afterglow

Chapter 366 Welcome Master Wang to regain the old port!war bonds and gold

The defeated Dutch 9th Infantry Regiment collapsed overnight. Its actual casualties were only 400, but a full 900 were captured by the Ming army, and the rest of the defeated troops fled almost all over the mountains and plains.

"Let the prisoners report to the beachhead on their own, we have to continue on our way!"

With the help of dozens of captured trucks and his own trucks, the advance force led by Zhou Changfeng traveled smoothly.

From dawn to around eight o'clock in the morning, the remaining 80 kilometers of road arrived in a blink of an eye, and no decent resistance was encountered along the way.

Some small-scale Dutch and Indian troops descended on the wind, and indigenous policemen from some villages and towns even led local villagers to welcome them.

The only possible resistance was the Palembang militia group organized by the Dutch. However, when the vigilant Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers approached their defense lines, they found that the other party had surrendered.

From the telescope, you can see that the opponent has raised a red flag, and the Dutch tricolor flag is randomly discarded on the ground. Next to it are the bodies of more than a dozen Dutch non-commissioned officers and officers lying in disorder. Several others have their hands tied behind their backs and are under guard. Before the position.

This scene made Zhou Changfeng dumbfounded, "I'm laughing so hard, the Dutch are so unpopular."

The Sumudala indigenous soldiers who killed their officials and surrendered, took the initiative to lead the way, and defected, reduced the Ming army's great trouble and made their advance rapid.

The few casualties along the way were all non-combat casualties, including but not limited to trucks overturning into ditches and motorcycles hitting people.

At 9:25 a.m. that day, the advance troops of the [-]st Marine Brigade easily arrived on the outskirts of Old Port and joined forces with the first unit of the Parachute Infantry Regiment.

Later, the off-road vehicle Zhou Changfeng was riding in stopped at the headquarters of the [-]st Paratrooper Regiment at Palembang Airport.

The mess caused by bombing and fighting is already being cleared up. From a distance, you can see that the captured Dutch and British are using shovels to pile up bricks, rubble, and aircraft wreckage little by little next to the runway without obstructing them. Place of takeoff and landing.

"How is the situation in the oil field? Is there a lot of damage?"

"It's generally fine, but there's still some damage." Lei Jiecheng replied with his fists clasped, then he pulled out a piece of paper from the booklet on the side and handed it over.

Ming's careful planning can be said to be very effective, and the ending is not bad.

Most of the oil production wells in Shell's Old Port Oilfield were intact. Only seven oil production wells were blown up and ignited raging fires, but they were also put out one after another.

The most important refinery is naturally valued by both parties, and its losses are slightly larger.

The BPM refinery in the west was shelled by the British army. About twenty shells fell on the factory area, destroying a small part of the equipment.

The NKPM refinery in the east was damaged by a small number of Dutch and Indian troops who were stranded in it. They used machine guns to shoot, threw grenades, and planted explosives, causing a lot of trouble. However, these dozens of people were quickly heard and rushed over. All the officers and soldiers of Yiluan Division were wiped out.

These saboteurs had little fighting spirit. After fighting for a few minutes, the two sides dropped their weapons and surrendered.

The extremely annoyed Cai Zhichen couldn't swallow this breath, turned a blind eye to the opponent's surrender, and ordered his men to continue firing.

Facing the wolf-like tiger-like Ming army special forces, these demoralized Dutch and Indian soldiers were forced to fight stubbornly in order to survive.

The eye-catching machine gunner was quickly killed, and anyone who dared to touch the Lewis light machine gun would be shot with precision soon.

The battle ended with the muffled sound of three grenades exploding. Except for a few people who were injured but not dead, the rest were all killed by the angry Ming army.

"Well, it would have been better if we had given priority to suppressing the enemy's artillery groups. We should have sent another team to the oil factory to help..."

Although Lei Jiecheng still felt a little regretful, Zhou Changfeng didn't take it seriously. "It's good. We've done it as well as possible. The damage is not big and can be repaired in a few months at most."

On the front of the Ming army, the BDA coalition forces were already intending to retreat, and defending the old port seemed to have become an impossible dream.

The remnants of the Dutch 8th Infantry Regiment and the British 13th Infantry Brigade totaled only more than 3000 people. Faced with the Ming army, which had air supremacy and superior strength, they decisively chose to flee.

Starting from noon that day, as Major General Dominic ordered a retreat, this defeated army began to retreat due south, heading straight for Lampung, the southernmost tip of Sumutara Island.

The authorities of the Dutch East Indu Colony in Palembang, also known as Old Port, announced to the outside world through newspapers and radio broadcasts that the city was an undefended city and that all resistance plans were abandoned.

In the yard behind the office building, a dozen oil drums cut in half were stuffed with all kinds of documents. Bureaucrats and soldiers poured gasoline on them and burned them.

Each fireball emitted billowing black smoke, staining the white exterior walls of the building black and gray.

After doing all this, the anxious colonial bureaucrats began to hurriedly take the bus and headed south out of the city.

They were afraid that if they left too late, they would be left behind and executed in the streets like medieval prisoners.

In the afternoon of March 39, 28 AD, an infantry detachment from the advance force of the [-]st Marine Brigade cautiously approached the city.

Several buses were lying on the highway at the junction of the city and the suburbs. The buses were filled with rocks. There were also strings of concertina-shaped barbed wire randomly placed beside them. The entire highway was blocked.

There are some excavated and constructed field fortifications in the nearby fields and woods. The ground is scattered with tent cloth, empty cans, sacks and other things.

"It looks like they have all disappeared. They are just trying to escape."

"Hey, there are a few boxes of food here. It's...canned beef or something?"

"Don't touch it! Damn you are really mean. If there are booby traps, just wait and return home."

"Take it easy, you will die quickly if you are short-minded."

The soldiers gave up their plans to search for loot and continued to act cautiously.

They avoided areas that looked flat to avoid possible landmines and chose paths with messy footprints.

Not long after, as they approached the city, they could see many people gathering together from a distance, waving small flags and saying "Long awaiting the King's division's expulsion of the Hongyi" and "Welcome the King's division to regain the old port". "Flag.

Seeing the Ming army appear, the overseas Chinese present burst into warm cheers.

"Long live!"

It has been more than 100 years since the Ming Dynasty abandoned and reestablished the Xuanwei Division in Old Port. For six or seven generations, this place where many overseas Chinese gathered has once again welcomed its own army.

People have been impatient and started secretly making these flags a few days or even ten days ago, waiting for this day.

After confirming that the enemy in person had fled without a fight, the [-]st Parachute Regiment and the [-]st Marine Brigade regrouped and held a grand entry ceremony.

The outstanding paratroopers were the first to enter the city. They lined up in two columns, carried their guns, and walked towards the city with ease and joy.

Both sides of the road were lined with excited overseas Chinese, many of whom came with their families to witness such a scene. The elders of the older generation were more emotional than the young people, and many people could not help but burst into tears.

"It's time to burn paper to report to our ancestors." "The Ming Dynasty will be victorious!!!"

"Long live! Long live!"

"Long live the emperor!"

"Now that you're back, don't leave!"

The local people in Sumudala also cheered and welcomed Master Wang, and those shameless Dutch finally got out!

The reaction of the Europeans stranded in the city was much duller. Most of them had complicated expressions, and their previous fearless mood no longer existed, because Palinbang was no longer their territory.

"These guys were in a hurry when they left. If you think about it, you will know how hastily they left."

Zhou Changfeng put his hands on his hips and looked up and down at the messy building. He saw many documents and papers scattered on the ground, one here and one there.

"Ha." Yao Liangchuan snorted coldly, "The bandit-like guys are naturally busy running for their lives. Those Dutch people don't know how much personal gain they have made for themselves. They are all very fat."

More than a dozen officers and soldiers from the brigade garrison platoon trotted over. The leader was carrying the Ming Dynasty flag on his shoulders, and the group went straight up the steps and entered the building.

The soldiers climbed to the top of the colonial government building, threw down the Dutch tricolor flag, and replaced it with a large red flag with plain text on a red background.

Several reporters accompanying the army who had been waiting for a long time immediately clicked their shutters to capture the scene.

The Ming army was doing the usual routine of showing off their martial arts to the victorious side in ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad, but that was not the case for the technical personnel.

Yesterday morning, if the captain had not responded appropriately and succeeded in seizing the beach, more than 600 people would have had to go to the sea to feed the fish. With lingering fear, everyone felt that they were just passing through the gate of hell.

Now they hurriedly went to work, inspecting and evaluating the status of the Old Port oil field with the controlled Shell employees.

That evening, after a preliminary summary of the current situation, Zhou Changfeng dictated a reporting message to explain the results of the battle to the emperor and the court.

In the airborne raid on the old port oil field, the 71st Paratrooper Regiment lost a total of 5 people, 182 died, 14 were injured, and [-] were missing. It achieved a glorious record of defeating a regiment of the Dutch and Indian Army and repelling a brigade (regiment) of the British Army. .

The [-]st Marine Brigade suffered even less losses. The only battle was an easy one, with casualties and non-combat attrition combined being less than three digits.

According to rough statistics, the casualties of the BDA coalition forces were actually not many, only about 700 to [-] people, but there were thousands of prisoners, which shows which side the people's hearts are on.

None of the oil storage tanks in the Jiugang Oilfield were damaged, seven oil production wells were destroyed, and the two refineries lost a total of about 10% of their production capacity. It is estimated that all losses can be repaired within one and a half months.

In addition, 21 tons of finished fuel oil in the oil storage depot can also be loaded and shipped at any time.

"Your Majesty, the magic weapon descended from heaven really worked wonders this time, and the dust has settled!" Su Yiyi, with a look of joy on her face, couldn't help but sigh.

"Still can't get carried away. Let's ask, can we ensure that the oil fields are safe? If not, then step up the deployment of aircraft and air defense forces."

Zhu Lingjing knew that ordinary air strikes could not cause devastating blows to oil storage depots, oil production wells, and refineries, but she was still naturally worried.

In fact, it would be great if the BDA coalition forces, which are now in constant panic, could not be bombed by the Ming army. Where would they find the spare time to organize an air attack on the Jiugang oil field?

As for Borneo, the airborne raid on the Balikpapan oil field was easier. The Second Parachute Regiment swept through thousands of troops and swept away the remaining clouds. However, more than [-] tons of fuel were burned, which is quite a pity.

The good news can be said to be one after another. Good news came during the previous dinner, and the Lanfang National Defense Force also made breakthrough progress——

The British 17th Infantry Brigade trapped in Kuching suffered a devastating blow and suffered heavy casualties. There were only a thousand people left in the remnant, and it really could not hold on any longer.

The British were unwilling to engage in hopeless and meaningless resistance and had taken the initiative to send people to negotiate for surrender.

After winning, it is natural to "show off one's power". At present, this has both advantages and disadvantages.

Before the victory of the Malayan Campaign, which annihilated the British army of [-], had time to celebrate, the imperial court organized special personnel to collect and prepare the captured weapons and equipment, ship them back to the mainland of the Ming Dynasty, and planned to display them in several locations.

The current situation is very good, and Zhu Lingjing is in a very good mood.

She hopes to take this opportunity to raise a large amount of funds to accelerate the implementation of the land redemption policy and vigorously promote land reform.

"Are the trophies brought back ready? The parade and display will start as soon as possible. We must take advantage of the situation."

"Yes."

In the past, Zhu Lingjing had a relatively weak concept of money. Even if she did not count the annual payment allocated to her by the imperial court as Princess Ningyou, the property of the Princess Mansion alone was enough to cover her expenses.

After all, bureaucratic capital naturally occupies a dominant position and it is difficult not to make money.

But now that she has taken over this ten thousand-mile country, she feels more and more that she is obsessed with money and has to pay attention to money and love money.

At present, Ming's financial situation is still healthy, but it has not yet reached the point of giving up everything for the war.

The spoils brought by victory in the war are only one aspect. There are too many places to spend money. Pensions, health construction, infrastructure construction, industrial construction, policy implementation, etc. all require money.

The current official gold reserves of the Ming Dynasty are more than 920 tons, which is far inferior to other major powers, but there is a lot of scattered gold among the people.

Although the imperial court banned the use of precious metals in ordinary transactions long ago, long-term habits are difficult to reverse in just one generation, so many families still secretly keep some gold.

There are policies and countermeasures below - the government does not allow private hiding of gold, so we will make big gold bracelets and chains weighing one pound.

In addition to the distrustful behavior of hiding gold, with a huge population base, the total number of ordinary gold jewelry in thousands of ordinary people's homes is also considerable.

Taking advantage of the glorious power of repeated victories, the Ming Dynasty monarchs and ministers prepared unprecedented publicity and fundraising, and planned to issue 120 billion yuan of war bonds in the first phase.

At the same time, it is also necessary to publicize people's "donations" of gold, which will naturally be used as reserves to further print more banknotes.

In order to encourage people to hand over gold, the imperial court plans to implement corresponding preferential benefits-donating gold, and the government will issue special shopping coupons according to the price.

For example, one tael of gold has three times the purchasing power when purchasing specified goods - high-end properties such as cars, refrigerators, etc.

That night, Zhu Lingjing was in a good mood and fell into a deep sleep, which was particularly sweet.

But early the next morning, she received a request that made her unhappy - the Third Army and the Fourth Army had gathered together prisoners who were related to the deliberate destruction of oil field facilities and were preparing to escort them back home for trial.

(End of this chapter)