The sun never sets in America

Chapter 204 Lanfang: Bombardment of Brunei

On the vast sea, a fleet of nine warships was sailing.

The range of battleships is not too big. But the control is extremely measured, giving people a feeling of being closely linked together.

The leader was the Lanfang, the flagship of the Han Dynasty's Nanyang Fleet. This was a modified steam sail warship. Two thick chimneys continued to emit black smoke, and the black smoke billowed straight into the sky.

Behind the Lan Fang is a fourth-level steam battleship Pontianak, which is also a battleship named after Lan Fang.

Behind this ship are two level five and level six cruisers, which have not been modified in any way. They are said to be cruisers, but in fact they are just miscellaneous ships.

As a ship that patrols the sea off Lanfang on a daily basis, it would not be included in the category of capital ships in peacetime. It was only added during the war.

At the very back is another modified steam battleship, the Longjiang. This ship visited Japan in the fourth year of Longwu's reign. Later, after being modified, it was assigned to the Nanyang Fleet as a capital ship, and was also known as the Pontianak. Although it is a bit exaggerated to be the Lan Fang duo, in Nanyang, where there is no strong naval power except the Dutch, no matter how you say it, it can be regarded as a powerful warship.

If you look down from the sky, you will find that the entire fleet is emitting black smoke from front to back, except in the middle. From this, we can find that this is a design deliberately created to protect the three warships in the middle that have not been steam-modified.

Judging from the speed of the flagship Lanfang, it is only a little faster than the ordinary sail warships behind it. Most of the time, the speed of both sides is actually the same. This is also to prevent the sail warships behind from not being able to keep up. , causing the team to become disjointed.

Even the most elite British Royal Navy may not be able to achieve this level of speed control for every ship.

This shows how arduous and rigorous the training of the Han Navy was! !
-

On the Lanfang, Captain Mo Longqing, the commander of the Nanyang Fleet, was looking at the detailed Brunei coastal sand table that had been made in recent days in the war room, holding his chin and thinking carefully.

"Report to the commander, there is a Dutch warship ahead, heading towards us -"

Just when Mo Longqing was thinking about countermeasures, a voice from the messenger interrupted all Mo Longqing's thoughts.

"What's going on??" Mo Longqing turned around and frowned at the messenger standing behind him and asked.

"Report to the commander, just now, a Dutch warship appeared in front of our ship and is heading towards us." The messenger told Mo Longqing exactly what he just said.

"Sign up with the other party and say that our fleet is undergoing routine training and has no obstacles to navigation!!" Although Mo Longqing found the Dutch to be annoying, due to the impending war at this time, it was not easy to fall out and could only drag them away.

"Yes!!" The messenger saluted Mo Longqing, then walked out of the cabin and passed the news to the patrolling Dutch fifth-class sailing warship through semaphores.

Mo Longqing looked at the back of the messenger as he left, with a gloomy expression on his face.

For Lan Fang, in order to ensure the success of the raid on Brunei, the sea raid plan was kept secret from the beginning. No one knew about it except the senior officials and the army officers who were preparing for the landing in the rear. What is going on? Some people think that recruits are still being trained to guard against the harassment of Lan Fang from several other indigenous countries in Borneo! !

…………

"Major, there is news from the Chinese fleet on the other side -" On the Dutch warship, a lieutenant hurriedly handed the newly translated flag message to Major Lanta, the captain of the Dutch warship.

After Lanta took the translation book that was handed to him, he looked at the message written in Latin letters with a look of ugliness on his face.

What kind of bullshit free passage and routine military exercises? Before these Han people came, this was what the Kingdom of the Netherlands liked to do most. It was to use it to threaten the disobedient indigenous countries around it, and then use it in the name of God. To carry out colonial expansion, otherwise, how could the Dutch East Indies Colony have grown from a little bit to the huge Dutch East Indies Colony it is now.

Could it be that they were all given away? ?

So when he heard that the Han people were coming to exercise and engage in some kind of free navigation, Lanta was extremely reluctant, because this thing was for the Dutch to play, and when would it be the turn of the Han people and a bunch of outsiders.

But even though Lanta had ten thousand thoughts in his mind to prevent the Han people from violating the authority of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Southeast Asia, in the end because the gap between the enemy and ourselves was too large, he had to issue an order to understand and allow navigation.

Unfortunately, Lanta later wrote what happened today in his diary, and he listed it as a lifelong shame! !

that's all. The nine warships of the Nanyang Fleet lined up in a straight formation and flew away from the Dutch warships, as if the Dutch did not exist.

On the deck where the sea breeze was blowing, Dutch Major Captain Lanta looked at the Han Nanyang Fleet that had just gone far away and could still see the black smoke on the opposite side. His expression kept changing, and he looked as ugly as possible.

This is also the main reason why Ranta regards this incident as the shame of his life.

The Nanyang Fleet, which had already left in a swaggering manner, headed towards Bandar Seri Bega Bay in Brunei, led by the flagship Lanfang...

...............

Brunei, Bandar Seri Begawan, is the capital of the Kingdom of Brunei. Because most of Brunei's land is tropical rainforest, most of the country's population is gathered here.

It can be said that the city of Bandar Seri Bega is everything in Brunei and is the foundation of the rule of the Kingdom of Brunei.

On the sea outside Bandar Seri Bega, several old sailing boats are conducting so-called patrols. Such patrols are carried out every day.

Although with the strength of Brunei's navy, it would be impossible to deal with a powerful enemy. These patrols are more symbolic to maintain the authority of Brunei Sultan Omar III.

On the afternoon of March [-]th, the wind was sunny and the fiery red sun hung high in the sky, reflecting on the blue sea like an orange-red pearl. Feel.

Several of Brunei's largest sailing warships are patrolling off the coast of Brunei. They are said to be warships, but in fact they are just a few fifth- and sixth-level patrol ships. They can fight pirates on a daily basis, but once they encounter the navy of a regular country, they are basically ruined.

The Bruneians are well aware of this, so they usually give way when encountering the Dutch navy. This is also the way for the Bruneians to survive until the Han people come.

Objectively speaking, the Han Dynasty controlled Lanfang and installed a Nanyang fleet that was more powerful than the other indigenous countries combined. This aggressive posture also made many indigenous countries in Borneo willing to listen to the instigation of the Dutch and treat Lanfang The main reason for the harassment is because they are indeed threatened! !

In essence, the emergence of the Han Dynasty led to the cooperation between the indigenous countries of Southeast Asia and the Netherlands.

This is the underlying logic of this conflict, which neither side can change, so Lan Fang chose to destroy Brunei as a tool to scare the monkeys.

The fate of the Kingdom of Brunei has been doomed from the beginning! !

"Look, what is that??" A few sailors standing on the deck, one of whom didn't even have a telescope, pointed at the black dot that suddenly appeared in front of him, and said to the other Bruneian sailors in surprise.

It wasn't until one of them picked up a telescope that the Bruneian sailor saw the most horrifying scene of his life.

Huge battleships emitting black smoke, and a row of battleships approaching behind them with blue dragon flags flying.

Black smoke was billowing from above the battleship, and countless cannon muzzles were pointed at them above the deck.

"Quickly evacuate——"

boom - boom -

Just as the sailor shouted out, several cannonballs fired from several kilometers away hit the sea in front of them, causing a series of waves.

Immediately everyone broke out in a cold sweat. You must know that the shells were fired from several kilometers away. They were shot so accurately in front of them. Although they did not hit any Brunei warships, it also meant that once the opponent near. Even just a little bit, all of them will face a scene even more terrifying than before.

Before these Brunei warships could get far, several terrifying warships emitting black smoke caught up behind them at a speed they could hardly imagine.

boom - boom -

Dozens of shells hit several Brunei warships like raindrops, and one of them had been hit on the starboard side. However, it did not pose a fatal threat because of the barrier of the upper copper sheet.

"Quick, retreat quickly——"

"Turn around, turn around, turn around -"

On a fifth-class sailing battleship named after the Kingdom of Brunei, the captain of the aristocratic family shouted at the top of his lungs and shouted several times to turn around. However, before the order was issued, the Longjiang, which was overtaken by him, was within a kilometer range. In addition, provide fire coverage.

This distance happens to be one of the best and most effective firing ranges of rifled artillery. It has a crushing advantage against the Brunei Navy, which is still equipped with an effective firing range of several hundred meters.

This advantage is incomprehensible to the Bruneians, a small country with a small population. In their minds, the world is still the same as it was ten years ago. Although new rifled weapons including lightning rifles and storm cannons have appeared, they are only the most elite ones. The palace guards were equipped, and the rest still used old-fashioned smoothbore flintlock muskets and smoothbore artillery.

This is very different from the current situation in the world where the vigorous Lightning Rifles and Storm Cannons are selling like hotcakes.

The reason is that Brunei is too remote. It is not a major waterway. The surrounding neighboring countries are not too strong except Lanfang. Coupled with financial problems, it is almost impossible to equip rifled weapons on a large scale. This This is also the current situation in many small countries in Southeast Asia.

And when such a situation is reflected in reality, it will suffer a big loss, since the Brunei was sunk by the Longjiang with long-range firepower within fifteen minutes, without any ability to fight back.

Brunei's pocket navy is completely doomed from this moment on. Death is only a matter of time! !

boom - boom -

After the last Brunei warship was sunk, this half-hour naval battle, from blow to chase, finally came to an end. Brunei's most important maritime power has disappeared.

The maritime territory of the Kingdom of Brunei has become a place of free entry and exit.

An hour ago, the Pontianak Regiment under the Lanfang Army in Pontianak, as well as a dozen local merchant ships mobilized, were heading here with a large amount of weapons and ammunition.

The countdown to the demise of the Kingdom of Brunei has entered. This small Southeast Asian country with a long history is about to come to the end of its life! !

.............................................

Bandar Seri Bega City is bustling with people, and merchants from all over Southeast Asia are selling goods here. This place is a mixture of local and foreign countries, and it is the most prosperous area in the entire Kingdom of Brunei.

"Have you heard that the Lanfang people on the opposite side are preparing for war? Maybe they will fight over soon!!"

"It shouldn't be possible. Now it is said that the whole of Nanyang is against them. Those Lanfang people should have no chance to attack us, right??" [Dutch propaganda, in the Dutch propaganda, Lanfang has become a disruptor of regional peace unstable factors. 】

"Who knows, we might be calling soon!!"

"How is it possible? I think it's impossible!!"

On the street, several Bruneians were discussing the recently hot issue of Lanfang. Some thought that Lanfang could not be defeated, while others thought that a fight would definitely come over. Suddenly, there were arguments about Lanfang everywhere.

Off the coast of Brunei, a fleet of six warships is sailing in a battle formation towards Bandar Seri Bega, the capital of Brunei and the core coastal city of Brunei.

Mo Longqing, the commander of the Nanyang Fleet, looked at the sun shining high and the calm weather, with a long-lost smile on his face, and then issued an order: "Notify all ships to prepare for battle, and be ready to fight at any time!!" The look in Mo Longqing's eyes There was a hint of excitement in it, because this was his first time commanding the navy to conduct operations against another country. It was of great significance and could not be overemphasized.

That's right, as Mo Longqing's order was issued, the gun jackets that had just been put on on the decks of each ship were taken off again.

One shell after another is piled in the ammunition port below the deck. One artilleryman after another is quickly wiping the muzzle that was still a little white due to gunpowder smoke, and constantly calibrating the position and angle of the muzzle in order to achieve the best result. Good gunning angle.

Behind the fleet, an army landing team consisting of fifteen merchant ships was arriving as quickly as possible.

War is imminent! !

.........

Mo Longqing looked at the nearby city of Bandar Seri Bega with a telescope. There was a trace of unbearability in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by tenacity.

Although he likes this city very much, war is war, and there is no warmth at all.

"Prepare for bombardment, occupy a favorable position -" Mo Longqing gave the first order after recovering.

"Prepare for bombardment and occupy a favorable position!!"

"Prepare for bombardment, occupy a favorable position——"

On the six battleships, the same voice sounded in unison.

Soon, densely packed, hundreds of new rifled naval artillery were aimed at the calm city of Bandar Seri Bega, and accelerated towards Bandar Bandar City.

In Bandar Seri Bega, the Bruneians were still doing what they did every afternoon as usual. Because of the disappearance of the patrol fleet and the irresponsibility of the shore fort personnel, they did not even have a chance to prepare.

"fire……"

As the six warships arrived at the predetermined positions planned from the beginning, Mo Longqing gave the order for bombardment.

boom... boom...

When several artillery shells exploded at the port of Bandar Seri Bega, all the Bruneians who heard the noise couldn't help but look up at the sky. They thought it was going to rain.

While waiting for the second round of cannon fire, most people realized something was wrong.

When several shells in the third round spanned three kilometers and hit the streets, the entire city of Bandar Seri Bega was in complete chaos.

Everyone ran towards the back in a mess, and for a while, all the streets were blocked.

"what……"

"No, don't step on me..."

"what……"

"Get out of my way..."

The streets of Bandar Seri Bega City were in complete chaos, with people squeezing and stepping on each other.

The artillery shell did not kill a single Bruneian, but the Bruneians trampled their own people to death first. I have to say, it is really sad! !

The fourth round of shelling obviously did not hit the city, but hit the fort outside the city that had been exposed due to counterattack.

But it was obvious that it was still a smoothbore artillery battery and could not reach the Han warships in the distance.

As a result, the same problem occurred with the Qing Dynasty's coastal defense forts in the First Opium War. You couldn't hit the other party, but the other party could hit you.

At the Royal Palace of Brunei, after learning the news, Sultan Omar III of Brunei immediately issued an order to defend Bandar Seri Bega City and the Kingdom of Brunei.

After some grand speeches and arrangements, Brunei Sultan Omar III took his wife and concubines and ran away first, followed by the ministers and nobles.

All of a sudden, the road out of the city was filled with horse-drawn carriages and people holding hand-carrying queues. The queues stretched as far as the eye could see, just like the traffic jams on viaducts in later generations.

It's just that besides the carriage, there are also heads.

The hearts and minds of the people of the Kingdom of Brunei have spread, and when Lan Fang arrives at the rear, the Kingdom of Brunei will be destroyed! !

Mo Longqing, who was on the outer sea, also discovered that something was wrong with the situation in the city, so he ordered a smallest six-level sail warship to arrive for bombardment and test the situation in the city.

Sure enough, after several artillery shells were fired into the city, in addition to the panicked Bruneian people who continued to flee, there was almost no resistance in the city.

Those people who had just said so eloquently that Lan Fang could not fight were now among the fleeing troops at the rear.

"When we land, it will be the day when Brunei will be destroyed..." The situation on the battlefield was too easy, and Mo Longqing even said this.

Even later, Mo Longqing specifically ordered that no bombardment be allowed, because the city was already Lanfang, already belonged to the Han Dynasty, and was the property of the state.

At five o'clock that afternoon, after four or five hours of sailing, the landing team of more than [-] people finally arrived off the coast of Brunei.

They are about to land on the Kingdom of Brunei under the cover of the Nanyang Fleet.

It is said to be a landing, but in fact it is no different from the ceremony of Wu entering the city.

At [-]:[-] pm on March [-], the eighth year of Longwu, Bandar Seri Bega, the capital of Brunei, fell.

This fall also heralds the demise of Brunei! !

　Ask for a reward, ask for a monthly ticket

　　

　

(End of this chapter)