Chapter 8: Chapter 7
After receiving the report from Nicolaas Nieuwenhuijzen, the governor of the Dutch East Indies, James Loudon, was livid. He had sent Nieuwenhuijzen to Aceh with specific instructions to crush the Acehnese rebellion and bring the province back under Dutch control. But now, not only had Nieuwenhuijzen failed in his mission, but he had also lost all of the logistics and ships belonging to the Dutch.
Loudon immediately summoned his advisors to his office to discuss the situation.
"Gentlemen," he began, "this is an outrage! How could Nieuwenhuijzen have failed so spectacularly? And to make matters worse, we have lost all of our logistics and ships to the Acehnese.
This is a disaster!" One of his advisors, a balding man named Cornelius, spoke up. "Your Excellency, we have received reports of mysterious deaths among our troops in Aceh. Perhaps this played a role in Nieuwenhuijzen's failure?"
Loudon scoffed. "Mysterious deaths? What nonsense! We have trained soldiers, not superstitious fools. I refuse to believe that such a thing could have happened."
Another advisor, a bespectacled man named Hendrik, spoke up. "Your Excellency, with all due respect, it is possible that the Acehnese employed some form of unconventional warfare. Perhaps they used poison or other means to weaken our troops."
Loudon sighed. "Very well. We will investigate this possibility. But first, we must figure out how to retake Aceh and recover our lost logistics and ships. Ideas, gentlemen?"
A young advisor named Pieter raised his hand. "Your Excellency, we could try negotiating with the Acehnese. Perhaps we can offer them something in exchange for our lost assets."
Loudon shook his head. "Unacceptable. We cannot negotiate with rebels. We must crush them and bring them back under our control."
Cornelius spoke up again. "Your Excellency, we could send a larger force to Aceh. With more soldiers and resources, we may be able to retake the province and recover our assets."
Loudon nodded. "That may be our best option. But we must also address the issue of Nieuwenhuijzen's failure. I want him brought back here immediately for questioning."
As the meeting continued, the governor's advisors debated various strategies for retaking Aceh and recovering their lost assets. But one thing was clear: the Dutch were not going to take this defeat lying down. They would do whatever it took to regain control of the province and punish those who had dared to challenge their authority.
After being led to escape by Daud, Nicolaas Nieuwenhuijzen was taken into custody by the Dutch East Indies authorities upon his return to Java. He was immediately interrogated by his superiors about the events that led to the loss of the Dutch fleet and logistics in Aceh.
The interrogation took place in a dimly lit room, with several high-ranking Dutch officials in attendance. Nieuwenhuijzen was seated at a long table, facing his interrogators, with a glass of water in front of him.
One of the officials, a portly man with a thick mustache, spoke first. "Nieuwenhuijzen, can you explain to us how the Acehnese might have been able to defeat our forces and take all of our ships and logistics?"
Nieuwenhuijzen took a deep breath before answering. "Your excellency, I must say that the Acehnese are a formidable enemy. They are fierce fighters, and their guerrilla tactics caught us off guard. But that is not the only reason we lost. There were other factors at play."
"Such as?" the mustached official prompted.
Nieuwenhuijzen cleared his throat. "Well, I must say that we encountered several mysterious deaths among our troops. Soldiers were dropping like flies, and we couldn't figure out why. We suspect that the Acehnese may have been using some kind of poison, but we couldn't prove it."
Another official, a thin man with a severe expression, spoke up. "And what about the ships and logistics? How did they manage to capture all of our supplies?"
Nieuwenhuijzen hesitated before answering. "Your excellency, I must confess that I made a grave error. I underestimated the Acehnese and did not take the necessary precautions to secure our supplies. I was overconfident and assumed that we would easily defeat them. But they proved to be much more skilled than I anticipated."
The officials exchanged glances before the mustache man spoke again.
"Nieuwenhuijzen, your negligence has cost us dearly. We have lost an entire fleet and all of our supplies in Aceh. This is a serious matter, and we cannot let it go unpunished."
Nieuwenhuijzen bowed his head. "I understand, your excellency. I am willing to accept any punishment you see fit."
The thin official spoke up again. "We will consider your statement, but we must conduct a thorough investigation into what happened in Aceh. We cannot allow this kind of failure to happen again."
Nieuwenhuijzen nodded. "I understand, your excellency. I will cooperate fully with the investigation."
The officials continued to question Nieuwenhuijzen for several hours, probing him on every detail of the mission to Aceh. They wanted to know everything he knew about the Acehnese forces, their tactics, and their leaders. By the end of the interrogation, Nieuwenhuijzen was exhausted and emotionally drained.
As he was escorted out of the room, he couldn't help but feel a sense of shame and guilt. He had failed his country and his superiors, and he knew that he would pay a heavy price for his mistakes.
Overall, the Acehnese victory and the capture of Dutch ships and logistics would have had significant regional implications, and the news of these events would have likely traveled far beyond the borders of Aceh.
In the neighboring country of British Malaya, news of the successful Acehnese attack on the Dutch forces quickly spread. The British colonial officials were concerned about the potential impact on their own interests in the region.
One official, Mr. Jameson, was discussing the situation with his colleague, Mr. Wilson, over tea.
"Did you hear about the Acehnese rebellion, Wilson?" Jameson asked, sipping his tea.
"Yes, I did. It's quite worrying, isn't it?" Wilson replied.
"It certainly is. If the Acehnese can defeat the Dutch, then what's to stop them from turning their attention to us?" Jameson mused.
"Exactly. We need to keep a close eye on the situation and be prepared to take action if necessary," Wilson agreed.
Just then, another colleague, Mr. Brown, joined them at the table.
"Gentlemen, have you heard the latest news from Aceh?" he asked.
"Yes, we have," Jameson replied. "It's certainly a cause for concern."
"Indeed. And it's not just the Acehnese we need to worry about," Brown said. "There are rumors of a mysterious organization behind the rebellion, and they seem to have advanced technology at their disposal."
"That's even more worrying," Wilson commented. "We need to find out who they are and what they're up to."
"Agreed. And we need to be prepared to take action if necessary," Jameson added.
As the three men continued to discuss the situation, they couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. The success of the Acehnese rebellion and the presence of a mysterious organization with advanced technology posed a serious threat to British interests in the region. They knew they needed to act quickly and decisively to protect their interests and maintain control in the region.
As news of the Acehnese victory and the expulsion of the Dutch reached the ears of the Portuguese, they were both shocked and intrigued. The Portuguese, who had been trading with Aceh for centuries, had a vested interest in the region and had been closely watching the developments in the First Aceh War. They were well aware of the Dutch attempts to conquer Aceh and were surprised by the sudden turn of events.
The Portuguese Governor, Francisco da Cunha de Albuquerque, called a meeting of his advisors to discuss the implications of the Acehnese victory. The mood in the room was tense as the advisors, all experienced traders and diplomats, began to express their opinions.
"I cannot believe that the Acehnese were able to defeat the Dutch," exclaimed one of the advisors. "They are a small, weak nation with no army to speak of. How could they have possibly defeated the powerful Dutch?"
"Perhaps they had help from outside forces," suggested another advisor. "We have heard rumors of a mysterious organization operating in the region. Maybe they were responsible for the Acehnese victory."
"That is certainly possible," agreed the Governor. "But regardless of who was responsible, we must not underestimate the Acehnese. They have proven themselves to be a force to be reckoned with, and we must tread carefully in our dealings with them."
The Governor's words were met with murmurs of agreement from the other advisors. They knew that the Portuguese had a delicate relationship with Aceh, and any misstep could result in the loss of their valuable trade agreements.
"I propose that we send a delegation to Aceh to congratulate the Sultan on his victory," said one of the advisors. "It would be a show of respect and a way to strengthen our ties with them."
The Governor nodded in agreement. "Yes, that is an excellent idea. We will send our most skilled diplomat to Aceh to establish a rapport with the Sultan and his advisors."
The meeting ended with the Governor issuing orders to prepare a delegation for Aceh. As the advisors left the room, they were left to ponder the implications of the Acehnese victory and what it meant for the future of the region.
The news of Aceh's victory against the Dutch quickly spread across the region, including to the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans had long considered Aceh to be their "little brother" and had provided various forms of support in the past, including military aid and trade agreements.
Upon hearing the news of Aceh's victory, the Ottoman leaders were overjoyed. They saw it as a sign that their little brother was growing stronger and more independent. However, they were also keenly aware of their own problems, particularly the ongoing wars in Europe and the Middle East that were draining their resources.
The Ottoman Sultan, Abdülaziz, called for a meeting with his advisors to discuss the situation in Aceh. They discussed the possibility of sending aid to Aceh but ultimately decided that they could not spare the resources at this time. Instead, they sent a message of congratulations to the Sultan of Aceh, along with assurances of continued friendship and support.
The Ottoman leaders were impressed by the tactics used by the Acehnese forces, and began to consider ways in which they could incorporate it into their own military strategies.
Despite their inability to provide direct aid to Aceh at this time, the Ottomans remained committed to their little brother. They continued to maintain trade agreements and diplomatic relations and looked for other ways to support Aceh's growth and development. They knew that in the long run, a strong and independent Aceh would benefit not only the people of Aceh but also the Ottoman Empire as a whole.
As news of Aceh's victory over the Dutch spread throughout Southeast Asia, it also reached the ears of American and Italian diplomats stationed in Singapore. The two nations had previously held diplomatic meetings with Aceh before the war and were curious about the outcome.
At the American embassy, Ambassador Thomas, a middle-aged man with graying hair and sharp wit, called his team of diplomats into his office. "Gentlemen," he said, "it seems that the Acehnese have managed to expel the Dutch from their shores."
His team looked surprised. "Really, sir? That's quite a feat," said one of the younger diplomats.
"Yes, it is," replied Ambassador Thomas. "We had some dealings with them before the war, didn't we? I wonder how they managed to achieve this."
Another diplomat spoke up. "Perhaps we should send a message of congratulations to the Acehnese government. It could be an opportunity to strengthen our relationship with them."
Ambassador Thomas nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, that's a good idea. Draft up a message and I'll take a look at it."
Meanwhile, at the Italian embassy, Ambassador Franco was also discussing the news with his staff. "This is quite unexpected," he said. "I didn't expect the Acehnese to be able to defeat the Dutch."
One of his aides spoke up. "Should we send a message to congratulate them, sir?"
Ambassador Franco hesitated. "I'm not sure. We didn't have much of a relationship with them before the war. It might seem insincere if we suddenly start sending messages of congratulations now."
Another aide chimed in. "But if we don't acknowledge their victory, it could damage our relationship with them even further."
Ambassador Franco sighed. "You're right. Let's send a message, but let's make sure it's tactful and respectful."
In the end, both the Americans and Italians sent messages of congratulations to the Acehnese government, expressing their admiration for the Acehnese people's bravery and resilience in the face of adversity.
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