As France and Germany resumed intense fighting in the Verdun region, peace talks between the Nethends and Austrsia officially began in the distantnds of America.


    Since December 15 ofst year, the Nethends and Austrsia had entered a temporary period of peace.


    Both parties carried out military management in their respective upied regions, and the peace talks were scheduled for February 3, more than a monthter.


    This is easy to understand since, although the Nethends is also a monarchical country, the power of the Dutch monarch was greatly reduced decades ago. The current Dutch Queen, Wilhelmina, has little power, and the government is controlled by political parties.


    The Dutch government needed not only time to reach a unified consensus but also time to travel to Austrsia in person for the peace talks.


    The talks took ce in Sydney, with Austrsia''s goal being to secure a favorable oue on home turf.


    On February 3, 1916, in Sydney, Austrsia, peace talks between the Nethends and Austrsia officiallymenced. Participants included the Dutch Foreign Minister Victor, Ambassador to Austrsia Raynor, and a series of government officials.


    Austrsia also sent its Foreign Secretary Darren, Defense Secretary Raul, and a luxurious lineup of officials.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    At this point, the entire Dutch East Indies had been upied by Austrsia, so how to divide thend became this negotiation''s main issue.


    Foreign Secretary Darren first put forward Austrsia''s demands: using the Swesi Sea, Wangjiaxi Strait, and Bali Sea as demarcation lines, the Dutch East Indies would be divided into two regions—north and south.


    The western regions of Sumatra Ind, Java Ind, and Kalimantan Ind would be managed by the Dutch East Indies, while the eastern regions of New Guinea Ind, Swesi Ind, and their affiliated archipgos to be ruled by Austrsia.


    In addition, Austrsia also demanded Bali Ind, the Connorian Inds, and all inds between Sumatra and Kalimantan. Your next chapter is on mvl


    These inds would bring Austrsia closer to the Strait of a and serve as a wedge into the Dutch East Indies, using the Java Sea between Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Java Inds to control the entire Dutch East Indies.


    Looking at the map, these three inds are triangrly distributed, with the Java Sea and many other inds positioned in the middle.


    If Austrsia could control the entire Java Sea through these inds, it would effectively control the traffic between the three inds of the Dutch East Indies.


    In fact, it was the cautious decision of the Austrsian government to retain the three core territories—Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Java—for the Dutch East Indies. These inds, with abined poption of nearly 30 million indigenous people, would bring some sce to the Dutch government amidst their unfortunate circumstances.


    Meanwhile, the reduced scope of Dutch East Indies territory would enable the Dutch to better control these three inds and create greater value for the Nethends.


    Austrsia would be able to expand its influence further through the newly acquired territories, gaining control over the whole of New Guinea and Swesi Inds.


    Including the affiliated inds, most of thends were suitable for habitation, had abundant water resources, and held strategic importance.


    Moreover, the total indigenous poption of the upiednds was only around ten million, making their utilization or expulsion not too troublesome.


    In addition to territorial demands, Austrsia also demanded at least ￡100 million inpensation and a treaty for the Dutch East Indies to open its ports for Austrsian use.


    Although not intending to annex all of these territories at once, it was necessary for Austrsia to expand its sphere of influence to the Southeast Asian region and the a Strait to consolidate control of the Dutch East Indies.


    The importance of the a Strait needs no boration. It''s a crucial link for East Asia and South Asia, and even Europe''s route to East Asia.


    In theter generations, when transporting oil resources from the Persian Gulf to East Asia, the a Strait is usually the chosen route.


    Therefore, the a Strait is known as the East Asia Oil Valve and the lifeline of East Asia''s maritime trade.


    This strait is the shortest passage from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean and an essential route for East Asia to travel to Europe.


    However, Britain, who also attached great importance to the a Strait, had specially established the Strait Colony to manage these ports and neighboring colonies.


    To obtain the Strait Colony, one must wait for a moment of extreme crisis in the British Empire.


    The current situation indicates that the opportunity to seize the Strait Colony is not now but should be awaited a few decadester, during World War II.


    However, it was still necessary to make preparations in advance while also expanding Austrsia''s sphere of influence and blocking the ind nation''s resource channels.


    It''s important to note that the ind nation was a country severelycking resources. Despite having arge poption exceeding some powerful nations, the country had limited territory, which consisted of numerous inds, resulting in scarce mineral resources.


    Whether it was various types of mineral resources or the increasingly important petroleum, most of the ind nation''s needs were met through imports, even from East Asia or overseas regions.


    If Austrsia could control the a Strait, it would be able to cut off the ind nation''s resource trade with Europe or other regions when the time came to have a falling out with the ind nation.