Chapter 3478
Chapter 3478
Chapter 3478
When the Dutch General Van Hollen visited yesterday, he acted quite tough and was even willing to fight a war with Hai Han rather than listen to Takahashi Minami's advice to withdraw troops from Colombo.
But unexpectedly, after just a small-scale confrontation, the other side seemed to have figured it out overnight and began to retreat quietly.
Takahashi Minami always felt that there was something going on that he was not aware of, otherwise, with Van Hollen's tough attitude, how could he give in so easily?
But no matter what, it is a good thing that the Dutch are willing to withdraw their troops. Not only does it save the special operations division from a lot of trouble, but the fighting between the two sides is also limited, with few casualties, and will not have a serious impact on the diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Of course, the expedition expenses agreed upon with Conceicao in advance would not be saved much because of the Dutch retreat. At most, the cost of ammunition would be reduced.
Moreover, Takahashi Minami was sure that the Portuguese would not dare to settle the fees with him immediately, and would most likely increase the remuneration and require the special operations division to stay here for some more time.
After all, no one knows whether the Dutch are really retreating or just pretending to retreat. If Takahashi Minami leaves with the special operations division and the Dutch strike back, the Portuguese will be really finished.
However, not everyone was happy about the Dutch's voluntary withdrawal, Qian Shaobao was one of them.
He had been in the Special Operations Division for some time and had been looking forward to such a combat operation with great difficulty, just waiting for the Dutch to bring the victory to him on their own. However, this operation was suddenly declared over before it even got to the point.
The military merit that Qian Shaobao was eager to gain seemed to be shattered with the withdrawal of the Dutch.
However, Takahashi Nan immediately made corresponding arrangements. He summoned Qian Shaobao and ordered him to return to the Weixing immediately to pursue the evacuating Dutch fleet.
Qian Shaobao was also a little surprised to hear this order. If the special warfare division really wanted to take ruthless action, it could indeed leave behind the Dutch landing force and fleet. But doing so would be tantamount to declaring war on the Netherlands.
In Qian Tiandun's plan, the establishment of the Hambantota base as a relay station across the Indian Ocean was the top priority of the Special Warfare Division. As for Western competitors in this region, the principle was to deter them. If it was not necessary, there was no need to fight to the death and aim to completely destroy the other party.
After all, Hai Han also needs these Western countries to check and balance each other. If one of them is hit too hard, it will only benefit other competitors, which is not in line with Hai Han’s interests in this region.
The order issued by Gao Qiaonan obviously violated this purpose. Qian Shaobao couldn't help but hesitate whether to execute it.
Gao Qiaonan saw Qian Shaobao's expression and knew what he was thinking. He immediately gave him instructions: "I asked you to chase them, not to really fight them. You just need to make sure that the Dutch have left Ceylon."
Qian Shaobao said, "Isn't that just tracking and surveillance? Why did Uncle Gao issue a pursuit order?"
Seeing that he still hadn't understood the meaning, Gao Qiaonan had to open up: "It was just tracking and surveillance, how could it be a military achievement? You led your troops to chase and drove the Dutch away, isn't the nature of the matter different?"
Qian Shaobao suddenly realized, "So that's how it is! Uncle Gao is the master of this trick!"
Now that the Dutch have taken the initiative to retreat, the war will definitely not continue. Gao Qiaonan wants to find something for Qian Shaobao to do, but this is the only trick. After the war, he will report his merits to his superiors in the name of "pursuit and expulsion", which is at least reasonable. The captain, first mate, gunner, chief engineer and other major officers on the Weixing are all old subordinates who have followed Qian Tiandun for many years. They can naturally understand and fully cooperate with this arrangement to pave the way for their young master.
Although the Dutch were preparing to withdraw, Takahashi Minami did not understand the reason and always felt a little uneasy. He immediately selected a team of armed cavalry and asked them to find an opportunity to approach the Dutch camp and try to capture some prisoners during the other party's withdrawal.
At noon that day, the Governor of Ceylon in Colombo once again sent a message to the Special Operations Division through cavalry, inviting Takahashi Minami to lead his troops into the city.
The Portuguese also sent two carts of flour and several barrels of olive oil as supplies for the troops. It seems that the daily necessities in the city are not yet in short supply.
It was obvious that the Portuguese in the city also noticed the Dutch's movements and believed that the battle should have come to an end and they could negotiate with Hai Han to deal with subsequent matters.
Takahashi Minami then led a battalion of troops from the beachhead and headed for Colombo city a few miles away.
Although the Portuguese spent a century managing the city of Colombo, the city's defense facilities were not outstanding. There was a big gap compared to Manila built by the Spanish and Batavia controlled by the Dutch.
In the opinion of the knowledgeable Takahashi Minami, the height and thickness of Colombo's city walls, as well as its fortifications such as forts, bastions, and moats, can only be considered passing at best, and are still quite far from the standard of a "fortified city".
It is no wonder that the Dutch launched offensives on Colombo many times. Apparently, they also believed that the city was not unbreakable. As long as they sent out enough troops, there was a great chance to seize the city from the Portuguese.
After many days of fighting, many traces of fighting were visible to the naked eye. Many parts of the city wall collapsed due to artillery fire, and the defenders immediately filled it with soil, sand and gravel.
The original city gate facing the coast had long since disappeared, replaced by a large amount of earth and rocks filling the city gate hole. When Takahashi Minami led his troops into the city, the Portuguese were clearing the earth and rocks to clear the roads in and out of the city.
The houses and facilities in the city were relatively intact, with only a few houses being hit by the shells that entered the city.
However, wounded people could be seen lying on the ground under the eaves on both sides of the street. Many of their wounds had not even been bandaged. It seemed that the medical resources in the city had long been exhausted and there was no way to treat the large number of wounded.
Takahashi Minami had anticipated such a situation, so he brought a team of medical soldiers with him. He then asked Conceicao to contact the medical soldiers and let them participate in the rescue work.
Takahashi Minami then met the Chief Executive of Colombo City, the Governor of Ceylon, Antonio, who came out to greet him.
The Governor looked older than his opponent Van Hollen, with white hair and beard, and a cane in his hand. Takahashi Minami judged that he was at least 65 years old.
Perhaps affected by the war, the governor's mental state did not seem to be very good, but he still expressed his gratitude to Takahashi Minami.
"On behalf of the Kingdom of Portugal and His Majesty the King, I would like to thank your country and the general for faithfully fulfilling the alliance between the two countries and sending troops to rescue the city of Colombo in a timely manner."