Chapter 74: If You Must Take It as a Threat—So Be It

"We can discuss the specific amount and method," De Rong said, "the Kingdom of the Netherlands is willing, on humanitarian grounds, to provide compensation to the families of the casualties. At the same time, we can promise to handle similar incidents more cautiously in the future, safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese."

"More cautious?" Li Te shook his head, "Not enough. Far from enough."

He signaled Xu Wen to hand over a document. It was the formal notice drafted overnight last night.

"I represent the Republic of Lanfang and put forward three demands," Li Te pushed the document to the center of the table, "First, the Dutch colonial authorities must immediately cease all violence against the Chinese and lift the military control over Chinese communities."

"That can be discussed," Fan Dewei'er nodded.

"Second, full compensation for all casualties and their families, including funeral costs, medical expenses, mental injury compensation, and livelihood guarantees for the next twenty years. The total must not be less than 500,000 Dutch guilders."

De Rong's mouth twitched. Five hundred thousand guilders—this is almost the colonial government's annual tax revenue.

"This... we need to calculate..."

"Third," Li Te interrupted him, his voice turning cold, "hand over all the military police who participated in yesterday's shooting, including the officers who gave the orders. We will bring them back to Lanfang for a public trial."

The air in the conference room solidified.

Fan Dehaiden sprang to his feet, his chair tipping backward and crashing onto the floor with a bang.

"Impossible!" he shouted, "You have no authority to try Dutch soldiers! This is a trampling of the kingdom's dignity!"

Li Te did not move. He didn't even look at Fan Dehaiden, but stared at Fan Dewei'er.

"Mr. Fan Dewei'er, is this your attitude?"

Fan Dewei'er wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Captain, we can continue negotiating the first two points. But the third... truly impossible. Handing over our own soldiers for another country's trial is unacceptable under any nation's laws and international practice."

"Is that so?" Li Te leaned back into his chair, "Then let me put it another way—this is not handing over soldiers for another country's trial. This is handing over murderers to face the victims' judgment."

He paused, then said word for word:

"The forty-seven people who died yesterday share a common identity: they are Chinese. I am Chinese, and all 1,200 officers and soldiers on this ship are Chinese. So legally, we are not a 'foreign country'; we are compatriots of the same ethnicity. When compatriots are killed, we have inherent judicial jurisdiction."

"That's sophistry!" Judge Fan De Sangte interjected, a bald, lanky man who habitually pushed his glasses when speaking, "International law recognizes only state sovereignty, not any 'ethnic judicial right'!"

"Then let's talk about international law," Li Te turned to him, "Mr. Fan De Sangte, as a judge you should be familiar with the Hague Convention, right?"

"Of course."

"What does Article 2 of the Convention say? Regarding the protection of civilians during wartime?"

Fan De Sangte was momentarily stunned: "That... that's the law of war; we are in peacetime now..."

"Peacetime?" Li Te suddenly raised his voice, "In peacetime, do the military police shoot at civilians? In peacetime, does a six‑year‑old girl get shot in the back and die on the dock? If this is the Dutch definition of 'peace,' then I truly want to know what your 'war' looks like—using poison gas? Or plague?"

His voice echoed through the conference room. The Dutch representatives turned pale.

"Let me tell you what happened yesterday," Li Te stood up, walked to the nautical chart on the wall, and faced away from them, "According to international law, when a government carries out systematic violence against a particular ethnic group, causing massive civilian deaths, that conduct constitutes a crime against humanity. And under the universal jurisdiction principle of the Hague Convention, any nation has the right to try such crimes."

He turned around:

"Therefore, we are not 'making a demand'; we are 'exercising a right.' Hand over the murderers and face trial—that is your only option."

A long silence.

Fan Dewei'er struggled to speak: "Captain, are you... threatening?"

"No, I am stating facts," Li Te returned to his seat, "But if you insist on interpreting it as a threat—so be it."

He sat down and signaled Xu Wen:

"Staff Officer Xu, show them the items."

Xu Wen took a folder from his briefcase, opened it, and pushed it across the table. Inside were a dozen or so photographs—black‑and‑white, some blurry, but clear enough.

First photo: on the dock, several Chinese lie in a pool of blood, with cargo crates scattered around.

Second photo: a woman kneeling on the ground, cradling a little girl whose back bears a conspicuous bullet hole.

Third photo: Dutch military police standing in formation, their muzzles still smoking.

Fourth photo: bodies piled together, covered with a canvas, but a small hand protrudes from beneath the canvas.

Fifth photo…

"Enough!" Fan Dewei'er closed his eyes.

Fan Dehaiden snatched the photos, glanced at them once, and slammed them onto the table: "These are forged! They are slanders!"

"Forged?" Li Te asked calmly, "Do you need me to bring the witnesses? Over two hundred Chinese were on site yesterday and are still in Batavia. Or do you want me to send a marine unit ashore to examine the trajectory and collect shell casings?"

"You have no authority—"

"We do," Li Te interrupted, "According to international law, when a crime occurs on the high seas or in an ungoverned area, the nearest and most capable law enforcement force has the right to intervene. Batavia Port is an international commercial port, and the dock area is a semi‑public zone. We are currently the nearest and most capable 'law enforcement force.'"

He paused, then added:

"Of course, if you insist that we lack jurisdiction, that is also fine. We will change tactics—send these photos and reports to London's The Times, Paris's Le Figaro, and Berlin's Frankfurt Gazette, so the whole world can see how the Kingdom of the Netherlands 'maintains order' in its colonies."

Those words hit the nail on the head.

Finance Officer De Rong's complexion changed. He knew that once these photos were published, the Netherlands' international image would plummet, and more importantly, the stocks on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange would crash—colonial stability directly affects investors' confidence.

"Captain," De Rong said with difficulty, "we can renegotiate the compensation amount. Five hundred thousand guilders... it's a lot, but not entirely unacceptable. As for safeguarding Chinese rights, we can sign a formal agreement. However, handing over the military police... truly cannot be done. There would be massive political pressure within the kingdom."

"Political pressure?" Li Te sneered, "Do the families of the forty‑seven dead have no pressure? What does the mother of that six‑year‑old girl feel now? Shall I describe it to you?"

He stood up again, walked to the porthole, and opened the window. The sea breeze rushed in, smelling of salt and fish.

"Look outside."