Nanyang Storm 1864

On December 1899, 12, British Prime Minister Lord Salisbury appointed Lord Roberts as the new commander-in-chief of the South African Expeditionary Force and Lieutenant General Kitchener as chief of staff, and immediately went to South Africa to take up his post to save the current unfavorable war situation.

Due to the unprecedented defeat, warlike sentiment was on the rise among the British people. The Salisbury Cabinet vowed to "fight the war to the end", which was unanimously supported by the British society.

This devastating defeat deeply hurt the sensitive nerves of the British, and anti-German and anti-Dutch sentiments spread wildly like a volcanic eruption.

At the end of the month,
Pan Yuchen, the Foreign Minister from the State of Chu, arrived in London in a low-key manner and quickly began secret consultations with the British government, explaining the difficult reasons why the State of Chu had to take action and hoping to gain understanding and support from the British side.

On January 1900, 1, Roberts and Kitchener arrived in Cape Town, bringing with them the British Seventh Army, reinforcements from Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and three cavalry detachments stationed in India and Ceylon.

Britain continued to send large numbers of troops to South Africa. By February 1900, the total number of the South African Expeditionary Force reached more than 2.

By mid-March, its total strength had grown to more than 31, and the opportunity for a large-scale counterattack had arrived.

Under the leadership of Lieutenant General Kitchener, the new Chief of Staff of the South African Expeditionary Force, 22 tons of barbed wire and a large amount of cement were urgently imported from the Congo River colony to implement the strategy of "advancing step by step, building strongholds and forts, rolling encirclement and suppression, and suffocating and strangling" against the elusive cavalry of the South African Boers.

On the one hand, Boer concentration camps were established to cut off the enemy's reinforcements. On the other hand, a large number of bunkers, deep trenches and barbed wire defenses were built to prevent the Boers from advancing thousands of miles and attacking British baggage depots and railway lines.

At the same time, they stockpiled heavy troops, shifted the main attack direction to the weaker Orange Free State in the middle, and steadily advanced northward.

On the western front, after more than a dozen fierce battles, the British army defeated the militia commanded by Piet Cronye, ​​the most ferocious "Black General" of the Bulgar Army, and liberated Kimberley, which had been besieged for several months, on February 2.

The British army on the eastern front launched another offensive on February 2, defeated the Boers in the Battle of Dordrecht on March 27, and finally lifted the siege of Ladysmith.

After several months of fierce fighting, the British army paid a heavy price in casualties and finally reversed the previous unfavorable situation and achieved a series of important victories.

During this period
Foreign Minister Pan Yuchen and his delegation, who visited London, finally achieved a certain degree of understanding from the British side after several rounds of consultations and signed a secret memorandum.

At this point, all obstacles for Chu to launch the East Indies War were cleared.

These three months

There were constant diplomatic disputes between Chu and the Netherlands. In the "Palegang Incident", Chu's position of safeguarding the interests of overseas Chinese always occupied the moral high ground.

Through the continuous and in-depth digging of the news media, the ugly eating habits of the Dutch were made public, which aroused strong indignation among the people in the Kingdom of Chu. The calls from various civil groups for launching a "war against injustice" became louder and louder.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chu issued an ultimatum to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Governor-General of the East Indies, ordering them to unconditionally agree to Chu's demands before 3:6 on March 12.

Otherwise, "it will be too late to regret if the army marches south."

On March 3, the Kingdom of the Netherlands formally rejected the Chu State's request and declared war on Chu State.

On the morning of March 3, the State of Chu officially declared war on the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the "Second East Indies War" broke out.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu personally served as the commander-in-chief of the land and sea expeditionary force, leading the Royal Navy's Home Fleet and the Indian Ocean Fleet, 11 divisions and 6 regiments of the Royal Army, a total of 15.5 troops, and marched south in several directions.

The land war broke out on March 3. The Sumatra Corps, commanded by General Pan Tianshou, Chief of the Royal Army General Staff, had a total of 7 troops consisting of 5 divisions and 7.2 regiments.

The Sumatra Corps was divided into three groups and attacked from Jambi Province to the southeast, successfully breaking through the border line and marching into the Dutch-occupied area.

They swept through the Dutch strongholds along the way like a whirlwind, and only three days later, they arrived at the city of Palembang, where they encountered the heavily armed Dutch army.

The southeastern part of Sumatra was shrouded in war clouds, the atmosphere became unprecedentedly tense, and the "Battle of Palembang" was about to break out.

The southern army of the Sumatra Corps marched straight ahead, capturing Lubulgao County, Lahat County, Upper Ugankonmerin County, West Lampung County, and Kanan County along the southern coastline. In more than ten days, they advanced more than 230 kilometers and were already very close to the capital of Lampung Province.

On the sea near Batavia
One after another, huge ships as big as hills jumped out of the sea level, carrying a cold murderous aura and rushing forward fiercely. The tall steel triangular masts emitted a cold luster under the sunlight.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was in the spacious bridge of his flagship, HMS Bandar Seri Begawan, surrounded by a group of senior Royal Navy generals, listening calmly to reports on military intelligence.

"Your Majesty, the vanguard fleet has completely eliminated the enemy vessels, sinking six and capturing five, killing over 6 and taking 5 prisoners. We have suffered only three minor casualties and no casualties."

"Your Majesty, the fleet attacking Sishui has successfully landed the army and is currently engaged in a fierce battle with the enemy."

"Your Majesty, the battle fleet is bombarding the Dutch fortress and buildings in the harbor ahead, preparing to cover the landing of the army officers and soldiers."

With the latest military information from various sources gathered, King Zheng Guohui of Chu and the naval generals all had relaxed expressions on their faces, as if it were a leisurely outing.

The Royal Netherlands Navy's East Indies Fleet defending Java Island was a backward maritime force composed mainly of old sailing warships, and could barely be considered a surviving fleet.

If a real war breaks out, even the Chu cruiser fleet will not be able to defeat them.

Facts also prove that

The naval forces of the Governor-General's Office of the East Indies were completely vulnerable and were almost overwhelmingly defeated by the powerful Chu Royal Navy.

The vanguard cruiser fleet took less than an hour to completely destroy this old-fashioned sailing fleet, rudely tearing off the last glory of the Royal Netherlands Navy.

From the scene

It was just an adult beating a child, without any suspense at all.

Although those brave Dutch naval officers and soldiers fought desperately, they were completely powerless in the face of absolute strength!
The sound of cannons rumbled on the blue sea. The main warships of the battleship formation were madly pouring fire on the coastal artillery positions, causing flames and smoke to fill the air.

The Dutch defenders on the coastal batteries fought tenaciously and fought back desperately, but they seemed so weak in the face of the fierce attacking artillery fire.

Every 305mm high-explosive shell fired by the main battleships of the Chu Royal Navy exploded on the coastal fortress, causing a shock that shook the earth.

The invisible shock wave blew up the smoke and dust, and a huge fireball flew into the sky along with the broken bricks, artillery and corpses, and then fell all over the sky.

One after another, huge ships cruising on the sea all aimed their sides at the artillery forts and bombarded them with full firepower, causing the earth and rocks to crack and flames to shoot into the sky.

After an hour and a half of artillery battle, the two Dutch artillery forts were completely silenced.

The battleship fleet of the Chu Royal Navy did not give up and continued to bombard the two artillery forts until more than half an hour later.

Some shallow-draft armored cruisers can be seen approaching the dock, bombarding the dock buildings with 206mm main guns and 152mm secondary guns.

Wherever the shells hit, houses collapsed and dust filled the air.

After the artillery fire raged for more than an hour, the main and secondary guns of the armored cruiser stopped roaring, and then the crisp sound of "bang bang bang" was heard again.

This was the ship's 37mm Maxim rapid-fire cannon unleashing its might, eliminating all targets within visual range, including gathered enemy troops, White Militia, and any suspicious individuals. The cargo ships gathered in Batavia harbor trembled in fear, fearing they would be caught in the artillery fire.

Batavia is the most important port in the East Indies. There are hundreds of ships of all sizes docked here, most of which are wooden boats, small sampans and small fishing boats.

There are also some steamships and iron cargo ships docked in an orderly manner at the dock or anchorage.

Looking at the Chu navy warships that were densely surrounding them on the sea, these cargo ships had no intention of resisting and all stayed anchored obediently.

After the bombardment

A large number of buildings on the Batavia dock were still burning, and many buildings near the dock were set on fire and turned into ruins.

In the face of absolute power, any defense is nothing.

Knowing that there would be no decent naval battle, the Royal Navy fleet's mission was to clear the obstacles and then encourage the Royal Army to land.

The toughest tasks also require the Royal Army to complete.

Although the attack went smoothly at the beginning, the combat effectiveness of the Dutch army should never be underestimated. After all, it was once a world power.

Even if they are lonely, they still have the stubborn and unwilling to admit defeat side of the people of Northwestern Europe.

If you are even slightly careless, you may suffer.

The Boers in South Africa are the most vivid example. They fought against the British, who had absolute superiority, and the battles were lively and colorful. They were by no means a pushover.

Since this time
The Royal Army General Staff organized and simulated more than a dozen exciting battles of the Boers. This war, which took place in South Africa, opened the eyes of the senior officers of the Chu Royal Army and they all praised it highly.

The Java Island Corps of the Expeditionary Force was divided into two directions. One was to attack and occupy Surabaya, an important town in the central part of the island, after defeating the Dutch defenders.

Going south from Si Shui, the entire narrow island was cut off in one fell swoop, dividing it into two war zones.

The other route is the main force of the current expeditionary force, which has assembled a total of more than 56000 troops. After attacking and occupying Batavia, it advanced westward and occupied Bandung, the second largest city on the island.

On the flagship "Bandar Seri Begawan"

Watching the large number of troop transport ships approaching the dock, the black mass of soldiers quickly spread out like locusts, establishing a landing site defense line and stabilizing the rear.

A solemn look emerged in the deep eyes of King Zheng Guohui of Chu.

The real test begins now.

The defensive strategy of the Dutch East Indies Governorate was to "abandon the battle at sea, stop the enemy at the beachhead fortress, delay the action, and hold the fortress fortress until reinforcements are received."

The entire East Indies War was divided into two war zones: Sumatra and Java.

Because of the powerful maritime force of the Chu Royal Navy, it completely controlled the entire sea area, making it impossible for the front and rear to take care of each other, and it became two relatively independent war zones.

So where does this reinforcement come from?

It should be noted that William Rossebohm, the new Governor of the Dutch East Indies, had already taken the initiative to mobilize for war after realizing that war was approaching.

This included Dutch whites and local indigenous people, and even five Chinese volunteer corps, one in Palembang, one in Surabaya, two in Bandung, and one in Batavia.

Its total armed force was about 20, of which about 15.5 were indigenous vassal troops and more than 1.3 Chinese volunteers, equipped with weapons mainly including muskets and swords.

Although many of them are old-fashioned flintlock rifles, there are also advanced striker rifles that can play a big role in fortress defense.

The sounds of gunfire and artillery could be heard one after another, and the latest reports showed that;

The vanguard of the landing force was blocked in the expanded landing area and found a defensive line formed by the Dutch built a long earthen wall, deep trenches, barbed wire and forts.

The landing force was not advancing rashly, but was establishing its own defensive line. Artillery and supplies arrived on the beach to support the subsequent landing force, preparing for a difficult offensive.

Previous intelligence showed
The Dutch have not been idle over the past decade.

Adhering to the strategy of decisive battle in fortresses, the Dutch built seven lines of earthen ramparts between the port area of ​​Batavia and the old city, strengthened the city fortresses and built a large number of bunkers.

Many similar defensive facilities have been built in towns and villages, most of which are located in dangerous mountain passes and major transportation routes and are difficult to bypass.

In this regard, the Chu State also has a powerful weapon.

That is the 24-pound field gun, which is equivalent to 147.9 mm in metric terms. It is the land version of the 150 mm gun equipped by the Chu Royal Navy, specifically used to destroy strong fortresses and bunker buildings.

The gun is equipped with special anti-explosive bombs and armor-piercing shells, which have amazing killing power and are quite heavy. Such a large-caliber field artillery requires more than 20 people to operate.

At around 4 p.m.

The number of troops that landed successively reached more than 2.6 people, and they unloaded a large amount of combat supplies, including fifteen 24-pound heavy cannons, more than one hundred ten-pound Parrot rifled cannons, and a large number of trucks, carriages, food, tents and other supplies.

Five or six docks at the Port of Batavia unload together, and the speed is quite fast.

When night falls

The total number of troops that landed exceeded 3.5, expanding to more than 30 kilometers wide and 4 to 5 kilometers deep on both sides of the road, and established preliminary barbed wire and trench defense lines.

General Huangshan's command post was located on the dock, which had become a densely packed tent area where the elite Second Expeditionary Division and Fifth Expeditionary Division were stationed.

The two divisions' defense zones were adjacent to each other, both facing the city of Batavia, stretching for 16 kilometers and belonging to the core position of the military formation.

On both sides of this huge military formation were the defense zones of some newly formed divisions and rifle regiments, extending towards the wings.

The confrontation between the two armies filled the sky over Batavia with a solemn atmosphere before the war.

The sounds of gunfire gradually died down before nightfall. A gentle sea breeze blew in, dispersing the strong smell of blood mixed with gunpowder smoke, but it did not reduce the tense atmosphere in the slightest.

The gradually falling night harbours a terrifying danger. (End of this chapter)