"I will keep an eye on them. If necessary, I will send people to imprison them together." The officer said expressionlessly.
The Chinese in the city are troublesome now.
In Tangchengfang, it is peaceful on the surface at this time, and the Chinese are hiding in their homes. This state is very consistent with the Chinese style.
The sound of artillery coming from the north of the city from time to time made the Chinese in Chengdu tremble with fear.
Most ordinary people don't know what's going on?
There was no one on the street, and all the residents and shops had their doors closed.
On the empty streets, only Indian soldiers wearing turbans can be seen building barricades.
These barricades divided the entire city into independent areas.
At this time, groups of young men had quietly gathered in some courtyards guarding the street entrances. They were all wearing blue and black servant uniforms.
Each of them has a rifle in his hand, and the equipment is not bad at all.
Although these people were scattered in formation when they stood together, they were very quiet.
This courtyard belongs to a large family named Li. At this time, there are more than 300 young people gathered in this courtyard.
They gathered through the secret door on the wall of each house.
The location of each stronghold is exactly at a house at the intersection of the street. As long as you open the door, you will see the barricades set up by the Indian soldiers.
In the Nanyang region, what the Chinese hate most is not white people, but these Indian servants wearing turbans.
These Asans have always felt that the British are the boss, they are the second child, and everyone else is inferior to them.
"Everyone, get ready. Check the guns one last time and load the bullets." This group of Chinese on East First Street was led by Lin Zihao himself.
There were nearly 2,000 young Chinese people participating in the uprising, divided into four teams.
Their first step is to clear out the Indian servants who have blocked Chinatown.
Then, leave half of the people to guard the entrance to the street.
The remaining half of the people attacked in the direction of Shilonggang to meet the troops of the Renaissance Army landing on the island.
Lin Zihao listened to the sound of cannons getting closer and closer.
This was their signal to launch a counterattack.
"Set off!"
Following Lin Zihao’s order.
There was a "clang" sound.
The door of the Li family's mansion opened inwards.
A group of Indian servants guarding the street entrance were attracted by the sound and all looked over.
At this moment, a group of Chinese men wearing blue uniforms rushed out.
"Attention, there's something going on!" Ah San, who was leading the team, responded quickly.
He quickly called on his soldiers to raise their guns and shoot.
It's just that they are slower than these Chinese militiamen after all.
"Bang bang bang..." A gunshot sounded like an explosion.
Most of Asan's servants were shot before they had a chance to shoot.
A small number of the servants fired bullets. Several militiamen rushing at the front were hit.
However, they were quickly wiped out after the second round of shooting by the militiamen.
Fighting also broke out at several surrounding street corners at almost the same time.
These Chinese who are usually cowardly and can only nod and bow to their white masters, these Chinese who they usually look down on, these Chinese who they could exploit at will in the past...
At this time, such a strong fighting power broke out, they actually dared to attack Daying's team!
The eyes of the Asans who were killed were full of doubts and unwillingness.
"Don't stop, fight to the north..." Wu Zihao ordered.
Then he had three more red flares fired.
In Shilonggang in the north of the city, the assault group of the Sixth Division of the Renaissance Army's Southward Army has already arrived here.
The previous attacks, except for the stone wall, were all very smooth, but here they encountered a tenacious blocker from the Great Army.
"Brothers, come on, the Chinese brothers in the city have revolted to join us." Li Mingqiang, the leader of the group, shouted loudly.
They have broken through three British defense lines.
This is the last line outside the city. The distance from them to Tangchengfang is less than five kilometers.
At this time, it seemed that the other party's gunshots could be heard.
"Boom, boom, boom..." After a round of mortar fire, the soldiers of the Renaissance Army rushed forward again despite the opponent's fire.
This time Li Mingqiang ordered two heavy machine guns to fire suppressively at an enemy position.
The infantry then charged towards the suppressed point.
Diao Yun was a veteran. He was lucky enough to escape the bullets fired by the enemy. He was the first to successfully break into the enemy's trench.
This is a trench that is chest deep.
The army of the Great Empire had already learned how to dig trenches.
After the development and spread of trench warfare in recent years, trench warfare is no longer unfamiliar to the major powers.
Diao Yun jumped down from the trench with his bayonet drawn and started a hand-to-hand fight with the British troops in the trench.
At this time, the British troops in the trench did not dare to shoot at Diao Yun, because it would be easy to shoot their own people.
As a veteran with rich combat experience, Diao Yun's assassination tactics are ranked among the best in the entire regiment.
"Squad leader, let me help you."
There was a "bang" sound.
A soldier holding a shotgun knocked down the British soldier behind Diao Yun.
The British soldier's bayonet was less than five centimeters away from Diao Yun's back.
"Bang, bang, bang..." The soldier quickly pulled the bolt of his gun and fired at the densely packed British soldiers in the trench.
The shotgun is extremely powerful and has a trumpet-shaped shooting surface. There is no need to aim at all in the trench. One shot can even knock down three or four British soldiers.
"Kill!" Soon more and more soldiers rushed in. Brutal hand-to-hand combat began.
However, the originally expected defeat did not happen, and the British army's will to fight was very tenacious.
They seemed ready to shed their last drop of blood.
"Kill, kill them all." The sacrifice of his comrades around him stimulated Diao Yun, and his blood boiled like a madman.
The rifle equipped with a bayonet was as flexible as a spear in his hands.
The spear shoots out like a dragon, constantly harvesting the lives of the enemy.
Most of the soldiers who jumped into the trench with him at the beginning had died.
Yet he is still alive.
The reason why a veteran becomes a veteran is because he can always survive on dangerous battlefields.
He has developed proficient combat skills that allow him to know how to survive on the battlefield.
This kind of skill is often just some small subconscious actions. They are experiences that can only be understood but cannot be expressed in words.
The news that Wu Zihao and others were causing trouble in the city soon reached the ears of Governor Brandel.
After learning the news, Brandel became furious and cursed these Chinese people as white-eyed wolves.
He ordered the servant army that monitored the Chinese area to suppress the rebellion in the city with all their strength. No Chinese would be spared.
He also ordered that all Chinese under British control should be arrested.
…
"Let me go, why are you arresting me?" A Chinese man wearing a long gown was dragged on the ground by several Indian servants.
"Master, save me!" Immediately afterwards, his wife and children were also dragged out.
"Beasts...you beasts, let the women and children go."
Seventy percent of the people in Singapore are Chinese.
Not all of them live in Chinatown.
Currently, there is only one uprising in Tangchengfang in the city. In order to keep it secret, Wu Zihao did not mobilize the Chinese in other places.
Because Chinese and foreigners generally live together in those places, it is easy for news of the uprising to be exposed.
It may even leak the news of the Renaissance Army's attack on Singapore.
They felt that the Great Empire still claimed to be a civilized country no matter what, and would not embarrass civilians.
I never thought they would actually attack civilians.
Up to this point in the battle, Brandel could no longer see any hope of victory for the British army.
Because as the war progressed, the huge military strength of the Renaissance Army gradually became apparent.
They already knew that the strength of the Renaissance Army's landing force reached nearly 50,000.
And he only has more than 20,000 people in his hands. These people are still distributed in the three ports of the Straits Settlements.
But Brandel didn't want to just admit defeat.
He had sent people to the Viceroyalty of India for help.
He still has a fortress in the port that he can hold on to.
There are complete fortifications and abundant reserves there. Although the artillery cannot attack inland, it can ensure their retreat at sea.
And they can mount the army's field artillery on the fortress.
"Get General Tinitz and General Russo over here, quickly." Brandel had already thought about it.
After a while, two generals rushed over. One of them was at the port fortress, and the other was in the north to block the Renaissance army's attack.
"General Tinitz, can the north of the city still be defended?" Brandel asked.
In fact, he asked questions knowingly, and the general situation had already been reported to him.
"Your Majesty the Governor, I'm very sorry. We can't hold it any longer. The enemy is outnumbered and their weapons are more powerful than ours. The northern defense line was hastily established and cannot stop them at all."
Brandel nodded and said nothing.
Instead, he looked at the port garrison commander General Russo: "General Russo, I want to move everyone to the port. What do you think?"
"Your Majesty the Governor, do you want to hold on to the port fortress?"
"That's all. There is no danger to defend in the north of Singapore. I don't think we can waste all the soldiers of the Great Empire there."
"Of course, we have to evacuate all the immigrants to the port, and then the army will hold the port fortress. If necessary, the immigrants can board the ship and evacuate. We can also hold the port."
"In addition, I have asked the Indian soldiers in Chengdu to arrest all the Chinese and imprison them at the port." Brandel said.
"Governor, is it inappropriate to imprison those Chinese civilians? It seems inhumane?" The upright General Russo seemed to have guessed what Brandel was going to do.
"No, no, General Russo, I didn't say these people are civilians. The Chinese in the city have already rioted. They are all thugs." Brandel explained.
Well, since Brandel said this, General Russo can't persuade him anymore.
He is the commander of the port fortress, so he naturally wants to defend Singapore.
This city is the core of the entire Straits Settlements and the pearl of the Great Shadow Empire in the East.
As a veteran who has been here for more than ten years.
Although Russo was respected as a general, he was actually just a colonel. His upright character made his career very bleak.
However, he still had a patriotic enthusiasm for the Great Empire.
He knew the important role of Singapore. Civilians could evacuate, but soldiers like them would definitely fight to the end.
After spending so many years in the Straits Settlements, he knew very well that this was the gateway to the Pacific. Whoever controlled this place was equivalent to controlling the throat to the Pacific.
This place is so important that no one can afford to lose it.
And losing this throat will cause a series of chain reactions.
The Empire of Great Britain may lose control of New South Wales and New Zealand.
Because the Great Empire lost its two east and west routes to Australia.
Maybe even cut off contact there.
In addition, the Dutch, who have significant interests in the Spice Islands, may turn to the Renaissance Army because their lifeline will be in the hands of the Renaissance Army.
"Then it's decided, General Tinitz, you go prepare for the retreat. I will mobilize the expatriates in Chengdu. General Russo will continue to strengthen the defenses of the port fortress and prepare for the reception."
The Straits Settlements were very efficient.
As Dayang's army took the initiative to retreat, the leading troops of the Renaissance Army quickly entered the city and joined the Chinese militia in the city.
"What are you talking about? The Daying people arrested the Chinese in the city!"
Lin Zihao told Li Mingqiang, an officer in the vanguard of the Renaissance Army, the news he had just received.
Li Mingqiang was shocked by the news.
Wu Xin, who was calming the people in the city, made a hasty count and found that more than 3,000 Chinese had been arrested, almost all of them together with women and children.
The news quickly reached the ears of Yang Bingchun, the headquarters.
"Send someone to tell Li Xiucheng to capture as many white prisoners as he can in Malacca City."
Yang Bingchun quickly thought of a way.
Using civilians as shields is not uncommon in the history of war.
Only a barbaric or cowardly army would do such a thing.
When he heard this report, Yang Bingchun knew what medicine was being sold in Dayingren Gourd.
Li Xiucheng is now the commander of the new 32nd Division. Yang Bingchun asked him to take charge of the attack on Malacca City.
There are three armies in total. In addition to the main force attacking Singapore, there are also two partial armies, one heading towards Malacca City and the other facing Pen City.
At this time, the 32nd Division had already captured Malacca City. They were the first of the three armies to complete their mission.
After several years, Li Xiucheng had already adapted to life in the Fuxing Army.
He is very capable in managing the army and using troops.
Li Xiucheng is a person who shines wherever he is placed.
As a demoted general, he was able to be promoted to division commander, and he was considered to be the best among all the demoted generals in the Taiping Army.
The history of Malacca City is earlier than that of Singapore.
The rise of this city is also closely related to the support of the Ming Dynasty.
Zheng He led his fleet to the Western Ocean seven times, including five visits to Malacca. He brought Chinese silk, tea, porcelain and other products and advanced production technology here, making Malacca a prosperous trade center.
Later it was controlled by the Portuguese and the Dutch East India Company.
However, after the Dalai Lama decided to run Singapore, this originally most important port in the Strait has declined.
Now it is just a fulcrum of the Straits Settlements of the Great Empire.
Li Xiucheng was very lucky. The Chinese residents in the city helped him open the city gate, allowing him to successfully break into the city.
Malacca is an ancient city with solid and thick city walls, and the Malacca River runs through the city.
This river also has a water gate that connects it to the sea. There is a bunker fort built at the mouth of the river.
In the Straits Area, Malacca is considered an ancient city with a large number of Chinese living in the city.
In the magnificent city lord's palace, Li Xiucheng, a fair-faced man with an appearance of talent, is handling post-war affairs in the city.
After the Fuxing Army entered the city, many people in the city did not have time to escape. At this time, they were all imprisoned in the city by Li Xiucheng.
This city is garrisoned by more than 2,000 people and has strong walls.
If it weren't for the support of the Chinese in the city, I don't know how many soldiers would have died here.
Li Xiucheng was a Confucian general, at least in front of his subordinates, he always had a refined style.
But his skills in military management and fighting are real.
The center of the city is a Western-style building, which was originally built by the Portuguese as the Governor's Palace.
After occupying the city, Li Xiucheng regarded it as his headquarters.
This Governor's Palace has been in use for hundreds of years, and many old objects are stored in it.
Li Xiucheng discovered the royal seals, colored coins, robes, and yellow caps given to Malacca during the reign of Emperor Chengzu. These things were placed in the mansions of successive governors as collections to show off their achievements.
Seeing these things at this time and uncovering the dusty history, Li Xiucheng was extremely excited.
The Renaissance Army has now really achieved its prestige overseas.
Looking back on those days, a bunch of my old brothers came out from Guangxi just to make a living. The situation was really too small.
After stabilizing the order in the city, Li Xiucheng went to Sanbao Mountain in the west of the city to pay homage to the Ming Dynasty imperial encyclopedia of the Zhenguo Stone Stele.
Since then, Malacca has returned to Chinese hands.
ps: I’m working on Fangcang and updating at the same time. It’s so hard. I just want some monthly votes to give me some mental support.