The sun never sets.

Thousand-ton hydraulic presses can be sold, and even 15-ton national heavy equipment can be sold. Germany has obtained a full set of oil press technology transferred from China, and its performance is better than that of hydraulic presses. But they are still hesitating whether to launch this major project, because the investment is too large, and it is not that the hydraulic press cannot be used... Night Raid Group: Lu 15, San ... Well, it is a bit insufficient. Germany's current technology cannot produce a qualified -inch gun barrel. If it wants to get a -inch naval gun, it must either replace it with more advanced oil hydraulic technology or build a larger tonnage hydraulic press.

They wanted to sell the 15-ton hydraulic press to Japan or Britain, but Japan had no money, and Britain had its own, so there was no need to buy old German equipment. How about selling it to the Chinese? Lin Yongchang said that the Chinese government had no money. In order to support the "Five-Year Plan", the People's Government issued another round of national debt before paying off its debts, and really had no money to buy the German hydraulic press. Marshal Lin originally wanted to keep the factory that manufactured the -inch gun barrel in China, but after calculating the bill, hey, it's better to give it to Germany.

Because of the cooperation with China, the German royal industry has been greatly developed. William II has a lot of money, which is enough to satisfy the royal family's extravagant life, but it is far from enough to light up the various pre-technical technologies for the production of 15-inch cannons. There was a fierce debate within the German government, and many people opposed whether to invest in this plan.

The Kaiser Wilhelm-class super-dreadnought is different from the dreadnought. The dreadnought was just a reasonable combination of various technologies that had already appeared at the time, while the super-dreadnought had to first build many things that did not exist. Are the technical data provided by the Chinese useful? Many people are skeptical about this. What if you spend a lot of money and finally find that the technical route is not feasible?

The cost of the new plan was in the tens of millions of marks. Where would the money come from? Raise taxes? Or divert the army's resources? Many army generals opposed the Sino-Japanese-German cooperation plan that Kaiser Wilhelm II had agreed to on a whim, believing that the plan would drain Germany's wealth. Only Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz supported the emperor's plan. He spoke at the meeting, "After the outbreak of the Second Boer War, the British Navy intercepted ships that aided the Boers everywhere... During the Moroccan crisis, the British stood on the side of France and used their battleships to threaten us to make concessions... Gentlemen, it's time to crush the British blackmail!"

Opposed by many army generals, William II was a little shaken. The support of Admiral Tirpitz strengthened the emperor's determination. He remembered the Maxim machine gun. The opinions of the majority may not be correct. What if they are wrong? The Junkers were powerful, but didn't they also make mistakes on the Maxim machine gun? The emperor said to the marshals and generals: "If you don't support this plan, I will pay for it myself! If the money is not enough, I will sell the royal property!"

At the insistence of His Majesty the Emperor, the plan was implemented, but most marshals and generals still disagreed. The reason was simple. Even the British did not have the technology to build 15-inch naval guns, so how could the Chinese have it? Some people suspected that the whole plan was a huge trap set by Britain and China. They first gave the information of the dreadnought and then the drawings of the super dreadnought. The former was real, just to let Germany be trapped in the latter trap.

I have to say that Germans have a rich imagination sometimes. Just like the mustache, he actually believed that there was a mysterious power on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau that could conquer the world. If that kind of thing really existed, the people who are now traveling around the world would not be the British, but the lamas who like to do XXX and XXX.

Chapter 436 Chinese Exclusion Act

In Lin Yongchang's eyes, the Japanese Navy was almost a disposable fleet. Due to Japan's weak national strength, it was difficult for the Japanese Navy to be replenished during the war, and the damaged warships were repaired very slowly. Under normal circumstances, it could not pose a real threat to Britain and the United States. The British did not regard the Japanese Navy as a threat. Japan's shipbuilding speed was too slow and its technology level was also backward. The time it took Japan to build one battleship was the time it took Britain to complete three battleships. Now the British's fourth dreadnought is about to be launched, and Japan's first dreadnought is still on the slipway.

The British Royal Navy now has only one enemy, and that is the German Navy. The Germans were the first to build dreadnoughts, leading a naval revolution that made many British people very dissatisfied. The First Lord of the Navy, Sir John Arbuthnot Fisher, once shouted wildly in Parliament: "The German fleet should be destroyed in Copenhagen!" (referring to being destroyed in Copenhagen like the Danish Navy, which had the second largest fleet in the world in 1806)

Downing Street is most concerned about the German Navy's movements. However, what if Japan and Germany join forces and the Japanese Navy joins the German Navy during the war? What will happen? This is not impossible. The British government is somewhat worried about this and decided to exert influence on Japan, preferably to tie Japan back to the British chariot, at least to prevent Japan and Germany from getting close to each other.

However, the country most worried about Japan's naval power was not Britain, but the United States.

The earliest U.S. war plan against Japan was formulated in 1893, shortly after the Americans took control of the Hawaiian regime. At that time, in accordance with Mahan's theory that "the fleet cannot be dispersed", the U.S. Navy concentrated its main fleet in

In the Atlantic Ocean. According to the operational plan at the time, the Japanese army was expected to occupy Hawaii, the Aleutian Islands and even the harbor south of Seattle before the Atlantic Fleet was transferred to the Pacific Ocean. It was precisely because of this setting that the United States increased its determination to dig the Panama Canal. However, at that time, it could not be said that the United States had truly regarded Japan as its imaginary enemy. The strategic pattern of the United States had not yet been truly formed. American decision-makers, who were still influenced by the "Monroe Doctrine", had just raised their sights from the Western Hemisphere to the entire world. However, the result of the South China Sea naval battle caused a huge change in the attitude of the United States.

After hearing the results of the Battle of the South China Sea, Theodore Roosevelt was overwhelmed by the dramatic naval battle: "I was so excited that I could not perform my official duties, and I talked about the battle with visitors all day long."

As a strategist, he understood the implications of war: "I fully realized that if they were victorious it would mean a struggle between them and us in the future."

When talking about Japan, he clearly believed that Japan was a potential enemy of the United States, that is, "Japan and her navy are a powerful new force, a jealous, sensitive and warlike force, a force that can immediately seize the Philippines and Hawaii from us if provoked."

In the United States, anti-Japanese sentiment grew as the threat of the Japanese navy became more and more real, and Japan's growing influence in Asia threatened the United States' colonial rule over the Philippines. The U.S. Navy began to formulate a battle plan in the event of a war with Japan. In the plan, once the war broke out, no less than 16 battleships would be mobilized from the Atlantic to support the Pacific. The U.S. Navy only had 16 battleships.

Moreover, Japan was not fighting alone. Behind Japan stood the barbaric and huge empire of China. Roosevelt had a clear view of the relationship between China and Japan. If he wanted to defeat Japan in the future competition for hegemony in the Pacific, he had to break up the close ties between China and Japan, and even dismember the entire East Asian alliance. At this time, not many Americans felt that China was a threat. A country without even a battleship would not be able to cross the vast Pacific Ocean to attack the United States.

But Theodore Roosevelt didn't think so. He agreed with many of the People's Party's policies and had conducted in-depth research on the People's Party and New China, so he was more wary of China than others. "Every dollar we spend on Chinese goods now could become a cannonball fired at the United States in the future!"

Roosevelt thought that China's development momentum must be suppressed immediately and the East Asian alliance must be dismantled immediately. But how to do it? Send troops to the Far East? The Russians and the French proved with endless blood that this path was not feasible. Even if the US Navy was much stronger than the Japanese Navy on paper, the result of the expedition would likely be that the French Navy would be second. Moreover, everyone knew that the US Army would definitely not be able to defeat the People's Army.

Congress approved funding for the navy, but never approved plans to expand the army. The Chinese had nearly a million field troops, more than a million militia and armed police forces, and more than three million in reserve.

This is still the lowest estimate. According to Robert Hurd's statement in "China Collection", the Chinese can mobilize 20 million people! Even if it is halved, it is still 10 million armed forces. Who would dare to fight a land war with the Chinese? Didn't you see that even the world hegemon Britain has shrunk? With the strength of the British Empire, it is not willing to fight with China on the Far East continent.

The United States itself has a large National Guard and militia, and it is very clear how many troops a big country can mobilize. Why is the U.S. Army so bad, but no major power wants to attack it? One reason is that the U.S. Navy is still okay in coastal defense, and the other is that in addition to the U.S. Army, there are also large National Guard and militia. The army strength of European powers is stronger than that of the United States, but separated by the Atlantic Ocean, the European powers cannot exert their full strength, just like the United States cannot exert its full strength in Asia.

While President Theodore Roosevelt was thinking about how to deal with the Japanese navy, the Japanese had already taken action. Many articles describing the tragic experiences of the Filipino people appeared in Japanese newspapers. The Taisho government publicly issued a statement condemning the bloody massacre committed by the US military in the Philippines, believing that the American actions trampled on the sovereignty of the Philippines and brought great disaster to the Filipino people.

After these articles were published, relations between the United States and Japan further deteriorated, and the U.S. government soon introduced policies that restricted Japanese immigrants in the United States from engaging in financial activities and purchasing houses, farms, and other real estate.

Japan responded immediately by stopping import and export trade with the United States and claiming in newspapers that the Americans' actions violated international practice. It believed that the U.S. government's policy toward Japanese immigrants would be nailed to the pillar of shame in history, just like the Chinese Exclusion Act.

The Chinese Exclusion Act is a law of the United States signed on May 1882, 5. It was enacted as a revision of the Burlingame Treaty of 6. The revision allowed the United States to suspend immigration, and Congress quickly implemented this decision. The act was a response to the large number of Chinese people moving to the western United States due to internal unrest in China and the opportunity to get railroad construction jobs. It was the first immigration law passed in the United States to target a specific ethnic group.

law.

Many people in China knew about the existence of the Chinese Exclusion Act, but because they needed to buy machinery and obtain funds from the United States, they had previously pretended that it did not exist. Now that the matter has been widely reported by Japan, the people's government can no longer turn a deaf ear to it.

Chapter 437 Shameless

"......This is the most despicable behavior. A country that claims to be free restricts a certain ethnic group in the form of law. Is this really freedom? But we are not surprised that the United States would do such a thing. This country itself is built on lies and killing. Americans have caused countless massacres in the American continent, just like they did in the Philippines........."

".......The Indians were almost killed by the Americans. The American president once publicly stated that he would use Indian skins to make shoes... Will they prepare to kill all the local people in the Philippines like they did in North America? This is very likely..."

"........Some people say that Americans have become civilized and are no longer as barbaric as they were in the past. They also say that the United States has given the Filipinos many rights, but is this really the case? Americans used to treat the Indians in the same way, but once the United States is ready, they will tear off their disguise of kindness and reveal their evil nature. Look at the massacres they have caused in the Philippines, just like what they did in Beijing!"

The Japanese government carried out various propaganda, revealing all the things that the Americans had done. Chinese newspapers first reprinted the stories, and then began to call on the Americans to relax their control over the Philippines and allow the East Asian Alliance investigation team to check to see if there really was a massacre.

The US government would not pay attention to such an impolite request. What about an investigation team? What the hell! The Philippines was captured by American soldiers after three or four years of fighting. More than 100,000 troops were deployed, countless blood was shed, and tens of thousands of people were killed and injured. What qualifications do China and Japan have to investigate? Other countries like Mongolia, Korea, and Ryukyu are just there to make fun of them. They actually followed suit!

The Americans refused with a clear conscience and instead demanded that China and Japan open up financial and religious controls. The Chinese government ignored the US request. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had received similar requests no less than ten times and had long since stopped taking them seriously. The Japanese government exaggerated the situation, saying in newspapers that after the US carried out indiscriminate killings in the Philippines, it now set its sights on Japan. It also said that the US government refused the entry of the investigation team because it was guilty. If they had not done those bad things, why would they refuse?

Ito Hirobumi personally came forward and used radio, newspapers, and other state agencies to call on all Asians to unite and fight against the evil colonizers. Subsequently, ships of weapons and volunteers were secretly sent to the Philippines. The Philippines has many islands and is not far away, so it is very convenient to go there from Taiwan or Vietnam. The US Navy has no way to deal with torpedo boats or destroyers at night. Moreover, the US Navy deployed in the Philippines is not strong and can only deal with the natives of the Philippines, which is no match for the Japanese Navy. From time to time, the Japanese Navy sent a few warships to scare the Americans, which made the Americans very annoyed, but they did not dare to really turn against them.

Many of the light weapons sent to the Philippines were provided by China. During the war years, the People's Army seized too many weapons of various models and calibers. The General Staff packed up all the outdated rifles and sent them out to support the Filipino people's war of independence. These weapons are of mixed brands and poor performance, but they are rifles after all, and they can still kill people. In the jungles of the Philippines, it is not very important that the rifles are not advanced. As long as the Filipinos can continue to fight, they can cause great trouble to the Americans.

The Chinese government was clearing out its inventory, while the Japanese government was clearing out unstable factors. After Ito Hirobumi took over power, there were still many people who were not convinced. There were a group of stubborn elements in both the army and the navy. Because of the glorious victory in the South China Sea, the navy was suppressed by Akiyama Saneyuki, but the army was not. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Prime Minister Ito cleaned up the army again. Those who were disobedient were incorporated into the volunteer team and sent to the Philippines to fight guerrilla warfare.

In addition, Ito Hirobumi also sent an open letter to China, requesting the People's Government to send troops to rescue the Filipino people who were in dire straits. After the open letter was sent, it attracted widespread attention and discussion in East Asia. The vast majority of Chinese people agreed to send troops to the Philippines. Having defeated Russia and France in succession, everyone had great confidence in the People's Army and believed that under the leadership of Chairman Lin, they would surely defeat the hateful American colonists. Moreover, the Chinese empathized with the Philippines' experience. Less than ten years ago, China was also in a miserable situation of being ravaged by the powers. Now that China has escaped the crisis of national extinction, it has the obligation and responsibility to help another country that has also been slaughtered by the powers.

The tide was surging, and even Lin Yongchang had to stand up and condemn the Americans' barbaric behavior. Once the flames started, it was not so easy to control. But condemnation was condemnation, and some light weapons and volunteers could be given. There would be no declaration of war. The people's government still needed to sell goods in the United States to raise funds and buy machines and entire factories. It was not cost-effective to fight.

For a country, it is necessary to stick to its ideals, but at the same time it must be down-to-earth.

The independence war of the Philippine people? Of course! So Chairman Lin condemned the American actions and gave the Filipinos actual support. However, while supporting the Philippines, he sent Tang Shaoyi to Washington, hoping to strengthen commercial cooperation between China and the United States. The U.S. Navy Department mentioned naval cooperation with China, but was politely rejected by China. At first, China wanted to cooperate with the United States, but now it has become the United States that wants to start military cooperation with China.

But the opportunity has been missed. China's top partner is now Germany. Not to mention the exclusive clauses in the secret treaty, China does not have more manpower and funds to cooperate with the United States. Americans are very realistic and will not do anything that is not beneficial. China must provide half of the funds for cooperation, otherwise it will not pass the Congress. In fact, Americans hope that China can provide 80%, which is unbearable. Kaiser Wilhelm II is still easy to talk to. As long as His Majesty the Emperor is pleased, everything else is easy to talk about.

President Theodore Roosevelt's disgust for Lin Yongchang deepened. Originally, he thought that Marshal Lin was a brutal and cunning indigenous warlord. Later, he thought that Marshal Lin was a brutal and cunning warlord leader with some ability. Now he thinks that Marshal Lin is a shameless politician, just like those members of the US Congress.

On the one hand, they are using the Philippines to tarnish the reputation of the United States internationally, and on the other hand, they are sending people to the United States to pretend to be friendly. Isn't such a shameless face unique to Europeans and Americans? It actually appeared in the natives of the Far East!

Chapter 438: Ningji Okamura

The biggest reason why President Theodore Roosevelt became increasingly disgusted with Marshal Lin was not because of his shamelessness, but because the US military's colonial rule in the Philippines became precarious.

Previously, the Filipinos had fought the Americans for several years with crude weapons, including some rifles and mainly cold weapons. Now that they had received support from Japan and China, the suppressed rebels immediately became active again. Many of the Japanese volunteers sent to the Philippines had fought bloody battles with the People's Army, and their technical and tactical skills were very high. They also had weapons that were very suitable for jungle warfare. In addition to rifles, they also had grenades, mortars and mines.

The 82mm mortar is not very light, and one person cannot operate it, so two people are enough. The Philippine rebels carried this weapon and attacked the US military outposts and camps everywhere, beating the US military into a mess. The angry Americans rushed into the woods and stepped on the mines. There were examples of burying explosives underground a long time ago, but mines in the modern sense have only appeared for a few years and matured in the Sino-Russian War. When the People's Army and the Russians fought guerrilla warfare in Northeast China, mortars and mines were widely used. Mines, a weapon that is easy to make and has great power, are liked by all poor countries.

The Philippine guerrillas were not very good at shooting and bayonet fighting, and they lacked barreled artillery. In frontal combat, they were often suppressed by the US military, which had less than half the number of troops. However, the guerrillas rarely fought head-on with the US military. They were guerrillas, and they were best at fighting by hitting and running.

In the first two months of 1906, the casualties of the US military in the Philippines increased rapidly, which had already endangered the American colonial rule. Theodore Roosevelt put pressure on Japan and China while deploying troops, whether or not he would fight with the East Asian Alliance, he had to do it first.

But the situation deteriorated faster than President Roosevelt imagined. While the US government was still talking nonsense to Japan, the People's Party of the Philippines was established in mid-April and launched a large-scale attack on May 4. Tens of thousands of guerrillas surrounded a US military camp. The Filipinos, who had only dared to fire cold guns and cold cannons before, broke their usual habit this time and launched a fierce attack around the US military.

"Call for help from the division headquarters immediately!"

"Damn it! The phone is not working!"

"John......."

"boom!"

More than a dozen shells landed in the U.S. camp, blowing two Maxim machine guns into pieces. Before the U.S. artillery fire could counterattack, the mortar groups had disappeared into the jungle. The whistling counterattacks tore down trees and killed several guerrilla infantrymen, but it had no effect. The number of Filipinos was too large, seven or eight times that of the U.S. military, and killing a few or a dozen people had almost no impact on the battle situation.

"Boom!" "Boom!"

Explosions continued to sound, shaking the makeshift command post. Umezu Michiro rushed in and shouted, "Sir, the enemy has broken through to the east!"

Kamio Mitsuomi, who was looking at the map with a magnifying glass, looked up and asked, "Are you sure we are breaking out to the east?"

"Yes!"

"That shouldn't be the case..." Kamio Mitsuomi thought for a moment, then made up his mind, "Let Major Kawanaka and the Filipinos launch a general attack and take down the American camp first. Where is Lieutenant Okamura's troops?"

"It should be in Banaue."

"Should?" Kamio Mitsuomi said dissatisfiedly: "There is no such thing as "should" in war!"

Meijin Mijiro's expression remained unchanged. "Okamura Neiji's unit has no radio, and there is no telephone over there. If they had not been attacked by the enemy on a large scale, they would still be in Banaue."

Kamio Mitsuomi's serious expression eased, and he looked at the map on the table again, "Lieutenant Okamura's troops should not move. If the enemy wants to run to the east, let them run."

The American reinforcements came from Luzon in the south. The enemy was surrounded and broke out to the east, but it was probably a feint. Sooner or later, they would turn around and head south. The situation developed just as Kamio Mitsuomi had expected. After breaking through the Filipino encirclement, the American troops turned around and fled south. At the same time, the American reinforcements launched a fierce attack to the north. The defense line guarded by Okamura Neiji was shaky and almost collapsed under the American artillery fire. It was just "almost", and "almost" meant nothing.

Ningji Okamura was a rising star in the Japanese army. After graduating from the Army Academy, he participated in the Sino-Japanese Korean War and was besieged in Busan for three months. After returning to Japan, he, like many others, was inspired by Ito Hirobumi and joined the "Taisho Restoration". When Ito Hirobumi sent volunteers to the Philippines under the banner of "resisting the US and aiding the Philippines", Ningji Okamura took the initiative to stand up and join the volunteers. There were many young Japanese officers like Ningji Okamura who had experienced the Meiji Restoration and the Taisho Restoration. They had passion and ideals in their hearts, and they also wanted to stand out. They shed sweat and blood in the jungles of the Philippines.

Not only did many young Japanese officers take the initiative to come to the Philippines, but the same was true for China. When the U.S. military carried out the massacre in the Philippines, it also killed a lot of Chinese people. These people had many relatives and friends in Guangzhou, Fujian, so naturally many of them took the initiative to join the ranks of the volunteer army.

"Da da da da da!"

"boom!"

The firepower advantage of the US military was too great. After the military reform, the US military's weapons and equipment were much stronger than before. Not only did they replace the new rifles, but they also equipped a lot of Maxim machine guns.

"We can't defend like this any longer!" Ningji Okamura shouted, "We need to launch a counterattack!"

Too many Filipinos were killed, and the most rebellious ones were almost all dead. The remaining people hated the Americans and were afraid of the US military. It was fine to let the Filipino guerrillas stay in one place and shoot or fight guerrilla warfare, but if they launched a charge, I'm afraid they would collapse faster.

In response to his subordinates' questions, Ningji Okamura seemed confident, "At night, the enemy's firepower advantage will not be able to be used! Charge up and fight them with bayonets!"

It was a bayonet fight, but it was not just a bayonet fight. Ningji Okamura gathered the remaining mortars and machine guns in his hands, and distributed grenades to the members of the commando. The infantry tactics used by the Japanese Army were almost the same as those of the People's Army, and the weapons were also similar. The US military only changed its weapons and equipment, and the tactics were still the same. If the US military did not have the advantage in numbers and firepower, it would be uncertain who would win and who would lose.

Chapter 439: Crazy

The soldiers of the Volunteer Army were mainly Japanese and Chinese, with some Koreans. Although they were few in number, they were very strong in combat. Ningji Okamura had only one company of Japanese soldiers (Japan used the same weapons and organization as China), and more than 20 were killed or wounded in the daytime battle, leaving only a little over 100 soldiers able to participate in the battle. He asked his Volunteer Army to lead the charge, and several companies composed of Filipinos were placed behind.

The environment in the Philippine jungle is similar to that in Vietnam, with mosquitoes, insects and unknown small creatures everywhere. The locals have become accustomed to these insects that carry various diseases. They have their own way of surviving in the local area, which they have also handed over to the volunteers from China and Japan. However, Ningci Okamura still cannot fully adapt to the environment here. His legs are red and swollen, and the exposed skin on his arms is also full of bumps. If it weren't for the Fengyoujing, Qingliangyou and other special medicines shipped from China, I'm afraid he would have fallen ill.

Ningji Okamura straightened the uniform of a soldier, turned around and walked to the box, and said to the silent soldiers: "Gentlemen, please!" After that, he bent down and bowed to everyone. More than 100 Japanese volunteer infantry companies saluted in return, and then, led by the company commander Ozawa, rushed towards the jungle in the south. The rustling sound in the darkness gradually increased, and then gradually became smaller.

Before coming to the Philippines, officers such as Ningji Okamura were specifically told to mobilize the local people as much as possible, implying that the volunteers should not be sent to fight dangerous battles. However, the local people's fighting power was too poor. In a few months, the Filipinos only learned the most basic skills and tactics, which was fine for guerrilla warfare. When it came to the critical moment, the volunteers had to be sent.

Half an hour later, the sound of rifle fire and artillery shells exploded in the darkness. The Japanese volunteers rushed out of the darkness and rushed into the American positions like a whirlwind. Although the Japanese soldiers were short, they were very brave. They shouted and killed the enemy with bayonets and grenades. The firepower of the US military at this time was far inferior to that of forty years later. When the Japanese volunteers approached them, they could only rely on the Maxim machine guns besides the rifles in their hands.

"Da da da da da!"

"Da da da da da da da da!"

The machine gunner roared, and the flames whipped back and forth in the darkness. Machine gun bullets hit the trees, and debris flew everywhere, making a "puff puff" sound. Someone shouted: "Fire! Fire!"

The powerful artillery was the biggest reliance of the US army, but the distance between the two sides had shortened, and the artillery had no room to play. Soon, the US position was penetrated, and several mortar shells fell into the machine gun position, knocking out the Maxim machine gun.

The guns and the American soldiers were blown to pieces. Even the People's Army was almost defeated by the fierce attack of the Japanese army, not to mention the Americans.

The troops sent by Ningji Okamura to launch a night attack were not many, only more than a thousand people. However, in the eyes of the US military, the jungle was full of enemy figures. The Americans' arrangements were all for a better attack. They were eager to rescue the besieged friendly forces and did not waste time and effort to dig fortifications. After the machine guns were blown up and the artillery positions were lost, the US commander knew that it was impossible to do anything and issued an order to retreat. But the battlefield was too chaotic, and only a few people nearby could hear his orders.

After several years of fighting in the Philippines, the U.S. military's combat effectiveness did not become stronger, but was weakened. They almost forgot how to fight against regular troops. Without the commander's order, many U.S. soldiers fled.

After capturing an American position, the Japanese volunteers wanted to continue the attack, but they had already exhausted their artillery shells and machine gun bullets. The night attack troops also lost their structure and organization in the dark. Ozawa could only gather some comrades of the volunteer army. The Filipinos were completely in chaos. He tried to attack another American position in the south, but the enemy's firepower was fierce and there were many people, so he could only withdraw in disappointment.

After dawn, Ozawa, who had taken a nap, complained to Ningji Okamura: "The fighting power of the Filipinos is too poor. If they were all replaced by soldiers from the Empire of Japan..."

"Ozawa!" Ningji Okamura frowned and said, "There is no Great Japanese Empire anymore. Now it is the People's Republic of Japan!"

To be honest, Okamura Neiji was not very interested in the so-called People's Republic of Japan. In his opinion, there was no difference between now and the past. In the past, the feudal lords controlled the army and government, and the emperor was a puppet. Now it is still Ito Hirobumi who controls the Japanese army and government, and the emperor is still a puppet. What is the difference? The "Taisho Restoration" promoted by Prime Minister Ito is just a new skin. But it is true that the soldiers' fighting spirit has become stronger.

He was born in a family of declining samurai. The reason why he chose to go to military school was the same as many people, because at that time, only military schools in Japan were free. Ningji Okamura received a "militarism" education in the military school, so he did not agree with Ito Hirobumi's reform, but he also knew the suffering of the lower-class people and witnessed the improvement of people's lives after the Taisho Restoration. It is also true that people's lives have improved. In this case, let's follow Prime Minister Ito!

After being reprimanded, Ozawa immediately bowed his head and shouted, "Hai!" to show his respect for his predecessors and superiors. He then continued, "If they were all replaced by our Japanese soldiers, the results of last night's battle would definitely not be limited to this!"

After the battle, the Filipinos captured a lot of prisoners of war. The Japanese army, like the People's Army, now has political commissars, and military discipline requires them not to kill prisoners of war at will. But the Filipinos don't have such a saying. They also have political commissars, but those Filipino political commissars encourage soldiers to behead and skin American soldiers as revenge for the massacres carried out by the Americans.

Ozawa complained, "The Filipinos only know how to kill prisoners. I've never seen them put in so much effort in a war!"

Ningji Okamura frowned again, "Don't say such things! How many people are there? If we rely on ourselves, can we fight the enemy?"

The fighting capacity of the Filipinos was very poor, but they were numerous and much better than three or four months ago. As long as they were given some time, they would become even stronger. Ningji Gangcun knew why Ozawa complained. The environment here was really too bad. Many of the volunteers who came here were almost going crazy because of mosquito bites. Ozawa was not the first one, nor the last one.

Chapter 440: Evil

Because of Okamura Neiji's outstanding performance, the American reinforcements were blocked for two more days. It was during these two days that Kamio Mitsuomi commanded his troops to annihilate the American troops that broke through. Although the casualties on their side were greater than those of the US Army, the Volunteer Army Headquarters felt that such casualties were worth it. After annihilating an infantry regiment of the US Army, the Americans no longer dared to launch an attack on the base in the north with a small force.

An entire infantry regiment was destroyed, and this tragic defeat shocked Washington. Many congressmen once again questioned the strategy of colonizing the Philippines. How much money did the United States invest for those broken islands across the Pacific? To this day, there is no profit, but an entire infantry regiment was lost. The actual casualties were far more than just one infantry regiment, but old MacArthur evaded it. The Americans have a very effective casualty management system. As long as they are not killed on the spot while holding a weapon in the combat zone, they are not considered killed in action. In other words, even if a soldier is fatally injured and dies on the way to a field hospital, it is considered non-combat casualties.

President Theodore Roosevelt had to answer questions in Congress. He spoke out in public and repeatedly emphasized the significance of the Philippines to the United States. "...it is the bridgehead of the United States of America in the Western Pacific and the solid fortress of our control over the Pacific..."

But the congressmen don't care about hegemony in the Pacific, they just want to know how much money they have to throw there. The United States has spent a lot of money on the Philippines, sending as many as 100,000 troops there. It's not that there are 100,000 American troops in the Philippines, but that there are 100,000 American troops coming and going. The maximum number of American troops in the Philippines reached 60,000.

After the rebellion was quelled, part of the army was transferred back to the mainland, and now there are more than 40,000 troops.

If it was just to suppress the terrified natives of the Philippines, 16 American troops plus a few warships and gunboats would be enough, but now that Japan has intervened, things are difficult. The few American warships in the Philippines cannot defeat the Japanese Navy unless all battleships in the mainland are sent over. However, many people are worried that the US Navy will repeat the mistakes of the French expeditionary fleet.

Naval professionals are concerned about sending fleets for long-distance deployments. The South China Sea naval battle has proven that long-distance deployments are not feasible in actual strategy. The Japanese Navy is close to coaling ports and maintenance facilities; while American ships can coal in the Philippines, their docking facilities are far from optimal, and they may be attacked by the Japanese fleet before they reach the Philippines. Every time the Japanese provoke a war, they start with a sneak attack. As long as the main fleet of the US Navy moves towards the Philippines, it will inevitably be attacked by the Japanese fleet. This is absolutely certain. The Japanese are not stupid. The US Navy will deploy all its main battleships to the Philippines only to target Japan.

In addition, during the voyage, it would be necessary for the US forces to stay on the West Coast for long periods of time in dry dock for major repairs and refurbishment. However, the plans for the voyage showed that there was a lack of adequate facilities there as well. The main channel at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard near San Francisco was too shallow for battleships, so only the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington could be used for refits and repairs. The Hunter's Point civilian shipyard in San Francisco could accommodate large ships, but it was closed due to lack of use and was scheduled for demolition.

There was also the problem of coal for the U.S. Navy. This was not a problem when the Atlantic Fleet sailed far out in the Atlantic or the Caribbean. However, the United States did not enjoy a worldwide network of coal mines like the British, nor did it have sufficient supply ships. During the Spanish-American War, Admiral George Dewey was forced to purchase a cargo of British coal in Hong Kong before the Battle of Manila Bay to ensure that his fleet would not run out of power at sea.

Rear Admiral George Melville, who had been serving as director of the Bureau of Equipment, noted the shortage of supply ships and proposed a plan to build such ships, but the plan was killed by his elders in Congress.