The wind blows from the South Sea

Chapter 79 Churches and Parliament Buildings

more than an hour later

It was already past ten o'clock in the morning, and there were constant bursts of gunfire in Surabaya City. The Nanyang Company's armed forces gathered together to block the core area of ​​the city and were clearing out white people's residences one by one.

Compared with the scattered gang members in Anxi, the white people in Surabaya City were very resolute in resisting. They took up muskets and hid behind walls, doorways, windows and other shelters, and fired at the soldiers who were suppressing them.

"Reporting to the leader, the casualties of each department have been calculated. So far in the battle, there have been a total of 137 casualties in each department, including 46 killed and 91 wounded. It is roughly estimated that the enemy has been killed at about 3 to 400 people, and further verification is needed."

"What's the latest battle situation?"

"Each department was divided into companies of more than a hundred people as combat units, and they were divided into clearing out the Gui Lao's house. At present, most of them have been cleared. Only two places, the Senate Building and the Church, where the Gui Lao gathered a large number of people, were left. The resistance was quite fierce."

"Oh, I see."

Feng Guohui narrowed his eyes dangerously. Now that Nanyang Company's noose is slowly tightening, he is not in a hurry.

At present, the number of captured white people, old, weak, women and children has reached 700 or 800, and they are being sent to the old camp for custody one after another. Including the dead and injured, the white colonists in Surabaya City lost nearly half of their strength.

Soon, the logistics guys carried burdens to deliver food and soup. The staple food was still big pancakes, and the fragrant beef soup was very appetizing.

He and several officers always stood on the other side of the small square. From here, they could clearly see the entire church and parliament building, as well as the surrounding buildings.

But since it was too late, we could only talk about it later in the morning.

The two are dependent on each other, forming two ring-fortress-like defenses.

Many white musketeers shot down from the windows on the second floor, and the attacking soldiers were unobstructed. If they attacked by force, they would definitely suffer big losses, which is not what a wise man would do.

The soldiers grabbed the big cake with their hands full of blood and started to eat it. After experiencing many bloody battles, they were no longer the newcomers who vomited when they saw the dead.

Waited for a while

Many ragged natives poured over from the road to the north of the city. Guided by simple flags, they pushed several Napoleon cannons to the small central square.

There were corpses lying strewn across the square, including white people, attacking soldiers, and civilians who had suffered the disaster.

Even if he was sitting on a battlefield with corpses everywhere, his appetite would not be affected.

The soldiers who had been fighting all morning were a little tired, but their expressions were still high, and they happily exchanged battle experiences with each other.

The casualties naturally increased, but finally all the remaining white people were forced into the church and the parliament building.

The leader is his second uncle Feng Zhaoliang.

"Suspend the attack and remain alert." Feng Guohui immediately conveyed the new order.

He had received a secret order from Feng Guohui last night to organize strong indigenous laborers to be used as cannon fodder to conquer the enemy's stronghold if necessary.

The regrouped team began to rest on the other side away from the parliament building.

Of course, in the process of clearing out the white colonists' mansions, many soldiers also seized some gold and silver, which were stuffed bulging in their uniforms.

As for the process of grouping, it is difficult to describe.

40 minutes later

More than 10 companies participating in the clearing battle came to report one after another, and each completed the clearing battle in the designated area.

Feng Guohui's current strategy is to clear out all the recalcitrant white residences in the surrounding area one by one, leaving only the church and the parliament building.

The trouble now was that most of the whites brought their families into the Parliament compound and the church, where the rock masonry buildings were quite solid and not far apart.

The current geographical conditions are not conducive to the attack, because the main buildings of the church and the parliament building are on the edge of the small square, and each has many doors and windows that can be used as defensive support.

There are too few interpreters, and the language barrier is a big problem.

In addition, these indigenous laborers are illiterate and do not distinguish between left and right. It is difficult to count to ten, and it is difficult to sort out the mess.

It was not easy to separate a team of a hundred people into a team. As long as they mix together, it will be in vain.

Feng Zhaoliang was so anxious that he was full of firecrackers. When he saw Feng Guohui, he just complained. This is a trick that comes up every time. It is really going to embarrass people to death!

Feng Guohui rarely smiled. After hearing his second uncle Feng Zhaozhao complain a few words, he looked around the Napoleon cannon and became more and more satisfied.

Then, he ordered people to bring over a group of Hu's children.

The Nanyang Company didn't have people who could operate cannons, but the Hu family, who traveled on sea routes all year round, had artillery. Almost every one of their sailing cargo ships had artillery, but it was just a ship's artillery.

This is different from field artillery, but not much.

"How about it? Can you wake it up?" Feng Guohui asked.

"Mr. Feng, this cannon is not much different from the cannons we have used before. It is just a little thinner and longer. Fire it a few times to try it out, and you will almost be able to count it."

The person who answered him was a burly man in his mid-twenties with a red face, named Hu Huashan. He was quite prestigious among the younger generation of the Hu family, and he was also an old sea wolf who had been running at sea for more than ten years.

Feng Guohui was very satisfied after hearing this, nodded in approval and said, "The parliament building is a ready target. If you want to sincerely try, it will be fine as long as the attack is not delayed."

"Excuse me, Master Feng, when will the army prepare to attack?"

"In one hour, finish your work early so as not to drag it out for a long time."

"Master Feng, you can rest assured. I guarantee it with my head on my neck, so there will be no delay."

After saying that, Hu Huashan called on the other Hu family children to get busy. A total of four cannons were pushed to the gun positions in the small square. The black muzzles pointed directly at the parliament building in front. They were adjusted and aimed repeatedly.

After the preparations were almost done, he took a gun brush, stuffed it into the muzzle from the front, and vigorously washed the gun chamber repeatedly.

Then pour in black gunpowder, tamp it down, pick up a stone round cannonball as big as a lead ball and load it from the muzzle.

Finally, the pitch angle of the artillery was slightly adjusted, and the preparations before the bombardment were completed.

Hu Huashan looked back at Feng Guohui, and when he saw Feng Guohui gently nodding in agreement, he raised the fire stick in his hand and lit the fuse.

The fuse was burned out quickly, and many of the soldiers sitting on the ground in the rear to eat put down their soup pots and quickly covered their ears.

to be frank

Most people are really afraid of artillery.

I only heard a loud "boom" after

As the muzzle fire flashed, a group of black dots suddenly flew away, and in the blink of an eye, it bombarded the upper edge of the window lattice on the second floor of the building.

In an instant, the rock on the upper edge of the oval window lattice shattered, and the exploding gravel flew everywhere. The white people at the window were beaten with blood on their heads, and the wailers lay down on the ground.

The sound of the cannon test here also attracted the attention of the white people. Many windows were crowded with people looking out.

The same is true for this window on the second floor of the Parliament Building. Congratulations to them for winning the jackpot.

The shot was a good start. The soldiers sitting on the ground eating saw it very clearly and couldn't help but cheered in unison. The cheers resounded throughout the square.

Hu Huashan was also full of joy. He had never used the Napoleon nine-pounder before, because the naval guns on the ship generally had large calibers and short barrels, and the effect of one shot into the soul was good.

The range of naval guns is generally about four to five hundred yards, and the caliber often starts at 16 pounds. They strive to hit the opponent's sailboat with one shot and make a big hole in the opponent's sailboat. They don't care about the range and the weight of the gun body.

Field guns are different and have very strict weight requirements.

Because the ability of horses to be dragged in the wild is limited, field artillery must be light and flexible and have a firing range as far as possible in order to take advantage of medium and short-range firepower.

Therefore, the 12-pound field gun is a large-caliber one. The nine-pound Napoleon cannon in the hands of the Nanyang Company can be said to be a weapon for urban warfare, with a maximum range of more than 900 yards.

The purpose of the gun test is to determine the amount of black powder used.

Field guns are not as bulky and strong as naval guns. Too much black powder is used, which can easily cause the gunfire to explode and injure itself.

"Boom" "Boom" "Boom"...

After a while, one shot was fired. After firing six shots in succession, Hu Huashan was very confident when he came to report.

As the cannons rumbled, the cheers of the soldiers in the square became louder and louder, and their morale gradually increased.

On the opposite side, the white people no longer looked as arrogant as before. They all hid back and no longer dared to raise their heads to be bombarded.

They couldn't believe it at all

The Chinese yellow-skinned monkeys, who had always been despised, actually used artillery. This greatly affected the self-confidence of the white Dutch and made them decadent.

Feng Guohui took out his gold pocket watch and checked the time. The current time was 12:30 noon.

"Give the order, prepare to launch an attack in a quarter of an hour, target the municipal building."

"As you command, sir."

Each company of soldiers who had eaten and drank enough stood up one after another. Under the command of the commander, they began to form the team, then checked their weapons and equipment and prepared for battle.

Four Napoleon cannons were lined up in a row, with their dark muzzles aimed at the municipal building. The Hu family's children were making preparations for firing in an orderly manner.

Perhaps a moment of doom is coming, cried the white man hiding in the city council building;

"Guy named Feng, I curse you. I curse you, a sinner who betrayed God, to go to hell...to bear the burning of the devil's fire day and night, and your soul will sink forever."

This side of the square

Feng Guohui shook his head after hearing this and said to the people around him, "These red ghosts are so naive. I don't understand God saving people around me, so how can I believe in Him? Tiger, do you believe in God?"

"I don't believe him. He already told me that I am a worshiper of Guan Gong!" Hu Laohu replied through gritted teeth, looking like he had been humiliated.

Immediately, everyone burst into laughter, paying no attention to the white man's yelling and cursing, and they were full of anti-thieves!

15 minutes flies by in a blink of an eye

Four Napoleonic cannons roared one after another, aiming at the parliament building with a burst of fierce bombardment. The bombardment lasted for more than ten minutes before it ended.

Before the thick smoke and dust dissipated, Feng Guohui waved his cold-looking hand, and more than 100 ragged natives rushed over with knives and axes in their hands, shouting loudly.

The municipal building had been torn to pieces by artillery fire, and there were large holes in the walls.

The white people quickly gathered after the cannon fire stopped, and opened fire on the rushing native cannon fodder. The gunshots continued one after another.

These white people know

The indigenous cannon fodder must not be allowed to rush into the parliament building. Once a hand-to-hand fight begins, there will be a steady stream of soldiers behind them, which will be dangerous.

on the square

From time to time, natives were shot down by muskets, and the battle gradually entered a bloody and cruel moment...

(End of this chapter)