1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 756 Breaking Wandan ([-])
On May 1659, 5, after the Qi State Naval Task Force completely destroyed the fort at the port of Banten.Then sail to Lampung on the west side of Quang Ninh Strait ((Sunda Strait)).Here, encounter the navy of the Kingdom of Banten.After half a day of fighting, the Qi State Task Force sank more than 15 Banten ships, captured more than [-] ships, and killed and wounded more than [-] officers and soldiers under its sailor Rashamala (admiral) Muhammad Ratu.

On May 5, the Qi Navy task force bombarded Lampung Port, destroyed the fort on the shore, and wiped out all the ships of the Banten Kingdom Navy hiding here.

On May 5, the task force attacked Kota Agung. After dispelling the threat of the dock fort, it organized armed sailors to land and raided the docks on the shore.

On May 5, two armed merchant ships from Dog Island (now Christmas Island, Australia) arrived at Fort Guangning with two platoons of more than 19 marines and 60 local soldiers.

On May 5, the general administration of Xuanhan (now Timor Island) sent a company of marine soldiers, more than 23 township soldiers, and four squadrons of native servants, a total of more than [-] people, and arrived in four armed merchant ships. Guangning Fort.

On May 5th, a land company and an artillery company from the mainland of Hanzhou, more than 29 soldiers from Jianye Prefecture, and a large amount of combat supplies arrived at Guangning Fort on two warships and a merchant ship.At the same time, it also brought combat orders from the military and the cabinet.That is, capture the city of Banten, annihilate its main force, force the Kingdom of Banten to surrender, and seize and control key places on both sides of the Guangning Strait.

At present, Qi State has gathered three and a half land battle companies, one artillery company, more than [-] township soldiers, and more than [-] native servants in Guangning Fort. There are [-] armed merchant ships, which can strictly block and control the main coastal ports of the Kingdom of Banten.All units are under the unified command of the task force commander, General Guangwei (Rear Admiral) Mill.

On June 6th, Mir authorized Lieutenant Zhaoxin (Colonel) Xu Chuanxing to be the commander-in-chief of the army, using Guangning Fort as the forward base, to launch an attack on Banten King City, and he led the fleet to carry out support at Banten Port to contain the Banten Kingdom land defense force.

On June 6, Xu Chuanxing led the army without encountering any major resistance on the road, and almost marched quickly to the city of Banten.

On June 6, the army of Qi calmly set up artillery positions under the city of Wandan. During this period, the defenders of Wandan in the city did not carry out any harassment actions.

Wandan Wangcheng was built more than 150 years ago. It has high walls and thick walls. There are more than [-] artillery pieces on the top of the city, many of which were sold to them by Qi State more than ten years ago.Therefore, in the artillery battle on the first day, Qi's artillery did not take much advantage.On the contrary, because the opponent relied on the condescending geographical advantage to give full play to the power of the artillery, two artillerymen were killed and four soldiers were injured.

Xu Chuanxing, the commander of the army, immediately stopped this unnecessary artillery battle, and instead sent troops to sweep the surrounding area of ​​Wandan City, and the fleet docked into the port to receive combat supplies.

The defenders in Wandan City seem to have made up their minds to stick to the city and not leave the city to fight against the Qi army.As we all know, the Qi army has always been good at land warfare. In the two Han-Dutch wars, the Dutch were beaten to shame on land, and their troops were lost.The army of the Kingdom of Banten felt that its strength was not even as good as that of the Dutch, and it did not dare to fight the Qi army head-on.

After more than a hundred years of continuous construction of the Wandan King City, King Sultan believed that it was as strong as Batavia. Even though the defenders in the city had fewer firearms, there were more than 2000 troops gathered in the city.Therefore, facing the Qi army with less than [-] people, he has enough confidence to believe that he can defend this royal city.

On June 6, the Dutch East India Company sent more than a thousand mercenaries to attack the Kingdom of Banten from the west side of Batavia.In less than a week, three consecutive defeats in the eastern part of Banten (provinces developed from local lords to chief executives) were made, and more than ten local native tribes were conquered, extending the scope of control to the east bank of the Chisada Ni River. .

On June 6, after the Qi army captured more than ten villages and tribes around the city of Wandan, they took in more than 15 people in Wandan.Army Commander Xu Chuanxing immediately ordered the officers and soldiers to drive the Banten people to dig trenches and tunnels leading directly to the city of Banten according to the instructions of the engineers.

Under the terrified eyes of the defenders of Wandan City, two winding trenches quickly extended towards the city wall.In an attempt to prevent the continued excavation of the trenches, the defenders fired shells at the top of the city to bombard the people of Banten who were digging the trenches, but the effect was obviously not good, and only a few people were shot.Under the constant intimidation of the Qi army, the people of Banten seem to be digging trenches a little faster.

On June 6, the defenders of Wandan City went out of the city and launched a surprise attack, but under the counterattack of the Qi army waiting in full force, more than 17 corpses were left behind, and they fled back to the city in embarrassment.

"If it weren't for the fact that there are many Han people in the city of Jiji, and they have gathered most of the wealth of the Wandan Kingdom. I estimate that Commander Xu would have used rockets to burn Wandan City to nothing." A person from Xuanhua With a bit of greed and expectation on his face, the captain of the village soldier smiled and said to the small captains of the village soldiers beside him.

"Although this method of digging soil and trenches takes a little time, it is better than being able to preserve a complete Wandan City." A village soldier captain said: "If it is burned by a fire, then we can save it." I can’t get anything. The brothers came all the way, not only wasting the farming time in the fields, but also risking their lives at any time, so they just hope to find some subsidies from the natives.”

"However, I heard from the officers in the marine corps that we attacked the country of Wandan this time to occupy this piece of land, including this city of Wandan. That's why the officers of the marine corps used this kind of consumption The land here is much more fertile than the land on Xuanhua Island. The agricultural officer in our town once said that the land on Java Island seems to cover a whole What kind of volcanic ash is on the ground, and crops are planted, and the land is fat!"

"So, our country of Qi is going to destroy this native country?" A village soldier captain couldn't help but glanced at the natives who were constantly digging and digging in front of him, "There are quite a few natives scattered on this land. .It is estimated that there are several 10 people. How to clean them up?"

"Hmph, how do you clean it up?" The squadron leader of the village soldier snorted coldly, "I am afraid that the many unscrupulous plantations on the surrounding islands of Xuanhua will be very interested in these natives. I reckon that after this battle is over, those plantations The owner of the garden will definitely send a boat to arrest people!"

"Damn it! If I make a fortune this time, I will also go to build a plantation, get some natives to plant land for me, and enjoy the feeling of being a landlord and gentry of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Bullshit! It's absolutely impossible to be a landlord and gentry like Daming in my country of Qi!" The squadron leader of the village soldier slapped the man, "To be a plantation owner, you must obey the government's orders honestly and behave yourself. Pay taxes, food, and salaries to the officials in an orderly manner. In addition, you can't do anything to harm our Han people. Otherwise, the officials will punish you so much that you will go bankrupt and lose everything!"

"Hey..." The captain of the village soldier smiled coyly, "I know that the government loves the people and pity the power of the people. After all, they are all descendants of Han people who came from Damingliu. If I want to build a plantation, I will naturally only drive those natives How can people oppress their compatriots when they work in the fields? In other words, not only does our country of Qi seem to be quite strict with those big plantation owners, but even some big merchants and maritime merchants are also very obedient."

"Do they dare to be dishonest? Our security guards (Kupang City, Timor Island, Indonesia) dispatched a businessman who committed the crime last month, saying that he was seriously evading taxes and fees, and he refused to mend his ways. The fate of being sent overseas."

"These merchants, earning a lot of money, but thinking of evading those trivial taxes, deserve to be punished!..."

"Wan Sheng!"

"Wan Sheng!"

"..."

Suddenly there was a burst of warm cheers in the camp, causing everyone to turn their heads to look.

"We have reinforcements again!" A village soldier shouted excitedly: "There are more than 800 people, including two companies of the Marine Corps!"

"Where did they all come from?"

"It seems to have come from Weiyuan Island (now New Guinea Island) and Linhai (now Port Hedland, Australia)."

"Hey, then we have more than 500 people!"

"I think with so many troops, it should be possible to capture Wandan City!"

Xu Chuanxing, commander in chief of the army, stood on a high platform in the camp, watching the reinforcements on the pier continuously getting off the boat, with a slight smile on his lips.It seems that the determination of the military and the cabinet is very strong. This time, they will not hesitate to deploy the garrison marines and native servants from Weiyuan Island and Linhai, and mobilize some rural soldiers to join the war. They ceded the land on both sides of the Guangning Strait and seized this sea water vital to the safety of Hanzhou.

"How long will it take for the trench to be dug under the city?" Xu Chuanxing turned his head and asked.

"It is estimated that there will be another day." A tactical staff officer replied.

"Notify all ministries to prepare for battle. In three days, we will launch a general attack on Wandan City!" Xu Chuanxing ordered: "We will try to end this war before the end of the month."

The task force was ordered to sail to India. This trip was planned to visit several ports on the east and west coasts of the Mughal Empire, and to present the credentials of Qi and the new emperor Aurangzeb.Now, because of the Banten War, it was abruptly delayed for a month.Fleet Commander Mir sent someone over yesterday to inquire about the progress of the battle. Although he didn't mean to urge him, he must have been impatient waiting for the place.

At the beginning of the year, Niu Hu, commander of the Marine Corps, proposed to the military that the Marine Corps be separated from the Navy and placed under the jurisdiction of the Army, but was ultimately rejected by King Qi.In view of the fact that for a long time in the future, the scale of the war that Qi may be involved in will not be too large. If the Marine Corps is separated from the Navy and belongs to the Army, it will bring some inconvenience to the rapid deployment of military forces and command coordination.

Although, Chief of the Navy Qi Dajiang did not say too much about Niu Hu's behavior of setting up a separate company, he believed that his move was entirely for the better development of the Marine Corps.However, the entire Navy was very angry at the Marine Corps' behavior of trying to be self-reliant and self-sufficient, expressing openly and secretly that they would teach the Marine Corps a good lesson.

Faced with this situation, Xu Chuanxing, a senior officer of the Marine Corps, had to be careful. The battle against Banten must not only be fought beautifully, but also concise and clear, with as few casualties as possible. Certain provocateurs caught him.

On June 6, in the early morning, all the Qi troops went out of the camp and lined up under the city of Wandan. Everyone looked at the city with hot eyes.Before noon yesterday, two meandering trenches finally approached the city of Banten, and at the cost of more than 20 million Wandan people and dozens of native servants, several huge pits were dug under the city wall hole, and buried a dozen barrels of gunpowder.

The Wandan people in the city may have sensed a hint of danger, and the defenders rushed out of the city gate, trying to destroy the tunnels and dismantle the explosives.But more than a hundred were shot and killed by a group of township soldiers hiding in the trench, and the rest had to retreat into the city again.

Last night, the defenders of Wandan City took advantage of the darkness to leave the city again.However, they were completely wiped out by the officers and soldiers of the Marine Corps ambushing outside the city. If the defenders in the city hadn't seen the opportunity quickly, they would have almost let the Marine Corps rush into the city.

At dawn, the defenders in Banten City mobilized the people and kept pouring buckets of water down the city, trying to fill the trenches near the city wall with water and wet the explosives buried under the city.

It has to be said that the people of Wandan are well versed in the method of attacking the city with gunpowder in Qi State, and the method of implementation is quite targeted. A large amount of accumulated water almost filled the two trenches in front of the city wall, and the soil at the root of the city wall where the explosives were buried Get wet.

However, all of this did not prevent the Qi Army's engineers from successfully detonating the explosives. With the sound of two huge explosions, a large section of the city wall on the west side of Wandan City suddenly trembled violently, and then amidst the cheers of the Qi Army, , collapsed obliquely outward.

"Attack!" Commander-in-Chief Xu Chuanxing gave an order, and more than [-] native servants divided into several waves and rushed into the city from the gap, followed by hundreds of rural soldiers, holding bayonets, also rushed go in.

The defenders of Wandan City were demoralized the moment the city was broken, and they turned their heads and fled towards the city.Even many soldiers abandoned their knives and guns, took off their military uniforms, rushed into civilian houses, and disguised themselves as civilians to avoid being chased and killed by the Qi army.For the defenders who abandoned their weapons and surrendered, the Qi army did not massacre them, but ordered them to kneel on the side of the street, waiting for the follow-up troops to surrender.

After hundreds of Marine Corps officers and soldiers rushed into the city, they ran straight to the palace, trying to control King Banten Sultan and many ministers in the shortest possible time.

"The royal palace has been captured, and the Sultan King and several princes have been captured."

"The Prime Minister's Office has been captured, and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Banten has been captured."

"Two official treasuries in the city have been brought under control, but a granary is on fire, and the leading officer is trying to control the fire."

"Barracks and armory under control."

"..."

Xu Chuanxing was on the Wandan city tower and heard that the combat staff reported one victory after another to him. Although his face was calm, his heart was extremely proud. The attack on Wandan this time can be described as devastating. What an honor.Thinking about it, this battle can be successfully ended.

"There was an exchange of fire between the soldiers of Weiyuan Island and a Western-style commercial house in the city.... One of the soldiers was killed and two were injured. We now request the Marine Corps to send artillery support!"

"Huh?" Xu Chuanxing looked at the staff officer who came to report in doubt, "Which Western country? Portuguese or Dutch?"

These town soldiers from all over the country have loose military discipline. Once they do not send military police to restrain them, they will all behave lawlessly, especially when they have broken through the enemy's king city, they will loot wantonly in the face of the wealth of the city.Some important targets such as royal palaces, government offices, warehouses, and mansions of high-ranking officials cannot get their hands on them, but ordinary merchants and civilians are the targets they scramble to rob.

After all, these township soldiers are not state-controlled troops, and they don't have generous salaries to get.If relying on some Weibo subsidies from the local government, I am afraid it will not be able to make up for this expedition at all.Therefore, if you want to get more extra income, you can only rely on battlefield seizures.This time, the local soldiers from Weiyuan Island probably shot at a Western business house, and they were fought back vigorously by the other side.

"... seems to be English."

"English?" Xu Chuanxing was startled for a moment, and then said indifferently: "Let the artillerymen of the Marine Corps go to assist the soldiers from Weiyuan Island and capture the English business house."

(End of this chapter)