Nanming: I can build wonders

Chapter 167
The second round of short-heavy artillery fire quickly struck, with the flagship Batavia bearing the brunt.

"what!"

This time, Captain Lanard was not spared, and a splintered wooden thorn was inserted into his neck.

He knelt on the bow deck, clutching his neck, blood was flowing, his body temperature was losing a little bit, and his consciousness was gradually dissipating.

At this moment, he regretted that he had lost his ambition before, and the enemy in front of him was not something he could defeat!

At the end of his life, he thought of his wife and children far away in Europe, if only he didn't fight the Ming people in front of him.

Lanard's death is not uncommon. According to relevant statistics, in the naval battles of the British Nelson era, far more sailors were stabbed to death by sawdust than by shells.

Lanard's death made everyone on the Batavia instantly lose their will to fight.

"Hang the white flag! We surrender." Officer Fergus said in panic.

There is no way to fight this battle!
Originally, they were far weaker than the opposing Mingzheng fleet in terms of the number of warships and artillery, but now Mingzheng is equipped with explosive bombs with huge lethality!

It took only a few rounds of shelling, and more than half of the Dutch sailors had been killed or injured.

Under such circumstances, if they had to continue, they might have died before they rushed to the Ming army fleet.

The interests belong to the East India Company, and the life is their own.

As for honor?

These sailors are just employees employed by the East India Company, and they are not nobles. Where did they get any honor.

"Surrender, raise the white flag!" Another officer, Daken, also agreed with Fergus' proposal.

When the sailors heard that they could surrender, they were instantly pardoned. They quickly found a piece of rag, propped it on a wooden pole and began to wave it vigorously.

Several other Dutch ships saw that the flagship had surrendered, so they were still willing to continue fighting.

So they followed suit and waved the white flag.

"Left Commander, the Dutch have surrendered!"

Zhu Tiangui also saw the waving white flag, he nodded and ordered:

"Let them lower their sails! Send people over and take care of everyone. Those are precious white slaves! Those warships are also good. Take them to the armory for repairs, and they will still work!"

Cleaning up the battlefield didn't take much energy from the Fujian-Guangdong fleet. Their next stop was Wansheng Islet, later known as the Natuna Islands.

The Natuna Islands are located in the sea between the Malay Peninsula and Kalimantan.

It is composed of 272 islands with a total area of ​​2110 square kilometers. The largest island is called Da Natuna Island.

Counting from the period of Zheng He's voyages to the West, the people of Ming Dynasty have lived and lived on the island.

If Zheng Kezang hadn't been crossed, the archipelago would welcome a new owner -- Zhang Jiexu -- in September this year.

Zhang Jiexu is from Chaozhou, and now he is a lieutenant in the Guangdong Fleet, under Liu Guoxuan.

If Zheng Kezang had not been crossed, in September 1683, the Ming Zheng regime perished, and Zhang Jiexu was dissatisfied with Feng Xifan and others' move to lead the young master Zheng Kezang to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, and determined not to surrender to the death.

But Mingzheng was at the end of the day. In order to find a way out, he led more than 300 of his subordinates and some fishermen who were unwilling to surrender, and traveled overseas.

Zhang Jiexu took these remnants of the defeated generals to the Natuna Islands, proclaimed himself king, and lived a life of peace and contentment.

I have to say that there are quite a lot of talents in Ming Zheng.

However, the Kingdom of Natuna was later broken by the Netherlands and became the domain of the Dutch.

The location of this archipelago is extremely important. It can be said that it is the southern gate of the South China Sea. Zheng Kezang must occupy here.

Here will become the base of the Ming Zheng Navy's attack on the Dutch colonies.

The Fujian-Guangdong joint fleet easily occupied this place. Even Great Natuna Island has a population of less than 1000 people due to lack of development.

Most of them were Han Chinese, and they had heard about the prestige of King Yanping of the Ming Dynasty for a long time. Naturally, they accepted their heads and worshiped them.

"Deputy General Zhang, send a boat to inform the Luzon Protectorate that Wansheng Island has been occupied and is ready for the third guard town to land!" Liu Guoxuan said to the young general beside him.

"Yes!" This person was Zhang Jiexu.

It turned out that their goal was not just Wansheng Islet, Wansheng Islet was just a springboard for Jinwei's third town.

The next stop of the Fujian-Guangdong fleet is Batavia!

Once the navy of the Dutch East India Company is eliminated, the Third Guard Town, which rests on Wansheng Island, will be transported there immediately, and the Dutch imperialism will be completely eliminated in East Asia!
Limited by the backward information transmission technology of this era, the Dutch in Batavia had no knowledge of the fact that one of their fleets was annihilated by Ming Zheng.

Until the Ming Zheng fleet appeared on the waters of the Strait of Malacca.

when, when, when...

The sudden warning bell broke the morning tranquility of Batavia Harbor. The captain of the navy opened his eyes suddenly. He pushed away the native beauty in his arms, stood up and shouted:

"Guards! What's the matter with the warning bell?"

Not long after, a Dutch soldier ran to the foreign exchange gate to report:

"Sir, a huge unknown fleet has appeared in the Strait of Malacca!"

Colonel Ross' face changed when he heard the words: "Quick! Get ready to fight!"

In Southeast Asia, there are only three large fleets. The first owner is the Dutch East India Company, and the second is the Spanish expeditionary fleet. They have already gone to New Guinea to open up wasteland.

Then there is only a third possibility - the old enemy Ming Zheng!
Under the strategizing of Colonel Rhodes, the fleet of the Dutch East India Company was quickly assembled.

A huge fleet consisting of three Tier 3 battleships, twelve Tier 4 warships, and forty armed merchant ships all raised their sails and headed towards the enemy in the Straits of Malacca.

On the surface of the sea, two huge fleets gradually approached. At first, the two sides did not form a battle line, but went hand in hand.

They are densely piled up together, and people with trypophobia must not be able to see them, thinking that it is best to finish both sides.

On the side of the Fujian-Guangdong joint fleet, the morale of the naval officers and soldiers on each warship was high, and they believed that with the blessing of Mazu, the wise leadership of King Yanping, the usual training, and the strong ships and guns under their seats, victory was only a matter of time.

The Dutch fleet on the other side is also arrogant. For the Dutch who are the coachmen on the sea, the sea is their home field. They don't think there is a country in the east that can defeat them!

The previous battle of Yizhou Island was just an accident. This time they rely on Batavia Harbor and vow to make the Easterners on the opposite side suffer!
Colonel Ross looked at Mingren's fleet and asked the young adjutant beside him, "Where is their flagship?"

The adjutant glanced at it, pointed and said, "It's that battleship!"

Following his gestures, Colonel Ross found the most eye-catching Hai Qing among the two warships.

It was getting a bit of a crosswind, and Colonel Rhodes was exposed in front of a dense network of embrasures.

"85 guns!" said the adjutant with good eyesight.

Looking at other bright ships, Yishui's large warships have a clean and neat hull, regardless of the quality of the crew, which is really enviable. After all, most of the Dutch ships are armed merchant ships.

Colonel Ross did not lose his fighting spirit: "Good job, the Easterners sent us warships!"

(End of this chapter)