Dutch East India Company and the Battle of Gulangyu in Ming Dynasty

Dutch East India Company and the Battle of Gulangyu in Ming Dynasty

As a super killer in the history of naval development, fireboats have been full of dramatic tension since their birth. It not only created countless classic scenes similar to Battle of Red Cliffs, but also always aroused the desire of the relatively weak party to make a comeback in adversity. Therefore, no matter how high or low the cost and how complicated the operation is, it will inadvertently emerge between the lines left by the ancestors.

Firefighting wheel tactics often have extremely high requirements for users and the environment.

However, the fireboat is by no means a panacea for all diseases, and it requires high skills and experience of users themselves. For example, the Battle of Gulangyu, which took place in A.D. 1622, is a very typical failure case. As the host, the Ming army tried many times, but failed to hurt the Dutch invaders, and could only watch the other side walk away.

As early as 162 1 year, the Dutch East India Company sent a huge fleet to the Far East in conjunction with British allies in order to explore the Asian market. They will bypass the crisis-ridden Straits of Malacca and seek monopoly trade opportunities in Fujian and Guangdong waters further north. Then I got in touch with Batavia in Java,

Establish the triangle trade Passage across Nanyang, and strive to include the Japanese market in it. Of course, this also means going to war with many forces, and even facing the internal and external attack of the Portuguese-Ming Coalition forces at the same time.

The following year, the Dutch-British fleet launched a strategic plan as scheduled, aiming at the Macao Concession in the Pearl River Estuary. However, the team composed of landing sailors and third-rate mercenaries did not play well and was hit head-on on the way into the core area of the city. Although it did not affect the ship itself at sea, it had to give up the expensive storm plan.

Then it moved downstream to the south of Fujian and moved to the Penghu Islands, known as the Penghu Islands. As there is no strong local guard, the Dutch will not hesitate to take it as their own, and prepare to build it into a bridgehead leading the China market.

Perhaps drawing on the previous experience of Guangdong coastal areas, the Dutch judged that their hasty visit would not be recognized by the local authorities in Fujian. So, after sending off the first group of negotiators who came across the sea, they decided to rely on military deterrence and use all means including blockade, interception and intimidation to force each other to commit crimes.

. As a result, merchant ships passing through the Taiwan Province Strait were intercepted many times, and large ships with strong endurance were dismissed to Nanyang and Japan. Finally, I had to call all the boats, hoping to use Zhangzhou as a stepping stone to enter the mainland market.

At the same time, the Ming Dynasty was still immersed in the prosperity brought by the Qin Long switch. Although Zhangzhou's political status has not been as good as Quanzhou and Fuzhou, it has unexpectedly enjoyed the foreign trade bonus by virtue of the establishment of the Guangdong-Hong Kong Shipping Company, which has better supported the economy of Xiamen Island.

So that in the eyes of the newly arrived Dutch, the lower reaches of the Jiulong River, where merchants gather, is the hub of this province. They simply don't care that the real decision-making core is actually far away in Fuzhou. In addition, the motherland takes the route of establishing the country through trade, which makes it easier to have unrealistic fantasies about Xiamen Bay Area, which is called Zhangzhou River.

1622 10 6 18, a fleet consisting of three sailboats and five sloops arrived in Xiamen bay. Due to the coastal defense reform half a century ago, the local Ming army has abandoned the outermost Wuyu Island Water Village so that any outsiders can openly rush into the harbor from the south.

The Dutch are also keenly aware that they seem to be in a completely undefended water area. Therefore, it is safe and bold to send all three large ships around to intercept moving targets, leaving only five small boats with weak firepower to perform the task of destruction+blockade. Even so, they still formed an asymmetric advantage over unarmed officials and businessmen, and instantly burned 60-70 merchant ships ready to go to Luzon.

On the other hand, the Ming loyalist's defense of Jiulong River Estuary was not without arrangement. For example, the officers and men of Shuizhai, originally stationed in Wuyu, moved their belongings to Xiamen and Gulangyu. On Jinmen Island, which is separated from it by water, there is also a large-scale health guard population, and there is also a patrol boat base on Leyu Island, which is sandwiched between the two.

But they were all unprepared for a sudden attack. Among them, although Xiamen Island is the target of public criticism, it has already evolved into a special anchorage for the city shipping company. When a small group of Dutch people were forced to set foot on land because of bad weather, they scared away dozens of armed soldiers and civilians with muskets and swords in their hands several times until their companions came and took them all away.

The patrol fleet of Leyu Island is almost automatically invisible, and dare not open warships such as bird boats or eight-paddle boats to reinforce it, so that the soldiers on Kinmen Island can do nothing practical. These unfavorable factors are intertwined, forcing the defenders to offer only the most helpless choice-the fire boat.

Ironically, although the Dutch did not encounter any decent resistance, they were constantly suffering from non-combat attrition because they were not familiar with the local situation. Some people fell ill and died because of lack of food and clothes, while others died at sea while collecting supplies in kayaks. In order not to be destroyed before the arrival of reinforcements,

1October 25th, 165438+ They sent three dhows to leave this array and ventured to the village on Gulangyu Island to plunder livestock. Unexpectedly, the nearby Ming army had been waiting for a long time, and nine bundled fireboats were released downstream. Unfortunately, it failed to achieve the goal, and all of them burned up in a floating state.

Since then, about 50 Dutch sailors have boarded Gulangyu Island, only to find themselves trapped. The local garrison is not prepared to give up the village easily, but instead gathers thousands of people to block the entrance. They also kept shooting with nine Franco guns in their hands and dispatched the remaining four naval warships to the shore to strengthen their defense.

At that time, it really had a good effect, holding the opponent in place for three days. It was not until the 28th that two Galen sailboats came to the port again that the overwhelming firepower of the red cannon was used to rescue the trapped people. The troops guarding the island can only leave the cottage with the remaining Fran planes, so that the other side can burn the warships that have no time to leave.

165438+1On October 29th, the reinforced Dutch fleet moved to the other side of Gulangyu to find the target. After easily destroying 1 Ming army battlefield with naval guns, it was found that the other side had prepared two unreleased fire boats on the shore. However, the suppression firepower of surface ships is too fierce, and no one dares to venture into the water.

The invaders seized the opportunity, and the next day they sent 37 musketeers to land and raid, chasing the escaped Shuizhai military households to the door of the fortress. Although the latter struggled to rush outward, it could not hold the powerful rifle volley, and could only watch the burning ship burn behind the high wall. Collected many non-transferable materials, including pigs, sheep and chickens, which are valuable sources in protein.

Finally, on February 3, 65438, the invading fleet was ready to return to Penghu to rest, and was countered by two fireboats at the foot of Tazai Mountain not far away. Among them, 1 almost hit the ship, which made the Dutch, who claimed to be the new owner of the ocean, break out in a cold sweat. However, this is the last fight of the Ming army in Xiamen Bay.

From beginning to end, they dare not assemble a larger navy and army to fight. Instead, sit back and watch your opponent leave after Gulangyu replenished fresh water, and then go to the other side of the strait without looking back.

In this battle of Gulangyu, which lasted for about 47 days, the gap between the Ming navy and the fleet of the Dutch East India Company was unobstructed. Because according to personal experience, the defenders' warships are often higher than the invaders' sloops. Not to mention the absolute advantage in quantity and familiarity with the home environment.

However, except for the team that can't retreat, almost all the friendly forces on the other islands are pursuing pure self-protection. Therefore, we will release the fireboat very negatively, instead of trying to respond in more ways.

Unfortunately, fireboats often need harsh conditions of use in order to play the brilliant effect in the bridge section of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Generally speaking, it is to find a water area lacking maneuvering space, and the maneuverability of the platform itself cannot be weaker than that of the target unit. It's best to have brave people in charge of control all the time until the last stage.

Obviously, the above requirements were difficult for loyal ministers in the Ming Dynasty to meet, and it is no wonder that their performance was mercilessly ridiculed by outsiders and latecomers.