Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 282 Heading to the Next Battlefield

On the towering watchtower of Fort Siloso
Governor-General of Oude, with a livid face, Secretary Wijnaldum, Civil Commissioner Sir Joachim Anderson and others watched the tragedy happen, shocked and speechless.

At this time, anything you say is redundant.

The Chu army's brutal tactics, decisive killing, and clever and cunning combat left an indelible impression on Governor Ode and others, and they were often disturbed by it thereafter.

A little after eight o'clock
An ultimatum was delivered to the Siloso Fort and the East Coast Mother-and-Daughter Fortress, in which King Zheng Guohui of Chu promised;
“This king promises;
The personal safety of all surrendered officers and soldiers and their families will be guaranteed, and the nobles will enjoy treatment commensurate with their status and will not suffer any personal humiliation.

This is your only chance, please cherish it."

The tragic deaths of British officers and soldiers in the West Coast Fortress were witnessed by the other two fortresses, which were not far away, so they naturally felt sympathy.

not long after
The mother and daughter forts on the east coast opened their gates, and the white officers and soldiers in the forts raised their hands in surrender.

Subsequently, British officers and soldiers at East Leso Fort and West Leso Fort surrendered one after another. Faced with the choice between losing dignity and death, they wisely chose the former.

At this point, the Battle of Singapore came to an end.

The entire battle lasted two and a half days. The Singapore Expeditionary Force sneaked through the Johor Strait to attack the rear, and directly penetrated the soft core area of ​​the city in one fell swoop, and captured the Singapore fortress that the British had worked hard to build for decades.

The news of this battle shocked the world.

From then on, European countries began to take Chu seriously and regarded it as a powerful partner. It was generally believed that it was a regional power that could stand on equal footing with European armies.

Chu's diplomatic negotiations became effective and its words carried weight. Even the attitudes of European countries became more friendly, and they no longer had the arrogant attitude they had before.

All these changes began with the Battle of Singapore...

"Empty the entire city for me. All supplies not needed for the war must be moved back to Manila. This includes the books in the library, the artifacts in the museum, and the tables and chairs in the Governor's Palace. Move them all back to me."

At the order of King Zheng Guohui of Chu, the idle Singapore dock became busy.

The fleet of cargo ships, which had originally unloaded soldiers, mule and horse carts, and military supplies, entered the Singapore port one after another and began to load cargo.

Warehouses of British and French merchants were opened one after another, and an astonishing amount of cotton cloth was found in the warehouses, totaling up to millions of pieces. The cotton cloth alone was enough to fill 19 large sailing cargo ships.

In addition, there was an astonishing amount of military ammunition, including over 2 sets of individual weapons and equipment, thousands of barrels of black powder, and thousands of artillery pieces of various types, ranging from 60-pound caliber to 9-pound caliber.

It was really unexpected that there were so many good things in the warehouse in Singapore.

But if you think about it, it makes sense.

Among these artillery pieces in stock, many are spare artillery pieces stored in the Singapore Fortress, as well as British Royal Navy naval guns stored in naval warehouses, ranging from large caliber to medium caliber.

A first-class sailing battleship of the British Royal Navy is equipped with more than 160 guns of various calibers. Even if there is a reserve of more than a thousand guns, how many sailing battleships can be equipped with them?

What's more, there were more than 240 field guns in this batch of artillery, which should have been supplied to the British and French Expeditionary Force, but were intercepted in advance.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was overjoyed upon seeing this, and immediately ordered all the artillery in stock to be loaded onto ships and transported back to the main island of Chu. This batch of artillery was equipped to the artillery batteries in various straits, and the military virtues were immediately abundant.

The artillery equipment that was originally missing has basically been replenished.

As an archipelago country, Chu has a large number of main islands, outlying islands and foreign islands, and hundreds of straits of various sizes, which puts considerable pressure on coastal defense.

With the addition of these artillery pieces, artillery defense positions can also be deployed in some less important straits.

There is no need to build strong fortresses and complete defense systems. Just setting up artillery positions at suitable locations on both sides of the strait, such as hilly heights or at both ends of a narrow strait, can have a formidable deterrent effect.

Even with the huge scale of the British Royal Fleet's warships, let alone intruding without permission, just hearing about such dense coastal defense firepower would make their scalps tingle and they would be deeply frightened.

No one is stupid enough to use expensive warships to clash with coastal artillery. Warships on the sea are inherently disadvantaged and will inevitably be the disadvantaged party in the confrontation with coastal defense firepower.

After the King of Chu gave the order, all kinds of supplies were emptied out like loot, and most British and French civilians in the city of Singapore were subjected to the intrusion and looting by military soldiers.

All property was looted, white women were raped, and men were repeatedly interrogated. Anyone found with external injuries, gunshot wounds, burns on the hands, or dark, suspected gunpowder stains was arrested.

However, the army strictly prohibited the infringement of the wealth of Chinese merchants and the property of expatriates from the Netherlands, the United States, Germany, Portugal and other countries, and protected their personal safety.

Therefore, the plundering of white people was limited to Britain and France, the other party to the war, and their civil rights were not protected.

They were ruthlessly robbed and then driven out of their home.

The property of these British and French civilians was confiscated, and the luxurious houses were naturally requisitioned by the officers. The soldiers also lived in spacious houses and slept on soft beds. They also secretly hid a lot of gold and silver in their pockets, as well as a considerable amount of pounds and francs, and made a huge fortune.

After the cargo fleet at the port was loaded, they immediately set off back in teams of more than ten ships.

The returning cargo fleet was fully loaded with goods and left the port one after another. The ships also carried some soldiers who were not seriously injured and returned to their homeland for recuperation.

After completely occupying Singapore, the expeditionary force re-examined its troops. In this battle, 4327 troops were lost, including 1951 killed and 2276 injured. Most of the wounded were transported back to the Chu mainland for treatment on the returning cargo ships.

Only 387 seriously injured people could not endure the bumpy long-distance sea transport and had to stay in Singapore to recuperate and wait for the opportunity to be sent back to the kingdom.

As for the auxiliary troops who were killed or wounded in the war, some say it was more than a thousand, while others say it was more than three thousand. There is no detailed statistics, so the number is a mess.

In this battle, 4225 enemies were killed, including British soldiers, white armed civilians and police, red-headed Indians, and armed Chinese civilians. It is difficult to break them down one by one.

The total number of prisoners exceeded 1300, of which about were actual prisoners of war, including white armed forces resisting in the fortress and various parts of the city, and the rest were captured white men.

Most of them are civilians from Britain and France, suspected of participating in armed resistance.

The casualties on both sides were basically 1:1. Although the Chu side did not count the casualties of the auxiliary troops, it also did not count the number of wounded on the British side, and did not take necessary rescue and treatment measures.

Who cares whether you can survive or not?
Through emergency expansion during the war, more than 1.2 new men were recruited, which brought the total strength of the Singapore Expeditionary Force, which had been reduced to 1.23 after the war, back to 2.45.

at the same time
The expeditionary force also had a total of 2.32 Chinese auxiliary troops. After the war, these auxiliary troops began to clean up the battlefield, clear away ruins and rubble, and block city streets with bricks and concrete, leaving only side doors that could allow one person to pass through.

Hundreds of such urban barricades had to be built.

Making full use of the rubble in the city, the barricades were built extremely thick, making it difficult for ordinary 12-pound field guns to blast them open.

After the barricades are completed, they will be integrated with the solid city buildings, isolating the entire city layer by layer, forming an impenetrable fortified area.

As for economic development and urban circulation, these are not within the consideration of Major General He Ruolin.

In accordance with His Majesty's order

We must build Singapore into a fortress-like city that is indestructible, impenetrable, and a city that strikes fear into the hearts of the enemy, and we must firmly anchor it here like a nail.

A special passage was reserved in the city for the entry and exit of large four-wheeled carriages and goods, and layers of strict sentry posts were added. This passage would be urgently closed after the British fleet's large-scale attack was known, and there was still time.

The city's only thoroughfare served primarily to facilitate transportation. Construction supplies unloaded at the dock included 8500 barrels of cement, hundreds of tons of barbed wire and other building materials brought from the Chu state, and over tons of grain.

A large amount of construction materials were transported by horse-drawn convoys to the remote mountain village where they had first landed, where they were to build sturdy fortress-like buildings to completely bridge the only weakness in Singapore Island's defense.

A remote mountain village was used as the first line of defense, and the second and third lines of defense were built in dangerous areas in the rear. They were made of thick bricks and stones and covered with concrete and barbed wire.

The fortress's defense line is centered around large bunkers and protected by solid walls on both wings, completely blocking the road leading to Singapore from the rear, making it an insurmountable defense line.

Its construction strength is based on the standard of being able to withstand frontal bombardment from a 12-pound field gun.

The 12-pound field gun is a large-caliber field gun in today's era that can follow the field infantry and provide fire support. There are larger-caliber guns, but they are too bulky.

To complete this task, the Singapore Expeditionary Force allocated 5500 auxiliary troops specifically for the construction of three rear-line defense fortress facilities. Rocks and soil were readily available, and cement and barbed wire were also transported from the mainland of Chu.

The rest just takes time.

Other construction materials were used to strengthen Singapore’s city defense line. More than 15000 auxiliary troops were deployed in the construction, turning the entire city into a large construction site and starting intense and busy construction work.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu did not stay here for long. Two days after conquering Singapore, he boarded the large sailing ship "Guangming" and led the sailing fleet away, heading directly for the French port of Saigon.

Two of the three established goals have been achieved: one is the occupation of Singapore, and the other is the occupation of British East Malaysia, including the three states of Brunei Darussalam, Sabah and Sarawak.

The former is a milestone achieved after a hard and bloody battle, while the latter is as easy as eating and drinking water, and there is no need to waste words to describe the process.

The British soldiers stationed there did not put up a strong resistance. After the huge fleet of the Malayan Expeditionary Force arrived, they surrendered obediently and showed great cooperation.

The last established goal was to occupy and massacre Saigon.

This was a stern warning from the State of Chu to the State of France, and also an extremely strong signal;

The State of Chu is not a soft persimmon that can be easily bullied. It has the ability to pose a fatal threat to the French colonies in Indochina. It should think twice before making any decision.

The Far East Fleet under the French Saigon Governor-General's Office had 11 sailing warships, most of which had participated in the Anglo-French War against the Qing Dynasty eight years ago, burning down the Old Summer Palace and wreaking havoc in China.

In the heart of King Zheng Guohui of Chu

There wasn't much he could do, but he did want to take revenge.

The action taken against the core city of the French Governor-General's Office in Saigon was very similar to the Dutch fleet's surprise attack on London in European history, except that the location was moved to Indochina.

In Zheng Guohui's heart, he was not afraid of revenge from the French.

It is now September 1868, 9, only a year and a half since the famous Franco-Prussian War in history. The huge defeat that made the French so heartbroken has already shown signs in the current European situation.

The contradiction between Prussia and France was difficult to reconcile. Both sides were actively mobilizing troops to prepare for war. The clouds of war were growing thicker over the European continent, and the top leaders of European countries had a premonition in their hearts.

There will inevitably be a battle between popularization of law and practice; it is only a matter of time.

At this critical moment, how much military support can mainland France give to the colonies in Indochina?

If, as in history, France loses miserably in the battle between the two powers and needs several years to recover, then there will be no problem at all.

The State of Chu will surely become even stronger in a few years, and its own strength is the best bargaining chip. Before the French retaliate, they must carefully consider whether their weight is sufficient.

Isn't it said that France is more powerful than Chu?

There is no doubt about it.

The key is how much military force France can deploy in Indochina?
When a world giant stretches out his hand tens of thousands of kilometers away and can only move 1-2 little fingers with great effort, fighting against the local regional power, what is the probability of winning?
King Zheng Guohui of Chu dared to become enemies with both Britain and France at the same time and face the threat of war. This was not only due to his weapons and equipment that were not inferior to those of the world powers, but also due to his strong strength. This was his biggest consideration.

The British Empire was indeed an empire on which the sun never set, dominating the world, but it also suffered major failures. The American War of Independence is a good example.

When Britain launched its cross-ocean expedition, the military force it could deploy to North America was very limited, at most a mere tens of thousands of troops.

The same reason

Even though the British Empire's colonies spread across Southeast Asia, don't expect these natives to fight for Britain. Ultimately, they still have to rely on white troops, who are transported thousands of miles from the British mainland.

The total strength of the British Army is only 250,000 to 260,000. How many of them can be deployed to Southeast Asia?

2 million or 3 million?
At most, this is the number.

After careful consideration, King Zheng Guohui of Chu finally made up his mind to declare war on Britain and France because he believed that Chu could withstand an invasion of this scale.

Now he led the fleet to attack French Saigon, not only to teach the French a bloody lesson, but also to break one of their legs so that they would not dare to look east.

This was also done to show other European powers that they should not think that they could act recklessly in Southeast Asia by gathering a few thousand or a few hundred people.

The era of domineering and bullying the Orientals is gone with the brilliant rise of the Chu State.

The large sailing ship "Guangming" sped across the sea, and the sailing warships behind it formed two columns, heading straight for the Mekong River with murderous intent.

The entire fleet consisted of 25 sailing ships, including 5 sailing battleships, 10 sailing cruisers and 10 sailing frigates.

In Singapore Port

King Zheng Guohui of Chu only left two sailing frigates for patrolling the Strait of Malacca.

Once the British sailing fleet was discovered, they would flee immediately. One ship would return to Singapore Port to report the news, and the other would flee directly back to the kingdom's homeland to warn the enemy and raise the defense level to the highest level.

The entire Singapore port had no naval military forces left, and was fully prepared, waiting for the British sailing fleet to attack.

All British and French cargo ships in Singapore Port, totaling 137, were forced to leave the port and escorted by soldiers to Manila Port, loaded with looted goods, completely clearing the port.

As for foreign merchant ships from other countries, they were temporarily detained in the port to prevent the leakage of secrets.

After the war broke out, they were allowed to come and go as they pleased, and the property and personal safety of these foreign cargo ships were not infringed upon.

As for whether the British will let them go?
That was not something the Singapore Expeditionary Force needed to consider. All they needed to do was to unconditionally carry out the underground's will.

Stay in Singapore like a nail and stick around for at least half a year.

(End of this chapter)