 About two-thirds of the troops stationed in the Southern Netherlands deserted, and the morale of the remaining troops was severely damaged.Much of the Dutch army's strength was also deployed overseas in the Dutch colonial empire, notably in the East Indies as part of the Java War.Believing that the Belgians could be pacified and encouraged to abandon their insurrection through negotiation, the Dutch king William I attempted to prevent confrontations with his troops which could radicalise the rebels.