Chapter 1240
Head-to-head confrontation
Chapter 1240 Head-to-head confrontation
For the coalition forces, the time for preparing for the battle is a bit rushed. The commanders of both sides believe that the troops under their hands are not in the best condition yet, but the sudden change of the situation does not allow them to toss slowly, so they can only hurry up. Time forcibly raised troops to attack Xingdao.
According to Hogg's idea, he hopes to divide the troops into two groups, and the South China Sea and the North and the mainland will go hand in hand to attack the Xingdao base in order to maximize the use of the advantages of the troops.But Johor's sea power really disappointed him. The whole country couldn't even find a vehicle that could be called a "warship". There may have been some warships in the early years, but they have been lost in wars with neighboring countries. up.
In desperation, the coalition forces could only requisition civilian ships to undertake the task of transporting troops.Wanting to use this lineup to challenge the Haihan Navy, which is known as the number one in the South China Sea, is tantamount to committing suicide. Hogg would not make such a muddled decision. He could only settle for the next best thing and give up the idea of attacking Starport from the sea. , put all the main force to Xingdao through the Strait of Johor, and launch an offensive from land to the Haihan stronghold.
According to the information obtained by the coalition forces, Haihan's immigrants were resettled in the north of the stronghold, attacking from the north to the south of the island, the first to bear the brunt was the populated area.It would be a very ideal situation if the people could be driven to flee south and attack the stronghold of the Haihan garrison. Maybe they could break through the Haihan defense line in one fell swoop.
Of course, there is a necessary prerequisite for obtaining such a situation, that is, Haihan is unaware of Johor's plan and has no targeted deployment.As for this point, the two coalition commanders are not very sure.They once sent people to sneak into Xingdao for reconnaissance, but they never returned. Ba Peng was worried that the missing person would be captured by his opponent, so he did not dare to make similar attempts after that, but only strengthened the monitoring near the scheduled landing site.
Now that there is already a possibility of attempting to expose, the coalition forces dare not delay even more. After completing the assembly of personnel and materials, they immediately launched an operation to organize troops to cross the Strait of Johor and enter Singdao.
The two commanders were most worried about being ambushed by Haihan on the way to land. A fleet of small boats would hardly be able to fight back no matter they were attacked by sea or land. The root cause of the offensive.But this very worrying situation did not occur. The coalition forces successfully landed on Xingdao from the predetermined location without encountering the slightest resistance, and no trace of the Haihan army was found. bottom of my heart.
The Haihan people were totally defenseless!This news made the coalition forces very excited. Before they set off, they were told that they might face a tough battle when they landed. If they failed to pass the first hurdle, they would not need to consider subsequent actions.But now it seems that the opponent has not fortified here at all, and the previous worries seem a little superfluous.
However, before aggressively advancing southward, the coalition forces regrouped at the beachhead in accordance with standard operating procedures and established temporary positions to store supplies brought in from Johor.Only the south side of Xingdao is home to Haihan people, and the rest of the place is a wilderness. It is impossible to raise supplies on the spot before the Haihan stronghold is captured, and they can only rely on transportation from the country through the Johor Strait.This can be regarded as a relatively fatal shortcoming for the coalition forces with weak transport capacity, so this battle must be resolved quickly. If it drags on for a long time, the problem of the supply line will inevitably affect the combat effectiveness of the coalition forces.
Ba Peng was not careless because of the success in front of him. During the assembly of the troops, he sent out his men to scout.The Johor army is not unfamiliar with the environment of Xingdao. After all, before Haihan came here, the island belonged to Malacca and Johor successively for a long time, and now it is just returning to its original place.As for how to march from the landing site to the Haihan stronghold in the south in the shortest possible time, the Johor Army has already drawn up a clear route—this is also an important reason why the Johor Army still dared to attack boldly despite the ineffective reconnaissance in the early stage.
However, Ba Peng also understands that as the army advances, it is only a matter of time before their deeds are exposed. The Haihan people will not be so stupid as to realize that something is wrong when their own army pushes to the door, so speeding up the advance can reduce the opponent's reaction time accordingly. After the vanguard troops had assembled on the beachhead, Bapon gave the order to set off immediately.
The Johor army crossed the sea in the early morning. Although they were all small boats, they were better because there were more boats. In addition, the weather was beautiful, and it only took more than two hours to complete the main ferry task. Then they can reach the Haihan stronghold in the south of the island, and launch a wave of offensive to Haihan before sunset.If it goes well, maybe they can really be taken away with a surprise attack. Even if they can't succeed in one fell swoop, at least they can occupy a part of Haihan Village first, and then use this as a basis to slowly deal with the opponent.
It is about forty miles from the landing point to the Haihan stronghold. The normal field marching speed can be completed in about four to five hours. Ba Peng hopes to shorten this time as much as possible, so he asked the vanguard to give up the supplies , packed lightly and rushed to the destination.As for the heavy artillery, it can only be transported slowly in the follow-up team.
At the Xinggang Base, which is [-] miles away, Tan Juren and Roger are implementing the division of command and emergency response measures.Tan Juren does not need to be on the front line to command, but he is responsible for organizing civilians to deliver supplies and ammunition to the front line, and he needs to take into account the defense of the port. No one knows if the British will have a nervous breakdown and send their own armed fleet to attack Starport.Although this possibility is slim, it has to be guarded out of caution.Roger has already transferred the main force of the defenders to the northern front, leaving only one platoon of the army stationed at the port, while several naval ships were dispatched by Roger after receiving news of the enemy's launch early in the morning. .
"I sent those ships to take a detour from the sea to take the back route." Roger explained his battle plan to Tan Juren: "From the west to the Johor Strait, the voyage is probably less than [-] nautical miles. can rush to the place where the enemy crosses the sea and cut off their supply line at sea!"
Tan Juren is still a little worried about this: "We only have a few warships, is it enough to perform this kind of mission? Moreover, the enemy should have established a beachhead on Xingdao after landing. Cutting off the supply line in a short time will not have much effect." Does it work?"
"You're right." Roger didn't refute, and he admitted Tan Juren's worries, but he changed the subject and expressed his own coping strategy: "So I have already sent a telegram to the fleet that came for reinforcements. Let them go directly to the Straits of Johor, and don’t need to go around the Xinggang again. With this support army, I believe they can solve Johor’s retreat very well!”
Roger's answer did not dispel Tan Juren's worries. He still asked worriedly: "Will they catch up with this battle in time? Besides, your battle plan is so complicated, it may not be possible for the reinforcements from Xingdao to receive orders." Can you understand your purpose?"
"In time, they passed the Anambas Islands yesterday and sailed normally, and they can reach Xingdao before dark today." Roger paused, with a smile on his face: "As for why I treat the reinforcements so well?" Sure... what do you think?"
Seeing his confident appearance, Tan Juren suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and blurted out: "Mus Xiabai leads the team himself?"
"Old Mu will never let go of this kind of opportunity to fight." Roger replied: "When I contacted him a few days ago, he was more active than me and suggested to take advantage of this opportunity to organize a fleet to They raided the coastal cities behind Johor and directly copied their hometowns."
"Old Mu, this... is really afraid that the world will not be chaotic!" Although Tan Juren had already prepared himself to some extent, he was still surprised when he heard Luo Jie confess the military's plan.
The Ambuna Island where Mu Xiabai is stationed has an army battalion and a small naval fleet. It is not difficult to spare part of the troops to support the war on Xingdao, but Mu Xiabai is the number one in the military and government on the Abina Island. The character actually personally dispatched to lead the troops, it seems that he is indeed very concerned about this battle.
Mu Xiabo and Luo Jie had cooperated in combat as early as the Annan Civil War, and they have been stationed in the South China Sea for the past two or three years. When they often meet, the personal relationship between the two is not bad.When Roger asked for help from Annabuna Island, he explained the cause and effect of the operation and the international environment to Mu Xiabo, and at the same time asked Mu Xiabo for his opinion.When Mu Xiabo heard about such "good things", he immediately showed great interest. After all, after two years of peaceful life, he still misses the days when he led troops to fight.
With Mu Xiabai personally leading the troops to steal the rear, the chances of success seemed to be multiplied several times in an instant, and Tan Juren's heart that was hanging in the air was finally put back in his stomach.During his stay in Abunna Island, he also watched Mu Xiabo's troops drill. The military appearance is quite good, and Mu Xiabo's performance in commanding operations in the past is also quite good. Tan Juren can't find any reason not to trust him. Ability.If Mu Xiabo can cut off the enemy's sea retreat from the Johor Strait, then the battle will be much easier to fight.
It's a pity that the coalition forces on the way south didn't know about Haihan's plan, and still believed that the sneak attack was inevitable.The British officer Hogg, who led the leading troops on the way, even issued a reward notice to his subordinates through his adjutant on the way, and each soldier will receive ten silver coins as a reward after the battle.And if the high-ranking officials of Haihan can be captured, in addition to generous financial rewards, they will also receive an additional heavy reward for selecting 20 of the captives as private slaves.If you can get such a reward, you don't have to work hard to be a soldier, you can retire and return to your hometown to be a small slave owner to enjoy life.This encouragement to the soldiers was not small, and the pace of the march seemed to be a lot lighter because of it.
Different from Babon's caution, Hogg is determined to win the next battle.Although he knows that Haihan is not weak, but all the information so far shows that the opponent is likely to be unprepared. If he can't take advantage of the situation and play a beautiful sneak attack, then his career in the army these years can be regarded as a waste up.
By defeating this opponent, Britain will have the opportunity to establish a colony at the eastern end of the Strait of Malacca, and the camp will directly expropriate the strongholds and colonial villages built by the Haihan people.As for Hogg himself, it is very likely that he will be promoted to management in accordance with the East India Company's charter, and he will be the chief executive of Xingdao, owning a colony that he governs and operates.At that time, you can rely on the behemoth of the East India Company and live the happy life of the emperor of the earth. It is a pleasure to think about it.
Not only that, Hogg heard that Haihan had never failed in the South China Sea before, if the coalition forces he led could win the battle, then this is a good chance to become famous in the first battle.In the future, no matter whether the troops led by him face the Portuguese or the Dutch, their fighting confidence should be greatly enhanced, and the company's board of directors will definitely entrust more armed forces to their command.The general's dream, which was not realized in the European battlefield before, may become a reality in the Far East.
Defeating Haihan, proving his ability, and then getting promoted and making a fortune to reach the pinnacle of life, Hogg imagined the future on horseback, and smiled unconsciously when he thought of the joy.Fortunately, the soldiers around were busy walking with their heads down, but no one raised their heads to stare at him.
The Johor soldiers leading the way reported that the journey had passed halfway, so Hogg stopped the team and took a short break to drink water and eat to replenish his energy.No trace of the Haihan Army's activities has been found even here, and Hogg's heart has settled down for the most part. Thinking that the Haihan Army's reputation is so great, but the defense is so careless, it really doesn't match the name, and I don't know how to fight against it before. How could the country have suffered a big loss.When the stronghold is captured and the officials of Haihan are captured, it is necessary to take a good look at the opponent's face, whether he is as arrogant as in the legend.
But Hogg didn't know that in the bushes only a hundred feet away from him, the Haihan scouts covered in camouflage were slowly retreating, and after a while, two carrier pigeons soared into the air one after the other and flew to the south go.The Haihan Army has been raising carrier pigeons for several years. Although it is not yet possible to use this method of transmitting information as the main means, and it is impossible to allow carrier pigeons to fly long distances across the sea, it is necessary to train them to fly over tens of miles. The nest is not difficult, just to make up for the lack of electronic communication.The military does not have enough radio stations for the scouts to carry to the field, but the carrier pigeons are enough. This time, the scouts are arranged to monitor the movement of the coalition forces in the field. Each team brings a few carrier pigeons, and the scouts work in sections Monitor, and then transmit the enemy's movements back to the base through carrier pigeons.
"It's really coming straight! Well, let's have a head-to-head confrontation with these guys!" After seeing the note sent back by the carrier pigeon, Roger slammed the cigarette butt in his mouth into the ashtray. Inside, he said to Tan Juren who was sitting across from him, "Go back to the southern camp first, they're almost here."
(End of this chapter)
For the coalition forces, the time for preparing for the battle is a bit rushed. The commanders of both sides believe that the troops under their hands are not in the best condition yet, but the sudden change of the situation does not allow them to toss slowly, so they can only hurry up. Time forcibly raised troops to attack Xingdao.
According to Hogg's idea, he hopes to divide the troops into two groups, and the South China Sea and the North and the mainland will go hand in hand to attack the Xingdao base in order to maximize the use of the advantages of the troops.But Johor's sea power really disappointed him. The whole country couldn't even find a vehicle that could be called a "warship". There may have been some warships in the early years, but they have been lost in wars with neighboring countries. up.
In desperation, the coalition forces could only requisition civilian ships to undertake the task of transporting troops.Wanting to use this lineup to challenge the Haihan Navy, which is known as the number one in the South China Sea, is tantamount to committing suicide. Hogg would not make such a muddled decision. He could only settle for the next best thing and give up the idea of attacking Starport from the sea. , put all the main force to Xingdao through the Strait of Johor, and launch an offensive from land to the Haihan stronghold.
According to the information obtained by the coalition forces, Haihan's immigrants were resettled in the north of the stronghold, attacking from the north to the south of the island, the first to bear the brunt was the populated area.It would be a very ideal situation if the people could be driven to flee south and attack the stronghold of the Haihan garrison. Maybe they could break through the Haihan defense line in one fell swoop.
Of course, there is a necessary prerequisite for obtaining such a situation, that is, Haihan is unaware of Johor's plan and has no targeted deployment.As for this point, the two coalition commanders are not very sure.They once sent people to sneak into Xingdao for reconnaissance, but they never returned. Ba Peng was worried that the missing person would be captured by his opponent, so he did not dare to make similar attempts after that, but only strengthened the monitoring near the scheduled landing site.
Now that there is already a possibility of attempting to expose, the coalition forces dare not delay even more. After completing the assembly of personnel and materials, they immediately launched an operation to organize troops to cross the Strait of Johor and enter Singdao.
The two commanders were most worried about being ambushed by Haihan on the way to land. A fleet of small boats would hardly be able to fight back no matter they were attacked by sea or land. The root cause of the offensive.But this very worrying situation did not occur. The coalition forces successfully landed on Xingdao from the predetermined location without encountering the slightest resistance, and no trace of the Haihan army was found. bottom of my heart.
The Haihan people were totally defenseless!This news made the coalition forces very excited. Before they set off, they were told that they might face a tough battle when they landed. If they failed to pass the first hurdle, they would not need to consider subsequent actions.But now it seems that the opponent has not fortified here at all, and the previous worries seem a little superfluous.
However, before aggressively advancing southward, the coalition forces regrouped at the beachhead in accordance with standard operating procedures and established temporary positions to store supplies brought in from Johor.Only the south side of Xingdao is home to Haihan people, and the rest of the place is a wilderness. It is impossible to raise supplies on the spot before the Haihan stronghold is captured, and they can only rely on transportation from the country through the Johor Strait.This can be regarded as a relatively fatal shortcoming for the coalition forces with weak transport capacity, so this battle must be resolved quickly. If it drags on for a long time, the problem of the supply line will inevitably affect the combat effectiveness of the coalition forces.
Ba Peng was not careless because of the success in front of him. During the assembly of the troops, he sent out his men to scout.The Johor army is not unfamiliar with the environment of Xingdao. After all, before Haihan came here, the island belonged to Malacca and Johor successively for a long time, and now it is just returning to its original place.As for how to march from the landing site to the Haihan stronghold in the south in the shortest possible time, the Johor Army has already drawn up a clear route—this is also an important reason why the Johor Army still dared to attack boldly despite the ineffective reconnaissance in the early stage.
However, Ba Peng also understands that as the army advances, it is only a matter of time before their deeds are exposed. The Haihan people will not be so stupid as to realize that something is wrong when their own army pushes to the door, so speeding up the advance can reduce the opponent's reaction time accordingly. After the vanguard troops had assembled on the beachhead, Bapon gave the order to set off immediately.
The Johor army crossed the sea in the early morning. Although they were all small boats, they were better because there were more boats. In addition, the weather was beautiful, and it only took more than two hours to complete the main ferry task. Then they can reach the Haihan stronghold in the south of the island, and launch a wave of offensive to Haihan before sunset.If it goes well, maybe they can really be taken away with a surprise attack. Even if they can't succeed in one fell swoop, at least they can occupy a part of Haihan Village first, and then use this as a basis to slowly deal with the opponent.
It is about forty miles from the landing point to the Haihan stronghold. The normal field marching speed can be completed in about four to five hours. Ba Peng hopes to shorten this time as much as possible, so he asked the vanguard to give up the supplies , packed lightly and rushed to the destination.As for the heavy artillery, it can only be transported slowly in the follow-up team.
At the Xinggang Base, which is [-] miles away, Tan Juren and Roger are implementing the division of command and emergency response measures.Tan Juren does not need to be on the front line to command, but he is responsible for organizing civilians to deliver supplies and ammunition to the front line, and he needs to take into account the defense of the port. No one knows if the British will have a nervous breakdown and send their own armed fleet to attack Starport.Although this possibility is slim, it has to be guarded out of caution.Roger has already transferred the main force of the defenders to the northern front, leaving only one platoon of the army stationed at the port, while several naval ships were dispatched by Roger after receiving news of the enemy's launch early in the morning. .
"I sent those ships to take a detour from the sea to take the back route." Roger explained his battle plan to Tan Juren: "From the west to the Johor Strait, the voyage is probably less than [-] nautical miles. can rush to the place where the enemy crosses the sea and cut off their supply line at sea!"
Tan Juren is still a little worried about this: "We only have a few warships, is it enough to perform this kind of mission? Moreover, the enemy should have established a beachhead on Xingdao after landing. Cutting off the supply line in a short time will not have much effect." Does it work?"
"You're right." Roger didn't refute, and he admitted Tan Juren's worries, but he changed the subject and expressed his own coping strategy: "So I have already sent a telegram to the fleet that came for reinforcements. Let them go directly to the Straits of Johor, and don’t need to go around the Xinggang again. With this support army, I believe they can solve Johor’s retreat very well!”
Roger's answer did not dispel Tan Juren's worries. He still asked worriedly: "Will they catch up with this battle in time? Besides, your battle plan is so complicated, it may not be possible for the reinforcements from Xingdao to receive orders." Can you understand your purpose?"
"In time, they passed the Anambas Islands yesterday and sailed normally, and they can reach Xingdao before dark today." Roger paused, with a smile on his face: "As for why I treat the reinforcements so well?" Sure... what do you think?"
Seeing his confident appearance, Tan Juren suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and blurted out: "Mus Xiabai leads the team himself?"
"Old Mu will never let go of this kind of opportunity to fight." Roger replied: "When I contacted him a few days ago, he was more active than me and suggested to take advantage of this opportunity to organize a fleet to They raided the coastal cities behind Johor and directly copied their hometowns."
"Old Mu, this... is really afraid that the world will not be chaotic!" Although Tan Juren had already prepared himself to some extent, he was still surprised when he heard Luo Jie confess the military's plan.
The Ambuna Island where Mu Xiabai is stationed has an army battalion and a small naval fleet. It is not difficult to spare part of the troops to support the war on Xingdao, but Mu Xiabai is the number one in the military and government on the Abina Island. The character actually personally dispatched to lead the troops, it seems that he is indeed very concerned about this battle.
Mu Xiabo and Luo Jie had cooperated in combat as early as the Annan Civil War, and they have been stationed in the South China Sea for the past two or three years. When they often meet, the personal relationship between the two is not bad.When Roger asked for help from Annabuna Island, he explained the cause and effect of the operation and the international environment to Mu Xiabo, and at the same time asked Mu Xiabo for his opinion.When Mu Xiabo heard about such "good things", he immediately showed great interest. After all, after two years of peaceful life, he still misses the days when he led troops to fight.
With Mu Xiabai personally leading the troops to steal the rear, the chances of success seemed to be multiplied several times in an instant, and Tan Juren's heart that was hanging in the air was finally put back in his stomach.During his stay in Abunna Island, he also watched Mu Xiabo's troops drill. The military appearance is quite good, and Mu Xiabo's performance in commanding operations in the past is also quite good. Tan Juren can't find any reason not to trust him. Ability.If Mu Xiabo can cut off the enemy's sea retreat from the Johor Strait, then the battle will be much easier to fight.
It's a pity that the coalition forces on the way south didn't know about Haihan's plan, and still believed that the sneak attack was inevitable.The British officer Hogg, who led the leading troops on the way, even issued a reward notice to his subordinates through his adjutant on the way, and each soldier will receive ten silver coins as a reward after the battle.And if the high-ranking officials of Haihan can be captured, in addition to generous financial rewards, they will also receive an additional heavy reward for selecting 20 of the captives as private slaves.If you can get such a reward, you don't have to work hard to be a soldier, you can retire and return to your hometown to be a small slave owner to enjoy life.This encouragement to the soldiers was not small, and the pace of the march seemed to be a lot lighter because of it.
Different from Babon's caution, Hogg is determined to win the next battle.Although he knows that Haihan is not weak, but all the information so far shows that the opponent is likely to be unprepared. If he can't take advantage of the situation and play a beautiful sneak attack, then his career in the army these years can be regarded as a waste up.
By defeating this opponent, Britain will have the opportunity to establish a colony at the eastern end of the Strait of Malacca, and the camp will directly expropriate the strongholds and colonial villages built by the Haihan people.As for Hogg himself, it is very likely that he will be promoted to management in accordance with the East India Company's charter, and he will be the chief executive of Xingdao, owning a colony that he governs and operates.At that time, you can rely on the behemoth of the East India Company and live the happy life of the emperor of the earth. It is a pleasure to think about it.
Not only that, Hogg heard that Haihan had never failed in the South China Sea before, if the coalition forces he led could win the battle, then this is a good chance to become famous in the first battle.In the future, no matter whether the troops led by him face the Portuguese or the Dutch, their fighting confidence should be greatly enhanced, and the company's board of directors will definitely entrust more armed forces to their command.The general's dream, which was not realized in the European battlefield before, may become a reality in the Far East.
Defeating Haihan, proving his ability, and then getting promoted and making a fortune to reach the pinnacle of life, Hogg imagined the future on horseback, and smiled unconsciously when he thought of the joy.Fortunately, the soldiers around were busy walking with their heads down, but no one raised their heads to stare at him.
The Johor soldiers leading the way reported that the journey had passed halfway, so Hogg stopped the team and took a short break to drink water and eat to replenish his energy.No trace of the Haihan Army's activities has been found even here, and Hogg's heart has settled down for the most part. Thinking that the Haihan Army's reputation is so great, but the defense is so careless, it really doesn't match the name, and I don't know how to fight against it before. How could the country have suffered a big loss.When the stronghold is captured and the officials of Haihan are captured, it is necessary to take a good look at the opponent's face, whether he is as arrogant as in the legend.
But Hogg didn't know that in the bushes only a hundred feet away from him, the Haihan scouts covered in camouflage were slowly retreating, and after a while, two carrier pigeons soared into the air one after the other and flew to the south go.The Haihan Army has been raising carrier pigeons for several years. Although it is not yet possible to use this method of transmitting information as the main means, and it is impossible to allow carrier pigeons to fly long distances across the sea, it is necessary to train them to fly over tens of miles. The nest is not difficult, just to make up for the lack of electronic communication.The military does not have enough radio stations for the scouts to carry to the field, but the carrier pigeons are enough. This time, the scouts are arranged to monitor the movement of the coalition forces in the field. Each team brings a few carrier pigeons, and the scouts work in sections Monitor, and then transmit the enemy's movements back to the base through carrier pigeons.
"It's really coming straight! Well, let's have a head-to-head confrontation with these guys!" After seeing the note sent back by the carrier pigeon, Roger slammed the cigarette butt in his mouth into the ashtray. Inside, he said to Tan Juren who was sitting across from him, "Go back to the southern camp first, they're almost here."
(End of this chapter)