Chapter 435: The Spirit of the Druith
The Dutch were brought to a close end by the 38th Task Force of the Crossing Crowd, but there was no detailed report of the naval battle in which the Dutch did not fire a single shot, and in the end it was the smugglers who risked their money to deliver supplies to the Crossing Fleet Command that three Dutch destroyers had been sunk.
But the smugglers also saw the wrecks of the Dutch warships that had not completely sunk to the bottom of the sea, they were merchants seeking money, not war correspondents, and they did not leave the port until the Great Song people told them that the battle was over, and they did not see the battle at all.
Of course, the Dutch, who were down-and-out, were not as calm as John Bull, and these three destroyers were already the home of nearly a third of their Far East fleet. They already knew that they were suffering from John Bull's pit, and the Great Song Dynasty people would not compromise with others because they were afraid of any two-front battle, and the Dutch Far East Fleet was not enough for the Great Song Dynasty Royal Navy, and their fleets could be wiped out when they passed by.
Now don't mention the colony that robbed something in Borneo, it's not good to estimate that even Batavia will have to get in, the Royal Navy of the Great Song Dynasty has a giant like BB63, and their native fleet abuses us like dogs?
Batavia is a must-visit for the Traders, where the Dutch have operated for more than 200 years, and where there are many much-needed resources than the Eastern Manjue with better port facilities than the East Manjue are.
However, there is no consensus among the people about what to do with the Dutch in Batavia. The Dutch controlled Kalimantan and Sumatra islands are rich in coal resources, and there are also a lot of convenient oil resources, and the most exciting thing is that the nickel reserves in this area are in the forefront of the world, which is an extremely important material for military and civilian industries.
The conservative faction, led by Zhao Yi and LĂź Xiangyang, believed that at this stage it was necessary to force the Dutch to sign a treaty to let them abandon their colonial claims to Borneo, and open up the islands rich in natural resources such as Kalimantan and Sumatra to the public, and allow Song companies to invest in mining and factories in the region, while Hao Dajian and other radicals advocated a complete elimination of the Dutch in the region and the establishment of a pro-Song puppet regime.
"We don't have that much manpower to control more colonies, just force the Dutch to sign unequal treaties, we just want the resources there." Zhao Yi said.
"Yes, the situation there is more complicated than Borneo, I didn't enter the dome before I saw a news, until March 2014 Indonesia changed the name of 'Cina' to 'China, from 1740 to the end of the twentieth century, there were various tragedies against the Chinese people, we don't have the energy to deal with these problems at this stage." Lu Xiangyang said.
"! It is because of these tragedies that we want to directly occupy this area, and while we have guns and cannons to kill those miscellaneous pieces, do you still want to leave the problem to future generations to deal with? Hao Dajian said.
"Do you know how Portugal died back then? A country with a population of only four or five million has occupied a large number of colonies on three continents, and as a result, Leng dragged himself to death. Look at how many of us are now, stuck in the quagmire of confrontation with the local natives, what can we do? Zhao Yi said.
"Put up the cannons, attract the Chinese there to live in Borneo, and help one group of people to do another group of people, and slowly there will be no more power to crowd out the Chinese. Don't roll up your sleeves and go on your own at every turn, how many times will Eagle Sauce go into battle shirtless when you are a world policeman? Lu Xiangyang said.
"If all the local Chinese go to Borneo to live, the economy there will soon be crushed, and we won't have to do anything at all, and hunger and poverty will make the natives succumb." Tian Buzi also sided with Zhao Yi.
"Damn, they're cheap!" Hao Dajian said scoldingly, but he could be regarded as agreeing with Zhao Yi's opinion.
However, when Task Force 38 headed for Batavia with a group of Jewish merchant sailors, some of the Dutch were impulsive again. Looking at the warships with the unicorn flag, only one of them had reached a displacement of 7,000 to 6,000 tons, and the ironclad cruiser made by the Germans was not in the formation of this fleet, the commander of the Dutch Far East Fleet felt that they were fully capable of defeating this fleet of the Great Song people with the assistance of the battery.
The Dutch Governor of the East Indies was still hesitant to use force with the Great Song people, and looking at the size of the Great Song fleet outside the port, it seemed that the British guessed that the Great Song Empire, which was located in an extremely cold region, might not be able to support a huge fleet. It's just that we're already in the twilight of the mountains, and it doesn't seem that we need any huge fleet to destroy us, and now even if we get some bargains by using force with the Great Song people, what should we do when their giant battleships go south?
But soon the governor had no more to worry about the problem, for the reports from the front showed that the Great Song could sink all the warships of the Dutch Far East Fleet, even without waiting for the battleship BB63 to go south.
Of course, the Dutch navy, which had trained Admiral Druith, would not be intimidated by the Great Song Fleet, which consisted of only three combat ships, and although the Governor was still hesitating whether to go to war, the commander of the Far Eastern Fleet had already put the fleet in a battle formation.
The other side did not send people to land and seize the fort, and with the assistance of the heavy artillery of the shore defense, we could not suffer any more losses, this was the common thinking of the Dutch at that time.
"The Dutch are in formation and seem to be going to fight us to the death." Yang Guang said to the other two captains on the radio.
"No, didn't anyone tell them how those three destroyers sank to the bottom of the sea, and they dared to put on a posture to fight us?" Guo Wei asked.
"No one really told them how the three ships sank, and the living crew Du Nima worked as coolies in East Manlu, how could the Dutch know how they died!" Marcos said.
"What should we do, the Provisional Executive Committee asked us to come and force the Dutch to sign the treaty, but they don't even mean to talk about it when they keep us out now." Guo Wei said.
"Ma Dan, the communication with the green paint area is intermittent, let's talk about it first." Yang Guang said.
The Dutch didn't expect the Great Song people to open fire outside the range of the coastal defense heavy artillery, and what surprised them even more was that the Great Song people's shells really hit the sea near them. Then, less than a minute later, the shells landed directly on their warship.
The BB63 had a main gun that exceeded the range of the footbasin chicken shore defense heavy artillery, which was something the Dutch had heard of. But it is a little incomprehensible that these warships with a displacement of only a few thousand tons in front of them can hit them at such a distance. Why is it that our tonnage is about the same, and your naval guns can beat us!?
As a former naval power, the Dutch did not give up resistance, and unlike those Beiyang naval divisions who would only hide in Weihai Harbor and wait for death, the Dutch Far East Fleet immediately rushed to the 38th Task Force with a group of younger brothers.
Modern naval guns are very useful for washing decks, but it is unrealistic to quickly sink ironclads with a displacement of several thousand tons. Originally, with the three warships of the 38th Task Force not less than the top speed of 27 and 28 knots, it was easy to fly kites and torture these Dutch warships, but the problem was that these Jewish brothers couldn't outrun these Dutch warships.
"Hey, I don't even hang the white flag, this is the rhythm that wants to fight with us! If we just have this little smashing cannon, you just have to wait and see! Guo Wei was immediately happy when he saw the Dutch staring at the artillery fire and rushing forward.