In late 1945, after Japan's surrender, the British fleet landed in Java, took control of the major cities, freed the imprisoned Dutch colonial troops, and rearmed them. The British and Dutch then formed a joint force and refused to recognize the Republic of Java, leading to conflict.
However, due to Josh's extensive arms trade in Africa, which caused chaos in the colonies, and Britain's war with Wakanda, the British withdrew from Java in 1946, handing it over to the Dutch.
Java had always been a resource-rich region.
It produced sugar cane, coffee, indigo (A/N: for dye), and quinine (A/N: a malaria treatment, with Java accounting for 92% of the world's quinine supply).
For the small country of the Netherlands, Java's exports had been a mainstay of its economy for centuries. Giving up such a valuable territory was out of the question.
So in early 1947, the Netherlands launched a major military offensive against the Republic of Java—this was the First Police Action.
Despite its small size, the Netherlands had superior weaponry and forced the Republic of Java to surrender most of its territory in a treaty.
That should have been the end of it.
But just as the war ended, Dutch politics changed.
A right-wing government took power and refused to accept the previous treaty with Java.
Since they had already won the war, they wanted to take the whole island.
So they launched another offensive—the Second Police Action.
In the original timeline, the Dutch won this war as well. But due to opposition from neighboring countries, led by India, and pressure from the United Nations, they were forced to stop and renegotiate.
Of course, the real reason wasn't just opposition from other countries—it was because the U.S. intervened.
Initially, America had supported the Dutch in Java because the Netherlands had always been an important ally.
The continuous military actions of the Netherlands had begun to interfere with U.S. interests in Southeast Asia. As a result, the U.S. began to change its stance and put pressure on the Netherlands through the United Nations.
However, in this world, perhaps due to the chain reaction caused by Josh's actions against the British and French colonies, the Netherlands' second military campaign did not succeed as it did in the original timeline. Instead, it became stuck in a prolonged conflict.
The U.S. also began to shift its position. If the war dragged on, the Netherlands would suffer heavy losses in Java. At this point, the Dutch government became increasingly worried.
The fact that Franco was approaching them at this time was, in a way, exactly what the Dutch needed.
Why were the Dutch struggling in this war? Simply put, they lacked money, weapons, and supplies.
Before World War II, the Netherlands had a strong economy and was one of the more powerful nations in Western Europe.
But during the war, Hitler had looted the country. Now, with the loss of Java, a major source of income, the Netherlands was left financially weak.
At a time when Europe had not yet formed a unified economic system, it was not easy to recover quickly.
As for war reparations, what little they received from Nazi Germany and Japan wasn't even enough to cover the losses of Britain and France, let alone the Netherlands.
The longer the Java War dragged on, the worse it got for the Netherlands.
And who was Josh?
Since the Western Front battles of World War II, he had been known throughout Europe as a financial giant.
It was estimated that Josh's personal fortune was probably in excess of $2 billion, while the assets he controlled, directly or indirectly, might exceed $10 billion.
For this era, these were staggering figures.
And this was only what the outside world could estimate.
Not to mention the centuries-old wealth of Dracula, which Josh had recently acquired—just the resources and fortune he had accumulated through interdimensional trade far exceeded $10 billion.
In terms of gold alone, his system storage space was practically overflowing.
If he were to release even a fraction of it, world gold prices would instantly plummet.
With his financial support, the Netherlands could easily sustain its war in Indonesia. (TL/N: Bro is flexing)
More importantly, Josh had considerable influence in the United States.
If he could influence American policy to continue to support the Netherlands, that would be even better.
After all, Josh wanted land in Asia, right?
Java had over ten thousand islands, more than a thousand of which were large enough for development. They could give him some!
Not just the small islands—he could have big ones too.
Apart from Sumatra and Java, which were the most important, they could even consider giving him Sulawesi.
"If I ask for Sulawesi, would you really agree?" Josh asked the Dutch ambassador in surprise.
The offer was tempting.
Sulawesi was the 11th largest island in the world, covering a massive 170,000 square kilometers.
Although it wasn't as strategically important as Sumatra and Java, and its geography was mountainous with few plains, frequent earthquakes, and volcanoes, the land area alone made it valuable.
With enough advantages, Josh had every reason to be interested.
"Yes, Your Excellency. If our country can fully regain control over Java, Her Majesty the Queen will grant you the title of Governor of Sulawesi, along with a hereditary countship," the Dutch ambassador added, seeing Josh's interest.
"I see. In that case, this matter should be quite simple," Josh said, rubbing his chin.
"Oh? What do you mean?" The Dutch ambassador asked immediately, and Franco, who was listening, was also intrigued.
"Your problem is nothing more than a lack of troops and weapons. But in reality, there are still large numbers of well-trained military forces being wasted in Europe, consuming resources for no purpose," Josh said.
"You mean... the Germans?" The Dutch ambassador immediately thought of something, but still hesitated.
True, Josh had previously acquired tens of thousands of German and Hydra prisoners through private deals with the U.S. military.
But compared to the millions of German prisoners of war held in the Rhine camps, this number was insignificant.
Over the years, most of these prisoners were gradually released.
However, some German prisoners remained scattered in various Western European countries for various reasons.
With some rearmament, they could become a formidable fighting force.
But recruiting former enemy soldiers... That would be a public relations nightmare.
The Dutch ambassador hesitated, unsure of how to proceed.
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