Australian Storm 1876

   Chapter 337

  A grand reception is being held in the brightly lit front command building.

  The officers in neat formal gowns brought their female relatives to the reception. You can see that many blonde Dutch women accompany their husband. Most of them are the female relatives of middle-level officers.

  Among the female family members of high-ranking officers, all are Chinese wives. They form two circles with these white women, and they seem to be aloof and deliberately alienated.

  Once Chinese women are married to the Ming Dynasty, they are self-reliant on their status. Secondly, it is also difficult for them to understand babbling foreign languages, and they are even less interested in learning them. Thirdly, the identities of these white women are unknown. They may be concubines or lovers. It is difficult to integrate into the circle of orthodox officers' wives, and they are not easily accepted.

  This little episode did not affect the atmosphere of the reception. The three divisions gathered in Ma Chen were originally a mother and three brothers. The excited officers were scrambling and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

   Curved marble Roman railing edge on the second floor

  Army Commander-in-Chief Wei Chi Shouzhuo was talking privately with the fleet commander He Fang, and the others wisely left far away, so as not to hinder the exchange of opinions between these two great figures.

He Fang is a different kind of the entire Red River Valley military and political system. He was born in the two rankings of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties. He once served as a seven-pin county magistrate in the Qing government. He has extremely rare experience in local governance. He also graduated from the Manchester Naval Academy in England with the first place. It can be said that he is one of the top scholars who have studied Chinese and Western and has a global vision.

  He commanded the fleet to win two heartfelt victories in the Malacca naval battle, and won the victory in the interception naval battle of Lucky Bay. His record was stellar, and he completely mastered the sea control of the East Indies and laid a solid foundation for winning the war.

Yin Gong was specially designated as the guardian knight noble by the Lord Earl, and rewarded a pasture with an area of ​​55,000 acres. It is located 66 kilometers west of Red River Valley City and only 20 kilometers away from Baihu City. A small town is being built there. It's called Hefang Town.

  With the rise of the Red River Valley and surrounding cities, the land price of Red River Valley farms is now soaring. It is no longer the thousands of pounds eight years ago. The price has risen a few times and it is hard to find.

  In the Land of Lord Earl, a 55,000-acre pasture was set aside. This is the only one in the military and political circles, which shows the extreme honor.

"Recently, the joint fleet has been tightly sealed in the sea area of ​​300 kilometers around the other side. The Royal Dutch Task Force’s "Seven Provinces", which is huddled in the port of Surabaya, has not shown any signs of dispatching. With a fixed observation post, it would take two days and two nights to sail from Surabaya Port to Machen Port at the fastest speed. The possibility of a large-scale blockade by the Dutch fleet can basically be ruled out."

  He Fang gently shook the red wine in the glass, took a sip, and continued with a faint expression;

"But our combined fleet will not take it lightly. In order to prevent the Dutch sailing warships from launching a lone wolf attack, the combined fleet will attack with all members during the ferry, and maintain a tightly sealed lock on the 50-kilometer waters near the sailing route of the mixed formation. Anyone trying to break through. Enemy ships will be hit by multiple rounds, and the safety of the mixed formation is guaranteed."

   "Thank you very much for the full support of the joint fleet. On behalf of the Borneo Garrison, I would like to express my sincere gratitude. Maritime safety is up to you." Yu Chi Shouzhuo solemnly raised his wine glass and took a sip, very satisfied with the thorough deployment of the fleet.

  The landing ship regiment of army troops floats on the sea, which is not capable of self-defense at all. Once a small group of enemy warships break in, it will cause heavy losses.

He Fang responded; "Please don’t be polite, Master Yuchi, this is our navy’s duty. According to intelligence, the Dutch have urgently built a coastal defense fort in the port of Semuda, with no fewer than five German-made 239mm shore guns. , 2 German-made 280mm long-barreled shore guns, and many medium-caliber shore guns. The combined fleet does not have heavy-protected warships, so it is impossible to attack the turret. Please understand that."

  The combined fleet has two Seagull II modified warships with a displacement of more than 2,000 tons. They are considered the strongest in combat effectiveness and still cannot withstand the bombardment of the above-mentioned heavy artillery. Let alone other light ships, they are really half-destructive after a single shot.

  Obviously, the Joint Fleet will not do anything that the egg hits the stone.

"I understand the difficulties of the fleet. We chose to land in a small bay 21 kilometers away from the port of Semuda. I named it Glory Bay. We will land on Glory Bay and create a path to victory. Road." Yuchi Shouzhuo glanced at where he was full of confidence, and said with a toast; "With the help of the combined fleet, victory must belong to us."

  He Fang nodded calmly in response, raised his wine glass and said, “All for the great cause of expanding territory for the Lord Earl, in order to create a beautiful home for the Chinese, the joint fleet is willing to go hand in hand with the army.”

   "So I want to, I dare not ask your ears."

Yuchi Shouzhuo lost his book bag, and suddenly thought that the man in front of him was a scholar from the two rankings, "Four Books", "Five Classics", "Spring and Autumn", "Chu Ci" all know everything, couldn't help laughing and saying; "Hahaha... A martial artist made an axe at the door."

  "Master Yuchi is a high-achieving student at West Point College in the United States. He has been in the military for many years, so why bother to be modest?"

   "It depends on who it is against. How big a talent is. He can manage the people when he removes his armour, and he can lead troops in battle. It is a well-known thing in both military and political circles. Wei Chi is ashamed."

   "Master Yuchi, don't say anything anymore. You and I are colleagues. We are all soldiers who are dedicated to supporting the Lord Earl. No matter how polite you are, it will seem like a good job."

   "Hahaha..." Yu Chi Shouzhuo laughed, his eyes were just in time to see Master Fritz and his wife Shihua walking leisurely, waving quickly; "Fritz, can we talk about it?"

   "Uh...Of course it can." Master Fritz and his wife walked over with a picturesque sound.

  Where knows they have something to talk about, and said with a light smile; "Then I won't bother you two, you talk." After that, he nodded politely to the Fritz couple, and left with the wine glass.

The picturesque is well versed in high-level communication etiquette, she followed Mr. Fritz to the front and smiled and said; "You men talk about boring things, I will not participate, remember to return Fritz to me before the reception is over, I I'm afraid he won't be able to find a home if he drinks too much."

  "Please rest assured, madam, I will definitely return to Zhao."

  Yuchi Shouzhuo and Ruhuahua have been old acquaintances for many years. At the beginning, one was the secretary next to Lord Earl, and the other was a personal maid. There were many opportunities to meet.

  Since the Lord Earl took the piano, all the other close maids were dismissed for marriage. Most of the married officials were senior military and political officials, and Chief Fritz (at the time of marriage) was also one of them.

  In the army under the strict control of Lord Earl, if it weren’t for marrying Shiqin, the German Fritz, the title of division commander, could only be thought of. At most, he would be promoted to the top of deputy commander.

  This is already an unwritten tacit understanding, no one has said it, but it actually exists.

The second division's German-born deputy commander Koch married Ming Yan as his wife. The official career went smoothly along the way. Chief of Staff Konrad Adenauer was reluctant to bear his old German wife. He could only stand high in the staff and become the spokesperson for the army. , It will never be possible to come down to lead troops and have real power to control the army.

   "Fritz, you should know what I am looking for you?" Yu Chi Shouzhuo said straightforwardly.

"If it is expected, it is for the two 60mm light artillery battalions in my artillery regiment. You want to take it away." Fritz shook his head helplessly and said; "The 60mm guns of these two battalions. I can give it to you, but people can't. These people are the treasures of our Shangri-La division, and they are finally the elite gunners fed with cannonballs."

   "Listen to my conditions?"

   "You said...but I don't necessarily agree. Please forgive Sir Yuchi, I will not risk the decline of the combat effectiveness of the entire division to make a deal."

"I will find a way for you to get 3,000 indigenous captives, all of them strong young men. The combat mission of Palangkaraya is entrusted to you. You must know that the two divisions in my hand and the militia are totally capable. Confidence eats up Semuda, Sampit and Palangkaraya. As the general reserve team, the Shangri-La Division may not have a chance to go to the battlefield."

"Uh... Commander-in-Chief, I admit that what you said is very reasonable. I am also very excited about this condition, but I can only put half of the people. At least half of the artillery officers and gunners should be left for me, or else my artillery. The regiment is abandoned."

   "Okay, just say that."

  Yi Chi Shouzhuo took the initiative to stretch out his hand to hold Fritz tightly, and the two of them looked at each other and smiled.

The main battlefield belonging to the Shangri-La Division has ended, and large-scale wars will not break out in the foreseeable future. The mid-level and above officers in the division have basically fulfilled their meritorious fields. They can be regarded as a family of farmers or plantation owners, and they are generally handed over to family members. Take care of.

  Fritz also owns a piece of more than 6,000 acres of land in the Qingshui River Basin. Due to lack of manpower, only a small piece of land has been reclaimed so far.

  These 3,000 indigenous people... uh... prisoners of war can be described as sending charcoal in the snow. There is one point for the officers above the general level of the division. The few can be divided into dozens, and the more can be divided into several hundred, which is enough to solve the main labor problem.

  Although the number of indigenous prisoners of war is a bit smaller, hiring some immigrant supervisors and seasonal workers will almost be able to support the plantation's shelf, and the conditions are quite good.

  Palangkaraya is a key Dutch town deep inland. The target of the attack was handed over to the Shangri-La Division, and Commander Yuchi showed good intentions.

At that time, while attacking and advancing along the way, some indigenous captives will be captured and taken back. The war will not be less, the face will be saved, and the benefits will be obtained (the free labor in the manor has been implemented, and maybe we can get some for the lower-level officers). Why not do it?

  The interests of the Dutch and the indigenous people are only damaged, but this is not a matter for military personnel to care about.

  The fate of their future has been decided at a cocktail party. This is the sorrow of the weak at the end of the 19th century.

  (End of this chapter)