The firepower poured out by Zheng Yiguan's fleet was somewhat beyond Jansen's expectations. He had previously thought that Zheng's warships were not equipped with too many heavy artillery. It was estimated that they would be mainly small artillery, with no more than two hundred heavy artillery pieces. 3≠eight 3≠eight 3≠read 3≠book,.↗.o●
However, judging from the actual combat situation, the number of heavy artillery possessed by the Zheng Army is estimated to be more than 300, and may even be as many as 400. This has caused a sudden increase in the defensive pressure faced by the defenders of Relanze Castle.
Under the continuous bombardment of heavy artillery, even if the castle is very strong and will remain unmoved after being bombarded for a month, the soldiers inside are made of flesh and blood. A light cannonball can decapitate a group of soldiers. .
If two companies are lost in a night of fierce fighting, the Castle of Relanja will be lost in less than a week. However, this seems to be the most terrible ending. There are only two chances of a large high tide every month. It is impossible for the Zheng army to come and bombard every day. .
At least they will return to Penghu to replenish the danyao, repair the battleships damaged by the city's fire, and give the sailors adequate rest in a timely manner, so that the fleet can ensure a high combat effectiveness.
But even if the Zheng army fleet evacuates from Taiyuan Bay to Penghu, it will still be a huge threat to the Dutch Taiyuan area. As long as Zheng Yiguan is willing, this large fleet can come to bombard Taiyuan Island at any time.
Everything depends on the wishes of the newly promoted Earl. We currently only have the qualifications to accept it, nothing more. If you don't want to, you can walk out of the castle, run to the water's edge, and yell at Zheng Jun's fleet...
"It should be soon!"
There are three hope or life-saving straws that Berg can rely on. First of all, naturally, it is the defenders in the city and the seemingly indestructible Castle of Geranje, which is the life-saving straw that has been grasped at the moment.
Secondly, there is the storm that only appears after repeated calls. This is the life-saving straw that is coming. Finally, there are the reinforcements that are more than 3,000 kilometers away. They are life-saving straws that are out of reach and will be futures for a long time in the future.
The current straw seems to be a little unable to withstand Zheng Yiguan's pirate fleet, and it is likely to break and bury himself in the abyss, so Bolger also pinned his hopes on the coming storm.
If the storm can come as soon as possible, preferably within the last three days, it can severely damage the enemy fleet. Even if it only destroys one-third or even one-fourth of the warships, that bastard Zheng Yiguan will lead his The pirate fleet returned to Kinmen for some time to repair.
If it were any later, for example, when we arrived at Dazhan ten days later, most of the defenders might have been damaged by enemy naval gunfire. Even if the enemy risked being swept into the sea by the storm, they would continue to attack the Castle of Relanja, and the defenders would The possibility of reversing the situation will be completely lost.
Now even Yang Sen, who had some contempt for Zheng Yiguan's force, had high hopes for the storm. One can imagine how bad the battle situation outside was.
Although they only suffered four shellings and the battle between the two sides lasted only an hour, any experienced commander would understand that his side was far from a match for Zheng's fleet.
The fact that the Zheng Army fleet has not yet sent small boats to carry soldiers ashore and land on Da Yuan Island on a large scale does not mean that they do not have this ability. Perhaps it is just because the unexpected resistance of the castle has not been destroyed by the bombardment.
Within the first twenty-four hours of the war, if one's own defense area is compressed from Geranze Castle to Utrecht Castle on the top of the mountain, then the days to come will be extremely difficult. 】eight】eight】reading books,.@.∞o
Damuan Town, which does not even have a city wall, has not built fortifications and bunkers. The Minzhai buildings alone cannot withstand the attack of Zheng Jun's naval guns. The place is already burning with fire, and the wounded are hiding in the ruins and wailing continuously.
I'm afraid that after sunrise, the place will turn into a huge tomb. Even if the town is not occupied by the enemy, if we continue to send troops to garrison there, we will lose its due defensive value.
Jansen could not let his soldiers block the enemy's advance in a pile of ruins. If the enemy fleet continued to bombard the town, the only remaining defenders would be wiped out.
"...If there are three large castles, one on the island at the end of the northern line, and one on the shore, plus the Castle of Geranze, forming a triangle and relying on each other, maybe we can repel the enemy fleet!"
Jansen believed that the Rewufei Luzhai on the last island of the northern line was built too far north, almost out of the range of the heavy artillery in Relanjia Castle, and was too small to stop the enemy's advance.
If it is built near the Damuan Waterway, it will echo the Relanja Castle, and it will also be able to use cross fire to kill the Zheng Army fleet. But now, the defenders have voluntarily abandoned the desperate situation of Rewu Feilu Village. .
As for the castle on the shore, it is still under planning so far. Based on the current war situation, if it is smaller than the castle of Geranze, it will not be enough to protect itself.
Under a perfect idea, a large castle should be built at the southern end of the northern end of the island, and another one on the eastern shore. A hundred heavy cannons should be deployed in each castle, so that a complete fire blockade of Damuan Bay can be implemented. .
It's just that with such a large-scale project and astonishing investment in weapons, it is difficult for the Batavia Council to agree to it in a short time. It would be quite good to build one of them within ten years.
Now even if the council agrees to the construction, Zheng Yiguan on the sea will not agree. Even if Batavia sends not enough reinforcement warships, that guy can stay here forever.
Perhaps for Zheng Yiguan, it was not a pleasant thing to let tens of thousands of his soldiers fight in hot weather, but for the defenders in the city, this would be a disastrous decision.
When the temperature is higher than 30 degrees, soldiers' wounds will easily become infected and suppurative. That is to say, except for lightly wounded soldiers, moderately and severely wounded soldiers will completely lose their combat effectiveness, and may even become a burden and encumbrance to their own side.
The sultry weather in southern Formosa is so uncomfortable, and it is like this almost all year round. It is no different from Batavia, which is near the equator. Only the sea breeze that comes at night can make people feel a little cooler.
But tonight, there is not only the sea breeze, but also hundreds of hard-to-prevent cannonballs!
"I hope so too, but for now, we still have to rely on this castle. Once the enemy fleet is defeated, I will try my best to apply to the headquarters to build a new castle nearby as soon as possible. Otherwise, we will only rely on this castle to hold on. It’s really too dangerous!”
Berg felt that Jansen's idea was correct at all. The Castle of Geranje was used to rule the natives on the island and symbolized the military strength of the Netherlands and the East India Company. However, if it were to resist Zheng Yiguan's attack, it would at least require Build another one.
If Da Yuan Town is really destroyed by enemy naval gunfire, instead of rebuilding and repairing Min's House, it is better to build a castle on this basis, whether it is built at the southern end of the northern line or on the original site of Da Yuan Town.
The important thing is to echo the Castle of Relanje and be able to share the defensive pressure of the Castle. Otherwise, the strategic value of the reconstruction will be lost, and it will only become the bombardment target of the damn pirate fleet commanded by Zheng Yiguan again.
"That's good. I hope Zheng Yiguan can retreat and negotiate with us again!"
Jansen could only say this. He knew that the defenders no longer had the ability to repel the invading enemy. If the opponent could not retreat on their own, we would have no choice but to let it go.
At this time, there was an extremely noisy sound coming from the outer city, just like a riot. Some soldiers reported that the companies and soldiers retreating from Damuan Town had poured into the outer city.
After being subjected to an unprecedentedly fierce and long-term shelling, these makeshift Min soldiers looked similar to Nan Min. They were all distracted, with dull eyes, tattered clothes, and gray faces. They were the most miserable rabble.
In order to run easily, some people have even thrown away weapons such as guns and spears, and carry a cloth bag with all their money in it. At most, they hold a bishou to protect their lives and prevent their money from being stolen by others. plunder.
Many of them were wounded. They were supported or carried by their companions and managed to reach the inner city. They temporarily saved their lives. Otherwise, if they stayed in the town, the only expected result would be to be terminated by an enemy shell. life.
The wounded who can be evacuated to the castle can still be saved. The seriously wounded who are abandoned there can only be left to fend for themselves. Even if they can be carried here, they can only listen to the final prayers and blessings, nothing more. .
The number of Min soldiers who died under the enemy's shelling was actually not too many. After counting, there were probably less than forty people, but nearly three hundred people were injured. As the wounded poured in, almost The outer city was directly turned into a temporary hospital.
It is indeed troublesome to place these wounded, but it must be done in order not to affect the morale of the defenders. If the Min soldiers are dissatisfied because of this, it will definitely bring a lot of trouble to the subsequent defense work.
The combat effectiveness of min soldiers is not high, and five min soldiers are not as good as one well-trained soldier, but they are still a good supplement. If the casualties of soldiers are too large, min soldiers will be put in the line of fire and used as soldiers.
Both Janssen and Berg understand this truth, so they will not be entangled in this matter. At present, as long as adult men enter the Castle of Geranze, especially those who are not injured, except for clergy, they must take up arms. Responsible for resisting possible landing operations launched by the enemy.
What frightened the defenders the most was that the enemy troops would land after the bombardment and launch an attack on the Castle of Geranze from land. This meant that Zheng Yiguan and his pirate army planned to capture the castle in one fell swoop.
The worried Bolger didn't know whether the defenders and the minions could withstand the attack of this pirate army. The frowning Jansen was also not optimistic about the prospects of the defensive battle. After all, the two sides were not at the same level in terms of military strength and firepower. level.
"Boom boom boom boom..."
At this moment, the Zheng Jun fleet launched the fifth artillery bombardment. This time, they took the lead in showing off their power without waiting for the defenders to fire first.
The reason was that before Jansen went to discuss with Bolger, he told the deputy regimental commander, Major Brian Barber, to delay as much time as possible.
Through careful observation in the past few times, Jansen discovered that Zheng Jun's fleet would always choose to fire after the defenders opened fire, so he decided to use this opportunity to significantly delay the time for the defenders to open fire.
Let’s see if the Zheng army will continue this strategy. If they take the lead in firing, the defenders will not have to worry about being hit by the opponent’s firepower after firing, and they can also win over the minions who have taken refuge in the castle of Relanja. time.
Sure enough, the fifth bombardment by the defenders was a full twenty-five minutes different from the previous one. The Zheng Army fleet at sea really couldn't wait any longer, so they chose to strike preemptively this time.
However, as time went by, the gunners of Zheng's fleet became more and more proficient in such target-style bombardment, and the hit rate of the artillery shells also increased. Almost more than a hundred artillery shells hit the foundation and walls of the Relanja Castle one after another. body.
At the moment when they were hit by the cannonball, the defenders in the castle seemed to feel that the entire Castle of Geranze was being shaken uncontrollably by the huge kinetic energy generated by the cannonball. Everyone was also shocked physically and mentally. The timid people were even in the original state. The ground jumped with fright.
Except for senior officers like Jansen who had experienced the baptism of fire in the European war and some mercenaries from Germany and other regions, most people in the castle had never encountered such a situation, so they were all devastated and frightened.
Even if the cannonball flew over the castle and fell into the open space or even into the sea behind them, it would still be frightening. Ever since they came to Dayuan, they had never imagined that they would encounter such a situation.
If the bombardment continues, it will be easier to go to Da Yuan Town, because everyone has been numbed by the bombardment and will not have any rest time.
The shelling of the Castle of Geranze was intermittent, about once every fifteen minutes. In other words, everyone's nerves could rest for ten minutes, and then suddenly enter a state of extreme tension.
If the cycle continues over and over again, no one will collapse, especially many people who have no watches at all and have no idea when each bombardment will start. Once they suddenly hear that really loud noise, it will be a huge test for the endurance of the heart. .
Bolger felt the same way, but unlike the women and the soldiers, at least there was a clock on his desk, allowing him to calculate the approximate time of the enemy fleet's bombardment, at least to be mentally prepared. of.
If possible, he even wanted to write another letter to Batavia to explain the military strength of Zheng Yiguan's fleet. The castle of Geranze was almost attacked by an entire Eastern Armada.
Their attack on Damuan Island seems not to be shelling, but to dig up the ground. All the shells fired are sowing seeds. Over time, the whole island will bloom with flowers of death!
The commentators at the Batavia headquarters may not believe what happened to the garrison. Only by letting them put themselves in their shoes can they take this war seriously.
"Damn Zheng Yiguan!"
During the bombardment, no matter how angry Bolger was, he could only sit in the corner of the office and keep cursing the hateful pirate leader.
In this way, if the house is destroyed by the shells, the dignified Dutch officials will not be killed alive by the bricks and rubble falling from their heads.
Why didn't my ex encounter such bad luck, but I did happen to it? I couldn't avoid it, and I didn't get the blessing of the goddess of luck. It seems that I prayed too little... 11... Friends who read books, You can search for "Blue Chinese Network" to find this site as soon as possible.
