At night, the city of Singapore could not be seen, but the fireballs on both sides of the Johor Strait were densely weaved, and thousands of Japanese soldiers tied white cloth strips with the words "long military luck" on their foreheads, rowing small boats and braving artillery fire to try to break through the two-kilometer-wide strait. On the embankment of Haifeng, the Japanese 11th Wing used wooden planks to build a temporary wooden bridge over the gap blown by the British, and Wing Commander Sasaki Osa led the elite infantry to try to break through the defense of a Gurkha infantry battalion.

Three Makqin heavy machine guns rained down on the causeway under the operation of the Gurkha soldiers, and behind them there were two 85mm field howitzers, which were so close that the muzzles were almost flat to bombard the Japanese troops.

Probably knowing that there was a way to escape, Percival and the officers let go of their hands and feet, changed the state of fishing and drying nets a few days ago, and ordered an active counterattack from the beginning, and also formed a special supervision team for this purpose. Unsuspecting soldiers had to brace themselves in front of the guns of the warlords, and used tanks, artillery, and other weapons brought in by China to continuously attack the Japanese troops crossing the sea.

However, the tactics of the Japanese army scattered and swam were very effective, and even though Percival personally commanded them, there were still many holes in the defense line of the unintentional battle, and the Japanese soldiers found the opportunity to land ashore. Although the number of people at each point was small, the approach was very fierce, and often seven or eight men dared to charge against the British machine guns. Seeing this, Percival immediately ordered the tanks to be dispatched, and more than two dozen tanks became firefighters, and they finally managed to stabilize the situation.

The battle was fierce in front, and the Jurong Strait behind was also busy, and six submarines with a displacement of 573 tons were like black sea monsters, rising and falling with the waves. Several kayaks shuttled back and forth between the coast and the submarine, and the sailors of the Chinese Navy on the deck did not say a word, except to pull the list of senior British and Dutch officers and their families onto the submarine. Guide them into the cramped cabin. To carry more personnel, the submarine has unloaded half of its torpedoes and fuel, and has moved several medical oxygen cylinders just in case. But even then, the return trip had to be kept as snorkeled as possible, because the cabin was already crowded with sixty or seventy people for thirty people, and if it were to be submerged, it would probably lead to a rapid lack of oxygen.

Fearing that the morale of the army would be broken due to the leak of the news, the operation was carried out by the evacuated officers and their families, and Parcival was also very decisive to stay on the front line, showing up on the battlefield from time to time. Calm people's hearts. "Commander, what do you mean by domestic? Why should Japan occupy this place? Isn't it okay to send troops directly? Since we are asked to form a Malayan division, but we are not allowed to do it immediately, what do you think? "In the dark grove on the shore, I watched the Anglo-Dutch officers who had evacuated in a hurry. The young Hu Tiejun bit the weeds in his mouth, and asked the reason with a puzzled expression.

He is also a native of Singapore, and is Lim Mousheng's assistant in Singapore, and was recommended to study in the Marine Department of the Guangdong Naval School three years ago. After the Japanese army moved south, the Military Intelligence Bureau immediately instructed the two men and other officers in Malaya to jointly undertake the work of forming the Malay Division of the Asian United Front, with Lim Mou Seng as the division commander. He served as the commander of the Third Regiment.

Lin Mousheng was a few years older, his thinking became more mature, and he waved his hand and said: "Let Japan occupy it so that they can continue to advance south with peace of mind, and there is no Singapore." Japan will not dare to go to Burma and India, and only when Japan smashes all these pots and jars can we re-establish a new Asian peace order. ”

"Divisional commander, do you think Britain and Japan know the president's mind?"

"There's no outsider here. Let's call me Brother Lin. This matter was originally a conspiracy. Otherwise, why the United States withdrew from the Philippines early is not to make room for Japan. But what's the use of knowing? We have a tenetude with Japan, and whoever wants to become a world power must first defeat the other side. But Japan lacks resources, and it must get Nanyang to fight us. Therefore, all these years we have been painstakingly managing Rabaul's long-range routes, just to see that our navy is not able to fight so far. So this is also their last resort, if they can control the South Seas, there is hope for revival, and they can turn around and deal with us. As for the United Kingdom, the relationship between our two families has always been one of enemy and enemy for a hundred years. Besides, what does Japan want? It is to monopolize the entire Nanyang colony, and what our president wants is nothing more than a new Asian order. Britain's colonial policy is over, and even the United States does not support it, so the British are like a mirror in their hearts. Maintain relations with us, and in the future there may be opportunities to intervene in the construction of a new order, and the foreigners can come back and continue to earn their money, but with Japan! In the final analysis, even if Britain loses the Far East, it will not hurt the country's roots, so I don't want to end it sooner and see who we and Japan will do, and I guess they are still counting on being a fisherman. ”

"It's complicated, it's complicated."

Lin Mousheng smacked his lips when he saw him, and he looked distressed, and laughed: "Bastard, you don't need to worry about these things, what we have to do is to blow up the Singapore Fortress, and then pull the Malay division up as soon as possible, and when the country comes, we can let the compatriots here achieve autonomy, and there is no need to send people under the fence again." ”

"Yes!"

Realizing the autonomy of the Nanyang Chinese is the dream of several generations, and this dream has been circulating in the Nanyang Chinese circle since Lan Fang, so Hu Tiejun nodded heavily, his eyes were bright and he was about to express his determination, but he was interrupted by the sound of a motorcycle behind him. A seventeen or eighteen-year-old man with a swarthy skin bulging and carrying an Enfield rifle sprang out of the motorcycle. Seeing the sweaty guy, Hu Tiejun preemptively asked: "Little Fujian? Didn't you watch it from the heights of Tima 255? ”

"Sensei. Commander, come up with an idea! These Indian soldiers had only been fighting for a while before they were washed ashore by the Japanese, and now they had begun to attack the high ground. A number of Indian Asans have fled, and behold, this gun is what they left behind. It is estimated that it will not be long before the highlands are finished. ”

"his turban! Aren't there dozens of light and heavy machine guns on the heights? Why is it still playing like this? Hu Tiejun was short-tempered, scolded and rushed to the motorcycle. Xiao Fujian's eyes were red in a hurry, and he shouted: "How do I know." Commander, go and take a look, the city is in chaos. Japanese soldiers have already boarded from many places, and if they continue like this, they will be finished at dawn at most. ”

"Where is all this nonsense? Hurry up! Teacher, you go first, I'll go and let the brothers gather, damn! I knew that these red-headed Ah San were unreliable. ”

"Go get the speedboat over. Take care of the master, Damai will definitely not be able to go, and the Japanese warships will surround him after a while, and then he will go directly to the Munan Reservoir to Malaya, where there is a swamp and the Japanese army is the least. Lin Mousheng didn't expect the Japanese army to attack so fiercely, and when he saw that the six submarines had already dived, he hurriedly took care of the retreat route, and he and Xiao Fujian rushed to the Tima 255 Heights.

The motorbike hasn't arrived in Tima yet. Thousands of routs poured in front of them, and the entire city of Singapore was in chaos. Countless Anglo-Dutch soldiers retreated from the Straits of Johor, many of them threw away their guns and put on civilian clothes to try to get by, many shops were on fire, and the streets were littered with debris. Although I expected this kind of scene to happen. But after seeing it, Lin Mousheng was still angry, fortunately, the previous evacuation had sent all the overseas Chinese and most of the women and children of Chinese away, and the blasting work had been prepared, otherwise it would be even more chaotic.

"Tima is definitely finished, go straight to Bukit Timah Hill."

The motorcycles rushed left and right, and finally arrived at Bukit Timah Hill only to find that most of the soldiers here had fled. After Lin Mousheng and Xiao Fujian rushed into the headquarters. I saw that the dozen or so senior officers who remained such as Percival and Smith were already dead, and obviously they didn't expect to collapse so quickly.

"Blow up everything!"

"Let all the planes and ships set sail, and you can escape as much as you want."

"Tiejun, protect the general and go first."

Less than a moment. Hu Tiejun also led more than 200 Chinese soldiers armed with submachine guns to the command post. Seeing that Percival was no longer able to command effectively, Lin Mousheng simply picked up the phone and ordered the blasting. Rumbling explosions rang out from all over Singapore, and clouds of fireball and black smoke added chaos to the city.

The Japanese troops, who had finally crossed the strait at a cost of thousands, realized that something was wrong, knowing that the Singapore fortress was stockpiled with a large amount of ammunition and supplies. If you can keep it for yourself, you can at least support the three divisions for more than half a year. So the officers after hearing the blasting. No longer in charge, he immediately ordered all the landing soldiers to rush to Bukit Timah Hill and the city in an attempt to stop the blasting.

But it was too late.

Lim Mou Seng stuffed the devastated Parsivar into the car and personally pressed the blasting bolt of the Bukit Timah Hill bunker. Explosives and hundreds of 15-inch high-explosive bombs brought from the fortress were detonated at the same time, and the whole of Singapore seemed to shake up in the earth-shattering noise, and the mountain fortress, which was more than ten meters underground, quickly collapsed at a speed visible to the naked eye. As the underground fortifications of Bukit Timah Hill were blasted, there was also a loud rumbling sound in the direction of the fort, and it was clearly visible from the speeding trucks that the solid concrete fortifications were rapidly collapsing, and the fifteen-inch shore artillery group that dominated Asia also collapsed and rolled down the cliff.

The Eastern Gibraltar is finished, without the underground bunkers of Bukit Timah Hill and without the Strait Battery, Singapore's defense is not as good as Natuna. Even if repairs are carried out in Japan, it will take a year to recover. "Haha, it's a good bomb, there's nowhere to hide in little Japan now." Hu Tiejun and the Chinese soldiers of the Malayan Division of the Asian United Front all laughed and applauded when they saw this. "Don't be complacent, let everyone clean up, don't leave your feet behind." Although Lin Mousheng was excited, he still maintained a minimum of calm.

After arriving at the wharf, it was already crowded with people, countless defeated troops and citizens crowded to board fishing boats and speedboats, as long as they could find navigational tools, they were all crowded with people without exception. If there were an airplane in the sky at this moment, you would be able to see that the whole of Singapore would be like a hornet that had blown up its nest, and the planes, ships and other means of transportation would be radiating in all directions. Lin Mousheng did not dare to delay, and without the cover of the battery, the Japanese fleet would be able to unblock supplies, so he immediately bypassed the densest wharf and brought Percival to the westernmost part of the Johor Strait. By the time they had packed up the three civilian Seagull-class speedboats and rushed at a high speed of 42 knots to the Malayan Peninsula, five kilometers away, the sound of naval guns and machine guns could already be heard in the direction of the Lingga Islands and Kuala Lumpur.

On May 2, 1939, Singapore, known as Gibraltar in the East and the strongest fortress of the British Empire in the Far East, was broken by the Japanese army, nearly 90,000 British, Dutch, Australian and Indian troops surrendered, and hundreds of Singaporean Chinese died in the battle, and hundreds of shops were destroyed. At the last moment, the British army successfully carried out large-scale destruction of Singapore, blowing up the important Bukit Timah Hill underground fortress, coastal forts, water works, power plants, shipyards, hoarding supplies, naval bases, oil depots, etc., and hundreds of senior generals of the coalition army, including the commander of the British Far East Army Percival and the commander-in-chief of the Dutch army, Gordon, fled at the last moment and their whereabouts are unknown.

After half a month of hard fighting, paying the price of a total of 11,339 casualties, and letting so many senior officers flee under their noses, and finally getting the reality of an empty city, the Japanese army was furious, and Yamashita Fengfu vented all his anger on the prisoners, ordering more than 20,000 Malaya, Indian and Australian soldiers to be pushed to the beach for collective execution, and the rest were also assigned to work in the Malayan iron mines, and finally survived to less than 10,000 prisoners after the war.

When the news broke, the world was shocked!

British Conservative Party MP, Winston Churchill, openly criticized Chamberlain's foreign policy in the House of Commons, violently criticized Britain's lax attitude towards foreign Japan, China and the Soviet Union, and demanded Chamberlain's resignation for the first time: "Singapore was once the hegemon of the seven seas and the center of the British Empire's colonial rule in Asia. But for a long time, we ignored the threat there, and under the policy of appeasement represented by the idea of capitulation, we sat back and watched the expansion of dictatorship, GC and militarism in Asia, and sat back and watched Moscow's support for Japan! Today, we have tasted the consequences, the worst catastrophe in British history, the largest surrender, in Singapore! Now, should, immediately! Someone has come forward to take responsibility for this! ”

Perhaps inspired by Churchill's speech, Roosevelt formally signed the "Export Control Act" at the White House just three days later, according to which the US Government stopped exporting war materials to Japan from the date of its signing, and demanded that American businessmen around the world also stop exporting to Japan, stop helping Japan develop industry, and stop providing any commercial loans to Japan. On the same day, Yang Qiu also faced hundreds of reporters at the graduation ceremony of Wuhan University of Technology, severely accusing the Japanese army of persecuting local Chinese in the war and violating the Geneva Treaty, and demanding that Japan return South Sakhalin Island and withdraw from Korea and the Ryukyus after a lapse of several years. (To be continued)