Undercurrents

Arthur was unaware of the Dutch people's decision to fight the rebellion with everything they had, but no matter how fiercely they resisted, the loss of the Dutch East Indies had already become a fact.

In this incident, neither the Dutch, the natives, nor Australasia was in the wrong. If anyone was to blame, it was the Netherlands—a middling country far away in Europe that possessed such a vast colony as the Dutch East Indies, which happened to lie so close to Australasia, a great power.

Arthur had only acted early to free the Dutch from their troubles. After all, judging by the Netherlands' situation, the Dutch East Indies would not hold out for long and was destined to break free of Dutch rule.

After learning that Bob was backed by Australasia, Noor Bradi Hakala treated him as an honored guest and repeatedly consulted him even on military matters.

Of course, that did not mean Noor Bradi Hakala intended to throw himself completely behind Australasia.

Compared with his subordinates, who were poor at strategy, occasionally relying on the help of the Australasians when their goals aligned was actually more beneficial to Noor Bradi Hakala's plans.

Australasia's aid to these natives was simple. Apart from a small quantity of weapons, it consisted mainly of food that had been stored for a long time.

Yet this support was crucial under the current circumstances. It allowed the native forces to rapidly expand their armies while keeping themselves fed, crushing the Dutch East Indies in terms of military strength.

The natives lacked everything except people. Arming millions of them into armies numbering over a million would pose no problem at all. In fact, the upper limit of their military expansion could reach around five million.

Of course, this war did not require such an