Chapter 920: Capture of the Suez Canal
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"The warriors of Egypt, the current Khedif Abbasid II, he is colluding with the infidels and wantonly betraying the interests of Egypt, he is no longer fit to be the ruler of Egypt, we must stand up bravely, resist his tyranny, overthrow his tyrannical rule, so that the entire navy can be bathed in the light of Allah again!" In Ismailia, Hussein Kamil was giving a loud lecture to the tens of thousands of officers and men of the Egyptian Army's Second Division. This division was the first division he bought, and from low-ranking officers to division commanders, almost all of them were loyal to him. Of course, he also paid a huge price for this, and he could not have paid it without the support of Britain and France.
"Now, I officially declare that the march to Cairo will overthrow the rule of Abbasid II. I assure you that everyone will be promoted and will receive a lot of bonuses! Hussein Kamil said loudly.
"Hooray! Banzai! March to Cairo and overthrow Abbas's rule! The red-eyed Egyptian soldiers, stimulated by the reward, shouted one after another.
At nine o'clock in the morning of December 6, the 2nd Division of the Egyptian Army set out from Ismailia and marched towards Cairo, in addition to this division, the other four divisions of Hussein Kamil, the 4th, 5th, 8th and 9th Divisions of the Egyptian Army also began to march towards Cairo, and the other 6th and 7th Divisions, after Hussein Kamil had spent a lot of money, they had promised to remain neutral in this coup.
Abbasid II of Cairo, upon learning of Hussein Kamil's coup d'état, immediately addressed the people of Cairo at the royal palace, in which he refuted Hussein Kamil's views. Declare Hussein Kamil to be a scumbag who wants to usurp his rule, and call on all Egyptians to rebel against Hussein Kamil and defend Cairo.
In addition, Abbasid II ordered the palace guards to arrest high-ranking government officials who remained in Cairo but had been bribed by Hussein Kamil. At the same time, the 1st Division, loyal to him, was ordered to be ready for battle, and Alexander's 3rd Division was ordered to return to Cairo immediately. It's just that Alexandria is two hundred kilometers from Cairo. Hussein Kamil's divisions were only a little more than a hundred kilometers away from Cairo. By the time they arrived, Hussein Kamil had already launched an attack on Cairo.
"General Liu, Hussein Kamil has launched a military coup, when will your country's army arrive?" Abbasid II asked, worried. In the end, his first division and the palace guards combined, there were only 15,000 men. The army commanded by Hussein Kamil was more than 60,000 men in five divisions. With more than 10,000 people of the 3rd Division unable to arrive in time, he had to face a huge disadvantage in military strength!
"Your Excellency the Khedive, I have already reported the situation to the squadron resident Saudi command, but one of our Marine divisions is on the Red Sea and will not be able to arrive in about four days. The other division, on the other hand, could have launched an attack on the canal in a day or two. But it was also impossible to rescue Cairo. Therefore, you and your army must hold out for about a week! Major General Liu Ming said.
Abbasid II's expression changed for a while, and he held out for a week. For the army he now has at his disposal, it is not easy. However, he also knew that this was his last chance. If you lose Cairo. He will lose his righteousness. Even if he is able to regain control of Egypt with the help of China, his dominance will not be secure.
"General Liu, please rest assured. I will definitely hold out until the Chinese reinforcements arrive! Abbasid II said firmly. He's decided to give it his all. Although Hussein Kamil has more troops in his hands, it is difficult to say how much combat power can be left. And, if you can be bought by Hussein Kamil, you can also be bought by him. He doesn't have a chance to hold Cairo!
When the command of the Chinese army in Saudi Arabia in Riyadh learned that Hussein Kamil had staged a coup d'état, it immediately gave an order to the fleet on the Red Sea to speed up to the Suez Canal. At the same time, an order was given to the 8th Marine Division, which two days later launched an attack on the Suez Canal. Fortunately, the 8th Marine Division had already begun to prepare, otherwise it would have taken a lot of time to rush from the port of Jeddah to the Suez Canal alone!
On 7 December, the main two regiments of the 8th Marine Division had arrived at Aqaba, heading west across the border to Eilat in Egypt. It's just that Egypt doesn't have a garrison here, just some police. The canal zone of the Suez Canal belongs to the defense zone of the British and French forces. Therefore, in the Sinai Peninsula, east of the canal, Egypt did not have many garrisons.
On December 8, at half past eight in the morning, the leather boots of the Chinese marines crossed the dividing line between Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and began to attack the Suez Canal. The Anglo-French forces had already noticed the build-up of the squadron at Aqaba, and they deployed a British infantry division and a French infantry brigade east of the Suez Canal, with a total strength of more than 18,000 men. The other division was deployed in Suez City, at the southern end of the Suez Canal. During the war in the Middle East, the squadron was also the first to land from here!
Although the 8th Marine Division attacked first, it would take several days to traverse a distance of 200 kilometers. This made the 9th Marine Division, which landed by boat, launch an attack on the British and French forces before them.
On December 10, a Qin-class battleship 'Taizi Fusu' and a heavy cruiser 'Liaohe' of the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy escorted the 9th Marine Division to Suez City with two light cruisers and four destroyers. The battleships 'Prince Fusu' and the heavy cruiser 'Liaohe' launched a heavy artillery bombardment of the British positions in Suez City. Originally, the British were going to build a fortress in Suez City, but this was strongly opposed by other countries. All countries refused to militarize the Suez Canal, which would pose a serious threat to the ships passing through the Suez Canal, and China even declared that if Britain wanted to build a fortress in Suez City, China would launch an attack on the Suez Canal as soon as possible, which made the British side finally have to give up!
The defensive positions of the British army were helpless in the face of heavy shelling from battleships and heavy cruisers. After paying thousands of casualties, the British commander had to order the troops to withdraw from their positions and allow the Chinese marines to land.
After the landing of the Chinese marines, they launched an attack on the British. The British pinned their hopes of holding off the squadron in the city street fighting. It's just that, in the face of a well-trained squadron, their hopes are doomed to fail. Many of the barricades and bunkers built by the British in Suez City were destroyed by the Chinese navy's artillery fire. The Egyptians in the city have already fled, so the Chinese navy does not need to scruple at all, even if the entire city of Suez is blown into ruins, it will not feel distressed. In such a situation, the British army's resistance seemed so vulnerable. Their barricades were lightly destroyed by heavy artillery fire, and the British soldiers who were hiding in the houses on both sides of the street were buried alive inside.
In less than a day, the 9th Marine Division drove the British out of Suez City. The British wolf, who lost thousands of men, retreated north.
By the time the squadron landed in Suez City, the battle in Cairo had already begun on October 9. Hussein Kamil led his army to cover a hundred kilometers in three days and launched an attack on Cairo. The 1st Division of the Egyptian Army and the Royal Palace Guards guarding Cairo were assured by Abbasid II that each of them would be rewarded handsomely after the military coup d'état of Hussein Kamil, which made the soldiers very desperate in battle. Hussein Kamil led his army to storm for a day, but as a result, he suffered heavy losses, and Gen could not break through the defenses of Cairo.
On 10 December, news of the landing of Chinese marines at Suez City and the defeat of the British reached Cairo, greatly emboldening Abbasid II and his loyal troops. And Hussein Kamil's confidence is somewhat insufficient. If the Anglo-French forces had been defeated, there would have been no chance that he would have overthrown the rule of Abbasid II. On this day, the 3rd Division of the Egyptian Army also rushed back to Cairo. With one more division, the pressure on Abbasid II was much less. At the same time, he also sent people to liaise with the neutral 6th and 7th Divisions. After some coercion and inducement, the 6th and 7th Divisions of the Egyptian Army finally decided to continue their allegiance to Abbasid II and launched an attack on the army loyal to Hussein Kamil. For a time, the crisis in Cairo was completely solved.
In the Suez Canal zone, the Chinese marines are also striking a final blow against the Anglo-French forces. After the capture of Suez City, the warships of the Chinese Navy continued their attacks on the British along the canal north. The 9th Marine Division sent a regiment of troops to continue the pursuit of the British. The main forces of the 9th Marine Division crossed the Suez Canal and attacked the Anglo-French forces east of the canal.
On December 12, the 8th Marine Division also arrived on the battlefield, and under the attack of the two divisions, the British and French forces were defeated. By 17 December, the Anglo-French forces had been completely wiped out, and the entire Suez Canal was completely under the control of the squadron. After eliminating the Anglo-French forces, the Chinese Marines sent troops to help Abbasid II quell the rebellion. Seeing that the tide was turning, Hussein Camille had no choice but to abandon his army and flee Egypt with the commander of the Anglo-French army and go to England!