The expeditionary force began to dominate Southeast Asia by recruiting defeated soldiers

Chapter 417: The Battle of the Lion City Governor's Mansion (3) His name is recorded in history

Later that day, the gunfire inside the Governor's Palace finally stopped.

The mottled bullet holes on the front of the building glowed dark red in the setting sun, as if still telling the story of the fierce battle that took place during the day.

The smoke had not yet dissipated and the air was still filled with a pungent smell, but the sounds belonging to the Japanese had completely disappeared from the building.

The gate of the Governor's Mansion had already been blown open, and the heavy bronze door fell on the steps, half buried in rubble and dust.

Regimental commander Yu Dawei walked up the stairs. The walls were covered with bullet holes and black marks left by explosions. Japanese soldiers' bodies and scattered military supplies were lying on the ground. Several engineers were carefully checking whether there were any unexploded grenades or mines.

Suddenly, there was a sound of footsteps from above, and several medical soldiers came down the stairs carrying a stretcher. Colonel Yu hurriedly moved aside, and when he looked closely, he saw that the person on the stretcher was Corporal Han Zhiyuan, whom he had sent to guard the flag.

Looking at Han Zhiyuan, whose face was as pale as paper but at least he could still breathe, Colonel Yu reached out to grab the edge of the stretcher and said firmly, "Good boy, you didn't bring shame to us. I promise that every one of your names will be recorded in history, and your achievements will be remembered forever!"

Han Zhiyuan, who had a leg injury and lost too much blood, didn't say anything, but just nodded slightly.

Next down the stairs came Chen Ming, who was limping and carrying a walkie-talkie that had been beaten into pieces, and other soldiers who participated in the battle.

"Stand at attention, salute!" Yu Dawei stood on the stairs and took the lead in saluting these warriors.

The other officers and soldiers also stopped what they were doing and saluted them together.

-----

The devil's final resistance did not last long.

They had run out of ammunition and food, and their morale collapsed. After several unsuccessful counterattacks, the remaining troops had no choice but to break out in a hurry and flee south to the port defense line.

The old Japanese soldier Kenji Doihara never showed up at the Governor-General's Office. He seemed to have been prepared and had fled into the fortress by the sea before the battle started.

That was a reinforced concrete fortress built by John at a cost of tens of millions of gold pounds. It was all permanent fortifications. Even if it was not as good as the Maginot Line of the Gauls, it was not far behind.

Although the main artillery firing ranges are all facing the sea, it is still difficult to attack head-on. Once they hold on, it will be difficult to launch a strong attack in a short period of time.

After inspecting the terrain, Qi Quan decided to take a piecemeal and gradual approach.

He was not in a hurry as he knew that the thousands of remaining soldiers trapped in the fortress were like turtles in a jar, lacking water, electricity, food and ammunition. All that was left was a matter of time.

On October 2, just after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Qi Quan ordered the entire army to take a temporary rest, to surround but not attack, to stabilize the front line, and to conserve strength.

A few days later, he stood on a high place, holding a telescope and looking at the symbol of colonial power that had just been conquered - the Governor's Palace in Singapore.

"What are they doing on the rooftop?" He glanced over and saw a group of people gathered there with flags flying, it was very lively.

The adjutant immediately replied, "Report! It's the Propaganda Department. They've found the two soldiers who first raised the flag. They're going to raise the flag again, take photos for publicity, and send them back to the rear."

Qi Quan nodded, feeling quite emotional.

The previous battle was extremely fierce. The flag guards paid a huge price and were almost wiped out. In the end, only the signalmen and flag guards stubbornly reached the roof and raised the flag of the Anmin Army under the gunfire.

At that moment, it not only inspired the soldiers on the front line, but also psychologically destroyed the remaining fighting spirit of the devils, which laid the foundation for the final victory.

"Okay, shoot it well!" Qi Quan said with a smile, "Make it more impressive and spread the news of this victory back home. Let's also show our fellow countrymen in Southeast Asia that our Anmin Army is a regular army that can drive the Japanese invaders into the sea and capture these symbolic buildings of the colonists!"

"Okay! Take a good shot! Make it look majestic!"

He paused, then added, "Remember, write a commendation order later and commend the entire flag-guarding squad and the platoon that covered them. No one should be left out. I will personally apply for medals for them!"

The next step was naturally to go inside and see the newly conquered spoils of war at the Governor's Mansion.

After a long while, Qi Quan looked at the building and asked, "What's it like inside the Governor's Mansion?"

"It's incredibly luxurious!" The adjutant paused, his tone complex. "Even after the ravages of war, it's still resplendent. The Johns truly invested a fortune in it."

"Then I think this propaganda can't just be done in the rear. Our soldiers on the front lines also need propaganda to encourage them. This Lion City Governor's Office was once the Japanese's headquarters in Southeast Asia. Countless sufferings of the Chinese in Southeast Asia came from here.

Now is the time for the entire army to rest and regroup, so why not let each unit take turns visiting us."

Qi Quan suddenly said, his eyes firm: "Let everyone see how much their blood and sweat have earned."

The adjutant hesitated for a moment. "Well... too many people are afraid of damage. After all, it's an old building with many precious exhibits... Will it be damaged when the time comes?"

Qi Quan interrupted with a wave of his hand: "What are you afraid of? This is the right of the victor! Brothers rushed forward, and so many people died. Even if it's just a glance, it's worth it."

"If you ask me, not only should we show everyone this Governor's Mansion, but once we capture that devil's Sakura Island, we'll have Commander-in-Chief Zhang lead us to take down that nuclear locust-inducing imperial palace as well. Then, hundreds of thousands of our brothers in the Security Army will have to line up to go in and see it!"

-----

Soon, the first batch of rotation troops of the Security Army began to enter the Governor's Palace for a tour.

This is a colonial official residence that combines John's classical style with Nanyang style. The marble carved columns are towering into the sky, and exquisite reliefs and oil paintings still remain on the arched dome. Even though some parts have been peeled off by artillery fire, it still exudes a strong atmosphere of colonial luxury.

On both sides of the corridor are rows of solid wood furniture, gold-painted bronzes, ivory products from Sindhu, mahogany carved screens and silk tapestries trafficked from Borneo. Knowing that they had nowhere to escape, the Japanese did not move them this time, but abandoned themselves and left these priceless items there to be destroyed by the war.

The soldiers walked around and looked around like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, with excitement and curiosity in their eyes.

In a luxurious conference hall, expensive wooden chairs were knocked over to the ground, and traces of grenade explosions could occasionally be seen, but the soldiers didn't care.

Many officers and soldiers stopped in their tracks as they entered the first-floor lobby. A sergeant from the Overseas Chinese Volunteer Corps sighed in a low voice:

"Our ancestors have been making a living in Southeast Asia for generations. Who would have thought we could set foot in a place like this in this lifetime? In the past, we Chinese had to take off our hats and bow to the white people when we came here. Now I can even walk in with my muddy feet, hahaha!"

Another soldier was more direct. He picked up an armchair and, not caring about the dust and blood on it, sat down on the luxurious chair that might have belonged to a colonist or a high-ranking Japanese official. He even crossed his legs like a foreigner and said jokingly:

"Hey, if this uniform hadn't been washed and was not so dirty, I would have taken a picture and went home."

There was a burst of laughter all around, and the tense atmosphere caused by the fighting over the past few days was swept away.