Chapter 739 The situation is undecided
In fact, what Lang Sang did not expect was that the Dutch fleet was also faced with confusion caused by insufficient battlefield intelligence, and it was difficult to make a prepared judgment on the current battle situation. Spikes and Van der Wegen, who commanded the fleet, did not know the current situation in Batavia at all, and the attack on the port was only carried out according to the plan made in advance. If the city of Batavia has fallen, then their counterattack is actually relatively futile and unsustainable. After all, there is no place nearby to provide supplies for the fleet. The fleet's combat capability can last for a week at most. We will have to retreat due to supply problems.
During the landing operations, the Dutch fleet certainly took some remedial measures, such as capturing prisoners for interrogation. However, the information they received was not very helpful in discerning the current war situation, because the Ma Da Blue Army stationed near the port were basically auxiliary troops, baggage troops or wounded soldiers, and their knowledge of the battlefield trends was extremely limited. . As a result of the Dutch interrogation, they only knew that the Malta Blue Army had broken through the Batavia city defenses a few days ago, and that large forces had already entered the city - this was also an important reason why the Dutch were able to easily break into the port and complete the landing. one.
Now that the Malta Blue Army has entered the city, the Dutch were not sure whether Batavia had completely fallen. So after they captured the port, they immediately destroyed the Matta Blue Army's supplies, but did not take a single step. There was no advance on Batavia. Because the Dutch commander also knew very well that if Batavia had fallen, it would be an almost impossible task to recapture the city from the Malta Blue Army with the strength of this fleet. When the Malta Blue Army came out of the city to counterattack at the port, the Dutch did not try to fight head-on. After taking advantage, they boarded the ship and went to sea again, maintaining a relatively safe distance from the Malta Blue Army.
When the defenders in the city reoccupied the north city gate and hoisted the VOC flag on the city tower, the Dutch in the port had already withdrawn their ships and were preparing to leave the port. Moreover, the port is still several miles away from the city of Batavia, and it is difficult for the fleet members to observe the changes in the city in a hurry. Therefore, the Dutch fleet now does not dare to act rashly because it is not sure of the situation in Batavia.
At present, the only one who can make a clear judgment on the trend of the battle is actually Van Diemen in Batavia City. He knew very well why the Ma Da Blue Army wanted to withdraw outside the city, and he also knew that the attack launched by the Dutch fleet on the seaside was to interfere with the Ma Da Blue Army's retreat. The reason why he took the risk was to let his subordinates chase the Ma Da Blue Army and beat the Blue Army's ass all the way. They fought outside the north city gate in the hope that the fleet on the coast would receive news of the existence of resistance forces in the city. However, the timing was slightly off, and the Dutch fleet had already withdrawn to the sea before it had time to pay attention to this detail.
Van Diemen didn't know what the horse-defeating blue army would do next, but he knew very well that if the enemy attacked the city again, they probably wouldn't be able to hold on for even a day with their current strength. But because of this, the defenders must not show any fear of battle. Therefore, the first thing he did after reoccupying the North City Gate was to order the banner of the East India Company to be displayed on the tower to boost morale and deter the enemy.
The Dutch fleet burned the supplies of the Malta Blue Army in the port, and Van Diemen also observed it with a telescope on the city tower, but this measure did not make him feel relaxed, because for the city of Batavia, the danger was not reduced. be relieved. If the Matarans thought that capturing Batavia might not be possible, they would probably destroy everything they could before leaving, leaving a mess for the East India Company.
"Listen, I want you to organize a team of at least 2,000 people from the city before dark to participate in the defense of the city wall." Fan Di's goalkeeper summoned his capable generals and issued an order to them. An extremely difficult task to accomplish.
During the month when Batavia was besieged, Van Diemen had recruited large-scale combatants in the city three times. More than 5,000 non-professional soldiers participated in the battle. Of course, there are only a few of these people who can still insist on fighting on the North City Gate position. About half of them were killed or injured in the battle, and the rest were scattered in the previous battle to destroy the city and never regrouped.
Although there are still at least 30,000 residents in the city, the number of people suitable to participate in the war has long been mobilized and there are not many left. The rest are either the old, the weak, the sick, women, children, or powerful people with status like the Sumingang family. Of course, there are a small number of people who have received special care in this process through various relationships, such as Cheng Dapeng, the boss of Dacheng Rice Shop.
Because the situation in the city changed so quickly that day, Cheng Dapeng, who did not go out to inquire about the news, had no idea that the city of Batavia had changed hands again within a few hours. The Dutch who were forced to the edge of the cliff came back to life. Regaining control of the urban area - although this is most likely only a temporary phenomenon.
Before dark, a group of Dutch soldiers came and knocked on the door of Dacheng Rice Store, demanding that able-bodied men between the ages of 15 and 50 in the rice store immediately join the city defense army. Cheng Dapeng was born as a scholar and had no special fighting training. If he went to the battlefield, he probably wouldn't be able to survive even one chapter. Just when Cheng Dapeng secretly shouted "It's over", the savior appeared in time.
Bart arrived in time with two soldiers and showed that Dacheng Rice Bank was a special target under the care of the company's board of directors, so he helped Cheng Dapeng prevent this disaster.
"Thank you, Lord Bart!" Cheng Dapeng, who was still in shock, bowed and thanked Bart before coming back to his senses: "Have the Ma Dalan people been repelled?"
"We have already driven out of the city!" Bart grinned: "Now Batavia is back in our hands!"
"Ah... that's great!" Cheng Dapeng simply couldn't imagine that the Dutch, who had been suppressed in the council castle, could actually launch a counterattack. He didn't know how to answer the question for a moment.
Bart did not carefully explain the ins and outs of the changes in the war situation. He stretched out his hand and handed Cheng Dapeng a scroll: "This is a special protection order issued by the council. If anyone comes here again to collect manpower or supplies, you can use this to push them away."
After Cheng Dapeng took it, he thanked him repeatedly. Because Su Keyi had said hello before, no one came to Dacheng Mihang to recruit people or property. But it was obviously different now, because the people who came to the door were actually Dutch soldiers, and this kind of Things are usually done by auxiliary troops composed of local indigenous people. Bart was very considerate in coming to the rescue at this juncture and offering him a protective umbrella.
However, after Cheng Dapeng came to his senses, he immediately realized that the battle situation might not be as easy as Bart said, otherwise the Dutch would not be in a hurry to recruit civilians to join the city defense army again. Bart himself had the task of recruiting soldiers, so he stopped talking to Cheng Dapeng and left immediately. Before leaving, he did not forget to tell Cheng Dapeng to close the door tightly and not to rush out. As soon as Cheng Dapeng heard this, he knew that the war was not over yet. The saying that the horses were beaten away and the blue men were probably just what the Dutch said to appease the people in the city.
However, Cheng Dapeng did not have much ability to interfere with the ongoing war. Fortunately, the Matalan people's grain transport fleet had set off a few days ago. Calculating the time, it has probably passed Belitung Island. Its itinerary will not be affected by the changes in the battle situation in Batavia, at least what was obtained in the early stage There is a very high chance that the information will be sent back to the north.
The Mata Blue Army, which was in a state of chaos, did not try to launch an offensive against Batavia City for the rest of the day, and the defenders in the city also got extremely precious breathing time. Although they ultimately failed to organize a team of 2,000 men before dark, they managed to recruit over a thousand men from the city to add to the defense line. As for how long these ordinary people with basically no combat skills can last on the front line, that is not a question that Van Diemen has time to consider now.
Through interrogation of captured prisoners of war, Van Diemen learned that the Mata Blue Army had stored supplies and combat equipment in the port, and that these things had most likely been burned in the fire during the day. From this, Van Diemen believed that the Malta Blue Men would definitely launch another offensive against Batavia City after dawn, and it would most likely be a wave.
The basis for this judgment is that the Malta Blue Army did not immediately launch a counterattack against Batavia City after repelling the Dutch fleet. Van Diemen believed that this was the result of the enemy's heavy losses in the fire. They must Only by counting the remaining war supplies can we determine whether the war can continue. If the losses were not large, then the truce period on the battlefield would not be so long. It was obviously because the excessive fire losses had affected Commander Ma Daran's decision-making, and it had been delayed for so long without any sign of counterattack.
If the remaining supplies of the Mata Blue Army are no longer able to support long-term operations, then the possibility of their retreat is very high. But they would definitely not be willing to evacuate at this point, and they would have to fight for the last time before leaving.
On the morning of July 14th, Van Diemen was shaken awake by the guards in his sleep: "General, the horsemen have started to move!"
Van Diemen quickly got up and came to the city wall, where he saw that the Horse and Blue Army were indeed marching towards Batavia City again. However, since they had left a large number of flags in Batavia the day before, the march at this time seemed slightly weaker in momentum.
"Get all gunners in position! Gentlemen, whether you can survive depends on this last battle!" Van Diemen gave the order while loudly encouraging the surrounding soldiers.
However, the effect of this kind of encouragement is very limited. After all, similar words have been repeated many times this month. Every time the defenders are about to be unable to hold on, Van Diemen almost always uses this statement to boost their fighting spirit. "The last battle" has been said from his mouth at least seven or eight times, and the motivational effect it can have is very limited.
The deafening firing of artillery opened the curtain of this battle, but compared to the Dutch who had no retreat, the already disrupted horse and blue army were obviously not as decisive as before in terms of fighting will. Although Langsan hoped to retake Batavia through counterattack and collect supplies from the city to supply the army, not all his men thought so. Many people believe that it may not be possible to capture Batavia before the Dutch fleet kills all their own ships. The Dutch may cut off the escape route before the city is captured. If they fall into that situation and cannot capture Batavia, they must withdraw. It can't be evacuated, and that's when it really ends.
The troops that entered the city in the early stage have already plundered a lot of wealth in the city. It can be said that the purpose of some soldiers participating in the battle has been achieved. If they are to continue to fight to the death on the battlefield, there is a lack of motivation. After all, they still want to bring them with them. With the stolen wealth, he returned to his hometown alive to enjoy it.
Under the combined effect of various objective reasons, the combat performance of the Ma'an Army against the Blue Army appeared to be loose, far less desperate than during the early siege. The Dutch fleet at sea also coincidentally appeared near the harbor again, continuing the tactics of the previous day, using ship-based artillery fire to suppress the Matalan warship.
The battle lasted until noon. The Matalan people paid the price of nearly a thousand casualties and failed to realize their wish to enter the city of Batavia again. Their disadvantage in fighting at sea was also very obvious. Under the attack of Dutch armed ships, three more Materan warships capsized in the harbor in the morning, and about two hundred sailors died as a result.
The Matalan people could still bear the casualties, but the repeated setbacks in the battle had shaken the military morale of the Matalan people. Although the siege battle was stumbling and suffered heavy casualties some time ago, progress could be seen almost every day, and in the later stages of the war, the casualty ratio between the two sides became closer and closer. But unexpectedly, the Dutch fleet came out at the last minute to turn the situation around and bring both sides back to the starting line. This time, it seemed difficult for the Marathon to beat the Blues. The North Gate, which was expected to be easy to win, turned out to be a fortress that was difficult to conquer once again.
Before sunset that day, the defenders on the city finally discovered that the main force of the Mada Blue Army began to move toward the seaside. It seemed that they were planning to give up attacking again. This good news gave the exhausted defenders a huge sigh of relief. Although they did not let the enemy succeed in this day's battle, they also paid a heavy price in casualties. There were less than three professional soldiers who could continue to fight. Hundreds of people, the rest can be called cannon fodder. If the Ma Da Lan people attack again the next day, the defenders in the city will basically have no choice but to wait and die.
Early on the morning of the 15th, the defenders discovered that there were no traces of the Ma Da Blue Army outside the city, and the opponents had all withdrawn to the harbor. At this time, Van Diemen finally let the precious cavalry out of the city and approached to investigate the enemy's movements.
(End of chapter)