Chapter 739 The situation is undecided

In fact, what Lang Sang did not expect was that the Dutch fleet was also faced with confusion caused by insufficient battlefield intelligence, and it was difficult to make a prepared judgment on the current battle situation. Spikes and van der Wegen, who commanded this fleet, simply did not

We don't know what the current situation is in Batavia City. The attack on the port was just in accordance with the plan made in advance. If Batavia City had already fallen, then their counterattack would actually be futile and unsustainable.

After all, there is no place nearby that can provide supplies for this fleet. The fleet's combat capability can only be maintained for a week at most before it has to retreat due to supply problems.

During the landing operations, the Dutch fleet certainly took some remedial measures, such as capturing prisoners for interrogation. However, the information they received was not very helpful in discerning the current war situation, because these troops stationed in the port

The nearby Ma Da Blue Army were basically auxiliary troops, baggage troops or wounded soldiers, and the known battlefield movements were extremely limited. As a result of the Dutch interrogation, they only knew that the Ma Da Blue Army had broken through Batavia a few days ago.

The city was defended, and large troops had already entered the city - this was one of the important reasons why the Dutch were able to easily break into the port and complete the landing.

Now that the Malta Blue Army has entered the city, the Dutch were not sure whether Batavia had completely fallen. So after they captured the port, they immediately destroyed the Matta Blue Army's supplies, but did not take a single step.

There was no advance towards Batavia because the Dutch commander also knew very well that if Batavia had fallen, it would be an almost impossible task to recapture the city from the Malta Blue Army with the strength of this fleet.

When the Malta Blue Army came out of the city to counterattack at the port, the Dutch did not try to fight head-on. After taking advantage, they boarded the ship and went to sea again, maintaining a relatively safe distance from the Malta Blue Army.

When the defenders in the city reoccupied the north city gate and hoisted the VOC flag on the city tower, the Dutch at the port had already withdrawn their ships and were preparing to leave the port. Moreover, the port was still several miles away from the city of Batavia, so the fleet's

It is difficult for people to observe the unusual movements in the city in a hurry. Therefore, the Dutch fleet does not dare to act rashly because it is not sure of the situation in Batavia.

At present, the only person who can make a clear judgment on the trend of the war is actually Van Diemen in Batavia. He knows very well why the Malta Blue Army retreated outside the city, and also knows that the attack launched by the Dutch fleet on the seaside is for

Interfering with the horse's retreat from beating the blue army, the reason why he took the risk and asked his subordinates to drive the horse and beat the blue army's ass all the way to the north city gate was to let the fleet on the seaside receive news of the existence of resistance forces in the city. However,

The timing was slightly off, and the Dutch fleet had already withdrawn to the sea before it had time to pay attention to this detail.

Van Diemen didn't know what the horse-defeating blue army would do next, but he knew very well that if the enemy attacked the city again, he might not be able to hold on to the city for even a day with his current strength. But because of this

, the defenders could not show any fear of battle. So the first thing he did after reoccupying the North City Gate was to order the banner of the East India Company to be displayed on the tower to boost morale and deter the enemy.

The Dutch fleet burned the supplies of the Malta Blue Army in the port, and Van Diemen also observed it with a telescope on the city tower, but this measure did not make him feel relaxed, because for the city of Batavia, the danger was not reduced.

be relieved. If the Matalan people thought that capturing Batavia might not be possible, then they would probably destroy everything here as much as possible before leaving, leaving a mess to the East India Company.

"Listen, I want you to organize a team of at least 2,000 people from the city before dark to participate in the defense of the city wall." Fan Di's goalkeeper summoned his capable generals and issued an order to them.

An extremely difficult task to accomplish.

During the month when Batavia was besieged, Van Diemen had mobilized large-scale combatants in the city three times. More than 5,000 non-professional soldiers participated in the battle. Of course, some of these people can still persist in the North.

There were only a few people fighting on the city gate position. About half of them were killed or wounded in the battle, and the rest were scattered in the previous battle to destroy the city and never regrouped.

Although there are still at least 30,000 residents in the city, the number of people suitable to participate in the war has long been mobilized to the point where very few are left. The remaining ones are either the old, the weak, the sick, the disabled, women and children, or people like

There are powerful people with status like the Sumingang family. Of course, there are also a small number of people who have received special care in this process through various relationships, such as Cheng Dapeng, the owner of Dacheng Rice Store.

Because the situation in the city changed so quickly that day, Cheng Dapeng, who did not go out to inquire about the news, had no idea that the city of Batavia had changed hands again within a few hours. The Dutch who were forced to the edge of the cliff came back to life.

Regaining control of the urban area - although this is most likely only a temporary phenomenon.

Before dark, a group of Dutch soldiers came and knocked on the door of Dacheng Rice Store, demanding that able-bodied men between the ages of 15 and 50 in the rice store immediately join the city guard. Cheng Dapeng was a scholar and had no professional training.

The combat training was so intense that he probably wouldn't be able to survive even one chapter if he went to the battlefield. Just when Cheng Dapeng secretly shouted "It's over", the savior appeared in time.

Bart arrived in time with two soldiers and showed that Dacheng Rice Bank was a special target of the company's board of directors, so he helped Cheng Dapeng prevent this disaster.

"Thank you, Lord Bart!" Cheng Dapeng, who was still in shock, bowed and thanked Bart before he came back to his senses and said, "Have the Ma Dalan people been repulsed?"

"We have already driven out of the city!" Bart grinned: "Now Batavia is back in our hands!"

"Ah...that's great!" Cheng Dapeng simply couldn't imagine that the Dutch, who had been suppressed in the council castle, could actually launch a counterattack. He didn't know how to answer the question for a moment.

Bart did not carefully explain the ins and outs of the changes in the war situation. He stretched out his hand and handed Cheng Dapeng a roll of paper: "This is a special protection order issued by the council. If anyone comes here again to collect manpower or supplies, you can use this to reject them."

Cheng Dapeng thanked him repeatedly after taking it. Before that, because Su Keyi had said hello, no one came to Dachengmi Exhibition to recruit people or property. But it is obvious that this time is different, because the people who came to the door were actually Dutch soldiers. Unlike usual, this kind of

The task is usually completed by the auxiliary army composed of local indigenous people. Bart can come to rescue the siege at this juncture and send a protective umbrella, which can be considered very thoughtful.

However, after Cheng Dapeng came to his senses, he immediately realized that the battle situation might not be as easy as Bart said, otherwise the Dutch would not have to rush to recruit civilians to join the city defense army again.

Bart himself had the task of recruiting soldiers, so he stopped talking to Cheng Dapeng and left immediately. Before leaving, he did not forget to tell Cheng Dapeng to close the door tightly and not to go out in a hurry. Cheng Dapeng

As soon as he heard this, he knew that the war was not over yet. The saying that the horses were driven away and the blue men were beaten was probably just what the Dutch said to appease the people in the city.

However, Cheng Dapeng did not have much ability to interfere with the ongoing war. Fortunately, the Matalan people's grain transport fleet had set off a few days ago, and they had probably passed Belitung Island by calculation.

, its itinerary will not be affected by changes in the battle situation in Batavia, and at least the intelligence obtained in the early stage will have a very high chance of being sent back north.

The Malta Blue Army, which was in a state of chaos, did not attempt to launch an offensive against Batavia City for the rest of the day, and the defenders in the city also got extremely precious breathing time. Although they finally failed before dark

A team of two thousand people was organized, but after patchwork, more than a thousand men were collected from the city to supplement the defense line. As for how long these ordinary people with basically no combat skills can last on the front line, that is not Fan Di

I now have time to consider the issue.

Through interrogation of captured prisoners of war, Van Diemen learned that the Mata Blue Army stored supplies and combat equipment at the port, and these things were most likely burned in the fire during the day. Van Diemen therefore believed that Mata

The blue men will definitely launch another offensive on Batavia City after dawn, and it will most likely be a wave.

The basis for this judgment is that the Malta Blue Army did not immediately launch a counterattack against Batavia City after repelling the Dutch fleet. Van Diemen believed that this was the result of the enemy's heavy losses in the fire. They must

Only by counting the remaining war supplies can we determine whether this battle can continue. If the losses are not large, the truce period on the battlefield will not be so long. Obviously, the excessive fire losses have affected Commander Ma Dalan.

That's why the decision has been delayed for so long without any sign of counterattack.

If the remaining supplies of the Ma Da Blue Army are no longer able to support long-term operations, then the possibility of their retreat is very high. But if they retreat at this time, they will definitely not be willing to do so, and they will have to fight for the last time before leaving.

On the morning of July 14, Van Diemen was woken up by the guards in his sleep: "General, the Ma Dalan people have begun to move!"

Van Diemen quickly got up and came to the city wall, and saw that the horse and blue army was indeed marching towards the city of Batavia again. However, because they had left a large number of flags in the city of Batavia the day before, the march at this time could not be seen.

He got up a little weaker in momentum.

"Get all gunners in position! Gentlemen, whether you can survive depends on this last battle!" Van Diemen gave the order while loudly encouraging the surrounding soldiers.

However, the effect of this kind of encouragement is very limited. After all, similar words have been repeated many times this month. Every time the defenders are about to be unable to hold on, Van Diemen almost always uses this statement to boost fighting spirit. "The last one

"War" has been said from his mouth at least seven or eight times, and the motivational effect it can have is very limited.

The deafening firing of artillery opened the curtain of this battle, but compared with the Dutch who had no retreat, the already disrupted horse and blue army were obviously not as decisive as before in terms of fighting will. Although Lang

San hoped to reoccupy Batavia through counterattack and collect supplies from the city to supply the army, but not all his men thought so. Many people believed that Batavia might not be captured before the Dutch fleet killed all their ships.

Batavia, before the city is captured, may be cut off by the Dutch. If we fall into such a situation and cannot defeat Batavia and cannot evacuate, then it will really be the end of the world.

The troops that entered the city in the early stage have already looted a lot of wealth in the city. It can be said that the purpose of some soldiers participating in the battle has been achieved. If they are to continue to fight to the death on the battlefield, there is a lack of motivation. After all, they still want to bring them with them.

With the stolen wealth, he returned to his hometown alive to enjoy it.

Under the combined effect of various objective reasons, the combat performance of the Ma Da Blue Army appeared to be loose, far less desperate than in the early siege. The Dutch fleet at sea also coincidentally appeared near the harbor again, continuing the previous day

The tactic was to use ship-based artillery fire to suppress the Ma Dalan warship.

The battle lasted until noon. The Matalan people paid the price of nearly a thousand casualties and failed to realize their desire to enter the city of Batavia again. Their disadvantage in fighting at sea was also very obvious.

Under the blow, three more Matalan warships capsized in the harbor in one morning, and about two hundred sailors died as a result.

The MaTaLan people were able to withstand the casualties, but the repeated setbacks in the battle had shaken the military morale of the MaTaLan people. Although the siege battles some time ago were stumbling and suffered heavy casualties, almost every

Progress could be seen every day, and in the later stages of the war, the casualty ratio between the two sides was getting closer and closer. However, I did not expect that the Dutch fleet that came out at the last moment actually reversed the situation and brought both sides back to the starting line. And this time the horse race

It seems difficult to find the status against the Blue Army, and the North Gate, which was expected to be easy to win, has once again turned into a fortress that is difficult to conquer.

Before sunset that day, the defenders on the city finally discovered that the main force of the Ma Da Blue Army began to move towards the seaside. It seemed that they were planning to give up the attack again. This good news made the exhausted defenders breathe a big sigh of relief, even though in this

In a day's battle, they did not let the enemy succeed, but they also paid a heavy price in casualties. There were less than 300 professional soldiers who could continue to fight, and the rest could be called cannon fodder. If the horse beat the blue man across the

If Tian attacks again, the defenders in the city will basically have no choice but to wait and die.

Early on the morning of the 15th, the defenders discovered that there were no traces of the cavalry's activities outside the city, and that the opponents had all withdrawn to the harbor. Only at this time did Van Diemen finally let the precious cavalry out of the city and get closer to investigate the enemy's movements.
Chapter completed!