Chapter 16: The Final Battle in Malaysia (4)

  Article 4

  At 10am on December 17, 2007, Singapore, which had just suffered its most painful disaster since independence, was still reeling from the aftershocks. Even in the once-thriving downtown area of Chinatown, only fully-armed soldiers from the 1st Battalion Singapore Infantry Regiment were seen hastily walking past the missing persons notices plastered all over the streets.

  The war is approaching unprecedentedly, and as soon as Singapore announced its participation in the ASEAN coalition to fight against India, the wealthy Singaporeans with various privileges fled from the beautiful Lion City. The massive lethal intercontinental missiles that exploded in places like Semarang also clearly indicated to the residents of Singapore that their city was not a utopia. The government has planned to evacuate civilians, but not everyone is lucky enough to leave before the war reaches them.

  In the Tianfu Temple in Bukit Timah, Singapore, countless people who lost their homes and loved ones in the war gathered here to seek a moment of peace from the gods.

  Tianzhu Mountain Temple was founded in 1935 by Snow Mountain Master from southern China. It was originally called "Shanbao An Yang Yuan" and provided shelter for many elderly people who were homeless and destitute. During the Japanese occupation of Singapore, two bombs were dropped on the temple grounds. The surrounding facilities were severely damaged.

  The temple was intact and became a shelter for many residents, also serving as a medical facility to care for the injured. Since then, it has been thriving for seventy years.

  In the newly expanded Medicine Buddha Hall, a devout old man was facing the Water Moon Platform and the statue of Medicine Buddha, making three bows. "Lee Kuan Yew is so devout, I believe that the Buddha will bless our country to overcome this disaster." Standing behind the old man, Venerable Hui Xiong, the fourth abbot of Tianzhu Hill Beilu Temple, joined his palms together and bowed deeply, returning the courtesy on behalf of the temple.

  "Father." Accompanied by a flurry of footsteps, the Singapore military personnel led by Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong burst in.

  "You people have too much killing intent on you, let's take this outside."

  Li Guangyao smiled calmly and made a Buddhist salute to Master Hui Xiong, then led the crowd out of the Medicine King Hall.

  "Indian troops have landed in Malacca, Malaysia and are now advancing towards Kuala Lumpur." This was the first statement made by Major-General Winston Choo Wee Leong, Chief of Army, Singapore, as he unfolded a military map.

  In the past 4 hours, the Singapore Army faced its worst situation. The main force of the Singapore Army is the 3rd Division, 6th Division and 9th Division, these three composite divisions. Although it seems to have a strong army, in fact, the Singapore division follows Israel's defense system, and these three divisions usually only maintain 2-3 battalion-level combat troops, while the rest are supplemented by reserve forces.

  But prior to this, the Singapore Army had committed almost all of its active units across the strait in support of the Sumatran campaign led by Li Mu Long. This expeditionary force consisting of 4 infantry battalions, 2 armoured battalions, 2 artillery battalions and other supporting units was now being split up and surrounded in the swampy central regions of Sumatra. The current homeland defence forces of Singapore were weak and non-existent.

  "So you're saying that we are not only unable to support Malaysia, but also don't even have the ability to defend our own territory?" Li Guangyao asked indifferently, looking at the somewhat flustered General Wu.

  "It should be like this. We currently lack trained soldiers, India's missile strikes are causing our mobilization mechanism to collapse, and our arsenal and ammunition stocks are also insufficient..."

  Facing the old man's fierce gaze, Wu Shao murmured.

  "That's enough! My generals, you are too young. You did not experience the disaster of 1942. One hundred thousand soldiers of the British Empire surrendered to a much smaller number of Japanese soldiers. Was it because they lacked weapons and ammunition? No, what they lacked was the courage to fight against a strong enemy. I hope all of you remember that Singapore is an island nation, we have no backing, every battle is a fight with our backs to the wall. Don't give me any excuses, I want the army to mobilize quickly. I'm giving you 24 hours, within 24 hours I want our troops to appear on the battlefield in Malaysia where support is most needed."

  Li Guangyao's tone was still calm, but the power in his words had already shocked everyone present.

  "What's the situation with the navy?"

  Li Guangyao's gaze slowly turned to Navy Commander-in-Chief Lieutenant General Lü Deyao.

  "We have lost contact with the 171st submarine squadron inside the strait, and given the Indian Navy's strong anti-submarine capabilities, we are forced to conclude that they have been sunk. Currently..."

  Lieutenant General Lü De-yao was about to continue his speech when a staff officer appeared and interrupted him.

  "Report, we have just confirmed that a fleet of Indian naval warships escorted landing ships has entered the Strait of Malacca and is heading towards Port Klang. This news was undoubtedly a heavy blow to everyone present. Port Klang, formerly known as Port Swettenham, is Malaysia's largest port, located on the estuary of the Klang River, 40 kilometers east of Kuala Lumpur. Once Indian troops land safely at Port Klang, the fall of Kuala Lumpur will only be a matter of time."

  "Alright! General Lü, I don't care how much combat power the Singapore Navy has left. I order you to mobilize all available forces to intercept this Indian military landing operation."

  Li Guangyao's firm words echoed in the ancient temple.

  Having joined the war, there is no room for even a slight hesitation or doubt.

  "The war has smoothly entered its third phase." In the command center of the underground fortress in the Andaman Islands, General Prash, Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Far East War Zone, had already opened a bottle to celebrate his victory ahead of time. The New Delhi side's unprecedented recognition of the Malaysian Peninsula decisive battle he launched not only authorized him to command the two "Gandhi"-class helicopter carrier combat groups waiting in the Indian Ocean, but also promised to add reinforcements of two army divisions to ensure ground operations on the Malay Peninsula.

  Currently, more than two battalions of infantry from the 57th Mountain Division of the Indian Army have landed in the Malacca region of Malaysia via a coastal ferry from Sumatra. Meanwhile, Prash is undertaking an even bolder plan, relying on India's powerful naval forces to launch a surprise landing at Port Klang and make a direct assault on Kuala Lumpur.