Chapter 247: Chapter 227: Fishermen Conflict_2

Due to the emotional conflict between the two parties, the Portuguese eventually became so angry and embarrassed that they chose to use fishing boats to launch a collision. After the fishing boats neared, they attacked the Australasian fishermen with crude guns.

The attacked Australasians were seriously injured. Although their lives were not in danger, they required significant treatment costs, and there was even the possibility of permanent disability.

After the successful attack, the Portuguese seized the Australasian fishermen’s harvest and left arrogantly with insulting words.

Eventually, the injured fishermen were discovered by an Australasian patrol fleet and barely survived.

Of course, the official explanation for the incident came from Australasia and was published in the Victoria Newspaper and the Australasia Daily.

However, the actual details of the incident and the extent to which they were true remained unknown, perhaps only known by those who had truly experienced the conflict.

Regardless, the conflict, which appeared to have only victimized the Australasians, indeed sparked public outrage in Australasia.

Moreover, Arthur mobilized a lot of public opinion, and European Affairs Supervisor David prepared public sentiment in Europe. Thus, most European citizens supported Australasia in this conflict.

Although the Portuguese government provided explanations, and the Portuguese media published the official conflict statement, they ultimately could not withstand the photographs published by the Australasian side.

After the Australasian Government presented the on-site photos of the incident, all of the Portuguese’s explanations were seen as quibbles by others.

In fact, the outcome of the conflict was not much different from the Australasian statement, but the process was quite different.

In this conflict, the so-called “fishermen” were actually intelligence personnel from the Royal Security Intelligence Agency.

After being repeatedly provoked by the intelligence personnel, the Portuguese fishermen became furious.

However, Arthur achieved the desired result. European citizens saw the explanation of the incident and the real photos, so who cared about the actual process?

Or rather, because of the genuine photos and the victim status of Australasia, the public was generally more willing to believe the Australasian statement.

Regardless of the time, ordinary people are easily guided. Public opinion has become the best weapon for attacking individuals and forces. As long as you gain public support, then what should be right is wrong, and what should be wrong is right.

On July 29, 1907, after successfully saving the injured “fishermen” and learning the “true” course of the conflict from them, Arthur was “enraged” and publicly stated that the Portuguese must give an account to the injured fishermen and all the people.

On July 30, 1907, the Australasian Government formally issued a notice to Portuguese Timor and the Kingdom of Portugal, demanding the perpetrators who attacked Australasian fishermen be handed over and compensation be paid to all Australasian fishermen affected by the conflict.

At the same time, three neighboring countries in the Timor Sea should jointly demarcate specific spheres of influence to avoid more conflicts.

Indeed, Australasia’s demands were not high, at least in the eyes of Europeans who considered themselves “neutral.”

Since the Portuguese were wrong, they should pay compensation.

Demarcating detailed spheres of influence among the three countries is even more reasonable, as it can prevent more conflicts.

But the problem is that the Portuguese heavily claimed in their domestic propaganda that the fishermen were innocent, and domestic factions also launched public opinion, stating that the country should support the fishermen of Portuguese Timor.

It’s been just a few days since the incident. Asking the Portuguese to hand over the fishermen directly is equivalent to slapping the Portuguese government in the face, right?

Of course, losing face is not an important issue at the national level.

The difficulty lies in the current unstable situation in Portugal, where domestic revolutions have already started to emerge.

Previous propaganda made most Portuguese people support their own country’s fishermen. If the government hastily hands over the fishermen, how will the Portuguese people perceive it?

Were the fishermen really wrong? Or is it the government’s incompetence, forcing them to frame innocent people?

Portugal’s current situation is very unstable, and it all depends on King Carlos I’s high-pressure policy.

Carlos I was a rather autocratic monarch, but the Kingdom of Portugal had long established a Dual Monarch Constitutional System after its civil war decades ago.

Carlos I’s high-pressure policy in Portugal and his harsh suppression of revolutionary activities greatly dissatisfied many Republican Democrats in Portugal.

To what extent were they dissatisfied? In the original historical timeline, Carlos I was assassinated by radical Republicans a year later, and his son Manuel II was overthrown by a revolution after just two years on the throne, resulting in the Portuguese people dethroning him.

This also signifies the end of the Portuguese Braganza Dynasty’s rule in just three years. The internal turbulence within the kingdom can be imagined.

It was due to the unstable domestic political environment that Carlos I had a difficult time making a decision.

Backing down to the Australasians seemed like a good and quick way to resolve the conflict. Although it would hurt the nation’s dignity, the actual price to pay would not be much.

However, angry Portuguese citizens might join the revolutionary party and decide to overthrow the government’s rule out of discontent.

For Carlos I, this was unacceptable. To maintain the monarchy of the Kingdom of Portugal, and to protect his own position, Carlos I discarded the notion of backing down.

The national government became more resolute in its actions to protect the interests of its citizens while also winning the hearts of the common people and increasing support for the monarchy in Portugal. This was the plan that Carlos I had made a long decision on.

For this reason, Carlos I consulted many confidants and finally unanimously decided to express Portugal’s determination to protect the interests of its citizens without backing down to Australasia.

In reality, Carlos I also sent people to discreetly inquire about the British position.

After obtaining the British hint that they would join France in mediating under certain circumstances, Carlos I firmly adopted a tough stance toward Australasia.

In Carlos I’s view, Australasia was just a recently independent country from the colonies, and the development of the nation relied heavily on resources and support from Europe.

Even if Portugal could not withstand Australasia in Southeast Asia, once Britain and France intervened, Australasia would have to back down.

As long as they could withstand the first wave of public opinion and let themselves and the government gain the reputation of strong protection of their citizens, there would be more available diplomatic means in the future.