Chapter 168: The East Indies in Action

By August 1874, the atmosphere in the Spanish East Indies colony felt somewhat unusual compared to the past.

Navy Commander Pascual Cervera arrived at the East Indies Presidential Palace early in the morning, accompanied by several regimental commanders of the garrison.

"Are you all ready, gentlemen?" Marquis Rogers, the incumbent Viceroy of the East Indies, asked with a smile while staring at the map of the East Indies hanging in his office.

"The navy is ready and can assist the army in landing at any time," Navy Commander Pascual nodded and replied.

"We are all ready too. It is time to let these damned natives understand who the true masters of the East Indies are," several garrison regimental commanders also nodded, their faces showing excitement.

Although the main purpose of the Spanish government's previous troop transport was to reinforce the Congo River basin, since a portion of the soldiers had arrived in the East Indies, their utility naturally could not be wasted.

As the largest existing colony of Spain, the East Indies still held great potential for expansion.

Currently, in the southern part of the East Indies—that is, on Mindanao—there were still several native powers that did not submit to Spanish colonial rule, the largest of which was the Sultanate of Maguindanao.

Besides this, not far to the west of Mindanao, the Sultanate of Sulu was also a place that Spain could colonize.

Further west of the Sulu Archipelago lay the much larger island of Kalimantan, which possessed numerous native tribes and states, with the southern part falling under the Dutch colonial sphere.

Judging by Spain's comprehensive strength, there was absolutely no need to fear the Dutch. In fact, the biggest reason the Dutch were able to colonize this land was that their comprehensive strength was not strong, which made Britain, France, and Spain feel more at ease.

"Very good." Marquis Rogers nodded with satisfaction, placed his baton on the southwestern part of Mindanao on the map, and said with a cold sneer: "From today on, there is no need for the native states here to exist. There is only one master of the East Indies, and that is the great Kingdom of Spain."

"The mission of the First and Second Garrison Regiments is to head south to Mindanao and wipe out the native states there completely. If anyone dares to resist, execute them without exception."

"The Third and Fourth Garrison Regiments will land on the Sulu Archipelago first with the help of the navy and wipe out the native forces there."

"After controlling the situation in the Sulu Archipelago, leave a portion of the troops to garrison the islands, and the remaining forces will continue to move west to control the territory of the Sultanate of Sulu in the Kalimantan region."

"The mission of the Third and Fourth Garrison Regiments is relatively heavy; you must act quickly and decisively to occupy the land of the Sultanate of Sulu as soon as possible."

"If we wait for the British to react and mediate, I fear a portion of the land will be carved up by them. The faster we act, the more land we can obtain."

"I hope we can take an entire Sultanate of Sulu, not just the small Sulu Archipelago. Do you all understand your respective missions?"

Relatively speaking, the attack on Mindanao would be smoother. This was already within Spain's colonial sphere, and no matter how aggressive Spain's colonial actions were, other powers had no right to interfere.

But Kalimantan was different. The southern part of Kalimantan was occupied by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, while the northern and western parts had a large number of native states and other forces.

Although the British had not yet established a North Kalimantan colony, they had already occupied a port in the Brunei Empire.

The Sultanate of Sulu bordered the Brunei Empire, and Spain's forced military action against the Sultanate of Sulu was very likely to attract the attention of the British.

This was not a good thing for Spain; they could only try their best to increase the speed of the operation and bite off a piece of land on Kalimantan first.

Being able to expand the colony to Kalimantan would prove that Spain had the right to participate in the carving up of Kalimantan. But if they could not land on Kalimantan, then the future partition of Kalimantan between Britain and the Netherlands would have nothing to do with Spain.

Although Spain already had the Philippines, the appeal of Kalimantan was equally significant. As the third-largest island in the world, Kalimantan had an area of 740, 00 square kilometers, while the combined area of Spain's mainland and the Philippines was just 800, 00 square kilometers.

Spain certainly had to participate in the carving up of such vast territory, especially since Kalimantan was rich in resources; eating any piece of it would not be a loss.

"As you command, Your Excellency the Viceroy." The several garrison regimental commanders and Navy Commander Pascual nodded together, accepting the order with considerable confidence.

For the Spanish army, attacking these native states and forces presented no difficulty. Although the garrison regiments were only Spain's lowest-level troops, many of the soldiers were local natives.

But after upgrading their weapons and equipment, the combat effectiveness of the garrison regiments was at a certain level. While the soldiers of the garrison regiments were said to be local natives, many were actually mixed-race of Spanish descent, who were still relatively loyal to Spain.

Coupled with the supervision of a large number of young officers, the loyalty and combat effectiveness of the army could be guaranteed. As long as they did not face large-scale routs, even the garrison regiments would basically have no possibility of mutiny.

The fact that the East Indies were far from the Spanish mainland also had certain benefits, such as the long time required for news to spread.

Although British colonies were spread all over the world, the connection between the British government and its colonies was not that swift or effective.

News around the Philippines needed to be telegraphed to the Indian colonial government first, and then forwarded by the Indian colonial government to the British government.

This transit time would be even longer, which was the reason for the time difference Marquis Rogers spoke of. From the reporting of news to the British government reacting and issuing orders, the round trip would take at least several days.

Spain had every hope of occupying the entire Sultanate of Sulu before the British government's orders could be issued; once the goal was achieved, the British government would have no choice but to swallow it.

After all, the British government's main goal at this time was not in Kalimantan, and even if Spain could occupy a portion of the land, there were still Dutch colonies on Kalimantan.

Perhaps it could even provoke colonial competition between the Spanish and the Dutch, allowing the British to not only stay out of it but also watch a good show.

Adhering to the principle that speed is the essence of war, the sorties of the four garrison regiments were quite rapid.

The Third and Fourth Garrison Regiments crossed the Sulu Sea directly to the Sulu Archipelago with the help of the navy, while the First and Second Garrison Regiments were deployed in advance in the eastern part of Mindanao, moving toward the native forces in the west immediately upon receiving the order.

In this era, there was no such thing as radar; discovering the enemy relied entirely on naked-eye detection.

The Spanish army was not at all polite to these native forces; during the westward advance, the First and Second Garrison Regiments suppressed them with force as soon as they discovered any native forces.

The first to suffer were those relatively loose native tribes. They existed in the form of tribes and were independent of each other, posing little threat to the Spanish army.

They were not unfamiliar with the Spanish colonists, and when facing the steel guns and cannons of the Spanish army, all they could do was disarm and surrender.

Of course, there were those who resisted stubbornly, but the outcome was often not very pleasant. To make an example of them, in the process of suppressing these native tribes, once a tribe was found to be disobedient, the outcome was basically total annihilation.

As Spain's largest colony, the East Indies had a large reserve of weapons and ammunition. During the transport of troops, the transport fleet also brought a large batch of weapons, equipment, and ammunition reserves.

And in this process of eliminating native forces, these transported weapons and ammunition played a huge role.

Facing the most advanced steel guns and cannons, these natives had no room for resistance at all. Most of the weapons in their hands were cold weapons; even if they had muskets, the quantity was small, and they were very backward muskets.

These loose tribes had no thermal weapons, so eliminating them was obviously much simpler. In fact, it was not so much elimination as it was using force to suppress them and forcibly incorporating them into Spanish colonial rule.

In just over half a day, the native tribes in the western part of Mindanao were basically occupied. However, the land occupied by these native tribes was only a small part; more land was occupied by the Sultanate of Maguindanao.

Although the Sultanate of Maguindanao was also a small native state, this native power had certain connections with both the British and the Dutch.

Unlike the previous native tribes, the Sultanate of Maguindanao possessed thermal weapons, which came from British and Dutch merchants.

In fact, one only needs to think about it to know that the reason the British and Dutch were willing to provide thermal weapons to these natives was precisely to prevent Spain's colonial expansion.

Things like colonies are ultimately limited; the more land Spain occupied, the less land the British and Dutch could carve up.

By trapping Spain on Mindanao, the British and Dutch would have enough time to carve up Kalimantan.

In fact, according to the original situation, the actions of the British and Dutch were very successful. The decline of the Kingdom of Spain lasted until the Spanish-American War, and in these decades, Spain had only barely managed to control the situation in Mindanao.

The vast land of Kalimantan was carved up by the British and Dutch in the long passage of time. The Dutch thus established the Dutch East Indies colony, which was a vast land with a total area of 1. 1 million square kilometers.

It was only because the Netherlands, whose domestic strength was not strong, could obtain such a vast colony under the watchful eyes of the British.

If the comprehensive strength of the Netherlands had been even a little stronger, it would not have been easy to obtain such a vast colony.

For Spain, engaging in colonial competition with the Netherlands in Kalimantan was, to a certain extent, not something to fear the British over.

If Spain were a powerful major power like Germany, France, or Russia, the British would naturally not want to let Spain obtain more colonies.

But Spain's comprehensive strength was not strong; at best, it was a gatekeeper of the major powers like Italy. Spain setting its sights on the land of Southeast Asia was also a good thing for the British.

After all, the British were more concerned with the eastern and western gateways of the Mediterranean, Africa, and India.

Whether Southeast Asia was controlled by the Dutch or the Spanish made no difference to the British. Because the strength of these two countries was not enough to threaten Britain, it was much better than being occupied by France or Germany.

Back to the Spanish operation to suppress the native forces.

The actions of the First and Second Garrison Regiments were quite rapid; it took only one day to eliminate the loose native tribes of Mindanao and begin fighting with the Sultanate of Maguindanao.

Although the Sultanate of Maguindanao also possessed thermal weapons, the quantity was not large, and they had no artillery.

The British and Dutch were not stupid either. They could trip Spain up, and Spain could likewise cause trouble for them.

It was already exhausting for a small country like the Netherlands to control such a vast land as the Dutch East Indies; if Spain were to deliberately sabotage things from behind, it would inevitably make the Dutch government even more uncomfortable.

Although Britain was more powerful, if Spain were determined to sabotage, the British would also be unable to cope.

After all, the larger the colony, the more serious the colonial rebellion crisis faced. Not to mention other regions, India alone was enough to give the British a headache.

The independence struggle of the Indians had never stopped, and the British colonial government could only force the Indians to submit through constant armed suppression.

But the method of armed suppression could only solve the problems on the surface and could not solve the root problems.

When nationalism gradually awakened, coupled with the continuous decline of British strength, India would eventually become independent from British colonial rule.

While the First and Second Garrison Regiments were fighting the Sultanate of Maguindanao, the Third and Fourth Garrison Regiments on the other side had already landed on the Sulu Archipelago.

The Sulu Archipelago was controlled by the Sultanate of Sulu, and the Sultanate of Sulu was the most powerful native force in the Sulu Sea.

Therefore, to control the Sulu Sea, one must first control the Sultanate of Sulu. To control the Sultanate of Sulu, one must control the core area of the Sultanate of Sulu, the Sulu Archipelago.

If the Sultanate of Maguindanao maintained a good relationship with the British and the Dutch, then the Sultanate of Sulu was another extreme.

As early as hundreds of years ago, Britain and Spain had carried out colonial aggression against the Sultanate of Sulu.

The territory of the Sultanate of Sulu had also been continuously encroached upon and simultaneously annexed by other native forces on Kalimantan.

This powerful sultanate that once dominated the Sulu Sea was currently no different from other small native forces.

The only thing the Spanish army worried about was that the attack on the Sultanate of Sulu would attract the attention of the British, thereby letting the British come to get a share of the spoils.

The British goal was certainly the territory of the Sultanate of Sulu on Kalimantan. If the British were allowed to succeed, it would not be easy for Spain to enter Kalimantan again.

Therefore, they had to occupy the Sulu Archipelago and transfer the army to Kalimantan before the British could react.

Even if they had to negotiate with the British later, Spain could ensure that it remained in an invincible position, thereby participating in the carving up of Kalimantan.

Besides several native forces, there were also two special countries on Kalimantan, namely the Lanfang Republic and the Kingdom of Sarawak.

The Kingdom of Sarawak was founded by a British explorer who, after discovering this land, used various means to conquer the local natives and establish his own kingdom.

Because the king of the Kingdom of Sarawak was British, the British attitude toward this country was relatively friendly.

As for the Lanfang Republic, this was a famous country. The establishment of this country had been nearly a hundred years, and it also possessed high prestige locally.

However, the population of the Lanfang Republic consisted of immigrants from the Qing Empire in the north, so the British and Dutch did not have a high degree of favorability toward this country.

If Spain wanted to get a share of the spoils in Kalimantan, the Lanfang Republic was also a point that could be utilized.

It could even be used to prevent the Dutch from making any progress in Kalimantan by cultivating the Lanfang Republic.

As for the Sultanate of Sulu, the Spanish army was quite familiar with it. In fact, these native states posed no great threat to Spain; even the garrison regiments could easily crush them.

The defensive strength of the Sulu Archipelago was not strong; the two garrison regiments landed quietly under the cover of night and soon completely controlled the situation on the islands.

The high-ranking officials of the Sultanate of Sulu were still in sweet dreams when their capital was already occupied by the Spanish army, and they quickly became prisoners.

The attack on the Sulu Archipelago was unbelievably smooth, which also allowed the time for landing on Kalimantan to be earlier than expected.

But in any case, the earlier they landed on Kalimantan, the greater the hope Spain had of annexing the Sultanate of Sulu.

With the help of the navy, the Third and Fourth Garrison Regiments left behind a small defensive force, and the remaining troops all headed to Kalimantan.

If the defensive strength of the Sulu Archipelago was very loose, then the defensive layout of the Sultanate of Sulu on Kalimantan was characterized by sheer carelessness.

Perhaps it was because the colonial appetites of Spain and Britain were not large before, giving the Sultanate of Sulu a misconception. Or perhaps the economic crisis that broke out in Europe recently had allowed the high-ranking officials of the Sultanate of Sulu to breathe a sigh of relief.

In short, the defensive layout of the Sultanate of Sulu was a complete mess, and the quality of the troops was ridiculously poor.

On Jialimandandao, the Third Garrison Regiment finally encountered a sizable army from the Sultanate of Sulu.

Yet, after the Third Garrison Regiment unleashed a single round of suppressive fire, the indigenous army scattered and fled as if the Grim Reaper were chasing them from behind.

This scene left the Spanish soldiers dumbfounded, to the point that they even forgot to pursue their victory.

However, driving away these indigenous troops had already fulfilled the Spanish army's objective; after all, the most urgent matter now was to rapidly occupy the land of the Sultanate of Sulu and turn Spain's foothold on Jialimandandao into a reality.

The offensive of the four garrison regiments proceeded very smoothly, and in less than a week, they had basically occupied the entirety of the lands belonging to the two sultanates and several indigenous tribes.

To ensure the stability of the local situation and prevent the British and the Dutch from causing trouble, Hou Jue Luo Jie ordered the four garrison regiments to temporarily station themselves there to maintain order, while waiting for the colonial government of the East Indies to dispatch colonial officials to take over those lands.

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(End of this chapter)