New Shun 1730

After the Guiyi Army attacked and purged the most prestigious brothers among the slave workers in the sugar factory such as Huang Ban, the Guiyi Army was actually recruited, and the core decision-makers were actually people sent by the imperial court.

Some people were taught by Liu Yu single-handedly, and even if some were not taught by Liu Yu, they had heard some rumors from their seniors.

Their awe and trust in Liu Yu is a very mysterious state.

No one thinks that Liu Yu is a famous general like Chen Qingzhi, who can defeat eight thousand and one hundred thousand, and is invincible across thousands of miles; nor is he like a champion who has never learned to fight and doesn't take Sun Tzu's art of war seriously, but he has a genius A sense of smell.

Their awe and trust in Liu Yu is as follows: Marquis Jing believes that he does not have the ability to break a hundred thousand with eight thousand, so he will definitely not fight this battle, but will sneak back to train troops, build cannons, make money, and recruit troops; Once the Whale Lord decides to go to war, you don't care how many soldiers the Whale Lord brings, even if it is a thousand, he will definitely win.

As for the level of fighting, many people think after reading it, it is just that: after the artillery bombards the cavalry, they charge, and after the cavalry charges, they force the opponent's infantry to follow up and fire to break the formation. The local advantage can be used to break the surface, and it can cause a lot of damage on the battlefield. A situation of more fighting and less fighting.

But even though he thought that was all, he strangely always believed that as long as Liu Yu decided to fight, he would definitely win.

If you can't win, don't fight. As long as you can win, you will definitely win. This seems to be nonsense, but it is a label like a symbol of faith placed on Liu Yu by the military.

Including naval battles that Liu Yu had never actually commanded, he also had this kind of trust. If you dare to send troops, the Dutch fleet will definitely be destroyed.

With this strange trust, the decision-makers of the Guiyi Army unanimously agreed with Niu Er's opinion and felt that all subsequent plans must be based on the imperial navy's victory and complete control of the sea.

Based on this premise, Niu Er's idea couldn't be more correct.

At this time, Niu Er did not have to worry about the shelling of the Dutch fleet. He stood at the highest point of the bastion, pointed at the Dutch artillery position in the distance and said: "Let the brothers try to charge a wave. Make a show of trying to stick to the Dutch." situation.”

"The Dutch will definitely be worried that they will be stuck by us, worried that they will be annihilated here, and worried that Batavia will be empty. So we have made a posture to stick to them, and they should abandon their artillery and gather their infantry. Run away."

"First seize their cannons, and then send someone to send a message to the brothers who are waiting for an ambush over there, and prepare to do something big. The Dutch are in a panic. Once they are ambushed or intercepted, they will probably break up. Once they break up, , We must rush forward and chase them all the way to the city of Batavia.”

"If we can take advantage of the chaos and enter the city, it will be an incredible feat. This place is considered a Western capital, and our Guiyi Army can be considered the first team in the history of the Chinese Empire to capture a Western capital."

"Even if they could not take advantage of the chaos to enter the city and prevent the remnants of the Dutch army from gathering, it would still be a great achievement to leave the city of Batavia empty."

His sense of battlefield was very sensitive and he accurately grasped the mentality of the Dutch at this time. Afraid of being stuck.

In fact, Niu Er was both dissatisfied and pleased that the Dutch besieged the city instead of attacking it. .

If the Dutch choose to fight hand-to-hand in trenches to push forward, once the imperial navy arrives, they won't need the thousands of men ambushed on the road back to Batavia. With these men in their own hands, they can completely defeat the Dutch. .

After the siege's troops are deployed, it is the most vulnerable time. Once deployed, being flanked or being attacked by reinforcements would be a devastating failure.

This is dissatisfaction.

The Dutch commander was very careful and did not fully deploy his troops, but adopted a siege method.

Although this prevents Niu Er from relying on the people in his hands to achieve a big victory of 800 to 2000, so that he can brag about it in the future.

But Niu Er and Gui Yijun's decision-makers were still very pleased.

I feel that the Dutch attach great importance to their combat effectiveness.

The enemy's attention is the supreme pride of the army.

As Liu Yu said, the Dutch did not raid Weihaiwei ten years ago to destroy the budding Dashun Navy; nor did they send more troops to Southeast Asia to prepare for war... This made Liu Yu feel very unhappy, and felt that the Dutch had insulted the great nation. Shun, did not respect Dashun and looked down on him.

For the same reason, when it comes to the Guiyi Army, it's a completely different conclusion.

First of all, the Dutch must not know the Privy Council's plan, otherwise it would be impossible to gather warships near Cirebon.

Therefore, the Dutch did not choose to attack the city directly, but chose to besiege it for a long time. What does this mean?

In the view of the senior leaders of the Guiyi Army, this shows that the Dutch were frightened by the two failed sieges and highly recognized the fighting power of the Guiyi Army. Even if they did not admit it verbally, subconsciously they regarded the Guiyi Army as a strong force. Army.

What greater compliment can there be to an army than to be recognized and feared by its enemies? Now, there is basically no higher evaluation than this.

The Dutch have fought against the odds for more than 120 years in Asia and built their confidence.

When Zheng Chenggong besieged Taiwan, the Dutch, with 200 or 300 men, dared to form formations out of the city to fight in the field. They wanted to defeat thousands with 200, but they were beaten back. But it also shows how many smooth battles they have fought to build up such arrogance and arrogance.

As for Southeast Asia, it can be said that with a few warships, three to four hundred artillery pieces, and one to two thousand troops, they dare to go to war with tens of thousands of troops from small countries, and they always take the initiative to attack.

Now the Dutch have warships, artillery, and nearly 2,000 troops, but they are timid and dare not take the initiative to attack the city. Instead, they put their hopes of victory on the weaknesses of God's creation of man; on scurvy, hunger, tropical diseases, and malaria.

Subconsciously, they dare not attack.

Niu Er accurately grasped the Dutch mentality, and made his decision based on the Dutch mentality.

If the Dutch subconsciously did not attach importance to the Guiyi Army and were timid, and looked at the Guiyi Army like the indigenous armies of small Southeast Asian countries, then Niu Er's counterattack to seize the artillery would be quite risky.

Not to mention failure, at least he would suffer a fierce counterattack from the Dutch.

He absolutely could not push all the troops he had, and he would be in a state of anxiety at that time, and the main force of the Dutch would take the opportunity to slip away, and the artillery would not be captured. Most likely, it would be blocked with a wedge like the artillery fort in Jingliwen.

However, since the Dutch attach great importance to the Guiyi Army, the success rate of this counterattack to seize the guns is much higher.

…………

In the Dutch camp.

When the masts of the Dashun Navy appeared on the sea, the faces of the Batavian senior officials, including Valkenir, changed slightly.

When the fleet of the Dashun Navy revealed almost all the ships, their faces changed from slightly changed to pale.

At least eight battleships and more than twenty secondary warships cannot be walked sideways in Europe, but east of the Cape of Good Hope, they can definitely walk sideways.

The army may win with fewer troops.

But the navy, eight armed merchant ships, against eight battleships and a dozen cruisers, has a very small chance of winning.

Unless they encounter the British kamikaze that the Spanish Invincible Fleet encountered, or the kamikaze that William of Orange encountered when he landed in Britain.

Otherwise, even if the Dutch fleet suffered little loss or even gained something, it would not help strategically, and the control of the sea would definitely not be obtained.

Moreover, the sudden involvement of Dashun in this war must have been planned for a long time, and it was not for nothing to do to fight the Dutch fleet to practice.

No matter who is behind the Chinese rebels entrenched in Bandung and the Volcano area, it is no longer important at this time.

Dashun personally took action and the fleet went south. Regardless of whether the rebels were supported by the British, they would cooperate with Dashun to drive away the Dutch.

Tactically, the Dutch fleet still has the possibility of winning.

With excellent navigation skills, their gunnery skills that they think are far superior to those of the East, and more than a hundred years of naval warfare traditions, it is possible to create miracles purely from a tactical point of view.

For example, capture a Dashun battleship; for example, sink several Dashun auxiliary ships. Then the Dutch fleet retreated unscathed.

Is this a victory in terms of tactics?

Of course it is.

A fleet with eight armed merchant ships as the main force, beat a fleet of eight battleships and a dozen cruisers, sank or captured several ships, and retreated unscathed. This is not only a tactical victory, but also a classic battle example that can be written into the textbooks of the Amsterdam Naval School.

However, even if it is a tactical victory, it will not help the overall situation.

Dashun still holds the control of the sea, and the Dutch fleet can only guerrilla harassment. Strategically, it is to completely divide the various Dutch strongholds in Southeast Asia.

Valkner has confidence in the Dutch fleet, but his confidence only stops at tactical victory.

After the full picture of the Dashun fleet was revealed, he had made a decision.

Retreat.

Retreat to Batavia.

Defend Batavia and wait for the company to transfer troops and wait for the company's support.

Cirebon is located at the east-west intersection of Java, but Valkner can only choose to retreat to Batavia. In addition to Batavia being the "capital" of the East India Company, it is also because going east is a dead end.

Many, many years ago, Mencius of China said: Those who use force to pretend to be benevolent will become hegemons, and hegemons must have great powers. Those who are benevolent with virtue will become kings, and kings do not need to be great: Tang was seventy miles, and King Wen was a hundred miles. Those who use force to conquer others are not convinced by their hearts, and their strength is not enough.

This sentence is the best interpretation of the Dutch rule in Southeast Asia.

The East India Company has no allies in Southeast Asia, only protectorates that succumb to its tyranny. If it really retreats eastward, the always obedient Sultanate of Matalan will decide to ambush the Dutch as soon as possible, instead of preparing wine and meat, inviting the Dutch to enter the capital, and resist the Dashun heavenly soldiers together.

Valkner still has judgment on this point.

As for the loss of sea control, whether Batavia can hold on until the company's reinforcements arrive, or even whether it can withstand the Dashun's strong attack... Valkner is not confident.

Dashun has obtained sea control.

The company's rule over Batavia is limited to the city. In history, after the Hongxi Massacre, the Dutch rule really radiated to the surrounding areas of Batavia: a good side evidence is that before the Hongxi Massacre, the sugarcane plantations and sugar factories used internally issued lead coins, and every year before the New Year, there would be a big drama of asking for wages; and after the Hongxi Massacre, the surrounding areas began to use Dutch copper coins.

Even if Dashun surrounded but did not attack, it would be used in their own way, learning the way he attacked Jingliwen now.

With control of the sea in hand and the sea supply line locked, how long can Batavia last? One month? Three months? Half a year? But the company's reinforcements will take at least two years to arrive.

Valknier looked at the neat, spider-web-like counterattack trenches built by the Chinese rebels in the distance, and thought... How long can it hold?

If the regular army of Dashun had half the technical and tactical level of the Chinese rebels, I am afraid Batavia would not be able to hold out for a month.

"This rebel army is very powerful. In fact, they already have the ability to control the entire Java. We should have admitted it earlier."

"They are really powerful. Even in Europe, they are an elite and powerful army."

For the first time, Valknier publicly admitted this.

However, the confidant around him smiled bitterly and said: "If you admit it earlier, the board of directors will not believe it. They will only think that the governor is incompetent and cannot take on the responsibility of the governor of Batavia."

"This is an era where you can make them surrender by setting up cannons on the coast of Southeast Asia."