Nanyang Storm 1864

After nightfall

General Huangshan, commander-in-chief of the Java Corps of the Chu Expeditionary Force, issued a combat order to "strengthen vigilance and strictly prevent night attacks", and all subordinate units acted according to the predetermined combat deployment.

In order to prepare for the current war, the Chu Royal Army has been preparing for many years, conducting countless simulations on the sand table and formulating various comprehensive combat plans.

Preventing night attacks is one of them.

We cannot expect the Dutch to sit idly by. As can be seen from the Boer War in South Africa, this is a small European country with a strong character and is quite conceited.

How confident were they that a group of Boer rabble dared to confront the British Empire?

In fact

These South African Boers did create a miracle, forcing the British to suffer a heavy defeat and force them to swallow the bitter fruit of their early defeat.

The army and navy officers and soldiers under the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies were mostly regular troops of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, totaling 2.75 people, plus an unknown number of white militia and indigenous vassal troops.

With such a powerful armed force, coupled with the Red Indians' stubborn nature of never admitting defeat, it was bound to be a tough and fierce battle.

General Huang Shan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff and Commander-in-Chief of the Java Corps, is extremely experienced. 36 years ago, he became famous for using the "poison smoke plan" to break through the Spanish fortress in Cebu City. He has fought in hundreds of battles and is a founding military minister with outstanding military achievements.

This unprecedented battle before them would be the final act for veteran officials like General Pan Tianshou and General Huangshan. It would also be the final performance before the King of Chu ascended the throne, so they absolutely could not mess it up.

Be cautious and don't let your reputation go to waste. This is the truest reflection of the hearts of these veterans.

After the order was passed down, the various units that landed on the beach immediately took action and carried out their operations in accordance with the anti-night attack deployment.

Already ascertained in advance
In order to implement the strategy of "defending the island to the death and winning the decisive battle", the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies tried to inflict heavy damage on the invading enemy, dampen its morale, and drag the war into a protracted period.

Then, through international pressure, the invading Chu army was forced to retreat.

Considering the absolute advantage of the Chu Royal Navy, the coastal beaches within a range of 4 to 6 kilometers are all within the striking range of large-caliber ship-borne heavy artillery, so it would be useless to build more fortresses.

Under the bombardment of large-caliber heavy artillery, it can be said that if a firepower point is exposed, it will be destroyed. There is no second possibility.

Therefore, the Governor of the Dutch East Indies built a large number of fortresses in the city edges and inland hinterland far away from the coast in accordance with the configuration of "light in front and heavy in the back", which was as dense as a spider web.

After more than ten years of hard work, it is definitely a tough nut to crack.

The entire Java Island's defense is divided into three major fortress groups, namely the Batavia Fortress Group, the Bandung Fortress Group and the Surabaya Fortress Group, relying on the island's three major cities to implement strict defense.

The largest fortress complex is the Batavia Fortress Complex, as it was the ruling center of the Dutch East Indies and the largest city in the entire colonial area.

Due to the war, many Chinese in Batavia and Dutch white colonists fled to inland towns such as Bogor, Bandung and even Yogyakarta to escape the war, making it difficult to accurately count the current urban population.

Especially after 1900, the Chu State's imminent invasion became increasingly obvious, and more and more Batavia residents fled to avoid the war.

after the war

Hundreds of people were killed or injured in the stampede caused by the rush to escape from Batavia to cities such as Bogor and Bandung.

It is now estimated that there are still about 30 people in the city, as well as a large number of white militia and indigenous vassal troops who have been recruited into the city recently.

Wee hours
"Report to the commander, there is a situation." The report from the officer on duty woke up Admiral Huangshan, who had just dozed off for more than an hour.

"Let's go to the combat headquarters. Are the other officers here?"

"Report to the commander, I have already notified him."

"Okay, wait for me 2 minutes."

General Huangshan immediately washed his face with cold water and quickly regained his spirits. Then he put on his military uniform, buttoned it up, and walked quickly towards the combat command center.

The combat command center was located in a warehouse at the dock. The windows on all four sides were covered with black cloth, and only light came through the edge of the door.

As I opened the door and walked in, a wave of noise and heat hit me in the face.

The combat command center was brightly lit, and dozens of officers were busy. Some were making phone calls, some were writing orders from their superiors, some were mobilizing supplies, and some were preparing for tomorrow's unloading plan. It was a busy scene.

Seeing their superior stride in, the staff officers stood at attention and saluted. "Greetings, General. Salute."

"Well, no courtesy."

General Huangshan raised his hand to return the salute as he walked, and walked quickly forward in the passage made clear by the officers.

When they arrived at the combat command post in the inner compartment, more than ten lieutenant generals, major generals and colonels were already waiting there. When they saw General Huang Shan walk in, they immediately stood at attention and saluted.

"Your humble servants respectfully welcome His Excellency."

"No need to formally greet each other, what's the situation now?" General Huangshan raised his hand to return the greeting and asked casually.

The colonel staff officer at the headquarters immediately picked up a baton, pointed on the large hanging map, and said;
"Dear Commander-in-Chief,
According to reports from frontline troops, between 12:117 and 152:403 in the morning, the frontline positions of the th, nd and rd Regiments respectively discovered unusual movements of foreigners, the number of which is unknown.

After careful screening, it should be below the battalion scale.

As for whether there are still many enemy troops deployed in the rear, or whether there are any unusual enemy movements in other fronts, due to poor visibility at night, it is difficult to determine at this time."

"Well, what are the countermeasures?"

"We have informed all units on the front lines of the enemy situation. According to the established deployment to prevent night raids, we have entered a level one combat readiness state and increased our vigilance and surveillance."

"Yes, that's to be expected. The white guy won't just sit there and wait for death. He'll definitely put up a fight. There's no need to panic."

Admiral Huangshan said this, then calmly waved his hand and turned to instruct the staff at the headquarters: "Prepare some hot coffee for the officers to wake them up, and some snacks to help them. It looks like we'll be staying up late again tonight."

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief." The staff officer stood at attention and saluted in response, then hurried to prepare.

General Huangshan sat down first, then waved to others to sit around and prepare to discuss the current military situation.

After logging in

After some less intense fighting, the landing Chu army quickly expanded the landing area to both wings. The signalmen of each unit pulled up telephone lines and raised artillery observation balloons.

These are all cutting-edge equipment for the world's army today, and are conducive to commanding operations.

Night combat is the most difficult military subject. In conditions of poor visibility, it is easy to cause confusion and accidental injuries.

The Chu expeditionary force approached the border, but would not engage in a chaotic battle with the enemy, but would advance steadily and steadily, crushing the enemy with absolute strength. If the enemy was poor, they would use outflanking tactics, and if the enemy was rich, they would use artillery fire.

No matter how many bunkers and fortresses the Dutch built, they were all rubbish in front of the artillery feast carefully prepared by the Chu State and were not worth mentioning at all.

If there is no strong national strength foundation and no advanced heavy artillery equipment, then we have to use human wave tactics and pay with the lives of soldiers.

General Huangshan’s main focus is the word “stability”, and the same applies to anti-night attack operations.

The main focus is to drive away and kill, without pursuit, melee, or entanglement, and the key is "stability".

After daybreak, we will first unload the subsequent personnel and equipment and proceed after we have gained a firm foothold.

During the attack, they used artillery fire to clear the way, and bit by bit they smashed, demolished, chewed up and swallowed the Batavia fortresses.

There is almost no flaw in this combat strategy except for the word "slow".

But Admiral Huangshan had plenty of time. He planned to take down the Batavia fortress group in a month and lay the foundation for victory in the Second East Indies War.

Of course, this is the worst-case scenario.

According to General Huangshan's private optimistic estimate, it would be a miracle if the Japanese army could hold out for more than ten days.

The Chu Royal Army was equipped with the Manila M1898 150mm heavy artillery, which was extremely powerful. One shell weighed 43.6 kilograms, and even the strongest fortresses and bunkers could be destroyed with one shot.

Once it hits, everything will be reduced to rubble in an instant.

Earth wall fortresses, reinforced concrete fortresses, and solid city defenses are all useless and are a complete waste.

The sturdy bunkers that the 10-pound Parrot field gun couldn't take down after a long time of bombardment were all destroyed by a single shot from the Manila M1898 150mm heavy gun.

The psychological shock brought by this enemy is unparalleled and cannot be resisted by human power at all.

With such a powerful weapon, why fight the enemy at night?
Batavia was shrouded in darkness and was as silent as death.

In a European-style building not far from the old town, solemn-looking white officers were busy preparing for a large-scale night raid.

Governor William Rosebohm stood on the granite corridor on the second floor, flanked by General Johannes Benedictus van Hertz and Lieutenant General Holdeck, commander-in-chief and deputy commander-in-chief of the defending Dutch forces, respectively, responsible for commanding the war.

In this quiet night, many people cannot sleep.

"What time is the scheduled attack?"

"It was 3:40 in the morning. This was when the enemy was soundly asleep and least alert. Three night assault teams launched a simultaneous attack, breaking into the enemy camp and engaging in a chaotic battle."

"Yes, I hope to catch these Orientals off guard. My only concern now is whether the Chinese militia and the indigenous people can implement the combat plan well."

"Your Excellency the Governor, we have done everything we can. The rest depends on God's will." Army General Hertz replied seriously.

The governor's worries were not unnecessary. Night combat was an extremely difficult military undertaking. Could these rabble really catch the Chu army by surprise?

Governor William Rosebaum was a middle-aged white aristocrat in his early forties, with sharp eyes, energy, and a well-groomed Viking-style beard. He nodded when he heard this.

He replied, "We must seize this moment when the enemy is still struggling to gain a foothold and launch a decisive counterattack. We desperately need this victory to boost morale and see just how strong the Chu army, which they boast about, really is."

"Your Excellency the Governor, since we can defeat the British, we can also defeat the Chu people. The Jutland Low Countries have the blood of the Nordic Vikings flowing in their veins, and no one is better at fighting than us." Lieutenant General Holdek said confidently.

Governor William Rosebaum's stern face showed no emotion, and he simply said, "I hope so."

He joined the army at the age of 11 and rose through the ranks in the colonial army of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, reaching the rank of Lieutenant General of the Army. He was very insightful about military deployment.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands sent such an aristocrat who was a general to serve as governor, rather than an old bureaucrat like Governor Wick, in order to deal with the current severe military situation.

In this night attack, a total of more than 6400 officers and soldiers participated, accounting for about one-tenth of Batavia's defense force, which can be said to be a heavy blow.

some of

All members of the Batavia Chinese Volunteer Corps went into battle, along with four elite indigenous vassal corps and 4 white officers. They were equipped with a large number of long and short weapons, kerosene bottles, and machetes for close combat.

Judging from the deployment of troops, it is obvious that the Chinese and indigenous people are being used as cannon fodder.

The troops for the night attack were divided into three directions and were planned to be deployed in two waves.

The leading Dutch force was mainly composed of three infantry battalions, each with about three to four hundred people, totaling more than a thousand people.

After breaking into the Chu army camp and causing great chaos in close combat, the second wave of Dutch night attack forces were deployed again to inflict maximum damage to the enemy.

At the very least, a large amount of logistical supplies must be burned to weaken the strength of the Chu army.

If we attack the Dutch army from three directions at night and any one of them achieves its goal, we will make a huge profit.

Such a battle plan is nothing short of vicious.

If the elite white main force of the Dutch army could be deployed, the probability of success of the night attack plan would be greatly increased.

Unfortunately
Neither Governor William Rosebohm nor General Hertz was willing to take risks with the main white forces. They valued these Dutch white soldiers more than their own eyes.

In the silent night
Time passed silently and soon it was past 3 o'clock in the morning.

Front line
The Chu soldiers on guard were completely speechless after hearing the noises coming from the opposite position from time to time.

From 12:30 to : in the morning, this motley crowd of Dutch troops sneaked in, and the movement on the opposite side never stopped.

There were all kinds of whispers, officers' muffled scoldings with implicit anger, yawns, farts, eating, sneezes, and high and low exclamations.

Lying in the grass in tropical areas, there are snakes, toads, and various poisonous insects, mosquitoes and flies, so you will definitely not feel lonely.

It was so noisy for several hours that only a deaf person could not hear it.

The Chu soldiers who were monitoring the frontline positions strictly observed discipline. Even if they were bitten by poisonous insects or snakes, they did not make a sound, making the other side think that the Chu army was all asleep.

So, these Dutch soldiers began to talk in low excited voices, and the officers couldn't stop them, leaving the Chu soldiers on the opposite side speechless.

Your sister, come and die. (End of this chapter)