Chapter 503 Meddlesome
East Africa established a provincial government in Pontianak and controlled all affairs of Pontianak with the assistance of the army. Pontianak had the appearance of a provincial capital of some size. However, East Africa's actions attracted the attention of the East Wanlu government.
The matter was so embarrassing. Although the Lan Fang Overseas Province had been established, the Lan Fang Republic still existed. After all, East Africa negotiated with the Netherlands and did not discuss it with the Lan Fang Republic. Therefore, the Lan Fang Republic had no idea about this and was replaced inexplicably. Of course, it felt uncomfortable and even caused panic in the Lan Fang Company.
East Wanlu.
"Do you mean to say that those Germans want to take over our position?" Liu Asheng said angrily after hearing the report from his subordinates.
"General, this is almost certain. Our people were disarmed by the Germans. I had no choice at the time. The situation was stronger than me. The gun was pointed at my head, so I could only compromise and come back to report the situation."
Liu Asheng felt a little relieved when he heard Liu Aman say this. After all, his subordinates were loyal, which was a good thing after all. However, what Liu Asheng didn't know was that Liu Aman didn't know the origins of these Germans. If they were Dutch, Liu Aman would probably have surrendered the city directly. If he knew what Liu Aman was thinking, Liu Asheng would be so angry that he would die.
Liu Asheng asked curiously, "How did the Germans capture the city so easily? Didn't you put up a resistance?"
"General, you know that the last time the Germans came, they left a small group of people in Pontianak. This time, they joined forces with the Germans from overseas, and we were caught off guard."
"What about the Dutch in Pontianak? Did they not react?" Liu Asheng asked.
As a puppet regime, the Dutch had considerable influence in the Lan Fang Republic. After all, Liu Asheng was supported by them. Therefore, the Dutch also attached great importance to Pontianak, the largest city in the Lan Fang Republic.
When Liu Asheng mentioned the Dutch, Liu Aman got angry. He said gloomily, "I'm afraid we were sold out by the Dutch. I saw the Dutch steward in Pontianak City talking to the Germans and finally they left by boat. It's obvious that they were in collusion."
Liu Aman's words made Liu Asheng very angry. "How could they do this? I have done my best to fulfill their orders over the years, but they just sold us out!"
Liu Aman looked at his cousin and smiled bitterly: "In the eyes of the Dutch, we are just a dog. Now that the owner wants to sell the dog, does he still need to ask the dog's opinion?"
Liu Asheng felt a little embarrassed when he heard his cousin say this. It was too harsh. How could it be a Dutch dog?
"Ah Man, I know that people outside have not said anything good about me over the years, but you have to understand me! I work for the Dutch mainly for the benefit of my family. Otherwise, how could our Liu family obtain the right to rule the Lan Fang Company? Without the right to rule, you can't be the lord of Pontianak."
"Cousin, I know, but the situation has changed now! It's obvious that the Dutch are very polite to the Germans. There are only two reasons. Either the Dutch are afraid of the Germans, or the Germans have given the Dutch benefits. But no matter what, we can't change the fact that the Germans are now powerful in Lan Fang."
This was also what Liu Asheng was more worried about. Although the Dutch had ambitions towards Lan Fang in the past, he and the Dutch were in a cooperative relationship and the two sides at least had some friendship. Now the Germans came and occupied Pontianak without discussing it with him, which was somewhat disrespectful to him.
"Well, I remember these Germans came from that East African kingdom, which should be a European country, probably similar to the Netherlands. So you send someone to Pontianak to visit the German officials and find out their purpose. If that is not possible, it is best to prioritize the status and interests of our Liu family in Lan Fang." Liu Asheng ordered.
The Germans will not come to find me, but I have to go and find out their intentions. If the Germans' demands are the same as those of the Dutch, then it will be easy to deal with. Being a dog for anyone is not a dog, it is just a matter of changing masters.
Liu Asheng’s plan was good, but Dong Africa naturally knew his little thoughts. It was precisely because he knew that Dong Africa did not inform Liu Asheng’s family regime.
Ernst's importance to the Lan Fang Republic is self-evident. He directly treats it as an overseas province of East Africa. Naturally, he will not allow family forces like Liu Asheng to continue to exist.
Governor Wilt, who had just gained a foothold in Pontianak, was unaware of the plans of the small government of Dongwanlu, and even if he knew, he would not care. At this time, he was busy clearing the obstacles for completely controlling the Lan Fang overseas province in East Africa.
"Your Excellency the Governor, we have already investigated and found that there are 13 brothels, more than 30 opium dens, and more than 40 other illegal organizations in Pontianak. If we want to reform Pontianak now, it may not be that easy."
Speaking of brothels, there are actually some in East Africa, and they are legal. As for why brothels in the Republic of Lan Fang are not legal, there are naturally some differences between this and East Africa.
The artists in East African brothels are all non-citizens, and there are strict rules and regulations, which are supervised by the East African government.
The brothels in the Lan Fang Republic were all privately owned and had chaotic management. Moreover, after Lan Fang became an overseas province of East Africa, the Chinese artists in these brothels were naturally also citizens of East Africa. No matter how unorthodox the system of the East African Kingdom was, Ernst treated all East African citizens equally and regarded East African citizens as human beings, so Ernst naturally would not tolerate any flaws in his eyes.
Ernst hated opium dens even more. Although he was involved in this business, he outsourced it to Arab merchants and only allowed them to be sold to foreigners passing through East Africa.
Wilt said seriously: "It seems that the evil forces in Pontianak are quite powerful. If we don't use heavy punches, I'm afraid we won't be able to take them down."
Wilt was one of the German orphans adopted by the Principality of Hechingen. He received a proper Hechingen education since childhood, so his values were very positive. It was also because of this background that he was sent by Ernst to Lanfang as governor.
"Your Excellency the Governor, are we going to take action against them now?"
Wilt waved his hand and said, "Now is not a good time. If we make too much of a move in Pontianak, it will cause fierce resistance from other areas of Lan Fang. Only after the local army arrives and we completely control Lan Fang by force, can we talk about transformation."
Now East Africa only controls Pontianak, and areas other than Pontianak are still in a free-range state. Therefore, Wilt does not want to cause unrest in other regions because of drastic reforms. It will not be too late to take action after the military takes over other areas.
Wilt continued, "You continue to investigate. This time, it will mainly focus on areas outside of Pontianak. Investigate the various forces in Lan Fang Province to facilitate the military's follow-up work."
"Yes, Your Excellency the Governor!"
The various forces in the Lan Fang Republic would never have thought that East Africa would play like this. After all, in their eyes, brothels and opium dens were normal. This was a feature of the times. Only East Africa was different. So when the East African officials sent people to investigate their industries, they were somewhat cooperative. They thought that East Africa just wanted to collect taxes, but they didn't expect that East Africa wanted to ban these black industries.
Of course, it is not completely banned. As long as they make rectifications in accordance with East African policies, they can reopen. As for whether it is legal or not, that is up to East Africa. If it is officially recognized, it is naturally legal. Take geishas for example. East Africa just says that its own people cannot be used, but natives of other countries on the island can also be used. Are Japanese workers in Southeast Asia also an option?
(End of this chapter)
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