Chapter 262 Unbearable Weight

  The second Malacca naval battle was over in less than half an hour. Three Dutch steamships sank two and one was seriously injured. Under the gang fight of the Queensland United Fleet, they obediently disarmed, raised the white flag and surrendered.

  It's not that I don't want to fight, but I really can't.

  In this naval battle, the outstanding performance of the popular "Miss Australia", especially the intensive steel rain of up to 12 rounds per minute, brought extreme shock to the observation team of the British cruiser "Hardstone".

As an army 95mm medium-caliber field and howitzer, Miss Australia brought about a leap in firepower with the revolutionary barrel return technology, and became the protagonist of this naval battle. The light covered the German-made 239mm master. gun.

This kind of crudely transplanted medium-caliber secondary guns on ships has neither precise water-cooling technology, nor barrel self-tightening technology, and no complicated and precise mechanical rotating magazine configuration. It is completely dependent on the crew members to shake off their arms. , Pouring death bullets on enemy ships.

"Oh Almighty God, the outstanding performance of the Australian fleet is truly unforgettable. Compared with the maddeningly slow Armstrong naval gun, this new type of Australian artillery will undoubtedly replace the former and become the future naval battle. The protagonist." Colonel Joe Howard watched the Queensland United Fleet disappear at the end of the sea, exclaiming from the bottom of his heart.

"Your Excellency, the Imperial Admiralty also clearly sees this. The problem we are facing now is that we are equipped with too many Armstrong guns. It is impossible to replace all the thousands of large-caliber naval guns. I think this time may be 10 Years or 20 years, fortunately... our main maritime competitor also has this problem." Colonel George, the cruiser Captain of the Hard Rock, scanned the twin-mounted 209mm main gun on the bow, very curious. Frowned.

  This is a front-loaded main gun. It originated from a group of stubborn aristocrats in the Imperial Navy. Although the shooting accuracy is high, the power is also very strong, but the slow firing rate is painful.

Every time the main gun is fired, the barrel must be leveled, the gunpowder residue must be cleared, and heavy propellant packs and projectiles must be reloaded from the muzzle. Deep rifling, the projectile loaded from the muzzle must be pushed in in a rotating manner, and the loader will jam the chamber with a violent force.

  The well-trained British artillery can only fire one shot every 2 to 3 minutes.

  Such a long time is enough for the new Australian 95mm artillery to fire more than 30 rounds, forming dense barrage coverage.

Of course, such a comparison is unfair to the British Armstrong artillery. A 209mm heavy artillery shell with a propellant pack has reached more than 200 pounds, while a 95mm artillery shell weighs only tens of pounds, and its power is even more extraordinary. language.

  The same 209mm main gun with hydraulic recoil mechanism can fire 3 shells per minute. The firepower poured out per unit time is 6-8 times as much as that of the changes brought about by maritime warfare. It is revolutionary.

  In today’s world, there is no perfect artillery shooting and sighting system. Maritime operations rely on experienced artillery groups and dense artillery coverage. The denser the firepower, the higher the probability of hitting the target, and its importance cannot be overemphasized no matter how important it is.

"Colonel George, the use of new artillery as soon as possible is a mandatory requirement for the Imperial Navy to maintain maritime hegemony. Regarding this point, I will focus on this in the report. As for the cost of replacement, it is not within our scope of consideration. That is a headache for the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of the Navy. I don’t think there is any need for the current maritime dispute to go on. I believe the Dutch will realize this soon and take the initiative to request peace talks.”

  "Your Honorable Lord, I very much agree with your point of view."

"Then in the report to London, I hope that Colonel George can join me in co-signing an opinion to bring about peace as soon as possible. The Dutch have already shed enough blood and their power cannot maintain the rule of the vast colony. It's time to give up some benefits to the latecomers, ha ha... That Mr. Queensland Earl is not a fool. He has an almost greedy desire to possess the land."

   "It's a pity that as a Nordic lowland country with Germanic blood, the Dutch are well known for their toughness. It seems that this is a tough negotiation."

"The loser has no right to ask for more." Colonel Joe Howard shrugged his shoulders relaxedly. He watched the dense sea fish floating in the nearby sea, all of which were killed by the intensive artillery fire. , Said with compassion; "The Queensland fleet has grown at an amazing speed. It has already had the embryonic form of a strong maritime force. In time, it is bound to be a difficult maritime force. The Earl of Queensland has proven his strength with guns. He is qualified to sit down and share a piece of the pie. Unfortunately, he has taken a fancy to the meat on the Dutch plate. Blindly being tough will only lead to more bloodshed and sacrifice, and the Dutch will understand this sooner or later."

   "I hope so, and God bless." Of course, Captain George is the Lord's head, and will not raise objections.

  Even in the Royal Navy of the British Empire where the children of the nobility were gathered, the children of the ancient Duke of Norfolk were among the top few.

  Before this sailing

   is said to be a gossip from Downing Street. Colonel Joe Howard will have a profound influence on the future British Empire Navy’s artillery tactics and the use of steam armored warships, and he will be promoted to brigadier general because of his fruitful reports on sea observation.

  Now the second Malacca naval battle will undoubtedly provide powerful assists for Colonel Joe Howard’s promotion to Commodore, and the shining star is just around the corner.

   Colonel George bet;

  The observation report sent up before must have been dusty in which data room of the Imperial Admiralty. Those high-ranking and important figures are not interested in reading it carefully. What they need is just a reason for promotion.

  It’s really hell, a normal watch report can be a reason to be promoted to a commodore, which is more reliable than the 30-year Outstanding Service Medal at Sea. This is really absurd.

   Complaining and complaining, Colonel George did not dare to show any grievances on his face. He knew that the huge class gap between civilians and nobles could not be filled by a 30-year Outstanding Service Medal at Sea.

The promotion of the children of top nobles to brigadier general only needs a light report, while naval officers of civilian origin need to struggle all their lives and accumulate many meritorious achievements with blood and lives. Only then can they cross this huge threshold and enter the high-ranking imperial admiralty. The ranks of officials.

  The position of brigadier general of the Royal Navy of the British Empire is not a real general, but the highest level of school-level officers. Only naval officers with the title of brigadier general can command a naval formation, not just a warship.

  The news of the second Malacca naval battle spread at the fastest speed, arousing strong agitation from all parties concerned, and their responses varied.

  Li Fushou, who was inspecting the preparation work of the Guards Dragoon Division in Beilun Town, heard the good news from the front and said three times, "Good, good, good..." Then he looked up to the sky and laughed, expressing his extreme joy.

  In these days, the heavy burden on him seemed to have disappeared most of the time, and he became more relaxed.

  This battle defeated the Dutch's European support, and truly established the superiority of the East Indies maritime hegemony. It is of great significance and is worthy of a special book.

The Queensland United Fleet fought its opponents. The real battle lasted only ten minutes before completely destroying this small fleet. This battle does not mean that the Dutch fleet is weak. It can only be said that where has captured the fleeting preciousness. Fighter, the strategy of "each destruction" was a great success.

If the "Ihostein" formation is allowed to merge with the "Seven Provinces" formation, the Royal Dutch Task Force can organize a powerful fleet with five steam-clad warships as the core and 13 sailing warships as the auxiliary. Occupying an advantage in terms of displacement, it is not easy to defeat the opponent.

  The strengths of the Queensland United Fleet are very obvious, that is, it has high speed, fierce firepower, and obvious shortcomings. It is all a group of irregular sea forces composed of crispy skin.

   Poor protection has been exposed in previous naval battles. As long as the enemy’s shells are hit, the consequences will be very serious. If the 95mm Miss Australia artillery is quite powerful, who will die?

  The navy that Li Fushou can use is just a little bit of the family property. Once it is folded in, it will be all over. Behind him is a cliff...

  ……

  The news of the defeat reached the Governor's Mansion of the Dutch East Indies, and Sir Frederick S-Jacob fell into a chair with a pale face, speechless for a while.

  The European support with high hopes in his heart died in such a battle. He felt darkness before his eyes, and his confidence in victory was collapsing bit by bit, like falling into an abyss.

  God, please tell me this is not true!

  The news that followed made the Governor-General Sir Frederick S-Jacob almost crazy.

  The candidate for the new governor who was originally planned to take over is in ill health, and the candidates have also shrugged off. No one wants to jump down and stir up the muddy water at this time and clean up the mess for the former governor.

  These people see clearly;

  The new governor may sign a failed agreement on losing his teacher and losing ground, which will become a shame that will never be washed away.

  This is something that the Dutch nobles who cherish feathers cannot accept anyway. Let the Governor Sir Frederick S-Jacob bear the serious consequences himself.

  The domestic public sentiment is surging, and the call for an end to this hopeless war is increasing as soon as possible. The huge war and military expenditures are second. There are too few Dutch people to withstand such toss.

Nearly 3,000 naval officers and soldiers were killed and injured in the first Malacca naval battle, more than 100 people were killed and injured in the shelling of Medan Port, and nearly 200 naval officers and soldiers were killed and injured in the second Malacca naval battle. For the rest, Moresby’s land-based military operations have killed and injured more than 3,000 people, and the hope of victory is far away.

The total population of the Kingdom of the Netherlands does not exceed 3.8 million. These more than 8,000 dead and wounded officers and soldiers are involved in more than 8,000 families. Together with their relatives and friends, they form a powerful social force. The government is under tremendous pressure.

  The blood flow is enough, it's time to stop.

  Amsterdam, Prime Minister's Office

  Prime Minister Lord Van Horn got off the wagon with a sullen face. He had just been reprimanded by His Majesty William III into the palace. His cabinet resignation was not approved. It seems that this short-lived cabinet has become a scapegoat.

  His Majesty the King, who is wise and wise, can't be wrong. What's wrong is that his courtiers who are not doing well are all a bunch of wine bags and rice bags.

  Don’t look at the position of the prime minister with high power and great beauty. The prime minister, Lord Van Horn, has a hard time in his heart.

  The huge amount of funds required for the East Indies War is not a big problem. It is nothing more than intercepting the colony’s income as military resources. You can buy all kinds of war materials with money, even large artillery ships.

   Losing a large amount of income from overseas colonies, the domestic people can only tighten their belts, and replace them with black bread if they can’t eat white bread. Just bite the teeth through this difficult time.

  Today's Kingdom of the Netherlands is like a broken house that leaks everywhere, and if you fall down, you will be bullied.

  The most critical factor is people. The kingdom can no longer afford more casualties.

  As of early May 1882

  The Kingdom of the Netherlands has a total of 57,200 soldiers in the army and navy. Excluding the European mercenary casualties, the current casualties have exceeded an alarming rate of 10%, which is already very high.

  The East Indies War has become an unbearable burden for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and a peace agreement must be reached as soon as possible.

  (End of this chapter)