Xinshun 1730

Chapter 701 The advantage is in me
"In Asia, this is the first time that a company is besieging a city rather than besieging it. I think this will be a landmark event."

"In Europe, this symbol is that after the war of the Quadruple Alliance, we refused to participate in the peace conference and gave up our status as a great power."

"Many years later, if the company fails in Southeast Asia, people will definitely remember the siege today. These barbarians will see our weakness from this siege."

Valkner felt unwilling and filled with emotion, but he had to make such a choice.He felt very bleak about the company's prospects.

The company's roots are in the Netherlands.There are no eggs under the cover of the nest, so how can there be any hair if there is no skin left?How long can the decline of the Netherlands and the dominance of the company in Southeast Asia last?

Can it really continue to maintain its current rule under the jealous British?
When he came, he had a rampant crab mentality, and wanted to cut through the mess quickly, kill all the Chinese slave workers, and complete the industrial transformation of Batavia.

But now, after experiencing too much, seeing the rise of Dashun, the Chinese uprising, Dashun's gunboat diplomacy, forcing the company to pay tribute, and the British making trouble everywhere, etc., his mentality has long since collapsed.

The second encirclement and suppression of the rebel army in the volcano area, the tactics of the rebel army were simple and rough. With the Dutch platoon guns, the formation advanced to within [-] steps, raised the guns and charged, and then charged with bayonets, instantly defeated the encircled Dutch colonists. military.

This tactic not only made the Dutch more convinced that there were British instructors behind these people, but more importantly, it allowed Valkenier to see the organization of this rebel army.

Being able to assemble against the artillery, to shoot indiscriminately against the muskets, and to advance to a close enough distance for a round of salvo... means that if you choose to attack instead of siege today, you will start a battle near the contact line between the two sides. Bloody and tragic tug-of-war.

Valknir has no confidence in the army under his command.

Once the attack is blocked, once the scene is too cruel, the army is likely to refuse to continue to participate in the war.Because these colonial troops have never fought a decent battle at all, and the previous suppressions were all smooth sailing.

Moreover, the most critical point, once the siege is blocked, or when the siege is in progress, another unit of the rebel army suddenly attacks from the flank, then this may be a big defeat.

He can't afford to lose.

This is the only mobile force left in his hands that can be mobilized.Not to mention here, so what if it is the local area?Even 2 field troops could not be drawn out. During the Spanish Succession War, the Netherlands pulled out 13 regular troops.The old lady's Chinese New Year is not as good as every year.

The impression left by these rebels on Valknir also made Valknir have to guard against it.

During the uprising, they pretended to retreat and ambush; the first anti-encirclement campaign also feigned an attack on a large spice garden outside Jinglebun, attracting Dutch reinforcements, besieged the garden to fight for aid, and destroyed part of it.

That's why Valkneer was worried that he would repeat the same trick today: once his troops were deployed in a siege formation, the rebels in the Bandung area suddenly rushed out from behind. With the formation already deployed, it would be a massacre.

At the beginning, he thought quite well, relying on nearly 300 cannons on several warships, he could fire a hundred cannons.

Then use the siege technology that has amazed these Asian nations, so that the company's rule in Southeast Asia will not collapse for the time being, and the situation of wars will not appear, and it will continue for a few more years.

But after seeing the defense system on the opposite side and the turning line trench drawn by a protractor, he had to give up this wonderful idea.

Now that you have chosen to besiege the city, it is simple.The Dutch soldiers also breathed a sigh of relief. The siege battle was already very cruel, and they didn't like it either.

The siege of the city is much simpler, and people usually get scurvy after three months at sea.This place is so hot, before the rainy season in Southeast Asia comes, there are probably not many people left in the city.The captured Dutch were not in the city, so they had nothing to worry about. Even if they were in the city, it was nothing more than a hostage game.

A ring of trenches enclosing the citadel of Cirebon was dug in a few days, well beyond the range of the bombardment.

However, the subsequent excavation stopped, and the Dutch camped on the west side of Cirebon, and the camp was also heavily guarded.

Warships patrol the sea outside Cirebon, strictly inspect every ship coming and going, and prohibit merchant ships from approaching Cirebon.

In the castle, the leaders of the Guiyi Army who thought they were about to fight a tough battle were speechless for a moment.

It is inevitable common sense that Cirebon cannot defend itself.Without a navy and command of the sea, you still want to defend the castles along the coast?Even if you don't attack, you will be sleepy to death.

However, the Guiyi Army is not alone.

After being convinced that the Dutch would not launch a storm, the upper echelons of the Guiyi Army who knew the news had only two things left to do every day.

Drinking, bullshit.

Climb to a high place, look at the sea, look for the warships of the imperial navy, and verify whether it is really like the Jinghai Palace textbook, first revealing the mast, and then revealing the entire hull.

Under the guiding ideology of starting a new stove, these people who have received a new type of education have gradually taken some things for granted.

It is very strange. For example, the book says that the earth is round, so you can see the mast first and then the hull.

However, most people who have learned these things will not really verify it, even if their conditions are extremely good, there are seas and boats.Instead, I subconsciously feel that this, like loyalty and filial piety, is a matter of course.

Including some very simple small experiments, such as there is oxygen in the air, and the water level will rise when the cup is burned. It is very simple and simple to do, but most people will not verify it, but will take it as a common sense.

This is the reason why Liu Yu said to start anew. Instead of engaging in debates, subtly indoctrinate a group of young people, making them feel that common sense is common sense, something that is absolutely correct, unchangeable, and does not need to be discussed.

Now that the city is besieged and there is no battle, there is really nothing to do.Anyway, when the warships of the imperial court appear, you can take a look at them by the way.

…………

On the ocean outside Cirebon, since Zheng He's last voyage to the West, the largest Chinese fleet is advancing in formation.

It was already approaching Java, but the battle captain did not blow his whistle. The observers on the mast had not found the Dutch fleet for the time being, and everything was as usual.

Thirteen or fourteen-year-old officer trainees, as usual, followed the veterans on the deck to learn how to use the sextant and learn to measure the exact time of true solar time.

The sailors are still doing the deck wiping exercise every few days. It's not necessary to do it, at least not so frequently. It's mainly to consume their excess energy and avoid trouble.

The artillerymen on duty sat in the dark gun bay. The air was mixed with the salty smell of the sea, farts, sweaty feet, and gun oil. It seemed to be turbid enough to cling to flies.

A few sailors secretly took out their chewing tobacco, fearing that their comrades would find out and ask for it.Smoking is not allowed on board, for fear of fire, chewing tobacco soaked with licorice, cinnamon, cardamom, sugar cane honey, etc. has become a necessity for sailors.

Before the fleet set sail, a lot was issued, but the amount of rations will be enough to satisfy greed.If you want to buy more, you have to buy it yourself, but in fact, not many people buy it: there is a chain of suspicion among sailors. If I buy it and others don’t buy it, will I give it to others or not?But if I didn't buy it and someone else bought it, wouldn't it be possible to get it? Is it embarrassing not to give myself a piece?
This shit is very expensive. A few days ago, someone wrote to the imperial court, saying that there were too many tobacco growers, which took up the arable land.Moreover, tobacco eats too much land, and after two or three years of planting, the land must fall fallow.Therefore, the imperial court is ordering that private cultivation of cigarettes is prohibited everywhere, and a monopoly franchise comes back, which adds a sum of taxes to the imperial court.

Alcohol is distributed every day, life at sea is extremely boring, if there is no alcohol and tobacco, the sailors will definitely make trouble.

The officers on the ship also rely on the right to distribute wine and the right to reward and punish to strengthen their prestige and power.

Some sailors squatted there, watching two people playing chess there. It is not easy to play chess on a bumpy ship, and often a shake may lead to a fight.

The sailors who have been holding back for too long are never tired of this kind of fight. The best chess player on board must be the one who fights the hardest. If he wins, he can determine where the chess piece just now is.

Judging from the jokes of later generations, such as hanging clothes on a cannon, which shows that the combat effectiveness is not strong, the combat effectiveness of Dashun's fleet must be very weak.

The sailors were disheveled, especially the gunners in the gun bays. Many of them were naked, because it was really sweltering.Moreover, the clothes are quite expensive, and there is no condition to wash them on board. After being soaked in sweat for a long time, they are not as strong as a straw.It's better not to wear it, and leave it for the children to wear in the future, even if it's a pantyhose, the cloth is not so cheap yet.

There are a lot of thorns in the hands of the sailors, and the most prestigious ones are famous for stealing wine and drinking with twenty lashes on their hands, not paying for prostitution when they go ashore, eating a king's meal and sitting there and being beaten until they are tired. The name of the class thing.This has led to a feature in Weihai, Busan, Guangzhou, Songjiang and other places: sailors eat first, and pay first.

When almost everyone opened their mouths, they couldn't even utter a complete sentence without their parents or immediate family members within eighteen generations.

Gambling is popular, and you can bet on anything.For example, if you stand on the side of a boat and see who pees farther, you can bet on it.

Fights and fights are common, but no one dares to use knives and muskets. As long as they don't move those things, the officers will turn a blind eye.

Just as scientific research cannot be industrialized, you can know the appearance of a medieval guild by seeing the leading mode of scientific research; the ship is a feudal fortress with strict hierarchy, and there is an insurmountable gap between officers and sailors. A complete restoration of the feudal system can be regarded as The core of the entire Dashun "Zhou Li" is the most revived place.

Therefore, in the great era when Zhou Li had already collapsed, the reaction of this era made fleet sailors the most prone to trouble and uprising among military personnel, none of them.

Since it is the place with the most ancient feudal hierarchy, the decoration of the captain's cabin, which is completely different from the dirty and messy environment of sailors, is quite gorgeous.The techniques and tactics of the Dashun Navy originated from the Netherlands; but the shipbuilding technology originated from France.The extravagant style of France gradually affected the decoration of Dashun Navy.

The large rooms, special officer meals, works of art such as ink paintings, high-end wines, luminous cups instead of cheap cachaça wooden cups, and mahogany tables and chairs all formed a sharp contrast with the sweltering sailor cabin.

Judging from the jokes, this is undoubtedly a navy without combat effectiveness.

In the extravagant captain's cabin of the flagship Tianyuan, Liu Yu beamed with joy, doing pre-war mobilization there.

“我们有8艘战列舰、24艘巡航舰、12艘快速护卫舰，合计9磅以上侧弦火炮1432门。”

"The Dutch have about eight armed merchant ships, plus a mess of support ships, auxiliary ships, and side string artillery weighing more than 9 pounds. 300 are as good as the sky."

"Anyway, 1400 vs 300, the advantage is mine!"

(End of this chapter)