Chapter 1245
Cut off the escape route
Chapter 1245 Cut off the escape route
The coalition formed by Johor and the British East India Company has a total of more than [-] people, but the actual number of people trained and recognized by the British is far from this number, so in the end, more than [-] people stayed in Johor as a reserve army The northern shore of the strait did not enter Xingdao to participate in the war.In Hogg's words, these native soldiers who can only use spears and machetes can only be sent to clean up the battlefield at best, there is really no need to enter Xingdao to waste precious supplies.
Therefore, the troops that finally crossed the sea and entered Xingdao consisted of only more than 1000 qualified Johor new troops, plus hundreds of mercenaries brought by the British, barely making up a force of over [-].From the perspective of the high-level coalition forces, it is enough to use doubled forces to fight a surprise battle. After the Haihan people are driven away, it will not be too late to increase the Johor garrison to defend Xingdao.Of course, if we must pursue the most fundamental reason, after all, Johor has limited transportation capacity, and it is difficult to guarantee the supplies needed for large-scale cross-sea operations.
Although the sea-crossing operation went smoothly, Hogg carefully set up a temporary camp at the landing point in the north of the island, and left about [-] soldiers and the same number of civilians here to receive the shipment from Johor. supplies to provide support for the continuous operations of large troops on the front line.Things didn’t stop after the big troops set off to the south. Since the number of ships that Johor can provide is limited, they can only transport materials back and forth multiple times. Therefore, these left-behind personnel have been busy all day yesterday, and they didn’t rest until after dark. down.
It was not yet dawn, and suddenly they heard the sound of the alarm gong. After everyone woke up from their sleep, they all looked confused—enemy attack?But shouldn't the enemy be on the south side of the island, fighting with his own army at this time?How did they come here? Did they even abandon their old nest?
The soldiers climbed out of the tent with sleepy eyes, and immediately realized that this was not a false report from the sentry. The flags of Haihan were hung on the masts of warships on the sea, and several ships near the coast had already started to lower their boats. Pretending to be a soldier and paddling to the shore!
At this time, no one cares to find out how the enemy army pulled out from the south to outflank their own rear. If these enemy soldiers cannot be stopped at the beach, then the hundreds of people staying here may have to die!The Johor soldiers didn't even have time to put on their rattan armor, they grabbed the spears and machetes stuck in the tent door and rushed out to fight.
The Johor soldiers who know how to use muskets were basically incorporated into the main force, and went south to attack the Haihan stronghold. The soldiers who stayed here were all equipped with cold weapons, but these indigenous soldiers had no experience of fighting the Haihan army. When they met for the first time, they were also very fierce, without any fear, and almost rushed to the coastline without thinking.
Mu Xiabo has a prominent status, so of course he would not take the risk of being the first to land, and he is standing on the deck at this time to check the movement on the shore with a telescope.He was a little surprised to see the Johor soldiers charging out quickly, but then he noticed the opponent's scattered formation, obviously without any preparation and command, so he calmed down and watched the show.Although the men and horses he brought have not performed any combat missions in the past two years, their usual training has not fallen at all. If they can't even cope with these stragglers who use knives and guns, then they don't have to go back after the battle. Disband and stay on the island as a farmer to cultivate wasteland.
In fact, there are many veterans in the troops brought by Mu Xiabo, and some of them participated in the Battle of Unbuna Island in 1631 and fought against the Dutch, so it is no problem to deal with these native soldiers.Under the command of the officer, the soldiers on the small boat did not rush to fire, but silently put the loaded rifles on the ship's side, waiting for the order from the officer.
The officer gave the order to open fire until the boat approached the shore and was less than 20 meters away from the shouting Johor soldiers on the shore.The soldier lying on the ship's side pulled the trigger, and a row of bullets was fired, but because of the undulating hull, only two people were hit.However, these Johor soldiers obviously knew the power of muskets. When they saw the Haihan soldiers on the boat shooting, they immediately gave up the idea of rushing up to fight and ran back.The rapid change in combat attitude also made Haihan Bing amazed.
After the soldiers on several small boats opened fire and knocked down several people, the Johor Army, who had tried to intercept them at the beach, had given up this unrealistic plan and retreated back to their temporary garrison.However, this so-called garrison did not build a decent fortification in time. It just set up a bamboo fence around the awning where the supplies were stored, and tied a few horses outside.If such a defensive method can defend against the armed assault of the Haihan army, it would be hell.
After landing, the Haihan soldiers assembled calmly under the command of the officer, and then lined up to shoot at the Johor Army who refused to surrender inside the fence.Bamboo fences and shields, of course, couldn't completely block the bullets. In an instant, several people fell under the volley, and those who tried to rush out couldn't fight Haihan's bayonet formation at all. land.No matter how brave the Johor soldiers were, when they found themselves and their companions helpless in front of their opponents and could only accept one-sided massacres, they quickly lost their belief in continuing to fight.Some people chose to turn around and flee to the inland direction of the island, while the other part, mainly civilian husbands, put down their weapons and chose to surrender to save their lives.
Mu Xiabo did not order the soldiers to pursue the fleeing Johor soldiers. No matter how hard these people escape, they will never find a boat on the island that can leave here. If they want to leave Xing Island, they have to cut down trees to make rafts or canoes , or you can only swim across the Straits of Johor back to the mainland.Of course, the most likely result is that he will be captured or killed by the Haihan army before he escapes from the island, so there is no need to rush to pursue him at this time.Letting them report to the south just happened to disrupt the fighting will of the main force of the Johor Army. The benefits of Haihan's battle plan outweighed the disadvantages, and Mu Xiabo was naturally happy to see the result.
But the whole battle process was more than ten times easier than what Mu Xiabo expected. In his original battle plan, he had already made a plan to let the battleship approach the coast to cover the artillery fire when the small boat landed was frustrated.He originally thought that the Johor Army would have to protect the key points of the rear, but he didn't expect that the other party was busy transporting personnel and supplies yesterday, and there was no time to build a decent defensive position-of course, it may be that the Johor Army's arrangement simply did not There is no plan to deploy anti-landing combat troops here, as can be seen from the unorganized resistance of the Johor soldiers just now.
The opponent's troops staying here are surprisingly small, and before the scene of the battle that Mu Xiabo was looking forward to appeared, the battle was already declared over.At this time, the landing plan he had prepared was only halfway in progress. Some of the warships a little farther from the coast had just started to put down the landing boats loaded with army soldiers, while the soldiers on the coast had already begun to clean the battlefield.
Mu Xiabo was really disappointed with the performance of the Johor Army. He hurried all the way from Ambuna Island, and finally arrived at the battle site on the second day of the battle, but how much time did he really have to fight with the enemy? 5 minutes or 10 minutes?It was over without even a decent resistance. At this moment, Mu Xiabo even wondered if Roger was trying to amuse himself on purpose—with the enemy’s combat power, whether he needs to ask for help from Ambuna Island, Roger, don’t you know? ?
Of course, this idea was just a flash. According to what Roger said, the Johor Army still has at least 2000 people fighting in Xingdao. Although it is unlikely to take down the Xingdao base, Roger’s troops will fight back. It is indeed not an easy task to wipe out so many enemy troops.Moreover, once the Johor Army on the other side discovers that Haihan has sent troops to the Johor Strait, it may launch a new offensive to open up a retreat for the coalition forces on the island. Therefore, this support operation is not meaningless, and it is still an indispensable part of the entire battle plan. link.
After controlling the beach, Mu Xiabai also came to the shore in a small boat to check the results of this short battle.In order to allow the more than 2000 coalition forces on the island to fight with peace of mind, Johor brought in supplies that could meet the needs of the troops for five days. However, only a small part was transported to the front line, and more than half of them were still stored here, waiting for departure after dawn .
In addition, there are arms and ammunition provided by the British to Johor, as well as some weapons and armor.Mu Xiabo picked up a seized rifle to check. This old-fashioned matchlock gun has basically been eliminated in Haihan's frontline troops. Currently, only the militiamen still have a small amount of equipment.As for these seizures, it is not difficult to find another buyer in the South China Sea. After the war, find a few arms brokers, and they should be able to realize them soon.
As for armor and cold weapons, the Haihan Army didn't even need them, and it was difficult to sell them at a good price. They probably had to be returned to the furnace to make farm tools, iron pots, kitchen knives and other living and production utensils.
Mu Xiabo quickly inspected the seized materials. Although there were a lot of items, in his eyes, the value was very limited.Of course, this is also because he has been staying on Ambuna Island all year round, and he has been in contact with dignitaries from all over the world all day long. His vision and values have changed, and this is naturally a piece of cake in his eyes.
Mu Xiabo thinks that the most valuable captures are the more than [-] captives captured on the spot.For Xingdao, which is seriously short of labor force, these prisoners can certainly be of great use, and their usable value is much higher than the seized materials.
At this time, the local warships from the west of the strait also arrived, but they came a step too late, and they didn't even have the qualification to clean the battlefield.Mu Xiabo let all the troops on the ship land, and then the warship continued to patrol the strait in batches, in case the Johor army on the other side noticed something was wrong and opened another ferry.Clearing up this landing point is not the entire task of Mu Xiabo. He must ensure that the transportation channel for crossing the Strait of Johor is completely cut off, leaving no retreat for the Johor Army. This is what Roger's combat plan pursues. ultimate goal.
In order to prevent the enemy from launching a counterattack after hearing the news, Mu Xiabo ordered to start building positions immediately.Although he didn't bring many army troops, it shouldn't be a big problem to use the position to stop the scattered enemy troops who are trying to escape. If it doesn't work, there will be artillery cover from the sea.Of course, the civil engineering does not require the soldiers to do it themselves, and these prisoners who have just been captured will come in handy immediately.Mu Xiabo appointed several engineers and asked them to act as temporary foremen to direct the prisoners to build fortifications.
"The next performance will be on the south side!" Mu Xiabo muttered a few words to himself, and then asked the adjutant to fetch his radio station and contact Roger to inform him of the battle situation.At this time, the sky had just turned pale, and Mu Xiabo's actions were fast enough, leaving more time for the troops under his command to rest.At present, the main force of the Johor Army is still in the south of the island. It will take almost a day to go there. There should be no pressure here for a while.
The good news from Mu Xiabo lifted the spirits of Roger, who was still eating breakfast, and immediately handed the message to Tan Juren next to him, saying: "Old Mu has already taken action, and we have successfully won the battle with zero casualties." The landing point of the Johor Army."
Tan Juren said in surprise: "It's so early? Old Mu Ke is really diligent!"
Joking aside, Tan Juren still took the telegram from Roger, read the content carefully, and confirmed the authenticity of the news.Roger continued from the side: "Old Mu has already outflanked the rear, and today he can let go of his hands and feet and teach these guys a lesson. Now that you are here, don't even think about going back!"
Tan Juren said: "If you can capture them alive, let's try to capture them alive. Labor is more valuable than corpses. Try not to kill indiscriminately."
Roger nodded and said: "Of course, especially those British guys, after they are caught, they must find a way to pay a ransom to the East India Company...at least the military expenses for this operation must be earned back! "
Tan Juren didn't answer his question now. He found that compared with Roger, he was still too innocent. What he thought was not only to take prisoners alive, but also to maximize the value of prisoners of war. It's not like he only expected to use prisoners of war Acting as a coolie, he didn't think deeply at all.
"You go back later, first take people to clear out the inventory of ropes, shackles and other things and prepare for it. At that time, you will need to lock up thousands of prisoners of war, and you will need a lot of materials!" Speaking of prisoners of war, Luo Jie didn't forget to tell Tan Juren a few words, his words were already full of confidence to win.
Tan Juren quickly responded, not only a little guilty in his heart - if too many enemy troops were captured at once, where would they be placed?There is not even a larger prison cell on the island, and there is no other large building that can accommodate so many people. Could it be that they all sleep in the open air?
Tan Juren told Roger what he had said, and after listening to it, Roger laughed and said, "We just need to make a wooden horse pen and enclose these people at night. The island is surrounded by the sea, and it is a natural cage in itself, so you can escape as well." Not far away. When the time comes to kill a few people who try to escape in public, the others will naturally be honest."
(End of this chapter)
The coalition formed by Johor and the British East India Company has a total of more than [-] people, but the actual number of people trained and recognized by the British is far from this number, so in the end, more than [-] people stayed in Johor as a reserve army The northern shore of the strait did not enter Xingdao to participate in the war.In Hogg's words, these native soldiers who can only use spears and machetes can only be sent to clean up the battlefield at best, there is really no need to enter Xingdao to waste precious supplies.
Therefore, the troops that finally crossed the sea and entered Xingdao consisted of only more than 1000 qualified Johor new troops, plus hundreds of mercenaries brought by the British, barely making up a force of over [-].From the perspective of the high-level coalition forces, it is enough to use doubled forces to fight a surprise battle. After the Haihan people are driven away, it will not be too late to increase the Johor garrison to defend Xingdao.Of course, if we must pursue the most fundamental reason, after all, Johor has limited transportation capacity, and it is difficult to guarantee the supplies needed for large-scale cross-sea operations.
Although the sea-crossing operation went smoothly, Hogg carefully set up a temporary camp at the landing point in the north of the island, and left about [-] soldiers and the same number of civilians here to receive the shipment from Johor. supplies to provide support for the continuous operations of large troops on the front line.Things didn’t stop after the big troops set off to the south. Since the number of ships that Johor can provide is limited, they can only transport materials back and forth multiple times. Therefore, these left-behind personnel have been busy all day yesterday, and they didn’t rest until after dark. down.
It was not yet dawn, and suddenly they heard the sound of the alarm gong. After everyone woke up from their sleep, they all looked confused—enemy attack?But shouldn't the enemy be on the south side of the island, fighting with his own army at this time?How did they come here? Did they even abandon their old nest?
The soldiers climbed out of the tent with sleepy eyes, and immediately realized that this was not a false report from the sentry. The flags of Haihan were hung on the masts of warships on the sea, and several ships near the coast had already started to lower their boats. Pretending to be a soldier and paddling to the shore!
At this time, no one cares to find out how the enemy army pulled out from the south to outflank their own rear. If these enemy soldiers cannot be stopped at the beach, then the hundreds of people staying here may have to die!The Johor soldiers didn't even have time to put on their rattan armor, they grabbed the spears and machetes stuck in the tent door and rushed out to fight.
The Johor soldiers who know how to use muskets were basically incorporated into the main force, and went south to attack the Haihan stronghold. The soldiers who stayed here were all equipped with cold weapons, but these indigenous soldiers had no experience of fighting the Haihan army. When they met for the first time, they were also very fierce, without any fear, and almost rushed to the coastline without thinking.
Mu Xiabo has a prominent status, so of course he would not take the risk of being the first to land, and he is standing on the deck at this time to check the movement on the shore with a telescope.He was a little surprised to see the Johor soldiers charging out quickly, but then he noticed the opponent's scattered formation, obviously without any preparation and command, so he calmed down and watched the show.Although the men and horses he brought have not performed any combat missions in the past two years, their usual training has not fallen at all. If they can't even cope with these stragglers who use knives and guns, then they don't have to go back after the battle. Disband and stay on the island as a farmer to cultivate wasteland.
In fact, there are many veterans in the troops brought by Mu Xiabo, and some of them participated in the Battle of Unbuna Island in 1631 and fought against the Dutch, so it is no problem to deal with these native soldiers.Under the command of the officer, the soldiers on the small boat did not rush to fire, but silently put the loaded rifles on the ship's side, waiting for the order from the officer.
The officer gave the order to open fire until the boat approached the shore and was less than 20 meters away from the shouting Johor soldiers on the shore.The soldier lying on the ship's side pulled the trigger, and a row of bullets was fired, but because of the undulating hull, only two people were hit.However, these Johor soldiers obviously knew the power of muskets. When they saw the Haihan soldiers on the boat shooting, they immediately gave up the idea of rushing up to fight and ran back.The rapid change in combat attitude also made Haihan Bing amazed.
After the soldiers on several small boats opened fire and knocked down several people, the Johor Army, who had tried to intercept them at the beach, had given up this unrealistic plan and retreated back to their temporary garrison.However, this so-called garrison did not build a decent fortification in time. It just set up a bamboo fence around the awning where the supplies were stored, and tied a few horses outside.If such a defensive method can defend against the armed assault of the Haihan army, it would be hell.
After landing, the Haihan soldiers assembled calmly under the command of the officer, and then lined up to shoot at the Johor Army who refused to surrender inside the fence.Bamboo fences and shields, of course, couldn't completely block the bullets. In an instant, several people fell under the volley, and those who tried to rush out couldn't fight Haihan's bayonet formation at all. land.No matter how brave the Johor soldiers were, when they found themselves and their companions helpless in front of their opponents and could only accept one-sided massacres, they quickly lost their belief in continuing to fight.Some people chose to turn around and flee to the inland direction of the island, while the other part, mainly civilian husbands, put down their weapons and chose to surrender to save their lives.
Mu Xiabo did not order the soldiers to pursue the fleeing Johor soldiers. No matter how hard these people escape, they will never find a boat on the island that can leave here. If they want to leave Xing Island, they have to cut down trees to make rafts or canoes , or you can only swim across the Straits of Johor back to the mainland.Of course, the most likely result is that he will be captured or killed by the Haihan army before he escapes from the island, so there is no need to rush to pursue him at this time.Letting them report to the south just happened to disrupt the fighting will of the main force of the Johor Army. The benefits of Haihan's battle plan outweighed the disadvantages, and Mu Xiabo was naturally happy to see the result.
But the whole battle process was more than ten times easier than what Mu Xiabo expected. In his original battle plan, he had already made a plan to let the battleship approach the coast to cover the artillery fire when the small boat landed was frustrated.He originally thought that the Johor Army would have to protect the key points of the rear, but he didn't expect that the other party was busy transporting personnel and supplies yesterday, and there was no time to build a decent defensive position-of course, it may be that the Johor Army's arrangement simply did not There is no plan to deploy anti-landing combat troops here, as can be seen from the unorganized resistance of the Johor soldiers just now.
The opponent's troops staying here are surprisingly small, and before the scene of the battle that Mu Xiabo was looking forward to appeared, the battle was already declared over.At this time, the landing plan he had prepared was only halfway in progress. Some of the warships a little farther from the coast had just started to put down the landing boats loaded with army soldiers, while the soldiers on the coast had already begun to clean the battlefield.
Mu Xiabo was really disappointed with the performance of the Johor Army. He hurried all the way from Ambuna Island, and finally arrived at the battle site on the second day of the battle, but how much time did he really have to fight with the enemy? 5 minutes or 10 minutes?It was over without even a decent resistance. At this moment, Mu Xiabo even wondered if Roger was trying to amuse himself on purpose—with the enemy’s combat power, whether he needs to ask for help from Ambuna Island, Roger, don’t you know? ?
Of course, this idea was just a flash. According to what Roger said, the Johor Army still has at least 2000 people fighting in Xingdao. Although it is unlikely to take down the Xingdao base, Roger’s troops will fight back. It is indeed not an easy task to wipe out so many enemy troops.Moreover, once the Johor Army on the other side discovers that Haihan has sent troops to the Johor Strait, it may launch a new offensive to open up a retreat for the coalition forces on the island. Therefore, this support operation is not meaningless, and it is still an indispensable part of the entire battle plan. link.
After controlling the beach, Mu Xiabai also came to the shore in a small boat to check the results of this short battle.In order to allow the more than 2000 coalition forces on the island to fight with peace of mind, Johor brought in supplies that could meet the needs of the troops for five days. However, only a small part was transported to the front line, and more than half of them were still stored here, waiting for departure after dawn .
In addition, there are arms and ammunition provided by the British to Johor, as well as some weapons and armor.Mu Xiabo picked up a seized rifle to check. This old-fashioned matchlock gun has basically been eliminated in Haihan's frontline troops. Currently, only the militiamen still have a small amount of equipment.As for these seizures, it is not difficult to find another buyer in the South China Sea. After the war, find a few arms brokers, and they should be able to realize them soon.
As for armor and cold weapons, the Haihan Army didn't even need them, and it was difficult to sell them at a good price. They probably had to be returned to the furnace to make farm tools, iron pots, kitchen knives and other living and production utensils.
Mu Xiabo quickly inspected the seized materials. Although there were a lot of items, in his eyes, the value was very limited.Of course, this is also because he has been staying on Ambuna Island all year round, and he has been in contact with dignitaries from all over the world all day long. His vision and values have changed, and this is naturally a piece of cake in his eyes.
Mu Xiabo thinks that the most valuable captures are the more than [-] captives captured on the spot.For Xingdao, which is seriously short of labor force, these prisoners can certainly be of great use, and their usable value is much higher than the seized materials.
At this time, the local warships from the west of the strait also arrived, but they came a step too late, and they didn't even have the qualification to clean the battlefield.Mu Xiabo let all the troops on the ship land, and then the warship continued to patrol the strait in batches, in case the Johor army on the other side noticed something was wrong and opened another ferry.Clearing up this landing point is not the entire task of Mu Xiabo. He must ensure that the transportation channel for crossing the Strait of Johor is completely cut off, leaving no retreat for the Johor Army. This is what Roger's combat plan pursues. ultimate goal.
In order to prevent the enemy from launching a counterattack after hearing the news, Mu Xiabo ordered to start building positions immediately.Although he didn't bring many army troops, it shouldn't be a big problem to use the position to stop the scattered enemy troops who are trying to escape. If it doesn't work, there will be artillery cover from the sea.Of course, the civil engineering does not require the soldiers to do it themselves, and these prisoners who have just been captured will come in handy immediately.Mu Xiabo appointed several engineers and asked them to act as temporary foremen to direct the prisoners to build fortifications.
"The next performance will be on the south side!" Mu Xiabo muttered a few words to himself, and then asked the adjutant to fetch his radio station and contact Roger to inform him of the battle situation.At this time, the sky had just turned pale, and Mu Xiabo's actions were fast enough, leaving more time for the troops under his command to rest.At present, the main force of the Johor Army is still in the south of the island. It will take almost a day to go there. There should be no pressure here for a while.
The good news from Mu Xiabo lifted the spirits of Roger, who was still eating breakfast, and immediately handed the message to Tan Juren next to him, saying: "Old Mu has already taken action, and we have successfully won the battle with zero casualties." The landing point of the Johor Army."
Tan Juren said in surprise: "It's so early? Old Mu Ke is really diligent!"
Joking aside, Tan Juren still took the telegram from Roger, read the content carefully, and confirmed the authenticity of the news.Roger continued from the side: "Old Mu has already outflanked the rear, and today he can let go of his hands and feet and teach these guys a lesson. Now that you are here, don't even think about going back!"
Tan Juren said: "If you can capture them alive, let's try to capture them alive. Labor is more valuable than corpses. Try not to kill indiscriminately."
Roger nodded and said: "Of course, especially those British guys, after they are caught, they must find a way to pay a ransom to the East India Company...at least the military expenses for this operation must be earned back! "
Tan Juren didn't answer his question now. He found that compared with Roger, he was still too innocent. What he thought was not only to take prisoners alive, but also to maximize the value of prisoners of war. It's not like he only expected to use prisoners of war Acting as a coolie, he didn't think deeply at all.
"You go back later, first take people to clear out the inventory of ropes, shackles and other things and prepare for it. At that time, you will need to lock up thousands of prisoners of war, and you will need a lot of materials!" Speaking of prisoners of war, Luo Jie didn't forget to tell Tan Juren a few words, his words were already full of confidence to win.
Tan Juren quickly responded, not only a little guilty in his heart - if too many enemy troops were captured at once, where would they be placed?There is not even a larger prison cell on the island, and there is no other large building that can accommodate so many people. Could it be that they all sleep in the open air?
Tan Juren told Roger what he had said, and after listening to it, Roger laughed and said, "We just need to make a wooden horse pen and enclose these people at night. The island is surrounded by the sea, and it is a natural cage in itself, so you can escape as well." Not far away. When the time comes to kill a few people who try to escape in public, the others will naturally be honest."
(End of this chapter)