The ground in Batavia was shaking. Xiang Xiaoqiang hugged Qiu Qiu tightly, his back pressed against the wall under the window sill. He felt that every few seconds, the ground beneath his butt shook, followed by a loud thunder-like sound.
will pass through the window.
Qiu Qiu pressed her head hard into his arms, and every time there was an explosion, she would tremble. Xiang Xiaoqiang touched her back, his own heart was beating wildly, and he said against her ear:
"Qiu Qiu...you are after all..."
Another loud noise interrupted his words. After the loud noise, Xiang Xiaoqiang continued:
"You are a navy after all..."
Another shell exploded, and it exploded relatively close. Xiang Xiaoqiang felt a suffocation in his chest, and it took several seconds before he spoke:
"...You are a naval officer after all, and warship cannon fire can kill you..."
There was another explosion, and Xiang Xiaoqiang simply stopped talking. Anyway, in this kind of bombardment, it was impossible to say a complete sentence.
Instead, Qiu Qiu raised her head and shouted into his ear:
"Open your mouth wide!"
Xiang Xiaoqiang remembered that if he couldn't block his ears during the loud noise, it was best to open his mouth wide. He had to hold Qiu Qiu with both hands, so he had to open his mouth wide. Xiao Nizi felt comfortable, with her head in her arms, and she couldn't sleep at all.
No need to cover your ears...
Xiang Xiaoqiang opened his mouth wide, and sure enough, the next few explosions made his chest and ears feel much better.
Slowly, there was a lot of dusty taste in my mouth. I spat at Xiaoqiang a few times, raised my head, and saw the lights in the room flickering on and off, and dust was already flying.
Xiang Xiaoqiang was startled. He turned around and looked out of the window. He saw a gray-white blur outside, as if the whole of Batavia was completely shrouded in smoke and dust. The buildings, buildings, mosques and so on in the distance were all
Invisible, only the flash of the explosion can be seen through the smoke and dust.
The door suddenly opened, and Consul Nuremberg appeared at the door with a pale face. There was another explosion. He held on to the door frame to stand still a little. Nuremberg was still wearing a nightgown, holding a monocle, and was still out of breath.
Even, he spoke a string of German nervously. Xiang Xiaoqiang and Qiu Qiu looked at each other, neither understanding. Seeing this, Nuremberg slowly spoke English again. After being interrupted three times by shell explosions, Xiang Xiaoqiang
Only then did Xiaoqiang understand that he was asking if anything would happen here.
Xiang Xiaoqiang quickly fucked the three-legged cat and replied in English:
"It's okay! Don't be afraid! Nothing will happen here! Our navy has a map!"
Nuremberg understood, nodded, forced out a relaxed smile, took out a large roll of tape from his pajamas pocket and handed it to him, pointed at the window and gestured. Xiang Xiaoqiang understood, took the tape, and the three of them
The window glass of this room is pasted in an X shape to reinforce it and prevent it from being shattered by the shock wave and injuring people.
Then the three people took the tape to another room to reinforce the glass for the rest of the delegation. Only then did Xiang Xiaoqiang remember that as a leader, he should care about the "people" of the delegation at this time, especially the three highly respected people.
Fortunately, two of them were military attachés stationed abroad before retiring, and one was a deputy director of the General Administration of Military Industry of the Ministry of National Defense. After all, they are all soldiers, so naturally they will not perform too badly. Xiang Xiaoqiang came to visit them and put up windows for them.
At that time, they were sitting together drinking coffee. Although the hand holding the cup would tremble with the explosion outside the window, it looked much better than when Xiang Xiaoqiang and Qiu Qiu hugged each other.
It was really difficult to talk during the shelling. Xiang Xiaoqiang couldn't figure out how the bombardment density could be so high for just those few warships. But if you think about it carefully, you will understand. The Gonggong alone has eight 305mm main guns, and another hundred
There must be about a dozen multi-millimeter secondary guns. In addition, there are two light cruisers with a total of 16 155mm main guns. The range of these thirty or forty cannons can reach Batavia from ten nautical miles away.
Coupled with the unique high rate of fire of naval guns, it was enough to plunge Batavia into a continuous barrage of gunfire.
Suddenly, the sound of artillery became sparse, and soon the dense explosions outside became sporadic, and then the sporadic explosions disappeared.
Batavia fell into silence again.
After a while, a few people crowded at the window and looked out.
The gray smoke outside gradually thinned out, revealing the appearance of the city after the bombardment. The nearby consulate area was better, with not many shells falling, but a few streets away, the slums where locals gathered were in terrible shape.
Black smoke rises between the ruins. Some of the simpler wooden houses and bamboo houses are either in pieces or burning. Broken tropical trees, palms and banana branches and leaves are everywhere on the street. Local locals on the street
Human corpses and severed limbs can also be seen everywhere.
After the shelling stopped, the city became quiet. The screams and cries were heard from far and near. They were all in the local language, and I couldn't understand a single word.
A big fat pig had its entire hind legs blown off, dragging half of its bloody body and squirming on the road, screaming heart-wrenchingly at the top of its throat, which could be heard for a mile around.
Further away, the usually tall mosque now had a large black hole on its large dome, like a volcano crater, with black smoke floating outward.
Of course, this bombardment was not as tragic as the Qing army's bombardment of Nanjing. There were many more artillery pieces involved in that bombardment, and the bombardment lasted much longer than this. But Xiang Xiaoqiang was not immersed in the situation that time. He would go there afterwards.
When I looked at it, the northern and western parts of Nanjing were already a scorched earth, with not much left. But this time, although the degree of damage was very low, it was so close that it felt alive.
Looking at the tragic situation in front of him, Qiu Qiu held Xiang Xiaoqiang's arm tightly and did not say a word behind him. The Nuremberg consul's face turned paler than when he was shelled just now. The sweat on his face slowly dripped,
Biting her lip, she took out a handkerchief with her right hand trembling slightly, took off her monocle, wiped it, and put it on again, as if she wanted to confirm everything in front of her.
During the shelling, a large number of local people naturally hid in places where shells were less likely to fall. Mainly in a few Chinese neighborhoods and the consulate area here. The local Chinese closed their doors and windows tightly and tried not to come into contact with the locals. And those
The local people who were in extreme fear were uncharacteristically honest, holding on to their relatives and dragging their broken legs, sitting in front of the Chinese people's homes and at the foot of the steps, staring with frightened and sad eyes, as if they had a place to stay.
That's enough.
Xiang Xiaoqiang stared out the window, looking at the local people covered in blood. He felt very complicated. He didn't know whether he was feeling resentful or intolerable.
…
This bombardment lasted only ten minutes, because ten nautical miles to the north, the Ming Dynasty squadron was attacked.
It's not that they were attacked by shore artillery. The Gonggong squadron chose this location for the bombardment, which was originally very ideal. Ten nautical miles is almost 18,000 meters, and the range limit of Batavia's 150mm shore artillery is also 10,000.
Eight thousand meters, in fact, there is no threat at all when the artillery shells hit this point, and they cannot hit the very small warship at all. For the 305mm naval gun of the Gonggong, this distance is close enough, and it can hit it relatively accurately.
The artillery shells hit the target block, a large target like this.
But as daybreak came, the bombers and torpedo planes on several surrounding islands were fully prepared and were gathered together again. There were a total of twelve dive bombers and eight torpedo planes. The fleet assembled in the nearby airspace.
Formation, launched an air attack on the Gonggong squadron.
Although the pilots were still as bad as before, the number of aircraft participating in the air attack this time was more than three times that of yesterday. They came from three different directions. The anti-aircraft fire of seven warships was scattered, and this time the fleet was not arranged in a circle.
The air defense formation was a straight artillery formation, which was not conducive to air defense. During the fierce battle, four of the eight torpedo planes were shot down, and the twelve dive bombers shot down five. The remaining eleven aircraft managed to escape.
This time the Dutch fleet suffered heavy losses, but their only result was extremely valuable - the Gonggong suffered a torpedo on its port side.
Gonggong is a battlecruiser. The main armor belt at the side waterline is only 228 mm thick. This torpedo caused a lot of damage to it. A large hole was torn in the waterline, and the water-proof compartment poured into it.
There was a lot of sea water, and the ship's hull tilted slightly.
The injury telegram was sent back to the Zhanjiang Nanhai Fleet Headquarters, which in turn sent it to the Nanjing General Naval Staff.
For a lightly armored battlecruiser, taking a torpedo is a very tragic thing. Although it is not fatal, there is no doubt that it cannot continue to fight. The Naval General Staff asked Zhu Yourong for instructions.
When Zhu Yourong received the call, his head buzzed, and he was speechless for a long time. One of the three battle cruisers of the Ming Empire, the highly respected Gonggong, which was built before the European War, is now protecting overseas Chinese in Nanyang and cannons.
During a mission like bombing the natives, he was seriously injured by several planes.
The Ming Dynasty is one of the countries with traditional sea power in the world and a member of the world's cannon club. As the monarch of such a country, although Zhu Yourong does not understand the navy, he grew up in such an environment since he was a child. He has no idea that warships represent the country's force.
A creed that is deeply rooted in belief. As for airplanes, they are just a new gadget that has appeared in the past twenty years. During the European War, airplanes could not even affect the course of the war on land, let alone at sea?
She called Shen Rongxuan. Shen Rongxuan was also surprised and did not speak for a long time. He thought for a long time and told Zhu Yourong that if the General Staff of the PLA Navy believed that the Gonggong could not continue to fight, the only option would be to temporarily withdraw the squadron from the battlefield and wait until the nearest
Go to the port of a third country for repairs. The next step is his business. He must negotiate with the United Kingdom as soon as possible to try to allow the Gonggong to enter the Singapore shipyard for repairs. The injured part of the Gonggong is below the waterline and must be repaired at a shipyard with a dry dock.
And Singapore meets this requirement.
Zhu Yourong put down the phone and looked at the map blankly, troubled in his heart. At present, the Ming Dynasty's only military presence in the East Indies is this squadron. Now it has been "repelled" by others, and the Ming Empire's face and momentum have been completely lost. This
Undoubtedly, this gave the desperate Dutch army a shot in the arm, boosting their morale and strengthening their will to resist.
She could never figure out how such a large battlecruiser could be defeated by a few small aircraft. The cost of a battlecruiser was n times that of an airplane, its firepower was n times that of an airplane, and its protection was n times that of an airplane. How could it be defeated?
But airplanes! Then why do you spend so much money building battleships? Couldn’t you just spend a fraction of a cent to build some airplanes?
Obviously Zhu Yourong forgot the most important point - the maneuverability of aircraft is n times that of battleships.
Zhu Yourong thought of Xiang Xiaoqiang. Teacher Xiang’s military class taught her a lot. Every class taught her a lot. Many very naive ideas were suddenly enlightened by Xiang Xiaoqiang’s few words. But Xiang Xiaoqiang taught herself lessons, mainly about the Army.
In terms of aspects, it emphasizes armored maneuverability and aerial coordination, and it seems that it also attaches great importance to aircraft. However, naval battles are rarely discussed, and the issue of whether battleships are more powerful or aircraft are more powerful has never been studied.
Zhu Yourong called his "confidential palace maid" and dictated a telegram to Xiang Xiaoqiang. He told him that the Gonggong was injured and the squadron had to withdraw, and asked him to observe the situation in Batavia and hold on.
, and also wanted him to answer the confusion in his heart.
…
Batavia, Xiang Xiaoqiang and Qiu Qiu all saw Zhu Yourong's telegram. Xiang Xiaoqiang heard that the bombardment stopped not because the Ming fleet showed mercy, but because the Ming fleet was severely wounded and escaped, and he became angry and depressed.
Qiu Qiu's eyes widened and she was speechless in shock. It seemed that she couldn't accept the fact that a few planes could defeat a fleet.
I originally thought that a bombardment by the Gonggong battle patrol squadron would force the Netherlands to sign the entire treaty today. Now they have been asked to fight off, and the aircraft carrier formation that set off from the East China Sea Fleet two days ago will still need at least two more
It takes genius. That means you can't do anything in these two days.
What is even more frightening is that the news that the Ming fleet was repulsed by the Dutch army will soon spread throughout Batavia. Those knowledgeable and cultured Chinese, the Dutch will naturally know this, and understand that this is only temporary and will not
Changing the balance of power between the Ming Dynasty and the Netherlands in Southeast Asia, the Ming Dynasty fleet will soon attack in large numbers, and the few remaining aircraft will not be able to withstand anything.
But more ignorant locals don't understand this. They only know that the Ming army was defeated by the Dutch masters, and they can follow the Dutch masters and show their authority to the Chinese. They can then be second-class citizens and treat third-class citizens
The Chinese stepped on them and bullied them wantonly.
After being suppressed by the authorities and bombarded by the Ming Dynasty, many of these local natives lost their loved ones, and they were already holding back their anger. Now that they heard that the Ming army was defeated by the Dutch army, how could they not be filled with anger?
Vent your anger on the local Chinese?
Although the Ming Dynasty aircraft carrier fleet will arrive in two days, will Batavia set off another wave of intensified massacres in the past two days?
Xiang Xiaoqiang held the telegraph newspaper in his hand and paced back and forth in the room. He was so anxious that he sighed for a long time, thinking that he should first clear up the girl's doubts and then tell her his worries.
"Qiu Qiu," Xiang Xiaoqiang stood still and ordered Qiu Qiu, "send me a report. I told you to remember it."
Qiu Qiu quickly took out a pen and paper and looked at Xiang Xiaoqiang. Xiang Xiaoqiang paced and said slowly:
"...I would like to express my gratitude to Your Majesty...Does Your Majesty still remember that there is a pair of gold chain armors in the palace that have been passed down by previous emperors, as well as those patterned stainless steel swords? I once couldn't put it down..."
Qiu Qiu raised his head and said angrily:
"Xiaoqiang! What are you talking about?...Those are the treasures of the palace. If you want them, you can't take advantage of others' danger to blackmail His Majesty!"
Xiang Xiaoqiang ignored her and continued to dictate:
"Armor is the best armor among all armors, and sword is also the best sword among all swords. This set of equipment worth hundreds of thousands of mingyang is worn on a warrior, but it is no match for a child holding a ten-mingyang pistol.
…”
Qiu Qiu said "Ah", his face suddenly seemed enlightened, and he was deep in thought, blushing and immersed himself in recording, and never said a word again.
After Xiang Xiaoqiang briefly explained that it was normal for battleships to lose to aircraft, and that aircraft carriers would replace battleships as the general trend, he then stated his worries: how to allow them to suppress the indigenous people even though they were already at war with the Netherlands.
, protect the Chinese.
After Xiang Xiaoqiang pondered for a while, he then dictated:
"Your Majesty, please allow Tingzhi, in the name of the commander of the People's Guard of the Ming Empire, to issue a verbal warning to the Governor of Batavia: If the Chinese Massacre occurs again in Batavia, the Ming Army vows to completely conquer the East Indies and will include all
All Dutch officials, including the governor, were executed on the spot."
Qiu Qiu was startled and raised her head to look at him.
"Do you have a better way?"
Ask Xiaoqiang her.
Qiu Qiu was stunned and shook his head.
"Why don't you remember it quickly?"
…
The telegram was sent. It took more than an hour for Zhu Yourong's telegram to come back, allowing Xiang Xiaoqiang to act cheaply in Batavia.
Xiang Xiaoqiang opened the window and saw that the atmosphere on the street outside was no longer right. The Dutch national anthem was playing from the loudspeaker on the telephone pole. The Dutch police and soldiers were cheering. The local police were even more crazy. Many people took off their police uniforms.
Waving batons, he danced the barbaric war dance of the local tribe while shirtless.
Groups of locals came out of their homes. They poured into the streets, running, screaming, and waving various things in their hands: long knives, wooden sticks, ropes... But just two days ago, people like this would still be beaten.
He was shot on the spot, and now the military and police on the street turned a blind eye.
Not a single Chinese person could be seen on the street. They were all hiding in their homes in fear, closing their doors and windows. The horrific nightmare of a few days ago seemed to be about to happen again.
Xiang Xiaoqiang's heart was beating fast and he felt that he could not wait any longer. He rushed outside and asked his secretary to call the governor.
"The phone can't be reached!" The secretary put down the phone in horror, turned around and wiped the sweat from his head, "The phone can't be reached!"
"Keep fighting!"
Xiang Xiaoqiang bit his fist irritably, listening to the deafening Dutch national anthem outside the window, and the increasingly noisy streets. The strange screams of the locals, and the barbaric war dances of the New Guinea cannibal tribe, kept rushing into the window.
It took a while for the call to get through. The secretary asked in Dutch, then was silent for a moment, hung up the phone, and murmured:
"They said the Governor is taking a shower and can't answer the phone right now..."
Xiang Xiaoqiang cursed fiercely and kicked the wall:
"Damn it, that fat old man healed his scar and forgot about the pain, and now he's doing it again!... Prepare the car, I'll go to the Governor's Mansion myself!"