At six o'clock in the morning on July 1, 1793, after a day's rest, the two companies that would camp, under the cover of two armored vehicles, advanced towards Langas Betong. Halfway through, they ran into the VOC
A cavalry regiment was sent, with more than 1,200 people.
What surprised the campers was that although these cavalrymen were wearing VOC's blue and red military uniforms, their heads were covered with turbans that looked like large millstones, with a red cloth belt tied to them.
"What are these guys carrying on their heads? They look heavy."
"You ask me who I'm going to ask! Stop talking nonsense and let's fight!"
The cavalry on the opposite side were also startled. The roar of the armored vehicles made their horses extremely restless. They were trying to figure out what those two "green-skinned monsters" that looked like big boxes were. Before these guys could start,
During the attack, bullets rained down from the enemy camp. The machine guns in the two armored vehicles were like two electrified whips, waving wildly in the cavalry, harvesting every life, whether human or horse.
The cavalry had never seen this before. They were so frightened that they turned around and ran away. They did not even listen to the officer's orders. They did not stop until they retreated two kilometers away. Under the high reward offered by the Dutch officer, several cavalrymen were killed.
The cavalrymen came back to conduct reconnaissance with the courage. When it was confirmed that there were only more than 200 people in the Northern Navy, their restless hearts became restless again, and they immediately gathered their troops and launched another attack.
The cavalry did not hesitate this time. They raised their scimitars high, surrounded them from the road and fields, and charged with their horses shouting. However, after only ten minutes, these guys who were wearing "millstones" and were barefoot were
Taught by the bloody reality, more than two hundred casualties were left behind again, and they were chased away by the campers and fled for their lives like rabbits.
After a brief interrogation of a Dutch officer who was injured after falling from his horse, the campers learned that they had encountered a group of Marbars from India, a group of Tamils in South India.
Who are the Tamils? Although the Chinese soldiers who will camp here are all born and raised in Annan and have seen a lot of maritime merchants, they have never heard of them.
Compared with the French and British East India Companies, the Dutch East India Company did not recruit many native soldiers in India before. If the Northern Navy was not too powerful, the VOC would never spend money to recruit a group of native soldiers from India to serve as cannon fodder. In
During the war to conquer Ceylon, the Dutch believed that the Indian soldiers not only performed poorly in marching, but also lacked discipline and acted cowardly in combat.
This group of arrogant Dutch people really have no idea. With a monthly salary of only 4.5 guilders and no pension, which mercenary is willing to work for them!
Look at the British East India Company. Most of the 70,000-strong army are Indians. And with the improvement of individual combat effectiveness, the British have become a little wary and keep adding sand to it.
Strike a balance between different races.
As a commercial company, VOC is definitely a typical representative of "employing people to go forward and not using people to go behind" in the use of mercenaries. Whenever a war is about to start, it hurriedly forms a temporary field force. However, once the war is over,
Fire immediately. This system is never a good employer for mercenaries. Furthermore, due to temporary formation, poor officers, rushed training and extremely low treatment, the combat effectiveness of VOC troops is very low; even if someone realizes
Change is needed and time is running out.
Behind the Hoi An camp, the four battalions of the servant army also set off under the leadership of He Xiwen after having a warm breakfast. However, what is striking is that besides the more than 3,000 Yuba City Chinese who accompanied them
A logistics team was formed, as well as more than a thousand people from Tangerang City. They spontaneously drove horses and carried burdens to help transport supplies. The regent had already taken his son to the Bacheng Military Administration yesterday.
Meeting, went to express loyalty to Zhao Xin.
The reason for this situation is that after He Xiwen entered the city the day before yesterday, he first asked the Chinese who understand Javanese to inform the people in the city to cancel all kinds of exorbitant taxes and cancel the forced cultivation of coffee. The news spread, the whole city was thundering, and the city was orderly.
Settle down quickly.
You must know that the Dutch used troops against the city of Bach, resulting in extremely huge financial expenditures. In order to fully tap the war potential and make the vassal sultanates obey, Overstraten also took a variety of measures to continue to weaken and deprive these lords of their rights.
Feudal privileges made them lose the strength and will to resist.
For example, in the three vassal states of Banten, Yogyakarta, and Solo, the feudal aristocrats who served as administrative officials at all levels could only be loyal to the governor and appointed officials. The power of the state was firmly controlled by the Dutch, and all public affairs were
and policies do not require the consent of the Sultan.
Secondly, at the expense of reducing the planting area of rice, the forced planting of coffee continued to be expanded to obtain high profits. In order to monopolize industry and commerce, Overstraten prohibited the feudal noble officials in the colonial area from operating industry and commerce, and they were not allowed to use any excuse
Hire labor from village communities.
In addition, the tax items on various vassal states and directly-controlled territories have been increased from more than 20 to more than 30 types, which has made people everywhere complain and the burden is increasing day by day. Not only the small amount of goods carried by ordinary people will be taxed when passing through customs.
Taxes had to be paid, and the tributes shipped to the palace by the local officials from the feudal states also had to be paid. The tax collectors hired by the Dutch could search the officials, their retainers, and their families at will. The most bizarre thing is that they even had to carry their children through the checkpoints.
Pay the so-called "butt tax".
Seeing that the encirclement and interception failed, Overstraten resorted to a second move and quickly sent an envoy to request negotiations, saying that VOC was an old resident and old friend of the people of Java Island and was "peace-loving" and could join Beihai Town.
The island of Java was divided and ruled. Unexpectedly, He Xiwen didn't accept this at all. After hearing what the translator said, he didn't even read the letter and just tore it into pieces. The Dutch were livid with anger, but they could only feel dejected.
Go back and answer your orders.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! At noon one day later, He Xiwen led his army to arrive two kilometers away from the east bank of the Wurong River. Then under the cover of the combat troops, the Chinese workers in the baggage team began to set up camp in a leisurely manner.
The whole process was like a performance, leaving the enemy troops who came to reconnoiter stunned.
The Chinese workers first took tools such as ropes, plumbs, polygonal rulers, and levels to measure the selected locations, and then used white lime powder to draw the camp walls, tent areas, material areas, sentry towers, and gates on the ground.
, trenches and other various locations.
By the time all this work was over, forty minutes had passed. More than two hundred construction workers, who had rested for a long time, began to remove the flat-shaped explosion-proof wall units from the carriages and opened them neatly.
Arrange them on the camp wall, and then connect them two by two with the iron buckles that come with them. These blast-proof wall units are all 1.5 meters high, one meter long, and 60 centimeters thick, and the outer walls of the camp are made from top to bottom.
It is composed of two groups of units.
At the same time, hundreds of other workers were holding shovels and picks, excavating the soil from the two-and-a-half-meter-wide trench marked by lime, and then loading it into prepared sacks. Another wave of people carried hand-held sacks on their shoulders and put the sacks away.
Put them into the iron frame of the explosion-proof wall, pile them up and compact them.
These Chinese laborers had all participated in the construction of the outer positions of Bacheng, so they were very skilled in using explosion-proof walls to build field fortifications. They worked in groups of 500 people and rotated every half an hour, plus those from Tangerang who followed.
With the help of the people in the city, each person can load 20 explosion-proof units per hour. In addition, the sentry towers are all built with steel pipes. After laying the foundation, the ground parts are directly connected with fasteners, and then covered with wooden sandbags.
While the civilians were busy, the servant army sent two platoons to take care of the drinking water in the camp. There was no need to worry about this at all. There was a clear river a mile behind the camp. The water brought back was put into several mouthfuls with cowhide
Put a water purification tablet into a 200-liter water tank that is made of sewn steel frames and can be easily folded. It can be drunk after disinfecting for 30 minutes.
Two hours later, a square camp 400 meters square with a total area of 16,000 square meters had begun to take shape, and the locations where the soil was taken had become trenches more than one meter deep.
Overstraten, who was inspecting the front line of the Wurong River, was shocked when he received the report from the scouts. He and his senior officers knew that once the enemy gained a foothold on the other side, it would be difficult to drive them away.
Easy. According to the scout's report, the number of enemy troops on the other side is about 4,000. So now we must immediately deploy heavy troops to attack the enemy who have not yet established a stable footing and catch them by surprise.
After some discussions with his men on the map, Overstraten decided to use five regiments to divide into the north and south wings, and enter the other side from the two pontoon bridges on the Wurong River. The two regiments on the northern left wing would conduct a feint attack, and the two regiments on the southern right wing would conduct a feint attack.
The three regiments went around to the rear of the northern naval side and launched the main attack. To this end, he appointed two senior officers to lead the northern and southern groups respectively. They were Major General De Corral and Major General Van de Gus.
As soon as the Dutch troops began to secretly gather on the west bank of the Ujung River, the Northern Navy knew about it. This was not a drone, but a notification from the Rapini team lurking on the other side. There is no such thing here in Langas Betong.
The mountains are all plains and hills, so the walkie-talkie signal can be easily received.
Although the enemy troops dispatched a large number of people, He Xiwen did not intend to stand firm. He had to buy time for the construction of the camp now, otherwise it would be more troublesome after dark. So he ordered two battalions of the servant army to dispatch and an armored vehicle.
They also went together to provide artillery support.
He always remembered Zhao Xin's instructions to him before leaving the headquarters. This battle was to use the VOC army as a grindstone for the servant army. If he couldn't defeat a group of miscellaneous mercenaries, why would he go to India to fight against the British?
What about the alliance with the Marathas?
After giving the order, five minutes later, a total of 2,000 people from the two battalions lined up in four columns in the open space outside the north gate of the camp. Rifles stood like black sticks, looking murderous. After the team began to march,
, the platoon leaders, including Quan Baocai, rode their horses forward and back from time to time to check the formation.
The officer in charge of commanding these two battalions was named Hu De, who was from Henan. He was also the battalion commander of Quan Baocai.
Half an hour later, the team trotted to an open area one kilometer north of the camp. There was a forest 300 meters to the left and a field to the north, which was a good battlefield.
After selecting a good location, the infantry quickly dug the soil with the engineer shovel they carried with them, took sacks from the carriage following behind, and began to build the parapet fortifications.
Four 12-pound cannons were in position on a gentle slope fifty meters behind the infantry line. The gunners led the horses to stop the artillery carriage. They first used tools to level the land at each gun position, and then pushed the artillery carriage to the gun position.
Finally, the ammunition truck was pulled in an orderly manner twenty meters behind the gun emplacement. One hundred meters behind them, the grass-green armored vehicle parked motionless, but the roar of the engine gave all the soldiers present a necessary warning.
Confidence to win.
Not all armies in these days were as fast as the Northern Navy, especially the VOC troops. Half of the breastworks on the Northern Navy side were fortified, and the cavalry under Van der Goose began to walk onto the pontoon bridge.
When Hood received the notification from the walkie-talkie, he took out the pocket watch he bought in Bacheng and checked the time. It was three o'clock in the afternoon. He immediately ordered a platoon of skirmishers to dispatch to attract the enemy.
Well, Hood thought that since the commander wanted an upright frontal battle to train these soldiers, then this battle must be fought. Even if there were casualties, it would not be a big problem.
After a while, when the soldiers of the servant army began to take up their positions behind the parapet, a burst of gunfire like exploding beans suddenly came from the woods a mile ahead on the left. The skirmishers had already exchanged fire with the enemy.
Ten minutes later, the skirmishers ran out of the woods with guns in their hands, waving their hats in their hands. Behind them, the figures of VOC soldiers on horses gradually appeared, farther north.
, a large group of people wearing red and blue military uniforms poured out of the woods.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Fire into the woods!"
Following Hood's order, a twelve-pounder gun roared, and black explosive shells flew out of the raised muzzle, passed over the infantry formation, and then landed on the edge of the woods 700 meters away.
, the flying shrapnel made the leaves swishing. Soon, the enemy stopped 800 meters away, and they began to line up. Not far behind them, there were several eight-pounder and four-pounder artillery carriages parked.
.
"Quan Baocai!" Hood rode up to where Quan Baocai was, pointing to the woods on the left and saying, "Take your platoon there. If the enemy outflanks you from the left wing, report to me immediately."
Quan Bao was secretly unhappy when he heard this. This was not a good job, but he still saluted and led 80 of his men to guard the woods.
At this time, the four-pounder gun of the VOC troops on the opposite side also fired. It couldn't even hit a hair from such a long distance, and it was more like emboldening his own people. Hood did not let the 30mm cannon of the armored vehicle fire. If it fired so early, the Dutch would definitely
Will disperse in a hurry.
The appearance of the Northern Navy here made VOC Major General Vande Gus, who was in charge of the Northern Front troops, a little confused. He didn't understand when the enemy came? And he even repaired the parapet fortifications!
For him, he had to gnaw the bone in front of him. If he could firmly attract this enemy force, the actions on Decolar's side would be easier. But when he saw the car in the field of view of the telescope,
When he saw the green square box, he couldn't help but frown.
This thing is really difficult to deal with. The Marbar people suffered a big loss yesterday. Although those guys were just a group of bandits in Vandegus's eyes, he had a premonition that many people would die today. But there was nothing he could do.
Even if you have teeth!
He carefully observed the North Navy's position layout, and once again confirmed that the opponent's strength did not exceed two thousand, he decided to use an echelon attack.
The so-called "echelon attack" is a commonly used tactic in the line infantry era. In fact, it means attacking in the east and attacking in the west. However, this very tests the commander's judgment of the battlefield situation and the ability to use troops, and it also involves a lot of luck. Of course, the enemy will be stuck in how to distribute the troops.
And the situation of mobilizing troops, but if one's side feints at one end and presses the other end alone, there will be flaws.
In the smoke, the VOC line infantry wearing blue and red military uniforms began to advance. The red, white and black company flags and the yellow Württemberg military flag appeared and disappeared in the smoke. Hood could see it without a telescope.
, the enemy's two battalions on the left and center moved first, while those on the right fell behind.
The platoon leader of each platoon ran back and forth behind the soldiers, warning them not to rush to shoot but to listen to the signal. For some soldiers, the platoon leader must keep a close eye on them. You must know that the defense line outside Bacheng was previously
During combat, some of the servant soldiers who went into battle for the first time would be nervous and reload their ammunition repeatedly, forgetting to fire, and some would load seven or eight bullets but not fire.
When the Württemberg soldiers in the front line entered a hundred meters away from the parapet under the fire of the 12-pounder gun, as a long whistle sounded behind the soldiers, the servant army's position immediately sounded like thunder.
With the roar of the sky and the earth shattering, a thick white mist rose in front of Hood.
Despite the fact that the firing distance of the Northern Navy's rifled guns is much farther than that of the flintlock guns, in actual battles, except for skirmishers who will shoot and kill officers in the enemy's ranks at a distance of 150 meters, the firing distance of the battle line infantry
It's not far, just a hundred meters.
This is because if the maximum projection speed of firepower is pursued, then the vast majority of soldiers only need to level the muzzle of the gun when firing, and fire at the enemy on the opposite side. Then they immediately reload and shoot again, without having time to aim carefully.
.In addition, basically after two rounds of salvo fire, the thick gunpowder smoke emitted from the muzzle will make it difficult for the soldiers to see the other side clearly, and they still have to aim P!
Immediately afterwards, the soldiers in the second row stepped forward and fired another salvo. The soldiers in the first row were busy loading ammunition, pressing the ammunition with purge bars, and then under the order of the platoon leader, they poured towards the enemy again.
After three rounds of shooting, almost all the blue figures in the two rows opposite the parapet fell down. Only a guy holding a yellow military flag remained motionless and was still moving forward. However, a bullet soon hit him. He was not tall.
His body suddenly bent in pain, and then he knelt on the ground, clutching his stomach, and dropped the flag in his hand.
At this time, Hood, who was riding on the horse, suddenly heard a very strange sound, high, sharp, and very penetrating. For a moment, he thought someone beside him had been shot. But he soon understood.
, that was the enemy's roar coming from the right front of the position.
Hood understood in an instant, but a platoon leader on the right side of the position reacted faster. He yelled: "Everyone, throw grenades!"
At the departure position of the VOC troops in the distance, Major General Vandegus, holding a telescope, nodded with satisfaction, turned back to the adjutant and said: "Send two more battalions up and attack their left flank. Order the artillery to move forward.
"
"General, their artillery has a farther range than mine. If the artillery moves forward, I'm afraid..."
"Execute the order." Vandegus interrupted the adjutant and said in a calm tone: "Faced with such an enemy, we have no choice."