Chapter 6: Your People Are Watching

"Akito?"

Sultanate of Johor, Batam.

The Dutch officer, dressed in a Dutch blue army uniform, looked at the letter in his hand with a frown.

"They're crazy, aren't they? Let's cede Batam and also recognize the Ming Dynasty's rule over the Strait of Malacca? ”

"Who is Akito?"

As he spoke, he turned his head to look at the Grand Duke Marman of the Sultanate of Johor on the other side.

When the Sultanate of Johor was strong, it was the ruler of the entire Malay Peninsula.

But with the weakening of the state of Johor.

The hegemon of the entire Malay Peninsula became the state of Siam.

Most of the Muslim countries in the southern part of the peninsula were subject to the Dutch East India Company and paid tribute to the Dutch.

The other part became a vassal state of the Chakri dynasty of Siam.

There are also many who are courtiers of both families at the same time.

With the deepening of trade between the East and the West.

The strategic location of the Strait of Malacca is becoming increasingly important.

The Portuguese and the Dutch fought a war over control of the Strait of Malacca more than a hundred years ago.

It was during this war that the Sultanate of Johor sided with the Dutch and was able to retain its national legacy.

Today, the Dutch East India Company is undoubtedly the de facto controller of the Strait of Malacca.

They controlled most of the islands between the north and south sides of the strait.

These of course include Batam, the largest island in the Strait of Malacca.

Batam was later attached to the province of Nai in Indonesia.

Now it is the territory of the Sultanate of Johor.

The territory of the Sultanate of Johor basically included the later Liunai Islands, Singapore Island, and part of the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula.

"It's the Chinese."

Marman said with a frown.

"Chinese?"

"Yes, a group of Chinese who are unwilling to submit to the Qing Empire, they often call themselves Ming or Tang, if they are under the Sun and Moon Banner... They may be the remnants of the Ming Dynasty. ”

Marman said with a frown as he looked at the huge fleet that was getting closer and closer.

For no reason.

A sense of fear emerged from my heart - the Ming Dynasty was the overlord of this region!

Dutch Governor of the Straits of Malacca, Van Van Colonel Bronckhorst pulled open his binoculars and looked at the huge fleet ahead.

The white sails are painted with a very clear logo of the gold sun and moon flag on a blue background.

"What a huge caravan!"

Compared to the main fleet of the Dutch East India Company.

This fleet, of course, is nothing.

Dozens of armed merchant ships.

However, on the South Sea side, there are basically no fleets of such strength under the Dutch East India Company.

At least a few brigs under the command of the Governor's Office in the Strait of Malacca could not cope with a fleet of this size.

Bronckhorst made a decision after a little thought.

"Let the fleet of the Governor's Palace of the Straits retreat to Batavia for help.... We stick to Batam. ”

Bronckhorst said.

"Sailors can also go ashore to fight, in this case.... We have nearly 2,000 white soldiers alone, and with more than 6,000 soldiers from the Sultanate of Johor, we have enough to fight them on land. ”

Bronckhorst said.

"These Chinese don't know where they have the guts to come and ask for Batam?"

A smile also appeared on Marman's face.

"How could an Oriental fight a white man?"

Bronckhorst smiled slightly, enjoying the compliments of these Eastern barbarians.

"We just need to hold on until the fleet arrives... Three days at most! ”

Bronckhorst said.

"Moreover, I don't think these Chinese have the courage to land on Batam Island, which is guarded by 8,000 troops!"

...........

"What are they doing?"

Zhu Daohua held a telescope and looked at the island that was getting closer and closer.

Batam is the largest island in the Strait of Malacca.

Follow Gu Song's three-step plan.

Show the enemy to be strong.

Then they were able to defeat the forces of the Dutch Strait Governorate and the Sultanate of Johor on Batam Island with absolute superiority.

Originally, Zhu Daohua thought that he would have to fight a naval battle first.

Unexpectedly.

The dozen or so boats on the other side left directly, and then relied on the castle of the Strait Governor's Palace on Batam Island, and put on a posture of fighting by the city.

"They judged that their fleet was inferior on the sea, so they planned to use the superior forces on land to hold the island."

Napoleon also held a telescope and observed the situation on the island.

The major, who graduated from the artillery department, was very excited at this time.

He never had much combat experience, but he didn't have the nervousness of being a rookie.

On the contrary, he became more and more calm in this situation.

When he made some estimates of the opponent's strength.

Zhu Daohua's voice was a little flustered.

"Can you beat it? They look like there are a lot of people! ”

Zhu Daohua was indeed a little nervous.

The same is a rookie.

Napoleon is Napoleon, and he is a military strategist of a glorious era.

And he, Zhu Daohua, is a seaman and a doctor....

"Your Highness, how can you have the idea that you can't beat it?"

Napoleon couldn't stop laughing.

"Isn't it more than a thousand Dutchmen and six or seven thousand natives?"

"Even if you don't use our secret weapon, you have three hundred highly trained elite soldiers, and three thousand Swiss mercenaries, the elite level of this army is not something that the adventurers of the Dutch East India Company and the natives of the South Seas can compete with!"

"I need as few casualties as possible."

Zhu Daohua emphasized.

Swiss mercenaries are dead when they die.

He has 300 Chinese officers under his command, and he will feel distressed if he dies.

They all studied in Europe for five years at an orthodox military academy.

In the East of this era, these three hundred officers are absolutely unique.

"Rest assured, Your Highness."

"We probably won't even have many casualties!!"

Napoleon said.

"The other side is very big, they don't even have a defense in the port... Maybe they are worried about our naval shelling! ”

"So, we can land now with confidence!"

Napoleon put away the telescope in his hand.

"Your Highness, I propose to use mortars in this battle..... Announce your return! ”

Napoleon looked at the crowd of people around the harbor with their necks stretched out to the sea.

They are Chinese laborers in the port of Batam.

Due to the explosion of the Chinese population.

In just one hundred years.

China's total population has swelled from about 100 million to 300 million now.

Especially in mountainous provinces like Guangdong and Fujian.

There is already a lack of arable land in mountainous areas.

The expansion of the population forced the people of Fujian and Guangdong provinces to fall into extreme involution.

Low-intensity wars fought for water by clans spread in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangxi and other provinces.

Others choose to break through the shackles of the sea ban and go to sea by boat to make a living in the South Seas.

Chinese laborers on the island of Batam.

Most of them are Chaoshan people from the Chaoshan area.

They were all stunned now looking at the Sun and Moon Flags on the huge fleet that was slowly approaching.

Padded feet and stretched neck.

Want to see this fleet under the banner of the Ming Dynasty... What exactly is sacred?

"You see... Your people are watching! ”

Napoleon pointed at them and said.

Zhu Daohua took a deep breath.

Person!

Talent is the most important thing.

This battle must be won!

And to win pretty!

"Yes, my people are watching!"

Zhu Daohua took a deep breath.

"Monsieur Bonaparte, then... I now grant you full command of your army, and you can use all the weapons you think you can use! ”

"Including. . . Wooden tray flower bombs, mercury thunderate explosives, wood-handled grenades, and... Mortar! ”