Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 281 Fall

"Is this your impregnable fortress? There will be absolutely no problems? Oh my God! Dear General Ciarán Slicker, your promises are as unreliable as a woman's lies. Everyone here will become a prisoner."

Governor Ode waved his hands frantically, shouted angrily, and glared at his general with bloodshot eyes.

At this moment, Major General Ciaran Slicker's face was covered in dust and dirt from the thick gunpowder smoke, and the sweat that flowed down his face had left grooves in it. When he raised his hand to wipe it, his face became stained and he looked extremely embarrassed.

Facing the Governor-General's questioning, Major General Ciarán Slicker smiled miserably, which looked even uglier than crying. He replied in a firm voice:

"Please rest assured, my dear Lord Governor.

I will not shirk the responsibility for the defeat. In my 28-year military career, this is the first time I have faced such a cunning and ferocious opponent.

As a result, everything went terribly wrong.

No one thought that the Orientals would land through the Strait of Johor, which is a damn tropical jungle. What kind of genius idea was this?

Losing to such an opponent is not unacceptable.

To uphold the honor of soldiers, I will lead my soldiers to fight to the end, until the last moment of my life."

Speaking of here
Major General Ciarán Slicker raised his hand and saluted. At this moment, his face showed a resolute expression of being ready to die, and he seemed much more relieved.

When Governor Ode saw this scene, his anger dissipated a lot.

He pondered for a moment before asking;
"Dear General, I don't want to be captured dishonorably by the Orientals, including these senior officials of the Governor's Office. Do you have any plan to help us hold out until reinforcements arrive from Calcutta?"

"Of course." Major General Ciarán Slicker pointed backwards and answered simply, "You can take your men and retreat to Fort Siloso on Sentosa. I can give you a warrant and send a small steamer to take you across the sea. But we don't have any extra troops, and time..."

He took out his gold pocket watch and looked at it before continuing, "You and the others only have an hour and a half. We can't take too much stuff, and we can't take more than 40 people. Too many people, and the steamer won't fit."

"Thank you, dear General. I hope you can hold on."

"Although the hope is slim, I still want to thank you, Your Excellency the Governor."

"Well, good luck to you."

Governor Ode knew that time was urgent, so he didn't waste any more words. He greeted politely and turned to leave.

When he left, he took with him a group of senior officials from the Governor's Office.

These people needed to go back and prepare, pack up their portable belongings, and take their women and children to the Siloso Fort to avoid the war.

Sentosa and Singapore are separated by a strait that is at most 130 meters wide, with forts blocking both ends of the strait.

The eastern end is called East Lok Sok Fort and the western end is called West Lok Sok Fort.

some of

Siloso Fort is the main fort at the entrance to the strait. It is relatively large in area and has stronger defense capabilities. It is equipped with more than 10 large and small coastal guns to block the entrance to the strait.

There were 177 soldiers stationed on Fort Siloso, which was protected by solid fort buildings and abundant reserves. The surrounding Sentosa wilderness was unobstructed, providing a wide range of fire.

Even if there is a siege by an army of several thousand people, it can hold out for a long time.

With complicated eyes, Major General Ciarán Slicker watched the high-ranking officials of the Governor's Mansion leave. He calmed down and turned around, clapped his hands, and said to the officers around him;

"Okay, guys, we need to distribute our defense forces properly. Now we need to think carefully about how to beat these damn Orientals hard."

As he spoke, he picked up a branch and started drawing on the ground. He drew a simple map of the East City district.

Detailed arrangements were made for how to deploy firepower and coordinate personnel in the future, hoping to hold out for a longer period.

Even though you are determined to die, as long as there is still a little hope, you have to struggle, right?
What was the Chu army doing during this period of peace?

In the vast rubble of Dongcheng District, many residents came out under escort of knives and guns, their faces full of panic and fear.

In a relatively open area
The officers spoke directly and briefly, saying things like, "Our Chu army is an army of justice, it is the Chinese people's own army." "Facing the oppression of the British and French powers, we rose up and fought." "We aim to fight for the welfare of the Chinese, for dignity and equal treatment." "The rise of the Chinese nation is everyone's responsibility." And so on.

Then he went straight to the point and asked, "All the young men present who volunteered to join the army should stand on the left. From now on, they will be our brothers in the army, enjoy the treatment of military merit, a distinguished status that is prominent in front of people, and receive preferential salaries and generous benefits."

As soon as this statement came out

Many young Chinese people who were tempted stood to the left after hesitating for a while, and then some people followed them sparsely. The situation was stronger than people!

Anyone who is not stupid can see it.

These Chu troops who were approaching the border were very fierce. They killed white people and foreigners without even frowning. With the help of guns and cannons, they had firmly gained the upper hand.

The so-called "voluntary military service" is just what it means. If you don't volunteer to join the army, will you be allowed to go home?

Many people figured this out and then joined the team on the left. The number of people quickly reached seven or eight hundred, and then few people followed.

The officer's patience was limited. With a wave of his hand, he ordered, "Alright, you are now soldiers of my Fourth Regiment. Follow the men to get your weapons. Next, you will be assigned to the various battalions and companies to replenish the missing troops."

After saying this, the officer turned his head and looked at the other side. There were about three or four thousand people standing there with frightened expressions. He sneered and pointed at these people and gave an order:

"Since you refuse to take the open road, don't blame me for being cruel. You will all be forcibly recruited as auxiliary soldiers. Each of you will be given a white strip of cloth tied to your left arm. Now remember, anyone without a white strip of cloth on their arm is an enemy and will be executed unconditionally. No one will be spared."

After saying this, he ignored the deafening cries of the people, raised his hand and ordered the soldiers to start distributing white cloth strips, tying one to each person's left arm.

A team of 100 people tied with white cloth strips went to the pile of cold weapons in the venue. Those who had a knife picked up a knife, and those who didn't picked up a spear to use as a weapon.

When the charge comes later, these auxiliary troops will lead the charge, and the Chu army soldiers behind them will act as supervisors.

Anyone who disobeys orders will be killed without mercy.

Anyone who hesitates will be killed without mercy.

Anyone who misleads the army will be killed without mercy.

Anyone who flees privately will be killed without mercy.

Most of these people were Chinese, with some Malays and a few whites. They were all divided into teams and used as auxiliary troops to fight on the battlefield.

Those who are lucky enough to survive may have the opportunity to become regular soldiers.

The so-called auxiliary troops are cannon fodder.

There was nothing that could be done about it. The Singapore Expeditionary Force, led by Major General He Ruolin, suffered one-fifth casualties in just half a day. Such heavy casualties severely damaged the Chu army.

You know, the mission of the Singapore Expeditionary Force was to hold this place for more than half a year.

It's been less than a day and we've lost so many troops. We must replenish them as soon as possible and send more cannon fodder to the battlefield.

According to official British records
In 1860, Singapore's population was 83293, of which more than 5 were Chinese, accounting for 63.3%, mainly merchants, laborers, boat people, and dock workers.

By the beginning of the war in 1868

Singapore's urban population is approximately 12.76, of which 8.57 are Chinese, accounting for nearly %, making them the largest ethnic group settled in the local area.

Although these Singaporean expatriates were of the same Chinese ancestry, they did not have a high degree of recognition of the Chu State. Instead, they were willing to obey the British orders and take up arms to resist the invading Chu expeditionary force.

In that case, there's no need to be polite.

The Chu Army, originating from the Tongzhou militia, carries the fierce and murderous genes of landlord armed forces. During the brutal civil war in Shenzhou that lasted for several years, it has witnessed many scenes of fratricide.

There was no burden at all in mobilizing local people to serve as cannon fodder.

Auxiliary troops are standard cannon fodder. They rush to the front in battle and do all the hard work such as building defensive facilities, transporting food and water, cleaning the battlefield, and building bridges and roads after the battle.

There is no salary and no reward for meritorious service. It is good enough to be able to have a full meal.

Since they are unwilling to join the Chu army, they will be used as standard cannon fodder and slaves.

Those Singaporean Chinese who took the initiative to join the Chu Army received better treatment. Basically, they were treated the same way as recruits, were given priority in allocating captured British muskets, and received emergency training in using muskets before the war.

Its purpose is to teach these recruits how to load ammunition and how to aim and fire?
There is only one or two hours left. Whether you can master the skills of loading and shooting depends on fate. It doesn’t matter anyway.

These recruits will receive medical treatment if they are injured, their meritorious service will be recorded, they can also keep part of the spoils when looting houses, and they can be rewarded for their meritorious service. Their treatment is basically the same as that of other officers and soldiers.

During the battle, these newly recruited soldiers stood at the front of the column, armed with guns and launching a hand-to-hand charge towards the enemy positions, while the veterans were in the rear, also supervising the battle.

This arrangement is to reduce casualties among veterans. After all, veterans are the core strength of the Chu expeditionary force and must be used in a long-term manner.

If there are more casualties, the combat effectiveness will definitely be greatly reduced.

Around 5 o'clock
Under the strict protection of a group of royal guards, King Zheng Guohui of Chu arrived in front of a building very close to Chinatown.

He looked up at the four-story Western-style building, nodded with satisfaction, and walked straight inside.

This was originally the British Straits Governor's Court, about 300 meters away from the Chinatown intersection and is one of the few high-rise buildings nearby.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu came to the 4th floor and looked out the window towards Chinatown.

A large number of two- or three-story buildings in the city are in full view. You can also see the Jamek Chingzhen Church to the west of the intersection, the Mariamman Temple, and the golden roof of the Temple of the Tooth Relic in the distance. Everything is in full view from this high vantage point.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was very satisfied with the broad view here. The main areas of Xicheng District occupied by the British were all within his sight.

Those farther away could be seen even with a telescope. He nodded and gave the order, "Notify everyone that the attack can begin. Don't be stingy with the shells and gunpowder; fire hard."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The officer immediately ran forward to deliver the order.

Not long after
The field artillery squadron that was approaching opened fire, and then the rumbling sound of artillery filled the air, and a fierce bombardment began.

The British on the opposite side were not to be outdone. Dozens of artillery pieces roared at the same time. The fierce artillery battle caused houses to collapse. A big hole was blown in the wall of the Mariammanhin Temple, and then it collapsed into a big gap.

Chinatown is the location of Chinatown and is also the area with the densest Chinese population in Singapore. However, there is a Hindu temple called Mariammanhin Temple here that is very conspicuous.

The British troops entrenched here, together with the white militia, totaling about 630 people, were equipped with 17 artillery pieces. They built two barricades with the Mariammanhin Temple as the core and fought back frantically with artillery fire.

The attacking Chu army concentrated more than 30 ten-pound Parrot rifled cannons to carry out targeted attacks on the British artillery positions, destroying them one by one.

After more than ten minutes of fighting,

Most of the British's 17 artillery pieces had been lost, with only 6 guns still able to fire. The walls of the Mariammanhin Temple, which was being defended, were riddled with holes and leaked air from all directions.

Then an order was given

The auxiliary soldiers armed with swords and guns were driven forward, shouting and yelling in fear, stepping on the rubble and charging forward. From time to time, people fell on the way of attack.

At this time, many white soldiers and militiamen armed with muskets appeared from the corridors on both sides of the street and opened fire at the charging crowd.

The sound of gunfire like popping beans rang out densely, and bloody holes burst out on many people's bodies. Then they fell to the ground without a sound and died silently.

The remaining people shouted and continued to rush forward, and soon only a small half of the 100 people were left.

At this time, in the rear, another auxiliary force of more than a hundred people, holding swords and guns, were driven to charge forward and quickly crossed a distance of thirty or forty meters.

Behind them, there was a third group of auxiliary soldiers, numbering more than a hundred men, who also rushed forward with shining swords and guns in their hands, without a moment's rest.

A small number of these Chinese auxiliary soldiers who were charging in the front had already rushed into the temple, and then shouts and desperate screams were heard, mixed with sporadic gunshots, interweaving into a tragic war scene.

Then more and more auxiliary troops rushed in, which made the white soldiers defending the Mariammanhin Temple exhausted and soon suffered heavy casualties.

Following these three groups of auxiliary troops, a newly replenished infantry company began to attack.

They were all armed with rifles equipped with bayonets, and their movements were faster and more organized. Most of them rushed into the temple one after another and engaged in close combat with the British soldiers.

Then the fifth and sixth batches of auxiliary troops were driven up, and they poured into the room through the kicked-open door and the holes in the wall blasted by artillery shells, and engaged in a bloody fight with the white soldiers hiding inside.

The shouts and cries of killing resounded throughout the sky and continued for a long time.

It took more than 40 minutes to capture the temple stronghold and dozens of houses on both sides of the street, and the white soldiers entrenched inside suffered heavy casualties.

After losing a total of three hundred and fifty to three hundred and sixty people, the remaining white officers and soldiers retreated in a panic, and were fired upon by two rounds of volleys from the Chu soldiers behind them, resulting in more than a dozen casualties again.

There were less than 250 people left, and they retreated in a panic into the strongholds such as the Zhanmeiqingzhen Church and the Buddha Tooth Temple, where they joined the white militia and used dense volleys of bullets to stop the pursuing enemy.

After knocking down dozens of people, this wave of attack finally ended.

Without giving the British a chance to catch their breath, the field artillery squadron once again concentrated its firepower and launched a new round of fierce artillery bombardment. The rumbling sound of artillery continued, and another artillery battle broke out with the British defenders.

In several rounds of artillery fire
It was obvious that the Chu artillery had the upper hand. This was because the Chu army was equipped with ten-pound Parrot rifled cannons, which were accurate in shooting, and the artillerymen who operated the cannons were skilled and had higher skills, and they kept suppressing and beating the British.

Singapore was a core stronghold operated by the British for decades. There were many artillery pieces of various calibers stored in the warehouses.

However, the artillery that can be used for close combat in cities are mostly light field guns, mainly French bronze Napoleon cannons, with a caliber of 12 pounds to 16 pounds, and a small number of 9-pound cannons.

Those large-caliber heavy artillery could neither be pushed nor deployed, and their firepower advantage could not be fully utilized.

There were a lot of artillery pieces in the barricades and strongholds held by the British army, but what they lacked most were gunners.

In the fierce battle from early morning to dusk, most of the British gunners died. The remaining ones were able to fire, but the accuracy of their artillery fire was far from an option.

Often, the British army would have three or four artillery pieces destroyed, and would only be able to destroy one artillery piece of the Chu army during the counterattack. This resulted in them being repeatedly suppressed in artillery battles, which were extremely difficult and costly in terms of human lives.

The artillery battle lasted more than 30 minutes, turning the nearby houses into rubble. The walls of the Zhan Meiqingzhen Church and the Buddha Tooth Temple collapsed in large sections, and the houses were blown into holes of various sizes, with bloodstains everywhere.

After another order

The thick smoke from the bombardment had not yet completely dissipated when more than 200 auxiliary soldiers armed with swords and guns rushed up shouting and screaming, their faces full of fear.

The State of Chu attacked again with a big move, deploying 200 people in the first wave. Behind them, the second wave of 200 people was ready, preparing to start multiple waves of charge.

"Clap clap clap clap..."

"Clap clap clap clap..."

"Clap clap clap clap..."

In the rubble of the broken ruins, many white soldiers and militiamen emerged, raised their rifles at the command of their commander, and fired rounds of dense volleys.

The hot bullets came towards them like flying lights, and the first round of volleys of gunfire knocked down thirty or forty auxiliary soldiers.

But the remaining auxiliary soldiers still charged forward with swords and guns in hand. They dared not turn back, as turning back would mean death. They could only charge forward desperately, and only by rushing into the enemy's position could they have a chance of surviving.

The second and third rounds of British volleys were uneven, but they still knocked down dozens of people. This caused more than half of the Chu auxiliary troops in the first wave of attack to be killed or wounded, and the ranks became sparse.

Just as their pace slowed down, the second wave of 200 auxiliary soldiers behind them had caught up, and the third wave of 200 auxiliary soldiers were forming up and were about to rush out.

The white soldiers who had time to reload their bullets raised their guns and fired at close range without waiting for the commander's order, knocking the auxiliary soldiers who rushed forward to the ground.

The white militiamen who had no time to reload their bullets put on their bayonets, stood at the gaps in the broken walls, and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the auxiliary soldiers who rushed up.

In an instant, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and screams were heard.

In hand-to-hand combat, it is hard to say who is stronger between these white militiamen and Chinese auxiliary soldiers. Most of them have not received formal military training, and life and death depend on individual differences.

Some strong white militiamen stabbed down several Chinese auxiliary soldiers in a row, and were then chopped to the ground by the Chinese auxiliary soldiers who rushed up from the side and trampled into the rubble.

Some Chinese auxiliary soldiers had martial arts skills or had been involved in gangs. They showed their prowess in hand-to-hand combat, knocking down several white opponents in a row, which greatly boosted morale.

The small number of white defenders is their biggest disadvantage.

They were quickly overwhelmed by the wave after wave of attacking people, leaving corpses everywhere. The scene was horrific.

Urban bloody battles are so cruel, and the battle to capture points in Xicheng District is particularly brutal.

most of the time

The battles could only be resolved through hand-to-hand combat. Fierce fighting took place in temples, buildings, ruins and streets, and continued intermittently until late at night.

When the next morning dawned, the entire city of Singapore fell completely silent.

After an unprecedentedly brutal and bloody battle, the Singapore Expeditionary Force finally occupied the entire city and eliminated the remaining enemies in the city.

However, the battle was not over yet, as some remaining British troops were still hiding in three surrounding fortresses.

One is the mother-and-child fortress in the east, where there are less than three hundred British soldiers and white militia hiding. They have caused six to seven hundred casualties on their side, making it a tough nut to crack.

One is the lowland fortress in the west, which is a defense circle composed of three sturdy bunkers. There are about two hundred and forty to fifty people hiding inside, including white soldiers, police and dozens of red-headed Indians.

The last place is Fort Siloso and Fort East Loso in Sentosa. There are 177 people in the West Fort and 52 people in the East Fort, both of which are hard nut to crack.

After dawn
The sailing fleet that had been hovering outside the Singapore Bay entered the bay one after another and anchored on the west side of the bay.

The west side of the bay is the blind spot of the artillery batteries of the East Coast mother-and-child fortresses. The shore artillery cannot reach that far, so it is relatively safe.

The lowland forts on the west coast served as the inner circle firepower for controlling the dock area. The largest caliber of the forts was 30-pound coastal artillery, with nine guns in each of the three forts. The remaining caliber was 9-pound coastal artillery, with 20 guns. The range was not enough to threaten the anchorage on the west side of the bay.

It was just dawn

In the blind spot of the artillery fire behind the lowland fortress, six tall catapults were being assembled, hundreds of poison smoke balls were densely placed nearby, and hundreds of auxiliary soldiers were making new poison smoke balls.

After the lowland fortress refused to surrender, Major General He Ruolin did not hesitate and waved his hand to order the catapults to fire.

After calibrating a few poisonous smoke balls, subsequent poisonous smoke balls with flames fell like raindrops, hitting the lowland fortress one after another. The thick shit-yellow poisonous smoke spread and immediately enveloped the surroundings.

This move was really cruel. The white officers and soldiers in the poisonous smoke coughed and struggled in pain.

Many British soldiers could not endure such painful torture and jumped directly from the high wall of the fortress, dying instantly, with blood splattering everywhere like ketchup.

The attack lasted for more than half an hour until all the more than 100 poisonous smoke balls were thrown.

We waited another 20 minutes to let the sea breeze blow away the poisonous smoke.

The subsequent attacking soldiers covered their faces with wet towels, carried long ladders, climbed up the solid walls of the lowland fortress, and climbed in from the outside.

As expected, all the white officers, soldiers and women in the fort were killed. Their appearance before death was extremely hideous, and their faces were smoked into a thick yellow color of feces.

It is the color of sulfur stone powder, mixed with chili peppers and other poisons. If you inhale it into your mouth, you will cough violently until you cough up blood and you can't stop.

(End of this chapter)