The wind blows from the South Sea

Chapter 133 Enemy Attack
Pekalongan is a coastal town with a population of only more than 7200 people. As the forward base for the attack on Sampowerong, more than 2.2 Dutch troops and a large amount of supplies poured in in a short period of time, and it was overcrowded for a while.

In Pekalongan Harbor

There are six main sailing battleships of the Royal Netherlands Navy's East Indies Fleet parked here. The largest sailing battleship is the "Hohenstaufen", a double-deck third-class battleship built in 1765 with a displacement of 1455 tons.

The remaining five ships are all two-masted sailing frigates, with displacements ranging from more than 600 tons to more than 800 tons, and are single-deck gunboats.

In order to cooperate with the land attack and blockade of the coast, this is the greatest strength that the Dutch East Indies fleet can bring out. It can be said that it is all elite.

On this day, the sky was high and the clouds were wide over the sea.

The indigenous laborers on the dock were busy unloading the goods, and various materials were piled up like a hill. A large group of soldiers were training on the beach, and occasionally an officer rode by.

The scene was the same as usual, but it only added to the tense atmosphere before the war.

Suddenly, the alarm bell of the lookout post rang rapidly, which quickly spread throughout the beach pier, and even alerted the senior officials of the Dutch Army Command.

Lieutenant General Koch, Major General Sule of the Royal Navy, and many mid-level and senior officers all rushed out and asked solemnly, "What is going on? Where did the alarm bell sound?"

The huge "Hohenstaufen" slowly accelerated in the bay, drawing a clear arc-shaped track. Several sail warships behind it followed in turn, showing a "one" formation.

"Raise the battle flag and prepare to fight."

Damn Nanyang Army, when did there become so many battleships?
At this time, there was no time to take a closer look. Major General Süle retracted the telescope with a snap and shouted hurriedly to the busy sailors below;

"Slow down, the commander is here. Hurry up and pick him up."

Major General Süle hurriedly climbed aboard his ship "Hohenstaufen", passed the monocular telescope handed to him by his officer, and raised his hands to observe the distance on the sea.

At this moment

After counting, there were actually nine sail warships. His heart sank suddenly, and the look on his face turned livid.

"Adjust the main sail, full left rudder, and order other warships to follow the formation and move quickly."

"Battle alert, battle alert! There is an enemy fleet approaching on the sea."

As expected, it was a long-established European maritime power. The six warships of the Royal Sail Fleet quickly changed from a parked state to a battle formation to meet the incoming enemy.

I saw sail warships appearing one after another in the distance on the sea level where the water and the sky meet. On the tall masts, the white sails were filled with the sea wind, and they were speeding towards us.

On the azure sea, they headed towards the invading Nanyang Fleet.

"Sir, this is an alarm issued by the coastal lookout post. It is discovered that an unknown fleet is approaching our port, about 22 kilometers away."

"Hurry up and lower the fore sail, retract the anchor, and the gunners will get into position and prepare for battle."

The sail warships moored in the bay and heard the alarm have begun to unveil their anchors. The sailors climbed up the tall masts like nimble monkeys, and then opened and released the bound sails one by one, with a "crash". Hang down.

The Royal Navy soldiers at the dock did not dare to neglect. After the officers hurriedly climbed onto the small sampan, they immediately untied the cables on the small sampan and rowed hard into the sea.

Other sailors shook the bitts desperately, adjusted the windward side of the sail, and some shouted at the top of their lungs;

what?
After hearing this, Major General Süle's expression suddenly changed, and he immediately led the officers of the Royal Navy to rush out and rush all the way to the dock. He ordered in a hurried voice: "Quick, quick, unmoor the ship and sound the battle alarm."

Encouraged by the officers, the Dutch sailors worked hard like clockwork dolls in a fanatical fighting atmosphere.

"Open the gun doors and prepare the gunners."

"Soldiers, this is an unprecedented challenge faced by the Royal Navy fleet. We must face the enemy with fearlessness and achieve final victory. God bless, Amen!"

At this time, the Nanyang Fleet also formed a long snake formation. At the forefront was the flagship "Zhenhai", which was the captured former Royal Netherlands Navy "Levensaugus". It was built in 1792 and had a displacement of 1064 tons.

Followed closely by the "Zhenjiang" (note; formerly "Olinburg"), "Zhenhe", and "Zhenhu" (note; these two ships were purchased from the Franchis of the Luzon Islands) ), although these three ships are small in size and have a displacement of between 600 and 700 tons, they are all based on warships. They are made of thick materials and can withstand beatings.

Following closely behind were five cargo ships equipped with iron armor, and a makeshift sailboat gunboat, which was barely an emergency item. It was even equipped with a lot of field guns to make up for it.

On the command ship "Zhenhai"

Rear Admiral Hu Huadong, commander of the fleet, kept giving instructions to adjust the course with a serious expression, and led the fleet to head towards the Dutch fleet.

The entire ship was ready for battle. The upper and lower gun doors were opened, and red-hot iron balls were placed in the fire, ready to be stuffed into the gun chambers at any time.

Being prepared and unprepared, the Nanyang Navy was able to prepare a large number of rations tailored for ghosts, including brutal chain bombs, grape bombs to clear the deck, incendiary bombs to burn sails and other flammable objects, and to make the enemy The frightened wooden support exploded.

According to the request of Marshal Feng Guohui
The main force of the Nanyang Navy fleet must use "the fearless spirit of the brave winner when two armies meet" and the heroic fighting spirit of "not afraid of sacrifice, not afraid of loss, and not looking forward or backward" to deal a heavy blow to the Guilao fleet.

The most important target was the "Hohenstaufen", the main force of the Dutch fleet, which was required to be severely damaged or even sunk in the first battle at any cost.

Thought of here
Major General Hu Huadong had a ruthless look in his eyes. He stared at the oncoming "Hohenstaufen" and issued an order loudly;

"Raise the battle flag, prepare for bombardment, and deck sailors look for cover."

"Three left rudder, furl the jib and keep sailing steady."

At this time, the fleets of both sides were about seven to eight lines apart and heading towards each other. This was the standard battleship battle formation in the era of sailing battleships.

When the leading warships on both sides staggered, they were about two to three lines apart and attacked each other with broadside artillery, striving to inflict damage to the enemy.

The sailing battleships of this era were thick monsters. Most of the side decks were made of hardwood, which was more than a foot thick when moving. Large sailing battleships even used soft and hardwood to form a sandwich biscuit-style defense layer, which was extremely resistant to shelling. If you want to sink a sail warship, it is very difficult.

In comparison

Sail cargo ships are all fragile, and when they are built, they are required to be low-cost and carry a lot of cargo, so when the naval guns blast a hole, they are all sail cargo ships.

Although the Nanyang Army's sail cargo ship is equipped with a layer of iron armor, what is the specific effect? There was also a question mark in my mind.

Anyway

The Nanyang Fleet had already taken the lead. The nine sail warships in the entire fleet had prepared enough furnaces in advance to burn the cast-iron incendiary bombs red for later use.

There are also a sufficient number of special artillery shells, enough for the opponent to drink a pot.

On the other hand, the Dutch fleet responded in a hurry, not even preparing incendiary bombs, including grape bombs and wooden support bombs.

These cannonballs must be prepared in advance. For example, grapeshots are small iron balls, which are then packed in canvas bags, filled with rusty iron nails or knives and forks, tied to iron rods, and finally installed on wooden on the tray.

The shape of the entire cannonball is like a grape.

Load gunpowder before discovery, and then carefully load the grapeshot. Once launched, it will definitely be a powerful tool for clearing the deck of enemy ships.

This kind of artillery shells must be prepared in advance and cannot be used in a hurry.

The Nanyang Army benefited from the developed steel industry. There were too many iron nails, iron blocks, and steel processing leftovers that were cleaned up. Packing them in cloth bags and stuffing them into the muzzles was a big killer.

The characteristics of naval guns are that they are short and thick, with large caliber and short range, but their destructive power is amazing.

Not long after

Seeing that the leading flagships of both sides were about to pass each other, the commanders of both sides almost unanimously gave the order to fire.

In an instant, the sound of cannons rumbled, resounding across the sea and sky.

The large clouds of thick black gunpowder smoke produced after the bombardment were choking and nauseating. Along with the large clouds of orange-red gun flames, large pieces of tragic fire were heard one after another on the "Zhenhai" and the "Hohenstaufen". Screams and the sound of tearing wood.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The large ball of orange-red gunfire continued to flash, and the dull sound of gunfire came one after another. The two huge sail warships were wrapped in thick smoke, but the crazy bombardment still did not stop.

It was like two strong men fighting at close quarters, wildly swinging their fists to inflict damage, punching to the flesh, without caring about their own defense.

Just use the hardest and most deadly fists to knock down your opponent as soon as possible.

Almost all the broadside artillery fired wildly, inflicting damage to enemy ships three to four hundred meters away. When the flagships of both sides passed by, the bombardment stopped.

At this time, the artillery position
The blood of the crew members killed and wounded due to the shelling was everywhere. The backup crew members at the rear immediately pulled away the dead and wounded, clearing obstacles and messy wooden blocks.

Then, clean the gun barrel as quickly as possible, load the black powder and shells, and prepare for the next round of bombardment.

As long as all the crew members are not killed, the bombardment cannot stop.

The strong sea breeze dispersed the thick smoke, exposing the actual damage to the flagships of both sides to everyone's eyes, which shocked everyone.

After "Zhenhai", it was baptized by bullets, and the side of the ship was pockmarked, like a face full of pockmarks.

Two guns on the deck were also destroyed, and a jib was torn. The crew suffered more than a dozen casualties.

At first glance, it seems that the damage in the artillery battle was not minor.

But looking at the "Hohenstaufen" opposite, everyone couldn't believe their eyes.

There were not many pitted scars on the side of the "Hohenstaufen", but more than a dozen clear scorch marks were shocking. The hot incendiary bombs were deeply embedded in the side and stern, igniting more than a dozen plumes of black smoke.

In the stern of the ship, a large ball of fire was seen shining, and it was obviously burned.

The worst part is on the deck
The deck was blood-washed by more than a dozen rounds of shells and grape bullets. There were more than 20 gunners lying on the ground wailing, and more than a dozen people had died quietly.

The sails on the ship were densely covered with small holes, all caused by iron nails and iron blocks. Although the sails and thick masts were not affected, the sailors were either killed or injured.

Compare the two
The "Hohenstaufen" was even worse. The number of sailor casualties on the ship was twice as many as that of the opponent. It was also turned around, and its continuous combat capability was severely reduced.

"God, damn it, get up and fight!" Major General Jule shouted at the top of his lungs.

He was lucky, but his forehead was scratched by an iron piece and he bled a lot.

Now they were bandaged up hastily, and the sailors were loudly urged to prepare for battle.

He turned his head and looked at the eight sail warships approaching, his face quickly turned pale, and the fear of death emerged in his mind.

Major General Jule didn't know if he could withstand this hell-like round of shelling.

It's useless to say anything now, I can only pray for God's blessing.

(End of this chapter)