea powers, and the winner will have the right to actively choose to negotiate to solve the problem.
But if according to what Roger said, instead of fighting this battle and directly contacting Haihan for negotiation, will the East India Company have a chance to achieve its goal?Hogg believes that even if there is, it is very slim. Haihan has relevant trade agreements with Portugal and the Netherlands, which probably include some exclusive content. The establishment of trade and even diplomatic relations between Britain and Haihan is not just wishful thinking. accomplished.The East India Company has also evaluated this, and the final conclusion is to rely on force to open the situation, and win the war to gain an active position in the negotiations.But judging from the actual implementation effect, the result of this choice can be said to be disastrous. Instead of achieving the expected results, the coalition forces were completely wiped out, suffered heavy losses, and put their own side into a completely passive state.
Seeing that Hogg was silent, Roger continued to persuade: "The treatment we are giving you now is based on your status in the East India Company. If the East India Company abandons you because of defeat or ransom, then your The status will lose its value to us. At that time, you can only do hard physical labor like other ordinary prisoners of war, and it is very likely that you will eventually die in a prisoner of war camp due to overwork. So I I hope you can cooperate with us on the issue of ransom, which will be of practical benefit to you personally, and to the country and organization you are loyal to."
Hogg took a deep breath and said, "Then what do you want me to do?"
Roger smiled slightly and said, "First, I need you to write a letter in your own hand..."
While Roger was persuading Hogg, Tan Juren was also doing ideological work for Johor General Bapong through an interpreter in another place.Roger had already discussed with him how to deal with these prisoners of war before, so the direction of his persuasion to Bapon was similar to that of Roger.
Compared with the British who only lost a few hundred mercenaries, the Johor Army lost its elite this time. Nearly [-] newly formed new troops almost all fell on Xingdao, and the hundreds of civilians who were captured along with the army , its value is simply negligible.The East India Company provided Johor with weapons and training, making this new army a huge investment. For this reason, the Johor State has even owed a considerable amount of debt to the East India Company.
Originally, most of this debt was expected to be mortgaged through the right to use Sing Tao, but now this plan has completely failed. Not only has Johor lost everything, but it also has to face the sky-high war reparations offered by Haihan.If the indemnity is refused, the group of prisoners headed by Babong will never return home, and Johor will also face Haihan's war revenge.
Speaking of which, Johor is not a country that fears war. It has fought almost all the surrounding countries, large and small. However, Johor itself is limited in strength and belongs to the type of players who have repeatedly fought and failed. Xing Tao, it is very difficult to organize another strong army to fight against the powerful Haihan army.After this fight, Bapong also understood that it is not enough to be equipped with guns and artillery to face the Haihan army head-on. The strength gap between the two sides cannot be filled by a helper from Johor.If there is a war between the two countries, the resistance that the Johor army can put up will be extremely limited. Even if the country is not destroyed, it will inevitably lose its strength.
(End of this chapter)