Chapter 598: Batam Island

The streets of Singapore still brim with the joy of the great naval victory at Liao nei qundao. Between the alleys, Chinese civilians come and go, their brows and eyes full of a steady sense of belonging and solid security, and the whole city exudes a harmonious and prosperous scene.

Jiang Anguo stood on the command post's terrace, overlooking this bustling metropolis where Chinese make up over seventy percent, a faint relieved smile curling his lips. After war and recapture, the land has finally become completely stable, becoming a solid foothold for Huaxia power rooted in Nanyang.

Deputy Wang Fei stood quietly beside him, softly reporting: "Commander, the situation in Singapore is now completely stable; the entire city's Chinese populace wholeheartedly supports our governance, social order is orderly, all civil affairs are progressing steadily, and there is no need to worry about local unrest or ethnic conflict."

Jiang Anguo gave a slight nod, his gaze passing over the bustling city streets, looking far toward the South's vast sea surface, his fingertip pointing to the faint island outlines on the horizon, his tone steady: "Singapore is the core foundation of our deep cultivation in Nanyang; Chinese settlement, the people's will, naturally secure and untroubled."

"But Batam Island, which lies adjacent to Singapore, guards the maritime chokepoint; its location is extremely critical, yet it still belongs to the former Dutch East Indies colonial jurisdiction, now under Indonesian control." He shifted his tone, his eyes sharp, "Singapore and Batam Island are interdependent; to fully solidify the Nanyang Defensive Line and control the near‑sea situation of the Strait of Malacca, while holding Singapore we must also bring Batam Island under our command, forming a strategy that balances offense and defense."

He paused briefly, then slowly outlined the key point: "I have long understood Batam Island's population and situation in detail. Although some Chinese have settled there for generations, the former Dutch colonizers, to counterbalance Chinese power and consolidate their rule, once moved in tens of thousands of local indigenous people. Today the island's total population is only forty‑to‑fifty thousand, with a high proportion of indigenous residents; this is the governance challenge we must steadily resolve after taking over the area."

Looking at the Western colonial powers such as English, French and Dutch, they have always been extremely wary of overseas Chinese communities. Chinese are diligent, pragmatic, intelligent, resilient, and hard‑working; with great tenacity and creativity they can always take root abroad, develop and accumulate strength, which is why colonizers have long deliberately tried to divide and counterbalance the Chinese population.

Wang Fei showed a hint of cautious concern: "Commander, from this perspective, after we occupy Batam Island we will inevitably face complex ethnic structures and governance integration issues. The local indigenous people have long been influenced by colonial thought, so they will inevitably harbor some distance toward our arrival and may not readily accept the new governance system."

Hearing this, Jiang Anguo smiled calmly, his eyes full of confident strategy: "Issues of ethnic integration and population structure, at their core, can be resolved through orderly immigration and deep governance, which is precisely our strongest deployment."

"Don't forget, Front the recapture of Singapore and Manggu in two battles, we have amassed a total of 1.3 million immigrant followers of Huaxia, and the points can also be exchanged for additional population resources. Compared with the outside's slow population migration plans, our Chinese immigrant deployment speed and scale have absolute advantage. As long as we steadily transport Huaxia people to Batam Island, solidifying the ethnic foundation, the initiative of this island will be firmly in our hands."

Jiang Anguo knew well that to swiftly control the newly acquired Nanyang territories, population is the core strength. The vast rural areas cannot yet be fully cultivated immediately, but all key ports, strategic islands, and core cities must first be settled with Huaxia people, firmly securing the strategic locations.

In fact, after the full recapture and stabilization of Singapore, Jiang Anguo had already placed Batam Island on the priority takeover list, quietly completing the preliminary reconnaissance and strategic deployment.

He immediately grabbed the communicator and, in a deep voice, issued the order: "Order First Battalion of the Army to immediately gear up and set out for Batam Island, fully eradicate the remaining Japanese Army forces on the island, assume complete control of all island defenses, eliminate all safety hazards, and ensure the territory's control has no lingering problems!"

"Received, Commander!" on the other end, the commander of the First Battalion shouted, quickly assembling troops, readying equipment, leading everyone onto the transport ship, cutting through waves at full speed toward Batam Island.

At that time on Batam Island, the remaining Japanese forces were already leaderless and demoralized. Since hearing of the Nanhua Navy's great victory and the dramatic shift in the Nanyang situation, the Japanese on the island were constantly anxious, having long lost the morale and courage to resist stubbornly.

The First Battalion landed on Batam Island smoothly, encountering no substantial resistance, swiftly clearing the scattered Japanese remnants, calmly taking over the island's defenses, and completely ending Batam Island's turmoil.

After receiving the frontline success report, Jiang Anguo immediately convened a military‑civilian meeting to fully deploy immigration settlement, livelihood construction, and territorial governance for Batam Island.

At the head of the meeting, his gaze firm, he laid out clearly: "Batam Island guards the near‑sea chokepoint of Nanyang; it is the key base for our southward expansion and solidifying our Southeast Asian strategic layout, and must be firmly controlled and deeply developed. The island's current population structure is complex; to achieve lasting stability and fully secure territorial control, the core lies in optimizing the population structure and strengthening the people's roots."

He immediately finalized the core decision: "Issue the order to select and dispatch twenty thousand Chinese civilians from Singapore and surrounding mature Chinese settlement areas, moving them orderly to settle on Batam Island."

"Immigrants will be prioritized from families with farming, construction, or trade experience, while simultaneously allocating medical, educational, and administrative professionals, ensuring the immigrant groups take root immediately, achieve rapid stable production, and build homes in order."

As the words fell, a staff officer rose to ask, his face showing concern: "Commander, moving twenty thousand civilians at once—will that strain Singapore's local material reserves and livelihood supply?"

Jiang Anguo shook his head slightly, responding calmly: "No need to worry. After phased rectification and development, Singapore's commerce has revived, warehouses are full, and supplies abundant, fully capable of supporting this immigration deployment and subsequent settlement work."

Today the Nanhua forces have ample financial, material, and manpower reserves, sufficient to support territorial expansion and livelihood construction. The only current constraint is that large islands such as Java Island and Sumatra remain occupied by remaining Japanese forces, temporarily preventing large‑scale immigration development.

Territorial expansion and colonization, population migration is only a basic means; the true core of governance is to let the relocated people live peacefully, take root, and make the new territory develop a stable production‑life system and social order.

Jiang Anguo continued to supplement the deployment, refining the orders: "Immediately dispatch fleets to continuously transport strategic resources such as food, clothing, building materials, farming tools, and daily supplies to Batam Island, fully ensuring the immigrants' basic production and life. Simultaneously launch construction of village dwellings, primary and secondary schools, public hospitals, and road networks, building a complete livelihood system so the people can settle with peace of mind and develop steadily."

With the military order issued, the entire city of Singapore quickly coordinated and operated efficiently. The special immigration deployment department explained policies house by house, patiently mobilized, and detailed the settlement benefits and development opportunities of Batam Island.

Free allocation of arable land, distribution of housing, uniform provision of farming tools and seeds, and a safety net of basic living supplies—this series of generous settlement policies stirred many Chinese people's hearts. Large numbers of Chinese who had migrated from the Malay Peninsula to Singapore and lacked permanent homes eagerly signed up for immigration, eager to go to new land and forge a brand‑new life.

For the long‑displaced populace, the coastal island's convenient transport, easy commerce, and huge development potential make it far more suitable for settlement than inland areas, and everyone looks forward to the brand‑new home.

At the same time, orderly immigration plans from domestic Jiang Province, Zhejiang Province, and Fujian Province continue to advance, with a steady stream of Huaxia people heading to Singapore, Manggu and other Nanyang core cities, continuously injecting fresh strength into the construction and development of Nanyang territories.

A few days later, a massive fleet of dozens of large transport ships, loaded with twenty thousand Chinese immigrants, vast living supplies and construction equipment, slowly sailed out of Singapore's port, steadily heading toward Batam Island.

Jiang Anguo personally went to the port to see them off, looking at the hopeful crowd aboard, he shouted: "Fellow countrymen! Batam Island is our Huaxia people's new home in Nanyang! The government will fully guarantee everyone's life, production, and development! May you take root in the new land, work diligently, unite and help each other, and together build Batam Island into a stable, prosperous new Huaxia territory!"

Shore‑side camera equipment recorded the entire solemn and warm moment, capturing the precious scene of territorial expansion and settlement.

"Thank you, Commander! We will not disappoint the expectations, and will wholeheartedly build the new home!" the Chinese aboard shouted in unison, their voices bright and sincere, full of hope and gratitude for future life.

The fleet arrived smoothly at Batam Island's port, and the First Battalion troops already stationed on the shore immediately moved forward to receive them, orderly assisting the people in disembarking, sorting supplies, and precisely guiding immigrants to the pre‑planned settlement zones, with the whole process orderly and service comprehensive.

Under Jiang Anguo's coordinated deployment, Batam Island's reconstruction and construction surged forward at full speed. One after another, orderly new villages rose from the ground, each immigrant family receiving spacious, livable houses and fertile, level farmland.

All kinds of supplies continued to be replenished endlessly, fully meeting the people's agricultural production and daily life needs. Schools, hospitals, roads, markets and other public facilities were successively built, gradually forming a complete livelihood support system, so children have schools, people have medical care, and everyone lives and works peacefully.

To ensure Batam Island's long‑term stability, Jiang Anguo issued a decree: encourage new immigrants and the island's existing Chinese community to help each other, develop together, and coexist harmoniously.

At the same time, implement inclusive and fair governance policies, treat the island's indigenous population kindly, and strictly prohibit any side from fostering antagonism or inciting ethnic strife. With regulated governance, universal livelihood, and peaceful guidance, the locals will gradually accept the new governance system and integrate into a stable, orderly territorial life.

For the very few who are misled by remaining forces, deliberately cause trouble, disrupt local order, or hinder territorial construction and livelihood stability, the stationed troops and governance departments will enforce regulations, handle them severely, cleanse local chaos, deter bad conduct, and fully protect Batam Island's stability, building a solid security shield for the island's construction and the people's settlement.