Under the fierce bombardment of the fleet led by Zheng Zhilong, Damuan Town looked like a giant bonfire that was burning and billowing smoke from a distance. It was simply a blazing battlefield.
This town, which had no fortifications but insisted on fortification, could not withstand the violent bombardment of artillery shells, and eventually turned into a ruin that could no longer allow the defenders to hold on.
Since the main force of the defenders retreated from here, there has been a lifeless scene everywhere. Only the seriously injured guys are dying and groaning. All they get is the despair on the verge of death and the constant falling shells.
Zheng Zhilong planned to bombard the targets on the island in Dayuan Bay for one and a half hours, that is, three hours, and then withdraw from the nearby waterway to the open sea before the tide receded.
So one hour later, according to the prior agreement, the two fleets led by Zheng Zhilong and his brother Zheng Zhifeng completed the turn and continued to bombard their respective targets.
In this way, the artillery on the other side of the ship can be used to avoid using only one side of the artillery, which will overheat the barrel and affect the life of the artillery.
As the first battle, Zhen Haibo also set a small goal based on the battle plan formulated by the prince, which was to destroy Da Yuan Town first and severely damage the defenders stationed here.
After uprooting this stronghold, after the storm passed, they made a comeback from Penghu, landed on Taiyuan Island, captured the Relanja Castle in one fell swoop, and drove the Hongyi out of the Taiyuan area.
Judging from the current battle situation, the shelling is still good, which makes Zheng Zhilong very satisfied, especially when he sees the collapsed houses, burning beams, broken glass, and the faint screams of the defenders. They all have a sense of accomplishment.
Since that guy Bolger is deliberately teasing himself, he will have to bear all the consequences. If this stubborn Hongyi continues to choose to confront Master Wang in the next time, don't blame yourself for being rude. , to bury them completely!
Zheng Zhilong didn't know how much gold and silver jewelry was stored in the Castle of Geranze, but according to his opinion, Bolger had worked here for three years and the treasures he had collected would definitely not be small. Before he left his job, he would not have The treasure is transported away.
Including the East India Company's trade income in Daguang, it is at least one to two million taels of silver, which may even be able to cover the cost of sending troops.
The prince had promised that as long as he could recover the senior officials and drive away the Hongyi, the treasures of these defeated generals would be his own. This condition made Zheng Zhilong very excited.
Uncle Zhenhai's family has a great business and does not lack this small amount of money, but the special properties of the trophies can give him a huge sense of inner satisfaction, enough to brag to others for several years.
After the victory on his side, when the crown prince heard the news, everyone in the court would be cheering, and the eldest son Zheng Sen, who was studying in the capital, would also feel better.
Internally and externally, emotionally and rationally, this business must be done. More importantly, Holland Hongyi is not only extremely stingy, but also wants to continue to play with himself, which Zheng Zhilong absolutely cannot accept.
Although the castle of Relanze was far from defeated and the effect of the bombardment was not ideal, it did not delay Zheng Zhilong from thinking about what would happen after the war.
Zheng Zhilong had already heard about the solid characteristics of Relanze Castle. Judging from the intelligence given by the prince and the actual combat situation, it was indeed the case, otherwise Bolger would not have planned to resist to the end.
Although the fleet commanded by the fourth brother Zheng Zhifeng was engaged in a vigorous battle with rumbling cannons, explosions and fires were heard one after another in and around the target, which almost overwhelmed the defenders and made it difficult to resist.
However, Zheng Zhilong was a general who had experienced hundreds of battles and had unique vision. He was not overjoyed. He felt that he could conquer the city in one battle. Observing from the telescope, he found that the defenders were still firing back at the fleet on the sea.
This means that after bombarding for more than half an hour, Fourth Brother's fleet still has not destroyed the battlement, and has not even been able to achieve its goal of killing all the Red Yi soldiers here.
In general, after being reminded by the soldiers around him who were responsible for counting the number of shellings, Zheng Zhilong felt that after six shellings, the firepower on the Relanja Castle was still at a relatively strong level.
Hongyi's bastion was indeed unique. The Ming Dynasty's horse-faced fortress would probably have been destroyed by the heavy artillery attack of the huge fleet.
On the other hand, Hongyi's Bastion not only did not collapse, but was able to launch counterattacks from time to time, hitting its own warships repeatedly, and did not intend to sit still and wait for death.
"Instructions from my general are to fire the fleet's cannon twice more. After salvaging the fallen soldiers, all crew members will return to Penghu. There must be no mistake!"
Zheng Zhilong felt that even if the bombardment lasted until dawn, he might not get any unexpected surprise, so he decided to withdraw his troops in advance after destroying Dayuan Town.
Since the prince had provided a set of tactics that would get twice the result with half the effort, there was no need to mobilize troops and let the entire fleet waste ammunition. Hongyi would not have thought that he had mastered the secret technique to capture the castle.
Tonight is just to say hello to Bolger and the red barbarian defenders of Da Yuan. The razing of Da Yuan Town is a welcome gift to Bolg.
As long as this guy still resists, more and more greeting gifts will be given to him in the future. With the support of the Crown Prince, Zheng Zhilong has full confidence in regaining the top officials.
Reinforcements were still seven thousand miles away, and the Hongyi people on the island couldn't stand still. Zheng Zhilong wanted to see how they could hold on for three months.
When he led the land division to attack Hongyi for the second time, it would be more than just a few shellings. In view of Bolger's arrogance and arrogance, Zheng Zhilong would never stop there.
Starting tonight, Zhen Haibo also agreed with the surrender standard set by the prince, that is, Hongyi could only surrender unconditionally, and any conditional surrender would be regarded as an act of stubborn resistance.
After this battle, together with their weapons and ammunition, the Hongyi's treasures and castle will be kept, and sending them safely back to Batavia will be regarded as the most benevolent and righteous act.
Due to what they had done before, it was no longer possible for Zheng Zhilong to give all the preferential treatment to these guys who would soon become prisoners.
The Crown Prince said that when Hongyi’s merchant ships come, as long as the merchants engage in legal trade, everyone in the Ming Dynasty will welcome them and provide them with the help and guidance they can.
If Hongyi's warships come, they will only be greeted by big guns, and they have only two choices.
Or die on land and be eaten by dogs!
Or die in the ocean and be eaten by fish!
No country in the West would blindly choose to cross the ocean and go to war with the Ming Empire, which had hundreds of millions of people and thousands of warships.
Although the empire is still facing threats from the north, as long as it is not destroyed, it will remain standing and will not bow to the barbarians.
Even the extremely wealthy East India Company could not afford such huge military expenditures. The prince had calculated this and allowed Zheng Zhilong to regain his high rank.
Zheng Zhilong's naval base was in Fujian, and after losing the outpost of Dajuan, the Dutch East India Company had to move troops from Batavia.
Calculated from the distance, the East India Company's military expenditure will be more than three times that of Zhenhaibo, and it will require a long expedition, and the outcome is unpredictable.
If we just fight at home, even if the East India Company deploys all its troops, the Zheng family, who has the right time, the right location, the right people, and the support of the imperial court, will not be afraid.
Zheng Zhilong's current attack on the leader is to make Bolger and the East India Company understand that you can roam freely in the western seas, but in the east, he is the master of this sea.
On the ocean, Zheng Zhilong can do whatever he wants without looking at other people's eyes. If Hongyi can't accept it, then go back to Batavia. No one invites you.
"Hmm... sound the gong! Send my order to the general! Withdraw your troops and retreat to Penghu!"
Zheng Zhifeng received the order from his brother, and even if he was unwilling to do so, he had to obey the order. Looking at the burning and smoking Relanja Castle from a distance, he angrily issued the military order.
Maybe a few dozen more ejaculations would bring about a turning point, but even he couldn't say for sure. This Hongyi's castle was as solid as a stone. Even if they fought hard like this, even after an hour of fierce fighting, they would achieve very little.
Looking through the telescope at the Castle of Relanze, you can see that even though the battlements are somewhat damaged, many of the virgin walls have been blown down, exposing the terraces inside, and you can even see red barbarian soldiers loading large muskets.
However, the other side can still launch a counterattack against its own fleet. So far, it has damaged more than ten warships, two of which have capsized and cannot be rescued, and can only be allowed to sink into the bay.
This gave Zheng Zhifeng a sense of frustration that he had failed to achieve anything. The Castle of Relanzha, which had been bombarded, was not in good condition, but he had lost two large ships, and he felt a little depressed and angry.
When the entire fleet retreats, there is no need to go through the Lu'er Gate. They can retreat through the Dayuan Waterway. No matter how angry the Hongyi defenders are, they can't do anything to the Zheng Jun fleet.
"Sir, the enemy fleet has been repulsed!"
The messenger deliberately used the word "repulse" instead of "retreat" to show the heroic performance of the defenders who outnumbered the enemy and finally defeated the strong with the weak.
"……real?"
Bolger's eyes widened and he couldn't believe what he heard. Logically speaking, it would still be some time before the tide ebbs. How could the enemy fleet retreat early? Isn't this logical?
"It's absolutely true! Your Excellency, the enemy fleet has retreated north through the Taiyuan Channel. Now there is no enemy ship in the bay!"
Even the defenders couldn't believe this. The huge enemy fleet actually retreated on its own initiative. Perhaps they thought that it was really difficult to force the defenders to surrender by shelling the Castle of Geranze.
"……I gonna go see!"
Burg's doubts instantly turned into joy. He had previously thought that the castle was in danger and would be captured after the enemy troops landed. Unexpectedly, the enemy troops actually retreated. God bless me.
Looking from the top of the castle, except for a few wooden boards that were still burning, the bay had become as peaceful and silent as usual. At this time, the sky was already bright, which meant that the extremely torturous night was over.
"Vincent, this is great!"
When Bolger saw Colonel Jansen, whose face was blackened by gunpowder smoke and looked a little tired, he happily shared the good news of victory with his colleague, although the other party had already known it.
"It's pretty good!"
Jan Sen's tense nerves could finally relax. Changshu took a breath and reluctantly agreed. He was here to direct his subordinates to fight, but it was much more difficult and dangerous than Bolger hiding in the room.
"...Is something wrong?"
Berg, who was good at observing words and expressions, seemed to feel that the other party was not sincere in what he said, so he asked a question.
"I always feel that the enemy retreats for a reason!"
Out of a soldier's instinct, Jansen believed that Zheng Yiguan's fleet did not choose to retreat because of the stubborn resistance of the defenders.
"Don't we have to retreat before the tide goes out?"
Berg attributed the enemy's retreat to the tide, which is reasonable. Otherwise, after the tide receded, it would have been difficult for so many large enemy warships to retreat from the deep Daguang Channel.
"...Maybe so!"
Jansen was unwilling to delve deeper into the reason. Like all his men, he just wanted to have a full meal and then have a good sleep, preferably to forget everything that happened tonight.
"Reporting to Mr. Colonel, thirty-one of our troops were killed and ninety-five were injured, including twenty-six who were seriously injured!"
It would be difficult for the seriously wounded to recover, and many would die from their injuries, which meant that a company of soldiers was directly lost, and another company was completely disabled.
Although there are still nearly eighteen companies that can be put into battle, Jansen feels that with five or six more shelling operations similar to tonight's, Zheng Jun can force the defenders to surrender.
Because at the end of the battle, even if the defenders still refuse to give in, the number of wounded in the castle will increase day by day, and eventually the number will be too much for one's side to bear, and they will have to surrender.
"Yes! I understand. Treat all the wounded in time, transport the corpses to open areas for burial, and prevent the plague from spreading in the city. Let the soldiers, women, and children go see what else can be used in the town and collect it all. If you can't Let the enemy get it easily!"
So many people cannot stay in the castle. Not to mention the daily food consumption, even the by-products of eating food will make the defenders unconscious.
The castle can provide everyone with three meals a day, but if you want to stay, you have to find a place by yourself, otherwise there will be no place for hundreds of wounded people to lie down.
"Vincent, when do you think the enemy will come again?"
Bolger would not be naive enough to think that Zheng Yiguan came just once and was shocked by the tenacity of the defenders and the strength of the castle. He would definitely choose another time to attack the senior officials again.
"It's impossible to estimate accurately unless the information can be purchased at a high price!"
This is not Colonel Jansen's specialty. Instead of guessing in the castle, it would be more pragmatic to directly exchange real money for intelligence from Zheng Jun's top brass.
If you can't even defend the Castle of Geranze, what's the use of keeping all the silver in the castle? In the end, it will all fall into Zheng Yiguan's hands.
"Okay, as long as someone is willing to provide high-value information, I am willing to spend one hundred thousand taels of silver to buy it! By the way, all officers and soldiers will be given three times their daily salary. This is a well-deserved reward!"
If he could really get inside information about the enemy's attack, Bolger would also think that the money would be well spent and he would not care too much about the silver in his hand.
Zheng Yiguan had disgraced him so much that he almost fell to the castle of Relanze. As long as he could defend himself in advance, he would accept the money to buy information.
Moreover, this battle proved that Jansen's men were indeed well-trained, brave and good at fighting. Burgjean felt that they were still reliable, and it was very reasonable to offer three times the salary.
Since we were able to repel Zheng Yiguan's pirate fleet the first time, we should be able to succeed the second time, and there will be the coming storm to help.
etc……
"Are they taking shelter from the storm?"
Bolger suddenly spoke out the thoughts in his mind, as if even he couldn't believe it.
"It is indeed possible!"
Yang Sen looked up at the weather and felt that the other party's bold guess was one of the possibilities.
On the battlefield, commanders should consider all possibilities instead of relying on subjective assumptions.
