novelAbuy Chapter 71 Three Rounds of Fire
Chapter 71 Three Rounds of Fire
"Fire!"
The sound came later.
First came the light—the four main guns of turrets A and B simultaneously spewed out blazing white flames, and the muzzle storm exploded into a visible shockwave on the sea surface. Then came the tremor; the 40,000-ton warship was pushed sideways by the enormous recoil, and the hull emitted a low groan.
Finally, there's the sound.
That wasn't an ordinary cannon shot. It was some kind of primal, violent roar, like a thousand thunderbolts exploding in your ears at once. The sound waves spread across the sea at a visible speed, making the glass of the harbor buildings rattle and causing people on the docks to instinctively cover their ears.
But it's not over yet.
Less than two seconds after the first volley of shells left the barrel, turrets C and D opened fire as well. Four more tongues of fire, another sideways movement, and another deafening roar that nearly ripped eardrums apart.
Eight 381mm high-explosive shells, each weighing 870 kilograms, flew at a speed of 800 meters per second toward Wangfu Cliff, eight kilometers away.
The flight time is approximately ten seconds.
For those ten seconds, time seemed to stand still in the entire port of Batavia.
On the dock, Chen Jinfu stared, mouth agape, at the eight faint trails of smoke streaking across the sky. He recalled setting off firecrackers during the Lunar New Year when he was a child, but even the loudest firecrackers couldn't compare to this.
Dutch military police stood there dumbfounded, some not even noticing their rifles fall to the ground.
Inside the port authority building, Director Van der Weil rushed to the window, his face ashen.
At the Governor's residence, Governor Van der Linden, who had just been urgently awakened, was wearing a bathrobe, and the coffee cup in his hand was trembling violently.
Then, the first shell hit its target.
It didn't land at the foot of the mountain, nor on its waist. It burrowed directly into the top of the Wangfu Cliff, triggering a delayed fuse from within. As a result, the entire upper part of the mountain exploded from the inside, like an egg smashed by a giant's hammer.
A massive fireball erupted from the mountain, followed by billowing dust and debris. The explosion was more muffled than cannon fire, but also more terrifying; it was the earth itself howling in agony.
Then came the second shot, the third shot... and the eighth shot.
Eight explosions, almost continuous, completely altered the shape of Wangfu Cliff, a rocky mountain that had stood for millions of years, in just thirty seconds. The top was flattened by at least twenty meters, and three huge gaps were blasted into the side of the mountain, with debris cascading down like a waterfall, creating continuous waves on the sea surface.
As the smoke from the last shell began to dissipate, the harbor remained deathly silent.
No one spoke. No one moved.
Only the sea breeze carries the smell of gunpowder and the dust that is still slowly falling from the sky.
Chen Jinfu was the first to kneel down.
He wasn't afraid. He simply couldn't stand. His knees buckled, his heart pounded, and tears streamed uncontrollably down his face. He looked at the ravaged mountain, at the giant gray ship on the sea, at the yellow dragon flag.
It's been a hundred years.
From their grandfathers' generation onward, Chinese people here have been treated like slaves, ordered around, heavily taxed, arbitrarily beaten, and even arbitrarily shot. They have become accustomed to bowing their heads, to enduring, and to telling themselves: this is fate.
But now, someone comes to tell them: This is not fate.
Some people sailed from thousands of miles away, carrying cannons, and said in the most violent and direct way: You are not orphans, the motherland has not forgotten you.
Ah Qiang knelt down too. Then another worker beside him, and then one after another. Soon, the entire Chinese community in the South Wharf area was kneeling. No one organized it, no one called on them. They just knelt, looking at the ship, tears streaming down their faces, yet smiling.
The situation was completely different for the Dutch.
Chief Van der Weil slumped into his chair, his hands trembling so badly he could barely hold a pen. Only one thought occupied his mind: It's all over. Everything is over.
This is not a demonstration, not a provocation. This is a declaration of war—a declaration of war written with artillery shells.
Inside the governor's residence, Governor Van der Linden finally reacted, roaring at his adjutant, "Quickly! Send a telegram to The Hague! No, first to the garrison command! Tell them... tell them to prepare for battle!"
"But Governor," the adjutant said, his face pale, "our coastal artillery has a maximum range of only six kilometers, and that ship is eight kilometers away..."
"Then let the 'Seven Provinces' leave port! Stop it!"
"The 'Seven Provinces' is still undergoing maintenance; the boilers haven't even been ignited yet. It will take at least two hours..." (I couldn't find out how long it took for the warship's boilers to cool down and reignite back then, but it's not important anyway.)
"Two hours it is! Go now!"
Silence reigned on the bridge of the "Kuangfu" ship.
But it wasn't shock, it wasn't fear. It was a kind of... relief.
Li Te lowered his binoculars. His fingers were a little numb, and his ears were still ringing. But he could clearly see that the mountain had changed. He could also clearly see the kneeling figures on the dock.
"The effect of the artillery fire?" he asked, his voice a little hoarse.
Zhao Tieshan quickly replied: "All eight shots hit the target area. The impact point distribution is as expected, with the maximum deviation not exceeding fifty meters. The barrel temperature is normal, and the loading mechanism is operating normally. We can proceed with the second round of firing at any time."
"No need," Li Te said. "One round is enough."
He walked back to his command post and sat down. Lin Hai handed him a glass of water, which he took and drank in one gulp.
"Captain," Lin Hai said in a low voice, "there are many Chinese kneeling down on the dock."
"I know," Li Te said. "I saw it."
"them……"
"They're crying," Li Te interrupted him, "but they're also laughing."
He stood up and walked back to the observation window. The view of the harbor became clear through the binoculars. He could see the tears on the faces of the Chinese and the panic on the faces of the Dutch.
"Lin Hai".
"exist."
"Tell me, what do you think this shot we fired today will change?" Lee asked without turning around.
Lin Hai thought for a few seconds: "At least, the Dutch won't dare to fire indiscriminately anymore."
"Anything else?"
"And...those Chinese people, they can walk with their backs straight from now on."
"Anything else?"
Lin Hai couldn't say anything.
Li Te turned around, looked at him, and then at everyone on the bridge:
"Furthermore, from today onwards, all ten million Chinese in Southeast Asia will know one thing: There is a place in this world called Lanfang. There are ships and cannons there, and people are willing to travel thousands of miles to fire this shot for them."
He paused:
"This shot didn't just destroy a mountain. It destroyed a hundred years of humiliation, a hundred years of fear, and a hundred years of 'acceptance of fate.'"
A few seconds of silence fell over the bridge. Then, someone started clapping softly. Soon, the applause grew louder, though not loud, it was firm.
Li Te did not stop him. He waited for the applause to subside naturally before continuing:
"Alright, enough with the sentimentality. Now back to reality—we fired that shot, and the Dutch certainly won't let it go. Zhao Tieshan!"
"exist!"
"Main guns, keep loading, and aim at the Dutch ship 'Seven Provinces'. But do not fire unless ordered by me."
"yes!"
"Lin Hai!"
"exist!"
"Notify the engine room to reduce speed to five knots and maintain maneuverability. We're going to 'exercise' here for thirty minutes, so stay for the full thirty minutes. Not a second less."
"yes!"
"Xu Wen!"
"exist!"
"Begin drafting a formal note. The content should be strong, but the wording should conform to international law. There are three key points: First, demand that the Dutch authorities immediately cease their violence against the Chinese; second, hand over the military and police officers who opened fire yesterday for us to try; and third, compensate all the dead and wounded for their losses and guarantee the rights of the Chinese in the future."