Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1633 Conflict and Flood

"Everyone checks their own equipment and equipment. From now on, they are not allowed to ask for leave or go out, and they are waiting for orders to be mobilized at any time..." In the barracks of the First Mixed Battalion in The Hague, the company commanders issued orders to their subordinates one after another.Now is a sensitive time, and there is a danger of conflict at any time, so it is normal to enter a state of emergency.

And in the most core command room in the barracks, Major Lan Fei, the battalion commander of the first mixed battalion, is also convening a meeting with combat staff, marching staff, liaison staff, training staff, intelligence staff, logistics staff and other battalion staff to discuss The current situation.

"In the past two days, I've heard from Cornelis DeWitt. He probably thinks he's innocent, so he doesn't object to going to Gwangenport Prison to be investigated by the court." The communication in Dutch and German is also excellent The staff officer said at this time: "Besides, people with his status believe that many usual interrogation methods cannot be used against them. Therefore, as long as he insists on denying all allegations, it will be difficult to convict him."

"You are too naive, Staff Officer Hou, the admiral himself is probably too optimistic." The intelligence staff immediately said with disdain: "Prince Orange was suppressed by his own brother for 20 years, during which time he was even placed under residential surveillance." , unable to receive a normal education. If his mother (Princess Mary of England, daughter of Charles I) hadn’t pleaded hard at that time, the prince might have been abolished, so you said the family’s hatred for John DeWitt How deep. And as John's older brother and his most reliable political ally, Admiral Cornelis, would you believe that he would not be hated? So, I think the Orange family did something to Cornelis. Everything is normal. This can be seen from the previous assassination of the two brothers. The Orange family does not want to deal with this matter. They only want Brother DeWitt to die! At this time, Mr. Cornelis went to Georgia Isn't Wanganport Prison a death sentence?"

Staff Officer Wang's expression turned a little ugly when he was robbed by the intelligence staff officer. He could only explain in a low voice, "But he is an admiral after all. Could it be that the Orange family could use violence against him? It's incredible."

"I don't think there's anything difficult to understand, because the Orange family has lost their minds now." The intelligence officer snorted coldly.

"Stop talking nonsense." Lan Fei patted the table to stop the dispute between the two, and then said solemnly: "What's the opinion of Speaker John DeWitt? Staff Wang, tell me."

"The Battalion Commander, what Chairman Dewitt means, is that he can cooperate with the investigation to prove his brother's innocence, although he doesn't believe the 'country doctor' Tichler's accusation at all. It is said that many members of the three-level parliament Booing, questioning the behavior of Admiral Cornelis, so your Excellency the Speaker has to obey the "public opinion" and not insist on a strong position on this matter, which will only make people more realistic." The liaison staff replied immediately.

"What nonsense!" Lan Fei said dissatisfiedly: "The two assassination operations that are close at hand are not investigated, but they are focused on some things that are speculative. What did these councilors grow up on?"

Everyone didn't know how to answer Lan Fei's words, because the facts are obvious. With the republican government's crushing defeat in the early stage and its incompetence when it begged for peace with France in the later stage (agreeing to cede land, pay compensation, and give preferential tariffs to French ships), now Oran The power of the ruling faction in the Dutch political situation is getting stronger and stronger.Moreover, after the Prince of Orange ordered the opening of the gates to release water in the "flood defense line" and achieved great success, many Dutch people now directly regard him as a national hero who turned the tide. Therefore, whether it is the parliament or the people, the image of the prince has already climbed to unimaginable heights.

In contrast, the national heroes of the first and second Anglo-Dutch wars, the DeWitt brothers, were quickly forgotten by the people and became sinners who betrayed the interests of the country. A certain number of supporters, but their number has undoubtedly been decreasing.Therefore, at the moment when the forces of the Republicans and the Orange factions are ebb and flow, it is very common for some judges, military officers, and parliamentarians to follow suit and join the Prince of Orange as their predecessors against the DeWitt brothers. up.

"Forget it, since Speaker DeWitt didn't stop this matter, we have nothing to insist on, we can only be prepared at all times." After chattering and discussing for a long time, Lan Fei patted the table again, and said with a final word: "Ke After all, Nellis is also a heavyweight in the political arena, and I hope the Orange faction will show some sympathy and not use some low-level methods. It must be known that in 30 years in Hedong and 30 years in Hexi, the instigator has no heirs?"

……

And when the No. 6 Mixed Battalion in The Hague was facing the complicated local situation, let us turn our attention back to June 30, half a month ago, the day when the Prince of Orange ordered to open the gates and release the water.In that beautiful season when the sky was cloudless and the breeze was blowing gently on people's faces, Yang Liang and others who were strengthening the fortifications outside the city of Bergen op Zoom clearly saw the flood rushing from the sky. shocked.

At that time, the earth convulsed violently under the impact of massive floods, and white waves rushed in, wrapping up everything encountered on the way—such as houses, trees, people and animals, etc. A very spectacular long dragon formed.Because Bergen op Zoom is close to the sea, it was hit by floods immediately. At that time, some villages built in low-lying areas outside the city were hit by water walls two to three meters high in almost half an hour. After being submerged, Yang Liang looked from the top of the city and saw that only some roofs and treetops were left exposed on the water where the original village was.

Yang Liang, Hess, Frank Banning and other leaders in the city of Bergen op Zoom, together with a large group of officers and soldiers, stared blankly at the seemingly endless sea water pouring in from the horizon. He didn't speak, just stood there silently.Like a hungry wolf, the raging flood was blocked by the huge stone city of Bergen op Zoom, and immediately separated into two streams, continuing to rush forward.The flood peak swept down, and several villages within the range of sight were almost wiped out in an instant, and they disappeared without a trace. Occasionally, there were some miserable cries for help or the cry of livestock in the flood, and the people on the city wall were shocked. To everyone, it is as dull as if it is far away in the sky.

"The seawall was dug up, and the gate to the sea was opened at the same time!" Frank Banning said palely, and even shed tears as he spoke, because there are still many of his friends in the villages outside the city. Relatives, I don't know what the end will be. Banning didn't even dare to think about it. In the end, he could only swear and curse: "These Dutch whores must have done it. Want to flood the enemy! The French don't have to do that, only those big whores in Amsterdam do it."

Yang Liang was speechless after hearing this, and he could only think to himself that the Dutch were really ruthless enough to use the scorched earth policy of flooding the country without fire, which greatly exceeded the expectations of the French.Of course, this may be related to the fact that the floods mainly flooded in Utrecht, Gelderland, Oberijssel, Limburg-Brabant and other places. The traditional sites of the Prince of Orange, Friesland, Groningen and other provinces like Although the Netherlands, Zeeland, Drenthe and other places cannot be said to be completely free from disasters, they are much lighter than the four provinces such as Utrecht in terms of degree. Otherwise, I believe that the big shots in Amsterdam and The Hague cannot easily make up their minds.

But in any case, this solid flood caused eight lifetimes of blood mold for the residents of one common in the three southern provinces. The raging flood caused many villages and towns to sink to the bottom of the water. The overflow swallowed up some villages along the river inch by inch, and many farmlands, orchards, and pastures that had been developed through generations of hard work disappeared like mirages. It is impossible to count clearly, because many merchants, citizens, farmers and even militiamen have sunk into a man-made water town.

On the third day after the flood broke out, on July 1673, 7, the water level inside and outside the city of Bergen op Zoom was still high, and a liaison ship from the sea slowly docked at the already submerged pier , Then they put down a small boat, quickly rowed to the city of Bergen op Zoom, and asked the militia and mercenaries in the city to immediately bring weapons and ammunition, and attack eastward by boat to attack the French army that is currently in chaos .

This unreasonable request almost ignited the anger of the soldiers and civilians in the city, but in the end it was forcibly suppressed by Frank Banning and others, because the envoy from the Netherlands said in a gracious tone, if Limburg-Bra If the soldiers and civilians of Bant are working hard to regain the lost ground under the order of the Prince of Orange at this time, then after the war, perhaps the three-level parliament will mercifully allow them to join the Seven Provinces Alliance again, and will not pursue the sin of surrendering to the French so easily before. .

The messenger's words really hit the soldiers and civilians of Bergen op Zoom, because they understand that the entire southern region has suffered a catastrophe, and the lives and property of the residents have suffered great losses. Therefore, the restoration and reconstruction after the war was inseparable from the support of the rich and powerful Dutch and Zeelanders.Listening to what they said now, because the southern provinces pursued a non-resistance policy and let the French army in, it caused them to abandon the Utrecht Covenant and expel the three southern provinces and one common from the Seven Provinces Alliance.Therefore, at this juncture, no matter how angry, angry, or unwilling you are in your heart, it is not a time to compete with the Dutch. Can't bear the anger of the Dutch!

Therefore, the residents of Bergen op Zoom finally succumbed. They took out gunpowder that had not been soaked in seawater, the last food and other war preparations, raised a considerable number of ships, and then went out all the way to Dong launched a wading attack, and at this time their opponent, the French, was at a loss in the flood——

In a manor somewhere outside Nijmegen, the headquarters of Viscount Turenne, the commander of the West Route Army, was surrounded by floods falling from the sky in the middle of the night. His subordinates were standing in the muddy water just below their ankles and reporting to him about the breach of the seawall. , with both feet together, water splashes.As for him who had just been awakened, he sat on the edge of the bed in a daze, and was still somewhat unconscious until he was brought back to reality by the louder and louder shouts and rumbles outside.

When something like this happens, what should be considered is not how to conquer the city and occupy all the cities in the United Provinces, but to gather the troops that were scattered everywhere so that everyone can gather together to keep warm and deal with what may happen next. everything.Because Viscount Turenne’s years of experience in the army told him that the sudden flood should not be an accident, but a well-planned man-made action, so he did not believe that the Prince of Orange had not made a plan in advance, did not He had made a plan on how to use the flood to attack the French army, so gathering troops and reducing the width of the defense line was the only thing he could think of at this time.

However, attacking is easy, but retreating is difficult, especially in the situation where there will be floods, gathering troops is not so easy to do.For example, Angers, the leader of a French cavalry unit that was marching westward and planned to attack the city of Bergen op Zoom, suddenly found himself separated from the infantry brigade behind by the flood—no, he was not even sure which one The existence of infantry units numbering thousands and towing heavy artillery—this caused him great panic, because they were suddenly alone, and their ammunition and drinking water were placed in the rear infantry convoy. There is only a little ammunition and dry food with me, and I don't even bring fodder to feed the horses under my crotch. What should I do?

Moreover, now that a flood of this scale has occurred, the earth has become a country of water and water, so how can their cavalry be used?Even if the flood recedes in ten days and a half months, the muddy ground will not be able to dry out in a short while, and there is no room for their cavalry, so what reason do I have to persist here now?It's better to retreat quickly and go back to the Breda Fortress to see the situation. Since the Dutch have resorted to the big move of "General Flood", there is no reason not to attack the Breda Fortress. It may be just right to move there by yourself. Well, Angers thought.

Of course, maybe he underestimated the difficulty of moving troops in the flooded area, and forgot the speed at which the Dutch could maneuver by boat, and this kind of misjudgment was destined to cost him and his troops blood.

(End of this chapter)