The clock was set forward four hours. Just when Liang Kun led the soldiers of the second battalion to successfully grab the stall, Xiao Letian put down the telescope easily. He knew that there was no suspense on the Balan River line.
Under his order, the Zhiyuan broke away from the main fleet, and the single warship moved to the southeast and headed straight for Bandar Seri Bega Bay.
At this time, there were only two old Dutch sailing frigates in Bandar Seri Bega Bay that could offer some resistance. The other so-called warships of the Tuwang were actually just broken wooden ships decorated with sailors.
The Netherlands was once a star country in the Age of Discovery. At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the Netherlands was the most important European power in Asia, replacing Portugal.
There was a time when the island of Taiwan was under the control of the Dutch until Zheng Chenggong liberated Taiwan.
The nineteenth century was an era of decline for the Netherlands. After the Anglo-Dutch Naval War, the Netherlands' maritime interests were largely plundered by the British, and the maritime coachmen no longer had the glory of the past.
However, the centipede does not die. The Dutch still have some old foundations. For example, there are many Dutch colonies in the East Indies, that is, the Indonesian generation, including southern Borneo and most of Malaysia.
In the minds of those uninformed local kings, the Dutch colonists were undoubtedly very powerful. If the Dutch could be invited to send troops to help in the war, they would be sure to win.
It's a pity that they didn't know that the Chinese dared to attack France and touch the territory of Tsarist Russia. What's the use of inviting a small country like the Netherlands to come out.
The Swordfish and the Flying Man are two sailing frigates that have been in service for nearly 50 years. They have teak decks, white sails, cables as dense as spider webs, and even double-layered artillery firing ports on both sides of the hull... From what kind of wood are they patinated over time? Looking at them, you can feel the vicissitudes of these two battleships.
Even the oldest sailor on the battleship had even seen the grand scene of the British main fleet passing through the South China Sea during the First Opium War. At that time, both battleships had been in service for more than 20 years.
Old ships, veterans, veteran generals... People say that people become better with age. I am afraid that these old objects will become a little spiritual as they grow older. However, Malvik, the captain of the Swordfish, keenly felt something strange about the battleship under his feet.
The operation of the Swordfish has been a bit unsmooth since yesterday. There was even a strange rattling sound in the keel when turning. In the morning, there was an accident when the sailor lowered the jib. A sailor's ankle was entangled in the cable. It flew upside down in the air for a quarter of an hour.
It's so abnormal, everything is weird. Among all the arms in the world, the navy is actually the most superstitious. This superstitious tradition is inherited from the Age of Discovery, when sailors had their own set of experiences.
Old ships are spiritual, this is the consensus of many sailors, even Captain Marwick is no exception.
He had had an ominous premonition since yesterday until today when the Chinese strangely launched a general attack in heavy rain, which made the old captain even more chilly.
When the battle started in the morning, the two captains raised the sails without the permission of the Tuwang and began to increase the number of ships cruising in the bay, and gradually moved towards the entrance of the bay.
Although the earth kings would call them cowards, who would care about the curses of the native monkeys.
Time passed minute by minute, and suddenly at 3:15 in the afternoon, the lookout hand of the Flying Man spotted a strange sound and shadow of a ship in the heavy rain on the sea.
"At eleven o'clock...there is a smoke band...it's a steamship...sailing eleven...visual inspection..."
The two warships suddenly became confused. Due to the war, no cruise ships have passed through the Brunei area for a long time. Now, apart from cruise ships transporting tourists, the steamships on the ocean are now warships!
"Combat preparation, prepare to fight! Full sail to the north... seize the T-prefix firing position... the gunnery commander, prepare for battle..." Orders were issued one after another, and the Flying Man and the Swordfish rushed out of the bay and entered the open sea. Prepare to circle the sea with incoming ships.
This is actually a very correct tactic. The battleships' maneuverability cannot be used at all in operations in the bay. The Dutch warships are old and weak. Their artillery only has a few rifled guns, and the rest are smoothbore guns.
If you compete with the enemy with such equipment, you will suffer heavy losses even if you win. And since the opponent has pulled out the smoke belt, it means that it is a steam-powered ship, and there is no comparison on our side in terms of advanced nature.
The only option was to rush out of the bay and maneuver flexibly on the sea. It was already almost the end of the sea. As long as they maneuvered until the sun went down, the earth kings, the employers who paid for them, would have a chance to escape.
The chief engineer only has three thousand ounces of gold, do you really think we are going to help you win the battle? Delaying you for a few more hours and allowing you to escape is worth the price.
The Dutch feel that they are already very loyal, but those local kings don't understand this. When they saw the two warships escaping out of the bay, the first thing they knew was that they were going to be deserters. These big-nosed Dutch people really don't do anything to collect money. ah.
"Shameless! These European white-skinned dogs, they take money and don't do anything...bastards! Shameless..." The Tuwang and the soldiers who stayed at the seaside scolded.
Captain Marwick would not care about the curses of the native monkeys. He was now focusing all his attention on the black spot in the telescope. As the outline became clearer and clearer, a terrifying guess emerged in his heart.
"Oh God! Captain, look... this is a battleship... Why are there twin cannons on the bow... It seems to be a pure steel battleship..."
The lookout's roar shattered Malvik's last fantasy. He dropped the telescope and shouted, "No...it's the Zhiyuan ship! Lower the sails, stop preparations for battle...the flagman asks!"
The thing that Marvik was most worried about finally happened. If there is any big news in the world's navy in the past two years, the emergence of the Zhiyuan will definitely be an explosion.
As the captain of a warship, he can obtain all kinds of information about his home country at any time. Since the Netherlands currently adheres to neutrality and has good relations with all major powers, their information is still very accurate.
Countries such as Britain, France, and the United States are also willing to share intelligence with the Netherlands. Captain Marwick knows very well what kind of warship the Zhiyuan is and what it has done.
"God, how could the Zhiyuan be used in such a war in Borneo? Isn't that the flagship of the Chinese? Could it be that Xiao Letian came in person?"
"Pure steel deck, 21o caliber rifled gun, steam power... hunted countless French merchant ships in the Atlantic Ocean, a warship attacked Dakar at night, turned the tide of the war in the Iquique naval battle in South America... and fought with Tsarist Russia at the mouth of the Min River He fought an encounter and finally cooperated with the Sixth Army to defeat the Tsarist Empire..."
"Damn it, why am I so unlucky? Why did I encounter this battleship!"
Looking at the creaking wooden sailboat under his feet, Malvik closed his eyes in pain, "This is impossible to fight at all..."
