At 7:47 a.m. on April 11, a field 24 km northwest of Chiraza was filled with loud noise.

The roar of gasoline engines and the clatter of steel on tracks mixed together to drown out the shouts of the Dutch officers.

39 light tanks, 9 amphibious tanks, 12 armored vehicles, dozens of armored vehicles painted with red, white and blue concentric circles and nearly 1,000 infantry left the starting position of the attack.

Under the repeated urging of the BDA Allied Forces Command, the 4th Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division of the Royal Dutch and Indian Army and the 1st Dutch-Indian Armored Brigade cooperated with each other to carry out a counteroffensive against the mixed regiment of the 1st Marine Brigade in some haste.

The latter advanced rapidly in just two days, and not only was the team a little loose, but also much less energetic.

In the face of so many enemy armored vehicles that suddenly appeared, the Ming army's position was as precarious as sandbags to block the flood.

"The enemy's chariot is 900 meters away, and all artillery should pay attention to the firing range!"

"Seven hundred meters!"

"Six hundred meters, ready, put!"

The 48mm anti-tank guns of the regiment's heavy firearms battalion opened fire on the rapidly approaching enemy tanks, the barrels of which quickly recoil on the cradle, and then slowly returned to their original positions.

The field regulations stipulated by the Ministry of War strictly prohibit the separate arrangement of anti-tank guns, because there are huge blind spots and the striking efficiency is insufficient, so at least two anti-tank guns should be arranged on the left and the right to take care of each other.

The 48mm armor-piercing blaster flew out of the muzzle at about 650 m/s and hit the front of the Vickers MkE tank, where the weak armor of only 13mm was pierced like an eggshell.

"Bang!" The shells exploded inside, and a low thud was heard.

The destroyed tank rushed forward more than ten meters by inertia before stopping, wisps of black smoke drilled out of the pores, and converged into a large stream that soared into the sky.

Compared with the few anti-tank guns, the Dutch and Indian armies put into battle too many armored vehicles, and almost the entire front was filled with tanks, armored vehicles, and infantry.

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"Damn, he's here, how did these guys come from? Was aerial reconnaissance missed? Dozens of tanks overnight? ”

In the temporary headquarters, Xie Wancheng, who was puzzled, scolded and scolded.

This would be reasonable if it were on the plains or along the coast, but there is a mountain road tens of kilometers long between Ciraza and Bandung, and there is no standard railway, only a one-way narrow-gauge railway for mining.

Zhao Hanfeng also felt incomprehensible, "It's really bizarre, it's okay to transport people and minerals in the De's narrow gauge, but it can't be transported by a super overrun thing like a chariot." ”

By "De Covel gauge", he was referring to the De Coville gauge, a 600mm narrow gauge that is less than half the width of the standard gauge.

"Shut up! It is useless to talk about this now. Zhou Changfeng pointed the telescope in his hand in the other direction, rolling the knob to focus, "Order!" Obstruct the enemy's accompanying infantry, shoot quickly, and don't skimp on ammunition. ”

Do your subordinates still have the leisure to complain? In Zhou Changfeng's view, their calmness is actually a manifestation of a lack of vigilance.

The previous series of battles were so smooth that everyone inevitably had some arrogance and contempt in their hearts, perhaps they themselves were not aware of it.

Following Zhou's orders, all the artillery that could provide support began to adjust its firing of Zhu Yuan.

The sweaty artillerymen, shirtless, stuffed shells into the chambers, bolted their cannons, and poured ammunition at the attacking enemy forces at maximum firing speed.

Accompanying the firelight was a myriad of high-speed fragments, which set off a bloody rain among the Dutch and Indian soldiers, and the hot fragments pierced deep into the body, shooting out bright red blood.

The intensive artillery bombardment took effect immediately, and the Dutch and Indian troops, which could barely maintain the coordination of the infantry tank, were scattered all at once.

The lying down, the fleeing, the struggling, the struggling, the dying.

Armored vehicles are just as chaotic, as they lack on-board radios and make it difficult to communicate efficiently in real time.

Normally, each vehicle should follow the command vehicle, but the smoke and dust from the shelling seriously affected the tank crew's vision, and the commander did not dare to lean out and use the flag to communicate in this situation.

As a result, some cars continue to impact, some cars stop, and some cars stop and go.

Butan coordination is disjointed, and the typical paper tiger offensive suddenly loses its power.

Although about 20 tanks and armored vehicles were destroyed during the storm, and many vehicles stopped to wait, nearly 30 vehicles still rushed into the Ming position.

"Listen, be bold and careful! Be bold and careful! ”

"The chariot has a very narrow field of vision, and it is no different from a blind man, according to the skill of the drill!"

Because the range of infantry anti-tank weapons is too short to be effective at a distance, the Marine infantry must resist their instinctive fear and wait patiently for the enemy tanks to approach.

In the face of a moving steel chariot, it is impossible not to be nervous, and even a seasoned veteran can't help but have his heart beat faster.

"Hit!"

In an instant, countless fires were slamming down on these reckless Dutch and Indian armored vehicles from all directions.

14.4mm tungsten core armor-piercing incendiary grenades fired from anti-aircraft guns, 64mm hollow-charge rocket-propelled grenades fired from bazookas, hollow-charge gun grenades fired from rifles with empty cartridges, hollow-charge anti-tank grenades thrown with force, and two blasting canisters tied side by side......

The officers and men of the 1st Marine Brigade bravely fought with these reckless enemy armored vehicles, and the sound of shouts of killing, explosions, and machine-gun fire filled the entire battlefield.

Blazing metal jets easily pierced through the fragile steel plates, killing the occupants within, and ignited ammunition or gasoline.

Realizing that the Ming army was not deterred by their powerful attack, the members of a Vickers MkE tank woke up from a dream, and the commander shouted in despair: "Retreat!" Reversing! Reversing! ”

The tank was reversing as desperately as it fired, and one Ming soldier rushing diagonally forward was knocked down by a bullet, and the other two were also injured by a 47mm high-explosive shell fired by it and fell to the ground.

Immediately after that, a rocket hit its turret, but because the angle of incidence was too small, the mechanical bottom fuse did not work, so the rocket slid away from the armor.

But immediately another grenade fell in a conspicuous parabolic trajectory, which was slow and visible to the naked eye.

"Boom!"

The soft-iron medicine shield turned into a jet of molten metal through the turret, and the commander inside was killed instantly.

The unabated jet hit the bottom of another shell, triggering its propellant.

When the Ming soldiers saw the retreating tank, there was a sudden whirring sound, and countless bright yellow flames sprayed out from the seams of the turret seat to the surroundings!

Among them, the tank crews enjoyed the preferential treatment of fully automatic cremation and burial in expensive metal coffins.

The purchase price of a Vickers MkE tank is close to 9,000 pounds, which is equivalent to 36,000 dollars.

"No need to pursue, count casualties, interrogate prisoners." Seeing that the enemy's offensive had collapsed, Zhou Changfeng breathed a sigh of relief.

The war situation is changing rapidly, and to relax your vigilance and indulge in the enemy is to kill yourself - even the Dutch and Indian troops, who are extremely crotch-pulling, have organized such a powerful counteroffensive.

"The enemy army is also in a hurry to counterattack, and the follow-up is weak." Zhao Hanfeng said.

The armoured forces suffered heavy losses, with only a dozen or so successfully withdrawn, and dozens of expensive campfires were scattered across the battlefield.

The Dutch-Indian 4th Infantry Regiment had lost all their strength in one breath, and now they did not dare to move, so they could only retreat into their positions.

The tank units attached to the mixed regiment of the 1st Marine Brigade were only late at this time - the high salinity, high temperature, high humidity, bad weather and long marches in the South Seas caused the tanks to suffer from mechanical problems one after another, and the tanks were being repaired all the time.

This sudden outbreak of battle proved once again that a well-motivated and well-armed infantry unit can also cause great problems for the armored forces, and it is even possible to repel the opposing side on their own.

Both weaponism and spiritualism are very one-sided and extreme, and they have always complemented each other.

The massive armament of a series of hollow-charge anti-tank weapons also played a role in boosting morale -

When the soldiers realized that they had weapons in their hands that could inflict a lethal attack on enemy tanks from a relatively long distance, the influence of confidence and courage outweighed fear.

"Report, the preliminary inventory is over." A major staff officer clasped his fists and said: "Destroy 31 enemy combat vehicles and 10 armored vehicles." More than 200 people were killed, 125 enemy soldiers and 8 officers were captured. ”

Xie Wancheng also added: "This army came by train overnight, the fourth regiment of the Dutch-Indian Second Division. His grandmother's, the Dutch people were really ruthless, and they were transported by narrow-gauge railway. ”

"Generate electricity, see if the air force or navy is available, and blow them up. We don't have time to deal with them, so hurry up and leave in an hour, and we will enter Chiraza for dinner today! ”

"Order!"

The Dutch-Indian 4th Infantry Regiment, which came to intercept from the flank, had no morale to speak of, and even if they wanted to attack again, they would have to weigh more when they looked at the wreckage of tanks scattered all over the field.

The 1st Marine Brigade continued to advance in a mixed regiment, rapidly advancing in the direction of Chiraza.

Flying here later were 14 Type 36 light bombers of the Sixth Light Bombardment Detachment of the Air Force, and Mu Yu, who has now been promoted to chief officer, played with great joy today and went into battle in person.

He first flew in a plane, and when he reached the target, he changed the position of the bombardier, and manipulated the bomb sight to aim at the ground target.

"Oh, I don't know how Zhou Kexing is going."

He muttered to himself, and then watched as the aerial bombs swayed and fell, getting smaller and smaller, and finally blooming on the ground with flickering light and large clouds of gray smoke.

Hundreds of bombs made the Dutch-Indian 4th Regiment on the ground even more chaotic and in disarray, and even some frightened Javanese soldiers began to desert in twos and threes, taking advantage of no one's attention.

When the 4,000-strong mixed regiment led by Zhou Changfeng began to engage the defenders on the outskirts of Chiraza, the landing force on the western route had also made a breakthrough.

Ashore from Sileng was the Army's Eighth Infantry Division, as well as a part of the tank unit and field heavy artillery unit, which stood firm with the support of the strong continental sea and air firepower, and broke through several lines of defense in succession.

The 1st Infantry Division of the Dutch and Indian Royal Army had its name, and its defensive system was lackluster, and after a day and a night, the whole line was routed, with hundreds of corpses and discarded guns, artillery, and ammunition all over the mountains.

They hurriedly retreated in the direction of Batavia, but on the way to retreat, they were bombed all the way by the Ming Air Force and naval aviation, and almost lost their combat effectiveness.

The Ming army of the Western Road followed closely behind, and the front of the army was directed at one of the most prosperous cities in the Nanyang region.

April 11, 15:47 p.m., on the outskirts of Ciraza.

The main force of the 1st Marine Brigade had already arrived, and in fact, a few hours earlier, the reconnaissance unit had engaged the nearby Dutch and Indian patrols, but the other side had only hurriedly exchanged fire and retreated.

Zhou Changfeng and his party came to a small hill, and he leaned against a tree and looked out at the dilapidated scene of Chiraza.

The Ming Air Force and Naval Aviation would come here almost every day in the previous days to "patronize", and the exposed military targets had almost been wiped off the face of the earth.

"The Dutch probably don't have the heart to fight anymore, so try it and prepare for the attack. The 1st Battalion remained to guard against the northwest, the 2nd Battalion attacked head-on, and the 3rd Battalion detoured to the east to attack the port area. Zhou Changfeng instructed.

Several regimental officers volunteered to be negotiators, and even civilian personnel were eager to try.

Eventually, a major staff officer of the 2nd Regiment of the 1st Marine Brigade and 2nd Regiment went to negotiate, accompanied by an interpreter.

"Under the orders of the commander in charge of the headquarters, I urge you to lay down your arms and surrender, don't do useless work, stubbornness will definitely not end well."

Along the way, the major thought about a long story, but when he actually met the commander of the defenders, he felt that the more he talked, the less deterrent he became.

In the face of the bland tone and contemptuous gaze of the Ming envoy, Colonel Rembrandt's only trace of dissatisfaction quickly dissipated without a trace.

He's torn over how to get the best of both worlds — to keep his personal honor and surrender.

"Sir, we will seriously consider it, after all, no one wants to put up a senseless resistance, but the Dutch soldiers will only consider surrendering under the worst conditions, and only if a majority of officers agree."

Colonel Rembrandt hoped that someone would take over the conversation for him and be the first to offer surrender, but the others present were not stupid, and they were all silent, pretending to be stupid.

However, the envoy didn't care so much, he continued to press, "If you still want to resist, that's fine, anyway, sooner or later you will be annihilated, and then your captives here will also be detained for an extended period of atonement, maybe... Decade. ”

Ten years in a prisoner of war camp before being released and repatriated?

The Dutch officers bared their teeth, and it was frightening to think about the long time and the scenes of things and people.

After ten minutes of gambling and negotiation, Colonel Rembrandt reluctantly relented and became the biggest loser.

He announced that, in accordance with the instructions of the Ming envoy, the defenders of Chiraza would immediately disarm and surrender unconditionally.

Zhou Changfeng estimated that it would take half a day to a day to attack Chilaza, and "enter Chilaza and finish eating" was purely a slogan.

However, it was clear that the Dutch officers had their own calculus, and few were willing to give everything in this hopeless war.

That night, the relaxed-looking Zhou Changfeng took his saber from Colonel Rembrandt's hand and sighed softly, "It's finally over." ”

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(End of chapter)