Chapter 38 The British Governor Who Came to Your Door
The Xinghua Volunteer Army was able to withdraw to the camp. On the one hand, it was because the Xinghua Volunteer Army, with the help of Cui Lin and others, fought a fierce battle with the Japanese army the day before yesterday and made themselves embarrassed. Lin Jiangshi and Hu Tiejun took the opportunity to request to come back to rest; on the other hand, the Xinghua Volunteer Army was able to withdraw to the camp. On the other hand, in order to paralyze Tan Kah Kee, Wavell specially asked Thomas to treat his militiamen well. Lin and Hu made such a request, and Thomas kindly granted it.
When the British surrounded the Xinghua Volunteer Army camp, Cui Lin felt that something was wrong. He discussed the matter with Lin and Hu and said, "It's strange. What are the British doing here if they don't go to the front line to fight?"
Lin and Hu knew more about the secrets of the British army. Lin Jiangshi said: "It's very strange. In the past few days, all the British troops on the front line have withdrawn. Now the people blocking the front line are Indians, Australians and Dutch. .”
Hu Tiejun suddenly remembered something, patted his thigh and said: "The British will not notice our intentions and come here to stop us. MD, the British are too bad. They can't escape by themselves, and they want to drag us into the water."
Hu Tiejun said that he still overestimated the moral character of the British. After hearing this, Cui Lin and Lin Jiangshi frowned when they thought it was possible. Cui Lin's eyes flashed coldly: "It's really not possible, we can only force our way in." .”
Among the Chinese in Singapore and Malaysia, only Tan Kah Kee knew the specific date of the rescue operation. Tan Kah Kee organized more than a thousand people to carry out activities in the past few days, gathering all the Chinese near Singapore to the area near the US evacuation scheduled dock. At around four o'clock in the afternoon, he After receiving a telegram from Zhang Liangfeng, he was told that the "evacuation fleet" was only an hour and a half away from the dock. He was asked to inform him immediately so that the overseas Chinese could prepare.
He burned the telegram and was about to ask someone to explain it when the butler Chen Dugu hurriedly pushed the door open and said anxiously, "Sir, it's bad, Sir Thomas is here."
Tan Kah Kee's expression was stern, and he was about to take care of him when he heard half-baked Chinese speaking in the hall: "President Chen, I'm here uninvited." His expression changed, he winked at Chen Dagu, and stretched out his hand to dip his hand in water. He wrote "Langya, Xinghua" on the table, and then quickly walked out of the study room,
In the hall, Thomas stood there surrounded by two British soldiers with live ammunition. He looked at Tan Kah Kee with a deep look on his face. Tan Kah Kee cupped his hands and said: "Mr. Governor, the war is so tense, how come you still have time to come to this humble residence?" Ah, please take a seat, Xiaohua, and watch the tea."
Thomas smiled and said, "There's no need to go to the tea. I'm here specifically to invite the president to the Governor's Mansion."
Tan Kah Kee frowned slightly, pretending to be stupid and asked, "Oh, is there anything happy for the Governor's family today?"
"No, no, it's not that I have any happy events, but I'm worried that I'll never see President Chen again. President Chen, please."
Having said that, how could Tan Kah Kee not understand Thomas's intention? He let out a heavy breath, looked at Thomas and asked lightly: "The Governor already knows."
"Yes, President Chen, what a big gesture."
"Then you want to stop us."
"It is inappropriate to stop, but as subjects of Her Majesty the Queen, at this critical moment, shouldn't you join us as a team to resist the Japanese invasion? Don't forget, the Royal Army is still fighting bloody battles with the Japanese on the front lines... "
Thomas said these righteous words very gentlemanly and felt quite good about himself. Before he could finish speaking, Tan Kah Kee interrupted: "My Lord Governor, you have made a mistake. The Royal Army is fighting on the front line. That is It is their duty as soldiers, and as civilians, we do not evade taxes or break the law on weekdays. We have fulfilled our duties. The soldiers and the government cannot guarantee our safety. We have to find our own way to survive. This will hinder who commits which crime. It’s law.”
Thomas had only been informed about the "Singapore Great Retreat" by Bai Sihua half an hour ago. He had just learned that Tan Kah Kee and other Chinese people had secretly done such a big thing. The British man felt that he had been slighted and fooled. He became angry at that time and thought that Tan Kah Kee He didn't take himself as the governor seriously. He came here with resentment. Now he was speechless by Tan Kah Kee's words. He became even more ashamed and angry and couldn't care less about maintaining his gentlemanly demeanor. , sneered: "It is indeed not illegal for you to seek a way out for yourself, but it has shaken the morale of the Royal Army. Based on this alone, I have the authority to end your actions on behalf of the Straits Settlements government." After saying this in anger, He said angrily to the two soldiers behind him: "What are you waiting for? Take him away from me."
The two soldiers responded and walked towards Tan Kah Kee. One of them said in English: "President Tan, I'm sorry, please come with us."
Tan Kah Kee looked at Thomas coldly, showing no intention of struggling. Two British soldiers pushed him gently, and he walked towards the door of the hall.
Chen Dugu was very smart. He knew what to do next when he saw the two words left by his master on the desk. Thomas suddenly came to visit, and he didn't know what kind of medicine the British guy was selling in his gourd. He hid After eavesdropping on the conversation in the study room and learning the purpose of Thomas' visit, they climbed out of the study window regardless of the inconvenience of their arms and legs. Bai Sihua and Thomas were careless. They had no idea that Xue Bingjun and Tan Kah Kee wanted to So much preparation work was done on this day, so Thomas thought he could defeat Tan Kah Kee with only two soldiers, but he didn't know that Cui Lin had arranged for two wolves to stay in Chen's mansion in order to prevent accidents.
After Chen Dugu left the study, he first found his young master and asked him to immediately notify the two wolves in Chen's residence. Then he went to the foyer to call the Xinghua Volunteer Army camp.
It is said that Cui Lin and others sensed something unusual, and while quietly informing the volunteers to prepare for battle, they also scouted the British army's defense situation and quietly found out the location of the British division's headquarters surrounding the camp. ,
The Xinghua Volunteer Army was originally established to fight the Japanese, but now it has to turn around and fight the British. This gap is too big. Although Lin Jiangshi and Hu Tiejun know that this may be related to the life and death of tens of thousands of Chinese, they may To some extent, I still have illusions about the British. I think that the "evacuation operation" has no conflict with the British, and there is no conflict that requires a sword fight. Therefore, I am still hesitant and unable to pass my own test.
Cui Lin had seen through the British. However, he was just a guest army and could not be the leader of the volunteer army, so he could only worry. While they were waiting for the news to come and go, Chen Dugu called.
This call was so timely. After receiving the call, Hu Tiejun exploded like a firecracker on the spot: "MD, the British are so shameless. They insist on tying us to their broken tank. Lao Lin, don't hesitate.
Just listen to Captain Cui and do it."
Lin Jiangshi was also furious and decided: "The British are unkind, so don't blame us for being unjust, just do it."