Jade Typhoon is an unofficial narrative campaign documenting the events of the conflict between the Empire and the Crown preceding the attack on Singapore city. Read about the background, key people and events of the Jade Typhoon campaign in the overview.
In the last instalment… The Crown launched Operation
Matador, a desperate attempt to forestall the Empire invasion of the island
of Singapore, by destroying the boats that had been gathered for the amphibious
assault. The success of the Crown’s
Operation Matador throws Empire invasion plans for Singapore into
disarray. Lacking the boats necessary
for a massed amphibious landing across the Straits of Johor, General Chakri
(known as the Golden Crab) is forced to delay the intended date of attack
Background and Clash
Clash: Lord of the Manor
Objectives: The primary objective for both forces is the Crown storehouse in their base near Tengah. Secondary objectives include the two hills (North and South), overlooking the base.
Game size: 2,500 Points
General Roberts, commanding Crown forces in Singapore, uses
this reprieve to bolster the coastal defences of the island, deploying the bulk
of troops into defensive positions to oppose any Empire landing attempt. With more reinforcements arriving in
Singapore harbour every day, including a sizable contingent from the Indian
Raj, it’s clear that the Empire will need to take decisive action if they are
to succeed. General Chakri’s plan, Operation
Southern Beacon, has two parts (or pincers):
Master Rammalak has been experimenting with new toxins to
support the military campaign. Empire
Alchemists have made a breakthrough in terms of a new type of gas that can be
dispersed over a wide area – this cloying gas, named The Creeping Nightmare,
resembles a thick natural fog, but also includes a mild toxin, causing
short-term confusion and paranoia to those exposed to it. Rammalak proposes to use Kyoto Fast Frigates,
with specially fitted gas tanks and generators, to make a stealth run into the
Straits of Johor at night to disperse The Creeping Nightmare over a wide
area of coast. In addition to masking
Empire movements, this will cause sufficient confusion amongst the Crown
defenders to allow Chakri to make a precision strike with a small spearhead force
led by a mighty Laoshan landship.
The second part of General Chakri’s plan is not to attack
the strong coastal defences, but instead to strike at the heart of the Crown
siege preparations. Empire intelligence
has revealed that, while the defence of Singapore is being directed from a
bunker inside the city, the Crown has established an inland base including a
storehouse containing major stockpiles of food, ammunition, and other key
supplies. The Crown chose this location
to protect the base from naval bombardment and allow short supply lines for
their coastal defences. General Chakiri
plans to strike directly at this base to seize or destroy the stockpile, and
sever the supply lines to the coastal defenders, forcing them to pull back and
allowing the bulk of Empire forces to cross the straits in force, via hastily
built pontoon bridges.
The initial phase of the Empire attack goes as planned with The
Creeping Nightmare causing Crown troops along the coast to think they are
under attack. Under the effects of the gas, Crown units fire wildly into the
fog, expending their ammunition and call for urgent reinforcement. Meanwhile General Chakiri, aboard the mighty
Laoshan Landship Singha leads a force comprising elite units from the
Thai Royal Guards. This force crosses the strait at Sarimbun Beach, with the
automata vanguard emerging from the water soundlessly and attacking panicked
defenders who have abandoned their prepared positions. Soon the road is open to the Crown base near
Tengah.
General Roberts, meanwhile, has been celebrating the success of Operation Matador in Singapore city with a lavish ball held on the main deck of the Sovereign Landship Invincible. As confused reports pour in from Crown coastal bastions, it seems that the anticipated Empire invasion has begun along a wide front. Unable to distinguish the precise location of the enemy from the slew of garbled messages, Roberts orders the Landship along with the troops of the Singapore Response Force, which make up the islands remaining military reserve, toward the Crown base near Tengah to take stock of the situation. This unwittingly putting his forces on collision course with those of General Chakri.
Deployment
General Chakri is dismayed to find a significant Crown force
approaching the base. It’ll be critical
for the Empire to use their larger numbers to seize control of the supply base,
so Chakri dismounts from the Laoshan Landship Singha to take personal
command of the assault. This leaves Master Rammalak in command of the Singha,
with orders to clear the road of Crown forces.
Chakri knows the speed of Crown units will likely mean they reach the storehouse first and so plans to use the
Jianhuren Terracotta Warriors as shock troops leading the assault, with Green
Banner Flame teams following behind shielded by the Landship gas cloud. These troops will clear the way for the Thai
Royal Guards (trained and equipped by the Green Banner Guard) to move in and
occupy the base.
To support the main assault, Chakri positions the San Lai
heavy artillery on the northern hill, overlooking the base, with Fengbao Heavy
Launchers using the hill as cover to lob their gas indirectly and his two
rocket teams providing further support.
The flanks of the Empire force are anchored by tanks (Fangun Medium
Tanks on one side and Yan Shou Flame Tanks on the other) each supported by a
unit of Bulnabang Flying infantry.
General Roberts is equally shocked to find a sizeable Empire
force so far behind the Crown defensive lines.
Roberts immediately sees the threat to the supplies in the storehouse
and orders Crown infantry to rapidly deploy and garrison the base, with the
Engineer Sappers leading the way in their Tristan Assault Transports. A second wave will comprise the recently
arrived Raj Rifles in Stirling Transports.
Roberts sets his own Sovereign Landship Invincible to block the road to
Singapore with the Rifle Platoon aboard to provide a final wave to occupy and
hold the base, if necessary. The
Invincible is supported by two units of Dragoons, with the Royal Engineer
Dragoons leading the way down the road to counter any Empire automata and a
unit of Black Watch Assault Dragoons shadowing them in the jungle, to combat
Empire infantry.
The Crown advance is supported by a backline of guns and
artillery. Galahad Medium Tanks occupy
the southern hill overlooking the base and a unit of Bors Heavy Artillery
shelter behind the hill. The Mordred
Heavy Artillery and Sharp Rifles are positioned nearby, with a wide field of
fire, while units of Drake Field Guns, Spitfires and Heavy Dragoons remain in
reserve, in case of a surprise flank attack from the Empire.
Battle Report
General Roberts realises that the Empire Fengbao Heavy
Launchers can flood the Crown base with poison gas, making it nearly impossible
for the Crown troops to occupy the buildings, so a priority airstrike is
ordered. A trio of Defiance Fighters
swoop in and launch a devastating attack that destroys the entire Fengbao
battery before they can get their guns set.
Next, the Royal Engineer Sappers move forward and dismount from their
Tristan transports, moving to occupy the warehouse and secure the main Objective. Concentrated Empire fire strikes several
Stirling transports, knocking out two vehicles before the troops can
dismount. The rest move forward and the
surviving Raj Rifles dismount and take up a position in the headquarters
building opposite the storehouse, covering the evacuation of the staff who are
hurriedly destroying their secret papers.
The Engineer Sappers in the warehouse now direct accurate
artillery fire from the Bors battery, and the Empire infantry line is hard-hit
as devastating shrapnel erupts amidst their tightly packed ranks. General Chakri realises that silencing the
Crown artillery needs to be a priority for his infantry is to survive long
enough to reach the base. A unit of
Tongshi Lion Automata who have been silently prowling around the Crown force,
now emerge beside the Bors artillery ready to pounce.
Only the noble sacrifice of the nearby unit of Spitfires,
who jump into the breach and are torn apart by the robot lions, saves the Bors
from being utterly destroyed. The nearby Heavy Dragoons are forced to abandon
their watch for enemy aircraft and fire on the lions instead, destroying
several of them, but this change in focus allows the Doksuri to make another
attack-run, this time targeting the Bors.
The Crown’s Defiance Fighters are scrambled to intercept the Empire
aircraft, and a brief dogfight erupts above the Crown lines, which results in
one Doksuri shot down and the second damaged – but the Doksuri fire is accurate
and two of the Bors Heavy Artillery are destroyed.
Behind the Empire lines, two units of Crown Horse Guard suddenly gallop out of the jungle attacking the unsuspecting enemy troops. The first unit crash into the Royal Guard and with General Chakri personally under threat from the attack, they fight furiously, driving off the Crown cavalry and suffering only minimal losses in return. The second unit of Horse Guard have more success, cutting down the Bao Flak Launchers who have been busily scanning the skies to defend against another attack run by Crown aircraft. The previous destruction of the Empire artillery has left the northern hill exposed and there’s now a danger that the Horse Guards will capitalise on this to seize this secondary objective, so General Chakri orders the Fangun Medium Tanks and Tanshe Artillery Chariots to engage the Crown cavalry. After a devastating salvo, both units of Horse Guards are finally destroyed.
At the Crown base the first unit of Terracotta Warriors attack the Sappers in the warehouse, but they are blasted to pieces by explosive booby traps before they can inflict any casualties. Now the Green Banner Flame Teams have moved into range and shoot jets of fire through the damaged windows and doors, eliminating the last of the Engineer Sappers. General Gordon is unwilling to allow the warehouse to fall into enemy hands and orders the Raj Rifles into the building under covering fire from the Bors artillery, which inflicts heavy casualties amongst the Empire Flame Teams.
As they take up their positions in the warehouse, the brave
troops of the Indian Raj are subject to devastating Empire rocket fire which
penetrates the shattered roof of the building, inflicting heavy
casualties. A second unit of Terracotta
Warriors now approach. Accurate fire
from the remaining Mordred Heavy Artillery and Galahad tanks reduce their numbers,
but does not slow their advance.
On the main road outside the base, the Landship Singha
is attacked by the Engineer Dragoons, who tear away chunks of heavy armour with
their power-claws. In return, Singha’s
enormous roller crushes several of the dragoons, but they continue to fight and
inflict further damage to the enormous vehicle, slowly reducing it’s combat
effectiveness. The Crown landship
Invincible pours more fire into the Singha and smoke begins to pour
through holes punched through the hull, blending with the fumes emitted from
its gas generators, creating a dark pall over the battlefield. Crown Assault Dragoons attack Empire infantry
and one platoon of Guards is forced back by their murderous fire. In response the Yan Shou Flame Tanks attack
the Dragoons, turning several of their number into walking torches.
The Crown also fight a desperate rearguard action against
Empire forces to protect their precious artillery. The Drake Field Guns lay down heavy fire
against the Tongshi Lion Automata, but the lion automata ignore their loses and
destroy the Drakes in short order.
Meanwhile, Bulnabang Flying Infantry emerge from the jungle and
preparing to launch an attack on the Mordred Heavy Artillery, but Colonel Khan,
commander of the Indian Raj contingent, has personally taken command of the
units protecting the artillery, and his command platoon , supported by fire
from the Sharp Rifles gun down the Bulnabang before they can inflict any
damage.
The fight for the Crown storehouse now intensifies, with both sides desperate to garrison it. General Chakri orders the Yan Shou Flame Tanks to clear the structure, and the tanks emerge from the jungle, firing sheets of flame that annihilates the remaining Raj Rifles. Before the Empire can capitalise, General Gordon orders his last reserve, the Rifle Platoon from the Invincible forward to occupy the building. It’s a grim scene, with the remains of the two previous Crown units still burning within, and no sooner have the Rifles taken up their position, they are attacked by the surviving members of the Green Banner Flame teams. Then, the second unit of Terracotta Warriors force their way inside and launch a devastating assault. The attack is relentless and the automata inflict heavy casualties and driving the Crown infantry out of the building where the survivors are cut down by the advancing Empire forces.
With the jungle base now finally cleared of Crown forces, the second unit of Bunabang flying infantry sweep forward and claim the storehouse and its critical supplies for the Empire! General Gordon, aboard the Invincible realises that with all three of the Crown infantry waves destroyed, there are no more troops left to contest the base. Accordingly, all remaining Crown forces are ordered to concentrate fire on the Laoshan Landship Singha. The scale of destruction is immense. Fire from the Invincible, Galahads and Mordred’s inflict massive destruction aboard the Singha and when the Engineer Dragoons renew their assault tearing apart the massive wheels, the mighty landship lurches forward and collapses on its side, now little more than a smouldering hulk.
Massive black clouds belch and bellow across the battlefield, cloaking the Crown withdrawal. Meanwhile, the Empire consolidate their hold on the jungle base and its supplies. Across Singapore island the scene is chaotic; some Crown forces to pull-back from their coastal positions afraid of being cut off and surrounded, others run out of ammunition and retreat inland, while yet others fight on, unaware of the wider situation. The Empire forces exploit the confusion and cross onto Singapore island using temporary bridges where the Crown forces have retreated. Now a titanic clash looms, as the Empire forces seek to capitalise on Crown confusion and launch a final, furious, assault to force the surrender of Singapore City.
Summary:
Turn One Victory Points: 11 (Crown) 0 (Empire)
Turn Two Victory Points: 24 (Crown) 15 (Empire)
Turn Three Victory Points: 37 (Crown) 35
(Empire)
Outcome: Draw. While
the Crown had a slight advantage in Victory Points at the end of Turn 3, there
was no prospect of the Crown capturing the Major Objective in subsequent turns,
so the players agreed (given time was short) that a draw was a fair result,
reflecting the Crown outscoring the Empire in the first 3 turns, but the Empire
likely prevailing in the long run.
