Chapter 1250 Post-War Compensation

As a life-and-death opponent on the battlefield not long ago, Hogg would not easily believe that the opponent's so-called "active release" had good intentions. The Haihan people had spent so much effort to capture him alive, and it was definitely impossible to do so so easily.

After letting the tiger go back to the mountain, this Haihan officer named Roger looked very shrewd and did not look like he was mentally ill at all.

Hogg concluded that there must be a conspiracy, and immediately answered very cautiously: "What are your intentions?"

"Intent? This question should be asked by me, right?" Roger said calmly: "What is your plan for inciting the Johor Army to invade our country? Do you still need me to analyze it for you step by step?

?Not executing you invaders is already the greatest mercy of our army. Do you still want to live and eat here for free?"

"You...really plan to let me go?" Hogg was a little confused about Roger's intentions now, so he continued to ask tentatively.

"Let go, I'm not kidding you." Roger nodded and changed the topic: "But freedom comes with a price. Before letting you go, we must first compensate our country for the losses it has suffered due to this war.

That’s all.”

Hogg's heart sank immediately. He understood clearly what he said. The other party was planning to use this to extort a ransom payment from the East India Company. However, this kind of behavior is not unusual. It has been used on European battlefields since ancient times.

The practice of exchanging prisoners of war for ransom, especially those high-ranking officers and nobles who were imprisoned, often used this method to regain their freedom after the war. The warring parties paid one hand for money and the other for people, or directly exchanged the captured personnel.

usual practice.

But since it is a transaction, there is room for bargaining, and if the other party's purpose is really money, then his personal safety will be protected accordingly. Thinking of this, Hogg felt a little more relaxed.

He responded calmly: "Then please give me a price!"

"Before we talk about the price, let's sort out what compensation you need to pay first!" Roger calmly took out a book, opened it and showed it to Hogg: "Look, I've sorted it all out.

.”

Hogg saw several rows of words written densely on it, and he couldn't help but suddenly panicked. The opponent was obviously well prepared for this challenge, and his own combat plan was controlled by him step by step, and there was no room for him to use it. And this

The plan to ask for ransom in exchange for freedom after the war had obviously been in the other party's calculations for a long time. In fact, there was no good intention at all when they said they were letting him go. They were just trying to lure him step by step to accept their arrangement.

"First of all, in order to respond to your sneak attack, the military and civilians on the island stopped work and training in advance to prepare for war. Therefore, 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 reparations explained by Roger shocked Hogg. Although the number of Haihan soldiers and civilians stationed on the island was not too many, there were two to three thousand people. Roger opened his mouth for a month. During this period

How much it cost to prepare for the war was entirely up to him to say at will.

Then Roger continued: "The second major item is the losses caused during your invasion. The port was shut down, people stopped working, the farmland and houses were damaged, and the treatment required for our casualties

And the pension expenses must all be borne by you."

Hogg's head started to hurt when he heard this. What the other party said seemed to make sense, but how these expenses were calculated could not be verified at all. The other party calculated the accounts in such detail, maybe he was preparing for the lion's next big mouth.

Roger pointed out a third finger and said: "The next step is the combat expenses of the troops. The personnel we dispatched, the warships, the materials consumed, the ammunition, and the post-war rewards. The related expenses will also have to fall on you.

This account has not yet been fully calculated, so I will only list the items without counting. By the way, we specially transferred a fleet from Ambuna Island to assist in the battle. During the encirclement and suppression of you, we blocked the Johor Strait and dispatched the navy.

The cost is very high.”

When Hogg heard this, he was no longer worried about the sky-high price the other party would offer in the end, but how much his life was worth. He had to ask for a ransom according to the Haihan people's algorithm. He was afraid that the company's senior management would look forward to him.

It would be better to die here.

Hogg, who was about to fall into despair, saw Roger stretching out another finger, and couldn't help complaining: "Why is there still more?"

"Of course!" Roger continued in a confident tone: "Fourth, post-war expenses. This includes post-war reconstruction and expenses for feeding you prisoners of war. We have no obligation to feed prisoners of war and provide you with the means to survive.

Necessary conditions, charging fees should be considered very reasonable, right? Then it will be calculated based on headcount and days. Of course, the personal expenses of senior officers who enjoy special treatment like General Hogg will definitely be higher than ordinary prisoners of war. Finally, due to this

This war was because your East India Company and the State of Johor initiated the invasion, and we were the final victors, so we will also ask for an additional fine as punishment. Well...that's about it for these projects, what do you think?

?”

Hogg responded angrily: "I heard that the Haihan people are greedy businessmen. It seems that the rumors are true, but you may think of my status too high. You have listed so many projects that require money. East India

But the company may not be willing to spend too much money to buy my life back!"

Roger shook his head and said: "No, no, no, it is not only your employer who pays, but also your partner Johor. I don't expect the East India Company to be able to bear this compensation alone, so in the end it will have to be paid by you two.

Share the relevant expenses equally. As for whether your boss is willing to pay to redeem you, I think we can't just look at how much your life is worth, but also consider whether it is worth completely offending our country for this. Of course your boss can choose

Pretend to be dead and don't pay a single silver coin, but by doing so you are giving up the opportunity for reconciliation, and you will suffer retaliation from our country in the future, so don't have any complaints."

Hogg had not considered such a deep-seated issue just now. After being awakened by Roger, he realized that the other party's scheming was really bottomless. He had come up with so many names to prepare for the lion to open his mouth, but it was not because he was included.

How valuable the prisoners of war are, but they are sure that after the East India Company and the Kingdom of Johor suffered this defeat, they did not dare to further offend the Haihan Kingdom. Roger's words have made it very clear, no

Compensation is fine, but just wait for Haihan to carry out his revenge. As for what Haihan's revenge will be, Hogg doesn't need to think too much. Such a strong military strength is no joke. Those in Johor are still there.

The indigenous army using spears and machetes could never defeat the Haihan regular army fully equipped with muskets.

As for the East India Company, although the actual control area is still far away from the Haihan territory, if British merchant ships want to enter the South China Sea in the future, they will have to add another level of risk. They must face the so-called hegemon in the South China Sea, which is more powerful than Portugal and the Netherlands.

Haihan Navy. This has a greater negative impact on East India's long-term plans in the Far East than the defeat suffered this time at Star Island. This defeat resulted in the loss of at most 500 mercenaries and 10 soldiers.

Several British officers, but they completely offended Haihan without being able to capture Star Island. Then the possibility of British ships entering the South China Sea for trade and colonial expansion in the future will be even slimmer.

After comparing the two sides, Hogg felt that it was obvious which one was more important. If money could buy a trade channel into the South China Sea, then he felt that the company's top bosses wouldn't mind spending a little money to make this deal.

As long as the price is not too high, it will be fine. Of course, Hogg also understood that in this matter, he first had to find out whether the price offered by Haihan only included the ransom fee for the prisoners of war, or whether it also included the so-called "settlement" fee.

Hogg sorted out his words in his mind before speaking 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 reconciliation depends on the sincerity of your East India Company. The situation you mentioned is not impossible. If you are willing in this regard, you can negotiate

Slowly communicate and resolve differences. Our country has always advocated peaceful coexistence. If you had tried to contact us in normal ways from the beginning, how could this completely unnecessary war have broken out?"

Hogg was so angry at Roger's words that everyone could talk about peace, but Haihan's claim to advocate peace was really untenable. Before the founding of the country, he had already had a record of fighting with neighboring countries.

It is said that this country was fought out by force. Although this war was initiated by the East India Company and Johor, Haihan had already noticed it beforehand, and they did not try to use negotiation to prevent the war.

Explosion, this peace-loving thing is simply a big lie.

But it is useless to accuse Haihan on this issue. Force speaks and the strong is respected. This is the real law of this era. If you can't defeat others, there is no reason to say it. Regarding this point, as a military adviser to the East India Company,

Hogg also knew it very well. He came here with mercenaries and sent troops with the Kingdom of Johor to attack Haihan. Didn't he also follow this rule? The logic of the coalition is that if they defeat Haihan, then they will naturally follow him.

With the bargaining capital of the South China Sea powers, only the victor has the power to actively choose to negotiate to resolve the issue.

But if according to Roger's statement, the East India Company does not fight this war but directly contacts Heyhan for negotiations, will the East India Company have a chance to achieve its goal? Hogg thinks that even if it does, it is very slim. Heyhan has both with Portugal and the Netherlands.

The relevant trade agreements are likely to include some exclusive content. The establishment of trade or even diplomatic relations between Britain and Haihan is not something that can be achieved by wishful thinking. The East India Company has also evaluated this, and the final conclusion is still

It is necessary to rely on force to open up the situation and win the war to gain the initiative in 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

The entire army was wiped out, the losses were heavy, and our own side fell 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 due to defeat or ransom issues, then your

Status has lost value to us. At that time, you will have no choice but to engage in hard physical labor like other ordinary prisoners of war, and it is very likely that you will eventually die in the prisoner of war camp due to overwork. So I

I hope you can cooperate with us on the ransom issue, 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 handwritten letter..."

While Roger was persuading Hogg, Tan Juren was also doing ideological work for Johor General Ba Pong through a translator in another place. Roger had already discussed with him how to deal with these prisoners of war, so he persuaded Ba Pong.

The direction is also very similar to Roger's.

Compared with the British who only lost a few hundred mercenaries, the Johor Army lost all its elite this time. Almost all of the nearly two thousand newly formed new troops were lost in Star Island, and hundreds of civilians who were captured along with the army were lost.

, its value is simply negligible. The East India Company provided weapons and training to Johor, making this new army a huge investment. For this reason, Johor even owed a large debt to the East India Company.

Originally, it was hoped that most of this debt would be mortgaged through the right to use Star Island, but now this plan has completely failed. Not only will Johor lose all its money, but it will also have to face the sky-high war compensation from Haihan. If it refuses to pay the compensation,

Then this group of prisoners of war headed by Papong will never return home, and Johor will also face war revenge from Haihan.

Speaking of which, Johor is not a country that is afraid of war. It has fought almost all the neighboring countries, big and small. However, Johor’s own strength is limited and it is a player who has repeatedly fought and lost. Now these elites have all been defeated.

It is difficult for Xingdao to organize another strong army to fight against the powerful Haihan army. After this battle, Ba Peng also understood that it is not possible to confront the Haihan army head-on with guns and artillery.

The strength gap cannot be filled by Johor recruiting helpers. If a war breaks out between the two countries, the resistance that the Johor army can provide will be extremely limited. Even if the country is not destroyed, a huge loss in strength will definitely be inevitable.
Chapter completed!