owlsbooks Chapter 72 Pursuit Naval Battle
Chapter 72 Pursuit Naval Battle
After making the decision, Zhu Jiheng immediately summoned seven warships, with the fifth-class flagship "Pingyi" as the vanguard, and ordered it to sail south to patrol the waters north of Mindanao Island to prevent the remnants of the Dutch army from making a desperate move and heading straight for Luzon.
The three system military buildings were constructed directly within Batavia City. With the system's assistance, he could complete the construction of the buildings without having to go to Batavia in person.
After the completion of the three military buildings, he recruited soldiers and built ships for Batavia through the system. Like Luzon, Batavia also recruited two units of line infantry, one unit of dragoons, two units of 12-pounder infantry guns, and two level 6 ships.
Getting back to the main point, as it turns out, Zhu Jiheng was worrying unnecessarily.
By the time news of the attack on Batavia reached the Dutch fleet in the Spice Islands, ten days had passed. Ten days was enough time for the Ming army's new fleet to arrive in Mindanao from Luzon and join the fleet that planned to launch a feigned attack on Zamboanga.
Before receiving the news, the Dutch delayed attacking the Ming fleet off the coast of Zamboanga. They were waiting for the Ming army to conquer Zamboanga so they could reap the benefits and take over the main force of the Ming fleet and Mindanao Island.
However, the Ming army did not launch a general offensive against Zamboanga for a long time, but only bombarded the harbor continuously. This made the Dutch fleet commander Capelen not only annoyed, but also worried and uneasy.
This unease was not due to the Ming army's slow offensive, but rather because the total number of Ming ships was less than the intelligence they had previously gathered.
Capelen couldn't help but recall the hypothetical scenario he had mentioned in the council chamber. As a precaution, he ordered ships to be sent back to Batavia to assess the situation and to be prepared for war at any time.
However, his men were a step too slow; their ship encountered a two-masted speedboat that had escaped from Batavia when it was only halfway there.
The two-masted fast ship was lured away by the Ming army with bait beforehand, thus escaping disaster. Seeing the Ming army's fierce attack on Batavia, the captain dared not fight a losing battle and risk losing his ship as well. He decisively turned and sailed towards the Spice Islands, trying to inform the main fleet so that they could return to defend in time.
In their view, Batavia, as the company headquarters and the largest city in the Far East, could hold out for at least a month or two until the main force of the fleet returned to defend. As long as they held out until then, the Ming army, attacked from both sides, would only be annihilated in Batavia.
When the devastating news finally reached Capelen's ears, the Dutch fleet commander's face first turned deathly pale, and then ashen.
"The Chinese were definitely after Batavia... I was right... Damn it!"
The commander's voice was low and suppressed, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth. His worst fears had come true; the main force of the Ming army had indeed bypassed their surveillance and headed straight for the heart of the company!
A deathly silence fell over the cabin. The officers looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock and panic. The siege of Batavia meant that their rear base, supply center, and even the entire symbol of the East India Company's dominance in the Far East were in grave danger.
"Commander, we must return to their aid immediately!" A captain jumped to his feet, his voice trembling with excitement. "Batavia cannot be lost! If we return at full speed, we might still be able to reach it before the castle falls, and together we can defeat the Ming army!"
"Return to reinforce?" another, more experienced officer countered. "Even with a tailwind and at full speed, it would take nearly ten days to get from here to Batavia! In ten days, who can guarantee that Batavia can be held?"
"What if the city has already fallen by the time we arrive? Wouldn't we be walking into a trap, running headlong into an encirclement by the well-rested Ming army?"
"Are we just going to stand by and watch Batavia fall?!" the captain roared.
"Foolish suicide and rational preservation of strength are two different things!" The veteran officer raised his voice, looking at Capelen, and said:
"Our current position is awkward! If Batavia is truly in imminent danger, it might be too late for us to return, and this Ming fleet in front of us..."
As he spoke, he pointed to the location of Zamboanga on the nautical chart and gritted his teeth, saying, "Since their target is Batavia, this Ming fleet certainly won't let us return to its aid easily. If we rush back, they are very likely to follow and pursue us, and even look for opportunities to attack us during our voyage. If Batavia falls, we won't even have a safe port!"
The cabin erupted into a cacophony of arguments, with the pro-war and pro-reinforcement factions and the cautious preservationists each sticking to their own views and arguing incessantly.
Capelen's head was throbbing with pain. He desperately wanted to return to Batavia immediately to save the company, which was the foundation of the business, but he also had to consider various practical factors.
"Enough!" Capelen slammed his hand on the table, sternly stopping the argument. He forced himself to analyze the situation with a cold, analytical tone, and said:
"Badavia is well-defended and well-stocked. The governor has served in the army and has considerable military experience. He should be able to hold out for a period of time."
"We shall weigh anchor immediately and set sail at full speed to reinforce the city. At the same time, we shall dispatch our fastest straggling ships to reach the waters near Batavia at all costs to conduct reconnaissance and, if possible, establish contact with the city to relay the message that our fleet is returning to reinforce the city, thus boosting the morale of the defenders!"
"What about the Ming fleet on Mindanao Island?" an officer asked.
A cold glint flashed in Capelin's eyes, his tone almost laced with gritted teeth: "Leave a squadron to monitor them. If they dare to pursue, seize the opportunity to deliver a crushing blow! The main fleet, return at full speed to defend Batavia!"
With the order given, the massive Dutch fleet slowly began to move. Each ship lowered its anchor, adjusted its sails, and turned around one after another, embarking on the long journey back to the rescue.
To avoid demoralizing the sailors, Cappellen ordered a news blackout, telling them only that they had received orders from the governor's office to return to port, without mentioning the attack on Batavia.
Thanks to the enclosed environment of the ship, rumors could not spread within the military. Although the sailors were somewhat puzzled as to why not a single shot had been fired on this expedition, they still obeyed the order to return to port.
News of the Dutch fleet's return was quickly discovered by the Ming fleet off the coast of Zamboanga and immediately delivered to Qin Yunwu, the captain of the fifth-class flagship.
A Tier 5 flagship's captain comes with naval command capabilities upon being summoned; if we apply the game's setting, that's equivalent to being directly upgraded to a naval admiral upon entering the battlefield.
Therefore, Zhu Jiheng felt comfortable entrusting full command to this newly arrived naval officer.
After reading the report, Qin Yunwu revealed a cold smile. He sneered at his adjutant:
"The Dutch panicked and sent their main force back to reinforce, leaving only a detachment to cover their retreat. This actually exposed a weakness that we could exploit."
Having said that, he waved his hand and said, "Order all ships to raise their battle flags and form a pursuit formation. We'll wipe out this detachment of the Dutch first, then decide on our next move!"
In addition to the seven warships he led in pursuit, Qin Yunwu also ordered the fleet that was originally feigning an attack on Zamboanga to change course and head straight for the Dutch-controlled Spice Islands.
With the main Dutch fleet returning to defend, the Spice Islands were left vulnerable. Even if some armed ships remained to guard the islands, the two escorting level 6 ships could handle the situation.
The order was relayed to the entire Ming fleet via flag signals. The seven warships quickly adjusted their formation and, like a swarm of sharks that had smelled blood, pounced on the Dutch rearguard.
The squadron left behind by Capelen consisted of twenty-four ships, including six armed Dutch merchant ships, six ordinary armed merchant ships, and twelve smaller, fast two-masted ships.
The Dutch commander was an experienced captain who believed that although his warships were not of high quality, their large numbers would deter the Ming army from pursuing them rashly.
However, when he saw that the Ming army only had seven warships and dared to rush straight towards him with great momentum, and upon closer inspection, he realized that all seven were fully armed main warships, his heart sank.
He could only try to command the fleet to form a defensive formation, using their numerical advantage to maneuver and buy more time for the main force.
Seeing this, Qin Yunwu did not order a direct charge into the center of the Dutch formation. Instead, he ordered the flags to be raised and the troops to split into two groups, drawing an arc towards the flanks of the Dutch formation in an attempt to strike their sides.
The Pingyi took the lead, entering firing range first. After the broadside guns were loaded, they were all pushed into their positions and aimed at the enemy ship in the distance.
At Qin Yunwu's command, the flagship opened fire first, with dozens of cannons on its sides unleashing a thunderous volley, like a heavy punch slamming into the Dutch ships.
Although most of the shells landed in the water, splashing up columns of water, some still hit the armed merchant ship, sending wood chips flying and causing the ship to shake violently.
Meanwhile, the cannons of the other six Ming warships rained down on the Dutch two-masted fast ships that were trying to outflank and launch a counterattack.
Although the Dutch two-masted fast ships were agile, their hulls were relatively thin and their firepower was far inferior to that of the Ming warships. Under the concentrated fire of the Ming army, the first few fast ships were instantly destroyed.
One ship was hit directly in the middle of its hull by a cannonball, its mast snapped and slammed onto the deck, creating a huge hole; the other ship's sails were riddled with holes, it lost power and spun around in place.
Seeing that his own flanking warships had been severely damaged, the Dutch captain had no choice but to abandon the plan and hastily ordered the formation to be pulled inward to protect the flanks.
However, the coordination between those armed merchant ships and two-masted fast ships was already unfamiliar, and the transmission of orders was slow and chaotic.
Qin Yunwu's gaze swept across the Dutch army formation, which began to move, like that of a hawk. He seized this fleeting opportunity and changed his command flag again.
When the two Ming army detachments reached the flanks of the Dutch formation in the middle section, they turned sharply inward almost simultaneously.
The three largest and most heavily armed Tier V ships resembled three giant beasts eyeing their prey, their dark gun ports on the sides opened simultaneously to reveal menacing cannon muzzles. The four relatively agile Tier VI ships lagged slightly behind, effectively blocking the angles from which the Dutch forces could escape or advance to support their main force.
"Port side, target: enemy armed merchant ship, distance 120 zhang. Alternate between grapeshot and grenade launchers, fire!"
"Starboard, aim at the fast boats, use chain shot to destroy the sails, use solid shot to suppress the hull, fire rapidly!"
The shouts of the ship captains echoed on the gun deck, and the gunners, who were already ready, pulled the fuses sharply.
Boom boom boom—!!!
This salvo was more concentrated and more destructive than the previous ones.
The port guns of the three fifth-class ships spewed out a continuous stream of fire and smoke. Dozens of heavy solid shot and high-explosive shells filled with iron-bladed fragments swept across the sea and crashed into the Dutch armed merchant fleet. The sounds of planks cracking, ribs breaking, and screams of the crew were instantly drowned out by the deafening explosions.
One of the armed merchant ships was extremely vulnerable under the barrage of cannon fire. Several horrifying holes were torn in the hull, a foremast was snapped off, the statue on the bow was smashed to pieces, and the ship rocked violently and lost speed.
Several large holes were smashed through the waterline of another merchant ship, and seawater rushed in.
Almost simultaneously, the sixth-tier ships following behind also unleashed a storm of shells at the group of two-masted fast ships that were trying to disrupt the attack.
Chain bullets spun and flew, tearing sails and severing cables; solid shot mercilessly pierced the thin hull.
The first few fast boats were instantly smashed to pieces, rendered combat ineffective, and drifted helplessly on the sea or slowly sank.
The Dutch captain stared at the scene, his face turning ashen. The ferocity of the Ming army's firepower and the accuracy of their shooting far exceeded his expectations.
He could only shout at the top of his lungs, "Turn! All ships turn! Fire back with our broadsides!"
Flags were raised frantically, and the remaining ships with combat capability struggled to adjust their positions and fired back sporadically. Cannonballs landed in the sea near the Ming warships, stirring up columns of water. Occasionally, a shell hit the hull, leaving dents or shallow pits on the thick oak shell, but it was difficult to cause fatal damage.
"Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot!"
Qin Yunwu watched the enemy's counterattack with disdain and gave another order, commanding the level 5 ships to concentrate their fire on the Dutch merchant ships that could still resist.
The three Tier 5 ships immediately aimed their broadside guns at the Dutch merchant ship and launched a barrage of fire. Under such intense bombardment, the ammunition magazine of one Dutch merchant ship was detonated, causing a tremendous explosion that instantly turned it into a burning wreckage; the other ship had its mainmast broken off and was paralyzed on the water, unable to move.
The terrible explosion was almost the last straw that broke the camel's back; the other ships no longer had the courage to resist and scattered and fled in all directions, ignoring the flagship's orders.
But the Ming army would not give them a chance to escape. The more agile sixth-class ships followed closely behind and bombarded the ships that tried to escape.
The sea was filled with smoke and fire, and floating planks, broken sails, and the cries of struggling people were everywhere, but no one cared about them anymore.
The Dutch flagship was also severely damaged in the shelling, with multiple gaps in the deck, several large tears in the sails, and the ship's power was severely reduced.
As the enemy ships drew ever closer, and cannons, now fully loaded, were pushed back out of their ports and pointed directly at them, the Dutch captain, in despair, abandoned his futile efforts and painfully issued the order to surrender.
"Raise... a white flag," he said with difficulty, his voice filled with bitterness and despair. "Order all ships that can still move... to surrender."
The white flag was first raised on the flagship, and then spread like a plague to the remaining Dutch ships that were still able to move.
With their sails severely torn and their power reduced, the Dutch ships knew there was no hope of escape, so they ceased resistance and raised white flags.
Only a few two-masted fast boats that still had power attempted to escape the warships by taking advantage of their maneuverability, but they were immediately subjected to concentrated fire from the Ming army's sixth-class ships.
In the end, only four two-masted fast ships managed to escape. Of the twenty-four ships, five were sunk, eight were severely damaged, and the remaining seven surrendered with white flags. The Ming warships suffered only minor damage, with fewer than twenty sailors killed in action.