Of course, to outsiders, such words are scoffed at.
Given the geographical situation where Johor borders the Jieke Group, and with troops stationed there, Johor has to consider the face of the Jieke Group in all matters.
If the Jieke Group truly wants to intervene, would Johor dare to say 'no'?
Datu Hou knows his explanation is feeble and powerless, but he has no choice; this is the best treatment he could achieve by compromising.
Johor is just a small country with a territorial area of 330,000 square kilometers and a population of 30 million. Its total military force barely exceeds one hundred thousand.
Such a small country, in the face of the Jieke Group, the dominant power in Southeast Asia, can do nothing but tremble in fear.
Without the support and backing of the Beautiful Country, Johor faces the Jieke Group; if it cannot kneel down early and sing songs of conquest, all that awaits is the Jieke Group's bitterly cold and ruthless assault.
When the time comes, Johor will be conquered too, and those high-level officials who choose to resist may be purged and replaced, and then be bound by even harsher cooperation terms with the Jieke Group.
In light of these considerations, especially the position beneath them, it's no surprise that Johor's leadership, like Datu Hou, chooses to actively align with the Jieke Group.
It's just that most of the populace does not understand Datu Hou's actions, because before this, the domestic propaganda within Johor towards the Jieke Group was all about demonization. Now, suddenly accepting the Jieke Group's entry is psychologically hard to accept.
However, for the Jieke Group, what Johor's people think is not important.
Just like the Beautiful Country doesn't care what Japan and South Korea's people think; if they truly cared, the Beautiful Country wouldn't allow the stationed troops to do so many dirty deeds in these two countries.
The Jieke Group entered Johor with an overbearing approach, not wanting to operate Johor as a native territory.
What the Jieke Group needs are Johor's mining resources and industries, as well as the more vital strategic locations.
Because Johor is not far below the Kra Isthmus Canal and is also a coastal country along the Malacca Strait. Controlling Johor ensures the eastern gate of the Kra Isthmus Canal remains secure, and it can also bring the golden waterway of the Malacca Strait into its grasp.
At that time, even after eliminating the mutant kelp, the Jieke Group can block this strait whenever, in the name of Johor, maintaining the Kra Isthmus Canal's position, providing itself with a constant flow of wealth and geopolitical advantages.
Moreover, there's a crucial point; controlling Johor, combined with the five countries on Southeast Asia controlled by the Jieke Group, a massive territory will take shape.
From Jinou Cape in An Nan to the southern Johor, the vast sea area between them will become the Jieke Group's sphere of influence, transforming into an internal sea where the Jieke Group can freely traverse.
Hence, the Jieke Group's military did not halt due to the uproar within Johor, sequentially completing the advancement and constructing military bases.
Those Johor protestors were wise enough not to dare clash with the Jieke Group's forces.
This is largely thanks to the years of propaganda in Johor portraying the Jieke Group as utterly evil and murderous. The people of Johor believe protesting and obstructing the Jieke Group's military would lead them to choose ruthless shooting.
It must be said, these Johor people guessed right on this point, because the Jieke Group would indeed open fire.
Thus, the Jieke Group effortlessly completed the occupation of the entire Johor territory.
Of course, the Jieke Group's external narrative is not called occupation but rather a friendly security agreement.
The Jieke Group's military is there to protect its neighbor Johor from malicious threats, tirelessly traveling a long distance to safeguard their lives and property.
What? You want to ask who this malicious neighbor is? Of course, it's Temasek. Could it possibly be us, the Jieke Group?
The relationship between Johor and Temasek is very special, as Temasek was independent from Johor. The two countries have a close relationship.
As close as Johor and Temasek are, they are separated by the Johor Strait, with the Xin Ruo Causeway connecting the two countries.
This horizontal causeway across the Johor Strait connects Temasek with Johor, was built in 1923, with a length of 1056 meters and width of 25.3 meters, entirely made of granite. The southern part 608 meters belongs to Temasek, and the northern part 448 meters belongs to Johor. In the middle of the causeway is a railway, the west side is a highway, and the east side is a water pipe supplying water from Johor to Temasek.
Civilians from both nations frequently traverse this Xin Ruo Causeway, strolling a thousand meters to reach another country.
However, on the night of April 12th.
The sound of cannons shattered the peace between Johor and Temasek.
The force launching the surprise attack was Johor's most elite unit, the 10th Parachute Brigade.
This elite force consists of three parachute battalions, an artillery battalion, an Imperial Armored Squadron, and several support units.
Although the numbers are small, the number of troops on Temasek's side of the Xin Ruo Causeway was even less.
"Charge, charge, charge, reclaim our land."
"Bombard them ferociously, blow them up."
"For Johor, for the Jieke Group."
Under the cover of darkness, the soldiers of Johor's 10th Parachute Brigade advanced with artillery, while soldiers quickly air-dropped via helicopter on the opposite side of the Xin Ruo Causeway.
Many Temasek soldiers were stunned from sleep due to the explosions, and by the time they reacted, armed helicopters were already approaching. Below, rocket launchers and machine guns continuously implemented fire suppression, causing heavy casualties among Temasek soldiers, many of whom were shattered by machine gun fire or obliterated without any remains by successive 70mm rockets.
Once the armed helicopter group completed fire suppression, transport helicopters also landed at safe spots everywhere, soldiers of the 10th Paratrooper Brigade rappelled onto rooftops and strategic points, then proceeded to clear the remaining enemy.
As the Alvis Scorpion Armored Vehicles of Johor's Imperial Armored Squadron drove through the Xin Ruo Causeway, supporting the opposite bank, there was no suspense left in the battle. The Xin Ruo Causeway was successfully occupied by Johor, with Temasek soldiers either surrendering or fleeing.
After occupying the Xin Ruo Causeway, Johor's massive military began mobilizing, advancing across the Xin Ruo Causeway onto Temasek's territory.
The news of the war quickly spread to the outside world, shaking Temasek to its core.
Temasek's main land is about 50 kilometers east-west and roughly 26 kilometers north-south, with an area of 735.2 square kilometers and a population of over five million, akin to a city's size. The news engulfed the whole nation rapidly.
Upon receiving the news of Johor's invasion, Temasek's citizens were furious. They couldn't believe Johor dared to attack them, knowing most Temasek citizens always looked down on this poor relative to the north.
After the occupation of the Xin Ruo Causeway, Datu Hou quickly delivered a televised speech to journalists from around the world, explaining his reasons for striking against Temasek.
"Temasek has been persistently provoking our nation for years, and this time exceeded the limits by attempting to seize our White Reef Island. We reached the end of our patience, thus delivering a justified counterattack."
Datu Hou's voice was loud, but what he said only made the journalists roll their eyes.
Because the so-called White Reef Island was merely a small reef island located at the intersection of the two countries, with an area as small as a soccer field and completely submerged during high tide.
Such a godforsaken place used as the excuse to wage war against Temasek seemed utterly hypocritical.
Clearly, your own nation hasn't resolved the domestic protests completely, and now you are waging external war. Isn't your head filled with water?
More people already grasped the true nature of the situation.
The real ones wanting to attack Temasek weren't Johor but the gigantic power in Southeast Asia standing behind Johor, the Jieke Group.
The Jieke Group didn't provide any external explanations, nonetheless continuing to methodically build bases within Johor, seemingly oblivious to Johor's invasion of Temasek.