mesbooks Chapter 400 Zhang Chi: Mr. Shi, do you want to be a member of the House of Representatives?
Chapter 400 Zhang Chi: Mr. Shi, do you want to be a member of the House of Representatives?
Zhang Chi sneered, "Will the Japs surrender? Are those politicians naive or just stupid? They're desperate to send every last soldier onto a suicide plane. Negotiations are fake, just a delay! This isn't the first time I've seen these 'brotherly soldiers'. They'll defend Lion City like mad dogs, until the very last man stands."
"Stopping the attack now will only give the Japs more time to deploy their defenses. By then, there will be no gain except for my good men shedding more blood!"
"But this is an order from the Joint Chiefs of Staff," Stevenson emphasized again.
"I'm sorry, that's the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States. The People's Army is an independent force. We accepted Lend-Lease aid as an ally and are under the command of the Allied Theater Command to jointly fight the Japanese, but this does not mean that I have to obey any orders from the United States."
"Never mind. I knew it would be like this." Stevenson shrugged, his brow suddenly relaxed. "You will launch the attack at 0500. I don't want to make it difficult for you. I will report that I saw you after 0600 to convey the order."
Zhang Chi then realized why Stevenson did not send a telegram to convey the order, but came to meet him in person in the middle of the night. It turned out that he had already made preparations.
"Thank you for your kindness!" Zhang Chi stepped forward and hugged the old man. Only then did he realize that under the straight military uniform, he was already terribly thin.
Stevenson also hugged Zhang Chi and said calmly, as if he had let go of everything: "Alright, alright. When you capture Lion City, the credit will go to me as the theater commander. Then I will apply to return home to recuperate."
Zhang Chi knew that the old friend in front of him was ready to take the blame for him.
"Cheer up, kid. I've been in this foreign country for long enough. My stomach ulcer is getting worse. It's a good thing to return home. I hope they'll give me another star for my hard work and contributions."
"Yes, I can!" Zhang Chi secretly made up his mind and prepared to use the White Eagle media and various connections under his control to build momentum for Stevenson and promote him as a great hero.
In fact, there was one thing Stevenson didn't say, which was that while Zhang Chi and the Anmin Army stood in opposition to many people, they also secretly gained the appreciation of another group of people.
Generals in the army who loathed the flamboyant Marshal MacArthur; politicians in Congress who held a negative view of the United Kingdom and insisted on a complete and swift dismantling of the colonial system; tycoons who profited handsomely from selling industrial facilities to Southeast Asia at exorbitant prices and importing raw materials and primary products cheaply; shipbuilding and shipping giants who, anticipating Southeast Asia's future potential, were preparing to make early moves...
Rather than relying on negotiations to resolve the Lion City issue and then having multiple countries jointly manage Lion City under the framework of the soon-to-be-established United Nations, these people actually support the People's Security Army to capture Lion City as soon as possible.
After all, Zhang Chi really had hinted in advance that once Singapore was captured, a series of preferential measures would be implemented, including special economic zone pilot projects, duty-free ports, and investment promotion.
Now that Stevenson has tested the situation, he has discovered that Zhang Chi can persist in pushing forward the plan even under pressure, so he can naturally give those people peace of mind after returning home.
Zhang Chi thought for a moment and said to his old friend Stevenson:
"What do you think of politics? If you don't want to stay in the military, I happen to know a few friends in Texas who really hope to have a respected veteran run for Congress in their district (to protect their interests). Those are all big potatoes (meaning big shots). Believe me, as long as you are willing, it will be no problem for you to become a congressman in a few years!"
Stevenson smiled slightly and said, "Then you should take Lion City first. God bless you, my child."
-----
At 4:59 in the morning, the entire war zone was eerily quiet, as if time had stopped.
Only the sea breeze was still blowing, sweeping across the surface of the Johor Strait, bringing up shimmering waves and a faint mist.
A streak of gray-blue appeared in the eastern sky, and night and day were alternating, as if heaven and earth were also holding their breath and waiting.
In a field command post, Qi Quan looked down at the military watch on his wrist. The second hand was ticking "tick-tick-tick", and the pointer was approaching twelve o'clock.
He had just received a telegram from the rear, in which Zhang Chi instructed that the general offensive plan should be carried out as usual.
"Attention, all units." Qi Quan picked up the radio receiver, his voice calm and powerful, "The general attack order has been confirmed, all combat units must execute according to the plan!"
As soon as he finished speaking, three green flares streaked across the sky with a "whoosh", rising into the air from the east side of the command post, trailing shining tails of flame, and exploded in the dimly lit sky, like a command to awaken the world.
Immediately afterwards, several red and green flares were shot into the sky from different positions, blooming in the air and interweaving into a gorgeous command fire network.
In an instant, the sea breeze seemed to condense.
The artillery colonel looked down at his watch and shouted:
“Fire—!”
The earth shook and the sound of cannons exploded!
The 901st Self-Propelled Rocket Artillery Regiment in the rear opened fire first. Thirty-two "Katyusha" self-propelled rocket launchers, which were used to pay for the goods with the Russians, all spewed out fire snakes. One after another, the M-13 132mm tail-mounted rockets tore through the night sky and roared towards the other side.
Following closely behind were the 902nd Regiment's more than thirty M44 155mm self-propelled howitzers, roaring and firing wave after wave. The echoes of the heavy artillery reverberated between the plains and the strait like the sound of thousands of drums, shaking the ground.
At the artillery position of the 902nd Regiment, officers and soldiers of the Anmin Army loaded, calibrated and fired in an orderly manner.
Steaming brass shells were constantly thrown off the self-propelled artillery body, falling and rolling on the mud.
The smoke and dirt intertwined to form a heavy smell of the battlefield, but the artillerymen who were busy firing had long since ignored the pungent smell that filled their nostrils.
"Suppression fire begins—lasting thirty minutes!" the artillery colonel shouted while checking his watch. "Don't save your ammunition! Fire all the ammunition at the Japs!"
At the same time, several assault teams from the navy were ready behind the protective dike on the north bank of the front-line coastline.
Their faces were painted with oil paint, they wore camouflage cloaks, and they held the new G-type combat rifles tightly as they boarded the assault boats one by one.
"Everyone, check your weapons and equipment!" a lieutenant shouted. "Collapsing ladders, blasting tubes, flares, tourniquets, bring everything! Reach the other side in fifteen minutes and conduct the infiltration according to the plan!"
The mission of this elite infiltration force is to quickly infiltrate into Singapore after passing through the swamp and the narrowest part of the Johor Strait, wait for an opportunity to seize the bridgehead, and provide observation and guidance for the rear artillery fire.
As an elite force of the navy, this team of less than 200 people are all good swimmers who are familiar with water and can quickly swim across the river even without the help of assault boats.
The motors of more than a dozen assault boats started up, humming, and under the cover of artillery fire and the darkness, they moved like water ghosts.
The Japanese on the other side were busy dodging artillery fire and didn't notice the small group coming up through the swamp.