The wind blows from the South Sea

Chapter 148 Breaking the City
early morning
The weather had just turned white, and after breakfast, a large number of Nanyang Army soldiers packed up their gear, dismantled their tents, and followed the team in the direction of Bellik.

In the middle of these marching teams were the indigenous captives who were being escorted forward. They had neither dinner nor breakfast. They could only drink some cold water and move forward hungry.

Chaya Town is located more than ten kilometers northeast of Bellik. After nearly two hours of trekking, the Nanyang army all arrived outside Bellik before 9 a.m.

Two kilometers away from the city, the black army formed a formation. The mountains and plains were filled with spears and spears, flags were flying, and the huge array could not be seen to the end.

At the front of the array, 95 field artillery pieces were lined up, with their black muzzles pointed directly at the city wall.

As usual
The cavalry officers of the Nanyang Army came to the city on horseback and loudly demanded that the white colonial army chiefs lead their troops to surrender, and that the prisoners would be treated fairly and in line with their status.

As expected, the summons to surrender was resolutely rejected and responded with more than a dozen crisp gunshots.

The cavalry officer panicked and fled back with his horse's head. Fortunately, he always kept a distance of four to five hundred yards and managed to escape with his life.

When Feng Guohui saw this, a fierce look flashed in his eyes. The foreplay that should be done has been done, so don't waste time to serve the main course.

He waved his hand and ordered; "The bombardment begins."

After each artillery team completed its preparations, the gun commander raised the flag in his hand and shouted: "Three guns are good!"

Feng Guohui was riding a horse with a stern look on his face. The tall flag behind him was fluttering fiercely, and he was calmly scanning the battlefield from a distance of 1.5 kilometers.

The artillerymen approached until they were more than 700 yards away from the city. Then they stopped and unloaded the horses that were pulling the artillery. These horses were pulled to the rear by dedicated personnel and were on standby.

In particular, the Mini rifle's fatal blow at an ultra-long range of 300 to 500 yards has become a lingering nightmare that wakes up even in the middle of a deep sleep at night.

The guard officer beside him jumped out on horseback with a flag in hand, and drove quickly towards the artillery positions lined up in front. After arriving at the artillery positions, he loudly conveyed the order, saying;

The Dutch army did not expect that the Nanyang Army was so cunning, so the soldiers lined up neatly on the top of the city. Because the arrow stacks on the top of the city were low, most of their bodies were exposed.

Today's Dutch army is like a frightened rabbit, huddled in the city, easily afraid of leaving the city to fight in the field.

The artillery of the Nanyang Army immediately launched a swift counterattack. The flag was lowered, and more than ninety artillery pieces roared in unison. The rumbling sound of the artillery resounded throughout the world, and the power was much greater than that of the Dutch army.

"Hurry up and ask the stretcher team to come up and carry down the injured and injured officers and soldiers. We ask that we do our best to treat them at all costs. Quick, move fast."

Relying on its artillery superiority, the Nanyang Army reached a distance of more than 700 yards and launched a series of indiscriminate bombings on the city, bringing bloody storms one after another.

Falling into the artillery position, the people who were immediately blown up fell on their backs.

"Six shots are good!"

It turned out that the artillery of the Nanyang Army had been prepared for a long time. The muzzles were raised high. All the shots fired in the first salvo were shotgun shells. More than 90 artillery pieces fired tens of thousands of shrapnel in one salvo, forming a dense rain of steel bullets.

Today, all the troops in Bellick City have shrunk back. A total of about 1.56 people have gathered, of which more than 9300 white soldiers account for the main force defending the city.

As the commands came one after another, the artillerymen drove the horses forward, and the infantry queue behind them also approached, maintaining a distance of two to three hundred yards.

Several members of the artillery crew worked together to turn the muzzles of the six-pound and nine-pound Napoleon cannons. The black muzzles were raised and rushed towards the city. The barrels were cleaned, black powder was loaded and compacted, and then solid shells were loaded.

Among them were more than 2400 white troops originally commanded by Major General Kane Van Kerwijk, plus more than 1800 troops under Colonel Claudia who fled south from Pekalongan, and more than troops who were urgently mobilized. White militia.

Major General Kane Van Kerwijk just realized that it was too late. He looked at the wailing city with a livid face and hurriedly ordered;
"Immediately mobilize the Helstein Fusiliers to defend the city. Please note that all officers and soldiers defending the city must squat down to prevent damage from shelling."

"The commander-in-chief has given orders, a full-scale bombardment has begun."

……

The solid shells bounced on the ground, and the soldiers who were hit immediately suffered broken bones and tendons, and bright red blood spattered out, leaving a bloody alley.

Seeing that the opponent's artillery was ready, Major General Kane Van Kerwijk immediately ordered the artillery fire!
The Dutch artillery at the top of the city was already ready. After hearing the order, they immediately lit the fuse, "Boom, boom, boom..." The sound of the artillery sounded, and a large cloud of gray-black gunpowder smoke filled the air.

Darkness enveloped the city head, and this blow dealt a heavy blow to the Dutch soldiers who defended the city, causing as many as seven to eight hundred casualties.

"Artillery, return fire immediately."

It has to be said that the white troops are indeed strong. After suffering the first round of huge casualties, they quickly withdrew the casualty officers and soldiers, and the soldiers of the Helstein Fusiliers who had just been put in filled the vacancies, and aimed at the city head from time to time. The gun returned fire.

More than 20 artillery pieces on the top of the city took the lead in attacking, aiming at the enemy artillery below the city and firing volleys. The shells splashed down, bringing up a long trail of smoke and dust.

After his face changed drastically, he only had time to say "no", and subconsciously crouched down to avoid it, hiding his body behind the solid city wall.

The artillery shell hit the artillery carriage in the position, immediately breaking the thick spokes of the carriage. The heavy artillery carriage tilted to one side, and the soldiers behind were killed and injured.

The disastrous defeat in yesterday's battle left him with an unforgettable memory, and he gained a new understanding of the power of this Eastern army.

The other artillery pieces either suffered all casualties or were destroyed. With the huge disparity in artillery fire between the enemy and ourselves, they could only fight with their last legs.

Artillery fire rumbled from both sides, gunshots fired one after another, and the siege battle entered an intense situation.

Unfortunately, it came too late.

With such a powerful military force, Major General Kane van Kerwijk, although faced with the dilemma of severely backward infantry weapons, still had the confidence to resist the enemy by relying on the tall and solid city walls.

The battle-hardened Major General Kane van Kerwijk stood at the top of the city and heard the dull sound of cannons, not a dull and powerful rumble.

More than 20 artillery shells hit three or four gun emplacements, causing casualties of more than a dozen officers and soldiers of the Nanyang Army.

The commander-in-chief of the Dutch army, Major General Kane van Kolwijk, stood on the top of the city with a solemn expression, looking at the Nanyang army arrayed neatly outside the city with a heavy heart.

"Six shots are good!"

The artillerymen at the top of the city hurriedly fired back, but the sound of this round of salvos was much weaker. Only a dozen artillery pieces could still fire normally.

"As you command, Commander."

Then there was a crackling sound like rain hitting plantains, and clouds of blood mist erupted from the several-kilometer-long city wall. Rows of Dutch officers and soldiers on the wall fell down, and large swaths of blood were sprinkled all over the city.

Blinded by this volley of shotgun fire, the casualties were extremely heavy, and most of them were white officers and soldiers.

After switching to solid ammunition, the close-range artillery fire cracked the earth and rocks on the city wall, and the splashed stones beat the Dutch officers and soldiers to the point where they cried for their mothers and cowered behind the city wall without even daring to show their heads.

What's especially deadly is the sudden burst of shotgun shells. Once hit, there's a black rain of steel bullets.

If the bodies of the Dutch soldiers on the city were exposed, they would be riddled with holes immediately. They would fall to the ground as weakly as rag dolls, with blood gushing out.

After more than ten rounds of artillery fire from both sides, the last artillery on the city head completely misfired.

There were still more than 80 Nanyang Army artillery pieces under the city, and the artillery fire became more and more rampant, hitting the Dutch soldiers so hard that they couldn't even lift their heads.

More than 40 minutes had passed, and Feng Guohui felt that the time was ripe, so he issued an order;
"Order the Jaegers to attack! Beat up the ghosts who dare to show their heads one by one like pheasants."

"As you command, Commander."

"It's time to put some pressure on them and order the first wave of siege teams to attack. They are only allowed to advance and not retreat."

"As you command, Commander."

Following Feng Guohui's order, more than 40 Chasseur teams appeared on the battlefield, each with more than people in an infantry platoon, all holding newly-reissued Mini rifles.

The Chasseurs quickly crossed the artillery position and stopped when they were about 350 to 400 yards away. There were more than ten people in a row, forming three rows in front and back.

Under the command of the captain of the private squadron, more than a dozen soldiers raised their rifles in unison, aimed at the Dutch soldiers who dared to reveal their bodies at the top of the city, and fired round after round of salvos.

The volleys fired by more than a dozen gunmen were highly accurate at a distance of 350 to 400 yards, immediately posing a major threat to the Dutch soldiers at the head of the city. In this era, due to the factors of infantry weapons, if you want to fight back with a gun, you must stand and load, raise the gun, aim, shoot, and then clear the gun chamber, and so on.

Neither lying down nor crouching can complete the cycle of loading and shooting unless you don't fight back.

The more than 40 chasseur teams that broke out in front of the city, through precise volleys, caused serious damage to the Dutch soldiers defending the city. They were hit and screamed and fell to the bottom of the city.

At this time, the black mass of indigenous prisoners rushed up carrying long siege ladders and holding broadswords, and began the first wave of siege operations.

Under the threat of bayonets, these indigenous prisoners had to become cannon fodder for the siege.

Time goes back to an hour ago
These native captives who were brought to the battlefield were told that whether they wanted to or not, they would participate in the siege, otherwise they would be killed without mercy.

The indigenous prisoners were organized into teams of a hundred people, and then came forward one by one to receive a nest of cornstarch each. This gave them the strength to fight, and at least they would not faint from hunger while running.

When the artillery battle between the two sides was at its most intense, the Nanyang officers and soldiers behind reported a large number of swords and guns, and each indigenous prisoner could choose a cold weapon.

If you can survive the battle, or if you are the first to attack the city and kill one or more white officers and soldiers, you will become a junior officer of the servant army in the future and follow the main force of the Nanyang Army.

In the siege operation, look ahead and look behind, kill without mercy!

During the siege, they were greedy for life and afraid of death, and they killed without mercy!

Anyone who spreads rumors to confuse the public during the siege will be killed without mercy!

Anyone who disobeys orders during a siege will be killed without mercy!

Those who disrupt the position during the siege operation will be killed without mercy!

……

Only a few minutes after the Jaegers were in place, they suppressed the Dutch defenders at the top of the city, hitting them with precise volleys that made them unable to raise their heads.

At this time, it was the turn of the indigenous prisoners to take the field. In the first wave of siege, 16 centurions were invested. Each centurion roared forward carrying two siege ladders.

When these native cannon fodder rushed within 200 yards of the city, the Dutch soldiers on top of the city stood up regardless of the danger, raised their guns and opened fire below!
For a moment, there was a rain of crackling gunshots.

Many of the charging native cannon fodder were hit by bullets, with blood blooming on their bodies or chests, and then fell to the ground helplessly and died.

As soon as some siege ladders fell to the ground, empty-handed indigenous prisoners from left and right ran up, carried the siege ladders on their shoulders, and rushed towards the city wall with loud roars.

It was not that the native captives wanted to do this, but that they had to.

There is one siege ladder for every 50 people. This siege ladder must be put up on the city wall. If it is thrown away halfway or cannot be put up on the city wall, all 50 people will be executed without exception.

For their own lives, the native cannon fodder carried ladders and rushed towards the city wall like crazy, and then erected them one after another.

Those Dutch soldiers who dared to expose themselves and shoot fell from the city wall after being hit by the guns of the Chasseurs like fallen leaves in autumn.

Major General Kane van Kerwijk's eyes were splitting when he saw this scene, and he punched the city with a painful fist, causing blood to flow from his fist.

No matter how many native cannon fodders died, he would not feel distressed. But now the main force of the defense on the city was white soldiers, and lives were passing away every minute. How could he not feel heartbroken?

The Netherlands was originally a small and weak country, but relied on advanced weapons to conquer a large colony and colonize the East Indies.

Nowadays, the weapons are at an obvious disadvantage. The Dutch soldiers on the top of the city are condescending, but due to the range of their rifles, they are unable to cause serious damage to the Nanyang Army soldiers who are approaching 350 yards away.

On the other hand, the opponent was always accurate.

So far in the battle, the defending Dutch officers and soldiers have suffered close to 1400 casualties, while the opponent's casualties are only one or two hundred, which is a huge difference.

Those who didn't know the situation thought that the Dutch army was attacking and the Nanyang army was defending.

Major General Kane van Kolwijk subconsciously ignored the losses of the native cannon fodder in the siege. In fact, after these native cannon fodder rushed to the city, they were shot one after another by the Dutch soldiers defending the city, regardless of life and death.

They also lit explosive packs and threw them down, blowing up the cannon fodder of the natives and falling down piece by piece, causing serious casualties.

However, these Japanese soldiers who defended the city also paid a heavy price. They became the key targets of the Jaegers at the top of the city. They were quickly wounded and knocked down, losing the ability to continue fighting.

Both sides exchanged injuries for injuries, and the battle became fierce.

It can be seen from a distance that more than twenty siege ladders have been erected high. Many indigenous cannon fodder climbed up the ladders with knives and guns, and then fell one after another under the gunfire of the defenders.

The first wave of siege lasted less than 20 minutes. Nearly half of the more than 1600 indigenous cannon fodders were killed and wounded, and the tide-like offensive also weakened.

The resistance of the Dutch officers and soldiers at the top of the city was very fierce. As long as the native cannon fodder rushed to the top of the city, a group of Dutch soldiers would rush forward and fight hard. The soldiers who fell on the top of the city were like dumplings.

Screams, curses, and the sound of clashing swords and guns resounded throughout the world, filling the atmosphere with a thick chill.

At this moment, the artillery group, which had been silent for a column of incense, suddenly opened fire again, raining dense steel bullets onto the city, causing heavy damage to the Dutch army.

The more than 80 artillery pieces that fired all fired shotguns, covering all the soldiers on both sides who were fighting hard on the city top regardless of the enemy or ourselves, and sprayed out large clouds of blood mist.

This sudden attack simply stunned Major General Kane Van Kerwijk. He screamed in great pain: "Oh, God! No... this is not true."

The battlefield was so cruel. The casualties caused by the sudden concentrated fire and shelling were particularly heavy. A dense mass of corpses lay on the top of the city, including Dutch soldiers and indigenous cannon fodder. Dutch soldiers accounted for the majority.

This sudden concentrated fire and artillery bombardment also interrupted the fierce battle for the city head.

Then the artillery group bombarded continuously for more than ten minutes, mainly using shotgun shells and supplemented by solid shells, and launched a bloodbath over and over again against the city defensed by the Dutch army, and the sound of the artillery kept rumbling.

"For the second wave of siege troops, throw in all the indigenous prisoners. We must attack the city."

"Prepare the next wave of siege troops, continue to exert pressure on the enemy, and cannot let them relax. I don't believe that I can't chew this turtle shell."

After the order is issued

As soon as the bombardment stopped, the remaining nearly 4000 indigenous captives rushed forward like a tide. They wanted to fight for a chance for their own survival.

The bloody battle had lasted for three full hours, and the casualties of the Dutch troops defending the city had exceeded 3400. Major General Kane van Kolwijk, with his red eyes wide open, ordered the deployment of reserve forces to defend Bellick City to the death. head.

A more intense and bloody battle began. This time, the Nanyang Army's siege was very tight. Most of the Dutch officers and soldiers defending the city had not yet reached their defensive positions at the top of the city, and the black cannon fodder of the natives climbed up the siege ladder.

The two sides started a fierce battle at the top of the city, and the Nanyang Army's artillery under the city fired reinforcements from time to time, using artillery fire to wash away the city where the Dutch soldiers gathered, greatly weakening its combat effectiveness.

After fighting for about an hour and a half, the Dutch officers and soldiers who guarded the city finally couldn't resist and gradually retreated to the city tower.

The indigenous cannon fodder who stormed the tower were exhausted physically, and their offensive weakened accordingly.

Feng Guohui was keenly aware of the battlefield situation. At two o'clock in the afternoon, he decisively invested in the new force of the Third Regiment of the Nanyang Army's Semarang Division, overwhelming the Dutch army's city defense line in one fell swoop.

quarter past three

After more than six hours of bloody fighting, Bellik's city gate was finally breached, and a steady stream of Nanyang troops swarmed in from the city gate and entered the city.

In Bellick City
The Dutch defenders and the Nanyang Army launched a bloody close-quarters battle, fighting for each other house by house. Fierce gunshots resounded throughout the city and lasted until dusk.

The Nanyang Army suppressed the remaining Dutch troops defending the city in some streets in the southwest of the city, and sent Colonel Chen Yong's cavalry to escort more than a thousand musketeers riding mules and horses, directly through the city of Bellick to the west of Bellick. More than 20 kilometers of mountain passes are fortified.

This move formed a pocket that surrounded all Bellick's garrison, and no one was spared.

(End of this chapter)