There was no turning back from the bow.

The sail warships of the Royal Dutch East Indies Detachment sailed into the Triangle of Death one after another, and under the baptism of the enemy's fierce artillery fire, one after another were blown to pieces, becoming a blazing torch on the sea.

It was about to last for about 1 hour and 40 minutes, and when the rumbling of the cannon gradually stopped, the sea outside the port of Batavia was already a mess, full of fragments of battleships, broken logs, charred sails and burning wreckage of wooden ships on the sea.

The bodies of Dutch sailors were densely packed with floating and sinking bodies on the sea, and many survivors were left in the sea.

When some civilian boats in the port saw this scene, they immediately sailed to save people regardless of the danger, and the scene was tragic.

The 5 ironclad capital ships, which had already destroyed the West Coast battery, did not participate in the siege of the Royal Dutch Navy Breakout Fleet, but made a big circle in front and turned their heads again.

After this one-sided slaughter, they sailed towards the harbor, and by this time, Batavia had no power to stop the invasion of this mighty fleet.

"Get out of here, Mr. Governor, the docks will soon be out of range of enemy ships, and it's dangerous to stay here." General Michels said with a heavy face.

Governor Pose clenched his fists white, his expression flashed with pain, and he gritted his teeth and said; "This is another heinous crime committed by the Tang imperialists, and I swear that I will lead the heroic Dutch people in the colony to fight back fiercely and pay for the debt with blood."

General Michels persuaded; "Your Excellency the Governor, I assure you that the Royal Army will fight to the death against the enemy, writing its loyalty to the Queen's Government with blood and life. But we'd better hurry up and get out of the dock and we'll talk about it later. ”

The port area of Batavia was now stripped naked and defenseless, and the Dutch Army units withdrew from the docks to avoid heavy casualties from enemy naval fire.

In the case that the fleet of the Tang Empire did not carry a landing force, there was no need to worry about the outbreak of an offensive and defensive battle for Batavia (Jakarta) for the time being.

But these ships in the harbor certainly could not be saved, and both the ships and the cargo became captured by the enemy fleet.

No sooner had Governor Pose's carriage left than he heard the rumbling sound of artillery behind him, which made him shake his whole body and asked hurriedly; "What's going on? Where is the enemy shelling? ”

"Your Excellency the Governor, the enemy is shelling the East India shipyard, the largest shipyard in the colony is finished, completely destroyed."

"Oh God, this is a complete disaster." Governor Pose covered his face with his hands, and he now felt a deep powerlessness.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands was able to colonize the vast indigenous people of the East Indies with advanced firearms, reaping the benefits of colonization year after year.

But in the face of the world powers, the Kingdom of the Netherlands is nothing more than a child with a small wooden sword in his hand.

The special geographical conditions of the East Indies, without having the right to control the sea, determined that the major islands had to fight their own battles and stubbornly resist the enemy's invasion.

Governor Pose has the strong character of the Low Countries of Western Europe, and vows to make the enemy pay for the blood, and the main battlefield is on land.

The entire East Indies is between the Asian continent and Australia, stretching more than 6,100 kilometers along the equator. It includes Borneo, Celebes, Java, Paradise Island and several major islands of Sumatra, with tens of thousands of islands large and small.

Paradise Island is also part of the East Indies, located directly north of Australia, which also provided unique convenience for the Tang Empire's large-scale invasion of the East Indies.

At the end of the 19th century, the population of Paradise Province reached more than 9.7 million, and together with the total population of the Kingdom of Luzon, the Kingdom of Cebu and the Kingdom of Mindanao, 2.85 million, the total population reached more than 1,250,000.

Such a population size is as different as the population of about 13 million in the entire Dutch Indies.

The core of the ruler of the Dutch East Indies is the Java Islands, the fifth largest island in the colony of the Dutch East Indies, with a total area of 138,700 square kilometers bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north.

It was the most economically and politically prosperous area of the Dutch colony, and the colonial center of Batavia was located northwest of the island of Java. The population of Java accounts for 66% of the total population of the entire Dutch colony, with a total population of about 8.6 million.

The island of Java is about 970 kilometers long from east to west and 160 kilometers wide from north to south. The topography of the island is dominated by mountains and hills, and the highest peak, Semeru Volcano, is located in the southeast of the island at an altitude of 3,676 meters.

There are many wide basins in the mountains, many of which were the birthplaces of ancient indigenous kingdoms, and are still developed agricultural belts and urban centers.

The second most populous island is Sumatra, with a total population of about 2.9 million to 3 million (Note; Sumatra includes the Aceh region, and the Asia-Pacific region is only 1/5 of Sumatra), and the region is also an area with more Chinese immigrants, accounting for about 12%~13% of the total population.

The third most populous island is Kalimantan, with a total population of less than one million, the north of the island is Malaya, which belongs to the British Straits Settlements, and the northwest corner is the great Republic of Lanfang, which was established by the Chinese.

The eastern, southern and central provinces are owned by the Dutch and are divided into 4 provinces, namely East Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and North Kalimantan, which occupy about 70% of the entire area of Kalimantan Island.

Due to the small population of the Dutch colonists, Kalimantan has large areas of undeveloped pristine rainforest, with only the coastal plains being developed to a very low degree.

In the planning of the Viceroyalty of the Dutch East Indies, the main battlefield of the war was on the island of Sumatra, and the Dutch were confident that they would fight to the death on the island because of the large number of troops sent to the island in advance.

It's twilight

The Duke of Hawaii on the spacious aft deck

His Royal Highness Prince Tang Li Xin and Vice Admiral Zheng Shiyu, Commander of the Royal Navy Task Force, sat leisurely under the pergola, with some exquisite refreshments and fruits on the small table in the middle, as well as champagne soaked in an ice bucket.

Behind them, heavily armed sailors were escorting the wharf to load the cargo ships on the wharf, such as spices or natural rubber, aluminum, tin and other materials from the warehouse, all of which were local specialties.

Some of the houses in the background are burning, revealing the heavy and depressive atmosphere of war.

"The fleet behaved perfectly, the next stop will be the port of Surabaya, I don't think there will be any decent resistance either, everything is like a step-by-step live-fire exercise, although intense, but lacking ......"

His Royal Highness Don Li Xin, Prince of Pingxi, took a sip of chilled French champagne before continuing; "Hmm...... Adversarial, the Dutch is clearly not a qualified opponent. ”

Lieutenant General Zheng Shiyu was in a very good mood at the moment, and replied with a smile on his face; "Marshal, in the entire Pacific Rim, apart from the British Third Fleet stationed in the Indian colonies, I really can't think of any other fleet that can stand up to the mighty Imperial Royal Navy."

"As for the Fuso people, they fought well in the Battle of Nisshin."

"Huh...... Forgive my bluntness, Your Highness, I think this is an unbearable insult to the Royal Navy. ”

"Okay, I'll take it back." His Royal Highness Don Li Xin said with kindness.

The officers and men of the arrogant Royal Navy of the Tang Empire looked down on the Japanese people, let alone the defeated Beiyang Navy, and were unwilling to have anything to do with them.

Rising in North America for more than 50 years, the Tang Empire has formed a strong national cohesion, pride and concept of honor and disgrace dominated by the Tang people, which has gradually become incompatible with the old continent.

It's like two brothers who have separated from each other for a long time and have become alienated.

As a world-class emerging power, the Tang Empire has a high degree of self-confidence and strong external aggression, basically abandoning the traditional Confucian culture's set of soft policies, and its domestic and foreign affairs are aggressive and sharp.

As His Majesty the Holy Emperor gradually retreated, the foreign policy led by the Imperial Government became more and more aggressive.

"Your Highness, the British are ......," Lieutenant General Zheng Huaiyu asked after taking a sip of champagne, placing the glass on the table.

His Royal Highness Don Rissin is the King of Ohio, and compared to the Grand Duchy of the Imperial Brothers, Ohio is an out-and-out pro-kingdom, with a higher rank and autonomy, and a stronger strength.

Leaving behind the affairs of the kingdom to lead an expedition, His Royal Highness Tang Li Xin is using practical actions to fulfill his dream of following his father to open up the territory and realize the ambition in his heart.

He has a deep study of international strategy, and after hearing Lieutenant General Zheng Huaiyu's question, he knew what he was worried about, and replied with a smile;

"It doesn't matter, the Empire communicates well with London, and has been actively trying to allay the fears of the British, and they soon lose sight of us.

The latest news from the Empire reveals;

The British are moving troops to South Africa on a large scale, and Britain itself, Egypt, India, Sri Lanka, Canada, and Australia are all in the scope of the transfer.

The war against the Boer regime in South Africa has become the current consensus in London, and the situation is irreversible.

The Dutch's attempt to gain sympathy by propagating the oppression of the Boers throughout Europe had already made the British angry and intent on teaching the Dutch a hard lesson.

Especially the Dutch royal family does not know whether to live or die, and Queen Wilhelmina is very close to her cousin Wilhelm II of Germany.

At a time when Anglo-German relations were deteriorating in an all-round way, this deeply pierced the arrogant and sensitive nerves of the British.

Lord Chamberlain, the British Minister of the Colonies, in a confidential letter to the Reich, stated; "As long as the island of Java is not involved, the London government is optimistic."

I think this should be the official attitude of the UK. ”

Not involving the island of Java?

Lieutenant General Zheng Shiyu nodded silently, but still asked unwillingly; "Your Highness, this is tantamount to letting us do our own tricks, the East Indies strategy has not been completed! Isn't it a shame? ”

"Don't worry, the East Indies are so big, swallow a piece first and digest it slowly, and then find a chance later."

"I understand that maintaining a long-term policy of friendship and intimacy with Britain is a national policy set by His Majesty the Holy Emperor, and everything must be followed by this basic policy."

"Yes, seeing that the war in South Africa is about to break out, whether you win or lose, it will lead to the alienation and antagonism of Anglo-Dutch relations. As long as you have patience, are you afraid that you won't have a chance in the future? ”

"His Royal Highness is insightful, and Huaiyu can only admire it."

"Hahahaha......"