1850 American Gold Baron

Chapter 396 The position belongs to the Dutch, but your life is your own

Although the naval battle is over, there is still a strong smell of blood in the air that makes people uncomfortable.

In the cabin of the Audacity, by the light of a kerosene lamp, Fremont polished a manuscript entitled The Dutch East India Fleet fled in panic and our California Fleet achieved an initial victory.

Liang Yao's right arm was injured and it was inconvenient for him to write. He could only write the article by dictating it himself and having Fremont ghostwrite it.

"Did we really win?" Fremont always felt that this article was a bit self-deceiving.

"From the results point of view, we won, but from the process point of view, we lost." Liang Yao said.

It was the Dutch who were the first to withdraw from the battlefield. This article also stated the facts. It just brushed off the losses and emphasized their achievements.

The goal of this battle is to seize control of the sea and prepare for tomorrow's landing operation.

Their goal was indeed achieved, temporarily driving the Dutch out of the Java Sea and gaining a valuable landing window for the army.

The most important thing for California right now is confidence. He must play up an exciting victory and recruit some modified armed civilian ships and sailors as a backup force.

Although the Dutch ships temporarily fled back to Batavia, the Dutch East Indies Fleet still has strength. As long as the ships are repaired and the personnel are replenished, the Dutch East Indies Fleet can still regain its combat effectiveness.

This naval battle for control of the Java Sea and the South China Sea is not over. There is still another battle between Liang Yao and the Dutch. He must prepare early.

What Liang Yao is most worried about now is that the Dutch fleet will come to support the Dutch East India Fleet.

If the Dutch mainland fleet and the East India fleet join forces by then, the problem will be difficult.

There was not much time left for Liang Yao. He had to establish a foothold in Borneo during the period when the Dutch temporarily lost control of the sea, achieve the greatest results as quickly as possible, and force the Dutch to the negotiating table as soon as possible.

"Hopefully California can afford these losses," Fremont sighed.

"If California can't afford this loss, we don't deserve to get Borneo." Liang Yao said.

The next day, Hong Mingxiang's Tibiao Battalion and two battalions of the California Infantry Regiment stood ready, waiting for the landing when the tide rose.

Pontianak is not a coastal city, but is located downstream of the Kapuas River.

There is still a distance of 20 kilometers from the coast to Pontianak.

The defenders of Pontianak have deployed artillery on both sides of the Kapuas River, scuttling merchant ships and blocking the river entering Pontianak Port, preventing Liang Yao's army from using the river to invade Pontianak City.

Liang Yao could only choose to land on a nearby beach, then break through the blockade of the Pontianak defenders and advance towards the Pontianak port and city.

In Pontianak at this time, Ye Tenghui, the former chief producer of Lanfang Company, ordered his 180 cronies to change into the uniforms of Umbrella Company, carry umbrella flags, and lead 70 Elvis crew members with guns and cannons.

, rushed towards the Pontianak port with great momentum.

They planned to take down the forts at the port as planned to hold down the Pontianak defenders and reduce the pressure on the landing troops.

Before departure, Ye Tenghui had asked his confidants to spread the news in the city that the Californians had invaded Pontianak.

For a moment, the defenders of Pontianak were panicked.

Local residents either fled into the mountains to escape the fighting, or hid in their homes.

Elvis set up three 6-pound infantry guns and launched a bombardment on the Pontianak Port fort.

Responsible for guarding the Pontianak Port fort is a white infantry company of the Royal Dutch East India Army and half a green battalion armed by the Lanfang Company, with more than 200 troops.

The sudden shelling caught the defenders on the fort off guard, causing them to scurry around like headless flies.

Did the Californian army break into Pontianak so quickly?

"The captain was killed! The captain was killed!"

Before the defenders on the port fort could react, bad news came that the captain had been killed.

The captain was killed, and the lieutenant returned to Batavia for vacation a week ago.

Second Lieutenant Carlito suddenly became the supreme commander of the fort garrison, but Carlito was not happy at all.

Suddenly, a hail of metal bullets fired from the enemy's position came crashing down on them, suppressing the Dutch defenders on the port fort so much that they could not raise their heads.

As for the Chinese guarding the port forts with them, there is no hope that they still have flintlock guns or even matchlock guns from a century or two ago.

The opponent's gunfire was very dense. This was the firepower that only a regiment of infantry could unleash!

The rate of fire of the Walter M1851 rifle was very fast, and the 250 guns fired a regiment of firepower, which made the defenders on the Pontianak Port fort mistakenly think that the opponent had a regiment of troops attacking.

We are surrounded by an enemy regiment!

As for where this enemy regiment came from, the defenders on the Pontianak Fort had no time to think about it, nor did they want to think about it.

Lieutenant Carlito was convinced that he was surrounded by an enemy regiment.

He didn't even have the courage to defend against danger. He just ordered the armed forces of Lanfang Company to stay to stop the enemy, while he hurriedly returned to the city with a company of white soldiers, under the pretense of calling for reinforcements.

Naturally, the Chinese soldiers of Lanfang Company also didn’t do it. There were a thousand soldiers in one regiment!

Let them fight with a regiment of Californian soldiers with the fire sticks in their hands? Isn't this a suicide?

The garrison of Pontianak has a complex composition and distinct levels.

The best ones are undoubtedly the Dutch soldiers, followed by other European soldiers, and then the indigenous soldiers, mainly Javanese.

The Chinese soldiers of Lanfang Company were at the bottom and were discriminated against and exploited.

Not to mention the Dutch, even the Javanese can bully them.

They were often bullied by white officers and soldiers, and naturally they had no intention of sacrificing themselves for the Dutch.

The fort position belongs to the Dutch, but your life is yours.

As soon as the Dutch left, the soldiers from Lanfang Company immediately greased their soles and followed the Dutch back into the city.

In less than fifteen minutes, the fort at Pontianak Pier was empty.

Even Elvis was so surprised that he just withdrew?

Ye Tenghui also felt that there was a fraud in this. For the sake of caution and insurance, Ye Tenghui sent a few cronies to spy on the fort. After confirming that the fort had been abandoned by the Pontianak defenders, Ye Tenghui and Elvis

Captured the fort at Pontianak port.

"Damn it, these red-haired ghosts and traitors ran away so fast, leaving no one behind."

Ye Tenghui held a Colt revolver in his hand and cursed.

Except for 16 corpses, not a single living person was left on the fort in Pontianak Port.

Elvis lowered the red, white and blue flag of the Dutch and raised the umbrella flag of the Umbrella Company, officially announcing that the Californian armed forces had occupied the fort in Pontianak Harbor.

(End of chapter)