Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1661 Dutch South Africa ([-])

On March 1674, 3, off the coast of Changqing County, South Africa, there was a strong wind.More than a dozen ships, large and small, huddled together off the coast of South Africa, hurriedly approaching the shore.But they dare not get too close, for fear that the ship will run aground or run aground, which is obviously more tragic.

Some ships have lowered almost all their sails, and lowered the double anchors at the bow and stern to try to fix the hull as much as possible.The captains frantically ordered the sailors to put down the small boats they carried, and then transport personnel and supplies to the shore.Undoubtedly, this process was extremely difficult and terrifying. Because of the strong wind and waves, the small boats undulated like fallen leaves on the sea surface, and seemed to capsize completely if they were not careful.

The process of landing was surprisingly difficult!

Lieutenant Colonel Guo Handong stood on a certain beach in Changqing County with a gloomy expression, looked at the densely packed boats on the sea that were approaching the shore, sighed and said: "This is Tianzun testing us, otherwise why is it so bad! "

Yes, this time it's really not going well!The fleet that was supposed to sail to South Africa's Great Circle encountered strong winds and waves off the coast of South Africa. As a last resort, they had to continue sailing eastward and berth at a place with less wind and waves. This was selected as an alternate port of call. It is Changqing County under the rule of the East Coast People, located on the southern coast of South Africa, the former British South African colony.

The regimental staff officers and orderly staff around him also looked at each other in blank dismay, very speechless.This ghostly weather, why didn't they come early and late, but they came when they were approaching the South African coast?What a bad luck!Now I just hope that the landing process will not cause too many serious casualties, and the loss of materials will be as little as possible.

But maybe God was going against them, as soon as Guo Handong's words fell, a small boat carrying more than [-] people lost control in the strong wind and waves, and slammed into a protruding rock in the sea , crashed into pieces of wood.And the people on the boat fell into the water as expected. They struggled violently in the water and stuck their heads out to call for help from time to time. However, due to the strong wind and waves, it was difficult for the boat to approach, so they disappeared soon, leaving only the sea surface On the series of broken foam.

Several people stomped their feet in frustration. Although everyone was used to seeing life and death soldiers, it was unacceptable to be so aggrieved by the casualties.Before the enemy saw it, a bunch of people died inexplicably, and no one would have to scold their mothers.What's more, they feel the same, and they are also a little scared at the moment. What if the boat they were riding just now crashed into the reef?

"Contact the staff, where is the person? Immediately send someone to the nearby villages and towns for help, and ask them to bring us food, medicine and doctors, as well as fuel, draft animals, carriages, tents, iron pots and other utensils. The speed must be fast! "Guo Handong took off the military cap on his head and ordered anxiously.

After hearing this, the liaison staff officer didn't dare to say much, and after answering loudly, he turned around and ordered people to go.And not long after he had just left, the villagers from the nearest village had heard the news and rushed over.There were about five or sixty people, more than half of them had guns, and the leader was wearing an old military uniform and limping. He should be the director of the militia.

At this meeting, the militia director had a contact with an officer of the regiment headquarters, and then waved to the villagers to help clean up the beach, so that a landing field could be prepared as soon as possible.In addition, the materials piled up on the shore should be removed as soon as possible, otherwise the efficiency of back-and-forth transportation will be greatly affected, and they are also afraid that it will rain sometime this day. It's just too big.

"Sir, this is the boundary of Buhe Township, Changqing County, about 60 kilometers away from the area controlled by the Dutch." After the intelligence staff asked the villagers to understand the situation, they immediately ran over to report to Guo Handong: "I have asked the village to It is strictly kept secret, and the Dutch must not let the Dutch know that we are here."

The intelligence staff's concern was justified, because he was afraid that the Dutch would send a large cavalry to cover up the attack when they learned that the army on the east bank was landing in disorder.Although this kind of thing that sounds like a fantasy is basically impossible to happen-strictly speaking, the East Bank did not go to war with the Netherlands at this time-but the intelligence staff still did not dare to neglect, and repeatedly told those who seemed a little silly The villagers pay attention to secrecy.

The embarrassing landing operation continued until the afternoon of the next day before it was declared over.The officers and soldiers of the provisional first regiment, who were once swallowed up like a tiger, lost all their pride in the face of the majesty of nature, squatting on the beach like quail after rain, watching the sea silently.

"Regimental Commander, the people in the fleet said that they will return to Dayuan Harbor to repair the ship, otherwise they will not be able to return to the mainland safely." An officer who followed the last batch of supplies to the beach reported loudly: "They asked if our department planned to They are stationed in Changqing County, if so, then they will truthfully report to the Hezhong District Administrative Office."

"Of course, we can only train in Changqing County now, and then wait for the next step." Lieutenant Colonel Guo Handong said as a matter of course: "Could it be possible to let us all board the boat again, and then drive to Hezhong Port and then disembark? No, no, don’t bother so much! I think Changqing County is very good, it is very close to the Dutch, and supplies should not be too difficult. Starting from here, you can also threaten Dutch South Africa from the flank, and you can also It formed an echo with our army in the north, and made the Dutch suffer from the enemy. In this way, it is not all a bad thing that we were forced to anchor off the coast of Changqing County this time. At least we have formed a strategic encirclement of the Dutch colony. .”

In fact, to some extent, there is nothing wrong with what Guo Handong just said.Changqing County was originally the site that people from the East Bank snatched from the British East India Company. It is located on the east side of Dutch South Africa. With the relatively humid climate in the coastal area, a large amount of fruits, vegetables and wheat are produced. If we search for some grain depots, we should be able to collect enough food for the provisional first regiment to fight for several months. That's why Guo Han Dongfangcai's words.

In addition, from a tactical point of view, there is no mountain or river barrier between Changqing County and Dutch South Africa.In the event of a war between the two countries in the future, the advance of the provisional first regiment from here will pose a huge threat to the Dutch, especially in the north where they still have troops in the river area including the South African cavalry battalion. In the case of a confrontation.Therefore, after encountering a storm, Guo Handong decided to temporarily change the plan and stay in Changqing County to threaten the flank of the Dutch.

After explaining these things, Guo Handong turned around and looked at the calm sea, and clenched his fists tightly. Six thousand troops had already landed. Although a lot of supplies were lost in the sea, the rest was still enough for use.Now, it depends on whether the determination of the executive committee is strong enough. As soon as the order to send troops arrives, he will lead [-] elite troops to the Dutch South Africa, and control all the key land on the east coast. inside.

To be honest, the decision of the executive committee is actually not so easy to make.Because of the current relationship between the east coast and the Netherlands, once a war breaks out between the two countries, many markets will probably be completely closed to goods from the east coast—or at least for a long time— — such as Brandenburg-Prussia, Sweden, Poland and parts of North Germany in the Baltic region.

In the above-mentioned markets, people from the east coast used Dutch merchants as agents to sell various commodities when the republicans were in power and the relationship between the two countries was good.It is conceivable that once the two countries turn against each other, this line will basically be broken. For the domestic industrial enterprises on the east coast, it will be a huge loss, which cannot be ignored.

In addition, in the Mediterranean market, although the people on the east coast have their hard-core ally Genoa* and the new ally the Principality of Tuscany to help them, their strength is limited after all, and they cannot cover every corner, so they often have to rely on their connections. Dutch merchants came to sell all kinds of goods.Similarly, once a conflict broke out between the East Coast and the Dutch government, the Dutch merchants who were pressured by the government would no longer sell goods from the East Coast, which would be a blow to the entire trading system.

Therefore, whether it is worth risking the risk of losing more than 300 million yuan in annual sales revenue for a Dutch South African colony is a very scratchy thing.Not to mention, even in some markets developed by the people on the east coast, their routes are always exposed to the threat of the Dutch naval fleet that is close at hand. This is simply killing the people on the east coast!It can be said that when the members of the Executive Committee reached a consensus and agreed to form the temporary first regiment and transfer it to South Africa to be on standby at any time, this courage was not ordinary.

Guo Handong was also very surprised that he was able to send troops to Dutch South Africa—now it seems almost a sure thing—and he wondered if the misers in the executive committee had collectively changed their sex?But he didn't think too much about it. It's better to be pure as a soldier. Since the superior has ordered the temporary first regiment to be ready to "receive the Dutch South African colony" at any time, then he only needs to do his own job well.As for the future trade, it is none of his business whether the people on the east coast train Courland, Genoa, Tuscany, Venice and other countries to be their commodity agents, or negotiate with the Netherlands. , he just needs to fight the upcoming battle - if there is one.

The next days of permanent residence in Changqing County were a little boring.Guo Handong was very quiet and thoughtful, and led the team to start rounds of security operations: Thousands of troops were dispatched in turn, almost clearing up some remaining aboriginal tribes in the surrounding mountains, and even entered the Little Karoo once during the period. On the plateau, the flank of a black tribe was severely beaten, and almost all the men and women of the entire tribe were captured and incorporated into the Black Eight Banners.

After finishing these things, the temporary first regiment fell into a relatively "boring" situation.According to the messengers who came from Hezhong from time to time, they have not received any orders from the mainland to mobilize troops, so they can only continue to wait, which makes Guo Handong a little disappointed.Sometimes he even thought that it would be better to simply follow the so-called "South Africa Dieting Operation" plan formulated by Yang Liang, the former commander of the South African Garrison, and push away the remaining forces of the Kama Kingdom in a wave to the east. Doing nothing is better.

On March 3, Guo Handong, who was leisurely enjoying breakfast in the headquarters, suddenly received a classified document forwarded by the Hezhong District Administrative Office.The document was drafted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and endorsed by the Executive Committee. It described in detail the causes and consequences of the Gwangenport incident, and stated that the United Provinces had made up their minds to win over England, tear up many commercial contracts signed with the East Coast, and turn to Britain. people's favor.

There is no doubt that this kind of behavior is completely unacceptable in the eyes of people on the east coast. There are many companies and workers involved up and down, and the trade loss is also great. If neither side makes any substantive changes, the war will In fact, it is inevitable.

The document requires that the temporary First Regiment do a good job of ideological mobilization of officers and soldiers immediately, and that the Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh recruit battalions must be strictly controlled. Once a future war breaks out, they must be used quickly to cover up the situation with lightning speed. Erzhishi won the Dutch South Africa, in line with the strategic deployment of the executive committee.

And if this document made the temporary First Regiment tighten up, on April 4, another document that traveled across the ocean from the mainland to the Hezhong District Administrative Office became the beginning of this colonial war. .In this brief document, Guo’s long-awaited march into Dutch South Africa finally came true. Minister of the Ministry of War Mo Ming formally ordered Lieutenant Colonel Guo Handong, head of the temporary first regiment, to lead the temporary regiment The first regiment "choose an opportunity to enter Dutch South Africa to maintain order"; at the same time, South African local troops (including South African cavalry battalions, South African artillery companies, and county and township militias) were also unified under the command of Guo Handong, and attacked Dutch South Africa from two directions. , Be sure to go down in one go and get the results you want in the fastest time.

As for how to deal with the future after the Dutch South Africa is won, whether to swallow it by yourself or use it as a bargaining chip to negotiate with the Dutch in exchange for commercial interests, it is none of his business.Although he never thought that the United Provincial Government led by Prince of Orange could conduct business cooperation with the East Bank, and was inclined to swallow the Dutch South Africa by the East Bank, but in the final analysis, he had no say in such matters, so he still It is important to fight the battle in front of you well.

"In the Dutch South African colony, there is a regiment (about 1250 people) of German mercenaries with old equipment and outdated tactics. How can I fight against my invincible army of [-]? Another Dutch militia, huh, huh, it's not a problem. It's gone." Guo Handong, who suddenly stood up from the headquarters, looked at the document in his hand and laughed.

I've been so busy recently, I fell asleep several times while writing this chapter, and I feel dissatisfied.I hope I can adjust it over the weekend, sorry.

(End of this chapter)