Transporting 20,000 people from a cave that can only accommodate one bird boat at a time is as efficient as you can imagine.

After a bird boat dismantled all unnecessary equipment, it could barely accommodate eighty soldiers, Qi Yuangong mobilized ten bird boats to transport them at the same time, and it took at least two quarters of an hour to make a round trip, and only eight hundred people were transported.

At this rate, it would take six or seven hours to transport only 20,000 marines, and in addition to this, artillery was also a top priority, and a bird ship could only transport one medium howitzer.

Since Chen Jinnan brought it back to the cave and was absolutely safe, Liu Hong gradually became less anxious.

It was impossible for the Dutch to have such a high level of operational ability, and it would take at least two days from the time they learned of the landing place of the Daming Naval Division to the time when the Dutch transmitted the news to Batavia through the sentinel ship, and then gathered soldiers to obstruct it.

Liu Hong gradually had a good night's sleep on the flagship Invincible, and by the morning of the next day, the busy transportation work for a day and a night was finally coming to an end.

He ordered the sailors to stay in place outside the cave except for some of them, and the rest of the main force was returned to Batavia Port by Qi Yuangong and Zheng Sen to continue the blockade, and then energetically embarked on a bird boat with the last dozens of personal guards.

The bird boat swayed through the dark cave, and then there was a lush primeval forest on both sides of the turquoise river that flowed from the inside out.

There were many Praetorian Guard soldiers with muskets standing on both sides of the exit, and a group of swarthy natives standing not far away.

"Ansai is a dead wood!"

As soon as Liu Hongjian landed on the shore, Harold stepped forward and bowed five or six steps away from Liu Hongjian and buckled his chest.

Slightly taller than Liu Hong, Harold wore a dark purple robe and a white worship hat on his head, in stark contrast to his tanned skin that had been exposed to ultraviolet rays for a long time.

"Lord, the people of Banden believe in the Ishlan religion, what His Highness Harold just said means is that Harold has seen the Great Envoy, may Allah grant you peace!" Montel acted as an interpreter on an ad hoc basis.

At this time, he also took off his original beggar costume and changed into the ordinary clothes of the Banten people.

"Oh, you tell him, may the Supreme Lord also grant him peace." Liu Hongjian looked up at the sky while looking at the surrounding defenses, but found that he couldn't see the sky at all.

It has a tropical rainforest climate, with towering trees and unknown vines blocking the only light, so you can either step out of the jungle or climb to the top of the canopy if you want to see the sky.

"Lord, His Highness Harold would like to invite you to the tribe for a while." Montel whispered a few words to Harold, Harold didn't know which god Taishang Laojun was, and his face was full of doubts.

Montel knew that the official lord of the Ming Dynasty liked to be held, so he said that Banten was a tribe to highlight the dignity of the Ming Dynasty.

Indeed, the remnants of the Banten people were all taken refuge in the endless primeval forest, and most of the civilians gathered in small tribes, except for them as high-ranking officials.

"Time is pressing, this king is ready to attack immediately, what is there to talk about after the battle!" Liu Hong nodded at Harold and said to Montel.

Although the soldiers of the land war are all soldiers who have followed Liu Hongjian in a hundred battles, and they are outstanding in terms of morale, combat power and resilience, this group of soldiers has entered the snow field and desert, but they have never entered such a sultry primeval forest.

Liu Honggradually worried that the soldiers would not be able to stand it for a long time, and he had heard that this environment was extremely easy to get an infectious disease called malaria.

According to the location determined by Qi Yuangong, this place is about more than 100 miles away from Batavia City, and the soldiers and nobles can't be delayed quickly, so Liu Hongjian plans to set off directly to Batavia City.

Harold frowned slightly when he heard this, as if he didn't understand very much, as the leader of the Banten people, he personally greeted him and was refused, which is not something that any king can bear.

But Harold's brow furrowed only a moment, and he bowed to Liu Hong, and then whispered a few more words to Montel.

"Lord Wang, His Royal Highness Harold said that the terrain here is complicated, and he can send a few people who are familiar with the road to lead the way." Montel said respectfully.

Liu Hong gradually thought for a while and agreed, although the Gaoshan people are good at mountain warfare, but after all, they are not familiar with this forest, if there are no locals to lead the way, maybe they will have to take the wrong road.

Half an hour later, 20,000 soldiers were well fed and drunk, and Harold had gathered just over 100 horses from his tribe to pull howitzers.

Among the guides accompanying the army was an elderly man, who had been silent and led the way all the way due to the language barrier.

By the time it got dark, the trees overhead had finally thinned out a lot, indicating that it was not far from the edge of the forest.

Liu Hongchuan was very satisfied with this old guide, along the way, the old guide chose a relatively easy road, and Qi Yuangong also said that it was at least twenty or thirty miles less than the route they had planned before.

At dinner, in order not to attract attention, the whole army ate dry cakes, and Liu Hongjian also specially rewarded the old guide with a few pieces of silver weighing twenty taels, but the old man refused to accept anything, and gestured that the clan had given a reward, so that Liu Hongjian couldn't help but praise the sincerity of these natives.

In fact, before the European colonists set foot in the Americas and the South Seas, the natives of various places were very warm and simple, and they would give the only food they had to their friends to eat, and they would also help those guests who were sick due to their long voyages, but in the end they were brutally slaughtered by the Europa.

"Sir, can we continue our journey at night?" After eating, Liu Hong gradually thought for a long time and asked the guide.

Time is still in this primeval forest, which makes Liu Hongjian feel very uncomfortable in his heart, just like a person in a claustrophobic space.

But marching at night was already unfavorable, and it was very easy to get lost in the forest, so Liu Hongjian just asked casually without much hope.

Chang Yu gestured for a long time before the old man understood the meaning, the old man frowned and looked at the sky through the sparse canopy, a round of crescent moon hung obliquely in the sky, and a few stars were faintly visible, and then the old man nodded heavily.

After finalizing the plan for the night march, 20,000 men continued their march towards Batavia.

The officers and men of the whole army did not complain after receiving orders from their superiors, this is a unit that has experienced a more brutal situation, and a day or two of marching is simply not enough to affect the combat effectiveness of the soldiers.

There was silence, only the nocturnal insects and birds were the company, mixed with the footsteps of the soldiers, and the army silently walked out of the forest and towards the plain.

Just after the fourth watch, the sky still did not shine, and the mysterious city of Batavia under the moonlight finally appeared in everyone's eyes......