A boat handler is a professional Chinese captain who specializes in helping the owner to sail the boat.
Ling Ahu is fifty-four years old this year. He looks like he is seventy or eighty years old. He is thin and has a thin chin with a sparse gray beard.
After years of sailing, his skin has become rough, dark, and full of wrinkles.
His hair was almost completely white and was tied into a bun on the top of his head.
Ling Ahu is not as domineering as his name. Not only does he look timid, he also looks timid.
"Meet the general."
It was not easy for Qiu Guo to find Ling Ahu in the city.
For more than a year, the Chinese navy has blocked the coastline, and many small Chinese merchant ships cannot go to sea. Even if they go to sea, they may be sunk.
Ling Ahu hasn't been able to get any work for a long time.
If he doesn't go to sea again, he will have no choice but to drink from the northwest wind.
He himself will also lose everything in Bincheng.
Ling Ahu was born in Ling Family Wei Island. However, he is already a distant branch, and the Ling Family on the island has long since declined.
Without a job, Ling Ahu could only escape to the rule of the Renaissance Army, or try his luck in Siam.
At least there, the life and safety of the Chinese are guaranteed.
When the Renaissance Army entered the city, the Chinese people were filled with joy.
They all know that wherever the Renaissance Army attacks, the Chinese will be able to stand up and hold their heads up.
These bullied Chinese finally looked forward to someone who could make decisions for themselves.
I just received the relief food distributed by the Renaissance Army to all the Chinese at the City Lord's Mansion in the city.
Before Ling Ahu could make food, someone came to his door.
The person who came was a shopkeeper from the Gao family, a large family in the city.
It turned out that I was asked to lead the way on the ship.
Ling Ahu naturally wouldn't refuse business when it came to his door, and besides, it was someone from the Gao family who came to the door.
The other party was very anxious and picked Ling Ahu away before he could eat.
Soon they arrived at the port, and all the Daling people who had just escaped were escorted back.
Ling Ahu saw the big shots in the city among the crowd.
If these people were in the past, just one look could kill them.
But now, each one of them was looking downcast and being watched by the soldiers as they walked in one direction.
Immediately afterwards, he was taken aboard a very strange military ship.
Ling Ahu felt the same as those who saw the "Sea Wolf-class" torpedo boat for the first time.
After boarding the gunboat, Ling Ahu met a very kind young officer.
When I asked myself questions, I was always polite and did not look bossy at all.
They continued along the coastline towards Singapore.
The large ships encountered on the way were either sunk or captured and sent to nearby seaports. Almost all the ports in the Straits Settlements, whether they belonged to the Great Empire or the indigenous ones, were occupied by the Renaissance Army.
Finally, after stopping and stopping, they approached the Singapore Port one night five days later.
The fleet of ships found a hidden harbor and stopped.
"Master Ling, if it's night, can you take us into the port?" He Wenxiong asked very politely.
"General He, I, Old Ling, have been running around Singapore Port for decades, and I can get in even with my eyes closed," Ling Ahu assured, patting his chest.
…
At the previous port, He Wenxiong contacted the Fleet Command and already obtained information about the Singapore port.
The fleets of the Great Empire are indeed staying in the port.
They scattered all the light ships.
Monitoring the main fleet of the Renaissance Army.
The main fleet is not yet ready to storm Singapore Harbor.
On the one hand, the army landing site on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula also needs naval protection.
If the navy goes to attack the port at this time, and a few ships of the Great Empire sneak out to attack the troop transport ships and landing points, then there will be trouble.
Therefore, the main fleet will not attack Singapore Port until the army has completely stabilized the rear.
On land, although the army occupied the city of Singapore, the attack on the port had to be halted.
On the one hand, it’s because Dayang’s firepower at the port is indeed relatively fierce.
There are more than 500 cannons on the fortress alone.
Although some artillery cannot change direction, the firepower of the Renaissance Army here is very weak.
At the very least, we have to wait for the heavy artillery from the rear to be sent up before we can launch an attack.
On the other hand, there are still thousands of Chinese imprisoned in the fortress.
There is no way to ensure the personal safety of these people by shelling the fortress now.
However, the army on the island was not idle either. They built a strong fortification around the port.
Many young Chinese people on the island were organized to help.
Now these trenches have begun to extend in the direction of the fortress, like the tentacles of a giant beast.
At the same time, Yang Bingchun also sent people to negotiate with the Yu people.
On the one hand, they demanded their unconditional surrender and promised to ensure their personal safety.
On the other hand, they are required to stop the war crime of using hostages. If the other party insists on going their own way and finally seizes the port, they will all become war criminals.
The Renaissance Army also explained to them that they also controlled a large number of white people here, and they did not mind imprisoning these people at the front of the position.
In a bunker in the port, Governor Brandel, General Tinitz, General Russo and Navy Commander General George Limber were all there.
The room was filled with smoke and the atmosphere was solemn.
Just now, everyone had a heated discussion about the issue of Chinese hostages.
"Your Majesty the Governor, we will fight to the end, and we must fight openly and honestly. Taking Chinese hostages as a shield has greatly affected the morale of our soldiers." General Russo broke the silence.
"Moreover, Your Majesty the Governor, they must have more overseas Chinese under their control. There are a large number of overseas Chinese living in Malacca and Penang, and there are also some overseas Chinese scattered in those sultanates. They can take reciprocal measures."
"What will we do then? Will we die together with them?"
"Colonel Russo, the Governor has already said that these Chinese are rioters, and we have no problem arresting them and imprisoning them." Tinitz has been following Brandel to flatter him, otherwise he wouldn't have
He was promoted to major general before Russo.
Brandel did not comment, but looked at Admiral Lin Bai aside.
This person is the one with the highest status among the people here.
"Everyone, I think we can exchange with the Renaissance Army. Whether we lose or win this battle, we must give an explanation to the country."
"At this time, on this battlefield, we are actually at a disadvantage. This is the doorstep of the Renaissance Army, but it is too far from the mainland of the Great Empire. Everyone should know that our Great Navy suffered a major blow in the Strait of Magellan.
Loss."
"I believe that the government must also be thinking of ways. The order given to me by the Navy Department was to preserve our strength as much as possible. But I hope to stay in the Straits Settlements for a longer period of time to buy more time for the country, otherwise we will retreat to the Indian region now.
The Renaissance Army will definitely follow, and those enemies that have not been eliminated in the Indian region will definitely pop up."
"If we lose the Indian region, even if the domestic expedition fleet is re-established, we will have to incur more losses if we want to regain the Indian region."
"That's why I left the fleet in the Straits Settlements. These old warships will eventually be eliminated, so it's better to let them buy time for the formation of a new fleet."
"Governor Brandel's starting point is right. These Chinese have indeed bought us some time."
"But if you want to exchange the lives of the Daling people, I don't agree. The lives of the Daling people are much nobler than theirs."
"So, we still have to talk and change, but we have to delay it as long as possible. What we need most is time."
"We don't need to win, we just need to buy more time."
General Lin Bai's words brought this matter to an end.
Next is the question of how to defend.
General Lindbergh decided to transfer the surplus soldiers on the Navy ships to the Army.
Because most ships will no longer go to sea for combat, there is no need for so many troops.
This immediately added more than 5,000 troops to the army guarding the island.
This was coupled with nearly 10,000 men recruited from white expatriates in the city.
Excluding those previously wiped out by the Renaissance Army, there are now nearly 30,000 troops guarding the port.
Relying on the fortress and the artillery on the ships, this port can be defended for half a year.
This is still Lin Bai’s conservative estimate.
He was referring to the Russian army that was guarding Sevastopol at that time.
Including his proposal to transfer the naval forces on the warships to the army. This was also based on the practice of the Tsarist Russian army.
At that time, the Tsarist Russian fleet was surrounded inside the port, with no hope of breaking out. The fleet commander ordered all the artillery on the warship to be moved to the shore. Then the warship was scuttled inside the port.
Lin Bai also wants to turn Singapore into the Sevastopol of the East.
"Just follow General Lin Bai's wishes, and I will be responsible for the negotiations with the Renaissance Army." Brandel then expressed his position.
After all, it was he who made the decision to hold these hostages.
Although Lin Bai denied his approach, after what Lin Bai said, people became less conflicted.
Lin Bai's words seemed to confirm Brandel's approach on the surface, but in fact they made him give up on detaining these Chinese.
In the city of Singapore, Yang Bingchun has already transferred his headquarters.
There is also a tense atmosphere here. Although it is much easier to attack the port from behind, the Dahong army at this time is not the Dahong army during World War II. They are still proud, and it seems difficult to surrender.
"Commander, according to our analysis, the number of enemy troops will not exceed 30,000, and at least half of them are newly recruited militiamen."
"The only thing you need to worry about is the enemy's warships parked in the port. These warships can form crossfire with the fortresses in the port."
"If we attack forcefully, we will definitely suffer huge losses."
…
Off the field, the staff officer was describing his analysis.
"When will the artillery be in place?" Yang Bingchun asked.
He has not yet launched an attack. The hostages are on the one hand, and the most important thing is to wait for the artillery division to be deployed.
This war was the first time that the Renaissance Army fought in the form of a large corps.
In previous battles, divisions were the basic unit. All arms were deployed within division-level units.
However, this time the Renaissance Army formed a legion.
Temporary military-level units can be formed within the legion.
The combination of arms is also more flexible. For example, the artillery division appears for the first time.
In the past, the largest artillery unit of the Renaissance Army was the regiment level.
Singapore's port area is mainly flat land, and the waterway outside the port is called the Pandan Strait.
This waterway is separated from the Singapore Strait to the south by a large number of islands.
The main defense facilities of the port are at Pasir Panjang on the northeast side of the port.
In addition, there are two main islands outside the port, Jurong Island and Sentosa Island, which also have forts.
These forts form a triangle with the fortress in the port, posing a huge threat to any enemy who wants to enter the island.
"Help the artillery set up their positions before this afternoon, and we will start the attack after the artillery is deployed tomorrow." Yang Bingchun was very anxious. The longer the time passed, the tighter the enemy's defense became.
From the front of the position, he could already see that the enemy was reinforcing the fortifications day and night.
"Commander, do you want to wait until the negotiations are over and they release the hostages before attacking?" a staff officer asked cautiously.
Yang Bingchun waved his hand and said: "No need, just tell the Da Ying people directly that we know the number of hostages. If there is one less hostage, we will let ten Da Ying people be buried with them. Even those who died of illness will not be allowed."
Yang Bingchun was also a veteran general, and he knew that as a general leading an army, he could not be benevolent to a woman.
Especially you can't show your shortcomings in front of your opponents.
"Yes, I understand!"
While everyone was discussing, a communications officer came in with a telegram.
Yang Bingchun took the telegram and read it carefully.
Everyone looked over, curious about what information it was.
"Oh, it's information from the navy. They planned a sneak attack on the large ships in the port."
"I won't tell you the specific plan. Since the Navy is ready to take action, we can prepare a backup plan."
Just now, Yang Bingchun had an idea. Since the enemy's troops were not strong, they only relied on the strong fortifications at the port to resist the Renaissance Army.
Does that mean that apart from hiding in the port to delay the Renaissance Army, they do not pose much of a threat to the Renaissance Army.
As long as their ships in the port are eliminated, they will become turtles in the urn.
Of course, this presupposes that the Renaissance Army controls the sea here.
Yang Bingchun's backup plan is if the navy can destroy the enemy fleet in the port.
Then there is no need for their troops heading south to capture this port.
If a long-term siege is adopted, one's own casualties will undoubtedly be reduced.
Just think about Crimea. The coalition forces also had a generational advantage in weapons against Tsarist Russia at the time, but in the end they also lost a large number of soldiers.
The situation of the Great Army was even worse than that of Tsarist Russia at that time.
At that time, Tsarist Russia was still connected to the mainland by land.
And Da Ying's army was trapped in Gugang.
Not to mention ordinary supplies, they don't even have the most basic drinking water.
Yang Bingchun submitted his idea to his staff for discussion, and everyone felt that this plan was feasible.
At that time, we only need to leave 20,000 people to surround the port.
Maybe in less than half a month, the Daqi army will run out of water, and they will have to surrender by then.
Of course, all this depends on how well the Navy does.