Chapter 964

In the flickering torchlight, Yue Yun intently studied the map.

The area they were preparing to capture was called “Lion City” in Malay, and it once belonged to the Sultanate of Malacca. Thirty years ago, the British occupied this place, taking control of the key choke point of the Asian shipping routes, and gave it a new name: Singapore.

“General, the Johor Strait has been blockaded, turning this place into an isolated island, and we can launch an attack at any time,” Liu Chen reported.

North of Singapore was a strait that completely separated the Kingdom of Johor from Singapore. Strictly speaking, Singapore was an independent island in the sea. Before the attack, they had carefully analyzed Singapore’s situation and gathered information from the local Chinese population. After considering all factors, they decided to land on the southern bank of the Johor Strait and fight their way north to the Singapore Strait, to completely control the area. This was because the British, perhaps confident in the Kingdom of Johor, had placed very few coastal defense cannons on that side.

“Attack. Take this place before dawn,” Yue Yun commanded in a cold voice. To control this vital waterway, they had traveled nearly two thousand kilometers, enduring many hardships at sea.

“Yes, General,” Liu Chen responded.

Following his command, soldiers of the Naval Marines charged towards Singapore City, which was located in the center of the island.

Similar to the Great Yu Empire, the dynasties around Southeast Asia were centered around fortified cities. The environment here was primitive, with numerous miasmas, venomous insects, and wild beasts, making it very dangerous to live scattered. It was also because of this characteristic that colonizers were able to easily plunder and control the land.

“Boom, boom, boom…”

With a thunderous roar, the field cannons of the Marine Corps made a deafening and terrifying sound in the dark night. Bright sparks erupted on the walls of Singapore City. Under the fierce bombardment, the city gate of Singapore City was the first to be blown open, and the Great Yu soldiers seized the opportunity to rush in. To their surprise, the city’s defenses against enemies were lax, as if they never expected to be attacked.

At the Governor-General’s Office in Singapore.

Felion was suddenly awakened from his bed, and the sight of the firelight outside his window sent a chill down his spine. ‘What on earth is happening? Have the French attacked?’ Felion asked himself, then shook his head, dismissing the possibility. The joint fleet had just been formed, and the French would not launch a sneak attack, as France and Britain shared similar interests in Asia. His mind raced to find a possible enemy as he put on his clothes and went outside the Governor-General’s Office.

Due to the immense commotion, the city was in chaos, and soldiers were running out of their barracks to assemble.

“Governor Felion, the enemy is attacking from the north. I have already dispatched soldiers to deal with them,” a British officer saluted Felion. “Who are the enemy?” Felion asked urgently. “I’m afraid they are soldiers of the Great Yu Empire, because they all have black hair and yellow skin. In Asia, only they have such capability,” the officer said in a deep voice. “Damn it, we were planning to get rid of them, but I didn’t expect them to be planning to get rid of us!” Felion was furious. The defenses of Singapore City were not supposed to be so weak, as they had previously been on guard against the French. However, the alliance with France had made them completely relax their guard, and this negligence would prove fatal tonight.

“How many of them are there?” Felion asked again. “I don’t know, but it is certain that there are more of them than us. We only have four thousand troops stationed here,” the officer said with concern. Felion narrowed his eyes. “That’s true, but two thousand of our soldiers are equipped with Thornton firearms, so send them in!”. “Yes, Governor,” the officer turned and left.

The Thornton firearm Felion mentioned was a new type of firearm transported from Britain. During its manufacturing, steam engines were used to create rifling, and it was paired with conical bullets. The combination of these two advantages greatly increased the rifle’s range, power, and accuracy. After equipping these rifles, he had tested their effectiveness and was very satisfied.

“Thump, thump, thump…”

Shortly after the officer disappeared, a neat sound of footsteps was heard, and the Redcoats carrying Thornton firearms jogged towards the city gate. Soon, dense gunfire erupted in the city, followed by the counter-artillery fire of the Redcoats. Felion then breathed a sigh of relief. To him, the Redcoats’ combat prowess was outstanding, and when combined with the Thornton firearms, they would be even more invincible. He was confident that this Great Yu army, which had appeared from nowhere, would be eliminated soon, just as they had defeated other countries in Europe.

North City.

The Naval Marines’ smooth offensive was met with a setback when they advanced to the middle of the North City. The unprepared Marines were caught off guard by the Redcoats equipped with Thornton firearms, and the soldiers in the frontal assault suffered heavy casualties.

“These are conical bullets!”

Liu Chen’s expression was grave as he picked up a bullet that had hit a wall and fallen. The bullet looked no different from the warheads loaded in their paper cartridges. “Damn it, it seems the British have partially equipped themselves with rifled guns similar to our Conqueror muskets,” Yu Yongliang said while protecting Liu Chen.

Liu Chen nodded solemnly. They were very familiar with the performance of such rifles. It could be said that besides having a slow reloading speed and being unable to be fired from all positions, this rifle’s power, accuracy, and range were not much different from the current Falcon rifle. In a shootout within three hundred meters, they would have an advantage, but not an overwhelming one.

“Order the soldiers to stop the frontal charge and use obstacles for cover while shooting. The skirmish line should advance, paying attention to tactical movements to avoid danger,” Liu Chen ordered decisively. Since being equipped with Falcon rifles, their training included tactical movements for using these breech-loading guns. Lying prone, kneeling, and prone firing were all shooting stances adapted for breech-loading rifles, and by using these stances, they would gain an advantage in the war.

Yu Yongliang responded and immediately led his soldiers to move between the buildings, simultaneously relaying Liu Chen’s orders. At the same time, they began to engage with the Redcoats during their movement.

As they were in the city, the Redcoats couldn’t form large columns. They dispersed their soldiers into groups of fifty to confront them. When some soldiers saw a team of Redcoats approaching, they immediately found cover, lay on the ground, and fired at them. This caught the Redcoats, who were accustomed to volley fire, completely off guard.

The tide of the battle shifted back in their favor.