The order came so suddenly, Lieutenant General Keitel was completely unprepared, and when he heard this, he couldn't help but be taken aback, and hesitated for a moment and said;

"Your Excellency the Governor, the reinforcements from Europe have just finished resting, and the weapons and equipment are fully distributed, and they have the initial ability to carry out their tasks.

However, the soldiers we recruited from the white colonists have been trained for less than a month, and the number of them is only more than 2,300, and the personnel organization and weapons training have not been completed, and I am afraid that they will not be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility of fighting.

In the Aceh theater of operations

After more than two months of adjustment and deployment, the front has gradually reduced its troops, tried its best to piece together 3,000 troops, and withdrew from the front-line mission and is undergoing rereorganization and rest.

At this moment, the hasty landing on Shangri-La Island was not fully prepared for training and logistics, and only half of the artillery shells were used to conquer the enemy's fortified areas, and the rest were still on European munitions ships heading to the South Seas.

In this case, once you encounter a strong counterattack from the enemy, the consequences are worrying! ”

Expecting the Army's pushback, Governor Sir Frederick S. Jacob, suppressed his unhappiness, walked into the headquarters with his hands in his hands, sat down at the table where several maps were stacked, and gracefully extended his hand to signal; "I can understand the plight of the Royal Army, Mr. Lieutenant General, you can sit down and talk."

Lieutenant General Keitel came over and sat down, but did not speak, he wanted to hear why the Governor insisted on doing so.

"Mr. Lieutenant General, you know, it has been nearly three months since the publication of the announcement in The Times on 26 September recognising the new geographical discovery of the Earl of Queensland, and the discontent of the people in the country has been accumulating, and the Cabinet has been under great pressure for this."

Sir Frederick S. Jacob pinched his brow in anguish, and the once relaxed governorship's tenure was now sitting on a volcanic crater, ready to blow himself to pieces at any moment, and ruin his future.

Adjusting his mood, he continued; "We have to do something so that we don't become scapegoats for popular anger.

Although I had no interest in the deserted island, I still had to send the boys to the desert island against my will, and that was the harsh reality we had to face.

The dignity of the kingdom and the sense of honour of the people cannot be tarnished, the Prime Minister bluntly pointed out in his message;

The Viceroyalty of the East Indies had to take substantial military action by the end of 1881 to calm the boiling mood of the people in the country and alleviate the looming crisis.

This is a highly symbolic military operation that must not be delayed until 1882, leaving us less than a week to act. ”

Having said this, Lieutenant General Keitel became solemn and began to seriously consider the plan for implementing the landing plan.

The colonial armies of the Dutch East Indies have been suppressing rebellions, exterminating local forces, and purging and attacking the princely kingdoms for decades.

The Aceh War alone lasted nine years and is about to enter its 10th year.

In this case

No matter how strong the army is, the elite journey will be polished by endless battles, lose its sharpness, become brutal and powerful in the middle, as evidenced by the colonial army's targeting of butcher knives at innocent residents, women and children in Aceh.

Vice Admiral Keitel knew what kind of virtue his officers and men were, and they were no longer the pioneers of the Age of Discovery, who valued honor over life, were willing to dedicate, and had the courage to sacrifice, but a group of people who coveted pleasure and bullied the weak.

"Your Excellency the Governor, do you have any specific requirements on the part of the Cabinet regarding the number of troops to be landed?" General Keitel asked.

"Not really, but I hope that the first landing will not be less than 2,000 people, and the political significance of this landing is greater than the military significance, do you understand?" Sir Frederick S. Jacob played with the fine cane in his hand, and could see the clear reflection on the gilded sphinx at the head of the cane, and said in a non-hurried tone;

"The launching of a military operation in 1881 was of a very different significance from that of 1882, and would greatly alleviate the present crisis and divert the attention of the people at home to the course of the war.

As for the actions after the landing, they fall under the category of military secrecy.

Our poor Mr. Prime Minister, who became the target of opposition MPs in parliamentary inquiries......"

Speaking of which

Sir Frederick S. Jacob raised his head, raised his cane, and tapped lightly at the feet of Mr. Lieutenant General; "This is not a carefree Garden of Eden, how can there be quiet years, but someone is carrying the weight for you."

"OK, I know what to do." Lieutenant General Keitel's expression became resolute, and he said; "We will form a landing corps with local reinforcements as the core, with a number of no less than 2,600 people, and complete all preparations by December 27, and now the only question left is how to solve the escort problem?"

"The Seven Provinces are already on their way back and will arrive at the port of Batavia in the near future." Sir Frederick S. Jacob's revelation took Lieutenant General Keitel by surprise.

Everybody knows

The "Seven Provinces" has been entrenched in Sumatra, southwest of the Strait of Malacca, with Medan as its home port, and as the flagship to lead the Royal Task Force to intercept cutting-edge warships heading from Europe to Shangri-La Island.

If the new fleet under the command of the Earl of Queensland is compared to a spear, and the royal task force fleet is compared to a shield, then the "Seven Provinces" is the core of the shield, the strongest guarantee against the impact.

Leaving the Strait of Malacca at this time is equivalent to opening the door.

Faced with Lieutenant General Keitel's questioning look, Sir Frederick S. Jacob shrugged his shoulders helplessly and said; "I know you care, Mr. Lieutenant General, it's just a little trick we played with the Australians, and it turns out to be working.

The "Seven Provinces" rested once a week, and after leaving the port of Medan after this break, they hoisted their sails and returned to Batavia at full speed, while the enemy could only realize a week later that the "Seven Provinces" had not returned to the port for rest as usual.

As for whether or not they are still lingering in the Strait of Malacca, this is a highly confidential matter that is impossible for outsiders to know.

Taking advantage of this time gap, the escort fleet with the "Seven Provinces" as the core has escorted the landing force to Shangri-La Island and successfully completed the escort mission.

It is impossible for the Queensland fleet to resist the formidable main guns of the "Seven Provinces", and I have been promised by the Royal Navy that the safety of the landing ship group will not be in question. ”

As if pride in this little trick, Sir Frederick S. Jacob's face showed a smile for the first time in a long time; "I don't think the other side will venture into the Strait of Malacca, but the officers and men of the cruiser "Seven Provinces" will be hard worked, and the Governor's Office will make amends for this, and let the boys relax at the right time. ”

"If that's the case, then there won't be a problem on the part of the Royal Army."

"OK, that's settled."

"As you wish, Mr. Governor."

Lieutenant General Keitel walked to the door of the tent, and the strong light made his eyes squint, and he watched the soldiers in the formation full of confidence.

These soldiers and European mercenaries from the homeland, not tainted with the vices of the colonial army, could not be better as a pioneer to test the reality of the other army.

Even if there is a loss, it is not his own direct army, so it is a headache for Amsterdam.

A few days flew by

December 28, 1881

Early in the morning

The port of Batavia is heavily guarded, no one is allowed to approach, and the radius of several kilometers is completely sealed so tightly that not a single fly can fly through.

on the pier

The soldiers boarded the three-masted galleons in a neat procession, accompanied by a large number of weapons and baggage, camp sticks and household supplies, and 2,600 soldiers filled 13 galleons.

At about 10:00 a.m., the landing ship group set sail one after another, the white sails bloomed on the calm sea, and the three-masted galleon broke through the blue waves and sailed to the southeast.

Looking at the white sails from afar, it is spectacular.

A few kilometers from the port of Batavia, on a remote beach, a horse-drawn carriage is quietly parked on a high dirt slope, and a vertical optical telescope sticking out of the carriage closely tracks the fleet, from which it receives a lot of information.

With such a large military operation of the Dutch, it was impossible to achieve complete secrecy, and the port of Batavia was a sensitive area that both sides were focused on, and every move was closely monitored.

The only thing that bothers is ...... Is there a "Seven Provinces" in the escort fleet?

Off the coast of the port of Batavia, more than a dozen sail warships joined up with the landing ship group to form an even larger combined fleet, which continued to sail in a southeasterly direction.

Seven hours later

In the ocean, hundreds of nautical miles away from the port of Batavia, the huge cruiser "Seven Provinces" wandered alone in the predetermined sea area, and finally waited for the huge combined fleet.

The "Seven Provinces" sounded a long whistle, raised the flag and took over the command of the entire combined fleet, announcing the return of the king.

Under the leadership of the cruiser "Seven Provinces", the huge combined fleet finally completed the merger and sailed in the direction of Shangri-La Island, opening the prelude to the landing campaign.

After several days of sailing

The landing boat group finally arrived at a position about 170 nautical miles away from the port of Jayapura, at this time it was about 4:00 p.m., under the blue sea and blue sky, more than 20 galleons spread their sails and sailed on the sea, forming a huge group of ships is magnificent.

Suddenly, the alarm bell rang, and the sound spread far away.

"What's going on?"

Hearing the alarm bells, Colonel Van Basten rushed from the cabin into the bow wheelhouse as fast as he could, with soap bubbles on his face that had half shaved his beard, and walked in with his military uniform on.

"Report to Your Excellency, Captain, that the lookout post has spotted two enemy cruisers approaching at high speed."

"Raise the battle flag, prepare for battle at the first level, order the left flank sail fleet to attack and drive away the enemy ships."

"Understood, combat readiness of the first level."

The tall mast of the cruiser "Seven Provinces" raised its battle flag, and the huge sail fleet under sail immediately began to change formation, and the 13 three-masted galleons loaded with the landing ship group shrank to the center, while the sail battleships on both wings spread out in formation.

It's like an old hen spreading her wings, protecting the eggs on her buttocks.

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