At three o'clock in the afternoon on February 27, the battlecruiser Gonggong completed repairs on the damaged armor, and the squadron once again pulled anchor and set sail, heading west at a speed of 20 knots. Around five o'clock in the afternoon, the weather gradually cleared and the sea conditions tended to stabilize.
It was calm, the squadron's speed reached 25 knots, and it was estimated that it would arrive off the coast of Batavia around four o'clock in the morning on the 28th.
At around six o'clock in the evening, when the squadron sailed to the sea off Semarang, it was intercepted by the Royal Netherlands Air Force taking off from a nearby airport. However, the Dutch Air Force was weaker than their navy, and there were less than fifty combat aircraft stationed in the East Indies.
, and the quality of the pilots was poor. They were all novices, and they lacked training for a long time. The aircraft were poorly maintained. One-third of the more than 20 bombers and torpedo planes could not fly. More than half of the ones that could fly could not find the Ming Dynasty in the vast sea.
The fleet, on its own, got lost...
In the end, there were only three dive bombers and three torpedo planes flying above the head of the Gonggong squadron.
These six aircraft, if the pilots are experienced, are still a considerable threat to such a small squadron. However, the result was a farce of turkey hunting. Three bulky biplane torpedo planes were flying.
Slowly and bravely approaching, two of them were shot down before they even entered the torpedo range. The other one finally dropped a torpedo, but the torpedo actually flew over the warship before it was dropped...
The fate of the three bi-wing dive bombers was not much better. One was hit before it had time to drop its bomb. The other two dived down and dropped the two bombs in the sea more than 20 meters away from the warship, and then were also hit.
Hit. All three bombers fell into the sea trailing black smoke.
As a result, the Ming Dynasty Squadron had to spend another half a day sending destroyers to salvage the parachuting Dutch pilots. Six planes rescued ten in total.
…
At the German Consulate in Batavia, Xiang Xiaoqiang, Qiu Qiu, and three consultants are having dinner with the Nuremberg consul and his wife. Song Ruhai, the former military attache in Germany, is acting as an interpreter. The consul and his wife are talking excitedly about the upcoming Berlin Conference in August.
Olympic Games. Xiang Xiaoqiang knows very little about that Olympic Games. He only knows that none of the events of the Chinese delegation entered the semi-finals. He also knows that the best national anthem selected was "The National Anthem of the Republic of China." Unfortunately, he has never heard it.
While eating, there was a radio playing in the living room. Suddenly, Xiaoqiang listened attentively, and then Qiu Qiu and the three old men also held their breath, listening to the broadcast on the radio. Jinling Broadcasting Company announced that half an hour ago, a total of
The No. 1 Squadron was attacked in turn by the Dutch aircraft fleet and shot down six Dutch aircraft without any damage to itself.
Nuremberg didn't understand. Seeing their expressions, he looked at them questioningly. He winked at Xiaoqiang, and Song Ruhai translated it with a smile. Nuremberg also smiled, raised his glass, and proposed to be brave.
Cheers to the Ming fleet.
At this time, Xiang Xiaoqiang's guard hurried in and handed him a translated telegram. When Xiang Xiaoqiang saw it, it was sent to him from the official residence of the Chief Minister of Nanjing. It was exactly the situation of this air defense battle: Arrive at 6:25
At 6:40, the Gonggong squadron shot down three dive bombers and three torpedo planes 60 nautical miles due north of Semarang without any damage to itself.
Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and nodded, asked the guard to take it and seal it, and then smiled at the Nuremberg consul:
"My government has also confirmed it with me. Mr. Nuremberg, it seems that I would like to trouble you to provide us with a room for negotiation in the museum."
The Gonggong squadron will arrive off the coast of Batavia at four or five o'clock tomorrow morning. Before Batavia is threatened, this is the last chance for the Dutch side to negotiate. If they want to negotiate, it will be tonight.
.
After hearing the translation, Nuremberg seemed very happy, bowed slightly and said with a smile:
"I am very honored that you can give me this trust."
Sure enough, just after dinner, when Xiang Xiaoqiang and Qiu Qiu were enjoying a crispy German puff filled with fresh milk and baked on the outside, a servant from the consulate came in and whispered a few words to Nuremberg.
Then he looked a little surprised, stood up and said with a smile:
"Haha, it seems that you are about to start negotiations. Come on, Mr. Xiang, I will take you to see the negotiation room prepared for you... The Dutch Governor in East India is waiting outside."
Xiang Xiaoqiang regained his energy, looked at a few people, stood up, wiped his mouth, and said:
"Let's go blackmail them."
…
Although the two countries have started a naval war, they have not yet declared war on each other, so it cannot be defined as a state of war. Even if the battle at sea is fierce, it can only be called a "conflict." Therefore, it is still very convenient to negotiate at any time.
Resolve "conflicts".
The consulate is divided into two parts, the first half is the office part, and the second half is the residential part. The negotiation room prepared for them by the Nuremberg consul is a small conference room in the office part.
The room is very well ventilated. With the front and rear windows open and the electric fan blowing, it is very cool.
On one side of the long conference table, the governor and several other Dutch officials were already sitting there. When Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at it, he was happy to see that they were still the same people who negotiated last time.
The Ming Dynasty delegation came in with their faces raised and sat down on the shelf. The servants of the consulate served them tea.
Although the natural wind and the electric fan blew by, and the papers on the table had to be pressed with something, the governor still kept wiping his sweat with a handkerchief. Xiang Xiaoqiang was not prepared to waste time with him. He looked at his watch and asked bluntly:
"Mr. Governor, what do you say this time?"
The governor looked pale, wiped his sweat, and said with a dry throat:
"Your Majesty the Imperial Envoy, after discussion, our government is ready to accept the following conditions..."
Then, he put on a monocle, held a document and read:
"1. For every Chinese who died, our government will compensate his relatives 4,000 Mingyang pension.
2. For every Chinese woman who is raped, our government will compensate her 2,000 Mingyang solatium.
3. For every injured Chinese, our government is responsible for all treatment costs.
4. For each disabled Chinese, the Chinese government is responsible for all the treatment expenses, and will compensate him with a one-time solace ranging from 500 to 2,000 Mingyang depending on the degree of disability.
5. The property losses suffered by the Chinese in this riot will be compensated by our government.
6. Our government will severely investigate and punish the thugs involved in the crime and bring them to justice as soon as possible."
After the governor finished reading, he raised his face and looked straight at Xiang Xiaoqiang.
Xiang Xiaoqiang waited for a long time and asked:
"Is it over?"
The governor listened to the translator and nodded with a blushing face.
Not only Xiang Xiaoqiang, but also the three respected old consultants thought it was too childish. They were all at a loss for words and looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
Putting aside justice and axioms, let's look at the current situation: two warships were sunk, the so-called "air force" was also proved to be a bunch of rabble, and the Netherlands no longer has any powerful means of resistance in the Far East. Any one
A rational government would endure the humiliation and agree to the harshest conditions in order to preserve the Dutch East Indies, the largest and richest overseas colony.
Moreover, even if you ask for a high price and pay back the money on the spot, you won't pay it back like this. This is not only a lack of sincerity, but also a lack of understanding of your own situation.
There was no mention of ports and garrisons, no mention of Sumatra's oil and rubber rights, no mention of the extradition of the governor, the amount of compensation was cut by half to two-thirds, and even the punishment of the murderer was vaguely stated, "We will pursue the case severely."
"Punish them and bring them to justice as soon as possible", which is far from the blood debts demanded by the Ming Dynasty government.
Xiang Xiaoqiang was happy instead. He looked at his people with a smile, then looked at the governor, shook his head and sighed.
"Is this the final attitude of your government?"
he asked.
After the governor got this condition, he knew that Xiang Xiaoqiang would never agree to it. He lowered his head, sighed, and nodded:
"It should be said that this is a condition that our government has come up with after discussion and that it is considered acceptable to both parties..."
Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at him indifferently:
"Your government is full of talented people."
The governor was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly after hearing the translation:
"Thank you...but I personally think...this should not be the 'final' attitude...the conditions offered by our government should still have room for negotiation...Mr. Imperial Envoy can put forward your opinions based on this condition,
I will convey this to our government..."
Xiang Xiaoqiang had received a telegram from Shen Rongxuan in the afternoon. Shen Rongxuan instructed him that now the Gonggong squadron has completely eliminated the Dutch naval power in the Far East, and the aircraft carrier formation will arrive within three days. Now the situation is more favorable, and the Ming Empire wants to
Yes, it's more than that. If the Netherlands fully accepts the Ming Dynasty's conditions, then that's it, they have to withdraw the aircraft carrier fleet. Otherwise, they can beat them again, and then they can extort a huge military compensation.
Xiang Xiaoqiang lamented at the time that he thought he was cruel enough, but he didn't expect that Shen Rongxuan, who looked gentle and gentle, turned out to be more cruel than himself.
Xiang Xiaoqiang picked up the document with his two fingertips, threw it away, and the paper flew back to the governor's arms.
"Oh, what a pity," Xiang Xiaoqiang shook his head and sighed, "It seems that we have tried our best. Please tell your government about our country's attitude. Again, these conditions are non-negotiable. You must
Accept them all. Not a single thing can be changed. I will wait until you arrive at ten o'clock in the evening, and then I will have a rest. Our fleet will arrive off the coast of Batavia early tomorrow morning, and what happens then will be beyond our control.
...Please come back, Lord Governor."
The governor's face was as white as paper. He tremblingly packed away the papers, pens and documents, bowed with his bag under his arm, and staggered away with several subordinates who also had pale faces.
…
At 9:30 in the evening, the Governor came to see him again and brought a new concession from the Dutch government. This time the Dutch government agreed to execute 2,314 thugs, and the compensation for the Chinese victims was increased to 70% of what Ming Dynasty demanded, and it was willing to give it to Ming Dynasty's company.
30% of Sumatra oil and rubber interests.
But obviously, this is still far from Ming's requirements. What's more, now that Ming has fought a naval battle with them, his appetite has increased.
Therefore, the second concession condition was still rejected.
After seeing off the governor, Xiang Xiaoqiang was so excited that he couldn't sleep. A few hours later, the Ming Dynasty's battlecruiser squadron arrived. At that time, the cannon was set up at the door of Batavia to negotiate terms. If nothing else, the cannonballs were about to fall.
In the city of Batavia.
Qiu Qiu was also very nervous, but she still gently advised Xiang Xiaoqiang to go to bed early. He would definitely get up at about four o'clock to have final negotiations with the Dutch representative. By then, it would be difficult to yawn all day long.
Xiang Xiaoqiang and Qiu Qiu were tossing and turning in bed, and they didn't fall asleep until after one o'clock.
…
At 4:20 a.m. on February 28, the Gonggong battlecruiser squadron arrived 10 nautical miles north of Batavia Bay and began patrolling on standby.
Xiang Xiaoqiang and Qiu Qiu had already jumped up. It was still dark before dawn outside. They burned the light of day in the bedroom, spread out the map, watched the radio, and contacted Nanjing. On the other hand, they analyzed the Ming fleet and Batavia.
Comparison of firepower of shore artillery.
The Ming Dynasty fleet dared to approach Batavia Bay with the help of the battlecruiser Gonggong. Batavia's shore artillery batteries were mediocre. First of all, Batavia was surrounded by plains for dozens of kilometers, and there was no way for the shore artillery to be used.
In a condescending place, the fort had to be built on flat ground. In this way, the field of vision and range were greatly reduced. Moreover, Batavia's shore artillery itself was only six German 150mm cannons from World War I, with a maximum range of only 18,000.
About a thousand meters. This was after the end of World War I. As the victorious country, the Netherlands received compensation from Germany to replace the original old-fashioned cannon from the late 19th century.
The Gonggong cruiser has eight 305mm cannons with a maximum range of 32,000 meters. It can do whatever it wants beyond the range of the shore artillery. More importantly, it does not need to engage in bombardment with the shore artillery.
To shoot accurately, just make sure the shells can land in the city.
"Xiao Qiang," Qiu Qiu pulled his sleeve, showing a hint of nervousness, "We may also be hit by artillery shells."
Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and said: "Not bad."
Qiu Qiu said uneasily: "The Chinese's homes may also be bombed."
Xiang Xiaoqiang nodded: "Yes! The Chinese may also be shelled, and the Chinese also need to take risks. But I dare say that if you let them choose, they will definitely choose to let the Ming fleet fire. Are you right?"
Qiu Qiu looked at him and said firmly:
"Xiaoqiang, you are right. They will definitely choose to let the Ming fleet fire. Because..."
Xiang Xiaoqiang continued:
"Because they would rather risk dying with those beasts than see their motherland, which had just become tough and dared to protect their motherland, just die out like this. Now after this tragedy, the Chinese in Batavia
There are already too many families that are not intact. When they were hacked to death and raped, they were forced to watch their relatives being hacked to death. When they were raped, they wished that the cannonballs of the Ming Dynasty fleet would fall on them.
By your side, let yourself and those beasts perish together! Will they be cowardly now? Humph, absolutely not!"
Qiu Qiu swallowed and continued:
"Well... I want to say that that's because every Chinese neighborhood has our spies, reporting detailed coordinates to the fleet so that the cannons can avoid..."
Xiang Xiaoqiang was impassioned for a long time, and then he looked at her blankly.
"Yes, that's it." Qiu Qiu's face was a little feverish, and she was a little regretful that she didn't cooperate with her husband's sensationalism. "Generally, fleets bombard large cities in enemy countries like this... What if they bombed randomly? What if they bombed foreign countries?
What should the consulate do?”
At this time, the light on the radio station came on. Qiu Qiu hurriedly put on her earphones to receive the message, and then immersed herself in translating it. After a while, she finished the translation and handed it to Xiang Xiaoqiang with a serious look on her face.
This is an ultimatum. If the Dutch government does not accept the conditions proposed by the Ming government before six o'clock, the Ming Empire will declare war on the Netherlands and begin bombarding Batavia.
Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at his pocket watch and saw that it was already half past four. There was only one and a half hours left.
He jumped up, ran outside, and banged on the door of another bedroom. He woke up the former secretary of the Ming Dynasty Consulate in Batavia and asked him to call the Governor's Mansion and inform them that at 4:50
Meeting with Ming Dynasty representatives, there is something important.
After making the phone call, he asked the Nuremberg consul to prepare a car for his people and asked the secretary to rush to the Governor's Palace with the ultimatum.
Immediately afterwards, Xiang Xiaoqiang was smoking in the room, looking at the clock on the wall, turning on the radio, and wandering around nervously.
At 5:20, the secretary came back.
"How about it?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang grabbed him and asked nervously.
The secretary shook his head and said with a bitter smile: "The governor accepted the ultimatum. His face was still so pale and he asked me to come back without saying anything."
He nodded to Xiaoqiang, took out a new cigarette from his cigarette tin, lit it against the butt of the cigarette, and held it in his mouth.
The room was filled with smoke. Qiu Qiu coughed twice and looked at him nervously.
Xiaoqiang was blowing green smoke from his nostrils, his eyes were red, and he was squinting at her, looking like a fire-breathing dragon.
"Qiu Qiu, get ready to plug your ears," Xiang Xiaoqiang breathed smoke evilly and laughed, "We're going to start firing soon."
Qiu Qiu stood up, nervously picked up a glass of water and drank it, then forced himself to smile and said:
"Xiaoqiang...you...you forgot that I am a soldier."
Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled: "Well, that's good."
…
The clock on the wall read five-fifty-eight, and Xiang Xiaoqiang's pocket watch also read five-fifty-five. The radio had long been tuned to the Jinling Radio channel, but there was always a squeaking noise.
Suddenly, a burst of elegant and solemn music sounded from the radio. Then, the announcer said in a solemn tone:
"Citizens of the Ming Dynasty, let us now invite our beloved Queen to speak."
Both Xiang Xiaoqiang and Qiu Qiu's hearts were in their throats. A few seconds later, Zhu Yourong's voice came out. She changed from the kind and gentle way she spoke in the past, and this time she was solemn and firm, announcing sentence by sentence:
"An hour and a half ago, our representative in Batavia submitted our country's ultimatum to the Dutch authorities. The deadline is six o'clock sharp this morning. So far, the Dutch government has not given a reply. Since it is now six o'clock sharp,
Therefore, on behalf of the Ming Empire, I declare to the Kingdom of the Netherlands that from now on, our two countries are in a state of war."
Then, the national anthem of the Ming Dynasty began to be played on the radio.
Xiang Xiaoqiang's heart boiled with excitement. This girl has declared war! She has finally declared war! She has finally come this far for the benefit of overseas Chinese!
What a bloody good girl!
Qiu Qiu suddenly pulled him:
"Listen quickly!"
There was a faint sound coming from the window. Xiang Xiaoqiang raised his ears to distinguish it. Qiu Qiu's ears were better and he said excitedly:
"It's the national anthem! Someone is singing the national anthem!"
Xiang Xiaoqiang rushed to the window, opened it, and listened.
The singing of "Mountains and Rivers of My Motherland" could be heard faintly nearby. It could be clearly heard that they were singing along with the singing on the radio. There were probably dozens of people near and far. They were all coming from nearby houses.
Xiang Xiaoqiang's chest felt hot, his nose felt sore, and tears immediately rolled down his face. He immediately started singing along, and even though he was still half-baked, he still sang with tears in his eyes. Qiu Qiu was behind him, holding his hand and singing in a low voice.
He sang together, singing and singing, also crying.
The smell of dead Chinese people on the street is still coming. Although the corpses have been almost cleaned up, the smell of these corpses still lingers and becomes stronger. It seems to prove that: crime does not follow the crime scene.
By cleaning, it can be covered up cleanly.
...More than two thousand innocent souls have not left yet, they are still in the sky above the streets of Batavia, waiting to witness this moment.
Gradually--
From far to near, the air above Batavia roared, and soon the scream became shrill.
Just as Xiang Xiaoqiang raised his head in fear, the ground trembled, and an earth-shaking loud noise came from several hundred meters away.
He hugged Qiu Qiu tightly and squatted under the window sill.