Chapter 570: Singapore Campaign (8)

Jiang Anguo, though a general who won several brilliant battles and enjoys great prestige in the army, still faces many officers in the government who resent him, believing his victories over the Japanese were merely luck.

But they lack the courage to go to the front and counterattack the Japanese.

In the hearts of Nanyang Chinese, Chen Jiageng's status is unrivaled.

He devoted his life to the nation, cultivated Nanyang, helped Chinese, fought for their rights, and had long become the spiritual pillar of Nanyang Chinese; his name is a symbol of hope.

Jiang Anguo, however, remains only a war‑hero general, whose influence among Nanyang Chinese is far less than Chen Jiageng's.

You must tell the people, Jiang Anguo has returned to Singapore to kill.

Who is Jiang Anguo?

But if you mention Chen Jiageng's name, most Singapore Chinese will know the person.

Since 1937, Chen Jiageng repeatedly organized Chinese donations of money and supplies, personally oversaw many departments, and sent relief to the troops back home.

Shortly after the shouts faded, doors and windows in the Chinese residential district began to open.

At first everyone thought it was only people who could speak Huaxia, but after seeing the faces of the Marine Corps,

they realized this unit was truly one of their own.

It was also because many Chinese had been deceived by Little Devils; many Little Devils who were fluent in Huaxia often tricked Chinese into revealing secrets.

They took away and killed the Chinese who had once hidden and supported Huaxia.

More and more Chinese stepped out of their homes—young adults, elders, even many youths—flames of revenge burning in their eyes.

Some Chinese wielded hoes and knives, some dug out hidden old rifles, others pushed handcarts loaded with stones, gathering around the Marines and voluntarily asking to join the counter‑attack.

"We'll fight the Little Devils to the death!"

"People sent by Mr. Chen, we can trust them!"

Shouts of "Kill the Devils, protect our homes!" rose and fell, echoing through the streets.

An elderly man with white hair, clutching an old knife, pulled his grandson and said to the Marines, "Boy, we Chinese have had enough of the Little Devils' bullying. Today we will take up arms and avenge our kin! Though I am old, I can still kill the Devils, and my grandson can help carry messages!"

The youth nodded firmly, eyes full of resolve: "I will kill the Devils, protect grandpa, protect our home!"

"Back then when I went down to the Nanyang, I brought a knife; today I'll use that same knife to kill a few Little Devils."

Those who could go to the Nanyang were not only quick‑witted but also possessed a ruthless streak.

Especially the earliest group, Chen Jiageng's men, even their hands held lives.

Zhou Haitong watched the scene, his heart full of emotion; he immediately ordered the Chinese volunteers to be divided into several squads, led by Marines as guides and support.

These Chinese, born and raised in Singapore, knew every street and hidden spot in the city like the back of their hand; with their guidance, the South China Army's advance speed increased dramatically, avoiding remaining Japanese hidden fortifications and ambushes, and taking far fewer detours.

"Turn left ahead; there's a Japanese hidden position with a dozen Little Devils inside!" a Chinese guide pointed to a narrow lane and quickly told the Marines.

The Marines instantly adjusted formation, slipped around to the rear of the position, launched a surprise attack, and with the volunteers' cooperation quickly cleared the Japanese inside, seizing a cache of weapons and ammunition.

Similar scenes played out in every corner of Singapore's city center.

With the Chinese joining, the South China Army completely reversed its numerical disadvantage; the originally limited Marine Division, aided by thousands of Chinese volunteers, surged forward like a tiger with added wings, advancing rapidly toward the city center.

The number of Chinese kept swelling; the youth took up weapons and followed the troops, guiding them.

The elderly, women, and children stayed behind to transport supplies, ammunition, and shells to the front‑line fighters.

By dawn, Zhou Haitong's Marine Division numbered over two hundred thousand.

He could not have imagined that a single division's strength, together with two hundred thousand Singapore Chinese, would crush the Japanese in a relentless pursuit.

Little Devil soldiers had never seen such a formation; of course, the Guard Division's combat power was not weak, and they also took up arms to fight back.

But often as soon as they opened fire, especially at the Japanese machine‑gun positions,

once they spotted a Japanese artillery position, within the next minute they would receive three or more mortar shells in response.

The remaining Japanese forces were already thin on manpower and had lost defensive advantage; facing the joint assault of the South China Army and Chinese volunteers, they were utterly unable to stand, either being annihilated or fleeing in disarray, soon breaking apart.

Of course, when the sun rose, the South China Navy Marine Division had already advanced to within one kilometer of Singapore.

Xia Shan Feng Wen hid in the headquarters, listening to the increasingly close gunfire and shouts outside, his despair deepening.

He tried to rally the remaining troops to resist, but the soldiers were already panicked, none responded; many even laid down their weapons and chose to surrender.

As the South China Army drew nearer step by step, the headquarters' defensive line was completely breached; Xia Shan Feng Wen watched the flooding South China soldiers and Chinese volunteers, realizing his cause was lost, and could only surrender.

Morning sunlight pierced the clouds, bathing Singapore's streets; the smoke gradually cleared, the Japanese flag was lowered, and the South China Army's flag rose slowly in the city center.

With the full cooperation of the Chinese volunteers, Zhou Haitong's Marine Division captured Singapore in just half a day, liberating the city that had long been occupied by the Japanese Army.

The Chinese volunteers cheered, embraced each other, eyes full of joy and excitement; they had finally shaken off Japanese oppression and welcomed freedom and peace.

Jiang Anguo's pre‑war planning finally came to fruition—a landing liberation battle that relied on Chinese strength to win with few against many ended perfectly.

Even the Japanese soldiers that fell into the hands of Singapore Chinese made the South China soldiers' hair stand on end.

Directly killing made the Japanese the fastest to leave.

However, most Japanese met their end at the hands of Singapore Chinese.

Fingers were broken, eyes gouged, ears torn, hair burned.

These were the methods the Japanese used on Singapore Chinese, now turned against the Japanese Guard Division.

Unfortunately, this battle did not annihilate the entire Guard Division, only about half was destroyed.

Some even saw Xia Shan Feng Wen boarding a small boat heading out to sea.

Zhou Haitong immediately sent a telegram to the Nankai Fleet, requesting pursuit.

Jiang Zhiyuan also dispatched a destroyer, preparing to chase Xia Shan Feng Wen.

Unexpectedly, the small boat Xia Shan Feng Wen rode was surrounded by several Singapore Chinese fishing boats, and the enraged Chinese capsized the small boat.

The civilians on the fishing boats, still angry, grabbed a Malaysian sick cat in the sea water and pressed it down into the water.

At first, Xia Shan Feng Wen kept shouting "Baka", but after drinking a few sips of seawater, he calmed down.

After being rolled with white eyes, Xia Shan Feng Wen was finally pulled up by the fishermen on the fishing boat.

At the same time they also saw the arriving destroyer, the coastal 001 destroyer, approach the fishing boat and take Xia Shan Feng Wen aboard; by then he was low on breath and could barely exhale.

I'm also not sure whether I can survive.