Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 342 Return to Singapore

After the patrol ship's drawings were presented, they were hung on a wooden rack. King Zheng Guohui of Chu and a group of naval officers stood in front of the drawings, surrounding them and commenting on them.

"Captain Huang, this ship's bow design is so rounded it looks like the toe of a leather shoe. Isn't that a bit silly?"

"I'll let you all know that if you want to sail fast, the ship should be thin and pointed. This will reduce resistance in the sea, but the disadvantage is that it will be unstable, roll violently, and provide a very poor riding experience. If you want stability, the hull should be wide and thick."

"Well, it's true that the patrol ship is designed to be wide and thick, but is that long, pointed prow a ram?"

"Yes, it's a 430-pound ram with a barbed hook. Once it's stuck, it's stuck. It's a gadget specially designed to make it easier to capture pirate ships and smuggling vessels."

"In my opinion, we should design movable iron hooks on both sides of the ship, so that they can be lowered to grab the enemy ship."

"Well, you can have this."

"Commanders, isn't the firepower of the two main guns, one in front and one in the back, too weak?"

"That's not a problem. There's still plenty of space on the deck. We can install 12-pound guns anytime. Installing four to six is ​​no problem."

"It's such a waste to install so many cannons. There are only about 30 sailors in total. How can they handle both sailing the ship and firing the cannons?"

"For normal patrols, two main guns are enough. If these two main guns can't deter the enemy, adding a few more small guns will be useless."

"That makes sense. How much can this coal bunker hold?"

"Sir, this bunker can hold over 300 tons of coal, plus there's more coal piled next to the boiler at the bottom of the bunker, which is more than enough."

"A patrol ship like this should be able to withstand the bombardment of a 12-pound cannon without any problem. Pirate ships don't have large-caliber heavy guns, so it should be more than enough."

A group of officers put forward their opinions one after another, and Huang Renshan stood by and answered them carefully.

I can tell
This man answered the officers' questions fluently. He was indeed an expert and could even be said to be half a ship engineer.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu had no objection to the design of this patrol ship. His main concern was the living facilities of the officers and soldiers on board, after all, they would be patrolling at sea all year round.

The steamer Huang Renshan demonstrated aroused his great interest and he felt it was really good.

It was just a thin tube coming from the ship's steam line and leading into a tin box.

This iron box has a good seal and can be used to steam rice, soup, and vegetables. One steamer can solve all your problems at sea, making life quite convenient.

For example, you can steam meat, steam eggs, steam fish, or steam any soupy dish.

A valve is added to the steamer, which is opened when in use and closed when not in use. It is very simple but very practical.

The steam condensation box is even simpler, with a small bottom and a large top, in the shape of a flat funnel, covered with several layers of densely packed fine mesh on the top.

After a small amount of steam is put in, the thick fine mesh on top prevents some of the steam from escaping quickly. When it gets cold, it condenses into water droplets and quickly drips down.

It falls into the collector below and a lot of water can be collected every day.

The high-pressure and high-temperature steam generated by the boiler needs to be regularly depressurized and released to avoid excessive pressure.

This steam condensation box is designed on a copper pressure relief valve. Every time the steam is released, it can collect half a pot of clean water, which is several liters.

By releasing pressure and air dozens of times during a day, you can easily collect two to three hundred liters of clean water. Although only one or two percent of the wasted steam is collected, it is enough.

For larger immigrant ships, there is even more steam to collect.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu did not comment on the design of this patrol boat, leaving it entirely to the Navy Department to make the decision and make any improvements if necessary.

If the original design needs to be overturned, that’s fine, just do everything according to the navy’s needs.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu was well aware of the little thoughts of his subordinates, so he naturally could not fulfill Huang Renshan's wishes.

Naval affairs are of great importance. We need to have a type of maritime patrol vessel that meets the needs of the navy and is suitable for use. How can we treat it as a joke?
It was almost dusk when we left Hawa Town.

Workers who were leaving work at the shipyards along the bay poured onto the road like a tide. There was no telling how many of them there were, and the scene was truly spectacular.

The working hours at the shipyard are not from 8 am to 5 pm. Instead, they enter the shipyard before dawn, start working after dawn, and continue working until dusk.

The workers brought some bread and pickles with them for lunch and simply ate them with cold water to fill their stomachs.

The shipyard cannot operate at night because there are no lighting conditions.

In a tropical area like Manila, where sunlight shines for about fourteen or fifteen hours a day, shipyard workers work fourteen or fifteen hours a day, and they have no choice.

Workers who were off work returned to Hawa Town in the twilight, chatting and laughing along the way with a relaxed look on their faces. The wide road was filled with people who were off work, spreading laughter and joy in all directions.

At this time, there is no trace of tiredness from the day, only the joy of returning home.

Although the work in the shipyard is tiring, the salary is good. Ordinary sailors can earn 2.5 to 3 silver dollars per month, and experienced sailors with good skills can earn 4 or even more.

The Chu State was a rice-producing region, and the price of rice was only half of that in northern China. One silver dollar could buy 150 kilograms of rice and 18 kilograms of meat.

Such income is enough to support a family of five or six people, to ensure they have enough food to eat, warm clothes to wear, and to be able to eat meat every two days. It is considered a good life.

Some diligent and thrifty single workers could save more than 20 silver dollars a year. After working for a few years, they could buy a native woman and their lives would be more promising.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu's carriage was parked far away in an open space on the side of the road. He silently watched the people who were getting off work and walking home with laughter and joy.

Until night falls
King Zheng Guohui of Chu then ordered, "Let's go back. We must have a good meal tonight."

He was in a good mood and observed people's lives closely. This positive and energetic look was exactly what he wanted to see.

People have hope for life and are full of longing for the future, and that kind of exciting vitality will involuntarily show on their faces.

Such a society is more hopeful.

Singapore

After the Chu army completely evacuated, it also took away a large number of people. There were less than 10,000 people left in the city of Singapore, which seemed particularly deserted.

Vice Admiral Calvin Phillips, commander of the Anglo-French Allied Forces, led the fleet back to Singapore, accompanied by a number of senior officers of the Allied Forces and 2.6 Anglo-French troops, who flocked to the dock like a tide.

When Lieutenant General Calvin Phillips stepped onto the Singapore dock and looked at the fortress-like city in front of him, he couldn't help but be stunned.

Even more shocked were the British Army's Lieutenant General Connor and the French Army's Lieutenant General Maignan. When they reached a high place and looked down at the city from the roof, everyone couldn't help but gasp.

Hiss... I feel a chill down my spine.

What kind of city is this?

All the streets were blocked by thick barricades 6 to 8 meters wide. The facades of these barricades were made of bricks and stones, then covered with barbed wire and smoothed with concrete, forming extremely strong fortress defense walls.

Even the navy's 30-pound heavy artillery would find it difficult to knock down such a solid fortress wall. Even if it was blown open, how much ammunition would it consume?

In the city buildings facing the periphery, the rooms are filled with mud, sand and gravel. Even if these buildings close to the periphery are blown down by heavy artillery fire, it is difficult to make a gap.

And in this city, there are circles and circles of tightly defended barricades, which divide the entire city into pieces, allowing each unit to fight on its own.

If 3 troops were to be stationed here, it would make one shudder to think about it. How many lives would have to be lost before they could take it down?

It’s cruel, really cruel. There is absolutely no way out!

If we measure it by the defensive strength of the "Sad Valley", 10 troops may not be enough to fill it, and more will be needed.

This is after excluding the factor of the fire that burned 2.6 British and French troops during the First Battle of Singapore, and is estimated entirely based on the combat intensity of the Second Battle of Singapore.

The former is too accidental and cannot be replicated, so it does not need to be taken into consideration.

However, this raging fire did bring deep psychological trauma to the middle and senior officers of the British and French Allied Forces. They often had nightmares and developed an inexplicable fear of forest terrain.

Also because of this
In several battles in East Malaya, once the attacks failed, the British and French commanders lost their desire to attack and chose to retreat when they saw the lush forests behind the Chu army's earthen fortifications.

These forest terrains are avoided as much as possible.

Singapore did not have such concerns, but looking at the terrifying fortifications and the remaining marks of artillery that had once been installed on high places, the senior officers of the British and French forces looked at each other in bewilderment.

"I think Her Majesty the Queen's decision was very wise. It saved us from a lot of unnecessary losses. These Orientals..." Lieutenant General Connor sighed, shook his head and couldn't continue.

These Oriental people of Chu were completely different from the officers and soldiers from Northern China that Lieutenant General Connor encountered during the Opium War.

He is as tough as taffy and as difficult to deal with as a hedgehog. If you dare to reach out, he will stab you and leave your hands covered in blood, which makes him very afraid.

trance

The war situation seemed to have returned to the Crimean War he had experienced in his youth. It was an unprecedentedly difficult and loss-making war, and the British and French forces paid a heavy price.

from the heart
Lieutenant General Connor believed that the combat effectiveness of these Oriental soldiers was comparable to that of the elite troops of the Russian Empire in Europe. They were equally fearless of life and death and equally difficult to defeat.

General Maignan nodded in agreement, pointed to the barricades that could be seen everywhere in Singapore, and said in a solemn tone;

"Dear General Connor
Standing here, scenes of fierce fighting in the city seem to appear before my eyes. Each scene is so vivid, as if it had happened before.

The blood of the allied soldiers would dye the city red. The Chu defenders completely sealed off the entire city, leaving no escape route.

Only by eliminating them all can we truly capture this city.

I think that under the all-out attack of the coalition forces, these Chu troops can still hold out for 1 to 2 months, or perhaps even longer.

So, I personally agree with you very much, it's time to end it.

Rather than fighting to the death on the battlefield, France would rather do business with the Chu people happily so that everyone can make money."

"Well said, Mr. General. This is also the wish of the British side." General Connor let out a long breath, turned around and gave the order;
"I'll give you a week to tear down these damn barricades and get this city back to normal. Hopefully, there won't be any more terrible wars."

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief." The officers immediately saluted and accepted the order promptly.

The British and French forces had a large number of cannon fodder, including Indians, Nepalese, South Vietnamese, and Khmers. It was never the turn of white officers and soldiers to do these clumsy and hard work.

With more than 20,000 people working together, the efficiency is extremely high.

It was quite interesting to see Singapore become a bustling construction site and the idle white officers standing on the side discussing it.

"More than a year ago, I visited Singapore. It was quite prosperous then, with a population of perhaps over a hundred thousand, right?"

"To be precise, before the war, this place had a population of 12.76, but now it has less than ."

"What the hell, so many people?"

"Let me answer this question. Gentlemen, please allow me to introduce myself. I am Lieutenant Colonel Walker Taylor, in charge of military intelligence before the war." Lieutenant Colonel Walker Taylor stood up and introduced himself in a sighing tone;

"Many Chinese people here moved to the State of Chu with their families, including the elderly, children, women and some merchants. The number was about 4.6. Most of the Chinese people with some money left.

There were also some remaining white people who took a boat to Palembang across the strait, and this group consisted of about 10,000 people.

During the Chu army's attack on the city of Singapore, it encountered fierce resistance. The fate of those warriors who dared to stand up was self-evident.

No less than tens of thousands of white women were abducted by the vicious Orientals, and in the end, there was only a light-hearted statement of "loss in war" and nothing else happened.

These poor women may be crying in the manors of Oriental nobles, suffering humiliation and oppression, but who cares?

Finally, most of the powerless and penniless Chinese, whites and Malay laborers died in the war, the total number should be between 2.2 and 2.3.

Maybe more, maybe less, it's a confusing account that can never be verified.

Most of the survivors who had experienced the war evacuated with the Chu army. They were able to obtain large amounts of land and other rewards, and lived a decent and dignified life from then on.

There are also a small number of them in the Danjiarong area across the strait. They are all ferocious guys, and the Dutch will be in big trouble in the future.

As long as it is a wolf, it will eventually eat meat."

His metaphor caused a burst of laughter from the white officers, and a lieutenant even blew a whistle, looking quite happy.

When you are down on your luck, it always makes you feel better if you see others who are about to be down on their luck.

(End of this chapter)