At 11 o'clock in the morning, Java Sea, about 40 nautical miles northwest of Surabaya Port, waters near Bawayan Island.
This morning there were dark clouds, the sea and sky were gray, the wind was blowing at level 5 to level 6 on the sea, and the gray water was undulating, as if indicating that a storm was coming.
The Surabaya and Batavia of the Royal Netherlands Navy are cruising westward at a speed of 22 knots. Their destination is the western section of Batavia Island, off the coast of Batavia, for Batavia that may be attacked.
Davia provided protection. The two light cruisers of the same class were marching side by side in a battle formation. The observers on the bridge were wearing life jackets and helmets, and were holding telescopes. Their feet were undulating, and they were closely monitoring in eight directions at the same time.
Observation.
They received a warning that the Ming Dynasty's battlecruiser squadron has now entered the Java Sea, and encounters may occur at any time. According to the report, the flagship of this squadron is the "Gonggong" battlecruiser, with a full load displacement of 31,024 tons and an eight-door
305mm main gun, and the accompanying light cruisers "Leyi" and "Wuqi" each have a displacement of more than 6,000 tons, each with eight 155mm main guns. In addition, there are four destroyers.
As for the Batavia and Surabaya, their tonnage is only equivalent to that of the opponent's two light cruisers, and their main guns are only equipped with 10 150 mm guns each, which is considered to be two more than the opponent's light cruiser.
.The absolute disadvantage is self-evident.
The fleet commander of the flagship Batavia has made up his mind. Once he encounters the Ming fleet, after launching a round of torpedoes and firing a salvo, he will immediately use his speed advantage to break away from the battle and never get entangled. The maximum speed of the Gonggong
Only 29 knots, and the two light cruisers only have 30 knots. The Batavia and Surabaya have a maximum speed of 31 knots. If the distance is not too close, they can barely get rid of each other. Although the opponent's destroyers are faster
Fast, but four destroyers would never dare to chase two light cruisers.
…
The captain and fleet commander of the Batavia stood in the command room, holding a telescope and looking outside at the gray sky before the storm. He looked to the left, then to the right, and the more he looked, the more breathless he felt. Gradually,
, a creepy feeling rose up from my back.
The sky was gloomy, the waves on the sea were relatively large, and the visibility was not high. He always had a feeling that the enemy's huge battlecruiser would suddenly appear in front of him from under a certain gray cloud.
"Launch reconnaissance planes."
He turned around and ordered.
"But, sir," the first mate looked at the gray undulating sea outside with a confused look on his face, "it's too dangerous for a seaplane to take off in this sea condition!"
"I know, I know..." The captain waved his hand impatiently, glanced around nervously with his telescope, and ordered again, "Launch the reconnaissance plane."
The first mate had no choice but to obey and repeated:
"Yes, sir! Release the reconnaissance plane!"
Each Java-class light cruiser is equipped with two water reconnaissance aircraft and two to three seaplanes. This is also a common equipment for general cruisers and battleships.
The crane at the rear of the ship was turning "click-click", and the sailors were fixing a seaplane and preparing to lower it.
All the telescopes were looking in that direction, and all the anti-aircraft guns on the starboard forward side were turned and aimed in that direction.
There is a small black spot on the far horizon on the right front. It is not high, not fast, not far from the sea, and is slowly getting bigger.
It was a water reconnaissance aircraft.
Several observers held up their binoculars to identify it, thinking that it was not a Chinese seaplane.
The captain thought it was probably from the Ming Dynasty. If it was from the Ming Dynasty, it should come from that battlecruiser squadron.
This kind of carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft generally does not stay too far away from the mothership. Once it discovers the opponent's seaplane, it means that the opponent's fleet is nearby.
The Batavia's entire ship immediately sounded a sharp battle siren, and began to speed up. A long white mark suddenly appeared behind the stern of the ship. The ship's signal lights kept flashing, and soon, the Surabaya also all
The ship sounded a battle alarm.
The black spots became bigger and bigger, and the outline could be clearly seen without a telescope, and a "buzzing" sound began to sound in the sky. The seaplane quickly passed dozens of meters above the head of the Batavia.
People on the bridge raised their necks to look, and the green dragon pattern under the wing was clearly visible. The flash of the camera flashed everyone.
The first mate asked the captain: "Sir, should we shoot it down?"
The captain grabbed the telescope on his chest and hesitated:
"We...we have not officially declared war. We cannot bear the responsibility of provoking the war in the first place."
The first mate said anxiously: "Sir, what should we do if we encounter an enemy battlecruiser? Or wait for them to fire on us first?"
The first mate's words obviously moved the captain. If the two Dutch light cruisers encountered the Ming Dynasty's battlecruisers, the only hope of survival was to first fire a row of torpedoes, then fire a salvo, and then run away.
If you wait for the other party to fire first, it is equivalent to leaving your life to God. Just one 304mm shell will be fatal to this 6,000-ton light cruiser.
The captain's sweat rolled down his head and he ordered: "Okay, let's knock it down. Let's fire."
The Ming army's water reconnaissance plane was slow and had not flown far yet. It passed by the Batavia and was flying towards the Surabaya. I wanted to take a picture of it. Suddenly, two ships
The entire body of the light cruiser spurted out tongues of flame, its large and small-caliber artillery fired simultaneously, the sea roared, and the surroundings of the reconnaissance aircraft were quickly filled with black clouds.
In the open cockpit of the seaplane, three Ming army crew members were wearing goggles and scarves. Black explosion smoke continued to pass around them, and shrapnel tinkled on the wings and fuselage. The rearmost aircraft
The gunman suddenly lay on his back on his seat motionless, with a piece of shrapnel stuck in his forehead and his face covered with blood. The observer's hand was tightly squeezed in the cockpit. The pilot suddenly pulled the control stick, and the heavy seaplane slowly tilted across the fuselage, trying to
Avoid and get out of this airspace.
But it was too late. A large explosion was right in front of the nose of the plane. Flames burst out from the nose engine. The pilot's chest and hands were full of fire. He screamed and beat himself up, while shouting:
"Skydive quickly! Skydive quickly!"
The observer was about to climb out when the plane exploded in the sky and all three people were engulfed in a fireball.
"All ceasefire... Send a report to the country: The Batavia squadron shot down a Ming army reconnaissance aircraft 15 nautical miles southwest of Bawayan Island."
After giving the order, the captain of the Batavia looked up at the aircraft wreckage still trailing black smoke in the sky and the light smoke floating on the sea. The surrounding sea became silent again.
"Okay," he muttered with a pale face, "the war has begun."
…
Ten nautical miles away to the northwest, the Ming Dynasty's battleship squadron was arranged in a circular formation, trailing seven white marks, and was heading southeast.
The battlecruiser Gonggong was in the center, the light cruisers Leyi and Wuqi were in front and behind it, and four destroyers were at the outermost edge of the fleet, holding down the four corners.
In the bridge command rooms of seven warships, the fleet commanders and captains had just heard the sound transmitted by the radio ten nautical miles away.
In the bridge command room of the Gonggong, the mapping staff were marking the approximate location of the encounter on the chart table.
The squadron commander folded his arms and watched coldly, and suddenly ordered:
"The entire fleet turned to the southwest, with a new course of 240, and the speed increased to 25 knots. We have to get in front of them and seize a favorable position. They are fast, and we have to hit them head-on."
"Yes, the entire fleet is turning, the new course is 240, and the speed is increased to 25 knots!"
Then the squadron commander said to the captain:
"Send a report to the headquarters: A water reconnaissance aircraft of our army was shot down by a Dutch warship. The Dutch army started the war first. If we encounter a Dutch warship, we will fight back."
The telegram was sent quickly.
Ten minutes later, the Nanjing Ming government announced to reporters: Ten minutes ago, the Dutch navy first started war operations and shot down a Ming reconnaissance aircraft in the Java Sea.
Almost at the same time, the Dutch government also announced to the press: Ten minutes ago, an armed reconnaissance aircraft of the Ming Dynasty invaded the territorial waters of the Dutch East Indies and repeatedly took pictures of Dutch warships in a provocative manner. It was shot down by the Royal Netherlands Navy fleet.
…
In Batavia, dark clouds hang low, it is sultry, thunder is rolling in the distance, and the air is so humid that it is almost dripping with water. Xiang Xiaoqiang is sitting in front of the fan, combing through the recent telegrams, and Qiu Qiu, sitting next to the radio, wearing headphones
, suddenly grabbed a pen and paper and quickly wrote something down. Xiang Xiaoqiang sat up straight and looked at her serious expression, knowing that the most important news must have come.
Xiuxiu put down her pen, tore off the message paper and handed it directly to Xiang Xiaoqiang without translating it.
"Clear code?" Xiang Xiaoqiang was a little surprised.
"Mingma," Qiu Qiu's face turned a little pale, "To be precise, it's power."
Xiang Xiaoqiang looked down and suddenly put down the message paper and said: "Qiu Qiu, hurry up and ask them to pack all the documents. You also pack your things. We'll leave right away."
Qiu Qiu immediately ran out of the room, knocking on doors and calling people in the entire corridor. After a while, the entire corridor was filled with footsteps, and everyone in Xiaoqiang's delegation started to move.
"Qiu Qiu!" Xiang Xiaoqiang stretched his head into the corridor and shouted, "Tell Mr. Song to call the German Consulate! They said we will be there soon!"
A guard ran up from downstairs and said breathlessly:
"Sir, the German Consulate's car has arrived downstairs and is here to pick us up!"
"Okay!" Xiang Xiaoqiang was overjoyed, and his worries were immediately relieved, "It's really interesting! This is what you call being able to do things!"
The group packed up their things and gathered in the corridor on the second floor of the hotel, preparing to go down. At this time, there was a sound of footsteps on the stairs, and several people wearing big-brimmed hats came up.
Taking two steps back towards Xiaoqiang, Qiu Qiu turned pale and rushed to get in front of him.
Four Europeans came up, wearing officer uniforms. They looked like military police. The leading military police major stepped forward and said something coldly to Xiang Xiaoqiang. A military police officer next to him translated:
"Your Excellency Xiang Xiaoqiang, given that our two countries are already in a state of war, we have to temporarily hold you and your delegation under protective custody. Please follow us, the car is below."
The faces of Xiang Xiaoqiang and the others suddenly changed color and they looked at each other.
At this time, there was another sound of footsteps on the stairs, and three more people came up in the corridor.
The leader was a tall and thin man in his fifties, wearing a diplomat's black dress, with a monocle reflecting light in his eye sockets. Two blond German officers, wearing armbands, were lined up on both sides.
The tall, thin old man in the middle bowed slightly to Xiaoqiang before he could catch his breath, then turned around and said to the gendarmerie major in Dutch:
"Mr. Major, I am the Consul of the Third Reich in Batavia, Laurenz von Nuremberg. These two are the first and second military attaches of our National Defense Forces in Batavia."
The two German officers wearing Nazi armbands clicked their leather heels together and bowed slightly. The Dutch military police major subconsciously took a half step back, squinted his eyes and looked at them, then looked at Xiang Xiaoqiang, and became wary.
Consul Nuremberg then asked:
"Mr. and Mrs. Xiang Xiaoqiang are my friends and my guests. They were invited by me and were about to visit me. Why did you arrest him?"
The gendarmerie major shouted:
"Mr. Consul! This is Batavia, a Dutch territory! You have no right to interfere with who we arrest or do not arrest in our own territory! Besides, we are not arresting, but temporarily protecting them. We will arrest them at the right time.
Deported! Please get out of the way!"
Seeing that it was the right time, Xiang Xiaoqiang kept doing nothing and winked at his four guards.
A second later, the four military police officers discovered that each of them had a box gun on their chest.
The German consul and military attache were also horrified. They had received domestic orders to take the Ming delegation to the consulate for protection. Originally, they had given up hope at this situation, but they did not expect that the Ming imperial envoy would be so tough.
They surrendered their guns to Xiaoqiang and had them locked in a room. Then the group carried their luggage, radio, and went downstairs with three German diplomats.
A squad of Dutch gendarmes downstairs were in a truck, waiting for their superiors to bring people out. As soon as the superiors entered, two German officers ran out of three cars on the roadside, and another one in a uniform.
I followed them upstairs. Now, I only saw a few Chinese people following the three people out and getting into three cars. The cars still had diplomatic license plates.
When the three cars drove away quickly, and their commander had not yet gotten out, the military police in the truck realized that they should go up and take a look.
By the time they released their commander from the room, it was already too late. The three cars with diplomatic license plates had already sped away and could not catch up.
In the German consulate, Xiang Xiaoqiang gratefully hugged the Nuremberg consul, then hugged the two Nazi officers wearing armbands, and said the only words of thanks he could speak in German:
"Dang! Dang! Very dang!"
The Nuremberg consul and the two military attachés also had red faces, and they were obviously very happy. They had completed the important task assigned by the government. As diplomats, they knew that this was a powerful advancement for the relationship between Germany and Ming Dynasty.
The consul's wife also came out to welcome Qiu Qiu and hugged her cordially twice.
The members of Xiang Xiaoqiang's delegation recalled the thrilling scene just now, and they all burst into laughter. Song Ruhai translated the consul's words with a smile:
"... You can treat this place as your own home. Here, your life, freedom, and activities are all guaranteed. The imperial envoy can do whatever you want and control the situation outside as before. I can proudly say that in Bada,
In Vienna, apart from the Governor's Palace, the German Consulate is the safest place..."
Yes, Germany is right next to the Netherlands. The two countries border on each other, and it is n times more powerful than Germany. Especially recently, it has become less popular with Britain and France. If the Netherlands dares to challenge the Ming Dynasty, it will never dare to do so.
Germany is challenging.
Living here, even if the fighting is raging outside, your life and freedom of movement are completely protected, and you can still stay at the center of the event and grasp everything.
…
The observer on the bridge of the Batavia shouted:
The captain saw in the telescope that several light gray figures appeared in the blur of gray sea and sky in the distance. The one in the middle was the largest, with only one chimney, and the silhouette was not a cruiser. There were smaller figures in front and behind.
Each has two chimneys.
Soon, two smaller figures appeared vaguely, which should be destroyers.
There are currently five warships counted. If it is the Ming army's battlecruiser squadron, there should be seven. But this is not important. There should be two destroyers further away, blocked by nearby ships.
Already.
These warships are dragging long black smoke, and several smoke ribbons are moving in different directions. It is obvious that they have discovered their two ships and are rapidly changing positions.
They stopped directly in front of the two Dutch light cruisers. They formed a beam position and sailed 180 degrees due south. After a short time, they rearranged their formation and separated from the original circular center formation to form a straight line.
Formation, all the guns on the sides of each warship can aim this way.
The captain of the Batavia was also giving the steering order. Since there were only two ships, they quickly turned at the same time, changing from the original side-by-side formation to a straight formation, and were also heading due south at 180 degrees.
, traveling in the same direction as the Ming fleet in the distance. All the naval guns on the sides of the two light cruisers, as well as the torpedo launchers, were also aimed at the Ming fleet in the distance.
Thunder was rolling in the sky and dark clouds were surging. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck down, and the sky and the sea became bright, and then huge raindrops hit the water. The sea became more and more turbulent, gray waves came one after another, and heavy rain poured down.
Down.
As the heavy rain filled the sky and the sea, the visibility suddenly deteriorated, and the Ming fleet in the distance seemed to be disappearing into the rain. At this moment, a bright spot flashed across the blurry outline of the Ming fleet.
"Enemy ships launched a salvo!!!"
The Batavia observer shouted nervously, holding the telescope with his pale fingers, and cold rainwater flowed down his head and face.
The captain immediately ordered:
"Order the Surabaya to prepare a salvo!"
The communications staff immediately used the radio to transmit orders to friendly ships. Then he shouted to the captain:
"Sir, preparations are complete!"
"put!!"
There was a loud noise, the bridge shook, and the main guns of the two light cruisers fired a salvo.
At this moment, the air in the sky screamed, as if countless behemoths were rushing toward them. The first salvo of artillery shells from the Ming fleet arrived.
The officers in the command room subconsciously raised their heads and looked upward in horror.