Another of the peacemakers stood up and echoed this statement.
"Yes! If you want to solve the problem behind our backs, then solve it! Why don't you guys win the battle! Or don't let the Chinese find us! Not only had they been found, but they had also been completely annihilated. After being defeated by the Chinese, they had a greater chance of winning and had a better understanding of our combat power! Can we fight this war?! "
An older neutral official stood up and tried to smooth things over.
"Mr. Governor, I won't say anything else. General Xiao has 30,000 soldiers and more than 300 warships under his command. We have seen how strong he is. This time, not only did Chinese expatriates die, but a Chinese soldier also died.
If Xiao Ruxun were to use such an excuse to declare war on us, their government would probably approve of it. As for us, we have less than a hundred warships and 1,200 soldiers. Even if we gather all the soldiers stationed on the surrounding islands, we have less than 2,000 people. We are definitely at a disadvantage. "
Facts and statistics are the most convincing. The Chinese have more than 30,000 well-equipped soldiers and more than 300 warships. They have seen the combat power of the soldiers, and the navy has destroyed countless pirates in Southeast Asia. They have both strength and experience. What do you want to say?
Can we fight?
Every time the Empire goes to war, it first evaluates whether the war will be beneficial to them. How much benefit there will be, how much we will have to pay, whether we can recover what we have lost after the war, and whether we can fight the war well or not. These are all things that need to be evaluated.
It is not the first time in the history of the Empire to use non-war means to resolve a conflict. Everyone knows how the Philippines came about. It was negotiated. Otherwise, how can 400 soldiers fight tens of thousands of indigenous people? You are not using a gun, but a Gatling gun, right? You are not using a muzzle cannon, but a Katyusha rocket launcher, right?
With the data and analysis in front of them, the supporters of war did not look good. It was as if they had eaten sh * t. The supporters of peace, on the other hand, had the upper hand because of the data. The supporters of war looked at a few key figures, but none of them looked relaxed.
The army expressed serious concern and strong condemnation of this battle. Of course, it was not directed at Xiao Ruxun, but at the leaders of the pro-war faction. When they went to persuade the army to support them in this desperate battle, none of the soldiers agreed.
They didn't want to sacrifice their precious young lives for an illusory chance of winning. They still wanted to return to the country after completing their service and be promoted!
Being stationed overseas was a very difficult task. Just arriving at the destination would take a lot of time, and it would be life-threatening. The soldiers had all accepted the government's preferential treatment, such as an easy promotion and salary increase when they returned. That was why they risked their lives to be stationed in the Philippines.
If it wasn't for the fact that they had to pursue a career or that they had difficulties supporting their families, these soldiers wouldn't have come at all. It was fine to bully the natives in small fights, but if you want us to fight against the Chinese, they would feel fear from the bottom of their hearts when they saw those hundreds of heads.
The war had not been decided, but the Spaniards were already leaning towards compromise and apology. This made the pro-war faction very dissatisfied, but there was nothing they could do. Several forces supported making peace. The governor was terrified, the army was terrified, and the pro-peace faction was withered. The Catholic forces wanted peace talks wholeheartedly, just for the sake of their preaching.
The pro-peace faction had the upper hand, so they decided to unanimously apologize to Xiao Ruxun and ask Xiao Ruxun what kind of compensation he wanted. Everyone could discuss it, but there was no need to use troops. They also asked the Catholics to give them a chance to turn over a new leaf.
The Spaniards dominated the world. When did they ever bow to the enemy?
England was not convinced? Fight! France was not convinced? Fight! Fight! Fight!
They could only fight until the other party was convinced. For this reason, they had built a powerful empire. Such a powerful world empire had been defeated by the Chinese more than once. This time, they were not facing the central government of China, but a local government and a local warlord. Yet, they could still mess up the Spanish sphere of influence!
How could the people who were advancing victoriously in the midst of gunfire feel relieved? How could they accept such an ending?
"The Viceroy is a coward through and through! Ever since he became the Governor, we have not won any victories. We have been retreating, retreating, retreating! How far do we have to retreat?
The Philippines is our colony. His Majesty the Emperor let us occupy this place to provide financial support for the Empire! We are not retreating! We do not have enough troops. We can ask for help from our country! "
A young official looked full of energy, looking like he was ready to sacrifice his life for the country at any time.
"It will take half a year to return to our country. Including the time needed to reorganize the troops, by the time our reinforcements arrive, our corpses will have been assimilated by the soil."
An older official looked at the younger official calmly. "Also, do you think that our enemies are only the Chinese? The natives here are also our enemies. If we have enough troops, they will not dare to fall out with us. If we lose too many troops, even if we win, those cunning natives will not let us go! "
The young official choked and was speechless. However, no matter how he thought about it, he was still unwilling.
"Are we going to be like this? Losing 200 soldiers and not protesting? Are we going to wait for the Chinese to punish us? What will the Empire say about us? Will we have a good life after we return? "
What he said was true. If the Chinese hadn't killed those 200 soldiers, things would have been much easier. However, the Chinese had killed those 200 soldiers. This time, the Emperor needed to explain, and the soldiers' families also needed to explain. They were in big trouble.
However, they did not have the strength to fight with the Chinese. Even the soldiers were not willing to continue fighting. Could they go into battle themselves?
In the end, the pro-war faction made a decision. Let's look at Xiao Ruxun's request first. If his request was reasonable, we will cooperate and maintain the status quo. Then, we will secretly request for more troops from the Empire. When the reinforcements arrive, we will take the initiative to attack Myanmar and teach Xiao Ruxun a lesson.
If his request was unreasonable, then we will directly reject it. We must not allow those stupid people in the pro-peace faction to agree casually and request for reinforcements from the Empire. Then, we will prepare for war!
At this point, if there was no war, there was nothing to play with. Therefore, what Xiao Ruxun's request was worth considering. It would determine the direction of Southeast Asia in the future.
Soon, after half a month, Xiao Ruxun's request was sent to the Governor.
300,000 taels of silver as compensation and half of the Philippines' spice trade.
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