Chapter 244
The Dutch in Batavia also realized that if they could not regain control of the fort and port, they would be doomed, and they would be doomed tonight.
Thousands of Dutch soldiers were organized and launched an attack on the fort in an attempt to recapture the fort. They carried flintlock guns and surrounded it on all sides.
Huggins, who was responsible for attacking the port, had a psychological advantage, that is, Ning Haijun's landing force seemed to be like an indigenous army, equipped only with cold weapons. In this era, cold weapons were completely outdated.
The Dutch East India Company's army was different from the Spanish army. In theory, a Spanish fighting regiment consisted of ten companies, with each company having 300 or 250 men. However, the ratio of pikemen to musketeers was 2 Compared to eight, that is, eight companies of spears and two companies of musketeers.
It was not until the Spanish army encountered the French Army that it suffered a great loss. In the seventeenth century, the Spanish phalanx was changed. In history, the later phalanx was called the improved Spanish phalanx to distinguish it. . The specific change is to significantly reduce the share of pikemen and increase the proportion of musketeers. Generally speaking, pikemen account for 25%, while musketeers account for 75%.
The Dutch military reforms were baptized by actual combat during the Thirty Years' War in Europe. Even if the improved Spanish phalanx had the same proportion of musketeers, it was still difficult to resist the firepower of the Dutch phalanx of the same size. In fact, even the Morris Square and Gustav Square that have been adjusted and optimized cannot fully exert the power of the new muskets. Due to restrictions on gun-holding postures, even if soldiers in the same row want to hold guns and shoot at the same time, they are limited to three rows at most, and the remaining soldiers can often only serve as reserves.
The musketeers in Gustav's phalanx are good at relying on three rows of volleys to cause heavy damage to approaching enemies. When the enemy approaches, the original six rows of musketeers quickly change into three rows. The first row kneels, and the second row Bend down, the third row stood, holding their guns and firing at the same time.
Theoretically, this arrangement can undoubtedly make more reasonable use of all the firepower of the musketeers. But in fact, the most commonly used tactic of the Dutch musketeers is still the reverse march shooting method, that is, six rows of musketeers fire in sequence and then return from the intervals between the rear rows of soldiers to reload to maintain continuous firepower.
If this shooting method had been invented by Mu Ying, the famous founding general of the Ming Dynasty, more than 200 years ago and applied in actual combat, let alone Ning Haijun, in fact, most of the Ming army's musketeers would have adopted the three methods invented by Mu Ying. Of course, the same applies to cold weapons. Crossbowmen and musketeers adopt the same tactics and use them alternately.
"The Ming army on the opposite side is just an army equipped with cold weapons. Rush up and shoot them to death..."
There was nothing wrong with Huggins's arrangement, but the problem was that he underestimated the Ming army's fighting style. When he led the army to the rhythm of the bugle, he slowly advanced until he entered the range of the Dutch muskets.
The muskets currently equipped by the Dutch generally use "Blunderbuss" to refer to the main firearms used by the Dutch army in that era. The word origin comes from "donderbuis", which represents the medieval Dutch words "Donder and Buss", which means "thunder and tube". ”, also known as the “Dutch Fire Gun” in later generations.
They have two models, one is light and the other is heavy. The light gun has a caliber of about 15mm and a total weight of ten pounds. The heavy musket weighs more than 18 pounds and has a caliber of 17.8mm-23mm. It is worth mentioning that the current weapons of the Dutch army are not standardized.
To be fair, the power of this Dutch firegun is quite good. The light matchlock gun fires lead bullets weighing 14g, while the heavy matchlock gun fires lead bullets of more than 56g. The heavy musket could penetrate armor at a distance of 100 yards and kill a man or horse at a distance of 500 yards.
However, the problem is that there is a fatal weakness that cannot be solved, that is, the barrel has no rifling and the accuracy is very poor. Generally speaking, muskets in the hands of the Dutch are not used as precision weapons of destruction, but only cover, like bows and arrows, the general direction. That’s fine.
But the problem is that when the Dutch army musketeers came to the port, the first thing they saw was rows of defense lines built with sandbags. The sandbag walls were about three feet high. Once they took a lying position, they couldn't see them at all. Target.
"Your Majesty Colonel, how should we fight now?"
"keep going!"
"yes!"
The Dutch soldiers resolutely carried out Huggins' order, but the problem was that at this moment, heads were quietly exposed on the sandbags, and Ning Haijun's crossbows at Tiaodang Camp were already cocked and aimed at the attacking Dutch soldiers.
"Fire the arrow!"
"咻咻咻咻..."
A metallic trembling sound made the air tremble, and a row of crossbow arrows turned into little cold stars by the wind and shot out!
After shooting, Navy soldier Ning handed the crossbow back, took the strung-up crossbow from the soldiers in the second row, took a brief aim, and pulled the trigger again.
When the dense sound of breaking through the air sounded, the Dutch subconsciously raised their muskets, but their professional army was not like pirates. When pirates saw the target, they instinctively attacked with all weapons that could be fired.
But the professional army is a disciplined force that executes orders.
"Fire!"
This was really unfair. The Ning Navy soldiers were lying behind the sandbags. In order to ensure that they would not be shot in the head by muskets, the sandbags were placed with small holes for shooting. This small hole is not big, only one foot square.
The hit accuracy of the flintlock rifle was so poor that it made people cry. It was extremely difficult to hit the person behind the sandbag. However, the Dutch soldiers had no cover and became a living target for Ning Haijun, who was knocked down one after another.
Huggins was very angry and roared at Ning Haijun: "You are still not knights. Come out and fight bravely..."
However, what responded to him was rows of crossbow arrows.
In fact, the advantages of weapons and equipment in combat are indeed very effective. The key is to see whether there are effective supporting tactics.
If the officers and soldiers of the Ning Navy were really allowed to directly set up a formation at the port and face this kind of volley fire from the Dutch musketeers, the Ning Navy would definitely suffer heavy losses.
Located about five hundred meters from the front line, Li Weiluan was observing the battle ahead with a telescope. After a quarter of an hour of fighting, more than a thousand Dutch soldiers retreated voluntarily.
In this battle, only nine Ning navy soldiers were hit by stray bullets, while the attacking Dutch soldiers suffered more than 300 casualties.
As Brewer, the Governor of the Dutch East India, scolded Huggins as a waste, more than 1,500 elite Dutch soldiers suffered heavy casualties and were unable to escape even half a step!
A commander of the Dutch East India Army saw this scene and said: "Your Excellency Governor, we have to admit that the tactics of the Ming army are highly targeted to the tactics of our Dutch musketeers. Even if our entire army is pressed against , I’m afraid the result will still be the same!”
"Now what?"
"Let those natives come up!"
Of course, this native was not an armed member of an indigenous tribe, but an indigenous colonial army trained by the Dutch, with a total of twenty-six regiments of more than 40,000 people.
If Batavia was not short of food, and if Batavia was like the Ming Dynasty, with low food production and severe natural disasters, the Dutch East India Company would not be able to feed so many colonial troops.
It is a common practice for colonial powers to hire native soldiers as colonial troops, just like the British conquest of India. When the British East India Company launched the Battle of Plassey to conquer India on June 23, 1757, the East India Company The British army he led only had 900 people, and there were also 2,000 mercenaries. These mercenaries were recruited locally in India. In the end, it was with these 2,900 troops that the British won the Battle of Plassey and started the process of colonizing India.
Although the British troops stationed in India have greatly increased, they are basically mercenaries recruited locally, including Gurkha cavalry, Punjab cavalry, Sikh cavalry, Bengal light cavalry, Bengal infantry, etc. It was through Indians that Britain conquered the entire India, making India a British colony for more than two hundred years.
In order to prove that the Dutch army was indeed stronger than the colonial army, the Dutch Governor of East India dispatched eight regiments, nearly one-third of the strength.
In Brewer's opinion, more than 10,000 fierce native colonial troops should be able to retake the Batavia port.
However, mobilizing colonial troops took time.
Brewer's back was sweating a lot now, and an indigenous girl servant came over silently holding a plate with whiskey and a bottle of soda water on it. Covered with a towel, there is an ice bucket.
"Want some, General?"
"Your Excellency Governor, you don't have to worry, everything will eventually return to balance. This is also for the long-term stability of His Majesty the King's territory."
"I was thinking about how to write a report to His Majesty the King!"
The current King of the Netherlands is the son of the former founding father and the younger brother of Maurice of Nassau. Maurice of Nassau was a Dutch military reformer who developed military strategy, tactics and military engineering, making the Dutch army the most modern in Europe at the time. army.
One thing he has a striking similarity with Emperor Apocalypse is that he had no sons and passed the throne to his younger brother, Frederick Henry, now King of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Unlike the Apocalypse Emperor, Maurice of Nassau was lucky enough to have his younger brother, Frederick Henry, receive military training in Maurice's army at a young age. He had outstanding military talents and made great contributions to the Netherlands in the decisive struggle against Spain. In 1625, he began to lead the entire army of the United Provinces in the Thirty Years' War.
The Dutch army successively captured the Spanish-ruled cities of Geronlo (1627), 's-Hertogenbosch (1629), and Maastricht (1632), forcing the Spanish Empire to recognize the independent status of the Netherlands.
It is precisely because of the nature of the king that the Netherlands prioritizes military affairs. If it cannot fight, it will not work no matter how much money a governor can make.
It can be said that Brewer, the governor of the Dutch East India, decided to test Cheng Shijie in order to vote for the king's preference. The principle he considered the problem was military interests, that is, the Spanish Empire promised them that they could hand over the ownership of senior officials. , once a "military" victory is achieved in terms of senior officials, the governor can be transferred back to the country after his term expires.
It's just a pity that Brewer kicked the iron plate.
Brewer sighed and took a sip of whiskey: "I just didn't expect that the Duke, who was born as a commoner, would react so violently. I really don't know what he was thinking? In any case, I do I bear all the consequences of your decision. General, please remember that no matter what, you must not let those Chinese be harmed by the natives! I just hope they will leave with their tail between their legs!"
Unconsciously at this time, Brewer was really scared.
But the problem is that the Chinese now arrived with the Ning Navy and fought with the Dutch in Batavia, seizing the fort immediately and repelling the Dutch attack.
This made the Chinese in Batavia also have strange thoughts.
Located in a luxurious mansion in Batavia City.
"Dad, let's go?"
A young man urged an old Chinese man anxiously: "Now that the officers and soldiers are fighting with the Dutch, there is no guarantee that the Dutch will not deal with us..."
"No, no!"
The old Chinese man was Li Sixi, a famous tung oil merchant in Batavia. Li Sixi said: "Let's see, for how many years, no army from the imperial court has been here. Could it be that the imperial court is preparing to explore Southeast Asia?"
"Oh, my dad, what are you thinking? We received a letter from my cousin last year. He said that taxes were heavy again, food was not harvested, and the army had not been paid for thirteen months. Those soldiers were worse than bandits. Still cruel!"
"Pack up and prepare a generous gift. I'm going to meet the high officials of the court!"
Li Sixi had learned about the Luzon Incident more than two months ago, and also knew that Luzon had established the executive committee of Ning Haijun, and Wu Shangzhi and Li Guoqun had become members of the executive committee of the fifth rank, one in charge of business and the other in charge. Responsible for diplomacy.
Li Sixi and Li Guoqun can also be considered the same family. Of course, they had the same surname five hundred years ago.
Li Sixi also wanted to take a risk, but he had no channel to contact Ning Haijun. Now was an opportunity.
Of course, there are also huge risks, which means big risks and high incomes.
Just like the line in "Hurry Up", the bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish.
Li Sixi's logic is very clear, because a fight on the court's side can only have two outcomes. If the Dutch win, then they will be slaughtered. If the court wins, they can gain greater power and benefits.
At first, the Chinese representatives only tentatively went to the West Port of Batavia, but seeing that the Dutch soldiers blocking them showed no intention of stopping them, these Chinese representatives became more and more bold.
They all headed to the West Port area of Batavia. By midday, seven or eight hundred people had arrived. These people either brought money, grain, cloth, wine, or meat.
Li Weiluan looked at the mountains of gifts and finally understood why Cheng Shijie wanted to fight Batavia because these Chinese were too rich.
According to incomplete statistics, he received a total of 600 boxes of silver ingots, 3,000 taels per box, as much as 180 taels of silver. If cloth, silk, meat and other property are included, the value of these materials is as high as 2 to 3 million. Two silver coins, this was donated by the Chinese on their own initiative.
At this time, the soldiers in Tiaodang Camp were also very happy. After eating canned food for more than a month, they could finally eat fresh meat and fruits.
The second battle of Batavia began the next morning.
When more than 10,000 colonial troops from eight regiments rushed to the port in a mighty manner, Li Weiluan suddenly discovered that these colonial troops only had a few muskets, most of them held scimitars, and only a thin military uniform. There is no need for passive defense at all, and Batavia can be in awe.
"Everyone has it, attack!"
The Tiaodang Battalion was a heavily armed unit. When all the heavy infantrymen put down their visors, shouldered their swords and strode into a row, they crossed the sandbag defense line and crashed into the surging Dutch colonial army.
The Dutch colonial army also had archers and musketeers, but they were unable to line up in a neat formation like the well-trained Dutch. With more than a hundred steps away, the colonial army began to fire arrows or shoot.
The hoplites were all wrapped in thick iron armor, and the thickness of the breastplate, shoulder armor, and shin armor was even more astonishing. When the arrows were shot, they bounced away with a clang. When the muskets were fired, because the distance was too far, the armor-breaking ability was limited. It's not strong, but the musket bullets hit the Tiaodang Camp's armor like a hammer, causing the Tiaodang Camp soldiers to gasp!
"Draw out the sword and kill!"
Following the short command, more than a thousand Mo Dao soldiers in the front row raised their Mo Dao in unison, and slashed away at the Dutch colonial soldiers.
At the same time, the heavy swords and spears in the hands of the Dutch colonial army were also handed over to these heavy infantry!
The Mo Dao was blown down by the strong wind, and there was a shower of blood immediately. The colonial army was not equipped with armor, so the heavy and sharp Mo Dao easily cut and split their bodies. Faced with such a violent attack, the fierce colonial army was almost completely There was no way to fight back, hundreds or even thousands of people were knocked over one after another.
Brewer, who was watching the game in Donggang, shivered involuntarily when he saw this scene.
The fierce swords of the colonial army and the Ming army chopped them down like chickens and dogs, turning them into broken corpses. However, the heavy swords they slashed at the Ming army's heavy infantry and the spears they stabbed at the Ming army were... Without exception, they were bounced away by the Ming army's armor, and not a single hair of the Ming army was hurt!
"cut!"
The blood-stained Mo Dao was raised again, and the Dutch colonial army retreated in shock. Facing these invulnerable steel monsters, these Dutch colonial troops were extremely frightened.
But the problem was that they wanted to run away, but the colonial officers who were promised huge profits urged them to come forward. After all, the officers of the Dutch colonial army were all Dutch, and the natives only had to worry about the lowest-ranking officers. Officers above the grassroots level were all the same. Dutch.
This is a common characteristic of any colonial army.
The colonial troops in front wanted to retreat, but behind them were densely packed colonial soldiers. They wanted to retreat. The problem was, where could they retreat if they couldn't fly?
The Mo knife was chopped down mercilessly, and the blood of the colonial army was splashed everywhere. Whether they were ordinary indigenous soldiers or white officers, they were all chopped down without distinction. The heavy infantry stepped on their still twitching corpses and moved toward the colonial army. A slow but unstoppable advance.
"kill!"
The soldiers in the Tiaodang Camp were shouting in unison, and Mo Dao was waving, pressing up like a wall. Every colonial soldier standing in front of them found in despair that the weapons in their hands were useless against Ning Haijun. Nothing works.
"ah……"
The screams were heartbreaking, and groups of fierce colonial soldiers covered their wounds with blood spurting out, and fell down with twisted faces. The Mo Dao was too long, and they didn't even have swords or other weapons. When handed to the Ming army, the Ming army's sword chopped their bodies into pieces like melons and vegetables.
The heavy-armed Mo Dao soldiers' slashing movements are simple and sharp, like windmills. The Mo Dao of the first row of Mo Dao soldiers falls, the Mo Dao of the second row rises, the Mo Dao of the second row falls, and the Mo Dao of the third row rises. As long as the sword is drawn, it will be cut in two. There will be absolutely no accidents. Some of these colonial soldiers could not even scream and fell down like cut wheat.
The colonial troops were chopped into pieces in rows, and the battle was almost one-sided!
Brewer was also a governor who came from the military system. He was completely dumbfounded. He had experienced hundreds of battles. In his military career, such one-sided battles were not uncommon, but they were all Spanish and indigenous troops. He never dreamed that the colonial army trained by the Dutch would be considered an elite force even on the European battlefield, far stronger than the farmers who were temporarily recruited, but they had no chance to resist.
The Chinese representatives who were watching the battle shouted and cheered: "Well done!"
At the port of Batavia, after the colonial army was killed in pieces, the entire army finally retreated. Not to mention, these thin indigenous colonial soldiers were as agile as monkeys and ran very fast.
The soldiers of the Tiaodang Battalion in heavy armor really couldn't catch up with them. The screams gradually stopped, and the Chinese people jumped over the Dutch army's defense line and rushed towards the West Port of Batavia unscrupulously.
Ning Navy officers began to clean the battlefield.
Brewer looked at this scene and was stunned. From the beginning to the end of the war, in only half an hour, more than six to seven thousand colonial troops were killed, and there were almost no wounded soldiers. Those wounded soldiers were all caused by running or killing each other. of.
Brewer had heard more than once that Ning's navy was powerful in land combat. Of course, this was only in Zheng Zhilong's opinion. In fact, when the Dutch fought Zheng Zhilong, the army won and the navy was defeated.
Brewer sighed and said: "I now know why the Spanish army was vulnerable in front of them..."
In Brewer's impression, the Spanish army has the world's best army and the world's best navy. After the reforms of Morris in Nassau, the Netherlands, the Dutch can defeat the Spanish on land. Of course, their victory is not easy. .
But the problem is that when the Ning Navy and Army fought against the Dutch Army, they won very easily.
No wonder...
The heavy infantry of the Ning Navy can defeat the Dutch Army, then they are the best army in the world?
But there is no doubt that the Dutch East India colonial army, including the Dutch army, had no chance to recapture the Batavia port.
"Gentlemen, God is merciful. In order to avoid unnecessary sacrifices, I have decided to restart negotiations with the Ming Dynasty. What do you think?"
Brewer's logic is that there is no shame in being defeated by the world's largest army. If the king wants to deal with him, then let him deal with it. He would rather go to jail than fight with Ning Haijun.
(End of chapter)
