Red Fort, Queensland

It was about 5 o'clock in the morning

The sky had not yet revealed the whiteness of the fish's belly, it was the dark hour before dawn, and the entire Red Fort was silent, still asleep, only the "rattling" sound of the leaves blowing in the wind.

Li Fushou was woken up in a sweet dream, and opened his eyes a little confused, sleepy.

"Master forgive me, there is an emergency military situation outside, sir, you have confessed, no matter what time ......"

"Oh, oh, I see, I'll get up right away." Li Fushou woke up almost immediately, and waved his hand to let the personal maid retreat.

Gu Liuyan's little head was exposed in the warm satin brocade quilt, his temples were scattered, and he yawned lazily and asked; "Master, what's the matter?"

"It's okay, it's still early, you can sleep a little longer." Li Fushou kissed her white forehead lovingly, and then immediately got up.

In the big study

Nangong Yunfei waited with the secret telegram of the emergency military situation in his hand, the room that had just lit the fireplace was still slightly cool, and it was dark outside the window, but there was a hot current rolling in his heart.

The great victory ahead, which found out that the cruiser Seven Provinces, which was of the most concern to the Dutch East Indies, appeared off the port of Jayapura, which was of great significance.

Nangong Yunfei was keenly aware that the situation was rapidly changing in favor of Queensland.

The casualties of some officers and men in the battle were not the main point, and the damage to the "Haiyan" and "Puffin" was not the main point, but the point was to deal a severe blow to the enemy's landing attempt and inflict a heavy setback.

The focus was on finding out the movements of the cruiser Seventh Aunt, and the fog that shrouded the entire battle situation gradually lifted, which was very conducive to the main fleet breaking through the predicament in the Strait of Malacca.

There was a sound of striding and powerful footsteps in the corridor, Nangong Yunfei's face was solemn, and his body involuntarily stood up straight.

Li Fushou strode into the study, followed by a few personal maids; "Yun Fei is here, what's the news ahead?"

"Congratulations, sir, in a naval encounter off the coast of Jayapura, our ships bravely defeated the enemy's landing fleet, and the situation is very good."

"Oh ho ......"

Li Fushou took the telegram, stood in place and hurriedly read it, a smile spread from the corner of his mouth to his entire face, and after reading the telegram, he laughed a few times and said; "Hahahaha...... If we have fought well, we must vigorously commend this spirit of fighting bayonets at sea in the face of a strong enemy, and the officers and men participating in the battle will be rewarded with heavy rewards. ”

After speaking, he turned his head and commanded; "Yunfei is on the night shift, maybe he is already hungry, hurry up and prepare some breakfast snacks, make a pot of hot coffee and bring it up, and eat a little mat."

The personal maid took the order and left, Nangong Yunfei said movingly; "Thank you, sir."

"A little thing, don't mind."

"Sir, the Dutch have suffered a heavy setback, and the troops that can finally land on Shangri-La Island will not exceed 1,800 people, and I suggest that we advance by sea and land, and take this opportunity to strangle this enemy army that has landed on the island, and never suffer in the future, so that they dare not covet it again."

"Yunfei, I'm afraid you don't understand the strong character of the Nordic nation, it's not that simple."

"Master, Yun Fei thinks that the side of the couch will not allow others to sleep soundly, if this landing force has a firm foothold and establishes a bridgehead for continued expansion on Shangri-La Island, they can continue to put soldiers and equipment into it, posing a serious threat to the rule of the Red River Valley."

"There is some truth to it, but it is not comprehensive." Li Fushou glanced at Nangong Yunfei, this secretary has obtained a meritorious reputation, and he is indeed first-class, but he is inevitably a little pedantic and lacks flexibility, and he still needs to hone more to be useful, so he patiently explained;

"Shangri-La Island is unlike any other, except for Pomolzibi and Jayapura at the eastern and western ends of the island, the rest of the island is a vast endless stretch of primeval tropical forests, swamps and mountains, unable to sustain the logistics of the 1,800-strong troops.

In this case

It was completely unrealistic for the Dutch to gain a foothold elsewhere except for the two places mentioned above, and it was impossible for the army to open up fields and build towns and roads in the wilderness.

The rainforest area is different from other places, and the newly opened roads will be covered by weeds in less than half a year, and the rain will be soaked, and there are many more difficulties than expected.

The hot climate makes it impossible to store food for a long time, and rice and noodles will spoil due to the humid and sultry climate.

Such a landing force will inevitably run out of supplies in a month or two, and must rely on a steady supply from Java, otherwise it will collapse and there will be no need to waste its strength.

If they come to attack, we will be ready to work.

Although it is not known for some reason, the Dutch acted hastily without taking control of the sea, and it is expected that it was nothing more than the force of the situation or the power struggle, which caused this real failure. ”

"Sir, do you mean ...... Use it as bait to bleed the Dutch. ”

"Yes, the specifics still need to be mastered by the commander at the front."

"I see, thank you for your doubts." Shangguan Yunfei is not stupid, he can understand it at all.

Li Fushou waved his hand indifferently, walked to the window of the study with his hands behind his back, pushed the window open, and said meaningfully;

"Seeing the world through a layer of glass is always vague, and only by pushing open the window can you really feel the pulse of the times and the changes."

"Yunfei has been taught."

Nangong Yunfei was shocked, and his hands clenched into fists and slammed to the ground.

The enemy gave up the initiative respectfully, blowing the oncoming cool breeze, and Li Fushou felt that every cell in his body was excited.

The joy from the depths of my heart spread all over my body, and the corners of my mouth couldn't help but curl up, the biggest good news is;

Finally caught the cruiser Aunt-in-Seven.

As the backbone of the Royal Task Force of the Dutch East Indies, the "Seven Provinces" has undoubted status, and it is a mountain that the Queensland fleet must climb.

It can be despised strategically, but tactically it must be taken seriously.

As a 20-year-old ship, the "Seven Provinces" is the last generation of steam ironclad ships with a waist gun room layout, with armor belts arranged in the main gun room at the waist of the hull, plus three new 239 mm large-caliber main guns, and six 120 mm secondary guns along both sides of the hull.

"Master, did you order the returning fleet stationed in the port of Cochin to take the opportunity to break through the blockade?" Nangong Yunfei asked tentatively.

"No, send this encrypted telegram to the Cochin fleet intact." Li Fushou calmed the excitement in his heart, walked back with his hands behind his back, handed over the encrypted message to Nangong Yunfei's hand, and explained in a solemn tone; "Yunfei, don't influence the decisions of the front-line generals at any time, the fighters and decisions are at their own discretion and implementation."

"Yunfei is presumptuous, please forgive the master."

"Zhuge Liang must bow down to everything, do his best, and his hard work is very clear in the teacher's table, and he has been a model of people and ministers since ancient times." , Li Fushou smiled lightly, gently patted Nangong Yunfei's shoulder and said; "After a few dynasties, there is also a Zhuge Liang, you and I sigh to ourselves, if there is no talent of the Wolong and Phoenix Nestling, why bother to plan for the generals in front, wouldn't it be in vain to increase the trouble."

Nangong Yunfei blushed and slammed to the ground again; "I've been taught, the military situation is urgent, I'll go and report to the Cochin fleet now."

"Well, that's fine."

Li Fushou nodded and saw him off, his slender fingers lightly tapped the desk, combing through the corresponding military deployment, and felt that there were no loopholes.

Queensland's bill on the establishment of the National Guard has been passed, and the 1st Shangri-La Garrison Division will be formally established at the end of this month, with all the personnel, military equipment and training in place, which is nothing to worry about.

According to the secret telegram;

The landing of the Dutch mixed fleet was met with a head-on attack, and there was no doubt that the "Seven Provinces" and the "Dutch Giant" were all in the escort fleet.

Change is faster than planned

Presumably, the Kachin fleet will seize this fighter and break through the Malacca dilemma in one fell swoop, but as for how far it can go, it depends on the decision of the commander of the frontline fleet.

It's a simple arithmetic problem.

Fifteen hours earlier, the main warship of the Royal Dutch Task Force had engaged in an encounter with the Wing off the coast of Jayapura Harbor, and then the cover ship fled the pursuit in a hurry, and has not been found since.

It is about 6,200 kilometers away from the Strait of Malacca in a straight line, and about 8,500 kilometers away from the route south of Java Island.

Based on the speed of the Seven Provinces crossing 12 knots, it takes about 14 days for such a long distance, and if you subtract the more than 800 kilometers of the Strait of Malacca, it will take 12 days to reach the vicinity of the Singapore Strait.

During this period, the defense of the Dutch fleet in the Strait of Malacca was just a piece of paper, which could be broken at the first stab.

If we can take the opportunity to expand the results of the war, sweep away many old sail warships, and cut off the arms of the cruisers of the Seven Provinces, the form of the sea will further develop in our favor.

At this time, there was a sound of footsteps at the door.

A few maids came in with a tray of delicate pastries, dried fruits and steaming coffee, which were lightly placed on the coffee table in front of the sofa for the lord to enjoy.

"Refreshments and coffee for the secretary's office and the guard, I don't need someone to serve here, you can step back for the time being."

"The slave obeys."

Several maids bowed and retreated, Li Fushou took a sip of steaming coffee, and a warm current came down his throat, and his expression was uplifted.

Today's military information from the secretary on the front line made Li Fushou really a little excited, and he was very grateful to the guy who made this decision, and he lost the game with one move.

He drank his coffee and thought happily in his heart;

The landing force is now the key point of the Dutch, how can it be let go without paying a sufficient price?

These Dutch will inevitably pay the price for their stupid and reckless actions, and military considerations are only one aspect of the current affairs of the Red River Valley, and the front-line commanders are naturally in charge.

Li Fushou has more to think about, after New South Wales and Victoria successively introduced bills restricting the Huitong Golden Ticket, showing naked hostility.

Huitong Bank is the financial pillar of the Red River Valley, and it is Li Fushou's money bag, and the southern extension of the coastal railway is frequently attacked by horse bandits, so a discerning person can know who did it at a glance.

When the Earl of Queensland needed his friend the most, he stabbed him in the back and had to fight back.

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