nycdaug Chapter 76 The Desperate Dutch
Chapter 76 The Desperate Dutch
Three days later, in the port of Batavia, battle flags fluttered and masts stood like a forest.
Led by Lü Qianfan's flagship, the Jinghai, the main fleet of the Ming Dynasty's Nanyang Fleet sailed away from the port in a grand procession, cutting through the waves and heading east along the coastline toward Semarang.
In addition to the main warships of the Nanyang Fleet, three Dutch merchant ships that had been repaired and were ready for immediate combat and eight captured two-masted fast ships also set sail. The sailors on these captured warships were mainly sailors transferred from other Nanyang Fleet warships, supplemented by surrendered Europeans and newly recruited local Chinese, together forming the ship's armed force.
On the land side, ten squadrons of line infantry and two squadrons of 12-pounder infantry guns were deployed, along with more than a dozen cannons of various types captured during the war, which were operated by surrendered Dutch gunners, and thousands of local Chinese and indigenous laborers.
The army marched out of Batavia in a grand manner, led by Chen Ang himself, and advanced towards Semarang along the established road. At the same time, Chen Ang, in the name of the Ming Dynasty's General Who Conquers the South, issued a notice to the indigenous princes of the Banten Sultanate and the Mataram Sultanate, who were also on the island of Java, demanding that they sever diplomatic relations with the Dutch, abolish the friendly treaties they had previously signed, and refuse to provide the Dutch with soldiers.
Otherwise, they would be considered accomplices of the Dutch and would be attacked indiscriminately by the Ming army.
This proclamation from the Ming army was almost tantamount to an ultimatum, forcing the surrounding indigenous princes to choose between the Ming army and the Dutch.
In reality, the indigenous princes didn't have much to worry about. The Dutch had never been very friendly towards the surrounding indigenous peoples, and it was common for them to be domineering, impose heavy taxes, and even resort to force.
Although the sultans of Banten, Mataram, and others outwardly submitted and signed treaties with the Dutch East India Company, they harbored deep resentment. However, they dared not speak out against the Dutch for their superior ships and cannons and the strength of Batavia.
The situation has suddenly changed. The seemingly invincible Dutch have been directly defeated, and even the heavily fortified Batavia has been captured. The strength shown by the Ming army has forced them to re-evaluate whether to continue their relationship with the Dutch.
Although they were equally suspicious and wary of the Ming army, a new force that had emerged halfway through their lives, the Dutch's past poor performance made them lean more towards the Ming army. At least compared to the brutal and greedy Westerners, the Ming army, being from the East, was more approachable.
The Sultan of Mataram was the first to react. He not only publicly announced the abrogation of all treaties with the Dutch East India Company, but also ordered the expulsion of all Dutch merchants and agents from the country and blocked the roads leading to Dutch strongholds.
They also sent envoys with gifts to the Ming army camp, which was on its way, to meet Chen Ang and express their willingness to send troops to cooperate with the Celestial Empire in fighting against the Dutch colonists.
With free labor and cannon fodder offered to him, Chen Ang would never refuse.
He readily accepted the Mataram Sultan's offer, requesting that the latter provide soldiers and able-bodied men to besiege the Dutch in Semarang, and allowing the Mataram Sultan to send troops to reclaim the land between Batavia and Semarang that had been occupied by the Dutch.
Sultan Mataram was overjoyed by Chen Ang's agreement. He immediately ordered the mobilization of about two thousand soldiers and several thousand able-bodied men in the country, led by his brother, to rush to the direction of Semarang. He also expressed his complete obedience to Chen Ang's command.
Although the Dutch were temporarily weakened, their rule over Java had been deeply rooted for many years, and they had a dense network of informants. News of the Mataram rebellion quickly reached Semarang.
Upon hearing this, Capelen was instantly enraged, but he could only vent his anger in a fit of rage. There was nothing he could do about it, as their military strength was now even inferior to that of the natives.
Left with no other choice, he ordered the conscription of all able-bodied men in Semarang, provided them with weapons, strengthened the city's defenses, and prepared to deal with the joint attack by the Ming army and the indigenous people. At the same time, he also made preparations to escape by sea if things went wrong.
However, the Ming navy was moving faster than the land forces. Two days later, the Nanyang navy arrived at the outskirts of Semarang and joined up with Qin Yunwu's fleet.
The two fleets merged into one, bringing the Ming navy to a total of twenty-two ships, including one fifth-class flagship, seven fifth-class ships, five sixth-class ships, three Dutch merchant ships, and eight two-masted fast ships.
Although the number of ships could not compare with the Dutch fleet, the Ming army was clearly superior in terms of quality.
The expansion of the Ming navy's naval power quickly attracted the attention of the Dutch, who immediately reported it to Capelen. After reading it, Capelen's expression turned extremely ugly.
He had originally hoped to use his superior number of ships to cover a portion of his personnel as they broke out from the sea if necessary.
But now, the Ming navy not only outperforms in quality, but also in quantity, reaching a level that cannot be underestimated. Twenty-two main and auxiliary warships are enough to blockade the port and pose a deadly threat to any ship attempting to leave.
It is no exaggeration to say that a fleet of this size would be a considerable number even in Europe.
"How...how did they manage to assemble so many ships in such a short time?" Capelen murmured incredulously.
The fall of Batavia must have resulted in the loss of a large number of ships, and the Ming army itself also suffered losses, yet they were still able to muster such a fleet... Could it be that the Chinese shipbuilding capabilities and repair speed are so terrifying? Or did they conceal their strength from the beginning?
Moreover, the company itself doesn't even have that many main warships, so where did the Chinese get them from?
Panic washed over him again like an icy tide. The hope of breaking out at sea became extremely slim. Capelen's mindset changed without him even realizing it.
Before he could even catch his breath from this bad news, an even greater threat came from the land.
Two days later, the Ming army's land forces finally arrived at the outskirts of Semarang. Together with the allied forces provided by the Mataram Sultanate, they launched a three-sided encirclement of the Semarang stronghold. The Ming army built artillery fortifications outside the city and lined up all the cannons they had brought, making no attempt to hide their military might.
The Mataram people, on the other hand, cut down trees extensively, built siege weapons, and fought fiercely, vowing to return to the Dutch the humiliation they had suffered in the past.
The Ming army's dense, dark ranks and towering cannons, along with the noisy, bustling Mataram people, dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the Dutch defenders. Their last remaining will to resist seemed to be crushed as well, and panic spread like a plague among the defenders and the residents.
Kapelen looked at the enemy troops outside the city, his heart filled with despair. He dared not imagine that he could rely on the low wooden walls of Semarang to withstand the numerous Ming army cannons. Looking at those dark cannon muzzles, he could even foresee that the city's defenses would be destroyed by the shelling, and that the Mataram people would cheer and rush into the breach to kill them all.
Resistance has become a dead end.