The wind blows from the South Sea

Chapter 111 When two armies meet, the brave one wins (please collect, please vote, and support.)
Feng Guohui only saw the latest military intelligence report that arrived yesterday after returning from Jepara. He immediately beamed with joy and even praised Hu Huhu for his hard work.

In the Nanyang Army

Hu Laohu and Wu Siwen are both veteran generals in the army who can act independently and are also his right-hand men.

Facts have proved that the performance of the mobile division did not disappoint him.

The local indigenous armed forces faced the Nanyang Army mobile divisions equipped with full muskets. The simple swords, guns and blunderbuss were completely unable to resist, and they were captured like melons and vegetables.

The Governor-General of the East Indies has very strict control over firearms, which has also resulted in the extremely backward weapons of the indigenous tribes of Java.

Unexpectedly, they all took advantage of the Nanyang Army and made great progress on the road of conquest.

After conquering Solo City, the mobile division is following the usual methods to win over some of the indigenous leaders who are actively approaching, attack and eliminate the indigenous nobles who were originally in power, and unite with the local Chinese forces that are approaching to strengthen their control.

In the next step, we will launch a series of clearing operations in surrounding villages and towns to remove the thorns one by one.

It is estimated that it will take about 2 to 3 months to complete all operations.

The armed force of the mule and horse caravans, plus the soldiers escorting the convicts, totaled about three to four hundred people, which was already a powerful force.

During the confrontation
We also ordered the battle flag to be raised and prepared for all fierce battles.

Every week, a Nanyang caravan of mules and horses goes south, passing through Salatiga to Claden. On the way back, it takes an extra mile to return via Solo City, which is controlled by the Nanyang Army.

The opponent's hostility was extremely obvious, and they once raised a battle flag in an attempt to intimidate us.

Over time, more abundant daily industrial products will be developed.

During the sales along the way, Nanyang mule and horse caravans also purchased large quantities of specialty spices, and barter was allowed, which was very popular among the local indigenous tribes they passed through.

During one trip, the mule and horse caravans often accumulated dozens of carts full of spices, which were quite valuable.

Therefore, on the way back, we deliberately took a detour through Solo City to meet up with the team of mobile divisions escorting indigenous convicts to ensure safety.

The bloody storm caused by the Nanyang Army in Solo City really scared all these bumpkins.

Since mid-September

This is because the Nanyang mule and horse caravans that originally went south brought a large number of industrial daily necessities for sale along the way, including various agricultural tools and ironware, ready-made clothing, porcelain and needles and threads from Surabaya, cloth and oil lamps imported from the UK, and sail clocks and watches. Soap, matches, etc., as well as high-quality old rock candy produced locally in Semarang.

Under the strong pressure of the troops approaching the city, these indigenous nobles chose to surrender without exception.

It can be seen from these products
Many new products emerging in Surabaya City, which is vigorously developing its industry, are being imported in large quantities and have become mainstream products operated by Nanyang daily necessities stores, showing strong development momentum.

the reason for this

As many as a dozen indigenous nobles from the above two places went to Semarang to pay homage to the commander-in-chief Feng Guohui. Without exception, they expressed their intention to surrender and gave him heavy gifts.

Taxes must be paid on time and the personal safety of the Nanyang caravans doing business in the local area must be guaranteed. The Nanyang army can not interfere in the governance of local indigenous tribes and give them greater freedom.

Feng Guohui knew that he was unable to occupy the above two areas for the time being, so he accepted the surrender of all these indigenous nobles, but there was one condition;
That is to say, the local specialty spices were all purchased by the Nanyang Army. The price was 20% higher than that of the Dutch colonists, and private sales were strictly prohibited.

"Reporting to Commander, our fleet was conducting normal training on the sea today and encountered a large formation composed of the Dutch enemy ship "Hohenstaufen" and five sail frigates.

To be cautious
He led the fleet back to the port of Semarang and came to report immediately.

The capture of Solo City caused a huge shock to the surrounding areas of Salatiga and Craden, playing a great deterrent effect.

The Dutch sailing warship formation hovered 10 to 12 kilometers away from us for more than two hours, then changed its course to the north, broke away from contact, and disappeared off the coast of Semarang.

At present, all members of our fleet are ready for combat, and no one has left the ship to rest. Please give the commander-in-chief instructions on the next strategy. "

Hu Huadong, wearing a dark blue navy uniform, saluted respectfully and asked for instructions.

Feng Guohui was not surprised to hear this. It had been more than a month since Special Envoy Schroeder and his party were captured.

No matter how slow the response of the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies was, it should have been clear at this time that something was wrong, and the situation was deteriorating rapidly in the direction that Governor Charles least wanted to see.

This time
The Nanyang Army did not send an envoy to inform them, nor did they make any response. The governor's special envoy Schroeder and others are still detained, and the main theme is a mystery.

Now that the "Zhenhai" and its old friend the "Hohenstaufen" meet on a narrow road on the sea, the answer is ready to come out.

The officers and soldiers of the Royal Netherlands Navy's East Indies Task Force are very familiar with the two ships "Zhenhai" (Note; formerly "Leevensaugus") and "Zhenjiang" (Note; formerly "Olimburg") , you can tell at a glance that you won’t be mistaken even if it is burned to ashes.

Now these two warships are flying the Taigeuk flag of the Nanyang Army, and they are accompanied by two genuine sailing frigates, forming a sailing fleet with a total of four ships.

This kind of strength is not much weaker than the Royal Netherlands Navy fleet that came out in full force?
Feng Guohui hesitated for a moment and then asked: "In your opinion, what is the intention of the Dutch fleet?"

Hu Huadong had obviously thought deeply about this question on the battleship, so he quickly answered with a firm tone;
“Reply to the commander;

I believe that the fleet of the Red Fan Gui Lao never expected that the strength of our Nanyang Navy would grow so fast.

There is quite a hesitation between fighting and peace.

Considering that almost all of the Red Devils' fleet was out, they really couldn't afford to lose this battle. Losing would be equivalent to giving up control of the entire East Indies waters, and European backup was far away. From a paper perspective

Hong Bangui Lao's fleet has six ships against our fleet's four ships. Regardless of the condition of the ships and the quality of the personnel, its strength is extremely limited.

I believe that this is the main reason why the Red Fan Guilao warship temporarily retreated.

If there is any lack of consideration, please give me some advice. "

"Hmm...that makes sense." Feng Guohui nodded.

He turned around a few times with his hands behind his back, trying his best to put himself into the Dutch perspective to see the problem, then stopped and said;
"The red ghost guy has been through the storms and waves at sea for a long time, and his experience in gunnery and ship maneuvering is undoubtedly superior. This is an undeniable advantage.

But our navy is not a weak force. The officers and soldiers of the fleet have high morale, are passionate and dare to fight, and are not afraid of casualties, sacrifices, or the loss of warships.

Our new maritime force faced severe tests not long after its birth.

I ask the officers and men of the fleet to show the spirit of victory when faced with a narrow road, to fight artillery against artillery, and to use battleships against battleships.

In the naval battle, bring out the bloody courage of our Nanyang Fleet, and use life and faith to shape the iron-blooded fighting spirit of this fleet.

Even if you pay a heavy price, you must tear off a piece of the enemy's flesh and blood.

Don't be afraid of losses. I'll make up for the lost crew members, and just buy more ships that were sunk in battle.

We have nothing to begin with, and we are not afraid of being knocked back to our original shape.

to see

The red ghosts came out in force and only had so much sea power. They were far from invincible. However, they had many concerns and thought much more than we did.

The ability to withstand losses is much weaker than ours. This is our only chance to turn the tide of the war. "

"The commander-in-chief has learned a lesson, Huadong deeply admires him." Hu Huadong raised his hand in salute and then said;
“What worries me deeply is that we are not without weaknesses.

First of all, this Semarang port is an open bay port, and there is no strong shore artillery fortress protection. The fleet is parked, and the safety is really low.

If the Red Bangui Lao fleet makes a decisive attack and the fleet anchored in the harbor responds hastily, it may cause heavy losses. This must be guarded against! "

"Huadong's words make sense. What do you mean..."

"Commander, I boldly suggest that we move all our fleets to the harbor of Jepara Fortress and send messages by beacon fire. If the Red Fan Guilao fleet invades in large numbers, our fleet will arrive in a matter of seconds, and we can't contain the enemy fleet in the open sea. Act rashly. This is a strategy that has the best of both worlds. You can attack when you advance, and you can defend when you retreat."

"Well, Jepara is a long and narrow inland harbor, and it is protected by fortresses and cannons. Yes, I agree to move the fleet to the port of Jepara."

After thinking about it, Feng Guohui nodded in agreement.

The defense level of Jepara Port Fortress is more than one level higher than that of Semarang Port.

At first, we took the risk of using the "Zhenhai" to induce the surrender. If the white Dutch defenders on the fortress saw the clues and used large-caliber naval guns to block the harbor, the "Zhenhai" would have lost half of its life.

Fortunately, those white colonial officers were accustomed to being arrogant and never thought that such a powerful warship as the "Zhenhai" would one day be captured.

It can be said that the "Zhenhai" itself is a powerful pass.

Time passes and things change
Now that the fleet is hiding in the harbor of the Jepala Fortress, the red ghost guy will have a headache.

Every night, the harbor of Jepara Fortress is blocked by a huge winch and a 1.7-kilometer-long thick iron chain. No ships can enter or exit.

This is a rather old facility, built and put into use by the Dutch colonialists.

Objectively speaking, it is indeed very useful.

European countries have experienced naval warfare since the Age of Discovery. The only way to deal with such thick iron chains blocking ports is to set fire to ships.

After the drifting arson boat caught the iron chain, a raging fire broke out and eventually burned the thick iron chain.

In the Anglo-Dutch War, the main force of the Dutch naval fleet raided the inland ports on the Thames River and used this method.

At that time, four Dutch arson boats hooked on the iron chain one after another and continued to burn for more than three hours before they successfully broke through the iron chain's defense line across the river.

It is said that on the ship set ablaze by the Dutch army, there were more than ten large iron barrels filled with whale oil. A large amount of refractory materials were piled under the iron barrels to ensure that it could float on the water and burn violently for a long time. It was extremely well prepared.

The current Dutch army obviously does not have such conditions. Before oil was exploited on a large scale, whale oil was almost the best lighting and combustion material, and it was quite expensive.

The reason why Feng Guohui agreed to the fleet to temporarily avoid the enemy's edge and hide in the Jepara Fortress was not only to avoid accidental losses, but also for another reason;
That is, the two places are only 42 kilometers apart, and the beacon message can be reached instantly.

For the Royal Netherlands Navy fleet, it can be said that it is too weak to unleash all its firepower on Semarang Port and destroy coastal facilities.

It was even more impossible to cover the landing of the Royal Dutch Army. If the Nanyang Navy fleet made a surprise landing during the landing and joined forces with the defenders on land to attack the white colonists' landing force, it might cause a huge disaster.

Unless this extremely threatening nail is pulled out, it will be difficult to pose a fatal threat to Sanbaolong Port.

(End of this chapter)