anovelconsole Chapter 60 A Bold Plan
Chapter 60 A Bold Plan
Upon their arrival, Zhu Jiheng didn't waste any words and went straight to the point, revealing his speculations and his bold plan to launch a surprise attack on Batavia.
Upon hearing this, both men were greatly surprised and speechless for a long time—a surprise attack on the Dutch stronghold? This idea was truly earth-shattering!
"Your Highness...is this plan too risky?" Lin Qingyuan took a deep breath and said with some difficulty, "Batavia is the nest that the red-haired barbarians have been building for a hundred years. The city walls are strong and easy to defend but difficult to attack. Our navy is newly built and has sailed across the ocean. We can attack the enemy with our fatigue and defeat the enemy with the few...If we lose, Luzon will be in danger!"
Even if we successfully attack their port, if we fail to capture the city and annihilate their navy, we risk incurring their fierce retaliation, escalating the war into a conflict that our dynasty cannot withstand.
Zhang San also frowned, but he analyzed and refuted from an intelligence perspective: "What Magistrate Lin said is absolutely right, and from an intelligence point of view, this move is also extremely dangerous."
As he spoke, he listed three points: "First, it is difficult to keep our military movements completely secret. The Dutch must have spies in the islands of the South China Sea. It is hard for our navy to move westward without arousing their suspicion. Once Batavia receives advance warning, strengthens its defenses, or even sets up an ambush, our army will be in dire straits."
"Secondly, the defenses of Batavia are still unclear. Although the spies I sent have infiltrated Batavia, they have not yet returned with information about the city's defenses. It would be unwise to attack rashly."
"Thirdly, the voyage to Batavia is more than two thousand miles long, and there are no reliable supply points under our control along the way. If the battle goes against us or the attack is blocked, the fleet will run out of food and ammunition and the number of wounded will increase. How can we safely withdraw? If we are intercepted by the Dutch patrol fleet on the way back, the consequences will be unimaginable."
After Zhang San finished speaking in one breath, the study fell silent. His analysis was clear and logical, hitting the nail on the head and exposing the huge risks behind the surprise attack plan.
After listening, Zhu Jiheng remained silent for a long time. He had to admit that Zhang San and Lin Qingyuan's concerns were very real.
The surprise attack on Batavia sounds thrilling and a brilliant move to break the deadlock, but in practice, it was a nail-biter. Any mistake at any stage could lead to total defeat.
"You're right," Zhu Jiheng said slowly, his tone no longer as impassioned as before, but rather somewhat solemn. "A surprise attack on Batavia is indeed a gamble with a slim chance of success. If intelligence is insufficient, preparations are inadequate, or the timing is wrong, it's tantamount to suicide."
He then changed the subject and said, "However, if we wait for the Red-haired Barbarians and the Northern Barbarians to form a united front and attack from both the north and south, we will only be heading towards certain death!"
Jingzhi worries that if the navy is lost, Luzon will be in grave danger. But if the main force of the navy is trapped in the waters near Luzon by the combined forces of the Dutch fleet and the Northern Barbarian navy, and then besieged on land, wouldn't that be just as perilous? That would be the true dead end!
Zhang San and Lin Qingyuan were startled by this more explicit and dangerous prospect, and were speechless for a moment.
Zhu Jiheng continued, "The collusion between the Dutch and the northern barbarians is not mere conjecture. They have always acted solely for profit. They were able to join forces with the barbarians to attack Taiwan back then, so why would they sit idly by and watch us occupy Luzon and revive our power today?"
If, once the secret agreement is finalized, the Dutch warships blockade our coastal borders, and the northern barbarians deploy their navy in Fujian and Guangdong, then even with elite troops and capable generals, our dynasty will be trapped in a desperate situation, attacked from both north and south, and besieged by both land and sea. At that time, not only will Luzon be difficult to defend, but our aspirations for revival will also be in vain!
As he spoke, he walked to the nautical chart and pointed heavily at Batavia: "Batavia, the heart of the Dutch. If this city were struck by lightning, its governor, council, fleet headquarters, and warehouses would all be wiped out."
Once they are wounded, chaos will ensue! The enemy on the southern front will be preoccupied with their own survival, let alone coordinate with the northern barbarians for a pincer attack. This is a strategy of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao," attacking what they must defend, and breaking their alliance!
"As for the risks..." Zhu Jiheng took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, "How could I not know the dangers? But if we sit and wait for death, we are doomed; if we take a risk and fight, we still have a chance of survival!"
Our Nanyang Fleet is small but elite, with powerful cannons and sturdy ships, far superior to Dutch merchant ships—this is our first advantage. Our officers and soldiers, fresh from their victory at Cebu, are in high spirits and eager for battle—this is our second advantage. The Dutch are arrogant; although our capture of Cebu has put them on their guard, they surely expect us to consolidate our newly acquired territory and cannot anticipate our daring to launch a lone, distant attack on their base—this is our third advantage, allowing us to achieve a surprise attack!
Zhu Jiheng's words were not only meant to persuade the two men, but also to encourage himself and them.
After saying that, he turned to Zhang San, his tone becoming more forceful, and commanded:
"Intelligence is the key to the success or failure of this battle. You must immediately use all means and spare no expense to quickly find out the size and berths of the warships permanently stationed in Batavia, the depth of the port waterways and the best route to enter the port, the distribution of the garrison in the city, the rotation patterns, and the location of the governor's mansion and armory."
"In addition, we ordered people to spread rumors everywhere that our army would go south to sweep away the remnants of the Western barbarians in Mindanao, to confuse the public. In this way, even if our army left the port and went south, the Dutch would subconsciously think that our army's target was the Western barbarians."
Seeing Zhu Jiheng's firm stance, Zhang San stopped trying to persuade him and said sternly, "Your subordinate will spare no effort to fulfill your orders!"
Lin Qingyuan was dumbfounded when he saw this. He had hoped that Zhang San would cooperate with him to persuade him again, but Zhang San actually gave in immediately.
This is the difference between him and the system administrator. As the system administrator, Zhang San is completely loyal to Zhu Jiheng and will not refuse Zhu Jiheng's orders.
He might think that Zhu Jiheng's orders were unreasonable and offer his own advice, but if Zhu Jiheng was unwilling to accept them, he would simply accept the orders and faithfully carry them out.
Zhu Jiheng nodded, then looked at Lin Qingyuan and said, "Jingzhi, you will be in charge of the logistics. Ensure that there are enough provisions, ammunition, gunpowder, medicine, and sailing ropes for a thousand people for two months. Recruit reliable merchant ships to accompany the supplies and send them to Jinghai County first."
Upon hearing this, Lin Qingyuan, despite his disbelief that the plan was unreliable, had no choice but to agree.
He had prepared for the worst. If that day really came, he would not run away again. He had already fled his homeland to this overseas land, where else could he run to? He could only die for his country and not fail the kindness of His Highness the Regent.
Zhu Jiheng was unaware of Lin Qingyuan's inner thoughts. After Lin Qingyuan bowed and accepted, his expression softened slightly, but his tone remained serious:
"I know this is a risky move, but time waits for no one. If this battle succeeds, it will give our dynasty at least six months to a year to catch its breath and develop. By then, our navy will have new ships launched and our land forces will be strong and well-equipped. How can we not launch a counterattack on the Northern Expedition? If it fails..."
Zhu Jiheng took a deep breath: "If that doesn't work, at least let the Dutch know that the soldiers of our Great Ming have the courage to fight to the death, and that anyone who dares to invade our coastal borders, no matter how far away, will be punished! We will not sit idly by and wait to die!"