Chapter 15: The Final Battle (1)

  "Captain Lin, look at the brave men of the Righteous Army. If we disperse them now, how can we bear to do so?" Tianhu asked.

  "Hmm... I'll contact Chen Jiageng and see what he thinks. You continue to hold your position," Lin Jiangshi said before turning around and rushing towards the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Queenstown to find Chen Jiageng.

  Tianhu ordered all the Righteous Army soldiers to maintain their original combat formation, telling them to hold out until the very end. "As long as I am here, Singapore will not fall," he declared.

  These words quickly spread among the Righteous Army soldiers, greatly boosting their morale.

  "Tianhu, look!" a soldier beside Tianhu exclaimed, pointing towards the sea. "The devils are sending in reinforcements!"

  Tianhu looked up and saw a fleet of rubber boats approaching the shore. Were the Japanese planning to launch a final, desperate attack? If so, the current strength of the Righteous Army would be insufficient to hold them off.

  Just then, Tianhu noticed a warehouse on the left side of their position, near the coast. He asked the soldier beside him, "What's that warehouse?"

  "It used to store gasoline for the British army, but it's been abandoned for a long time," the soldier replied.

  Tianhu asked, "Is there anything still inside? Take a closer look."

  The soldier nodded and left. Tianhu continued to observe the approaching Japanese boats, noticing that they were dressed in the uniform of the 6th Naval Squadron.

  Were the Japanese really planning to swallow Singapore whole? Tianhu thought to himself. He couldn't let that happen.

  However, considering the current equipment of the Righteous Army, it would be difficult to engage in a battle with the combined forces of the 6th Naval Squadron and Lieutenant Colonel Yamada's infantry battalion. They needed to come up with a clever plan to win.

  Just then, the soldier who had gone to investigate the warehouse returned, reporting, "There are still several dozen barrels of gasoline inside that haven't been moved!"

  Tianhu's eyes lit up with excitement. "Are you sure?"

  The soldier nodded firmly. Tianhu exclaimed, "This is a natural arsenal! Go and get the commanders of the 7th and 8th defense lines for me."

  The soldier hesitated before saying, "But... but Captain Lin isn't here, they won't listen to me."

  Tianhu had forgotten that Lin Jiangshi was not present. He decided to go himself, turning around and rushing towards the 7th and 8th defense lines.

  When he arrived at the 7th defense line, he asked the commander, "Are you in charge here?"

  The commander replied, "Tianhu, don't you recognize me? I'm Fan Bing."

  It turned out that Fan Bing was the one who had been saved by Tianhu in the past. Tianhu's memory didn't recall this, but he remembered that Fan Bing had helped carry him to the hospital.

  Fan Bing said, "You really forgot? You saved my life!"

  Tianhu searched his memory again but couldn't remember when he had saved someone. However, he recalled that Fan Bing was one of the people who had carried him to the hospital. It didn't matter; since Fan Bing said Tianhu had saved his life, he would definitely listen to him.

  Tianhu explained the situation and asked for Fan Bing's help in moving the gasoline from the warehouse to their position. Fan Bing agreed, saying that they were a reserve team and would support them if needed.

  Tianhu asked how many men Fan Bing had under his command. Fan Bing replied that he had two platoons, totaling 66 soldiers.

  However, Tianhu pointed out that time was running out, as the Japanese naval squadron was approaching the shore. If they didn't act quickly, the enemy would soon be upon them.

  Fan Bing asked what to do next. Tianhu inquired if he knew the commander of the 8th defense line, Lin Hai. Fan Bing replied that he did know him.

  Tianhu's memory recalled that Lin Hai was someone he had met before, but he couldn't remember any other details. There was no time to think about it now; since they knew each other, it would be easier to work together.

  Tianhu asked Fan Bing to contact Lin Hai and ask for his help in moving the gasoline as well.