The wind blows from the South Sea

Chapter 101 The conquering army sets sail
A few days later

December 1859, 9

Batavia Governor's Palace

It has been more than ten days since Schroederwit's delegation left Batavia, and no news has come yet. Governor Charles is a little irritated and can't sit still.

In the office on the second floor
Political Officer James Loudon and Secretary to the Governor Gossens came to the Governor's Office. It was a room of more than 30 square meters, equipped with a European-style desk, a row of bookcases, and an exquisite wine cabinet.

The furnishings are very simple, it is the place where Governor Charles works daily.

"No news yet?"

"Yes, dear Governor, it will take 4 to 5 days for our Royal Navy squadron to arrive in Surabaya from Batavia. I think... there will be good news back soon."

"I hope so, hell, I've been so restless these past two days that I can't sleep."

"My suggestion is to have two glasses of whiskey. It can soothe your mood and give you a good sleep."

His wife is said to be from northern Friesland. She is a red-haired woman with a good figure and quite talkative.

The Aboriginal Administration is a small branch of the Home Office and a typical agency of dual colonial rule, responsible for managing Chinese and Aboriginal people in the entire East Indies colony.

It had only been three and a half years since Governor Charles was dispatched to the East Indies. Apart from the long journey and duties, a lot of energy was spent on social interactions with the upper class, leaving only a handful of time to get to know his subordinates.

Otherwise, there are hundreds of nobles in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, why would this good thing happen to him?

The "Governor's Special Envoy" who usually patrols various places broke his head and grabbed it. It was a good opportunity to go to the subordinate colonial cities to eat and get cards, and he could make a lot of weight.

During this period, Mr. Lucius worked day and night, mediating various cases and disputes. It was nothing more than a white man occupying another family's land, a white man bullying others into occupying another white man's mine, and killing so and so. An old story.

It is said that when Mr. Lucius served as deputy resident officer, he obtained the position of "Special Envoy of the Governor of the Colonies" by paying a tribute of 35 Dutch guilders to the Governor, and then spent 7 months traveling all over the Dutch East Indies. There are 57 towns, large and small.

The Governor's special envoy, he's so impressive, isn't he?

Facing the Governor's question, Political Officer James Louden frowned and tried to recall his impressions of Secretary Schneider, including the chats at certain cocktail parties, and then said cautiously:

I had some beautiful Arabian horses on my ranch in the country, and I once invited Mrs. Schroeder to come and watch them. Had a great couple of days, it was really great.

"As far as I know, Mr. Schneider is a public servant with high moral character and strict conduct. He has a good upbringing and a happy family.

I only have a rough impression of Mr. Schroeder.

Secretary Schneider was a subordinate to Lucius, the resident officer of the Internal Affairs Bureau. The Internal Affairs Bureau mainly managed nearly 20 white Dutch colonists, handling related land disputes, demarcating boundaries, conducting inspections, and issuing certificates.

The Governor is also making money. During his three-and-a-half-year term, he has made millions. He has made a lot of money just by adjusting the positions of white civil servants in various places.

If all the senior officials in the Governor's Mansion had not shied away from the responsibility and were unwilling to take on the hard work of this special envoy, this kind of good thing would not have happened to Mr. Schroeder.

"Okay, I can try." Governor Charles accepted the suggestion with a kind expression. He raised the cigar in his hand and took two puffs before asking, "James, how much do you know about Secretary Schneider?"

Isn't it okay if he doesn't make money?
At the beginning, Governor Charles also relied on bribing the king and the kingdom's powerful families to get the good job of governor, and came to the Nanyang region to make a lot of money.

There are only 3 to 4 civil servants in this department on a daily basis, and Secretary Schneider is specifically responsible for it. He can barely be considered a middle-level colonial official, and he is also one of the white officials sent by the Netherlands.

Mr. Lucius also made more than one million silver coins. The specific number has been reported to be more or less, but it is not a small amount anyway.

After coming back
Mr. Lucius paid hundreds of thousands of guilders as tribute to the Governor, and then kicked out his predecessor and took up the position of resident officer. There was a reason for this.

Oh... About Mr. Schroeder, I can only say that he is very good and a qualified public servant. "

Governor Charles and Secretary to the Governor Gossens looked at Mr. James Loudon silently, and then shifted their gazes in a tacit understanding.

The story that Mr. James Barden and Mrs. Schneider had to tell was nothing more than a small romance in the Dutch East Indies colony.

Arriving in this hellish place is tantamount to exile. Although you can make a lot of money, the tacit understanding formed over many years allows white officials and their wives to go crazy.

You can disagree, but you can't destroy it.

The discussion in the governor's office ended up in vain. Today, when the news is very blocked, we can only wait until we get definite information that can be verified.

At the same time, Surabaya Port Terminal.

It took two days longer than expected. The army assembled by Feng Guohui totaled more than 3670 people and had boarded 12 cargo ships one after another. Under the leadership of two sailing warships, Zhenhai and Zhenjiang, they would sail all the way to the Semarang area.

For this battle, Feng Guohui also spent a lot of money and brought Chen Yong's only cavalry battalion of 255 cavalry with him. However, all the delicate horses were replaced by big mules, and the entire cavalry battalion had less than 60 horses. If they were suffocated in the cabin, the battalion commander Chen Yong would probably be so angry that he would vomit blood.

More than 360 good horses traded from the Spaniards are now kept in the horse farm in Landa Mountain. Even though they are extremely valuable, they are not willing to use them in this battle.

A good horse costs as little as two to three hundred silver coins, as much as five, six hundred or even a thousand silver coins. Not only is it more than ten times more expensive than a big mule, it is even more valuable than a human life.

In the Battle of the Surabaya Strait, the pension for the fallen soldiers was 68 silver coins, which was equivalent to the total income of local workers in four years, but could not even buy a leg of a good horse.

Battleships gathered, flags flying.

Feng Guohui stood on the side of the gunboat "Zhenhai" full of ambition and pride, waved to thousands of people seeing him off on the pier, and then shouted an order;
"Sound the gongs and drums, and the whole army sets sail, targeting the Semarang area."

"As you command, Commander."

As the order was issued, noisy gongs and drums sounded on the shore and on the ship. Under the instigation of the sea wind, the sails were filled with the sea wind, and the sailing ships sailed out of the Surabaya port one after another.

A long fleet was formed in the outer strait and headed northwest towards the Semarang area.

At the port of Surabaya

Dozens of gallows stood in a row, with a corpse hanging on each gallows, fluttering in the sea breeze. This was caused by the beheading of the army as a sacrifice to the flag when it went on an expedition.

These people who were hanged were all Chinese families who fled to Batavia privately in an attempt to harm the Nanyang Army. Among them were the Huang family, the Zuo family, and Ding Xi, the backbone of the family, who were in-laws with the Qiao family.

As a typical warlord force, the Nanyang Army is very good at playing butter and stick, and it ruthlessly suppresses internal dissident forces.

These days, the Nanyang Army has recruited more than 2600 new soldiers, and will continue to recruit after the army goes out to supplement the shortage of existing troops.

The Nanyang Army went out on a large scale, and Surabaya City was guarded by Feng Zhaoliang, Zheng Xiucai, and Mai Laowang. Together with the military force of more than 3000 new soldiers, and the support of the Hu and Lin families, the sporadic forces in the city could not do anything. The waves are coming.

Semarang is 313 kilometers away from Surabaya by land road (note, the straight-line distance is 269 kilometers). The sea road is slightly farther, and it will take a day and night if the wind and water are smooth.

It was the northwest trade wind in early September, and the Nanyang Army's large fleet was sailing smoothly with the wind, heading towards the Semarang area of ​​Central Java in a mighty manner, with the Taigeuk flag fluttering in the wind.

When the small fishing boats along the beach saw him, they all hurriedly ran away to avoid it.

The sailing ships of the Dutch colonists were always arrogant, often crushing, ramming and sinking fishing boats and sampans of several tons and more than ten tons. Their deaths were in vain, and there was no way to redress their grievances.

But after giving way, the boatmen on these small fishing boats all looked surprised and uncertain.

Because the flags flying on these big ships are wrong, they seem to be the legendary...Taegeukgi.

The nearby fishermen have some knowledge. Some daily necessities department stores of the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce have opened in nearby towns. Isn't it the Taigeuk flag planted at the door of the store?

So who do these big sailing ships galloping into the wind and those Dutch ghost gunboats belong to?
Think about it this way

The fishermen around them were all confused. They were really puzzled and couldn't figure out what was going on.

Standing on the flagship "Zhenhai", the huge sails were swollen by the sea wind, pulling the huge hull through the waves, and drew a long snow-white track on the sea.

Feng Guohui stood at the helmsman's side, which was one floor higher than the deck side of the ship. In front of him were the sailors busy manning the sails and the neat rows of 24-pound naval guns on the left and right. All the details fell into his eyes.

Facing the strong sea breeze, Feng Guohui's heart surged with great ambition and pride. Wave after wave hit his heart, making him so excited that he could hardly control himself.

Only by being there can you understand his passion at this moment.

Being able to command thousands of troops to fight on the battlefield, the sense of accomplishment of opening up new territories fills the chest and is simply intoxicating. No wonder countless heroes have bowed to it.

This is power, this is the honey of power.

Taking a deep breath, Feng Guohui forced himself to suppress his inner agitation and looked back calmly.

A line of 14 large sailing ships rushed forward one after another. The long queue extended to five or six miles away, and the white sails covered the sky and the sun.

Each warship has a forest of soldiers, flags flying, and a strong fighting spirit can be felt from a distance. This is a conquering army.

He turned back with satisfaction, squinting his eyes and looking at the place where the sea and the sky met in front of him. Seagulls were flying under the white clouds, and the coastline of the mainland on one side was looming.

Feng Guohui must remember this scene firmly. This is an important moment in his life.

When the years go by, sitting on a recliner and savoring the memories, wouldn’t it be a joy to eat them?

(End of this chapter)