Total War: Restoration of the Ming Dynasty in Luzon

Chapter 74 Turning Point

Capelen harbored deep fear of the Ming navy's strength, a fact he was unwilling to admit.

Reason told him that he had to deal with the threat from behind before rushing to Batavia's aid, but his anxiety about the safety of the company headquarters made him very anxious.

After much deliberation, Cappellen ultimately decided to deal with the immediate threat first, leaving him with no choice but to trust Batavia's defenses.

However, Qin Yunwu was not prepared to confront the Dutch head-on. He knew that the main force of the Dutch navy was still intact, while his side only had six warships. Although their firepower was superior to any of the enemy's ships, as the saying goes, two fists can't beat four hands. If they were surrounded by the Dutch, they would only face certain death.

Faced with the Dutch army's move to turn around and attack, Qin Yunwu decisively chose to avoid their sharp edge and refused to engage in battle with the Dutch army. Instead, he followed them from a distance, preventing the Dutch from fully returning to defend.

The Ming army's shamelessness infuriated Cappellen, but he was powerless to do anything about it. The Ming army was smaller and more agile than their massive fleet.

Trying to capture the small Ming fleet that was trying to avoid battle and maintain a safe distance was like a clumsy fat man fighting a nimble little man. Several attempts to encircle and accelerate the pursuit not only failed to close the distance, but also slowed down the entire fleet's return speed, making Capelen even more frustrated.

"Commander, we can't let them keep dragging us along like this!" the adjutant anxiously suggested. "Either gather the fastest ships and charge at them at all costs, or simply ignore them and head back to Batavia at full speed!"

Even if they follow us, once we enter Batavia port and rely on the coastal defenses, they can't do anything to us!

Upon hearing this, Capelen frowned.

The first option is too risky. Dividing the forces to pursue them could result in them being defeated one by one. Even if they manage to catch up, the Ming fleet behind them has powerful artillery and may not be able to defeat them in a short time. Instead, they may get bogged down in a protracted battle, which would waste even more time.

The second option... ignore the pursuers and return at full speed to reinforce, sounds straightforward, but it means completely exposing the vulnerable flanks and rear to the enemy.

Who can guarantee that the Ming army wouldn't take advantage of their full-speed sailing and loose formation to launch a surprise attack, targeting ships that have fallen behind?

This feeling of being constantly on edge is absolutely maddening.

Just as Capelen was hesitating, even worse news arrived—

One of the straggling ships sent to scout towards Batavia escaped in disarray, bringing back news that terrified everyone:

Ming army flags were flying outside Batavia port. The port forts appeared to have changed hands. There were no Dutch flags or signs of fierce fighting. When the fast boats tried to approach, they were driven away by what appeared to be Ming army patrol boats.

Although the fall of the castle was not explicitly witnessed, the scene almost certainly signaled that Batavia was in grave danger.

The atmosphere inside the cabin plummeted to freezing point; the officers' faces turned ashen, and their last shred of hope was ruthlessly extinguished.

"Badavia...may already..." someone whispered, uttering words that no one dared to contemplate.

Capelen seemed to age ten years in an instant. He slumped into a chair, his worst fears realized. Not only might it be too late to send reinforcements, but the nest he could return to might also be gone.

"Commander, we are now..." The adjutant's voice was extremely hoarse.

Capelen raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, a hint of confusion flashing across them that even he didn't notice. Returning to Batavia was pointless, and might even be walking into a trap. There were pursuers behind them, and ahead were strongholds that might have already been occupied by the enemy.

As for the present situation, there is probably only one way that may offer a glimmer of hope: abandon the mission to aid Batavia, avoid the troublesome Ming fleet behind them, and head southwest at full speed to Semarang, an important stronghold still under the company's control. There is a port there where they can rest and resupply, and warehouses there where they can replenish their supplies. Although their connection with Ceylon has been cut off by Batavia, at least they can preserve their main force and plan for the future.

As for Batavia... all we can do is pray for God to bless those colleagues whose fates are unknown.

"Order the entire fleet!" Capelen stood up abruptly and commanded with some difficulty, "Change course and head southwest towards Semarang at full speed! All ships maintain tight formation, strengthen flank and rear guard, and prevent a Ming surprise attack!"

"And the Ming fleet behind them..." the adjutant asked hesitantly.

"Ignore them for now!" Capelen gritted his teeth. "As long as we maintain formation and disengage at full speed, their numbers far outnumber ours, and they won't dare get too close. We'll settle accounts with them once we've established a foothold in Semarang!"

The massive Dutch fleet immediately began to slowly turn on the sea, abandoning the direct route to Batavia and heading southwest.

Qin Yunwu, who had been following them, soon noticed the Dutch change in course. After looking at the lookout's report and thinking for a moment, he immediately ordered someone to bring him the captured Dutch nautical chart.

He stared at the direction the Dutch fleet was heading south, and after searching the nautical chart, a look of understanding appeared on his face.

"It seems they are not planning to return to Batavia. From this direction, they are very likely heading to another stronghold, Semarang, which also has a port that can accommodate the fleet."

"General, should we give chase and intercept them?" the adjutant asked.

"No." Qin Yunwu shook his head and said, "Since they are preparing to retreat to Semarang, we don't need to pursue them too closely. Pass down the order: the fleet will continue to monitor from a distance, but there is no need to launch any more attacks. At the same time, send a ship to turn around immediately and sail at full speed to Batavia to contact Commander Chen and Admiral Lü."

The adjutant asked, somewhat puzzled, "General, shouldn't we take this opportunity to harass and weaken them?"

Qin Yunwu explained, "The Dutch are now like frightened birds, eager to return home and heading straight for Semarang. If we push them too hard, they might become desperate and turn back to fight back, or even take more extreme actions in desperation."

"Instead of doing that, we should let them retreat smoothly to Semarang, then contact our allies in Batavia and invite them to send troops to join our forces in attacking Semarang by land and sea, annihilating them in one fell swoop!"

He paused, then a confident smile spread across his face: "At that time, the Dutch will be trapped like turtles in a jar by our army within Semarang!"

The adjutant agreed wholeheartedly and exclaimed, "General, you are brilliant! In this way, the Dutch will no longer be able to pose a threat to our army!"

The order was carried out swiftly, and a sixth-class ship immediately broke away from the formation, hoisted its sails, and sped off toward Batavia.

Qin Yunwu led the remaining five warships, following the massive Dutch fleet at a distance, silently putting pressure on the Dutch forces and preventing them from being completely at ease.