The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 935 Long live the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom!
Autumn 1883, Cam Ranh Bay, Annam.

Inside the headquarters building of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Nanyang Army, General Chen Yucheng stood in front of a huge map of Nanyang, his eyes fixed on the marker of the Singapore Fortress.

Outside the window, the morning glow spilled into the harbor, where a dense array of ships were moored on the sea—27 "Island"-class landing ships, 10 "Zhenyuan"-class armored cruisers, 22 "Wuxian"-class light cruisers, 16 destroyers, and dozens of transport ships and coal carriers.

This military base was the largest combined land and sea fortress of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in Southeast Asia, and a sharp dagger pointing at the heart of the British Far East colonial system!

Seven coastal defense batteries were positioned on the high ground along the coast, their 280mm Tianli Type 30 coastal guns menacingly pointing out to the sea, their dark muzzles seemingly ready to devour any enemy daring to enter the South China Sea. Below the batteries lay the base's ammunition depots and barracks. Inside the underground ammunition depots, boxes of shells were piled high, ready to unleash a deluge of death upon the British. And within rows of neat barracks stood 80,000 elite troops from the Taiping Army's Third Army and the Taiping Naval Infantry, both under the command of the foreign legion!
Near the military camp was an airship base, where six "Skyhawk" class reconnaissance airships were currently moored, their massive gasbags slightly inflated in the morning breeze. Since airplanes couldn't take to the skies yet, these plump airships served as the fleet's long-range eyes in naval warfare.

To the left of the airship base is the highest point in Cam Ranh Bay, where sentries are scanning the sea with high-powered binoculars from the watchtower.

The Taiping Navy also constructed a dry dock and naval shipyard in Cam Ranh Bay. In one of the dry docks, a Flying Eagle-class armored cruiser, which had sustained heavy damage in a gunfight with the British two weeks prior, was undergoing repairs. Amidst the clanging and banging of hammers and the roar of steam cranes, several armor plates penetrated by British Rafale-class destroyers were replaced, and a damaged armored gun turret was replaced with a brand new one. The Flying Eagle-class, battered and bruised just a week ago, was now completely rebuilt and ready to be deployed again!
The Cam Ranh Bay Naval Shipyard, the Brunei Bay Naval Shipyard in Borneo, and the Surabaya Naval Shipyard on Java Island were the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's biggest trump card in the Southeast Asian battlefield. Damaged warships from the Southeast Asian campaign could be towed back to these ports for repairs. In contrast, British ships damaged in the war could only be towed back to Hindustani shipyards for workers.
Cam Ranh Bay Wharf is currently at its busiest. Railway tracks extend from warehouses and ammunition depots all the way to the pier, where wagons of ammunition and supplies are being hoisted onto transport ships. Workers in blue overalls are chanting as they push crates of large-caliber artillery shells onto the decks of armored cruisers and landing ships.

And these shells will soon bloom into flowers of death on the British positions!
Inside the operations command center, the staff officer strode in, his boots clicking crisply on the floor. He stood at attention and saluted, his voice booming as if it would shatter the glass:
"Reporting to the Commander! The General Staff has issued 'General Staff Order No. 2'!"

The hall fell silent instantly, all eyes fixed on the thin command document. Chen Yucheng took the document, his fingers trembling slightly. This wasn't fear, but the excitement of finally releasing long-suppressed fighting spirit!
His gaze swept across the paper, the corners of his mouth slowly turning upwards, finally transforming into a ferocious grin: "Hahaha, begin the southward advance, seize the Malay Peninsula, the Singapore fortress, and Sumatra, and annihilate the British Far East Fleet and the Malayan Legion!"

This simple line of text heralded the beginning of the end of Western colonial history in Southeast Asia!
Chen Yucheng raised his head, his gaze sharp as lightning, and looked at Lieutenant General Li Rongfa, commander of the First Marine Corps of the Taiping Navy, and Lieutenant General Chen Kunshu, admiral of the Third Landing Detachment of the Taiping Navy's Southern Fleet, who were standing to the side. These two renowned generals, who had grown up from child soldiers in the Taiping Army, also had fighting spirit burning in their eyes at this moment.

"Marching towards Malaya!" Chen Yucheng's voice boomed like thunder. "Marching towards Singapore!"

A sharp whistle pierced the morning mist over Cam Ranh Bay, and an air raid siren sounded at the camp of the 1st Marine Corps.

"Gather! Gather now!"

The officers' shouts echoed throughout the camp. Soldiers rushed out of the barracks and surged onto the parade ground like a tide. They wore dark blue uniforms, bayonets at their waists, and rifles on their shoulders. Their steps were so synchronized that they formed 27 battalion squares in the blink of an eye.

Chen Yucheng and Li Rongfa stood on the high platform, their military uniforms crisp and their gazes piercing. Below, the soldiers were arrayed in square formations, their bayonets gleaming coldly in the morning light, resembling a steel forest.

Li Rongfa stepped forward, his voice as powerful as a war drum: "Brothers! Today, we embark on our journey!"

His voice echoed over the bay, each word striking the soldiers' hearts like a hammer blow: "From the Jintian Uprising onward, our predecessors forged the glory of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom with their blood! Hong Xiuquan led us out of Guangxi, Yang Dongwang led us to conquer Nanjing, and Luo Wuwang led us to sweep across the land!"

"Today, it is our generation's turn to expand the territory of the Kingdom of Heaven! The British thought they could rule Southeast Asia forever, but they are wrong! Our gunboats will crush their fleet, and our bayonets will pierce their defenses!"

He drew his sword sharply, the blade pointing south: "Remember—fear no sacrifice, advance bravely! Carry forward the Jintian Spirit! The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom will never forget your contributions!"

"Long live the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom!"

"Long live the Taiping Army!"

The soldiers' roars were deafening, as if they could tear the sky apart! The sound coalesced into a torrent, echoing for a long time over Jinlan Bay. Every soldier's eyes burned with fighting spirit; they gripped their rifles tightly, as if they had been eagerly awaiting this day!
On the sea surface of Cam Ranh Bay, the ship's horn sounded a long blast, like the roar of a dragon awakening.

Ten Zhenyuan-class armored cruisers were the first to weigh anchor, their massive iron anchors rising from the sea and creating churning waves. Thick black smoke billowed from the funnels of these steel behemoths, forming a dark cloud on the sea. Their bows cleaved through the waves as they headed south.

Twenty-two Wuxian-class light cruisers followed closely behind. Although these old cruisers were no longer suitable for fleet battles, their shallow draft made them very agile in coastal waters, making them ideal for supporting amphibious landings.

Sixteen destroyers darted between the fleet like hunting dogs, vigilantly patrolling the sea. These small vessels, all less than 1000 tons in size, were all new ships, less than five years old, and their steam-gas torpedoes were enough to strike fear into the hearts of any British warship!
Subsequently, 28 transport ships and coal carriers departed the port in succession. These ships, loaded with ammunition, supplies, and follow-up troops, were the lifeline of the expeditionary force.

The last to depart were 27 Island-class landing ships, their bow ramps tightly closed, with hundreds of marines silently waiting inside. These elite soldiers were the vanguard of the landing in Malaya, destined to carve out new territory for the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom with their blood and lives!
Chen Yucheng, along with his staff officers and the senior officers of the second batch of departing 3rd Army Corps, stood on the pier, saluting the departing ships. Their eyes followed the receding fleet, as if they could already see the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom flag flying over the Singapore Fortress!

Li Rongfa's military headquarters were transported aboard a converted passenger ship. As he stood on the deck looking back at Jinlan Bay, this veteran, who had followed the Taiping Army in its battles since the age of ten, couldn't help but shed tears. He straightened his back and gave a perfect military salute to the people on the shore. At that moment, everyone knew—history was about to be rewritten!
100 nautical miles south of Cam Ranh Bay, high altitude.

On the Falcon-class airship of the British Far East Command, observer Duncan suddenly widened his eyes, his hand gripping the binoculars trembling slightly. He exclaimed, "They've moved! My God, they've all moved! The sea is full of Chinese ships!"

The atmosphere inside the airship froze instantly. Lieutenant James Wilson, the captain, snatched the binoculars, and his face turned deathly pale when he saw the scene on the sea.

The Taiping army's fleet, like a torrent of steel, was rolling southward!

"Draw it quickly! Draw their formation!" Lieutenant Colonel Wilson roared. "A Chinese destroyer is coming; its four 88mm main guns can shoot down airships!"

Observer Duncan frantically grabbed his sketchpad, his trembling fingers sketching the outline of the Taiping fleet. His hand shook so badly that the lines were crooked and uneven, but it was enough to terrify the defenders of Singapore!

"Return to base! Return to base immediately!" Lieutenant Colonel Wilson shouted hoarsely. "We must get this message back!"

Singapore Fortress, the land command headquarters of the British Royal Navy's Far East Fleet.

The staff officer strode into the commander's office, his face ashen. He handed over a reconnaissance report from the airships, his voice trembling: "Commander, the Taiping fleet has been mobilized!"

Commander-in-Chief Admiral Charles Hood—an old-school officer from the Hood family—glanced at the report, his face instantly turning ashen. He slammed his fist on the table, causing the coffee cup on it to bounce and splatter brown liquid onto his pristine white uniform.

"Sound the alarm!" His voice boomed like thunder. "Far East Fleet, attack! We cannot allow them to land; we must annihilate them at sea!"

The alarm bells wailed mournfully in the Singapore fortress, like the howls of a dying beast. British warships in the harbor weighed anchor, and sailors scrambled to their battle stations. These proud Royal Navy soldiers had no idea what kind of storm they were about to face!
At the same time, in the northern sea area of ​​Borneo.

The main force of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Southern Fleet—the Second Armored Cruiser Squadron and the First Battleship Squadron—is advancing westward along the coastline.

The second armored cruiser squadron consisted of four Jingyuan-class and four Dinghai-class armored cruisers, four Wuxian-class light cruisers, and four destroyers—forming a double column formation as they sailed through the waves.

The four 210mm main guns of the Jingyuan-class ships stood proudly, their bows cleaving the azure sea and sending up white sprays. The black smoke billowing from the funnels cast long shadows in the morning light, like four black dragons swimming on the sea.

Following closely behind the second cruiser squadron was the first battleship squadron—six "Hairyu-class" battleships, six cruisers, and six destroyers—following in a single column.

The massive hull of the "Hailong II" swept across the sea, and the steel behemoth with a standard displacement of over 16000 tons stirred up waves several meters high with each shoal. The bulbous bow design made them more stable at high speeds, while the propellers at the stern churned up the seawater, leaving a rolling white trail in their wake.

The sea breeze howled, and the ship's flag fluttered in the wind.

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's yellow dragon flag fluttered in the wind atop the mast, its golden dragon pattern gleaming in the morning sun.

Wherever the fleet passed, Chinese immigrants along the coast rushed to the beach, gazing with tears in their eyes at this steel fleet that belonged to their motherland.

"Look! Those are our Heavenly Kingdom's battleships!"

"My God, how many cannons are there?"

"Long live the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom!"

(End of this chapter)