Episode 44 Bombardment of Batavia

At about five o'clock in the afternoon, the weather gradually cleared, the sea conditions tended to be calm, and the detachment reached a speed of 25 knots, and it was estimated that it would arrive off the coast of Batavia at about four o'clock in the morning of the 28th.

At about six o'clock in the evening, when the detachment sailed to the sea off Semarang, it was intercepted by the Royal Netherlands Air Force taking off from a nearby airfield. However, the Dutch air force was weaker than their navy, with less than 50 combat planes stationed in the East Indies, and the pilots were poorly qualified, all of them were novices, and the planes were poorly maintained, and one-third of the more than 20 bombers and torpedo planes could not fly. More than half of those who flew up could not find the Ming fleet in the vast sea, and they got lost......

In the end, there were only three dive bombers and three torpedo planes flying above the Gonggong detachment.

It is these six aircraft, if the pilots are experienced, for such a small detachment, the threat is still quite large. However, it turned out to be a farce of turkey fighting. Three heavy biplane torpedo planes, slowly and courageously approaching, two of them were shot down before they could fly into torpedo range. The other one finally dropped the torpedo, but the torpedo actually flew over the warship......

The fate of the three two-wing dive bombers was not much better, and one was hit before it could drop its bomb. The other two swooped down and left two bombs still in the sea more than 20 meters away from the warship, and then they were also hit. All three bombers dragged black smoke into the sea.

As a result, the Da Ming detachment fleet had to spend half a day sending destroyers to salvage the Dutch pilots who had parachuted. Six planes, a total of 10 rescued.

……

At the German Consulate in Batavia, Xiang Xiaoqiang and Qiuqiu, as well as three advisers, were having dinner with Consul and his wife in Nuremberg, and Song Ruhai, the former military attache in Germany, was interpreting. The consul couple is talking with great interest about the upcoming Berlin Olympics in August. Xiang Xiaoqiang didn't know much about that Olympic Games, only that none of the Chinese delegation's events entered the semifinals, and he also knew that the best national anthem selected was "The National Anthem of the Republic of China". It's a pity that he never heard of it.

While eating, there was a radio in the living room. Suddenly listened to Xiao Qiang, and then Qiu Yu and the three old men also held their breath and listened to the broadcast on the radio. The Jinling Broadcasting Company claimed that half an hour earlier, the Gonggong squadron had been attacked by a group of Dutch planes in turn, shooting down six Dutch planes without causing any damage to itself.

Nuremberg did not understand, and when he saw their expressions, he looked at them inquiringly. Xiang Xiaoqiang made a look, and Song Ruhai translated the past with a smile. Nuremberg also smiled, raised his glass, and proposed a toast to the heroic Ming fleet.

At this time, Xiang Xiaoqiang's guards hurriedly came in and handed him a translated telegram. From 6:25 to 6:40 a.m., the Gonggong detachment shot down three dive bombers and three torpedo planes 60 nautical miles north of Semarang, and there was no damage to itself.

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and nodded, asked the guards to take it and seal it, and then smiled at Consul Nuremberg:

"My government also confirmed with me. Mr. Nuremberg, it seems that you would like to give us a room in the Pavilion for negotiations. ”

The Gonggong detachment will arrive off the coast of Batavia at four or five o'clock tomorrow morning. This is the Dutch side's last chance to negotiate before Batavia is threatened. If they want to negotiate, it's tonight.

After listening to the translation, Nuremberg looked very happy, bowed lightly and smiled:

"I am honored that you can give me this trust."

Sure enough, just after eating, Xiang Xiaoqiang and Qiu Yu were enjoying a crispy German puff filled with fresh milk and baked on the outside, when the servant of the consulate came in and whispered a few words to Nuremberg.

Then he looked a little surprised, stood up and laughed:

"Hehe, it looks like you're about to start negotiating, Mr. Xiang. Let's go, I'll show you the negotiation room that has been prepared for you. …… The Dutch Governor in the East Indies was waiting outside. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang came to his senses, looked at a few people, stood up and wiped his mouth, and said:

"Let's go, let's blackmail them to go."

……

Although the two countries have already started a naval war, neither has yet declared war on the other side, and it cannot be defined as a state of war. Battles at sea, no matter how fierce, can only be called "conflicts". Therefore, it is still convenient to negotiate at any time to resolve the "conflict".

The consulate is divided into two parts, the first half is the office part and the second half is the residential part. The negotiation room prepared for them by Consul Nuremberg was a small conference room in the office section.

The room is very well ventilated, the front and back windows are open, and the electric fan is blowing, which is very cool.

On one side of the long conference table, the Governor and a few other Dutch officials were already seated. looked at Xiaoqiang, happy, it was still the last few people who negotiated, none of them were bad.

The Daming delegation came in with their faces upturned and sat down with a shelf. The servants of the consulate served them tea.

Although the natural wind and electric fans were blowing, and the paper on the table had to be pressed with something, the governor still kept wiping his sweat with a handkerchief. Xiang Xiaoqiang wasn't going to spend time with him, he looked at his watch and asked bluntly:

"Mr. Governor, what do you say this time?"

The Governor, pale, wiping his sweat and having a dry throat, said:

"Your Excellency, our government has deliberated and is ready to accept the following conditions......

Then, putting on a monocle, he took a document and read:

"1. For every Chinese victim, the Chinese government will compensate his relatives with a pension of 4,000 Mingyang.

2. For every Chinese woman who was raped, the Chinese government will compensate her with 2,000 Mingyang solatium.

3. For each injured Chinese, the Chinese government is responsible for all the treatment costs.

4. The Chinese government is responsible for all the treatment costs of each disabled Chinese, and according to the degree of disability, a one-time compensation ranging from 500 to 2,000 Ming Yang will be compensated.

5. The property losses suffered by the Chinese in this riot shall be compensated by the Chinese government.

6. The Chinese government will strictly investigate and punish the rioters who participated in the murder and bring them to justice as soon as possible. ”

After the governor finished reading, he raised his face and looked straight at Xiang Xiaoqiang.

Xiang Xiaoqiang waited for a long time and asked:

"Finished?"

The Governor listened to the interpreter's question, and nodded red-faced.

Not only Xiang Xiaoqiang, but even the three respected old consultants felt that it was too child's play, and they were all speechless for a while, looking at each other, not knowing what to say.

Justice and justice aside, just look at the current situation: two warships were sunk, the so-called "air force" turned out to be a rabble, and the Netherlands no longer had any strong means of resistance in the Far East. Any sane government would endure humiliation and agree to the harshest conditions in order to keep the largest and richest overseas colony of the Dutch East Indies.

Moreover, even if you ask for a price and pay back on the ground, you don't pay it back like this. This is not only a lack of sincerity, but also a little unaware of their situation.

There was no mention of the port and garrison, no mention of Sumatra's oil and rubber interests, no mention of the extradition of the governor, half to two-thirds of the amount of compensation, and even the punishment of the murderers, only vaguely saying that "they will be severely investigated and punished, and brought to justice as soon as possible", which is far from the blood debt and blood repayment demanded by the Ming government.

Xiang Xiaoqiang was amused instead, looking at his own people with a smile, and then at the governor again, shaking his head and sighing.

"Is this the last attitude of your government?"

He asked.

After the governor got this condition, he knew that Xiang Xiaoqiang would never agree. He lowered his head, sighed too, and nodded:

"It should be said that this is a condition that the Chinese government has come up with after discussions that it is possible for both sides to accept it......

Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at him indifferently:

"Your government is full of talent."

The governor was stunned for a moment, and after listening to the translation, he smiled bitterly:

"Thank you...... But I personally think ...... This should not be the 'last' attitude...... There should be room for negotiation on this condition set by our government...... Mr. Chincha may submit your opinion on this condition, and I will convey it to my Government......"

Xiang Xiaoqiang had already received a telegram from Shen Rongxuan in the afternoon. Shen Rongxuan instructed him that now the Gonggong detachment had completely wiped out the Dutch naval forces in the Far East, and the aircraft carrier group would arrive within three days. Now that the situation is more favorable, the Ming Empire wants more than that. If the Dutch side accepted the Ming conditions in full, then it would be enough to withdraw the aircraft carrier fleet. Otherwise, you can beat them again, and then you can extort a huge amount of military reparations.

Xiang Xiaoqiang sighed at the time, he felt that he was ruthless enough, but he didn't expect Shen Rongxuan to look polite, but he turned out to be even more ruthless than himself.

Xiang Xiaoqiang picked up the document with two fingertips, threw it away, and the paper glided back into the governor's arms.

"Alas, it's a pity," Xiang Xiaoqiang shook his head and sighed, "It seems that we have done our best." Please tell your government what about our country's attitude, or the same sentence, these conditions are not negotiable, and you must accept them all. None of them can be changed. I'll wait until you're ten o'clock in the evening, and then I'll rest. Our fleet will arrive off the coast of Batavia in the early hours of tomorrow morning, and what happens then is beyond our control. …… Please come back, Lord Governor. ”

The governor's face was like white paper, trembling and collecting the paper, pen and paper, holding his bag and bowing, and staggering away with a few subordinates who were also pale faces.

……

At half past nine o'clock in the evening the Governor came again and brought a new concession from the Dutch Government. This time, the Dutch government agreed to execute 2,314 rioters, and the compensation for the victims rose to 70% of the compensation demanded by Daming, and was willing to give 30% of the Sumatra oil and rubber rights and interests of Daming's company.

But it is clear that this is still far from what Da Ming wants. What's more, now that Da Ming has fought a naval battle with them, his appetite is big again.

As a result, the second concession was still rejected.

Sent off the governor, Xiang Xiaoqiang was so excited that he couldn't sleep. A few hours later, the battle cruiser detachment of the Ming Dynasty arrived, and at that time it was time for the artillery mounts to negotiate the conditions at the gates of Batavia. If nothing else, the shells will fall in the city of Batavia.

Qiu Yu was also very nervous, but she still gently persuaded Xiang Xiaoqiang to go to bed early, and she would definitely get up at four o'clock to negotiate with the Dutch representatives. When the time comes, it will be difficult to yawn for days.

Xiang Xiaoqiang and Qiu Yun were tossing and turning in bed, and they didn't fall asleep until more than one o'clock.

……

At 4:20 a.m. on 28 February, a detachment of battle cruisers Gonggong arrived 10 nautical miles north of Batavia Bay and began cruising on standby.

Xiang Xiaoqiang and Qiu Yu had already jumped up, it was still dark before dawn outside, they were fighting at night in the bedroom, spreading out the map, guarding the radio, and contacting Nanjing, while analyzing the comparison of the firepower of the Ming fleet and the Batavia shore artillery.

The Ming fleet dared to approach the Batavia Bay, relying on the battle cruiser Gonggong. The shore artillery batteries in Batavia are very mediocre, first of all, there are plains around Batavia for dozens of kilometers, and there is no place where the shore artillery can be condescending. The fort had to be built on flat ground. In this way, the field of vision and range will be greatly reduced. Moreover, Batavia's shore artillery itself was only 6 German 150mm cannons from the First World War, with a maximum range of only about 18,000 kilometers. This was the compensation that the Netherlands, as the victorious power, received from Germany after the end of World War I, replacing the old shore artillery at the end of the 19th century.

The Gonggong cruiser had a total of eight 305-mm cannons with a maximum range of 32,000 kilometers, and could do whatever it wanted outside the range of shore guns. What's more, it doesn't need to be fired against shore artillery, and it doesn't need to shoot accurately, just make sure that the shells can land in the city.

"Xiaoqiang," Qiu Yun tugged at his sleeve, showing a hint of nervousness, "We may also be shelled." ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled: "Not bad." ”

Qiu Yu said uneasily: "The Chinese family may also be bombed." ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang nodded: "Yes!" The Chinese are also at risk of being shelled, and the Chinese also need to take risks. But I dare to say that if you let them choose, they will definitely choose to let the Ming fleet open fire. You're right? ”

Qiu Yun looked at him and said resolutely:

"Xiaoqiang, you're right. They will definitely choose to let the Ming fleet open fire. Because ......"

Xiang Xiaoqiang continued:

"Because they would rather risk their death with those beasts than see the motherland that has just hardened, the motherland that has just dared to protect them, just die in their nests. Now, after this tragedy, there are too many families in Batavia whose families are not complete. When they were slashed and slashed, they were forced to watch their relatives being slashed and slashed, and when they were slashed and slashed, they hoped that the shells of the Ming fleet would fall beside them, so that they would die with those beasts! Are they going to be cowardly now? Hmph, absolutely not! ”

Qiu Yu swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and then said:

"Hmm...... I mean, that's because in every Chinese neighborhood, there are our spies, who report the detailed coordinates to the fleet and let the cannons avoid ......"

Xiang Xiaoqiang was impassioned for a long time, and then looked at her in a daze.

"Yes, that's it," Qiu Yun's face was a little feverish, and he regretted that he didn't cooperate with the sensationalism of the good husband, "It's like this when the general fleet shells the big cities of the enemy country...... If you blow it up, you can still do it? What if it hits a foreign consulate. ”

At this time, the radio light came on. Qiu Yu hurriedly put on headphones to receive the message, and then immersed himself in translation. After a while, the translation was done, and she handed it to Xiang Xiaoqiang with a serious face.

This is an ultimatum. If the Dutch government did not accept the conditions proposed by the Ming government before six o'clock, the Ming Empire would declare war on the Netherlands and begin shelling Batavia.

Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at the pocket watch, and it was already half past four. There is still only an hour and a half.

He jumped to his feet, ran to the outside room, and banged on the door of the other bedroom. He called the secretary of the former Ming consulate in Batavia and asked him to call the governor's palace and inform them that they had something important to meet with the Ming representatives at 4:50.

After making the call, he asked Consul Nuremberg to prepare a car for his men and for the secretary to rush to the Governor's Palace with this ultimatum.

Immediately afterwards, Xiang Xiaoqiang was smoking in the room, looking at the wall clock on the wall, turning on the radio, and wandering nervously.

At five twenty o'clock, the secretary returned.

"How?"

Xiang Xiaoqiang grabbed him and asked nervously.

The secretary shook his head and said with a wry smile: "The governor has accepted the ultimatum. His face was still so pale, he didn't say anything, and he let me come back. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang nodded, took out a new cigarette from the cigarette, lit it at the cigarette butt, and held it in his mouth.

The room was already smoky. Qiu Yun coughed lightly twice and looked at him nervously.

Xiang Xiaoqiang's nostrils were spraying green smoke, his eyes were red, and he squinted at her, looking like a fire-breathing dragon.

"Qiu Yu, get ready to plug your ears," Xiang Xiaoqiang snorted a cigarette wickedly and said with a smile, "I'm going to fire the cannon later." ”

Qiu Yun stood up, nervously picked up a glass of water and drank it, and then forced a smile to himself:

"Xiaoqiang...... You...... You forgot that I was a soldier. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled: "Well, that's good." ”

……

The clock on the wall is 5:58, and Xiang Xiaoqiang's pocket watch is already 5:55. The radio had long been tuned to the channel of Jinling Radio Station, but it was always a squeaky noise.

Suddenly, there was a burst of elegant and solemn music on the radio. Then, in a solemn tone, the announcer said:

"Citizens of the Ming Dynasty, I now invite our beloved Empress Majesty to speak."

Xiang Xiaoqiang and Qiu Yu's hearts both mentioned their throats. A few seconds later, Zhu Yourong's voice came out. She changed the cordial and gentle speech of the past, and this time she also solemnly and bluntly, sentence by sentence:

"An hour and a half ago, our representative in Batavia presented our ultimatum to the Dutch authorities, with the deadline set for six o'clock this morning. So far, there has been no reply from the Government of the Netherlands. Since it has now reached six o'clock, therefore, on behalf of the Ming Empire, I declare to the Kingdom of the Netherlands that from now on, our two countries are already in a state of war. ”

Then, the national anthem of the Ming Dynasty began to be played on the radio.

Xiang Xiaoqiang's heart was boiling. This Nizi has declared war! War has finally been declared! She has finally come to this point for the benefit of the diaspora!

What a good girl with blood!

Qiu Yun suddenly pulled him:

"Listen!"

Something faintly came from the window. Xiang Xiaoqiang pricked up his ears to distinguish. Qiu Qiu's ears were more agile, and he said excitedly:

"It's the national anthem! Someone is singing the national anthem! ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang rushed to the window, pushed the window open, and listened.

There was a faint singing of "Mountains and Rivers of the Old Country" nearby. It was clearly audible that it was singing along with the singing on the radio. Far and near, there were probably dozens of people. It's all coming from a nearby house.

Xiang Xiaoqiang's chest was hot, his nose was sore, and tears immediately rolled down. He immediately began to sing along, and although he was still half-baked, he still sang with tears in his eyes. Qiu Yun was behind him, holding his hand, and singing with him in a whisper, singing and singing, and also crying.

The smell of the dead Chinese on the streets is still waving in the face. Although the corpses had been almost cleaned up, the smell of the corpses still lingered, but only intensified. As if to prove that crime is not something that can be covered up with the cleaning of the crime scene.

…… More than 2,000 unjust souls have not yet left, and they are still in the streets of Batavia, waiting and witnessing this moment.

Gradually-

From far and near, the air over Batavia whistled, and soon the screams became high-pitched.

As soon as Xiang Xiaoqiang raised his head in horror, the earth trembled, and an earth-shattering loud noise came from hundreds of meters away.

He hugged Qiu Yu tightly and squatted under the windowsill.

The shelling began!